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is “required”, of course, because without energy there wouldn’t be an economy). If, out of each $100 of output, we had to spend $2 on energy, we would be left with $98 to use as we wish. If the energy cost rose to $10, we’d still have our $100, but could exercise choice over only $90 of it.
In the same way, someone can become poorer if the cost of essentials (such as food, water and energy) rises more rapidly than his or her income. This is why prosperity is not the same thing as per capita GDP. This analogy is a good one, because the cost of energy plays a big role in the supply of essentials. The energy content in the food or water that we must have is higher than in things that we don’t need, but simply want. From this, it follows that the cost of essentials is a major transmission mechanism between ECoE and prosperity as we experience it.
The financial economy
From this, you might think that we can measure prosperity simply by deducting ECoE from GDP. Alas, it isn’t quite that simple, because the financial economy (recorded by GDP) isn’t the same as the real economy of goods and services.
The existence of the financial system enables us to time-phase activities in a way that wouldn’t be possible in a hand-to-mouth economy based on barter. We don’t just live in the present, but inherit from the past, and must provide for the future.
This time element is a great virtue of finance but, in the wrong hands, it is equally capable of becoming a serious vice.
It has now been in the wrong hands for a dangerously long time.
Beyond immediate consumption, an economy perpetually undertakes futurity activities. These include investment (which should increase future productivity) and the related concept of saving, which we need to do, not just to tide us over hard times, but also to prepare us for old age. On the other hand, we can borrow (or otherwise incur future obligations) if it seems beneficial for us to do so.
To work effectively, all of these ‘futurity’ activities need both long-term thinking and a properly functioning market.
Unfortunately, the powers that be have, over two decades and more, evolved a system in which neither of these predicates applies.
First, planning for the future has been weakened by an ideology of short-termism.
Second, a functioning market in futurity has been undermined – indeed, virtually destroyed – by monetary policies geared solely to the management of existing debt. Obviously, manipulated interest rates block the signals that the market is supposed to transmit. This leads us into making faulty decisions.
“Triple D” – plundering the future
It’s important to note that debt isn’t the only (or even the most important) component of our relationship with futurity. Taking the United Kingdom as an example (albeit rather an extreme one), the factor that poses the greater economic threat could be unfunded forward pension (and other) commitments well in excess of £2.5 trillion, rather than aggregate debt of £4.9 trillion.
Debt can be inflated away, if you don’t mind the costs of inflation – and if your creditors don’t take umbrage over being bilked through “soft default”. But you can’t inflate away futurity deficits like pensions in the same way, because they are effectively index-linked.
As well as encouraging borrowing by making it cheap, slashing interest rates – in Britain, from 5.75% ten years ago to just 0.25% now – has destroyed the ability of pension funds (for example) to make the sort of returns required to match current contributions to future needs.
The whole theory of pension provision is that, having invested X amount now, returns on this investment give us a lot more than X in the future. If, during his or her working life, someone had to put aside exactly the amount that they would need in retirement, the process simply wouldn’t work. The demands made on us in our working years would just not be affordable.
Artificially low rates, therefore, destroy the equilibrium between the present and the future. (They also block the essential process of “creative destruction”, miss-price risk, and manufacture bubbles).
Moreover, artificially low rates mean that our provision for the future deteriorates at exactly the same time as our future obligations to repay debts increase. If you add to this a third ingredient – an inability to organise the provision of care for an ageing population – the result is a potentially lethal cocktail.
We can call this toxic mix “triple D” – debt, deficits and demographics.
The great self-delusion
Obviously, mortgaging the future (by plundering our futurity reserve) boosts the present at the expense of the future. This means that recorded GDP figures are inflated by this process.
This is analogous to the way in which banks behaved in the years preceding 2008. By selling toxic instruments to themselves via off-balance-sheet SPVs (special purpose vehicles), banks created “profits” (and hence bonuses) at the expense of their own balance sheets.
Entire economies are now replicating this practice.
To work out what is really happening to the economy behind the smokescreen of plundered futurity, we need to calculate the extent to which recorded GDP has been flattered by the cannibalization of the collective balance sheet. What we are looking for is the proportion of GDP that would remain if the credit taps were turned off. That’s the underlying, “organic” or sustainable level of output.
The SEEDS system has an algorithm for measuring this. Its results are very probably conservative, because they conclude that, over the last decade, only about 19% ($18 trillion) of global borrowing ($98 trillion) has been used to inflate consumption at the expense of futurity.
Even so, this is enough to suggest that world GDP (in PPP dollars) was only $88 trillion last year, 25% below the reported $117 trillion. It also means, of course, that aggregate debt as a percentage of underlying GDP is probably nearer 300% than the reported 220%. In any case, measurement of debt isn’t by any means the same thing as measuring futurity.
Prosperity and the coming denouement
Having adjusted GDP for the plundering of futurity, we can deduct the economic rent of ECoE to measure prosperity. “Prosperity” is defined for the individual as ‘income, after essentials, that the person can choose how to use’. For the economy as a whole, prosperity is sustainable (borrowing-adjusted) GDP, less the economic rent of ECoE.
Globally, and in inflation-adjusted dollars, prosperity per capita was almost 4% higher in 2016 than it had been in 2006, but this rate of improvement has been decelerating towards zero. Aggregate world prosperity is still growing, but now only at a trend rate of around 1% annually, which is roughly the same rate at which the global population is expanding. So individual prosperity, on a worldwide basis, has stopped growing.
The next chart illustrates this, setting out – in per capita terms – three measures of economic output. The first, in blue, is the financial economy as recorded by GDP. The black line adjusts this for the estimated impact of “plundering futurity”, with the accompanying trend in debt shown by the yellow columns. Finally, the economic rent of ECoE is deducted to arrive at prosperity, shown in red.
These, of course, are aggregate measures, covering wide disparities of experience. At the positive end of the spectrum, citizens of China and India became, respectively, 58% and 48% more prosperous between 2006 and 2016. Prosperity in these countries is continuing to grow, albeit at rates a lot lower than in the not-too-distant past.
At the other extreme, individual prosperity in the United Kingdom declined by 13% between 2006 and 2016. British prosperity can now be seen to have peaked as long ago as 2000, since when the total decline has been 17%. Over the last decade, prosperity has also fallen by 9% in Italy and Spain, by 8% in the Netherlands, and by 7% in both the United States and France.
Some of these national circumstances repay investigation. Spanish prosperity fell sharply because the country was more exposed than most to the ravages of debt-fuelled expansion in the years before 2008, but has now returned to stability. The Italian economy has suffered from decades of declining competitiveness, something which – before Italy joined the Euro – was customarily cushioned by gradual devaluation of the lire. Membership of the single currency effectively forced Italy into painful internal devaluation (a.k.a. “austerity”) instead.
The outlook for France will hinge on the as-yet unclear direction of policy under President Macron. The risk here is that M. Macron will opt for the wage-depressing policies that pass for “reform” in the neoliberal lexicon. In other words, he might follow Britain in trying to create a low-wage economy. Doing this necessarily undermines demand, impairs productivity and increases household dependency on credit.
The continuing decline in American prosperity means that Mr Trump simply cannot deliver on his commitment to improve the lot of the average household. Mr Trump is an outsider, but this does not guarantee that he will not pursue the same policies that have failed in the past.
The most significant (and worsening) decline in prosperity, however, is that of the United Kingdom. For at least two decades, the British economy has been managed with remarkable incompetence. The UK just about dodged a bullet in 2008, but may not manage to do the same next time – and that next bullet could now be pretty close. Exactly why Britain is quite so vulnerable will have to be left to another article, but there are plenty of reasons to question the sustainability of the British economy.
Conclusion
As we have seen, the world has ceased becoming more prosperous, because increasing ECoEs (experienced in the rising cost of essentials) have dragged down growth in the real economy to a rate matched by population expansion. Within this, countries like China and India continue to become more prosperous whilst, in much of the West, people will keep getting poorer.
We’ve been trying to buck this trend by plundering futurity, spending borrowed money whilst running policies which cripple returns on pension and other provision for the future. This has been an exercise in futility, and must in due course lead to a sharp correction in the form of claims destruction.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Britain, so anyone seeking a single lead-indicator for the next crash could do a lot worse than watch the value of Sterling.Image caption Smell affects how we interpret food
People who are overweight have a greater sense of smell for food, a study has found.
Researchers from the University of Portsmouth say their early findings may go towards explaining why some people struggle to stay slim.
Experts already know that part of the brain that processes information about odour is also connected to the feeding centres of the brain.
The latest research is published in the journal Chemical Senses.
In the UK, a quarter of adults are obese and doctors fear that the incidence will only rise in the future as more and more people continue to pile on excess weight.
While too much food and too little exercise may be largely to blame, scientists have been searching for the underlying causes driving the obesity epidemic.
Hopefully this research will stimulate more work in this area with the potential to help those who struggle with their weight Dr Stafford, Lead researcher
To this end, Dr Lorenzo Stafford and his team set out to study if a skewed sense of smell could be partly to blame.
Heightened sense
His team asked 64 volunteers to take part in a series of experiments that tested their smelling ability.
Their study found that people appear to be slightly better at smelling food odours after they have eaten rather than when they are hungry.
Scientists do not yet know why this is, but Dr Stafford suspects that it could be the body's way of detecting and rejecting foods no longer needed in order to maintain the right energy balance and stop a person eating too much.
His team found that people who are overweight - those with a higher body mass index or BMI - have a far heightened sense of smell for food compared to slim people, particularly after they have eaten a full meal.
Dr Stafford believes this keener sense of smell might compel the individual to carry on eating, even when they are full.
He said: "It could be speculated that for those with a propensity to gain weight, their higher sense of smell for food related odours might actually play a more active role in food intake.
"Hopefully this research will stimulate more work in this area with the potential to help those who struggle with their weight and those who treat people with weight problems."For five years the Bush administration has played wack-a-mole with the American people as to why we are in Iraq, with a new justification quickly spawning after the hollow core of the prior position was exposed. WMD's was followed by fighting Al Qaeda and ultimately bringing democracy to the Middle East. Last week the proverbial mole may have met his maker and exposed the true reason over a million Americans have been put in harm's way.
In May 2004, President Bush explained that our mission in Iraq was "to see the Iraqi people in charge of Iraq for the first time in generations." A week into his second term, Bush said he would "absolutely" honor any request for withdrawal of U.S. troops by a sovereign Iraqi government, only to then ignore multiple request over the next three years and polls showing near unanimous support among Iraqi's for a timeline for withdrawal.
All this was laid bare this month as the Iraqi government went on the offensive in its call for U.S. withdrawal by 2010. Far from embracing the desires of a sovereign Iraq, the White House instead feebly attempted to claim Prime Minister Maliki's statement was mistranslated, while the McCain camp argued that Iraqi's really want the U.S. to stay until 2020. Apparently their view of a "free Iraq" is an Iraq that is free to do what we tell them to do.
The Iraqi demand for a deadline for withdrawal of U.S. troops comes in the context of ongoing negotiations with the U.S. over a Status of Forces (SoF) Agreement in which the White House is seeking to define its legacy through (i) an indefinite occupation; (ii) more than 50 permanent bases (including five mega-bases); (iii) the unlimited ability to pursue the "war on terror" in Iraq (including ability to arrest Iraqis without consulting government); (iv) control of Iraqi airspace below 29,000 feet; (v) supervision of Iraq's defense, interior and national security ministries for ten years; and (vi) immunity for U.S. forces and contractors. In addition, the U.S. wants the right to unilaterally determine whether an act by another country (i.e., Iran) constitutes a "threat" to Iraq and respond as it deems fit in order to "protect" Iraq.
The Iraqi's have rejected this invitation to be an American colony as "arrogant" and an affront to their sovereignty, but the White House is playing hardball and recently cost the Iraqi's $5 billion by blocking the transfer of certain Iraqi currency reserves out of the declining dollar.
From the start of the occupation, the Bush administration has shown little regard for Iraqi sovereignty and international legal prohibitions against making significant changes to the legal and political institutions of an occupied country. Instead, the administration pursued what, former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz characterized as "an even more radical form of shock therapy than pursued in the former Soviet world," as it completely reshaped Iraq's legal and economic regime to turn it into a Club Med for corporate interests.
The shock therapy was administered by Paul Bremer, who headed the Coalition Provisional Authority, through 100 separate Orders which suspended all tariffs and import fees (Order 12); immunized foreign contractors (Order 17); calls for the sale of 200 state owned enterprises through 40-year ownership licenses (Order 39); allowed foreign corporations to fully own Iraqi businesses and remove profits tax free (Order 39); cut corporate income taxes by two-thirds through a 15 percent flat tax (Order 49) and even restricts Iraqi farmers from using certain seeds without paying a license fee to seed suppliers such as Monsanto (Order 81).
The Bush administration also has ignored Congressional restrictions on the use of government funds "to exercise United States control over the oil infrastructure or oil resources of Iraq," as the State Department recently assisted the Big 5 oil companies in winning rights to develop some of Iraq's largest oilfields. Soon they will join Halliburton and others who have made billions off the war while protected by our troops.
The current spat over the SoF Agreement once again raises the question of why we fought this war to begin with. After five years of war at a cost of approximately $539 billion, 90,000 Iraqi lives, over 35,000 American soldiers wounded or killed, we now know what we suspected all along -- that Operation Iraqi Freedom was never about liberating the people of Iraq but instead about liberating its assets for foreign exploitation. Naomi Klein was right four years ago when she described the Bush mission as "pillaging Iraq in pursuit of a neocon utopia."In a keynote address to the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 100th labor conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel lent her support to the United Nations' labor agency's proposal for a treaty that would give better protection to domestic workers around the world.
The treaty would be aimed at increasing the rights of domestic workers - such as maids, cooks, or nannies - giving them increased measures of labor and social protection. The ILO estimates there are an estimated 52.6 million domestic workers worldwide.
"This is an area that has been very much in the shadow of official employment", Merkel said Tuesday in Geneva. "It's so important that standards are set that make it possible to respect human dignity and decent labour standards in this area."
Germany as an example
Merkel told delegates at the ILO's headquarters in Geneva that cooperation between governments and global financial and social institutions needs to be strengthened, because social justice is linked to economic development.
The UN treaty would better protect domestic workers, such as household cleaning staff
She cited Germany as an example for the importance of this link, saying that it was key for economic recovery in her country in 2009, when Germany's economy contracted by almost 5 percent. In response, the government introduced a short-term job-sharing scheme in which employers agreed to retain their workers in return for employees accepting shorter working hours and a reduction in wages.
"What was very clear was that this bond between both sides of industry, between employers and employees, should not be lost," she said.
However, Merkel also pointed out that there was a need for a strong social bond between employers and employees in periods of strong economic performance, not just in times of economic downturn.
"The lesson to the world from the crisis should be more investment in social partnerships during periods of growth in order to establish resilient partnerships that can survive times of crisis," Merkel said.
Pact for employment
Raymond Torres, the Director of the International Institute for Labor Studies at the ILO, said Merkel drew some interesting parallels between history and today's situation in terms of socio-economic development.
"She reminded the conference that social justice and social development are very important, and that labor is not a commodity." Torres said.
Merkel ended her speech by turning her attention to the turbulent events in Tunisia, Syria and Yemen. She observed that one of the main triggers of the so-called Arab Spring was the high level of youth unemployment.
She said Germany is committed to helping these young people with the government's Pact for Employment. This aims to train as many young people as possible in countries with growing democracies to enable them to acquire the skills they need to find employment.
Author: Lisa Schlein, Matt Zuvela (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Susan HoultonSchirin Rangnick
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein campaigned on Thursday to a crowd of more than 50 Yale and Connecticut community members.
The presentation was hosted by Margins, a Yale student-run leftist publication. Before the talk, students wearing Bernie Sanders campaign stickers lined up to take photos with Stein. She then personally greeted attendees, who showered her with praise for her progressive policies. Although Stein already has the Green Party nomination, attendees signed a petition to include her in the presidential ballot in time for the general election.
During her 40-minute talk, Stein addressed issues relevant to campus life, such as racial injustice, education reform and climate change.
“[Yale] is a microcosm of the fight for justice — for economic justice and racial justice and climate justice,” Stein said.
Stein said she wanted to acknowledge Next Yale — a coalition of students fighting for racial justice on campus — for its pursuit of a “diverse, inclusive Yale.” She expressed support for students who advocated to divest from fossil fuels, adding that bringing environmental justice to Yale is the first step in bringing it to American society.
Stein said if elected president, she would declare a state of emergency, which she said is the result of the state of racial injustice, the climate crisis and the economic malaise. She mentioned a project called the “Green New Deal,” which she said would involve the creation of 20 million new jobs along with environmental changes such as promoting organic and sustainable food, muscle-powered transportation and safe sidewalks and bike paths.
Attendee Jacob Waldruff ’19, a member of Margins, said climate change was the most important issue for him and one that he is “not sure the Democratic Party is really equipped to handle.” He said he believes Stein has good chance of gaining support from those who voted for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.
Stein was vocal about changing the American education system. She said she would implement free public higher education, cancel student debt and abolish “high-stakes testing” — standardized tests used to judge the quality of schools and teachers — that is now present in many public schools, adding that it “tests for poverty.”
“What society has ever survived by devouring its young?” Stein said. “That’s basically what’s going on right now.”
She also touched on mental health issues. She said substance-use disorders need to be treated as “health problems, not criminal problems.” Attendee and West Haven resident Taylor Krzeminski said she did not agree with the language being used by Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, making Stein a more appealing candidate.
After discussing the substance abuse, Stein elaborated on the drugs themselves. She said the “War on Drugs” promotes violence rather than fighting it. She suggested that current drug criminalization laws are similar to Prohibition in its ineffectiveness, adding that marijuana is “dangerous because it is illegal, not illegal because it is inherently dangerous.”
Stein also addressed the two-party system that dominates the presidential election and debates. According to Stein, 50 percent of people have already divorced from the two-party system. She urged the audience to open up presidential debates to allow more voices to be heard and to break the silence that she said has been turning the country away from democracy.
Talk attendee Adrian Hale ’16 said he believes many liberal voters go underrepresented in the primaries because they are not registered to one of the two main parties.
“I know that [frontrunner Hillary Clinton LAW ’73] won New York because many of the liberal and progressive voters of New York state aren’t even members of the Democratic Party,” Hale said. “I feel like it actually waters down the Democratic vote by most of them sitting out.”
Despite not being well represented during debates, Stein said she still had hope in the “radical cure.”
She said the American people have the power to turn around the economic and climate crises as well as racial injustice with “our convictions.”
“We are the cure we’ve been waiting for,” Stein said. “Nobody’s going to do it for us, but fortunately, we have the power to do it. We have the numbers to do it, we have the vision and the value and we have the public support to do it.”
Stein was also the Green Party nominee for the 2012 presidential election, in which she received 456,169 votes — the most votes any female candidate has received in a U.S. presidential general election.The world refused to end yet again on Friday, despite another prediction from Family Radio network owner Harold Camping that it would.
Earlier this year, Camping claimed Judgement Day was coming May 21. Then, when it did not, he said the actual day of reckoning would be October 21.
That day too passed without incident and now the Daily Mail is having a tough time getting Camping or anyone else from Family Radio to explain why the Earth is still turning. The paper's calls to the company were not returned.
The AP also ran into a roadblock while searching for answers.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we at Family Radio have been directed to not talk to the media or the press," Camping's daughter Susan Espinoza wrote to the AP on Friday.
Reuters caught up with Camping recently, before the big non-event, and the preacher declined to comment.
"We're not having a conversation," he told Reuters. "There's nothing to report here."
In May, thousands of billboards across the country proclaimed the world would end on May 21. One man from New York City said he spent his life savings on advertisements notifying his fellow citizens that the apocalypse was near.This post is available for FREE (pay-what-you-want) as a high-quality PDF – CLICK HERE
Sometimes the PCs loot a house or check the pockets or bag of some random NPC. Don’t just give them a few coins, make it interesting and give them some some basic, mundane items using these tables! They are broken up into wealth categories, from Destitute all the way up to Filthy Rich. Choose how rich/fancy the targeted NPC or NPC’s house is, and roll a d100 on the appropriate table below.
The Value column is in copper pieces, though it won’t necessarily transfer to a D&D game, as I created these tables for a homebrew system called Wretched (which I’ll probably post on this blog at some point). So feel free to use the Value as a reference or ignore it.
Destitute
Goods – Destitute d100 Value Item of Sentimental Value (Re-Roll) 1-8 – Bone 9-15 – Cloth Scrap 16-22 – Unreadable Note 23-29 – River Stone 30-36 – Dried Flower 37-43 – Hardtack 44-50 – Iron Nail 51-55 3 Piece of Food 56-60 3 Iron Buckle 61-64 5 Chalk 65-66 10 Crude Holy Symbol 67-68 10 Hat 69-70 10 Iron Earring 71-72 10 Tin Cup 73-74 10 Walking Stick 75-76 10 Belt 77-78 15 Candle 79-80 15 Crude Box 81-82 15 Crude Pipe 83-84 15 Die (6 Sided) 85-86 15 Pouch 87-88 15 Soap 89-90 15 Spike, Wood 91-92 15 Tinderbox 93-94 15 Tobacco 95-96 15 Whetstone 97 15 Comb 98 20 Crafting Scrap, Poor [d4] 99 20 Torch 100 20
Poor
Goods – Poor d100 Worth Item of Sentimental Value (Re-Roll) 1-6 – Bone 7-9 – Cloth Scrap 10-12 – Unreadable Note 13-15 – River Stone 16-18 – Dried Flower 19-21 – Hardtack 22-24 – Iron Nail 25-26 3 Piece of Food 27-28 3 Iron Buckle 29-30 5 Chalk 31-32 10 Hat 33-34 10 Iron Earring 35-36 10 Tin Cup 37-38 10 Belt 39-40 15 Candle 41-42 15 Die (6 Sided) 43-44 15 Pouch 45-46 15 Soap 47-48 15 Spike, Wood 49-50 15 Tinderbox 51-52 15 Tobacco 53-54 15 Whetstone 55-56 15 Comb 57-58 20 Crafting Scrap, Poor [d6] 59-60 20 Torch 61-62 20 Walking Stick 63-64 20 Crude Box 65-66 25 Holy Symbol 67-68 25 Needle, Bone 69-70 25 Tobacco Pipe 71-72 25 Flint and Steel 73-74 30 Nails x10 75-76 30 Blanket 77-78 35 Holy Water 79-80 35 Parchment 81-82 35 Spike, Iron 83-84 35 Vial, Empty 85 35 Animal Skin, Common 86 50 Crafting Scrap, Standard [d4] 87 50 Die, weighted (R) 88 50 Drill 89 50 Fishing Gear 90 50 Mallet 91 50 Playing Cards 92 50 Scroll, blank 93 50 Smoking Pipe 94 50 Spike, Steel 95 50 Waterskin 96 50 Whistle 97 50 Drugs 98 50 Bedroll 99 60 Crafting Scrap, Fine 100 75
Stable
Goods – Stable d100 Worth Item of Sentimental Value (Re-Roll) 1-6 – Dried Flower 7-9 – Bread 10-12 – Piece of Food 13-15 3 Chalk 16-18 10 Hat 19-21 10 Iron Earring 22-24 10 Tin Cup 25-27 10 Belt 28-30 15 Candle 31-32 15 Die (6 Sided) 33-34 15 Pouch 35-36 15 Soap 37-38 15 Spike, Wood 39-40 15 Tinderbox 41-42 15 Tobacco 43-44 15 Whetstone 45-46 15 Comb 47-48 20 Crafting Scrap, Poor [d8] 49-50 20 Torch 51-52 20 Needle, Bone 53-54 25 Flint and Steel 55-56 30 Nails x10 57-58 30 Walking Stick 59 30 Blanket 60 35 Box 61 35 Parchment 62 35 Spike, Iron 63 35 Tobacco Pipe 64 35 Vial, Empty 65 35 Holy Symbol 66 45 Holy Water 67 45 Animal Skin, Common 68 50 Crafting Scrap, Standard [d6] 69 50 Drill 70 50 Fishing Gear 71 50 Gem 72 50 Mallet 73 50 Playing Cards 74 50 Scroll, blank 75 50 Spike, Steel 76 50 Waterskin 77 50 Whistle 78 50 Drugs 79 50 Bedroll 80 60 Chain, Steel x1 foot 81 75 Crafting Scrap, Fine [d4] 82 75 Crowbar 83 75 Hammer 84 75 Ink 85 75 Oil (for lantern; 1 pint, lasts 48 hours) 86 75 Saw 87 75 Leather satchel (waterproof) 88 100 Quiver (20 arrows or bolts) 89 100 Scroll case 90 100 Wormrose Incense 91 100 Anti-Venom 92 150 Cooking Pots 93 150 Healing Kit, Poor (-5) 94 150 Lantern 95 150 Net 96 150 Pick 97 150 Crafting Tools, Poor (-5) 98 200 Healing Kit, Standard (+0) 99 300 Instrument 100 300
Rich
Goods – Rich d100 Worth Item of Sentimental Value (Re-Roll) 1-5 – Bread – Die (6 Sided) 25 Pouch 25 Tobacco 25 Comb 30 Flint and Steel 26-28 30 Parchment 29-31 35 Box 32-34 50 Crafting Scrap, Standard [d8] 35-37 50 Playing Cards 38-40 50 Scroll, blank 41-43 50 Tobacco Pipe 44-46 50 Walking Stick 47-49 50 Holy Symbol 50-52 60 Holy Water 53-55 60 Crafting Scrap, Fine [d6] 56-58 75 Ink 59-61 75 Drugs 62-64 75 Key 65-67 100 Leather satchel (waterproof) 68-70 100 Quiver (20 arrows or bolts) 71-73 100 Scroll case 74-76 100 Wormrose Incense 77-79 100 Anti-Venom 80-81 150 Healing Kit, Poor (-5) 82-83 150 Crafting Tools, Poor (-5) 84-85 200 Gem 86-87 d20 * 10 + 80 Lantern 88-89 200 Magnifying Glass 90-91 250 Healing Kit, Standard (+0) 92-93 300 Holy Book 94 350 Crafting Tools, Standard (+0) 95 400 Mirror, Hand 96 400 Healing Kit, Fine (+5) 97 500 Instrument 98 500 Crafting Tools, Fine (+5) 99 650 Lockbox, Steel 100 750
Filthy Rich
Goods – Filthy Rich d100 Worth Item of Sentimental Value (Re-Roll) 1-5 – Bread 6-9 – Die (6 Sided) 10-13 35 Pouch 14-17 40 Tobacco 18-21 40 Comb 22-25 50 Flint and Steel 26-29 50 Parchment 30-33 50 Box 34-37 75 Crafting Scrap, Fine [d8] 38-40 75 Playing Cards 41-43 75 Scroll, blank 44-46 75 Tobacco Pipe 47-49 75 Walking Stick 50-52 75 Holy Symbol 53-55 100 Holy Water 56-58 100 Ink 59-61 100 Drugs 62-64 100 Anti-Venom 65-67 150 Healing Kit, Poor (-5) 68-70 150 Crafting Tools, Poor (-5) 71-72 200 Gem 73-74 d20 * 20 + 200 Key 75-76 200 Leather satchel (waterproof) 77-78 200 Quiver (20 arrows or bolts) 79-80 200 Scroll case 81-82 200 Wormrose Incense 83-84 200 Healing Kit, Standard (+0) 85-86 300 Lantern 87-88 350 Magnifying Glass 89-90 350 Crafting Tools, Standard (+0) 91-92 400 Healing Kit, Fine (+5) 93-94 500 Holy Book 95-96 500 Mirror, Hand 97 600 Crafting Tools, Fine (+5) 98 650 Instrument 99 850 Lockbox, Steel 100 1000Both 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 and 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 are more disliked by millennials than Lord Voldemort, the villain from the "Harry Potter" book series, according to a new poll.
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The survey from left-leaning NextGen Climate finds the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees struggling with younger voters while 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.) enjoys high favorability ratings even after losing his bid for the Democratic nomination.
The poll found Trump’s unfavorable rating among millennials 23 points higher than the same group’s negative feelings for Harry Potter’s archenemy.
Trump has a net favorability rating of minus 53, the poll found; 75 percent of millennials view the Republican negatively, while only 22 percent view him favorably.
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton doesn’t fair much better, with 63 percent of millennials holding negative opinions of her and only 31 percent seeing her favorably, giving the Democratic nominee a rating of minus 32.
The favorability ratings of both candidates are worse than the fictional Voldemort, who is viewed negatively by 49 percent of millennials and positively by 19 percent.
By contrast, Sanders enjoys a net 34-point favorability rating among millennials.
The NextGen poll only measured the opinions of millennials in battleground states. It shows a general dissatisfaction among millennials with the candidates ahead of the 2016 election.
The millennial generation represents a large chunk of voters. According to the Pew Research Center, there are more than 75 million millennials in the U.S.
Three out of 4 poll respondents call Trump racist and question his respect for women, while 69 percent say they “would be ashamed if he is elected president."
They also express concern about issues such as the environment, healthcare, college affordability and equal pay.
NextGen Climate predicted more millennials, and particularly Sanders supporters, would flock to Clinton if she does more to embrace climate issues.
“Unlike Donald Trump and the GOP’s dangerous and hate-filled agenda, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party have prioritized climate action, providing them with the opportunity to win millions of votes from millennials in November,” NextGen said.
The poll surveyed 1,664 millennials in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Virginia, Wisconsin, Colorado, North Carolina, Nevada, Iowa, and Arizona from June 29 through July 11. It has a 2.4 percent margin of error.U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing titled “Hands Off: The Future of Self-Driving Cars” on Tuesday, March 15, at 2:30 p.m.
The hearing will explore advancements in autonomous vehicle technology and its anticipated benefits for Americans. Witnesses have been asked to testify on their continued efforts to develop automated vehicles, their views on the appropriate role of government in promoting innovation including removing unnecessary hurdles, and their strategy to grow consumer adoption of this new technology.
Witnesses:
• Dr. Chris Urmson, Director of |
the Seminoles needed to follow the lead of programs like Alabama, Texas and LSU, which would identify their top targets a year or two earlier.
"We're on sophomores and freshmen now," Fisher said, noting that some recruits these days won't even consider schools that haven't offered them scholarships by the time they are juniors. "If you haven't offered them yet … you're done. You aren't even getting in the hunt."
Making those early evaluations can be arduous, time-consuming and expensive.
While the state of Florida is considered one of the top two or three producers of college football talent, Fisher said he considers FSU's recruiting base to stretch north to Atlanta, west to Alabama and east to parts of South Carolina. Basically, anything within a five-hour radius. And the Seminoles try to saturate all of those zones during the NCAA-sanctioned spring evaluation period.
Each of Fisher's nine assistant coaches has a geographic territory to cover, and they make their rounds at those area high schools the way a salesman might work his territory. That adds up to a lot of flights (both commercial and charter), hotels, meals and rental cars, but Fisher said it is essential because every other major program is taking a similar approach.
"If you wait like in the old days and only travel at the end, you won't have anybody to sign," Fisher said. "There are no players left. Now, it's the early bird gets the worm. … It's all about a relationship. Recruiting is all about relationships. And relationships don't just come, 'Hey, c'mon, I've got a great school.' No, they take time."
Florida State's increased spending is not out of line with other major programs. Even with the recent surge in football, FSU spent $1.16 million on recruiting for all sports in 2010-11; the Seminoles spent just less than $750,000 on men's sports and about $407,000 for women's.
The men's total ranked fourth-highest in the ACC, while the women's total was highest. Meanwhile, several athletic programs in the Southeastern Conference spend more than $2 million annually on recruiting expenses for all sports.
And the results under Fisher have been promising. Just two months after being named head coach, Fisher landed a signing class in February 2010 that was ranked in the top 10 by all of the major recruiting services. His next two classes were even better.
The Seminoles signed 29 players in 2011, and that class was ranked No. 1 in the country by ESPN and Scout.com, and No. 2 by Rivals and 247Sports. The 2012 class was smaller, with just 19 prospects, but it again racked up many accolades.
ESPN and 247Sports, both of which place greater emphasis on the average star rating of each prospect, ranked FSU at No. 2 overall.
"It's paid off," Spetman said. "This is what we felt we needed to do at the time to get back to being one of the contenders for the BCS."
Because of the recent financial crunch, however, Spetman has said that the Seminoles' recruiting budgets will be slashed by 10 percent across the board in 2012-13. That could drop FSU's football budget back under $500,000.
While Fisher understands that times are tight, he believes that recruiting expenses should be one of the last categories to feel that pinch.
"With our classes, for the money, we're probably the best bang for your buck in the country," Fisher said. "I don't understand people who think you're gonna make money on a company and you don't invest in it. The investment is recruiting. If we get the right players and we win games, the school makes more money, we make more money, the community makes more money, and we're all happy.
"Recruiting is the lifeline."On Friday at around 2 pm, a 60-some-year-old driver in Yantai, Shandong province lost control of his car, veered onto the other side of the street and plowed into a team of about 20 cyclists from Jinan. Five died and at least three were injured. The aftermath, as you see in the above compilation by a user named “fox,” is not pretty. Youku video (slightly longer) for those in China after the jump. You can also check out this, shot on a camera phone by someone in a bus (948,000 views so far).
UPDATE, 8:49 pm: According to Qilu (Shandong) Evening Paper, the man was 69 years old and claimed he suffered from vertigo. As translated by chinaSMACK:
“The law states explicitly, those who suffer from vertigo absolutely may not operate automobiles,” explains one of the people working with the Jinan police. According to the Public Security Bureau’s “Law of Motorized Vehicle Licensing and Use” those who are inflicted with heart disease, epilepsy, Ménière’s disease, vertigo, and other disorders that influence the function of extremities and prevent safe driving may not receive a driver’s license. “If you comply with the health standards and are issued a driver’s license, but develop a condition later, you should apply to cancel your driver’s license immediately.” …Lawyer Wang Wei of the Shangdong Qianshun Law Firm says, the driver can not be relieved of responsibility by blaming his vertigo, because the law is clear on the matter. If the driver purposely hid the fact that he had vertigo [to get his license] and drove anyway, and the accident was really caused by his vertigo, then he definitely has to take responsibility. …The police explain, according to the “Law of Motorized Vehicle Licensing and Use,” all drivers of motorized vehicles over the age of 60 must undergo one physical examination a year and submit the physical examination results to a county-level or higher government medical organization within 15 days of the examination. “This law is obligatory, there is no room for negotiation,” explains the Jinan police. …Whether or not the 69-year-old driver had submitted his annual physical exam results, the police did not say.
Also, he was driving a Lexus, if that matters to anyone.HondJet Honda's light-weight aircraft set two separate speed records, the company announced earlier this week.
Called the HondaJet, the aircraft first got approval to fly by the Federal Aviation Administration on December 9 2015, and deliveries began in the US just before Christmas day. Honda has been touting the jet as the fastest in its class, and secured two speed records on flight paths in the US to back up that claim.
The HondaJet broke an existing record for its flight between New Jersey's Teterboro Airport and Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport with a flight time of two hours and 51 minutes. It also set a record between Boston's New Bedford Regional Airport and Palm Beach International Airport with a flight time of two hours and 58 minutes.
(However, it's worth noting that Honda says its jet is the first in its class to achieve the Boston to Palm Beach record.)
Scroll down for a closer look at the HondaJet:READER COMMENTS ON
"Papal Message of Peace Met With 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' at White House"
(24 Responses so far...)
COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
... rich said on 4/16/2008 @ 9:44 am PT...
I wonder, Brad, whether you're the type of person for whom America can do no right. It's a shame that "discord" is what you got from that display.
COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 4/16/2008 @ 9:54 am PT...
It was discord...of Bush's hypocracy... Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires. HOMILY OF HIS EMINENCE CARD. JOSEPH RATZINGER
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS Vatican Basilica
Monday 18 April 2005
COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 4/16/2008 @ 9:55 am PT...
oops Link
COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
... Richard said on 4/16/2008 @ 10:50 am PT...
I found the arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic a tad unusual and yes, in part even a little discordant. Not counting the harmonies and integration of the instruments with the chorale, they punched the line, in fact they practically shouted in unison, "we will die to make men free." I've never heard the Battle Hymn delivered in that way...It is usually a softer and more fluid delivery, phrased as one complete thought: "As he died to make men holy we will die to make men free." Was the arrangement revised specifically to give the Pope a little rebuke for his criticism of the war in Iraq, or is it simply a general in-your-face rebuke to anyone who criticizes the war?
COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
... Jeannie Dean in FL-13 said on 4/16/2008 @ 11:27 am PT...
Rich (#1) Funny, but as I read this post I mused out loud "perversely discordant" sounding it out to myself as I scanned the phrase, and it felt really, really good. I even took a moment to bask in it's double-thesaurian, alluding Orwellian, irony-inducing turn of phrase. No description could be more perfect. Apt comment--even GRACIOUSLY worded, if you ask me... (YEEEsss, wasn't MICHELE OBAMA a WONDER on Colbert last night? Gave ME that much needed, juicy Colbert "bump", and just in the nick of time, too.
I was getting a bit gloomy. Colbert was right--she DID seem Jackie-O-ish, almost hauntingly so.)
COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
... Redender said on 4/16/2008 @ 12:52 pm PT...
How many wars have been waged under the disguise of religion? All those two phoneys needed was Pappy there with them so then all the pedofiles would be on display.
They all make me sick and that song was a slap in the face of all humans!
COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
... TomaHawk said on 4/16/2008 @ 1:18 pm PT...
Why is the battle flag of the Confederate States of America, the Stars and Bars, so prominent in the photo? Isn't this flag considered a symbol of racism? Why is it displayed on the podium?
COMMENT #8 [Permalink]
... Marty said on 4/16/2008 @ 2:53 pm PT...
You have got to be kidding me? When I heard Kathleen Battle sing The Lord's Prayer and then the US Army Choir sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, I had such a sense of pride in both renditions. But then you would probably consider me to be a bitter, bible thumping, gun toting, illegal immigrant hating American! Well, I guess you are correct, you got me. But damn, that US Army Choir tore that song up and I wish I could find the video clip on-line. Hopefully someone will post it on YouTube! May we never ever forget the soldiers and veterans who have died to make men free! Happy Birthday Holy Father and as you said so well today at the White House, "God Bless America!"
COMMENT #9 [Permalink]
... LadyLoess said on 4/16/2008 @ 4:00 pm PT...
How very sad that you overlook the first two lines of The Battle Hymn, "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord! He is trampling out the vineyards where the grapes of wrath are stored!" Take your trampled grapes, Brad, and drink the bitter wine! I will continue to Praise the Lord that we live in a country where you are free to publish your opinion (as am I). And Bless the souls of the brave military men and women who have died to ensure that we have such a privilege, as well as those who continue to serve our wonderful United States of America!
COMMENT #10 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 4/16/2008 @ 4:11 pm PT...
What Hypocrites!!!
The blind type that can't see past the end of their own noses. Flatheads
COMMENT #11 [Permalink]
... Ray said on 4/16/2008 @ 4:38 pm PT...
It's just you on both counts.
COMMENT #12 [Permalink]
... Joan said on 4/16/2008 @ 4:39 pm PT...
Yes, bless the souls of our brave soldiers. And curse the vile, brutal, black-hearted savages who put them in harm's way to fight a needless war based on greed and lies.
COMMENT #13 [Permalink]
... Jim S said on 4/16/2008 @ 5:02 pm PT...
RE: Comment #7 The flag behind the pope's head that contains the Stars and Bars is probably the flag of Mississippi. The singing of the Battle Hymn for a papacy that opposed the unprovoked war against the innocent people of Iraq is no accident.
COMMENT #14 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 4/16/2008 @ 7:33 pm PT...
Why is the rebel flag of the civil war flying in the background during the war song? Why does preznit blush hold hands only with muslims? American flag waived, Amurkan flag waved.
COMMENT #15 [Permalink]
... JimiGee said on 4/16/2008 @ 9:20 pm PT...
I can't believe that they would play that song to this Pope. As a Catholic I was appalled at it. As for Rush this link says it all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCHfrLkGYlM
COMMENT #16 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 4/17/2008 @ 3:01 am PT...
What I want to know is if Bush lined up any of that young male Page meat...awesome!!! (Bush) 'Aw Ratz, I probably shouldnta brought that up'
COMMENT #17 [Permalink]
... bozo said on 4/17/2008 @ 5:14 am PT...
Rush Limbo swa God in Washinton? No joke, man. The guy takes enough heavy meds to see several gods, all
dreamily floating around his head. As for the P-man Bush, standing before the alabama state flag, hand on heart, soaking up the battle hymn of the repugnant, they look as natural and at home as a dog licking his balls. Why the shock and outrage?
COMMENT #18 [Permalink]
... Ancient said on 4/17/2008 @ 5:38 am PT...
Yeah Floridiot 16, I find it very interesting the gannon/guckart crew is getting together with the man who initially wrote the cover up at all expense to the church's pediphile problem: [edit] Response to sex abuse scandal
As Cardinal Ratzinger was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the sexual abuse of minors by priests was his responsibility to investigate from 2001, when that charge was given to the CDF by Pope John Paul II.[3] As part of the implementation of the norms enacted and promulgated on April 30, 2001 by Pope John Paul II,[4] on May 18, 2001 Ratzinger sent a letter to every bishop in the Catholic Church.[5] This letter reminded them of the strict penalties facing those who revealed confidential details concerning enquiries into allegations against priests of certain grave ecclesiastical crimes, including sexual abuse, which were reserved to the jurisdiction of the Congregation. The letter extended the prescription or statute of limitations for these crimes to ten years. However, when the crime is sexual abuse of a minor, the "prescription begins to run from the day on that which the minor completes the eighteenth year of age."[6] Lawyers acting for two alleged victims of abuse in Texas claim that by sending the letter the cardinal conspired to obstruct justice.[7] The letter did not, in fact, discourage victims from reporting the abuse itself to the police; the secrecy related rather to the internal investigation of the alleged crime, forbidding all parties to divulge what took place during the Church trial. The Catholic News Service reported that "the letter said the new norms reflected the CDF's traditional "exclusive competence" regarding delicta graviora—Latin for "graver offenses". According to Canon Law experts in Rome, reserving cases of clerical sexual abuse of minors to the CDF is something new. In past eras, some serious crimes by priests against sexual morality, including pedophilia, were handled by that congregation or its predecessor, the Holy Office, but this has not been true in recent years."[8] The promulgation of the norms by Pope John Paul II and the subsequent letter by the then Prefect of the CDF were published in 2001 in Acta Apostolicae Sedis[9] which is the Holy See's official journal, in accordance with the Code of Canon Law,[10] and is disseminated monthly to thousands of libraries and offices around the world.[11] In 2002, Ratzinger told the Catholic News Service that "less than one percent of priests are guilty of acts of this type."[12] Opponents saw this as ignoring the crimes of those who committed the abuse; others saw it as merely pointing out that this should not taint other priests who live respectable lives.[13][8] Ratzinger's Good Friday reflections in 2005 were interpreted as strongly condemning and regretting the abuse scandals, which largely put to rest the speculation of indifference. Shortly after his election, he told Francis Cardinal George, the Archbishop of Chicago, that he would attend to the matter.[8] wikipedia Maybe they are bumping heads on how to spin their latest problems in keeping the masses ignorant.
COMMENT #19 [Permalink]
... Ancient said on 4/17/2008 @ 5:47 am PT...
Ooops, forgot my
COMMENT #20 [Permalink]
... Stephen Martin said on 4/17/2008 @ 12:47 pm PT...
God is on everyone's side these days, isn't he? It's the "World According to Limbaugh" which isn't saying much. In every war, God is always "On Our Side". Religion is so mishandled my the human mind that it's true meaning is lost and twisted by the likes of Limbaugh and his ilk. God isn't a photo op, or a papal visit, or the musings of a conservative radio talk show host who frequently lacks the empathy, love, compassion, truth and sympathy that IS God. If you practiced what you preached, there wouldn't be so much hate generated by your radio show Rush.
COMMENT #21 [Permalink]
... Big Dan said on 4/17/2008 @ 7:05 pm PT...
2 jackasses!
COMMENT #22 [Permalink]
... hauksdottir said on 4/19/2008 @ 8:34 am PT...
Why is Bush's hand over his heart? For the Lord's Prayer? For the Battle Hymn? The hand goes on book or heart or raised or whatever during an oath or pledge... not during any and every song! False patriotism just pours from that drunken fool. Otherwise, they look like plastic figures on a wedding cake.
COMMENT #23 [Permalink]
... TutRyanFarkus said on 4/23/2008 @ 7:25 am PT...
Let's see: a pedophile protector and a drunken, drug-addled war criminal. Good company!
COMMENT #24 [Permalink]
... Steve said on 5/22/2008 @ 10:44 am PT...URGENT APPEAL FOR ACTION NOW! 9/14/2011 11:58:00 am BenefitScroungingScum 0 Comments
anelayj@parliament.uk – this is the chief whip to whom you should send the email and cc it to the others. – this is the chief whip to whom you should send the email and cc it to the others. bassams@parliament.uk – opposition chief whip – opposition chief whip freudd@parliament.uk –
After an incredibly constructive debate yesterday in the House Of Lords the government appear to be concerned about how many Lords had significant concerns about the Welfare Reform Bill, even those Lords who in principle supported the bill had major questions they wanted answers to.For a bill of this size and importance, convention dictates that the next stage of the bill should be kept in the main chamber of the House of Lords for debate. It's particularly important the bill be continued to be debated in the main chamber as disability access to the smaller committee rooms is very limited and people will not be able to access the committee rooms to exercise their democratic right to observe the passge of the bill from the public chamber.At 3.30pm today the govermnent are tabling a motion to move the grand committee stage of the bill into one of the smaller committee rooms. Presumably the government are hoping that by moving a bill into the committee rooms it will be harder to scrutinise - there won't be enough space in any of the committee rooms to allow for all the Lords to participate, let alone for us to scrutinise online or attend in person.This is an outrage - the government are clearly concerned by the level of queries and opposition to the Welfare Reform Bill highlighted by yesterday's debate and wish to quietly sideline it to a committee room where they hope it will pass with less opposition. Tabling the motion for the afternoon following PMQ's is also an underhand trick as it means it will be harder for us to object through the main stream media.This is our call to arms. This bill affects us, our families and every aspect of our lives, as well as the lives of those currently paying into the system in anticipation of protection should they require it. If we can make enough noise in the next few hours the government will be forced to keep the passage of the bill in the main chamber of the house of lords where it can be effectively and appropriately scrutinised by all.What you can do to help is this;Please post copies of this blog onto your facebook, your twitter, stumbleupon, wikio etc. Please email it to everyone you know, please talk about this on your own blogs. Email or phone your MP to register your objections, email or phone the house of lords to explain your concerns, email or phone the media, local or national and explain that whether or not people are in favour of this bill, that it is a fundamental democratic right to have it debated in the main chamber of the house of lords where there is space for all who wish to attend and observe. Highlight the injustice and hypocrisy of the governments behaviour in trying to sideline this important bill into a room too small for all the Lords to attend and certainly too small to allow those in wheelchairs, or with guide dogs, the very people most affected by this bill to be able to observe from the public gallery.If we make enough noise before 3.30pm today the government will have to drop this underhand tactic and the Bill will continue to be debated in the main chamber of the House of Lords where everyone who wishes to can attend and observe.UPDATE 13.30The email addresses to contact are;On the Market Stage
The Market Stage sits at the south end of the Food Court. Though it's outdoors, we use it rain or shine! There is a generous canopy over the stage and another over the audience, and seating is provided. There's also room for dancing, which is always encouraged! There is a special kid friendly set each Saturday at 11:00 AM, and a longer set of dance music at 3:30PM. The rest of it is all variety all the time - local and regional musicians and community groups bring their folk, blues, rock, jazz, Brazilian, African, choral, Balkan, and/or classical music and things between and beyond for your entertainment.
If you're a musician or band looking to get booked for the Saturday Market Stage, please send a link to your website (or Reverb Nation or Band Camp or Soundcloud or YouTube or Facebook or whatever kind of music page) so we can hear you perform.
We'll go forward from there!
Booking Contact: Jimmy Haggard
Interested in street performing/busking at Market? Here are our Busker/Street Perfomer Guidelines.As the Marines raised the flag, a number of locals gathered around in anger. The Marines told them that the Pocahontas would fire on anyone attempting to remove the flag. However, a group of seven individuals, including Mumford, decided to remove the flag from the mint. The Pocahontas fired and Mumford was injured by a flying piece of brick. With cheers from local onlookers, he carried the flag to the mayor at city hall, but onlookers tore at it as he walked, reducing it to a stub.
Three days later Union Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, the commander of the Union ground forces, heard about the incident and decided to arrest and punish Mumford. When the Union Army occupied the city on May 1, Mumford was arrested and charged with "high crimes and misdemeanors against the laws of the United States, and the peace and dignity thereof and the Law Martial." On May 30 he was tried before a military tribunal and convicted, even though there was no clear attempt to determine whether the city was actually occupied when the event occurred.
On June 5 Butler issued the following Special Order No. 70:
William B. Mumford, a citizen of New Orleans, having been convicted before a military commission of treason and an overt act thereof, tearing down the United States flag from a public building of the United States, after said flag was placed there by Commodore Farragut, of the United States navy: It is ordered that he be executed according to sentence of said military commission on Saturday, June 7, inst., between the hours of 8 a.m. and 12 a.m. under the directions of the provost-marshal of the District of New Orleans, and for so doing this shall be his sufficient warrant.
On June 7, a little before noon, Mumford was taken to be hanged in the courtyard of the mint itself, a place that Butler had decided "according to the Spanish custom" would be the ideal place. Many people came to the spot, and Mumford was allowed to give a final speech in which he spoke of his patriotism for the Confederacy and his love for what he considered the true meaning of the U.S. flag, a symbol he had fought under in the Seminole Wars and the Mexican–American War.A key strategist for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has been dropped after he was exposed as the source for a Sun Media story alleging Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff played a role in the Iraq war.
The Conservative Party war room confirmed Wednesday that Patrick Muttart "has no further role with our campaign."
Muttart is Harper's former deputy chief of staff. He was a chief strategist in the 2006 campaign that brought Harper to power, and again in the 2008 election that saw him re-elected. He currently works for Mercury LLC, a public affairs and political strategy firm that is based in Chicago and Washington.
Sources tell CBC News that Muttart was surprised to learn that he was getting dumped from the campaign. He was working as a paid consultant, not a volunteer.
The Conservative campaign distanced itself from Muttart after Pierre Karl Peladeau, the president and CEO of Sun Media Corporation, published an editorial Wednesday that accused the Conservatives of deliberately trying to plant information that would damage Ignatieff's campaign.
The editorial explained the background to a story from last week run by the media chain. It said that Kory Teneycke, vice-president of Sun News, was contacted by Muttart, who said he had a report prepared by a "U.S. source" outlining the activities and whereabouts of Ignatieff during the time leading up to the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003.
Muttart supplied a photo that included a man "very closely resembling" Ignatieff, according to Peladeau, dressed in military fatigues and holding a rifle that was apparently taken in 2002.
Peladeau said Teneycke, who is Harper's former director of communications, and the news team were "excited" to receive information that "contradicted Ignatieff's story about his role in the region," but that they did due diligence to verify that it was Ignatieff in the photo.
It turned out that the man in the photo was not Ignatieff, Peladeau wrote.
Photo couldn't be verified
The Conservative war room confirmed the photo and other information it had "acquired during Internet research" was supplied to Sun Media.
"The campaign made clear to Sun Media that the identity in the photograph could not be verified and that our own efforts to verify the photograph had been exhausted," a statement provided to CBC News said.
The Sun chain published a story on April 20 with the headline, "Ignatieff linked to Iraq war planning." It reported that in his political career Ignatieff has always said he was on the sidelines of the Iraq war, but "new information reveals he was on the front lines of pre-invasion planning" when he worked at Harvard University's Carr Center for Human Rights.
It cited quotes from an American military official who described the work the military had done with the human rights organization and he named Ignatieff as one of the group's employees. The article said Ignatieff's work with the organization and his writings helped push the U.S. government's message that the war was necessary.
The day the article appeared, a reporter from the chain suggested to Ignatieff that he had been dishonest and that he was "deeply involved in helping the Bush administration plan the invasion of Iraq." The reporter asked the Liberal leader at a campaign event why he hadn't been "up-front" about his "deep involvement in that planning."
Ignatieff flatly rejected the premise of the question, and said the work he did with the Carr Center was open, transparent and focused on reducing civilian deaths during armed conflicts. The organization worked with the militaries of many countries, including Canada, he noted.
"The purpose of the Carr Centre — remember it's a human rights centre — was to find ways to make sure that when you do humanitarian operations to protect civilians, you don't end up killing civilians," Ignatieff said.
"At no time, in no way, was I ever involved in the planning of any offensive combat operations by any military forces," Ignatieff said.
Muttart's firm hits back
The newspaper chain did not run the photo that was supplied to it by the Conservative campaign when it ran the article.
"The Sun made the right decision," the Conservative campaign statement said. But Peladeau blasted the Conservatives over the "troubling episode."
"It is my belief that this planted information was intended to first and foremost seriously damage Michael Ignatieff's campaign, but in the process to damage the integrity and credibility of Sun Media and, more pointedly, that of our new television operation, Sun News," Peladeau wrote.
"Bad information is an occupational hazard in this business, and fortunately our in-house protocols prevented the unthinkable," he wrote. He said the "ultimate source" of the material that was provided to the news organization is "profoundly troubling" to him and "should be of concern to all Canadians."
In a release late Wednesday, Mercury, the firm where Muttart works, hit back at Peladeau's claims, saying at no time did Muttart "mislead, or intend to mislead Sun Media, in his provision of information to them."
The firm said Peladeau's assertion that Muttart aimed to "damage the integrity and credibility" of Sun Media and Sun TV News was "false and downright bizarre."
The Mercury press release said it had been hired by Quebecor to help Sun TV News with its pre-license branding and positioning, and that Muttart himself was the "original source" for the network's "hard news" and "straight talk" branding language. The firm noted it continues to provide pro-bono work for the network, giving feedback on graphics and on-air promotional spots.(CNN) The word has gone out.
On every television channel, on the front page of every newspaper, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in addition to his many other impressive titles, is now officially referred to as "the core of the Chinese Communist party."
It sounds like just another title but it is highly symbolic in China.
It was originally granted to Chairman Mao Zedong and since then to two of his successors as leader -- Deng Xiaoping, the man who remodeled China's economy, and President Jiang Zemin.
Tellingly, it was not bestowed on Xi's immediate predecessor, Hu Jintao.
Zhang Baohui, professor of political science at Hong Kong's Lingnan University, says the message is clear. "Hu Jintao was the first among equals and it was clear collective decision making. Xi Jinping is no longer the first among equals. He is clearly the leader," he told CNN.
The report surprised few but sent a very strong signal -- it comes after the annual confab known the 6th plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which wrapped up four days of closed door meetings in Beijing.
'You can get policies done'
When you are "the core" of the Communist Party, you aren't just another leader -- your will is now law.
"The whole thing about being 'the core' is that you can get policies done," David Zweig, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professor, told CNN.
JUST WATCHED On China: Can Xi Jinping salvage China's economy? Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH On China: Can Xi Jinping salvage China's economy? 01:44
"The risk is that you will take power to yourself, undermine the power bases of the people beneath you. Give him greater authority to replace people who are allied with Jiang Zemin or their own networks."
Zweig said there had already been a push to make Xi "the core" in early 2016 but it hadn't succeeded.
"Everyone in the Politburo has their networks, even in the Standing Committee of the Politburo, so if you give all the power to one guy you give him the power to push your people out and push his people through," he said.
"Entrenched resistance was strong but if you really want to see China reform, you want to take some power away (from those) who protect their vested interests, like the state enterprises."
Anti-corruption drive or power grab?
Xi has been amassing titles since he took over as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012.
He has used that authority to push through an intensive anti-corruption drive -- targeting even the very highest levels of the party and the army. The campaign has been very popular with the Chinese public, but it has worried some elites.
Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims A Chinese court in the northern city of Tianjin sentenced a former vice minister of public security to 15 years in prison for corruption, state media reported Tuesday, January 12. Li Dongsheng, 60, was charged with taking almost 22 million yuan ($3.3 million) in bribes from 2007 to 2013. He was a protégé of disgraced former domestic security czar Zhou Yongkang, who was sentenced to life in prison in June 2015 for corruption offenses. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims Jiang Jiemin, who once headed China's biggest oil company, was handed a 16-year jail term for bribery, abuse of power and possessing assets from unidentified sources on October 12, 2015. Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims Li Chuncheng, a former high-ranking official in Sichuan province, was sentenced to 13 years in jail for bribery and abuse of power. Both Li and Jiang were reported to have close ties to Zhou Yongkang, the highest-ranking Chinese official to fall foul of President Xi Jinping's corruption campaign so far. Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims Communist Party investigators have accused Ling Jihua, 58, once a top aide to former President Hu Jintao, of accepting huge bribes, stealing party and state secrets, as well as keeping mistresses and trading power for sex. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims China sacked one of its top sporting officials on July 16 because he's under investigation over allegations of corruption. Xiao Tian has been removed from his post as the deputy director of the General Administration of Sport (GAS). He's also a vice chairman of China's national Olympic committee, and was often its public face. Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims Xu Caihou was the most senior military figure caught up in the corruption dragnet. However, the former People's Liberation Army general didn't face prosecution because of ill health and died of bladder cancer in March 2015. His rank was revoked after an investigation found he took bribes to facilitate promotions. Local media reports said the general had so much cash stashed away at his home that it took a week to count, and 12 trucks to haul it away. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims Liu Han, a mining tycoon found guilty of murder and running a "mafia-style" organization, wasn't strictly a corrupt official but his conviction shed light on his links to a top target of Xi's anti-corruption campaign -- Zhou Yongkang. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims A former member of China's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, Zhou Yongkang is now serving a life sentence for corruption and other crimes. He was tried in secret in May 2015 and sentenced to life in prison in June. He's the highest ranking official to fall victim to Xi's graft crackdown. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: China's corruption crackdown nets more victims Once a rising star of the Chinese Communist Party, Bo Xilai fell from power in an explosive scandal involving murder, betrayal and financial skullduggery. Bo pleaded not guilty and challenged the prosecution |
Northern Virginia had a mysterious $14,479 charge added to his loan’s escrow balance on multiple occasions, even after a U.S. Bankruptcy Court ordered it removed. “I don’t think that Mr. Mnuchin should be put in a position of government power without further scrutiny,” Davis said in an email.
Donald Hackett of Las Vegas claimed in legal filings that OneWest illegally foreclosed on them without being the true owner of his loan. He ended up losing the case, and the home. “They had to cheat to beat me,” Hackett alleged. “They came in like union busters to try to bust everybody up and scare you, make you afraid.”
While Hackett was unsuccessful, Mnuchin’s bank has been accused by investigators at the California attorney general’s office of “widespread misconduct” in foreclosure operations, with over a thousand violations of state statutes. The state attorney general, now-Sen. Kamala Harris, decided not to prosecute OneWest for the violations.
Teena Colebrook, an office manager from Hawthorne, California, came to prominence as a Trump supporter disgusted by the Mnuchin selection. She lost her home to OneWest in April 2015, after a yearslong battle that began with the loss of renters who shared the property. Colebrook was informed that the only way she could receive help from OneWest was if she fell 90 days behind on her mortgage payments. This was not true: qualifying for the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, did not require delinquency, only a risk of default.
“They won’t tell you in writing and they’ll claim they never said that,” Colebrook said. She found robo-signed documents in her file, had insurance policies force-placed onto her loan unnecessarily, and kept getting conflicting statements about how much she actually owed. Late fees piled up, like outsized certified mailing costs of $2,000, all appended to her loan. She eventually ran out of appeals. “They wanted my property, wouldn’t accept any tender offers,” Colebrook said. “They stole my equity. That’s why I’m so angry. If [Mnuchin] can’t get one person’s figures right, how can he be in charge of the Treasury?”
Colebrook put together a complaint group on the Internet to share stories with other sufferers of OneWest. She found multiple people who said they were told to miss payments and then shoved into foreclosure. Others said they were put through year-long trial modifications (under HAMP they were only supposed to be three months long) and then denied a permanent modification, with an immediate demand for the difference between the trial payment and original payment, which could stretch into thousands of dollars. Others lost homes held by their families for decades.
These stories are familiar to those who experienced the aftermath of the financial crisis. OneWest was neither special nor unique in its urgency to foreclose and unwillingness to extend help to the broad mass of struggling borrowers. But Mnuchin’s nomination has put the spotlight back on a forgotten scandal of deception.
Wednesday’s unofficial hearing was the first in Congress in several years featuring homeowners. In the hearing room, Heather McCreary sat next to Colleen Ison-Hodroff, an 84-year-old widow from Minneapolis asked by OneWest to pay off the full balance due on her residence a few days after her husband’s funeral. Ison-Hodroff said OneWest could kick her out of her home of 54 years at any time. “Allowing an 84 year-old woman to be foreclosed on is not the American way,” McCreary said.
When OneWest foreclosure victims heard that Mnuchin was chosen to lead the Treasury Department, they were shocked. “When he was nominated, it was like the floor crashed underneath me,” said McCreary. “It brought back everything. His name was on my paperwork.”
Other victims offered similar remarks. “For someone who will be tasked with making sure that the economy is doing all it can for people like me, even when it seems the system is rigged against them, Steve Mnuchin is not that person,” said forum participant Cristina Clifford, who lost her condo in Whittier, California, after also being told by OneWest to fall behind on payments.
“I think the first thing is he belongs in a prison,” said Tara Inden.
The Mnuchin nomination can only be derailed through Republican opposition, which is relatively unlikely. But it has set off a new wave of activism nationwide.
Activists have been camped out at Goldman Sachs’s New York City headquarters since Tuesday, targeting Mnuchin’s former employer of 17 years. In an echo of a protest to save her home in 2011, OneWest customer Rose Mary Gudiel of La Puente, California, led a march in the rain to Mnuchin’s Bel-Air mansion on Wednesday night, placing furniture on his driveway before police dispersed roughly 60 activists. (Mnuchin famously scrubbed his address off the internet after the 2011 protest, saying his family was subjected to “public ire at the banking industry.” But the same organizers found his house again.)
“I put it in the middle of a resurgence of housing justice activism,” said Amy Schur of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. “Hard-hit communities are organizing across the country like they haven’t in years. Sometimes we might have kept eyes on the powers that be locally, but with the likes of Trump and this cabinet, we have to take this fight nationally as well.”
[David Dayen is live-tweeting the hearing here.]
Top photo: Protesters hold a sign during a demonstration outside of a Goldman Sachs office on Jan. 18, 2017, in Los Angeles. More than two dozen activists and foreclosure victims staged a demonstration outside of a Goldman Sachs office to denounce Steve Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary nominee.Melania Trump was not prepared for the role of first lady and didn't want the public scrutiny that accompanies being married to a president "come hell or high water," according to a report.
“This isn’t something she wanted and it isn’t something he ever thought he’d win,” a longtime friend of the Trumps told Vanity Fair in an article published Sunday, referring to President Trump's 2016 bid for the White House.
“She didn’t want this come hell or high water," the friend added. "I don’t think she thought it was going to happen."
The friend's account conflicts somewhat with remarks made by early Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone.
The renegade Republican political consultant told the publication Melania Trump was one of the impetuses behind President Trump announcing his candidacy in the lobby of Trump Tower on June 16, 2015, after years of speculation he would seek the country's highest office.
“She knew it was in his blood. He always wanted to run. She is the one who pushed him to run just by saying run or do not run," Stone said.
But Stone also said he didn't "think she was ever too crazy about it.”
“She said, ‘It’s not my thing. It’s Donald’s thing,’” Stone continued. “And I think she understood he was going to be unhappy if he didn’t run.”
A spokeswoman for the first lady did not immediately respond for a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.Iraq has suspended the licences of 10 satellite television channels, including Al Jazeera, for promoting violence and sectarianism, according to a senior official at the country's media watchdog.
Sunday's announcement came as the country held funerals for five soldiers killed by armed men during anti-government protests in the mainly Sunni city of Ramadi, just hours after authorities said they had arrested three suspects.
"We took a decision to suspend the licence of some satellite channels that adopted language encouraging violence and sectarianism," Mujahid Abu al-Hail of the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said on Sunday.
We urge the authorities to uphold freedom for the media to report the important stories taking place in Iraq. Al Jazeera
"It means stopping their work in Iraq and their activities, so they cannot cover events in Iraq or move around."
The CMC said it believes that "the rhetoric and substance coverage" by Baghdad, Al Sharqiyah, Al Sharqiyah News, Babylonian, Salah al-Din, Anwar 2, al Tagheer, Fallujah, Al Jazeera and Al Gharbiyah, all TV channels that operate in the region, were "provocative, misleading and exaggerated with the objective of disturbing the civil and democratic process".
Responding to the accusation, Al Jazeera said in a statement: "We are astonished by this development. We cover all sides of the stories in Iraq, and have done for many years. The fact that so many channels have been hit all at once though suggests this is an indiscriminate decision.
"We urge the authorities to uphold freedom for the media to report the important stories taking place in Iraq."
Iraq is experiencing a wave of violence that began on Tuesday, with clashes between security forces and Sunni Arab protesters in the north that has killed more than 215 people so far.
The killings of the soldiers whose funerals were held on Sunday happened after security forces allegedly killed more than 170 protesters over the last week in attempts to crush demonstrations in numerous other cities, including Fallujah and Mosul.
The protesters have called for the resignation of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, and criticised authorities for allegedly targeting the Sunni community, including what they say are wrongful detentions and accusations of involvement in terrorism.
The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni-dominated areas of the Shia-majority country more than four months ago.'How long, how long will I slide
I separate my side
I don't, I don't believe it's bad
Slid my throat is all I ever...'
Otherside, RHCP
I am an evil person, too proud to possess a demented mind. And I have no goddamn consciousness. So my demented mind likes producing morbid and deviating. These things make me laugh - morbid things, deviated things.
Advocating: characters in the story bellow are mostly not mine, but borrowed and deviated to fit to my deviated mind. Thank you.
________________________________________________________________
Draco has just finished his fourth grade at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with not so good marks as he was expected to. His father was pretty mad at him and Draco hesitated to talk to him and ask him for a Firebolt he was promised. Of course, when his father promised him that, he expected his son to have an average more than 90%. Draco indeed had just 64%.
Draco was sitting in front of his harpsichord, in one of their living rooms. That living room was different of the rest of the living rooms in the house and the rest of the house indeed. The Malfoy Manor was cold and dark Gothic built house, with mediaeval ornaments and sacred karma. When you would come inside, you could feel all coldness inside and smell of essence.
The room Draco was in was different in lots of things. Its rich baroque style, with metal ornaments on furniture in gold colour. The harpsichord was old but the angels were painted on the inner side of the lid.
Draco stared at manuscripts and mumbled just for himself: -"Stupid Beethoven, stupid Beethoven, idiot, how could he write such a hard crap … this is hard". He was having problem with seventeenth bar of the second movement, of a piano sonata. Draco was a really good pianist, but his cousin was thousand times better. Draco still remembered last summer, when he was over his house and how his cousin played this very piece with no mistake. Even if in Beethoven's time, harpsichords were already out of use, but Draco preferred practising on one of them.
He tried to do this hard part and after middle c, went next c' sharp, but his finger slipped and he played natural c'. That was enough for him. He could not bear it anymore. He grabbed the scores that were just lightly connected with colourful thick thread and threw them over the instrument. Hundreds and hundreds of papers filled with notes spread over the yellowish carpet. Draco just scrawled having no intention to get this back himself.
-"Training for the Olympics? I don't think they have Score Throwing discipline? Well at least not yet. But when they see how good you are they will probably have to make it" – Draco heard familiar, ears scratching voice. He turned around to see his cousin standing on the door threshold, idly. He looked as tough he was there already for hours, looking and laughing at Draco.
-"No, I am just showing that idiot, Ludwig van Beethoven, what are his scores worth for. They should use them to wipe floor, not to provoke people" – Draco was calming himself down, from not taking the wand out and killing his cousin, as he turned around to face him. His cousin, André, was a year older than him, but he was taller and better looking than him. They had identical blond hair and grey eyes, even pointed face, but they did not seem as a replica of another one.
-"Do not insult Beethoven" – André moved over the room, stepping on the scores, towards the shelf. The shelf was full with score books. –"J. S. Bach, J. S. Bach, J. S. Bach, everything is him? Do you have scores of anyone else?" – André read the titles of scores, than sarcastically turned to Draco.
-"Well, as you see, I just have those ones. I don't care for anyone else than Johann Sebastian Bach." – Draco snapped. That was true. He did listen to other composers, but he truly thought that the best one was Johann Sebastian Bach.
-"I see." – André drawled mockingly.
-"André, it is time for your piano lesson" – a tall woman with black hair appeared at the doorway, wearing expensive, but ugly robes.
-"I'm coming, Mother" – André replayed crossing the room, and once again stepping on the scores. Draco was happy that André is going to exit the room, but this meant just one thing: André has come to the Malfoy Manor to stay over the summer.
André, just before he exited the room, drew a dirty look over Draco. His mother did the same.
-"Bastards…" – Draco swore silently. They still could hear him but he did not really care. He just sat back for his harpsichord and started playing piano transcription of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.
Draco had to wait until his father came home and to start complaining to him about André. No one else would listen to him. Actually he had no one else. He was not close to his mother at all, only his father. Draco waited for him in his study. He was sure he will have to come in there. He always does, at least.
It was about eleven o'clock when his father came back. He looked tired and needed some sleep. When he saw Draco everything was clear to him.
-"André is staying and that is not on you to decide" – Lucius sighed. He did not have any energy to fight with his son now. It was clear to him how much his son hates André but he could not do anything about that.
-"But father, he will ruin my whole holidays" – Draco jumped from the comfortable leather chair he was sitting in.
-"I know, I don't like him, neither his mother much. You know that their father is dead and we have to invite them over sometimes" – Lucius frowned putting down some stuff he had in his hands.
-"Like they would call me if my father was dead" – Draco snapped bitterly through his teeth. Unfortunately Lucius was not supposed to hear this, but he did.
-"What did you say?" – his eyes narrowed and his voice got its dangerous tone.
-"Nothing, I was just cursing André" – Draco knew his father heard him when he mention him dead and he was scared.
-"You talked about me, as I was dead" – Lucius snarled.
-"No, I was just…." SMACK, Lucius slapped him son. Draco got outside, and went into his room where he could cry silently. After this, he knew he shall have terrible summer. His father was now really mad at him. First, his overall marks. He was smart kid, but he did not really study much. And now telling his father how would it be if him, Lucius, would be dead.
Next morning, for breakfast, Draco came last. Everyone looked at him while he walked across the dining room. It was enormous. It reminded Draco on a church itself, because of the big windows with pictures of saints in it. Draco knew all of them. From right to left it went this way: Saint Michael, Saint Nicholas, Saint Cecilia and Saint Abraham, than in the middle, on the biggest window, Saint Matthew, Saint John, Saint Melanie, and Saint Barbara. Under his black shoes, Draco felt sanguine red expensive carpet. When he finally sat for the table, everyone greeted him with loathing stare. André hated Draco; André's mother, Liana also did; Lucius was mad at him; and Narcissa did not even have right to look at her own son.
-"I must say, even if this sounds bad, or maybe not nice to young Draco, who cannot even play some easy Beethoven piece, that I learned to play Marko Tajcevic's Seven Balkan dances." – André sneered across the table to Draco. Draco looked at his father but when he saw his acid face expression he wished he did not look at him at all.
-"Good for you" – Draco snapped, burying his head in his plate.
-"I know that. What do you know how to play Draco? A scale?" – André started provoking Draco on purpose. Now he knew how Harry Potter felt when he did those kinds of things to him.
-"No, but I can play Goldberg Variations" – Draco answered ashamed; because it was only hard piece he knew how to play. He could not even play Händel's largo which was much easier, but he gave effort to learn Bach's piece.
-"Let me guess, Johann Sebastian Bach composed that?" – André went too far now, Lucius had to interact.
-"André, why don't you play Goldberg Variations, when they are so easy" – he sneered, defending his son.
André gulped and got up from his chair, going to the grand piano on the other side of the dining room. Lucius was looking at him smirking all the time broadly. Draco was doing the same, but when his father looked at him sharply, showing him that he is still mad at him, he was not that happy anymore. Liana looked concerned for his son. She was going with a hand through her short hair.
André opened the lid and sat for the piano. Just as he sat down he tried to play first accord but it was impossible. The chord was wrong.
-"Draco, why don't you go and show him what to do it?" – Lucius sneered sarcastically, letting André's mother sink deep in her son's humiliation.
Draco stood up from his chair and imperially walked to the piano basically kicking André away from the chair, sitting down, taking his silver watch off his hand and starting to play. First, he played the aria, from the other piece, on which all twenty nine variations were based. Than, he did not really bother to play it all. He knew that his father might be late if he had to sit there all the time listening to the entire piece because he did not dare to embarrass his son by leaving. Draco just played ninth, eleventh, fourteenth, and twenty second -- his favourite ones.
When he finished, he bowed, as Liana and André were forced to clap. Lucius was mad at him, but he was proud at the same time.
Over next few weeks, his cousin always pissed off Draco. He was running away and hiding in his house, at places he never thought there were in his house. Lucius was still pretty mad at him, but he started to relax about what Draco's marks and what he said that night.
It was fine until there wasn't a party at friends' of Malfoys house. They were really famous and rich Pureblood family, not as nearly as Malfoys and it was their turn to make some gathering because they did not have it for last several years. Draco was not especially excited about that. Indeed, he never liked those kinds of thing, just like his father; but thing that was really bugging him was that André and his mother had to go with them, too. Harry Potter and his friends would be there, of course. Draco did not really want Harry to know about André because that would give Harry material to laugh at him, for the rest of his life.
The day when they had to go, and they were just getting ready, Lucius finally spoke to Draco. Draco was already ready and he was in the hall, standing nervously in front of the mirror, fixing his hair. His hair was pretty untidy hair but he would spend lots of time combing it, and putting all those things on it. Now he did the thing that had lots of efficiency but was kind of nasty. He would lick his hand, or even more accurate is to say that he would spit on his hand, and than use spit to fix his hair.
He was standing in front of the mirror, in his black robes, doing his thing, when Lucius came from behind and slapped him on his hands, in manner 'do not do that'.
Draco was surprised cause his father did this, but bit his lip, and rubbed his left hand, which was hit. He turned around, to find his father wearing totally the same robes he was wearing.
-"I was just…"
-"I asked you nothing. I just want to tell you to behave at Beaumachais' house" – Lucius said looking at his son.
-"Tell that to little wunderkind, the one that thinks that is little Mozart" – Draco sneered, but concern and jealousy was clear his voice.
-"Just don't go where he is going at the party and go and change robes, please" – Lucius said in easy tone.
Draco turned to go but he felt his father's hand on his shoulder, turning him around to him. Lucius took his own hand and spat on it. Than he fixed the spike of Draco's hair he was having troubles with. Draco stared at him like a moron.
With his hair completely done Draco looked really good. At the party, everyone immediately turned their attention on Draco's prodigious cousin. Draco wanted to sink into the ground very low. Just as he started taunting Harry, Ron, and Hermione, André embarrassed him.
-"Look at Potter and his faithful sidekick, the Weasel, with their little brainiac acquitant, Granger." – Draco sneered proudly coming closer to Harry Potter. He was laughing at Ron's old robes. Those ones did not have laces or anything that embarrassing. They were nice navy blue robes indeed, but they were so old that it was dangerous to put them on. They could split every second. Hermione was wearing nice lilac dress with flowers on the sleeves, while Harry had just ordinary black robes. Draco's black robes were much more expensive and they had gold edges. His previous ones, the ones like his father is wearing now, were also black, but they had line in the middle that was cardinal red.
-"At least we are not snobs, like you Malfoy" – Harry snapped on his opponent. Ron and Hermione stayed on Harry's side, having menacing face.
-"I am not a snob…" – Draco started, but his worst dream, André interrupted him.
-"We know Draco, but now, if you please could quit your conversation, with your friend and come and listen to me play Goldberg Variations in front of everyone" – André sneered maliciously, his mom sneering behind him, having one hand on his shoulder.
Draco wanted to die. André, playing Goldberg Variations? He was the one that played it the best. Of course, André was mad at Draco for being ashamed for not knowing how to play them and he sat down and learned them. So now he was showing off.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were quite surprised by what just happened. They never saw Draco be so mad at someone, as they watched and listened André playing it. It was wonderful piece, but André was such a good pianist that it was striking. They watched Draco, standing beside his father, sinking, and calming himself down.
When the complete piece was over, Harry noticed that Draco was not there anymore.
It was over for him. Draco could not stand André anymore. Tonight he will have to do what he was intending to do all those years. He knew his father would not be so mad at him for killing André because he killed people himself and it was just something ordinary for him.
Draco waited silently in the hall until everyone was back, behind the sculpture of some guy. He knew André will have to go to get drink before he goes to bed. At least he always does that.
At one o'clock, Draco finally heard steps. He saw his cousin going through the hall, chanting Goldberg Variations in his head. He slowly followed him, until the stairs. He was intending to push him off. That would work well because he would do that from behind, and André would not see him, and he shall have time to run away. He did that.
When André started rolling down the marble stairs Draco run off to his room. When he reached his floor, he run quickly into his room and dropped onto his bed, facing the puffy covers. His bed was soft and he was tired, so he fell asleep immediately.
Draco sleepily opened his left eye finding that he was in his bed, though not changed in pyjama, his shoes off, covered. Than his sight unblured and he saw his father, idly sitting beside his bed and his arm under his chin.
-"You are finally awake" – Lucius yawned. He looked tired. Like he spend whole night working. He had his ordinary black robes with white collar on.
-"How come I am in my bed?" – Draco asked, raising a little and rubbing his still tired eyes.
-"I came and took your shoes off and placed you in. Of course, I did that after André's mother panicked that his son felt down the stairs." – Lucius looked thoughtfully at his son. Draco gasped, pretending like he is surprised for what happened to André. –"But I knew he did not fall down the stairs. You Draco pushed him down. Is that true?"
Draco could not lie. His father knew what he did. Even if he laid his best, Lucius would still know. He would perhaps get so mad at Draco that he would punish him.
Draco just nodded his head. He did not have strength to talk.
-"Draco, I am ashamed of you?" – Lucius snapped, standing up.
-"But father, I didn't want to. He just pissed me off so much, I just had to do it" – Draco jumped up from his bed and started pulling his father for his robes.
-"It's not that, you imbecile" – Lucius pulled his robes. –"I am mad at you, because you, as my son, could not even kill properly.
Lucius went outside the room, slamming the doors.
Draco did not success to kill André. He just broke his hand and André was unabled to play piano for rest of his life. After, Lucius kind of forgive Draco, and Draco was happy, because he was the most talented kid in the family. He was special.
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'Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison'12 SHARES Share Tweet
A builder from Caerphilly has announced that he can do Buckingham Palace for £200 cash.
Dai the Paint provided the Queen with a free, no-obligation quote, and added that she should never settle for the first quote she gets.
He told WalesOnCraic:
“She’s daft going with her first quite, mun. She needs to do a bit of shopping around before she signs anything. I’m a time-served builder and I can turn my hand to anything. I do anything from fixing a broken tap to building you a loft conversion. I’ve told the Queen that I can do it for £200 cash. She can’t turn that offer down now can she?”
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said:
“Our first quote for £370 million did tighten the scrotum somewhat when it came through. But then we remembered that we won’t actually be paying for it so we went with it. Dai is welcome to provide us with a quote but in all honesty, it’s not coming out of our pockets as such so it’ll probably go straight in the bin.”Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz has conducted a change of guard at a NATO training center in Warsaw.
Macierewicz had earlier appointed Colonel Robert Bala to the post of acting chief of NATO's Counterintelligence Center of Excellence (CEK), the Defense Ministry said in a statement released on Thursday night.
Defense Ministry officials accompanied by military police entered the centre after midnight on Friday.
Local press reported that staff close to Macierewicz as well as members of the military police, “broke doors” to get into the centre at around 1:30 am CET, although these reports have not been confirmed.
When contacted by Radio Poland on Friday, a NATO official who asked not to be named said that the centre in Warsaw is not “directly operated by NATO” and that it is jointly run by military and civilian personnel from Poland and Slovakia.
The official could not immediately confirm the events that took place overnight.
Change of guard
“Polish staff members working for the centre have lost access to classified information and had to be replaced,” Foreign Affairs Minister Witold Waszczykowski said on Friday.
"In cases concerning changes in the military, such decisions are taken with immediate effect," Waszczykowski added.
Former Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, from the opposition Civic Platform (PO) party, condemned the move, saying, “This is probably the first time in NATO’s history that an alliance member has attacked a NATO facility.” (rg/aba/pk)Charter Communications has fired a shot across the bow of Google Fiber in Kansas City, a market the cable company recently entered when it acquired incumbent MSO Time Warner Cable.
Charter is running ads in Kansas City newspapers this month, with the banner headline (featured in the same multicolored type as Google’s logo) reading “Abandoned by Google.” In its ads, the cable company lays out Google Fiber’s chronological history in the region, the narrative focused on the service’s alleged unfulfilled promises. (The photo of this Charter ad comes courtesy of the Kansas City Star.)
RELATED: Google Fiber TV disappoints in Kansas City, but will spur innovation in cable industry
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Kansas City was the first market Google Fiber moved into back in 2012, disrupting a sleepy telecom market with notoriously bad feelings for its indigenous pay-TV and broadband services. Today, 88% of customers for the still-nascent service reside in the Kansas City area.
And now that Google Fiber has fired its CEO, laid off staff and paused on any new buildouts—including extending its fiber-optic service to Kansas City customers left out of the initial deployment—competitors like Charter are taking aim.
RELATED: Google Fiber at only 84K+ pay-TV subs, analyst says, as growth slows for fading service
This is not an endeavor without risks, as Comcast discovered in November 2015 when it took shots at Google Fiber in a Facebook ad, only to have angry customers advise the cable company to get its customer service problems under control before taking shots at competitors.
For its part, Charter purchased a TWC system with a poor service reputation in the region—an impetus that spurred interest in Google Fiber in the first place.
Charter has rebranded that local TWC service under its Spectrum banner. But to date, it has not yet upgraded internet speeds in the area to at least 100 Mbps.ExCop-Lawyer Uncategorized
The Battousai does a very good job in filming police. First, he does not talk too much, and second, he knows the law.
Here are some of his latest clips.
In Cedar Park, a young officer apparently did not like being filmed. Based on his actions, he was about to issue a parking citation, but the lieutenant put an end to it.
In Grand Prairie, one officer contacts him and handles it properly, but talks to him and tries to convince him to identify himself. There is nothing wrong with that, especially since the officer specifically states that he does not have to identify himself.
Round Rock, the first place we saw the Battousai, handles it properly this time.
However, in Dallas, police officers tell him he cannot be on the public right of way adjacent to a dedicated city street. Threatening him with trespass? Really?
And then you have Austin PD. Although they did not “arrest” him, it is fairly clear that they violated his rights and that they did not understand the limitations on identification under 38.02, Tex. Penal Code.
AdvertisementsFrench police were on Wednesday probing whether a man seen in a video released by the Islamic State group purporting
to show the execution of an Arab Israeli was close to French jihadist gunman Mohamed Merah.
In the video, a youth identifying himself as 19-year-old Mohammed Said Ismail Musallam is shown kneeling in front of a boy who appears to be no more than 12-years-old. A man stands at his side.
Dressed in an orange jumpsuit that is standard in videos of IS executions, the man seen kneeling recounts how he was recruited by Israeli intelligence, a claim denied by his father.
The man standing nearby, speaking in French, issues threats against Jews in France, before the boy walks around in front of the hostage and shoots him in the forehead using a pistol.
The boy, who shouts "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest" in Arabic), then shoots the man four more times as he lies on the ground.
"We are checking" the identity of the man, a police source who wished to remain anonymous told AFP.
An unnamed source in the intelligence services told American news agency AP that boy and the man were both French citizens.
Several experts, including journalist David Thomson who wrote a book about French jihadists, say the man is Sabri Essid, reportedly the half-brother of Merah who shot dead three soldiers in southern France in 2012 before killing three students and a teacher at a Jewish school more than a week later.
Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the start of Merah's killing spree, which ended with him dying in a shootout with police.
Another source close to the case, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said there were "similarities" with Essid, adding they could not be certain.
Known to intelligence services as a key figure in the radical Islamist community in Toulouse, Essid is suspected to have left France for Syria last year.
Merah's sister Souad also left for Syria last spring, reportedly with family members.
Essid had already been caught in December 2006 in Syria in a house known to shelter Al-Qaeda members on their way to Iraq.
He was sent back to France and was sentenced in 2009 to five years in jail, including one year suspended, in a case involving an Iraqi jihadist network.
His father had lived with Merah's mother, and Essid was close to the killer and his brother Abdelkader.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption WATCH: RFID technology is being used to stop the nests used to make Chinese delicacy bird's nest soup being counterfeited
One of the most coveted beauty products in Asia is found inside a damp and dark three storey house in southern Malaysia's Johor state.
A worker at the swiftlet farm carefully scrapes a small white bird's nest off a rafter.
The delicacy is spun from saliva and it will soon land in someone's soup, as people in China believe that eating bird's nest is good for their skin and they're willing to pay up to US$100 just for a handful.
It's a lucrative industry and counterfeits have flooded the market.
Safety concerns last July effectively halted all exports of bird's nests to China from Malaysia, the world's second biggest supplier of the delicacy.
The Malaysian agricultural ministry says its edible bird's nest industry is worth RM5b ($1.59bn; £1.01bn).
Image caption The nests of the swiftlet are formed from saliva, and are highly prized as the main ingredient in bird's nest soup
That is why the government is now investing in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to boost consumer confidence. It's one of the most common reasons why Asian governments use the technology.
RFID allows a product to be easily tracked from the source to the consumer.
The bird's nests can be sealed in a box with an RFID tag that contains a microchip embedded with details about the harvest. A handheld scanner emits a radio frequency to unlock that information.
It may sound similar to barcodes, but RFID tags are said to be harder to duplicate.
Certificate of authenticity
Counterfeit bird's nests have affected producers like Yanming Resources. At its factory in Kuala Lumpur, more than a dozen women are sifting through the delicacy strand by strand.
Each worker is armed with a set of tweezer to pull out every piece of feather and speck of dirt. The final product can only contain saliva.
Image caption This unprocessed bird's nest has to be painstakingly cleaned strand by strand
Still, it is hard for consumers to tell if a bird's nest is real or not so the company has been forced to lower prices in order to compete with counterfeits.
But with RFID, every step of this laborious process, from harvesting to packaging, is tagged. The data is stored centrally with the government. This official support will be key for consumers.
In essence the RFID becomes a certificate of authenticity, says Yow Lock Sen, who is in charge of overseeing the government project.
The system is still being perfected, but eventually customers who have safety concerns will be able to trace the origins of the product by simply downloading a free app onto a smartphone, and scanning the RFID tag on the product.
Although it is a government research project, participation from the industry is voluntary since it requires companies to buy the RFID tags and reading equipment.
Yanming Resources's Chua Huai Gen says it's a good investment |
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I was intrigued, as I imagine many were, by the advice Jim Koch of Samuel Adams/Boston Beer Company gave in a recent Esquire article when asked how he can drink so much beer without getting drunk. He claimed that by consuming “1 teaspoon per beer” of active dry yeast mixed into yogurt, the effects of the alcohol are essentially mitigated. This is apparently due to the presence of alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) in the dry yeast, which metabolizes the alcohol from the beer in one’s gut.
Okay.
I’m skeptical, especially when it comes to weird claims like this. My hunch is that it is more likely Mr. Koch lives in a constant state of at least moderate drunkeness, thus he rarely comes across as “drunk.” Who am I to judge?
I’m also curious. Could this odd and likely disgusting concoction actually reduce the impact of alcohol on the body? I wanted to see for myself. I got home from work last Friday and immediately foraged through the pantry to find 2 packets of active dry yeast, which I blended with a tube of my kids’ Go-Gurt and consumed. I then embarked on this exBEERiment and documented my experience:
VIMEO LINK
| UPDATE |
I wanted to share this interesting response from r/homebrewing user, TreyWalker, in regards to this subject:
Of course this is a joke. Unpasteurized homebrew has millions of yeast cells still in it. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has an optimal ph of 8.3-9, the stomachs pH of 1-2 (up to 4-5) denatures yeast quite quickly.
http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/content/dam/sigma-aldrich/docs/Sigma/Datasheet/6/a7011dat.pdf
If that weren’t enough, best case scientific scenario:
One unit [S. cerevisiae ADH in lyophilized powder] will convert 1.0 μmole of ethanol to acetaldehyde per min at pH 8.8 at 25 °C (77°F)
http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sigma/a2529?lang=en®ion=US
Bad math below, as I’m not a chemist / microbiologist by any measure, but I’m confident there isn’t any catastrophic mathematical errors that would derail this argument:
1.0 μmole of ethanol is roughly equal to 0.00005838mL. 60min/per unit = 0.0035028ml. In a 4.5% beer, there’s ~15.9696ml of ethanol. To metabolize only half of that in an hour, would require 2280 units (molecular weight = 40.4 x 10(3), times 2280) of the above powder, per the lab specifications / temperatures / pH.
Furthermore, you don’t want a belly full of acetaldehyde, as it’s now considered carcinogenic:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21401890
About the only useful thing consuming extra yeast would be to stave off C. diff infections:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9753273
TL;DR: Jim Koch is a professional functioning alcoholic and doesn’t have any other real trick up his sleeve.
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Like this: Like Loading...US military aircraft have been dropping food and water to tens of thousands of people trapped on a mountaintop by Islamic State (IS) militants near the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar.
It has been reported that around 30,000 of 50,000 Yazidi Kurds, Christians and minority groups have received aid.
The Islamic State considers the Yazidis to be “devil worshippers”.
US President Barack Obama expressed his outrage at the situation: “We have begun a humanitarian effort to help those Iraqi civilians trapped on that mountain.”
“The terrorists that have taken over parts of Iraq have been especially brutal to religious minorities,rounding up families, executing men, enslaving women, and threatening the systematic destruction of an entire religious community, which would be genocide,” Obama said.
The United Nations said that some 200,000 people fleeing the advance of the Islamists had reached the town of Dohuk on Tigris River in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Tens of thousands of people have fled north to the Turkish border, according to Ankara.
Around 4,000 Christians have been seeking refuge in a church in Irbil, after travelling from nearby Ninewa Province.
Jose Hanna, a displaced Iraqi, asked: “Many of my family are still trapped there, why? Why can’t we reach a solution, all my relatives are there, waiting, what have we done to deserve this?”
As well as threatening Yazidis and Christians, Islamic State fighters have crushed Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The Autonomous Kurdish region had been the only part of Iraq to survive the past decade of civil war without a serious security threat.Why We Should Treat Ourselves to Cannabis Baths
In the midst of a busy, hustle and bustle work week, it is highly recommended that we stop and take some time for ourselves. Hot baths have been used therapeutically for centuries as they can help to keep pain at bay, increase joint mobility, reduce the problems with any skin issues and inspire a soothing peaceful mind. Many artisanal beauty companies have begun to use cannabis in their products because of the wonderful way it can relax the mind. Cannabis bath bombs, fizzes, teas, and salts have all hit the market and they’re one of the most effective ways to treat ourselves using the plant.
To gain more insight on the relaxing combination of healing cannabis and calming warm baths we asked one of the baddest ladies in cannabis her opinion on the matter. Laura Rivero is the Operations Manager at Yerba Buena Farms, one of the first eight legal cannabis farms in Oregon. Before her time in PDX Rivero started various canna-ventures in Flagstaff, Arizona that remain widely successful to this day. Her insight into the business is only trumped by her knowledgeable approach to accessing the medicinal powers of the plant. She takes a cannabis bath twice a month and pairs it with a nice big pre-roll. Rivero prefers to use Empower Therapeutic Soaking Salts because “they seem to be most effective for sore muscle relief” but she also loves bombs “because they contain lipids that moisturize and soften the skin”.
What Does Cannabis Add to Bathtime?
A hot, relaxing bath can help to insulate our minds from the realities at work, school or home that are just downright stressing us out. Adding cannabis to this age-old ritual only enhances the therapeutic effects of a good long soak. Cannabis baths don’t have any psychoactive effects, for that we’ve got to ingest or inhale it somehow, they simply help us gain access to the anti-inflammatory aspects of therapeutic cannabis. Laura explains that cannabis baths work in the same respect that cannabis topicals work, however, “cannabis baths cover more surface area and can offer more bodily relief and relaxation overall. CB-2 receptors are responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of cannabis, so baths can aid with complexion and relieve skin irritations.”
Taking a warm bath can be a beneficial way to save space for stress relief and relaxation so adding aromatherapy qualities from the herbal combinations in the bath salts or bombs will only deepens that release. Cannabis bath products are generally made with an intentional combination of herbs that are intended to balance chakras, have certain planetary aspects and are even enhanced with crystal energies. As Laura Rivero points out “Between the warmth of the bath itself, the added aromatherapy that most bath salts contain, and the cannabinoids, I experience a palpable mellowing that is perfect for my self-care therapy.” Cannabis baths are the most fabulous way to take advantage of recreational cannabis for self-care so maybe it’s time to treat yourself buds!
The Best of Cannabis Bath Bombs, Fizz, Salts and Tea
Moon Rore OrganicsThis eco-conscious company crafts beauty products that are made with ancient healing remedies in mind. Moon Rore combines the healing powers of herbs and crystals to achieve the optimal vibrational healing frequency. They will also take custom orders to infuse their product line with THC or CBD for legal states. Moon Rore Organics currently carry bath bombs & fizzes, facial serums and body oils.
Empower Body Care Acquire all Non-GMO, non-toxic and hypoallergenic products from Empower, an Oregon-based company. They currently sell CBD only products in their online shop and are available for retail sale in many Oregon dispensaries. Trista Okel from Empower let us know that all body care products are made with attention to detail, “The salt combination we use (Epsom, Dead Sea, and Pink Himalayan salts) has therapeutic benefits as well, which works synergistically to help relieve sore muscles and offer pain relief.”
Have you ever taken a cannabis bath? DO you make your own cannabis bath bombs? Let us know in the comments! I personally love to add herbs to my bath and create my own bath teas at home depending on the current planetary aspects and my own psychological needs.Rajinikanth puts an end to speculations and say's Tamil Nadu needs to change the politcal system.
Here are the highlights of Rajinikanth's political announcement :
Superstar Rajinikanth, who has kept his fans guessing on his plunge into politics, has finally announced his decision to enter politics. He said, "I do not want carders. I want watchdogs." He also said that his decision is the need of the hour and that he will start his own party in the upcoming elections. For many months, Rajinikanth has been cryptic about his entry into politics. In May, he triggered fan frenzy when he said, "If God wills it, I will enter politics tomorrow".Pointing to what he called a low in Tamil politics over the last year, he said, "If I don't make this decision now, then I will have let people down, the guilt will haunt me". The death of AIADMK's iconic leader J Jayalalithaa last December is seen to have left a vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics. "It is time for political change. We should change the system. We want an honest and caste-less politics." He went on to say that "We will tell people that if we cannot deliver what we promised and we will resign in three years otherwise."The superstar has spent the last five days meeting with his fans.Al Gore, via a new report from his Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), would like for you to know that he has a plan to save all of mankind from inevitable extinction which will come by around the year 2030 unless we join his global warming crusade immediately.
For those of you ignorant, science-hating, climate-doubters among our reader base who refuse to take Al Gore's word at face value, here is a little background on the ETC. Apparently they have single-handedly taken upon themselves the epic goal of fighting a cataclysmic 2 degree temp rise over the next 20 years.
The Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) brings together a diverse group of individuals from the energy and climate communities: investors, incumbent energy companies, industry disruptors, equipment suppliers, energy-intensive industries, non-profit organizations, advisors, and academics from across the developed and developing world. Our aim is to accelerate change towards low-carbon energy systems that enable robust economic development and limit the rise in global temperature to well below 2?C.
So, how does Al Gore intend to accomplish his lofty goal of saving planet Earth? Well, by eradicating coal, installing massive renewable energy projects and enlisting the support of some "forceful public policies," of course.
Energy transition 1 – decarbonization of power combined with extended electrification could account for the largest share of emissions reductions between now and 2040. Zero-carbon sources (mainly renewables) could account for up to 80% of the global power mix by 2040, while coal-fired power need to decline steeply as soon as possible. Energy transition 2 – decarbonization of activities which cannot be cost-effectively electrified – will probably account for only a small share of emissions reductions over the next 20 years, but will become absolutely vital as the potential for electrification is exhausted. Major work is still required to define the path to success. Energy transition 3 – energy productivity – considerable progress is being achieved, but a further acceleration is required. This is technically and economically feasible, but will required more forceful public policies. Energy transition 4 - implies falling fossil fuels use, even if carbon capture and sequestration* is developed on a very large scale. However, at the moment, progress on all forms of carbon sequestration (including natural carbon sinks*, underground storage* and CO² -based products*) is too slow and requires supportive policy frameworks in order to progress.
So how much will it cost for Al Gore to save us from ourselves? How about $15 Trillion...does that sound reasonable to everyone?
The transition to a low-carbon global economy* will require significant additional energy system investments – around $300-$600 billion per annum – compared with a business as usual scenario. In the context of global GDP running at around $80 trillion in 2017, and global annual investment at $20 trillion, additional investments of around $300-$600 billion per annum do not pose a major macroeconomic challenge. Clean energy investments with predictable long-term returns could be attractive to a range of institutional investors in the current low interest rate environment. However, a well below 2?C pathway requires a major change in the mix of investment. Total fossil fuels investment between now and 2030 could be some $3.7 trillion ($175 billion per year) lower than in a business as usual scenario; investment in renewables and other low-carbon technologies some $6 trillion higher ($300 billion per year); while the largest required increases – of almost $9 trillion ($450 billion per year) – will be in more efficient energy saving equipment and buildings.
With all that said, we thought this would be a good opportunity to put Al's view of the future into perspective by reviewing some of the apocalyptic predictions made at the first Earth Day in 1970, courtesy of AEI.org:SHARE
Residents of Tennessee have received payments and medical care totaling about $2.1 billion from the government's compensation program for sick nuclear workers.
Most of the claimants once worked at the nuclear facilities in Oak Ridge or are surviving family members of former workers at Y-12, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, K-25 or other sites in the Atomic City.
Tennessee is the first state to pass the $2 billion milestone. Nationwide, about $12 billion has been paid out since the Energy Employees Occupational Illness and Compensation Program Act was enacted in 2000.
That's a lot of money, but that doesn't mean that former workers or their advocates are satisfied with the program, especially those whose claims were denied.
That is why there was a push for the newly created Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health, which will advise the Secretary of Labor on technical issues pertaining to the compensation program for those made sick by the Cold War work on nuclear weapons.
Supporters hope the board's expertise and influence will make it easier to collect from the fund and less onerous on the families of sick workers, who often have to collect a mass of documents to help prove their sickness was caused by workplace exposures to radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals.
Garry Whitley, former president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council in Oak Ridge, has been named a board member representing the claimant community.
The advisory board's first meeting is scheduled for April 26-28 in Washington, D.C., and it will be open to the public.
Terrie Barrie of the Alliance of Nuclear Worker Advocacy Groups, which pushed for formation of the new panel, hailed the announcement.
"What a great selection of highly qualified people," Barrie said in an email message to advocates and stakeholders.
Nuclear Upkeep: If case you haven't noticed, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has received some additional work for its multiple hot cell facilities, where highly radioactive materials are handled remotely inside shielded enclosures.
Among the new projects is ORNL's central role in producing plutonium-238 for the space program. Another involves research on high-burn-up nuclear fuel from the North Anna Reactor in Virginia.
There is $26 million in the Obama administration's proposed Fiscal Year 2017 budget to be applied to the four hot-cell facilities at ORNL. That would reportedly be a big step up from the base operating budget for the lab's non-reactor nuclear facilities and would help meet the financial need for refurbishments.
But, as ORNL Deputy Lab Director Jeff Smith rightly noted, it's just a proposal at this stage of the game.
Congress will have the final say-so.
UPF Promises: March is a big time for congressional hearings, and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who chairs the Senate Appropriation energy and water subcommittee, held one to take a close look at the budget for the National Nuclear Security Administration.
NNSA Administrator Frank G. Klotz was the key witness, and Alexander asked him specifically about the status of the Uranium Processing Facility — the multibillion-dollar project under development at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge.
Klotz told Alexander that the UPF team is following all of the recommendations made a couple of years ago by a "Red Team" headed by ORNL Director Thom Mason.
He also promised that the project will be completed on schedule and within its budget.
"We are going to deliver that facility at $6.5 billion by 2025," Klotz told Tennessee's senior senator.In 1964, sci-fi legend Isaac Asimov penned a piece for the New York Times with his predictions for the world of 2014. Looking at the World's Fair of 50 years hence, Asimov imagined 3D TV, underground cities, and colonies on the moon. Many people online have hailed this as an incredible example of prescient thinking, but what sticks out to me is just how shockingly restrained—unoriginal, even—his predictions were for the time.
There was nothing Asimov proposed in that article that hadn't already been promised by popular futurism of the 1950s and early '60s. In fact, you can pretty much find every single one of Asimov's 1964 predictions in the 1962-63 TV show "The Jetsons" — a show that existed to parody the future as much as embrace it. This isn't a slight to Asimov, but rather an indication that popular visions of the future evolve like any other idea: Slowly and in a sort of invisible collaboration with the culture at large.
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Below I've pulled out a few of Asimov's predictions and put them |
's what the Canadiens have been able to do.
"It's been exciting for our defensemen," Pacioretty said. "I think they're kind of the main reason we've played so well so far in the first four games. They've been getting pucks up to the forwards quickly and giving us time to create opportunities, but also contributing by joining the rush and joining the attack in the offensive zone."
Therrien said the Canadiens tried to introduce the idea of adding a defenseman to the rush more regularly last season, but it was difficult to make it second nature for his players after they had grown accustomed to a less-aggressive approach. This season, it has been preached since Day One of training camp, and the players have responded. Having defenseman Jeff Petry from the start of the season also helps because it gives every pairing a mobile puck mover, with P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov on the top pair, Petry on the second and Beaulieu on the third.
In every game the Canadiens have played, defensemen have been driving the net on backdoor plays in transition, forcing opposing defensemen to respect that threat and back off from the blue line, creating space to enter the zone with control.
"Offense from the back end is a huge threat in this league," Beaulieu said. "There's so many tight-checking games that if you know you can add a fourth man on the rush and work as a five-man unit in the offensive zone, it's going to pay off and create more scoring chances."The wreckage of a car transporting the nephew of Pope Francis, Emanuel Horacio Bergoglio, and his family was heavily damaged when it collided with a truck near James Craik on Aug. 19 in Cordoba, Argentina. Two infant grandnephews of the pontiff and their mother were killed in the crash. (Photo11: Agencia Cordoba via Noticias Argentinas via AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis is "profoundly saddened" over the deaths of three relatives who were killed in a car crash in Argentina early Tuesday, the Vatican said in a statement.
"The Pope has been informed of the tragic accident in Argentina involving family members, and he is profoundly saddened," the Vatican said in a statement. "He asks all those who share his grief to unite with him in prayer."
The three were killed when a car driven by the pontiff's 38-year-old nephew, Emanuel Bergoglio, rammed the back of a truck loaded with corn that was moving in the same direction on a mountain road near the town of James Craik shortly after midnight, the newspaper Clarin reports.
Killed were Bergoglio's wife, Valeria Carmona, 38; and their two children, 8 months and 2 years. Bergoglio was hospitalized in serious condition.
Emanuel is the son of the pope's late brother, Alberto Bergoglio.
The Vatican statement was issued as the 77-year-old pope, who was born in Argentina, was returning to Rome after a five-day trip to South Korea.
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Gallery: Pope visits South Korea:
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry has gone global.
In February, Berry was invited to Washington D.C., to give a TED Talk on Albuquerque’s There’s a Better Way program, which provides paid daily work to panhandlers and gives them the opportunity to access social services and housing.
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Berry’s 12-minute lecture was posted to the TED.com website last Thursday, and within a week has been viewed by more than 395,000 people.
TED, an acronym for technology, entertainment and design, is a nonprofit organization that provides a forum to leading thinkers and doers from a host of disciplines who want to share powerful and innovative ideas in short lectures of 18 minutes or less. Past lecturers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Sir Richard Branson, Garry Kasparov, Elon Musk, Serena Williams, Pope Francis, Ashley Judd, John Legend and Al Gore.
Berry was joined on the stage at TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue by 14 other leaders in the fields of philanthropy, academics, business, nonprofits, arts and politics. All were speaking on their visions to address our country’s, and the world’s, greatest challenges.
Berry said he was “humbled and honored” to learn that so many people had viewed his lecture, and to have had the opportunity to deliver a TED lecture and to learn from other speakers.
“I’ve been a fan of TED for years and have viewed the lectures to look for ideas, so I thought it was time to share this one simple but profound idea on the There’s a Better Way initiative,” he said.
The online attention his lecture is getting “doesn’t speak to any genius on my part,” Berry said. Rather, it speaks “to the fact that the world is a global community and that community is starting to look past easy solutions – because there are none.”
Albuquerque’s answer to panhandling shows that the city “has made a conscientious decision to not sweep problems under the rug,” he said. “We’re trying to address persistent social issues head-on. This is just part of a bigger solution.”
There’s a Better Way launched in 2015 as a way to address Albuquerque’s endemic problem of panhandling. The goal was to provide dignity through work, connect panhandlers with social services, move toward ending panhandling and help the community to understand the problem and why giving money directly to panhandlers is counterproductive.
Working with St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, a repurposed city van drives to known sites where panhandlers and homeless people congregate early in the morning. The van driver offers them work for $9 an hour plus lunch. Those interested are then driven to various sites to pick up litter and remove weeds. At the end of the day the workers are driven to St. Martin’s where they are paid and offered an opportunity to connect with various social services.
According to the Albuquerque city government website, since it’s implementation There’s a Better Way has provided day jobs to 3,080 people, connected 330 people with additional work; has cleaned 564 city blocks, removed 165,701 pounds of litter and weeds, arranged for 20 people to find housing, connected 189 people to social services for mental health or substance abuse and received about $62,000 in community donations.
In addition, more than 70 cities around the United States and a few in foreign countries have modeled their own programs after Albuquerque’s, or are planning to do so.A suburban Chicago mother was ordered held without bond Tuesday on the charge that she colluded with her severely autistic 14-year-old son's caretaker to murder the boy.
Dorothy Spourdalakis, 50, and Jolanta Agata Skrodzka, 44, were both charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Dorothy's son Alex Spourdalakis, NBC Chicago reports.
Alex Spourdalakis was found dead in his bed inside a second-floor River Grove, Ill. apartment he shared with his mother and the caregiver by his father and uncle on Sunday, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Prosecutors say the two women had grown frustrated with the teen, who required around-the-clock care, and had plotted to kill him using sleeping pills, according to CBS Chicago. When that didn't work, the boy's mother allegedly stabbed him four times in the chest before slitting his wrists. Skrodzka, Alex's godmother, also allegedly stabbed the boy multiple times.
The two women were also in the apartment at the time of Alex being found dead and were reportedly lying in a semiconscious state after taking sleeping pills in an attempt to take their own lives. The women were taken to a hospital for treatment before being questioned by police.
According to ABC Chicago, the Department of Children and Family Services had previously been in touch with Dorothy Spourdalakis and offered her services to help with her son's care in January, which she refused. She also participated in an Autism Media Channel video on YouTube (embedded below) pleading for help seeking additional treatment for the boy.
In a statement reported by AgeOfAutism.com, the Autism Media Channel said they were "deeply saddened by the loss of Alex, a bright 14-year-old who had so much potential - Alex just needed appropriate medical care and somewhere safe to live." They added the family's plight was an example of "the failings of the medical system when trying to deal with individuals like Alex."About La Hacienda, Nashville, Tennessee In September of 1992, Mr & Mrs.Yepez moved from Santa Ana, Ca to Nashville, TN in pursue of having their own business. The Yepez family decided to open a tortilla manufacturing plant to supply to Mexican restaurants. During the process of obtaining all the permits, they had some delays due to codes regulations. Mr. & Mrs. Yepez had to come up with a plan to have some other source of income until they can open the manufacturing plant. In October of 1992 they decided to open a Mexican market, at the time their was only one market to supply the Hispanic community. They started with the most important products that the Hispanic community would consume. They would travel to Chicago once a week to bring back groceries in a small u- haul trailer. During this time they were also dealing with codes for their dream to open a manufacturing plant. After their great success with their market, in 1993 they opened their restaurant and manufacturing plant. The family business expanded, the restaurant and manufacturing plant took the building on 2615 Nolensville Rd. and the market moved to 2617 Nolensville Rd. The market has grown successfully with a full service butcher shop, bakery, and other services for the Hispanic community such as Western Union, money orders, calling cards, and utility payments. Today La Hacienda is the heart of the Hispanic community. The restaurant had great success, the taste of authentic Mexican food drew the crowd in, from a taco stand with just 20 seats to today a full service restaurant for 130 people. The great service and authentic food is what has today blessed them with loyal customers. Mr. &Mrs. Yepez strongly feel that their growth is due to good quality food and a friendly staff. A gradual growth in the tortilla manufacturing industry began to take place as people started to notice the quality of their tortilla and they were contacted by other restaurant owners who wanted their product. To their great success they now service, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri, and Arkansas. The family expanded their foodservice business further by providing their customers with a variety of other products. Today La Hacienda services 500 accounts with high quality corn and flour tortillas, and outstanding customer service. This is why La Hacienda Tortilleria is an example of success, visions, overcoming, togetherness and quality. All this proven by its founders: The Yepez Family, role models for the Hispanic Community.The Iliad and The Odyssey are two of the key works of Western civilization. But almost nothing is known about their author and the date and manner of their creation. In Why Homer Matters, historian and award-winning author Adam Nicolson suggests that Homer be thought of not as a person but as a tradition and that the works attributed to him go back a thousand years earlier than generally believed.
Speaking from his home in England, Nicolson describes how being caught in a storm at sea inspired his passion for Homer, how the oral bards of the Scottish Hebrides may hold the key to understanding Homer's works, and why smartphones are connecting us to ancient oral traditions in new and surprising ways.
Your book begins with a storm at sea.
About ten years ago, I set off sailing with a friend of mine. We wanted a big adventure, so we decided to sail up the west coast of the British Isles, the exposed Atlantic coast, visiting various remote islands along the way. I had thrown into my luggage a copy of The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles, having never really looked at Homer for about 25 years.
We had a rough time. Our instruments broke, and it had been a big hike from Cornwall. Lying in my bunk tied up next to a quay in southwest Ireland, I opened this book and found myself confronted with what felt like the truth—like somebody was telling me what it was like to be alive on Earth, in the figure of Odysseus.
Odysseus is the great metaphor for all of our lives: struggling with storms, coming across incredibly seductive nymphs, finding himself trapped between impossible choices. I suddenly thought, This is talking to me in a way I would never have guessed before.
View Images This third-century mosaic from the Roman city of Thugga, in Tunisia, shows how Ulysses, bound to the mast of his ship, hears the song of the sirens—and survives. Photograph by kpzfoto, Alamy
Seven locations have been given as Homer's birthplace. It's said he was blind. Samuel Butler, the 19th-century satirist, wrote an entire book trying to prove he was actually a she. Do we know anything factual about Homer?
I think it's a mistake to think of Homer as a person. Homer is an "it." A tradition. An entire culture coming up with ever more refined and ever more understanding ways of telling stories that are important to it. Homer is essentially shared.
Today we have an author obsession—we want to know biography all the time. But Homer has no biography. The Iliad and The Odyssey are like Viking longships. Nobody knows who made them, no name is attached to them, there's no written design or drawings. They're simply the evolved beauty of long and careful tradition.
There are even doubts about when they were composed. The usual date is about 800 B.C. You believe the tradition began much earlier than that. Make your case.
My claim is that the poems, especially The Iliad, have their beginnings around 2000 B.C.—about 1,000 or 1,200 years earlier than most people say Homer existed. The reason I say that has two strands to it. One is that there are large elements of the Homeric stories, particularly The Iliad, that are shared among the Indo-European world as a whole, all the way from north India through Greece to Germanic and Icelandic stories. There are deep elements in Homer that have nothing to do with Greece or the Aegean.
The second thing is that the situation in The Iliad is very clearly not one in which two deeply civilized nations are opposed to each other. The civilized nation in The Iliad is Troy. It's a well-set-up, organized city, where women lead very dignified lives.
Outside Troy is this camp of wild barbarians—the Greeks. The Greeks are Homer's barbarians. The atmosphere in the Greek camp is like gang life in the more difficult parts of modern industrialized cities. All ideas of rule and law and love count for nothing. The only thing that makes sense is revenge and self-assertion.
And that picture of the Greeks doesn't make sense any later than about 1800 to 1700 B.C. After that, the Greeks had arrived in the Mediterranean and started to create a civil society. Before that, they were essentially tribes from the steppes between the Black Sea and the Caspian—nomadic, male-dominated, violent.
That's the essential drama of Homer: this beautiful city trying to defend itself against these increasingly lawless, violent warriors outside. That's what The Iliad is about.
View Images Adam Nicolson set sail with a friend up the west coast of Britain, carrying a copy of The Odyssey. "We had a rough time," he says. Reading The Odyssey was "like somebody was telling me what it was like to be alive on Earth." Photograph by Keo Films
Bernard Knox, the renowned Homer scholar, says that 3,000 years haven't changed the human condition. We're still lovers and victims of violence, and as long as we are, Homer will be read as the truest interpretation of humankind. Can we love Homer without loving violence?
I think Homer does not love violence in the end. Homer dramatizes violence as one of the aspects of the human condition, but he doesn't celebrate it. It's a grave misunderstanding to think that Homer is about how beautiful the violent warrior is.
The key to that comes at the end of The Iliad. You've had these terrible scenes where Achilles, the great Greek warrior, has killed Hector, the prince of Troy, and tied him to the back of his chariot and dragged him round the walls of Troy with his whole family looking down from the ramparts. It's not some elegant funeral procession. It's a hectic, brutal moment, and we can only read that with horror in our minds. Michael Longley, the great Irish poet, calls The Iliad "an ocean of sadness." I think that's exactly what it is.
You say these are essentially authorless works. Are there any manuscripts? Tell us about Venetus A.
Homer's works were orally transmitted and orally performed poems, ever changing in the mouths of the different people who learned them and told them again. The Iliad survived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years as a spoken poem and was eventually written down, around 700 to 750 B.C. But no manuscripts survive from that time.
The earliest that survive were found rolled up under the heads of mummified Greek Egyptians in the Egyptian deserts from about 150 to 200 B.C. But they're just fragments, not the whole Iliad. The oldest complete Iliad is a manuscript found in the doge's library in Venice. A French scholar discovered it at the end of the 18th century, which is why it's called the Venetus A. It had come to Venice from Constantinople-Byzantium, where it had probably been made in about A.D. 900, thousands and thousands of years after the poems had first been composed.
More importantly, it contained all kinds of marginal notes, the so-called scholia, which had been made by the great editors of The Iliad in the Greek city of Alexandria sometime between the first century B.C. and the first century A.D. So what you have in Venetus A is not only the text of The Iliad but also what these ancient commentators thought about it.
One of the exciting things that emerge from that is that in the early days it seems there was no such thing as a single Iliad, no one fixed text, but this wild and variable tradition of the stories, with many different versions in different parts of the Mediterranean, endlessly interacting with itself, like a braided stream in the mountains. That's a very exciting idea for me—that texts are not fixed, unitary objects but like the mental bloodstream of a whole people.
You say Homer tells us who we are. There's not much in it for women, though, is there? Does your wife like Homer?
[Laughs] She can't stand him! And for me, it wasn't easy to spend a few years writing a book about Homer, because it basically shuts you out from the female world. There are wonderful women in Homer, like Odysseus's queen, Penelope. The word Homer uses for her means her prime quality is her wise governance—that she knows how to organize things and maintain the state for 20 years while Odysseus is away. He deeply admires women like that.
On the other hand, in the Greek camp, after chariot races, prizes are given. You either get a slave girl or a couple of oxen. So there's no doubt that the Homeric world is not one in which, on the whole, women are hugely empowered.
View Images In "The Apotheosis of Homer" (1827), on display in the Louvre, in Paris, the bard is crowned as immortal. At his feet are figures representing The Iliad (red) and The Odyssey (green). Around him, paying homage, are some of the greats of Western art and literature, including the Greek epic poet Pindar (in white, holding a lyre) and Sophocles (proffering a scroll). Photograph by Art Media, Print Collector/Getty
You write that "a man is his ancestry." As well as being the author Adam Nicolson, you're also the 5th Baron Carnock. To what extent has your noble ancestry shaped your love for Homer?
I don't love Homer because it's about warriors striding the world in a manly, baronial way. I love Homer because Homer dramatizes the shared human condition of struggle and competitiveness and pain. The incredible honesty and courage with which Homer looks at those aspects of life is what makes it exciting. And the only reason I have that title, which I never use by the way, is because my great grandfather was a civil servant and ended up head of a British government department. In those days they gave people peerages for that kind of thing. I'm not from some ancient, knightly world. I'm from a professional world. It's just a weird chance of history.
[Laughs] I'm glad we've put that one to rest. Tell us about the poets of the Scottish Hebrides and how they may hold the key to the composition of Homer's work.
We have a modern assumption that something only has meaning if it's written down. But the literate world is minimal compared to the depths of human history. We're essentially oral. And in a funny way the modern, electronic communicative world is making orality take on a new significance.
In traditional societies, the person who can learn and perform the stories has been treasured. That's true not only in the European world but across Africa and the Americas too. We've only got a few fragments of that left. And one of those fragmentary remains is in Gaelic Scotland, where certain families still preserve storytelling traditions that draw on ancient roots. Some of these bards have dazzling capacities of memory. They can remember stories that last hours and hours, nearly word-perfect. Some of them have been recorded over a period of 20 years, and they've told the same story in almost the same words.
Most of us can't remember a single phone number nowadays, because they're all in the phone memory. Yet buried deep in us is this ability to remember important things. And one of the things about poetry and the rhythmic, heightened language of poetry is that it makes it easy to remember. You can sing a story more easily than you can tell it.
You traveled to many of the sites associated with Homer for your research. Tell us about some of the high five moments.
In my mind this book is called Homer By Easy Jet [laughs]. It's fantastic the way you can fly off to different spots, very cheaply, like the Trojan plain, in the northwest corner of Turkey, where the Dardanelles comes out of the Sea of Marmara.
It's still astonishingly like Homer describes it. There's this incredible Bronze Age tumulus where Achilles is buried, with a white, limestone cap, which makes it visible from the sea. It was visited by all sorts of people: Xerxes, Alexander the Great, and the Romans, like Mark Antony. They all went there to pay homage to Achilles. But today almost nobody visits it—so it's as if you're discovering it for yourself.
How did writing this book change your life?
In a way it made me grow up. Homer's look at the truly bad aspects of life, in The Iliad especially, is a deeply sobering thing. And he doesn't hold out any kind of consolation. There's no heaven waiting for the warriors when they're killed, most of them in the most horrible way. They all go down to Hades.
But the point Homer wants to make is that in this world of difficulty and suffering, the really beautiful thing is love—that despite the realities of violence, love is a possibility.Tim Bradbury/Getty Images
Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas said his hip is doing "great" and he expects to be ready for training camp in September.
"The hip is great," Thomas told the Boston Herald's Stephen Hewitt on Saturday. "It's going well. Rehabbing it, but it's going well. It's a real slow rehab process, but it's getting better, and that's what it's all about."
Thomas, 28, is rehabbing from a torn labrum and femoroacetabular impingement in his right hip. He first suffered the injury during the regular season and then aggravated it in Game 2 of the Celtics' Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While surgery was an option, Thomas and the team decided rest was the best approach. He said the hip "reacted well," and he's begun a training regimen that should get him back in shape for camp.
"That's the plan, yeah," Thomas said. "I should be ready by camp, but I'm getting back in the gym, shooting and being able to work out in the weight room and get my cardio back, because I've been down for two-and-a-half months since the season ended. It's getting there, though. This week has been great progress for me."
Thomas averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game last season, earning his second straight All-Star berth and making the All-NBA second team. Boston earned the East's No. 1 seed but lost in five games to Cleveland in the conference finals.
The Celtics should be even more formidable this season after they signed Gordon Hayward in free agency and selected Jayson Tatum with the third overall pick in the June draft. Add in the Cavs' internal discord, and LeBron James' near-decadelong stranglehold on the East appears to be weakening.
Of course, for Boston to assume the throne, Thomas will likely need to be fully healthy. He is the engine that ignites the offense, and he could be even more important in 2017-18 since the Celtics lost depth to facilitate the Hayward signing.Right now a company named Sensata is moving equipment out of a factory in Freeport, Ill., and shipping it to a factory in China. Sensata will be laying off all of the American workers, but first they are making the workers train their Chinese replacements. The workers' last day is the day before our election. Here's the thing: This company is owned by Bain Capital, and Mitt Romney -- who says he is against shipping jobs to China -- will make a fortune from the move to China.
The Sensata employees have set up a camp outside the factory that they call Bainport and are trying to stop the Bain trucks that are moving the equipment out for shipment to China. These soon-to-be-jobless workers have asked Romney to come help them.
This is a tremendous opportunity for Mitt Romney. As the former head of Bain Capital and with all the visibility of a presidential campaign, he could step in and help these workers. It offers him the chance to demonstrate to voters that he means the things he says on the campaign trail, and is not just saying these things to get votes. But Romney has refused.
Mitt Romney says on the campaign trail that he will crack down on China and is against companies shipping jobs to China. These are very popular positions to take -- the public overwhelmingly wants to see things made in America again, and understands that China's trade cheating is costing us dearly. So a candidate for president would certainly say he is for doing this. But when it comes time to show that he will actually means it and will do something about it, it looks as though Romney is not doing it. These workers have asked for his help, but he won't do it. Voters should know about this, and make up their own minds about whether Mitt Romney means what he says, or just says what he needs to say to win.
Bain Capital and Sensata
Mitt Romney started the "private equity" firm Bain Capital. Bain's business model is to purchase companies using "leveraged buyouts" that borrow huge sums using the purchased company's own assets as collateral, uses the borrowed money to immediately pay itself, then cuts costs by doing things like sending jobs to China, cutting wages and manipulating tax rules to cut taxes owed, along with standard big-business practices like consolidating business units, taking advantage of economies of scale not available to smaller competitors, squeezing distribution channels for price cuts, and other practices that bring competitive advantages. (See "So DID Mitt Romney Really "Create Jobs" At Staples?" and Truthout: "Romney & Company Shipped Every Single Delphi UAW Job to China.") After reorganizing the purchased companies and cutting costs -- namely, you -- Bain then "harvests" them for profit.
One company that Bain Capital purchased -- after Romney's time as CEO -- is Sensata, a sensor manufacturer that makes key components for our automobile supply chain. Sensata then announced it is closing the factory in Freeport, Ill., and sending all of the manufacturing and jobs to China. This is significant because China is engaged in an effort to capture the automobile manufacturing supply chain, and sensors are a key strategic chokepoint. China built a factory for Sensata, and offers other incentives to the company to move manufacturing there.
So Bain is currently moving all of the equipment out of the Freeport factory, preparing to shut it down and lay off all of the American workers. Bain/Sensata brought in Chinese workers and made the Freeport workers train them. Bain/Sensata is moving the equipment out of the Freeport factory and shipping it to China right now.
The Sensata employees heard Romney on the campaign trail, and somehow got the idea that he opposes sending our jobs to China just because he says that he opposes sending our jobs to China. So the Sensata workers asked him to come to Freeport/Bainport and help them. Read on to learn about Romney's response to the Sensata workers, and how Romney is actually making big money right now from shipping their jobs to China.
"The week before they came they took the American flag down outside the plant. The week after they left they put it back up."
Romney Making a Fortune From Sensata Sending Jobs to China
While Mitt Romney no longer manages Bain Capital, he still has millions of dollars in Bain funds and will personally make a fortune from this company moving to China -- both from profits and from tax breaks. (What you and I consider a fortune, Romney might consider a drop in the bucket.)
A must-read news report by Sharon LaFraniere and Mike McIntire in The New York Times explains (emphasis added, for emphasis):
Mr. Romney also has millions invested in a series of Bain funds that have a controlling stake in Sensata Technologies, a manufacturer of sensors and controls for vehicles, aircraft and electric motors that employs 4,000 workers in China. Since Bain took over the operation in 2006, its investment has quadrupled in value. Bain continues to own $2.6 billion worth of Sensata's shares. Two years ago, Sensata bought an operation that made automobile sensors in Freeport, Ill. At the first meeting with the plant's 170 workers, Sensata managers announced that by the end of 2012 all the equipment and jobs would be relocated, mostly to Jiangsu Province. Workers have staged demonstrations, pleading for Mr. Romney to intervene on their behalf. Chinese engineers, flown to Freeport for training on the equipment, described their salaries as a pittance compared with Freeport wages. Tom Gaulrapp, who has operated machines at the factory for 33 years, said he fears he will go bankrupt after he loses his job on Nov. 5. "This goes to show the unbelievable hypocrisy of this man," he said of Mr. Romney. "He talks about how we need to get tough on China and stop China from taking our jobs, and then he is making money off shipping our jobs there."
Please read the entire New York Times report, "As Romney Repeats Trade Message, Bain Maintains China Ties." There is much more there about Romney, China, Bain and the huge gap between what Romney says on the campaign trail, and how Romney made his current $400,000/week income and how Bain Capital still makes its money.
Also see this The Huffington Post report, "Mitt Romney Gets Tax Break Off Firm Sending Jobs To China":
According to his recently released 2011 tax returns, Romney transferred $701,703 worth of Sensata stock to the Tyler Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit controlled by Romney. The gift is listed on page 323 of the pdf, on form 8283 (below). Moving the stock to his nonprofit brings Romney twin benefits. First, he gets to deduct the full value of the stock. At a 35 percent tax rate, that's nearly a $250,000 benefit. At 15 percent, it's just over $100,000. Second, Romney is able to avoid paying capital gains taxes on the stock price increase. Romney's returns list no cost for the stock, and indicate he obtained them as part of a partnership interest in Bain. Avoiding capital gains taxes on the full increase would save an additional $100,000. In 2010, Romney gifted $170,000 worth of Sensata stock to his charity, saving $25,000 in capital gains taxes that year. Cheryl Randecker, a Sensata worker facing an imminent layoff, said, "I could pay off my house with that [$25,000], and he doesn't need it anyway."
So there you have it. Mitt Romney says he opposes sending jobs to China, and says he will "crack down" on China. But he refuses to do things that he could do right now that would make an actual difference right now. And it turns out that right now he is making big money from Sensata and other companies that are sending people's jobs to China right now.
Laying off American workers -- usually shipping the jobs to China -- and pocketing their wages for themselves is the story of the rise of the wealth of the 1 percent, and the decline of the American middle class. It is the Romney/Bain/Sensata business model. And the remaining workers have to do the jobs of the laid-off workers, often for lower pay, and are threatened with losing their jobs, too, if they don't like it.
Economic Traitor?
This is an advertisement titled "Economic Traitor," that is being aired by superPACs Workers' Voice and Patriot Majority, based on Sensata:
Click here to see all of CAF's coverage of Sensata.
Bain Of Our Existence -- The go-to place for stories and info about Bain Capital.
For more information, photos and stories from the Sensata workers, please visit bainport.com.
For Fun
From UnitedNY, if Bain Capital was your psychologist:
PATIENT (LYING DOWN on couch): I think he's depressed. I mean, he is a good kid but he just keeps to himself. I can't get him to talk or spend time with the family and barely does any chores.
BAIN: Have you consider outsourcing? (hold shot of PATIENT)
PATIENT (confusion) You want me to outsource my son? (TURNS HEAD towards BAIN in surprise)
CUT to Bain face
BAIN: Yes, you can find some very obedient children in China or Bangladesh, even the Philippines.
(P.S. The reason I use #Sensata in the titles is because on Twitter the "hashtag" helps get the word out.)
This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF.
Sign up here for the CAF daily summaryMedical equipment leasing companies provide practical solutions especially to small health facilities that choose to procure equipment through leases rather than loans.
According to a research done by GIA (Global Industry Analysts), the market for medical equipment leasing is estimated to increase to $56 billion by 2017. There are many factors that contribute to the projected increase in leasing medical equipment. Some of the factors include the increase of chronic diseases, which in turn increases the demand for sophisticated equipment. The equipment is usually very expensive and to avoid incurring such high costs, health care facilities prefer to lease medical equipment rather than purchase it.
Another factor that may contribute to the increase of leasing medical equipment is the advancement of technology. Most medical equipment uses sophisticated technology that keeps changing from time to time. Keeping up with the change in technology can be very expensive especially for small health care facilities. This is why they turn to medical equipment leasing companies to help them upgrade equipment on a regular basis without incurring high costs.
Until six years ago, medical equipment lease financing has been relatively low in the United States. This was largely due to the lack of awareness of how leasing works. Things have however changed in the recent years and currently 40% of medical equipment in the United States is being leased. Why therefore are health facilities approaching medical equipment leasing companies?
Why You Need Medical Equipment Leasing Companies
Flexible Financial Solutions
Medical equipment leasing companies offer financing solutions that are flexible and can be tailored to suit the needs of your health care facility.
Preservation Of Capital
When you consider spending cash or taking out a loan, leasing is much cheaper. More importantly, it helps you to mitigate the risk of investing in medical equipment that may not yield any profits for you, save on costs or even increase efficiency.
Consistent Budgeting
Consistent budgeting is another benefit of leasing medical equipment. When you lease equipment, the amount of money you spend on monthly lease payments is fixed. This ensures that there are no unnecessary budget fluctuations caused by considerable cash outlays.
Flexibility
Medical equipment leasing companies allow you a certain amount of flexibility. This would not be possible if you apply for a loan in a bank. First off, if you need to borrow some more money to enable your health clinic to run smoothly, it would not be possible because banks won’t lend you any more money unless you finish repaying your current loan. With a lease, you can borrow money provided you continue making your lease payments on time.
Another instance where leasing companies offer some sort of flexibility is when you only need equipment for a short time. For instance, you may need an MRI machine or an X-ray machine for a few months. Leasing companies can draft a lease agreement that allows you to use this equipment for only that short period of time. When you borrow a loan to purchase that MRI machine, you will still continue paying for it even when you do not need it.
Equipment Expertise
Many medical equipment leasing companies are equipment experts and they know the ins and outs of the medical industry. They can offer you their advice on the latest equipment and even update you on the current trends. They can also recommend the best solutions suitable for your health facility.
Get an Instant Quote on Your Equipment Lease, Free Cost of equipment:
Up-to-date-technology
As mentioned earlier, the medical field uses very sophisticated equipment to treat patients. Most of this equipment requires up to date technology. Most health facilities cannot afford to purchase the equipment they need to operate efficiently. With leasing, they are able to acquire better equipment that they may not have otherwise been able to afford.
Bottom Line
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hope it gets people angry again, because the people who did this to our planet, and killed 11 people in the process, got off too easy."[38] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian praised Berg's direction as "admirably, uncharacteristically restrained...[He] stages the action horribly well, capturing the panic and gruesome mayhem without the film ever feeling exploitative. It’s spectacularly constructed, yet it doesn’t forget about the loss of life, ensuring that, despite thin characterisation, the impact is felt."[39]
Former crew members started their own crowd-funded documentary project before the film's release, out of frustration with factual liberties taken in the film script and in the media.[40]
Accolades [ edit ]Image caption A wounded dissident soldier is carried for treatment in Sanaa
Security forces in Yemen have shot dead at least 12 people and wounded 80 others during protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital, Sanaa.
Tens of thousands marching to the city centre were met with live rounds, tear gas and water cannon.
President Saleh has been battling eight months of street protests.
Separately, the media chief of militant group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was reportedly killed in an air strike.
Witnesses in Sanaa said protesters calling for the resignation of Mr Saleh were marching from their stronghold in Change Square to an area controlled by the elite Republican Guard force, which is loyal to the president.
Many of the wounded were taken by ambulances to a field hospital in Sixty Street.
Anti-government protesters have been camping there for months.
And in a northern district of Sanaa, at least six people were killed in fighting between supporters of President Saleh and Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, a leading tribal chief who has sided with the protesters
Mr Saleh has so far resisted calls from many Western countries to stand down, in spite of saying on several occasions he was prepared to do so.
On 8 October he said in a speech broadcast on state television: "I reject power and I will continue to reject it, and I will be leaving power in the coming days."
Yemen's protests 27 Jan: Thousands take to the streets in Sanaa and southern cities urging President Saleh to quit; weeks of mass protests follow
Thousands take to the streets in Sanaa and southern cities urging President Saleh to quit; weeks of mass protests follow 18 Mar: 52 protesters killed by snipers; Mr Saleh declares state of emergency
52 protesters killed by snipers; Mr Saleh declares state of emergency 21 Mar: Several senior army commanders defect to join the protesters
Several senior army commanders defect to join the protesters 23 Apr: Mr Saleh says he will stand down within weeks; he later appears to renege on the deal
Mr Saleh says he will stand down within weeks; he later appears to renege on the deal 24 May: Clashes erupt between Saleh loyalists and tribal groups; dozens die in days of fighting
Clashes erupt between Saleh loyalists and tribal groups; dozens die in days of fighting 3 Jun: Shells hit presidential compound, injuring Mr Saleh; he leaves the country for treatment
Shells hit presidential compound, injuring Mr Saleh; he leaves the country for treatment 18 Sep: Government forces launch crackdown on protester camps; more than 50 die in two days
Government forces launch crackdown on protester camps; more than 50 die in two days 23 Sep: President Saleh returns to Yemen Yemen Crisis: Who could take over
Mr Saleh returned to Yemen unexpectedly last month from Saudi Arabia, where he had been receiving treatment after his office was shelled in June.
As well as street protests, he faces an insurrection by renegade army units.
Mr Saleh has repeatedly refused to sign a transition deal brokered by Gulf states, first presented in March, whereby he would hand over power to his vice-president in return for immunity from prosecution.
Pipeline attack
Meanwhile, Yemen's defence ministry said al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) media chief Ibrahim al-Banna, an Egyptian national, and at least six other militants had been killed in an air strike in Shabwa province on Friday.
Tribal elders in the area said the attack also killed the eldest son and a cousin of US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by the Americans last month.
Some reports said the latest attack also involved pilotless US drones, others that it was by Yemeni planes.
Local officials told Reuters news agency that as many as 24 al-Qaeda militants were killed.
The defence ministry called Banna one of the group's "most dangerous operatives", who was wanted internationally for "planning attacks both inside and outside Yemen".
Local officials said a house where the militants had been meeting had been targeted but the group had already left. The vehicles they were travelling in were subsequently hit and destroyed.
There have been previous reports of Banna's death, including one in January last year, but these were denied by AQAP.
In an apparent revenge attack, militants had blown up a gas pipeline that runs from Maarib province to Belhaf on the Arabian Sea, with flames visible several kilometres away.
Yemen regularly plays down the American role in the country, saying it is supporting Yemen's own counter-terror operations.
A US drone attack in Khashef in Jawf province, about 140km (90 miles) east of Sanaa on 30 September killed Awlaki, a US-born radical Islamist cleric, and US-born propagandist Samir Khan.Watch the burning of David Best's monumental 'Temple' in Minecraft.
Commissioned by Artichoke and The Space in collaboration with CultureTech, Templecraft was an innovative digital arts project inspired by a monumental real–world construction, Temple.
In March 2015 the community of Derry-Londonderry came together with carpenters, constructors and artist David Best to build Temple, a 72ft high timber construction inspired by the traditions of the Burning Man Festival, Nevada. Temple was created to celebrate community, art and freedom of expression, and was the result of over two years of hard work and dedication from many people across the city and beyond. Everyone was invited to leave a memory behind, let go of the past and look to the future. Up to 60,000 people visited over the seven days it was open, covering the inside of the structure and it's pillar with personal messages.
In parallel, artist Adam Clarke, BlockWorks and Sparks built a digital reconstruction of the Temple in Minecraft, to allow people worldwide to explore the Temple, leave their memories and take part in this reflective artwork wherever they were.
The Minecraft structure replicated the Temple’s startling architecture and intricate internal spaces. Mapped onto a representation of the city of Derry-Londonderry, this extraordinary digital artwork created the impression of a temple high on a hill, towering over the city below.
Just like in the physical Temple, Minecraft players were able to explore the temporary structure online and leave their own messages, mementos or objects inside its walls.
On Saturday 21 March 2015, the Temple in Derry-Londonderry was ceremonially burned, with nothing left behind. At the same time, the Temple was burned in Minecraft, with viewers off and online watching the spectacle in real time.
Missed Templecraft? Watch Artichoke's film to go behind the scenes of David Best's monumental sculpture in Minecraft.
Video of Templecraft
For more on Minecraft read about Playcraft Live, the worlds first play performed simultaneously in the Minecraft world and to a live audience.Mitsui Fudosan
Tokyo seems overdue for a major quake. The last one was 90 years ago, when the Great Kanto Earthquake killed more than 100,000 people, and scientists say a big one may strike soon.
Buildings are better made today, yet over 6,000 people died in the Great Hanshin Earthquake that hit Kobe in 1995.
Now, two Japanese companies want to install giant pendulums on skyscraper rooftops to reduce the swaying caused by major earthquakes by 60 percent.
Real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan and construction firm Kajima said they have developed a 300-ton pendulum that will act as a counterweight to long-period seismic waves.
It's a variation of tuned mass damper technology, used in many towers, bridges, and buildings to reduce seismic vibration amplitudes.
The companies plan to spend about $51 million installing six such pendulums atop the Shinjuku Mitsui Building, a 55-story skyscraper in Tokyo completed in 1974.
The building swayed as much as 6 feet during the magnitude-9.0 quake that centered on northeast Japan in March 2011.
While the pendulums probably won't save lives, swaying can cause injury and damage to tall buildings.
Japan's first skyscraper was erected in 1968, and since then various vibration-dampening technologies have been used. Pendulum know-how has been used in newer high-rises, but the Mitsui-Kajima device could be retrofitted to older structures just by installing it on roofs.
It could also calm nerves. I was on the 20th floor of a Tokyo building in 2011 when seismic waves from a distant 7.0 quake hit, and the swaying wasn't something I'd like to experience again.
(Via Asahi Shimbun)Further detailed by Digital Foundry, some developer documentation previously explained how games delivered via the Xbox Store will be able to be segmented, and downloaded in different parts to ensure download sizes remain as small as possible. Games like Halo 5 are pushing 100GB on Xbox One already, and with 4K assets thrown in from enhanced versions, download sizes are set to balloon even further. The new developer systems Microsoft is putting in place is to help ease the pressure on our HDDs, and there's games already using this system today. Here's how you can take a look for yourself.
As we've previously reported, when it comes to 4K assets, the Xbox Store will intelligently decide what types of assets to install and unpack. 4K assets will only install if you're running an Xbox One X version, but Digital Foundry expanded on that info, noting that even things like different language packs will remain uninstalled to help download sizes. Developers will also be able to tag specific game modes as a content type, allowing gamers to remove them at will. Digital Foundry uses the example of a level editor, that perhaps many players won't bother with, or the campaign in a multiplayer-focused title that you might never play again. A developer could give their customers the option of uninstalling certain features to help reduce the size of a game's download. You can already see the data for this on your Xbox One via the Games & Apps menu. Using a hidden command of RB+LB+Start+Back, it brings up a new window detailing information about a game's install.
In the example here, you can see my installation for ReCore Definitive Edition. Under "Assets Installed," we can see "Xbox-Durango," which is the codename of the Xbox One. Presumably, if ReCore installs on an Xbox One X, you'll also see Xbox-Scorpio under that line. You can also see the languages present, namely en-GB, and the line "X1XE: False," which probably refers to whether the "Xbox One X Enhanced" features are active. Also on the Xbox Insider Program builds for the 1710 update, there's a new section under storage management called "Shrinkable games," which looks like it could be the place where you manage games that are capable of removing certain assets to restrict their installation sizes. Microsoft has also hinted that it's looking at using the cloud to stream assets from the internet, further reducing download sizes, so perhaps this is also where you'll be able to manage these systems.Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło | Stephanie Lecocq/EPA Polish PM Beata Szydło resigns Mateusz Morawiecki, formerly an economic adviser in the cabinet of Donald Tusk, will become prime minister.
WARSAW — Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło submitted her resignation to the Law and Justice (PiS) party leadership Thursday.
PiS leaders decided to replace her with one of her deputies — the minister of finance and economic development, Mateusz Morawiecki — party spokesperson Beata Mazurek told reporters.
“Prime Minister Beata Szydło submitted her resignation to the political committee of the party,” Mazurek said outside PiS headquarters in Warsaw. “The political committee proposed deputy prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki as a candidate to become the prime minister.”
On Thursday morning, Szydło easily won a no-confidence vote brought by the opposition, only to be told by her own party to submit her resignation. Party leader Jarosław Kaczyński kissed her arm and cheeks and handed her a large bunch of flowers in the chamber after the vote but eight hours later the party leadership, convened by him, decided it was time for her departure.
Mazurek said Szydło would be offered a job in the new government of Morawiecki but refused to give more details. The head of the PiS group in the parliament, Ryszard Terlecki, told reporters earlier in the day that a new Cabinet would be in place next week. The PAP news agency said the new Cabinet will be voted in on Tuesday, with no change of ministers at this point.
Morawiecki, 49, is a former banker who speaks fluent English and German, and would be a smoother partner for other EU leaders than Szydło. From 2010 to 2014 he was an economic adviser to then prime minister Donald Tusk, whom staunch PiS supporters consider an enemy.
Kaczyński has reportedly been mulling Szydło's removal from power since a party meeting on Monday evening.
Kaczyński chose Szydlo to be the face of his party in 2015. While the 54-year-old prime minister was popular at home, her administration has been involved in clashes with Brussels over rule of law and migration.
Sydło sent a tweet Tuesday while rumors were swirling about her impending departure, saying: “Whatever happens, Poland is most important.”
Ginger Hervey contributed to this article.At its best, augmented reality can promise a heads-up display for your entire life. But all too often, the overlay it creates adds little but pain and confusion. That was fully what I expected from Disney's foray into augmented reality toys when I first heard about them. Aimed at a young audience, the toys are built by licensee Jakks, and the first descriptions sounded abysmal: who wants to stare at a toy while watching somebody else — even a Disney character — play with it? After seeing the first versions, I'm not exactly reassured, but I've upgraded my opinion: the idea has promise, but it's not there yet.
The technology that powers Disney's new toys is called DreamPlay, built in a partnership between Jakks and NantWorks, a company founded by the richest man in Los Angeles. Much of NantWorks' augmented reality work is in advertising, and developing for Disney means leaving its comfort zone of connecting people with the right promotional content. Fortunately, DreamPlay is more interactive than I'd originally thought. Some of the toys I saw indeed looked dead boring, including bongo drums that forced you to watch The Little Mermaid's Sebastian play and sing while you stood on. But others incorporated genuinely clever ideas. Looking at the piano above through an iPad brings up a virtual Rapunzel who attempts to teach you to play a song, and one general-purpose app lets you decorate butterflies and release them around the room.
Actually using the app, though, creates its own set of problems. Seeing the bongo animation required holding the tablet in exactly the right place: dropping it by an inch or so cut everything off, and finding the sweet spot wasn't easy. As an adult, it's frustrating; as a child, I'd probably have wondered how I killed Sebastian. Learning to play a piano with augmented reality is an amazing idea, but reaching to touch the actual toy while balancing an iPad is tough enough with fully grown hands. Augmented reality isn't the problem here; the delivery system is.
Disney is launching augmented reality toys with a line of princess products in October; from there, it'll expand into other character lines. Until then, it's keeping a tight wrap on images of what it's developed, and we weren't allowed to take shots or video. We did learn that this is unrelated to Disney Infinity, the gaming project that's rumored to have augmented reality capabilities. As for these toys, I'm not going to write them off just yet, but I'm increasingly wondering if the promise of augmented reality can ever work within the limits of handheld devices.You know when your friends tell you, “Don’t worry, it will get better, just give it some time?” Well, that’s good and kind and well-intentioned, but actually, and I’m sorry to be the one to burst the bubble, a lot of things don’t get better. In fact, sometimes things get worse – certainly right now, for many people.
I’m thinking specifically right now about food and hunger. And even if we keep our conversation local, the facts are not good. 14 percent of the U.S. population is on food stamps today. That’s 1 in 7 Americans. It is also an increase of 16 percent from last year. That’s significant.
Given that such a significant number of people are on them, I decided to take a look at the food stamp system. First, I learned that since October of 2008, the program has been officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). I also learned that the average recipient gets $133 in stamps per month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
It seems logical that the system would help low income and unemployed people buy nutritious foods. Right?
Sadly, no. Do some digging, and you soon learn the entire system is depressingly vague. There are no guidelines around the types of food one can purchase with the stamps, other than the exclusion of tobacco, alcohol and hot foods. A person can take their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to CVS and spend their monthly stipend on Halloween candy or potato chips or Pop Tarts. Or all three.
It’s quick and painless to apply for food stamps, which may come as a surprise. You don’t have to be homeless or unemployed. You can own a car and get food stamps. You don’t even have to stand in a long line at a government agency to get food stamps. You can even be hip, young and broke and fill your belly with food stamp food.
It seems any middle class, employed person can qualify if they just take the time to apply. Some universities are even encouraging their students to apply for food stamps. (I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one.) Rules are rules, and if a person meets the eligibility requirements, they can receive food stamps.
Image: WPSAmid United Nations fears that genetic extinction technology could be used by militaries, a United States military agency has invested $100 million in the doomsday biological technology that can wipe out an entire species.
Scientists now have the knowledge and the tools they need to create and deliver Doomsday genes which can selectively target and exterminate an entire species. And to make matters worse, emails released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), suggest that the United States’s uber-secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has become the world’s largest funder of this “gene drive” research and will heighten international tensions further ahead of a UN expert committee meeting in Montreal beginning on Tuesday.
The UN is debating a ban on this technology as several southern countries fear the application of using extinction technology. The use of genetic extinction technologies in bioweapons is the stuff of nightmares, but so far, known research is focused entirely on pest control and the elimination of diseases. The key word there being “known.”
UN diplomats confirmed that the new email release would worsen the “bad name” of gene drives in some circles. “Many countries [will] have concerns when this technology comes from DARPA, a US military science agency,” one said. “You may be able to remove viruses or the entire mosquito population, but that may also have downstream ecological effects on species that depend on them. My main worry,” he added, “is that we do something irreversible to the environment, despite our good intentions, before we fully appreciate the way that this technology will work.”
Jim Thomas, a co-director of the ETC group which obtained the emails, said the US military’s influence in furthering this technology would strengthen the case for a moratorium. “The dual-use nature of altering and eradicating entire populations is as much a threat to peace and food security as it is a threat to ecosystems,” he said. “Militarization of gene drive funding may even contravene the Enmod convention against hostile uses of environmental modification technologies.”
But while we are on the subject of UN bans, the sanctions they placed on North Korea are being willfully ignored by the rogue regime. It stands to reason that should a military seek the use of this technology, they will also defy the UN’s “authority.”
Todd Kuiken, who has worked with the GBIRd (genetic biocontrol) program, which receives $6.4 million from DARPA, said that the US military’s centrality to genetic technology funding meant that “researchers who depend on grants for their research may reorient their projects to fit the narrow aims of these military agencies,” which could include doomsday genetic weapons. Between 2008 and 2014, the US government spent about $820 million on synthetic biology. Since 2012, most of this has come from DARPA and other military agencies, Kuiken says.
DARPA believes that a sharp decrease in the costs of gene-editing toolkits has created a greater opportunity for hostile or rogue actors to experiment with the technology. “This convergence of low cost and high availability means that applications for gene editing – both positive and negative – could arise from people or states operating outside of the traditional scientific community and international norms,” the official said. “It is incumbent on DARPA to perform this research and develop technologies that can protect against accidental and intentional misuse.”
Interest in the technology among US army bureaus has shot up since a secret report by the elite Jason group of military scientists last year “received considerable attention among various agencies of the US government,” according to an email by Gerald Joyce, who co-chaired a Jason study group in June. A second Jason report was commissioned in 2017 assessing “potential threats this technology might pose in the hands of an adversary, technical obstacles that must be overcome to develop gene drive technology and employ it ‘in the wild’,” Joyce wrote.
The paper would not be publicly disclosed but “widely circulated within the US intelligence and broader national security community”, his email said.No one sat on the bench. No one knelt — at least no one on the Seattle Seahawks sideline.
All 53 Seahawks on the active roster and many other coaches and staff members locked arms during the national anthem — including cornerback Jeremy Lane — before their season-opening game against the Miami Dolphins.
It was meant to raise awareness, to show unity. That if a football team comprised of varying backgrounds and upbringings can come together, so can a nation. The Seahawks’ gesture was one of many from teams across the NFL on Sunday, coming on the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
“In this country we’ve gone through so much. The African American community, we’ve gone through a lot,” Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said. “Not every police officer is a bad police officer. Not every African American is a bad person.
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“When I look at our football team and the people we have in the locker room, we have so many guys who come from different socioeconomic statuses, different races, different relationship situations and all that, and mixed kids. Just a lot of different situations. When we look across the board at our team, we really know how to love one another, we really know how to respect one another. It comes down to appreciating one another, understanding that God made everybody different, made everybody unique in his own image and ultimately being able to go to the idea of love.”
Lane had one of his arms locked with Richard Sherman’s near coach Pete Carroll. He had said earlier this week that he planned to sit on the bench again like he did last week in the Seahawks’ final preseason game against the Oakland Raiders.
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NFL-wide gestures, continuing Sunday, have appeared to inspire, offend or at least raise discussion about issues beyond the football fields on which these protests have taken place.
Baldwin said he didn’t want the Seahawks’ protest to be misconstrued as a lack of respect for the military and law enforcement, especially on the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, when so many of the first responders and others died in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and at Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“We wanted to do something together, as a team,” Baldwin said. “We wanted to honor the lives that were lost 15 years ago.
“The message we’re sending is that, yes, there are things in our country that need to be changed. But that’s why this country is so great, because we’re never afraid of facing those challenges head on. In this locker room of 53 guys, we believe that as a team, the only way we’re going to win the Super Bowl is if we do it together. That’s where we arrived that, if we’re going to do this, we have to do it together.
“We’ve come so far — you can’t take that for granted. We’ve come so far. But that doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels when we have so far to go.”
Some Seahawks, including Baldwin and Wilson, posted tweets prior to their season-opening game Sunday remembering the attacks of 9/11.
Players indicated the Seahawks will continue to hold demonstrations throughout the season, though what they entail will likely vary.
Players and staff came up with the idea together Friday, a couple of weeks after listening to Harry Edwards, a sociologist and longtime advocate of human and civil rights. Baldwin said they plan to meet with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray as well as “police chiefs across the state” to continue the discussion.
“We’re trying to build a bridge,” Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said. “We’re trying to bring people together. We’re trying to help people understand that it’s not just a black problem. It’s not just black people or a minority problem. It’s everyone’s problem. Everyone lives in this country and we want to see it as great of a country as it can be.
“Obviously there is some … there is some backlash with police in the community and there is some distrust. But I think we’re going to do our best in the community of Seattle to improve that relationship.”
On the Dolphins sideline, running back Arian Foster and three of his teammates knelt during the anthem — the same action San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took during the anthem last week. Receiver Kenny Stills and safety Michael Thomas held their hands over their hearts while kneeling. Foster and linebacker Jelani Jenkins didn’t.
Baldwin had said the Seahawks were in a conversation thread about the demonstrations with 26 other teams.
The Kansas City Chiefs also locked arms ahead of their Sunday game against the San Diego Chargers, with cornerback Marcus Peters, a former University of Washington defensive back, raising his fist throughout the anthem.
Several players from others teams across the NFL helped hold the edges of giant flags at their games. Police, firefighters, EMTs and members of all branches of the U.S. military received a standing ovation at CenturyLink Field in Seattle as they carried a giant U.S. flag that spanned the entire length and width of the football field.
The protests followed what Kaepernick first demonstrated, choosing to sit on the bench away from the rest of his teammates during the national anthem during a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, protesting what he deemed are wrongdoings against African Americans and other minorities in the U.S.
The next game, Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid kneeled during the anthem, while Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane sat on the bench before the Seahawks hosted the Oakland Raiders for their final preseason game.
Baldwin posted a video to social media Saturday telling of the Seahawks’ plan to lock arms as an expression of team and racial unity.
“We are a team comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds,” Baldwin said in the video. “And as a team we have chosen to stand and interlock arms in unity. We honor those who have fought for the freedoms we cherish and we stand to ensure the riches of freedom and the security of justice for all people.
“Progress can and will be made if we stand together.”Kallvis Gents takes the stage at Fashion Arts Toronto 2012
We’re all familiar with the likes of Gucci, Prada, and Versace, but now there’s a new designer on the scene: Kallvis Gents and his brand, NordemHirst. This young upstart has burst onto Toronto’s fashion scene with a line geared to the modern man—clothing that’s tailored to the 21st century male. BALLnROLL goes one-on-one with Kallvis to find out what this new designer brings to the table.
BALLnROLL: Where does the name NordemHirst come from?
Kallvis Gents: NordemHirst is the anagram of Modern Shirt, which is the key product of the brand. The name would also provide the origin of the company once the company goes big.
Your brand philosophy is “the modern fit, for the modern man.” Where do you draw your inspiration from, and what made you decide to design slim-fit clothing for men?
Inspiration is from my everyday life. When I walk on the streets of Toronto, I found out that there are common shirt fitting issues for my target market, so I decided to attack this target market and serve them shirts that fit way better for them. A modern man describes a man who has a career, has extra cash to spend, takes care of his appearance, has a balance between life and work, has good taste, has some sense of humour, knows himself, and most importantly: has confidence.
What designers have you looked up to over the years and why?
Creatively, I always look up to Alexander McQueen/Sarah Burton and Nicolas Ghesquiere from Balenciaga. They are always creative and forward thinking. Well, I don’t have to explain how good they are, right? Business-wise, I look up to Calvin Klein and Tom Ford. Calvin Klein’s business is built on underwear, [a] super famous underwear line that just keeps on selling; I am hoping my shirts can sell that much. NordemHirst has the clean-cut look similar to Tom Ford, except NordemHirst will definitely be more affordable.
Valentino’s is playing around with dark colours and Hermes with neutral colouring as well. What direction are you going in?
Good question. Fashion cycle these days is converging into a dot. That means the cycle doesn’t exist anymore, [implying] every kind of trend is happening at the same time. As long as a designer has a clear story to tell, that’s the only thing that’s important. Having a clear voice and cohesive execution is more important than the colour, silhouette, or print. NordemHirst is about solid colour, starting with some trivial colours to start the business, then move onto some more vibrant colours. In addition, a pop of colour will be key to grab attention.
What are you trying to tell the world with your designs?
Let’s put it this way: there are many different body types for womenswear and every womenswear company targets on different women’s body types. However, it doesn’t seem to be the case for menswear. Not every man is built the same way, just like every woman is built differently. My vision is using NordemHirst as a brand to tell men to fit themselves right. I’m also trying to tell the world that most other brands don’t have shirts that even fit any men. Those brands only use styling techniques and photo editing to create the illusion that their shirts fit even though they are not.
You stopped studying computer science at the University of Waterloo—something that would have led to a guaranteed, comfortable career—to wade into the notoriously unstable world of fashion.
Computer science is an easy way out to make money and have a stable job, but it doesn’t make me happy. I was never proud of anything I’ve done in computer science; it was just projects after projects from classes to classes. Basically, it just didn’t suit my personality to be in the computer industry, and living in a small town is just depressing. Maybe I would have stayed in school [if I went] to University of Toronto instead of University of Waterloo? I don’t know. However, the only thing I don’t regret is [going into the] fashion industry.
Yes, fashion is unstable, but that’s the design aspect. I focus more on satisfying my customer needs instead of selling fashion forward designs. I am running NordemHirst as a business and a business is a business—it’s not a design company. I design products that I think the modern men want instead of what I think is fabulous.
People can follow you on Facebook and Twitter, making you more accessible to the average person than other designers. How has social media influenced what you do?
Social media is important. I mean, how many people get famous because of social media? It’s free and painless, except I need to devote a lot of time to maintain the exposure on social media so people would still remember me. To build a brand, the brand needs to appear in front of the audience eyes as often as possible. One more social media NordemHirst is on, one more outlet for people to see the brand.In his first major address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Trump delivered his harshest warning yet to the North Korean regime, saying it risked "total destruction" if it continues its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
"The U.S. has great strength and patience but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," said Mr. Trump to the UNGA.
The president also said of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, "Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime." It's a nickname he has recently started using in tweets.
Mr. Trump said the regime's "reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles" threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life.
"It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime -- but arm, supply and financially support a regime that imperils the world with nuclear conflict."
Describing the North as a "depraved regime," Mr. Trump blamed it for "the starvation deaths of millions, and for imprisonment torture and oppression of countless more," and he cited the case of American student Otto Warmbier, who died after being held in North Korean captivity.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CBS that Mr. Trump's comments toward North Korea was yet another example of his "strong rhetoric and strong language."
"We've seen the international community condemning North Korea of the developing of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, the importance of working together to make sure that North Korea bounds it missile program and refrains from more testing, it is a threat toward all of us and it requires a global response," said Stoltenberg.
He added, "there's no easy way out, no easy answer" but that the international community needs to "find something in between doing nothing" and using military force.
As anticipated, Mr. Trump also spoke in harsh terms about Iran and the nuclear deal signed by his predecessor. He called it "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the U.S. has ever entered" and deemed it an "embarrassment to the U.S."
Trump says "one-sided" Iran nuclear deal is an "embarrassment" to U.S.
In an indictment of the international body, Mr. Trump said the Iran nuclear deal provides a "cover for the potential construction of a nuclear program" in the region, an outcome that the U.S. would not tolerate.
"We cannot let a murderer's regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program." It was a signal from the president that he is seriously considering either pulling out of or renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal, CBS News' Margaret Brennan observed. The Iran deal is agreement some of America's strongest allies have signed, and they have said that it cannot be renegotiated.
Mr. Trump also framed his campaign's "America First" ideology as American sovereignty in this speech. He told world leaders that the U.S. "can no longer be taken advantage of" in deals where the U.S. "gets nothing in return."
"In America, the people govern the people rule and the people are sovereign," said Mr. Trump, adding that he was elected to serve the people of his country.
Trump pushes "America first" doctrine in speech to United Nations
"As long as I hold this office I will defend America's interests above all else but in fulfilling our obligations to our own nations we also realize its in everyone's interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure," he added.
On Monday, the president kicked off his week of diplomacy with a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he promised the leader that there was a "good chance" for peace in the Middle East. He also sat with French President Emmanuel Macron and lauded the president for his impressive military parade on Bastille Day.
Follow Trump's U.N. speech in the updates below:
Trump: "We need to defeat the enemies of humanity"
In his final words to the body, Mr. Trump said, "Our hope is a world of proud independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, respect others and make common cause int he greatest shared interest of all, a future of peace for the people of this wonderful earth."
He says that the true vision and mission of the UN and the message to the world will be that we will "fight together, sacrifice together and stand together" for peace, freedom, justice, family for humanity.
Trump excoriates Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro
"Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on good people of his country," said Mr. Trump of the dictator.
Mr. Trump calls the unfair election in the region and the starvation of freedom of its people "completely unacceptable and we cannot stand by and watch. We and all other share a goal that goal is to help them regain their freedom recover their country and restore their democracy."
His remark that "the problem is that socialism has been faithfully implemented in Venezuela" receives very little applause or positive reaction from the body.
Trump on unfair cost goals of UN
Power |
previous copper DSL and phone lines, failing to offer basic features or data, leaving Comcast (which had no problem financing coaxial repairs) as the only regional fixed-line broadband competitor in many of these areas. Verizon was using the storm as cover to back out of areas they no longer want to service, though they fell under criticism by the New York AG for violating PSC rules To tackle the generalproblems with the "IP transition" (will my home security system still work? Can I even get a reliable LTE signal in my basement? Will 911 work?), the FCC has proposed a series of observed technical trials. AT&T has announced that their version of these trials will involve migrating two tiny towns to presumably LTE wireless and U-Verse over the next few years, after which AT&T and the FCC will likely proclaim the trial to be a smashing success. Ignored by AT&T, the FCC, and the press so far has been the fact that as AT&T and Verizon back away from DSL, they're going to be leaving an even less competitive broadband market than we have now -- at a time when everyone pays endless lip service to improving broadband competition.The next time you read in the press about the "IP transition," (and you'll be reading about it a lot) notice how quickly everybody applauds the idea that copper is just so, old fashioned and. Then notice how, buried under the pageantry, nobody seems to recognize that what's actually happening here is simply the lopping off of unwanted DSL customers that companies are refusing to upgrade. That in turn will lead to a stronger cable monopoly across half the country, resulting in cable companies -- like the freshly-merged Time Warner Cable Comcast -- feeling free to impose more draconian usage caps than ever before. Welcome to the "all IP" networks of tomorrow. Watch that first step.
Filed Under: broadband, competition, dsl, ip transition
Companies: at&t, verizonIn an interview yesterday on Meet the Press, National Security Advisor Susan Rice told host David Gregory that she had no regrets for her appearances on Sunday shows after the Benghazi attacks in which she said that the incident at the American outpost was a “spontaneous” reaction to an anti-Islam YouTube video.
“When you were last here, Ambassador Rice, it was an eventful morning on the story of Benghazi and the horrible attack on our compound there. We haven’t seen you in a while. As you look back in your involvement in that, do you have any regrets?” Gregory asked.
“David, no, because what I said to you that morning, and what I did every day since, was to share the best information that we had at the time,” Rice said.
“The information I provided — which I explained to you was what we had at the moment, it could change, I commented that this was based on what we knew on that morning — was provided to me and my colleagues, and, indeed, to Congress by the intelligence community,” the former U.N. Ambassador continued. “And that’s been well validated in many different ways since.”
Rice conceded that the information that the administration tried to sell to the American public “turned out, in some respects, not to be 100%,” which may be the understatement of the year.
“But the notion that somehow I or anybody else in the administration misled the American people is patently false,” Rice declared, “and I think that that’s been amply demonstrated.”
There may have been some confusion in the hours immediately after the attack, but recently declassified congressional testimony shows that Defense Department officials knew almost immediately that the assault on the American compound was a terrorist attack.
Rice continues to be wholly disingenuous about Benghazi, much like her boss, President Barack Obama, rather than accept her role in trying to mislead Americans. It’s unfortunate and, frankly, a slap in the face of the families of the four Americans who died during the attacks.New Delhi/Bengaluru: Job websites saw an increase in the number of resumés being posted by software engineers between January and April, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the fate of thousands of employees at large Indian IT firms.
Naukri.com reported a 27% jump from the year-ago period in job applicants from the IT industry in the January-April period; iimjobs.com, a 12.4% increase; and CareerBuilder.com, a 11.5% rise, according to data shared with Mint by each of these portals. Monster.com saw a 60-65% year-on-year increase in the number of software engineers posting resumés in the last month alone.
All four job portals declined to share the absolute increase in resumés and rather shared only the percentage increase.
IT companies are in the midst of the industry’s largest retrenchment drive, with seven of the biggest companies planning to let go twice the number of employees asked to leave last year, or at least 56,000 engineers in the current year. Some executives say that many of these companies, including Infosys Ltd, Wipro Ltd and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., are likely to end the year with fewer employees than they started with, despite continuing to hire young engineers.
ALSO READ: Indian IT and the lightning bolt of layoffs
The Indian IT industry, which does business of $150 billion a year, employed 3.9 million people at the end of March 2017, according to industry lobby group Nasscom, which has denied reports of layoffs.
To be sure, not all people registering on job portals are likely to have lost their jobs.
“This increase can be attributed to the uncertainty that clouds their future with regards to the continuity of the current job role, given the transformation that their organisations are going through," said Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder and executive vice-president at TeamLease, a staffing firm, which saw job applicants from the IT sector double in January-April period.
Most job applicants register at more than one job portal. Software industry executives say 50-75% of engineers with a few years of experience use job portals. A third of job seekers use referrals, while executive search firms help companies fill positions at senior levels.
Another staffing firm, PeopleStrong HR Services Pvt. Ltd, saw a 15% increase in applications from mid-to-senior level executives from IT companies in the January-April period.
ALSO READ: Crunch time for Indian IT firms
The numbers do indicate some level of anxiety in the minds of employees but they are not alarming, said Tarun Matta, founder of iimjobs.com. “I read the McKinsey report stating how a third of workforce will be irrelevant in the next three-four years, and so I assumed the numbers would be very high."
Technology outsourcing companies are re-looking at their existing workforce as they face a structural challenge (and not just a cyclical change as witnessed in the past) on account of newer technologies such as cloud computing, which has forced these firms to move from a people-led model to a platform-driven approach. At the same time, more companies have embraced automation tools to perform the mundane, repeatable tasks that were performed by an army of engineers earlier. Finally, poor growth and pressure on profitability have prompted most companies to save on costs. In the year ended March 2017, for the first time since 2009-10, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Infosys and Wipro grew slower than industry body Nasscom’s 8.6% growth forecast in constant currency terms, even as profitability of all the companies declined.
“The change we are witnessing in the IT Services industry is structural—these are challenging times as industry is reinventing its business model," said Venkat Shastry, partner at executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. “We will see people leaving companies in a staggered way over the next 3-4 years as the sector will continue to shed jobs. Unless a new sunrise sector like the IT sector, which was born decades back, or the e-commerce sector, which emerged a few years back, comes up and absorbs these people, it will be a painful journey."By show writer Nic Pizzolatto’s own confession in The Wall Street Journal, the writings of Thomas Ligotti, among others, have had a profound influence on "True Detective."
Litotti is a writer of existential pessimistic philosophy and “philosophical horror,” continuing in the vein of writers such as H.P. Lovecraft. He believes that human consciousness and a misplaced belief in the supernatural has completely severed ourselves from the nature that spawned us, making us a mockery and absurdity of the natural order.
It’s easy to see where the character of Rust Cohle finds his influence with lines from Ligotti like:
“This is the tragedy: Consciousness has forced us into the paradoxical position of striving to be unself-conscious of what we are - hunks of spoiling flesh on disintegrating bones.”
and,
“Our self-removal from this planet would still be a magnificent move, a feat so luminous it would bedim the sun. What do we have to lose? No evil would attend our departure from this world, and the many evils we have known would go extinct along with us. So why put off what would be the most laudable masterstroke of our existence, and the only one?”
and,
“We are only chance visitants to this jungle of blind mutations. The natural world existed when we did not, and it will continue to exist long after we are gone. The supernatural crept into our life only when the door of consciousness was opened in our heads. The moment we stepped through that door, we walked out on nature.”
You can almost hear Cohle saying each one of them, right?A Conservative senator is embarking on a campaign to see that the government still has the power to revoke the citizenship of dual-national terrorists.
On Thursday Sen. Daniel Lang, representing Yukon, urged his fellow senators to amend the controversial Liberal bill Bill C-6.
“I am not alone when I state that these dual-national Canadian terrorists are not like every other Canadian – and they don’t deserve the same rights and privileges as every other citizen,” Lang said in the Upper Chamber.
The previous Conservative government passed a bill that came into effect only last year allowing citizenship to be taken away from people convicted of terrorism and high treason who also hold citizenship in another country. The Liberal bill – which passed the House of Commons and is now making its way through the Senate – will repeal this provision, among other measures.
The senator says the provision currently only applies to seven people holding Canadian citizenship, four of whom were convicting in the 2006 Toronto 18 terror plot to attack the Parliament buildings, CSIS and CBC headquarters and behead the prime minister.
“What I maintain is that when someone has committed the worst crime you could against your country, your fellow Canadians and your neighbour, one of the consequences should be that you lose your citizenship,” Lang told the Sun in a phone interview.
Trudeau famously defended repealing the provision by arguing it created two tiers of citizen, stating “a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.”
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Lang rejects that logic, pointing out that there is currently a law frequently used by the current government that allows revocation if someone has been found to have obtained citizenship through fraud, an offence, he says, that is much less troubling than a terrorism conviction.
While the bill has the backing of the government, Lang’s “cautiously optimistic” his fellow senators will listen to his arguments and amend the bill. He’s also urging Canadians who care about the issue to contact politicians.
“I’d like to think that common sense will prevail and that the question of public security for Canada will come first when a decision has to be made on this issue,” says Lang.A survey out Monday by the Remington Research Group shows that Major League Baseball is the top sport right now among Americans as protests of the national anthem embroil the National Football League
The group conducted a public opinion phone survey of 1,211 people and found that more people are showing an interest in baseball and the upcoming championship series than the National Football League. Additinally, results show more Republicans right now favor the MLB, while more Democrats favor the NFL. (RELATED: NFL Ratings Drop After Day Of Protest)
WATCH THE STEELERS STAY IN THE LOCKER ROOM FOR NATIONAL ANTHEM:
The survey found that 60 percent of those interviewed viewed the MLB as favorable, with only 11 percent who viewed it as unfavorable. Of those who participated, 30 percent said that baseball was their top professional sport, with only 25 percent saying that football was theirs. The NBA, NHL and then MLS followed next in the list of top sports.
A total of 61 percent of those respondents said that the baseball playoffs have been very interesting or somewhat interesting leading, with 29 percent who felt that they have not been interesting at all.
Going inside the numbers, Republicans and people who identified themselves as non-partisan preferred baseball over the NFL 30 percent to 21 percent. Democrats, on the other hand, preferred football over the MLB 33 percent to 29 percent.
The survey was conducted on Sunday October 22, 2017. The margin of error is +/- 2.8 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence.[Mesa-dev] [RFC] Mesa 9.2 and release process changes
To keep our six-month release cadence, it looks like we'll target August 22nd for 9.2. That means we'll probably need to make the release branch on July 18th... that's just over two weeks from now. Assuming that works for everyone, I'd like to propose a couple changes to our post-9.2 release process. 1. Carl Worth is taking over stable releases from me, so I'd like to increase the rate of stable releases from (nominally) monthly to every two weeks. 2. Instead of just posting md5sum for the release tarballs, I think we should start GPG signing them. I'm not sure what sort of process we want to establish for this. Should they just be signed by the release managers key? Is this easier than I think it is? 3. I'd like to make some adjustments to our process for picking patches back to the stable branch. The current process is okay, but it has some kinks. The two big (related) problems are people either under-mark things for the stable branch or over-mark. We also have the problem that things are occasionally marked for stable that, in the end, shouldn't go to stable. Instead of the current system, I'd like to propose creating a mesa-stable mailing list where candidate patches will be sent. The release manage will then have the responsibility to apply patches to the branch. This gives opportunity for subsystem maintainers to ACK or NAK patches before they land. It also gives the opportunity to use a build bot to pre-verify that no patch ever breaks the build on the stable branch. Anyone can nominate a patch for stable by sending it to the list. This provides a means for solving the under-mark problem. It may mean that developers have to do more work (e.g., waiting awhile after a patch lands on master to send it to the stable list), so we may need to come up with some means to mitigate that. As part of this, we need to clearly document the criteria for inclusion in the stable branch. We have some vague criteria now, but we should formalize and agree on the list. 4. With the above changes in the stable releases, I'd like to increase the rate of major releases from six months to three months. A lot of good work (new features, performance improvements, etc.) sit on master for a really long time before getting into a release. As a result, many distros ship some semi-random point from master. Given that we allow regressions to pile up on master (to be fixed during the stabilization period), this is a pretty terrible situation. This would mean that Mesa 9.3 would be mid-November. That sounds pretty good to me.Republican Presidential Nominee Sen. John McCain (AZ) and Democratic Presidential Nominee Sen. Barack Obama (IL) participate in the first presidential debate, moderated by journalist Jim Lehrer, at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, on September 26, 2008. The debate went on despite McCain's call for postponement in the face of the current economic crises. (UPI Photo/Roger L. Wollenberg) | License Photo
Democratic Presidential Nominee Sen. Barack Obama (IL) and Republican Presidential Nominee Sen. John McCain (AZ) (not pictured) participate in the first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, on September 26, 2008. The debate went on despite McCain's call for postponement in the face of the current economic crises. (UPI Photo/Roger L. Wollenberg) | License Photo
Republican Presidential Nominee Sen. John McCain (AZ) and Democratic Presidential Nominee Sen. Barack Obama (IL) shake hands after the first presidential debate, moderated by journalist Jim Lehrer, at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, on September 26, 2008. The debate went on despite McCain's call for postponement in the face of the current economic crises. (UPI Photo/Roger L. Wollenberg) | License Photo
CHICAGO, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- More than 200 former U.S. diplomats have signed a statement announcing their support for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
The former diplomats and ambassadors signed the statement before the Friday debate between Obama and Republican nominee John McCain.
"We are supporting Senator Barack Obama because of his judgment, experience, and ability to inspire people to come together around a common purpose," the letter said. "Senator Obama's talents offer an historic opportunity; for the sake of America's security and standing in the world, we must seize it."
The letter, signed by officials from both major political parties, said the foreign policies of the Bush administration have diminished America's alliances abroad.
"As former diplomats, we believe it is past time that we had a President with the judgment and confidence -- in himself, our diplomatic corps, and our values -- to talk directly to America's adversaries with due preparation but without preconditions," the letter said.
The signatories include former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and Warren Christopher, former National Security Adviser Richard Clarke and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional Republicans on Tuesday challenged Planned Parenthood’s eligibility for federal funds, while the health organization’s president said defunding it would restrict women’s access to care and disproportionately hurt low-income patients.
Planned Parenthood Federation president Cecile Richards testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Capitol Hill in Washington September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron
A series of videos that purport to show that Planned Parenthood improperly sells fetal tissue to researchers for profit has reignited anti-abortion voters’ fervor during a turbulent Republican presidential primary campaign.
At a five-hour House committee hearing, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards appeared alone to respond to hostile questioning from Republicans, some of whom have vowed to shut down the U.S. government if federal support for the organization is not cut off.
“As far as I can tell... this is an organization that doesn’t need federal subsidy,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said at the start.
Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, said Planned Parenthood’s $127 million in profit last year showed the organization could survive without federal funds. He accused the group of lavishly spending on travel, hosting “blowout parties” and paying “exorbitant salaries.”
Planned Parenthood gets about $500 million annually in federal funds, largely in Medicaid reimbursements.
“We don’t make any profit off federal money,” Richards responded, adding that “outrageous allegations” against Planned Parenthood were “offensive and categorically untrue.”
She said Planned Parenthood did not use federal funds for abortions, which comprise 3 percent of its services, or for fetal tissue donations, which are done by 1 percent of the clinics. Planned Parenthood clinic services include cancer screenings, family planning, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
Republicans favor shifting Planned Parenthood’s federal funds to community clinics, and they grilled Richards on why doing so would restrict access to care.
“You can’t say that Planned Parenthood is like the only place” for low-income families to go, said Representative Mia Love, a Utah Republican.
“But it’s obviously a place that 2.7 million patients choose to come to every year,” Richards responded, adding that the move would particularly hurt low-income, uninsured and rural patients.
Planned Parenthood has been under fire for months over videos that an anti-abortion group produced and posted online.
Democrats had asked that David Daleiden, the anti-abortion activist behind the videos, attend the hearing as well, but Republican leaders did not invite him.
On the panel, Democrats defended the group and questioned Republicans’ motives.
“What is Congress doing here?” asked Democrat Peter Welch of Vermont. “We’re having an argument that’s never going to end about abortion, but we’re proposing to proceed in a way that will have collateral consequences that compromises... women’s health.”The Chevrolet Tahoe is a classic American full-size SUV. Being brand-new for the 2015 model year, GM Authority is keen to checking one out and seeing if the bar was raised. Car and Driver recently had the opportunity to test one of the first ones available to the press, and they left the first drive with some interesting speculations.
Back in November 2013, Chevrolet rolled out a Tahoe Black concept at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The Tahoe Black concept was lowered on dark gray, 22-inch Chevrolet Accessories wheels, accented by blacked out exterior trim, and tinted windows and headlights, inside, the interior is trimmed in black leather with Carbon Flash Metallic trim accents. C&D is reporting that Chevy spokesman Michael Albano claims they are “developing variants of existing products that appeal to consumers and build on our performance heritage,” with a possible RS trim level that would use the Tahoe Black’s trim pieces but without any bump in horsepower. Any validity to C&D‘s speculation of a Tahoe SS is not supported by Chevrolet.
Before you start to groan at this rumor, let’s pause for a reminder:
The RS, or Rally Sport, was originally a Camaro trim level that had nothing to do with performance.
The SS, or Super Sport, was a buckets-and-console package for the Impala, Nova, and Chevelle that didn’t require performance motors. Only starting in 1966 did the Chevelle come standard with a performance motor, but plenty of Chevy Super Sports were tame 283 and 327 cars (and even a six!).
Extra horsepower for the latter won’t be a problem, however, as Chevrolet has a 6.2-liter V-8 with 420 horses and 460 lb-ft of torque that remains untapped for its full-size Chevrolet SUV models.Nyx is the queen of the zealot scarabs, worshiped by her race as a goddess. Like other zealot scarabs, she is telepathic, even more so than her lesser kin. She resides in a special chamber, possibly within the Hidden Hive. Nyx may have some knowledge of alchemy, using special chemicals to help the current Nyx Assassin grow magic-resistant shell.
Previous artworks:
The previous works:
SCREE’AUK SELEMENE FLAYED TWINS OMNISCIENCE
And as always i ask you share to me your thoughts about this project, how can i improve it? what you want to see most? or if there’s any interest in them in any other way? What you think will be next character? And I’m really thankful for all your responses about my works, all your feedback makes me work harder and give me so much motivating feelings and mood to make pleasant arts for you. I’m glad Dota 2 lore is interesting for people. Thank you <3Ntfy is a simple yet serviceable cross-platform Python utility that enables you to automatically get desktop notifications on demand or when long running commands complete. It can as well send push notifications to your phone once a particular command completes.
It supports shell integration with popular Linux shells such as bash and zsh; by default, ntfy will only send notifications for commands lasting longer than 10 seconds and if the terminal is focused. It also offers features for process, emjoi, XMPP, Telegram, Instapush and Slack notification support.
Check out the following video that demonstrates some of ntfy functionality:
Step 1: How to Install Ntfy in Linux
In this article, we’ll show you how to install, configure and use ntfy in the mainstream Linux distributions to get desktop or phone notifications when long running commands finishes.
Ntfy package can be installed using Python Pip as follows.
$ sudo pip install ntfy
Once ntfy installed, it can be configured using a YAML file located in ~/.ntfy.yml or in standard platform specific locations, ~/config/ntfy/ntfy.yml on Linux.
It operates via dbus, and works on most if not all popular Linux desktop environments such as Gnome, KDE, XFCE and with libnotify. Make sure you have required dependencies installed before using it as shown.
$ sudo apt-get install libdbus-glib-1-dev libdbus-1-dev [On Debian/Ubuntu] $ sudo yum install dbus-1-glib-devel libdbus-1-devel [On Fedora/CentOS] $ pip install --user dbus-python
Step 2: Integrate Ntfy with Linux Shells
ntfy offers support for spontaneously sending notifications once long running commands complete in bash and zsh. In bash, it reproduces the function of zsh’s preexec and precmd functionality using rcaloras/bash-preexec.
You can enable it in your.bashrc or.zshrc file as below:
eval "$(ntfy shell-integration)"
After integrating it with the shell, nfty will send notifications on your desktop for any commands lasting longer than 10 seconds provided the terminal is focused, this is the default setting.
Note that terminal focus works on X11 and with Terminal.app. You can configure it via the --longer-than and --foreground-too flags.
Ignore Unnecessary Notifications
Imaginably, you can do away with unnecessary notifications when running interactive programs, this can be configured using the AUTO_NTFY_DONE_IGNORE env variable.
For instance, using the export command below, you will prevent the command “vim screen meld” from generating notifications:
$ export AUTO_NTFY_DONE_IGNORE="vim screen meld"
Step 3: How to Use Nfty in Linux
Once you have installed and configured ntfy, you can test it with a these examples:
$ ntfy send "This is TecMint, we’re testing ntfy"
The example below shows how to run a command and send a notification when it is done:
$ ntfy done sleep 5
To use a custom notification title, set the -t flag as follows.
$ ntfy -t 'TecMint' send "Using custom notification title"
The example below will show an emoji for the particular code used.
$ ntfy send ":wink: Using emoji extra! :joy:"
To send a notification to the desktop once a process with the specified ID completes, use the example below:
$ ntfy done --pid 2099
You can view all notifications using notification indicator, run the commands below to install recent notifications indicator.
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jconti/recent-notifications $ sudo apt update && sudo apt install indicator-notifications
When the installation completes, launch the indicator from the Unity Dash, run a few ntfy commands and click on the icon from the panel to view all notifications.
To view a help message, run:
$ ntfy -h
Step 4: Install Additional Ntfy Features
You can install additional features but this calls for extra dependencies:
ntfy done -p $PID – requires installing as ntfy[pid].
$ pip install ntfy[pid]
emjoi support – requires installing as ntfy[emoji].
$ pip install ntfy[emoji]
XMPP support – requires installing as ntfy[xmpp].
$ pip install ntfy[xmpp]
Telegram support – requires installing as ntfy[telegram].
$ pip install ntfy[telegram]
Instapush support – requires installing as ntfy[instapush].
$ pip install ntfy[instapush]
Slack support – requires installing as ntfy[slack].
$ pip install ntfy[slack]
And to install multiple extra features using a single command, separate them with commas like so:
$ pip install ntfy[pid,emjoi,xmpp, telegram]
For an exhaustive usage guide, check out: http://ntfy.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
That’s all! In this article, we showed you how to setup and use ntfy in the mainstream Linux distributions. Use the feedback form below to share your thoughts concerning this article or else share with us info about any similar Linux utilities.Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul is a new game based on the popular manga that started back in the ’80s. It is a follow-up to Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers which came out for the PS3 way back in 2013. The new game adds several new features to the fighting series, including a visual upgrade thanks to the more powerful PS4 system.
From a visual standpoint, the cel-shaded graphics are impressive as it looks like you are watching an anime come to life. The graphics are a step up from Brave Soldiers on the PS3 and this is a good thing.
All of the character models look as accurate to the anime as they can be and unleashing their special moves is a sight to behold. The only thing holding down the graphics are the fighting arenas themselves. They look okay at best, but they’re not as detailed or fun to look at like in other fighting games. The fighting arenas are also quite small, although there is still enough room to side-step enemy opponents and run around to flank them.
Speaking of enemy opponents, Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul is unlike traditional fighting games such as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. This game utilizes the over-the-shoulder camera perspective as seen in the Dragon Ball Z video games. The characters are also fast and agile like all of the ninjas from the Naruto series too.
The gameplay is quick and some gamers might find it hard to grasp at first. This is because the gameplay system requires players to evade and make use of the side-stepping technique a lot. It’s different from most other fighting games where the opponents are always staring down at one another on a straight plane.
Mastering side-stepping in this game is a must because the A.I. will punish players early on if they cannot evade and block effectively. The A.I. loves to block a lot and attacking all of the time is not a good strategy to win fights in this game. The game forces players to think and adapt on their feet because going on the offense every time will punish players.
Arguably, Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Souls has a more grounded and tight combat system than in the Dragon Ball Z video games. This is because the fighters in this game don’t fly so all of the fights are more enclosed. The Dragon Ball Z video games can be harder to master as their fighters can fly around long distances that it can be difficult to follow the action.
The cel-shaded graphics are impressive as it looks like you are watching an anime come to life
Although Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul’s gameplay can be hard to master at first, developer Dimps has been kind to the game’s controls. The controls are easy to remember and the special moves are executed by only pressing two buttons or so. Players won’t see the complex analog stick rotations that they have to do when playing a game like Street Fighter IV.
All of the main combos can be executed by pressing the triangle and square buttons. The X button is used for evading enemies while circle controls laser blasts. L1 is for blocking and holding down R2 allows you to do all of the character’s special moves. As aforementioned, the control system is easy to remember and beginners won’t have any trouble on learning how to play this game.
One problem with the gameplay itself is that some characters are much better than others. Seiya for example is faster than everyone else and can land several hit combos. On the other hand, Shun is the cheapest fighter in the game because he can spam long-ranged attacks with his chains. It would have been better if the game was a little more balanced because not every character has effective moves and attacks.
Outside of the gameplay, there are several modes in this game that gamers can indulge in. The main part is the story mode called Legend of Cosmo and it’s broken up into four main parts. The story mode is quite enjoyable since it’s like playing through the anime. There are a lot of cutscenes to watch and many fights to participate in as well. There are hours upon hours of gameplay featured in this story mode alone.
However, the story mode can be a bit hard to follow for anyone that is unfamiliar with the series beforehand. The game does not do a good job of clearly explaining what is happening or who the characters really are. Only fans of the anime/manga will truly know what is going on. For those who aren’t Saint Seiya fans, it’s best to read up on the story before playing this game.
Outside of Legend of Cosmo, there are the many modes that feature in other fighting games. There’s the VS Battle, Survival, Training, Tutorial and also a tournament mode called Galaxy War. The latter allows the player to participate in a tournament to unlock several items and more.
There are also online battles in this game too. The online play is okay at the moment, although nothing special. I experienced a bit of lag, but it wasn’t anything that ruined the gameplay entirely. It’s also worth mentioning the competition is quite hard as there are many other good players out there…
Speaking of unlockables, there’s a lot that players can achieve here. There are well over 70 fighters in the whole game for gamers to unlock plus cutscenes, music, costumes and more. If players want to unlock everything, this is sure to make them play the game for multiple hours to get everything.
The Verdict
Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Souls packs tons of content that is sure to keep hardcore fans occupied for hours on end. However, the fast style of fighting gameplay may not be accessible for everyone. Not to mention not every character is effective in the game and the story is hard to follow for newbies to the franchise. Still, fighting game fans will find a lot of entertainment value here.
"liked" Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul Available On: PS4, PS3, PC
PS4, PS3, PC Published By: Bandai Namco
Bandai Namco Developed By: Dimps
Dimps Genre: Fighting
Fighting US Release Date: October 6th, 2015
October 6th, 2015 Reviewed On: PS4
PS4 Quote: " Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul is an enjoyable fighting game that fans of the manga/anime series will absolutely love. Non-fans might be overwhelmed by its story and slightly hard gameplay." Review Policy The Good Tons of gameplay value
Many unlockables
Cartoon-style graphics
Great controls The Bad Hard to follow storyline
Often difficult AI
Unbalanced Roster of FightersDonald Trump's latest social media salvo at his Democratic opposition Wednesday includes him comparing Hillary Clinton to an '80s video game character gobbling up emails, Mediaite reports.
"Crooked Hillary is a lot like Ms. Pac-Man—she'll keep going and going and going until she's cornered and caught! #MakeAmericaGreatAgain," Trump's official Facebook page read.
The Facebook post, which you can view above, includes a video of Clinton as Pac Man gobbling up email icons, a reference to the emails the Democratic nominee infamously deleted.
Trump has faced considerable pressure throughout the GOP community Wednesday to turn the focus of his campaign to his opponent. Even the co-chair of a super PAC supporting Trump, Ed Rollins, expressed a concern the inexperienced Republican nominee has been untracked in his campaign since the end of the Democratic National Convention.
"Donald Trump created this crisis," Rollins told Fox News' "Kilmeade & Friends."
"We need to put a blinder on Donald Trump and his focus needs to be strictly on Mrs. Clinton — and any other Republican, he just leaves alone," Rollins said.
"So far he is making a case against himself and very little against his opponent."The Conservatives’ candidate to become West Midlands mayor has defended spending up to £1m on the campaign, dwarfing his opponents’ spending power.
City mayors could head off post-Brexit divisions Read more
Andy Street, the former John Lewis boss who quit to run for the role, said targeting voters before spending rules began could be justified because the role was vital to 2.5 million people in Birmingham and the surrounding area.
The comments come ahead of a tightly fought race and a string of mayoral contests to be held on Thursday. Many council elections are also happening that day.
There is a strict spending limit of about £130,000 during the final five weeks leading up to the 4 May election but there is no cap on spending before that, and most of Street’s material was distributed during January, February and March.
In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday, Street said: “I haven’t spent quite a million, but I have spent a substantial amount more than my opponents and actually I think that’s OK, and I’ll tell you why. This is a very important election; a new start in democracy for this region. It is 2.5 million people and so it is absolutely appropriate. We have worked within the rules, which are that if you raise money you can spend it.”
Campaign spending will have to be declared to the Electoral Commission by mid-June, and details of larger donations will be published on its website later in the year.
Street’s campaign has sent hundreds of thousands of households newspapers, leaflets and mailshots bearing his image and campaign pledges.
Siôn Simon, Street’s Labour opponent, said the rules on spending on mayoral elections should be tightened. “You can’t blame Andy for sticking to the rules but it does beg the question whether the rules are right. I think the rules are wrong. In general elections, the regulated period starts much earlier. No rules at all, a complete free for all, until six weeks before polling day – I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it.”
Labour’s campaign spending is thought to be between £100,000 and £200,000. It has focused on social media campaigning and phone banks, where volunteers call up voters to ask for their support. The Lib Dem candidate has spent about £50,000.
Simon has struggled to raise money from some of Jeremy Corbyn’s close allies including the Unite union. In the interview, Simon declined to mention Corbyn, despite being invited to do so. Asked who would be a better prime minister, Theresa May or Corbyn, Simon said: “I will be voting Labour.”Hillary Clinton is ahead of Donald Trump in a series of |
8-1907. Behind the Scenes, Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. New York: G. W. Carleton, 1868.
Mars, James, b. 1790. Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut. Written by Himself. Sixth Edition. Hartford: Case, Lockwood, 1868.
Frederick, Francis, b. 1809? Autobiography of Rev. Francis Frederick, of Virginia. Baltimore: J. W. Woods, 1869.
Millie-Christine, 1851-1912. The History of the Carolina Twins, Told in "Their Own Peculiar Way" By "One of Them." [Buffalo]: Buffalo Courier Printing House, [1869?].
Total autobiographies, 1866-1869: 6
Total autobiographies, 1860-1869: 21
Total translations, 1860-1869: 1
1870-1879
Charlton, Lewis. Sketch of the Life of Mr. Lewis Charlton, and Reminiscences of Slavery. Ed. Edward Everett Brown. Portland, ME: Daily Press, 1870?
Adams, John Quincy, b. 1845. Narrative of the Life of John Quincy Adams, When in Slavery, and Now as a Freeman. Harrisburg, PA: Sieg, 1872.
Henry, Thomas W., b. 1794. Autobiography of Thomas W. Henry of the A. M. E. Church. Baltimore: The Author, 1872.
Said, Nicholas The Autobiography of Nicholas Said, a Native of Bornou, Eastern Soudan, Central Africa. Memphis: Shotwell, 1873.
Webb, William, b. 1836. The History of William Webb, Composed by Himself. Detroit: Egbert Hoekstra, 1873.
Williams, James, b. 1825. Life and Adventures of James Williams, a Fugitive Slave, with a Full Description of the Underground Railroad. San Francisco: Women's Union, 1873.
Thompson, Charles, b. 1833. Biography of a Slave; Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson, a Preacher of the United Brethren Church, While a Slave in the South. Dayton, OH: United Brethren, 1875.
Truth, Sojourner, 1797(?)-1883. Narrative of Sojourner Truth; a Bondswoman of Olden Time, Emancipated by the New York Legislature in the Early Part of the Present Century; with a History of Her Labors and Correspondence, Drawn from Her "Book of Life." Boston: For the Author, 1875.
Henson, Josiah, 1789-1883. "Uncle Tom's Story of His Life." An Autobiography of the Rev. Josiah Henson (Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom"). From 1789 to 1876. With a Preface by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe and an Introductory Note by George Sturge, and S. Morley. Ed. John Lobb. London: "Christian Age" Office, 1876.
Flipper, Henry Ossian, 1845-1940. The Colored Cadet at West Point; Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian Flipper, U. S. A., First Graduate of Color from the U. S. Military Academy. New York: H. Lee, 1878.
Stroyer, Jacob, 1849-1908. Sketches of My Life in the South. Part I. Salem, MA: Salem Press, 1879.
Total autobiographies, 1870-1879: 10
1880-1889
Blair, Norvel. Book for the People! To be Read by all Voters, Black and White, with Thrilling Events of the Life of Norvel Blair, of Grundy County, State of Illinois. Written and Published by Him, and with the Money He Earned by His Own Labor, and is Sent Out with the Sincere Hope that if Carefully Read, it will Tend to Put a Stop to Northern Bull-Dozing and will Give to all a Free Ballot, without Fear, Favor or Affection and Respect. Joliet, IL: Joliet Daily Record, 1880.
Brown, William Wells, 1814-1884. My Southern Home; or the South and Its People. Boston: A. G. Brown, 1880.
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass Written by Himself. His Early Life as a Slave, His Escape from Bondage, and His Complete History to the Present Time. Hartford, CT: Park, 1881.
Henson, Josiah, 1789-1883. An Autobiography of Rev. Josiah Henson ("Uncle Tom") from 1789-1881. Ed. John Lobb. London, Ontario: Schuyler, Smith and co., 1881.
Smith, David, b. 1784. Biography of Rev. David Smith of the A. M. E. Church; Being a Complete History, Embracing over Sixty Years' Labor in the Advancement of the Redeemer's Kingdom on Earth. Xenia, OH: Xenia Gazette Office, 1881.
Smith, James Lindsay. Autobiography of James L. Smith, Including, Also, Reminiscences of Slave Life, Recollections of the War, Education of Freedmen, Causes of the Exodus, etc. Norwich, CT: The Bulletin, 1881.
Ferebee, London R., b. 1849. A Brief History of the Slave Life of Rev. L. R. Ferebee, and the Battles of Life, and Four Years of His Ministerial Life. Written from Memory, to 1882. Raleigh, NC: Edwards, Broughton, 1882.
Dubois, Silvia, 1768-1889. Silvia Dubois, (now 116 years old): a Biografy of the Slav Who Whipt Her Mistres and Gand Her Fredom. Ed. Cornelius Wilson Larison. Ringoes, NJ: Larison, 1883.
Jones, Friday, 1810-1887. Days of Bondage. Autobiography of Friday Jones. Being a Brief Narrative of His Trials and Tribulations in Slavery. Washington, DC: The Author, 1883.
Truth, Sojourner, 1979(?)-1883. Narrative of Sojourner Truth; A Bondswoman of Olden Time, with a History of Her Labors and Correspondence Drawn from Her "Book of Life"; also, A Memorial Chapter Giving the Particulars of Her Last Sickness & Death. Ed. Frances W. Titus. Battle Creek, MI: The Author, 1884.
Jones, Thomas H. The Experience of Rev. Thomas H. Jones, Who Was a Slave for Forty-Three Years. Written by a Friend, as Related to Him by Brother Jones. New Bedford: E. Anthony & Sons, Printers, 1885.
Marrs, Elijah Preston, 1840-1910. Life and History of the Rev. Elijah P. Marrs. Louisville: Bradley and Gilbert, 1885.
Stroyer, Jacob, 1849-1908. My Life in the South. Salem, MA: Salem Observer Book and Job Print, 1885.
Williams, Isaac D., 1821-1898. Sunshine and Shadow of Slave Life: Reminiscences As Told by Isaac D. Williams to "Tege." Ed. William Ferguson Goldie. East Saginaw, MI: Evening News, 1885.
James, Thomas, 1804-1891. Life of Rev. Thomas James, by Himself. Rochester, NY: Post Express, 1886.
Green, Elisha Winfield. Life of the Rev. Elisha W. Green, One of the Founders of the Kentucky Normal and Theological Institute - Now the State University of Louisville; Eleven Years Moderator of the Mt. Zion Baptist Association; Five Years Moderator of the Consolidated Baptist Educational Association and Over Thirty Years Pastor of the Colored Baptist Churches of Maysville and Paris. Maysville, KY: Republican, 1888.
Elizabeth, 1766-1866. Elizabeth, a Colored Minister of the Gospel Born in Slavery. Philadelphia: Tract Assoc. of Friends, 1889.
Veney, Bethany, b. 1815. The Narrative of Bethany Veney, a Slave Woman. Ed. M. W. G. Worcester, MA: George H. Ellis, 1889.
Total autobiographies, 1880-1889: 18
1890-1899
Albert, Octavia V. Rogers (Octavia Victoria Rogers), 1853-1889. The House of Bondage, or, Charlotte Brooks and Other Slaves, Original and Life Like, As They Appeared in Their Old Plantation and City Slave Life; Together with Pen-Pictures of the Peculiar Institution, with Sights and Insights into Their New Relations as Freedmen, Freemen, and Citizens. New York: Hunt and Eaton, 1890.
Anderson, Robert, b. 1819. The Life of Rev. Robert Anderson: Born the 22d of February, in the Year of Our Lord 1819, and Joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1839. This Book Shall Be Called The Young Men's Guide, or, The Brother in White. Macon, GA: J. W. Burke, 1892.
Delaney, Lucy Ann Berry. From the Darkness Cometh the Light; or, Struggles for Freedom. St. Louis: J. T. Smith, 1891.
Smith, Harry, b. 1815. Fifty Years of Slavery in the United States of America. Grand Rapids, MI: West Michigan, 1891.
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass Written by Himself. His Early Life as a Slave, His Escape from Bondage, and His Complete History to the Present Time. Boston: De Wolfe & Fiske, 1892.
Johnson, Thomas Lewis, b. 1836. Africa for Christ: Twenty-eight Years a Slave. London: Alexander and Shepheard, 1892.
Walker, William, b. 1819? Buried Alive (Behind Prison Walls) for a Quarter of a Century: Life of William Walker. Ed. Thomas S. Gaines. Saginaw, MI: Friedman and Hynan, 1892.
Mason, Isaac, 1822-. Life of Isaac Mason As a Slave. Worcester, MA: The Author, 1893.
Randolph, Peter, 1825-1897. From Slave Cabin to the Pulpit: The Autobiography of Rev. Peter Randolph: The Southern Question Illustrated and Sketches of Slave Life. Boston: James H. Earle, 1893.
Smith, Amanda, 1837-1915. An Autobiography: The Story of the Lord's Dealings with Mrs. Amanda Smith, the Colored Evangelist. Containing an Account of Her Life Work of Faith, and Her Travels in America, England, Ireland, Scotland, India, and Africa, as an Independent Missionary. Chicago: Meyer, 1893.
Henry, George, b. 1819. Life of George Henry. Together with a Brief History of the Colored People in America. Providence: The Author, 1894.
Anderson, Robert, b. 1819. The Anderson Surpriser. Written After He was 75 Years of Age. Macon, Ga.: The Author, 1895.
Bruce, Henry Clay, 1836-1902. The New Man. Twenty-nine Years a Slave. Twenty-nine Years a Free Man. Recollections of H. C. Bruce. York, PA: P. Anstadt, 1895.
Parker, Allen, b. 1837. Recollections of Slavery Times. Worcester, MA: Charles W. Burbank, 1895.
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895. Negerslaven: Frederick Douglas' Liv og Virklomhed. Tr. A. Boe. Oslo, Norway: Oscar Andersens Forlag, 1896.
O'Neal, William. Life and History of William O'Neal, or, The Man Who Sold His Wife. St. Louis, MO: A. R. Fleming, 1896.
Smith, Venture, 1729-1805. A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa, but Resident Above Sixty Years in the United States of America. Related by Himself. New London: Printed in 1798. Reprinted A. D. 1835, and Published by a Descendant of Venture. Revised and Republished with Traditions by H. M. Selden, Haddam, Conn., 1896. Middletown, Conn.: J. S. Stewart, Printer and Bookbinder, 1897.
Hughes, Louis, 1832-1913. Thirty Years a Slave. From Bondage to Freedom. The Institution of Slavery As Seen on the Plantation and in the Home of the Planter. Autobiography of Louis Hughes. Milwaukee: South Side, 1897.
Drumgoold, Kate. A Slave Girl's Story. Being the Autobiography of Kate Drumgoold. Brooklyn: The Author, 1898.
Holsey, Lucius Henry, 1842-1920. Autobiography, Sermons, Addresses, and Essays of Bishop L. H. Holsey. Atlanta: Franklin, 1898.
Total autobiographies, 1890-1899: 19
Total translations, 1890-1899: 1
1900-1909
Washington, Booker Taliaferro, 1856-1915. The Story of My Life and Work. Naperville, IL: J. L. Nichols, 1900.
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895. Negerslaven: Fredrik Douglas Liv og Virksomhed. Trans. Fra Traeldom til Frihed. København: Laurits Eibys Forl., 1901. [Danish translation of Life and Times of Frederick Douglass].
Jeter, Henry Norval, 1851-1938. Pastor Henry N. Jeter's Twenty-Five Years Experience with the Shiloh Baptist Church and Her History. Providence: Remington, 1901.
Johnson, Isaac, 1844-1905. Slavery Days in Old Kentucky. A True Story of a Father Who Sold His Wife and Four Children. By One of the Children. Ogdensburg, NY: Republican and Journal, 1901.
Mallory, William, b. 1826. Old Plantation Days. Hamilton, Ont.: The Author, 1901-2?.
Washington, Booker Taliaferro, 1856-1915. Up from Slavery. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page, 1901.
Chesney, Pharoah Jackson, 1781?- and John Coram Webster, b. 1851-. Last of the Pioneers or Old Times in East Tenn., Being the Life and Reminiscences of Pharoah Jackson Chesney (Aged 120 Years). Knoxville, TN: S. B. Newman & Co., Printers, 1902.
Garlick, Charles A., b. 1827. Life Including His Escape and Struggle for Liberty of Charles A. Garlick, Born a Slave in Old Virginia. Jefferson, OH: J. A. Howells, 1902.
Taylor, Susie King, b. 1848. Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S. C. Volunteers. Boston: The Author, 1902.
Latta, Morgan London, b. 1853. The History of My Life and Work: Autobiography. Raleigh: The Author, 1903.
Love, Nat, 1854-1921. The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as "Deadwood Dick." By Himself. A True History of Slavery Days, Life on the Great Cattle Ranges and on the Plains of the "Wild and Wooly" West, Based on Facts, and Personal Experience of the Author. Los Angeles: The Author, 1907.
Clement, Samuel Spottford, b. 1861. Memoirs of Samuel Spottford Clement: Relating Interesting Experiences in Days of Slavery and Freedom. Ed. Sara Ovington. Steubenville, OH: Herald, 1908.
Burton, Annie L., b. 1858. Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days. Boston: Ross, 1909.
Johnson, Thomas Lewis, b. 1836. Twenty-eight Years a Slave : or, The Story of My Life in Three Continents. Bournemouth, Eng.: W. Mate, 1909.
Total autobiographies, 1900-1909: 13
Total translations, 1900-1909: 1
1910-1919
Burton, Thomas William, 1860-1939. What Experience Has Taught Me. An Autobiography of Thomas William Burton. Cincinnati: Jennings and Graham, 1910.
Lewis, Joseph Vance. Out of the Ditch: A True Story of an Ex-slave. Houston: Rein, 1910.
Lowery, Irving E., b. 1850. Life on the Old Plantation in Ante-bellum Days; or, A Story Based on Facts. Columbia, SC: The Author, 1911.
Washington, Booker Taliaferro, 1856-1915. My Larger Education; Being Chapters from My Experience. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page, 1911.
Hall, Samuel, b. 1818, and Orville Elder, 1866-. Samuel Hall, 47 Years a Slave. A Brief Story of His Life Before and After Freedom Came to Him. Washington, IA: Journal Print, 1912.
Jamison, Monroe Franklin, 1848-1918. Autobiography and Work of Bishop M. F. Jamison, D. D. ("Uncle Joe") Editor, Publisher, and Church Extension Secretary; a Narration of His Whole Career from the Cradle to the Bishopric of the Colored M. E. Church in America. Nashville, TN: The Author, 1912.
Jackson-Coppin, Fanny. Reminiscences of School Life; and Hints on Teaching. Philadelphia: A. M. E. Book Concern, 1913.
Robinson, William H., b.1848. From Log Cabin to the Pulpit: Or Fifteen Years in Slavery. Eau Claire, WI: The Author, 1913.
Lane, Isaac, 1834-1937. Autobiography of Bishop Isaac Lane, L.L.D.: With a Short History of the C. M. E. Church in America and of Methodism. Nashville, TN: M. E. Church South, 1916.
Walters, Alexander, 1858-1917. My Life and Work. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1917.
Bruner, Peter, 1845-1938. A Slave's Adventures Toward Freedom; Not Fiction, But the True Story of a Struggle. Ed. Carrie Bruner. Oxford, OH: s.n., 1918.
Total autobiographies, 1910-1919: 11
1920-1929
Arter, Jared Maurice, b. 1850. Echoes from a Pioneer Life. Atlanta: A. B. Caldwell, 1922.
Singleton, William Henry, b. 1835. Recollections of My Slavery Days. Peekskill, NY: Highland Democrat, 1922.
Brown, Sterling Nelson, 1858-1929. My Own Life Story. Washington, DC: Hamilton, 1924.
Heard, William Henry, 1850-1937. From Slavery to the Bishopric in the A. M. E. Church: an Autobiography. Philadelphia: A. M. E. Book Concern, 1924.
Holley, James W. b. 1848. Life History of J. W. Holley; the Old Faithful Servant. Born and Reared a Slave. After Freedom Became a Worker in the Master's Vineyard. Columbus, Ohio: the Author, 1924.
Said, Omar ibn, b. 1770?-1863 or 4. "Autobiography of Omar ibn Said, Slave in North Carolina, 1831." Ed. John Franklin Jameson. From The American Historical Review 30 (1925), 787-795.
Ray, Emma J. Smith, b. 1859 and Lloyd P. Ray, b. 1860. Twice Sold, Twice Ransomed: Autobiography of Mr. and Mrs. L. P. Ray. Chicago: Free Methodist, 1926.
Anderson, Robert, 1843-1930. From Slavery to Affluence; Memoirs of Robert Anderson, Ex-slave. Ed. Daisy Anderson. Hemingford, NE: Hemingford Ledger, 1927.
Aleckson, Sam, 1852-1914. Before the War, and After the Union: An Autobiography. Boston: Gold Mind, 1929.
Branham, Levi, b. 1852. My Life and Travels. Dalton, GA: A. J. Showalter, 1929.
Total autobiographies, 1920-1929: 10
1930-1939
Jordan, Lewis Garnett, 1854?-1939. On Two Hemispheres: Bits from the Life Story of Lewis G. Jordan, as Told by Himself. s.l.: s.n., 1935.
Jackson, George Washington, 1860?-1940. A Brief History of the Life and Works of G. W. Jackson; Forty-Five Years Principal of the G. W. Jackson High School, Corsicana, Texas. Corsicana, TX: The Author, 1938.
Total autobiographies, 1930-1939: 2
1950-1959
Jefferson, Isaac, b. 1775. Memoirs of a Monticello Slave, As Dictated to Charles Campbell in the 1840's by Isaac, One of Thomas Jefferson's Slaves. Ed. Rayford W. Logan. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press for the Tracy W. McGregor Library, 1951.
Walker, Thomas Calhoun, 1862-1953. The Honey-Pod Tree: The Life Story of Thomas Calhoun Walker. Ed. Florence L. Lattimore. New York: John Day, 1958.
Total autobiographies, 1950-1959: 2
1960-1969
Montejo, Esteban, 1860-1973. The Autobiography of a Runaway Slave. Ed. Miguel Barnet; Trans. Jocasta Innes. New York: Pantheon, 1968.
Total autobiographies, 1960-1969: 1
1970-1979
Lynch, John Roy, 1847-1939. Reminiscences of an Active Life; the Autobiography of John Roy Lynch. Ed. John Hope Franklin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
Wells-Barnett, Ida B. Crusade forJustice; the Autobiography of Ida B. Wells. Ed. Alfreda M. Duster. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
Sadler, Robert, b. 1911. The Emancipation of Robert Sadler. Ed. Marie Chapian. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany Fellowship, 1975.
Knox, George L., 1841-1927. Life as I Remember It - As a Slave and Freeman. Indianapolis Freeman, December 22, 1894 - December 21, 1895. Rpt. George L. Knox. Slave and Freeman: The Autobiography of George L. Knox. Ed. Willard B. Gatewood, Jr. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1979.
Total autobiographies, 1970-1979: 4
1980-1989
Snowden, John Baptist, 1801-1885, Thomas Baptist Snowden, 1843-1918, and Houston Snowden. From Whence Cometh, 1767-1977. New York: Vantage, 1980.
Thomas, James, 1827-1913. From Tennessee Slave to St. Louis Entrepreneur: The Autobiography of James Thomas. Ed. Loren Schweninger. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1984.
Total autobiographies, 1980-1989: 2
1990-1999
Teamoh, George, 1818-1883?. God Made Man, Man Made the Slave. Ed. F. N. Boney, Richard L. Hume, and Rafia Zafar. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1990.
Parker, John P., 1827-1900. His Promised Land: The Autobiography of John P. Parker, Former Slave and Conductor on the Underground Railroad. Ed. Stuart Seely Sprague. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.
McCline, John, 1852-1948. Slavery in the Clover Bottoms: John McCline's Narrative of His Life During Slavery and the Civil War. Ed. Jan Furman. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1998.
Total autobiographies, 1990-1999: 3
Total autobiographies, 1866-1999: 102
Total autobiographies, 1745-1999: 204This is the fourth in a sequence of images depicting different stages in the Future History of an Arcology a city/habitat contained inside a single immense structure.Centuries have passed since the Arcology was attacked and destroyed by its enemies - as shown in "Arcology: Nightfall" [link] and "Arcology: The Fall" [link] The lifeless city still stands, slowly deteriorating over centuries. The immense dome is host to its own internal weather system, and rainfall high above drains down through the ruins, forming the waterfalls seen here.The wreckage of some of the attacking aircraft can be seen in the huge lake that now fills the lower levels of the abandoned dome.This and other images in the sequence were originally created for the book Concept Design II, about 6 years ago nowThis is a variation of the image that was printed in the book; it is seen here for the first timeThe entire scene was created in Lightwave 3D, with textures painted in Photoshop. The 3D render was modified in Photoshop to produce the final image.So, first you need to decide on what coins you'll use for Go stones. I chose UK 1p and 5p coins as they're pretty small. The 1p coin is the bigger of the two so the squares on the board need to be just a bit bigger than the diameter of the 1p coin.
I also decided at this point that I'd make the board double sided. One side would have a full 19x19 board on it, and the other side would have a beginners 9x9 board.
On the 19x19 side I made each square 2cm x 2cm. This made the playing area 36cm x 36cm. Remember: in Go you play on the intersections, not in the square. On the 9x9 side I made the squares 3cm x 3cm (to use up a bit more space) which makes the play area 24cm x 24cm.
The board that I cut needs to be a few centimeters larger on all sides, so I cut a board 46cm x 46cm.
I won't bore you with the 'here's me cutting a piece of wood' stuff.
With the board cut, and sanded a bit, I marked the centre of the board (with a pencil, and marked lightly) and worked from there out to make the outer edge of the play area, then marked each edge on the 2cm/3cm mark.To our readers:
In 1909, the great architect and planner Daniel Burnham laid out a vision that would shape Chicago's future — a seminal document of sweeping ambition befitting a boisterous, emerging metropolis at the turn of a new century.
It was called the Plan of Chicago, and its legacy is the physical framework of our region today, from the magnificent parks that line the lakefront to the lush forest preserves ringing our urban areas to the handsome boulevards and parkways that crisscross our downtown.
Burnham had even bigger plans for his Plan. Just as he offered holistic solutions to urban planning, he also had intended to address societal problems – those that existed a century ago and, sadly, those that remain today. But his final document didn’t include those proposals.
A quest for a better Chicago: The Chicago Tribune resumes that quest, and we are asking for your help.
Today the Tribune begins a new opinion leadership campaign to create a new Plan of Chicago, modeled in the spirit of Burnham's blueprint for the city's future.
Our campaign is firmly rooted in our deep love of Chicago and the fervent belief that our city can — and must — improve.
For decades this paper's staff has worked to document the challenges facing our city and the ills that plague it, and they are well-known.
We have shown how our troubled schools and a lack of well-paying jobs have combined to create a vulnerable layer in our society, chronically poor with little hope of escape. Too often the result is the violent crime that infests many of our communities. While these appear to be separate problems, they are really facets of a larger whole.
Even the best-intentioned, most honest politicians have been hard-pressed to find answers. A penchant for kicking problems down the road, missed opportunities, bad decisions and strong economic head winds have left the city and state with bills they cannot pay and needs that cannot be met.
By the thousands, the very people who would otherwise be the bulwarks of this community have pulled up stakes and left.
In short, our city is on the brink.
Avoiding the fate of other cities: Other American cities have peered over the precipice and tumbled. Detroit is bankrupt, its downtown a hollow core left by the implosion of a great metropolis.
That must not happen here.
Over the next eight Sundays, the Tribune's Editorial Board, led by Editorial Page Editor Bruce Dold, will present a series of editorials defining the challenges that lie before us and the possible solutions available to the city.
We also turn to you, the citizens of Chicago, with a simple question and a challenge: What would you do?
How you can help: Call it an RFP — a request for proposals — to address our chronic woes, to make our great city greater and to ensure that it will survive — and thrive — into this century and beyond. We seek the ideas of civic groups, foundations, community organizations and individuals.
Over the next few months, we'll publish many of these ideas online and in print. We hope to weave them together into a vision that can inspire a city to action. You can read more about how to participate on today's Editorial Page or at chicagotribune.com/plan.
Like Burnham, we seek holistic solutions. Show us how your plan to improve public education will lead to economic growth, how your anti-crime strategy will pay off with better schools. Tell us how you would pay for it. Illustrate how your idea will create long-term solutions rather than quick fixes. But no idea will be turned away.
Feel free to dream, and as Burnham himself said, "Make no little plans."
Our city deserves no less.
— Gerould Kern,
EditorNext generation robots could function much more safely and intimately with humans in manufacturing environments, increasing the productivity of workers.
BMW has taken a huge step toward revolutionizing the role of robots in automotive manufacturing by having a handful of robots work side-by-side with human workers at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
I, auto-worker: A robot works in unprecedented proximity to humans at BMW’s manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
As a new generation of safer, more user-friendly robots emerges, BMW’s man-machine collaboration could be among the first of many examples of robots taking on new human tasks, and working more closely alongside humans. While many fear that this trend could put people out of work (see “How Technology Is Destroying Jobs”), proponents argue it will instead make employees more productive, relieving them of the most unpleasant and burdensome jobs.
Robots have been a part of automotive manufacturing for decades. The first industrial robot—a hulking 4,000-pound arm called the Unimate—attached die castings to car doors at a GM production line in 1961. Such manufacturing robots have been powerful and extremely precise, but it’s never been safe for humans to work alongside them. As a result, a significant number of final assembly tasks, in auto plants and elsewhere, are still performed almost entirely by hand.
At BMW’s South Carolina plant, robots made by the Danish company Universal Robots have broken through this barrier and are helping workers perform final door assembly. The robots are working with a door sealant that keeps sound and water out of the car, and is applied before the door casing is attached. “It’s pretty heavy work because you have to roll this glue line to the door,” says Stefan Bartscher, head of innovation at BMW. “If you do that several times a day, it’s like playing a Wimbledon match.”
According to Bartscher, final assembly robots will not replace human workers; they will extend their careers. “Our workers are getting older,” Bartscher says. “The retirement age in Germany just rose from 65 to 67, and I’m pretty sure when I retire it’ll be 72 or something. We actually need something to compensate and keep our workforce healthy, and keep them in labor for a long time. We want to get the robots to support the humans.”
In recent years, robot manufacturers have realized that with the right software and safety controls, their products could be made to work in close proximity to humans. As a result, a new breed of more capable workplace robot is rapidly appearing.
One of the most prominent examples is Baxter, made by Rethink Robotics, a Boston-based company founded by the robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks. Baxter has a torso, a head, and two arms; it is safe to work alongside, and it can be taught to perform new tasks simply by moving its arms through an operation (see “This Robot Could Transform Manufacturing”). So far, Baxter has largely been deployed in small U.S. factories, where it helps package items moving along a conveyor. BMW’s effort represents a more significant push into heavy-duty manufacturing.
BMW is testing even more sophisticated final assembly robots that are mobile and capable of collaborating directly with human colleagues. These robots, which should be introduced in the next few years, could conceivably hand their human colleague a wrench when he or she needs it. The company is developing the newer robots in collaboration with Julie Shah, a professor in MIT’s department of aeronautics and astronautics. “Oftentimes, the robot will need to maneuver closely around people,” says Shah. “It’ll need to possibly straddle the moving floor—the actual assembly line; it’ll need to track a person that is potentially standing on that assembly line and moving with it.”
Shah’s team has built robots capable of these tasks on a simulated production line at MIT. After the control software has been tested sufficiently at BMW’s lab, the robot will be deployed on one of its real assembly lines. “It’s a fantastic navigation and controls challenge, and it hasn’t been solved before,” Shah says.Running Archlinux on the Lenovo Thinkpad T430
In sum, Archlinux is working beautifully. What follows is a rough run down of my notes while installing, configuring, tuning and using Archlinux on the Lenovo Thinkpad T430.
Specs
i7 3520M (Dual core, Four threads, 4M cache, 2.9GHz)
14” 1600x900 display
Intel HD Graphics 4000, no discrete graphics card
4GB memory
128GB Crucial m4 2.5” (7mm) SSD (laptop came with a 320GB 7200rpm platter)
9 cell 70++ battery
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200 (2x2 BGN)
Software that I typically use
No desktop environment. Openbox/pytyle3/pager-multihead. Gkrellm. Konsole. Google Chrome. Vim. Konversation. Wicd.
Battery life
On 66% brightness, about 8 hours seems to be the sweet spot for typical usage (web browsing and vim). 100% brightness seems to knock this down to the 5-6 hour range. I’ve only had the laptop for a couple of days, so these numbers are pretty rough and based somewhat on extrapolation.
I have all of the tweaks suggested by powertop enabled. This includes wifi, audio, SATA link and usb power management.
I also have the ondemand CPU frequency governor enable, which is the default nowadays anyway. Changing governors (tested powersave, performance and conservative) works perfectly.
Disable KMS when using the current Archlinux installer
The current default Archlinux installer uses an older kernel that doesn’t include the updated drivers for Intel’s HD 4000 graphics (and possibly wifi?), so KMS fails once it tries to load—which ends up borking the display. To get around this, add ‘nomodeset’ to the kernel boot parameters to disable KMS. You’ll have to do this again on initial boot if you install the kernel that comes with the installer. Once an updated kernel is installed, this boot parameter is no longer needed since the driver for the Intel HD 4000 graphics chipset is included. The available snapshot installers have an updated kernel, and therefore disabling KMS is unnecessary if you’re using them.
And by that I mean, most things just work. Wifi, graphics (with xf86-video-int |
carried out during the Second World War, but also any measures taken by an occupying Power in order to organise or encourage transfers of parts of its own population into the occupied territory.
Over decades, Israeli governments have actively encouraged the mass illegal migration and state-sponsored people smuggling of more than 500,000 Jewish settlers into Palestine. It has done so through a raft of special laws, regulations, policies and incentives, backed up by military force, social segregation and a compliant legal system.
It is strange that Australia, so concerned about illegal migration and border protection, is shamelessly backing illegal migration to Palestine.
Israeli and Zionist lawyers have long made bogus counter-arguments that the settlements are legal. Israel has often asserted that only forced transfers are illegal. Of course, that is not what the Geneva Convention says. Any “transfer” is illegal, including where settlers choose to move and the state assists them.
The rule is strict for good reasons. The law of occupation demands that a military victor must not unilaterally change the demographic composition and social life of the foreign territory it controls. Otherwise the occupying force could simply colonise a captured territory with its own citizens, eventually making it impossible for the local population to restore or establish their sovereign right to self-government.
Settlements would therefore only be legal if the Palestinian people, through their representative political institutions, had agreed to them. They never have done so.
It is legally accurate to say that Israel has established illegal colonies by force in parts of the West Bank. Israeli leaders have very publicly proclaimed that they intend to keep them, prejudging fair “final status” negotiations.
EPA/Jim Hollander
An even more extreme Israeli legal argument is that the Geneva Conventions do not apply at all to Palestine, because the law of occupation applies only to conflicts over the sovereign territories of two countries. While Israel recognises the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people, the sovereign legal status of the West Bank has not yet been settled and Palestine is not yet a sovereign country.
Again, no country other than Israel supports this argument. Article 2 of the Geneva Conventions does not only apply to the military occupation of a state’s sovereign territory, but any territory, including where its legal ownership is disputed or yet to be determined. This is evident from the text and drafting of the conventions.
The International Court of Justice interpreted it in this way in its 2004 decision, decisively rejecting the Israeli argument. In any case, the customary international law of occupation applies even if the Geneva Conventions do not. It contains similar rules against illegal settlements.
Other bogus legal arguments have been advanced. One of my predecessors at Sydney University, Professor Julius Stone, claimed that settlements are only illegal if they impair the economic situation or racial integrity of the local population, or involve the inhumane treatment of those transferred. Stone argued that the settlements improved the Palestinian economy, did not affect the demographic situation and that Israel did not mistreat the settlers.
None of these purported conditions is found in the Geneva Conventions or in the legal practice of other countries.
In any case, Stone was writing in 1981, when there were only 20,000 Israeli settlers in a West Bank of 700,000 Arabs. Today, with 500,000 settlers in Palestine, it is likely that even a committed Zionist like Stone would have questioned the settlements. The economic impoverishment of Palestinians by the occupation and the security wall may also have made him think twice.
Australians deserve better from their foreign minister. At the very least, she should know what the law is. Every other country knows it.
But Australia should also stand against war crimes, not excuse them. It should fight for the Geneva Conventions, humanitarian principles and the rule of law, not undermine them. And it should not give succour to the dirty politics of Israel’s criminal colonial enterprise.Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont Independent, praised the deal announced Tuesday on Iran’s nuclear program as a “victory for diplomacy over saber-rattling” that could help keep the United States out of another protracted engagement in the Middle East.
“I congratulate President Obama, Secretary Kerry and the leaders of other major nations for producing a comprehensive agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” said Mr. Sanders, who is running for president in 2016 on the Democratic side. “This is a victory for diplomacy over saber-rattling and could keep the United States from being drawn into another never-ending war in the Middle East. I look forward to learning more about the complex details of this agreement to make sure that it is effective and strong.”
President Obama said Tuesday the deal, which would curb Tehran’s nuclear capabilities in exchange for relief from some economic sanctions, will prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal a “historic mistake for the world.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 2016 Democratic front-runner, was on Capitol Hill Tuesday meeting with various Democratic lawmakers. Mr. Sanders has emerged as a chief rival to Mrs. Clinton and has been running second behind her in recent polls.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.*Note* pointed out rainbow's hair should be red, orange, then yellow. Mine was yellow, orange, then red. So I fixed it. I personally felt that my coloring worked, though I have to change it to be accurate.*Note 2* I know people are saying that I "forgot" that "SO AWESOME" face, but to be honest, I didn't knew at the time I was doing this drawing. I just recently found out. And I'm relatively new to the fandom, gimme a break.So far, this is my most personalize humanization. The more I tried humanizing Rainbow Dash, the more I realized that she looks like my sister. You can guess that my sister is a tomboy also. The hairstyle also has something to do with it. I recognized the connection between Rainbow Dash and my sister, so you can say my sister has had a bit of influence in my human version of Rainbow Dash. I also drew inspiration from a couple of sources. You can say she's almost a combination of Misty (Pokemon) and Sonic. My human version is a tomboy, but hasn't abandoned her feminine qualities and also her need for speed. I also tried making her pose more dynamic and curvy like how Sonic was in the Sonic Adventure artwork (Yuji Uekawa is one of those artists).I was looking at this forum thread. It's about how Sonic's artwork has evolved over the years:In terms of difficulty, it's not much more work than Applejack and Twilight. The colors did take a little longer to finish because there's so many, but it was straightforward enough to manage. But I got more familiar with the style and anatomy I'm using so it didn't take too long. The poses are what took a long time to draw. I tried making rainbow dash curvy like the older Sonic Artwork. Though in the end, it's not nearly as dynamic as Uekawa's work. If only I spent more time on the poses. But this will have to do. At the very least, it stays in tune with my designs for Applejack and Twilight Sparkle while having more curves.I see Rainbow Dash as a runner as she spend her time flying around. I may have some divided opinions because everyone else has humanized Rainbow Dash in so many ways. I've seen her as a regular girl, biker, pilot, punk-type, and even a runner like mines. Though it is common to have girls who dress in biker and punk clothing, I find it too rough for Rainbow Dash. I find her more easier to relate when she's a regular girl who loves to run and in turn more appropriate for the show.And to please those who do not like humanizations, I avoid making this "erotic".From the top, left to right, here are the faces:1. " -full of impatient, super-critical sportsfan ponies" *freaks out* (Sonic Rainboom)2. "Collect seashells/ play beach volleyball" (Party of One)3. Looks at light above the chamber". This is actually Daring Do's facial expression, but you can guess why I chose this. ( Read it and Weep)4. *defrosting* (Hearth's Warming Eve)5. *Eager face* (The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000)6. Original expression. You may find this one awkward, but I wanted to try something different.7. *Nom nom nom nom nom* (Read it and Weep)8. "And may the best pet win" (May the Best Pet Win)9. "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh" (Sonic Rainboom)10. "It was a moment in time, that will never exist again. *GRRRR-" (The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000)'So Awesome' Face:If anyone's interested in seeing the original sketch, it's under this link:***********************************************"Rainbow Dash"belongs toLauren Faust, Hasbro Inc., and DMX Media***********************************************(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
The food crisis is forcing many to leave their pets behind.
Venezuelan is a nation of shortages where daily routines include waiting in long lines for water, medicine and dwindling food stuffs. The shortages mean many are simply unable to feed their families. They have also led to a major influx at animal shelters like this one in Los Teques, just south of Caracas.
(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
Dog food is beyond the reach of many Venezuelans.
A 20-kilogram bag of dog food can cost around $50 US at the black market exchange rate, Reuters reports, which puts it out of reach for many in Venezuela.
This dog, named Duke, had been at the shelter for about five months before he escaped from his kennel and was killed in a fight.
(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
Maria Artegna (in the green shirt in the photo above) said hundreds of skinny dogs have been dropped off at the shelter, which she started after the strays she took in, like Bolibomba below, took over her home.
"People are abandoning their dogs because they can't afford food and because they're leaving the country."
(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
Volunteers arrive daily to donate and help distribute food to the dogs.
Some of the dogs at Artegna's shelter have been there for years, but these days she says new ones, including pedigree breeds, are arriving by the hour in vehicles driven by people headed to greener pastures beyond Venezuela's borders.
(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
Mancha, above, was named for the black "stain" over his eye. Maria Silva (in the pink shirt) said she was an aggressive dog and died about a week after this photo was taken. Pintica, below, was named for her spots. Silva said she was the "posh girl" of the shelter and did not like to get her feet wet. Pinticia also died after her photo was taken.
(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
The pets' plight comes despite pushes to protect animal rights.
In 2013, President Nicolas Maduro set up Mission Nevado — named for independence hero Simon Bolivar's dog — to rescue and protect strays. But times are hard now and even the police are rationing food for sniffer dogs.
This dog, named Enfermera, was found by a nurse and now serves as the shelter guard dog.
(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
This dog was named Reuters.
The stray got her name because she was brought to the shelter when Reuters photographer Carlos Garcia Rawlins was shooting these pictures.
"She is a puppy, super happy, with a lot of energy and wants to play with the others all the time even if they are bigger than her," said Silva.The artworks of ancient Egypt have fascinated people for thousands of years. The early Greek and later Roman artists were influenced by Egyptian techniques and their art would inspire those of other cultures up to the present day. Many artists are known from later periods but those of Egypt are completely anonymous and for a very interesting reason: their art was functional and created for a practical purpose whereas later art was intended for aesthetic pleasure. Functional art is work-made-for-hire, belonging to the individual who commissioned it, while art created for pleasure - even if commissioned - allows for greater expression of the artist's vision and so recognition of an individual artist.
A Greek artist like Phidias (c.490-430 BCE) certainly understood the practical purposes in creating a statue of Athena or Zeus but his primary aim would have been to make a visually pleasing piece, to make "art" as people understand that word today, not to create a practical and functional work. All Egyptian art served a practical purpose: a statue held the spirit of the god or the deceased; a tomb painting showed scenes from one's life on earth so one's spirit could remember it or scenes from the paradise one hoped to attain so one would know how to get there; charms and amulets protected one from harm; figurines warded off evil spirits and angry ghosts; hand mirrors, whip-handles, cosmetic cabinets all served practical purposes and ceramics were used for drinking, eating, and storage. Egyptologist Gay Robins notes:
As far as we know, the ancient Egyptians had no word that corresponded exactly to our abstract use of the word `art'. They had words for individual types of monuments that we today regard as examples of Egyptian art -'statue','stela', 'tomb' -but there is no reason to believe that these words necessarily included an aesthetic dimension in their meaning. (12)
"art for art's sake" was unknown &, further, would have probably been incomprehensible to an ancient Egyptian who understood art as functional above all else.
Although Egyptian art is highly regarded today and continues to be a great draw for museums featuring exhibits, the ancient Egyptians themselves would never have thought of their work in this same way and certainly would find it strange to have these different types of works displayed out of context in a museum's hall. Statuary was created and placed for a specific reason and the same is true for any other kind of art. The concept of "art for art's sake" was unknown and, further, would have probably been incomprehensible to an ancient Egyptian who understood art as functional above all else.
Egyptian Symmetry
This is not to say the Egyptians had no sense of aesthetic beauty. Even Egyptian hieroglyphics were written with aesthetics in mind. A hieroglyphic sentence could be written left to right or right to left, up to down or down to up, depending entirely on how one's choice affected the beauty of the finished work. Simply put, any work needed to be beautiful but the motivation to create was focused on a practical goal: function. Even so, Egyptian art is consistently admired for its beauty and this is because of the value ancient Egyptians placed on symmetry.
The perfect balance in Egyptian art reflects the cultural value of ma'at (harmony) which was central to the civilization. Ma'at was not only universal and social order but the very fabric of creation which came into being when the gods made the ordered universe out of undifferentiated chaos. The concept of unity, of oneness, was this "chaos" but the gods introduced duality - night and day, female and male, dark and light - and this duality was regulated by ma'at.
It is for this reason that Egyptian temples, palaces, homes and gardens, statuary and paintings, signet rings and amulets were all created with balance in mind and all reflect the value of symmetry. The Egyptians believed their land had been made in the image of the world of the gods and, when someone died, they went to a paradise they would find quite familiar. When an obelisk was made it was always created and raised with an identical twin and these two obelisks were thought to have divine reflections, made at the same time, in the land of the gods. Temple courtyards were purposefully laid out to reflect creation, ma'at, heka (magic), and the afterlife with the same perfect symmetry the gods had initiated at creation. Art reflected the perfection of the gods while, at the same time, serving a practical purpose on a daily basis.
Historical Progression
The art of Egypt is the story of the elite, the ruling class. Throughout most of Egypt's historical periods those of more modest means could not afford the luxury of artworks to tell their story and it is largely through Egyptian art that the history of the civilization has come to be known. The tombs, tomb paintings, inscriptions, temples, even most of the literature, is concerned with the lives of the upper class and only by way of telling these stories are those of the lower classes revealed. This paradigm was already set prior to the written history of the culture. Egyptian art begins in the Pre-Dynastic Period (c. 6000-c.3150 BCE) through rock drawings and ceramics but is fully realized by the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-c.2613 BCE) in the famous Narmer Palette.
The Narmer Palette (c. 3150 BCE) is a two-sided ceremonial plate of siltstone intricately carved with scenes of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by King Narmer. The importance of symmetry is evident in the composition which features the heads of four bulls (a symbol of power) at the top of each side and balanced representation of the figures which tell the story. The work is considered a masterpiece of Early Dynastic Period art and shows how advanced Egyptian artists were at the time.
The later work of the architect Imhotep (c.2667-2600 BCE) on the pyramid of King Djoser (c. 2670 BCE) reflects how far artworks had advanced since the Narmer Palette. Djoser's pyramid complex is intricately designed with lotus flowers, papyrus plants, and djed symbols in high and low relief and the pyramid itself, of course, is evidence of the Egyptian skill in working in stone on monumental artworks.
During the Old Kingdom (c.2613-2181 BCE) art became standardized by the elite and figures were produced uniformly to reflect the tastes of the capital at Memphis. Statuary of the late Early Dynastic and early Old Kingdom periods is remarkably similar although other art forms (painting and writing) show more sophistication in the Old Kingdom. The greatest artworks of the Old Kingdom are the Pyramids and Great Sphinx at Giza which still stand today but more modest monuments were created with the same precision and beauty. Old Kingdom art and architecture, in fact, was highly valued by Egyptians in later eras. Some rulers and nobles (such as Khaemweset, fourth son of Ramesses II) purposefully commissioned works in Old Kingdom style, even the eternal home of their tombs.
In the First Intermediate Period (2181 -2040 BCE), following the collapse of the Old Kingdom, artists were able to express individual and regional visions more freely. The lack of a strong central government commissioning works meant that district governors could requisition pieces reflecting their home province. These different districts also found they had more disposable income since they were not sending as much to Memphis. More economic power locally inspired more artists to produce works in their own style. Mass production began during the First Intermediate Period also and this led to a uniformity in a given region's artwork which made it at once distinctive but of lesser quality than Old Kingdom work. This change can best be seen in the production of shabti dolls for grave goods which were formerly made by hand.
Art would flourish during the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) which is generally considered the high point of Egyptian culture. Colossal statuary began during this period as well as the great temple of Karnak at Thebes. The idealism of Old Kingdom depictions in statuary and paintings was replaced by realistic representations and the lower classes are also found represented more often in art than previously. The Middle Kingdom gave way to the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1782 - c. 1570 BCE) during which the Hyksos held large areas of the Delta region while the Nubians encroached from the south. Art from this period produced at Thebes retains the characteristics of the Middle Kingdom while that of the Nubians and Hyksos - both of whom admired and copied Egyptian art - differs in size, quality, and technique.
New Kingdom art is defined by a high quality in vision & technique due largely to Egypt's interaction with neighboring Cultures
The New Kingdom (c. 1570-c.1069 BCE), which followed, is the best known period from Egypt's history and produced some of the finest and most famous works of art. The bust of Nefertiti and the golden death mask of Tutankhamun both come from this era. New Kingdom art is defined by a high quality in vision and technique due largely to Egypt's interaction with neighboring cultures. This was the era of Egypt's empire and the metal-working techniques of the Hittites - who were now considered allies, if not equals - greatly influenced the production of funerary artifacts, weaponry, and other artwork.
Following the New Kingdom the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069-525 BCE) and Late Period (525-332 BCE) attempted with more or less success to continue the high standard of New Kingdom art while also evoking Old Kingdom styles in an effort to recapture the declining stature of Egypt. Persian influence in the Late Period is replaced by Greek tastes in the Ptolemaic Period (323-30 BCE) which also tries to suggest the Old Kingdom standards with New Kingdom technique and this paradigm persists into the Roman Period (30 BCE-646 CE) and the end of Egyptian culture.
Types of Art, Detail, & Symbol
Throughout all these eras, the types of art were as numerous as human need, the resources to make them, and the ability to pay for them. The wealthy of Egypt had ornate hand mirrors, cosmetic cases and jars, jewelry, decorated scabbards for knives and swords, intricate bows, sandals, furniture, chariots, gardens, and tombs. Every aspect of any of these creations had symbolic meaning. In the same way the bull motif on the Narmer Palette symbolized the power of the king, so every image, design, ornamentation, or detail meant something relating to its owner.
Among the most obvious examples of this is the golden throne of Tutankhamun (c. 1336-c.1327 BCE) which depicts the young king with his wife Ankhsenamun. The couple are represented in a quiet domestic moment as the queen is rubbing ointment onto her husband's arm as he sits in a chair. Their close relationship is established by the color of their skin, which is the same. Men are usually depicted with reddish skin because they spent more time outdoors while a lighter color was used for women's skin as they were more apt to stay out of the sun. This difference in the shade of skin tones did not represent equality or inequality but was simply an attempt at realism.
In the case of Tutankhamun's throne, however, the technique is used to express an important aspect of the couple's relationship. Other inscriptions and art work make clear that they spent most of their time together and the artist expresses this through their shared skin tones; Ankhesenamun is just as sun-tanned as Tutankhamun. The red used in this composition also represents vitality and the energy of their relationship. The couple's hair is blue, symbolizing fertility, life, and re-birth while their clothing is white, representing purity. The background is gold, the color of the gods, and all of the intricate details, including the crowns the figures wear and their colors, all have their own specific meaning and go to tell the story of the featured couple.
A sword or a cosmetic case was designed and created with this same goal in mind: story-telling. Even the garden of a house told a story: in the center was a pool surrounded by trees, plants, and flowers which, in turn, were surrounded by a wall and one entered the garden from the house through a portico of decorated columns. All of these would have been arranged carefully to tell a tale which was significant to the owner. Although Egyptian gardens are long gone, models made of them as grave goods have been found which show the great care which went into laying them out in narrative form.
In the case of the noble Meket-Ra of the 11th Dynasty, the garden was designed to tell the story of the journey of life to paradise. The columns of the portico were shaped like lotus blossoms, symbolizing his home in Upper Egypt, the pool in the center represented Lily Lake which the soul would have to cross to reach paradise, and the far garden wall was decorated with scenes from the afterlife. Every time Meket-Ra would sit in his garden he would be reminded of the nature of life as an eternal journey and this would most likely lend him perspective on whatever circumstances might be troubling at the moment.
Techniques
The paintings on Meket-Ra's walls would have been done by artists mixing colors made from naturally occurring minerals. Black was made from carbon, red and yellow from iron oxides, blue and green from azurite and malachite, white from gypsum and so on. The minerals would be mixed with crushed organic material to different consistencies and then further mixed with an unknown substance (possibly egg whites) to make it sticky so it would adhere to a surface. Egyptian paint was so durable that many works, even those not protected in tombs, have remained vibrant after over 4,000 years.
Although home, garden, and palace walls were usually decorated with flat two-dimensional paintings, tomb, temple, and monument walls employed reliefs. There were high reliefs (in which the figures stand out from the wall) and low reliefs (where the images are carved into the wall). To create these, the surface of the wall would be smoothed with plaster which was then sanded. An artist would create a work in minature and then draw gridlines on it and this grid would then be drawn on the wall. Using the smaller work as a model, the artist would be able to replicate the image in the correct proportions on the wall. The scene would first be drawn and then outlined in red paint. Corrections to the work would be noted, possibly by another artist or supervisor, in black paint and once these were taken care of the scene was carved and painted.
Paint was also used on statues which were made of wood, stone, or metal. Stone work first developed in the Early Dynastic Period and became more and more refined over the centuries. A sculptor would work from a single block of stone with a copper chisel, wooden mallet, and finer tools for details. The statue would then be smoothed with a rubbing cloth. The stone for a statue was selected, as with everything else in Egyptian art, to tell its own story. A statue of Osiris, for example, would be made of black schist to symbolize fertility and re-birth, both associated with this particular god.
Metal statues were usually small and made of copper, bronze, silver, and gold. Gold was particularly popular for amulets and shrine figures of the gods since it was believed that the gods had golden skin. These figures were made by casting or sheet metal work over wood. Wooden statues were carved from different pieces of trees and then glued or pegged together. Statues of wood are rare but a number have been preserved and show tremendous skill.
Cosmetic chests, coffins, model boats, and toys were made in this same way. Jewelry was commonly fashioned using the technique known as cloisonne in which thin strips of metal are inlaid on the surface of the work and then fired in a kiln to forge them together and create compartments which are then detailed with jewels or painted scenes. Among the best examples of cloisonne jewelry is the Middle Kingdom pendant given by Senusret II (c.1897-1878 BCE) to his daughter. This work is fashioned of thin gold wires attached to a solid gold backing inlaid with 372 semi-precious stones. Cloisonne was also used in making pectorals for the king, crowns, headdresses, swords, ceremonial daggers, and sarcophagi among other items.
Conclusion
Although Egyptian art is famously admired it has come under criticism for being unrefined. Critics claim that the Egyptians never seem to have mastered perspective as there is no interplay of light and shadow in the compositions, they are always two dimensional, and the figures are emotionless. Statuary depicting couples, it is argued, show no emotion in the faces and the same holds true for battle scenes or statues of a king or queen.
These criticisms fail to recognize the functionality of Egyptian art. The Egyptians understood that emotional states are transitory; one is not consistently happy, sad, angry, content throughout a given day much less eternally. Art works present people and deities formally without expression because it was thought the person's spirit would need that representation in order to live on in the afterlife. A person's name and image had to survive in some form on earth in order for the soul to continue its journey. This was the reason for mummification and the elaborate funerary rituals: the spirit needed a 'beacon' of sorts to return to when visiting earth for sustenance in the tomb.
The spirit might not recognize a statue of an angry or jubilant version of themselves but would recognize their staid, complacent, features. The lack of emotion has to do with the eternal purpose of the work. Statues were made to be viewed from the front, usually with their backs against a wall, so that the soul would recognize their former selves easily and this was also true of gods and goddesses who were thought to live in their statues.
Life was only a small part of an eternal journey to the ancient Egyptians and their art reflects this belief. A statue or a cosmetics case, a wall painting or amulet, whatever form the artwork took, it was made to last far beyond its owner's life and, more importantly, tell that person's story as well as reflecting Egyptian values and beliefs as a whole. Egyptian art has served this purpose well as it has continued to tell its tale now for thousands of years.Originally Posted by Camate Originally Posted by
Dear adventurers,
It’s been nearly eight years since I began my adventures with Square Enix, and the journey has been filled with quests of memorable experiences that have taught me a great deal and shaped me into the person that I have become today. The next quest in my life is now upon me, but unfortunately the path for this one leads me away from Square Enix and into new opportunities, and it is here that I must say my farewells to the community as a member of the North American community team.
Both FFXI and FFXIV hold a special place in my heart, and I’m hoping that throughout my years on the community team my passion for these games has been clearly conveyed. I’d like to say thank you to everyone in the community for giving me the opportunity to share this passion and be part of something amazing.
Though I leave you all as a community team member, I will once again be returning to the community I came from as a fellow player. There’s tons of excitement to look forward to from here on out, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world!
See you in Vana’diel!Django Settings File Tricks (Posted on March 9th, 2013)
Here are two really awesome tricks that have helped me with keeping my code sane on development and production.
Environment Variables
Environment variables are just like they sound. They are variables local to an environment such as development and production. You can basically store variables on the system so that when Django starts up it can use a certain variable value from development and a different one from the production server. We can set a DEBUG variable like so using a terminal window:
export DEBUG=
And we can read it like so:
import os ENVIRONMENT = os.environ DEBUG = bool(ENVIRONMENT.get('DEBUG', True))
We try and get the DEBUG variable from the system environment. If we can get one then we set our Django DEBUG setting to it. If we can't find one then we set it to True by default. So you can set your DEBUG value to False on production and then not set anything in your development environment for it to automatically be set to True. The cast to a bool is needed since the OS will store variable values as a string. Python treats empty strings as False which is why we don't assign a value to our DEBUG variable in the environment. If we wanted to set debug to True on the server then we could set our environment variable as such "export DEBUG=True".
File Path
It is often the case that where you store your files on your development machine is different from where you store your files on your production machine. So rather than storing two different file locations you can have Python get the file location for you.
SITE_ROOT = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
This will get the folder where your settings file is stored. You can then tell Django where your static files are stored by doing something like:
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(SITE_ROOT,'static')
These two tricks have helped me in the past with going from development to production with ease. If you know any others post them in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
Tags: DjangoUniversity of Waikato law student Sarah Thomson took a similar court case against the NZ government last month. The judge has not announced a decision.
A landmark climate lawsuit against Trump is scheduled for trial next year. Here's what to expect, writes Chelsea Harvey.
A trial date has finally been set for a groundbreaking climate-change lawsuit being brought against the United States federal government after multiple hurdles in the past year threatened to prevent it from moving forward. Recently Judge Thomas Coffin ordered that the trial begin February 5, 2018.
The order also permitted three fossil fuel industry trade associations, who had voluntarily joined the case last year as intervening defendants, to withdraw at their own request.
Luke Sharrett Emissions rise from a coal-fired power plant in West Virginia. A lawsuit by American children and young people claims this sort of thing violates their constitutional right to a healthy climate system.
This means the final showdown will take place only between the original plaintiffs and defendants – 21 youths, between ages 9 and 21 – and the federal government, which they claim has violated their constitutional right to a healthy climate system by supporting the production of fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gases.
While originally filed against the Obama administration, the Trump administration has now assumed the defense by default.
A similar lawsuit in New Zealand pitted Sarah Thomson, of Waikato University, against Environment Minister Paula Bennett over allegedly inadequate climate change action. A decision has not been issued by the judge.
READ MORE:
* Student Sarah Thomson's legal case against Government
* First-of-its-kind case as student takes Government to court
* Hamilton student sues government over climate change
* Government lawyers question court's ability to rule on climate change
The case has already come a long way, with the court overturning a number of challenges since it was first filed in 2015. Last November, District Judge Ann Aiken denied motions to dismiss the case filed by the federal government and the intervening fossil fuel industry groups. More recently, she also denied the federal government's request to appeal that decision.
The last possible hurdle the case could face before moving to trial is a final petition filed by the Trump administration this month seeking a rare legal procedure known as a writ of mandamus, which calls for the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to independently step in and review Aiken's original decision to deny the federal government's motion to dismiss the case.
The writ of mandamus is widely considered a kind of hail-Mary petition, one that is rarely invoked and even more rarely granted.
"The United States – in both the previous and current administrations – has endeavoured to bring to an end this improper case that seeks to give one federal court complete control over federal energy policy," said Mark Abueg, a public affairs specialist with the Department of Justice. "We have taken our arguments to the appellate courts."
The decision on whether to allow it now rests with the appeal court. But lead counsel for the plaintiffs Julia Olson, executive director of the advocacy group Our Children's Trust, says it is unlikely to stop the case from moving to trial.
"I would say it would be extraordinary for the 9th Circuit to step in before there's a full factual record in the case," she said.
Assuming that doesn't happen, the trial itself is likely to last about six weeks, according to Olson.
"That's based upon our analysis that we will need three weeks to present our case," she said. " And we're assuming that typically both sides take an equivalent amount of time presenting their cases."
By allowing the case to move to trial at all, the court has acknowledged that the plaintiffs have a legal right to sue the federal government over their constitutional right to a healthy climate system – a right the plaintiffs argue is protected under the public trust doctrine, which holds that the government is responsible for preserving certain essential resources for the public good. In trial, they'll be required to demonstrate the ways in which this right has been violated.
The plaintiffs will present their case in three major components, Olson said. One component will focus mainly on climate science, including the ways in which human activities are altering the Earth's climate and the ways in which these changes are actually harming the plaintiffs. This component will rely largely on expert testimony, Olson said, adding that the plaintiffs have already secured 13 experts for this segment, most of which are scientists.
A second component involves "looking at the historical evidence that we have of what the government knew, when it knew it, what it did with that information – and then also the continuing actions to make climate change worse by the Trump administration," Olson said.
This segment will likely involve the presentation of a variety of federal documents related to the government's knowledge of and action (or inaction) on climate change, as well as testimony from experts and witnesses.
Securing such documents has already been a sticking point. Shortly after the presidential inauguration, the plaintiffs filed a request that the Department of Justice preserve any documents containing information on climate change, energy and carbon emissions or that could otherwise be relevant to the lawsuit.
The Trump administration pushed back against this request in a subsequent motion. This motion was later denied.
A third component of the case may involve a discussion of what can be done to remedy the situation, should the plaintiffs prevail. This section will mainly explore "what are the safe levels of CO2, what's the safe maximum level of warming above pre-industrial levels you can tolerate and so protect the rights of the youth for future generations, what can a solution and remedy look like and what's the feasibility of the remedy to address the harm should the court order a remedy," Olson said.
On the defendants' side, after the plaintiffs have presented their claims, the responsibility shifts to the government to argue that its actions have not violated the plaintiffs' rights. However, the major |
a pro-choice position: Are you open to confronting the brutality of abortion — especially second and third-trimester abortions which are currently illegal in 90 percent of the world? Or will you once again shield your eyes from the horrible truth and instead hide behind the euphemisms of “women’s health” and “reproductive justice?”
Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She served nearly 25 years as a permanent law clerk to a federal appellate judge, and is a former full-time faculty member and current adjunct professor for the college of business at the University of Notre Dame.
If you would like to write an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, please read our guidelines on submissions here.Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report in the current issue of Small that they have genetically designed a new strain of bacteria that spins out extremely thin and highly conductive wires made up of solely of non-toxic, natural amino acids.
Researchers led by microbiologist Derek Lovely say the wires, which rival the thinnest wires known to man, are produced from renewable, inexpensive feedstocks and avoid the harsh chemical processes typically used to produce nanoelectronic materials.
Lovley says, "New sources of electronic materials are needed to meet the increasing demand for making smaller, more powerful electronic devices in a sustainable way." The ability to mass-produce such thin conductive wires with this sustainable technology has many potential applications in electronic devices, functioning not only as wires, but also transistors and capacitors. Proposed applications include biocompatible sensors, computing devices, and as components of solar panels.
This advance began a decade ago, when Lovley and colleagues discovered that Geobacter, a common soil microorganism, could produce "microbial nanowires," electrically conductive protein filaments that help the microbe grow on the iron minerals abundant in soil. These microbial nanowires were conductive enough to meet the bacterium's needs, but their conductivity was well below the conductivities of organic wires that chemists could synthesize.
"As we learned more about how the microbial nanowires worked we realized that it might be possible to improve on Nature's design," says Lovley. "We knew that one class of amino acids was important for the conductivity, so we rearranged these amino acids to produce a synthetic nanowire that we thought might be more conductive."
The trick they discovered to accomplish this was to introduce tryptophan, an amino acid not present in the natural nanowires. Tryptophan is a common aromatic amino acid notorious for causing drowsiness after eating Thanksgiving turkey. However, it is also highly effective at the nanoscale in transporting electrons.
"We designed a synthetic nanowire in which a tryptophan was inserted where nature had used a phenylalanine and put in another tryptophan for one of the tyrosines. We hoped to get lucky and that Geobacter might still form nanowires from this synthetic peptide and maybe double the nanowire conductivity," says Lovley.
The results greatly exceeded the scientists' expectations. They genetically engineered a strain of Geobacter and manufactured large quantities of the synthetic nanowires 2000 times more conductive than the natural biological product. An added bonus is that the synthetic nanowires, which Lovley refers to as "biowire," had a diameter only half that of the natural product.
"We were blown away by this result," says Lovley. The conductivity of biowire exceeds that of many types of chemically produced organic nanowires with similar diameters. The extremely thin diameter of 1.5 nanometers (over 60,000 times thinner than a human hair) means that thousands of the wires can easily be packed into a very small space.
The added benefit is that making biowire does not require any of the dangerous chemicals that are needed for synthesis of other nanowires. Also, biowire contains no toxic components. "Geobacter can be grown on cheap renewable organic feedstocks so it is a very 'green' process," he notes. And, although the biowire is made out of protein, it is extremely durable. In fact, Lovley's lab had to work for months to establish a method to break it down.
"It's quite an unusual protein," Lovley says. "This may be just the beginning" he adds. Researchers in his lab recently produced more than 20 other Geobacter strains, each producing a distinct biowire variant with new amino acid combinations. He notes, "I am hoping that our initial success will attract more funding to accelerate the discovery process. We are hoping that we can modify biowire in other ways to expand its potential applications."How to get women into cars, automotive fields and motorsports
Now, before you start making arguments against what I’m about to discuss; I want to make it very clear that I am all for women in the automotive field. We do need to have this discussion because if you haven’t noticed, the automotive interest around the country is falling hard for various reasons involved the stupid notion that cars aren’t cool anymore and are the sole reason for destroying the planet.
Beyond that, why are we alienating half of the population? From a business standpoint it makes absolutely no sense. Women have just as much, if not more often buying power than men, make more of the financial house hold decisions and are increasingly becoming the bread winners of the household. We alienate them on various levels, many of them subtle and some of them are flagrant.
So, why am I on my soap box? Because, a man needs to be the one to say it; Bring more women into car culture.
Bikini Contests have to go
I might lose a few friends over this notion but truthfully, these abominations needs to go the way of Old Yeller. Not because they degrade women or any of that feminist crap that they shove down your throats and not because bikini contests are usually millimeters away from a strip club. I make this argument because of the message it sends to our young girls and females. What message is that? Take a look at the spectacle itself; women strutting their physicality and sexual attractiveness to a hoard of overwhelming men to be judged solely on how big their breasts are and how they look with baby oil slathered on them.
The message we are sending to young girls and women is that to be important, you need to be pretty; you need to have large breasts and show them often to men. It truly doesn’t matter what education level you’ve got, how well you can drive a car fast or how well you can repair a broken alternator, nope; How big are they?
I’ve got a message for you ladies, if you start to base your worth on your attractiveness or what some random drunk dude thinks of your cleavage, you need to rethink your priorities in life and stop listening to the hidden bullshit messages about your worth in automotive culture.
Stop making being ‘female’ an issue
I’ve recently re-watched the entire last four 24 hrs of Le Mans (youtube is wonderful) and something struck me like a lead pipe across the teeth. The commentators fielded tweets, text messages and emails during the entirety of the race and it was pretty informative, something that was very helpful. They got one question from their twitter feed, from an American I might add, that asked about how many female drivers there were in the race.
What astonished me, not only because I knew that several of the drivers were female based on name recognition, was that the commentators including the previous female Le Mans driver now pit reporter, didn’t have a clue how many female drivers there were. Why? Because they didn’t give a shit. None of that matters to them, again I asked myself; Why?
The simple answer I came up with was, priorities. In the European various racing series you have a powerful emphasis on winning. When that priority is in place, you hire the best people and the best team you can afford. Winning is everything, success equates to sales and sales drives profit. The European commentators for the 24h Le Mans race didn’t know how many female drivers there were because it truly didn’t matter. The women in the race were hired because they are good at driving and gave their teams the best chance at a podium.
The less we point out the proverbial elephant in the room the better women will do in the field.
Positive Female role models
This one really cheeses me right the hell off, especially because the whole female role model thing can’t be talked about unless someone invokes the name Danica Patrick. Well, I got some fucked up news for you; she isn’t a role model, she shouldn’t be a role model and frankly, she doesn’t want to be one either. If you think for one damn minute that Danica is in this to prove something for women in the field then you haven’t looked close enough at her to notice.
Ever see those GoDaddy commercials where she laments having to wear short shorts and a bikini or whatever skimpy thing they came up with, yet there she is wearing that very outfit their trying to make light of? Face it, the woman is only out for #1; herself. She’s a walking PR campaign. Does that bother me? Not in the slightest, all the other drivers are out for themselves, why shouldn’t she? However, none of the other drivers are expected to dress half naked for their ads, they get to wear their racing suits. This, despite the fact that Carl Edwards for example, is one of the most ripped and toned drivers on the circuit and that’s never exploited to expand the female NASCAR base. As I’ve always said, if you are going to have standards, at least make them double. You’ll note that I never once talked about her ability to drive a race car, time will only tell if she’s good enough to run at the top. She’s certainly a better driver than I am.
We need more women drivers like Sabine Schmitz. She’s a fantastic driver, she never uses her gender as a tool or a weapon and doesn’t sell out to the sexuality that seems to be predominantly derived in American automotive fields.
Rylee, a race car driver explains my point;
“Helping the women that are actually interested is the biggest thing, I can’t count the amount of young ladies (16-17 years old) that have come up to me after a race showing genuine interest and motivation but then the parent or the friend that they are with scoffs at them and says, ‘yeah, right…’ and they lose the glisten of possibility in their eye that quickly. A little confidence in the female gender, both from males and females, to tackle major things like racing is necessary if more women are going to step out against societal norms!”
Teach them early
Women, just like men need to be introduced something at an early age with a little bit of early success to get their interest. Get your daughters and neighborhood kids together to work on a car. Bleed the brakes, explain what things are and what they do. Knowledge is the key to removing fear in all things and the automotive field is no different.
Nothing irks me more than watching a movie or TV show and having the female lead character try and act like she knows something about cars and they end up making her look like a complete idiot because the writers themselves probably don’t know anything about cars. Remember that scene in Transformers where Megan Fox is trying to tell Sam what kind of fuel system was in his car? Yea, not even fucking close.
Get them interested in racing by having them race
One of the things I think that is sorely lacking is giving girls a chance to get out there and mix it up. It doesn’t have any be anything spectacular or grand, it just has to give them a good experience of what it feels like to go fast. The adrenaline pumping, the thrill of passing someone and the rush of putting the car exactly where you need it to be for maximum speed. Go-Karts might be a good way to go about it, there’s little danger of hurting anything valuable and it’s pretty cheap fun.
The other option is to get them into Autocross. I’ve been trying to extol the virtues of autocross for years to anyone who will listen. You can bring any car you want assuming it passes a tech inspection and drive it as fast as you can around a very controlled environment. These places have lots of run off room, nothing hard to hit such as a concrete barrier and are very inexpensive to participate in.
After running a few events, you really do start to get frustrated with regular people on the road, “YOU AREN’T ANYWHERE NEAR THE LIMIT OF YOUR CAR! YOU DON’T NEED TO BRAKE THAT MUCH! GO GO GO!!”
Sheryl writes;
“my husband kept bugging and I finally tried autocrossing and I love it! I was super worried about making a fool out of myself at first, but the thrill of getting behind the wheel and the competitive side of me stepped up and I’m sold on it! “
Tim tells us:
“I put mine (wife) behind the wheel of a kart at NOLA motorsports and taught her a few things and now she’s hooked! Get them driving and competing…most woman will love it…. Some how racing is looked at as a mostly a man sport, proble cause we r more exposed to it. But I can tell you I have raced against a few women and when they do catch on the are very smooth and fast.”
Don’t belittle them when they express interest
The worst thing anyone can do to someone who wants to try something new is someone telling them they can’t. It doesn’t usually come in the form of direct feedback but in the subtleties of the conversation. The low level condescension, the attitude of pretty good… for a girl! bullshit that really needs to go away. Don’t act like their stupid for not spending their entire life reading a Chilton’s manual like we all did when we were kids. In fact, go out of your way to nurture these people who simply want to learn.
I can’t tell you how many stories I get from women about buying a car and the level of chauvinism from the sales people it’s almost unbelievable. Don’t you want to check with your husband first? And, This might be too much car for a little lady like you, are just a few examples of things I’ve heard from women.
Guess what? Women are people too and they don’t like being talked down to as much as we men do, GO FIGURE!
Suzy makes a good point by saying;
“I would definitely start with treating the field and sport no different than you would treat a male nurse or stay-at-home-Dad. Women are great with mechanics and motor sports because we are natural problem solvers. Including young women and girls in your actions and activities organically, will help determine whether or not they have a proclivity for the field or not. It’s no different than exposing them to things like politics, technology or arts and crafts as possible vocations.”
Ben brings up a good point;
“Honestly, they have to want to give the automotive world/field a chance. Most (but not all) choose to follow the stereotype of girls don’t know anything about cars and they give up right there and don’t want to learn. We have to break that stereotype. How? idk.”
Teach them that they belong under the hood, not on it.
This point ties in a lot of other points I’ve made throughout this article, but it still needs to be said. If women get the notion that they can be under the hood just like the boys, then they’ll be less likely to think they only deserve to be on the hood.
Men, think about it this way for a second, if your daughter came running up to you and said that she was excited because she got to stand in front of a car in a bikini, would that really make you feel proud as a father? Or would you feel more proud of she blurted out that she got hired as team manager for a racing team doing strategy? (Look up Leena Gade)
Which one would you rather hear?
Teach women to drive a stick shift (Show the fun!)
Even though it’s getting harder and harder to find a car with a stick shift, it really is a skill that everyone really needs to know. Especially if they want to get into racing, the third pedal is a necessity. Show them how fun it can be to shift hard and make virtually any car feel like a race car.
Show them how to down shift and if you can (if you know how), show them how to blip-shift, the joy of getting that skill right is just beyond cool.
All girls races/instruction
Now, there is some debate and admittedly some inner struggle myself with this concept, but it may be a step in the right direction.
Some might argue that reducing the men in the equation would help women feel more comfortable and feel less “stupid”. To a certain degree, I get that. While, I may be fairly patient when teaching someone something, that’s not the case with other men I’ve noticed. I’ve seen often where the male will explain something, his girlfriend/wife/daughter/whomever asks a follow up question and the answer comes out pretty condescending, whether they meant it or not, it happened and she got the message.
On the other hand, racing is a sport (yes, a sport, deal with it) that doesn’t require height, weight or strength requirements that give men the advantage. Actually, if anything, women in this case have the advantage due to their average size compared to the average male. A hundred pound difference in a car is a massive advantage. Ask any racer if they’d take a 100lbs off their car, would they do it? Cars and driving don’t have a genetic component to them. It’s not something we were able to use natural selection to get the best of the best automotive features. So, why then should women get their own races? It’s a valid argument.
In America, as it sits, the attitude towards women in automobile fields really does lend itself to having separate classes, at least for the time being. If this were Europe, we’d have no need for them; the general attitude is different.
For the pro side, Tim:
“Hpde or auto-x classes where their significant other/ spouse is not allowed to attend so they don’t have to feel embarrassed about making mistakes or have pressure from the partner. Most of the women I know state this as the number one reason they don’t get involved.“
On the con side Tom writes:
“Women don’t need a “special” class to compete in auto racing. Just ask Sam Silver and Rylee ReAnn Michaelson. I think it is simply a point of connecting people who have an interest and aptitude to the entry point of the sport. I think what you are talking about can be addressed with a Novice class, don’t you think? It really doesn’t have to be Chromesome related. It is only natural for a newbie to be concerned with how they stack up against experieinced competitors. Showing any new person how to get invoved and how they can develop skills should be the priority.”
And finally; The all male, good’ole boys club needs to go (i.e. Male chauvinism).
Guys, let’s be frank, this bullshit needs to stop. The for a girl attitude needs to go away completely. What’s more interesting is that we tend to do it covertly and we don’t even notice. It’s not just one or two people, it’s all of society. We think certain things of women that affect how we treat them. Women can’t be domestic abusers, women can’t drive cars like men, women don’t like engineering and math, women are meant to be pretty as her best asset… these are examples of female bias that are subtle but pervasive in our society.
Not to mention the overt sexism we display over and over again, but don’t take my word for it… listen to what the women who deal with it have to say:
As Michelle put it on our Facebook page,
“I think most women feel intimidated because some mechanic talked down to them at one time. If they are interested they will be involved. Take her to a drag race or autocross, patiently explain the inner workings of the motor. I’ve been hooked since my first drag race at age 5, but not all women will love it like I do. It is not just a male thing anymore and that’s awesome. You just have to make it interesting.”
From Lee Ann:
“
Bryan writes:
“Take the intimidations away. As with most “gender dominated” activities, one of the biggest factors is the individual gets intimidated by a combination of things. Not knowing enough to even listen in on a conversation, not having any practical skill confidence so they fear failure, and the general feeling of being out of place. I’m sure part of it is also the financial investment, though class racing helps balance that out. It all applies to motorsports, firearms, etc. Dissuasion by parents, friends, etc as kids are growing is probably the greatest factor. You almost need a non-competitive series of classes/events to lay groundwork, more or less expose people to it. I absolutely agree with Tom that it’s not gender specific. Mary Pozzi and Debbie Farrington are 2 other women who can certainly compete and got past the stereotype. Make the info available, and accept anyone of any age who’s interested in it feel supported.”
Eric can be reached for comment email hereEDIT (3/30/2018): OLE DB is now undeprecated. Read more about it here.
ODBC is the de-facto industry standard for native relational data access, which is supported on all platforms including SQL Azure. Cloud is universal and in order to support all client applications connecting from any platform to the cloud, Microsoft has been fully aligned with ODBC on SQL Azure, as ODBC is the only set of APIs that are available on all platforms including non-Windows platforms. From our surveys, cross-platform support is one of the main reasons indicated by our partners for aligning their applications with ODBC. The other reason often mentioned in the surveys is the ease of programming with ODBC. The interfaces are simple and straight forward. With this alignment, C/C++ developers can now focus on one set of APIs for all their native client applications. This will also make porting applications to cloud more seamless.
The commercial release of Microsoft SQL Server, codename “Denali,” will be the last release to support OLE DB. Support details for the release version of SQL Server “Denali” will be made available within 90 days of release to manufacturing. For more information on Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policies for Microsoft Business and Developer products, please see Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ. This deprecation applies to the Microsoft SQL Server OLE DB provider only. Other OLE DB providers as well as the OLE DB standard will continue to be supported until explicitly announced.
We encourage you to adopt ODBC in the development of your new and future versions of your application. You don’t need to change your existing applications using OLE DB, as they will continue to be supported on Denali throughout its lifecycle. While this gives you a large window of opportunity for changing your applications before the deprecation goes into effect, you may want to consider migrating those applications to ODBC as a part of your future roadmap. Microsoft is fully committed to making this transition as smooth and easy as possible. In order to prepare and help our developer community, we will be providing assistance throughout this process. This will include providing guidance via technical documentation as well as tools to jump start the migration process, and being available right away to answer questions on our forum.
Update (October 19, 2011): In an effort to assist you with your planning, we have developed a tool that can scan your source code and provide a report showing the impacted code. This tool identifies and reports the lines of code that reference OLE DB APIs and provide a summary of the overall code impact. You can obtain this tool by sending an email by clicking 'Email Blog Author' link under the 'Options'. It will be available until April 18, 2012.
Please bookmark and revisit this site to see more tools and documentation updates.
For information on how to migrate your applications, please refer : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh967418.aspx
To see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or to submit technical questions, please log onto: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/sqldataaccess/threads
For more on SQL Server and Microsoft’s commitment to interoperability, see: http://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2011/08/29/microsoft-s-commitment-to-interoperability.aspx
Shekhar Joshi,
Sr. Program Manager - SQL Server Data Platform,
Microsoft Corporation
Note: This blog post was updated on September 13th, 2011 to reflect that the time frame for OLE DB support in SQL Server Code Name “Denali” will be made available within 90 days of release to manufacturing. We are committed to supporting features in SQL Server Code Name “Denali” through the product’s lifecycle as per Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy.
A Quick Guide for OLE DB to ODBC Conversion.docxA new open-source ransomware project uploaded on GitHub as a "proof of concept," has now spawned three new ransomware families that are infecting users in real-life.
The original CryptoWire project was uploaded to GitHub by an anonymous user this past May.
The project, still available for download, contains a ZIP archive, with the ransomware's source code, and a README file advertising CryptoWire's capabilities.
Contents of the CryptoWire package
According to its author, the ransomware is written in the AutoIt scripting language and locks files stored on network drives, network shares, USB drives, external disks, internal disks, and cloud storage apps running on the machine such as Onedrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Steam.
CryptoWire uses the AES-256 algorithm for the encryption operations, which will encrypt all files smaller than 30MB (adjustable limit). The README file might have been outdated, as the ransomware's source code included file extension filters (pictured below).
The README claims the encryption process makes a copy of the targeted files, encrypts the copy, overwrites the original file ten times, and then permanently deletes its.
After the encryption process ends, CryptoWire will delete all shadow volume copies, and overwrite the content of the RecycleBin ten times and permanently delete it.
When displaying the ransom note, CryptoWire will check if the infected target is part of a domain and multiply the ransom demand by 10 (adjustable value).
CryptoWire's author said it shipped the ransomware without a backend panel "to prevent skids from abusing it." Unfortunately, skids abused it.
Real-life CryptoWire spawns
The first CryptoWire spawn was detected at the end of October by GData malware analyst Karsten Hahn, using the same name: CryptoWire.
This version appears to have been under development, as one crucial button for the decryption process was missing from its interface.
CryptoWire variant, October 2016
A month later, security researcher S!Ri discovered the Lomix ransomware, pictured below.
Lomix ransomware, November 2016
Today, the same Karsten Hahn has come across another CryptoWire variant that goes by the name of UltraLocker and spreads a spam campaign delivering malicious Word files.
UltraLocker ransomware, December 2016
The problem of open-source and so-called "educational" ransomware has been discussed in the past numerous times. Previous open-source ransomware families included Hidden Tear, EDA2, CryptoTrooper, and Heimdall.
In all cases, the authors of these projects have hidden from any responsibility and damage their code would have caused just by using words as "educational" and "proof of concept," not realizing that real-life malware coders don't care.
Most crooks look at open-source ransomware as free work, and hours of work they don't have to put in designing, documenting, and writing their own code. How about we stop giving crooks a helping hand, shall we?An independent scientist has confirmed that the paper by scientists at the Nasa Eagleworks Laboratories on achieving thrust using highly controversial space propulsion technology EmDrive has passed peer review, and will soon be published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Dr José Rodal posted on the Nasa Spaceflight forum – in a now-deleted comment – that the new paper will be entitled "Measurement of Impulsive Thrust from a Closed Radio Frequency Cavity in Vacuum" and is authored by "Harold White, Paul March, Lawrence, Vera, Sylvester, Brady and Bailey".
There is also a line of text that EmDrive enthusiasts believe could be from the paper's abstract, which reads: "Thrust data in mode shape TM212 at less than 8106 Torr environment, from forward, reverse and null tests suggests that the system is consistently performing with a thrust to power ratio of 1.2 +/- 0.1 mN/Kw ()".
Rodal also revealed that the paper will be published in the AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, a prominent journal published by the AIAA, which is one of the world's largest technical societies dedicated to aerospace innovations.
Eagleworks is an experimental lab that is to Nasa essentially what the secretive Google X "moonshot" R&D lab is to Google/Alphabet, and the space agency is not yet ready to place its official stamp of approval on a technology many still believe does not work.
Although Eagleworks engineer Paul March has posted several updates on the ongoing research to the Nasa Spaceflight forum showing that repeated tests conducted on the EmDrive in a vacuum successfully yielded thrust results that could not be explained by external interference, those in the international scientific community who doubt the feasibility of the technology have long believed real results of thrust by Eagleworks would never see the light of day.
In March, the same Eagleworks engineer announced that their paper was going through the peer review process, but they had no idea when it would be published as "peer reviews are glacially slow".
However, it seems that the wait might finally be over, if Rodal, a long-time supporter of the EmDrive who is building his own version of the Nasa aluminium frustum, is to be believed.
Research for the UK government has finally been declassified
Roger Shawyer is the British scientist who first proposed the concept of EmDrive in 1999, and was ridiculed and even accused of fraud by some in the international space community despite his work being funded by the UK government and licenced by Boeing.
How the EmDrive works The EmDrive is the invention of British scientist Roger Shawyer, who proposed in 1999 that based on the theory of special relativity, electricity converted into microwaves and fired within a closed cone-shaped cavity causes the microwave particles to exert more force on the flat surface at the large end of the cone (i.e. there is less combined particle momentum at the narrow end due to a reduction in group particle velocity), thereby generating thrust. His critics say that according to the law of conservation of momentum, his theory cannot work as in order for a thruster to gain momentum in one direction, a propellant must be expelled in the opposite direction, and the EmDrive is a closed system. However, Shawyer claims that following fundamental physics involving the theory of special relativity, the EmDrive does in fact preserve the law of conservation of momentum and energy.
Shawyer believes EmDrive could transform the aerospace industry and potentially solve both the energy crisis and climate change, while also speeding up space travel by making it much cheaper to launch satellites and spacecraft into orbit. He is also actively working to test the technology out on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), in the hope of creating feasible flying cars.
He told IBTimes UK that he is as excited as other EmDrive enthusiasts to read the upcoming paper by Nasa Eagleworks, but adds that any thrust measured will be very small, probably equivalent to where Shawyer's research was a decade ago.
Incidentally, the 10-year-long rule about classifying research done for the UK government has now expired, and Shawyer has made four papers publicly accessible on his website for anyone to read.
"I daresay America will have a lot to say about it, but it's not really new. It's all been done before 10 years ago. If you bother to go through the [declassified] papers, you can see the levels of thrust we achieved are significantly higher than the levels of thrust that Nasa Eagleworks has got," he said.
"People all around the world have been measuring thrust. You've got guys building them in their garages and very large organisations building cavities too. They're all generating thrust, there's no great mystery. People think it's black magic or something, but it's not. Any physicist worth his salt should understand how it works, or if they don't, they should change their profession."
Shawyer pushing ahead with EmDrive 2.0
Shawyer is now actively working on the second-generation EmDrive with an unnamed UK aerospace company and the new device is meant to be able to achieve tonnes of thrust (1T = 1,000kg), rather than just a few grams.
"We're trying to achieve thrust levels that go up by many orders of magnitude, where the q values of the cavities are between 1 x 109 and 5 x 104. Once you reach the levels of thrust we anticipate we will reach, you can apply it anywhere," he told IBTimes UK. "Essentially, anything that currently flies or drives or floats can use EmDrive technology."
Despite the increasing interest in EmDrive, the fact that he will soon be vindicated and how in July 2015 his own paper describing space propulsion on drones passed peer review, Shawyer does not plan to release anymore papers for quite a while.
"The work we're doing is difficult and expensive and the people paying for it don't necessarily want to give it away to the rest of the world, but EmDrive will make a huge impact and a lot of people have thought of a lot of things to apply it to," he said.
Recently, several scientists including Dr Mike McCulloch of Plymouth University and Dr Arto Annila from the University of Helsinki have been using exotic physics to try to explain why the EmDrive works, and they have seen that the thrust detected in experiments by Shawyer and other scientists matches their theoretical calculations.
IBTimes UK has contacted AIAA for a statement, but had received no response as of press time.When we saw Apple Watch, we knew immediately that we had to make Knock one of the first apps available for it. Knock and Apple Watch are a match made in heaven. With Knock 2.0, leaving your iPhone in your bag or the other room isn't a problem. Whenever you open your Mac, Knock is right there at your wrist, ready to go. And with the Knock Glance, you can even unlock your Mac while you walk over to it -- or lock it as you walk away.
Knock, the iOS app that lets you unlock your Mac with Bluetooth instead of a password, is today being updated with Apple Watch support, bringing the same unlocking capabilities to Apple's upcoming wrist worn device.Knock for iOS lets an iPhone pair to a Mac to bypass the need to enter a password, and Knock for Apple Watch will work in the same way. It will no longer be necessary to dig an iPhone out of a bag or a purse, because the Apple Watch with Knock Glance will also let users log into their Macs.Today's Knock update also includes Touch to Unlock, which aims to introduce an extra layer of security for those who need it. With Touch to Unlock, unlocking a Mac with an iPhone also requires a finger to be placed on Touch ID, so it's no longer possible to unlock the Mac with just the iPhone in the event of a theft.The new Touch to Unlock feature works in conjunction with the Apple Watch in a unique way that's similar to how Apple Pay works. When the Apple Watch is placed on the wrist, users are prompted to use Touch ID or a PIN code to unlock a Mac, and that enables the Apple Watch to continue to unlock the Mac as long as it remains in contact with skin on the wrist.When removed from the wrist, the Apple Watch will no longer be able to unlock the Mac, effectively preventing it from being used to open a Mac with Knock installed without the owner's permission. Touch ID Apple Watch verification through skin contact lets Knock users take advantage of two-factor security without the hassle of needing to place a fingerprint on the iPhone each time a connected Mac is unlocked.Knock for iPhone has received some criticism because it often takes longer to unlock a Mac with the iPhone than it does when entering a password, but some users have found it to be a fun alternative to the standard password entry for Macs. It's not clear if the Apple Watch will speed up the unlocking process, but Knock provides an interesting look at one of the ways the Apple Watch can be used by developers. Knock can be downloaded from the App Store for $3.99. [ Direct LinkNick Blackman has now scored in each of his last five games
Nick Blackman scored his ninth goal in nine games as Reading climbed to second with victory over Charlton Athletic.
His second-half header from Lucas Piazon's cross finally made Reading's dominance count after the Addicks were reduced to 10 men.
Defender Patrick Bauer picked up a second yellow card as he tripped Blackman on the edge of the area.
Charlton, now winless in seven games, could only muster one shot on target in a lacklustre display.
Guy Luzon's side looked to have frustrated the Royals as they failed to break a stubborn Charlton down in the opening 45 minutes.
Piazon and Orlando Sa saw shots easily saved by Nick Pope, while Oliver Norwood and Ola John also wasted opportunities as they fired off target.
Media playback is not supported on this device Clarke on Reading v Charlton
More than 40 minutes had been played before Ali Al-Habsi was called into action in the Reading goal from Johann Berg-Gudmundsson's snap shot.
After the break, Michael Hector saw a deflected drive go just over the Charlton crossbar, but both the in-form Blackman and Aaron Tshibola fired well wide as Reading continued to spurn chances.
Blackman was in the action soon after, weaving past two challenges before Bauer fouled him when set to shoot. The centre-back was on his way down the tunnel but Piazon blazed the resulting free-kick well off target.
But the Brazilian, on a season-long loan from Chelsea, made amends soon after with a cross from the left that proved decisive.
He found an unmarked Blackman, who headed in his 10th goal of the season to finally break the deadlock and give Steve Clarke's side a deserved victory.
Reading manager Steve Clarke:
"It was the kind of game we were expecting. We'd prepared the team a little bit in the manner to expect that type of game.
"We knew that if we didn't get the early goal, which we're not going |
company's name on the side.[13] The TBM was revealed to be named Godot in May 2017, after the Beckett play Waiting for Godot. Future TBMs will also be named after poems, plays, poets, and playwrights.[14] Musk says the first route created will run from LAX to Culver City, then to Santa Monica, and end in Westwood. Musk claims the tunnel trip will take five minutes, compared to normal driving that can take up to 45 minutes in normal traffic to go from LAX to Westwood.[15] These trips will be implemented by placing a car on an electric sled and traveling at 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph) through tunnels. By November 2017, the company had filed permitting application with Los Angeles government regulators to build a tunnel from Hawthorne along Interstate 405 to Westwood.[16]
In July 2017, Musk said that The Boring Company had received verbal government approval to build an underground Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.[17] In October 2017, the company obtained a utility permit for the construction of the Baltimore-Washington tunnel from the Maryland's Department of Transportation. This part of the tunnel - some 35 miles between Penn Station in Baltimore to Washington Union Station - will start near Fort Meade.[18] The October 2017 Maryland government permit for utilities indicated that construction could begin in January 2018 on two parallel 12.4-mile (20.0 km) electric-sled tunnels that would run from Maryland Route 175 to downtown Baltimore terminating near Camden Yards.[19]
The New York to Washington, D.C. Hyperloop, which Musk has claimed will take 29 minutes to travel from city center to city center, could be built[19] in the future at the same time as the Los Angeles tunnel system announced in May. Other projects include a San Francisco to Los Angeles Hyperloop and a Texas Hyperloop, which are planned for a later stage.[20]
In July 2017, Musk uploaded a video depicting a successful test of a prototype car elevator.[21] In October, Musk revealed the second TBM is named Line-storm, named after the Robert Frost poem “A Line-Storm Song”.[22]
Elon Musk during the inauguration of the test tunnel in Hawthorne, California
In November 2017, Musk stated that The Boring Company would respond to a Request for Quotation (RFQ) from the Chicago Infrastructure Trust and the City of Chicago to "design, build, finance, operate and maintain an express service through a public-private partnership" from O'Hare International Airport to downtown Chicago.[23][24][25] By March 2018, the company had been selected as one of two finalists in the competition.[26]
In March 2018, Elon Musk announced that the company would readjust its plan to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over cars,[27] which would only be considered for transport after all "personalized mass transit needs" were met.[28]
In June 2018, Chicago selected Musk's company from four competing bids to provide high-speed transportation between downtown and the airport. The final contract remains to be negotiated.[29]
In early 2018, The Boring Company was spun out from SpaceX and into a separate corporate entity. Somewhat less than 10% of equity was given to early employees, and over 90% to Elon Musk. Subsequent concerns by SpaceX shareholders resulted in a subsequent arrangement in December 2018 to allocate 6% of The Boring Company's equity to be reallocated to SpaceX.[30]
TBC provided an update on the state of their technology and product line on 18 December 2018 when they opened to the public their first mile-long test tunnel in Hawthorne, California.[31]
By late 2018, The Boring Company had completed the design for its third-generation TBM, Prufrock, has ordered the long lead time parts, and will begin to assemble the machine in 2019, slated to support a 15x improvement in tunneling speed over the existing state of the art in 2017.[31]:15:18–15:45 Prufrock is named after "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot.[32]
In January 2019, Musk responded to a query from an Australian MP regarding a tunnel through the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, suggesting costs of $15 million per kilometer or $750 million for the 50-kilometre (31 mi) tunnel, plus $50 million per station.[33] A few days later, he stated that he had been asked by the director of CERN about construction of the tunnels for its 100-kilometre (62 mi) diameter Future Circular Collider and that The Boring Company could save CERN several billion euros.[34]
Boring machines [ edit ]
The first three boring machines used by The Boring Company are:[35]:51:15–54:30
Godot, [14] a conventional tunnel boring machine, used for research purposes.
, a conventional tunnel boring machine, used for research purposes. Line-storm, a highly modified conventional boring machine, a hybrid design, boring 2–3 times faster than pre-2018 boring machines.
, a highly modified conventional boring machine, a hybrid design, boring 2–3 times faster than pre-2018 boring machines. Prufrock,[32] or Proof-Rock,[36] a "fully-Boring-Company-designed machine",[35]: 52:03 [32] anticipated to be approximately ten times faster than conventional boring machines, with hopes of making it even faster. Currently under development since May 2018.[35][36]
Tunnel projects and proposals [ edit ]
The Boring Company currently has active construction, or approved plans in place, in at least two areas of the United States, on opposite coasts. They have also been selected to build a downtown-to-airport loop by a government program for high-speed transport in Chicago.
Los Angeles [ edit ]
There have been three boring tunnel projects proposed in the Los Angeles area. One test tunnel was completed in November 2018, one proposal was halted after lawsuits and opposition arose, and one is still in progress as of November 2018.
Hawthorne Test Tunnel [ edit ]
The Boring Company began constructing a 2-mile (3.2 km) high-speed tunnel in 2017 on a route from Hawthorne, California along Interstate 405 to Westwood,[16] adjacent to the SpaceX headquarters and manufacturing facility. In May 2018, Musk said that tunnel boring is complete and the tunnel final work is nearly done, will be open in a few months, and that people can try it for free, pending regulatory approval, when it first opens.[37][38] In November 2018, the company announced the opening date of the tunnel December 10, 2018. The entry fee of the tunnel was announced $1 after free entry for day one.[39] The project was expected to open on December 11, 2018, but on December 6, Elon Musk announced via Twitter that the new opening date would be December 18, 2018.[40]
In September 2018, public information was released by the City of Hawthorne that a test spur and elevator has been proposed near the intersection of 120th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. The elevator spur would enable the conduct of engineering tests of automotive vehicles that could be driven onto "skates", engine turned off, with passenger and vehicle lowered into the tunnel spur for testing, with removal and return to the surface at the other end of the test track, near the SpaceX facility.[2]
Westside tunnel concept [ edit ]
In May 2018, The Boring Company announced an initial concept to develop a second privately funded tunnel in the Los Angeles area, a 2.7 mi (4.3 km)-long test tunnel on a north-south alignment parallel to Interstate 405 and adjacent to Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles, near the junction with Interstate 10. It was to be a single-tunnel shaft on private property, and was not to be utilized for public transportation but for experimentation, including public customer feedback to help the company learn so that they could submit more complete and better information to the California environmental regulator for a long-lead-time Environmental Impact Assessment for the broader loop tunnel transportation system that might be designed for the Los Angeles area.[35]:25:50
In the event, public opposition and lawsuits emerged, and in November 2018, TBC announced they would abandon plans to build the tunnel under the 405 freeway and Sepulveda Boulevard.[41]
Dugout Loop [ edit ]
A proposal to build a 3.6-mile (5.8 km) tunnel called the "Dugout Loop" was first publicly discussed in August 2018. The tunnel would extend from a to-be-determined location on Vermont Avenue (three different possibilities were suggested in the original document) to terminate at Dodger Stadium. The project would be a public-private partnership, if approved and built, and it is anticipated construction would require 14 months to complete.[42] Also in August, the City of Los Angeles published a study and environmental checklist for the proposed project, detailing an overview of the project, alignment, construction and operational effects on the city, along with a list of the sixteen California public regulatory agencies that would oversee and permit various aspects of the project.[43]
Baltimore [ edit ]
A 12.4-mile (20.0 km) electric-sled dual-bore tunnel has been permitted in Baltimore, Maryland where construction was slated to begin in early 2018. The initial work would extend from Maryland Route 175 to downtown Baltimore terminating near Camden Yards.[19] Utility permits were issued to extend a full 35 miles (56 km) from Baltimore to Washington DC, between Penn Station in Baltimore to Washington Union Station.[18][needs update]
Chicago [ edit ]
A competition to build a high-speed link from downtown Chicago to the soon-to-be-expanded O’Hare Airport was reduced to two bidders by March 2018.[26] The Boring Company was selected in June 2018[44] and after that would work to negotiate a contract to be presented to the Chicago City Council.
Construction is to be entirely financed by The Boring Company, which is subsequently to maintain and operate the link. The system would transport passengers in automated electric cars carrying 16 passengers (and their luggage) through two parallel tunnels running under existing public way alignments, traveling from Block 37 to the airport in 12 minutes, at speeds reaching 125 to 150 miles per hour (200 to 240 km/h), with pods departing as often as every 30 seconds.[45]
Local politicians and civic groups criticized the proposed project as unnecessary, having environmental impacts, using unproven technology, and for a lack of transparency.[46][47][48] At a forum of mayoral candidates in January 2019, most expressed reservations about the project.[49] The project has not yet been approved by the Chicago mayor's office or the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.[50][51]
San Jose [ edit ]
In February 2019, San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo announced that he had held talks with The Boring Company regarding a link between San Jose International Airport and Diridon station, as an alternative to a traditional rail link that had been costed at $800 million.[52]
Future goals [ edit ]
According to Musk, the company's goal is to enhance tunneling speed enough such that establishing a tunnel network is financially feasible.[53][9]
"If you think of tunnels going 10, 20, 30 layers deep (or more), it is obvious that going 3D down will encompass the needs of any city’s transport of arbitrary size." Elon Musk[54]
Future boring operations will implement a contemporaneous operation of boring and tunnel reinforcement to reduce the cost of the tunnelling operations, in addition to the reduction of tunnel size, re-using soil materials for tunnel construction, and further technological improvements.[55]
According to Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX board member Steve Jurvetson, tunnels specifically built for electric vehicles have reduced size and complexity, and thus decreased cost. “The insight I think that's so powerful is that if you only envision electric vehicles in your tunnels you don't need to do the air handling for all carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, you know, basically pollutants for exhaust. You could have scrubbers and a variety of simpler things that make everything collapse to a smaller tunnel size, which dramatically lowers the cost... The whole concept of what you do with tunnels changes.”[56]
Musk also hinted at the possibility that the underground infrastructure technology might be used for his project of creating a self-sustaining human colony on Mars: "I do think getting good at digging tunnels could be really helpful for Mars. For sure there's going to be a lot of ice mining on Mars, and mining in general to get raw materials. You can build a tremendous amount underground with the right boring technology on Mars. So I do think there is some overlap in that technology development arena."[57] "And then, along the way, building underground habitats where you could get radiation shielding... you could build an entire city underground if you wanted to".[58][59][60]
Marketing and promotional merchandise [ edit ]
In 2018, the company began to engage in a number of marketing promotions and offered several types of promotional merchandise to consumers. To date, these have included hats, bricks, fire extinguishers, and "flamethrowers".
The company began its consumer sales by offering 50,000 hats and once those sold out in January 2018, it began offering 20,000 "flamethrowers" for preordering.[61][62] The Boring Company's "flamethrower" was a blow torch shaped to look like a gun and it is legal to use in all U.S. states except for Maryland.[63] The sale of the "flamethrower" attracted criticism, with politician Miguel Santiago seeking to introduce legislation that would ban sales of the device in California. In just a few days, all 20,000 "flamethrowers" were sold out, but after customs officials said that they would not allow any items called 'flamethrowers', Elon Musk announced on Twitter that he would rename them to "Not-A-Flamethrower" and subsequently updated the Boring Company website where it also states that it is the "world's safest flamethrower". Musk also announced separate sales of the Boring Company Fire Extinguisher, which he described as "overpriced... but this one comes with a cool sticker".[64]
In March 2018, Musk announced on Twitter that the company would soon be launching a new type of merchandise, which he described as "lifesize LEGO-like interlocking bricks made from tunneling rock that you can use to create sculptures & buildings".[65] As of October 2018, The Brick Store was planned to open at 12003 Prairie Avenue, Hawthorne adjacent to the Boring Test Tunnel exit shaft.[66]
See also [ edit ]Jackie Biskupski said she was "deeply humbled" after taking the lead over incumbent Ralph Becker on election night, and her victory became official on Tuesday.
Rick Bowmer / AP Rep. Jackie Biskupski looks on during a Salt Lake City Mayor debate with Mayor Ralph Becker at the studios of KUED-TV in Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City — the capital of one of America's reddest states and the headquarters of the Mormon church — has officially elected its first openly gay mayor, officials announced Tuesday. Following the Nov. 3 election, Jackie Biskupski took 52.19% of the vote to incumbent Ralph Becker's 47.81%. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Biskupski said she was "deeply humbled by the outpouring of support I have received." The Salt Lake Tribune declared Biskupski the victor, though as of election night only about 46% of the votes had been counted and Becker did not concede. On Tuesday, the Salt Lake City Recorder's Office announced the official results: Biskupski had taken 51.55% of the vote to Becker's 48.45%. When initial results came in showing Biskupski had taken the lead, the crowd at her campaign headquarters erupted into cheers, according to journalists at the scene.
HUGE CHEERS for Jackie!
Biskupski joined a relatively small group of openly gay U.S. mayors that includes Annise Parker of Houston and Ed Murray of Seattle.
Though it may surprise outsiders unfamiliar with Salt Lake City's unique political environment, both candidates were Democrats with strong LGBT credentials. Biskupski first ran for, and won, a seat in Utah's House of Representatives in 1998. Her victory made her the first openly gay elected official in the state. On her website, Biskupski touts a record of "standing up for LGBT families on issues like adoption" and "the fight for anti-gay bullying legislation to protect students in Utah schools." But Becker is a well-known friend of Utah's LGBT community as well. When same-sex marriage became legal in Utah just days before Christmas in 2013, Becker showed up at the county clerk's office and performed marriages himself. Perhaps most significantly for this election, Becker won important endorsements from LGBT advocates in the state.
Kim Raff / ASSOCIATED PRESS Becker, center in red, marries Natalie Dicou, left, and Nicole Christensen, right, on Dec. 20, 2013.
While Utah is very red, Salt Lake City tends to be a reliable outpost of blue. Before Becker, Salt Lake City was led by Rocky Anderson — another LGBT-friendly Democrat who pushed environmental issues, opposed the Iraq war, and in 2011 launched a new political party. The last time the city elected a Republican mayor was in 1971. Salt Lake City is home to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church, which is culturally conservative and has supported anti-same-sex marriage laws, including and most famously Proposition 8 in California. But the city is also home to a thriving LGBT community, and while those two cultures are sometimes at odds, they also, sometimes, are not. Case in point: Both sides came together earlier this year to pass a non-discrimination bill.
Rick Bowmer / AP Becker and Biskupski are visible on a screen during a debate in October.
During the campaign, Biskupski won endorsements from organized labor and unveiled a plan she said would streamline the bureaucratic process for businesses. Becker — who finished second to Biskupski in the primary — countered that he would be better able to manage the city's thriving economy. He also cast himself as a moderate and courted Republicans.
Derek Kitchen — who helped overturn Utah's law prohibiting same sex marriage — also won an election Tuesday and picked up a city council seat. A small business owner who was seeking elected office for the first time, Kitchen was running to represent Salt Lake City's District 4.
Rick Bowmer / AP Derek Kitchen, left, and his husband Moudi Sbeity in Salt Lake City in 2014.Man drowns himself in a vat of whisky at world famous Scottish distillery
A man has killed himself by leaping into a vat of whisky at the Glenfiddich Distillery.
Brian Ettles, 46, drowned after he threw himself inside the 50,000-litre tank.
Paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene but the father-of-two died inside the wooden vat on Saturday.
The Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Banffshire in Scotland, which was closed today after senior distillery worker Brian Ettles leapt into a vat of whisky and died
It is believed the incident in Dufftown, Banffshire, took place the day after Mr Ettles’ wife Irene had celebrated her 54th birthday.
Family members were last night too distraught to speak about the tragedy as the distillery was closed for the second day running in tribute to Mr Ettles, who lived in nearby Keith.
Neighbour Eileen Mackenzie, 67, said: ‘I am just really shocked.
‘It’s such a horrible way for someone to go and most people I have spoken to are really quite upset about it.
‘He was just a young man and I have no idea what might have made him want to take his own life in such a way.’
As well as his wife, Mr Ettles also leaves daughter Julie, 25, and 21-year-old son Stuart.
Good stuff: Glenfiddich is the world's best-selling single malt whisky
He had a senior role at the distillery, where he had worked for 23 years.
The alarm was raised at around 10.40pm on Saturday, at which point it was hoped a rescue operation could still be launched to save Mr Ettles.
But he died inside the tank, known as a washback, which is used in the early stages of the distilling process.
A Glenfiddich spokesman said: ‘We decided to close as a mark of respect for the person who died. Our thoughts go out to his family.’
A waitress at The Commercial Hotel in Dufftown said Mr Ettles had been in the bar over the festive period.
She added: ‘Brian had been in a few times for food and a pint after he finished work.
‘Nobody here really knew him that well because he lived in Keith, but he seemed like a nice enough man. We are all really shaken up that he has died.’
A spokesman for Grampian Police said: ‘There are no suspicious circumstances.’
Glenfiddich is the world’s best-selling single malt whisky.Hackenberg’s back story is well chronicled: His father, Erick, grew up in Pennsylvania coal country, dreamed of playing quarterback for Paterno and wound up as a backup at Virginia. The pull of State College was strong, and O’Brien, while winning eight games with an undermanned team in 2012, played the recruitment hand to convince the much-sought-after Hackenberg that three years with no postseason opportunities would be a better deal for him than he would get anyplace else.
Beyond O’Brien’s reputation as an offensive guru — he was a coordinator for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in New England — there was resonance in the pitch, even if O’Brien would soon bail on it. Proof was the relief and, yes, the joy that the 2012 team produced for a university and a community scarred by the Jerry Sandusky horror and the subsequent dismissal and death of Paterno.
There were no bowl dollars for two years, but as it turned out, there was plenty of currency in making the most of the privilege of still existing.
“Every single week we went out there thinking we had to prove something,” Mike Hull, a senior middle linebacker, said.
When O’Brien left, the Hackenbergs took the high road, saying that he had been honest with them during the negotiating process and that they understood college football was, after all, big business.
Still, the family had to think about what to do next, depending on the identity of the new coach.
That coach was James Franklin, formerly of Vanderbilt, by reputation a world-class recruiter and talker, who began his postgame news conference Saturday night by thanking reporters for covering the game and ended it by cautioning them to drive home safely.
It didn’t take long for him to persuade Hackenberg that his passing fancies and N.F.L. prospects would be unaffected, which was logically the first priority. But Hackenberg, given a chance to reconsider his original choice, to sit out a season and to rematerialize in 2015 at another football factory, again did not fall for the bowl-game hype, the friends-of-the-program junket gifting.A potential trade war between Canada and the United States was averted Friday when the U.S. Congress passed a massive spending bill that also repealed a controversial meat labelling law.
The 2,000-plus pages of legislation contained a two-page rider that scrapped the U.S. labelling law, known as COOL, which had become a major irritant among Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
U.S. President Barack Obama formally signed the bill Friday to complete the legislative process.
The World Trade Organization granted Canada and Mexico the right to impose $1 billion in punitive tariffs on various U.S. products after finding that the country-of-origin labelling provisions on beef and pork products violated international trade rules.
Canada and Mexico argued that the measure was nothing more than thinly disguised protectionism. Supporters said consumers have a right to know where their meat comes from.
'Real vindication'
International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay both welcomed the passage of the legislation, calling Friday "a great day for Canada."
"This is a real vindication of the power and significance of the WTO dispute-resolution mechanism, which has secured a real win for Canada," Freeland said in a teleconference call from Nairobi, where she and MacAulay were taking part in a trade conference.
"This is a decision that will have a real and immediate benefit to the Canadian economy."
Freeland said she expects the labelling regime will disappear quickly.
"We will be monitoring the situation to make sure there are no problems in this area," MacAulay added.
The ministers thanked Canadian diplomats and some American politicians and industries that supported doing away with the measure. The U.S. Senate had been the last barrier because domestic political interests kept some senators opposed to repealing the law.
U.S. senator relieved
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, the Republican chair of the Senate's powerful agriculture committee, expressed relief Friday at the news. Roberts said the retaliatory measures would have been damaging to various sectors of the U.S. economy.
"From the ranchers in Kansas to the jewelry makers on the East Coast, every state had something to lose from keeping mandatory COOL intact," Roberts said in a statement.
The WTO ruling, the latest in a series that Canada won in the dispute, had cleared the way for widespread retaliation.
The targeted U.S. products included not only agricultural ones such as cattle, pork, apples, rice, maple syrup and wine, but extended to non-agricultural products, such as jewelry, office chairs, wooden furniture and mattresses.
Freeland said Canada still intends to obtain formal approval next week from the WTO for retaliation, even though the tariffs won't be imposed.
"We think that it is prudent of us to take the legal process to its formal, technical conclusion," she said.3. Eugene in Purple Hibiscus
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Thanks to a combination of modern investigative journalism and the public’s raving thirst for knowledge about the private lives of public figures, it’s increasingly difficult to two-face the system, to act like a moral exemplar in public and a monster at home. It still happens with shocking frequency, however, and Adichie’s beautiful tale of post-colonial Nigeria plays off this very premise. Eugene Achike is a prominent and respected Catholic businessman, but behind the guise of community activist lies a man who is not only overbearing and controlling towards his family, but beats them to a pulp as well. Abusing your children is bad, doing it while everyone praises you for being kind-hearted is worse.
4. Glen Waddell in Bastard out of Carolina
by Dorothy Allison
Dorthy Allison’s novel takes place in Greenville, South Carolina in the 1950s. It’s a grim place, struck by poverty and misogyny, and it spares the Boatwright women no moment’s rest. At the heart of their struggles is Glen Waddle. As bad stepfathers go, Waddell makes Humbert Humbert look like a good option. Waddell repeatedly violently rapes his young (we’re talking pre-teen) step-daughter Bone. One episode is so violent that he actually breaks her bones.
5. Jack Torrance in The Shining
by Stephen King
Thanks to Jack Nicholson’s creepy portrayal in the film version of The Shining, Jack Torrance might be the most famous bad dad on this list. Make no mistake, Torrance earns his infamy. Before the ill-fated trip to the haunted hotel in the Rockies, he was an alcoholic prone to violent episodes. He even lost his job after he broke his son’s arm. When the evil forces in the hotel unleash Jack’s violent streak, he goes AWOL on his family and then tries to murder them.
6. David Melrose in Never Mind
by Edward St. Aubyn
While it’s hard to beat a pyscho-killer father like Jack Torrance, psychologically manipulative fathers also deserve a spot on this list. Never Mind is part of a five book series which Edward St. Aubyn loosely based on his life growing up in a dysfunctional aristocratic English family. The father, David Melrose, is cruel and manipulative (and sexually abusive), waging a kind of psychological war on his family. For example, Melrose “knew that his unkindness to [his wife] was effective only if he alternated it with displays of concern and elaborate apologies for his destructive nature.” Not surprisingly, the later books in the series explore the repercussions of the father’s mental abuse, from depression to addiction to heroin.
7. James MacNamara in Down by the River
by Edna O’Brian
Edna O’Brien’s fiction is known for giving a voice to Irish women. As a result, it often exposes the ways in which men take advantage of Ireland’s patriarchy. Down by the River tells the story of a 14-year old girl named Mary MacNamara who is raped by her father James. The obvious monstrosity of this crime is doubled because it is Mary, not James, who must suffer the consequences. James “cooperates” with the law and avoids prosecution. Meanwhile, after a failed abortion attempt abroad, Mary is forced into an insane asylum and given over to religious fanatics who insist on her having the baby.
8. Alexander Zalachenko in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Series
by Steig Larsson
If one good thing can come of bad fathers, it is ass-kicking daughters hell-bent on revenge. Alexander Zalachenko is an ex-soviet spy and crime boss who dabbles in about every reprehensible trade you can think of, from assassinations to prostitution rings. When Lisbeth is a girl, Zalachenko beats his wife to within an inch of her life, thus leading Lisbeth down the path to becoming her future awesome, hacker/vigilante self. Without giving the series away, let’s say Zalachenko’s parenting only gets worse from there.
9. Rabbit Angstrom in Rabbit, Run
by John Updike
Janet Angstrom made our list of Worst Mothers in Literature, but that doesn’t mean that Rabbit isn’t an equally terrible husband and father. He’s a washed up ex-high school basketball star who can’t deal with adulthood. He abandons his family, knowing full well that his wife is struggling as a recovering alcoholic, and has an affair. Selfish and immature, Rabbit contributes to the sad fate of his family just as much as his wife.
10. Humbert Humbert in Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov
No list of bad fathers — and stepfathers — in literature would be complete without Humbert Humbert. Obsessed with a twelve year old girl, he manipulates his way into becoming her stepfather and has sexual relations with her. As this list will attest, Nabokov is no longer groundbreaking in writing a book about a pedophile, but what will solidify Humbert in the canon of bad fathers is the way that his psychology is laid bare. Humbert’s endless justifications and excuses for his desires, the way that he tries to shift the blame to Lolita; these gross distortions of reality are more important than simply acknowledging his inappropriate lust towards young girls.PHILADELPHIA — A military veteran seeking psychiatric treatment walked out of a waiting room at the Veteran Affairs medical center in Philadelphia and jumped to his death from its parking garage Thursday morning.
Gary Dorman of Mount Vernon, Pennsylvania, took his own life after he sought treatment at the hospital, an employee at the hospital told The Daily Beast. Dorman, 56, was a former patient and former employee at the hospital, the source said.
On Thursday morning, Doorman entered a “restricted area,” the employee said, adding that security removed him. Afterward, Dorman climbed the stairs to the third level of the parking garage and leapt to his death.
Spokesperson Fern Billet told The Daily Beast in a statement Friday that “we’re saddened to learn of the loss of a Veteran on our campus yesterday.... On behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs, we extend our deepest condolences to the veteran’s family, friends and neighbors. They are in our thoughts and in our prayers. VA is committed to caring for all of our Veterans, their families and communities.”
According to a witness, Dorman fell from the parking deck roof and struck a utility building with such force that it knocked his shoes from his feet before his body hit the ground.
The body was quickly taken from the scene, said the witness, which was swarming with VA police, other uniformed federal agents, as well as a “bunch of guys in suits.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in April how a VA probe found that “of all the VA regional offices, ‘Philadelphia is clearly the most problematic’” and that within it “there is such fear of reprisal, and fear from the employees who I believe are trying to do a good job,” according to Assistant Inspector General Linda Halliday.
During hearings the first week of November for a joint congressional investigation into VA services and contracting practices, Halliday as well as the head of the Wilmington Veterans Office repeatedly invoked their Fifth Amendment right regarding questions about an “alleged scheme to get herself assigned to the job with less responsibility, the same pay, and a cost to the government of nearly $300,000 in relocation expenses.”
In July, a Philadelphia VA psychiatrist told a veteran on Facebook, “off yourself, please.”
From 1994 to 2004, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting, the agency paid over $200 million in wrongful-death claims to nearly 1,000 grieving families, including 36 in Pennsylvania, among them “decorated Iraq war veterans who killed themselves after being turned away from mental health treatment.”
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with information on the decdent.Château Pétrus from the Pomerol wine region.
The Pomerol AOC (#14) within the "Right Bank" wine region of Bordeaux. It is located just north of the city of Liborne south of Lalande-de-Pomerol (#15), northwest of Saint-Émilion (#21) and east of Fronsac (#12). Also pictured in the map is the "Left Bank" wine regions of the Médoc including St-Estèphe (#3), Pauillac (#4), St-Julien (#5) and Margaux (#8).
Pomerol is a French wine-growing commune and Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) within the Libournais ("Right Bank") in Bordeaux. The wine produced here is predominately from Merlot with Cabernet Franc playing a supporting role.[1] Unlike most other Bordeaux communes, there is no real village of Pomerol, although there is a church. The houses are set among the vineyards.[2][3]
The region was recognized as a distinct wine region apart from Saint-Émilion and the greater Libournais region by the French government in 1923 and was granted AOC status in 1936 as part of the first wave of AOC establishments by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO).[1] While it is now one of the most prestigious of the Bordeaux AOCs, this situation is relatively recent, dating to the second half of the twentieth century, which is often given as one of the reasons why Pomerol is not included in any of the Bordeaux classifications.[4][5][6]
Pomerol is the smallest of the major fine wine regions in Bordeaux, covering an area that is roughly three kilometers wide by 4 kilometers long. It is roughly one-seventh of the size of its much larger Right Bank neighbor Saint-Émilion AOC and is on par with the smallest Left Bank commune of Saint-Julien AOC in the Médoc. In 1998, there were 784 hectares of grape vines planted within the AOC boundaries producing 36,066 hectoliters (≈ 952,763 gallons or 400,733 cases) of wine.[1] In 2003 there were 150 declared producers in Pomerol harvesting 780 ha and producing a year average of 32,250 hl (around 358,333 cases) of wine. Almost all the wine is estate-bottled. Unlike other French wine regions, such as Burgundy and the Rhône Valley, there are no co-operatives currently operating in Pomerol.[3] By 2007, the number of planted hectares had risen slightly to 800 ha (1980 acres).[7]
While many Pomerol wines now fetch very high prices at wine auctions and in the private market on a par with the most highly rated classified growths of Bordeaux, there is no official classification of Pomerol wine. However, the region does contain one property widely held to be equivalent to premier cru: Château Pétrus.[2][3]
History [ edit ]
After the Crusades, many returning Knights Hospitaller established themselves in the Libourne/Pomerol area building hospitals and hostels.
The Pomerol region, and its northern border, the Barbanne river was historically considered the frontier boundary between the north where people spoke the Langues d'oïl and the south where they spoke the Langue d'oc.[7] Though it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when grapes were first planted in the Pomerol region there is enough evidence to show that viticulture was present in the area during the time of the Romans.[8] Similarly there is uncertainty as to the origins of the name "Pomerol", although there is some speculation that it stems from the Latin word poma which refers to a fruit bearing seeds and is the origin of the French word pomme, meaning apple. This theory is supported by the region's long history of polyculture with many other crops, particularly fruits and grains, being cultivated in the area long before viticulture became a primary focus.[3]
In 1270, the English founded the city of Libourne, which may have brought the vineyards of Pomerol to wider attention. However, as with most of Bordeaux, the wines of Pomerol were of lesser repute than the wines from further up the Garonne in the present-day departments of Tarn-et-Garonne and Lot-et-Garonne. The area's location along the major pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain also attracted the interest of the Knights Hospit |
and final heats of the men’s competition, carrying on in 25-foot swells that produced staggering 40-foot — and even a few 50-foot — wave faces, as the swells hit the rocky Nelscott Reef. The men looked like ants streaking down mountains to the hundreds of spectators watching with binoculars and gawking open-mouthed from the Lincoln City cliffs.
Photo
But as the day’s toll began to mount — broken surfboard leashes, damaged and sunk Jet Skis (used to ferry surfers back and forth from the beach) and shaken surfers — organizers and competitors thought better of making Tuesday the historic day. A pivotal moment came when the women had donned their wet suits and headed to the beach, only to run into Tim West, a Mavericks veteran who had gone airborne during his heat and then was held underwater by the wave he had tried to ride and the one after it. He was so rattled that he skipped his next heat, and on the shore his eardrums were still crackling like tinfoil.
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“He looked scared and said, ‘I don’t want to tell you how big it is,’ ” Maidana said. “This is a guy who absolutely charges the waves at Mavericks.”
Linden, sitting out in the wave lineup on a jet ski and scurrying out of the way as big sets of breakers came through, said he envisioned a women’s heat turning into “a disaster.” Over the radio, he agreed with the women that their heat should be delayed until Wednesday.
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A moment after the decision came, a photographer and his Jet Ski driver lost power in their vehicle, were rear-ended by a massive wave and then got swept end over end all the way to shore by the breakers that followed. The photographer, who damaged a knee ligament, said he “thought I wasn’t going to make it, twice.”
Kennelly, long a pioneer among women surfers, said that at some point it was smart to acknowledge the differences between men and women.
“We’re giving up 50 and 60 pounds to the guys,” she said. “They’re much stronger paddlers, and, even then, they were struggling Tuesday with the off-shore breeze and being blown back off the waves like a kite. Think of how it would have been for a girl weighing a buck-oh-five. It would have been like a Nascar crash — good entertainment, but not so good for us.”
In Wednesday’s relatively lighter conditions, the women still stared down wave faces four and five times their body length and a breaking point that shifted around the reef and had them skittering out of the way and struggling to set up on waves.
“I’ve never been so pounded on my head in my life,” Maidana said.
At the end of the heat, Shaughnessy lost an edge at the top of a wave, and it snapped her board in half.
Still, there were some golden moments. About halfway through the hourlong heat, Shaughnessy and Kennelly took off down a 20-foot face and split in opposite directions. With just a few minutes left — and many shouts of encouragement from the spectators on the shore — Maidana finally streaked down her first two waves of the day.
Afterward, on the beach, the three competitors talked about a bigger field next year and even a full-fledged big wave tour for women.
“There has to be a women’s tour,” Kennelly said, offering to show up for more events even though she has sworn off judged contests in favor of chasing big swells around the world. Kennelly said she would also like to see more categories for women in the annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards competition, which rewards riders caught on film in some of the hairiest surf.
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Male surfers agreed it was high time for women to have a competition like this to compete in.
“These girls are putting in time around the world,” West said, “and they deserve more.”As if multiple new character posters weren’t enough for you already today, Marvel Studios has debuted two more promotional pieces for Guardians of the Galaxy, the first a featurette focusing on Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill and the second (via Yahoo!) a TV spot allowing viewers to “meet Groot.” You can check them both out in the players below.
An action-packed, epic space adventure, the movie expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
Opening in theaters on August 1, the big screen adaptation stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close and Benicio del Toro.Doug Mataconis · · 5 comments
Afghanistan’s President, who has become a thorn in America’s side in recent years thanks to allegations of corruption, election fraud, and secret deals with Iran, is now saying that he thinks the United States needs to reduce its military presence in his country:
President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday that the United States must reduce the visibility and intensity of its military operations in Afghanistan and end the increased U.S. Special Operations forces night raids that aggravate Afghans and could exacerbate the Taliban insurgency.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Karzai said that he wanted American troops off the roads and out of Afghan homes and that the long-term presence of so many foreign soldiers would only worsen the war. His comments placed him at odds with U.S. commander Gen. David H. Petraeus, who has made capture-and-kill missions a central component of his counterinsurgency strategy, and who claims the 30,000 new troops have made substantial progress in beating back the insurgency.
“The time has come to reduce military operations,” Karzai said. “The time has come to reduce the presence of, you know, boots in Afghanistan... to reduce the intrusiveness into the daily Afghan life.”
(…)
In an hour-long interview with Post reporters and editors in his office in Kabul, Karzai said he was speaking out not to criticize the United States but in the belief that candor could improve what he called a “grudging” relationship between the countries. He described his own deep skepticism with American policy in Afghanistan – from last year’s presidential election, which he said was manipulated by U.S. officials, to his conviction that government corruption has been caused by billions of American dollars funneled to unaccountable contractors. And he said Afghans have lost patience with the presence of American soldiers in their homes and armored vehicles on their roads.
Karzai has long been publicly critical of civilian casualties at the hands of U.S. and NATO troops and has repeatedly called for curtailing night raids into Afghan homes. Under Petraeus and his predecessor, such raids by U.S. Special Operations troops have increased sharply, to about 200 a month, or six times the number being carried out 18 months ago, said a senior NATO military official, who requested anonymity so that he could speak candidly about the situation. These operations capture or kill their target 50 to 60 percent of the time, the official said.
To American commanders, the nighttime strike missions are a crucial weapon to capture Taliban commanders, disrupt bomb-making networks and weaken the 30,000-man insurgency in Afghanistan. In the past three months, U.S. Special Operations troops have killed or captured 368 insurgent leaders. On each mission, Afghan commandos accompany U.S. troops and Afghan officers work with the Special Operations command at Bagram Airfield to choose targets, military officials said.
“We understand President Karzai’s concerns, but we would not be as far along as we are pressuring the network had it not been for these very precision operations we do at night,” the NATO military official said. “I don’t see any near-term alternative to this kind of operation.”
But Karzai was emphatic that U.S. troops must cease such operations, which he said violate the sanctity of Afghan homes and incite more people to join the insurgency. A senior Afghan official said that Karzai has repeatedly criticized the raids in meetings with Petraeus and that he is seeking veto power over the operations. The Afghan government does not have the type of legal arrangement that the Iraqi government has with U.S. forces to approve particular military operations.
“The raids are a problem always. They were a problem then, they are a problem now. They have to go away,” Karzai said. “The Afghan people don’t like these raids, if there is any raid it has to be done by the Afghan government within the Afghan laws. This is a continuing disagreement between us.”
Karzai, who said during his inaugural speech last year that he would like to have full Afghan security control by 2014, said that the U.S. military “should and could” draw down its forces next year. He acknowledged that an abrupt withdrawal would be dangerous, but said that American soldiers should confine themselves more to their bases and limit themselves to necessary operations along the Pakistani border. He said he wanted the U.S. government to apply more pressure on Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan while focusing on development projects and civilian assistance in Afghanistan.
Although he did not say how many U.S. troops he would prefer in Afghanistan, Karzai said that at current levels “you cannot sustain that.” There are about 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.Ten years ago, Army Colonel Terry Carrico watched a C-141 land at Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba. He had planned for the moment carefully, and he knew very well what the cargo was: 20 detainees sent from Afghanistan. Carrico was the first camp commander of what would become the world’s most famous terrorism prison, and this was its opening day.
He had choreographed, with machinelike precision, how his soldiers would take custody of the shackled, blindfolded detainees as they were led onto the tarmac from the cavernous plane. With 23 years of service as a military police officer, he didn’t let any emotion register in his face that day as he watched, but he was surprised at the appearance of the prisoners.
They were scrawny and malnourished to an alarming degree, hardly appearing like the crazed fanatics that Gen. Richard Myers, then the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, described that day back at a Pentagon press conference. “These are people,” the general said, invoking an alarming image, “that would gnaw through hydraulic lines in the back of a C-17 to bring it down, I mean.”
Carrico recalls that the detainees were actually compliant and docile that first day.
Now a corporate executive in Georgia, he considers the debate that is still raging over U.S. detention policy from a unique perspective, and he has reached conclusions that run counter to the prevailing political trends in Washington. The retired colonel says Guantánamo “should be closed," though he believes it never will be. He says “very few” of the men held there had valuable intelligence, at least while he ran the camp.
Carrico also says plainly that he believes it is wrong to keep people indefinitely without trial based on secret evidence. He argues that people captured in the war on terror should be arrested and tried in courts of law, not locked up at places like Guantánamo. “It goes against the way I was trained and what I believe,” he tells The Daily Beast, “to hold someone indefinitely with lack of evidence or proof.”
“Due process of law, all the things that we stand for as a country, and being a country of laws, it doesn’t sit well with me that we are going to continue to keep people in Guantánamo,” he said.
Carrico has the unusual credentials for someone making these points, for he was essentially the facility’s first warden.
It was in the final days of December 2001 that then defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld publicly announced that the U.S. military enclave in Cuba was the “least worst place” for a detention facility. The war in Afghanistan was underway, Kabul had fallen to U.S.-led forces, and captured prisoners were beginning to fill a makeshift site in Kandahar in the cold winter.
Carrico got his assignment late in December and landed at Guantánamo 72 hours later. He was shown some outdoor chain-link pens, overgrown by tropical weeds. “They were basically outdoor cages,” Carrico said, “It’s what you would normally find in a veterinarian’s facilities to hold animals.”
He took charge of the effort and worked fast: they were told to expect as many as 300 prisoners.
It was Jan. 11, 2002, less than two weeks after he got to Guantánamo that the first shipment arrived. Remember, this was before the Bush administration had announced that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to these detainees.
It was a different time: The U.S. had not yet adopted controversial secret interrogation rules, or techniques like waterboarding, sleep deprivation, stress positions to induce pain, forced nakedness, and other practices that created discomfort.
Still, Guantánamo was a harsh place even in those early days. Within weeks, as more and more detainees arrived on the flights from Afghanistan, Carrico wondered whether they were really capturing the worst of the worst. The detainees included an obviously mentally disturbed prisoner who was quickly dubbed “Crazy Bob.”
The heads and faces of the detainees, even the elderly ones, had been shaved in Afghanistan before their flight—a final insult to all of them on their departure. The guards back in Kandahar had done it.
Carrico said few seemed like they had valuable intelligence about terrorism. He said in the first few weeks, Rumsfeld arrived, and Carrico walked with him through the chain-link fences, passing the prisoners in orange.
“’I toured Camp X-ray with him and he said, ‘Colonel, what do you think we have here?’ and I said, ‘I think we have a bunch of soldiers there that were being paid.’ And I questioned their intelligence value.”
Rumsfeld’s response, Carrico said, was, “ ‘You know, Colonel, I think you are right.’ ”
Carrico was convinced that Rumsfeld agreed with him. “His impression was that they were not of any great intelligence value,” Carrico told The Daily Beast.
Earlier this year, researchers from the Seton Hall Law School Center for Policy and Research uncovered a 2003 memo from Rumsfeld, which indicated he knew that detainees at Guantánamo had little valuable information. “We need to stop populating Guantánamo Bay (GTMO) with low-level enemy combatants,” Rumsfeld wrote back then.
Rumsfeld’s office said he could not be reached for comment on this story.
Back in 2002, even Carrico himself insisted to reporters that the detainees were a deadly threat. “They are dangerous people,” he said in one interview back then. “Some of these people are directly related or responsible for 9/11.”
Now he explains, “at the time, we didn’t really know who we were receiving in detail.” He said he assumed everyone who was sent there must have been linked to the war on terrorism. "I made the statement,” he acknowledges. “I guess at the time I didn’t give it a second thought that they were not tied to 9/11 directly.”
The alleged masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, weren’t transferred to Guantánamo until 2006, five years after the prison opened. They were sent from CIA custody, and they are still housed separately from the other detainees.
Carrico’s job wasn’t to interrogate, it was solely to make sure the detainees were housed, fed, and secured properly. When it came to interrogations, he says, the general who ran the intelligence operations tried to ban military police officers from the rooms.
Carrico says he wouldn’t let that happen, insisting that his MPs always accompany the detainees when they were interrogated. “My MPs were going to ensure that detainees were not assaulted or mistreated in interrogation,” he says.
In February 2002, President Bush famously issued an order announcing that prisoners were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions, although he said they would be treated in a matter “consistent” with the conventions.
Carrico, who had been trained to run prisoner-of-war camps, says the president’s declaration didn’t affect him. “My training was founded in the Geneva Conventions and fair and humane treatment.”
But Carrico left Guantánamo in May 2002, and later that year the facility launched new procedures, where interrogation tactics and inmate treatment became increasingly coercive and unpredictable. By October 2002, Rumsfeld had signed a document authorizing aggressive interrogation techniques that included sleep deprivation, forced standing, the use of hot or cold temperatures, and other approaches. Guantánamo’s practices were later copied in Iraq and Afghanistan, investigations have found.
“If we did treatment that was in violation of the Geneva Convention,” Carrico says, “then I disagree with it.”
Since 2002, of course, the facility has undergone various phases and transformations. President Obama came to office vowing to close it down, and though that is still his administration’s policy, not a single detainee has been transferred out of Guantánamo since January 2011.
Some 171 men are still being held. Defense lawyers and former detainees say conditions have improved dramatically, but the legal status of the inmates is just as murky as ever. Dozens have been approved for release off the island but are still held there. Still others, the Obama administration says, will be tried by military commissions.
And 48 are in yet another category: they have been ruled to be too dangerous to release and yet impossible to ever prosecute in either military or civilian courts, according to a government task force.
Carrico says he thinks Guantánamo should be shut down. “I think it should be closed because it served its purpose,” he argues. Those captured in the future should be tried in court, he argues. Still, he doubts the facility will ever close, given the political realities. Indeed, Congress just passed a defense authorization act, which President Obama signed, requiring military custody for terrorism suspects.In this post, I laid out claims based on Emmanuel Macron’s campaign manager’s claims about having included fakes in the email targeted by hackers. Yesterday, the NYT had a story that explains (and in some small ways, possibly conflicts with) the earlier report on this. In it, Macron’s head of tech Mounir Mahjoubi explained that the campaign had done far more than provide false metadata; they had created entire false accounts with false documents.
“We created false accounts, with false content, as traps. We did this massively, to create the obligation for them to verify, to determine whether it was a real account,” Mr. Mahjoubi said. “I don’t think we prevented them. We just slowed them down,” he said. “Even if it made them lose one minute, we’re happy,” he said. Mr. Mahjoubi refused to reveal the nature of the false documents that were created, or to say whether, in the Friday document dump that was the result of the hacking campaign, there were false documents created by the Macron campaign. But he did note that in the mishmash that constituted the Friday dump, there were some authentic documents, some phony documents of the hackers’ own manufacture, some stolen documents from various companies, and some false emails created by the campaign. “During all their attacks we put in phony documents. And that forced them to waste time,” he said. “By the quantity of the documents we put in,” he added, “and documents that might interest them.”
Mahjoubi has said there were five authentic accounts hacked, which might help to put a scope on the fakes (though he has seemed to say different things about what got faked before, and he had claimed that the Russians had definitively not succeeded, which must now be regarded as affirmative — and understandable — disinformation).
Remarkably, creating a great deal of fake documents sounds like a lot of work, but the NYT also notes Mahjoubi’s department was only 18 people.
With only 18 people in the digital team, many of them occupied in producing campaign materials like videos, Mr. Mahjoubi hardly had the resources to track down the hackers. “We didn’t have time to try to catch them,” he said.
Which, particularly given earlier reports that France’s security services had contacted the Macron campaign, may suggest that DGSE (possibly with the help of NSA, which was providing intelligence in real time) put together the fake documents.
If true, that may suggest the most important part of any fake documents is one Mahjoubi didn’t mention. If I were loading up hackers with a bunch of fake documents, I’d include beacons, to provide a way to track both the hackers and the process by which the hackers distributed documents.
If Macron (or DGSE or some other intelligence agency) did this, I suspect we’ll find real answers to the topics covered in the rest of the story, which claim certain things were fakes due to Russian sloppiness, but given Mahjoubi’s justifiable unwillingness to say what was fake and not may yet prove. As I noted here, I have yet to see convincing evidence that Russian metadata in the documents was accidental, and given the Guccifer precedent, we should in no way assume it is.
In other words, if Macron is tracking these documents, we may find out a lot more shortly (though the French are also better at keeping secrets than American spooks have been of late).
As to the question of my underlying post — whether Macron had fooled Wikileaks, as distinct from a bunch of right wing propagandists who’ve never been remotely bound by facts — the verdict is still out. Given Wikileaks’ ostentatious show of vetting the documents, if Macron can prove fakes that Wikileaks has not itself proven, it will discredit Wikileaks’ ability to claim the ability to vet (and probably give Wikileaks pause in the future).
Still, particularly given the way Wikileaks succeeded in debunking fakes boosted by Democratically aligned sources in October by releasing real versions the day after the fakes, it’s worth noting that deliberate fakes have been released twice, and neither time have they had the full effect they might have had to discredit Wikileaks (in this case, in that Wikileaks never did “publish” as opposed to “link to” the documents). That in and of itself is worth notice. If Macron was more successful (and especially if we come to learn Macron seeded the fake documents with some kind of trackers) this operation may still serve as a deterrent in the future, which would be the best effect possible.
But Macron’s confirmation they faked content may also undercut claims of attribution to Russians.The art of manliness seems to be getting lost in the evolution of loosening social tolerance for accepting people for whatever they choose to be whether born man or woman. Medical science has provided the means and society has provided the way. So be it and I do not begrudge anyone their choice of lifestyle. I, however, am a man and proud of it. There is nothing that says that more clearly than the ability to grow different types of beards and be comfortable in my masculinity.
The Infographic – Different Types of Beards
Personally, I grow a beard simply because I am a man and it makes a bold statement. The power and influence of women are on the rise and rightly so. They have not been treated equally and there’s still a long way to go to right that wrong. However, one of the unintended consequences of that (he says tongue in cheek) is that men and manliness have been given less significance. A beard is a way to reestablish that significance. Just as in many cases of women’s boobs being their focal point and clear statement of their feminity, beards can be the man’s focal point and a statement of their masculinity. Yeah, sort of a tit for tat thing.
You knew it was coming! 🙂 Enough sparring, let’s get down to business and facts. How many different types of beards are there? Well, the answer is probably infinite and beyond so let’s limit our discussion to styles of beard. Those are easier to categorize. Then, you can tailor and create to your hearts content on exactly how you create your own unique look with different types of beards.
I prefer the long stubble style that’s halfway to being a full beard. It compensates for my slight overbite and is easy to maintain through the use of a beard and mustache trimmer. Hey, we all have some part of our appearance we’d like to improve. I find the beard is a better option than going to the doctor and having the jaw broken and surgically repaired. Yeah, I know. The manly guy would opt for the broken jaw and show how tough he is. Well, I happen to know that intelligence has a firm place in every man’s repertoire of working smarter, not harder.
Everybody has a preference and more importantly, a reason for wearing the style of beard they have. Let’s explore a few of those different types of beards and see where it leads.
Let’s start with the Bandholz which is common terms is often referred to as the extreme beard. That style sort of invokes the vision of mountain men and prospectors. Confidence and the ability to intimidate on sight drives most of the men who wear this style. They want to demonstrate their masculinity and go the extreme in proving their intent. Some current day football players lean in this direction as evidenced by this picture of Brett Keisel, a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don’t know about you but, I wouldn’t question his choice. This style of beard requires some intensive care to keep it from turning into a mound of hair with a mouth. Men like it for the obvious reason; impress and intimidate.
The Dutch style beard sans a mustache is another favorite. It can be called the chin strap as well for obvious reasons as it has the appearance of a strap that you’d see when wearing a motorcycle helmet or a football helmet. This style is difficult to grow to get the best appearance possible and requires daily maintenance to keep the lines sharp and straight. Men like this style because its clean cut and makes a strong statement about your desire to look sharp and professional.
The short stubble style is very popular. Many refer to it as the clean neckline beard. You see this style just about every day on actors, husbands and in commercials that are focused on women. Men like it because it has a note of rebellion to it and bad boy image. The style provides a clean view of the bottom of the neck. The trick to “getting it right” is to use the top of the adams apple as a guide and then follow the jawline outward when you shave. Yes, you do have to shave to keep that unkempt, rebellious air about you while still looking clean and well-groomed when someone gets close enough to care.
The Science of Beards and Facial Hair
The long stubble style has some definite benefits to it. It provides a much clearer definition of the shape of the beard and it’s substantial enough to style in a manner that hugs the shape of the jaw. It looks natural and sophisticated while requiring just enough maintenance to show everyone that you care how you look. This style has a rugged masculinity stamped all over it. There are no clean lines to maintain reducing the maintenance to a trim every two or three weeks and simply fade the edges rather than cut the lines in clean with a razor. If you have a solid, muscular physique and wear well-fitting close with an open neck, you will get some attention. It helps to look as good as this guy too.
Again, you knew this was coming. We study absolutely everything and analyze the hell out of it. It’s social obsession of every society. Why did he do that? We have to know. Ladies, you could find that out for yourself through doing a little empathic listening and observation, but that’s way too deep for this discussion. Let’s just look at what science has found out for us coincidentally using those very same empathic techniques. The website, “The Art of Manliness.”, has sponsored such a study. There are pros and cons related to work, women and the art of being manly. I will touch on the highlights here but read the entirety of the results for yourself as a means of self-enlightenment.
Society, in the collective sense, sees facial hair in this way as a comparison between a bearded man (even stubble) and a clean shaven man. The bearded man is considered to be mature, aggressive and dominant while the clean-shaven man is more sociable, healthy and has better hygienic practices. Interesting.
As for the workplace, this is what the report had to say, “A few scientific studies have looked specifically at employers when examining perceptions of facial hair. A 1990 survey of managers actually demonstrated a preference for beards. The participants looked at ink sketches of both bearded and clean-shaven men, and the managers rated bearded men as having a better personality, appearance, competence, and composure than unbearded men.”
Yes, the study looked at beards and sexual appeal. Be patient. The report has a lot more to say than I’ll cover here if you’re that anxious to know. The downer is that there was no definitive answer, but there were some identifiable trends. Heavy stubble was the preferred style and light stubble the least preferred. So, go big or go home is my takeaway. As expected, women found men with beards more masculine. Oddly enough, women expected men with beards to have better parenting skills (better husbands??). The last observation repeats what I just said a sentence ago. Go big or go home. Women don’t seem to like the stubble thing.
Anecdotal Women’s Stuff
There are a few forums online where things such as different types of beards are discussed openly. It’s a good gauge of what women really think about men’s beards … from The Student Room:
Sorry guys with beards but to me it indicates they are hiding something, the goatee in this present age is a representation (stereotypical) of pot smokers, so gives a base to my theory. Clean Shaven, please.
I used to be really attracted to beards on scruffy young men. But then I found out having a beard doesn’t mean you’re a good person. So now I guess I am indifferent towards them.
I hate full blown beards, but goatee’s and people who haven’t shaven in 1 or 2 days are alright
..if my boyfriend has stubble I tell him to shave, it’s horrible, and it prickles really hard!! More like scratches. Would hate the think of what damage a full on beard could do to my delicate girly skin. Nah, it’s a BIG NO from me.
Beards can be attractive on men wiv dark hair
Nah definitely not – would make them look older and wouldn’t be too pleasant to touch!
A little stubble’s nice, but don’t care for beardos.
This forum is based in the United Kingdom. I think our takeaway here is that a little stubble is ok, but the full and extreme beards are an apparent turn-off.
The End
I’d love to hear your take on different types of beards. I find men with beards to be delightful and unassuming. If you need help growing your beard try a beard growth spray.A "careless sock error" sent an area man to the emergency room early Tuesday morning, authorities say.
Fred Meyer, 49, was leaving for a run at his St. Cloud, Minnesota, home when the incident occurred. According to Meyers' wife, Brenda, Fred was eager to try out a pair of socks he'd just bought.
"They were these very high-tech things, pretty expensive," she told reporters. "And they had these letters on them: An 'R' on one, and an 'L' on the other. I didn't think anything of it at the time."
Neither did her husband.
Mr. Meyer put the socks on, authorities say, and even took a photo, which he shared on his Facebook page, before lacing up his shoes and heading out the door.
(Photo via Facebook)
He didn't get far.
"I was in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher, when I heard shrieking," says Brenda Meyer. "I went running."
"Well, not running running, like Fred runs. I ran to the front door, to see what was wrong. You know what I mean."
What she saw shocked her. Just steps from their front porch, Fred was on the ground, writhing in pain and clawing at his feet.
"It was so hard to watch," Brenda says. "All he kept saying was, 'My feet, my feet!'"
While neighbors called 911, Brenda removed Fred's shoes. That's when she noticed, again, the "R" and the "L" on her husband's socks.
"And then it hit me," she says, describing what she called a "sick" feeling in her stomach. "R and L. Right and left. Fred had put his socks on the wrong feet."
Emergency room doctors confirmed Brenda's suspicion. In a statement to reporters, a hospital spokeswoman said that doctors had concluded Mr. Meyers' injuries were due to "sudden catastrophic foot failure." In layman's terms: Mr. Meyers' right foot simply could not operate in a sock designed for a left foot, and vice versa. Faced with such a physiological disconnect, the statement said, the feet essentially "short circuit" and then shut down.
Experts say Mr. Meyers' case is not an isolated one.
"It's a condition we've seen a lot," says Gordon Lightfoot, M.D., chief of podiatry at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. "This trend toward asymmetrical-fit socks has been keeping us very busy."
What's needed, physicians and consumer watchdog groups say, is clearer labeling and better messaging.
"If manufacturers are going to market socks that only work on the right or left foot," says Dr. Lightfoot, "they have a responsibility to educate their customers in their proper use."
Until then, doctors advise using "Left/Right" socks with caution. Some advise their patients to avoid them altogether.
"Sure," says Dr. Lightfoot, "these socks complement the unique shape of each foot. But at what cost?"A short time ago I launched a new series called “The Bestsellers.” The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association tracks sales of Christian books, and awards the Platinum Book Award for books whose sales exceed one million, and the Diamond Book Award for sales exceeding ten million. In this series I am looking at the history and impact of some of the Christian books that have sold more than a million copies—no small feat when the average Christian books sells only a few thousand. We will encounter books by a cast of characters ranging from Joshua Harris, Randy Alcorn and David Platt all the way to Joel Osteen, Bruce Wilkinson and William Young. Today we look at a surprise bestseller that is one of the very few to have sold more than ten million copies.
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The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson
Bruce Wilkinson earned advanced theological degrees at several Christian seminaries and for a time served as a professor at Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon. In 1976 he began Walk Thru the Bible, a worldwide ministry that provides seminars and conferences to teach biblical doctrine. He remained at the helm from 1976 until 2003 when he was succeeded by Chip Ingram.
In 2000 Wilkinson teamed up with Multnomah Publishers to release The Prayer of Jabez : Breaking Through to the Blessed Life and almost from the moment of release, it left an indelible mark on Christian publishing. The book is based on two verses from 1 Chronicles 4: “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!’ And God granted what he asked.”
In the introduction Wilkinson says, “I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief—only one sentence with four parts—and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains they key to a life of extraordinary favor with God. This petition has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power.” The first chapter begins with these words: “The little book you’re holding is about what happens when ordinary Christians decide to reach for an extraordinary life—which, as it turns out, is exactly the kind God promises.” Moving to biography, he tells how thirty years earlier he had discovered that small prayer spoken to Jabez and had prayed it on a daily basis ever since. “In the pages of this little book, I want to introduce you to the amazing truths in Jabez’s prayer for blessing and prepare you to expect God’s astounding answers as a regular part of your life experience.”
Through the book he teaches Christians that if they repeat Jabez’s prayer and make it an integral part of their devotional life, they will experience God’s favor in new and remarkable ways. “I challenge you to make the Jabez prayer for blessing part of the daily fabric of your life. To do that, I encourage you to follow unwaveringly the plan outlined here for the next thirty days. By the end of that time, you’ll be noticing significant changes in your life, and the prayer will be on its way to becoming a treasured, lifelong habit.”
The rest of the book simply teaches Wilkinson’s interpretation of the prayer and his guidance on praying it |
Malfoy. "I think few of us would like to see the little murderess go free. By a show of hands, that additional compensation of one hundred thousand Galleons would be required to cancel the debt!"
The clerk began tallying, but that vote was also clear.
Harry stood there, breathing deeply.
You'd better not even have to think about this, Harry's inner Gryffindor said threateningly.
It's a major purchase, observed Ravenclaw. We ought to spend a lot of time thinking about it.
It shouldn't have been hard. It shouldn't have. Two million pounds was only money, and money was only worth what it could buy...
It was strange how much psychological attachment you could have to 'only money', or how painful it could be to imagine losing a bank vault full of gold that you hadn't even imagined existed just one year earlier.
Kimball Kinnison wouldn't hesitate, said Gryffindor. Seriously. Like, snap decision. What sort of hero are you? I already hate you just for having to think about it for longer than 50 milliseconds.
This is real life, said Ravenclaw. Losing all your money is a lot more painful for real people in real life than in heroic books.
What? demanded Gryffindor. Whose side are you on?
I wasn't advocating for a particular answer, said Ravenclaw, I was just saying it because it was true.
Could a hundred thousand Galleons be used to save more than one life if spent some other way? said Slytherin. We have research to do, battles to fight, the difference between being 40,000 Galleons rich and being 60,000 Galleons in debt is not trivial -
So we'll just use one of our ways to make money fast and earn it all back, said Hufflepuff.
It's not certain those will work, said Slytherin, and a lot of them require starting cash -
Personally, said Gryffindor, I vote that we save Hermione and then gang up and kill our inner Slytherin.
The clerk's voice said that the tally had been recorded and the vote had passed...
Harry's lips opened.
"I accept your offer," said Harry's lips, without any hesitation, without any decision having been made; just as if the internal debate had been pretense and illusion, the true controller of the voice having been no part of it.
Lucius Malfoy's mask of calm shattered, his eyes widened, he stared at Harry in sheer blank astonishment. His mouth had opened slightly, though he wasn't speaking, and if he was making any peculiar noises it couldn't be heard over the roar of simultaneous gasps from the Wizengamot -
A tap of stone silenced the crowd.
"No," said the voice of Dumbledore.
Harry's head jerked around to stare at the ancient wizard.
Dumbledore's lined face was pale, the silver beard was visibly trembling, he looked like he was in the final throes of a terminal illness. "I'm - sorry, Harry - but this choice is not yours - for I am still the guardian of your vault."
"What? " said Harry, too shocked to compose his reply.
"I cannot let you go into debt to Lucius Malfoy, Harry! I cannot! You do not know - you do not realize -"
DIE.
Harry didn't even know which part of himself had spoken, it might have been a unanimous vote, the pure rage and fury pouring through him. For an instant he thought that the sheer force of the anger might take magical wing and fly out to strike the Headmaster, send him tumbling back dead from the podium -
But when that mental voice had spoken, the old wizard was still standing there, gazing at Harry, long dark wand in his right hand, short black rod in his left.
And Harry's eyes also went to the red-golden bird with its claws resting on the shoulder of Dumbledore's black robes, silent when no phoenix should have been silent. "Fawkes," Harry said, his voice sounding strange in his own ears, "can you scream at him for me?"
The fiery bird on the old wizard's shoulder didn't scream. Maybe the Wizengamot had demanded that a spell of silence be put on the creature, otherwise it probably would have been screaming the whole time. But Fawkes hit his master, one golden wing buffeting the old wizard's head.
"I cannot, Harry!" the old wizard said, the agony clear in his voice. "I am doing as I must do!"
And Harry knew, then, as he looked at the red-golden bird, what he had to do as well. It should have been obvious from the beginning, that solution.
"Then I too will do what I must," Harry said up to Dumbledore, as though the two of them stood alone in the room. "You do realize that, don't you?"
The old wizard shook his trembling head. "You will change your mind when you are older -"
"I'm not talking about that," Harry said, his voice still strange in his own ears. "I mean that I will not allow Hermione Granger to be eaten by Dementors under any circumstances. Period. Regardless of what any law says, and no matter what I have to do to stop it. Do I still need to spell it out?"
A strange male voice spoke from somewhere far away, "Be sure that the girl is taken directly to Azkaban, and put under extra guard."
Harry waited, staring at the old wizard, and then spoke again. "I will go to Azkaban," Harry said to the old wizard, as though they stood alone in the world, "before Hermione can be taken there, and start snapping my fingers. It may cost me my life, but by the time she gets there, there won't be an Azkaban anymore."
Some members of the Wizengamot gasped in surprise.
Then a greater number started laughing.
"How would you even get there, little boy?" someone said, from among those who were laughing.
"I have my ways of going places," said the boy's distant voice. Harry kept his eyes on Dumbledore, on the old wizard staring at him in shock. Harry didn't look directly at Fawkes, didn't give his plan away; but in his mind he prepared to summon the phoenix to transport him, prepared to fill his mind with light and fury, to call for the fire-bird with all his might, he might have to do it upon the instant if Dumbledore pointed his wand -
"Would you truly?" the old wizard said to Harry, also as if the two of them stood alone in the room.
The room went silent again as everyone stared in shock at the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, who seemed to be taking the mad threat completely seriously.
The old wizard's eyes were locked only on Harry. "Would you risk everything - everything - only for her?"
"Yes," Harry said back in reply.
That's the wrong answer, you know, said Slytherin. Seriously.
But it's the true answer.
"You will not see reason?" said the old wizard.
"Apparently not," Harry said back.
The gazes stayed locked.
"This is terrible folly," said the old wizard.
"I am aware of this," answered the hero. "Now get out of my way."
Strange light glinted in the ancient blue eyes. "As you will, Harry Potter, but know that this is not over."
The rest of the world faded back into existence.
"I withdraw my objection," said the old wizard, "Harry Potter may do as he wishes," and the Wizengamot exploded in a roar of shock, only to be silenced by a final tap of the stone rod.
Harry turned his head back to look at Lord Malfoy, who looked like he'd seen a cat turn into a person and start eating other cats. To call the look confused did not begin to describe it.
"You would truly..." Lucius Malfoy said slowly. "You would truly pay a hundred thousand Galleons, to save one mudblood girl."
"I think there's about forty thousand in my Gringotts vault," Harry said. It was strange how that was still causing more internal pain than the thought of taking an over-fifty-percent risk to his life to destroy Azkaban. "As for the other sixty thousand - what are the rules, exactly?"
"It comes due when you graduate Hogwarts," the old wizard said from high above. "But Lord Malfoy has certain rights over you before then, I fear."
Lucius Malfoy stood motionless, frowning down at Harry. "Who is she to you, then? What is she to you, that you would pay so much to keep her from harm?"
"My friend," the boy said quietly.
Lucius Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "By the report I received, you cannot cast the Patronus Charm, and Dumbledore knows this. The power of a single Dementor nearly killed you. You would not dare venture near Azkaban in your own person -"
"That was in January," said Harry. "This is April."
Lucius Malfoy's eyes remained cool and calculating. "You pretend you can destroy Azkaban, and Dumbledore pretends to believe it."
Harry did not reply.
The white-haired man turned slightly, toward the center of the half-circle, as though to address the greater Wizengamot. "I withdraw my offer!" shouted the Lord of Malfoy. "I will not accept the debt to House Potter in payment, not even for a hundred thousand Galleons! The girl's blood debt to House Malfoy stands!"
Again the roar of many voices. "Dishonorable!" someone cried. "You acknowledge the debt to House Potter, and yet you would -" and then that voice cut off.
"I acknowledge the debt, but the law does not strictly oblige me to accept it in cancellation," said Lord Malfoy with a grim smile. "The girl is no part of House Potter; the debt I owe House Potter is no debt to her. As for the dishonor -" Lucius Malfoy paused. "As for the grave shame I feel at my ingratitude toward the Potters, who have done so much for me -" Lucius Malfoy bowed his head. "May my ancestors forgive me."
"Well, boy?" called the scarred man sitting at Lord Malfoy's right hand. "Go and destroy Azkaban, then!"
"I'd like to see that," said another voice. "Will you be selling tickets?"
It went without saying that Harry didn't pick this particular moment to give up.
The girl is no part of House Potter -
He had, in fact, seen the obvious way out of the dilemma almost instantly.
It might have taken him longer if he hadn't recently overheard a number of conversations between older Ravenclaw girls, and read a certain number of Quibbler stories.
He was, nonetheless, having trouble accepting it.
This is ridiculous, said a part of Harry which had just dubbed itself the Internal Consistency Checker. Our actions here are completely incoherent. First you feel less emotional reluctance to risk your bloody LIFE and probably DIE for Hermione, than to part with a stupid heap of gold. And now you're balking just at getting married?
SYSTEM ERROR.
You know what? said Internal Consistency Checker. You're stupid.
I didn't say no, thought Harry. I was just saying SYSTEM ERROR.
I vote for destroying Azkaban, said Gryffindor. It needs to be done anyway.
Really, really stupid, said Internal Consistency Checker. Oh, screw this, I'm assuming control of our body.
The boy took a deep breath, and opened his mouth -
By this point Harry Potter had entirely forgotten the existence of Professor McGonagall, who had been sitting there this whole time undergoing a number of interesting changes of facial expression which Harry had not been looking at because he was distracted. It would have been overly harsh to say that Harry had forgotten her because he did not consider her a PC. It could be more kindly said that Professor McGonagall was not visibly a solution to any of his current problems, and therefore she was not part of the universe.
So Harry, who at this point had a fair amount of adrenaline in his bloodstream, startled and jumped quite visibly when Professor McGonagall, her eyes now blazing with impossible hope and the tears on her cheek half-dried, leapt to her feet and cried, "With me, Mr. Potter! " and, without waiting for a reply, tore down the stairs that led to the bottom platform where waited a chair of dark metal.
It took a moment, but Harry ran after; though it took him longer to reach the bottom, after Professor McGonagall vaulted half the stairs with a strange catlike motion and landed with the astonished-looking Auror trio already pointing their wands at her.
"Miss Granger!" cried Professor McGonagall. "Can you speak yet?"
Much as with Professor McGonagall, there was a certain sense in which it could be said that Harry had forgotten about the existence of Hermione Granger, because Harry had been tilting his neck back to look upward rather than downward, and because he hadn't considered her a solution to any of his current problems. Though it was hardly certain, in fact it wasn't at all probable, that Harry remembering to look at Hermione or think about what she must be feeling, would have helped anything in the slightest.
Harry reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Hermione Granger full on -
Without thinking, without being able to help himself, Harry shut his eyes, but he'd seen.
Her school robes around her neck, soaked all the way through with tears.
The way she'd been looking away from him.
And the eye of memory and sympathy, which could not be shut, which could not look away, knew that Hermione had recounted the worst shame of her life in front of the nobility of magical Britain and Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore and Harry; and then been sentenced to Azkaban where she would be exposed to darkness and cold and all her worst memories until she went mad and died; and then she'd heard that Harry was going to give away all his money and go into debt to save her, and maybe even sacrifice his life
and with the Dementor standing only a few paces behind her
she hadn't said anything...
"Y-yes," whispered the voice of Hermione Granger. "I c-can talk."
Harry opened his eyes again and saw her face, now looking at him. It didn't say anything like what he thought Hermione was feeling, faces couldn't say anything that complicated, all facial muscles could do was contort themselves into knots.
"H-H-Harry, I-I'm so, I'm so -"
"Shut up," Harry suggested.
"s-s-sorry -"
"If you'd never met me on the train you wouldn't be in any trouble right now. So shut up," said Harry Potter.
"Both of you stop being silly," Professor McGonagall said in her firm Scottish accent (it was strange how much that helped). "Mr. Potter, hold out your wand so that Miss Granger's fingers can touch it. Miss Granger, repeat after me. Upon my life and magic -"
Harry did as he was bid, thrusting his wand forward to touch Hermione's fingers; and then Hermione's faltering voice said, "Upon my life and magic -"
"I swear service to the House of Potter -" said Professor McGonagall.
And Hermione, without waiting for any further instructions, said, the words spilling out of her in a rush, "I swear service to the House of Potter, to obey its Master or Mistress, and stand at their right hand, and fight at their command, and follow where they go, until the day I die."
All those words had been blurted out in a desperate gasp before Harry could have thought or said anything, if he'd been mad enough to interrupt.
"Mr. Potter, repeat these words," said Professor McGonagall. "I, Harry, heir and last scion of the Potters, accept your service, until the end of the world and its magic."
Harry took a breath and said, "I, Harry, heir and last scion of the Potters, accept your service, until the end of the world and its magic."
"That's it," said Professor McGonagall. "Well done."
Harry looked up, and saw that the entire Wizengamot, whose existence he'd forgotten, was staring at them.
And then Minerva McGonagall, who was Head of House Gryffindor even if she didn't always act like it, looked up high above at where Lucius Malfoy stood; and she said to him before the entire Wizengamot, "I regret every point I ever gave you in Transfiguration, you vile little worm."
Whatever Lucius was about to say in reply was silenced by a tap of the short rod in Dumbledore's hand. "Ahem!" said the old wizard from his podium of dark stone. "This session has carried on quite considerably, and if it is not dismissed soon, some of us may miss their entire luncheon. The law of this matter is clear. You have already voted on the terms of the bargain, and Lord Malfoy cannot legally decline it. As we have far exceeded our allotted time, I now, in accordance with the last decision of the survivors of the eighty-eighth Wizengamot, adjourn this session."
The old wizard tapped the rod of dark stone three times.
"You fools!" shouted Lucius Malfoy. The white hair was shaking as though in a wind, the face beneath was pale with fury. "Do you think you'll get away with what you've done today? Do you think that girl can try to murder my son and escape unscathed?"
The toad-like pink-makeup woman, whose name Harry could no longer remember, was standing up from her seat. "Why, of course not," she said with a sickening smile. "After all, the girl is still a murderess, and I think the Ministry shall be watching her affairs quite closely - it hardly seems wise that she should be allowed to wander the streets, after all -"
Harry was fed up at this point.
Without waiting to listen, Harry turned on his heel and strode forward in long steps toward -
The horror only he could truly see, the absence of color and space, the wound in the world, above which floated a tattered cloak; most imperfectly guarded by a running moonlit squirrel and fluttering silver sparrow.
His dark side had also noticed, when it was looking through the entire room for anything that could possibly be used as a weapon, that the enemy had been foolish enough to bring a Dementor into Harry's presence. That was a powerful weapon indeed, and one that Harry might wield better than its supposed masters. There had been a time in Azkaban when Harry had told twelve Dementors to turn and go, and they had gone.
The Dementors are Death, and the Patronus Charm works by thinking about happy thoughts instead of Death.
If Harry's theory was correct, that one sentence would be all it took to pop the Aurors' Patronus Charms like a soap bubble, and ensure that nobody within reach of his voice could cast another one.
I am going to cancel the Patronus Charms and prevent any more Patronuses from being cast. And then my Dementor, flying faster than any broomstick, is going to Kiss everyone here who voted to send a twelve-year-old girl to Azkaban.
Say that, to set up the if-then expectation, and wait for people to understand and laugh. Then speak the fatal truth; and when the Aurors' Patronuses winked out to prove the point, either people's anticipations of the mindless void, or Harry's threat of its destruction, would make the Dementor obey. Those who had sought to compromise with the darkness would be consumed by it.
It was the other solution his dark side had devised.
Ignoring the gasps rising from behind him, Harry crossed the radius of the Patronuses, strode to a single pace from Death. Its unhindered fear burst around him like a whirlpool, like stepping next to the sucking drain of some huge bathtub emptying out its water; but with the false Patronuses no longer obscuring the level on which they interacted, Harry could reach the Dementor even as it could reach him. Harry looked straight into the pulling vacuum and -
the Earth among the stars
all his triumph at saving Hermione
someday the reality of which you are a shadow will cease to exist
Harry took all the silver emotion that fueled his Patronus Charm and shoved it at the Dementor; and expected Death's shadow to flee from him -
- and as Harry did that, he flung his hands up and shouted "BOO!"
The void retreated sharply away from Harry until it came up against the dark stone behind.
In the hall there was a deathly silence.
Harry turned his back on the empty void, and looked up at where the toad-woman stood. She was pale beneath the pink makeup, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"I make you this one offer," said the Boy-Who-Lived. "I never learn that you've been interfering with me or any of mine. And you never find out why the unkillable soul-eating monster is scared of me. Now sit down and shut up."
The toad-woman fell back down to her bench without a word.
Harry looked further up.
"A riddle, Lord Malfoy!" the Boy-Who-Lived shouted across the Most Ancient Hall. "I know you weren't in Ravenclaw, but try to answer this one anyway! What destroys Dark Lords, frightens Dementors, and owes you sixty thousand Galleons?"
For an instant Lord Malfoy stood there with eyes slightly widened; then his face fell back into calm scorn, and his voice spoke coolly in reply. "Are you openly threatening me, Mr. Potter?"
"I'm not threatening you," said the Boy-Who-Lived. "I'm scaring you. There's a difference."
"Enough, Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "We shall be late for afternoon Transfiguration as it is. And do come back here, you're still terrifying that poor Dementor." She turned to the Aurors. "Mr. Kleiner, if you would!"
Harry strode back to them, as the Auror addressed moved forward and pressed a short rod of dark metal to the dark metal chair, muttering an inaudible word of dismissal.
The chains slithered back as smoothly as they had come forth; and Hermione pushed herself out of the chair as fast as she could, and half-ran and half-staggered forward a few steps.
Harry held out his arms -
- and Hermione half-jumped half-fell into Professor McGonagall's arms, beginning to sob hysterically.
Hmpfh, said a voice inside Harry. I kind of thought we'd earned that one ourselves.
Oh, shut up.
Professor McGonagall was holding Hermione so firmly that you might have thought it was a mother holding her daughter, or maybe granddaughter. After a few moments Hermione's sobs slowed, and then stopped. Professor McGonagall suddenly shifted her stance and grabbed onto her more tightly; the girl's hands were dangling limply, now, and her eyes were closed -
"She'll be fine, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said softly in Harry's direction, without looking at him. "She just needs a few hours in one of Madam Pomfrey's beds."
"All right, then," Harry said. "Let's get her to Madam Pomfrey's."
"Yes," said Dumbledore, as he descended to the bottom of the dark stone stairs. "Let us all go home, indeed." His blue eyes were locked on Harry, as hard as sapphires.
The Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot are departing their wooden benches, leaving as they came, looking rather nervous.
The vast majority are thinking 'The Dementor was frightened of the Boy-Who-Lived!'
Some of the shrewder ones are already wondering how this will affect the delicate power balance of the Wizengamot - if a new piece has appeared upon the gameboard.
Almost none are thinking anything along the lines of 'I wonder how he did that.'
This is the truth of the Wizengamot: Many are nobles, many are wealthy magnates of business, a few came by their status in other ways. Some of them are stupid. Most are shrewd in the realms of business and politics, but their shrewdness is circumscribed. Almost none have walked the path of a powerful wizard. They have not read through ancient books, scrutinized old scrolls, searching for truths too powerful to walk openly and disguised in conundrums, hunting for true magic among a hundred fantastic fairy tales. When they are not looking at a contract of debt, they abandon what shrewdness they possess and relax with some comfortable nonsense. They believe in the Deathly Hallows, but they also believe that Merlin fought the dread Totoro and imprisoned the Ree. They know (because that too is part of the standard legend) that a powerful wizard must learn to distinguish the truth among a hundred plausible lies. But it has not occurred to them that they might do the same.
(Why not? Why, indeed, would wizards with enough status and wealth to turn their hands to almost any endeavor, choose to spend their lives fighting over lucrative monopolies on ink importation? The Headmaster of Hogwarts would hardly see the question; of course most people should not be powerful wizards, just as most people should not be heroes. The Defense Professor could explain at great and cynical length why their ambitions are so trivial; to him, too, there is no puzzle. Only Harry Potter, for all the books he has read, is unable to understand; to the Boy-Who-Lived the life choices of the Lords and Ladies seem incomprehensible - not what a good person would do, nor yet an evil person either. Now which of the three is most wise?)
For whatever reason, then, most of the Wizengamot has never walked the path that leads to powerful wizardry; they do not seek out what is hidden. For them, there is no why. There is no explanation. There is no causality. The Boy-Who-Lived, who was already halfway into the magisterium of legend, has now been promoted all the way there; and it is a brute fact, simple and unexplained, that the Boy-Who-Lived frightens Dementors. Ten years earlier they were told that a one-year-old boy defeated the most terrible Dark Lord of their generation, perhaps the most evil Dark Lord ever to live; and they just accepted that too.
You are not meant to question that sort of thing (they know in some unspoken way). If the most terrible Dark Lord in history, confronts an innocent baby - why, how could he not be vanquished? The rhythm of the play demands it. You are supposed to applaud, not stand up from your seat in the audience and say 'Why?' It is just the story's conceit, that in the end the Dark Lord is brought down by a little child; and if you are going to question that, you might as well not attend the play in the first place.
It does not occur to them to second-guess the application of such reasoning to the events they have seen with their own eyes in the Most Ancient Hall. Indeed, they are not consciously aware that they are using story-reasoning on real life. As for scrutinizing the Boy-Who-Lived with the same careful logic they would use on a political alliance or a business arrangement - what brain would associate to that, when a part of the legendary magisterium is at hand?
But there are a very few, seated on those wooden benches, who do not think like this.
There are a certain few of the Wizengamot who have read through half-disintegrated scrolls and listened to tales of things that happened to someone's brother's cousin, not for entertainment, but as part of a quest for power and truth. They have already marked the Night of Godric's Hollow, as reported by Albus Dumbledore, as an anomalous and potentially important event. They have wondered why it happened, if it did happen; or if not, why Dumbledore is lying.
And when an eleven-year-old boy rises up and says "Lucius Malfoy" in that cold adult voice, and goes on to speak words one simply would not expect to hear from a first-year in Hogwarts, they do not allow the fact to slip into the lawless blurs of legends and the premises of plays.
They mark it as a clue.
They add it to the list.
This list is beginning to look somewhat alarming.
It doesn't particularly help when the boy yells "BOO!" at a Dementor and the decaying corpse presses itself flat against the opposite wall and its horrible ear-hurting voice rasps, "Make him go away."Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn resigned as the White House national security adviser Monday night after less than a month in the position.
The controversy around Flynn’s secret talks with the Russian ambassador is the first to draw real blood from the Trump White House, which has seen a series of cascading crises during its first three and a half weeks in office.
“Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador. I have sincerely apologized to the president and the vice president, and they have accepted my apology,” wrote Flynn in his resignation letter Monday evening. “I am tendering my resignation, honored to have served our nation and the American people in such a distinguished way.”
Flynn’s resignation will embolden lawmakers on the left and right who have called for deeper probes into the ties between the Trump White House and the Russian government. Multiple committees in the House and Senate are already in various stages of investigations, but some lawmakers have called for a 9/11-style independent commission to look into the matter. At the very least, Flynn’s departure will create pressure to broaden the existing Russia investigations.
“Michael Flynn is only resigning because he got caught by press reports revealing improper contacts with Russia,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, the top Democrat on the subcommittee overseeing the CIA, told The Daily Beast. “We must learn the full extent of any prior and existing personal, financial and political relationship between Donald Trump and the Russian government.”
In the interim, Retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Kellogg will serve as acting national security adviser, the White House announced. Kellogg, like Flynn, has spent decades in the military. He served two tours during the Vietnam War, then later was the commander of the famed 82nd Airborne Division and a director under the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A senior administration official said retired Navy SEAL Vice Admiral Robert Harward is the leading candidate to replace Flynn, ahead of the other man under consideration, retired Gen. David Petraeus. Harward worked closely with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis throughout his career, including serving as his deputy when Mattis headed Central Command. Harward has worked as an ABC News consultant and a defense contractor based in the Gulf since his retirement.
The official confirmed that the Justice Department had warned the White House that Flynn was a Russian blackmail risk, “which is preposterous,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Flynn’s resignation.
The official blamed many of the leaks on former Obama administration officials and holdover-officials from the previous administration still working at outside law enforcement and national security agencies.
“These assholes have impunity to leak classified documents to destroy an innocent man... they get away with it,” said the frustrated official of Flynn’s departure. “They shiv you with one hand and plug you with the other.”
President Trump, who weighed in on Twitter as the morning shows dissected Flynn’s demise, also questioned the origin of the media reports that had fatally undermined his national security adviser. “The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington?” he wrote.
Democratic lawmakers insist that Flynn’s resignation does not answer their pressing questions—including the full extent of his contact with the Russian government, and whether he was acting on the wishes of the president.
“Flynn’s departure does not end questions over his contacts with the Russians, which have been alleged to have begun well before Dec. 29. These alleged contacts and any others the Trump campaign may have had with the Kremlin are the subject of the House Intelligence Committee’s ongoing investigation,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. “Moreover, the Trump administration has yet to be forthcoming about who was aware of Flynn’s conversations with the ambassador and whether he was acting on the instructions of the president or any other officials, or with their knowledge.”
The strongest support for Flynn came from Moscow on Tuesday morning. Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Russian foreign affairs committee, said he did not desrve to lose his job and lashed out at Trump for allowing Flynn to resign. “Either Trump hasn’t found the necessary independence and he’s been driven into a corner,” he said. “Or Russophobia has permeated the new administration from top to bottom.”
Flynn’s resignation comes at the end of his 24th day in office—a day of contradictory messages from the Trump administration over Flynn’s status—and just hours after The Washington Post reported that the White House had been warned weeks earlier that Flynn’s misleading statements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador could make him a target for blackmail.
On Monday afternoon, presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway told MSNBC that the president had “full confidence” in Flynn. Yet Flynn’s resignation would be tendered before the day was even over.
Flynn appeared in the front row at Trump’s Monday news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—just in time to have to sit through a television correspondent’s live comments questioning whether he’d be fired. But the two American reporters Trump called on did not ask him about Flynn.
That awkward public appearance followed a weekend of ominous silence from the White House, after the admission by Trump officials that Flynn did discuss Obama administration sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak before Trump took office. That’s a potential violation of U.S law, first reported by The Washington Post.
Worse, Flynn told Vice President Mike Pence that he didn’t discuss sanctions, a claim Pence then repeated in defense of Flynn in multiple interviews.
The Trump administration officials delivering that news to the press Friday looked sucker-punched and disbelieving, even as they spoke the information out loud, on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
Perhaps they shouldn’t have been so surprised. According to The Washington Post, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates told Team Trump in late January that Flynn had misled his superiors—and maybe even opened himself up to blackmail. The directors of national intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency shared these concerns. “We’ve been working on this for weeks,” a senior administration official told the paper.
But then how to explain this past, surreal weekend? Flynn traveled together with Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, even advising the two leaders about the weekend’s North Korean missile launch over Saturday evening’s dinner. (That event is itself drawing fire from the intelligence world because Trump and Abe conferred with Flynn and other experts while at the dinner table, as waiters served salads and guests snapped selfies.)
Throughout, journalists in Florida and Washington, D.C., were trying to find out if the retired three-star would survive.
In what is arguably the most combative White House in ages when it comes to defending its people or its record, no one would answer the question “Does President Trump have confidence in his national security adviser?” Most glaringly, White House policy maestro Stephen Miller, who was rolled out on the Sunday shows to defend Trump’s executive order on refugees, refused to be drawn on Flynn’s plight.
“It’s a sensitive matter,” Miller said, telling NBC host Chuck Todd that it wasn’t his place to comment.
The controversy starkly revealed the divide among three key centers of power in the White House: Counselor to the President Steve Bannon’s senior staff in the Strategic Initiatives Group, pointedly staying out of the fray; Pence and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus’s traditional GOP quarter, struggling to determine whether it would be more damaging to let Flynn stay and look the other way, but invite congressional censure; and Flynn’s loyal tribe atop the NSC, resenting the hits their boss was taking but realizing this was, in soccer terms, an own goal.
The Trump administration’s detractors in Congress began to circle. On Friday, several Democratic lawmakers called on Flynn to step down from his position. And on Monday, all 15 Democrats on the House Oversight Committee called on Chairman Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah, to investigate Flynn’s ties to Russia—or step aside and allow the full committee to vote on whether to go ahead with such a probe.
Tension mounted Monday among Flynn’s friends, as well. His detractors took bets on when he would get booted out the door—and started trading names of those who might succeed him. Retired four-star Gen. David Petraeus was a popular choice. But in the end, another retired general officer, Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, would become the interim national security adviser.
Flynn exited with a campaign-minded flourish. He had gained notoriety on the political scene with ‘Lock Her Up’ chants during the Republican National Convention. He would exit the White House with similar slogans.
“I know with the strong leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and the superb team they are assembling, this team will go down in history as one of the greatest presidencies in U.S. history, and I firmly believe the American people will be well served as they all work together to help Make America Great Again,” read the ending of Flynn’s resignation letter.
He signed it: “Michael T. Flynn, LTG (Ret). / Assistant to the President / National Security Advisor.”
UPDATE 12:34 a.m.: The story has been updated throughout to reflect Flynn’s resignation.The U.S. Navy announced today (Apr. 7, 2014) that it plans to install and test a prototype electromagnetic railgun (EM railgun) aboard a joint high-speed vessel in fiscal year 2016 — the first time an electromagnetic railgun will be demonstrated at sea and a significant advance in naval combat.
EM railgun technology uses an electromagnetic force, known as the Lorenz Force, to rapidly accelerate and launch a projectile between two conductive rails. This guided projectile is launched at such high velocities that it can achieve greater ranges (up to 110 nautical miles) than conventional guns, a Navy statement says. It maintains enough kinetic energy that it doesn’t require any kind of high explosive payload when it reaches its target.
High-energy EM railguns are expected to be lethal and effective against multiple threats, including enemy warships, small boats, aircraft, missiles, and land-based targets.
“Against specific threats, the cost per engagement for EM railgun technology |
server-in-the-middle that generates fake V3 public keys with the same long keyid as V4 public keys requested from a keyserver. It uses the classic 0xdeadbeef attack and a (novel?) V3 key/V4 signature crossgrade.*) Available at: https://github.com/coruus/cooperpair/tree/master/keysteak As an example, a spoofed key for a Linux distro is attached. You can confirm that the spoofed key is *not* the real key (which is available at https://tails.boum.org/tails-signing.key) by doing either gpg2 --list-packets spoofed_tails.asc or, mkdir test; chmod go-rwx test gpg2 --home./test --import spoofed_tails.asc gpg2 --home./test -k --fingerprint * V3 signatures are not accepted without an explicit option in 2.1; they produce a warning in 2.0 (and maybe recent 1.x as well). (In summary: If you don't use the WoT, get OpenPGP keys via HTTPS. E.g.: keybase.io or pgp.mit.edu (the latter thanks to Yan Zhu's lobbying).) Some details/comments: Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2014 20:33:20 +0200 From: Thijs Kinkhorst <thijs at...ian.org> Subject: gpg blindly imports keys from keyserver responses > It is however argued that... specifying the full fingerprint is a safe way to retreive > a key for a known-good fingerprint. But this argument is again somewhat countered > by an attack on V3 [fingerprints] making such a request dubious again. This isn't quite right. - V3 fingerprints are 16 bytes (32 hex digits) long; they're an MD5 digest of the RSA modulus. - V4 fingerprints are 20 bytes (40 hex digits) long; they're an SHA1 digest of the public key packet (kind of). So: V3 and V4 fingerprints are easily distinguishable. Long keyids aren't: - V3 long keyids are 8 bytes long. They're the low 8 bytes of the RSA modulus. - V4 long keyids are 8 bytes long. They're the low 8 bytes of the V4 fingerprint. As Greg Rose demonstrated (and Paul Leyland had earlier noted)[1], this makes it trivial to forge long V3 keyids: You can control up to about half the bits of an RSA modulus without affecting the strength of the resulting key. Note: Once you have a key with a given 64-bit keyid in your keychain, GnuPG will not import any other key with the same 64-bit keyid.[2] Even if you specify the new key by fingerprint. It's been 18 years since the 0xdeadbeef attack. Maybe it's time to deprecate V3 OpenPGP keys? (There's a discussion on gnupg-devel on this presently; I am hopeful...) [1] Raph Levien's excellent explanation of the history and math of the 0xdeadbeef attack: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/sci.crypt/JSSM6NbfweQ [2] Thus the spoofed key and the real key are a "cooper pair". -------------- next part -------------- -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: GnuPG v2 mQIPA1IAAAAAAAEP+wTjDob0f11hgMumSe9OA3z05hFwsgDpr152QACoZYVt4rRp YVqBFCv3cckvd6mgldmxe7MdSa5C+IgWRiMYt8xIJKCN4gF/tNumsOjshptVLkiO bdb2XI+AqwuUbVIzNzKr+zYVhHOUwm87QA5HapVo1Mm4zE2i99YLV30BfDxQMQOV Ux6cnxLicS6edSvHqwO0rlOJGwp8XJT/DLJvfmkdHtkv4FNLKDEHLhsC9xSnm5y6 hrkwghRDJO69NenJWJbqAK63NIEGZhdgyaFBwls3JDIqKPenOjORoybuqw69MPcM snk3Z0cXHD+bHUPm0cQNhFiZYEWXQMjm9RTW5AvP0JeW2RFBPBzqtxUKntQBrdRF GU8Voas9SXUyBiaebrx5wzFBzBjbKZByTOA3T90S5FKTWJ3l4FBfSsSVjT/4WXn4 4QF26ATy0iowAe4l/089mp7qzEKSLCmTQPhhcPz1gX9OZOpkgBBi7dm55R08OX5y 4W98nnSiPQXNVf5DRWmKuWmrJHY7xan2E1A19z+7R/mG3AxUKboNerl3mD+3vLmk HAwZKo0bA297oOhZAY4TXnUNhwLazcGIgctETfuw63HMNvj7hbYAoJb7ghH1cpw9 6NNrVOMoz6A6JFFUYz3L0GPkP/lCukn637Zy9uixBtzss/QyFhICghy+LNnBABEB AAG0L1RhaWxzIGRldmVsb3BlcnMgKHNpZ25pbmcga2V5KSA8dGFpbHNAYm91bS5v cmc+iQI3BBMBCgAhBQJUNrtTAhsDBQsJCAcDBRUKCQgLBRYCAwEAAh4BAheAAAoJ EBICghy+LNnBz6YP+gLUXsvi+4IwNxTt/8yQWAwo5C7yVYq4t7X4Z9LTU/v4BQ2u Ogs2E+E8Jd4u9bpTk9RWxg+wc3dm9BpsM3Mfsk23ryO6xqVS2/s+OiKMlK8C6QUT shGw2Kd7FwbSUEHvzSO7f6oIpWs0HC/B1DNsIYCVMHj9xWHOF6osYkumVikVlYzJ 70dNlDNFvLiOR2kmneZ/8/q8NAcBLmPknE/m9iV9QBb4a8UIWhqbrUPoF5MKilCG FgJW85pzWT9Q9SPlwvE7+UqrSBiRmG6EFKWFqGf4bPXZBaBsDHxBcc+UOGQDwHD7 3KfYV5arB6LdNPiF1eeJPscJxmIf6H9PNZ2DDU6BDmN6wK+L8V2fDo4TlLsWGOKH rY8Ga6G0xuGWvIb5uL4nShMkF3E4PP3Z00mawx/cVQbrrH8UY4F51y9WKBRzdbw9 BuCzKBXxkymHVR3V01mEzBLVb80iBFBcOpyS/U66Dk6VsvtCF1g8JnxeRlg/UENp +G6vdSUYKQdxQmY5Imlw64ote8/SHxAPlGnWBmT3eBsqaJpwV84zlBEncZS/WcCr Gn+EzVr0MqRG8DvOfgqsBcgoxhUxldtqsOqTHBLjgwdOHIJnEv3nfEDus8PtMFZk s3ixRFVikd0LSKV/F+02iEDLXQRIsha5Fb5BGodkr/IlaZhLYtqXaReLkKhQ =PPAV -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----If you are going to do some thing new with you hairstyle at home. 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How to beautiful hairstyleFor Organoids appearing in an anime series, see Zoids § Organoids
Intestinal organoid grown from Lgr5+ stem cells.
An organoid is a miniaturized and simplified version of an organ produced in vitro in three dimensions that shows realistic micro-anatomy. They are derived from one or a few cells from a tissue, embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells, which can self-organize in three-dimensional culture owing to their self-renewal and differentiation capacities. The technique for growing organoids has rapidly improved since the early 2010s, and it was named by The Scientist as one of the biggest scientific advancements of 2013.[1] Organoids are used by scientists to study disease and treatments in a laboratory.
History [ edit ]
Attempts to create organs in vitro started with one of the first dissociation-reaggregation experiments[2] where Henry Van Peters Wilson demonstrated that mechanically dissociated sponge cells can reaggregate and self-organize to generate a whole organism.[3] In the subsequent decades, multiple labs were able to generate different types of organs[2] in vitro through the dissociation and reaggregation of organ tissues obtained from amphibians[4] and embryonic chicks.[5] The phenomena of mechanically dissociated cells aggregating and reorganizing to reform the tissue they were obtained from subsequently led to the development of the differential adhesion hypothesis by Malcolm Steinberg.[2] With the advent of the field of stem cell biology, the potential of stem cells to form organs in vitro was realized early on with the observation that when stem cells form teratomas or embryoid bodies, the differentiated cells can organize into different structures resembling those found in multiple tissue types.[2] The advent of the field of organoids, started with a shift from culturing and differentiating stem cells in 2D media, to 3D media to allow for the development of the complex 3-dimensional structures of organs.[2] Since 1987, researchers have devised different methods for 3-D culturing, and were able to utilize different types of stem cells to generate organoids resembling a multitude of organs.[2] In 2008, Yoshiki Sasai and his team at RIKEN institute demonstrated that stem cells can be coaxed into balls of neural cells that self-organize into distinctive layers.[6] In 2009 the Laboratory of Hans Clevers at Hubrecht Institute and University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands showed that single LGR5 stem cells build crypt-villus structures in vitro without a mesenchymal niche.[7] In 2010, Mathieu Unbekandt & Jamie A. Davies demonstrated the production of renal organoids from murine fetus-derived renogenic stem cells:[8] subsequent reports showed significant physiological function of these organoids in vitro[9] and in vivo.[10]
In 2013, Madeline Lancaster at the Austrian Academy of Sciences established a protocol for culturing cerebral organoids derived from stem cells that mimic the developing human brain's cellular organization.[11] In 2014, Artem Shkumatov et al. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign demonstrated that cardiovascular organoids can be formed from ES cells through modulation of the substrate stiffness, to which they adhere. Physiological stiffness promoted three-dimensionality of EBs and cardiomyogenic differentiation.[12]
Takebe et al. demonstrate a generalized method for organ bud formation from diverse tissues by combining pluripotent stem cell-derived tissue-specific progenitors or relevant tissue samples with endothelial cells and mesenchymal stem cells. They suggested that the less mature tissues, or organ buds, generated through the self-organized condensation principle might be the most efficient approach toward the reconstitution of mature organ functions after transplantation, rather than condensates generated from cells of a more advanced stage.[13]
Properties [ edit ]
Lancaster and Knoblich[2] define an organoid as a collection of organ-specific cell types that develops from stem cells or organ progenitors, self-organizes through cell sorting and spatially restricted lineage commitment in a manner similar to in vivo, and exhibits the following properties:
it has multiple organ-specific cell types;
it is capable of recapitulating some specific function of the organ (e.g. contraction, neural activity, endocrine secretion, filtration, excretion);
its cells are grouped together and spatially organized, similar to an organ.
Process [ edit ]
Organoid formation generally requires culturing the stem cells or progenitor cells in a 3D medium.[2] The 3D medium can be made using an extracellular matrix hydrogel Matrigel, which is a laminin-rich extracellular matrix that is secreted by the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm tumor line.[14] Organoid bodies can then be made through embedding stem cells in the 3D medium.[2] When pluripotent stem cells are used for the creation of the organoid, the cells are usually, but not all the time, allowed to form embryoid bodies.[2] Those embryoid bodies are then pharmacologically treated with patterning factors to drive the formation of the desired organoid identity.[2] Organoids have also been created using adult stem cells extracted from the target organ, and cultured in 3D media.[15] Cancer organoids have also been created in an effort to create in vitro models other than conventional cell lines.[16][17]
Types [ edit ]
A multitude of organ structures have been recapitulated using organoids.[2] This section aims to outline the state of the field as of now through providing an abridged list of the organoids that have been successfully created, along with a brief outline based on the most recent literature for each organoid, and examples of how it has been utilized in research.
Cerebral organoid [ edit ]
A Cerebral organoid describes artificially grown, in vitro, miniature organs resembling the brain. Cerebral organoids are created by culturing human pluripotent stem cells in a three-dimensional rotational bioreactor and develop over a course of months.[18]
Gut organoid [ edit ]
Gut organoids refer to organoids that recapitulate structures of the gastrointestinal tract. The gastrointestinal tract arises from the endoderm, which during development forms a tube that can be divided in three distinct regions, which give rise to, along with other organs, the following sections of the gastrointestinal tract:[2]
The Foregut gives rise to the oral cavity and the stomach The Midgut gives rise to the small intestines and the ascending colon The Hindgut gives rise to the rectum and the rest of the colon
Organoids have been created for the following structures of the gastrointestinal tract:
Intestinal organoid [ edit ]
Intestinal organoids[7] have thus far been among the gut organoids to be generated directly from pluripotent stem cells.[2] One way human pluripotent stem cells can be driven to form intestinal organoids is through first the application of activin A to drive the cells into a mesoendodermal identity, followed by the pharmacological upregulation of Wnt3a and Fgf4 signaling pathways as they have been demonstrated to promote posterior gut fate.[2] Intestinal organoids have also been generated from intestinal stem cells, extracted from adult tissue and cultured in 3D media.[15] Intestinal organoids recapitulate the crypt-Villus structure of the intestine, by recapitulating its function, physiology and organization, and maintaining all the cell types found normally in the structure including intestinal stem cells.[2] Intestinal organoids recapitulate the crypt-Villus structure to high degree of fidelity that they have been successfully transplanted to mouse intestines, and are hence highly regarded as a valuable model for research.[2] One of the fields of research that intestinal organoids have been utilized is that of stem cell niche. Intestinal organoids were used to study the nature of the intestinal stem cell niche, and research done with them demonstrated the positive role IL-22 has in maintaining in intestinal stem cells,[19] along with demonstrating the roles of other cell types like neurons and fibroblasts in maintenance of intestinal tem cells.[15] Intestinal organoids have also demonstrated therapeutic potential.[20]
Stomach or gastric organoid [ edit ]
Gastric organoids recapitulate at least partly the physiology of the stomach. Gastric organoids have been generated directly from pluripotent stem cells through the temporal manipulation of the FGF, WNT, BMP, retinoic acid and EGF signalling pathways in three-dimensional culture conditions.[21] Gastric organoids have also been generated using LGR5 expressing stomach adult stem cells.[22] Gastric organoids have been used as model for the study of cancer[23][24] along with human disease[21] and development.[21] For example one study[24] investigated the underlying genetic alterations behind a patient's metastatic tumor population, and identified that unlike the patient's primary tumor, the metastasis had both alleles of the TGFBR2 gene mutated. To further assess the role of TGFBR2 in the metastasis, the investigators created organoids where TGFBR2 expression is knocked down, through which they were able to demonstrate that reduced TGFBR2 activity leads to invasion and metastasis of cancerous tumors both in vitro and in vivo.
Lingual organoid [ edit ]
Lingual organoids are organoids that recapitulate, at least partly, aspects of the tongue physiology. Epithelial lingual organoids have been generated using BMI1 expressing epithelial stem cells in three-dimensional culture conditions through the manipulation of EGF, WNT, and TGF-β.[25] This organoid culture, however, lacks taste receptors, as these cells do not arise from Bmi1 expressing epithelial stem cells.[25] Lingual taste bud organoids containing taste cells, however, have been created using the LGR5+ or CD44+ stem/progenitor cells of circumvallate (CV) papilla tissue.[26] These taste bud organoids have been successfully created both directly from isolated Lgr5- or LGR6-expressing taste stem/progenitor cells.[27] and indirectly, through the isolation, digestion, and subsequent culturing of CV tissue containing Lgr5+ or CD44+ stem/progenitor cells.[26]
Other types of organoids [ edit ]
Thyroid organoid [28]
Thymic organoid[29]
Thymic organoids recapitulate at least partly the architecture and stem-cell niche functionality of the thymus,[30] which is a lymphoid organ where T cells mature. Thymic organoids have been generated through the seeding of thymic stromal cells in 3-dimensional culture.[30] Thymic organoids seem to successfully recapitulate the thymus’s function, as co-culturing human hematopoietic or bone marrow stem cells with mouse thymic organoids resulted in the production of T-cells.[30]
Testicular organoid [ citation needed ]
Hepatic organoid [31]
Pancreatic organoid [32]
Epithelial organoid [7] [33]
Lung organoid [34]
Kidney organoid [8] [35] [36] [37]
Gastruloid (embryonic organoid) [38] [39] [40] [41] - Generates all embryonic axes and fully implements the collinear Hox gene expression patterns along the anteroposterior axis. [41]
- Generates all embryonic axes and fully implements the collinear gene expression patterns along the anteroposterior axis. Cardiac organoid [42] - In 2018 hollow cardiac organoids were made to beat, and to respond to stimuli to beat faster or slower. [43]
- In 2018 hollow cardiac organoids were made to beat, and to respond to stimuli to beat faster or slower. Retinal Organoid [44]
Basic research [ edit ]
Organoids are an excellent tool to study basic biological processes. Organoids enable to study how cells interact together in an organ, their interaction with their environment, how diseases affect them and the effect of drugs. In vitro culture makes this system easy to manipulate and facilitates their monitoring. While organs are difficult to culture because their size limits the penetration of nutrients, the small size of organoids limits this problem. On the other hand, they don't exhibit all organ features and interactions with other organs are not recapitulated in vitro. While research on stem cells and regulation of stemness was the first field of application of intestinal organoids,[7] they are now also used to study e.g. uptake of nutrients, drug transport and secretion of incretin hormones.[45] This is of great relevance in the context of malabsorption diseases as well as metabolic diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
Models of disease [ edit ]
Organoids provide an opportunity to create cellular models of human disease, which can be studied in the laboratory to better understand the causes of disease and identify possible treatments. In one example, the genome editing system called CRISPR was applied to human pluripotent stem cells to introduce targeted mutations in genes relevant to two different kidney diseases, polycystic kidney disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.[36] These CRISPR-modified pluripotent stem cells were subsequently grown into human kidney organoids, which exhibited disease-specific phenotypes. Kidney organoids from stem cells with polycystic kidney disease mutations formed large, translucent cyst structures from kidney tubules. When cultured in the absence of adherent cues (in suspension), these cysts reached sizes of 1 cm in diameter over several months.[46] Kidney organoids with mutations in a gene linked to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis developed junctional defects between podocytes, the filtering cells affected in that disease.[47] Importantly, these disease phenotypes were absent in control organoids of identical genetic background, but lacking the CRISPR mutations.[36][46][47] Comparison of these organoid phenotypes to diseased tissues from mice and humans suggested similarities to defects in early development.[46][47]
As first developed by Takahashi and Yamanaka in 2007, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) can also be reprogrammed from patient skin fibroblasts.[48] These stem cells carry the exact genetic background of the patient including any genetic mutations which might contribute to the development of human disease. Differentiation of these cells into kidney organoids has been performed from patients with Lowe Syndrome due to ORCL1 mutations.[49] This report compared kidney organoids differentiated from patient iPSC to unrelated control iPSC and demonstrated an inability of patient kidney cells to mobilise transcription factor SIX2 from the golgi complex.[49] Because SIX2 is a well characterised marker of nephron progenitor cells in the cap mesenchyme, the authors concluded that renal disease frequently seen in Lowe Syndrome (global failure of proximal tubule reabsorption or renal Fanconi syndrome) could be related to alteration in nephron patterning arising from nephron progenitor cells lacking this important SIX2 gene expression.[49]
Other studies have used CRISPR gene editing to correct the patient's mutation in the patient iPSC cells to create an isogenic control, which can be performed simultaneously with iPSC reprogramming.[50][51][52] Comparison of a patient iPSC derived organoid against an isogenic control is the current gold standard in the field as it permits isolation of the mutation of interest as the only variable within the experimental model.[53] In one such report, kidney organoids derived from iPSC of a patient with Mainzer-Saldino Syndrome due to compound heterozygous mutations in IFT140 were compared to an isogenic control organoid in which an IFT140 variant giving rise to a non-viable mRNA transcript was corrected by CRISPR.[51] Patient kidney organoids demonstrated abnormal ciliary morphology consistent with existing animal models which was rescued to wild type morphology in the gene corrected organoids.[51] Comparative transcriptional profiling of epithelial cells purified from patient and control organoids highlighted pathways involved in cell polarity, cell-cell junctions and dynein motor assembly, some of which had been implicated for other genotypes within the phenotypic family of renal ciliopathies.[51] Another report utilising an isogenic control demonstrated abnormal immunofluorescent nephrin localisation in the glomeruli of kidney organoids generated from a patient with congenital nephrotic syndrome.[52]
Breast cancer organoids have also emerged as a model for the disease which better recapitulate the disease characteristics, such as tumor microenvironment.[17] These experiments demonstrate how organoids can be utilized to create complex models of human disease in the laboratory, which recapitulate tissue-level phenotypes in a petri dish.
Personalised medicine [ edit ]
Intestinal organoids grown from rectal biopsies using culture protocols established by the Clevers group have been used to model cystic fibrosis,[54] and led to the first application of organoids for personalised treatment.[55] Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that is caused by gene mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene that encodes an epithelial ion channel necessary for healthy epithelial surface fluids. Studies by the laboratory of Jeffrey Beekman (Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands) described in 2013 that stimulation of colorectal organoids with cAMP-raising agonists such as forskolin or cholera toxin induced rapid swelling of organoids in a fully CFTR dependent manner.[54] Whereas organoids from non-cystic fibrosis subjects swell in response to forskolin as a consequence of fluid transport into the organoids' lumens, this is severely reduced or absent in organoids derived from people with cystic fibrosis. Swelling could be restored by therapeutics that repair the CFTR protein (CFTR modulators), indicating that individual responses to CFTR modulating therapy could be quantitated in a preclinical laboratory setting. Schwank et al. also demonstrated that the intestinal cystic fibrosis organoid phenotype could be repaired by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in 2013.[56]
Follow-up studies by Dekkers et al. in 2016 revealed that quantitative differences in forskolin-induced swelling between intestinal organoids derived from people with cystic fibrosis associate with known diagnostic and prognostic markers such as CFTR gene mutations or in vivo biomarkers of CFTR function.[55] In addition, the authors demonstrated that CFTR modulator responses in intestinal organoids with specific CFTR mutations correlated with published clinical trial data of these treatments. This led to preclinical studies where organoids from patients with extremely rare CFTR mutations for who no treatment was registered were found to respond strongly to a clinically available CFTR modulator. The suggested clinical benefit of treatment for these subjects based on the preclinical organoid test was subsequently confirmed upon clinical introduction of treatment by members of the clinical CF center under supervision of Kors van der Ent (Department of Paediatric Pulmonology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands). These studies show for the first time that organoids can be used for the individual tailoring of therapy or personalised medicine.
As a model for developmental biology [ edit ]
Organoids offer researchers an exceptional model to study developmental biology.[57] Since the identification of pluripotent stem cells, there have been great advancements in directing pluripotent stem cells fate in vitro using 2D cultures.[57] These advancements in PSC fate direction, coupled with the advancements in 3D culturing techniques allowed for the creation of organoids that recapitulate the properties of various specific subregions of a multitude of organs.[57] The use of these organoids has thus greatly contributed to expanding our understanding of the processes of organogenesis, and the field of developmental biology.[57] In central nervous system development, for example, organoids have contributed to our understanding of the physical forces that underlie retinal cup formation,[57][58]
References [ edit ]By Sharon Ward, Third and State
The eyes of the nation are truly turned to Pennsylvania as the ACLU is back in court today challenging Pennsylvania’s strictest-in-the-nation Voter ID Law. The Commonwealth Court is hearing evidence to determine whether the new Department of State voter ID will do the trick to ensure that anyone who needs an ID can get one, for free, in time to vote in November. If the state fails to make that case, the judge could issue an injunction to prevent the law from taking effect.
Early evidence seems to indicate that could happen. As Capitolwire.com has reported (subscription), Judge Simpson indicated Tuesday he will consider an injunction and has asked lawyers to be prepared to provide input on its scope and force.
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center released a report on this topic exactly. The report, Moving Target: Pennsylvania’s Flawed Implementation of the Voter ID Law, asks the question: “How is PennDOT handling the new Department of State ID?” The answer, in layman’s terms, is simple: Not so good.
Seven months after the law was enacted, PennDOT offices still do not all have information about the Voter ID Law, including a poster prepared by the Department of State and basic fact sheets for voters to take.
Worse, we went looking for information about the new Department of State voting ID, and we couldn’t find any. The only information that was available was a press release on the topic issued on July 20 — and to get it you had to ask for it.
PBPC partnered with SEIU staff who conducted observations and interviews in 44 PennDOT driver’s license centers between Sept. 10 and 17. They asked PennDOT staff what voters had to do if they wanted a voter ID and if a person who lacked certain documentation could still get an ID.
Across the state, in one-third of the cases, the staff never mentioned the Department of State ID. In close to half the cases, PennDOT staff gave information that was wrong, including telling observers that they would have to pay for the PennDOT ID.
In the most surprising finding, PennDOT staff indicated they would discourage people from getting a Department of State ID because it could only be used for voting purposes. Well, yeah, that was the whole point.
Many PennDOT staffers were genuinely interested in helping people get an ID, but the line staff, information officers and examiners were confused, couldn’t answer questions and had to get help from supervisors to provide even basic information.
One staffer summed it up well: “We got training for what that was worth, but it’s all confusing because they keep changing things.”
So guess what happened? Department of State officials announced Tuesday that they were changing the rules again. An admission that the process is still too hard for voters to get the ID.
The grounds keep shifting and voters will pay the price. We recommend that the state delay implementation until they can get the procedures in place and everyone who needs it can get an ID. If they won’t do it, Judge Simpson should.
ED NOTE: DDay has more on Pennsylvania Voter Suppression.Hillary Clinton is officially contesting the results of the 2016 presidential election.
Clinton filed a motion to “intervene in a lawsuit filed by Jill Stein seeking to require all Wisconsin counties to recount presidential votes by hand,” the Madison Cap Times reports.
A Madison judge will hear the case at 4:30 pm Central today.
If the Green Party candidate — who received 1.1% of the vote — unsuccessful, counties will have the option of recounting by hand or electronically.
Hillary “respectfully supports the issuance of an order requiring a manual recount of all ballots cast in the presidential election in Wisconsin,” Clinton attorney Joshua Kaul wrote, according to the paper.
Clinton’s attorney contends she is intervening because her “interests will not be adequately represented by existing parties in the litigation, noting she and Stein will likely disagree on issues covered by the case.”
On Monday, Clinton’s campaign sent an email to Wisconsin supporters seeking volunteers to participate in the recount effort.
“In the weeks since the heartbreak of Election Day, our campaign has taken a number of steps to verify the accuracy of the vote tally in a few critical battleground states — and to this point, we’ve found no evidence that would change the outcome,” Wisconsin state director Jake Hajdu wrote, according to the Cap Times.
“But as you might have heard, now that others have asked for a recount of the vote here in Wisconsin, we will participate to make sure everyone who voted for Hillary in this state has their interests represented.”
Hajdu said the campaign would participate to “ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides.”
Stein is required to pay the estimated $3.5 million expense up front before recounting will begin.A Senate panel voted along party lines Tuesday to advance President Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, sending her nomination to the full Senate for final approval amid the first signs of fissures within the GOP majority over her fitness for the job.
Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), made clear that they have not decided how they will vote on the floor, suggesting that DeVos’s confirmation is not assured. Democrats are seeking to block DeVos’s confirmation, but they must vote as a bloc on the floor and persuade at least three Republicans to break with the new president.
Collins and Murkowski both said they believe that DeVos — a billionaire who has spent decades advocating for charter schools and taxpayer-funded vouchers — has the best interest of children at heart. But the two senators also said they are not yet persuaded that she is prepared to lead the Education Department, given her lack of experience in public education.
“She may be unaware of what’s broken in our public schools and how to fix it,” said Murkowski, who said that her state includes many isolated rural communities where vouchers and charter schools are not reasonable solutions to what ails education.
DeVos is a major donor to Republican causes who has become one of Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks, drawing unprecedented opposition for a prospective education secretary. Debate over her nomination has been marked by a sharp partisanship unusual for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which has often managed to find bipartisan compromise on key issues, including sweeping education legislation in 2015. On Tuesday, the Republican-led committee voted 12 to 11 to advance DeVos’s nomination.
President Trump's nominee for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
[Progressives launch last-minute push against DeVos; conservatives counter with online ad campaign]
“This is a committee of considerable differences of opinion. But it’s also a committee that has on big occasions been able to resolve those differences of opinion, usually in a cordial way. I’m sorry to say that we are not able to do that this time,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the chairman.
Republicans defended DeVos as a bold reformer who is willing to shrink the federal imprint on education and upend the status quo in the interest of expanding opportunities for disadvantaged children.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said DeVos’s impatience with failing public schools should be welcomed. “For our children in underperforming schools, this is a sentence for the rest of their lives,” he said. “That is the real travesty.”
Democrats argued DeVos is wholly unqualified for the job. They accused her of favoring policies that undermine the public schools that serve most U.S. children, and said that she has not adequately answered questions about potential conflicts of interest related to her investments.
“The overwhelming majority of kids who go to public schools, they deserve a champion of public schools,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
[DeVos lauded as bold reformer, called unfit for the job]
Alexander forced Tuesday’s vote over objections from Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the committee’s ranking Democrat, who sought a delay to ask more questions of DeVos. Alexander argued that DeVos — who fielded more than 1,000 written questions from Democrats — is already “the most questioned education secretary in the history of the Senate.” Alexander himself held the post under President George H.W. Bush.
Murray countered that DeVos had failed to answer critical questions about her finances, and that many of DeVos’s responses appeared to be “cut and pasted from previous statements,” an apparent reference to sentences and phrases that DeVos appeared to use unattributed from other sources — including a top |
idea of the detection algorithm of Robust RED (RRED).[1]
Algorithm of the Robust RED (RRED) [ edit ]
RRED-ENQUE(pkt) 01 f←RRED-FLOWHASH(pkt) 02 Tmax←MAX(Flow[f].T1, T2) 03 if pkt.arrivaltime is within [Tmax, Tmax+T*] then 04 reduce local indicator by 1 for each bin corresponding to f 05 else 06 increase local indicator by 1 for each bin of f 07 Flow[f].I←maximum of local indicators from bins of f 08 if Flow[f].I >=0 then 09 RED-ENQUE(pkt) //pass pkt to the RED block 10 if RED drops pkt then 11 T2←pkt.arrivaltime 12 else 13 Flow[f].T1←pkt.arrivaltime 14 drop(pkt) 15 return
f.T1 is the arrival time of the last packet from flow f that is dropped by the detection and filter block.
is the arrival time of the last packet from flow that is dropped by the detection and filter block. T2 is the arrival time of the last packet from any flow that is dropped by the random early detection (RED) block.
is the arrival time of the last packet from any flow that is dropped by the random early detection (RED) block. Tmax = max(f.T1, T2).
. T* is a short time period, which is empirically chosen to be 10 ms in a default RRED algorithm.[1]
The Simulation code of the Robust RED (RRED) [ edit ]
The simulation code of the RRED algorithm is published as an active queue management and denial-of-service attack (AQM&DoS) simulation platform. The AQM&DoS Simulation Platform is able to simulate a variety of DoS attacks (Distributed DoS, Spoofing DoS, Low-rate DoS, etc.) and active queue management (AQM) algorithms (RED, RRED, SFB, etc.). It automatically calculates and records the average throughput of normal TCP flows before and after DoS attacks to facilitate the analysis of the impact of DoS attacks on normal TCP flows and AQM algorithms.I’ll admit it…this post is awkward. It’s also not kid-friendly, so just a heads up.
Let me start by defining the problem. The following collection of statistics was provided by Pure Life Ministries. Their sources are in parenthesis.
Pornography is a $57 billion dollar industry (Top Ten Reviews).
50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women are addicted (ChristiaNet Survey).
68% of divorces involve one party meeting a new partner over the internet, with 56% of divorces involving one party having an obsessive interest in “pornographic websites” (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers).
One out of three visitors to adult websites are women (Internet-Filter-Review.com).
Of those struggling with sexual addiction under the age of 35, 40% are women (National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families).
The largest and fastest growing group of consumers of internet pornography are 12-17 years old, with the average age of exposure being 11 years old (Internet-Filter-Review.com).
Alarming isn’t it?
1 Peter 5:8 says “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour.” There are people out there who claim there’s “no proof” that pornography is harmful. Just listen to interviews with ex-porn stars and porn addicts and the destruction is clear.
How does porn affect a marriage?
First of all, it’s sin. I’m not trying to be a fundamentalist, but we need to call it what it is. I heard a pastor say once that anytime we choose to sin, something dies. Here are nine side-effects of pornography.
1. Porn Breaks Trust. Marriages are built on trust. Ask a woman how she feels when her husband looks at porn and if she’s honest she hates it. She’ll say it feels like he is bringing other women into the relationship. And whether the man likes that or not she’s right. It’s infidelity.
2. Porn Creates Comparisons. You can’t look at images without comparing those images to your spouse. This can lead to ungratefulness, where you focus on what your spouse “isn’t” instead of being thankful for what he/she is.
3. Porn Destroys Self-Esteem. Just ask your spouse how confident they feel being naked in front of you after you’ve looked at pornography and you’ll understand this one.
4. Porn Creates Unreal Expectations. Porn is not reality! It’s a movie created by a director and paid actors who…hate to burst your bubble…are acting! It’s not real! And guess what, most of them hate it. Many of the female actors were coerced into the film industry at a very young age outside of their will. A high number of female actors take drugs to cope with both the physical pain of filming and the emotional pain. The suicide rate is high among both male and female actors.
5. Porn Destroys Intimacy. Porn in a marriage is usually very secretive. The one looking doesn’t want the other spouse to know. The result is a lack of intimacy as one spouse is keeping secrets from the other.
6. Porn Creates Shame. The enemy tempts us to look, and when we do, he tells us what a loser we are for looking. Shame is one of the worst side effects of porn. Because people often look at porn to escape stress or fear, it creates a downward spiral that goes like this. 1. Feel bad about your life. 2. Look at porn to escape. 3. Feel bad about your life for looking at porn. 4. Look at more to escape.
7. Porn is Addictive. Anyone who tells you it isn’t is wrong. Studies show that porn lights up the pleasure center of the brain more than cocaine. It’s powerful and it’s very addictive.
8. Porn Never Satisfies. The porn industry thrives on “customer dissatisfaction.” I heard a podcast explain the difference between sexual addiction and drug addiction. They stated that the drug addict craves “more” but the sexual addict craves “different.” In other words, a heroin addict wants more heroin. But a sex addict doesn’t just want more sex, he wants “different” sex.
The power behind porn is lust. And lust doesn’t crave “prettier” – it craves “different.” It’s why Tiger Woods can be married to a super model and still cheat with numerous other women. It’s not that his wife wasn’t “attractive enough,” it’s just that lust always craves “different.” The deception is that “different” will satisfy you, but of course, once you have what you craved you want something different. It never ends.
9. Porn is Progressively Perverse. Due to its inability to satisfy, pornography always leads one to greater perversity. We hear these horrible stories on the news about acts committed against children, even toddlers, and we try to wrap our minds around how someone could be so warped to do something so sick.
One of Ted Bundy’s final murders was that of a 12 year old girl. The day before he was executed he asked Dr. James Dobson to interview him. What’s incredible about his story is that he states his behavior was rooted in a porn addiction that started when he found soft-core magazines in the trash as a 13 year old boy.
What’s truly frightening is that 13 year old boys today don’t have to look in the trash. They just turn on their phone.
Of course not everyone who looks at a dirty magazine will be a serial killer. But, we have to understand that the path of porn leads to unending perversity. We live in a society where we parade sex all over the media, and then we act surprised at the Jerry Sanduskys of the world.
This is a huge subject, and I know this post gives more of the problem than the solution. The reason we’re even addressing it is because we have a passion for healthy marriages. Being debt free is pointless if your marriage is falling apart.
If you are dealing with pornography you need to get help immediately. You have to take aggressive steps towards uprooting it out of your life and getting freedom. Freedom is possible but it often takes some drastic changes and aggressive accountability.
Here are some recommended resources if you need help:
Covenant Eyes: Internet accountability software, filter, and excellent podcast
Pure Intimacy: Resources for people struggling with pornography
Pure Life Ministries: Several different counseling options available for men and women, great podcast
Setting Captives Free : Free 60 day online courses
Committed to your success,
-WesleyReport revives debate over risks of radiation from drilling waste
Jon Hurdle Bio Recent Stories Jon is an experienced journalist who has covered a wide range of general and business-news stories for national and local media in the U.S. and his native U.K. As a former Reuters reporter, he spent several years covering the early stages of Pennsylvania’s natural gas fracking boom and was one of the first national reporters to write about the effects of gas development on rural communities. Jon trained as a general news reporter with a British newspaper chain and later worked for several business-news organizations including Bloomberg News and Market News International, covering topics including economics, bonds, currencies and monetary policy. Since 2011, he has been a freelance writer, contributing Philadelphia-area news to The New York Times; covering economics for Market News, and writing stories on the environment and other subjects for a number of local outlets including StateImpact. He has written two travel guidebooks to the European Alps; lived in Australia, Switzerland, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, and visited many countries including Ethiopia, Peru, Taiwan, and New Zealand. Outside of work hours, Jon can be found running, birding, cooking, and, when weather permits, gardening in the back yard of a Philadelphia row home where he lives with his partner, Kate.
Keith Srakocic / AP
Concern over whether oil and gas drilling waste emits radiation at unhealthy levels in Pennsylvania has resurfaced with the publication of a report alleging the Department of Environmental Protection ignored hazardous radioactivity from the industry when it issued its own study on the issue almost a year ago.
The environmental group Delaware Riverkeeper Network said on Dec. 16 that DEP “turned a blind eye” to the dangers of radioactivity from gas wells, landfills, and sites where gas is being used, and accused the department of publishing a “fatally flawed and misleading” report last January on Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactivity (TENORM).
The DRN report, written by Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, a consultant on radioactive waste issues, said DEP failed to act on evidence of radium, a leading cause of lung cancer, leaking from landfills where oil and gas waste is dumped; failed to adequately regulate the transport of brine or wastewater transport, and did not accurately sample the radioactivity of various waste products.
But the DEP report, which concluded that there was little danger to public health from radiation resulting from oil and gas waste, was defended by its leading scientist, and by a member of Penn State University’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research. Both said the DEP document is a thorough examination of the issue that confirms Pennsylvania as a national leader in research on TENORM – the name given to radioactive materials such as uranium, thorium and radium, which are brought to the earth’s surface during the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas deposits.
“The risk of the general public being exposed to radium-226 or 228 via drill cuttings, pipelines, landfills, wastewater treatment plants, well sites and other operations is simply not a real threat since the general public is not in contact with these materials,” said David Yoxtheimer, an extension associate with the Penn State team, in an interview with StateImpact.
Yoxtheimer dismissed DRN’s assertion that radium-226 “could be” contaminating waterways by escaping from waste water or landfill leachate without being sampled or treated.
Leachate from landfills that accept drilling waste does not contain radium at higher levels than at other landfills, while publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) no longer accept drilling waste, Yoxtheimer said. Other treatment plants that do accept the waste treat it to remove radium, he added.
He said there may be some risk to oil and gas workers but that such risks can be minimized by workplace safety protocols for radiation.
“The Resnikoff report does identify the fact that there is some risk under some scenarios, but as the DEP report shows, the risks are not widespread,” Yoxtheimer said. He noted that the DEP report was consistent with earlier research by the United States Geological Survey which concluded that radon from shale gas itself – rather than the waste generated during its extraction – was not a significant risk to downstream users.
In a rebuttal to Yoxtheimer’s comments, DRN said the public is exposed to radioactive drilling waste that is buried in places, notably private land that has been leased to drillers, that are publicly accessible.
“It is simply untrue that the public is not in contact with these materials,” said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of DRN. “Many wells are located on land that people continued to live on, farm and use for their own purposes years after a well site pit is closed up and covered over.”
Responding to Yoxtheimer’s assertion that levels of leachate radioactivity from landfills that accept drilling waste are no higher than from those that do not, Carluccio said DEP has not fully disclosed information that would allow an accurate assessment of radiation levels at specific landfills, and whether they threaten water supplies.
Following a right-to-know request filed by DRN, DEP has refused to say whether all leachate samples were filtered, and the locations of landfills that receive drilling waste, Carluccio said.
“This cannot be dismissed as ‘no problem’ simply because some level of radium-226 is being found in all PA landfill leachate,” she said. “We have no idea how big this problem is, where it is, and what the ‘tipping point’ that triggers a health problem is.”
Carluccio also called on DEP to disclose what is happening to the estimated 10-15% of flowback waste such as sludges and residues from settling ponds and holding tanks that is typically not recycled by drillers.
“Until it can be shown that representative and valid sampling and methodologies were used to sample these non-recyclable materials, it cannot be assumed that there is no waste that remains that poses substantial health and environmental issues,” she said.
Dr. David Allard, the technical lead on the DEP’s report, said he would only respond to DRN’s allegations at a “high level” but stood by the DEP’s findings, and was ready to discuss the science at any time.
“I understand where they are coming from,” Allard told StateImpact. “They want to protect the Delaware River Basin, and I’m all for that but I would like to be able to talk about the science in a rational way rather than with any rhetoric or emotions. I don’t want to throw rocks at Resnikoff but I’m confident of the conclusions in our report.”
Allard rejected a suggestion that the report, which was written and researched over about five years, mostly during the administration of former Republican governor Tom Corbett, could have been influenced by an administration that was friendly to the gas industry.
“This goes back to the end of the Rendell administration,” Allard said, referring to the previous Democratic governor. “It’s a scientific issue, an environmental issue, a public health issue. I think everybody understands that. I try to stick with the science.”
Allard called the DEP study a “cradle to grave” project that examined all possible sources of TENORM connected to the oil and gas industry, including landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, wellheads and conventional well brines.
It concluded there was no potential for exceeding the public dose limit, and that TENORM was actually lower in many cases than Pennsylvania’s naturally occurring (NORM) levels, which are some of the highest in the world.
“All of this is low-level radioactivity – levels that may pale in comparison with some of the natural areas we’ve got here in Pennsylvania,” Allard said.
Editor's PicksNot content to just bring The X-Files back to life, Fox is also developing the new series Haunted, which aims to revive the style of the genre classic — just with a decidedly spooky twist.
The network is hard at work on the new series Haunted (not to be confused with the awesome but short-lived UPN series of the same name), which teams a female skeptic and male believer (sound familiar?) as they investigate the mysteries surrounding a haunted house. But instead of focusing on a case-of-the-week, the entire season will apparently revolve around the duo’s investigation of the potentially haunted grounds.
The series is being pitched as a straight-up horror series, as opposed to the tongue-in-cheek approach of something like Scream Queens. According to Entertainment Weekly, the plot is loosely based on the Bob Cramner book The Demon of Brownsville Road. William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside) has signed on to write and direct, and Chris Morgan and Ainsley Davies are attached to produce.
Here’s the synopsis for the concept:
A chilling horror series about a military agent who is partnered with her ex-boyfriend, now a rogue demonologist, to help a family overcome a deadly demonic infestation of their home. The season-long case investigates the true story of one of the most haunted houses in America. The believer vs. nonbeliever duo, by solving the mystery of the present, will solve the mystery of their damaged past. At its core the series will explore the age-old question, ‘Is evil real?’
What do you think of the idea? Would you tune in for a haunted house investigation?
(Via Entertainment Weekly)Song Ji Hyo seems to become ‘violent’ when she’s drunk!
Song Ji Hyo and Gary recently guested on the July 20 episode of Chinese TV show Please Take Care of My Refrigerator. They shared a funny memory during their appearance on the show.
During the program, Gary revealed Song’s reaction after she drank too much. He said: “There was a time when Ji-hyo was drunk and could not stand up, so I held her arm and tried to help her. But then Ji-hyo suddenly slapped me.”
Right after that, the actress explained her action at that time, saying: “I drank too much during a dinner among the ‘Running Man’ crew. Gary was only trying to help. I apologized once I came to my senses. I tend to fall asleep when I‘m drunk. I was dozing off when Gary tried to help me stand up. In a drunken state, I got mad at him for waking me up.”
The next episode, which features the two casts of Korean program Running Man, will go on broadcast on July 27.Japan’s Ministry of the Environment officially declared the Japanese River Otter (Lutra lutra whiteleyi) extinct this week. The river otter, which had not been seen for more than 30 years, once numbered in the millions but was decimated by hunters, habitat destruction and pollution.
As Scientific American‘s John R. Platt reports, the otter grew about a meter long and lived on shrimp and fish. It still serves as the official animal symbol of Ehime Prefecture, located in northwestern Shikoku island. Locals last spotted the animal in 1979 in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku, and a single photo exists from the event Over the years, several thorough searches for the otters in their old river playgrounds turned up nil.
In addition to the river otter, the least horseshoe bat, the Japanese subspecies of the Asian black bear, a bird species, an insect species and a shellfish species all joined Japan’s extinction list this week.
More from Smithsonian.com:
Accepting the Idea of Extinction
Extinction Rates are Biased and Much Worse Than You ThoughtCharlie Riedel/Associated Press
The Kansas City Royals are determined to end the World Series on Sunday night in New York.
And they may do it at the expense of New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia.
Familia blew his third save of the World Series after allowing Eric Hosmer to score from third base with two outs in the ninth inning, becoming the first player in MLB history to blow three saves in the Fall Classic, per SportsCenter.
The Royals were able to get one run across with an RBI double from Hosmer off Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey. Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez hit a ground ball to David Wright, who threw out Perez at first. Hosmer made a gutsy call to try to advance from third, and Lucas Duda's throw was wide at the plate.
MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez shared his thoughts on the craziness that ensued at Citi Field:
It was a beyond-gutsy decision by Hosmer, but in a situation like the Royals are in, there's no losing except the game. If Duda's throw is on line, the Mets win, and the series shifts back to Kansas City with two more opportunities for another win.They say you win football games in the trenches — San Francisco has proven that old adage this season.
The 49ers general manager Trent Baalke has built his football team the right way, focusing on the offensive and defensive lines first, then building around those pieces. His defensive line was the best in football last year, and this year the offensive line has followed suit.
In the 2010 draft, Baalke’s first in charge of player personnel, the 49ers spent two first round picks — No. 11 and No. 17 overall — on the offensive line. They took left tackle Anthony Davis out of Rutgers and left guard Mike Iupati out of Idaho. Right tackle Joe Staley has been with the team since being drafted in the first round in 2007. Center Jonathan Goodwin was signed as a free agent last year after starting for the Saints for three years and right guard Alex Boone was a tremendous find as an undrafted free agent in 2009.
Those five players have done an excellent job at giving Alex Smith time to throw. They’ve allowed just 57 total pressures on the season according to Pro Football Focus — good for fourth best in the NFL. Sometimes Smith doesn’t help himself out much in the pocket, waiting too long to throw, but his offensive line is a chief reason for his success in the last two seasons. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has done a great job building an offense around his skill set, but his offensive line deserves just as many accolades for their protection.
The 49ers also lead the NFL in rushing despite a lack of elite players at running back. Frank Gore and Anthony Dixon have each increased their average yards per carry by over a yard compared to last season, and backup Kendall Hunter has increased his from 4.2 as a rookie in 2011 to 5.0 this season. The 49ers are averaging a league-best 5.6 yards per carry and 168.6 yards per game. Gore has had a solid career in the NFL, but at 29-years-old, his production was expected to drop. Instead he’s seen a new life this year — once again, thanks to his offensive line.
A lot of credit goes out to Harbaugh and co-offensive line coaches Tim Drevno and Mike Solari. Davis and Iupati have seen exceptional development in their young careers, while Goodwin and Staley are playing at a higher level than they’ve ever seen during their careers. Boone went undrafted out of college, but he’s been the sixth best guard in the NFL this season according to Pro Football Focus.
The 49ers may not have the undefeated record that the Atlanta Falcons do, or the recent Super Bowl victories that the Giants have, but with the best offensive line in football, they must be taken seriously. Last year, their defense stood heads and shoulders above their offense. This year, the offense has caught up, the 49ers could still be playing in February.
Photo via Facebook/SanFrancisco49ersKansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) Tea Party tax experiment is officially an utter failure. The Obama administration has added 715,000 jobs this summer, but the state of Kansas is losing employment, reported Addicting Info.
Brownback and his Republican state legislature passed extreme tax cuts for the one percent and 191,000 businesses are completely tax exempt. This hasn’t worked. The only result was businesses getting richer, while the lower and middle-class shoulder more of the tax burden. Some school districts don’t have enough money to stay open for an entire school year. Brownback is a failure.
In July, the state of Kansas lost 4,000 jobs, while the national job average increased. AI noted that Brownback doesn’t blame his policies. He blames schools for being greedy and welfare recipients. Kansas is losing money everyday, while businesses and one per-centers get filthy rich from the tax breaks.
Kansas’ plight is the very definition of income inequality, a failed experiment of trickle-down economics. It’s the perfect example of what’s going on at the national level. Trickle-down economics doesn’t work, and Kansas is the proof.The electric vehicle bandwagon has long left the station thanks to Tesla, but Maserati still wants to get on board. The high-end carmaker might be behind the curve when it comes to announcing its electric vehicle plans, but it’s looking like the Fiat-Chrysler-owned company will manage to ship a fully electric car by 2020, with something to show off in the 2019 timeframe.
The Maserati EV won’t be a Tesla Model S competitor, but will instead be more in the “grand-touring coupe” vein according to Car and Driver, which spoke to Maserati engineering lead Roberto Fedeli about the company’s EV plans at the Paris Motor show this past week.
Fedeli told the publication it’s well aware they’re late to the game, and will probably be “last” to market with a production electric car in the premium segment. But he also said this means they’ll have to deliver something “very different” from the offerings of competitors. He acknowledged that the carmaker has to think about what its brand means in the EV space, since signature Maserati trademarks like the sound of the engine and the lightness of the cars run at cross-purposes to EVs with whisper quiet motors and battery-laden heavy chassis.
It’s an interesting look at how established carmakers have to re-think their brands in light of the increased popularity and demand for electric cars, and how that might result in very different-looking offerings in terms of both tech and design, relative both to existing lineups and to the competition.You are bidding on a "Don't Ask! NOYFB" patch
This patch was worn by the 22 nd Military Airlift Squadron (MAS). The crews flew C-5 cargo planes out of Travis Air Force Space in Northern California. Their missions were to carry top-secret aircrafts manufacture plants in Southern California and deliver them to clandestine locations for testing and evaluation. The crew members usually conducted these mission in the thick of the night.
The crescent moon and the black background of the patch denote that they flew these missions at night. The question mark is that nobody knew what the heck they were doing. The gray/silver trim indicates the star lights.
When asked what their missions were, the answer was usually Â"NOYFB.Â" Â"DonÂ't Ask! None Of Your F@#!king Business.Â"
This is how secretive these missions were.
This patch originates from the recent book:
I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have To Be Destroyed By Me: Emblems From The PentagonÂ's Black World
This is one of the patches in the collective patches called the Â"Black WorldÂ" emblems. T are many other secret patches used by the military. I will be carrying more of these patches soon. Please email me if you have a particular interest in a certain patch or patches. I see what I can do for you. Thank you.
ShippingIndia’s government orients towards privatizing water
By Ajay Prakash and Kranti Kumara
30 March 2012
Under the guise of providing a solution to the acute water crisis facing the country, India’s Congress Party-led UPA government has prepared a document entitled “Draft National Water Policy (2012)” that is orientated towards promoting the wholesale privatization of water delivery and sanitation. This policy is being advanced even after numerous IMF-and World Bank-imposed water privatization schemes around the world have turned out to be a social disaster, with transnational and other giant firms extracting massive profits even while bringing water and sewage systems to the point of collapse.
Far from calling for a comprehensive nationwide crash program to supply the populace with a free and reliable round-the-clock water supply and sewage system, the draft policy paper says its chief objective is “to take cognizance of the existing situation and to propose a framework for creation of an overarching system of laws and institutions…” [emphasis added].
The proposal to create an “overarching system of laws and institutions” is an expression of the Indian government’s intent to centralize decision-making authority on water policy, which is currently largely under state and municipal jurisdiction, within its own hands, so it can push for “free market” solutions—tariff-ication and privatization—as the cure for a dilapidated and grossly deficient water and sewer system.
Published by the Indian Ministry of Water Resources, the draft paper argues that water “needs to be treated as an economic good…priced to promote efficient use and maximising value.” It also seeks to impose the “full recovery of the cost of administration, operation and maintenance of water resources projects.”
In other words, the ministry wants to make this essential resource of humanity into a commodity available in plenty to those who can pay for it and denied to those who can’t. The policy advocates a sledgehammer approach to cut down what it terms “wasteful” usage by rationing water through market pricing.
The paper calls for state institutions to shift from providing water and sanitation to acting as a tariff regulator. It calls for water infrastructure be built using public funds, then handed over to “appropriate ‘public-private partnerships’ on a long-term lease-operate-maintain contract” as is advocated under the World Bank-IMF water privatization “framework”.
The thrust of the draft paper—a final version is to be unveiled after consultation with “water experts” and other “stakeholders”— is of a piece with the overall outlook of the UPA, which advocates privatization and marketization as a cure for every problem facing the country. Over the past 18 months, the government has been rocked by numerous scandals that have exposed how state property has been handed over to big business at fire sale prices.
If adopted, the proposals will undoubtedly place additional burdens on India’s hundreds of millions of poor people, many of them peasant farmers dependent on irrigation to grow their crops.
At present, the vast majority of Indians do not have ready access to safe drinking water and hygienic toilet facilities.
Only 29 percent of Indian households have access to tap water, and even then in the majority of cases only for several hours a day. The other 71 percent of households obtain their daily water supply by making long and exhausting treks to wells, streams and rivers, while in urban areas they must wait for a water truck to arrive.
Across India just 10 percent have access to toilet facilities with flush drains and in rural areas flush-toilets are virtually non-existent. Some 640 million people, according to UNICEF, are forced to defecate in the open.
Access to safe drinking water in the country is so grossly inadequate that the World Bank estimates 21 percent of communicable diseases can be traced to people drinking unsafe water. Water-borne diseases kill 700,000 children in India annually.
The shift in orientation proposed in the draft paper neatly dovetails with the “water policy” peddled by the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), both of which routinely impose water privatization as a condition for granting loans to countries that come into their clutches in Africa, Asia and South America. Since water privatization invariably results in the granting of a quasi-monopoly to private corporations, it has frequently been a license for outright plunder, with corporations performing either minimal or no infrastructure maintenance.
Bolivia is a case in point. In 1998, the IMF imposed “structural reforms” as a condition for granting a loan to Bolivia. It compelled the government to sell off national oil refineries and Cochabamba’s local water agency, SEMAPA, with the latter taken over by a consortium of private investors that included the notorious and well-connected US-based Bechtel Corporation. The World Bank, then headed by James Wolfensohn, a former Wall Street speculator, also demanded that “no subsidies should be given to ameliorate the increase in water tariffs in Cochabamba.”
The result was a social catastrophe, with water rates doubling and even tripling within months. Unable to bear this plunder, the people of the region rose up in unison, shutting down the city for 4 days in January 2000 and forcing the private profiteers to flee.
Behind the scenes, the US government is pressing India to move forward with water privatization. In February, the Obama administration led a US Water Technology Trade Mission, with representatives of 16 US corporations, to Bangalore, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
It was India’s previous coalition government, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance regime, that took the first tentative steps towards water privatization. In 2002, it declared, “Private sector participation should be encouraged in planning, development and management of water resources projects for diverse uses, wherever feasible.”
There have already been several disastrous experiments with water privatization at the state and local level.
In 1998, the Congress Party government of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh granted a contract to Radius Water Ltd. (RWL) to build a dam and reservoir on the Sheonath River for supplying water to the Borai industrial estate.
The company, which under the contract had been given ownership rights to a 23-kilometre stretch of the river, restricted local villagers’ access to river waters that for centuries had provided them and their ancestors with drinking water, irrigation for their crops, and fish to eat. The villagers fought back and in 2003 the government of Chhattisgarh, a state carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000, promised to abrogate the contract with RWL. But the promise was not kept and even today the RWL retains its rights over the river.
In 2005, the Tamil Nadu government launched one of India’s largest PPP (public-private partnership) water supply and sewerage projects. A 30-year contract was awarded to the New Tiruppur Area Development Corporation Ltd (NTADCL) on a 30-year Build-Own-Operate-and-Transfer (BOOT) basis to supply 185 million litres per day of raw water for industrial and domestic use in Tiruppur, a fast-growing industrial city. Numerous textile factories and 700 dyeing units discharge about 87 million litres of toxic wastewater brimming with chemical dyes into local rivers every day. This has not only made the groundwater undrinkable and severely polluted the Noyyal, Nallar and Jamunai rivers. It has also made a great deal of agricultural land unfit for use. According to the Madhya Pradesh-based NGO Manthan Adhyayan Kendra (MAK), which tracks privatization of water projects, “Water sources, both surface and ground, have been contaminated, and drinking water has to be often brought from long distances.”
In the six-and-a-half decades since India’s political independence from British rule, the Indian bourgeoisie has established an unblemished record of incompetence, corruption and downright criminality. The privatization of such a basic necessity of life as water will result in a social disaster and provoke explosive protests.On April 23, 2005, at 8:27 p.m., YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded the first YouTube video “Me at the zoo.”
Shot by high school friend Yakov Lapitsky (who went on to become an engineering professor), it shows Karim talking about how cool elephants’ trunks are. The nearly 20-second clip has been viewed nearly 20 million times.
Ten years later, YouTube is “the most valuable storytelling outlet our planet has ever seen” and its CEO Susan Wojcicki is “the visionary behind YouTube’s next evolution,” as Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer writes in this year’s TIME 100 issue, which recognizes Wojcicki as a “Titan” in the tech industry.
Read next: Brian Grazer on Susan Wojcicki
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Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com.Today Bing announced that it would be rolling out several new products and features for the coming State of the Union address by President Obama next week.
Bing intends to release Bing Pulse, which will collect votes from Americans at five second intervals, providing an exceptionally quick, live reaction to the President’s yearly speech. Bing Pulse results will be shown at Bing’s political hub, which is set to be rebuilt for the State of the Union.
Bing is prepping itself for the speech as it were a fancy ball, for which it needed a new jacket or gown. Enter the one-time-use experiences!
Added to the mix is Bing Beat, another forthcoming social media sentiment tracker that will, quite obviously, scan Twitter and the like to provide information on how the speech is playing among those large audiences. In short, if you want to get a firm look into the response to the President’s carefully crafted, and already tested words, Bing intends to have you covered.
It’s an interesting, if unsurprising move. Bing is constantly looking for ways to extend its algorithms, data, and engineering man hours in ways that will help it differentiate itself from Google. Bing, which is performing just fine the market – growing slowly in market share in the expanding search category- is hoping to increase its size by more than direct engagement with Google’s core search competencies.
How Bing will be better integrated with Microsoft’s growing suite of consumer and enterprise cloud tools could be among its next moves in this push.
Whatever the case, Bing’s political hub will be something likely worth while to have up on a second or third screen as the words roll in.
Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock
Read next: BBC reveals trial to release shows on iPlayer before they're broadcast on TVAfter years |
information or the timeframe over which the spying took place.
"Now, these routes have been blocked. The possibility of information leaking is almost impossible now," Salehi was quoted as saying.
"Our colleagues were awakened.... The personnel and managers have all reached the conclusion that this is a national issue and that we should... resolve our problems among ourselves."
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Salehi is also the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. His predecessor as nuclear chief had said more than two years ago that some of the nation's nuclear scientists had been approached by the West but did not accept offers to spy.
Saturday's revelation was the first public word that some personnel have engaged in espionage. With the announcement, Iran appears to be trying to raise public awareness about what it says are plots by the U.S. and its allies to derail Iran's nuclear activities.
Salehi said access to information has been restricted within nuclear facilities as part of the increased security measures.
"In the past, personnel had easy access to information but it is not the case anymore now," Fars quoted him as saying.
Salehi said Iran's nuclear agency also published booklets for its personnel alerting them to the various techniques the West uses to try to lure them into espionage. The booklets spell out "precautionary measures to protect [information] and the life of scientists," he was quoted as saying.
"The issue of spies existed in the past but now we see that it is fading day by day."
When nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri returned home in July from the United States, Iran feted him as a national hero and said he in fact acted as a double agent and provided valuable information about the CIA.
American authorities claimed Amiri willingly defected to the U.S. but changed his mind and decided to return home without the $5 million he had been paid for what a U.S. official described as significant information about his country's disputed nuclear program.
Iran said he was kidnapped by American agents in May 2009 while on a pilgrimage to holy Muslim sites in Saudi Arabia. Upon Amiri's return, Tehran portrayed the affair as an intelligence battle with the CIA that it asserted it had won.
More recently, nuclear intrigue has fallen on a complex computer worm that has swept through industrial sites in Iran and was also found on the personal laptops of several employees at Iran's first nuclear power plant.
The malicious computer code, known as Stuxnet, was designed to take over industrial sites like Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant and has also emerged in India, Indonesia and the U.S. But it has spread the most in Iran.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran believed the computer worm was part of a Western plot to sabotage its nuclear program.
Who created the Stuxnet code and what its precise target is, if any, remains a mystery.
The web security firm Symantec Corp. has said Stuxnet was likely spawned by a government or a well-funded private group. It was apparently constructed by a small team of as many as five to 10 highly educated and well-funded hackers, Symantec says.
As Iran battled the computer worm over recent weeks, the intelligence minister announced authorities had arrested two nuclear spies. He did not, however, reveal their identities or clearly link them to the Stuxnet problem.The American scone is a confection in crisis. Puffy and pale, supersized and supersweet, it has lost its purpose. Is it a muffin? Is it a pastry? Does it exist to be frosted with icing, or spread with jam — or only to crumble into the crevices of car upholstery?
This need not be. To taste a lofty, tender scone just as it should be, all you need is 30 minutes and basic pantry ingredients.
And once you’ve mastered scones, you’ll automatically know how to make biscuits. All that separates them is two tablespoons of sugar and an egg.
British scone purists and Southern biscuit purists (and there are plenty of each) may shriek at this. But from a baker’s perspective, “They are pretty much spot on the same,” said Heather Bertinetti, the pastry chef at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York City.WIKIMEDIA, CSIROAfter human somatic cells are reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), the resulting cells retain both genetic and epigenetic indicators of the age of the person who donated the somatic-cell progenitors, scientists have found. Ali Torkamani, Kristin Baldwin, and their colleagues at the Scripps Research Institute in California have found that iPSC genomes have methylation patterns that reflect donor age. In general, the number of mutations those pluripotent cells carry increases with donor age—until around age 90, that is, when the number of mutations decreases, the researchers found. These results, published today (December 12) in Nature Biotechnology, have implications for autologous transplantation—creating a replacement tissue from a patient’s own cells—something that older people are more likely to need, the authors noted.
“If you’re getting cells from these older donors, these seed cells that you use for reprogramming already have some accumulation of mutation load, and so that is actually very important evidence, especially when they are looking at the potential functions of these mutations,” University of California, San Diego, bioengineer Kun Zhang, who was not involved in the study, told The Scientist. Every cell line the researchers examined had at least one mutation in its exomic DNA and some of those mutations were potentially deleterious, even oncogenic, Zhang pointed out. “These damaging mutations might have some unexpected functional consequence when we’re looking at the clinical applications.”
“The study highlights the fact that there is some age-associated risk of pathogenic variants in iPSCs,” Torkamani told The Scientist.
Somatic cell reprogramming takes differentiated cells and returns them to a pluripotent state. A previous study had reported that, epigenetically, some iPSCs appear to have a negative age, corresponding to an embryonic state. Torkamani and colleagues decided to examine whether iPSCs additionally retain signs of the age of their somatic progenitor cells.
Scientists have long realized that as people age, their genomes undergo epigenetic changes: some genomic sites gain methyl groups, others lose them. Epigenetic changes likewise occur during the creation of iPSCs, but it was unknown how reprogramming affected age-related epigenetic marks.
To find out, the researchers examined methylation patterns in iPSCs derived from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 16 donors, ages 21 to 100. Every iPSC line had a negative predicted epigenetic age, as expected, but the team also noticed age-related variation. At sites that typically gain methylation with age, iPSCs from older patients had accordingly higher methylation levels. However, at the sites that typically lose methylation with age, the younger cells also showed reduced methylation levels. The researchers also examined CpG islands that typically lose methylation during iPSC production, finding that iPSCs from older donors retained higher methylation at those sites. These results suggest that the older somatic cells and their derivative iPSCs have a demethylation defect, Torkamani explained. Passaging the iPSCs gradually erased those donor cell age-related epigenetic differences, the team found.
The researchers also examined the number of exomic mutations in iPSC lines from donors of different ages. Overall, the number of iPSC mutations—which the researchers suspect were present but undetected in donor blood cells—increased linearly with donor age. However, the number of mutations detected in iPSCs from donors over age 90 decreased. The researchers hypothesize that in older people, many of the cell lineages in the blood have reached their maximum number of cell divisions and died off, leaving the ones that have divided more slowly and, therefore, have accumulated fewer mutations.
The findings could impact how scientists use iPSCs to model human diseases, Steven Finkbeiner, associate director of the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, who was not involved in the work, wrote in an email to The Scientist. The “prevailing view” is that iPSCs and cells differentiated from them will better model aging-related diseases if they retain their epigenetic signature of aging, he said.
Unlike in disease modeling, where it may be desirable to retain the cellular marks of age, when it comes to creating tissues to transplant, those aging marks may be of concern.
“Especially in older individuals, but probably in all individuals, a good practice would be to... screen your iPSCs beforehand using a genomic or genetic approach so that you can screen out lines that might have a pathogenic variant,” Torkamani said.
V. Lo Sardo et al., “Influence of donor age on induced pluripotent stem cells,” Nature Biotechnology, doi:10.1038/nbt.3749, 2016.Texas Democrats vowed to fight one of the most restrictive abortion bills in the nation passed by the state legislature late Friday in front of more than 2,000 protesters.
"There will be a lawsuit. I promise you," Dallas Sen. Royce West said on the Senate floor, raising his right hand as if taking an oath.
Democrats offered 20 amendments to the bill, which will ban abortions after 20 weeks, require abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and require all abortions to take place in surgical centers. They ranged from exceptions for rape and incest to allowing doctors more leeway in prescribing abortion-inducing drugs. But Republicans would have none of it.
The Republican majority passed the bill unchanged just before midnight with all but one Democrat voting against it.
The bill has sparked protests across Texas with thousands of abortion rights supporters flooding the Capitol to draw out committee hearings and disrupting key votes. Protesters finished a filibuster started by Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth by jeering for the last 15 minutes of the first special session, effectively killing the bill.
More On This... Texas Senate passes sweeping new abortion restrictions
That’s when Texas Gov. Rick Perry called lawmakers back for round two. But opponents say the fight is far from over and used the popular anger to register and organize Democratic voters.
“Let’s make sure that tonight is not an ending point. It’s a beginning point for our future, our collective futures, as we work to take this state back,” Davis told supporters after the bill passed.
Friday’s debate took place between a packed gallery of demonstrators with anti-abortion activists wearing blue and abortion-rights supporters wearing orange. Security was tight, and state troopers reported confiscating bottles of urine and feces as they worked to prevent another attempt to stop the Republicans from passing the proposal.
Four women who tried to chain themselves to a railing in the gallery were arrested. One woman was successful in chaining herself, prompting a 10-minute recess.
When debate resumed, protesters began loudly singing, "Give choice a chance." The Senate's leader, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, told officers to remove them.
Outside the chamber, the crowd grew so loud that troopers were being issued orange earplugs. Protesters were shouting, "Shame! Shame! Shame!" as senators gave their closing statements.
State troopers reported confiscating "significant quantities" of tampons and feminine pads from protesters before they were allowed in, according to MyFoxDFW.com. Bottles of suspected urine, feces and paint were also confiscated.
Cecile Richards, daughter of former Gov. Anne Richards and president of Planned Parenthood, said Texas Republicans and abortion opponents won this political round – but it could cost them down the road.
“All they have done is built a committed group of people across this state who are outraged about the treatment of women and the lengths to which this Legislature will go to take women’s health care away,” she said.
Meanwhile, Republicans celebrated the bill as a victory.
“Today the Texas Legislature took its final step in our historic effort to protect life,” Perry said. “This legislation builds on the strong ad unwavering commitment we have made to defend and protect women’s health.”
“As Democrats continue to talk about their dreams of turning Texas blue, passage of HB2 is proof that Texans are conservative and organized and we look forward to working with our amazing republican leadership in the Texas Legislature as they finish the special session strong,” a party statement said.
Sen. Glen Hegar of Katy, the bill’s Republican author, argued that all abortions, including those induced with medications, should take place in ambulatory surgical center in case of complications.
Democrats pointed out that childbirth is more dangers than an abortion and there have been no serious problems with women taking abortion drugs at home.
Perry will sign the bill into law in the next few days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report."Pretty Little Liars" is getting a spinoff and a fifth season!
In addition to the show's renewal, ABC Family announced the launch of "Ravenswood," a spinoff of "Pretty Little Liars" that will debut in October after the teen smash hit's annual Halloween episode.
"Ravenswood" -- which comes from "Pretty Little Liars" executive producers I. Marlene King, Oliver Goldstick, Joseph Dougherty and Leslie Morgenstein -- will center on a town near "PLL's" Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Ravenswood "has suffered under a deadly curse for generations" and the spinoff will follow "five strangers who suddenly find themselves connected by this fatal curse and need to dig into the town's mysterious and terrible history before it's too late for each of them."
The "Pretty Little Liars" Halloween special is expected to introduce some of the "Ravenswood" characters.
"'Pretty Little Liars' is brand-defining and demo-defining for ABC Family. We are proud to be able to grow the 'PLL' franchise in two ways -- both by adding additional seasons of the original and by extending the storytelling into a spinoff. 'Ravenswood' will become another'must-tweet-TV' series for us," ABC Family President Michael Riley said in a statement. "Our viewers have an incredible ability to amplify messages and create buzz around things that interest them, including our shows and talent."
The Season 3 finale of "Pretty Little Liars," which is based on a book series of the same name by Sara Shepard, was the No. 1 telecast for the 11th consecutive week amongst females 12-34 with 1.76 million total viewers and a 3.8 rating.
Will you watch the "Pretty Little Liars" spinoff and Season 5? Let us know in the comments!
"Pretty Little Liars" returns for its fourth season on Tuesday, June 11.We’re ringing in the Year of the Rooster with a special treat from our favorite neighborhood karaoke bar, Waikiki’s Wang Chung’s. Chef Randy Sanchez, aka @mexicanrandyhi on Instagram, is making his famous chicken tamales for a special Awesome eats downtown pop-up lunch this Friday.
The piping hot bundle is wrapped in corn husks, the authentic way, and is filled with shredded chicken and fresh masa. To complete the meal Sanchez is adding his homemade salsa (mild), flavor-packed Mexican rice and pinto beans plus a fortune cookie.
Since Awesome eats has been selling out, we recommend you pre-order to guarantee your Chinese New Year Mexican chicken treats. Or you can take your chances and come to the corner of Bishop and King streets downtown this Friday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
A photo posted by Frolic Hawaii (@frolichawaii) on Jan 23, 2017 at 8:33pm PST
Each $10 lunch will include:
• 4 steaming hot, house-made chicken tamales
• a scoop of Mexican rice
• a scoop of beans
• a fortune cookie
See you on Friday!
Here’s the Awesome eats lineup for coming weeks:
Feb. 3 Young’s Fish Market
Feb. 10 TBD
Feb. 14 Special Choco Le’a Valentine’s Day treats
Pickup information:
Don’t forget to bring your pre-order receipt (email OK) when you pick up!
Friday, Jan. 27, 2016
Corner of Bishop and King streets (in front of 24 Hr Fitness and Territorial Savings Bank)
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (or until sold out)Story highlights The youngest patient is 9 years old; the oldest is 87
CDC sent 50 vials of antitoxin to patients, spokesman says
Symptoms include paralysis, double vision, difficulty swallowing and respiratory failure
(CNN) A 54-year-old woman has died and others are hospitalized after being poisoned with botulism at a church potluck dinner in central Ohio, health officials said Wednesday.
Botulism is rarely fatal. Its symptoms typically begin within 36 hours of consuming contaminated food. It can cause paralysis, double vision, difficulty swallowing and respiratory failure.
All those sickened attended the potluck Sunday at Cross Pointe Free Will Baptist Church in Lancaster, about 30 miles southeast of Columbus, said Ohio Department of Health spokesman Russ Kennedy. As many as 60 people reportedly ate.
Down from an earlier estimate, Kennedy said there were 18 suspected cases, including the woman who died. The youngest patient is 9 years old; the oldest is 87. Twenty-one people are under hospital observation as a precaution, the spokesman said.
Five patients are in critical condition and 10 were taken to hospitals in Columbus, according to Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster.The French election through Kremlin eyes How the Russian state’s French-language wire portrays the French election @DFRLab Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 20, 2017
Source: CC BY-SA 4.0 Teslar
Since early February, French centrist politicians have repeatedly accused the Russian government of interfering in the country’s presidential election, whose first round is scheduled for Sunday, April 23. The campaign of centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron says it has been the target of repeated cyber-attacks from Russia, and of a campaign of “fake news” conducted by the Russian state’s main outlets, RT and Sputnik. In February, the DRFLab analyzed Sputnik France’s coverage and found that there was a distinct bias against Macron. How have the Kremlin’s French-language outlets covered the election since? The DFRLab has analyzed their reporting to assess their portrayal of the main candidates: Macron, conservative François Fillon, and nationalist Marine Le Pen. Much of RT France’s coverage has been adequately balanced: it has tended to report criticism of Macron, but at least mentioned the candidate’s own stance, albeit often briefly. Sputnik France, however, has continued to show a bias against Macron, compared with more favorable coverage of his main rivals. Macron Sputnik France has regularly criticized Macron. An editorial by commentator Jacques Sapir on March 6 described Macron as the “candidate of the financial and media oligarchy,” backed by a “political operation designed to promote a candidate with the profile of an ideal son-in-law, but no program, just as you promote a packet of washing powder or diapers.”
Source: Sputnik France. “From the Socialist Party to Macron: the final decomposition?” Editorial published on March 20.
Source: Sputnik France. “Le Pen attacks BFMTV: ‘You support Macron shamelessly.’”
Source: Sputnik France. “‘Strong and independent,’ Marine le Pen says she’s a cat woman.”
While trivial, this could just about be construed as news of the “human interest” sort if it had concerned a new revelation. In fact, the article was based one tweet from August 2016, a lightly satirical commentary on it from February, and a YouTube video published on March 1. The reason for releasing the story just days before the election is therefore unclear. Not all reports were so favorable. One Sapir piece on April 17 analyzed the anti-euro stances of Le Pen and Mélenchon, arguing that both could only implement their policies by quitting the single currency straight after their election. Much of its rhetoric was aimed at the EU itself, claiming, for example, that “once France has affirmed its decision [to leave the euro], Italy would follow suit, swiftly followed by Spain, Portugal and Greece”; nonetheless, it can be viewed as critical of Le Pen. Overall, however, Le Pen tended to benefit from more favorable Sputnik coverage than Macron. Fillon The case of Fillon is more nuanced. Sputnik France has, repeatedly, referred to the scandal which shook his campaign in late January when he was accused of fraudulently employing his wife. At times, this coverage has been negative — for example, the April 10 opinion piece attacking Macron, which also stated that Fillon “seems irredeemably tangled” in his scandals. At others, it has appeared defensive — such as a separate opinion piece on March 9 which appeared to relativize the scandal, claiming that the false employment of family members is “truly a national sport at the [French] parliament” and complaining about insufficient media coverage of alleged Macron scandals.
Source: Sputnik France. “Affairs in the media: Macron laughing, Fillon crying?”
Two articles on March 25 and March 26 reported accusations from Fillon, and one of his campaign staff, against French President François Hollande, claiming that Hollande was running a “black cabinet” which had bugged Fillon’s communications. Neither article mentioned Hollande’s position — although an earlier Sputnik piece, on March 24, had done so. This could simply be sloppy journalism, but it does nothing to enhance Sputnik’s reputation for balanced reporting. An opinion piece on March 6 attributed Fillon’s slump in the polls to “media agitation” and praised a rally he held in Paris: “You can only underline the prowess in being able to mobilize so many people in just three days, despite the rain.”
Source: Sputnik France. “Have the media and politicians sold the skin of Fillon the bear too soon?” Note that the passionate photo was taken on February 12 on La Réunion; the article itself concerned a rally in Paris on March 5.
Most strikingly, since late March, Sputnik France has run a series of articles predicting a Fillon victory, against a background of gradually recovering poll numbers. All of these were based on online surveys conducted by a Moscow-based company called Brand Analytics, which specializes in social media surveys.
Source: Sputnik France, archive from April 2 (L), edited headline of the same article from April 20 (R). The left-hand headline reads, “Presidential 2017: Fillon returns to the top of the polls.” The right-hand headline reads, “Presidential 2017: Fillon given as favorite by a study of social networks.”
Sputnik ran stand-alone articles on Brand Analytics’ findings on March 29, April 4, April 14, and April 17. In three of the four, it reported Fillon as being the favorite; in one, on April 4, it headlined that “The second round will be between Fillon and Macron”, before confirming in the third paragraph that Macron was in fact in front.
Source: Sputnik France. “The 2nd round will be between Fillon and Macron, according to a study of social networks.”
There are two questions about these articles and studies. The first concerns Brand Analytics’ methodology, which was criticized by the French Commission des Sondages (Commission for Opinion Polls) in a rare public statement on March 31. The Commission des Sondages stated that the Brand Analytics study could not be considered, or reported, as an “opinion poll” because it was based on social media analysis, not the polling of a representative sample — the French legal definition. On April 2, Sputnik France responded with a long article defending Brand Analytics’ methods.
Source: Sputnik France. “Fillon as favorite: Brand Analytics explains its methodology.”
The article quoted the director of the Brand Analytics analytical centre, Svetlana Krylova, as saying that their study was “more precise” than traditional polls because it focused on social media posts: “Unlike traditional polls, we work in real time and (…) can analyze the answers from people who are really interested (who will go vote, sent a text etc.). (…) All we do is ‘listen’ to the words of people on social networks.” Brand Analytics itself confirmed this on its own blog page, saying that “The forecast is based on the analysis of the flow of messages to the French audience of social networks. More than 20 million messages from more than 3 million authors from France have been analyzed with reference to candidates for the presidency. For the forecast, the authors who supported one of the candidates are considered.” It gave its sources as “Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, G +, forums, blogs, and user comments on media materials.” Source: Brand Analytics. It claimed that “spam bots” were excluded, but gave no indication of how this was achieved; nor did it indicate the margin of error for its findings. Social media analysis is, of course, an increasingly crucial way of studying the opinions of specific interest groups; but it is, by definition, limited to those who are active on social media. The Brand Analytics study was further limited to those commenting on politics. As the Commission des Sondages pointed out, the Brand Analytics studies cannot be considered as representative samples of nationwide voting intentions. If their methodology is sufficiently robust, the studies could shed light on the voting behavior of politically interested social media users; but this requires significantly more information on the exact methods used. The second question concerns Sputnik’s use of the surveys. The studies which it reported were not the only Brand Analytics surveys during the period. The company also published findings on April 11, 12, 13, 18, and 19. Two of them — on April 11 and April 18 — put Macron in the lead, reversing earlier apparent Fillon gains. Sputnik did not report these.
Source: Brand Analytics. Polls on 11 April and 18 April, with Macron (orange) ahead of Fillon (blue), unreported by Sputnik.
It is, of course, an editorial decision what to leave out; but by leaving out some surveys, Sputnik created the impression that Fillon consistently led the pack in Brand Analytics’ findings. This was not the case. This was not the first time that Sputnik had made such an editorial choice on polling data. On March 23 and 24, for the first time, two separate polls put Macron in first place for the first round, ahead of Le Pen. The shift was reported by mainstream French media, such as Paris Match and Midi Libre. Sputnik’s reporting on March 23 headlined that “The gap between Le Pen and Macron is closing,” before acknowledging in the body of the text that Macron had in fact overtaken. On March 24, Sputnik headlined, “Le Pen still in front in the first round, according to the latest polls.”
Source: Sputnik France. “Marine Le Pen still in front in the first round, according to the latest polls.”With U.S. intelligence help, Saudi Arabia has launched air strikes into Yemen and wants Egypt and Pakistan to invade, threatening to turn a long-simmering civil war into a regional conflict, a scenario that reminded retired U.S. diplomat William R. Polk of his work for President Kennedy on an earlier Yemeni war.
By William R. Polk
As the events unfold with the Saudi and Egyptian engagement in Yemen, I was reminded of my discussion with Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser on “his” Yemen war, sometimes called the North Yemen Civil War that began in 1962, became a stalemate and finally ended in 1970. As Mark Twain may have said, “history doesn’t repeat but sometimes it rhymes.” The rhymes, at least, seem unmistakable.
In the course of our first lengthy talk on Yemen, Nasser (rather angrily) replied to one of my comments, “you don’t think I will win the war, do you?”
“No, Mr. President,” I replied, “I don’t.”
“Well, you would be surprised to know that I have acquired your [America’s] secret analyses of guerrilla warfare.”
“Oh, Mr. President,” I shook my head, “I know the people who wrote those reports. They are rubbish. I would throw them away if I were you.”
He just looked at me, even more angrily, thinking I suppose, that having pulled off an intelligence coup, I was trying to trick him by claiming that it was really not a coup but a mistake. Then he said, “I know how to use helicopters, too.” (Their use was then being touted by our military as our great weapon against the Viet Minh fighters in Vietnam.)
“And you lost one yesterday, didn’t you?” I jibed.
“How did you find out about that?”
“Well, Mr. President, we spend a lot of money on the CIA finding out about such things and one way or another they usually do. That is what the CIA is supposed to do They don’t always succeed but sometimes they do.”
“Well,” Nasser retorted, “you American’s think you know all about everything, and you don’t even have any of your people in Sanaa and none up in the north where the fighting is going on. You don’t know anything about Yemen.” Then, without thinking of the implication, I suppose, he said, ” You should go see.”
“Mr. President,” I quickly said. “I regard that as an invitation.” Impolitely, I then stood up. He looked at me with narrow, angry eyes. He obviously had not meant what I had inferred.
“All right, go see,” he said. “I will give instructions that you can go anywhere you want, talk to anyone you want, see everything..”
“But, of course, I cannot even get there without your help,” I said.
“You can have my plane.”
Rather off-handedly and not warmly, we shook hands. I said goodbye and rushed back to our embassy and wrote an “eyes only” message to President John Kennedy. I did not want it scattered around our government so I prevailed upon the CIA station chief to send it by his rather more restricted route. It was encrypted and sent in three batches. Before the second batch got sent, a reply came back: “go.”
Off to Yemen
So I went, and Nasser was as good as his word. I spent hours with his military commander, Abdul Hakim Amr who gleefully unfolded the huge map of showing the planned Egyptian sweep of the mountains to the east (while Anwar Sadat, then rather on the fringes of the Egyptian Establishment, angrily protested against Amr’s indiscretion with a foreigner. He never forgave me for being there).
I went up to the supposed battle zone, near Saada, went out to all the villages where the war was, according to the CIA and British intelligence, being fought, met with the new Yemeni Leader Sallal and all the new Yemeni leaders, and then flew back to Cairo.
Disclosure (as they like to say in the media): I was bribed. As a going-away present, I was given 500 pounds of Yemeni coffee. Nothing so welcome to a traveler as 500 pounds of anything! But thanks to me, our Cairo embassy was “in coffee” for years!
I did not see President Nasser on my return but sent him a message through the Governor of Cairo, Salah Dessouki, that I hoped to go down to the Saudi-Yemen frontier to meet with the guerrilla leaders, and somewhat jokingly I said to my friend Salah, “I want to be very sure that President Nasser knows exactly where I am going. And,Salah, please tell the President not to do anything silly.”
Salah burst out laughing and said, “Bill, I certainly will not say that to the President!”
So I flew to Riyadh and, with the permission of then Crown Prince Faisal, with whom I had a rather close relationship, I took the American ambassador’s airplane and flew down to Najran where I spent an evening with a group of the guerrilla leaders.
As we sat around a campfire, outside of Najran, we drank tea, ate a lamb roast and then, in a fairly typical desert encounter, we had a poetry duel. By pure luck, I happened to know the poem being recited and I capped the verse of one of the men. In their terms, that was like a passport for me. And we could then have a serious and frank discussion on the war, the strengths and weaknesses of the royalist forces and what might bring the war to a conclusion.
Our talk went on almost all night. Finally, just at first light, I had barely gotten to sleep when the first of four Egyptian but Russian-piloted TU 16 jet bombers arrived overhead from Luxor. They dropped 15 200 kg bombs on the oasis and on us. My pilot was just worried about his plane. The rest of us had other worries!
The biggest danger, in fact, was from the shrapnel falling from the anti-aircraft cannon. They were totally ineffective against the TU 16s as they could not reach them. (One of my aides, an Air Force colonel informed me that the TU-16s were at about 23,000 feet and the 90 mm cannon would reach about 18,000 feet.)
But a few people around us were killed. Another of my aides, a Marine Colonel, presented me with a wicked looking piece of one of the bombs. It had fallen or been blown not far from the place I was lying.
On our return flight to Riyadh, I wrote Nasser a “thank you” note, saying “Mr. President, I am most grateful for your kind hospitality in Egypt and Yemen, but I don’t think you needed to entertain me in other countries.”
Our ambassador, my good and old friend, John Badeau, was not amused. He said, “Bill, just say thank you and, please, don’t hurry back!”
It was a few months later when I next saw President Nasser. We had a long and very frank talk then about Yemen. I compared it to Vietnam which I was already sure would be a disaster. I pointed to the huge cost to us of Vietnam, how it disrupted all our domestic social goals and how it poisoned Americans trust in one another. I warned that in my opinion, Yemen might do the same to Egypt, disrupting what Nasser was trying to do to uplift his people and end their tragic poverty.
In our talk, Nasser said, “I certainly didn’t agree with you, Bill, but I knew you would tell me the truth as you saw it.” Somehow, the Israelis found out about this and later the chief of Prime Minister Golda Meir’s cabinet, Mordachai Gazit told me, “We know that President Nasser trusts you.”
As I was leaving, Nasser took me out to my car and even opened the car door for me. His guards were as astonished as I was, Apparently, he had never before done this. As we shook hands, he said, “Well, Bill, where are you off to this time?”
“This time, Mr. President, I am not going to tell you!”
He burst out laughing as did I. We did not meet again but our frankness and respect later enabled me to work out the 1970 ceasefire on Suez with him shortly before his death.
It is hard to believe that history now seems to be repeating with Egypt and Saudi Arabia again engaged in a counter-guerrilla war in Yemen! For Nasser, it was Egypt’s Vietnam. Will the new Yemen war be Egypt’s (and Saudi Arabia’s) Afghanistan? I think it is very likely. All of the signs point in that direction.
And, as I have laid out in numerous essays on Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Mali and Algeria, and in my little book Violent Politics, guerrilla wars are almost never “won” but usually drain the supposedly dominant power of its wealth, moral position and political unity.
William R. Polk is a veteran foreign policy consultant, author and professor who taught Middle Eastern studies at Harvard. President John F. Kennedy appointed Polk to the State Department’s Policy Planning Council where he served during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His books include: Violent Politics: Insurgency and Terrorism; Understanding Iraq; Understanding Iran; Personal History: Living in Interesting Times; Distant Thunder: Reflections on the Dangers of Our Times; and Humpty Dumpty: The Fate of Regime Change.This is Lucy Hale like you've never seen her before!
The "Pretty Little Liars" star shows off her sexier side by stripping down to her skivvies in a seductive photo spread for VMagazine.com.
In one pic, shot by photographer James Lee Wall, the actress is seen in her lingerie as she lays in bed with a shirtless stud. Another snapshot shows a glimpse the ABC Family star's bare booty!
"I was really excited to do something a lot more grown up and show a different side of me," she said of the racy shoot.
"I look at these photos more as art than a photo shoot, because I've always felt really uncomfortable doing photo shoots. I've never felt like a model or anything. James just let me do my thing and caught me at the right moments." Hale added, "I wanted it to have a shock factor."
Ready for another big shock? It seems Lucy is ending her stint on "PLL" next year!
"I'll be done next October with [Pretty Little Liars] forever, which is exciting, but also scary at the same time because it's the next chapter of my life," she told the site. "I'm really looking forward to exploring different and darker roles."
The former child star will begin working on a movie this fall, but she couldn't spill any secrets about the project just yet. "There hasn't been a press release, so I can't say the title or anything, but I am doing, like, a really cool indie film in October. That's sort of the direction I want to head in," she said. "It's a little raunchy, so it'll be exciting."
"Most indie films shoot in 30 days...The fans of the show have sort of grown up with me, so it's a movie they can watch, but we'll push the envelope a little bit on it. It's a movie that's got a lot of heart, and morals, but the language! I get to drop the f-bomb every other line, which will be fun," Lucy revealed. This will be my first lead in a movie, which will be very exciting for me."
We can't wait to see what she does next!Washington (CNN) Leaked emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell show him strongly criticizing Donald Trump, labeling him a " |
to make best use of Fluker's power and run behind him a healthy amount.
Yes, the running backs in the offense are important too. However, unless you have Adrian Peterson, a good offensive line is needed for an effective rushing attack. With so many teams going with the running back by committee approach, the value of the offensive line compared to the running backs becomes greater and greater. But hey, maybe with some improved blocking Ryan Mathews can stay on the field and have that breakout season we've all been waiting for.
The bottom line is that the Chargers have to run the ball better. An upgrade at both tackle spots should really help keep the running lanes from collapsing like they so often did in 2012. A better running attack will help take pressure off a passing game that will be learning a new scheme.
More from Bolts From The Blue:France has accepted the offer of a puppy from Russia as a replacement for a police dog named Diesel which was killed during operations after the November 13 terror attacks in Paris.
"The gift from Russian police dog-lovers to their French counterparts... is a very strong and exceptional symbolic gesture on your part," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve wrote in a letter to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Kolokoltsev.
The Russian interior minister had offered to send a German shepherd puppy named Dobrynya to replace Diesel, a seven-year-old Belgian shepherd.
She was killed on November 18 during a massive security operation against jihadists holed up in an apartment to the north of Paris.
During that raid Abdelhamid Abaaoud, one of the suspected ringleaders of the November 13 attacks in and around Paris which left 130 people dead, was killed in a shootout along with two accomplices.
Dobrynya is named after a mediaeval Russian knight famed for his strength, chivalry and courage.
Russia's foreign ministry has published pictures and videos of the little dog playing with a ball
The six-month-old pup, which lives in a centre for police dogs in the Moscow region, has also appeared on Russian state television.
Before being sent to France he must undergo veterinary checks and a quarantine.
French President Francois Hollande and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday to coordinate strikes against the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacksThe trend of urban chicken-keeping is to blame for a growing number of salmonella outbreaks across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And bird owners exacerbate the risk by treating the chickens as they would other pets: Bringing them into the home, snuggling them, and even kissing them.
A new report set out to investigate how salmonella infections from live birds had changed, and why. From 1990 to 2014, researchers found, poultry-associated outbreaks not only became more frequent but also larger. An average of one outbreak a year was documented between 1990 and 2005, but that number crept up to four a year in the period between 2006 and 2014.
And the size of each outbreak has been growing, possibly due to infected birds being distributed widely for backyard flocks. (However birds can also contract salmonella from their new homes even if they weren’t infected when purchased.) Up to 2005, the average number of infections per outbreak was 12; from 2005 onward it was 41.
In surveys given to those infected, researchers found that the most common exposure was by baby chickens or geese.
“Backyard chickens can be a wonderful thing to have, but we’re hearing about people kissing their birds, hugging their birds, bringing them close to the face and treating them more like dogs and cats than farm animals,” said Casey Barton Behravesh, one of the report’s authors and a CDC deputy branch chief who deals with food- and animal-borne outbreaks. “It’s very important for people to know that even healthy birds can carry germs that make people sick.”
Read more: Salmonella traced to pet turtles is spreading once again
Salmonella is a bacteria that can live in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens, geese, turkeys, and other animals. While birds carrying the bacteria can appear perfectly normal, it can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and fever when it infects humans. The bacteria can cling to birds’ feathers, bodies, beaks, and feet, and it can continue to live on couches, carpets, or countertops long after the animals have been put back into their coops.
In the last 15 years, large cities including Madison, Wis.; Denver; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Auburn, Ala., have passed laws relaxing restrictions on residents who keep poultry. The CDC urges people with backyard chickens and other poultry to understand safe practices—always washing hands after handling, having outdoor-only boots for cleaning coops, and supervising children that interact with the birds.
Surveys also found that birds were often kept in the house instead of in coops, which Barton Behravesh said is a bad idea. “They should not be brought in the house for any reason, not even when they’re little chicks,” she said. Nearly 46 percent of respondents reported keeping poultry inside the house; of these, 22 percent reported keeping birds in the living room, 12 percent in the kitchen, 10 percent in a bedroom, and 10 percent in a bathroom.
Chickens aren’t the only instance of pets causing salmonella outbreaks. The CDC has reported a growing number of infections caused by pet reptiles like bearded dragons, geckos, and turtles, despite the fact that the FDA has banned the sale of turtles with shells smaller than four inches across.
Although this study ended in 2014, Barton Behravesh emphasized that worrisome cases are continuing to spring up. So far this year, there have been eight outbreaks linked to live poultry involving 611 people. And for every confirmed case involving a patient sick enough to actually see a doctor, the CDC estimates that 20 other people suffered a less severe form of the illness.
“We’re seeing these birds in petting zoos across the country; now there are schools that are wanting to have flocks of birds, birds being treated as therapy animals, and being brought into nursing homes,” said Barton Behravesh. “A large number of people are continuing to get ill.”
Republished with permission from STAT. This article originally appeared on September 14, 2016As a personal project, I am writing yet another Scala library for DynamoDb. It contains many interesting aspect such as reading and writing from an AST (just as Json), handling HTTP request, streaming data…
In order to be able able to communicate with DynamoDb, one needs to be able to read from / to the DynamoDb format (the “AST”). I extracted this reading / writing from / to the AST in a minimalist library: dynamo-ast. It contains two main type classes: DynamoReads[_] and DynamoWrites[_] (deeply inspired from Play Json).
I successfully coded the reading part of the library ending with a very simple code such as :
trait DynamoRead[A] { self => def read(dynamoType: DynamoType): DynamoReadResult[A] } case class TinyImage(url: String, alt: String) val dynamoReads: DynamoReads[TinyImage] = { for { url <- read[String].at(“url”) alt <- read[String].at(“alt”) } yield (url, alt) map (TinyImage.apply _).tupled } dynamoReads.reads(dynamoAst) //yield DynamoReadResult[TinyImage]
At that point, I thought I wrote the most complicated part of the library and the DynamoWrite[_] part would be a piece of cake. I am however stuck on writing the DynamoWrite part. I was a fool.
My goal is to provide a very similar “user experience” with the DynamoWrite[_] and keep it as simple as possible such as :
val dynamoWrites: DynamoWrites[TinyImage] = { for { url <- write[String].at(“url”) alt <- write[String].at(“alt”) } yield (url, alt) map (TinyImage.unapply _) //I am not sure what to yield here nor how to code it } dynamoWrites.write(TinyImage(“http://fake.url”, “The alt desc”)) //yield DynamoWriteResult[DynamoType]
Since this library is deeply inspired from Play Json library (because I like its simplicity) I had a look at the sources several times. I kind of dislike the way the writer part is coded because to me, it adds a lot of overhead (basically each time a field a written, a new JsObject is created with one field and the resulting JsObject for a complete class is the merge of all the JsObjects containing one field).
From my understanding, the DynamoReads part can be written with only one trait ( DynamoRead[_] ). The DynamoWrites part however requires at least two such as :
trait DynamoWrites[A] { def write(a: A): DynamoWriteResult[DynamoType] } trait DynamoWritesPath[A] { def write(path:String, a: A): DynamoWriteResult[(String, DynamoType)] }
The DynamoWrites[_] is to write plain String, Int… and the DynamoWritesPath[_] is to write a tuple of (String, WhateverTypeHere) (to simulate a “field”).
So writing write[String].at(“url”) would yield a DynamoWritesPath[String]. Now I have several issues :
I have no clue how to write flatMap for my DynamoWritesPath[_]
what should yield a for comprehension to be able to obtain a DynamoWrite[TinyImage]
What I wrote so far (totally fuzzy and not compiling at all, looking for some help on this). Not committed at the moment (gist): https://gist.github.com/louis-forite/cad97cc0a47847b2e4177192d9dbc3ae
To sum up, I am looking for some guidance on how to write the DynamoWrites[_] part. My goal is to provide for the client the most straight forward way to code a DynamoWrites[_] for a given type. My non goal is to write the perfect library and keep it a zero dependency library.
Link to the library: https://github.com/louis-forite/dynamo-astChina's government is continuing to steadily buy U.S. Treasury debt. And that's pretty disconcerting for the more nationalist corners of the Chinese media, who are regular critics of investing in a nation they often say is poised for a currency collapse and inflationary crisis.
The latest Treasury International Capital figures released Wednesday show China buying a net $15.26 billion in Treasury debt in July, after buying $26.63 billion in June. The numbers were not surprising to the market. While the monthly figures can be volatile, the trend in China’s U.S. debt purchases hasn’t really changed much in recent months, as the chart below shows.
The reliably nationalist Global Times seemed unsure how to handle the news. The TIC figures “confused many people, and academics were divided on the government's actions,” its reporter wrote. The piece cites the conventional wisdom within China that “both foreign and domestic investors are likely to cut their U.S. bond holdings” while noting skeptically that “some scholars insisted that purchasing U.S. bonds is a good option for China.”Dec 28, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chris Weidman after his UFC middleweight championship bout against Anderson Silva at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Weidman won. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
UFC Middleweight champion, Chris Weidman, is still fresh off of his UFC 168 victory over Anderson Silva, but already knows his next opponent. The streaking and controversial Vitor Belfort will challenge Weidman for the title sometime in May or June.
Every fight that Belfort is in brings along with it the TRT controversy. Couple that with the fact that he is fighting for a title, and it is going to be a hot topic for months to come. Weidman, in a recent interview with FOX sports, talked about Belfort’s TRT usage:
He’s failed a drug test before. He’s on TRT now. I don’t agree with TRT to begin with, so him failing a drug test and being on TRT, I don’t really like it. I appreciate there will be a commission making sure he’s doing things right. I don’t have high testosterone at all. I’m completely fine. I guarantee his testosterone on TRT is two or three times higher than mine. I wake up and I work hard two or three times a day. I don’t feel that there’s a need for it, and if it comes to point where you need it, then you retire, you don’t fight. Fighting is a sport where strength is important, and if you’re going to have extra testosterone, especially after you’ve been caught cheating, it’s unfair.
The TRT issue has been a controversial topic in MMA for some time. The UFC and Dana White have warned that fighters on TRT will be tested more frequently than others to make sure their levels are correct. In 2013, Ben Rothwell and Antonio Silva were both suspended for elevated testosterone levels related to inappropriate TRT usage.
Many believe that since Belfort has failed a test before, it is unfair that he is able to use TRT. Clearly Chris Weidman is among the detractors, along with many other fighters.
Do you think TRT is fair, or just legal steroids? Should the commission’s outlaw it all together? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter @SchlinskMMA.This video is no longer available
This video was hosted on Vidme, which is no longer in operation. However, you might find this video at one of these links:
Video title:
BBC Horizon: Cyber Attack - The Day the NHS Stopped (2017)
Upload date:
June 6 2017
Uploaded by:
QuantumRip
Video description:
A few weeks ago, the National Health Service was hit by a widespread and devastating cyber attack - Horizon tells the inside story of one of the most challenging days in the history of the NHS. On the morning of 12 May the attack started. Appointment systems, pathology labs, x-rays and even CT scanners were infected - putting not just data but patients lives at risk, and on every screen a simple - some may even say polite - message appeared. 'Ooops, your files have been encrypted!' But what followed was far from civilised. It was very clear that all the data on an infected machine was now scrambled and only the hackers could unscramble it. For a price - and with an extra twist - after a few days the ransom money doubled, and if nothing was paid within a week, the hackers threatened to destroy all the data - forever.
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6,075A new study has pulled together research into the most diverse place on earth to demonstrate how the organisms below-ground could hold the key to understanding how the worlds ecosystems function and how they are responding to climate change.
Published in Nature, the paper by Professor Richard Bardgett from The University of Manchester and Professor Wim van der Putten of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, brings together new knowledge on this previously neglected area. The paper not only highlights the sheer diversity of life that lives below-ground, but also how rapid responses of soil organisms to climate change could have far reaching impacts on future ecosystems. The paper also explores how the below-ground world can be utilised for sustainable land management.
Professor Bardgett explains: "The soil beneath our feet arguably represents the most diverse place on Earth. Soil communities are extremely complex with literally millions of species and billions of individual organisms within a single grassland or forest, ranging from microscopic bacteria and fungi through to larger organisms such as earthworms, ants and moles. Despite this plethora of life the underground world had been largely neglected by research, it certainly used to be a case of out of sight out of mind, although over the last decade we have seen a significant increase in work in this area."
The increase in research on below-ground organisms has helped to explain how they interact with each other and crucially how they influence the above-ground flora and fauna.
Professor van der Putten says: "For example, an increasing number of studies show that above-ground pest control is influenced by organisms in the soil. This supports the view that a healthy crop requires healthy soil."
Professor Bardgett says there have been some other fascinating results: "Recent soil biodiversity research has revealed that below-ground communities not only play a major role in shaping plant biodiversity and the way that ecosystems function, but it can also determine how they respond to environmental change."
He continues: "One of the key areas for future research will be to integrate what has been learnt about soil diversity into decisions about sustainable land management. There is an urgent need for new approaches to the maintenance and enhancement of soil fertility for food, feed and biomass production, the prevention of human disease and tackling climate change. As we highlight in this paper, a new age of research is needed to meet these scientific challenges and to integrate such understanding into future land management and climate change mitigation strategies."
With the publication of this paper Professor Bardgett is optimistic for the future: "Soil biodiversity research is now entering a new era; awareness is growing among scientists and policy makers of the importance of soil biodiversity for the supply of ecosystem goods and services to human society. New technologies are allowing us to study underground ecosystems in situ and a new generation of tools are available to properly investigate the biology of soil and its ecological and evolutionary role."A camera woman in Hungary has been caught on video tripping and kicking migrants at a reception centre for refugees in Roszke.
Petra Laszlo, was filming for the youtube-based channel N1TV, which is close to the far-right Jobbik party.
As a man carrying a toddler runs by she clearly puts out her leg, causing him to trip and fall to the ground.
In another incident Laszlo is seen kicking a girl who runs past her.
A German journalist filmed her actions and posted a video on his twitter account.
Lage in #Roeszke#Hungary weiter schlimm – Polizei überfordert – Flüchtlinge durchbrechen Polizeikette – Verletzte! pic.twitter.com/GlMGqGwABb — Stephan Richter (@RichterSteph) September 8, 2015
The woman has since been fired by N1TV, and a British newspaper reports that she could face up to five years in prison if she is charged.
On its facebook page the channel said her behaviour had been unacceptable.Bathe Like a Badass – 10 Health Benefits of Cold Showers
“You have to start each day with acts of courage.”
–This badass
Getting out of bed is your first act of courage. Taking a cold shower should be your second act of courage.
There are several health benefits of cold showers and it will be very rewarding for you to add cold showers to your daily (morning, preferably) routine.
For the last 30 days, I’ve added cold showers to my daily routine, and surprisingly, I’ve gotten used to the water temperature. I now look forward to the cold water when I jump into the shower. Not only do I feel great when I get out of the shower, but I’m contributing to my health, well-being, and killer looks.
The ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks were amongst the first civilizations to adopt cold water therapy. The Romans were known to jump into ice water after battles. Hippocrates discovered that taking cold water, whether externally or by ingestion, would treat various types of illnesses. Sikhs practice the science of Ishnaan, bathing in cold water, to better their mind, body, and soul.
Am I coming through to you?!
I know some of you cringe at the thought of taking cold showers. You might even deem this as one of the most miserable things you can do. Picture yourself in the middle of winter and your alarm goes off at 6am. You’re cozy, comfortable, and content. The last thing you want to do is take a cold shower.
But I am challenging you to tuck in your jewels, blast the cold water, and jump in like a badass that doesn’t give a fuck. You’ll eventually laugh at your old self for thinking how difficult taking a cold shower would be.
Take a cold shower daily for the next 30 days. I guarantee you are going to feel a lot better when you get out and your body, mood, and health will thank you for it. You might even look forward to it!
10 Health Benefits of Cold Showers
1. Increases your energy
I definitely saw this one coming. Step into a cold shower at 6am and guess what will happen—you will wake up from your seven-hour coma. You will suddenly feel alert. This surge of energy will last once you get out of the shower and you will be ready to take whatever the day throws at you.
For those looking to reduce their caffeine intake, cold showers are your replacement.
There’s also a hypothesis that cold showers can help treat fatigue and chronic fatigue.
2. You’ll look better
Sorry, it won’t fix the way your face looks, but it will help your skin and hair. Hot showers dry your skin and hair by opening your pores and hair cuticles. Opening your pores and hair cuticles increases the risk for acne and other blemishes. Keeping your hair cuticles closed may strengthen the bond to your head, preventing hair loss. Cold showers will prevent your cuticles and pores from opening as well as maintain some of the good natural oils your body produces.
Source: HowStuffWorks
3. Boosts immune system
Cold showers immediately tell the body’s immune system to get to work. Constant exposure to this type of environment will cause the body to adapt, resulting in higher level of antibodies.
Source: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
Source: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
4. Fights depression
“Exposure to cold is known to activate the sympathetic nervous system and increase the blood level of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline and to increase synaptic release of noradrenaline in the brain as well. Additionally, due to the high density of cold receptors in the skin, a cold shower is expected to send an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings to the brain, which could result in an anti-depressive effect.”
Source: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
5. Fat loss
When your body is cold, it has to process more energy to keep you warm. This means it has to burn more fat than normal. Your body will also make good use of a “good fat” called brown fat. The cold temperature can activate the brown fat which will activate our metabolism and burn calories.
Source: WebMD
Source: Joslin Diabetes Center
6. Sex
Throw away those testosterone pills. Taking a cold shower is a natural way to increase your testosterone levels. They’re also good for your little soldiers. Hot water is detrimental for sperm count so if breeding is on your horizon then improve your chances of reproduction by turning down the hot water knob.
Source: Midwest Men’s Clinic
7. Improve circulation
Healthy blood circulation is good for your organs and cardiovascular health. Cold temperatures causes blood to move to your organs and extremities to keep them warm, aiding in good blood circulation. Hot water has the opposite impact by moving the blood towards the surface of your skin.
8. Lower stress levels
Do you get anxious or stressed easily? If so, being exposed to cold temperatures may reduce your cortisol levels to keep you calm when shit hits the fan.
Source: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
9. Aids in muscle recovery
There’s a reason why athletes take ice baths after a game or training session. The cold temperature helps their muscles recover after taking a beating. I’m not LeBron James nor Tom Brady so I’ll settle for the cold shower.
Source:US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
10. Mental toughness
I would say this is one of the biggest health benefits of cold showers. Waking up to a cold shower is one of the most daunting things you can do. In fact, there’s a chance it will be the toughest thing you’ll do all day. Pushing through this will help you push through other challenging tasks thrown at you. I assure you that sales call will not taunt you like that steam-less stream of running water. If anything, once you take that cold shower, you’ll be waiting to crush that sales call.
Cold Shower Action Plan
30-Day Challenge
Start small if jumping into a cold shower sounds terrifying. Begin with a hot shower and end with the water on full-blast cold. Follow this week-by-week practice to handle cold showers like a boss.
Week 1: 20 seconds
Week 2: 30 seconds
Week 3: 1 minute
Week 4: Entire shower
Naturally, you’ll become extremely efficient with your shower time.
The first time you crank up the cold water, you will freak out. You may want to consult your physician if you have a heart or other medical condition since this could shock your body.
Take long, slow, deep breaths, completely inflating and deflating your lungs. Think of this as a mini-meditation session.
If you are completely against the thought of taking only cold showers then at the very least, end your showers on cold for 30 seconds.
When you’re done, let out a Rick Flair “Woooooo” and start your day off like a badass.
Comment or “Woooooo” below to let us know how things went.3 of 62
3. Charlie Siem
Charlie Siem apologizes profusely for his delay in calling; he has only just arrived in Scot- land after a missed flight. Is the British violinist there for a concert? "I'm actually going shooting with my sister's husband," says the Eton-educated 28-year-old, his accent sleekly posh. "It sounds quite gentlemanly, doesn't it? Until I get out on the fields with my gun and it becomes a complete mess!" Siem is much more adept with his violin. Known for his graceful stage presence and romantic sound, he recently toured Europe playing selections from Under the Stars, his album of orchestral encores. "With something like the violin, you've got to figure out a unique way of playing that suits you," he says. "It's such a physical thing, and you have to really listen. Your greatest asset as a musician is your ear." Siem happens to have other assets as well. He has modeled for Dunhill and for an upcoming Hugo Boss campaign, and he appeared in Karl Lagerfeld's book The Little Black Jacket at the Kaiser's own request—so, yes, he looks quite nice onstage in his trademark fitted suit. As for life offstage, "I guess, for me, I haven't met the right person yet," he says. "I always say that if I did, I'd change my life." Music to our ears. Rebecca MilzoffSoca in Scandinavia: A Carnival Blossoms In Oslo
Words by Deejay Theory
Caribbean culture and music are widely celebrated in dozens of European outlets, but one unlikely region is making an extra large amount of noise this Carnival season. Earlier this month, 32 years after the first effort to start a Carnival in Oslo, Caribbean culture returned to the streets of Norway’s capital in a big way. Among the guests who traveled to the city for this year’s celebration was none other than the Soca Viking Bunji Garlin, who has remarked that the celebration was a career highlight.
We spoke with Kele Eribe of Caribbean Islands, the eight-person collective behind Oslo Carnival, who are working to and connect the dots between Norway and the islands year round. Check out the interview and some photos below for an inside look into Oslo Carnival, and be sure to grab the first Carnival mixtape exported from the country, inspired by Kes the Band and the common goal of an endless summer.
LargeUp: How long has Carnival been happening in Oslo? Was this the first year? Who started it?
Kele Eribe: Oslo’s first carnival went down in 1983 and was a big event. They also had an own section inspired by Carnival in Trinidad, I think they called themselves Caribbean Culture Club. The public banned carnival in Oslo because of too much littering, fighting and alcohol in the streets. A group of people are now, slowly but steady, trying to establish carnival in Oslo as a annual happening every summer. 2014 is the first year where the West Indian carnival culture is represented. We are a group of eight people who are working on establishing a scene for soca and dancehall lovers. There are quite a few people in Norway who have been to Trinidad for carnival.
LU: About how many people took part?
KE: About 150 in our section with costume, apart from that the whole of Oslo Carnival consisted of 11 bands. The carnival is kept small and exclusive with the intention of making it a bigger cultural happening in collaboration with the public.
LU: How long has there been an audience for soca in Norway?
KE: Since the 80’s there has been a soca audience. Like I mentioned, there used to be a spot called the Caribbean Culture Club who gave soca to the people. There is a audience today as well—it is small but it is growing. The eight of us that are working with Caribbean Islands have all been in Trinidad for carnival. The project leader Ida, is half Norwegian and half from Trinidad & Tobago, and actually the granddaughter of calypsonian The Roaring Lion.
(Visited 346 times, 1 visits today)What is there to say or write about David Freese that has not already been said or written? I guess I'll try: Did you know that David Freese has the third-highest single-game Win Probability Added in Major League Baseball history among batters whose team went on to win the World Series that season? Thanks, Play Index!
The other two are Paul Molitor, on May 13, 1993 for the Toronto Blue Jays, and Albert Pujols, on April 16, 2006 for the St. Louis Cardinals. David Freese had his WPA peak during Game 6 of the 2011 World Series.
That's my best attempt at a new Freese factoid. I doubt I'm informing many people of Freese's 2011 heroics for the first time. You know the story. You know the past.
But David Freese is not merely a historic artifact. Freese, 32, remains a living, breathing Major League Baseball player. And as crazy as it seems, more time has passed since Freese was traded along with Fernando Salas to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk than had passed since Freese's Game 6 heroics when Freese was traded.
In the last two seasons, for better or worse, David Freese's career stabilized. In the 2012 afterglow of his ascension into immortality, Freese was an All-Star worth 3.8 wins above replacement per both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs. He posted a career-high 132 wRC+ and was a slightly above average fielder. In 2013, Freese was sub-replacement level: his offense was below average for a third baseman and his defense was the 5th-worst among MLB third basemen this decade.
But in 2014 and 2015, Freese was a productive, if not spectacular, MLB third baseman. He posted wRC+ totals of 106 and 110 and exhibited defense a hair above league average. While the headliners of this offseason were premium starting pitchers and young outfielders, David Freese appeared to be the best of a mediocre third base crop.
Unfortunately for Freese, while there has been a dearth of third base options on the open market, this also means a relative lack of potential suitors. While in December, Jon Heyman reported that the Angels were in talks to re-sign Freese, the Angels traded for Yunel Escobar of the Washington Nationals. The Chicago White Sox were seemingly a candidate for Freese, but they instead traded for Todd Frazier from the Cincinnati Reds, who themselves appear content to continue forward with Eugenio Suarez at the hot corner.
The longer his free agency, which has largely been stagnant, continues, the less likely it is that David Freese will find an opportunity to step in and immediately become a starter. While at 32, without a track record of being better than a pretty good MLB player, Freese is unlikely to garner a long-term deal, he conceivably has some window to receive a two or three year deal. He may have to wait a year, but he isn't going to get that by sitting out.
And this is where the Cardinals come into play. Although the Cardinals have one of the best half-dozen or so third basemen in baseball already in Matt Carpenter, Freese would add a layer of depth that the Cardinals presently do not have. As it stands, #2 and #3 on the third base depth chart for the Cardinals are Jedd Gyorko and Greg Garcia, who are also #2 and #3 at second base.
I've already expressed my desire to see Gyorko as a platoon partner for Kolten Wong. While I think Matt Carpenter is too good on his weak platoon side to put in a rigid platoon (107 wRC+ against lefties in 2015, 115 wRC+ against lefties in his career), David Freese could be an appetizing option to occasionally relieve Carpenter. Freese has a career 131 wRC+ against southpaws and while his 2015 wRC+ was a somewhat pedestrian 104, he posted a very impressive 153 in 2014.
In addition to spelling Matt Carpenter, who it is easy to forget went through an abysmal cold streak in June of 2015, Freese can give the Cardinals increased flexibility with regards to first base. If Stephen Piscotty starts 2016 in right field, as he is currently listed by the Cardinals to do, the team will presumably go with one of two left-handed bats, Brandon Moss or Matt Adams, as the predominant first baseman. Adams is a very poor hitter against lefties, and Moss has been inconsistent against them.
A potentially interesting option at first base, not every day but on occasion, is Matt Carpenter. Although he has started only twice at first base since 2013, his defense at third base (and second base, for that matter) has been in decline. A couple years ago, his defensive decline would be very worrying, but the version of Carpenter we saw at the plate in 2015 has the bat to hang at first if that does happen. Although his defense at first base is yet to be seen, unlike rumored experimentation with Matt Holliday, Carpenter's transition to first base would theoretically be a natural one from third.
Signing Freese, memories of postseasons past aside, would still not be a flashy signing. If Jason Heyward or David Price would be the equivalent of dinner at an expensive restaurant, David Freese is the dollar menu at Taco Bell. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It won't likely be the greatest meal of your life, but at little investment, it can be worth the minimal trouble.
Of course, nostalgia would be a major part of the allure of David Freese to St. Louis. And as a living, breathing (hyperventilating at moments, but still technically breathing) Cardinals fan in 2011, I fully understand that. But even putting aside the excitement that the acquisition would bring in the immediate term, a short deal for a reasonable salary could make sense for both parties.Bighorn sheep, and much other wildlife will benefit-
In a big surprise, including to the now unhappy Idaho congressionals, Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack has told Congress he will close the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station (USSES) near Dubois, Idaho. The station covers 16-thousand acres of summer grazing in the Centennial Mountains — on the Continental Divide (CD) in Idaho and Montana. USSES headquarters office is on a 28,000 acre facility six miles north of Dubois. This 28,000-acre sheep station (a name similar to a ranch) has offices, a laboratory, residential buildings, lambing facilities, and dry-lot facilities for research. It also has land for spring and fall grazing.
The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station was established in 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson. He withdrew the acreage from the public domain to function as a rangeland grazing and sheep breeding research facility.
Western Watersheds Project and many other conservation organizations have long been critical of the use of the closed to the public, public land for this facility. As our readers can see, WWP and three other conservation groups are currently suing USSES to protect grizzly bears. Critics say the Station conflicts strongly with bighorn sheep (transfer of disease), grizzly bears, and other wildlife that does not naturally mix well with sheep. The location of the lands also serves as a migration barrier to animals that would move along the CD from the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem to vast mountains, backcountry and Wilderness of central Idaho.
Closure of the USSES should, and hopefully will, soon see the lands opened to public access and enjoyment after a century. This includes some very scenic land on the CD portion of the Station.
The Experiment Station over the years has become more and more a subsidy to Idaho’s handful of large woolgrowers. Earlier they developed several breeds of sheep, including the Columbia, Polypay and the Targhee. Taxpayers subsidize the Station to the tune of about 2-million dollars a year. USSES also grazes three public grazing allotments in the general area (in addition to the Station lands). Taxpayers lose over $200,000 a year on this free public grazing.
The monies spent at the station will reportedly be redeployed to other publicly supported agricultural activities in Idaho. These look like they are not related to livestock.
Congress has 30 days to disapprove of the Secretary’s action. It is hard to see how this can be done in the current, pass-no-legislation Congress, though Idaho’s congressionals say they will try. Why?
Here is the story in the Idaho Falls Newspaper (Post Register).Independent panel key to reforming military procurement, Kenney tells industry
Minister of National Defence Jason Kenney speaks during a luncheon at the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries CANSEC trade show in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 27, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA - Defence Minister Jason Kenney pledged Tuesday that a new independent panel would reform the military's dysfunctional procurement system.
Kenney said the announcement of the panel's members will be made very soon and he said it will mark a major shift in how the Canadian Forces makes massive purchases of equipment.
"We want sign off essentially from all the key stakeholders in principle on a project at the front end and an independent panel to affirm that," the minister said in a keynote luncheon speech |
Now that he's in the thick of it, he'd better be a fast learner -- or run the risk of being left behind.Murray Kinsella reports from New Zealand
RUA TIPOKI’S SON, Ngarimu, has already made up his mind about what his own son is going to be named in the future.
Born in Cork just a few weeks after his father joined Munster, Ngarimu’s earliest years were spent in the presence of true Munster greats. But Ronan O’Gara made a bigger impression than the rest.
“He’s been cheering for the Lions,” says Tipoki of his nine-year-old, one of his four children. “He cheers for Ireland and he was pretty happy when the All Blacks lost. He was the only one born in Ireland.
Tipoki loved working with ROG. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
“He tells us that if he has a son one day he’s going to name him after Ronan, so Ronan will have a little namesake running around over here at some stage!”
It would be fitting, for without O’Gara’s influence Tipoki would never have ended up playing for Munster and helping them to the 2008 Heineken Cup during his two-year stint with the province.
The link first came about in 2005, when Tipoki was part of the Māori All Blacks’ unforgettable and historic win over the Lions in New Zealand.
Tipoki, a proud Māori man, was at the front of the haka that day in Hamilton and he led the side with a ferocious, intelligent and passionate performance opposite the Lions’ captain, Brian O’Driscoll, who he would later face in inter-provincial derbies.
A 19-13 victory over the Lions was one of the great moments in Tipoki’s career and 12 years on, as the Māori take on Warren Gatland’s 2017 vintage in Rotorua today, it remains close to his heart.
“It’s a special memory to have been part of the first Māori team to trip the Lions up, and extra special for me on that day because I got to mark the captain,” says Tipoki. “Drico was playing centre that day so it made it even more special. It was a good battle.
“He had a long career at the top and it was a big challenge. I ended up marking him again a couple of times when he was playing for Leinster when I was with Munster, it was always a big challenge.”
That game was one of the highlights of Tipoki’s career but it also led into another – playing for Munster.
Paul O’Connell started in the second row for the Lions, while Ronan O’Gara was part of Clive Woodward’s squad, and the influential Munster pair very much liked what they saw in Tipoki.
Not being men who beat around the bush, they approached the Kiwi centre at the post-match function and asked him if he would consider signing for Munster.
Tipoki is tackled off the ball by Gordon D'Arcy in 2005. Source: Michael Bradley
“They came up to me at the after-match and I said to ROG, ‘Where are you guys actually based? Up north or down south?’
“He said in his Cork accent, ‘Ah boy, we’re down south, we’re the rebels boy!’
“I just thought, “Rebels? That sounds a bit like me, I’m keen!’”
Indeed, there was an immediate sense of kindredness there. A native of Te Puia Springs, Tipoki grew up in Gisborne before playing for Ngati Porou East Coast, Bay of Plenty and then North Harbour after a move to the Auckland area.
“I suppose my background, I came from a provincial region and a small country town and then went to North Harbour, which was like the little brother to the Auckland union and we were always the underdogs who had less resources and things like that.
“The Munster story really captured my imagination and I thought I’d love to be a part of that environment. I had an amazing time there and I’m so grateful for it.”
The fact that it was O’Gara and O’Connell who had approached him about a move – rather than an agent – was important to Tipoki and he felt it was “a cool way to do it.”
He was immediately hooked on the idea, but then the Crusaders came calling at the last minute.
Tipoki had been playing for the Blues in Super Rugby, but then Crusaders head coach Robbie Deans managed to persuade him to make the move to the South Island of New Zealand.
“I had a meeting with Robbie and going into the meeting my wife and I had made up our minds that we were definitely going to go.
Tipoki played with Howlett at Munster and the Blues. Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
“But Robbie is such an inspirational and enigmatic personality that I walked in the room thinking I was definitely going to Ireland, but came out thinking I couldn’t go and I had to play for the Crusaders.”
So it was that Munster had to wait until the end of the 2007 Super Rugby season to get their man, but 31-year-old Tipoki is glad he did the season with the Crusaders, learning huge amounts that he feels allowed him to be a greater asset to Munster.
His first season was a major success, as Tipoki settled into a side that was full of Ireland internationals and had won the 2006 Heineken Cup but was still hungry for success.
“Obviously, we didn’t win every time, but every time we took to the field, there was an expectation that we were going to win,” he recalls. “It was such a strong belief in that team. That was a big part of Munster’s success, the belief in themselves.”
And Munster did win a huge amount that season, with the 2008 Heineken Cup a proud success for Tipoki.
He enjoyed finally getting the chance to play with O’Gara and O’Connell in particular, having had to wait those two extra two years.
“I knew they were good players, but I didn’t know that they were great players until you’re playing alongside them.
“Just to see how mentally tough they are and how naturally gifted they are at what they do. They’re probably two of the best players that I’ve played with and I’ve played with some greats.”
One of those greats Tipoki had played with in New Zealand was Doug Howlett, himself turned into a Munster man in that excellent team.
The Kiwi pair had both been Blues in the past and Tipoki enjoyed linking back up with the All Black legend. Meanwhile, his midfield partnership with Lifeimi Mafi was a real fans’ favourite, though he pushes the credit for their impact onto others.
“Playing outside ROG and the forward pack was the key,” says Tipoki. “Having a fly-half like ROG just gave you so much time and space, but also we had Dougie running off us and great outside backs, so the chemistry just bounced off each other.
Tipoki and Mafi were excellent in midfield together. Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
“Everyone was just so hungry and excited to play together during that time. When you get a group of guys like that, it’s just so good to be on the field playing with each other.”
2008 brought another memorable moment involving Tipoki in Munster colours, with the All Blacks’ visit to Thomond Park that November seeing the Kiwi line up alongside Mafi, Howlett and Jeremy Manning for their spine-tingling haka.
While there had been murmurings that Munster had prepared a challenge for the All Blacks that day, it remains one of the most stunning moments on a rugby pitch in Ireland.
“We suggested it one afternoon when we were all together, so it just carried on from there,” explains Tipoki. “We checked with some people back home and the message was that as long as they want you do it and you treat it with respect, it was all good.
“It’s right up there in terms of my experiences with the game of rugby, and I’ve been lucky to have plenty. It was special, my wife and my sons were there to watch it in the crowd, it was pretty special.”
But Tipoki featured less frequently in his second season with Munster, after the departure of Declan Kidney to take on the Ireland job saw the arrival of Tony McGahan.
Tipoki had hamstring issues, and though his departure possibly wasn’t on ideal terms, the former centre has nothing bad to say about Munster.
“Things really changed when Deccie left the helm. I had a really good relationship with Declan and to tell you the truth when he left things sort of changed for me. But I enjoyed working with everyone over there and it was an amazing experience.”
Tipoki returned home to New Zealand in 2009 but he has always kept a close eye on Munster and took pride in watching their performances this season after the loss of his former team-mate, Anthony Foley.
As with everyone else attached to Munster, Tipoki has great memories of a great rugby man.
“Axel was just all class. He’s one of those guys who just had so much charisma and a really astute rugby brain, but not only that.
Good times for Munster at the 2008 homecoming. Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO
“It’s different in New Zealand because you don’t get many foreigners coming and playing in the top teams, but over in Munster they’d been used to Kiwis or South Africans coming over and adding their flavour.
“The thing about Axel was that he could appreciate all that, but when you stripped it back he knew what Munster was all about and what would fit and what wouldn’t, and he was pretty staunch to that. That was the quality he had.”
Though his professional career was at an end after leaving Munster, Tipoki linked up with his former province East Coast in the Heartland Championship and in 2012 he captained them to their first-ever Meads Cup, playing alongside Irishman John Semple.
His eldest son, Naera, is now excelling at rugby back in New Zealand. The Gisborne Boys High School back row has played for the Hurricanes U18 side and trained with the senior Hurricanes team.
A chip off the old block, Naera also played for the New Zealand Secondary Schools last year. In a nice connection, the head coach of that side was former Munster centre Jason Holland, who is working wonders with the Hurricanes.
Tipoki himself is now coaching Old Boys University club in Wellington’s Premier Rugby competition and he has been stressing to his players the value of playing rugby abroad.
“There’s some brilliant players I’d love to get over to Limerick or Cork to get them some overseas experience and we’d like to take some over here to get some experience and go back to Ireland and play well back in the province there.
“We’re trying to grow some relationships like that. You just learn so much about the game, about life, about yourself.”
He’s keeping a close eye on the Lions tour and has enjoyed watching the “awesome” CJ Stander and Conor Murray, “one of the best in the world in his position.”
Tipoki is also delighted to see Peter O’Mahony leading the Lions today against the Māori All Blacks, with the back row having been through the nightmare of a year out of the game.
Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
“It’s so awesome to see him coming back after facing adversity with injuries,” says Tipoki. “I know his Dad is over here so it’s great seeing his Dad following him, just supporting him through his career.
“I knew him as a young fella coming through the academy, so to see him reach the pinnacle like he has, I just can’t wait to see him lead the team, what an honour.”
Of course, Tipoki has a strong interest in how the Māori All Blacks go in this huge clash at Rotorua international Stadium and he understands better than anyone what the occasion will mean to the Kiwi players.
He explains how Māori All Blacks camps involve far more talking and learning about ancestry than actual rugby, with every player called on to stand up and say where they’re from, linking them to their team-mates.
“It’s something that brings that Māori team together, so the difference is that everyone is related by blood. If you’re Māori, you can trace your ancestry back to certain prominent ancestors and they’re all related, so we have a saying that blood is thicker that water.
“For us, it’s about whakapapa, our genealogy. It dates back to those ancestors and so when we put on the Māori jersey, we’re representing not only those that are with us now, but those who have gone before us. It represents all that history.
“In terms of playing the Lions, it’s just that much more special because the All Blacks is the pinnacle of rugby, but there are so many All Blacks that don’t get to play the Lions, let alone beat them.
“For that Māori team that get to take the field, they’re going to get a special opportunity to achieve something that you only get a crack at once in your career if you’re really lucky.”
Tipoki says that many teams around the world aspire to having the kind of connections and chemistry that the Māori possess, allowing them to push that bit harder for each other in the tough times.
Tipoki, Manning, Howlett and Mafi's famous haka. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO
He has felt something close to it in only one other place.
“Having been over to Munster and experiencing the history and tradition that has, that’s something very similar.
“You’re not only playing for your province over there, you’re playing for your local communities and the smaller clubs you come out of in the region. You’ve got all that history and tradition behind you.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!We are delighted to announce that the Canadian Association for Equality will be represented by Spokesperson Adam McPhee on The Agenda on TV Ontario, hosted by Steve Paiken. The topic: Men’s Issues. The date: this Monday, 8pm and 11pm.
The show will feature an all-male panel responding to this Friday’s Munk Debate, featuring 4 women debating “The End of Men: Be It Resolved, Men Are Obsolete…” The Agenda is TVO’s flagship current affairs program regularly featuring heavyweights like Janice Stein, Jonathan Kay, Jordan Peterson, as well as Premiers and Prime Ministers. This is a tremendous sign of the new credibility of our movement to bring attention to the crises facing boys, men and families, and to the growing authority of the Canadian Association for Equality.
For more on the episode, please visit http://theagenda.tvo.org/ in the coming days. Currently their homepage links to the following blog post by the episode’s producer Singing the Gender Blues
Adam will explain how, if we’re successful, the Canadian Centre for Men and Families will provide urgent services and support for men in need, but will also look to the long term, by focusing on public education and outreach programs to galvanize attention in areas routinely overlooked.
We would love to be able to announce the opening of the Canadian Centre for Men and Families on television! We’re nearly able to do this, as we are now at $46,000 of our $50,000 fundraising goal. Please donate now to make sure we reach our objectives in time. Visit Canadian Centre for Men and Families Indiegogo Campaign. This would be a great response to the Munk question, highlighting the rejuvenation of a new role for men and a newly balanced dialogue on gender.
Adam is a strong voice in our movement. Read a recent article in Fast Forward Weekly: Tackling abuse for all genders: Men stigmatized in an overburdened systemThursdays are always a conundrum; not close enough to the weekend to justify going all out, but not close enough to the beginning of the week to feel like hunkering down and nesting. But if you're Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, you solved this week's Thursday Problem by spending the day signing a truly shitty quartet of bills into law and then trying to walk away whistling with your hands in your pockets like we wouldn't notice.
Determined to turn Wisconsin into a colder, milk-producing Arizona, Tea Party puppet Walker signed four new bills into law on Thursday, but didn't announce that they'd been signed until today as we're headed into a nice mind-erasing weekend. Senate Bill 202 repeals Wisconsin's equal pay law, effectively making it more difficult and expensive to women who are being discriminated against by their employers to file suit against them. Senate Bill 237 repeals the state's comprehensive sex education law, replacing it with a curriculum that stresses abstinence over medically accurate information about, uh, sex. Senate Bill 306 further restricts abortion and adds criminal penalties to doctors in the state. And Senate Bill 92 bans private insurance coverage of abortion (government interference in private business? So much for that whole "let businesses be free to do whatever they want so help me God bless America capitalism Adam Smith no regulations" mantra of the Tea Party.)
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To add insult to injury, Walker didn't even have the balls to back up the move with a public appearance, or even a public statement on the matter. In fact, no one from his office has commented.
Walker's stint as Governor has been characterized by widespread unpopularity, a huge-ass protest that lasted for several days last winter, and calls for his removal from office. A recent campaign to launch a recall election against him was successful, garnering nearly twice the number of required signatures necessary. On June 5th, the kindly but enraged hoards of voters in the state will decide his political fate.
And now, his fuckery is playing in the Presidential election, as just this side of a week ago, Romney was gladhanding his way through America's Dairyland, complimenting Walker on his leadership and calling him a hero. The Obama campaign has called on Romney to comment on this latest move, which puts Romney in an awkward position: does he say he supports Walker and further paint himself as a He Man Woman Hater who wants to roll back equal pay and meddle in private insurance? Or does he repudiate Walker and alienate an important Midwestern ally?
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It must be nice to be a Democratic strategist these days. You just sit back and wait for a Republican to do something really awful, and then write a press release that essentially reads, "OMG, read about this fucking awful thing? Messed up, right? Vote for Not This Guy."
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signs sex education, abortion, school voucher bills [AP]People are having a hard time getting refunds for the PS4 version of No Man's Sky.
No Man's Sky, Hello Games' ambitious universe-explorer released earlier this month to some fairly unfavorable reviews. Needless to say a lot of disgruntled fans have been asking for refunds, and Sony's refund policy has fallen under scrutiny. Eurogamer reports that gamers asking for No Man's Sky refunds are being fed ridiculous lines such as "you will never be able to play the game again."
One such gamer, Blastiel, 35, from Manchester, told Eurogamer that when he spoke to PlayStation customer support rep called Noah regarding a refund, he was told that Sony would process the refund, but that he would never be able to play No Man's Sky again.
"I was told I couldn't re-buy it off the store digitally, and I couldn't buy a physical copy because whatever system they employ in the background wouldn't let me run it. They delete the license from your account, and that seems to put a block on it," said Blastiel.
"I would happily re-buy the game at a later date if it improved, if the features promised were put in, if the crashing was fixed, because these things do get fixed over time," he said, saying that he ended up not going through with the refund. "I didn't really want to get my money back and then never be able to play it again. It just seems counter-productive."
Roscoe, 31, from Shropshire, tells a similar story. Meanwhile, Paul, 34 from Leeds and Mark, from North Wales, were simply refused their refund requests from Sony all together.
Meanwhile, if you purchased the PC version of No Man's Sky from Steam, you can get a 100% no-questions-asked refund within 14 days of purchasing the game, provided you have played the game for less than two hours.
Source: EurogamerCrab traps are used to bait, lure, and catch crabs for commercial or recreational use. Crabbing or crab fishing is the recreational hobby and commercial occupation of fishing for crabs. Different types of traps are used depending on the type of crab being fished for, geographic location, and personal preference.
History in the United States [ edit ]
Crab has been a viable food source since Native Americans lived and fished on the Delmarva Peninsula. The Chesapeake Bay, which is known for their Chesapeake Bay blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) derives its name from "Chesepiook", a Susquehannock tribe word that means "Great Water".[1] These Susquehannock natives led European settlers to some of the best places to catch crabs. Even early treaties between European settlers and Native Americans included provisions for the rights of "Hunting, Crabbing, Fowling, and Fishing."[2] Since then, generations of watermen made their living harvesting crabs and other resources along the Chesapeake Bay developing the most efficient method to catch crabs resulting in modern crab traps.
Since early European settlers in America, crabbing was an important food source to watermen of the Chesapeake and continues to be the source of income for many families. The Alaskan king crab fishing industry took off in the mid-1800s, and was one of the reasons Alaskans pushed so hard for statehood in 1959. Alaskans wanted to gain control of the area’s natural resources, such as king crabs.[3]
Benjamin F. Lewis invented the crab pot in the 1920s, patented it in 1928, and perfected it ten years later. The crab pot changed the way crabs are harvested on the Chesapeake Bay. The crab pot is the most common method used to catch and harvest crabs worldwide.[4]
Commercial crabbing is a very tough and dangerous job, so it is very important that commercial crab traps catch as many crabs as possible to be able to turn a profit. Commercial crabbing is heavily regulated by local state laws to ensure that the crabs are not over fished and that they are given enough time to breed and repopulate.[5]
Unlike normal traps, commercial crab traps are large in size; some can easily be over 60" in diameter, allowing the trap to hold a larger amount of crabs than recreational crab traps. Commercial crab traps also contain a small stainless steel plate like a dog tag, which identifies who the trap belongs to in case it is missed or swept by the current from its original location.[5]
After World War II, Japanese crab vessels were competition for Alaskan king crab fishermen in the Bering Sea. Japanese crab vessels would crowd around cod boats, where king crabs devoured the fish waste. Ed Shields, a king crab fisherman was aboard a schooner at this time and recalls the Japanese encroaching on the Bristol Bay fishing area. Ed Shields says that his father sent a telegram to Seattle, ordering one dozen high-powered rifles for each vessel and one case of ammunition each.[6]
Ed Shields states, "The coast guard didn’t care for this at all, the State Department didn’t care for it, but the news media did. It made good news. There’s no television at this time, but they did get in the national magazines like Time and Life. The adverse publicity to Japanese manufactured goods was so severe at that time from this campaign, the Japanese decided to pull out of Bristol Bay area and he sent a telegram saying, 'Bristol Bay is all clear now, Japanese gone home.'"[7]
The Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program was created by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission in 2004. This was created to remove derelict crab traps from state-owned lakes and river-beds and to reduce the potential impact from these traps.[8] There are also similar programs in other states. They are similar to the program in Louisiana where the traps are removed during a 30-day period. There are programs all over the Gulf Coast, including areas like Texas and Florida. These programs have also been successful with the help of volunteers working together, and over 30,000 derelict traps have been removed in Texas alone.[9]
Types [ edit ]
The Maryland crab pot is an enclosed framework of wire with four openings. These openings are constructed so that when the crabs enter to eat the bait, they cannot escape, and instead become immediately trapped. Once the crab becomes trapped and cannot leave the same way they entered, they float upward and go through the openings of the inner wire portion, which permanently traps the crab.[10]
The Maryland crab pot is a cube, generally two cubic feet and when baited and weighted, might weigh fifteen pounds or more. Sometimes it is left on the bottom for twelve to twenty-four hours or more. The end of the nylon rope is attached to a marked floating buoy so the location can be found and the pot retrieved.[10] The Maryland crab pot is baited from the bottom with several oily fish. This is done by turning the pot on its side, stuffing the bait into the wire container, and closing the opening by securing the flap under the rubber tubing. The pot is then dropped into the water and when the crab fisher returns, pulls the pot up and into their boat.[10]
Pulling a crab pot in the Pacific just north of Garibaldi, Oregon
West Coast crab pots, which are primarily used for catching Dungeness crabs, vary slightly from the Maryland style crab pot. When the crabs enter either of the two funnel-type openings in search of bait, they are unable to exit through these funnel openings and become entrapped in the pot.[10]
Ring crab traps are very popular along the Oregon and Washington Coast. They are primarily used in river mouths and protected bays, but it is possible to use crab rings off the open shoreline. A crab ring is a simple piece of equipment that contains two wire rings that form the top and bottom of a collapsible basket. The lower ring is smaller than the upper ring and connected with a strong netting that forms the sides. Heavy chicken wire, cotton webbing or other suitable materials are used for the bottom.[11]
After the bait is tied securely to the bottom of the basket, the lower basket sinks to the bay bottom where the sides collapse and the top and bottom rings lie together, leaving only a flat platform of tempting bait that the crab can easily reach. After the ring has been left on the bottom, the crabber raises the ring rapidly by pulling up with a rope, which prevents the crabs from escaping while the basket is pulled to the boat.[12] Since the ring crab trap lays flat on the seafloor, there is nothing that prevents crabs from escaping before pulling it to the surface.
Pyramid crab traps are flat when lying on the bottom of the seafloor, but when raised to the surface, they form the shape of a pyramid. This trap is similar to the ring crab trap because there are no walls or cage that prevents the crabs from escaping before pulling it to the surface. The benefits of the pyramid crab trap over the ring crab trap is that the pyramid crab trap is slightly sturdier and can be used in waters with stronger currents.
Box crab traps are made from a strong non-collapsible wire. The main advantages of this crab trap are that once the crab enters searching for the bait it cannot escape, guaranteeing a catch when the crab enters. Along with this comes the added bonus of not having to regularly check the trap. The down side of this trap is storing and transporting it since it does not collapse.[13]
Trot line crab fishing was used exclusively by commercial crabbers from 1870 to 1929, but this method has since been almost entirely replaced by the use of crab pots and crab traps. A trotline is a baited, hook-less, long line that is usually anchored on the bottom and attached to anchored buoys. This trotline is baited and after some time, the fisherman pulls the trotline up with crabs hopefully biting on the bait.[10]
Environmental effects [ edit ]
A crab trap which becomes lost or abandoned (usually by accidental detachment of the float) becomes an ongoing environmental hazard. Crabs will continue to enter this ghost trap to eat the bait, become trapped, and starve to death, attracting more crabs and other bottom-dwelling sea life; a single trap may kill dozens of crabs in this manner. For this reason, crab traps in many jurisdictions are required to have a "rot-out panel", a wooden panel the size of the largest entrance into the trap. This panel will disintegrate with a few weeks' exposure to seawater, opening the trap and allowing any crabs inside to escape.[14]
Whales become entangled in crabbing gear. They get entangled in the vertical lines between crab traps on the ocean floor and the surface buoys. For example, as of 2014 there was an increasing number of entanglements off the coasts of the United States. Management measures have been implemented by NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service.[15]
See also [ edit ]
Environment:You probably already know that you're supposed to be eating fish twice a week. Fish are a lean, healthy source of protein—and the oily kinds, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, etc., deliver those heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fats you've probably also heard you should be getting in your diet. (Find out if you need an omega-3 supplement here.)
Featured recipe: Garlic Roasted Salmon & Brussels Sprouts
But then there's also this concern about the environment—and choosing seafood that's sustainable.
So, if you're like me, you often stand at the fish counter a little perplexed: what's good for me and the planet?
Fortunately, Seafood Watch, the program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has combined data from leading health organizations and environmental groups to come up with their list ("The Super Green List") of seafood that's good for you and good for the environment.
To make the list, fish must: a) have low levels of contaminants—below 216 parts per billion [ppb] mercury; b) be high in health-promoting omega-3 fats—providing at least 250mg/day (given the recommendation of eating 8 oz./week); and c) be a Seafood Watch "Best Choice."
Many other options are on the program's list of "Best Choices." The Safina Center also has sustainability ratings and detailed information.
5 of the Healthiest Fish to Eat
Here are 5 fish—that are healthy for you and the planet—that Seafood Watch says you should be eating.
Pictured recipe: Spicy Tamarind Stewed Fish & Okra
1. Atlantic Mackerel (purse seine, from Canada and the U.S.)
This species is a fast-growing fish, meaning it can repopulate easily and handle higher amounts of fishing. The gear used to catch Atlantic mackerel is efficient and not likely to cause major habitat destruction, another reason this guy is an ocean-friendly choice. This strong-flavored fish is high in heart-healthy omega-3s, a good source of protein—delivering 20 grams in a 3-ounce fillet—and pairs well with bold seasonings. Check out our recipe for Korean Grilled Mackerel flavored with rich Korean chile paste and fresh ginger.
Pictured recipe: Salmon & Avocado Poke Bowl
2. Freshwater Coho Salmon (farmed in tank systems, from the U.S.)
Freshwater coho salmon is the first—and only—farmed salmon to get a Super Green rating. Most other farmed salmon still falls on Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch "avoid" list for a few reasons. The majority of farms use open net pens in the ocean, where crowded salmon are easily infected with parasites, may be treated with antibiotics and can spread disease to wild fish (one reason Alaska has banned salmon farms). Also, it can take as much as three pounds of wild fish to raise one pound of salmon. An increasing number of farms, however, use closed freshwater pens (aka recirculating aquaculture systems), reducing the adverse environmental impacts. Look for "land-based" or "tank-based" at the fish counter. All salmon is a healthy source of omega-3s—one 3-ounce serving delivers 700 to 1,800 milligrams. Enjoy a Cajun-grilled salmon fillet on a crisp toasted bun with creamy avocado spread, in this recipe for Blackened Salmon Sandwich.
Pictured recipe: Romaine Wedges with Sardines & Caramelized Onions
3. Sardines, Pacific (wild-caught)
The tiny, inexpensive sardine is making it onto many lists of superfoods and for good reason. It packs more omega-3s (1,950 mg!) per 3-ounce serving than salmon, tuna or just about any other food; it's also one of the very, very few foods that's naturally high in vitamin D. Many fish in the herring family are commonly called sardines. Quick to reproduce, Pacific sardines have rebounded from both overfishing and a natural collapse in the 1940s. Get a taste for sardines in our delicious Lemon-Garlic Sardine Fettuccine that even sardine skeptics might enjoy.
Pictured recipe: Seared Salmon with Green Peppercorn Sauce
4. Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)
To give you an idea of how well managed Alaska's salmon fishery is, consider this: biologists are posted at river mouths to count how many wild fish return to spawn. If the numbers begin to dwindle, the fishery is closed before it reaches its limits, as was done recently with some Chinook fisheries. This close monitoring, along with strict quotas and careful management of water quality, means Alaska's wild-caught salmon are both healthier (they pack 1,210 mg of omega-3s per 3-ounce serving and carry few contaminants) and more sustainable than just about any other salmon fishery. Enjoy sustainable salmon today with Roasted Salmon & Butternut Squash Salad.
Pictured recipe: Pink Salmon Cakes with Cilantro Pesto
5. Salmon, Canned (wild-caught, from Alaska)
There is a reason salmon makes this healthy fish list in many forms; it really is a nutritional powerhouse. In addition to its healthy omega-3 content, canned salmon is one of the best sources of nondairy calcium—with 3 ounces delivering 170 mg. Wild-caught salmon from Alaska is low in contaminants, including mercury and lead, and comes from well-managed fisheries. Canned wild salmon is typically sockeye or pink from Alaska. Buying salmon in a can also makes a more affordable way to get this healthy seafood in your diet. Looking for an easy recipe for canned salmon? Try our Quick Lentil Salmon Salad!
Watch: How to Make Lemony Salmon with Asparagus
5 Fish to Avoid
A number of environmental organizations have also advocated taking many fish off the menu. The large fish listed below are just five examples EatingWell chose to highlight: popular fish that are both depleted and, in many cases, carry higher levels of mercury and PCBs. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has also posted health advisories on some of these fish at edf.org.
1. Bluefin Tuna
The World Wildlife Fund put the bluefin tuna on its list of endangered species, and Seafood Watch warns their populations are depleted and overfished. Bluefin have high levels of mercury and can be high in PCBs, so EDF recommends eating no more than 1 serving per month of this fish.
2. Orange Roughy
This fish lives a long life but is slow to reproduce, making it vulnerable to overfishing. As Seafood Watch puts it: "Orange roughy lives 100 years or more—so the fillet in your freezer might be from a fish older than your grandmother!" This also means it has high levels of mercury, causing EDF to issue a health advisory.
3. Salmon (Atlantic, farmed in pens)
Most farmed salmon are raised in tightly packed, open-net pens often rife with parasites and diseases that threaten the wild salmon trying to swim by to their ancestral spawning waters. Open-net farmed salmon are often given antibiotics to combat diseases, and their food and waste pollutes the ocean. Freshwater-farmed salmon have earned a Best Choice status from Seafood Watch and some open-net systems are rated as Good Alternatives (see more salmon recommendations from Seafood Watch). There is hope that consumer pressure will encourage more farms to continue to adopt better practices.
4. Mahi-Mahi (Costa Rica, Guatemala & Peru)
Imported, longline mahi-mahi, or dolphinfish, is rated as one of the least eco-friendly fish by the Environmental Defense Fund. There is concern about bycatch, including sea turtles, seabirds and sharks, getting tangled in the fishing gear when mahi-mahi is fished. However, mahi-mahi caught in the U.S. and Ecuador with troll lines is ranked under Good Alternative by Seafood Watch and is the better choice if you're hankering for this particular fish.
5. Halibut (Atlantic, wild)
This fish grows and matures slowly (living as long as 50 years), so it is susceptible to overfishing. Consequently, because of the depletion of Atlantic halibut populations, the U.S. prohibits commercial harvest of this breed, found in the North Atlantic Ocean, and Seafood Watch rates it "Avoid." Pacific halibut is a good alternative, as it comes from well-managed fisheries with little habitat damage and low rates of other marine life being caught as bycatch.
Related:
7 of the Healthiest Foods You Should Be Eating But Aren't
The Best Protein Choices and Worst for Your Health and the Environment
The Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods You Should Buy Organic
Bad Foods You Should Be Eating
EatingWell's Best Seafood RecipesEVOCHRON IN DEVELOPMENT
This page is a development log for Evochron. I will post information on features/options being considered and/or developed for the game along with occasional screenshots. As such, not all features/options included on this page may be included in the game and are subject to change.
July 8th, 2012
I've recently been working on the revised Vonari ships for the game. The basic meshes have been ported from Arvoch and new illumination maps have |
he suspected were operating with Faraj as a front. Storrie fumed publicly that they had missed a golden opportunity in Faraj and his backers. Fahim, then, did not have the money required to dig Portsmouth out of its downward plummet and after just six weeks the new consortium, via a company registered in the British Virgin Islands owned by Faraj, did take over.
The new ownership's most visible representative, immediately, intensely involved in running the club, was a belligerent Israeli, Daniel Azougy. He was soon exposed as a convicted fraudster, disqualified from acting as a lawyer in Israel for 14 years, who had just seven months earlier been given a suspended prison sentence for handing false documents to the Israeli stock exchange.
Hall has reported that Azougy was in effect working for Narkis, seeking to collect on Arkadi Gaydamak's debts, from the club's expected Premier League windfalls. Azougy has always denied that he works with Narkis. In January 2009 Itzik Kornfein, the chairman of Beitar Jerusalem, which had been owned by Arkadi Gaydamak, held a press conference, saying that a month earlier Azougy, claiming to be a Gaydamak representative, had demanded Kornfein transfer large sums of money out of the football club, some to his own account. Kornfein had refused.
The London-based lawyer Mark Jacob, who acted for the Faraj consortium and worked alongside Azougy, always said they were expecting major funding from a bank, which was pulled just before they took over. So, as it turned out, Chainrai, via another offshore company, Portpin, did lend money to Portsmouth to back the Faraj consortium, £6.5m on 6 October 2009. Chainrai secured those loans with a debenture over Fratton Park and all Portsmouth's assets, a position which, two administrations and a disastrous sale of the club later, still maintains.
Chainrai has always denied he and his partner, Kushnir, were drawn to Portsmouth by any connection with the money they were owed in Israel by Arkadi Gaydamak. Chainrai has portrayed himself, throughout these three years' financial involvement with Portsmouth, as a reluctant owner who lent money to the club because it was in crisis and the people in the consortium behind Faraj asked him to.
The interest charged by Chainrai on his loans has never been itemised in detail, but senior Portsmouth sources believe the £17m still owed to him includes compound interest at high rates. Hall was in the high court after the club collapsed into insolvency in February 2010, and heard that an initial £6m loaned in was due to be repaid with £1m interest within two months, an annual interest rate of 130%.
The club's bank account was frozen when Chainrai first loaned money in, after Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs issued a winding-up petition for £12.4m unpaid tax and VAT. The expected fortunes from Premier League TV rights payments, however, and the sale of players ordered by Azougy, did not materialise because the Premier League withheld Pompey's cash to pay other clubs owed money.
Chainrai loaned more money in, up to £18.5m by 27 October 2009, according to the subsequent report by the first administrator, Andrew Andronikou of Hacker Young. In January 2010 the Premier League embargo was lifted, and following the sale of Younés Kaboul to Tottenham Hotspur, £4m was immediately transferred out of Portsmouth, to Portpin.
In February 2010 Chainrai personally took ownership of the club, replacing Faraj, who had never been to Fratton Park. Chainrai assessed that £35m more was needed to keep Pompey trading, and so three weeks later he declared the club insolvent and put it into administration, with Andronikou appointed as the administrator.
While creditors, including HMRC, lost many millions, Chainrai's involvement with Portsmouth since has been an exercise in trying to get his money back. His representatives accept that remains his motivation now, in opposing the supporters' trust takeover campaign and seeking to buy the club back himself. However, they argue Chainrai wants to put the club on a sound financial footing, otherwise he would not be able to sell it on at a value he hopes will see himself repaid.
In June 2011 Chainrai, who took the club over from administration the first time, did sell, to Vladimir Antonov, a Russian banker. Chainrai retained security over the assets of Antonov's company, CSI. In November Antonov was arrested for alleged bank fraud in Lithuania, which he denies, and in the fallout, Chainrai's security was transferred back on to Pompey itself, and the club went into administration, again.
This second administration, handled by Trevor Birch, of PKF, is culminating in the bitter battle between Chainrai and the PST, supporters who are determined to end this devastating period and own the club mutually, democratically, themselves. Declared preferred bidders after the Football League board failed to approve Chainrai's bid, Ashley Brown, the trust's chairman, says: "We are confident that soon we will finally be free of the succession of distant owners who have no passion for Pompey. Historically, football clubs were founded in their communities, something often forgotten in the modern professional English game. We hope to bring Pompey back into the heart of ours."
If future generations care as much for football as the campaigners fighting for its soul now, they will surely look back at this strange period; the greatest ever boom when, in some fundamental way, the game mislaid its compass.It’s not often that a 30-year-old NFL rushing champion vows to work hard to come back as a better all-around player and a better fit for his offense at age 31. But that’s what Vikings running back Adrian Peterson did earlier today, a day after his fourth-quarter fumble essentially handed Seattle the go-ahead field goal in Sunday’s 10-9 NFC wild-card loss at TCF Bank Stadium.
“It’s about going back to the chalk board as a player and making sure that I’m staying focused on doing the things that are going to help my body heal up and come back and be a better player overall than I was this season,” Peterson said. “I will just go after it harder. There’s a lot of motivation going into this offseason. There are some things we want to accomplish this year. My mindset is to come back and be the best.”
Better in what way?
“The first thing that comes to mind is making sure that I put an emphasis on protecting the ball,” Peterson said. “That’s going to be my No. 1 objective this offseason. You take things for granted. I’ve joked around and said, ‘Yeah, I’ve put the ball on the turf.’ But how many have I lost? Guys have lost more fumbles than me this year, but when it comes back and it bites you in this type of way, it’s something that I’ll put an emphasis on for this offseason. That’s going to be the main thing. Being a better player and a better fit for this offense as well.”
Better fit?
“Just being more versatile,” he said. “You look at the young guy Jerick [McKinnon}. He comes in a lot of times on third down and he presents a different piece to our offense. Being able to get out and run routes and things like that. So I envision myself doing things like that on a different level. That’s what I mean by being more involved and being more diverse when it comes to the offense that we have.”
Peterson said his No. 1 goal is to win the NFC North again and to play in the Super Bowl in Houston, his hometown.
“It’s definitely realistic,” he said. “I feel like offensively there are some things we can do better as players. Defensively, those guys showed me something yesterday. And it’s not like I didn’t see it during the regular season. When I look at us overall, special teams as well, I feel like the sky is the limit. I think our chances are as good as anyone’s.”We live in a post-mainstream culture. As the way we consume books, movies and television changes, artists and directors no longer need to cater to a “universal” audience viewpoint. This means there is slightly less obligation to pander to what straight white men are supposed to want from culture. Not everyone is happy about that fact, and across the literary and cultural spectrum, tantrums are being thrown.
Who ya gonna call? Why Ghostbusters is leading the charge for female buddy movies Read more
This week the target is the new, all-female Ghostbusters. The reboot’s second trailer, released to YouTube on Wednesday, has been swamped with “dislikes” from people who really, truly believe that seeing a beloved film recast with women in all the key roles will “ruin their childhood”. This raises the obvious question: if your entire sense of self depends on seeing your own gender represented in the stories you love, how fragile must your masculinity be?
Organised trash-reviewing is now standard practice when certain corners of the internet panic about losing their privileged place in culture and need to go to their scream room and throw some toys around. For the second year running, a cabal of readers embittered by the increasing diversity of science fiction and fantasy teamed up to stack the slate for the Hugo awards, the most prestigious prize in science fiction. The comedy gay porn writer Chuck Tingle was nominated – author of the modern classic Pounded in the Butt By My Own Butt. This, too, backfired, as Tingle responded by nominating video game designer Zoe Quinn, the original target of Gamergate, to represent him at the Hugos.
When my book Unspeakable Things came out in 2014, a small horde of misogynistic trolls who’ve been following me around the web throwing peanuts since my early 20s immediately orchestrated a campaign to get it a poor rating on Amazon. The one-star reviews flooded in suspiciously quickly from people who appeared not to have read the book at all, since most of the criticism wasn’t about the ideas but about the sheer horror of a young woman writer having leftwing feminist ideas in public and getting away with it.
These reviews matter in a marketplace that still doesn’t know how to handle the weaponisation of bigotry on the web
I was nervous, at first, that the campaign would damage my future career, – which is what it was designed to do. These reviews matter in an online marketplace that still doesn’t know how to handle the weaponisation of bigotry on the web. In fact, the campaign backfired, just as the Ghostbusters downvote scheme has done. The organised attack just drew more attention to the work.
I was not at all upset that vindictive, sexist little boys on the web didn’t like my book – after all, I didn’t write it for them. I wrote it for weird kids, queer kids, lost boys and fucked-up girls who would rather change the world than change themselves to fit in. I had decided before I sent the final draft that as soon as I got an email from a teenager who had read my book and felt braver as a result, I’d consider my job well done. I got the first one of those the day after publication, and they’re still coming in. Every single one reminds me why I write. Those reviews are the only ones that matter.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kate McKinnon in Ghostbusters (2016). ‘Those stories feel fresh and original precisely because they’ve gone untold for so long.’
The conditions that constitute a win for the long game of changing culture are rather more complex than stacking Amazon reviews and trashing literary prizes. Writing by and about women, queer people and people of colour continues to gain ground across the literary spectrum. More and more books are being celebrated and series commissioned that tell stories with different kinds of hero who face different kinds of conflict. Those stories feel fresh and original precisely because they’ve gone untold for so long. They’ve gone untold because of the conviction that great art and literature must appeal to a mainstream whose tastes are determined as “universal” – which usually translates to “stories that don’t upset little white boys by implying that they might not always get to be the hero”.
That, I’ve come to believe, is the root of the petty rage of troll reviewers. They are angry that cultural artefacts are being created that don’t cater to their tastes first and foremost, angrier still that those books, films and series are so popular, and angriest of all that their opinions don’t matter more than anyone else’s.
I understand that anger. It’s annoying to see so much literature and art being made in which you don’t see yourself represented, in which you might have to empathise with people who don’t look or sound like you and consider that those people might have stories that are just as important as yours. That’s something that female, queer and non-white readers and viewers have been dealing with for centuries, with a great deal more grace. Today, though, a slow, thrilling sea change is taking place in literature and pop culture, and petty internet tantrums aren’t going to hold back the tide.Image copyright AFP Image caption The UN says 18,000 Palestinian refugees are trapped in Yarmouk
Islamic State (IS) militants have entered the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk in Damascus, activists and Palestinian officials say.
Clashes erupted between the militants and groups inside the camp, with IS seizing control of large parts of the camp, reports said.
The UN says about 18,000 Palestinian refugees are inside the camp.
IS militants have seized large swathes of territory in eastern Syria and across northern and western Iraq.
But this is the group's first major attack near the heart of the Syrian capital.
IS fighters had seized control of large parts of the camp, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and an official with the Palestine Liberation Organisation based in Damascus, said.
Yarmouk residents told BBC Arabic that members of Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis, a group formed by Palestinian militiamen opposed to the Syrian government, were leading the fight against the IS militants, along with some Free Syrian Army fighters.
Palestinian militiamen were able to retake some areas from IS later on Wednesday, residents told the BBC.
There has been no official statement from IS about the attack.
Children at risk
Unrwa, a UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, said in a statement that the fighting would place Yarmouk's civilians, including large numbers of children, "at extreme risk of death, serious injury, trauma and displacement".
It demanded an end to the fighting and "a return to conditions that will enable its staff to support and assist Yarmouk's civilians".
Image copyright AP Image caption The UN says Yarmouk is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe
Analysis: Lina Sinjab, BBC News, Beirut
Members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State stormed into the southern side of Yarmouk camp in the early hours of the morning and clashed with the Palestinian brigade, Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis.
Reports suggest they came in from the area of Hajar al-Aswad in the south of the capital.
The Palestinian Ambassador to Damascus, Anwar Abdulhadi, told the BBC that the group had seized the area of the camp near the Palestine Hospital.
Most information is coming from Palestinian officials in areas under government control.
The attack comes days before a deal to ease the humanitarian situation for civilians in the camp was set to come into operation.
Desperation in Yarmouk
Story of the Syrian conflict
What is Islamic State?
Syria's bloody conflict, which has entered its fifth year, has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Syrians.
The battle between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, rebels opposed to his rule and jihadist militants from Islamic State has also driven more than 11 million people from their homes.
The al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front captured the north-western city of Idlib from government forces on Saturday. It is only the second provincial centre to fall into rebel hands since IS seized Raqqa in March 2013.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Idlib has been subjected to severe fighting between government and rebel forces
Al-Nusra Front said on Wednesday that the city would now be ruled under Sharia, but that the group did not intend to monopolise power in the city.
Also on Wednesday, Jordan closed the Nasib border crossing, its only official crossing with Syria, due to fierce clashes between Syrian rebels and government troops.
Rebel forces were able to wrest control of the crossing from the Syrian government by Wednesday evening, reports said.
A leader of the Yarmouk Army, one of the rebel groups, said the crossing had been "liberated", Reuters reported.
A government security source also confirmed the seizure.
'Extreme hardship'
First built for Palestinians fleeing the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Yarmouk was once considered by many to be the de facto capital of the Palestinian refugee diaspora.
Prior to the Syrian civil war, it had more than 150,000 refugees living there, and its own mosques, schools and public buildings.
However, the camp has been besieged by fighting between government troops and rebel forces since 2012.
Unrwa says about 18,000 refugees remain trapped in the camp, with inadequate access to food supplies, clean water and electricity.
In March, Unrwa said: "The extreme hardship faced by Palestine refugees in Yarmouk, but also in other locations in Syria as a result of the armed conflict is, from a human point of view, unacceptable."Trick ‘r Treat director Michael Dougherty’s Christmas-themed horror film Krampus will be haunting theaters this holiday season, but we’re still anxiously awaiting more news about a sequel to his Halloween classic. It’s been two years since Trick ‘r Treat 2 was announced, and Dougherty is finally talking.
In an interview with IGN, Dougherty was asked about the status of Trick ‘r Treat 2. Here’s what he said:
“It’s going to happen. The tricky thing was that as we were announcing Trick ‘r Treat 2, I was finishing the screenplay for Krampus with my co-writers, and it was too tempting to not do Krampus. If we didn’t do it, someone else was going to, because the character started peaking in popularity and you could just smell it coming. And ‘lo and behold, there are multiple Krampus projects in the works, and the momentum just picked us up and carried us off. That’s not to say that Trick ‘r Treat 2 hasn’t been simmering in the background, but I wanna get it right. I don’t wanna rush it. But we do have a comic book that’s coming out this October, that expands the universe a little bit. We explore the long history of Halloween, before the first film. So there’s four different stories, much like the film, but one is set in ancient Ireland, one is 1950s Los Angeles, there’s one in the 1800s in the Old West, and one that’s contemporary suburbia, traditional Halloween. But in those stories, we explore how Halloween was shaped and guided by Sam.”
So it sounds like we might be waiting awhile for Trick ‘r Treat 2, but it’s nice to know the project is still alive. When asked if some characters from the original film might return, Dougherty admitted that “anything is possible.”
“The skeleton of the sequel is there, and right now it’s four different stories – with the exception of Sam, who serves as the intertwining link. I think it’s important to make sure that if you’re new to Trick ‘r Treat, that you can sit down and watch [the sequel]without the baggage of the first one, necessarily. But that’s not to say that we won’t have some threads that tie everything together. Or maybe a character from the olod film might pop up in some fashion.”
We’ll keep you posted as more news on Trick ‘r Treat 2 becomes available.Peter Cullen was in attendance at the 2015 SacAnime Convention Jan. 2nd-4th, in which he spoke at a panel where he talked about having to audition for the Bay’s Transformers movie, who his inspirations were when he got into voice acting, and he even talks about where Optimus Prime’s trailer goes when it “magically” disappears in some of the G1 episodes (FYI, he’s been wondering where it goes as well). Probably the most interesting part of the panel was when he was asked about the tone of the upcoming Transformers movies; to which he replied that, “There is a sense that Transformers movies are going into a darker area. I think I brought the concern to the movie studio and certainly to the writers. Perhaps…Transformers 5 and 6 movies will go back more to its roots. There was an occasion where one line [in Transformers: Age Of Extinction] which Optimus Prime had, I did not want to say. It was my gut instinct and certainly my commitment to the character… not to say the line. But I was told to say. You can’t fight the big boys. I think you all know what that line was.”
The fifth installment in Bay’s Transformers movies is expected to be due out on June 24th, 2016. For more in Transformers news be sure to stick with The Allspark. You can hit the break below to view the full panel.
Like this: Like Loading...Texas State student wears almost nothing but ketchup and fries for art piece
Monika Rostvold (Photo11: Photo courtesy of Twitter user @Jardizzlee)
Last year, Texas State University student Monika Rostvold sat on her school’s library steps wearing only a red blindfold, pasties, a nude thong and headphones. The performance art piece, the aim of which was to bring awareness to sexual assault, was so that spectators could see her body as “natural” and to “take the sexuality out.”
On Tuesday, Rostvold, a senior studio art major at TXST, was at it again -- but this time her outfit consisted mainly of Chick-fil-A fries and ketchup.
One of the many interesting characters to be found at the great Texas State University! #TXSTpic.twitter.com/4VIxBZtWwZ — Liv (@olivia4ya) February 9, 2016
This year’s performance piece -- “All You Can Eat," which was written on napkins -- came with a new message: to bring awareness to what she says are the negative effects of dating and hooking up.
“I decided to relate (the piece) to food (to compare) the satisfaction we get with food to the satisfaction we get with hooking up," Rostvold, who also wore a bra and underwear, tells USA TODAY College.
The culture, she says, is "very satisfying, but is it healthy? Is it really what we want? That’s what I’m asking the audience. I know fast food and the body is hard to connect, but to me it just made sense.”
Rostvold says she wanted to resemble Nyotaimori, also known as “naked sushi girls," who are used literally as stands for sushi platters while guests eat.
Because of the attention she received last year, she says, she feels people were ready and open to looking for the message behind her art.
“(Students) were picking up napkins I had wrote on and I thought that was really cool because that’s what I want,” Rostvold says. “I want an open debate and discussion.”
Alex Samuels is a student at University of Texas and is a USA TODAY College breaking news correspondent.
This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2waPlsxThere was a time when I knew what I wanted to listen to. I was poor, but I bought CDs anyway, and I had stacks of them, purchased with enthusiasm and knowledge shared among friends. A pricey endeavor, sure. But once I discovered Napster and CD-burning, finances stopped counting. I started storing my music on my computer, and saving songs was no longer a physical, deliberate effort; a mouse-click sufficed. And I kept on clicking.
I'm now closing in on 95 gigabytes of music — just over 22,000 songs. Much of it I've never listened to, but there's no logic when passion gets in the way. You might say I have too much music at my fingertips.
Google vice president Sukhinder Singh Cassidy predicts that in seven years, every song ever recorded in the world will fit into our pockets.
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"The average 14-year-old can hear more music in a month than someone would have heard in an entire lifetime just 300 years ago," says psychologist Dan Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music. Thanks to digital music distributors like CD Baby, any independent musician's songs can now appear on iTunes. Heaps of old songs are finding new life in digital files, too.
According to Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr, more than 6 million songs are now in the iTunes store. That means I have about 5,978,000 songs to go. But does it mean I'll be more passionately involved with my music?
"It's too early to say how this will affect our relationship with music," Levitin says. "We might become more attached — because we have so much choice — or less, because the choice causes us not to bond or bind to a particular musical piece."
Why people desire what they do is intrinsically linked to imprinting, our states of mind during early experiences, and reinforcement. And what gets hammered into our psyches is influenced as much by the size of the hammer as by our psyches themselves. That's what allows intelligent people to enjoy the Spice Girls in the company of long-lost friends, tequila, and an impromptu "Wannabe" karaoke session — and why a John Cage piano concerto annoys those same friends.
A glut of choices means we spend less time listening to the same music as other people do, so we don't get as much reinforcement. Music is more portable and thus more personalized. Charles Areni, a former professor at the University of Central Florida and current professor of economics and business at the University of Sydney, speculates that our individual music libraries lead to "increasing dissatisfaction with radio, music CDs, and any other non-customized form of music consumption. Since consumers can now customize their music environments, any 'one size fits all' approach will not make anybody happy."
Social psychologist Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, identifies changes from our habit of listening to singles, too: "Less album listening means that people aren't forced to listen to things that don't turn them on right away, and as a result, tastes change less."
Yep, having 6 million songs on hand means that tastes actually change less. It's a common predicament for anyone wanting to expand tastes: knowing that there's no reason to listen to the end of a song, much less an entire album you don't "get" right away. Even though it ultimately will expand my palette, do I really have the patience to get into heavy metal, when I already know I love Spoon?
Faced with such overwhelming choice, most people are fine with using filters to narrow the field, such as self-styled experts from music magazines and popular Web sites. These "experts" define what's hip and cool. The danger is that we're unaware of how dependent on filters we are, and how they filter in the first place.
We're forced to leave out a lot, and possibly we'll never find the song that will change our lives. Are we okay with that? Pressing "shuffle" has replaced driving down to the local mom-and-pop record store on Tuesday and buying a new release. I never had this problem in high school, listening to OK Computer on repeat. Now my iPod is like a remote control or a slot machine, flicking through 500 songs, searching for another emotive spike. I find myself getting bored even in the middle of songs simply because I can.
The paradox of spending so much time changing songs, trying to find one you like, is that you wind up attached to none of them. "Yes, there is too much music product, and most of it is terrible," says Peter Crabb, an assistant professor of psychology at Penn State University. "Kids can spend more time trying to figure out what to listen to and fiddling with their computers and MP3s than actually spending quality time listening to good music."
And there is good music out there. As Ravi Dhar, the director of the Center for Customer Insights at the Yale School of Management, says, "At some point, one has to stop looking for the best strawberries and start eating them."Major Japanese video, CD, manga, and video game rental chain Tsutaya confirmed on Monday that it has removed all Kuroko's Basketball DVD and manga rentals from its stores. The issue was brought to attention by a Twitter user, who said she had been told by an employee that Tokyo's Ikebukuro Station west exit branch had removed all Kuroko's Basketball items on Monday, and that all such DVD and manga would be removed from all branches across the country by November 3.
The Culture Convenience Club, the company that owns Tsutaya, told ITmedia's website Netlab, “This is the truth. […] We made this decision after analyzing the current situation.” There are over 1,300 Tsutaya branches throughout Japan.
Background
Since October 2012, locations linked to Kuroko's Basketball creator Tadatoshi Fujimaki have received threat letters, including some with powdered and liquid substances. A source in the investigation of the threats said there is a high possibility that the liquid sent to Sophia University (Fujimaki's alma mater) on October 12, 2012 could emit a lethal dose of hydrogen sulfide if vaporized.
Several Kuroko's Basketball dōjinshi events throughout Japan have been cancelled in the aftermath of the threats. The "Shadow Trickster 3" event did proceed without incident at the Big Sight on last October, shortly after the center received its first threat. The official "Kuroko no Basuke produced by Namco Namja Town" event in Tokyo ended 19 days early as a result of the threats, and Animate Café Tennoji in Osaka cancelled a planned Kuroko's Basketball collaboration event. Comic Market (Comiket), the world's largest dōjinshi event, barred Kuroko's Basketball items and circles last December.
In February, the organizers of the Comic City dōjinshi events barred circles from selling Kuroko's Basketball items at March 17's Haru Comic City 18 event, after they received a request to do so from the management of the Tokyo Big Sight event complex. The same organizers had barred Kuroko's Basketball from the Comic City Osaka 92 event on January 6, and then cancelled February 10's Double Clutch event outright. However, they held the Comic City Tokyo 131 event at Tokyo Big Sight and insisted on allowing Kuroko's Basketball circles. Comic City Tokyo 131 proceeded without incident on January 27.
The convenience store chains 7-Eleven and Family Mart as well as other companies such as Sankei Shimbun received new threat letters earlier this month that said that the sender has put poison and agricultural chemicals in various Kuroko's Basketball confectionery snacks. As a result, 7-Eleven temporarily removed the "Voi-Colle Kuroko's Basketball Wafers 2" cookies, and Family Mart stopped selling the "Ichiban Kuji Kuroko no Basuke ~Seirin & Kaijō~" lottery merchandise line. The Circle K Sunkus store chain is also considering suspending sales of the merchandise.
The second season of the Kuroko's Basketball anime began airing earlier this month in Japan. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime outside of Japan as it airs.
Source: Netlab
Thanks to Gokumew & Raindrops and Daydreams for the news tipsWe’ve stumbled upon the backyard of a speakeasy club called the Krazy Kat Club in Washington DC, July 15, 1921. It looks like they might have decided to move their staff meeting outside to their treehouse in the heavy heat of July– and nobody is in the mood for business.
Every workplace should have a backyard treehouse really….
The club was run by Cleon “Throck” Throckmorton, seen sitting on the terrace of the treehouse wearing black stockings and standing outside the entrance below. Krazy Kat in 1920 was a “Bohemian joint in an old stable up near Thomas Circle … (where) artists, musicians, atheists, professors” gathered. Miraculously the structure still stands, five blocks from the White House, as a gay bar called the Green Lantern. – Independent Gay Forum
It looks like they also served customers drinks up in the tree house too!
Despite prohibition, the club still served liquor to its customers, and was raided many times from 1918 to about 1925. One of the raids in 1919 happened after a police officer walking nearby heard a gunshot from the club after midnight. Twenty-five people were arrested, including three women — artists, poets and actors, and even some people who worked for the government by day and played with the bohemians by night.
Images via the awesome historical photo archive ShorpyI’ve had a couple of people ask for my thoughts on the new FCPX release given my history with Apple and in particular my experience with how they dealt with another product that was focused (in our case almost exclusively) on professionals – the compositing software ‘Shake’. So, even though I don’t think they’re totally analogous events, I figured I’d use it as an opportunity to make a couple of points about (my perception of) how Apple thinks.
For those that aren’t familiar with the history, Shake was very entrenched in the top end of the visual effects industry. The overwhelming majority of our customers were doing big-budget feature film work and were, naturally, all about high-end functionality.
So after Apple acquired us there was a lot of concern that Cupertino wouldn’t be willing to continue to cater to that market and, although it took a few years, that concern did indeed come to pass. The development team was gradually transitioned to working on other tools and Shake as a product was eventually end-of-life’d.
And back then the same questions were being asked as now – “Doesn’t Apple care about the high-end professional market?”
In a word, no. Not really. Not enough to focus on it as a primary business.
Let’s talk economics first. There’s what, maybe 10,000 ‘high-end’ editors in the world? That’s probably being generous. But the number of people who would buy a powerful editing package that’s more cost-effective and easier to learn/use than anything else that’s out there? More. Lots more. So, a $1000 high-end product vs. a $300 product for a market that’s at least an order of magnitude larger. Clearly makes sense, even though I’d claim that the dollars involved are really just a drop in the bucket either way for Apple.
So what else? I mean what’s the real value of a package that’s sold only to high-end guys? Prestige? Does Apple really need more of that? Again, look back at Shake. It was dominant in the visual effects world. You’d be hard-pressed to pick a major motion picture from the early years of this century that didn’t make use of Shake in some fashion. And believe me, Lord of the Rings looks a lot cooler on a corporate demo reel than does Cold Mountain or The Social Network. Swords and Orcs and ShitBlowingUp, oh my. But really, so what?
Apple isn’t about a few people in Hollywood having done something cool on a Mac (and then maybe allowing Apple to talk about it). No, Apple is about thousands and thousands of people having done something cool on their own Mac and then wanting to tell everyone about it themselves. It’s become a buzzword but I’ll use it anyway – viral marketing.
And really, from a company perspective high-end customers are a pain in the ass. Before Apple bought Shake, customer feedback drove about 90% of the features we’d put into the product. But that’s not how Apple rolls – for them a high end customers are high-bandwidth in terms of the attention they require relative to the revenue they return. After the acquisition I remember sitting in a roomful of Hollywood VFX pros where Steve told everybody point-blank that we/Apple were going to focus on giving them powerful tools that were far more cost-effective than what they were accustomed to… but that the relationship between them and Apple wasn’t going to be something where they’d be driving product direction anymore. Didn’t go over particularly well, incidentally, but I don’t think that concerned Steve overmuch… :-)
And the features that high end customers need are often very very unsexy. They don’t look particularly good in a demo. See, here’s the thing with how features happen at Apple to a great extent – product development is often driven by how well things can be demoed. Maybe not explicitly – nobody ever told me to only design features that demoed well – but the nature of the organization effectively makes it work out that way. Because a lot of decisions about product direction make their way very far up the management hierarchy (often to Steve himself). And so the first question that comes up is ‘how are we going to show this feature within the company?’ All the mid-level managers know that they’re going to have a limited window of time to convey what makes a product or a feature special to their bosses. So they either 1) make a sexy demo or 2) spend a lot of time trying to explain why some customer feels that some obscure feature is worth implementing. Guess which strategy works best?
And by this I don’t mean to imply at all that the products are style over substance, because they’re definitely not. But it’s very true that Apple would rather have products which do things that other products can’t do (or can’t do well), even if it means they leave out some more basic&boring features along the way. Apple isn’t big on the quotidian. In the case of FCP, they’d rather introduce a new and easier and arguably better method for dealing with cuts, or with scrubbing, or whatever, even if it means that they need to leave out something standard for high-end editors like proper support for OMF. Or, to look all the way back to the iPod, they’d rather have a robust framework for buying and organizing music instead of supporting, say, an FM radio. And it’s why Pages doesn’t have nearly the depth of Word but is soooo much more pleasant to use on a daily basis.
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in the photovoltaics field. A new company, Masdar PV, will build manufacturing plants in both Germany and Abu Dhabi that will serve the growing demand for solar power, which is beginning to compete on a cost basis with traditional energy sources, even without subsidies.
Dutch solar firm Econcern claimed today at the summit that prices of solar panels would half in the next five to six years. It claimed the global industry had already met the International Energy Agency's target of 10GW of installed power by 2020.Editor’s note: Seventh of an eight-part series breaking down the Broncos’ roster as they reboot under new coach Vance Joseph. Today: the secondary.
The AFC’s Pro Bowl defensive back group looks remarkably similar to what the Broncos fielded every Sunday.
Three of the four members Denver’s starting secondary — Chris Harris, Aqib Talib and Darian Stewart — were rated among the NFL’s best. And the fourth, safety T.J. Ward, was a Pro Bowl alternate. It’s truly an all-star group.
That talent is why the appropriately named No-Fly Zone has been the top-ranked pass defense in both of the last two seasons. These four are brazen and cocksure, but their play almost always backs that up.
Being the best is tantalizing, but remaining at the top is difficult. Harris and Stewart are in their prime and obvious building blocks. Talib’s all-pro talent should earn him a place in that grouping, but his off-the-field issues and age (31 on Feb. 13) make his position as a building block less certain.
If the Broncos believe their championship window is still open, the No-Fly Zone should look similar to what it did last season. All four starters are under contract for 2017. But if Denver believes its “reboot” will take a couple of years, then there could be a youth movement.
There’s plenty of talent at both safety and cornerback in this draft. Corner, in particular, could be a position the Broncos target surprisingly high in the draft.
General manager John Elway has put a significant amount of resources into the secondary. He’ll probably have a plan for any moving parts this offseason.
Talib may be one more serious off-the-field incident away from the Broncos wiping their hands clean of him. It’s also possible the NFL suspends him in 2017 for the shooting incident last June in Dallas.
Talib, however, is playing the best football of his career while forming a dominant duo with Harris. Despite a $12 million salary cap hit in each of the next two seasons, Talib has shown the Broncos are a completely different team without him.
If the Broncos moved on from Talib, 2014 first-round pick Bradley Roby would move into a full-time starter role.
Roby played on 60 percent the the Broncos’ defensive snaps last season, primarily as an outside cornerback in nickel or dime formations. He has shown Pro Bowl ability at times but has had some lapses in consistency. The Broncos have to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option for 2018 by May. It would be a surprise if Denver didn’t pick it up, but Roby could be the next Bronco looking to get paid soon.
Kayvon Webster, the Broncos’ fourth cornerback, is an unrestricted free agent. Webster is Denver’s best special-teams player, but injuries and depth at corner have limited his opportunities on defense. He may test the open market, seeking a bigger role or pay check.
Lorenzo Doss and Taurean Nixon haven’t shown enough to be counted on in big roles. Although corner is a strength now, look for the Broncos to refill the well, especially if Webster doesn’t return.
The only question mark at safety surrounds Ward. The Broncos were proactive last April, drafting safeties of the future in Justin Simmons and Will Parks. Both played well on special teams and defense while showing promise as potential starters.
Stewart’s four-year contract extension signed in November locks him for at least the next few years. Ward, 30, has one more year remaining on his contract with a little less than a $6 million salary cap hit. It’s possible the Broncos will choose to move forward with Simmons and Parks when Ward becomes a free agent. It might even happen sooner.
Ward still makes a solid argument as one of the top 10 safeties in football. His on-field energy and versatility to cover, tackle and blitz would be hard to replace.
Decisions on Talib, Ward and the Roby option could signal the future direction of the secondary and the team.
Up next: special teams.Marvel’s New Warriors seeking new home, won’t air on Freeform
Despite getting a full-season order earlier this year, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Marvel’s New Warriors series will no longer air on the Disney-owned cable network Freeform. The half-hour comedy will now be seeking a new home with Marvel Entertainment shopping it around.
The reason behind the series’ movement from the network should not worry fans, however. THR notes that the pilot episode of New Warriors “tested through the roof and caught the attention of high-level Disney executives.” Freeform wasn’t able to find a slot for the series in its four night line-up in 2018, however. As a result, Marvel asked for the series back and will now shop it to other networks.
There is one wrench in the machine. The outlet notes that inside sources have revealed that Marvel is no longer able to sell their series to outside networks, severely limiting the potential homes for New Warriors. It is possible the series could land on Disney’s own upcoming streaming service, but since the previously-set timetable for that service is late 2019, it seems unlikely. The series could land on another streaming service and since Hulu and Netflix both air Marvel shows, they’re likely homes for the half-hour comedy series.
Marvel’s New Warriors is about six young people with powers living and working together. With powers and abilities on the opposite end of the spectrum of The Avengers, the New Warriors want to make a difference in the world… Even if the world isn’t ready. Not quite super, not yet heroes, Marvel’s New Warriors is about that time in your life when you first enter adulthood and feel like you can do everything and nothing at once — except in this world, bad guys can be as terrifying as bad dates.
The cast for Marvel’s New Warriors includes Milana Vayntrub (This Is Us, AT&T commercials) as Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl, Derek Theler (Baby Daddy, Shark Killer) as Craig Hollis/Mister Immortal, Jeremy Tardy (Dear White People) as Dwayne Taylor/Night Thrasher, Calum Worthy (Austin & Ally) as Robbie Baldwin/Speedball, Matthew Moy (2 Broke Girls) as Zack Smith/Microbe with Kate Comer (The Comeback) as Deborah Fields/Debrii, and Keith David.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A rebellion by conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday delayed Congress’ first vote on the Iran nuclear agreement and raised the possibility that lawmakers might never vote on a resolution disapproving of the pact.
The House was supposed to vote on a procedural motion to begin debate on Wednesday, but it was put off after some Republicans said they wanted President Barack Obama to provide more information about the deal.
As a result, the Republicans, who control Congress and for weeks had been marching in lockstep in opposition to the nuclear accord, were suddenly battling each other and possibly giving Obama the upper hand.
The dispute arose after announcements on Tuesday that deal supporters had mustered 42 votes in the Senate, more than enough to use the chamber’s procedural rules to block a disapproval resolution.
Late on Wednesday, House Republican leaders developed a plan for three Iran-related votes, none of which would immediately affect the nuclear pact, even though Senate Republicans said they would stick to their original plan to vote on a resolution of disapproval.
One House vote would be on a resolution saying Obama provided too little information to Congress, a second would be to defeat a resolution of approval and a third would be a bid to eliminate Obama’s ability to waive sanctions.
A law Obama signed in May gave Congress a 60-day window, ending on Sept. 17, to vote on the nuclear agreement, between the United States, five other world powers and Tehran.
The law, the Iran Nuclear Review Act, allowed for a resolution of disapproval, which, if passed, would sink the deal, under which Iran gains relief from sanctions in return for curbing its nuclear program. A disapproval resolution would eliminate Obama’s ability to waive many U.S. sanctions on Iran.
A resolution of approval, also allowed under the law, would send a message that many members of Congress are not behind the pact if it were defeated by a large margin. But it would not affect Obama’s ability to waive sanctions.
Obama would be expected to veto the proposed new sanctions measure, if it passed the House and Senate.
The rebel Republicans, led by Representative Peter Roskam, said the Obama administration had not provided all the required information about the deal. Opponents of the nuclear pact say it includes “secret side deals” about nuclear inspections that have not been fully revealed.
“He hasn’t complied with the law,” Roskam told reporters as he left a closed-door Republican meeting. “So (the Iran review act) isn’t triggered because he’s not disclosed what’s required under the law.”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses a Tea Party rally against the Iran nuclear deal at the U.S. Capitol in Washington September 9, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
LOOMING DEADLINE
The White House dismissed that suggestion. “If Congress does not vote, this agreement goes into effect. It’s as simple as that,” spokesman Eric Schultz said.
Some Republicans also said they also would sue the Obama administration over the Iran deal, arguing that the White House violated the review act by not providing the required documents.
The dispute was one of several recently between Republican leaders and the party’s most conservative members. Some conservatives want to replace the Republican House Speaker, John Boehner, saying he is too willing to work with the Democrats.
Senate Republicans said the events in the House did not affect their plans. The Senate spent Wednesday debating the disapproval resolution, planning to vote this week.
“As I understand the law... we have to act before Sept. 17, which is next week, or the deal goes forward,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters.
Even if senators are unable to use the Senate’s filibuster procedural rule to block the measure, deal supporters have far more than the 34 votes in the 100-member Senate needed to sustain a veto Obama has promised.
However, a disapproval resolution must be passed by both the Senate and House to get to Obama’s desk.
Democrats in the House have also been steadily amassing support for the deal, with 133 members on board by late Wednesday.
To override a veto, deal opponents would need two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House.
Some Republicans were visibly unhappy about Wednesday’s developments. And the powerful House Rules Committee, controlled by Boehner, still has to approve the plan.
Representative Pete Sessions, the Republican chairman of the Rules panel, was noncommittal.
Slideshow (5 Images)
“The conference looks at things sometimes as approval or disapproval on how they want to proceed. I offer no real argument at that,” Sessions said.
“We’ve talked it over and some people like steak and some people like seafood. I’m a steak guy.”STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden will propose at an EU meeting on Friday the introduction of biometric passport controls at the external borders of Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone, the prime minister said, following the attacks in Paris that killed 129 people.
Stefan Lofven’s statement came a day after Swedish security police raised the terror threat level and said they were hunting a man suspected of planning an attack.
Swedish media reported that the suspect was a member of the Islamic State group which claimed responsibility for last week’s attacks in Paris.
“Sweden has probably been naive,” Lofven told a news conference.
“Maybe it has been hard for us to accept that there are in our open society, right in our midst, people - Swedish citizens - who sympathize with the murderers in ISIL,” he said, using another acronym for the militant Islamist group.
He said Sweden would push at Friday’s meeting of European Union interior and justice ministers in Brussels for the introduction of biometric passports at the borders of the Schengen area, which comprises 26 European countries. Inside Schengen, people can move around freely without passport checks.
A biometric passport is deemed much more secure as it uses contactless smart card technology to authenticate the holder’s identity.
Lofven did not elaborate on the proposal but added that Sweden might also allow more camera surveillance and grant authorities greater powers to monitor digital communications such as Skype.
The prime minister also touched on the vexed issue of EU citizens who travel to the Middle East to fight alongside Islamic State and in some cases return home radicalized and ready to attack their home country.
Swedish security police said this week nearly 300 Swedish passport-holders had gone to fight with Islamic State and about 120 had returned to Sweden.
“Sweden will never become a safe-haven for terrorism and terrorists,” Lofven said. “The message to those who travel from Sweden to commit crimes against humanity in other countries is that if they return they will be met by police, prosecuted and punished.”
Political violence is rare in Sweden, though in 2010 a suicide bomber died when his bomb belt went off prematurely in Stockholm. Weeks later Sweden and Denmark disrupted a plot to attack a Danish newspaper.What Does ‘Stable” Mean, Anyway?
Jeremy Schwartz Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 28, 2016
2016 has been a tough one. I started writing this piece yesterday (Dec. 27) only to find out Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher’s mom, died today (Dec. 28). I feel my ideas here are still relevant, but just a little out-dated. What a difference a day can make. May their family find solace in their loved ones and friends.
We had a saying in our newsroom: “Dead is stable.”
Meaning, if any hospital spokesperson described an individual car crash or shooting victim as in “stable condition,” we needed more. Stable meant nothing; it was a modifier standing in the way of the information I as a reporter was after. Was the person at death’s door? Was he or she a few hours from being released? “Stable” conveyed none of these facts, only that the patient’s condition was unchanging. “Stable” could theoretically mean “dead.”
The phrase “stable condition” has seen a fair amount of media play lately since the untimely death of Carrie Fisher at age 60. A number of of headlines, including this one from CNN, declared Fisher”stable” after suffering cardiac arrest on a flight from London to LA Christmas weekend. Fisher’s mom, Debbie Reynolds, reported via Twitter that her daughter was “stable” after arriving in LA and being taken to the hospital.
To many online, the phrase “stable” seemed to evoke of sense of, well, stability. A sense that Fisher was doing alright upon her arrival in LA. But, as the world learned, the reality of the situation was far different.
Fisher passed away just two days after she landed in LA. In more than a few places, I saw questions along the lines of “She was stable, how could she have died?” Questions like these took me back to my days as a newspaper reporter, when asking for the condition of those hospitalized from major car crashes, shootings, and other such newsworthy events was part of the job. As my editor drilled into me, “stable” was not an acceptable answer.
Per American Hospital Association guidelines, there are six generally agreed upon conditions hospital representatives can give when speaking to the media about a specific patient (the patient, by the way, must be named by the person seeking the information. Hospital staff cannot offer up names, because of HIPAA rules):
Undetermined: Patient awaiting physician assessment.
Good: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
Fair: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
Serious: Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Indicators are questionable.
Critical: Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.
Treated and Released: Received treatment but not admitted
You’ll notice “stable” is not listed here. In fact, guidelines accessed via the Missouri Association for Healthcare Public Relations & Marketing flat out advise against using “stable” to describe any condition(emphasis from the original):
“The term ‘stable’ should not be used as a condition. Furthermore, this term should not be used in combination with other conditions, which by definition, often indicate a patient is unstable.”
The Baltimore Sun ran an interesting piece on this topic way back in 1990 and quoted a Dr. James Ricely, chief of cardiology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, explaining that “stable” often simply means a leveling off. Not necessarily a good sign. From the article:
Says Ricely: “Anybody who has a heart attack by definition is critical for the first 24 to 48 hours.” Yet a patient’s family may be told that he is stable once his vital signs have stabilized.
“But that’s not necessarily positive information,” says Ricely. “A critical but stable person could drop dead at any time.”
So, with all this semantic stuff out of the way, what am I getting at here? Is the big, bad “media” (as if it were a monolithic entity) to blame once again for shoddy reporting? In my mind, not really.
The term “stable” came straight from Fisher’s mom. Now, I’m not saying here that Fisher’s family should have released anything more at the time. They had little if any responsibility to convey the full extent of Fisher’s condition until they were ready.
Could reporters have asked for more? Sure. They likely did. But, families of those hospitalized have pretty much full control over what gets released about their stricken loved ones (as it should be). I encountered this a handful of times in my short reporting career. Hell, a hospital spokesperson doesn’t even have to confirm to the media that a woman named “Carrie Fisher” was even checked into the hospital if the family forbids it.
I guess my main point boils down to this: “stable condition” means next to nothing. As a responsible consumer of news, it’s important to keep that in mind.Android/Windows: UniFlash is a Windows utility that lets you download, flash, back up, restore, and install new ROMs on your Android device, all from the comfort of your desktop.
UniFlash is designed for people who love to experiment and play with their Android device, but the UI is easy to use and simple enough that even someone looking to install a new ROM for the first time will feel comfortable using it. There are some prerequisites though: the app only supports devices that are rooted (check out our always up to date guide to rooting your Android phone) for instructions how), with unlocked bootloaders, USB-debugging enabled( to put your pre-ICS phone in USB debugging mode, just head to Settings > Applications > Development and check USB Debugging. In ICS, go to Settings > Developer, enable developer options, then enable USB debugging,) and a recovery tool like ClockworkMod's ROM Manager installed.
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Once you've met the pre-reqs, connect your phone to your computer, and let UniFlash identify your device. On the right side of the window, you'll see your phone's make and model, ROM version number, available storage, and more. On the left, you have options to back up your device (which we suggest you do before using the app to do anything else), restore it, mod or install new ROMs, download new ROMs and other software to install, sideload APKs, copy files to and from your device like an external drive, and more. The app even lets you flash a new kernel, something we wholeheartedly endorse.
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All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. UniFlash is incredibly comprehensive, and lets you remove system apps like carrier-installed bloatware, update pre-installed ROMs quickly, and do wipe/resets from your desktop. Keep in mind though that whole the app worked well in our tests, your mileage may vary depending on your device model. You can pick it up over at the XDA Developer Forums at the link below and read more about it in this thread. UniFlash supports Windows systems running XP and higher.
UniFlash v1.2.0 [ROM Modding, Flashing, backups and etc.] | xda-developers via Addictive TipsThe Microsoft Surface Pro 6 with an Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage is our pick for best Surface Pro 6 model thanks to its price and good enough specs for most work loads.
The Surface Pro 6 with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage is our pick for best Surface Pro 6 model you can buy right now. It's fits perfectly in the middle of the Surface Pro 6 line up, and isn't crazy expensive compared to the higher-end Surface Pro, yet still offers great performance for the most common work loads.
Who should buy this specific model?
Anyone who uses their PC for common work tasks such as writing documents in Microsoft Office, browsing the web with several tabs at once, listening to Spotify, watching movies, or even doing a bit of work in Photoshop should buy this model. It's the best model for the money, as it brings good performance and battery life without costing the world.
Reasons to buy Good performance.
Doesn't break the bank.
Available in black. Reasons not to buy More powerful options available.
No Type Cover included.
Why the Intel Core i5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage model is the best one
The Surface Pro 6 with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage is what we believe to be the best Surface Pro model on the market right now for a combination of reasons. It's the best value for money, costing $1199 while still offering great performance for when your work load is a little heavier than usual.
Good performance and battery life for getting most tasks done.
The fanless Intel Core i5 processor should be capable of doing most of anything you want it to do, but it shines primarily when working in programs like Microsoft Office. It's good enough for most tasks, including heavy web browsing, multitasking between lots of open programs, and even a little bit of video editing and Photoshop.
While the Intel Core i5 model isn't the most powerful option, it's definitely not something to dismiss. The Core i5 processor is a capable beast, which should be able to handle most tasks with little problem. It's also available in matte black, new to the Surface Pro 6 line.
Other Surface Pro 6 variants to consider
While the Intel Core i5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB model might be our pick for the best one, you might need something less expensive or with a little more power behind the scenes. If so, check out the other variants below.While an administrative shake-up of the ICC would be welcome, the Essel Group's past cricketing ventures hardly inspire confidence
It won't hurt if the ICC gets a jolt © AFP
When I hear reports of a possible cricket rebellion it usually elicits one of two reactions: excitement or scepticism. In the latest case involving the Essel Group registering website domains and company names that bear a close resemblance to a cricket board, I experienced both the above emotions.
On the one hand, there's excitement because any move that might improve cricket administration promotes a sense of intrigue. Like the World Series Cricket (WSC) revolution in the late '70s, it invokes a feeling akin to exploring the unknown. In the present case there's also a great deal of scepticism because of the Essel Group's previous association with the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which was beset by rumours of failure to fully recompense players and systemic corruption. There's also added reason for scepticism: the boards now pay their players far better than they did when WSC was formed, and the IPL has evolved into a flowering money tree, and that's where the bulk of the more skilful and marketable players are already plying their trade.
Consequently, players have far more monetary power than at any time in the past. There are some disgruntled players from the weaker administrations, like West Indies, but a number of them achieve financial satisfaction by becoming T20 mercenaries.
Therefore it's going to cost a rebel group a pretty penny (there's already talk of ten-year, $50m contracts) to prise the top players away from their financial comfort. A breakaway group is more likely to have success in attracting lesser lights - those players disillusioned with a weak administration, and disgruntled cricketers from the Associate teams, who feel the ICC treats them as second-class citizens.
There were a couple of interesting revelations accompanying the announcement of the Essel Group's thrust: the news that FICA (the international players' body) had been approached, and suggestions that Lalit Modi was involved. Later bulletins revealed that Modi declined the approach but supported an attempt to globalise a sports body.
Any attempt to establish an opposition cricket administration via a revolution would need player unity. The administrators have been smart enough to ensure the current players are financially secure
I have long felt that cricket should be run globally, not as is the present case, on a part-international and part-national basis. The current situation is inadequate in many ways but especially in providing a balanced schedule, and it also allows administrators too much leeway to avoid action, saying things don't come under their jurisdiction.
The other important area where the administration has failed the game is corruption. With all the information that is swirling around - a mixture of rumour and innuendo with a degree of fact - more should have been done to clean up the game.
In his response, Modi also made reference to a global body "benefiting the players and the fans". Unlike in the 1970s, the players now (in most cases) are well looked after but the fans are shortchanged. Any new body that genuinely represents the fans' needs would be well received. The arrogant hijacking of the ICC by the Big Three has not gone down well, and an administrative shake-up is long overdue.
However, the Essel Group isn't the shining knight riding in on a white charger. On the strength of their previous endeavours, they would engender even less faith in their ability to run the game than is currently afforded the ICC.
Still, it won't hurt if the ICC does receive a jolt, as at times their approach appears delusional. Not surprisingly, they were quick to investigate the prospective uprising, probably because of a previous chastening experience. The game took a financial hiding from Kerry Packer back in the '70s, and while the coffers are now better stocked, they won't want a prolonged and bitter battle to protect their property.
In the end, this latest episode could just be the Essel Group doing a Kerry Packer and trying to use insurrection as a threat to obtain an improved television deal.
Any attempt to establish an opposition cricket administration via a revolution would require a high degree of player unity. The administrators have been both fortunate and smart enough to ensure the current players are financially secure. This makes the job of a prospective usurper difficult, as the players would likely be split along the lines of the haves and the have-nots.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is now a cricket commentator for Channel 9, and a columnist
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.For the professional wrestler, see Onryo (wrestler)
Onryō from the Kinsei-Kaidan-Shimoyonohoshi (近世怪談霜夜星)
In traditional beliefs of Japan and in literature, onryō (怨霊, literally "vengeful spirit", sometimes rendered "wrathful spirit")[1] refers to a ghost (yūrei) believed capable of causing harm in the world of the living, harming or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance to redress the wrongs it received while alive then takes their spirits from their dying bodies.
The term overlaps somewhat with goryō (御霊), except that in the cult of the goryō, the acting agent need not necessarily be a wrathful spirit.[1]
Origin [ edit ]
While the origin of onryō is unclear, belief in their existence can be traced back to the 8th century and was based on the idea that powerful and enraged souls of the dead could influence or harm the living people. The earliest onryō cult that developed was around Prince Nagaya who died in 729;[1] and the first record of possession by the onryō spirit affecting the health is found in the chronicle Shoku Nihongi (797), which states that "Fujiwara Hirotsugu (藤原広嗣)'s soul harmed Genbō to death" (Hirotsugu having died in a failed insurrection, named the "Fujiwara no Hirotsugu Rebellion", after failing to remove his rival, the priest Genbō, from power).[2][3]
Vengeance [ edit ]
Traditionally in Japan, onryō driven by vengeance were thought capable of causing not only their enemy's death, as in the case of Hirotsugu's vengeful spirit held responsible for killing the priest Genbō,[4]), but causing natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, storms, drought, famine and pestilence,[1] as in the case of Prince Sawara's spirit embittered against his brother, the Emperor Kanmu.[5] In common parlance, such vengeance exacted by supernatural beings or forces is termed tatari (祟り).[1]
The Emperor Kanmu had accused his brother Sawara of plotting (possibly falsely to remove him as rival to the throne), and the latter who was exiled died by fasting. The reason that the Emperor moved the capital to Nagaoka-kyō thence to Kyoto was an attempt to avoid the wrath of his brother's spirit, according to a number of scholars.[5] This not succeeding entirely, the emperor tried to lift the curse by appeasing his brother's ghost, by performing Buddhist rites to pay respect, and granting Prince Sawara the posthumous title of emperor.[5]
A well-known example of appeasement of the onryō spirit is the case of Sugawara no Michizane, who had been politically disgraced and died in exile. Believed to cause the death of his calumniators in quick succession, as well as catastrophes (especially lightning damage), and the court tried to appease the wrathful spirit by restoring Michizane's old rank and position.[1] Michizane became deified in the cult of the Tenjin, with Tenman-gū shrines erected around him.
Examples [ edit ]
Possibly the most famous onryō is Oiwa, from the Yotsuya Kaidan. In this story the husband remains unharmed; however, he is the target of the onryō’s vengeance. Oiwa's vengeance on him isn't physical retribution, but rather psychological torment.
Other examples include:
How a Man's Wife Became a Vengeful Ghost and How Her Malignity Was Diverted by a Master of Divination
In this tale from the medieval collection, Konjaku Monogatarishū, an abandoned wife is found dead with a full head of hair intact and the bones still attached. The husband, fearing retribution from her spirit, asks a diviner 陰陽師, onmyōji) [6][7]
Of a Promise Broken
In this tale from the Izumo area recorded by Lafcadio Hearn, a samurai vows to his dying wife never to remarry. He soon breaks the promise, and the ghost comes to first warn, then murder the young bride, ripping her head off. The watchmen who had been put to sleep chase down the apparition, and with a slash of the sword while reciting Buddhist prayer, destroys it.[8]
In media [ edit ]
Hisako (久子, "Eternal Child" or "Everlasting Child") from the third entry of the fighting game Killer Instinct, is an onryō who died while defending her village. She still haunts her old village and will take vengeance on anyone who desecrates it's ruins with her naginata. She has pale white skin, long black hair like most Onryo. [9]
In Fall 2018 the asymetrical horror game, Dead By Daylight released Shattered Bloodline chapter DLC, and with it came The Spirit. The Spirit is an onryō who returns from the dead after being brutally murdered by her Father.
Physical appearance [ edit ]
Traditionally,[citation needed] onryō and other yūrei (ghosts) had no particular appearance. However, with the rising of popularity of Kabuki during the Edo period, a specific costume was developed.
Highly visual in nature, and with a single actor often assuming various roles within a play, Kabuki developed a system of visual shorthand that allowed the audience to instantly clue in as to which character is on stage, as well as emphasize the emotions and expressions of the actor.
A ghost costume consisted of three main elements:
White burial kimono, shiroshōzoku 白装束 shinishōzoku 死に装束
Wild, unkempt long black hair
Face make-up consisting of white foundation (oshiroi) coupled with face paintings (kumadori) of blue shadows 藍隈, aiguma) " ) " indigo fringe" [10][11][a]
See also [ edit ]
Explanatory notes [ edit ]
Citations [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]A man who served 34 years in prison for the rape and murder of a teenager in Pennsylvania has been freed after new DNA analysis led a judge to vacate his murder conviction.
The man, Lewis Fogle, was released from prison on bond Thursday after lawyers for the Innocence Project obtained consent to retest physical evidence from the autopsy of the murdered teenager, Deann Katherine Long, 15, who was raped and killed with a single gunshot in 1976.
In a statement after Mr. Fogle’s release, the Innocence Project, which works to clear the wrongfully convicted, said the authorities had relied on jailhouse informants who said Mr. Fogle had confessed to them. At his trial in 1982, no physical evidence was presented linking Mr. Fogle to the crime, the Innocence Project said.
The new DNA results came from a semen sample that was collected from Ms. Long’s body using new technology.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to re-examine the accuracy of its 33-year-old estimates of air pollution from flaring near refineries and at oil and gas drilling sites. The decision has health advocates and some people in South Texas hoping relief from the effects of foul air is coming.
The agreement comes in the wake of a lawsuit against the EPA by four environmental organizations. They claimed that air samples near oil refineries in Houston showed elevated levels of volatile organic compounds, chemicals associated with threats to public health and smog-forming pollution. Those levels, the plaintiffs said, were 10 to 100 times higher than being reported under outdated and inaccurate formulas that estimate levels of air pollution.
Although the lawsuit focused on refineries in Houston, the agreement could have consequences nationwide. Booming oil and gas drilling in Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Dakota and other states have been blamed for noxious emissions that residents say has sickened them.
The EPA said it will re-examine, and if necessary revise, the emissions formulas for flares at many of the estimated one million natural gas drilling and production sites across the country, according to the consent decree filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The EPA has until February 2018 to complete its review and issue any revisions to the emissions equation.
The agency did not respond to a request for comment.
Flaring is used to burn off unwanted gas at drilling sites and refineries. It serves as a constant visual reminder that chemicals not consumed by the flames are being released into the air.
The environmental organizations contended that roughly 80 percent of industries do not monitor emissions from their flares and other facilities. Instead, they rely on estimates using formulas approved by EPA to comply with the reporting requirements of the federal Clean Air Act.
Those calculations have not been studied since 1983, the organizations found, although the law requires the EPA to review and if necessary revise these formulas every three years.
A more precise accounting of the compounds emitted during flaring will give a better understanding of potential health effects faced by people living nearby, according to Adrian Shelley, executive director of Air Alliance Houston, one of the four groups that sued the EPA.
"There has been want of information for people complaining of poor air quality and how it has been affecting their quality of life," he said. "We hope that this means that will change."
William Anaya, a Chicago-based attorney who represents the oil and gas industry in issues involving the EPA, cautioned that the agency must act fairly when evaluating its emissions formula.
"If the EPA is considering ratcheting up control of emissions, then it must consider that industry has built its infrastructure based on a formula that has been in place for years," he said.
Any new rules must be gradually implemented to allow the industry to comply, Anaya said, and the EPA should consider exempting or "grandfathering" existing flares that were designed to meet EPA standards at the time they built.
The environmentalists' lawsuit was filed in 2013 by Shelley's organization, the Community In-Power and Development Association, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services and was represented by the Environmental Integrity Project.
The suit cited studies showing that smog-forming emissions can be 132 times greater than EPA estimates, which are based on data provided by the industry. The organizations claimed levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and VOCs—including benzene, toluene and xylene—were underreported.
These chemicals have been proven to cause cancer and damage to the liver and kidneys. They also are a contributing factor in the formation of ozone known to be a major respiratory hazard.
A 2014 investigative series by InsideClimate News, the Center for Public Integrity and The Weather Channel explored the consequences to the health of people living in the Eagle Ford region of South Texas who were exposed to industry's pollutants.
Lynn Buehring and her husband, Shelby, have long suffered from the foul air that cloaks their small ranch house on the Texas prairie near Karnes City.
Their home is surrounded by dozens of oil and gas facilities that flare around the clock, generating emissions that Lynn Buehring says has exacerbated her breathing problems to a critical point.
So the news that tighter emission standards may |
. Mike is two years younger than I am, and it’s like having your little brother, through the whole thing, where you’re just perplexed. And of course, it was heartbreaking to hear Brooke Bennett’s mother and father and grandmother and sister talk about their pain,” Olney said. “And all of the people that were involved in the investigation from the U.S. Attorney’s office were there as well, and their emotion, the handshakes and hugs, that they were sharing, it went beyond 'Okay, we have this case wrapped up.’ This was really emotional for them as well because of what it meant for them to try to do the best they could for Brooke’s family.”
Sexual Assault
Olney’s motivation for writing the book is to cast some light on the potential devastation of silence in cases of sexual assault. Bennett was not Jacques’ first victim, and there were opportunities along the way for interventions to prevent him from acting again.
"In the case of sexual assaults, for whatever reason, the instinct people have is, 'Don't talk about this.' And that's what went on for more than 20 years in Mike Jacques' case."
“I’ve had people in my own family touched with this and I’ve had friends, and heard their stories. In the case of sexual assaults, for whatever reason, the instinct people have is, ‘Don’t talk about this.’ And that’s what went on for more than 20 years in Mike Jacques’ case. There was sign after sign after sign of this enormous problem and a lot of times it was completely ignored or washed over. And Brooke’s father, Jim Bennett, asked the question as he spoke to Michael and spoke to the court, ‘How did you slip through the cracks?” Olney said.
“Well, we know with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight how that happened. The nature of sexual crimes is they are often not treated in the way that a regular assault is. And people should never forget, that’s what these are – these are violent assaults and should be treated that way, and not something that you shouldn’t talk about.”Amid Fears, WikiLeaks Presents Some Upside To U.S.
toggle caption Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
Some revelations in WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of diplomatic cables and documents could ultimately prove useful to U.S. foreign policy objectives, analysts say.
U.S. government officials have denounced the release of classified material as reckless and dangerous. But foreign policy experts say in specific instances there may be an upside, such as improving America's image in the Arab world or prompting greater congressional oversight on China policy.
The silver lining really is that the U.S. doesn’t come across as a gunslinger, at least in the Middle East.
"Of the few that I've seen, there are certainly a number of cases where the release may actually assist U.S. efforts," says Jamie Fly, executive director of Foreign Policy Initiative, a conservative think tank.
WikiLeaks has published hundreds of diplomatic cables, out of a total cache of a quarter-million. Many were provided in advance to news outlets including The New York Times, which began publishing them on Sunday.
The Justice Department is laying the groundwork for possible criminal prosecution of WikiLeaks. Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who will chair the House Homeland Security Committee next year, says that WikiLeaks should be classified as a terrorist organization.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday sought to play down the potential impact of the leaks.
"Is this embarrassing? Yes. Is it awkward? Yes. Consequences for U.S. foreign policy? I think fairly modest," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. He called dire predictions about the effect of the release on America's foreign policy as "significantly overwrought."
How It Might Help
Fly stresses that much of the cable traffic between U.S. embassies and the State Department is kept secret for good reason. But a lot of it, he said, is kept under wraps simply owing to "diplomatic niceties."
Bringing more such information to light could be helpful, he says. Details about how China has rebuffed U.S. efforts to hamper North Korea's nuclear program "may increase the pressure on the administration, from Congress and elsewhere, to be more frank with the Chinese, to make it clear that if they don't cooperate with us, there will be repercussions," Fly says.
Other documents make it clear that some Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are just as nervous about Iran's nuclear ambitions as the U.S. and Israel -- perhaps even more so.
"I don't think it shocks anybody that countries in the Middle East are urging the U.S. to do something about Iran," says James Jay Carafano, director of foreign policy studies at the Heritage Foundation. "But when you actually see the language it's kind of a wake-up call."
U.S. Image In The Arab World
The strong language used by Iran's neighbors and revealed in the leaked cables could help the U.S., in part by making the Obama administration seem less like an aggressive outlier, suggests Fariborz Ghadar, a distinguished scholar and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan policy research organization in Washington.
"The silver lining really is that the U.S. doesn’t come across as a gunslinger, at least in the Middle East," Ghadar says. "If you look at the perceptions and the polls of the Arab street, here we are, this gunslinger, shooting up Afghanistan and Iraq, and now we're going after Iran.
"Now the wording shows that their own leaders are in fact much more jingoistic and it's the U.S. that's been much more thoughtful," he says.
That could cause some problems for U.S. allies in the region, Ghadar notes, if their hostile attitudes toward Iran are seen as out of step with domestic public opinion.
An Increase In Secrecy
Ghadar also worries that the WikiLeaks publication could make diplomats abroad more cautious about what they will put into their reports.
"There will be all kinds of repercussions, with foreign officials being perhaps less willing to be candid about what is going on with their governments," says Fly, the Foreign Policy Initiative executive director.
The Defense Department has already put in place measures -- such as bans on USB drives -- designed to block large-scale document theft. More are certain to follow. Such measures could make it trickier for agencies to share vital information with each other, a key goal of national security efforts since the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Time For A Review?
Heritage's Carafano suggests that it will always for be difficult for agency safeguards to stay ahead of rapid changes in information technology. While he is no fan of WikiLeaks, Carafano argues that its latest document dump does not bring to light problems U.S. agencies were not already aware of.
"Nobody needs to explain to the U.S. government that we're under constant cyber-assault and that these things happen," Carafano says.
David Rothkopf, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believes that prompting "a massive, comprehensive review and reform of how America keeps, shares and thinks about its secrets is one of the few benefits this unfortunate incident could produce."
A Fairly Flattering Light
Writing in The Financial Times, Rothkopf notes that the WikiLeaks information also shows "the formidable courage and capabilities of many diplomats."
Although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been forced to do damage control all week, the massive leak shows that her department is on top of its game, says Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in Washington.
"One thing that is helpful is that it shows that the U.S. government is basically trying to put in place good policies, that it has a good idea of what's happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan and has a pretty good analysis of the situation of Russia," Korb says. "The Obama administration has got a pretty realistic view of the world and the world we live in and the things that are helping and hurting our policies."
Fly agrees. "From an outsider's perspective, and as someone who has been critical of the administration on different issues, it shows there's not a lot of naivete about the world from this administration," he says. "They're dealing with the real threats that are out there."Getting started is easy. To install your first Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 1 on your PC, simply follow these steps:
This guide provides you with details on how to install and get the most out of Windows 10 Insider Preview builds, including troubleshooting tips and links to other helpful support resources.
Windows LIP language packs can only be installed over the supported base languages. To learn how to configure your input or display languages after install a language pack, see How to add and switch an input or display language to your PC.
Windows 10 Insider Preview is available in the following Language Interface Packs (LIP) languages: Afrikaans (South Africa), Albanian (Albania), Amharic, Armenian, Assamese, Azerbaijani (Latin, Azerbaijan), Bangla (Bangladesh), Bangla (India), Basque, Belarusian (Belarus), Bosnian (Latin), Catalan (Catalan), Cherokee (Cherokee), Dari, Filipino (Philippines), Galician (Galician), Georgian, Gujarati, Hindi (India), Icelandic, Indonesian (Indonesia), Irish, Kannada, Kazakh (Kazakhstan), Khmer (Cambodia), KiSwahili, Konkani, Kyrgyz, Lao (Laos), Luxembourgish, Macedonian (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Malay (Malaysia), Malayalam, Maltese, Maori, Marathi, Mongolian (Cyrillic), Nepali, Norwegian (Nynorsk), Odia, Persian, Punjabi, Quechua, Scottish Gaelic, Serbian (Cyrillic, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia), Sindhi (Arabic), Sinhala, Tamil (India), Tatar, Telugu, Turkmen, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek (Latin, Uzbekistan), Valencian, Vietnamese, Welsh.
2. Prepare your Windows 10 PC
Open your PC's Settings (Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program). To see this setting, you need to have administrator rights to your PC. Click Get started. Under “Pick an account to get started” click “+” to link your Microsoft or work account that you used to register for the Windows Insider Program. Click Continue. Under “What kind of content that you would like to receive”, select active development of Windows to receive Windows 10 Insider Preview and click Confirm. Select “Fixes, apps and drivers” only if you want to install builds from the Release Preview Ring. Note: If the option to “Skip ahead to the next version of Windows” is not available, selecting it will default to the latest Insider Preview build in the Fast Ring. Under “What pace do you want to receive preview builds” select Fast if you would like to receive the latest Insider Preview builds. Note that this ring may contain bugs and other issues. If you prefer to wait for a more stable build, select Slow. Click Confirm. For more information, see the Definition of Rings below. Review the privacy statement and program terms and click Confirm. Click Restart Now or Restart Later to complete your PC enrollment.
3. Complete Installation
Once your PC restarts, go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click Check for updates to download the latest Insider Preview build based on the criteria you selected in the steps above. Once the download is complete you are given three restart options: Click Pick a time, Remind me later or Restart now to complete installation. Note: After you have installed an Insider Preview build, you will receive recent new builds automatically. To confirm that you have the latest build, simply check for updates on Windows Update.
Let us know what you think
The feedback you provide on Insider Preview builds goes directly to our engineers to help develop Windows. To provide feedback, simply visit the Feedback Hub app in your Start menu. The Feedback Hub also connects you to Insider news, quests, community, and other resources. You can also use the Language Community App to help us make Windows better in your language. Find out how to provide actionable feedback.
Working with rings
Definition of rings
The options for the frequency of Windows 10 Insider Preview builds are called “rings.” Each ring presents a different level of stability and will be delivered on a different build cadence.
Rings are used to evaluate the quality of our software as it is released to progressively larger audiences. If the build passes all required automated testing in the lab, we will flight (release a build) with a new feature update, application, etc. to the first, most frequent, ring. The build will continue to be evaluated against a set of criteria to ensure it is ready to progress to the next ring. To get builds to Insiders faster, we changed the ordering of how we promote builds between rings, the ring progression criteria, and added a new ring.
Fast Ring
The benefit of being in the Fast Ring is that you will be among the first to use and provide feedback on new and improved features. If you have devices in the Fast Ring, you should be prepared for more issues that might block key activities or might require significant workarounds. Because we are also validating a build on a smaller set of devices before releasing, there is also a chance that some features might fail in some device configurations. If significantly blocked, report the issue to us in the Feedback Hub app or the Windows Insider forums and be ready to reinstall Windows using the Media Creation Tool, see instructions at Download Windows 10.
Slow Ring
The benefit of being in the Slow Ring is that you’ll still receive new updates and features on the Development Branch, but the builds will be more stable. Builds are sent to the Slow Ring after feedback has been received from Insiders on the Fast ring and analyzed by our Engineering teams. Slow Ring builds include updates to fix key issues that prevent many Windows Insiders from being able to use the build daily. These builds are still from the Development Branch and could have issues that might be addressed in a future flight.
Release Preview Ring
If you want to be on the current public release of Windows 10 but still get early access to updates, applications, and drivers without taking the risk of moving to the Development Branch, the Release Preview Ring is your best option. The Release Preview Ring is only visible when your Windows build version is the same as the current Production Branch. The easiest way to go between the Development Branch to the current Production Branch is to reinstall Windows using the Media Creation Tool, see instructions at Download Windows 10.
Skip Ahead
This is a unique version of the Fast Ring that allows Insiders to “skip ahead” to Windows 10 Insider Preview builds in the next release while we are finishing up a current release. Enrollment in Skip Ahead is offered for a limited time to a small subset of Insiders.
Switching between rings
Changing rings is a simple process. Launch Settings, select Updates & Security, select Windows Insider Program. Under Choose Your Level, select between the following rings: Fast, Slow or Release Preview.
After registering in the Windows Insider Program and installing your first Windows 10 Insider Preview build, you will begin to receive updates to the device(s) you have enrolled. During the development process, the build number will change with each update. There are two different types of builds being delivered to your device(s):
Major builds
When a major build is released, is will include any combination of new features, updates to existing features, bug fixes, application changes, or other changes. For a major build, you will see the build number increment by 1 or more. Build numbers may or may not be consecutive based upon passing internal ring promotion criteria. For example, 14361 -> 14365.
Minor/servicing Builds
Also known as “Servicing” or “Cumulative” updates, these builds represent a smaller set of changes to a currently released Major Build. Servicing Builds often include bug fixes, minor operating system updates, or other smaller changes as needed. For example, 14361 -> 14361.1002 -> 14361.1003.
What to expect in each ring
While there is no set requirement for how build numbers are delivered to each ring, you will in general find the following to be true:
Fast Ring: Major Build releases, very few servicing builds.
Slow Ring: Major Build with minor build fixes attached.
Release Preview Ring: Major Build change at a release milestone and then a continued series of Servicing Builds until the next release milestone is reached.
Find information about your PC
Below is a set of quick references for key information you may find useful as you participate in the program. This information will also be helpful when submitting feedback for build issues or feature suggestions, as well as reaching out for assistance.
How to find the build number
Go to Start, type winver, click “winver - run command.”
How to verify which flight ring I have selected
Open Settings, select Update & Security, select Windows Insider Program, and view the Choose your Insider level drop-down.
How do I check which Microsoft Account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) I am using for getting builds?
Open Settings, select Update & Security, select Windows Insider Program and view the Windows Insider account information as displayed.
How do I verify my copy of Windows 10 is activated?
Open Settings, select Update & Security and select Activation. View the data as displayed.
While participating in the Windows Insider Program, you may find that your PC is not updating to the latest update as expected. This is rare, however, there are a few key items to review should you end up in this state.
Perform a manual check for updates
Open Settings, open Update & Security and review available updates or select Check for Updates. If you have set Active Hours, ensure your device is left turned on and signed in during the off-hours so the install process can complete.
Is your copy of Windows activated?
Open Settings, select Update & Security and select Activation. View the data as displayed.
Is the MSA or AAD connected to your PC registered for receiving builds?
Click here to sign in with your MSA or AAD. You will land on the page “Already a member,” if your MSA or AAD is registered with the Windows Insider Program.
Have you selected a ring?
Open Settings, select Update & Security, select Windows Insider Program, and view the Choose your Insider level drop-down.
Have you recently done a roll-back?
Check your Windows Insider Preview settings, including ring-selection, Microsoft Account, and branch-selection.
Did you do a clean install?
After a clean-install and initial setup of a Microsoft Account, even one that has been used previously for receiving Insider builds, the appropriate targeting needs to take place for your PC. This background process is known as Compatibility Checker and will run during idle time on your PC. This may take up to 24 hours. Please leave your PC turned on to ensure this occurs in timely manner.
Are there any known issues for your current build?
There may be an issue with a build that could lead to issues with updates being received. Please check the most recent Windows Insider Blog Post or reach out to us @WindowsInsider.
Recovering a PC
If you are in a situation where you are unable to use your PC as expected, we want you to know how to recover your PC to a good state.
Assess the impact
What is the impact of the issue? Single app? Minor functionality?
Can you continue using your device or is key functionality not working?
Are you able to work around the issue? Would an alternate app suffice?
Is a newer build available that may have a fix for any known bugs being faced?
Troubleshoot & Discover
Troubleshoot the issue. There may be a workaround available. Reach out to us via the Windows Insider Forums or @WindowsInsider on Twitter. If important functionality is unusable, you may want to reinstall your current OS version. Prior to doing any reinstall or rollback, ensure you have backed up important files. While it is rare to lose data during this process, it is best to back up key data.
OS Reinstall
You will have several options to choose from, including an operating system-only reinstall or a clean wipe of your device: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click Get Started under Reset this PC. Follow the on-screen directions to refresh or clean install the OS.
Roll-back to Prior Build
If your PC was working as expected on the prior build and you’d like to roll back without losing any data, you may try this option: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery, and select Get Started under Go Back to an Earlier Build.
Note: After installing an update to your PC, you will have seven (7) days to roll back if necessary. If required afterward, you will need to take a future update or you may clean install an older build via bootable media.
Clean Install Insider Build via Bootable Media
One of the questions that comes up from time to time is how to create a bootable USB with a Windows Installation (from an ISO file). Having this can be helpful in various scenarios, from recovering a machine from a bad build, to bypassing various types of bugs, or even joining a new PC into the Windows Insider program.
Should you want (or need) to create a bootable USB drive from a Windows Insider ISO file, please see these directions.
Stop receiving Insider builds
To stop getting new builds on your PC, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program, select Stop Insider Preview Builds and follow the additional on-screen prompts.
Recover your device
We recommend that if you do choose to stop getting Insider builds, do so when your device is on a Production Build at the end of a development cycle so that you do not need to recover your device. Production builds are stable, receive servicing updates, allow you to stay up-to-date, and you will not lose any of the data on your device. If you unenroll while your device is running an Insider build, your device will remain on a build that will not receive future servicing updates, will have an expiry date set, and may contain security vulnerabilities. Announcements are made on the Windows Insider Blog when development cycles are complete.
To find out the current Production Build number, check the Windows Insider Blog.
To find the build number on your PC, go to Start, type winver, click “winver - run command.”
If you choose to stop receiving Windows Insider builds during a development cycle and need to recover your PC to a current Production Build, you will need to install an earlier version of Windows using the Media Creation Tool. Please see instructions at Download Windows 10 or choose from the following depending on which previous version you are recovering to: Windows 7 Recovery Image, Windows 8 Recovery Image or Windows 10 Recovery Image.
Support resources
Even though Insiders are self-sufficient people, the Microsoft team is ready to help you use Windows 10 Insider Preview builds. Along with the information provided in the User guide, the following options are available for support.
Windows Insider Blog
With each new build, we publish a Windows Blog post that outlines key feature changes as well as known issues that Insiders may encounter while using the build. Review the blog to stay up-to-date with news and information. Read the Windows Insider Blog today.
Feedback
Share feedback via the Feedback Hub. Other Insiders can add on to your feedback (or vice versa) and will allow you to create links to feedback that you can share for others to reference. Find out how to submit actionable feedback.
Forum
Insiders can filter between PC, Mobile, Office, Edge, and many other sections. There are also sub-topics that will help narrow down your search to find tailored content. Go to the Windows Insider forum.
Twitter
We’re social! You’ll find new build announcements, tips/tricks, quests, contests, as well as direct real-time support when available. Follow us @WindowsInsider and @Donasarkar.
Leave the program
If you would like to stop receiving emails from the Windows Insider Program, you will need to leave the program. If you do want to leave the Windows Insider Program, you’ll need to unregister. If you have updated your device's Settings to receive Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds, you will need to unenroll, and if you have installed Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds, you'll need to recover your device to a supported public Production Build.
If you would no longer like to receive Windows Insider builds on one or more of your devices you may do so and continue to receive emails from the program. If you do want to stop receiving Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds, you’ll need to unenroll and recover your device to a supported public Production Build.
Unregister
On the Windows Insider Program website, sign in with your Microsoft Account (MSA) or your Azure Active Directory (AAD) account associated with the Windows Insider Program. Click here to sign in with your MSA or AAD.
Go to the page leave the program (visible in the footer of the site after signing in) and click on the link, "Leave the Program". You will then see a confirmation page.
Unenroll
On your PC, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program, select “Stop Insider Preview Builds” and follow the additional on-screen prompts.
Recover your device
Follow the instructions to return your PC to a previous version or reinstall.In 1999, Smash Mouth was topping the charts. Me? I was a 13-year old script kiddie. If you’ve never heard the term script kiddie before, here’s the formal definition:
“A person who uses existing computer scripts or code to hack into computers, lacking the expertise to write their own.”
I, like many current developers, got into programming in the golden age of script kiddies. This is when becoming a power user of AOL Instant Messenger involved running some codes written by other developers.
I have no shame in announcing that my online alias, DropKickKenny, was an AOL Instant Messenger God. Using basic HTML, I was able to put images in my profile. Using other basic HTML, I was able to make text scroll across the screen in what was known as a marquee element. Using even more basic HTML, I was able to make text blink.
Whenever I used one of these advanced, undocumented features of AOL Instant Messenger, my friends would say something like:
“Woah, that’s really cool. How can I do that too?”
And it felt really cool.
I was the only one in my circle who had the ability to add images to my AOL Instant Messenger Profile.
I felt like I was on to something, so I began to take the next step in my coding journey, which involved crafting the perfect Angelfire website. At the time, Angelfire and GeoCities were the go-to hosting solutions for personal websites.
It was difficult to position elements on the page. But I eventually learned how to use HTML tables to position elements in the way that I wanted. But I wanted to push the boundaries even more, so I tried to learn the more complicated aspects of HTML. I scoured the net for the coolest animated gifs, “under-construction signs”, and everything else that you would expect from the website built by a 13 year-old kid.
My friends complimented my website. They loved my page that talked about why “Chumba Wumba is the Best Band Ever.” And my dungeon master liked that my Dungeons and Dragon’s character’s info was on the site too.
And it felt really cool.
But my website had ads. And I felt that the ads that were being displayed on my Angelfire website were taking away from its legitimacy. I was a 13 year-old kid without a credit card or a bank account, so paying for a premium hosting wasn’t an option. I had to get creative.
After doing some research, I found there were companies that would allow me to get my hosting for free without ads. The site itself was called envy.nu (sadly they seem to have taken the amazing service down). I migrated my site to envy.nu and updated my AIM profile for people who clicked the link.
I learned a bit about web hosting. And when my friends asked me:
“Why don’t you use Angelfire, like me?”
I had a solid response:
“It’s important for me that my site doesn’t have any ads on it.”
And it felt really cool.
I lacked any sense of programming knowledge, but I jumped right into the fray and installed Visual Basic 6. I decided right then and there that I was going to write a computer program. I had no idea how variables worked. But I worked around it by dragging label elements outside the visible screen to store information that could change over time. If you tried to write programs in VB6 without knowing how to program, you probably did the same thing.
I showed my Dad my program. He thought my program was “neat.”
And it felt really cool.
Programming and computers were a fun way for me to goof off. And I had a feeling of accomplishment when I figured stuff out.
A few years later, I stole a book from my Dad’s office on Borland’s Turbo C. Not only did this book get into the conceptual thinking behind programming, it also included a bonus CD-ROM with the Borland Turbo C compiler. At the time, this was pretty cool.
During this time, I was working a part-time job bagging groceries at a supermarket after school. Sometimes, during lunch breaks, other employees would play a gambling card game called 2 Card Guts, which is essentially a version of poker. Knowing that this was a very simple game in theory, I cautiously played in the first few games.
I soon realized that my new coding superpowers allowed me to simulate the hands in a game of Guts. Over the weekend, I wrote a pretty awesome program in C. It generated a table that gave the percentage chance of each hand to be the best hand in the game, given X number of opponents. It accomplished this by running hundreds of thousands of simulations.
I quickly realized that everyone in my supermarket card game was playing in a suboptimal way.
They were taking a far too conservative approach. In fact, they were playing in an egregiously conservative way, if my table was correct. I decided to put my analysis to use and test it out during our next card game.
To provide full context, Guts poker is a high risk / high reward game. In games where the ante is $1 (like the game that I played), the winning hand could net $50. But if you lost, you might have to pay $50 to the pot.
Let’s remember, I was just a kid making 7 bucks-an-hour bagging groceries. $50 was a lot of money at this time.
So I memorized as much as possible about the tables from my computer program, particularly around the hands where there was a 50% chance of winning.
The next time we played Guts on our lunch break, I started playing the game in an optimal way. I prepared myself to be ok with a net loss of $100. At that price point, I could consider my effort a worthy experiment, but one not worth continuing.
Well, my bet paid off. That day, I made $350. I only lost one big hand (costing me about 70 bucks) but had far more wins. I gained the reputation of being a reckless and lucky player. Only I knew that I wasn’t being reckless or lucky…just calculated. Soon enough, my coworkers stopped playing Guts with me.
And it felt really cool.
As a 13-17 kid hacker, it was really easy to celebrate the small wins. Every small victory made me feel incredibly accomplished.
Blinking text in my AIM profile? Super cool. A cool personal website without ads that impressed my dungeon master? Also super cool. Programming was fun. I wasn’t setting out to be the best in the world. I just wanted to use technology to get a small edge over people who didn’t spend the time or energy to do it themselves.
Fast-forward a decade and a half, and I now have more context on technology and life in general. I’ve continued to program, work through more and more challenges, and build a ton of features and applications.
I would never have arrived at where I’m at if I hadn’t started tinkering around with my AIM profile in the first place and celebrated the small wins. I’ve realized that learning to program is a long journey and one that is different for everyone. But if you start, continue to tinker and test things out, and appreciate the moments in which things work, you’ll find it a lot easier to keep pushing forward.
You might even become a programming all-star.
And Then The Morning Comes, and you’ll look back at everything you’ve done and realize all the progress you’ve made along the way. If you keep on pushing forward, soon enough you can become unstoppable at programming.
The problem that most people run into is this:
When you’re learning to code, it can sometimes feel like an endless marathon of thinking:
“I need to learn this stuff.”
Then you learn the stuff, and you realize that there’s more stuff to learn. This cycle can feel quite daunting.
Never forget to celebrate the small wins.
When you ship a new feature or write a complex algorithm, take a moment and give yourself a chance to feel good about what you’ve accomplished.
Often, appreciating the amazing things that you’re doing in the present is the best way to fuel your growth for the future.
Ready to start coding? We’re giving away the first 2 weeks our online software engineering program for free. Sign up here: free intro course.While 2014 has been a particularly explosive year for the Black community and judicial system, the reality is, cops have been getting away with murder for far too long. Earlier this month, the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund Twitter page posted a series of tweets that contained only a date, name, and location of every unarmed Black person reportedly killed by a person with authority. Tweets includes men, women, and children.
MUST READ: ‘We’re Going Backwards’: Amadou Diallo’s Mother Can’t Believe Police Brutality Is Still Taking Black Lives
The list begins in 1999 with the Bronx murder of Guinean native Amadou Diallo. You’ll see some familiar names like Oscar Grant and Sean Bell as the list totals at 76 casualties. As many have suggested, we could be in the era of a new civil rights movement, and these tweets researched by the NAACP may be all the ammunition we need to push forward. It’s also been revealed, in a recent study, that a majority of White people found this year’s biggest news stories such as the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown to have not been motivated by race. These tweets suggest otherwise and certainly food for thought.
2003: Alberta Spruill (New York, NY) 2003: Orlando Barlow (Las Vegas, NV) 2003: Ousmane Zongo (New York, NY) — Legal Defense Fund (@NAACP_LDF) December 3, 2014
2007: DeAunta Terrel Farrow (West Memphis, AR) 2006: Sean Bell (New York, NY) 2005: Henry Glover (New Orleans, LA) — Legal Defense Fund (@NAACP_LDF) December 3, 2014
Visit the official Legal Defense Fund page here:
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Nexus Director, Erik Azulay, who moved here from Austin to set up and run the centre, said "Delhi is the pilot" and the vision now is to expand the footprint to other parts of India and South Asia.
"Delhi has all the right components, you have the entrepreneurs, the funders, the government, the capital and other complementary factors. We saw an ecosystem here which was needed for starting this initiative," he told PTI.
Asked if other cities were considered before selecting Delhi, Azulay said, "We did look at other cities, including Bengaluru, but we chose Delhi. Delhi is the pilot... From here on, we see our future in more Indian cities, and other parts of South Asia."
Under the 'Nexus' platform, 10 cohorts (start-ups) were chosen from 115 applications from all over India. An intense 10-week training programme followed that featured workshops conducted by expert and industry leaders from the two countries.
Nearly half of these innovations were further picked up last week for incubation under the programme, which the US government runs in partnership with the University of Texas in Austin through its IC2 Institute, a "think and do" tank.
IC2 (Innovation, Creativity & Capital) Institute is an interdisciplinary research unit of the university which works to advance the theory and practice of entrepreneurial wealth creation.
Nexus, hosted in the American Center building here, resembles a mini-classroom at the University of Texas, with organised desks, laptops, whiteboards and Longhorn pinnates on walls, evoking the atmosphere.
"This place on the first floor of the Center was initially housing the library, which has been shifted downstairs. The next cohorts would be starting this fall (autumn season). We are also hopeful of the formal launch of Nexus facility sometime in September," said Azulay, himself an entrepreneur, who has been part of the IC2.
Counselor for Cultural Affairs at the US Embassy here, Craig L Dicker says, "Nexus is our way of bringing the various stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem together to work in a concerted way."
"This is big move... Give us another couple of months, and I am convinced, this model would be adopted in other countries -- not just in South Asia, I can see it in Central Europe, Africa and lot of other places," he said.
Start-ups selected under Nexus include Agpulse (Ayurvedic organic agricultural inputs), Escrowffer (platform for buying or selling of property with a safety net), Dhakka Brakes (which invented a new regenerative brake system for rickshaw pullers).
Dicker says real entrepreneurs are not in it for the money but a passionate belief that their idea can make the world a little better.
"And, we received some incredible proposals and ideas. It was difficult to choose the best. We hope through this platform these ideas will work and find the right direction they need," he added.
Asked about the genesis of the programme, Craig said, two years ago someone from the IC2 met me and discussed an idea, and "we felt it was the right idea at the right time and at the right place, and so we began to formulate it further".
"Our job is to create a framework platform for entrepreneurs ans experts to work together. So, we give them a framework and a black canvas, so that they can paint a Mona Lisa," he said, adding, "This platform is also going to feed into the bilateral relationship."
Manya Jha, founder of Morphedo, a one-stop shop platform for |
staples such as onions, an ingredient that is present in just about every Indian meal.
Unseasonal weather, hoarding and price manipulation have in the past led to dramatic price rises, and the new administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anxious to avoid the political fallout that has hit other governments over the cost of the food.
Supply shocks like these complicate the government’s task of battling weak growth and inflation. It also underlines the irony of high food costs in India, which after China is the world’s biggest fruit and vegetable producer.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s budget on Thursday will have to navigate through these issues as he must address inflation while steering away from populist measures such as food and fuel subsidies. Annual wholesale prices in May rose to a 5-month high of 6.01 percent.
Importing onions would be the only effective way to curb soaring prices, agriculture experts say, but similar steps in the past have failed to ease supplies.
“The only solution is imports, but that can’t be done overnight,” said R.P. Gupta, director at the National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF).
Prices are unlikely to calm before December. Planting of the new season crop has been delayed by scorching heat and subdued rainfall, blunting the affect of emergency measures by the government aimed at getting supplies to market and keeping a lid on prices.
“At the time of storage the bulbs looked good, but as I started pulling them out last week I realised that the ones at the bottom of the heap were rotten,” said Watpade, 62.
On a recent visit, most farmers from this tiny village 200 km (125 miles) north of Mumbai were busy picking rotten onions from stocks piled up in fields or in makeshift sheds.
In spite of the experience in Watpade’s village, India’s onion production was estimated at a record 19.3 million tonnes in the year ending June 30, up nearly 15 percent from the previous year. But that has been too little to calm prices.
NO QUICK FIX
Heavy rains in March also hit the crop grown for seeds, making quality seeds scarce for planting in the current season.
“Last year the seed price was 400 rupees ($6.70) per kg. This year the price has jumped to 1,700 rupees per kg. And even at this price, we are not getting quality seed,” says Sampat Watpade, another local farmer who has cultivated onions for four decades. The two farmers are not related but, as is often the case in Maharashtran villages, they share the same family name.
Higher seed prices and now a subdued rainfall during the monsoon season are likely to reduce the area under summer-sown crops, says Gupta of the horticultural foundation. Even crops that are planted will have lower yields, he said.
Rains have been 42 percent lower than normal since the June 1 start of monsoon season, but in Maharashtra the shortfall has been 72 percent. The lack of water has sharply reduced the amount of seedlings grown in nurseries for transplanting.
The planting delay will cause severe onion shortages from August to November, a festival period in the South Asian country when demand will rise, said Changdev Holkar, a director at the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED).
TRADE MEASURES
The government has curbed exports, urged state governments to crack down on hoarding and let farmers sell onions directly to consumers. Such moves may curb speculation, but will not increase supplies, said Holkar.
“Since the crop has been lost and planting has been delayed, supplies will remain tight until December.”
Indians eat 15 million tonnes of onions a year. The country exported 1.36 million tonnes of onions in the year through March 31.
Last year, India imported a few cargoes of onions from Iran, Afghanistan and China. But large-scale imports are not possible as few producers have big enough surpluses to meet India’s demand.
“India is considered to be an exporter. If it starts large-scale imports, then prices will gallop in the world market and imports would become uncompetitive,” said Holkar of NAFED.This past weekend, I went on a trip and did the unthinkable — I didn’t turn on my computer. Not even once. Okay, that’s sort of misleading. While I didn’t turn on my computer, I did use my iPad. Extensively. But I still fully expected to get the urge to turn on my computer as well. And I never did.
That itself isn’t that remarkable; I’m sure a lot of iPad users have experienced the same thing by now. What is a little remarkable it is that I’m a heavy, heavy computer user. As in pretty much every hour I’m awake. And I used to think the iPad could never fully break me of that. Future generations? Sure. But not me. Now I’m starting to sway the other way.
On a deeper level, I’m realizing something else: the iPad (and iPhone) is changing the fundamentals of computing for me.
Since I’ve been back from my trip, I’ve started using my traditional computers extensively again because I have to for work. (There’s still no denying that a laptop or desktop are far better for typing than an iPad.) But I’m finding myself continually confused when I go to use the trackpad. I swipe my fingers up expecting a page to scroll down and yet it doesn’t.
I’m trying to interact with a Mac as if it’s an iPad.
It’s actually pretty frustrating. I keep doing it. It’s like my brain is locked in. I’m someone who has had an iPad for a year, but I’ve never used it for days in a row without touching a computer like I just did this weekend. And it seems to have re-wired my brain.
The good news is that help is on the way. OS X Lion, the latest version of Apple’s Mac operating system launching this summer, actually reverses the scrolling mechanism. This means that when you swipe two fingers up on a long web page, it goes down, and vice versa. Again, it’s like the iPad/iPhone, not the way it has been on the Mac.
Among developers who are testing OS X Lion right now, this switch is driving some of them absolutely nuts (though it apparently is changeable in the settings). That’s understandable, it’s changing something we’ve all gotten used to over the years. It’s also may seem a bit odd because you’re not directly manipulating a screen as you are on the iPad/iPhone.
I’m in the opposite camp. I think Apple is genius for making this switch. Why? Because eventually most people that use Macs will have come to the systems by way of iOS devices. And they’ll be going through exactly what I’m going through now — only it will be much worse.
OS X Lion represents a transition. We’re moving from the “point & click” to the “flick & swipe”, as I’ve previously written about. But I’m not sure I realized just how big of a change some of these interactions would be at the time. They’re big and important because computing as we know it is changing.
And this matters not only to the next generations of computer users, but also to current computers users. There will be backlash to some of these changes — hell, there already has been. As much as people love the idea of future technology, they hate change. And that’s especially true if something is so ingrained that it requires a re-wiring of your brain.
But if my experience is any proof, that re-wiring is a lot simpler than it would seem to be. It’s not just the trackpad issue, I also find myself constantly trying to touch my MacBook screen after using the iPad for an extended period of time. These are more natural methods of computing. It’s the way it should be. It’s the way it should have always been. The technology just wasn’t there yet.
Now it is.
[photo: flickr/open exhibits]Richard and Ryan Tate (Photo: Canadian County Sheriff)
Former Fox Business News expert and CEO Ryan Tate and his father Richard have been indicted by the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office on eight felony charges and one misdemeanor count for their shady Tate Publishing company. The charges include a misdemeanor embezzlement, three felony attempted extortion by threat and each for felony racketeering.
The company was started more than 20 years ago, according to The Tulsa World and worked with thousands to publish their books and music. Suddenly, however, Tate Publishing was being sued by printing services for millions. They abruptly closed in Jan. 2017 and lost additional suits brought by Xerox and Lighting Source when Tate failed to comply with subpoenas.
The attorney general’s office received over 800 requests to investigate the publishing company for complaints by people who felt they were scammed by the company.
“A review of bank records shows that monies derived from the sale of publishing or music production services were deposited into business checking accounts and then transferred to Ryan Tate and Christy Tate and/or Richard Tate and Rita Tate’s personal checking accounts,” Agent Elizabeth Fullbright said during a press conference.
“Bank records also show that the $50 processing fee checks from authors, made payable to Tate Publishing, were deposited directly into both Tate Publishing checking accounts and the personal bank account of Richard and Rita Tate. Richard and Rita Tate’s account appears to be used for personal transactions, including dining and entertainment at casinos in Oklahoma,” she revealed.
The situation got even worse when snarky political blog The Lost Ogle released a past audio recording of company President Ryan Tate
“The righteous will prevail. I’ve spent a lot of time this weekend in tears with my family,” Tate told workers. “Good people are going to lose their jobs. It’s not fair, it’s not right, but that’s the reality of the situation. Any good organization — Jesus himself is the perfect mix of mercy, grace and justice. And I’ve probably failed you that I’ve been a little too lenient and a little too on the side of mercy and grace and not enough justice.”
He went on to say that he’s looked the other way and let a lot of things go.
“I tried to be nice. I trusted you. Good God!” Tate exclaimed. He then accused them of being on Facebook or watching Netflix while at work. “I trust you. But all I get is bellyaching, moaning, groaning, the grass is greener on the other side. How stupid do you have to be, in this day in age, in this economy to even play with fire like that?”
If convicted the elder Tate will likely die in prison while his son “plays with fire” behind bars for quite a while. Additional charges might be added as the investigation continues as they sift through the hundreds of complaints. The attorney general’s office isn’t clear on how much money was “wrongfully obtained” by the Tates.
Below you can listen to the older audio recording of Tate berating his employees before crying and telling them they’ll be called into his office one-by-one to be fired.Engine Developments (Judd) has announced a development of its highly successful 5,5 litre V10 engine is being made available to prospective LMP1 privateer entries from 2016 onwards in association with its long term LMP1 partner AIM Co. Ltd of Japan.
“We are honoured that AIM has chosen to continue our long standing partnership in LMP1 and this new development starts a new chapter in that relationship,” said John Judd.
“We have carefully studied the technical regulations, in particular the ongoing evolution of the maximum allowed fuel flow for non-ERS cars. Having discussed the various options available to us such as a V6 turbo, naturally aspirated V8 or V10 with the various potential chassis manufacturers for LMP1, we have concluded that the AIM 90 degree V10 will offer the best possible combination of performance, reliability and cost effectiveness to privateer entrants.
“Our LMP1 V10 engines have gained an excellent reputation in endurance racing since we introduced our first 4,0 litre engine in 1999, with wins at the Daytona 24hrs, 2010 and 2011 LMS Championships and numerous “top privateer” classifications at the Le Mans 24hrs including a 2nd place overall in 2005.
“The AIM V10, an advanced engine conceived and developed under AIM’s direction achieved a 4th overall position, the highest placed petrol powered car, in 2010. With that reputation and history behind us we are confident that the AIM 5,5 litre V10 we are developing for the current regulations will prove to be highly successful.
“The technical regulations for the current LMP1 engines are of course quite different to those that existed before 2014 with the focus now being on fuel efficiency, but the AIM V10 engine has always been an extremely fuel-efficient engine and with the development work we have carried out already we know the engine will be very competitive in this respect.
“The engine has already exceeded the target BSFC figures forming the basis of the current LMP1 regulations and at the same time is developing well over 480kW, with further development planned.
“In addition to this the simplicity of the naturally aspirated engine installation makes the maximisation of the performance, operation and maintenance of the engine and its associated systems a much more manageable and achievable task for non-manufacturer competitors than for complex turbocharged engines, particularly in the high ambient temperatures experienced in some of the WEC race events.
“It is also clear that costs within LMP1 in general are a very important issue and this is one of the main reasons that there are only a small number of teams that have decided to enter the new LMP1 arena. The AIM V10 engine will be extremely cost effective since it is a development of the existing V10 platform that we have already raced for a number of years and shares many well-proven components with its predecessors. We hope this will contribute to attracting more teams to the class and to help grow the level of participation for privateer teams.”
John Judd confirmed to DSC today that there had been interest in the V10 from several parties but that at this stage there was no confirmed customer.
Also now offered to the marketplace with a particular target in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship is an up-sized and improved 4.2 litre version of the current 3.6 litre BMW based HK V8.
The revised engine tested successfully at Motorland Aragon after the ELMS season finale at Estoril, installed in the Krohn Racing Lola with Judd now seeking customers in North America.North Korean women in designer clothes walk into the Grand People’s Study House in Pyongyang to watch the New York Philharmonic Orchestra perform on Feb. 26, 2008.[JoongAng Photo]
I ran into a North Korean acquaintance at a duty-free shop at the airport in Rome in April 2004. Since we went back a few years, I watched him do his souvenir shopping. He picked up a Ferragamo handbag. Its price tag was 1,600 euros ($1,685).“My wife insisted I bring her back a designer handbag,” he said with a bashful grin.I couldn’t help but recall scenes of hunger and poverty from North Korea that I saw on South Korean TV programs. “How can he buy a designer handbag after coming through a hardscrabble life?” I asked myself. “He should be buying clothes or food.”After a while, I realized that the scenes of poverty we see out of North Korea are about some parts of the country - not the entire North Korea.North Korean women love designer labels as much as South Korean women, especially the affluent.“When you eat at a restaurant in the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang, you can see a fashionista as stylish as an affluent lady from Gangnam,” said a Korean-American who visited Pyongyang last October. “They show themselves off with luxury designer brands.”North Korean officials who work at attracting capital investments from companies in Beijing told me that around 100,000 people in Pyongyang earn more than $40,000 in annual incomes. They said so-called red capitalists have emerged since North Korean society adopted a partial market economy with limited economic reform measures.These changes led to the increase in the number of people who can purchase designer products in North Korea. They make overseas trips to China, Japan or other foreign countries to buy luxury goods.Red capitalists who have connections with powerful officials try to open luxury goods stores in Pyongyang. They see it as a lucrative business.One of them is considering opening a luxury goods store inside the Paik Son-haeng Memorial, which is close to Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. Paik Son-haeng (1848-1933) was a wealthy merchant who dedicated himself to education and culture projects. He donated today’s equivalent of 31.6 billion won before he died at the age of 85 in 1933.To commemorate Paik’s work for Korea, a three-story granite building was constructed in 1928 with a library on the first floor and an auditorium on the second and third floors. Though the building is obsolete now, the businessman wants to remodel it into a six-story building with an underground floor and open a designer goods store on the first floor. He also plans restaurants, coffee shops, a public bathhouse and a memorial in the building.If South Korean businessmen have interest in opening luxury goods stores in Pyongyang, leasing spaces in Pyongyang Department Store No. 1, the biggest department store in Pyongyang, would be better than constructing a building there.BY KO SOO-SUK [ko.soosuk@joongang.co.kr]Image copyright Penguin Image caption Many of the affected apps are games and educational titles
Owners of iPhones and iPads who install the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system will find that some older apps will stop working.
The move will generally affect apps that have not been updated in the past two years.
Although many will have been abandoned by their developers, owners will still use some of them frequently.
It is a consequence of iOS 11 being restricted to running apps written in what is known as 64-bit code.
The number signifies how much data a processor can handle at once - the larger the figure, the faster a computer can potentially operate.
Dropping support for 32-bit software lets Apple streamline its operating system and helps it run more quickly since it no longer needs to load software libraries to make sense of the older programs.
Apple has explained in the past that it is relatively easy for app-makers to reversion their products, and its App Store has rejected updates that lack 64-bit support since June 2015.
Even so, the move bucks a general trend for operating systems to support legacy software for longer periods of time.
"Two years is a very short period for something to become obsolete, even in the technology world where things move very fast," said Prof Alan Woodward, from the University of Surrey's computing department.
"What most vendors have done so far - and Microsoft is the biggest example of this - is to keep as many things as compatible as possible for as long as possible.
"It wouldn't have taken a huge amount of work for iOS 11 to have continued supporting 32-bit, so it's difficult not to conclude that Apple is really trying to force the pace and make people move on."
The iOS 11 update became available to download earlier in the day.
Image caption Apple has made it possible to check which apps will stop working before iOS 11 is installed
Many of the affected apps are by independent developers who have shifted focus to other projects. However, the list also contains software from more established publishers, including:
several Disney products, including its Winnie the Pooh Puzzle Book, Tangled digital book, and Princess & the Frog app
high-profile video games, including 2K's XCom: Enemy Within and Gears' Flappy Bird
American Express's Amex UK-iPad
several Penguin Books apps for young children, including its Ladybird I'm Ready to Spell and First Focus titles, as well as its Spot Goes to School interactive book
Some of these products were still on sale in the App Store at time of writing.
IPhone and iPad owners can find out which, if any, products they will lose access to by going into their devices' Settings menu, clicking the About button and then tapping the Applications subheading.
There are, however, benefits to installing iOS 11.
Image copyright Apple Image caption Users of iOS 11 will be presented with a revamped App Store
Among them are:
support for new augmented-reality apps, which mix together graphics and real-world views
a redesigned App Store that includes articles about some of the products and developers it features
improved voices for Siri
a "do not disturb" facility that activates when a device detects it is being used in a moving vehicle
"Of course, you don't have to upgrade to iOS 11, and in theory you could say people have a choice," said Prof Woodward.
"But in practice users are bound to go up to the new version, assuming their products support it."
64-bit v 32-bit: a brief introduction
Image copyright Getty Images
The number of bits in relation to a microprocessor affects the size of the numbers that can be handled by its registers - the tiny bits of memory on the processing chip itself. Those numbers are then used to address Ram (random-access memory).
In the case of 32-bit architecture, the amount of memory than can be addressed is two to the power of 32, in other words 4.3 billion values.
In the case of 64-bit architecture the processor can theoretically address 18,400,000 trillion values.
As a result, operating systems written for 32-bit chips can only access up to 4GB of Ram, but those written for 64-bit processors can, in theory, support up to 16 billion gigabytes of Ram.
If a program has been written to take advantage of a 64-bit operating system, it should mean the processor can access data that is in this larger memory rather than retrieving it from flash storage or a hard disk, which can speed up the whole processing chain.
However, including more Ram also makes equipment more expensive and power-hungry. None of Apple's iOS products to date has included more than 4GB of Ram.Did you want an experienced refereeing crew for Chelsea-Schalke on Wednesday? Well too bad, because the officiating staff that was supposed to be controlling the match at Stamford Bridge aren't showing up. That's not a joke -- according to Bosnian outlet bportal.ba, the Serbian crew led by Milorad Mažić have lost their passports after applying to the British embassy for visas. Which, to paraphrase a certain Chelsea legend, is an [amusing] [debacle].
Replacing the unfortunate Mažić and friends are a group led by Ivan Bebek; who'll be aided by Tomislav Petrovic, Miro Grgic, Anto Vucemilovic and Goran Gabril. These are names you need not remember, of course, but it's interesting that this crew was meant to be on Europa League duty this Thursday and will instead be called up to the grownups' tournament. Well done to UEFA for having backup plans, although now I'm imagining that the game Bebek et. al were meant to be taking care of on Thursday will just have to do without referees entirely. Carnage!DES MOINES, Wash. -- A string of robberies targeting bikini barista stands in south King County has employees frightened, especially after a woman was attacked during one of the robberies.
"It's unfortunate," said Sweet Cheeks Espresso owner Alison Dukes.
The latest robbery happened around 4:30 on Thursday morning at Sweet Cheeks Espresso, located along Pacific Highway South, in Des Moines. A barista was inside the stand, putting on makeup when she heard glass break.
"At first, she thought 'Oh, it's a bottle breaking. It's nothing.' And then she saw the glass kind of strewn on to the floor as she walked out and instantly knew something was wrong," said Dukes.
The suspect then climbed through the window. Once the barista realized she was in danger, she tried to lock herself in the office but the suspect kicked open the door. She demanded cash and assaulted the barista, bashing her head against the door frame. At one point, the victim said the suspect, who was described as a woman, fired a gun shot that hit the computer.
"She took her phone, she took her car keys, she took her purse, and she told her she knows where she lives now and she will kill her family if she tells the police anything," Dukes said.
In Tukwila, Ladybug Espresso, located on Military Road, was also hit and so was Paradise Espresso on International Boulevard. Baristas at both stands describe similar incidents as the one at Sweet Cheeks, and they also believe the suspect is a woman.
Video at the Paradise Espresso shows the suspect approaching the stand on Tuesday afternoon then climbing through the window.
A barista said the victim told employees two men waited nearby as the woman committed the robbery -- she took off with the till and the barista's purse.
The victims describe the suspect as a stalky woman who wore a mask and gloves and always brandished a gun.
Des Moines police Commander Mike Graddon said the coffee stand robberies "appear similar but we do not know for sure." Tukwila police would only confirm that there were two incidents at two different shops, and that a detective from the major crimes unit is investigating.
"It's unfortunate that our society is at this point right now where these types of things are happening so frequently," Dukes said.India's deadliest poacher, Sansar Chand, the man said to be single-handedly responsible for the missing tigers of the Sariska wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan, is all set to walk out of jail.A Delhi court today refused to slap a stringent anti-organized crime law against Sansar Chand, which would have been the only hurdle towards his bail. The 55-year-old, who has been in jail since 2005, could be out as early as this weekend.Accused of killing over 200 tigers besides thousands of other wildlife species, Chand argued against being charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on technical grounds.The court said a MCOCA case cannot apply against Sansar Chand as it was filed as a supplementary charge.Chand had already secured bail in other cases under the Wildlife Act. Two other alleged poachers arrested along with him, had been freed on bail a few years ago.Arrested by the Delhi police in a dramatic, top secret swoop codenamed 'Operation Murari Lal', Sansar Chand was accused in at least 50 cases of killing and cruelty to animals, but thanks to shoddy investigations and the poacher's ability to hoodwink the police, only one case could be proved conclusively.Chand and dozens of his associates and relatives were held responsible for the killing of tigers and leopards at Sariska, which wiped out big cats from the world renowned reserve. But despite being caught over a dozen times, the first time in 1974 when he was just 18, Chand always managed to get away.Known to have joined the trade at 13, Sansar Chand mostly operated from the crowded Sadar Bazar market in the capital, not far from where he was finally arrested. In 2010, the top court had slammed Sansar Chand in the strongest terms for challenging his conviction, saying: "You are selling the skin of tigers and leopards. Tomorrow, you would sell even human skin."In a shocking discovery just one day after Cpl. Kyle Carpenter was awarded the Medal of Honor, Duffel Blog investigative reporters uncovered a list of proposed questions weak-kneed Marine Corps Times editors outright rejected. Before interviewing the Marine who had jumped on a Taliban grenade and saved his best friend’s life, Times reporters researched questions other Marines wanted answered by canvassing an infantry barracks during field day.
What Marines wanted to know so horrified Times editors they refused to ask Carpenter any of the questions. But we at Duffel Blog feel that people deserve the truth.
While further investigation was impeded by Times employees who called the police on Duffel Blog reporters dumpster diving behind their offices, we are printing the 23 questions they were afraid to ask for the first time:
1. Is there any advice you have for a young infantry lance corporal on how to make rank without actually throwing themselves on a piece of live ordnance?
2. Will you be promoted to Sergeant now, or is that only for people who defect to the Taliban?
3. Does this mean you don’t have to do field day anymore?
4. When they first announced you as a living Marine Medal of Honor recipient did you have to pay royalties to Dakota Meyer?
5. What’s the first endorsement deal you plan on signing?
6. Bruno Mars once sang, “I’d catch a grenade for you.” Why do you think he didn’t?
7. Have you ever had to figuratively jump on a grenade as someone’s wing man in a bar or club? Did she outweigh you?
8. Which Marine Corps Martial-Arts move do you think best goes with your MoH citation tie-in?
9. Have any older Medal of Honor recipients called you a pussy for only jumping on one grenade?
10. So, in the ongoing Afghan presidential election, are you rooting for Abdullah or Ahmadzai, and what do you think about the presence of General Dostum on the ticket? Just fucking with you, what’s your favorite Terminal Lance comic?
11. Why doesn’t your Medal of Honor have a “Combat V”?
12. Does the medal come in handy opening bottles of beer?
13. Have you ever thrown the Medal like a ninja star in the privacy of your own house?
14. If you are married, does your spouse get the Medal of Honor as well?
15. Do you ever have problems finding the Medal at the PX when you’re putting your uniform together at the last minute?
16. Will you have to show the Medal every time for your discount at Chili’s or will they just remember you after awhile?
17. Have you ever caused a Victoria’s Secret store to collapse from the sheer mass of panties dropping all at once?
18. MCO P1020.34 states that “Marine Corps uniform standards of grooming do not allow eccentric or faddish styles.” Do you think a glass eye with an EGA is less eccentric than corn rows?
19. What kind of cheat codes for the Medal of Honor video games come with the actual Medal?
20. As you waited for the grenade to go off, did you think in retrospect, you wish you’d chosen a different MOS that would have let you leak a bunch of classified documents and then gotten a free sex change operation?
21. Is Maximillian Uriarte really doing a graphic novel adaptation of your story?
22. Marry, Fuck, Kill: Dan Daly, Smedley Butler, Chesty Puller. GO!
23. When you go to strip clubs do the dancers tip you? That would be awesome.The flowering plants, also known as angiosperms, Angiospermae[5][6] or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants, with 416 families, approximately 13,164 known genera and c. 369,000 known species.[8] Like gymnosperms, angiosperms are seed-producing plants. However, they are distinguished from gymnosperms by characteristics including flowers, endosperm within the seeds, and the production of fruits that contain the seeds. Etymologically, angiosperm means a plant that produces seeds within an enclosure; in other words, a fruiting plant. The term comes from the Greek words angeion ("case" or "casing") and sperma ("seed").
The ancestors of flowering plants diverged from gymnosperms in the Triassic Period, 245 to 202 million years ago (mya), and the first flowering plants are known from 160 mya. They diversified extensively during the Early Cretaceous, became widespread by 120 mya, and replaced conifers as the dominant trees from 100 to 60 mya.
Description [ edit ]
Angiosperm derived characteristics [ edit ]
Angiosperms differ from other seed plants in several ways, described in the table below. These distinguishing characteristics taken together have made the angiosperms the most diverse and numerous land plants and the most commercially important group to humans.[a]
Distinctive features of angiosperms Feature Description Flowering organs Flowers, the reproductive organs of flowering plants, are the most remarkable feature distinguishing them from the other seed plants. Flowers provided angiosperms with the means to have a more species-specific breeding system, and hence a way to evolve more readily into different species without the risk of crossing back with related species. Faster speciation enabled the Angiosperms to adapt to a wider range of ecological niches. This has allowed flowering plants to largely dominate terrestrial ecosystems.[ citation needed ] Stamens with two pairs of pollen sacs Stamens are much lighter than the corresponding organs of gymnosperms and have contributed to the diversification of angiosperms through time with adaptations to specialized pollination syndromes, such as particular pollinators. Stamens have also become modified through time to prevent self-fertilization, which has permitted further diversification, allowing angiosperms eventually to fill more niches. Reduced male parts, three cells The male gametophyte in angiosperms is significantly reduced in size compared to those of gymnosperm seed plants.[9] The smaller size of the pollen reduces the amount of time between pollination — the pollen grain reaching the female plant — and fertilization. In gymnosperms, fertilization can occur up to a year after pollination, whereas in angiosperms, fertilization begins very soon after pollination.[10] The shorter amount of time between pollination and fertilization allows angiosperms to produce seeds earlier after pollination than gymnosperms, providing angiosperms a distinct evolutionary advantage. Closed carpel enclosing the ovules (carpel or carpels and accessory parts may become the fruit) The closed carpel of angiosperms also allows adaptations to specialized pollination syndromes and controls. This helps to prevent self-fertilization, thereby maintaining increased diversity. Once the ovary is fertilized, the carpel and some surrounding tissues develop into a fruit. This fruit often serves as an attractant to seed-dispersing animals. The resulting cooperative relationship presents another advantage to angiosperms in the process of dispersal. Reduced female gametophyte, seven cells with eight nuclei The reduced female gametophyte, like the reduced male gametophyte, may be an adaptation allowing for more rapid seed set, eventually leading to such flowering plant adaptations as annual herbaceous life-cycles, allowing the flowering plants to fill even more niches. Endosperm In general, endosperm formation begins after fertilization and before the first division of the zygote. Endosperm is a highly nutritive tissue that can provide food for the developing embryo, the cotyledons, and sometimes the seedling when it first appears.
Vascular anatomy [ edit ]
Angiosperm stems are made up of seven layers as shown above. The amount and complexity of tissue-formation in flowering plants exceeds that of gymnosperms. The vascular bundles of the stem are arranged such that the xylem and phloem form concentric rings.
In the dicotyledons, the bundles in the very young stem are arranged in an open ring, separating a central pith from an outer cortex. In each bundle, separating the xylem and phloem, is a layer of meristem or active formative tissue known as cambium. By the formation of a layer of cambium between the bundles (interfascicular cambium), a complete ring is formed, and a regular periodical increase in thickness results from the development of xylem on the inside and phloem on the outside. The soft phloem becomes crushed, but the hard wood persists and forms the bulk of the stem and branches of the woody perennial. Owing to differences in the character of the elements produced at the beginning and end of the season, the wood is marked out in transverse section into concentric rings, one for each season of growth, called annual rings.
Among the monocotyledons, the bundles are more numerous in the young stem and are scattered through the ground tissue. They contain no cambium and once formed the stem increases in diameter only in exceptional cases.
Reproductive anatomy [ edit ]
A collection of flowers forming an inflorescence.
The characteristic feature of angiosperms is the flower. Flowers show remarkable variation in form and elaboration, and provide the most trustworthy external characteristics for establishing relationships among angiosperm species. The function of the flower is to ensure fertilization of the ovule and development of fruit containing seeds. The floral apparatus may arise terminally on a shoot or from the axil of a leaf (where the petiole attaches to the stem). Occasionally, as in violets, a flower arises singly in the axil of an ordinary foliage-leaf. More typically, the flower-bearing portion of the plant is sharply distinguished from the foliage-bearing or vegetative portion, and forms a more or less elaborate branch-system called an inflorescence.
There are two kinds of reproductive cells produced by flowers. Microspores, which will divide to become pollen grains, are the "male" cells and are borne in the stamens (or microsporophylls). The "female" cells called megaspores, which will divide to become the egg cell (megagametogenesis), are contained in the ovule and enclosed in the carpel (or megasporophyll).
The flower may consist only of these parts, as in willow, where each flower comprises only a few stamens or two carpels. Usually, other structures are present and serve to protect the sporophylls and to form an envelope attractive to pollinators. The individual members of these surrounding structures are known as sepals and petals (or tepals in flowers such as Magnolia where sepals and petals are not distinguishable from each other). The outer series (calyx of sepals) is usually green and leaf-like, and functions to protect the rest of the flower, especially the bud. The inner series (corolla of petals) is, in general, white or brightly colored, and is more delicate in structure. It functions to attract insect or bird pollinators. Attraction is effected by color, scent, and nectar, which may be secreted in some part of the flower. The characteristics that attract pollinators account for the popularity of flowers and flowering plants among humans.
While the majority of flowers are perfect or hermaphrodite (having both pollen and ovule producing parts in the same flower structure), flowering plants have developed numerous morphological and physiological mechanisms to reduce or prevent self-fertilization. Heteromorphic flowers have short carpels and long stamens, or vice versa, so animal pollinators cannot easily transfer pollen to the pistil (receptive part of the carpel). Homomorphic flowers may employ a biochemical (physiological) mechanism called self-incompatibility to discriminate between self and non-self pollen grains. In other species, the male and female parts are morphologically separated, developing on different flowers.
Taxonomy [ edit ]
History of classification [ edit ]
From 1736, an illustration of Linnaean classification
The botanical |
specifically in creating a RetroPie gaming system, which combines a number of video game emulator technologies into a single Raspberry Pi based solution.
RetroPie - combines these technologies:
Raspberry Pi - the hardware EmulationStation - the GUI menu that lets you browse between emulator systems (e.g. Nintendo, Sega Genesis, PlayStation 1,...) and select ROMs to play. This then loads the correct emulator to play that ROM. RetroArch - the emulator used by most systems within the RetroPie ES-Scraper - the game box cover art and information scraping utility.
RetroPie - More Info:
RetroPie - Guides and Tutorials
EmulationStation - graphical front-end installed by RetroPie
Menu that lets you switch between game systems (e.g. Nintendo, Sega,...)
EmulationStation - Example Screenshots:
ES-Scraper - the scraping script that identifies ROMs and downloads the box art, description, etc.
More Image and Box Art Help
ROM – File Naming, Renaming, Organizing
Cowering's GoodTools - ROM Renaming Tools
ROMS - Finding Game ROMs - Download Sites
SD Card - RetroPie Image Help
SD Card - RaspPi Image Writing/Reading Guidance
General info about writing RaspPi images to an SD card, and reading a customized SD card to save the image:
HowTo-Raspberry_Pi-SD_Card_Image_Writing_Guidance-v1.pdf
LifeHacker-How_to_Clone_Your_Raspberry_Pi_SD_Card_for_Super_Easy_Reinstallations-06Sept2013
SD Card Image – Adding Files Directly
In MS Windows, you can insert the SD card, and load the image. However, the main folder with the ROMs are on an Ext4 file system, so you need a special tool to be able to add files directly this way (e.g. PlayStation ROMS):
ROMs folders: /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/
Paragon ExtFS for Windows - Ext4 File Systems Read/Write on MS Windows
Fix Issue – RetroPie Freeze at the Splash Screen - Corrupt SD Card File System
Sometimes if you are directly writing files to the SD card as described above, or if you unplug the NinTastic without first shutting it down, the SD card’s file system can get a little messed up causing this problem. No worries, its an easy fix.
To Fix:
Plug regular USB keyboard into Raspberry Pi, and reboot (pull power plug and plug back in). At frozen splash screen Press F4 to breakout of freeze into command prompt. Then type these two commands (pressing enter afterward): fsck.ext4 -y /dev/mmcblk0p2
sudo shutdown -h now
Note, you might have to sortof type in blind. Screen might be weird, but trust that your typing is actually being entered. More info: Raspberrypi.stackexchange.com - latest-noobs-goes-into-panic-after-rainbow-splash
SD Card - Expand Image to Take Up Remaining SpaceFlickr/Renee Germany LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have for the first time used regenerative medicine to fully restore an organ in a living animal, a discovery they say may pave the way for similar techniques to be used in humans in future.
The University of Edinburgh team rebuilt the thymus - an organ central to the immune system and found in front of the heart - of very old mice by reactivating a natural mechanism that gets shut down with age.
The regenerated thymus was not only similar in structure and genetic detail to one in a young mouse, the scientists said, but was also able to function again, with the treated mice beginning to make more T-cells - a type of white blood cell key to fighting infections.
The regenerated thymus was also more than twice the size of the aged organs in the untreated mice.
"By targeting a single protein, we have been able to almost completely reverse age-related shrinking of the thymus," said Clare Blackburn from Edinburgh's Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Regenerative Medicine, who led the research.
"Our results suggest that targeting the same pathway in humans may improve thymus function and therefore boost immunity in elderly patients, or those with a suppressed immune system."
She added however, that while the treated mice were making T-cells, her research could not yet establish whether the immune systems of the older mice were strengthened.
And before the technique can be tested in humans, she said, researchers will need to conduct more animal experiments to make sure the regeneration process can be tightly controlled.
The thymus is the first organ to deteriorate as people age. This shrinking is one of the main reasons the immune system becomes less effective and we lose the ability to fight off new infections, such as flu, as we get older.
Regenerative medicine is a fast-growing area of research, mainly focused on stem cells - the master cells that act as a source for all types of cells and tissues in the body. One of the central aims is to harness the body's own repair mechanisms and manipulate them in a controlled way to treat disease.
Blackburn's team, whose work was published on Tuesday in the journal Development, said they targeted a part of the process by which the thymus degenerates - a protein called FOXN1 that helps control how key genes in the thymus are switched on.
They used genetically modified mice to enable them to increase levels of this protein using chemical signals. By doing so, they managed to instruct immature cells in the thymus - similar to stem cells - to rebuild the organ in the older mice.
Rob Buckle, the MRC's head of regenerative medicine, said this success with the mouse thymus suggests organ regeneration in mammals can be directed by manipulating a single protein - something he said could have broad implications for other areas of regenerative biology.
(Editing by Pravin Char)For other uses, see Lint
Lint Lint accumulation in the screen of a clothes dryer Type Visible accumulations of textile fibers and other materials
Close-up of dryer lint.
Pocket lint.
Natural occurrence of navel lint in a healthy adult male.
Lint is the common name for visible accumulations of textile fibers and other materials, usually found on and around clothing. Certain materials used in the manufacture of clothing, such as cotton, linen, and wool, contain numerous, very short fibers bundled together.[1] During the course of normal wear, these fibers may either detach or be jostled out of the weave of which they are part. This is the reason that heavily used articles like shirts and towels become thin over time, and why these particles collect in the lint screen of a clothes dryer.[1]
Because of their low surface area, static cling causes fibers that have detached from an article of clothing to continue to stick to one another and to that article or other surfaces with which they come in contact. Other small fibers or particles also accumulate with these clothing fibers, including human and animal hair and skin cells, plant fibers, and pollen, dust, and microorganisms.
The etymology of the modern word "lint" is related to "linting", the term used for the cultivation of the shorter fibers from the cotton plant (Gossypium), also called "lint", from which lower-quality cotton products are manufactured.[2] Lint is composed of threads of all colors, which blend hues and may appear to be a uniform grey.[3]
Varieties of lint [ edit ]
Dryer lint [ edit ]
Dryer lint is lint generated by the drying of clothes in a clothes dryer; it typically accumulates on a dryer screen. Underwriters Laboratories recommends cleaning the lint filter after every cycle for safety and energy efficiency.[4]
Navel lint [ edit ]
Navel lint (also known by names such as navel fluff, belly button lint, belly button fluff, and dip lint) is an accumulation of fluffy fibers in the navel cavity. Many people find that, at the beginning and end of the day, a small lump of fluff has appeared in the navel cavity. This lint is an accumulation of cloth fibers that are scraped by body hair. The reasons for its accumulation in the navel are a subject of speculation. A likely hypothesis is that rubbing of navel hairs and clothing contributes to a build-up of static electricity, resulting in the collection of clothing fibers and to a lesser extent, dead skin cells.[citation needed]
Georg Steinhauser, a chemist writing in the journal Medical Hypotheses, said that small pieces of fluff first form in the hair and then end up in the navel at the end of the day. He further said that abdominal hair often seems to grow in concentric circles around the navel; the scaly structure of the hair enhances the abrasion of minuscule fibres from the shirt and directs the lint towards the belly button.[5] Steinhauser established that shaving one's belly will result in a fluff-free navel but only until the hairs grow back. His other suggestions include wearing old clothes, which tend to shed less lint than newer garments, which can lose up to one-thousandth of their weight to the belly button over the course of a year. A body piercing can also be used, with belly button rings particularly effective at sweeping away fibres before they lodge.[5]
Pocket lint [ edit ]
Pocket lint (also known as gnurr[6][7]) is debris including bits of fabric as well as small shreds of paper and tissue that are often found in pockets. It may be caused by running the clothing through a washing machine one or more times, causing the pocket lining or contents to compact and shred.[citation needed]
As pocket lint is an amalgamation of the contents of the pockets, pocket lint can be helpful when determining whether drugs have been previously stored in the pockets, by testing it with various drug tests.[citation needed] In a survival situation, pocket lint can be used as tinder for starting a fire.[8]
The Infocom game, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, was sold with a collection of "props" that included a small bag of "pocket fluff".[9]
Problems related to lint [ edit ]
Biological problems [ edit ]
Inhalation of excessive amounts of lint, as observed in early textile workers, may lead to diseases of the lungs, such as byssinosis.[10] Lint shed from clothing during the course of wear may also carry bacteria and viruses.[11] For this reason, the presence of lint presents a danger during surgery, when it might carry microorganisms into open wounds. It has been demonstrated that due to the abrasive contact between clothing and skin, "a person wearing a standard cotton scrub suit actually sheds more bacteria than without clothing".[12] Lint presents a threat to the environment in spaces that generally do not experience human contact, constituting "one of the primary polluters" in cave exploration.[13]
Mechanical problems [ edit ]
Lint contamination also presents what may be the most serious threat of damage to delicate mechanical devices.[14][15] In order to prevent lint contamination, workers entering clean rooms are generally required to wear an outer layer of clothing made from artificial fibers that are longer and thicker, and therefore much less likely to shed any material.[1][16] Lint-resistant clothing materials include elastic fabrics like spandex (or Lycra), for which the fibers will tend to stretch rather than break, and longer, stronger non-woven polyolefin fibers.[17]
Other problems [ edit ]
Lint on clothing is generally considered unattractive and unprofessional. Furthermore, lint may be abrasive and may damage the clothing itself.[18] For these reasons, visible lint is often removed with a lint remover or clothes brush. The accumulation of lint during clothes cleaning can be reduced with the use of a fabric softener, which reduces the amount of static electricity on clothing surfaces and therefore prevents the lint from sticking to the clothes.[19]
Dryer lint, which collects on the lint screen of a clothes dryer, is highly flammable and therefore presents a fire hazard.[20] However, because of this flammability, dryer lint may be collected for use as tinder,[21] although burning man-made fibres can produce toxic fumes.[22]
Uses of lint [ edit ]
Composting [ edit ]
It is possible to compost lint retrieved from the lint screen on a dryer by adding it to other materials being composted. The texture of the material allows the organic matter within it to compost quickly and easily, but depending on the source, it may include inorganic fibers and materials which never break down.[23]
Forensic science [ edit ]
Lint is useful to examine in forensic science because it is accumulated over time, and because the fibers shed from clothing adhere to not only that clothing, but also other particles to which the carrier is exposed. The lint on a person's clothing is therefore likely to contain material transferred from the various environments through which that person has passed,[24] enabling forensic examiners to collect and examine lint to determine the movements and activities of the wearer.[25][26] Examiners may use various chemicals to isolate lint fibers from different articles of clothing based on differences in color and other characteristics.[27]
Tinder [ edit ]
As noted above, dryer lint burns readily. Although this may present a hazard in the household, it also means that lint makes excellent tinder for starting fires.[28] It is especially useful for catching sparks from flint and steel, or similar striker-type fire starters in the absence of matches.[29]
Wound treatment [ edit ]
Lint was used as a form of wound treatment for cuts and sores as early as 1500 BC and as recently as the American Civil War.[30] Lint used specifically for treating wounds was sometimes referred to as charpie.
See also [ edit ]Unprocessed Processed
Classic British sound and versatility
The British Channel module was modeled after one of the most widely used and acknowledged pieces of hardware in the music history, the SSL 4000. Countless hit records around the world have been produced on this large format British mixing console since the 80's, making it a true staple of the music production technology for its ultimate flexibility and trademark sound.
Many of these consoles are still in active use today in the control rooms of countless studios around the world.
The signal path of the SSL channel strip was closely modeled from top to bottom to achieve such flexibility and control, with each gain stage and section switching option matched. This can be clearly heard in the British Channel's precise and “forward” sound.
Nonetheless, we decided to add a few further enhancements to its already powerful design: selectable black/brown EQ mode allows the user to tap into the two EQ circuits that were peculiar of the console's different versions (with the low shelf knob color showing which one is selected). This means that the dramatic frequency shifts and boost/cut ranges are available at the flick of a switch for instantaneous tone shaping possibilities, where the black mode has more inherent gain and sharper Qs, giving a more pronounced “EQ” effect.
I/O level controls were added to precisely drive the dynamics section from subtle compression to true squashing, still maintaining the razor sharp precision of the EQ and the channel's overall sound faithful to the original. When the Input gain is set to drive more signal level into the unit the compressor will react with more gain reduction and distortion, adding wonderful analog saturation to the track. The overall level can be compensated by lowering the output knob. The added filters section, which can be either used on its own or within the side-chaining mode, rounds out the set of handy features.Share this
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Email You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. University University of Pittsburgh
U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Seven years after a motorcycle accident damaged his spinal cord and left him paralyzed, 30-year-old Tim Hemmes reached up to touch hands with his girlfriend in a painstaking and tender high-five.
Hemmes is the first to participate in a new trial assessing whether the thoughts of a person with spinal cord injury can be used to control the movement of an external device, such as a computer cursor or a sophisticated prosthetic arm.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yff20TlHv34
The project, one of two brain-computer interface (BCI) studies under way at the University of Pittsburgh, used a grid of electrodes placed on the surface of the brain to control the arm.
It was a unique robotic arm and hand, designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, that Hemmes willed to extend first toward the palm of a researcher on the team and, a few minutes later, to his girlfriend’s hand.
“I put my heart and soul into everything they asked me to do,” he said immediately after his achievement. “I got to reach out and touch somebody for the first time in seven years.”
“Seeing Tim reach out with a mechanical arm to touch his girlfriend was an unexpected and poignant bonus for all of us who are involved with this exciting project,” says co-principal investigator Michael Boninger, M.D., director of the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute.
“This first round of testing reinforces the great potential BCI technology holds for not only helping spinal cord-injured patients become more independent, but also enhancing their physical and emotional connections with their friends and family,” adds Boninger, who also is professor and chair of the physical medicine and rehabilitation department. “It further motivates us to make this technology useful and available to those who need it.”
Grid of electrodes
On Aug. 25, an electrocortigraphy (ECoG) grid, about the size of a large postage stamp, adapted from seizure-mapping brain electrode arrays, was placed on the surface of Hemmes’ brain during a two-hour operation performed by co-investigator and UPMC neurosurgeon Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, assistant professor of neurological surgery.
“Before the procedure, we conducted several functional imaging tests to determine where his brain processed signals for moving his right arm,” she says. “We removed a small piece of his skull and opened the thick layer of protective dura mater beneath it to place the grid over that area of motor cortex. We then put the dura and skull back with the wires on the outside of the skull but under the scalp.”
Tyler-Kabara tunneled the connecting wires under the neck skin to exit from the upper chest, where they could be periodically hooked up to computer cables. Six days per week for the next four weeks at home and on campus, Hemmes and the team tested the technology.
The researchers used computer software they developed in earlier studies to interpret the neural signals sensed by the brain grid.
‘100 percent brain control’
After watching a computer-generated figure move an arm, Hemmes began trying to guide a ball from the middle of a large television screen either up, down, left or right to a target, within a time limit. With practice, he could do this two-dimensional task without any computer assistance or what the researchers call “100 percent brain control.”
He then performed a similar task with the arm, reaching out to touch a target on a large, desk-mounted panel.
It wasn’t the simultaneous thought-and-move process that he knew before becoming paralyzed. Instead, he imagined flexing his thumb, which created a brain signal pattern that the computer then interpreted as “move left,” or bending his elbow to move the object right, explains co-principal investigator Wei Wang, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
“He mentally associated specific motor imageries with desired movement direction,” he says. “It required concentration and patience, but this process seemed to get easier for him with practice, just like when someone learns to drive a car with a manual transmission.
“In future studies, we also will test other approaches, including the participant simply thinking up for up, down for down, and so on.”
After about eight sessions, Hemmes tackled more complicated tasks. While wearing special goggles to properly view a three-dimensional TV screen, he moved the ball in the previous directions, and also to the front or back.
He also practiced moving the arm in all directions, culminating in the joyful moments after formal testing had been completed when he reached out to Wang and to his girlfriend.
Tyler-Kabara removed the ECoG brain grid and wiring in a short operation the next day.
Tests continue
The researchers are now analyzing the data, and are seeking at least five more adults with spinal cord injuries or brainstem strokes who have very little or no use of their hands and arms for additional studies.
They also are looking for participants for a year-long trial of another kind of brain-computer interface that is a 10-by-10 array of tiny electrode points that penetrate the brain tissue by less than 1/10th of an inch and pick up signals from 100 individual neurons.
Two of these grids will be put in place, one in the brain region that controls hand movement, and one in the region that controls the arm, says co-principal investigator Andrew Schwartz, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology.
“We anticipate that these penetrating grids can pick up very clear signals from the brain to reveal what motion is intended by the participant,” Schwartz says. “The second grid will allow us to see what might be possible in controlling the fine movement of the fingers and hand, which is far more complicated but also could offer more useful function for the participant.”
In his other experiments, a monkey implanted with the penetrating grid has been able to use an APL arm to reach out and hold a doorknob-like object, building on earlier work in which a monkey was able to grasp a marshmallow with a gripper device on a less sophisticated robotic arm and feed the treat to itself.
The team plans to make the technology wireless, and to include sensors in the prosthesis that can send signals back to the brain to simulate sensation.
It might be possible to connect brain-computer interfaces to existing devices that stimulate muscle fibers in the arm and hand, in effect bypassing the spinal cord injury to allow these individuals to use their own limbs again, the researchers say. That approach could be studied in future trials.
The project is being funded by the National Institutes of Health; the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as the University of Pittsburgh.
For more information about the trials, call 1-800-533-UPMC (8762).
More news from the University of Pittsburgh: www.upmc.com/MediaRelationsby Will Falk / Deep Green Resistance
A windmill blade knocks the head off a Cooper’s hawk interrupting the late afternoon peace in Spring Valley, just outside Ely, Nevada.
The blade tosses the hawk’s body onto yellow gravel the power company spread, over living soil, in circles around their windmills.
The ever-present Great Basin breeze, who usually whispers with a soothing tone through pinyon needles, juniper branches, and sage tops, becomes angry. Grazing cows pause their chewing and look up to consider the scene.
Heads of cheat grass poke through the gravel, only to droop with sorrow for the splayed feathers and twisted wings at their feet. Taller than cheat grass and crowding around the gravel’s edge, crested wheatgrass shakes and shutters with horror in the wind.
The collision’s suddenness and the sickening sound of the blade striking the hawk’s small skull breaks my awareness open with a pop. I seep across the valley floor. I mingle with the wounds on the land and recognize pain in places I previously overlooked. The windmills, the invasive plants, the cows, and the empty scars on the foothills marking pinyon-juniper clearcuts are all evidence of violence.
The gravel at my feet is the remains of stones and boulders that were exploded and crushed, loaded into trucks, and transported to Spring Valley as part of Pattern Energy’s Spring Valley Wind Farm project. Windmill construction means so much involves land clearances, building maintenance roads, and operation of fossil-fuel intensive heavy machinery.
Before the gravel was dumped and the construction project started, the ground I stand on was covered in a complex mosaic of lichens, mosses, microfungi, green algae, and cyanobacteria that biologists call a “biological soil crust.”
Across the Great Basin, biological soil crusts are integral to protecting soil surfaces from erosion. They are also vulnerable to disturbance by construction projects like the one that brought the windmills here. The lichen components of these disturbed crusts can take 245 years to recover. Far worse, soil losses due to erosion following mechanical disturbances can take 5,000 to 10,000 years to naturally reform in arid regions.
The windmills that tower above me fill the air with a buzzing, mechanical sound. Built only four miles from a colony of millions of Mexican free-tailed bats at the Rose Guano Cave, the windmills killed 533 bats in 2013, triple the amount allowed by federal regulations. The majority of these bats are killed by barotrauma. Rapid or excessive air pressure change, produced by windmills, causes internal hemorrhaging. In less abstract language, the bats’ lungs explode.
Both cheatgrass and crested wheatgrass are invasive species. Global shipping routes, which have long been tools of colonialism, brought cheatgrass to North America through contaminated grain seed, straw packing material, and soil used as ballast in ships. Cheatgrass outcompetes native grasses for water and nutrients. It drops seeds in early summer before native grasses and then drys out to become highly flammable.
When wildfires rip through areas cheatgrass has invaded, native grasses are destroyed without seeding. In the fall, after native grasses have burned, cheatgrass seeds germinate and cheatgrass dominance expands. This dominance has been disastrous for the Great Basin. Fire return intervals have gone from between 60-110 years in sagebrush-dominated systems to less than 5 years under cheatgrass dominance.
While cheatgrass was imported by accident, crested wheatgrass was imported from Asia in 1898. By the 1890s, Great Basin rangelands were depleted of water, soil, and economically useful vegetation. Ranchers needed cheap feed for their livestock and crested wheatgrass provided it. It outcompetes native grasses, grows in tight bunches that choke out other species, quickly forms a monoculture, and reduces the variety of plant and wildlife species in places it takes hold. Worst of all, crested wheatgrass supports a destructive ranching industry that should have collapsed decades ago.
Ranching is one of the most ecologically destructive activities in the Great Basin. Livestock grazing depletes water supplies, causes soil erosion, and eliminates the countless trillions of small plants forming the base of the complex food web supporting all life in the region. Ranchers have nearly killed off all the top carnivores on western rangelands and jealously guard their animals against the re-introduction of “unacceptable species” like grizzly bears and wolves.
Ranchers, always searching for new rangeland, encourage government agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service (USFS) to clear-cut forests and remove sagebrush to encourage the growth of graze for their livestock. In the hills north of the wind farm, pinyon pines and junipers lie in mangled piles where they were “chained.”
Chaining is the preferred method for destroying forests here. To chain a forest is to stretch a US Navy battleship anchor chain between two crawler tractors which are then driven parallel to each other while ripping up every living thing in their path.
Nevada Highway 893 runs to my left along the west side of the valley. If I followed the road north a few miles, I would run into one of the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s (SNWA) test wells. SNWA installed these wells in the preparation of its Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project that would drain Spring Valley of water and, then, transport the water by pipeline to support Las Vegas’ growing population.
Fortunately, the project has been successfully stalled in court by determined grassroots activists. But, if SNWA eventually prevails, Spring Valley will quickly dry up and little life, endemic or invasive, will survive here.
***
The reminders of violence I encounter in Spring Valley reflect global problems. Windmills are a symptom of the dominant culture’s addiction to energy. The roads here will carry you to highways, highways to interstates, and interstates to airports.
There is virtually nowhere left on Earth that is inaccessible to humans with the privilege, power, and desire to go wherever they will. To gain this accessibility, these humans are so thoroughly poisoning the atmosphere with greenhouse gas emissions global temperatures are rising.
Invasive species – cows, cheat grass, crested wheatgrass, European settlers – are colonizers. They each colonize in their own way. The cows replace elk, pronghorn, wolves, and bears. The grasses eliminate natives by hoarding nutrients and water. They reproduce unsustainably and establish monocultures. When that doesn’t work, they burn the natives out. And, the settlers do the same.
The violence of civilized life becomes too obvious to ignore and the land’s pain threatens to overwhelm me. Despair accompanies these moments. When all I see is violence, it is easy to conclude that violence is all there is, all there ever was, and all there ever will be. Claims I’ve heard repeated countless times echo through my mind.
Humans are selfish. This is just what we do. We will kill ourselves, but the planet will recover…eventually. Humans have been butchering each other for centuries and we’ll butcher each other for centuries more if we don’t destroy the world first.
I stand paralyzed under a windmill, with a decapitated hawk at my feet, struggling through my thoughts for who knows how long, when the blue feathers of a pinyon jay catch my eye. At first, it’s the simple beauty of her color that attracts my attention. But, it’s the strangeness of the phenomenon that keeps my attention.
Rows of windmills form the wind farm. I stand under the northernmost row and about one hundred yards separate the rows. The jay lands on a barbed wire fence post about halfway between the row I’m standing under and the first row south of me. Her presence is strange for two reasons. First, pinyon jays prefer to live in pinyon-juniper forests and there are no trees for a mile in either direction. Second, pinyon jays are very intelligent, and she must have known that to brave the circling windmill blades is to brave the same death the Cooper’s hawk just experienced or the barotrauma so many bats experience.
The despair I felt a few moments ago is fading. As I approach the jay I see her picking through a pinyon pine cone. She picks deftly at it before she pulls a pine nut from the brown folds of the cone. It’s not until she lifts her head, with the pine nut in her beak, that I understand.
She flew down from the forests, through dangerous windmill blades, to show me a pine nut.
***
Pine nuts represent the friendship humans and pinyon-juniper forests have shared for thousands of years. Pinyon charcoal and seed coats have been found in the 6,000-year-old Gatecliff Shelter in central Nevada. Pinyon seed coats have been found with 3,000-year-old artifacts in Hogup Cave in northwestern Utah. Many of the Fremont culture’s ruins (circa 1000 AD) in eastern Utah also show pinyon use.
Pine nuts are symbols of true sustainability. I’ve heard many traditional, indigenous people explain that sustainability requires making decisions with the succeeding seven generations in mind. When the health of the seventh future generation guides your relationship with the land, overpopulation, drawdown, pollution, and most forms of extraction become unthinkable. European settlers arrived to find indigenous peoples in the Great Basin, like so many indigenous peoples around the world, living in cultures that existed for centuries in balance with the land.
And, the pine nut made these cultures possible.
The Washoe, Paiute, and Shoshone all developed cultures centered on pine nuts. Pinyon pine expert, Ronald Lanner notes, “Just as life on the plains was fitted to the habits of the buffalo, life in the Great Basin was fitted to the homely, thin-shelled nut of the singleleaf pinyon.” Pinyons give their nuts freely and harvesting them involves no damage to the trees. In fact, pine nuts are seeds. Animals who collect and gather the seeds – like pinyon jays, rats, mice, and humans – help the trees reproduce.
It’s a beautiful relationship: pinyon pines offer animals food, and animals offer pinyon pines regeneration. At a time when the survival of life on Earth depends upon humans embracing their role as animals, the relationship the Washoe, Paiute, and Shoshone built with pinyon pines serves as a model for the world.
Relying on the research of American Museum of Natural History archaeologist David Hurst Thomas, Lanner describes the central role the annual pinyon festival played in Western Shoshone life. He writes, “…when pinyon harvest time arrived, Shoshone bands would come together at a prearranged site. There they would harvest nuts, conduct communal rabbit drives, and hold an annual festival. The pinyon festival was the social highlight of the year and was often attended by several hundred people. At night…there was dancing…There was gambling among men and courting among the young. Marriages were arranged and sexual liaisons conducted.”
Pine nut crops, like all natural processes, are subject to variation. There are good yields and bad yields. Human cultures dependent on the land are constantly confronted with a choice. Either humans can tighten their belts and reduce their populations voluntarily. Or, they can exploit the land, stealing resources from the future to meet the needs of the present.
Lanner describes how Western Shoshone sustainability was maintained, “…the pinyon festival was used as an opportunity for regulating the future size and distribution of Shoshone populations. If at the festival the intelligence from all areas foretold a failure of next year’s crop, then measures could be taken to avoid mass starvation…Births could be limited by sexual abstinence or abortion. One or more twins could be killed at birth, as could illegitimate children…The sick and the old could be abandoned. A widow might be killed and buried beside her husband.”
Some of these measures may seem harsh to us today. But, when we consider the violence necessary to sustain today’s civilized, human populations, we will realize that some of these difficult decisions are what true sustainability looks like. Killing a twin or abandoning the sick is small violence compared to the mass violence of deforestation, anthropogenic desertification, and climate change.
***
The pinyon jay in Spring Valley shows me both a pine nut and the history of human sustainability. Even though Spring Valley, with the rest of the world, currently reflects too much human violence, the vast majority of human history reflects true sustainability. Modern humans have existed for 200,000 years. For the vast majority of that time, most of us lived in cultures similar to the Western Shoshone. We must not forget where we come from.
Meanwhile, ecological collapse intensifies. Violence against the natural world is so pervasive it must be considered a war. Perceiving this war hurts. The pain offers us two choices: endurance or cure. Either the pain is inevitable, an unavoidable fact of life that must be endured. Or, the cause of the pain can be treated and healed.
The pervasiveness of violence tempts us to conclude that it is inevitable. When everywhere we look, we are met with human destruction, it is easy to believe that humans are inherently destructive. This is one reason why the dominant culture destroys the natural world so zealously. If violence is inevitable, there is no reason to stop it.
This is also why the dominant culture works to destroy those non-humans we’ve formed ancient friendships with. If the dominant culture eradicates bison, it destroys our memory of how to live sustainably on the Great Plains. If the dominant culture eradicates salmon, it destroys our memory of how to live sustainably in the Pacific Northwest. If the dominant culture eradicates pinyon-juniper forests, it destroys our memory of how to live sustainably in the Great Basin.
There is a war being waged on the natural world and wars are fought with weapons. The pinyon jay brings me a weapon against the despair I feel recognizing pervasive violence in Spring Valley. She shows me that the violence is not inevitable. She shows me the path to true sustainability, and in doing so, shows me the path to peace.
To learn more about the effort to protect pinyon-juniper forests, go to Pinyon Juniper Alliance. You can contact the Alliance here.
To repost this or other DGR original writings, please contact newsservice@deepgreenresistance.orgIn a world where everything is about equal opportunity and being fair, the NBA is far from that. In no other sport can I think of a more lopsided league as far as regional splitting goes. Within the past 10 years the Western Conference has taken the NBA by storm, clearly dominating the talent spectrum in the league. Today I simply wonder, could the second five in San Antonio make the playoffs in the east?
You immediately think no, because of the respect to the overall NBA product. But really, could the five backups of the San Antonio Spurs beat out the bottom teams in the east to make the playoffs? I’ll begin by listing the five-second fiddle Spurs: Patty Mills, Manu Ginobili, Kyle Anderson, David West and Boris Diaw. Sounds convincing doesn’t it?
Patty Mills might mess around and win sixth man of the year – if David West doesn’t. This Aussie has no conscience when he gets hot, and boy does he get hot. Averaging 6.9 points-per-game last season, look for that number to rise. Mills missed a considerable amount of games last year recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. I’m not saying his PER, player efficiency rating, will go up because he’ll hopefully be healthy all year. The addition of LaMarcus Aldridge will have to do with that also. Many overlook his addition and think, “Oh, Timmy will be able to sit back and Pop will save him for the playoffs.” That’s true, yes, but Aldridge impacts the team, which Coach Gregg Popovich is all about. The former Trailblazers 23+ points-per-game means more than Tim Duncan get to collect on some rest time. Tony Parker is younger than what most people think since entering the league at age 19, but he’s 33-years-old now and being a point guard, there are some serious miles on those knees. I’m sure Parker will see a reduced roll this season, allowing Mills to play more. You just simply don’t need Aldridge, Leonard, and Parker out there a lot of the time. Let Mills come in with fresh legs and do what it does, you know?
Manu Ginobili is the interesting man in this lineup. Barring injury, he can still have a very productive year. He still provides spark and has great defensive awareness. His experience is something you can’t measure and his savvy, you can’t touch. Sure, sometimes |
married parents, tend to fare better on a number of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes than children living in other family forms.[9] Not surprisingly, the changes in family structure over the last 40 years have affected child and adolescent well-being. In 2002, nearly 7 million children between the ages of 12 and 18 repeated a grade. Based on this figure, Professor Amato estimates that if the share of two-parent families had remained unchanged between 1980 and 2002, some 300,000 fewer teens would have repeated a grade. Some 750,000 fewer students in 2002 would have repeated a grade if the share of two-parent families remained at the level it was in 1960.[10] (See Table 1.)
Social science research over the past decades suggests that family structure affects children's school outcomes, from preschool to college.[11] Some of the variations in school performance could be explained, in part or in whole, by the differences in family resources such as time and money, family dynamics and parental characteristics that are associated with the various family forms. These are mediating factors, or mechanisms through which family structure affects schooling outcomes. Family structure may also exert a direct influence, independent of mediating factors. Thus, depending on the outcome, family structure's total effect may consist of one or more mediating influences or a combination of both direct and mediating influences.[12]
Though various methodological research issues— e.g., data quality, inconsistent definitions of family structure, the selection effect (e.g., are individuals who possess better parenting qualities more likely to choose marriage and stay married, or does marriage per se bolster children's well-being?)—limit the findings, the evidence, nonetheless, is strong: Family structure matters.[13]
School Readiness. A number of early-childhood outcomes contribute to children's eventual school readiness. The evidence suggests that potentially important early-childhood outcomes vary by family structure. One study, analyzing 1,370 mothers in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study who were continuously married or in cohabiting relationships from the child's birth to age three, found that three-year-olds born to cohabiting mothers tended to exhibit more aggressive, withdrawn, and anxious or depressive behavior than children born to married mothers.[14] For aggressive and withdrawn behaviors, the association was explained by income differences. For anxiety and depressive symptoms, even controlling for income, the cohabitation effect remained.
Studies show that reading to young children aids their literacy development. Toddlers and preschool-age children in married-parent families are read to more often than peers in non-intact families.[15] One study of 11,500 kindergartners living with two parents orparent figuresreported that, accounting for parental education and income, children living with married parents averaged higher reading achievement test scores than peers living in cohabiting or stepparent families.[16]
Elementary and Secondary Education. The research on family structure and elementary and secondary educational outcome is extensive.[17] Studies have reported that:
First-graders whose mothers were married when they were born are less likely to engage in disruptive behavior with peers and teachers than those whose mothers were single or cohabiting at the time of their birth.[18]
Children aged three to 12 who live in intact families have higher average math scores than peers whose mothers live in cohabiting relationships.[19]
The association between family structure and nine-year-olds' science and math achievement appears to be cross-national.[20]
Children aged seven to 10 who live in continuously intact families tend to score higher on reading tests than peers who have lived in other family structures.[21]
Children aged six to 11 who live in intact families tend to be more engaged in their schoolwork than peers in other family structures.[22]
Eighth-graders in two-parent families perform, on average, better on math and science tests than peers in single-parent or stepparent families.[23]
The predominant family structure of a school's student population appears to be linked to the individual science and math scores of eighth-graders.[24]
Ninth-graders whose mothers were married when they were born are more likely to complete an algebra course than are peers whose mothers were single when they were born.[25]
Middle school and high school students who experience a parental divorce tend to suffer declines in their grade point averages and are more likely to fail a course one year later compared to peers of married parents; the evidence suggests a causal link.[26]
Among middle school and high school students, the portion of childhood spent in a single-parent family is associated with declines in GPAs over time; and living in a single-mother family with a cohabiting partner is associated with a greater likelihood of suspension or expulsion from school at a later time.[27]
Finally, studies have also shown a robust link between family structure and high school dropout or graduation rates, and the evidence suggests that the relationship may be causal.[28]
Higher Education and Educational Attainment. The impact of family structure on educational outcomes appears to last into young adulthood. Throughout the college entrance process, students from non-intact families tend to fall behind their peers from intact families. The gap increases when the process involves selective college admission.[29] Overall, children from intact families complete more years of schooling and achieve higher educational attainment than do peers from other family forms.[30]
One study, analyzing two nationally representative data sources, reported that longer durations in single-parent or blended families during childhood appear to have a negative impact on college attendance and graduation. Though family income and parental education explained the association between single-parent families and lower college attendance and graduation rates, the disparities in these outcomes between children in intact families and those in blended families persisted.[31]
Similarly, another study showed that, accounting for family income and estimated financial aid, an average student from a non-intact family was 5 percent less likely to attend a four-year college and 6 percent less likely to graduate from college than an average student from an intact family.[32]
Parental Involvement
Parental involvement emerges as another robust influence on educational outcomes. It is multi-dimensional. Examples include monitoring children's activities outside home and school; setting rules; having conversations about and helping children with school work and school-related issues; holding high educational expectations; discussing future planning with children and helping them with important decision making; participating in school-related activities such as meeting with teachers and volunteering in the classroom; and reading to children or engaging in other enrichment or leisure activities together.
A meta-analysis of 77 studies, consisting of 300,000 elementary and secondary students, found that parental educational expectations are a particularly important aspect of parental involvement. [33] Parenting style, reading to children, and, to a lesser extent, participation in school-related activities appeared to be influential as well. Furthermore, parental involvement is associated with multiple measures of student achievement, for the entire student population as well as for minority and low-income student populations. Overall, "the academic advantage for those parents who were highly involved in their education averaged about 0.5–0.6 of a standard deviation for overall educational outcomes, grades and academic achievement."[34]
Parental Involvement and Family Structure. The level of parental involvement varies by family structure, and the relationship between parental involvement and educational outcomes depends on the family context as well.[35] One study, for example, found that compared to high school students from intact families, those from single- or stepparent families reported less parental involvement in their school work, supervision, and parental educational expectations, which, in turn, affected school outcomes.[36]
Early Childhood.[37] Studies show that a sensitive, warm, and responsive type of parenting and engaging in play activities with young children bolster their social and emotional development, communication skills, and ability to focus.[38] Doing arts and crafts with children, reading to them, showing them how to write words, and using a more complicated vocabulary around them also aid their literacy and language development.[39] One study reported a link between these types of parental engagement and a range of school readiness outcomes such as "children's motivation to learn, attention, task persistence, and receptive vocabulary and…fewer conduct problems."[40]
Frequent contact between parents and their children's preschools as well as parent participation in school-related activities, such as volunteering in the classroom or meeting with a teacher, appear to benefit children on a number of dimensions, including classroom performance and social interaction with peers and adults.[41] One study reported that children whose teachers perceived more parental involvement tended to exhibit fewer problems and higher language and math competencies compared to children whose teachers perceived less parental engagement.[42] The evidence also suggests that parental school involvement's positive influences buffer against some of the negative effects of poverty.[43]
Elementary Education.[44] Parental involvement during elementary school affects children's schooling outcomes as well. The quality of the parent-child relationship is significant. Middle school students who received sensitive, supportive parenting from their mothers during kindergarten tend to perform better in school.[45] Children of parents who frequently praise and show affection to them are less likely to require classroom attention for behavior and socio-emotional issues.[46]
Studies also show that parental involvement in school-related activities during elementary school is associated with long-term educational gains. One study reported that among low-income African-American families, children of highly involved parents during elementary school were more likely to graduate from high school. In the same study, children of parents who were involved in school-related activities for three or more years completed more years of schooling compared to peers of less involved parents.[47] Involvement, specifically by fathers, is significant as well. Children of fathers who visit their classrooms and meet with teachers tend to fare better in school than peers whose mothers are the only involved parent.[48]
Reading with children and the way in which parents read to their children affect children's reading ability.[49] The research shows a distinction between reading storybooks to children, which contributes to their literacy development, and teaching children to read and write, which aids their language development. Both types of activities affect third- and fourth-grade performance.[50] Furthermore, parents' use of vocabulary and their attitude toward homework appear to influence corresponding outcomes in their children.[51] Not surprisingly, children of parents who provide appropriate help with their homework tend to fare better in school.[52]
The home environment in which children are raised plays a role in schooling outcomes. For example, in a study of middle-class families, elementary students whose parents offered them math and science learning materials showed greater inclination toward and interest in math and science activities.[53] Finally, parental expectations of achievement, particularly adolescents' perceptions of such expectations, appear to strengthen their actual motivation and ability in school.[54]
Secondary Education.[55] Parent-child relationship quality continues to be an effective factor in schooling outcomes throughout adolescence.[56] For example, in one study, youths who felt bonded to their parents and enjoyed good communication with them tended to have higher grades and physical well-being.[57] In another study, among low-income youths, those whose parents encouraged individual decision making in their children during early adolescence were more likely to graduate from high school and attend college.[58] Beyond academics, teens who receive more support from their parents are more likely to participate in structured after-school activities, which, in turn, are positively correlated with achievement and social competence.[59]
During adolescence, parental monitoring to the extent to which parents know their children's activities outside of home and school, plays a crucial role in adolescent outcomes, particularly when children and adolescents perceive genuine care from their parents.[60] Parental monitoring is associated with fewer school problems, less substance use, and reduced delinquency. Moreover, parental monitoring is positively linked to social development, school grades, and school engagement, such as paying attention in class and being motivated to do well in school.[61] The evidence also suggests that parental monitoring may have different effects on boys and girls.[62]
Not only does parental involvement in their children's school-related activities send a positive message to students and teachers, such involvement is also related to high school completion.[63] The research also suggests that minority students benefit from their parents' participation in formal leadership roles at the school district level.[64] The effects of parental involvement, however, may vary by parents' education. One study showed that involvement from more-educated parents was associated with fewer behavioral problems in students, which, in turn, affected achievement and aspirations. Among students whose parents are less educated, parental involvement was related to student aspirations but not achievement.[65]
At the secondary education level, high parental expectations continue to yield significant schooling benefits.[66] In one study of high school seniors, "parental expectations for achievement stand out as the most significant influences on [their] achievement growth, high school credits completed, and enrollment in extracurricular academic high school programs."[67] High parental educational expectations are also associated with math and reading scores, interest in school, academic self-discipline, future planning, and motivation for school work.[68] In one study of African-American families, when parents taught that success originates from effort rather than surpassing peers, their expectations had a strong effect on eighth- and ninth-grade math grades.[69] Overall, parental expectations appear more influential than peer effects.[70]
Finally, discussions with parents about the future and pursuing further education support teens' aspirations and college preparation.[71] One study of high-achievement Latino college students found that their parents imparted strong encouragement and values that emphasized education as a means to escape poverty.[72]
Policy Implications
Social science research over the last few decades indicates a strong relationship between family structure, parental involvement and children's educational outcomes, with enduring influences from early childhood to young adulthood. The empirical evidence points to several policy implications:
Family policy intersects critically with education policy. Fortifying the intact family structure may lead to improvements in individual student outcomes as well as the American education system as a whole.
Policies that strengthen healthy marriage and stable family formation may bolster child well-being, including school outcomes, both at the individual and aggregate levels.
Conversely, policies and laws that facilitate further family breakdown may have adverse impacts on children's educational outcomes and provide additional stress on the education system.
In education reform efforts, greater emphasis on parental involvement and parental choice could yield significant gains in student achievement and attainment. Importantly, the research shows consistent benefits of high parental involvement for minority and low-income students, which deserves serious consideration in light of the achievement gap.
On the other hand, education initiatives that disregard the importance of families and parental involvement, instead focusing on strategies such as increased expenditures, are likely to continue to prove less effective or ineffective altogether.
Conclusion
American taxpayers invest heavily in education, with annual public education spending totaling $553 billion. The average annual expenditure per child enrolled in a public school amounts to $9,266. Though per-pupil expenditures have increased dramatically over the past few decades, student achievement has remained relatively flat. A significant portion of students attending public schools score "below basic" in reading and math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. In some of the most disadvantaged central cities in America, fewer than half of high school students graduate.
While numerous education reforms over the last quarter century have demonstrated little impact on overall student achievement,[73] the research clearly shows that the intact family structure and strong parental involvement are significantly correlated with educational outcomes, from school readiness to college completion. Instead of favoring proven ineffective education policies, policymakers seeking effective education reform should consider policies that strengthen family structure in America and bolster parental involvement and choice in education.
Christine C. Kim is Policy Analyst in the Domestic Policy Studies Department at The Heritage Foundation.× Schools and businesses on lockdown as authorities search for escapee
LINN, MO (KTVI) – Schools and businesses were on lockdown Friday as police searched for a man who escaped from a federal halfway house. The Missouri State Highway Patrol tells KMIZ that they’re looking for Jason Biermann. He is considered armed and dangerous.
The Osage County Emergency Operations Center says you should call 911 immediately if you see Biermann. He was last seen wearing a blue rain coat and black pants. Last seen around the Linn City Park area.
Right now, U.S. Marshals, the Osage County Sheriff’s Department and Linn police are searching the southwest portion of the Linn, MO for Biermann. A helicopter was used during the search, but had to land due to poor weather. Officers are on the ground and have set up a perimeter.
RT @ABC17News: UPDATE: Jason Biermann is an escapee from a federal halfway house. The latest on the search right now on ABC 17 News at 5. — ABC 17 News (@ABC17News) June 3, 2016
Highway Patrol confirms authorities looking for Jason Biermann, 35, who escaped from prison in Farmington @KRCG13 — Garrett Bergquist (@GarrettKRCG13) June 3, 2016
Parents picking up children from Linn Elementary. Heavy police presence @krcg13 pic.twitter.com/ucXknJfsA6 — Garrett Bergquist (@GarrettKRCG13) June 3, 2016Image copyright TLP Image caption The Hendry review said the lagoon would make a "strong contribution" to energy supplies
A £1.3bn tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay could "kick start" coastal regeneration in Wales, leading assembly members have told a UK government minister.
Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas and Conservative Russell George urged Business Secretary Greg Clark to back the green energy project.
Mr Thomas said they were given a "fair hearing" at the meeting in London.
The UK government said it was still considering the findings of the Hendry review, which backed the plans.
Mr Thomas, who chairs the assembly's finance committee and Mr George, chairman of the economy committee, stressed the cross-party support in Wales for the plan, and the positive tone of the report published in January by former UK energy minister Charles Hendry.
"This would be an important pathfinder project which could lead to a whole new industry using the expertise devised in Wales," Mr Thomas said before the meeting.
"It would be an extremely poor message to those involved in the Swansea Bay City Deal region if we lose a huge renewable investment project in the tidal lagoon due to dither and delay.
"The proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon could kick start the regeneration of our coastal communities and give a boost to our industrial heartlands."
Mr George said the delegation showed a "united front" on the issue from political parties in Wales.
Labour AM Huw Irranca-Davies - who chairs the assembly's constitutional committee - had also hoped to meet Mr Clark but was not available on Thursday.
'Positive messages'
Following the meeting, the Plaid AM said they had been given a "fair hearing" by Mr Clark.
"It is evident that the UK Secretary for State is serious about moving towards cutting carbon emissions. For individual projects we understand the Westminster Government is looking at all the figures.
"It is important as assembly members we made the case for this investment for Wales and the meeting has ensured the Westminster Government has listened to the positive messages we put forward."
A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "The government is considering the recommendations of the Hendry Review and taking the time needed to determine what is in the best interests of UK energy consumers and taxpayers in the long term.
"We will publish our response in due course."No excuses. Scotland were the better team, creating more chances, while Ireland lacked the intent to leave Glasgow with what would have been a valuable point. In every facet of play - tactically, possession and individual battles - they earned this victory.
It’s not the end of the world. We need Poland to stumble now, but to have seven points after four games, same as Scotland and Germany, where we did get that precious draw, should lend to a positive outlook.
I do have to question how deeply we worked on counteracting Scotland’s style in Malahide these past few days. It felt like our midfielders didn’t know who they needed to pick up. Maybe that’s down to the team being named so late.
Scotland, in stark contrast, played with clarity with each player knowing their individual roles.
Our hosts should have been two-nil up at half-time. They weren’t and that’s a testament to solid defending, in particular by Richard Keogh, and Steve Fletcher spurning two genuine chances.
All the problems stemmed from Scotland’s midfield dominance. The frantic nature of the contest was to be expected but the night passed Jeff Hendrick by. All he had to show for the opening 45 minutes was a yellow card after barrelling through Steven Whittaker. Maybe he felt he had to do something but getting on the ball is essential for a midfielder.
Gordon Strachan’s tactics, assisted by his players constant work-rate, looked spot on. The constant pressing of Ireland’s back four meant Darron Gibson, or Hendrick for that matter, couldn’t drop deep and dictate play.
Maybe Gibson hasn’t played enough football this season.
Anyway, I wanted Stephen Quinn on far sooner. Gibson lacked the necessary mobility, clearly needing his midfield partner to curtail the dominance of Steven Naismith, who was dropping deep at will. Glenn Whelan and James McCarthy were sorely missed last night.
Considering the constant bombardment in the first half, John O’Shea and Keogh remained composed and solid (O’Shea did lose Fletcher for a free header) but Seamus Coleman was having a torrid time with Ikechi Anya. He barely survived. He certainly couldn’t get forward as he does so brilliantly for Everton.
Keogh tore into Coleman twice for the dithery nature of his performance. The pace of Anya had our best player in constant difficulty but who would you rather police the tricky winger?
This campaign was never going to be plain sailing. We knew that. Far too many teams of a similar standard.
Plenty of Irish players were in trouble last night but Aiden McGeady, considering the abuse he was subjected to both on the and off the pitch, can hold his head high. Yes, there was the early booking but he had the courage to time two more tackles that could have led to a second yellow. He won the ball both times and saved Ireland’s bacon.
Every time he got the ball a swarm of Scottish players were around him. And still he kept his concentration. It’s a stadium he’s comfortable performing in - even with the crowd on his back.
McGeady continued to grow into the contest, whipping over a cracking cross for Walters. Then he caught hold of a left footed strike, just before the hour mark, that brought a fine save from David Marshall.
Not for the first time, he was the class act on display Celtic Park until Shaun Maloney settled the tie.
Shane Long was the correct decision ahead of Robbie Keane, for this match, but his touch was suspect. Still, the link play between himself and Jon Walters looked like the best outlet to stealing a goal. The pair just needed better supply than early long balls up from the fullbacks. They needed their midfield to deliver.
Gibson put one decent pass into Long, which Walters stepped over, but it came to nothing.
Scotland performed like a team buoyed by the confidence of recent performances and their draw in Poland. And the desperate need to win at home.
I presumed their left back Andrew Roberston would be a weakness in defence but the 20 year old was excellent. Coleman needed to take a yellow card to stop his threat going forward too. Scotland created enough chances to win. Chris Martin should have scored on 65 minutes. Again, Naismith was the creator.
It prompted action from Martin O’Neill. In came Stephen Quinn and Robbie Brady with Long and Gibson making way. Walters, who produced yet another industrious night in an Ireland jersey, went up front on his own. Brady immediately showed his quality to force a corner.
I felt the Ireland manager picked the correct starting XI and made substitutions when the game demanded them but Long struggled and those who came on couldn’t turn the tide.
It was Scotland’s night.
Maloney’s gorgeous curling finish from a neat short corner came straight off the training ground and was fully deserving of all three points.
The last 15 minutes seemed made for a 34 year old Robbie Keane. But Scotland hung on, deservedly so.Itanagar: Angry mobs attacked the house of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and took to the streets of Itanagar torching vehicles on Tuesday, hours after former CM Kalikho Pul was found hanging at his residence.
Some of the protesters pelted stones at Khandu's residence, while others headed towards the official residence of Deputy CM Chowna Mein less than 100 metres away, damaged the outer wall and at least 10 vehicles parked in the premises.
Some of them also tried to burn down a section of Mein's residence which is presently under construction. The official bungalow of Industries Minister Tapang Taloh was also attacked.
Kalikho Pul's body (Picture courtesy: Subhajit Sengupta)
Pul was found dead at his residence in Itanagar in the morning with preliminary reports saying he may have hanged himself to death between 8-9 am.
His close aides said he suffered from depression and was extremely upset over being treated like an "outcast".
Pul had led a group of dissident MLAs from Congress against Nabam Tuki early this year and was sworn in as chief minister a few hours after President's Rule was revoked in the state on February 19. He was CM over four months, before his appointment was struck down by the Supreme Court.
A high-level cabinet meeting was held and police reinforcements, including state police and ITBP, were sent to the high-security VVIP zone where the ministers' residences were located.
Pul's body will be kept at his bungalow for the public to pay respects, official sources said.The most unfashionable show on television, Songs of Praise, has had a makeover. The BBC had apparently discovered that the average viewer of the show was in their mid-seventies. Quelle surprise: in the trade it is known as ‘The Resurrection Show’, because so many participants shuffle off their mortal coil before transmission. The new version was introduced by a bubbly presenter with hair dyed a fetching shade of cerise, slightly talking down to us. It ended with a cheery roomful of Salvationists and a brass band. I rather liked it, even if I had switched on wondering why publicly funded religious broadcasters were chasing the advertisers’ target demographic. Actually, I think it’s rather bold of the producers to tell us the average age of their viewers. The same ought to apply to all television programmes. Here’s my hunch: Match of the Day — mid-forties men. News at Ten — both sexes, but skewed male and slightly older. Gogglebox — thirties and forties, not entirely sober. The Only Way is Essex — mid-twenties, both sexes, but with much of their brains removed.
The couple of hundred members of the University of the Third Age whom I met this week, by contrast, seemed to have almost all their faculties, if few of the characteristics deemed so important by advertisers. But when higher education has become more business than vocation, this unsung, unglamorous organisation seems to me much closer to the spirit of what learning ought to be about. For £50 a year you can attend any course you like simply because it interests you. There is occasional talk of the U3A entering a team for University Challenge. But I’m afraid they’ve no chance on the buzzer.
Wednesday morning we learn that, at last, MPs have done something sensible for those of us sadly watching the slow death of the English pub. Publican after publican has been telling the same story for years, of spivs from rapacious ‘pubcos’ driving them to penury through a beer-buying arrangement more suited to the truck shop on a slave plantation. The vote to emancipate landlords was against government wishes. It’s also a small step, perhaps, in convincing MPs to do more than rattle their chains. Let’s hope it presages more independence. Our Parliament would be a better place if the tyranny of the whips could be overthrown.
An email from my agent: ‘The man who invented predictive text has died. I didn’t even know he was I’ll.’
To Belfast, for quite a jolly dinner. If you ever wonder what happens to your taxes, I recommend a visit to Northern Ireland. When I first lived there, during the Troubles of the 1970s, it was hard to imagine a more benighted place (literally so in troubled parts of Belfast, where all the streetlights had been shot out, blown out or switched off). On Thursday evening the centre of town was alive with Christmas lights, and the streets bustling with shoppers, Romanian Big Issue sellers and people turned that weird shade of orange which tanning salons think attractive. Outside City Hall, a Christmas market offered the odours of 40 varieties of food you could not think of eating.
The dinner was in what is now called the ‘Titanic Quarter’. There seem to be at least half a dozen ‘quarters’ of Belfast, but that’s inflation for you. Forty years ago, the area was known as the shipyard. All that remains are the giant yellow gantries. For years, governments poured in public money to try to secure the thousands of shipyard jobs, before throwing in the towel in favour of the modern cure-all, ‘leisure’. And to be sure, the building is astonishing and the displays imaginative. Harland and Wolff must have built thousands of vessels, but Titanic is the only one most people have heard of. Whatever the loss of life, that iceberg did the city a huge favour. They should call it the ‘Iceberg Quarter’.
Saturday I finally got around to addressing one of those blindspots which never quite seem worth bothering with. It was St Cecilia’s Day. But who was she? Apart from knowing that she’d inspired a wonderful mass by Gounod, and having once had to plough through Dryden’s ‘Song for St Cecilia’s Day’ in an exam, I had no idea. I looked her up. Odd bird. She is revered for having persuaded her husband not to consummate their marriage, which — understandably perhaps — led him to seek the solace of religion. Despite an executioner swinging an axe through her neck three times, Cecilia somehow survived for a further three days. She had previously spent a day and night sitting in a bath of flames, without breaking sweat. When she died, her body did not decompose. She’s the patron saint of music. She’d have made a perfect presenter for Songs of Praise.You've been hearing it for months—actually over a year: "Watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." Do you watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend yet? No? What's wrong with you? You need reasons to? Fine.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which enters its second season on Friday, Oct. 21, stars its co-creator Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Bunch, a lawyer who quit her high-paying job in New York to move to West Covina, California for Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III). Yes, Rebecca has finally come to terms with the fact that she moved across the country for her childhood ex-boyfriend from camp. To quote the new season two theme song: "They say love makes you crazy, therefore you can't call her crazy. ‘Cause when you call her crazy, you're just calling her in love." She's not crazy, she's in love. But in love with whom? Somebody or an idea of somebody?BY: Follow @DavidRutz
Hollywood producer Mark Ciardi says the new Ted Kennedy biopic movie Chappaquiddick, about the drowning incident that left a young woman dead, gives viewers a chance to see what Kennedy "had to go through" at that time, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
"I’ve done a lot of true life stories, many sports stories, but this one had a deep impact on this country," Ciardi said. "Everyone has an idea of what happened on Chappaquiddick and this strings together the events in a compelling and emotional way. You’ll see what he had to go through."
Kennedy was a young U.S. senator at the time, and he accidentally drove his car off a bridge late on July 18, 1969, into a tidal channel while taking political staffer Mary Jo Kopechne home from a party.
Kennedy swam to safety, and he said later that he made repeated efforts to rescue Kopechne, but she died in the car, possibly of suffocation. Kennedy did not report the accident to authorities until the following morning, when the car and Kopechne's body were discovered.
Kennedy himself called these actions "indefensible." However, he merely pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended sentence.
The Hollywood Reporter uses passive voice to describe the incident, saying Kennedy "becomes entangled in a tragic car accident:"
"I’ve done a lot of true life stories, many sports stories, but this one had a deep impact on this country," said Ciardi. "Everyone has an idea of what happened on Chappaquiddick and this strings together the events in a compelling and emotional way. You’ll see what he had to go through." Written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan, Chappaquiddick is political thriller that unveils the true story of what is described as the seven most dramatic days of Senator Ted Kennedy's life. On the eve of the moon landing, Senator Kennedy becomes entangled in a tragic car accident that results in the death of former Robert Kennedy campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne. The Senator struggles to follow his own moral compass and simultaneously protect his family's legacy, all while simply trying to keep his own political ambitions alive.
Politically, the incident damaged Kennedy's reputation. While he received no jail time for Kopechne's death, it was widely seen as hurting his presidential ambitions, and he never received the Democratic nomination for the White House. He remained in the U.S. Senate, however, until his death in 2009.On a hot summer day in Baltimore, one year ago, the entire sports car racing world was turned upside down with the shocking revelation that GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series were set for a historic merger.
Some didn’t believe it at first. Understandably so, as the two series had been bitter rivals for more than a decade, with what appeared to be no hope in sight for a unification that was essential for the survival of North American sports car racing.
While work went on behind the scenes for months before this reporter uncovered and published details of GRAND-AM’s acquisition of the ALMS, just days prior to the scheduled announcement at Daytona on Sept. 5, 2012, many of us were still left in awe that the unthinkable was about to happen.
Reflecting back on the initial weeks and months that followed, there was a sense of optimism in the air from both parties.
ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton made his first of many public appearances at GRAND-AM events, and even helped hand out awards at the end-of-year Rolex Series banquet. Atherton’s counterpart at GRAND-AM, Ed Bennett, had similar duties through the tail end of the 2012 ALMS season as well.
But as the New Year dawned, the warm and fuzzy feeling began to wear off.
The class structure was announced at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, sparking the first bit of controversy with the elimination of the P1 class and initial doubts over how the P2 and DP cars would be balanced into a single category.
The United SportsCar Racing series name and branding reveal came next at Sebring in March, followed by confirmation of the executive team, led by Bennett and Atherton, nearly three months later. But then there was silence.
By the Le Mans break, teams in both paddocks were left with more questions than answers. What will the final regulations look like? How will the P2 and DP cars be balanced? How many races will be on the 2014 schedule? How will teams deal with increased costs?
Nobody seemed to have any answers at the time, and the discontent from many team owners turned into a game of finger pointing, both at the series and also at their competitors, particularly in what became a heated debate over the fate of the new Prototype class.
As both series headed into the summer stretch of races, news slowly trickled from the USCR staff, including further details on class specifications, all bar the much-talked about P2/DP equalization, along with confirmation of Continental’s exclusive tire partnership and a five-year TV deal with FOX Sports.
That brings us to today. While notable progress has been made in the year since the historic merger announcement, there’s no denying some key details have yet to be finalized.
With 136 days until the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, and just over 2 months until the start of official pre-season testing in Florida, teams are not only left without a schedule, but even more concerning, the lack of complete technical regulations, an essential component in order to purchase or modify existing cars for next year.
While it’s understood the Prototype Challenge and GT Le Mans categories will remain unchanged from their current form in the ALMS, many questions still remain over the format for GT Daytona, which has recently been expanded to GT3-based machinery, as well as the combined P2/DP class and what changes will be required to balance the two prototype platforms.
It’s no doubt a monumental task for IMSA’s Scot Elkins and Richard Buck as they continue computer simulations, wind tunnel testing and soon-to-be on-track testing in order to validate the proposed changes for the Prototype class. Decisions also have to be made in the GTD category, particularly with any modifications needed to FIA GT3-spec cars, along the potential use of driver aids.
While there’s a huge amount of pressure behind the scenes, but as nearly every team would point out, time is running out.
With no regulations, some teams have begun to put their 2014 plans on hold, while European squads, which have shown interest in competing at Daytona and Sebring, are up against the clock as well. A few U.S.-based teams are even evaluating their options in the FIA World Endurance Championship, largely due to its stable set of regulations, at least for the LMP2 and GTE classes.
Turning back the clock one year, would many have thought we’d be in this position today, waiting for crucial details for next year |
, surprising his foe with an unexpected display of skill. For a second, Archie Moore hangs in space, teetering, off-balance, with his chin dangling in the air, ready to be plucked. Instead, Marciano raises his right hand high and smashes it straight down on the back of Archie’s head.
He’s down. The camera fixates on Moore, who sits, dazed, on the floor. He does not groan in pain, but neither does he grin in a vain attempt to brush off the assault. Instead, he sort of squints, shakes his head, and stares into space for a few seconds before struggling back to his feet. If anything, the expression reads bewildered, disbelieving... and maybe even a little impressed.
This late-bloomer from Brockton, Massachusetts was pretty damn good, after all.
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Rocky Marciano put on a few stinkers of his own. As an amateur, his record was an unremarkable 9-4. And though Marciano’s schedule is often underrated, his pro career was bolstered by some careful matchmaking. He faced no top contenders for his first 20 or so fights, and it was not until his 24th pro bout that The Rock squared off with anything like a “name” opponent. This is not to imply that Marciano was protected--after all, those 20 fights occurred within the space of two years, and Rocky was facing all-time greats about five years after his boxing debut. The point is, everyone knew Marciano could beat a bum, and even a decent journeyman, but before his big break there was nothing to suggest he could do to the best in the world what he usually did to nobodies.
It was never impossible that Gaethje could beat Michael Johnson and forge a successful career in the UFC. There were, however, some reasons for concern. In 2014, Gaethje went to split decision with Melvin Guillard, a veteran nearing the end of his career. He was 3-6 with one no contest in his last 10 fights, and banking more than ever on the unlikely prospect of a surprise finish. He also came in overweight. Yet Gaethje seemed hesitant, and Guillard kept him cautious with the occasional burst of speed. Gaethje won, but did not impress. If speed was Gaethje’s problem, then Michael Johnson was sure to test him.
And yet when that July 6th UFC debut finally came around, Gaethje managed to force his fight. Michael Johnson’s speed advantage was profound, and Justin was badly hurt twice by punches he never saw coming. In landing them, however, Johnson convinced himself that he could finish Gaethje. He couldn’t, but it took exhausting himself in the effort to find that out. The bout became a fight, and the fight became a war. And as they tend to do, the war became a win for Justin Gaethje.
Gaethje gets weary. If it weren’t for the incredible amount of effort he puts into every action, you might even criticize him for tiring out too easily. But the kind of power Gaethje possesses has nothing to do with speed, or surprise. He has what fight fans call “heavy hands,” natural power that enables him to stretch people out on accident. And when he gets tired, his fists don’t get any lighter.
So when Michael Johnson began to peter out, his greatest advantage--his speed--abandoned him. He slowed down to the pace of his opponent. By the mid-point of the second round, Gaethje was swaying on unsteady legs, his chest heaving, his hands dropping more and more quickly after each exchange. But the power was still there, and, along with a granite chin and an iron will, that’s all Gaethje needs.
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A big part of what made Rocky Marciano great was his uncanny ability to fight up to the level of his competition. His style was never particularly pretty, but Marciano surprised many a foe with his sharp counter punching, and his ability to predict and adapt to his opponent’s moves. For example, Marciano knocked down Ezzard Charles, truly one of the greatest boxers of all time, by throwing away a left hook only to pivot on a dime and follow with the right. The punch landed with shocking speed, and caught Charles flush as he was still busy avoiding the left. You might not call it perfect technique, but Marciano proved that he was more than a rude slugger when he needed to.
Heart, though. That’s what separated Marciano from the rest. Rocky possessed supernatural self-belief. He was famed for his ability to absorb punishment and come back late. Like Gaethje, his power was always there for him, and no one ever seemed capable of knocking him out. Those who tried often ended up worse for it: they found out (too late) that they had invited themselves to a brawl with one of the hardest men to ever set foot in the ring.
Jersey Joe Walcott knocked Marciano down in the first round. It was Rocky’s first chance at a heavyweight title, and the first time he had ever been floored. Though Marciano got up and did well to keep himself in the fight, Walcott proceeded to build on his lead with the confidence of an old pro (which he was). By the start of the championship rounds he was ahead on all three scorecards.
Then, in the 13th, Marciano got him. Inching forward, pawing with his lead hand, Rocky was looking for the thunderous right, his famed “Suzy Q.” Walcott knew it, and feinted Marciano to get him to throw it. He threw it. Walcott responded with a counter, his right hand smashing into Marciano’s chin and freezing him in his tracks.
But Rocky landed first. That right hand flew straight to the target, and while Walcott’s counter was still inches from its mark, “Suzy Q” kissed him on the lips. Marciano survived the exchange, blinked to clear his head, and looked down to discover that Walcott had not been so lucky. Jersey Joe dangled from the ropes, knees sagging and head lolling. Rocky decked him with a short left hook for good measure, and the champion slumped to the floor. When he awoke, several minutes later, he wasn’t champion anymore.
In the rematch, Rocky knocked Walcott out in the first.
Though fight fans were not wrong to doubt Marciano’s skills, no one could have known the contents of his heart. So Marciano won, and kept winning, and then retired. A short, hard career, but one filled with unforgettable moments, and one in which he never once lost.
-
Who can know what Justin Gaethje is capable of? One night he struggles with the speed of a shopworn, overweight Melvin Guillard. Another night he outworks and outmaneuvers one of the fastest strikers on the UFC roster, and a ranked contender, to boot. Many thought Gaethje wouldn’t make it this far. Some--including myself--thought Johnson was too quick, too sharp, and too athletic to give Gaethje the war he needed. But war is the only thing Justin Gaethje does. Almost every one of his fights is a wild, violent brawl, and it’s starting to look like that isn’t an accident.
Does any of this guarantee Gaethje success against the other members of the UFC’s lightweight top 10? Certainly not. But Justin Gaethje claims to be unbreakable, and so far he looks it. As he warned in the post-fight interview, future opponents would be well-advised to “put me out, because if you can’t I’m coming for your head. I’m coming for your body, and I’m coming for your legs.”
Tough talk, but not so easy to discount. Fans have seen Michael Johnson knock men out with lesser punches than the ones he planted on Justin Gaethje’s chin, and yet Gaethje only ever stopped moving forward long enough to gather his senses for the next assault. Johnson hit Gaethje with the exact punch that rendered Dustin Poirier insensate last September, and Gaethje didn’t even go down. His legs thought about it, but the man wouldn’t fall.
It may not be satisfying to end a piece on a question, but that’s all I have. How far can Justin Gaethje’s crazy style take him? How good does the opponent have to be to escape his endless attacks, and what does it actually take to knock him out? These questions are hard as hell to answer, and maybe they never will be. No one ever found Rocky Marciano’s limits, and so far Gaethje’s remain unreached. So who knows?
After stopping Johnson, Gaethje ran to the fence for his signature celebration: a soaring backflip from the top of the cage. Attempt one was a comical disaster. Gaethje leapt up to mount the fence, and suddenly realized that his arms would not bear his weight. He slipped, banged his chin on the cage, and fell to the ground. It would’ve made for a classic pratfall, but as a victory dance it was underwhelming. Attempt two barely got off the ground, and neither did Gaethje. He was too exhausted even to lift himself, and had to walk away.
Most people would have quit after attempt one. Most fighters would have quit after attempt two. Justin Gaethje, however, took a moment to shake out his arms and laugh at himself. Then he went for number three. And while I sat at home, watching through slitted fingers, sure that this man was about to break his neck just after his most impressive win, Justin Gaethje climbed the cage, stood up tall, and did a damn backflip.The Los Angeles Rams didn’t have a pick until the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft after selecting Cal quarterback Jared Goff No. 1 overall. It was a trade that lit the internet on fire, but one that the Rams higher ups felt needed to be made.
So, with the draft now wrapped up and OTAs in the books, draft gurus from all over are evaluating the biggest steals and reaches for specific teams. This week, Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling was talking Rams, and had the following to say about the team’s biggest steal of the draft:
Steal: Mike Thomas, WR, Southern Mississippi (6th Round, 206th overall) I banged the table for Thomas throughout the predraft process, and still don’t understand how he didn’t get a combine invite before sliding all the way to the sixth round. He’s got adequate size and speed, runs precise routes and there’s no arguing with his production. Thomas averaged 19.6 yards per catch in 2015, the highest mark in the FBS for any receiver with at least 65 receptions. The Rams have plenty of bodies at the receiver spot, but Thomas is the guy I expect to rise through training camp and not only earn a roster spot, but compete for a decent chunk of playing time in the regular season as a rookie.
While Easterling also touched on the biggest reach by the Rams (while admitting it’s hard to have a big reach with the gap from the first to fourth rounds), we want to talk Mike Thomas.
Why? Because we love Mike Thomas as well.
Thomas’ presence really wasn’t felt until his senior year, which may explain the drop to the sixth round. Even still, Rams fans are absolutely ecstatic about his upside. During his 2015 season at Southern Miss, Thomas totaled 71 receptions for 1,391 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was a matchup nightmare at times for opponents, and we have to agree with Luke that he has a real chance to get playing time right out of the gate.
Time to get those No. 13 jerseys.Trump Campaign Sketches Out Family Care Plans; Questions Linger Over Funding
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Moore/Getty Images John Moore/Getty Images
Donald Trump is once again taking the fight to Democrats and Hillary Clinton.
During a week in which the Republican presidential nominee has been attacking Clinton for disparaging half of his supporters as "deplorables," Trump plans to roll out a new proposal that treads deep into the core issues that Clinton and other Democrats regularly campaign on: making child care more accessible and affordable.
In a speech Tuesday evening in suburban Philadelphia, Trump is expected, according to campaign aides, to go into more detail on a proposal he originally laid out last month in a wide-ranging economic speech — allowing parents to deduct the average cost of child care from their taxes.
How the plan works
Trump's expanded plan would allow parents to deduct the average cost of child care from their taxes. The campaign says this is focused on "working and middle-class families," though its income caps — $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for couples — far exceed most people's definition of working class.
After his economic speech last month, Trump was criticized for a plan that didn't do anything for those who don't earn enough to pay federal income taxes. They wouldn't be able to take advantage of the deductions, and because child care costs what it costs, it has an outsize impact on the poor.
To address this, Trump's campaign unveiled child care rebates — up to $1,200, staffers say — to provide benefits to people who currently don't earn enough to pay federal income taxes.
The Trump campaign says that stay-at-home parents would also be eligible for the same tax deductions working parents currently receive.
As CNBC found in its analysis when Trump's plan was unveiled last month, Trump's plan "would create a substantial tax break for working parents, but further widen the deficit." That's because:
"On average, households with a woman working outside her home and taking care of a child under 15 paid an average $127 a week on child care, according to a Census Bureau analysis of 2010 data. That works out to about $6,600 a year. With some 24 million households in that category, the child-care tax break would cost the government $158 billion a year. "For families paying for child care, the current tax break offers little relief. Only 3.5 million tax returns claimed the existing child-care tax credit for the 2010 tax year, according to IRS data, saving those households $1.9 billion. (Nearly 10 million returns claimed a separate tax credit for all parents, whether or not the family had child-care expenses, for another $14 billion in tax savings.) "So total out-of-pocket child-care costs amounted to about $142 billion, which a Trump administration would either have to make up with higher taxes or add to the budget deficit."
Along with all this, the campaign is now promising to "guarantee" six weeks of paid maternity leave. (Paternity leave is not mentioned.)
Clinton's proposal would be open to fathers as well. She also wants to institute a hard cap on families' child care costs, at 10 percent of their overall income.
Tax-free savings accounts
Trump would also create a Dependent Care Savings Account, which would allow "tax-deductible contributions and tax-free appreciation year-to-year," according to a campaign-provided fact sheet. What's more, the government would match half of the first $1,000 deposited per year.
That could come at a whopping cost. There are some 124 million households in the U.S., about 43 percent of which include children. That's more than 50 million households. If all of those families put in $1,000 per year, it would cost the government $25 billion annually. Even if half of all families contributed to it, that's still a big price tag, and the Trump campaign outlines no way to pay for it. Not to mention that that kind of benefit doesn't help the families who can't afford to put that much in per year.
Trump campaign policy adviser Stephen Miller told NPR's Sarah McCammon that a Trump administration would focus on fraud to finance the family leave portion. Miller's estimate was $5.3 billion in unemployment insurance fraud, which the campaign believes it can recoup half of. Republicans wary of increasing government spending frequently suggest funding new proposals by saying they will eliminate fraud.
"We estimate we can easily recover $2.5 [billion] for paid leave," Miller said.
That still would leave a sizable gap in how to pay for the overall plan. Miller added, "The rest is paid for through comprehensive tax and economic reform." And the campaign believes it would be "deficit-neutral." But if that's based on "growth," that can always be a murky calculation.
Trump has already overhauled his tax plan once during this election campaign. One outside analysis of his initial tax plan estimated a 10-year cost to taxpayers of $9.5 trillion. An economic adviser to Trump estimated in August his updated plan would cost $3 trillion over a decade.
The Trump campaign says Trump's daughter Ivanka was deeply involved in coming up with this proposal. It echoes a notable line from her speech at the Republican National Convention in July, when she told Republicans that Trump would "focus on making quality child care affordable and accessible for all."
Democrats have long pushed for guaranteed paid family leave, but many Republicans in Congress have been resistant because of the cost to employers.This story all started for me back in 1984 when I had just returned to my job at Boeing after a 16 month layoff. I bounced a check. In response my large commercial bank I'd been with for years decided I should be treated as a 2nd class customer, and it revoked my ability to use any ATM's. The next day I went in and closed my account and opened one at Boeing Employees Credit Union. I've been there ever since. A rule change allowed BECU to offer membership to all residents of Washington State. Now BECU is the 4th largest credit union in the U.S.
Price fixing seems to an accepted feature in large commercial banking. Remember when all the big banks imposed ATM fees over a short period through price fixing. In recent years Big Banks have gotten used to getting a 20% return on their money, and now that Dodd Frank has slashed their exorbitant merchant fees we're seeing a new round of increased customer fees as the big banks desperately seek to maintain their 20% returns at the expense their customers. Before the 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act big banks routinely made closer to 10 to 12 percent return on their money.
If enough of the big banks' customers vote with their feet this new wave of bank price fixing could backfire, and they might have to go back to accepting a less greedy rate of return on their money.
Customers ditch bank fees, flock to credit unions Now it's known as BECU, and those initials are experiencing a major boom. Just since September 30, more than 7,000 new members have joined, and more than 700 joined on Wednesday alone.
With new federal regulations on banks, many of the bigger names including Bank of America are raising fees. Bank of America recently announced that it wil start charging $5 a month to use a debit card. One Bank of America user said despite being a long-time and loyal customer, he's looking to switch to BECU over a range of fees. Overall, the Northwest Credit Union Association says their member institutions report business is up 20 to 25 percent over last year. But it's not just credit unions seeing growth. The Washington State Bankers Association reports deposits are also up at community and regional commercial banks.
While this is a local story, I suspect this must be a nationwide phenomenon. If this stream of departing customers turns into a flood the big banks will have no choice but to scale back their excessive greed. With 50 Million customers Bank of America can probably afford to lose 2 or 3 million of them if they can more than make it up by squeezing higher fees out of their remaining customers. But if B of A is looking at losing 12 or 13 million customers, than that's a whole new ball game.
If you still do your banking with a larger commercial bank I justr have on question.
Why?Kiarostami died on July 4 at the age of 76. His death was a great shock to art lovers and cinema professionals in Iran and many other parts of the world. Many people, including Tabesh, have since released messages on his demise. While offering its condolences over the acclaimed director’s death, IFP publishes Tabesh’s message as follows:
“I extend my heartfelt sorrow on the death of the brilliant figure of Iranian cinema and the world, Abbas Kiarostami, to the Iranian people, filmmakers, and the entire art loving community.
Abbas Kiarostami is a leading figure in the art of cinema. His approach is humanistic and ethical.
He has created innovative, modern and magnificent work. Kiarostami brought a new genre to the Iranian cinema and as a consequence made the Iranian cinema famous in the artistic circles all around the globe. Kiarostami gave a new life to experimental movies and paved the way for an entire generation of experimental and new wave filmmakers and for the empiricists in the seventh art.
My condolences to his family, may our prayers bring comfort and peace to them.
May his soul rest in peace.”One of the more bizarre plot lines emerging from this R2K fiasco is that conservatives think our wingnut poll from January is discredited. That was the poll that found that a significant number of Republicans were birthers, wanted Obama impeached, etc.
Conservative protestations about that poll were always bizarre, since their messaging has strongly pushed those beliefs, but whatever. It was clear that they want to believe those things, but they don't want anyone to know they believe those things.
And so they rejoice with the downfall of Research 2000, because it proves they aren't as crazy as the world thinks they are! But of course, our polling wasn't the only polling that exposed the modern conservative movement's craziness.
Public Policy Polling:
While I'd agree that Research 2000's poll may have been bogus, I would not agree it means Republicans don't think those things. We have polled on many of the same issue over the last year and in some cases found even more Republicans buying into some of those conspiracy theories. For instance: -In September we found only 37% of Republicans believed Barack Obama was born in the United States while 42% think he was not and 22% were unsure. Those numbers actually showed a higher birther quotient than the discredited R2K numbers that claimed 42% of Republicans believed Obama was born in the country while 36% thought he was not, and 22% were unsure. -In November we found 52% of Republicans thought ACORN stole the 2008 Presidential election for Barack Obama while 27% thought he legitimately won it and 21% were unsure. That again showed a much higher level of belief in election fraud than the R2K numbers that claimed 21% of Republicans believed the election was stolen while 24% thought it was not and 55% were unsure. -In December we found 35% of Republicans thought Barack Obama should be impeached while 48% thought he should not be and 17% were unsure. The Research 2000 poll claimed a similar, although slightly higher, level of support for impeachment from Republicans with 39% favoring it, 32% opposed, and 29% not sure. Would I be leery of the Research 2000 findings on some of these extremist Republican views? Absolutely. But other pollsters have found the same thing. The discrediting of R2K doesn't change the fact that many GOP voters do subscribe to these unproven conspiracy theories.
Harris:
67 percent of Republicans (and 40 percent of Americans overall) believe that Obama is a socialist. 57 percent of Republicans (32 percent overall) believe that Obama is a Muslim 45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president" 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is "doing many of the things that Hitler did"
Scariest of all, 24 percent of Republicans (14 percent overall) say that Obama "may be the Antichrist."
ABC News:
Fourteen percent of Americans say without prompting that they think Barack Obama was born in another country, rising to one in five when those with no opinion are offered that as a possibility. But for many it's not a firm belief – and some appear not to hold it against him [...] In addition to Obama disapprovers, people who are more apt than others to say Obama was born in another country include conservatives, Republicans, supporters of the Tea Party political movement (31 percent in each group), evangelical white Protestants (33 percent), and supporters of John McCain in 2008 (30 percent) – all groups broadly critical of Obama.
Vanity Fair-60 Minutes:
Long after the question of President Obama’s birthplace should have been put to rest, a new poll shows that nearly one in four Americans believe the “birther” lunacy that the president was born outside the country. The Vanity Fair/60 Minutes poll found that 24 percent of respondents think Obama was born outside the U.S., with six percent saying he was born in Kenya, another two percent choosing Indonesia, and the remainder being unsure of his exact foreign origins.
Conservatives can hope that all these polling outfits are found out to be frauds as well, or just accept that their base is buying the crap they're selling. If they want to scream about Obama being illegitimate, then maybe people will believe that Obama is illegitimate.
And rather than be embarrassed about it, they should own it.Dear Justin Patton,
I saw your press conference today:
You were thoughtful, graceful and professional.
You also … showed off your new gear:
I see you! Wearing that Timberwolves jacket … like this wasn’t your first time. 😆
(You’re cool man)
You know, you stand out from the other rookies that were drafted by the Timberwolves. You bring personality, an infectious smile.
You’re a charismatic young man.
Don’t forget that. Regardless of the highs and lows that you will go through, and there will be plenty of those moments, just be you.
So enjoy the ride, my friend.
Enjoy the journey because this just happened:
You are officially official!
—DP
Go Timberwolves! Get your howl on.
Follow us on Twitter @howlintwolf & @Twolvesblog. Last but not least, check out the latest Timberwolves news:
Gif: GiphyFor Donald Trump the Constitution is yuge...and a lot bigger than it actually is.
Trump told House Republicans Thursday he will make sure to protect the Constitution if he becomes president -- including a non-existent Article XII.
The presumptive GOP nominee, who was on Capitol Hill Thursday to charm rank-and-file Republicans and build party unity, told members he would be the "best constitutional president ever," according to Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wisconsin, a Trump skeptic.
Rep. Mark Sanford, R-South Carolina, said Trump promised to protect several articles of the Constitution -- including "Article XII," even though the Constitution has seven articles.
"It was the normal stream of consciousness that's long on hyperbole and short on facts," Sanford told reporters after the meeting.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, said the meeting was productive.
“Our members really enjoyed it,” Ryan said. “It’s very clear that he’s working on putting together a strong general election campaign.”
Trump also reportedly told members of Congress golf legend Jack Nicklaus would be attending the Republican National Convention, but Nicklaus' spokesman said that was not accurate.
"Mr. Nicklaus is traveling internationally the next couple weeks, touching down in no fewer than six countries. So I can confidently confirm that the reports are inaccurate and Mr. Nicklaus will not be attending any portion of the RNC," spokesman Scott Tolley said in an email. "[Trump and his campaign staff] have known for quite some time of his travels and prior commitments."The first federal prosecutor to probe the financial dealings of Bill and Hillary Clinton says he was poised to bring high-profile indictments against top Arkansas political and business figures — based in part on testimony from a chief witness against the then president — when he was abruptly replaced by a panel of federal judges, throwing his investigation into turmoil.
"I was angry, frustrated and above all disappointed that I was not going to be able to carry through and finish bringing the indictments," writes Robert Fiske, a former U.S. attorney who served as the original independent counsel in charge of the Whitewater investigation, in a forthcoming memoir, "Prosecutor Defender Counselor."
Fiske — ever the punctilious prosecutor — offers no judgments on the conduct of the Clintons, nor on that of the man who replaced him, Kenneth Starr.
But in his first extensive public comments on his Whitewater investigation, in his book and in an exclusive Yahoo News interview, Fiske contends his removal had a devastating impact on the agents and prosecutors working the case: It ultimately caused the Whitewater probe to stretch on for years longer than it needed to under Starr, a conservative former federal appellate judge who had no prosecutorial experience.
"The simplest way to put it, after I was replaced, the lawyers on the staff in Arkansas said the agents for the FBI and IRS were totally demoralized," Fiske said in the Yahoo News interview. "They thought we were on the brink of doing all these great things, and now that was not going to happen."
The long-ago Whitewater probe seems likely to be revived by political foes if, as is widely expected, Hillary Clinton runs for president. (The Clinton library is due to release new documents, including some that are expected to include Whitewater files, this Friday.) For years, the Clintons have sought to portray the entire investigation as a politically inspired witch hunt, pushed by partisans hunting for any ammunition they could find to damage the president and first lady.
"I'm still waiting for them to admit that there was nothing to Whitewater," Bill Clinton said in a recent appearance.
But the new account of Fiske, a pillar of the New York legal community, offers a more complicated picture. He describes how he had quickly uncovered "serious crimes" in the Whitewater investigation but that his probe was cut short after conservatives falsely accused him of a "cover up."
"There were indictments, there were convictions," said Fiske when asked about claims that there was "nothing" to the investigation. "People went to jail. There was never any evidence that was sufficient to link the Clintons to any of it, but there were certainly serious crimes."
Appointed by Janet Reno in January 1994, Fiske describes how he moved aggressively from the start, carving out a wide-ranging mandate and hiring a top-flight staff of veteran prosecutors. One of his first moves was to subpoena Hillary Clinton's law firm billing records — documents that were later found under mysterious circumstances in the White House living quarters.
By the summer of 1994, Fiske says, he was preparing to bring eight indictments against 11 defendants, including criminal charges for fraud against Jim and Susan McDougal (the Clintons' Whitewater business partners), Webster Hubbell (then an associate attorney general and formerly Hillary Clinton's law partner) and Jim Guy Tucker (Clinton's successor as governor of Arkansas).
A key witness in these cases was David Hale, a former municipal judge and the owner of a federally subsidized small-business lending company. It was Hale who had made the most serious allegation against Bill Clinton: Hale had claimed that Clinton, while Arkansas governor, had pressured him to make a fraudulent $300,000 federally backed loan to a marketing company owned by Susan McDougal that was really intended to pay off the two couples' debts in their Whitewater real estate investment. ("My name can't show up on this," Hale claimed Clinton had told him, an account that President Clinton later denied.)
Defenders of the Clintons have long depicted Hale as an inveterate liar who was put up to his allegations by bitter political enemies of the then president and first lady.Microsoft can notch another sales victory on its belt — at least for Black Friday. According to Adobe's annual Black Friday sales report (via VentureBeat ), the Xbox One took a sales lead over the PlayStation 4 on the holiday shopping day in the U.S., coming in fifth on the list the top-selling electronics.
While the Xbox One came out ahead of the PlayStation 4 on Black Friday, it still landed behind iPads, Samsung 4k TVs, the MacBook Air, and LG TVs in the category of electronics. Interestingly, Cyber Monday sales saw a noticeable shift, according to Adobe's numbers, placing the PlayStation 4 as the top-selling product in electronics (just ahead of Xbox) for that day.
Microsoft has enjoyed a surge in Xbox One sales over the past several months, bolstered by the strength of the Xbox One S and enticing bundle deals. In fact, October marked the fourth consecutive month that the Xbox One took the top sales spot in North America, according to NPD. Adobe's overall numbers might indicate a shift from this pattern, however: while Xbox may have won Black Friday, Adobe's number show PlayStation 4 as the top-selling console for the rest of November.
Did you pick up a new Xbox One over the Black Friday weekend? Let us know in the comments!Share on:
Patterns in sky brightness depend very strongly on location
Karl-Heinz Karisch Pressestelle des Forschungsverbundes Berlin e.V.
Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.
02/12/2015 13:05
At many locations around the world, the night sky shines hundreds of times brighter than it did before the introduction of artificial light. Berlin based researchers from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the Freie Universität Berlin led a groundbreaking study into variations in the radiance of the night sky. Together with an international team of researchers from Europe, North America, and Asia, they found remarkably large variations in artificial night sky brightness at the different observation sites.
Light allows us to extend the day, increasing productivity. But the introduction of light into the nighttime environment is one of the most striking changes humans have made to the Earth’s physical environment, and it is associated with several unintended negative consequences. One example is skyglow, the artificial brightening of the night sky. Until now, all published skyglow research had been local or regional in scale. The new study greatly expands on this earlier work, examining light patterns at 50 locations worldwide. Most of the study sites had considerable skyglow: at 30 of the study sites, the sky was more than twice as bright as a natural star-filled sky more than 95% of the time.
The study, published Thursday in Nature Publishing Group's open access journal "Scientific Reports", is the most comprehensive examination of skyglow ever undertaken.
Cloudy nights are the most important
The study examined the effect that clouds have on the night sky brightness, and found that it varies remarkably, depending on the location. “Thick clouds act like a surface and scatter light back in the direction it came from” said study leader Dr. Christopher Kyba, study leader and former IGB researcher now based at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). For millions of years, this made overcast nights the darkest, with starlight reflected back into space. However, this occurred at only 2 of the 22 sites where nearby meteorological observations were available. At most sites, the overcast nights were many times brighter than clear nights. The researchers were surprised to discover that the ratio between overcast and clear sky brightness grows most rapidly as cities are approached. Once the city limit is crossed, the rate of this increase appears to slow.
The brightest individual observation came from a site near the Dutch town of Schipluiden. There, the sky was 10,000 times brighter than the darkest observation reported from Kitt Peak in the USA. “This difference is much larger than what is observed in the daytime” said Kyba. “It is roughly comparable to the difference between a surface illuminated by direct sunlight and one in the dim area between two street lamps.”
Even when the researchers restricted their analysis to average sky brightness at midnight, large differences remained. “Overcast nights in Berlin were typically 300 times brighter than those on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog in the North Sea” said Kai Pong Tong, the study’s second author and a PhD student at the University of Bremen.
Unforeseen consequences of lighting
The impact of brighter nights on the natural environment is still largely unknown. Researchers hypothesize that this change affects the behavior of nocturnal animals, affects navigation and migration for some species, and unbalances traditional predator-prey relationships. Even social interactions such as reproduction are believed to be affected.
Kyba points out that although the present study is the most widespread to date, it considered only a small fraction of the Earth’s nightly lit area. The researchers call for an international network of similar monitoring stations. The data gathered by such a network would allow researchers to calibrate and test models that predict skyglow in areas for which monitoring doesn’t exist. “Models will be an essential tool to understand the social and environmental impacts of skyglow” according to Kyba.
Lead author contact:
Dr. Christopher Kyba
Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam and
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin
Telephone: +49 (0)331 288 28973
Email: kyba@gfz-potsdam.de
Additional contacts by country:
CANADA:
Dr. Phil Langill
Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, University of Calgary, Canada
Telephone: +1 403 874 1877
Email: pplangil@ucalgary.ca
GERMANY:
PD Dr. Franz Hölker
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin
Telephone: +49 (0)30 64 181 665
E-Mail: hoelker@igb-berlin.de
PD Dr. Axel Schwope
Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), Potsdam, Germany
Telephone: +49-331-7499232
Email: aschwope@aip.de
Dr. Georg Heygster
Universität Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics, Bremen, Germany
Telephone +49 421-218-62180
Email: heygster@uni-bremen.de
ITALY:
Dr. Andrea Giacomelli
Institute, City, Country: Attivarti.org, Torniella, Italy
Telephone: +393471533857
E-Mail: info@pibinko.org
UNITED KINGDOM:
Dr Thomas Davies
University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
Telephone: (+44) 1326259476
E-Mail: Thomas.Davies@exeter.ac.uk
Press images:
In natural areas like Glacier National Park in the USA, clouds make the sky darker. In cities like Berlin they make it far brighter |
King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (When teaming EX Terry with EX Andy and EX Joe)
- The King of Fighters '95, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (When teaming EX Terry with EX Andy and EX Joe) 176th Street - The King of Fighters '99 (Remix of 11th Street from Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition)
- The King of Fighters '99 (Remix of 11th Street from Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition) Terry 115 - The King of Fighters 2000, The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood, The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood
- The King of Fighters 2000, The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood, The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood All OK! - The King of Fighters 2001
- The King of Fighters 2001 Prolongation - The King of Fighters 2003
- The King of Fighters 2003 Street Dancer - King of Fighters XI, The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, also shared with Andy and Joe)
- King of Fighters XI, The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, also shared with Andy and Joe) Wild Street - The King of Fighters XIII
- The King of Fighters XIII Departure from South Town - The King of Fighters XIV
- The King of Fighters XIV Soy Sauce for Geese -KOF XIV ver.- - The King of Fighters XIV (as Geese's opponent)
- The King of Fighters XIV (as Geese's opponent) Kuri Kinton Flavor (Chestnut Flavor) - The King of Fighters XIV (when fought in the Transcontinental Railroad stage)
- The King of Fighters XIV (when fought in the Transcontinental Railroad stage) Sun Shine Glory - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
- The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match Atana Hikaru - Days of Memories
- Days of Memories Moon Wolf (KM Cool Emotion Mix) - K.O.F. Dance Trax
- K.O.F. Dance Trax Yoake no Legend ( Legend of Dawn ) - Ending theme from Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
( ) - Ending theme from Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture Big Shot! ~SNK Heroines Edit~ - SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy
Image Songs
The Song of Fighters '95 - Shared image Song from The King of Fighters '95 Arranged Soundtrack
- Shared image Song from The King of Fighters '95 Arranged Soundtrack Shooting☆Star - Image Song from Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers Arranged Soundtrack
- Image Song from Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers Arranged Soundtrack Dance de Peace! - Shared image song from the Scitron 10th Anniversary Special: Fatal Fury -Selected Characters-
Voice Actors
Live Action Actors
Richard Beaupre - Fatal Fury Special Neo Geo live action commercials
Troy Beeson - Fatal Fury 3 commercials
David Leitch - King of Fighters movie
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GalleryFrom a virus’s point of view, invading our cells is a matter of survival. The virus makes a living by hijacking cellular processes to produce more of the proteins that make it up.
From our point of view, the invasion can be a matter of survival too: surviving the virus. To combat viral diseases like HIV-AIDS, Ebola and Zika, scientists need to understand the “life cycle” of the virus and design drugs to interrupt it. But seeing what virus proteins do inside living cells is extremely difficult, even with the most powerful imaging technologies.
Now University of Chicago scientists and their colleagues have developed an innovative computer model of HIV that gives real insight into how a virus “matures” and becomes infective. In doing so, it offers the prospect of developing new anti-viral drugs and greatly extends what has been possible with computer simulations of biological systems. Their findings appeared in the May 13 edition of Nature Communications.
“Understanding the details of viral maturation is considered a holy grail,” said Gregory Voth, the Haig P. Papazian Distinguished Service Professor in Chemistry, who built the model with research scientist John Grime. “It has a set of processes that are incredibly hard to stop. With our model, we’ve discovered a key set of dynamical steps in the maturation process. And we think we’ve identified two core aspects of HIV.”
To mature and become infective, a virus must grow a little pear-shaped capsule called the capsid, which is made of proteins that wrap themselves around the RNA that will allow the virus to replicate. “This is the thing that’s going to get shot into a new cell and release its contents,” said Voth. “The capsid is like a little armor-plated container that carries with it the genetic material of the virus. And it is a diabolical delivery device.”
Capsid growth details
Voth and Grime’s model illuminates in detail how the capsid grows in HIV, something difficult to examine in real life because the capsid is tiny and surrounded by other material. “That’s where computer simulations are so powerful,” Voth said. “And in computer simulations you can turn things on and off, which you can’t do in reality. It makes a huge difference in what you learn. It’s not reality, but if the model’s good it can be pretty darn close.”
Voth and Grime worked with data and real-world images from experimental collaborators at the University of Virginia and the California Institute of Technology to make sure that their model was consistent with experimental findings. “Their important work helped us to build the model and validate it,” Voth said.
After the HIV virus infects a cell, it forms a “bud” on the cell’s surface—a virus particle that contains some cell membrane, proteins and the virus’s RNA. The bud breaks free of the cell as the “virion” and travels in the body. During that travelling period, critical proteins inside the bud are cut into bits by the enzyme HIV protease—the target of many of today’s anti-HIV drugs. Some 1,200 of these protein bits pair up and assemble themselves into the capsid, enclosing the RNA.
Conditions inside the virion are crowded. And that crowding turns out to be critical to whether a capsid can form or not. “With our simulations we can make it more and less crowded and you see a remarkable sensitivity to that,” Voth said. Too little crowding, and the proteins are likely to speed past each other without interacting. Too much, and they grow useless bits and pieces.
But Voth and Grime found that even with a Goldilocks-like “just right” amount of crowding in their model, the capsid didn’t grow properly. “We’d grow too much, or we’d start growing multiple pieces of the shell and they wouldn’t stick together in the right way, so you’d get a bunch of crazy-looking structures,” Voth said. “We were fundamentally missing something.”
Flipping and dancing
After a year of further work, they realized that before the protein bits pair up and add themselves to the growing capsid shell they are in constant motion, flipping and dancing around. For them to connect to each other and to the capsid they had to be oriented properly. This meant that only a few of them could participate in building the structure at any given time.
“We discovered that the contortions of these proteins are very important to limiting how fast these structures can grow, so it’s just right,” Voth said. “When we built that into the model, guided by published experimental data, that was the secret.”
A large part of building a computer model is deciding what to leave out of it so that it is computationally tractable. “We develop methods to simplify the calculations while retaining their physical essence,” said Voth. “And that opens up very broad frontiers of what can be studied that hasn’t been possible before.”
But even though it is simpler than what exists in nature, the HIV capsid model is tremendously complex. It took millions of hours of computer time on the National Science Foundation supercomputer Blue Waters in Urbana-Champaign to run the simulations.
“I don’t think anyone’s got close to simulating something of this complexity before,” said Grime, who did most of the nuts-and-bolts construction. “I think it’s a very significant advance in terms of what you can do with these sorts of models.”
Voth envisions making similar models for other dangerous viruses, helping scientists discern the points in the cycle that might be good prospects for disruption by a drug.
“We could do this for Zika virus, for Ebola,” he said. “Viruses have a capsid, and that capsid contains their genetic material. So these sets of methodologies could be applied to any of them. We just need enough information and computer power.”
Citation: “Coarse-grained simulation reveals key features of HIV-1 capsid selfassembly,” by John M.A. Grime, James F. Dama, Barbie K. Ganser-Pronillas, Cora L. Woodward, Grant J. Jensen, Mark Yeager and Gregory A. Voth, Nature Communications, published May 13, 2016, DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS11568.
Funding: National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.A Life in Intelligence - The Richard Helms Collection A-12 OXCART Reconnaissance Aircraft Documentation Air America: Upholding the Airmen's Bond An Underwater Ice Station Zebra: Recovering a Secret Spy Satellite Capsule from 16,400 feet Below the Pacific Ocean Atomic Spies: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg Baptism By Fire: CIA Analysis of the Korean War Overview Bay of Pigs Release Berlin Tunnel Bosnia, Intelligence, and the Clinton Presidency CIA Analysis of the Soviet Navy CIA Analysis of the Warsaw Pact Forces CIA Declassifies Oldest Documents in U.S. Government Collection CIA's Clandestine Services: Histories of Civil Air Transport Consolidated Translations Creating Global Intelligence CREST: 25-Year Program Archive Daily Summary Declassified Articles from Studies in Intelligence: The IC’s Journal for the Intelligence Professional DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS RELATED TO 9/11 ATTACKS Doctor Zhivago Documents Related to the Former Detention and Interrogation Program FOIA Collection Francis Gary Powers: U-2 Spy Pilot Shot Down by the Soviets From Typist to Trailblazer: The Evolving View of Women in the CIA's Workforce General CIA Records Ground Photo Caption Cards Guatemala Human Rights in Latin America Intelligence, Policy, and Politics: The DCI, the White House, and Congress Intelligence Warning of the 1957 Launch of Sputnik John McCone as Director of Central Intelligence, 1961-1965 JPRS Library of Congress Lt. Col. Oleg Penkovsky: Western Spy in Soviet GRU National Intelligence Council (NIC) Collection Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act NGA Records (Formerly NIMA) NIS OSS Collection POW MIA Preparing for Martial Law: Through the Eyes of Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski President George H. W. Bush's Farewell Visit to CIA President Carter and the Role of Intelligence in the Camp David Accords President Nixon and the Role of Intelligence in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War President's Daily Brief 1961-1969 President's Daily Brief 1969-1977 Reagan Collection Scientific Abstracts Secret Writing Soviet and Warsaw Pact Military Journals Soviet and Warsaw Pact Military Journals (Latest) STARGATE Stories of Sacrifice & Dedication Strategic Warning and the Role of Intelligence: Lessons Learned From The 1968 Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia Tet Declassified The Berlin Wall Collection: A City Torn Apart: Building of the Berlin Wall The CAESAR, POLO, and ESAU Papers The China Collection The Family Jewels The Original Wizards of Langley The Princeton Collection The Vietnam Collection UFOs: Fact or Fiction? Vietnam Histories Wartime Statutes - Instruments of Soviet Control What was the Missile Gap?Monaco have launched legal proceedings against the French football authorities after rival clubs threatened to refuse the Ligue 2 champions admission to the country's top flight next season.
Having won promotion from the second tier last week, Monaco, in whom the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev took a majority stake in December 2011, may be prevented from taking their place in Ligue 1 after rejecting other clubs' attempts to force them to pay tax.
Monaco have been playing in the French league for nearly a century, during which time the advantages gained from the principality's status as a tax haven have irritated other clubs, but never before has that led to such a confrontation. The cost cuts and tax hikes that French clubs now face seem to have intensified their ill-feeling towards Monaco, who have far greater purchasing power than anyone else in the league other than the Qatari-backed Paris Saint-Germain. Monaco have been linked with a string of top players, including Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Atlético Madrid's Radamel Falcao, as well as the former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, all of whom would earn tax-free salaries.
In March the Ligue Professionelle de Football (LFP) voted to exclude Monaco unless the club moved its head offices to France to register with the country's fiscal authorities, an ultimatum that drew a furious reaction from Monaco.
The French Football Federation stepped in to mediate and eventually proposed that Monaco pay ¤200m (£170m) to be allowed to continue in the league, a supposed compromise that angered the club even further. It demanded that the FFF overturn the LFP's decision but the federation declined to do so and on Friday Monaco announced it "had no option" but to take the matter to France's council of state, the country's supreme court, claiming the LFP position "violates several fundamental principles of French and European law".
In a statement Monaco said: "The club intends to show that the decision of the LFP imposed on AS Monaco, forcing it to move its headquarters to France, violates several fundamental principles of French and European law, notably the principle of free movement, free competition, free access to sporting competitions, and also the Franco-Monégasque tax convention signed on the 18 February 1963."
The Uefa president, Michel Platini, an advocate of financial fair play, expressed surprise at the abrupt militancy of the French clubs. "I find it a little difficult to understand," Platini said after Wednesday's Europa League final. "It's as if French football always liked Monaco so long as they didn't win."On March 27, speaking to the Sunday Times, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams expressed his concern at rising levels of anti-Semitism on British university campuses. There are, he said, “worrying echoes” of Germany in the 1930s. Two days later, in The Times, Chris Bryant, the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and a senior member of the British Labour party, warned that the political left was increasingly questioning the right of the state of Israel to exist, a view he called a “not too subtle form of anti-Semitism.”
Across Europe, Jews are leaving. A survey in 2013 by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights showed that almost a third of Europe’s Jews have considered emigrating because of anti-Semitism, with numbers as high as 46 percent in France and 48 percent in Hungary.
Nor is this a problem in Europe alone. A 2015 survey of North American Jewish college students by Brandeis University found that three-quarters of respondents had been exposed to anti-Semitic rhetoric. One third had reported incidents of harassment because they were Jewish. Much of the intimidation on campus is stirred by “Israel Apartheid” weeks and the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign against Israel. These have become what Easter was in the Middle Ages, a time for attacks against Jews.
Something is clearly happening, but what? Many on the left argue that they are being wrongly accused. They are not against Jews, they say, only opposed to the policies of the state of Israel. Here one must state the obvious. Criticism of the Israeli government is not anti-Semitic. Nor is the BDS movement inherently anti-Semitic. Many of its supporters have a genuine concern for human rights. It is, though, a front for the new anti-Semitism, an unholy alliance of radical Islamism and the political left.
What then is anti-Semitism? It is not a coherent set of beliefs but a set of contradictions. Before the Holocaust, Jews were hated because they were poor and because they were rich; because they were communists and because they were capitalists; because they kept to themselves and because they infiltrated everywhere; because they clung tenaciously to ancient religious beliefs and because they were rootless cosmopolitans who believed nothing.
Anti-Semitism is a virus that survives by mutating. In the Middle Ages, Jews were hated because of their religion. In the 19th and 20th centuries they were hated because of their race. Today they are hated because of their nation state, Israel. Anti-Zionism is the new anti-Semitism.
The legitimization has also changed. Throughout history, when people have sought to justify anti-Semitism, they have done so by recourse to the highest source of authority available within the culture. In the Middle Ages, it was religion. In post-Enlightenment Europe it was science. Today it is human rights. It is why Israel—the only fully functioning democracy in the Middle East with a free press and independent judiciary—is regularly accused of the five crimes against human rights: racism, apartheid, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide. This is the blood libel of our time.
Anti-Semitism is a classic example of what anthropologist René Girard sees as the primal form of human violence: scapegoating. When bad things happen to a group, its members can ask two different questions: “What did we do wrong?” or “Who did this to us?” The entire fate of the group will depend on which it chooses.
If it asks, “What did we do wrong?” it has begun the self-criticism essential to a free society. If it asks, “Who did this to us?” it has defined itself as a victim. It will then seek a scapegoat to blame for all its problems. Classically this has been the Jews.
Today the argument goes like this. After the Holocaust, every right-thinking human being must be opposed to Nazism. Palestinians are the new Jews. The Jews are the new Nazis. Israel is the new crime against humanity. Therefore every right thinking person must be opposed to the state of Israel, and since every Jew is a Zionist, we must oppose the Jews. This argument is wholly wrong. It was Jews not Israelis who were murdered in terrorist attacks in Toulouse, Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen.
Anti-Semitism is a form of cognitive failure. It reduces complex problems to simplicities. It divides the world into black and white, seeing all the fault on one side and all the victimhood on the other. It singles out one group among a hundred offenders for the blame. It silences dissent and never engages in self-criticism. The argument is always the same. We are innocent; they are guilty. It follows that if we—Christians, members of the Aryan race or Muslims—are to be free, they, the Jews, or the state of Israel must be destroyed. That is how the great crimes begin.
Jews have been hated because they were different. They were the most conspicuous non-Christian minority in pre-World War Christian Europe. Today they are the most conspicuous non-Muslim presence in an Islamic Middle East. Anti-Semitism has always been about the inability of a group to make space for difference. No group that adopts it will ever create a free society.
The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. In a world awash with hate across religious divides, people of all faiths and none must stand together, not just to defeat anti-Semitism but to ensure the rights of religious minorities are defended everywhere.
History will judge us by how we deal with this challenge. We must not fail.The Las Vegas warehouse of a Swedish sex toy company was hit by thieves over the Memorial Day weekend — not once, but twice — prompting a police investigation.
In the first theft on Friday night, the bandits broke in and stole boxes containing 30,000 condoms.
On Saturday morning, thieves returned and rammed a vehicle through a delivery door. This time they grabbed boxes containing $15,000 worth of sex toys.
In a good-natured blog post about the thefts on its website, sex toy company Lelo had only one question after the break-ins: “What kind of party are these people having? We could have done the sponsorship or something.”
In its post Lelo also called the thieves “the horniest criminals in world history.”
Lelo representative Davor Solvo had a sense of humor about the thefts, telling CNN affiliate KVVU that whoever took the condoms and sex toys probably didn’t grab them “for testing purposes.”
The break-ins were captured on surveillance video, which Solvo said he gave to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has released a list of 78 attacks it describes as “executed or inspired by” the Islamic State group.
The White House says most did not get sufficient attention.
The list includes incidents like a truck massacre in Nice, France, that killed dozens and received widespread attention, as well as less high-profile incidents in which nobody was killed.
The AP could not verify that each of the incidents had connections to the Islamic State group.
President Donald Trump claimed during a speech earlier Monday that the media was deliberately ignoring attacks.
Trump said that, “in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it,” adding, “They have their reasons.”
Here are the last two pages of the WH list. They were cut off the initial tweet. pic.twitter.com/e72q51qQox — Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) February 7, 2017I am an established and honest adult seller with a long term 100% satisfactory feedback rating. Please feel free to go read my customer reviews and buy with confidence! Unfortunately eBay keeps raising all of their fees so I will now be selling my gear exclusively here, on Reverb. Shipping on this item may take two weeks or shortly longer from its time of purchase as I will be having most of my items shipped from my old residence where I have a majority of my collection still stored in my none smoking, climate controlled studio. I just have not had time to have everything shipped and moved yet since relocating to SC for work... Please let me know if this would be an issue, or if you have any other questions BEFORE BUYING, as I will not refund your payment if you decide after the fact you changed your mind. Yes shipping and handling time may be longer than other listings, but I do reflect your wait time in the pricing of my items, so you are actually getting a much better deal because of the longer than usual ship time, and as you can see by reading my seller feedback, I am dependable and have first rate communication, so you will never feel left in the dark during the ship time. Sorry, but no international sales at this time.Josie Cunningham and the media circus surrounding her represents so much of what is wrong with British celebrity culture – being famous for achieving nothing, an almost proudly displayed addiction to beauty procedures that have rendered her appearance little more than a parody, and blatant courting of the tabloids with whichever salacious soundbites will create maximum publicity. However, I’m still about to defend her.
Cunningham’s declaration that she intends to have an abortion in order to improve her chances of appearing on reality TV has seen her condemned in both liberal and conservative circles. Now, I’m hardly surprised to see some stating sniffily that Cunningham, 23, believes “her career is worth more than the life of the unborn child”.
However, it’s the amount of “I’m pro-choice but…” statements in response to Cunningham’s plans which are particularly galling.
My Facebook and Twitter feeds have been full of tut-tutting about Cunningham’s irresponsibility, and while I’d rather read this than the “evil whore” comments to which Cunningham has also been subject, it’s evidence that liberalism has its limits.
Deep down, many people who claim to be pro-choice still see a woman’s reason for getting an abortion as:
a) up for scrutiny, and
b) existing in a hierarchy of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ reasons.
Sorry folks, but that’s not being pro-choice. That’s being “Pro-the kind of choice I believe other people should make”. Dr Christian Jensen, the TV-friendly advisor from Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, tweeted that Cunningham’s actions are “a new low. Even for her.” And there was I thinking doctors were meant to be impartial, and not in the habit of publicly condemning a woman for considering a totally legal medical procedure.
<noframe>Twitter: Dr Christian Jessen - My god, this is a new low even for her. I didn't think it possible! <a href="http://t.co/KsGtu57yKk" target="_blank">http://t.co/KsGtu57yKk</a></noframe>
Ultimately, what these conversations reveal is that we are still nowhere near a point of women being able to freely admit they have had or will have abortions, without the demand that such an admission be accompanied by shame. That is the rule Cunningham is being punished for breaking – she is not considering an abortion for the ‘right’ reasons (those presumably being ones that involve enough suffering to ‘atone’ for the abortion, such as rape or terminal illness) and she is not hanging her head or crying about it.
Those of us who know that the myth of mental illness caused by ‘post abortion syndrome’ is a toxic lie spread by pro-lifers, and know that the factor most likely to distress a woman seeking an abortion is not being able to obtain one quickly enough, should not find it surprising that some women do not get upset about undergoing a legal procedure that is 11 times safer than giving birth.
Of course, this may all be a giant publicity stunt that will come to nothing. In which case, we should commend Cunningham for being a master of controversy generation, because she pushed a button that she knew would have the British public up in arms, a public whose liberal sheen soon wears off to reveal a desire to control and shame women.
What do you think? Should women's reasons for having an abortion be scrutinised? Are you 'pro-choice' when it comes to abortion? Share your views with @CatherineLScott and @telewonderwomenPeople are really loving the new trailer for the all-lady “Ghostbusters” reboot, unless, of course, they’re hating it — in which case they loathe it with the power of a thousand proton packs.
After the official trailer was released Thursday, Twitter erupted with such vastly different reactions that it was hard to believe everyone had just clicked play on the same video.
Ghostbusters trailer got me excited like a little kid. That hasn't happened in a while. Everyone in it is so funny & the ghosts look GREAT. — Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) March 3, 2016
Praying, but without much hope, that the new Ghostbusters is an awful lot better than that trailer would suggest. — Sean Biggerstaff (@Seanchuckle) March 4, 2016
Hey, different strokes for different folks, right? Except that the divisiveness is pretty epic. And it likely has something to do with the gender make-up of the cast.
On the trailer’s YouTube page, more than 100,000 people have liked the video and nearly 200,000 have disliked it. That might be a record-breaking amount of hate for a trailer. To give you some context, the official trailer for the recent bomb “Gods of Egypt,” which came under fire for a whitewashed cast, was liked around 10,600 times and got 1,300 dislikes. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which has its own share of controversy and trailer haters, has 414,000 up votes and 15,000 down votes for its Comic-Con trailer. Even “The Fantastic Four,” one of the biggest bombs of 2015, has more likes than dislikes. The new Nina Simone biopic, which has been controversial for featuring Zoe Saldana in skin-darkening make-up, has more likes than dislikes at its “official” trailer at Fandango’s Movieclips channel, but more dislikes in another, unofficial one that’s been viewed more times.
Here’s a visual showing a selection of trailers for upcoming movies:
[The Nina Simone biopic hits theaters next month. Her daughter hopes fans stay home.]
So what gives? Well, the new “Ghostbusters” peek is not perfect. Stealing a line like “that’s gonna leave a mark” from “Tommy Boy” feels lazy. And some are discouraged, if not outraged, over Leslie Jones’s casting as a street-wise MTA worker.
Couldn’t Leslie Jones have been one of the scientists, though? I’m just saying. — Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) March 3, 2016
But all of that is burying the lead. You don’t have to look very far into the comments on the trailer to understand why people have made a sport of flocking to YouTube to cast a vote. Aside from the vague proclamations that director Paul Feig has just destroyed a classic film and countless childhoods, many of the comments are variations on a theme. Some examples:
“Women are just incapable of being funny. What a terrible idea.”
“Feminists ruin the world.”
“Shouldn’t they be in the kitchen?”
“Did this just become a chick flick?”
“I’ll call the real Ghostbusters instead”
“Congrats Sony, you’ve killed another beloved franchise. ‘I know! We’ll get a bunch of unfunny comedic nobodies and put them together in an even more childish and immature version of an already childish and immature comedy! We’ll sell it to Social Justice Warriors and feminists, since they control SUCH A LARGE PORTION OF THE SERIES DEMOGRAPHIC. What could possibly go wrong?!'”
And now that the dislikes are rising, it’s become a game. Doubters want to know just how high the number can go — and they’re accusing Sony of deleting comments and altering the stats.
So what does this mean for the “Ghostbusters” box office? Well, if the reaction to YouTube trailers has taught us anything, it’s that there’s no correlation. Just look at what happened to “Gods of Egypt.”To soothe the market frenzy, Chinese authorities temporarily halted trading in some futures contracts for the first time.The PBoC also intervened to ease a liquidity crunch by extending hundreds of billions of yuan in emergency loans to financial firms, and ordering some of the country's biggest banks to lend to non-bank financial institutions.
But the mood in China's $US9 trillion bond market remains tense. Some analysts fear that if the bond sell-off picks up pace, China will see a repeat of the market crash that hit the Chinese share market in mid-2015. At the same time, there are fears that higher bond yields will push borrowing costs higher, adding to the strains faced by debt-laden Chinese corporates.
Rising borrowing costs could cause China's property market to cool more rapidly, which will drag down activity in the economy as a whole. Figures released on Monday show that Beijing's efforts to cool the overheated property market are already beginning to bite, with the rise in prices in China's "first tier" cities – Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou – slowing to 0.1 per cent in November from the previous month. This is well below the monthly price rises of 3 to 4 per cent recorded in these top cities earlier in the year.
Property market clampdown
Over the past few months, Chinese authorities have ramped up their efforts to cool rapidly rising house prices, by increasing the minimum deposit needed for home loans, and making it more difficult to buy second homes. In addition, China's banking regulator instructed lenders to tighten lending standards for property developers and home buyers.
And this clampdown on the property market is expected to continue through 2017. At last week's annual economic policy conference, Beijing said that cooling the property market would be one of its top priorities next year, adding that "houses are for living in, not speculating with".
But this leaves Chinese investors with a major problem. The combination of Beijing's crackdown on speculation, and higher borrowing costs, is likely to push the Chinese property market into reverse next year, with analysts tipping that house prices could fall by up to 20 per cent.
At the same time China's bull market in bonds has clearly come to an end, and there are fears that rising borrowing costs will cause Chinese economic activity to slow.
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Worries about China's economic outlook, and the bleak outlook for investment returns that the country offers, are only increasing the resolve of Chinese investors to shift assets out of the country, especially given the likelihood that the Chinese yuan will continue to lose ground against the resurgent US dollar.
The yuan has fallen about 7 per cent against the US dollar so far this year, despite Beijing's efforts to prop up the currency by selling down its foreign currency reserves. According to the PBoC, China's foreign currency reserves fell 5.6 per cent to $US3.05 trillion ($4.21 trillion) on November 30 from $US3.23 trillion at the start of the year.
As capital outflows have intensified, the PBoC has stiffened the rules on moving capital out of the country, even for multinational companies.
Foreign companies now need approval to exchange yuan into US dollars on transactions more than $US5 million, and face tight limits on amounts they can transfer from Chinese bank accounts to bank accounts of affiliates in other countries. But foreign firms are likely react to this crackdown on capital flows by reducing their foreign investment in China, and abandoning any joint venture plans.
The challenge of cooling down an overheated property and bond market markets while side-stepping an economic hard landing would test the abilities of any central banker. To do this at a time when the currency is also under pressure and your country risks being labelled a "currency manipulator" by the United States, will not only require consummate skill, but also a certain degree of good fortune.Sen. Bernie Sanders (A.B. '64) sent a letter today to University of Chicago graduate student employees before their scheduled October 17 – 18 vote on unionization.
Dear University of Chicago Graduate Student Employees:
I understand this fall you will be voting in an election to determine whether Graduate Student employees at the University of Chicago will have the right to union representation.
It is not my intention to tell you how to vote in that election. That is your decision. What I will tell you, however, is that I have had the opportunity of working with thousands of workers across the country who are members of unions — including many who work in the field of education. These include the full-time and adjunct faculty at the University of Vermont, the Vermont State Colleges, RA's and TA's at Columbia University, and public school teachers — among others.
These workers formed their unions to improve the conditions of their employmenet. What forming a union means is that you and your co-workers will have the opportunity to sit down as legal equals with managment to negotiate a legally binding contract covering all aspects of your wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Nationally, unionized workers make wages that are on average 27 percent more than non-union workers, with significantly better benefits and working conditions. Having a union ends the arrrangement where the employer makes all the decisions unilaterally, and institutes a legal process where your union organization collectively bargains with the employer regarding the issues you have identified as needing improvement.
I respect the critical work you do every day, and wish you the very best in your efforts to create a democratic workplace where your voice can really be heard.
Sincerely,
Bernard Sanders
United States SenatorImage copyright PA Image caption Sylvester Stallone spoke about his career which spans four decades
Sylvester Stallone has admitted the success of Rocky made him "insufferable" and think he was "an authority on everything".
"I abused power badly," the US star told host Jonathan Ross during an on-stage interview at the London Palladium on Saturday.
"I read some of the interviews I gave now and wish I could go back and punch myself in the face," he continued.
But he added a dismal showing of a later film brought him back to Earth.
Stallone had left the set of Rocky II to attend a first-day showing of 1978 drama Paradise Alley, only to find there were just two people in the audience.
"And one of them was asleep," he sighed, admitting it had been "a humbling experience" but "a good thing" for him in the long run.
Described as An Evening with Sylvester Stallone, the West End event saw the 67-year-old entertain an audience of appreciative fans with anecdotes spanning the breadth of his four-decade career.
Billed as Stallone's "first West End debut", the 90-minute interview also saw the star of the Rambo and Expendables films show another side to his macho persona.
Bursting into song at one point, he impressed at another by reciting a short passage from Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Stallone is starring with Robert De Niro in boxing comedy Grudge Match
The evening climaxed with him being inducted into the London Palladium Hall of Fame - an accolade previously bestowed upon Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Discussing the genesis of boxing classic Rocky, Stallone revealed he had been offered up to $300,000 - "a million dollars today" - to let the film be made with another lead.
The Italian-American said it had been a "crossroads moment" in his life, but that he knew he would have "hated" himself had he not stuck to his guns.
The uplifting tale of a lowly debt collector who gets a shot at the world heavyweight title became a box office smash, going on to win three Academy Awards.
Five sequels followed, starting with Rocky II in 1979 and culminating with 2006's Rocky Balboa - which Stallone said was "unquestionably" his favourite.
The actor may reprise his signature role in Creed, a spin-off film that would see the older Balboa train the grandson of a former adversary.
"People think it's Rocky VII but it's not," he said, adding it would be "a very interesting challenge" to revive the character in a different guise.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Stallone wrote, directed and starred in 1978's Paradise Alley
The actor's John Rambo character, introduced in 1982's First Blood, has enjoyed similar longevity, going on to appear in three |
of over 1100 phylotypes representing all major intestinal phyla grouped in 130 genus-like groups described for the human intestinal microbiota. Hybridization of extracted DNA from sample to the oligonucleotide probes on the HITChip yields a signal intensity per probe and can thereby provide a quantitative and qualitative phylogenetic profiling of the microbiome composition. The HITChip has been used in over a dozen studies and validated in analyses of over 1000 subjects.32,37 de Weerth C, Fuentes S, Puylaert P, De Vos WM. Intestinal microbiota of infants with colic: development and specific signatures. Pediatrics. 2013;131:e550-8. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-1449.
Lahti L, Salojärvi J, Salonen A, Scheffer M, De Vos WM. Tipping elements in the human intestinal ecosystem. Nat Commun. 2014;5:59. doi:10.1038/ncomms5344. All samples were analyzed on two independent microarray experiments and the data only passed the quality control if the inter-experiment Pearson correlation was >0.97. The signal intensities were normalized using the fRPA method38 Lahti L, Torrente A, Elo LL, Brazma A, Rung J. A fully scalable online pre-processing algorithm for short oligonucleotide microarray atlases. Nucleic Acids Research. 2013;41:e110-0. doi:10.1093/nar/gkt229. and summarized at different levels of phylogenetic resolution: species, genus, and phylum, except for the Firmicutes, which was further divided to Clostridium clusters and Bacilli. This high-throughput technique has been bench marked with ultra-deep sequencing of 16S rRNA and next-generation parallel sequencing of intestinal metagenomes.39,40 Claesson MJ, O'Sullivan O, Wang Q, Nikkilä J, Marchesi JR, Smidt H, De Vos WM, Ross RP, O'toole PW. Comparative Analysis of Pyrosequencing and a Phylogenetic Microarray for Exploring Microbial Community Structures in the Human Distal Intestine. PLoS ONE. 2009; ;4(8):e6669. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006669.
Arumugam M, Raes J, Pelletier E, Le Paslier D, Yamada T, Mende DR, Fernandes GR, Tap J, Bruls T, Batto J-M, et al. Enterotypes of the human gut microbiome. Nature. 2011;473:174-80. doi:10.1038/nature09944. Statistical analysis Cases were defined as RV1 responders – infants with a serum RV IgA < 20 IU/mL pre-vaccination and IgA ≥ 20 IU/mL post-vaccination. Controls were defined as RV1 non-responders – infants with a serum RV IgA < 20 IU/mL pre-vaccination and post-vaccination. A Chi-square test was used to determine statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between RV1 responders (case) and non-responders (controls). Comprehensive multivariate statistical analyses were performed using Canoco 5.0 software for Windows.41 Leps J, Smilauer P. Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data Using CANOCO [Internet]. Cambridge :Cambridge University Press;2003. Available from: http://www.cambridge.org/9780521814096. Principal coordinate (PCA) and redundancy analyses (RDA) were used to evaluate differences in the overall microbial composition between the study groups. The 130 genus-like bacterial groups targeted by the HITChip were used as biological variables and environmental variables were the matching variables named above. Monte Carlo permutation testing (MCPT) assessed the significance of the effect of these variables in the data set. The relative abundance of specific bacterial groups in the fecal microbiota was determined at the genus-like level and at the phylum level (class for the Firmicutes). Generalized linear model with negative binomial distribution or generalized least squares model were used to determine significant differences in composition and p-values were corrected for false discovery rate (FDR) by the Benjamini-Hochberg method. Graphical representations and modelling of the relative abundance and correlations with RVV response were performed with the package mare42 Korpela K. Mare: Microbiota analysis in R Easily. R Package version 1.0. 2016. Available from https://github.com/katrikorpela/mare within R,43 R Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. 2011. Available from http://www.R-project.org/ utilizing the packages nlme,44 Pinheiro JC, Bates D, DebRoy S, Sarkar D, and R Core Team. nlme: Linear and Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models. R package version. 2016;3:1-128. MASS,45 Venables WN, Ripley BD. Modern Applied Statistics with S. Fourth Edition. New York :Springer; 2002.ISBN 0-387-95456-0. bean plot,46 Kampstra P. Beanplot: A Boxplot Alternative for Visual Comparison of Distributions. Journal of Statistical Software. 2008;Code Snippets 28 (1):1-9. URL http://www.jstatsoftsoft.org/v28/c01/. metacoder,47 Foster ZSL, Sharpton TJ, Grünwald NJ. Metacoder: An R package for visualization and manipulation of community taxonomic diversity data. PLoS Comput Biol. 2017;13(2):e1005404. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005404 and vegan.48 Oksanen J, Guillaume Blanchet F, Friendly M, Kindt R, Legendre P, McGlinn D, Minchin PR, OHara RB, Gavin L, Simpson P, Solymos P. vegan: Community Ecology Package. Ordination methods, diversity analysis and other functions for community and vegetation ecologists. Version 2.4-0. Available from: https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest The authors report no disclosures of interest.
Acknowledgments This study is dedicated to Professor Joseph (Joep) Lange, who died prior to its completion. He was a global health activist and scientist and this work would not have been possible without his initiative, support and encouragement. The authors acknowledge and thank all the Pakistani and Dutch families who participated in this study and the staff members of the trial team in Pakistan for their work in conducting this study as well as members of the BIBO study team in the Netherlands. The authors would like to thank Monica McNeal and her staff at the Laboratory of Specialized Clinical Studies at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, who performed all of the immunoglobulin testing for the original dosing study. The authors would also like to thank Duncan Steele and Jessica Fleming for their contribution to the original dosing study. This study is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02220439.Making a unique, first impression is difficult to pull off. While sending in resumes to a company you would like to work for is a simple feat, going on to the next round and having a face-to-face conversation with a potential employer is a whole different story.
The best way to learn is from other people’s mistakes, and lucky for you, eight fellow students have been asked by yours truly to share some embarrassing true tales that’ll help you further prepare for any upcoming interviews.
1. Losing The Job Over Lateness
“I was having an interview with a representative of a tech company and it was scheduled for 2pm. Given that it was only 15 minutes away, I left at 1:40. Unfortunately, I hit some traffic on the way there and ended up parking right at 2pm. I rushed my butt inside the building and checked my watch for it to read 2:02pm. When I asked a young receptionist I was here for my interview, she smiled at me and said, ‘Interviews are only for people who are here on time. You lost the job.’ Thinking her smile meant that she was joking, I laughed. Her smile faded and she literally said, ‘Dude, I didn’t know losing your job was comedic.’ I had never been roasted harder than by that receptionist.” – Richard, University of California, San Diego ‘16
Being on time is actually about being five to 10 minutes early. You never want to risk losing your interview time or simply coming in late even by a minute, because that really is the first impression. While you also don’t want to show up ridiculously early for an interview, don’t be afraid to show up at the office with several minutes to spare; it never hurts.
2. Wearing The Wrong Clothes
“Dress to impress, no matter what the job is. I picked up a position at a local restaurant my freshman year of high school, and given that it wasn’t a huge corporate job or anything, I thought I would just go with some slacks and a nice Hawaiian button-up. I got totally called out in the interview by the boss, asking if that’s how I typically dressed up for interviews and he looked very offended. I didn’t get the job, unsurprisingly to me.” – Gabe, Pepperdine University ‘14
Look the part! And even at times when it seems like you don’t need to go full suit, make sure to dress up and look classy. Not sure how to dress for your particular industry or company size? Check out our tips on the WayUp Guide.
3. Not Preparing At All “Can anyone sympathize with me in thinking how to answer ‘Tell me about yourself’? That is the most difficult question in the world to nail. And when my interviewer asked me that on one occasion, I was holding ‘Uhhhhhhhhhhhh’ for at least 10 seconds. And don’t even get me started on ‘What are your biggest weaknesses?’ Do not say I don’t have any like I did, because pretentiousness is not looked highly upon in the workplace!” – Steven, University of California, Santa Barbara ‘18
Make sure to research common questions asked in interviews because it will definitely come to your advantage knowing what to say and have an idea of what to say. Do this a few nights in advance so you can at least have topics, thoughts, and anecdotes to have in your mind in case a potential employer asks.
And good news: We mapped out how to answer the most common interview questions in our WayUp Guide.
4. Not Giving A Good Handshake
“My film crew got the opportunity to work with a popular director in our county and we had to meet up with him. Apparently, without me even knowing, I left the guy hanging on his handshake from the get-go because I saw something on the ground when we went into his office to meet him. For the rest of the interview, I felt a cold presence from him and I didn’t know until after when my other crew members told me.” – Kyle, Arizona State University ‘14
A strong handshake goes a long way. Wipe the sweaty palms off and rub your hands together right before the interview to get that warm, comforting feeling with your handshake. And don’t be afraid to initiate it!
5. Forgetting Good Body Language
“During my interview, I was definitely tense since this was one of the four accounting firms I wanted to work at. The interviewer also seemed to notice so he simply said to relax and that being nervous is normal. Maybe due to the amount of anxiety I was having, I took the comment a little too literally and slouched very low on my chair. While he didn’t point it on during the actual interview, the recruiter put in a snarky comment on the end saying, ‘I didn’t really appreciate the lack of posture you were giving me,’ and I actually didn’t end up getting the job. Although it probably wasn’t the full reason, I suspect the lack of strong body language had something to do with it.” – Maggie, University of California, Berkeley ‘16
While relaxing is important during the interviews, relaxing too much with a lack of strong body language can show apathy and lack of concern. Although you would not want to overdo this, keep your body straight, put up hands on your lap, and make sure you’re giving the interviewer your full attention.
6. Not Paying Attention
“Always listen and let the interviewer say what he or she needs to say! At my first interview at a funds management company, I wanted to show the interviewer I was really paying attention and attentive, so I just kept saying ‘Yeah’ literally after every five words the interviewer said, so much to the point where she told me to stop and that it was irritating. It was just really awkward after that.” – Sean, Texas A&M University ‘18
You have to make that connection with your interviewer and show that you’re there to listen and follow directions. Listen to when you’re being spoken to and never cut off what your employer has to say; feel free to even wait a second or two before answering. Keep eye contact as well so the interviewer knows he or she has your attention.
7. Giving Off The Wrong Vibe
“Make sure to have the confidence when you’re going into your interview and not be nervous to the point where you lose the job just like that. At one of the first job interviews I had, I wanted to seem eager for the job, but at the same time humble and modest. That kind of attitude cost me big, because the whole interview went well until the end when I said, ‘If I don’t get this job, it’s okay! I’m sure there are better people out there for me, and I’m just happy for the opportunity’ to the employer. This lack of faith in myself kind of gave off the wrong impression to her I think, making her believe I probably didn’t want the job enough. I didn’t get it after having a solid interview, so I believe that to be my biggest fault.” – Julie, San Francisco State University ‘17
Assume you’re good enough to obtain the position you’re interviewing for; you wouldn’t be applying unless you truly believed you could do a good job right?
8. Asking Strange Questions
“Make sure to have questions ready to ask your interviewer to show interest, but also make sure to have the right questions. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and read online forums that all said ask questions at the end of the interview because it’ll show interest. My naive self, however, did not know what specific questions were to be asked, so I asked questions such as ‘What do you like to do in your free time?’ and ‘Where did you get your earrings from?’ The interviewer looked very uncomfortable, and since then, I have made sure to keep my questions job-related, not personal.” – Kate, Biola University ’18
The question portion may be one of the most underrated parts of the interview that can stand you out from the rest. Where can you get a list of questions to ask your interviewer? You guessed it: The WayUp guide has everything you need.
If one were to take anything from this article, just know that being confident and prepared for your interview is key. Ask others who have gone through the same process about their experiences, study beforehand, and even do mock interviews to make sure you’re giving off the best impression. You’ll nail it!Judge Issues Restraining Order Against Cranston Anti-Panhandling Ordinance
In an important preliminary victory for First Amendment rights, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William Smith this morning issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the City of Cranston’s anti-panhandling ordinance. The order will remain in effect pending a future trial on the ACLU of Rhode Island’s challenge to the controversial ordinance. In issuing the order, the judge found that the ACLU had demonstrated an ultimate likelihood of success in its legal challenge.
The ordinance bars any person from entering a roadway “for the purpose of distributing anything to the occupant of any vehicle or for the purpose of receiving anything from the occupant of any vehicle.” The suit, filed by ACLU of RI volunteer attorney Lynette Labinger, argues that the ordinance, enacted in February 2017 by a 5-4 vote of the City Council, violates the First Amendment right of individuals to solicit donations and to distribute literature on Cranston roadways.
In April 2016, the ACLU favorably settled a lawsuit against Cranston over a similar ordinance. In that settlement, the City acknowledged that the ordinance violated the First Amendment and halted its enforcement. The current ordinance makes several cosmetic revisions to the original in an attempt – unsuccessfully, the ACLU lawsuit argues – to pass constitutional muster.
“The courts have found that similar ordinances violate the First Amendment, and today’s ruling suggests that this ordinance is no different,” said Steven Brown, ACLU of RI executive director. “It’s unfortunate that municipalities – Cranston in particular – continue to spend valuable tax dollars on efforts that undermine our constitutionally-protected rights and make the lives of the poor more difficult,” Brown continued.
Plaintiffs in the suit are the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project; two Cranston residents – Karen Rosenberg and Deborah Flitman – who are members of the Cranston Action Network and would like to engage in leafleting from traffic islands, but are barred from doing so under the ordinance; and Francis White, Jr., a disabled and formerly homeless resident of Providence, who often has insufficient income to last to the end of the month and relies upon panhandling for additional support.
Although City officials claim the ordinance was adopted as a “public safety” measure, and cited the number of car accidents at various city intersections, Judge Smith found that, “[s]imply put, the [ordinance's] legislative findings are long on conclusory observation but short on meaningful data connecting the chosen solution to an actual problem. Further, Defendants also have failed to explain how activities not prohibited by the Ordinance (hand-to-hand exchanges with individuals on sidewalks or large groups of people yelling with signs on a traffic median, for example) are somehow less distracting than the activities prohibited.
“The Court finds that the public has a significant interest in local policies that do not infringe individual First Amendment rights, and will not be harmed by the issuance of this temporary restraining order pending a final determination about whether the Ordinance is, in fact, a violation of the First Amendment,” Judge Smith continued in his ruling.
Full text of the TRO can be found here.
More information about the lawsuit, RIHAP v. Cranston, can be found here.The MuseScore team is excited to announce the first Beta release of MuseScore 2.0! This is your opportunity to try out the new features, see if your "favorite" bugs have been fixed, and provide feedback that we can use to make sure the final MuseScore 2.0 release is as stable as the well-established 1.X series of releases have proven to be. This first Beta release is our way of saying we think we're done adding features for 2.0 and everything basically seems to work – so we invite you to help us test it further. You can keep your existing MuseScore 1.3 (or earlier) installation with no fear of them interfering with each other.
Download MuseScore 2.0 Beta 1
If you do find bugs in MuseScore 2.0 Beta 1, please report them via the issue tracker. You can also discuss your experiences with MuseScore 2.0 Beta 1 on the Technology Preview forum. Read on to learn what's new.
What's New
MuseScore 2.0 will represent the culmination of the past four years of development effort, beginning even before the release of MuseScore 1.0 in 2011. We knew that implementing all of the new features that we were planning for the next major release was such a big undertaking that it would take a long time to get right, so we kept this work separate from that of the 1.0, 1.1. 1.2, and 1.3 releases. While the 1.X releases introduced just incremental changes over the past four years, we think you will be "wowed" by all that is new with MuseScore 2.0.
Here are some of the major changes you will find in MuseScore 2.0 Beta 1:
Linked parts - changes in score automatically reflect in parts and vice versa
Continuous view - scroll horizontally through your score with no line or page breaks
Tablature - variety of tab notation styles for guitar, bass, lute, and more
Fret diagrams - easily create diagrams and set up your own palette of commonly used chords
Flexible chord symbols - enter chord symbols using any common spellings, including support for German and solfege note naming and lower case minor chords
Dynamic text styles - changes automatically apply to all elements with that style
More supported notations - support for Steinberg's new open source Bravura music font, more flexible time signatures, pedal change markings, grace notes after (trill endings), falls/doits/scoops/plops/bends, bagpipe embellishments, figured bass, ambitus, early music notations, and a huge set of additional music symbols from Bravura
Layout improvements - automatic correct positioning and spacing for multi-voice chords and rests, dots, accidentals, ties, articulations, hairpins, pedal markings, voltas, etc.
Score management facilities - create scores of multiple movements, combine scores into albums, define and apply custom score styles, select default styles for scores and for parts
Playback improvements - new and more realistic soundfont, mid-score instrument changes, playback of more score markings, flexible swing style, improved JACK support for interoperability with other MIDI and audio programs
MIDI import improvements - automatic simplification of rhythms, handling of multiple voices
MusicXML import/export improvements - greater compatibility with other applications, ability to control degree of layout preserved
Guitar Pro import - supports GP3, GP4, GP5, and GPX formats
Usability improvements - repitch mode, on-screen piano keyboard for note entry, element inspector window, more precise manual adjustments, easier selection of instruments, simpler and more powerful page layout, copy/paste improvements, split and join measures, screenshot mode for creating graphical excerpts, customizable palettes and workspaces, expanded availability of keyboard shortcuts
And lots more!
Compatibility
With such a long list of new features, you may be wondering if you will still be able to find your way around. You may also be wondering about compatibility.
The good news is, most things in MuseScore 2.0 actually look and work about the same as always - just better. The new features never get in your way but are there to make life easier, and many happen completely automatically. For example, the layout and playback improvements will take effect even when opening a score created with previous versions of MuseScore. You can take advantage of linked parts, flexible chord symbols, dynamic text styles without your needing to do anything differently than you are accustomed to. And completely new features like continuous view, tablature, and fret diagrams are designed to be as intuitive as possible.
As suggested above, scores created in 1.3 or earlier releases should load into MuseScore 2.0 Beta 1 with no problems. In most cases they will look the same or better due to the layout improvements. Due to the magnitude of the changes under the hood, in a few cases you might need to revisit some manual adjustments you had made previously. Scores created in MuseScore 2.0 Beta 1 should open with no problems whatsoever in the final release, although to be safe you may wish to also export any scores you care about as MusicXML before installing the final release.
The one compatibility issue to keep in mind is this: scores created in MuseScore 2.0 (Beta or final release) will not open in earlier versions. This is unavoidable when making such major changes. However, you can still export MuseScore 2.0 files as MusicXML and import into 1.3 that way, thus preserving most of your work should you see the need to revert.
What's Next
There is no ETA set for the final MuseScore 2.0 release. If you would like to get notified when it will be available for download, subscribe on the MuseScore newsletter, or follow MuseScore on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn.
The MuseScore team's commitment to open source software development remains as strong as ever. The MuseScore music notation software remains completely free - free as in free beer, free as in free speech. And with the MuseScore 2.0 release, MuseScore is easily the most powerful free and open source music notation program that has ever existed, doing almost everything the expensive proprietary commercial programs do. Over 300 developers, translators, designers, and testers – users just like you – worked to make this possible, and we continue to welcome new contributors.
Your support
You can financially support the open source development of MuseScore via our donation campaign. Having said this, the best support you can give to MuseScore is by recommending it to your friends and by spreading the word. Thank you for your support!Sometimes a form of entertainment can become so bad that it transcends badness and becomes something new and wonderful. The world of newspaper comic strips is a gold mine for this, where strips that were built on a shaky premise to begin with run for decades after the writers and artists have long gone insane. These are the best for providing hours of unintentional enjoyment. Advertisement
Mark Trail Intended Appeal:
Learning about wildlife and following the adventures of a rugged environmentalist. Actual Appeal:
Comically nonsensical plots, misplaced speech balloons. Ever since 1946, Mark Trail has been on the funny pages teaching respect for nature, mostly by battling evil companies that want to bulldoze ducks. The artists (Ed Dodd and then Jack Elrod) have both been firm in their priority of nature education first, and other less important things, like making sense, are pushed out of the way as necessary to meet that goal. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Elrod enjoys drawing animals so much that he never really learned to draw human beings, which is somewhat of a problem, since the comic stars several of them (although this illustration of what one assumes to be a hyperencephalic child with a tiny malformed hand seems to be OK). He cleverly tackles the problem by shifting perspective to large foreground animals at every opportunity. Unfortunately, he either has serious problems with speech balloon placement, or the transmutation of souls is a commonplace occurrence in the Mark Trail universe. We have these conspiring moose: This reluctant farewell from a squirrel: This uninvited exposition from a duck: And, this fish's inexplicable anger toward financial transactions:Byfield "KDE Developers are Headed in a Definite Direction" Submitted by Submitted by Sebastian Kügler Bruce Byfield looks closer at KDE's development process and compares it to our friendly competition at GNOME. Byfield looks at the potential of both platforms in the long run, and asks the question: "... which developmental approach is likely to be most successful in the next few years?"
In the article, Bruce provides some good insight into the big picture that lies behind the move to KDE 4 technologies and how they are unfolding their potential: "Reviews about KDE are not always positive, but they are about large issues and shifts in the desktop paradigm. Reading them, you cannot help but come away with the impression that KDE developers are headed in a definite direction, even if you disagree with some or all of the details."Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Elephant numbers in many parts of Africa have declined rapidly over the past seven years
Attempts to give the maximum level of international protection to all African elephants have foundered at a key species conference in Johannesburg.
A proposal put forward by Kenya was strongly supported but failed to gain the two-thirds majority required.
The opposition of the EU, which voted as a block, was pivotal in the defeat.
Other proposals that would have opened up new ivory markets were also rejected.
Proponents of the increased protection say it is a missed opportunity to safeguard the future of the species and end the current poaching crisis.
Continental divide
African nations have been split on the best approach to conserve elephant populations that have been reduced by around 30% over the past seven years, mainly due to poaching for ivory.
If it hadn't been for the EU we'd have had elephants on Appendix I by now and that would send a massive signal to the world Dr Roz Reeve, David Shepherd Foundation
Many range states that have suffered big losses backed a resolution at this meeting that would see all elephants in every African country elevated to Cites Appendix I, meaning no trade at all is possible in these animals.
Four Southern African countries, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe have their elephants listed on Appendix II but with an annotation that prevents any trade in their ivory.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Human elephant conflicts in many parts of Africa arise when communities don't feel the benefits of conserving the species
Three of them resolutely opposed the idea of an up-listing as they argue that their elephant populations are doing well and they want to renew the trade in ivory at some point in the future.
In a passionate debate, proponents of the uplisting said it was critical to send the strongest signal possible to poachers that all elephants in Africa were off limits.
Lee White, from Gabon, told the meeting that his country was "haemorrhaging" about one tonne of ivory per month as a result of poaching.
He said that one thousand African park rangers had lost their lives over the past decade in fighting against the illegal trade.
Uplisting all African elephants would send an "absolutely clear" message that the trade must stop.
Sound science
Botswana made a dramatic intervention, suggesting that they would give up their Appendix II status and rejecting the idea that a trade in ivory could raise funds to protect the species.
"We now realises that we can no longer support sales, we can no longer deal with this in a vacuum," said Tshekedi Khama, Botwana's minister for the environment, wildlife and tourism.
Other southern African states didn't agree. They argued that uplisting depended on science, and that most of the populations in the Appendix II states were growing and not deserving to be on Appendix I.
"Parties must uphold the integrity of the Convention," said South African minister Edna Molewa.
The EU also took this line, stating that the southern African elephant populations didn't meet the biological criteria for uplisting.
This opposition proved crucial: the vote was 62 in favour with 44 against and 12 abstained.
With the EU voting as a block, this meant that their 28 votes went against the proposal and denied the two thirds majority that would put all populations on Appendix I.
Some delegates were not impressed by the European Union approach.
"The fault's at the EU door here, in my view they have the blood of elephants on their hands," said Dr Roz Reeve, senior adviser to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.
"I'm deeply frustrated and ashamed, if it hadn't been for the EU we'd have had elephants on Appendix I by now and that would send a massive signal to the world."
Other proposals to open up ivory markets by Namibia and Zimbabwe were also soundly defeated.
These countries argued that their elephant populations were robust and that their communities were not benefitting from these populations.
"If people are able to benefit from the ivory, they will not poach, they will protect - give us a reason to protect, not fear them," said Charles Jonga, a rural community representative from Zimbabwe.
Following a secret ballot, the Convention decided not to support the proposals.
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathBBC and on Facebook.Learning to properly pace yourself during a race is one of the most critical skills a runner can develop. To maximize your potential on race day, you need to become a master at pacing yourself and learning to feel the disparity between just a few seconds difference in your pace. By learning the importance of pacing and fine-tuning your skills, you can improve your consistency and set new personal bests.
How pacing affects race performance
Setting a new personal best can be decided by the smallest of margins, especially if you are an experienced runner who is maximizing your training. A reduction in performance by even a few percentage points can prevent you from reaching your potential. Let’s take a look at how critical pacing can be at some commonly run distances.
Pacing for shorter events like the 5k
Studies have shown that running the first mile of a 5k 3% faster than goal pace is the optimal pacing strategy. However, running the first mile more than 6% faster than goal race pace considerably reduces performance; so much so that almost all the subjects that ran faster than 6% failed to even finish the race.
Let’s use a 20 minute 5k runner to illustrate this concept. The average pace per mile for a 20 minute 5k is 6:26 per mile. To remain within the optimal 3% pace range, your first mile could be as fast as 6:15.
With the adrenaline pumping from the competition around you and other runners throwing you off pace, remaining within an 11 seconds per mile pace range is quite difficult. The margin between success and failure is razor thin and the consequences of starting out too fast are dire if your goal is to set a new PR.
Pacing for the Marathon
The proper race strategy for a marathon actually follows the exact opposite theory of a 5k. For a successful marathon race, you should target a pace that is about 3% slower (10 to 15 seconds per mile) than your goal marathon pace for the first 3 or 4 miles.
If you’ve trained for a marathon, you’ve probably encountered the term ” putting time in the bank”, which refers to running the first half of the marathon slightly faster than goal pace to compensate for being slow the last 10km of the race. Unfortunately, this racing strategy couldn’t be more wrong, both from a physiological standpoint and from empirical evidence.
The main problem with the “time in the bank” strategy concerns the use of carbohydrates or fats as a primary fuel source. One of the limiting factors in marathon performance is how efficiently you can burn fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Once you burn through your available carbohydrate stores, your performance will suffer, most notably from “bonking” or running out of fuel. Unfortunately, the faster you run, the more carbohydrates you burn (study here). Therefore, by starting faster than goal pace and putting “time in the bank” you’re actually burning through your available carbohydrate stores faster and you will almost certainly run out of fuel and bonk.
To prevent bonking, you must adhere strictly to your goal marathon pace. Why? Your goal marathon pace corresponds to your aerobic threshold. Your aerobic threshold is the point at which you start relying on anaerobic respiration. Anaerobic respiration requires higher amounts of glycogen than aerobic running (study here), so you burn carbohydrates more quickly when you rely on anaerobic respiration.
Therefore, making the mistake of running 10-15 seconds faster than your goal marathon pace, even for just a few miles, can cause you to bonk or be detrimental to finishing as fast as you possible can.
Empirical evidence to support the importance of pacing
Studies are great, but as any researcher knows, they can be flawed for a variety of reasons. I think a more telling sign concerning the importance of pacing can be seen when we analyze the greatest performances in running history – world records. Here’s a stat for you: every world record from the 1500 meters to the marathon, both men’s and women’s, has been set running negative splits – running the first portion of the race slightly slower than the second half (study link).
The evidence is concrete. To race your best, you need to practice your pacing.
How to Practice Pacing
Like the “10,000 hour” rule Malcolm Gladwell discusses in Outliers, to improve your ability to pace yourself, you simply must practice – it’s as simple as that. Learning to pace yourself when running isn’t something that comes easy. It takes countless miles on the road and laps around the track to develop an inherent sense of pace. Here are some tips that might help you:
Stop relying on the Garmin
The Garmin is a great tool, but runners can often become too dependent on checking the watch every 10-15 seconds to monitor their pace. Next time you do a workout with the Garmin, check the watch the first 2-3 minutes to make sure you’re on pace and then don’t look at the watch again until you’re finished that mile or the entire run. Feel the pace you’re running after the first 2-3 minutes. Listen to your breathing; feel the rhythm in your legs, the motion of your arms. You won’t do a great job the first time you try, but after the third or fourth time, you’ll notice a substantial improvement.
Use your breathing
Monitor your breathing rhythm to help you feel the pace. Once you lock onto your correct goal pace for the workout, you can monitor whether you begin to breathe faster or you change your breathing rhythm to identify when you accidentally speed up or slow down.
Workouts
Implement workouts into your training routine that require you to change paces frequently. Cutdown runs and alternating tempos are a great way to teach yourself what the slight differences in paces feel like. In addition, these types of workouts can demonstrate to you how the effort required to maintain pace gets harder as the race goes on.
Be Patient
Learning how to control your pacing is difficult, but it is an essential skill to racing faster and improving your fitness. Don’t expect to see changes after one or two workouts. Rather, work on one of these tricks in each workout until you start to get a natural sense of pace. Before you know it, you’ll be running on target pace without even looking at your Garmin.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions or tell us about your experience with pacing in the comments section. Is there a pacing trick that you’ve tried that works well?BROOKS KRAFT/GAMMA FOR TIME Karl Rove talks with supporters after a campaign rally in Dallas
George W. Bush doesn't like to travel, and, by all accounts, he doesn't particularly like giving campaign speeches. But he did both until his throat was raw and his nerves frayed in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's elections. He did it because Karl Rove told him it was a good idea. And Tuesday night, voters across the country told the President that Rove was right.
Rove, the President's most trusted political strategist and arguably one of the shrewdest man in Washington, won't publicly acknowledge the outcome of the midterms as any kind of personal affirmation. He'll attribute the Republican gains in the House and Senate to the intelligence of the voters or the general mood of the country. Or, more likely, he'll point to the President's appeal Rove has no time for basking in past successes. This self-described "very competitive guy" is already moving on to the next big thing (which in this case may |
OTL – Kiss on the lips
17. (L)MIRL – Let’s meet in real life
18. PRON – Porn
19. TDTM – Talk dirty to me
20. 8 – Oral sex
21. CD9 – Parents around/Code 9
22. IPN – I’m posting naked
23. LH6 – Let’s have sex
24. WTTP – Want to trade pictures?
25. DOC – Drug of choice
26. TWD – Texting while driving
27. GYPO – Get your pants off
28. KPC- Keeping parents clueless
Know any other Internet acronyms parents should learn about? Tell Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.BEIJING • Chinese President Xi Jinping will, as soon as this month, announce the most sweeping overhaul of the military in at least three decades, moving it closer to a United States-style joint command structure, people familiar with the matter said.
The blueprint would unify the army, navy, air force and strategic missile corps under one command, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the proposal has not been released.
The plans call for thinning the ranks of officers and traditional ground forces, helping to elevate the role of the navy and air force to better project force in a modern conflict, they said. It would also consolidate the country's seven military regions to as few as four, one of the people said.
Mr Xi is preparing to unveil the proposal in the wake of tomorrow's World War II anniversary parade in Beijing, which will showcase his authority over the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and China's growing clout in the region.
The plan to mould the military into a force that meets Mr Xi's goal of being "able to fight and win a modern war" has been delayed for months as anti-graft investigators swept up dozens of current and retired generals.
The new system... would replace the region-based structure that emphasises the army and predates the country's founding in 1949.
Mr Xi "mainly employed the anti- corruption campaign in the military to form his absolute command over the army, so that his military restructuring plan can press ahead after being initially stalled", said Mr Yue Gang, a retired colonel in the PLA's General Staff Department. "Now, his authority in the army is solid enough for him to flesh out his vision to transform the military and set it on a path to emulate the US."
The Ministry of National Defence did not respond to a faxed request for comment.
The plan would set out the details of the Communist Party's endorsement of a joint military command in November 2013.
The new system - which includes a joint command at both the regional and national level - would replace the region-based structure that emphasises the army and predates the country's founding in 1949 at a time communist soldiers were clashing with Japanese invaders and Kuomintang troops.
Such a command system is seen as necessary to improve communications and coordinate modern forces across the various arms of the military.
The organisational changes would aid China's shift from a land-based military to one able to project force far from its coastline.
"The PLA is currently a territorial muddy-boots military focused on defending the rule of the Communist Party against all enemies foreign and domestic with limited ability to fight jointly," said Mr Andrew Scobell, a senior political scientist at the Rand Corporation in Arlington, Virginia. "With growing attention to China's increasingly overseas interests, the US model is very appealing."
The effort to adopt a US-inspired command comes as China extends its maritime reach and the world's two largest economies face increasing friction from the shipping lanes of East Asia to cyberspace.
The Obama administration is considering cyber retaliation against China or other countries it believes have sponsored hacking attacks on corporate or government computers in the US, people familiar with the matter said.
The PLA's last major overhaul - carried out under Deng Xiaoping in 1985 - reduced the number of military regions to seven from 11 and resulted in the dismissal of about one million soldiers.
In its annual report to the US Congress in May, the Pentagon said that creating joint-command entities "would be the most significant changes to the PLA's command organisation since 1949".
The PLA began practising the use of a joint-command system during a series of nationwide military exercises that began last month. It had an army of 850,000, compared with 398,000 people in the air force and 235,000 in the navy, according to figures released in 2013, the first time China confirmed the relative size of the branches.
BLOOMBERGParticularly among Democrats, this metropolitan globalism has opened a chasm between the party’s local and national leadership. In the presidential race, Bernie Sanders has unreservedly denounced free trade deals like the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that President Obama completed last year; Hillary Clinton has feebly bent in that gale, abandoning her own earlier support for the Pacific agreement. Far fewer congressional Democrats than in the 1990s are backing free trade, too.
But the nation’s mayors—most of them Democrats, especially in the larger cities— remain overwhelmingly committed to free trade in general and the Trans-Pacific Partnership in particular. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has officially endorsed the Pacific pact, and it has drawn enthusiastic praise from big-city Democratic mayors such as Atlanta’s Kasim Reed, Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel and Tampa’s Bob Buckhorn.
Buckhorn sees TPP as a chance to grow the 80,000 jobs the giant Port of Tampa already provides. The agreement enhances “our ability to sell made in America goods to largely the Far East via the Panama Canal,” Buckhorn says. “It would be foolish not to support that.” Other mayors like Emanuel see opportunities in exporting not only goods but also business services, which tend to cluster in cities—like the young software engineers congregating at 1871. Completing TPP “is essential for the architects who work here, the lawyers, the manufacturers, our software developers,” says Emanuel. “Growth for Chicago’s economy requires more markets to sell into.” Even in places where the statewide debate favors protectionism, mayors and local leaders in such cities as Columbus, Ohio, are investing in aggressive strategies to promote exports and attract foreign talent and investment.
Christopher Cabaldon, the mayor of West Sacramento, California, since 1998, remembers that when he first started attending Mayors’ Conference meetings on trade only mayors from cities with big ports or major exporters would participate. Now, cities of all sizes recognize their stake in finding their global “niche,” says Cabaldon, who chairs the Mayor’s Conference committee on jobs. So many cities, in fact, have successfully tapped global opportunities that Brookings research shows that the nation’s 100 largest metro areas account for nearly 90 percent of all U.S. exports and roughly three-fourths of jobs in foreign-owned companies. The top 118 metro areas also host 85 percent of foreign students.
These same population hubs are now increasingly indispensable to Democratic political fortunes. In 2012, Obama amassed more of his total victory margin in just his 100 best counties than any presidential winner since at least 1920. And Democrats now control the mayor’s offices in virtually all big cities—even in the reddest states.The second — a long-contentious, and for-now-stalled revision to the city's noise ordinance — could force bars, street musicians, or both to limit what, when, and how they play music.
But recently, that debate has come to a head, as the New Orleans City Council considers two ordinances that residents say could drastically change the culture of the city. The first, a revamp of the city's zoning ordinance, could mean six-story luxury condos sprout up along the edges of historic neighborhoods, while hundreds-feet-high hotels rise right next to the city's French Quarter. It could also limit the size of New Orleans' growing micro brewing industry, and increase the amount of stores selling sex toys and other adult material in the French Quarter.
But who is New Orleans meant for these days? It's a question that's been debated with intensity since Hurricane Katrina, and the man-made failures that allowed it to do so much damage, destroyed much of the city — inadvertently providing residents, politicians, and corporations with the opportunity to remake it in their own image.
"They're trying to tame New Orleans like it's a circus animal," Geloso told VICE News. "Pay us to catch a glimpse of it before we kill it."
When Salvatore Geloso, a 27-year-old singer and guitar player walks down New Orleans's Frenchmen Street, he can see his town going one of two ways: it could continue being a city of controlled chaos — with loud bars and street musicians providing the soundscape to a backdrop of ramshackle old, colorful buildings. Or, it could become more of what it increasingly is: calmer, richer, taller, more global, more touristy, and more outward-facing.
Read more
When Salvatore Geloso, a 27-year-old singer and guitar player walks down New Orleans's Frenchmen Street, he can see his town going one of two ways: it could continue being a city of controlled chaos — with loud bars and street musicians providing the soundscape to a backdrop of ramshackle old, colorful buildings. Or, it could become more of what it increasingly is: calmer, richer, taller, more global, more touristy, and more outward-facing.
"They're trying to tame New Orleans like it's a circus animal," Geloso told VICE News. "Pay us to catch a glimpse of it before we kill it."
But who is New Orleans meant for these days? It's a question that's been debated with intensity since Hurricane Katrina, and the man-made failures that allowed it to do so much damage, destroyed much of the city — inadvertently providing residents, politicians, and corporations with the opportunity to remake it in their own image.
But recently, that debate has come to a head, as the New Orleans City Council considers two ordinances that residents say could drastically change the culture of the city. The first, a revamp of the city's zoning ordinance, could mean six-story luxury condos sprout up along the edges of historic neighborhoods, while hundreds-feet-high hotels rise right next to the city's French Quarter. It could also limit the size of New Orleans' growing micro brewing industry, and increase the amount of stores selling sex toys and other adult material in the French Quarter.
The second — a long-contentious, and for-now-stalled revision to the city's noise ordinance — could force bars, street musicians, or both to limit what, when, and how they play music.
In a city known for its historic architecture and loud music, both ordinances have stirred controversy by getting right to the heart of what makes New Orleans unique, and in doing so have divided residents and neighborhood associations to the point that no one seems to be on the same page: some want more buildings but less noise, some want more music but less street music, some want taller buildings in touristy-areas, but less in residential ones, and some just want a say in all of it. But regardless of what side people come down on, most everyone can agree nothing less than the future of the city is at stake.
"New Orleans has a history of its culture coming from its neighborhoods," said Ethan Ellestad, the coordinator of the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO), an organization dedicated to getting musicians' and artists' voices heard in the ongoing debates. "When neighborhoods change, there's always the threat that the culture can change. Of course things evolve. But who gets to say what's too much and what's too fast?"
Most controversial at the moment is the upcoming revision to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO), the main document that governs what can and can't be built in the city. Almost no one disputes that the decades-old document needs to be updated, but it seems no one thought it'd take this much effort to revise it either.
The City Planning Commission has been working on revising the behemoth document for over four years. During that time, the commission has held countless public meetings to get input from New Orleans residents. But some say the calls for collaboration were all a show, which has led to protests, shouting matches, and walkouts during recent meetings. One group even bought billboard space in the city to protest the CZO's proposed increase to height limits in certain areas.
"We've had meetings and meetings and meetings, and expressed how we want to live in this town, and they've totally disregarded that," said Gretchen Bomboy, a long-time resident of the city's Marigny neighborhood and secretary of the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association. "This is a total disregard for the citizens of New Orleans."
Several neighborhood groups are worried the CZO will turn their once-sleepy neighborhoods into French Quarter replicas, overrun with tourists and young, drunk people. That's already started to happen in the Marigny and Bywater, two neighborhoods just outside the French Quarter. The CZO could allow developers to build up to 75-feet high towers along the riverfront there — two stories higher than people are now allowed to — as long as they add something for the public good, such as a pathway connecting the riverfront to neighborhoods.
In some cases, the extra height could bring with it affordable apartments. That's created a somewhat odd alliance between the city's luxury developers and affordable housing advocates. They say the city's going to become more developed anyway, so it might as well come with some public benefits.
"It's private land, it's going to be developed anyway — that ship is already sailing," said Monika Gerhart, the policy director at the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center. "Sometimes the fear of increased density just sounds like NIMBY-ism [not in my backyard]."
Related: Five New Orleans Detectives Ignored Hundreds of Reported Sex Crimes
An image from the Preservation Resource Center in New Orleans of what a block near the French Quarter could look like if the comprehensive zoning ordinance passes. Image via Preservation Resource Center in New Orleans.
But the height provision may not be so contentious if the neighborhoods weren't already overrun with non-natives, part-timers, tourists, and Airbnb-ers — the anti-Airbnb crowd in New Orleans is particularly voracious. Gentrification has been particularly contentious in New Orleans since Katrina, and even more so in certain neighborhoods like Bywater.
The storm displaced 400,000 people from the New Orleans area and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, many of them African American. The crowd that's returned is whiter and richer than before. The black population is down to 60 percent, from 67 percent prior to the storm, and the city's home values have skyrocketed in some areas. Bywater, the neighborhood perhaps most synonymous with gentrification in the city, lost 64 percent of its black population between 2000 and 2010, according to Tulane University geographer Richard Campanella. Locals say it's already hard enough to park, eat, and sleep soundly in their own neighborhood without the increased density.
"It's going to be luxury condos owned by New Yorkers, people in LA, France, and we're already crowded out of our own restaurants and clubs," Bomboy said. "They just changed the map and expect us to swallow this?"
Others are worried that some special zones will allow developers to build hotels much taller than surrounding buildings, in some cases over 200 feet high. According to Patricia Gay, the director of the Preservation Resource Center, the city already has about the same amount of its pre-Katrina hotel rooms back, with more on the way, plus new Airbnb rentals, all while only 75 percent of the permanent population has returned to town.
"We're turning into a tourism city," Gay said. "And if we're pushing people out to do that, we're in trouble."
The dissent surrounding the CZO isn't unanimous, but the furor it has caused seems to be. The same could be said over the perpetually-in-revision noise ordinance, originally passed in 1956, but inconsistently enforced for years. The city's own attorney Sharonda Williams has said the current ordinance is unconstitutional, because it mandates a curfew for playing instruments, but not for other sounds.
The newly revised ordinance could do away with the curfew, something some neighborhood groups oppose. It could also require permits for musicians, though many at MaCCNO think this provision is likely DOA, as permitting street music in New Orleans would be nearly impossible — parades with loud jazz called Second Lines are a weekly feature of most New Orleans neighborhoods. It'll also likely impose stricter limits on the amount of noise coming from the city's bars, clubs, and restaurants.
"If you're in Omaha or whatever, an ordinance that affects live music may be peripheral to the overall functioning of the city," said Matt Sakakeeny, a professor of music at Tulane. "In New Orleans, music isn't an entertaining sideshow, it's a piece of the entire infrastructure of the city."
Whatever the outcome, advocates, residents, musicians, and others say both ordinances will likely piss some people off. It's been years since the City Council announced it'd try to revise the CZO and noise ordinances. Some say it might take another couple of years before New Orleanians are on the same page about what they want the future of their city to look, sound, and feel like.
"It should just be made in a way that everyone can live with," Ellestad said. "I don't know if everyone will be happy. But at least they'll be able to live with it."
Follow Peter Moskowitz on Twitter: @ptrmskSEATTLE, WA - For four hours Tuesday you'll either want to head to or stay away from your local Taco Bell. That's because the fast-food chain is giving away free Doritos Locos tacos between 2 and 6 p.m. Why? It's because the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship on Monday night.
The promotion is called "Steal a Game, Steal a Taco." Every person who wants to partake will get one free taco today.
"That means the first team to steal a win on the road during the 2017 NBA Finals also wins a free Doritos® Locos Taco for everyone in America," the company described the promotion.
There are about 1 million Taco Bell locations around Puget Sound. If you're not familiar with your local one, you can find the closest location here (although the chain does not have locations directly in cities like Gig Harbor, Woodinville, or Sumner).
Image via theimpulsivebuy/Creative CommonsThe state of human rights in Iran has been criticized both by Iranians and international human rights activists, writers, and NGOs since long before the formation of the current state of Iran. The United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Commission[1] have condemned prior and ongoing abuses in Iran in published critiques and several resolutions. The government of Iran is criticized both for restrictions and punishments that follow the Islamic Republic's constitution and law, and for actions that do not, such as the torture, rape, and killing of political prisoners, and the beatings and killings of dissidents and other civilians.[2]
While the monarchy under the rule of the shahs had a generally abysmal human rights record according to most Western watchdog organizations, the current Islamic Republic does not have a positive reputation either, with its human rights record under the administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad considered to have "deteriorated markedly," according to Human Rights Watch.[3] Following the 2009 election protests there were reports of killing of demonstrators, the torture, rape and killing of detained protesters,[4][5] and the arrest and publicized mass trials of dozens of prominent opposition figures in which defendants "read confessions that bore every sign of being coerced."[6][7][8] In October 2012 the United Nations human rights office stated Iranian authorities had engaged in a “severe clampdown” on journalists and human rights advocates.[9]
Restrictions and punishments in the Islamic Republic of Iran which violate international human rights norms include harsh penalties for crimes, punishment of victimless crimes such as fornication and homosexuality, execution of offenders under 18 years of age, restrictions on freedom of speech and the press (including the imprisonment of journalists and political cartoonists), and restrictions on freedom of religion and gender equality in the Islamic Republic's Constitution (especially attacks on members of the Bahá'í religion). Reported abuses falling outside of the laws of the Islamic Republic that have been condemned include the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, and the widespread use of torture to extract repudiations by prisoners of their cause and comrades on video for propaganda purposes.[10] Also condemned has been firebombings of newspaper offices and attacks on political protesters by "quasi-official organs of repression," particularly "Hezbollah," and the murder of dozens of government opponents in the 1990s, allegedly by "rogue elements" of the government.
Officials of the Islamic Republic have responded to criticism by stating that Iran has "the best human rights record" in the Muslim world;[11] that it is not obliged to follow "the West's interpretation" of human rights;[12] and that the Islamic Republic is a victim of "biased propaganda of enemies" which is "part of a greater plan against the world of Islam".[13] According to Iranian officials, those who human rights activists say are peaceful political activists being denied due process rights are actually guilty of offenses against the national security of the country,[14] and those protesters claiming Ahmadinejad stole the 2009 election are actually part of a foreign-backed plot to topple Iran's leaders.[15]
In 2018, the US and European Union imposed sanctions on several Iranian groups and officials it accused of human rights abuses.[16][17]
Background [ edit ]
The Imperial State of Iran, the government of Iran during the Pahlavi dynasty, lasted from 1925 to 1979. During that time two monarchs – Reza Shah Pahlavi and his son Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi – employed secret police, torture, and executions to stifle political dissent.
The Pahlavi dynasty has sometimes been described as a "royal dictatorship".[18] or "one man rule".[19] According to one history of the use of torture by the state in Iran, abuse of prisoners varied at times during the Pahlavi reign.[20]
Reza Shah era [ edit ]
The reign of Reza Shah was authoritarian and dictatorial at a time when authoritarian governments and dictatorships were common in both the region and the world and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was some years away.[21] Freedom of the press, workers' rights, and political freedoms were restricted under Reza Shah. Independent newspapers were closed down, political parties – even the loyal Revival party were banned. The government banned all trade unions in 1927, and arrested 150 labor organizers between 1927 and 1932.[22]
Physical force was used against some kinds of prisoners – common criminals, suspected spies, and those accused of plotting regicide. Burglars in particular were subjected to the bastinado (beating the soles of the feet), and the strappado (suspended in the air by means of a rope tied around the victims arms) to "reveal their hidden loot". Suspected spies and assassins were "beaten, deprived of sleep, and subjected to the qapani" (the binding of arms tightly behind the back) which sometimes caused a joint to crack. But for political prisoners – who were primarily Communists – there was a "conspicuous absence of torture" under Reza Shah's rule.[23] The main form of pressure was solitary confinement and the withholding of "books, newspapers, visitors, food packages, and proper medical care". While often threatened with the qapani, political prisoners "were rarely subjected to it."[24]
Mohammad Reza Shah era [ edit ]
Mohammad Reza became monarch after his father was deposed by Soviets and Americans in 1941. Political prisoners (mostly Communists) were released by the occupying powers, and the shah (crown prince at the time) no longer had control of the parliament.[25] But after an attempted assassination of the Shah in 1949, he was able to declare martial law, imprison communists and other opponents, and restrict criticism of the royal family in the press.[26]
Following the pro-Shah coup d'état that overthrew the Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953, the Shah again cracked down on his opponents, and political freedom waned. He outlawed Mosaddegh's political group the National Front, and arrested most of its leaders.[27] Over 4000 political activists of the Tudeh party were arrested,[28] (including 477 in the armed forces), forty were executed, another 14 died under torture and over 200 were sentenced to life imprisonment.[27][29][30]
During the height of its power, the shah's secret police SAVAK had virtually unlimited powers. The agency closely collaborated with the CIA.[31]
According to Amnesty International’s Annual Report for 1974-1975 "the total number of political prisoners has been reported at times throughout the year [1975] to be anything from 25,000 to 100,000."[32]
In 1971, a guerrilla attack on a gendarmerie post (where three police were killed and two guerrillas freed, known as the "Siahkal incident") sparked "an intense guerrilla struggle" against the government, and harsh government countermeasures.[33] Guerrillas embracing "armed struggle" to overthrow the Shah, and inspired by international Third World anti-imperialist revolutionaries (Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, and Che Guevara), were quite active in the first half of the 1970s[34][35] when hundreds of them died in clashes with government forces and dozens of Iranians were executed.[36] According to Amnesty International, the Shah carried out at least 300 political executions.[37]
Torture was used to locate arms caches, safe houses and accomplices of the guerrillas, in addition to its possible ability to persuade enemies of the state to become supporters, instead.[38]
In 1975, the human rights group Amnesty International – whose membership and international influence grew greatly during the 1970s[39] – issued a report on treatment of political prisoners in Iran that was "extensively covered in the European and American Press".[40] By 1976, this repression was softened considerably thanks to publicity and scrutiny by "numerous international organizations and foreign newspapers" as well as the newly elected President of the United States, Jimmy Carter.[41][42]
Islamic Revolution [ edit ]
During the 1978–79 overthrow of the Pahlavi government, protestors were fired upon by troops and prisoners were executed. The real and imaginary human rights violations contributed directly to the Shah's demise,[43] (although some have argued so did his scruples in not violating human rights more as urged by his generals[44]).
The 1977 deaths of the popular and influential modernist Islamist leader Ali Shariati and the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's son Mostafa were believed to be assassinations perpetrated by SAVAK by many Iranians.[45][46] On 8 September 1978, (Black Friday) troops fired on religious demonstrators in Zhaleh (or Jaleh) Square. The clerical leadership announced that "thousands have been massacred by Zionist troops" (i.e. rumored Israel troops aiding the Shah),[47] Michel Foucault reported 4000 had been killed,[48] and another European journalist reported that the military left behind a `carnage`.[49]
The Islamic revolution is thought to have a significantly worse human rights record than the Pahlavi Dynasty it overthrew. According to political historian Ervand Abrahamian, “whereas less than 100 political prisoners had been executed between 1971 and 1979, more than 7900 were executed between 1981 and 1985.... the prison system was centralized and drastically expanded... Prison life was drastically worse under the Islamic Republic than under the Pahlavis. One who survived both writes that four months under [warden] Ladjevardi took the toll of four years under SAVAK.[50] In the prison literature of the Pahlavi era, the recurring words had been ‘boredom’ and ‘monotony’. In that of the Islamic Republic, they were ‘fear’, ‘death’, ‘terror’, ‘horror’, and most frequent of all ‘nightmare’ (‘kabos’).”[36]
However, the vast majority of killings of political prisoners occurred in the first decade of the Islamic Republic, after which violent repression lessened.[51] With the rise of the Iranian reform movement and the election of moderate Iranian president Mohammad Khatami in 1997 numerous moves were made to modify the Iranian civil and penal codes in order to improve the human rights situation. The predominantly reformist parliament drafted several bills allowing increased freedom of speech, gender equality, and the banning of torture. These were all dismissed or significantly watered down by the Guardian Council and leading conservative figures in the Iranian government at the time.[citation needed]
According to The Economist magazine:
The Tehran spring of ten years ago has now given way to a bleak political winter. The new government continues to close down newspapers, silence dissenting voices and ban or censor books and websites. The peaceful demonstrations and protests of the Khatami era are no longer tolerated: in January 2007 security forces attacked striking bus drivers in Tehran and arrested hundreds of them. In March police beat hundreds of men and women who had assembled to commemorate International Women's Day.[52]
International criticism [ edit ]
Since the founding of the Islamic Republic, human rights violations of religious minorities have been the subject of resolutions and decisions by the United Nations and its human rights bodies, the Council of Europe, European Parliament and United States Congress.[53] According to The Minority Rights Group, in 1985 Iran became "the fourth country ever in the history of the United Nations" to be placed on the agenda of the General Assembly because of "the severity and the extent of this human rights record".[54] From 1984 to 2001, United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) passed resolutions about human rights violations against Iran's religious minorities especially the Bahá'ís.[53] The UNCHR did not pass such a resolution in 2002, when the government of Iran extended an invitation to the UN "Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression" to visit the country and investigate complaints. However, according to the organization Human Rights Watch, when these officials did visit the country, found human rights conditions wanting and issued reports critical of the Islamic government, not only did the government not implement their recommendations", it retaliated "against witnesses who testified to the experts."[55]
In 2003 the resolutions began again with Canada sponsoring a resolution criticizing Iran's "confirmed instances of torture, stoning as a method of execution and punishment such as flogging and amputations," following the death of an Iranian-born Canadian citizen, Zahra Kazemi, in an Iranian prison.[56][57] The resolution has passed in the UN General Assembly every year since.[56]
The European Union has also criticized the Islamic Republic's human rights record, expressing concern in 2005, 2007[58] and on 6 October 2008 presenting a message to Iran's ambassador in Paris expressing concern over the worsening human rights situation in Iran.[59] On 13 October 2005, the European Parliament voted to adopt a resolution condemning the Islamic government's disregard of the human rights of its citizens. Later that year, Iran's government announced it would suspend dialogue with the European Union concerning human rights in Iran.[60] On 9 February 2010, the European Union and United States issued a joint statement condemning "continuing human rights violations" in Iran.[61]
Late November 2018, a group of UN human rights experts including Javid Rehman U.N. Special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and four others experts concern about Farhad Meysami’s situation who has been on hunger strike since August.[62]
On 20 December 2018 Human rights Watch urged the regime in Iran to investigate and find an explanation for the death of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri who had been jailed for insulting the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to his family Nasiri had been on hunger strike but he was denied medical attention before he died.[63] Amnesty International has reported that more than 7000 people have been arrested by Iran’s security forces in the anti-government demonstrations of 2018.The detainees have been students, workers, human rights activists,...[64]
Relative openness [ edit ]
One observation made by non-governmental sources of the state of human rights in the Islamic Republic is that it is not so severe that the Iranian public is afraid to criticize its government publicly to strangers. In Syria "taxi driver[s] rarely talk politics; the Iranian[s] will talk of nothing else."[65]
A theory of why human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic are not as severe as Syria, Afghanistan (under the Taliban), or Iraq (under Saddam Hussein) comes from the American journalist Elaine Sciolino who speculated that
Shiite Islam thrives on debate and discussion... So freedom of thought and expression is essential to the system, at least within the top circles of religious leadership. And if the mullahs can behave that way among themselves in places like the holy city of Qom, how can the rest of a modern-day society be told it cannot think and explore the world of experience for itself?[66]
Perspective of the Islamic Republic [ edit ]
Iranian officials have not always agreed on the state of human rights in Iran. In April 2004, reformist president Mohammad Khatami stated "we certainly have political prisoners [in Iran] and... people who are in prison for their ideas." Two days later, however, he was contradicted by Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, saying "we have no political prisoners in Iran" because Iranian law does not mention such offenses,... "The world may consider certain cases, by their nature, political crimes, but because we do not have a law in this regard, these are considered ordinary offenses."[67]
Iran's president President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other government officials have compared Iran's human rights record favorably to other countries, particularly countries that have criticized Iran's record.[68] In a 2008 speech, he replied to a question about human rights by stating that Iran has fewer prisoners than America and that "the human rights situation in Iran is relatively a good one, when compared... with some European countries and the United States."[69]
In a 2007 speech to the United Nations, he commented on human rights only to say "certain powers" (unnamed) were guilty of violating it, "setting up secret prisons, abducting persons, trials and secret punishments without any regard to due process,.... "[70] Islamic Republic officials have also attacked Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights.[68]
Constitutional and legal foundations [ edit ]
Explanations for violations [ edit ]
Among the explanations for violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic are:
Theological differences [ edit ]
The legal and governing principles upon which the Islamic Republic of Iran is based differ in some respects from the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sharia law, as interpreted in the Islamic Republic, calls for inequality of rights between genders, religions, sexual orientation, as well as for other internationally criticized practices such as stoning as a method of execution. [71] In 1984, Iran's representative to the United Nations, Sai Rajaie-Khorassani, declared the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be representing a "secular understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition", which could not be implemented by Muslims and did not "accord with the system of values recognized by the Islamic Republic of Iran" which would "therefore not hesitate to violate its provisions." [72]
In 1984, Iran's representative to the United Nations, Sai Rajaie-Khorassani, declared the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be representing a "secular understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition", which could not be implemented by Muslims and did not "accord with the system of values recognized by the Islamic Republic of Iran" which would "therefore not hesitate to violate its provisions." According to scholar Ervand Abrahamian, in the eyes of Iranian officials, "the survival of the Islamic Republic – and therefore of Islam itself – justified the means used," and trumped any right of the individual.[73] In a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini in early 1988, he declared Iran's Islamic government "a branch of the absolute governance of the Prophet of God" and "among the primary ordinances of Islam," having "precedence over all secondary ordinances such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage."[74][75]
Rights under the constitution [ edit ]
The Iranian fundamental law or constitution calls for equal rights among races, ethnic groups (article 19).[76] It calls for gender equality (article 20), and protection of the rights of women (article 21); freedom of expression (article 23); freedom of press and communication (article 24) and freedom of association (article 27). Three recognized religious minorities "are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies."[77]
However, along with these guarantees the constitution includes what one scholar calls "ominous Catch-22s", such as “All laws and regulations must conform to the principles of Islam.”[78] The rights of women, of expression, of communication and association, of the press[79] – are followed by modifiers such as "within the limits of the law", "within the precepts of Islam", "unless they attack the principles of Islam", "unless the Law states otherwise", "as long as it does not interfere with the precepts of Islam."[80]
Provisions in violation of Human Rights [ edit ]
The Iranian penal code is derived from the Shari'a and is not always in compliance with international norms of human rights.
The Iranian penal code distinguishes two types of punishments: Hudud (fixed punishment) and the Qisas (retribution) or Diyya (Blood money or Talion Law). Punishments falling within the category of Hududs are applied to people committing offenses against the State, such as adultery, alcohol consumption, burglary or petty theft, rebellions against Islamic authority, apostasy and homosexual intercourse (considered contrary to the spirit of Islam).[81] Punishments include death by hanging, stoning[82] or decapitation, amputation or flagellation. Victims of private crimes, such as murder or rape, can exercise a right to retribution (Qisas) or decide to accept "blood money" (Diyyah or Talion Law).[83]
Harsh punishments [ edit ]
A revolutionary firing squad in 1979
Following traditional shariah punishment for thieves, courts in Iran have sometimes sentenced offenders to amputation of both "the right hand and |
suggests that Samoa may have been an epicenter for colonization and challenges data that links the Philippines as a potential point of departure for the settlement of Micronesia.
Each team member brought complementary expertise to the study. Fitzpatrick contributed his knowledge of the archaeology of island and coastal regions in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Montenegro, the paper's lead author, is a geographer and climatologist. Callaghan is an archaeologist specializing in seafaring simulations.
A question that may never be resolved is why seafaring settlers traveled such immense distances. Although there's evidence that some settlers were motivated by a desire to obtain new resources such as basalt or obsidian for making stone tools, Fitzpatrick said, there's no easy way to explain the leap of faith it would take to set off on a colonizing mission of 400 to 2,500 miles.
"What drove the movement? That's the big question," he said. "Was it political? Was it a result of population pressure? There were probably multiple reasons why people decided to leave one place and go to another."New York will face the Spring Season Champions in Brooklyn
The New York Cosmos will host Miami FC to open the 2017 NASL Fall Season on Saturday, July 29. If the results of the Spring Season are anything to go by, the matchup promises to be a close one. Two teams with great power in the attack and defense, New York and Miami have proven to be consistent in both aspects of the game.
The Cosmos, who closed out the Spring Season in third place (6W-6D-4L) after a 1-0 victory over FC Edmonton, look to establish themselves as front-runners for the 2017 Soccer Bowl. The mid-season break gave New York an opportunity to test themselves against one of La Liga's top sides, Valencia CF, in the first-ever international exhibition match at Regina's New Mosaic Stadium. The Cosmos came away with a 2-0 victory, courtesy of Eric Calvillo and Emmanuel Ledesma.
Ledesma, New York's top scorer with five goals, also leads the NASL in chances created (31). The Argentine's efforts have often been game-changers, leading the Cosmos to victory in difficult matchups.
The Cosmos defense is well-equipped with Ryan Richter, who played the most minutes for New York this season (1,386). Richter won all five of his tackles against Miami in the teams' last meeting and assisted Szetela's goal in the 2-0 victory at Riccardo Silva Stadium. The right back may cause the Spring Champions a lot of trouble in Saturday's game.
Miami FC took the Spring Season title with an 11-3-2 (W-D-L) record. The team played to a 3-1 win against the San Francisco Deltas, with the league's top scorer, Vincenzo Rennella, bagging a brace. Rennella, who leads the league in goals (10), assists (5), and shots (38), will be one to keep an eye on for the Cosmos' back line.
Former Cosmos defender, Hunter Freeman, is another key figure for Miami, having played every minute for the team this year. Freeman's experience and versatility allow him to not only keep the ball far from danger, but also to connect in the attack. He has delivered the third most passes in the NASL this year (1,042), with an accuracy of 86%.
The Cosmos have a 4-0-2 (W-D-L) record against Miami, outscoring the opposition 13-7. New York was one of two teams to stun Miami earlier this year, delivering a 2-0 defeat on April 8.
The action kicks off at MCU Park on Saturday, July 29 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, click here.Trump's Tax Plan Has Echoes Of The Kansas Tax Cut Experiment
Enlarge this image toggle caption Charlie Riedel/AP Charlie Riedel/AP
Members of Congress might want to familiarize themselves with the story of Kansas' failed tax-cutting experiment as they begin deliberations on President Donald Trump's tax-reform plan.
It could serve as a cautionary tale because some elements of the president's updated proposal mirror pieces of the tax-cut plan that Republican Gov. Sam Brownback pushed through the state legislature in 2012, promising it would deliver a "shot of adrenaline" to the Kansas economy.
It didn't. Instead, revenues crashed, forcing Brownback and lawmakers to resort to spending cuts, borrowing and accounting tricks to maintain a balanced budget.
So, Kansans reading headlines about the Trump tax cuts might be excused for having a déjà vu moment.
"Are you kidding me," says University of Kansas political scientist Burdett Loomis. "I think it is pretty clear that the Kansas experiment was a failure."
William Gale of the centrist Brookings Institution called the Kansas tax cuts "a lab test for how supply side tax cuts may work at the federal level."
Not well, he concluded in a July blog post.
"The Brownback plan aimed to boost the Kansas economy, but instead led to sluggish growth, lower than expected revenues and brutal cuts to government programs," Gale wrote.
"Red-state experiment"
In his self-described "red-state experiment," Brownback, who's been nominated for a State Department post with the Trump Administration, slashed individual income tax rates and lowered to zero the tax on so-called pass-through business income, which usually comes from small businesses and partnerships.
In Kansas, some business owners responded by restructuring their companies as limited liability corporations to avoid paying income taxes.
State revenues plummeted by hundreds of millions of dollars and continued to miss projections for several years.
Like Brownback, Trump and GOP congressional leaders say lowering income and business taxes will spur investment and economic growth. Their plan would reduce the nation's top income tax rate to 35 percent from 39.6 percent and lower the corporate tax to 20 percent from the current 35 percent.
Unlike the Kansas experiment, the president's proposal wouldn't exempt pass-through income but it would lower the rate that high-earning professionals in business partnerships pay to 25 percent.
"The promise [in Kansas] was that the tax cuts would generate so much economic growth that you wouldn't really feel the revenue loss," said Michael Leachman, director of state fiscal research at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said. "The same sorts of promises are now being made at the federal level."
Kansans felt it.
Spending cuts, borrowing
With state revenues in free fall, Brownback rejected calls to roll back parts of his signature tax cuts. Instead, he slashed university budgets, cancelled highway projects and convinced reluctant lawmakers to go along with a plan to borrow $1 billion to shore up the state's public pension fund.
Angry voters responded in 2016 by ousting dozens of conservative Republicans who supported the tax cuts and replacing them with Democrats and moderate Republicans who promised to "fix the mess" in Topeka.
Led by a coalition of those newly elected lawmakers, the 2017 legislature ended the Brownback experiment by passing a $1.2 billion tax increase over his veto.
State Rep. Melissa Rooker, a moderate Republican who helped lead the rollback effort, took little satisfaction in the victory.
"It's hard to celebrate because Kansas in such shambles," Rooker said to the Wichita Eagle. "The magnitude of the problems that we have to correct is so great."
The failure of the state's tax-cutting experiment hasn't dampened enthusiasm for Trump's tax-reform proposal among Kansas' all-Republican congressional delegation. All five of the state's U.S. House members and both of its U.S. Senators have expressed support the president's plan.
Statements posted to their websites this week make little mention of the array of proposed cuts for wealthy taxpayers. Instead, they tout the plan as a long-waited effort to simplify the tax code and deliver relief to middle-income Americans.
"Many Kansas families are living paycheck to paycheck and need tax relief," said GOP Sen. Pat Roberts.
Congressman Roger Marshall, a first-term Republican whose district covers two-thirds of the state, said he "could not be more excited" to support the plan.
"This fairer, simpler system will be a huge relief for the working and middle class," Marshall said, citing the proposal to double the standard deduction as an example.A prison in Walker County, Texas. Photo by CHANTAL VALERY/AFP/Getty Images
The country’s prison population fell by 1 percent during 2014, a decrease of about 15,400 people, according to new numbers released today by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The new report places the total number of state and federal prisoners in the U.S. at about 1.56 million, its lowest point since 2005. The year-to-year change is consistent with a modest but steady decline in the prison population that began in 2009, but was interrupted in 2013, when the total number of prisoners went up by about 6,600.*
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Depressingly enough, the 15,400-person decrease in the overall prison population represents the second biggest annual drop we’ve seen in 35 years. (The biggest happened between 2011 and 2012, after California enacted a monumental new policy that transferred thousands of state prisoners to local jails.)
According to the report, about a third of the decrease can be chalked up to the federal prison system—which, after shrinking by about 5,300 inmates in 2014, now houses about 13 percent of the country’s prisoners. The states, which house the vast majority of the rest, saw their collective prison population drop by about 10,000. (Local jails, at last count, housed an additional 744,600 people, and are not included in these calculations.)
The biggest outlier among the states is Mississippi, which saw its prison population drop by 14.5 percent, thanks to “new policies that encourage supervision of nonviolent offenders in the community instead of in prison,” the BJS report says.
Notably, the three states that saw the biggest increases in their prison population—North Dakota jumped by 9 percent, Nebraska by 8.3 percent, and Hawaii by 4.2 percent—are small ones, where it doesn’t take much to move the needle by a lot.
Contrary to the messaging we’ve been seeing from politicians interested in criminal justice reform, more than half—about 53.2 percent—of the people serving time in state prisons were there because of violent offenses, and only about 15.7 percent were there primarily because of nonviolent drug crimes. In the federal system this was reversed: about 50 percent of federal prisoners were doing time on nonviolent drug charges, and about 7.3 percent were there for violent crimes.
According to the BJS report, the incarceration rate among U.S. adults has now fallen from 621 per 100,000 to 612, which is still enough to give America the dubious honor of imprisoning more of its people than any other developed nation in the world.
Correction, Sept. 17 2015: This post originally misstated the year when the prison population saw a bump. It was 2013, not 2014.Internet Service Providers (ISPs) may be the most important public cloud providers of the next decade. Hosting your data with an ISP has a number of advantages over choosing the dominant American cloud providers: advantages that run the gamut from technical to political.
ISPs have been in the co-location business practically since the internet began. Many have offered hosted services (typically e-mail and web server space) for at least as long as the World Wide Web (and the browsers required to interpret it) have been around.
The idea that ISPs might be interested in hosting cloud services is thus not particularly novel, nor is it particularly hard for them to stand a cloud service up today. HP will cheerfully sell you cloud servers, and all of the software to make it go, too.
Almost every start-up wants in on this too. Maxta is in bed with Mirantis to form a hyper-converged compute + storage "Openstack cloud in a can" offering. Yottabyte is building its own fully hybrid cloud unicorn thing... even newly out of stealth Springpath is planning a pre-canned cloud in a box via partnerships.
Companies that don't quite qualify as start-ups anymore like Nutanix are all over this, and the big boys are trying to buy in too. Look to Cisco's Metacloud purchase or the Dell-Microsoft franken-pesudo-Azure thing.
A quick web search shows that many ISPs already have their own public clouds. BT in the UK, Verizon in the US, Telus in Canada and Optus in Australia are all examples of ISPs in the four major Register reader countries that offer cloud services.
Chances are almost all of the majors (and most of the not-so-majors) either have a cloud offering today, or will within the next 18 months. So why are they doing this?
The technical argument
The technical argument for ISP-based clouds is actually pretty simple. If you are a business that is located only in one restricted geographic area, you can probably have all your business locations using the same ISP.
It's not particularly hard to get great deals on really high-speed data links to your ISP – what's hard is getting high-speed data links to the internet at large for cheap. If I want to slam a large amount of traffic back and forth between several locations, all within the same province and a data centre that is owned and operated by that ISP in that same province, there's a really good chance I'll be able to pay "on net" rates for my cloud traffic.
On net rates are cheap. I can then set up something with the ISP such that any of my traffic that does go out to the internet at large gets charged to me per gigabyte, but because that will probably be just some general browsing it's not going to cost much. The real bandwidth is between me and my data centre, and by staying within my ISP's network, that traffic won't break the bank.
If I maintain a back-up link through a second internet service provider, then whenever I failover to that connection, the traffic will have to go through "peering" and thus "over the internet" to get from me to my ISP's data centre. In this case, those data costs would be the same as if I were using one of the big American cloud providers, but I don't have to use the back-up link unless my main ISP's link has fallen over.
One of the other advantages to ISP-local clouds (or, really, any regional cloud provider located physically near you), is that physical proximity enables services that are otherwise difficult.
Take data recovery as an example. For those using cloud services simply as an offsite back-up repository there is always the problem of getting your data back when a restore is required. Downloading can take a long time. A local cloud provider can pop the data onto a drive and courier it over the same day. A cloud provider in another country takes longer, if they even offer that as a service.Fugees, that rare bird of 1990s hip hop, produced forth only two albums during their short career — the latter of which, 1996 bar-raiser The Score, remains one of the most influential and beloved LPs of said decade. (To-date, it’s sold 6 million copies in the States alone.)
Last month The Score quietly hit the 20-year mark, on February 13. But its importance has not been lost on label Sony and online wax enthusiasts Vinyl Me, Please, who have partnered up for a 20th anniversary vinyl re-release of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel‘s musical master stroke. The Score will be Vinyl Me, Please’s record of the month for April.
Special features of the new edition include a gatefold sleeve, the original album on two-LP split-color black and gold vinyl, a bonus gold 7″ vinyl with three bonus tracks — “Fu-Gee-La” (Refugee Camp Remix), “Mista Mista” and “Fu-Gee-La” (Sly & Robbie Mix) — a 12 x 24 fold-out poster and 12 × 12 original art print by Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle.
Peek at the final product in the video above, and get more info here.
Is The Score an album you’d splash out money for on vinyl? Let us know your thoughts below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!Getty Images
The deadline to use franchise tags will arrive on Wednesday afternoon and we’ve already seen six teams hand them out this week.
If there’s a seventh team, it’s not expected to be Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye. That’s been the feeling for some time as word in mid-February was that the Texans were leaning in the other direction and Bouye said last week that he didn’t believe that the team would be using the $14 million-plus tag to keep him off the open market.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports Wednesday that nothing has changed and that the Texans will continue working on signing Bouye to a traditional extension rather than breaking out the tag.
That will likely be tough to get done before Bouye can start talking to other teams on March 7. Bouye has made a rapid rise to the top of the list of this year’s free agent cornerbacks and has little reason to sign a contract to stay in Houston without seeing what the larger market has to offer.China is in the final stages of building the world's largest-ever radio telescope, which will give Beijing a leading role in space research and the hunt for extra-terrestrials.
With a dish the size of 30 football pitches, the telescope will scan for signs of life as far as tens of billions of light years away. It will be able to pick up radio signals distant galaxies and solar systems, and also hunt for future sources of energy like natural hydrogen.
"A radio telescope is like a sensitive ear, listening to tell meaningful radio messages from white noise in the universe," said Nan Rendong, the chief scientist at the project, known officially as the 500 Metre Aperture Spherical Telescope.
"It is like identifying the sound of cicadas in a thunderstorm."
Work on the telescope began in 2011 and is to be finished by September 2016. It will be substantially larger than the world's existing biggest star-gazer, the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico, which was the setting for a secret electro-magnetic weapon in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye.
The telescope’s home is in a rock basin in Pingtang County in south-west China's Guizhou Province, specially chosen for the natural recess it provides to protect the telescope from the elements. The basin’s porous rock drains rainwater away quickly, while its distance from nearby towns ensures a high degree of "radio silence".
In recent days, scientists behind the project have been installing panels of what will eventually be its "retina", each one a giant triangle 33 feet long. Special cables fixed to each one will allow the panels to be precision adjusted during the operation of the telescope to within 10 millimetres.
"It will help us to search for intelligent life outside of the galaxy and explore the origins of the universe," said Wu Xiangping, director-general of the Chinese Astronomical Society.
Li Di, a chief scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences told China Daily: "So far, one of the most important steps has been completed.
"We will finish installing all the panels by June 2016, and strive to debug the whole system by the end of September."
Photo: Getty images
He added that the design of the telescope is not difficult to understand, very similar to a TV antenna: "FAST is similar to any television antenna on a roof, but it is so much larger than that.
"With a larger signal receiving area and more flexibility, FAST will be able to scan two times more sky area than Arecibo, with three to five times higher sensitivity," he said.
It would take a full 40 minutes for the average person to walk around the telescope.
The enormous dish is made up of over 4,500 mostly triangular panels and its side panels measure 11 metres long.
As these pictures show, a retina was successfully installed inside the structure.
It was tested, and it works appropriately.
The massive reflector disk in the device will collect signals from the whole universe.
Astronomers have said that many new discoveries about space could be made using this piece of equipment.
Lister Staveley-Smith, an astronomer at the University of Western Australia, expects it to find unknown stars in the Milky Way other more distant galaxies.
Photo: Ou Dongqu / Xinhua
"FAST's sensitivity and resolution will allow an extremely comprehensive study of thousands of galaxies in different environments in the local universe," he said.
The prospect of the discovering other life in space gained fresh scientific credence earlier this year, when Nasa discovered an 'earth-like' planet named Kepler-452b.
It was located about 1,400 light-years away from the solar system, and at the speed of a typical modern space craft, would take around 26 million years to reach from Earth. Nasa identified Kepler-452b as a rare example of a so-called "Goldilocks planet" - one that is capable of supporting human-style life because it is neither too close to the Sun nor too distant.
• China's moon landing: the space race with India
China is now on track to become a world leader in the space race, which its leaders view as confirmation of Beijing’s growing superpower status.
In 2003, it became only the third nation in history to put a human into orbit. Since then, Chinese astronauts have walked in space, launched an orbital space lab and sent a lunar probe to the moon.
Should aliens ever choose to respond to any of the new telescope’s radio signals, they might hear the phrase "有人吗" or "Youren ma?”
It translates roughly as "Is anybody out there?"Nobel Prize-winning Economist Paul Krugman, professor of international trade and economics at Princeton University, pauses during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Krugman discussed the performance of bonds, Fed monetary policy, and the U.S. economy compared with that of Japan. Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images
They say hindsight is 20/20, but according to Paul Krugman it may actually be much worse than that when it comes to economic policy-making.
The Nobel-Prize winning economist and New York Times columnist wrote in a blog post Sunday that current policymakers are basing their decisions to cut spending, leading in many cases to high unemployment, on the false notion that the recession of the late 1970s and early 1980s was caused by too much government debt and too many government handouts.
During the period leading up to that recession government debt was low and stable or falling as a share of the economy. What actually caused the recession of the late 1970s, Krugman writes, was an unfortunate vicious cycle of workers demanding more money because they expected prices to rise, companies raising prices to pay for their increased costs as well as big oil price shocks.
“It would be bad enough if we were basing policy today on lessons from the 70s,” Krugman wrote in the blog post Sunday. “It’s even worse that we’re basing policy today on a mythical 70s that never was.”
Though Krugman has been criticizing some policymakers’ obsession with austerity for years, the strategy has recently come under fire after a widely-cited paper by Harvard economists Carmen Reinhart and Ken Rogoff thought to prove that high levels of government debt correlated with economic downturns, turned out to be riddled with errors. For their part, Reinhart and Rogoff have tried to disown the austerity movement -- which included Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the U.K.’s George Osborne and other prominent politicians -- which cited their research as a way to justify their policies.
Earlier this month former President Bill Clinton backed Krugman’s argument that a laser-sharp focus on cutting the deficit can lead to high unemployment and other economic problems, saying “It's obvious that if you overdo austerity, you get Europe.”
The average unemployment rate in the Eurozone is at a record 12.1 percent and the region is currently mired in the longest recession in its history. Some experts blame the region’s policymakers’ obsessive focus on slashing government debt for the eurozone’s economic woes.For other people named John Stubbs, see John Stubbs (disambiguation)
John Stubbs (or Stubbe) (c. 1544 – after 25 September 1589) was an English pamphleteer, political commentator and sketch artist during the Elizabethan era.
He was born in the County of Norfolk, and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge.[1] After reading law at Lincoln's Inn, he lived at Thelveton, in the County of Norfolk. He was a committed Puritan, and he opposed the negotiations for marriage between Queen Elizabeth I and Francis, Duke of Anjou, a Roman Catholic who was the brother of the King of France.
Publication of French Marriage pamphlet [ edit ]
In 1579 he put his opinions into a pamphlet entitled The Discovery of a Gaping Gulf whereunto England is like to be swallowed by another French Marriage, if the Lord forbid not the banns, by letting her Majesty see the sin and punishment thereof.[2] Copies of the text were later publicly burned in the kitchen stove of Stationer's Hall. The pamphlet argued that at forty-six years old Elizabeth was too old to have children and therefore had no need for marriage. He argued that English values, customs, language and morality would be undermined by so close a relationship with the French monarchy.
Stubbs argued that his objective was to protect the freedom of thought and free speech that he said was associated with Protestantism. The proposed marriage could lead to a restoration of Catholic orthodoxy with its diminution of liberty.
Stubbs undiplomatically described the proposed wedding as a "contrary coupling," "an immoral union, an uneven yoking of the clean ox to the unclean ass, a thing forbidden in the law" as laid down by St. Paul, a "more foul and more gross" union that would draw the wrath of God on England and leave the English "pressed down with the heavy loins of a worse people and beaten as with scorpions by a more vile nation."
Trial, punishment, and further writing [ edit ]
Elizabeth's court were displeased by the publication. Circulation of this pamphlet was prohibited, and Stubbs, his printer, and publisher were tried at Westminster, found guilty of "seditious writing", and sentenced to have their right hands cut off by means of a cleaver driven through the wrist by a mallet. Initially Queen Elizabeth had favoured the death penalty but was persuaded by adviser John Jovey to opt for the lesser sentence. The printer was subsequently pardoned by Elizabeth, but in the case of Stubbs and his publisher the sentence was carried out, and Stubbs' right hand was cut off on 3 November 1579. At the time Stubbs protested his loyalty to the Crown, and immediately before the public dismemberment delivered a shocking pun: "Pray for me now my calamity is at hand."[3] His right hand having been cut off, he removed his hat with his left hand and cried "God Save the Queen!" before fainting.[3] His fellow conspirator, the publisher William Page, according to witness William Camden (Camden, Historie III, 10, placed wrongly under 1581), lifted up his bleeding hand and said: "I left there a true Englishman's hand." [4] The scene is recreated in the 2005 TV miniseries Elizabeth I, starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth.
Stubbs was subsequently imprisoned for eighteen months. On being released in 1581 he continued to write, publishing, among other pamphlets, a reply to Cardinal Allen's Defence of the English Catholics. Despite his punishment, he remained a loyal subject of Queen Elizabeth and later served in the House of Commons as MP for Great Yarmouth in the English Parliament of 1589.[5]
He died and was buried with military honours on the shore at Le Havre, France, where he seems to have gone to volunteer for military service (despite the disability caused by his punishment) under Henry of Navarre. His will, dated 25 September 1589, was probated on 27 June 1590.[5]
Marriage and issue [ edit ]
John Stubbs married Anne de Vere (d. 1617), widow of Christopher Shernborne (d. 7 July 1575), and daughter of Aubrey de Vere, second son of John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford. By her marriage to Christopher Shernborne, Anne had a son, Francis Shernborne, esquire, who was the last of the male line to bear the surname. Francis Shernborne married Martha Colt, said to have been the daughter of Sir George Colt of Cavendish, Suffolk, by whom he had a daughter and heir, Mary Colt, who married Sir Augustine Sotherton of Taverham, near Norwich.[6][7]
Stubbs was brother-in-law of the noted Puritan divine Thomas Cartwright, who married his sister Alice. Anne Stubbs, John's wife, was a Brownist.[8]
Modern research on Stubbs [ edit ]
Linda Gregerson of the University of Michigan is writing a book, Commonwealth of the Word: Nation and Reformation in Early Modern England, that closely examines Stubbs' life and the contradictions of his loyalty to the Crown in light of his punishment, as well as the role of nationalism, patriotism and religion in shaping his beliefs.
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Berry, Lloyd E., ed. (1968). John Stubbs's Gaping Gulf with Letters and Other Relevant Documents. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia. p. xxiv.
AttributionSEATTLE—After successfully delivering the newborn baby of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and his girlfriend Ashley Moss Thursday morning, Northwest Hospital and Medical Center nurse Karen Greco expressed her frustration at having to constantly take shit from the Seahawks defender throughout the entire birthing process. “As soon as Mr. Sherman showed up to the hospital with his girlfriend, he started shouting about how he was the best in the game and how I wasn’t nothing compared to him,” Greco said, noting how difficult it was to guide Moss through her contractions and apply an epidural anesthetic with the defensive back loudly criticizing the hospital for sending such a “second-rate, bush-league” maternity nurse to deliver his son. “I was trying to concentrate once his girlfriend started crowning, but he was right up in my face and screaming at me the whole time. It’s like, ‘Jesus, just shut up and let me do my job, okay?’” According to sources, Greco and the rest of the maternity ward staff ultimately lost their patience with Sherman when he used his superior size and reach to get in front of the attending obstetrician and snatch his newborn child from his girlfriend’s birth canal.Despite the objections of former City Councilman Carlton Soules, the planned $850 million bond will benefit the entire city.
Sure, tweaks will need to be made to some of the proposed expenditures. We don’t like the idea of spending $2 million for baseball fields at McAllister Park that will not be open to the public, for example. Not when the need for fields citywide is so evident. Likewise, spending $7 million for an event center at the San Antonio Botanical Garden gives us pause since the garden is privately run and charges for admission.
In a bond package so big, such quibbling comes with the territory. There is always going to be a project to nitpick or dislike, but on balance, the proposed $850 million bond is spread across all areas of the community and is an important investment toward addressing infrastructure needs and improving the quality of life in a fast-growing, sprawling city. As Mayor Ivy Taylor recently said, “The city is huge and continues to grow.”
To be against this bond is to ignore this reality.
Soules has come out firing against the bond package, saying it is far too focused on the “urban core,” according to Express-News Metro columnist Brian Chasnoff. Soules used the same argument in his failed bid for Bexar County judge, asserting then that the county was spending too much on projects in the city center.
This has never made much sense. City residents are also county residents. In fact, the vast majority of county residents live in the city.
This bond is all about back to basics. Its focus is infrastructure, flood control and parks. Projects are almost evenly spread across council districts, and, yes, some of these projects will strengthen the urban core. That’s not exactly a bad thing. The community conversation going forward should be about making sure the bond serves the greater community and reflects respective district priorities.Amber Randall, DCNF
A man refused to accept the results of his ancestry DNA test after it revealed he wasn’t black, according to a New York Times piece last week.
Two professors from West Chester University decided to do an in-depth analysis into various people’s ancestries and backgrounds. First they asked participants to guess the results. One of their participants, Bernard, came away very displeased when the test revealed he was mainly European and not at all black.
Bernard walked into the test identifying himself as “black.” He informed the professors ahead of time that despite having a white mother, his mother raised him to identify as a black man.
“My mother said, ‘I know you are me, but no cop is going to take the time to find out your mother is white,’” Bernard explained before the test. “She was very specific about raising me as a black man.”
Bernard’s test, however, revealed that he is only one percent African/Asian. Over 90 percent of his ancestry is European, while he is five percent Middle Eastern and two percent Hispanic.
Bernard completely rejected the results of the test, saying they caused problems in his family.
“I know my nose is sharp and my skin is light, but my politics are as black as night. Today, I don’t identify as mixed,” Bernard said, according to The NYT. “I reject my white privilege in a racist America. There is no way that I or my kids will identify as anything other than black.”
Other black people have also had trouble accepting their white ancestry. A black Huffington Post writer was shocked after a DNA ancestry test revealed she was almost 32% white. The discovery, she wrote, left her disoriented and ashamed.
“As inappropriate (but honest) as it sounds, I’d discovered I had the so-called “superior” race running through my veins, and never before had I felt so inferior,” she wrote.
Follow Amber on Twitter
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]In Washington, D.C., the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, headed by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, begins televised hearings on the escalating Watergate scandal. One week later, Harvard law professor Archibald Cox was sworn in as special Watergate prosecutor.
On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into and illegally wiretapping the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. One of the suspects, James W. McCord Jr., was revealed to be the salaried security coordinator for President Richard Nixon’s reelection committee. Two other men with White House ties were later implicated in the break-in: E. Howard Hunt, Jr., a former White House aide, and G. Gordon Liddy, finance counsel for the Committee for the Re-election of the President. Journalists and the Select Committee discovered a higher-echelon conspiracy surrounding the incident, and a political scandal of unprecedented magnitude erupted.
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In May 1973, the special Senate committee began televised proceedings on the Watergate affair. During the Senate hearings, former White House legal counsel John Dean testified that the Watergate break-in had been approved by former Attorney General John Mitchell with the knowledge of chief White House advisers John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman, and that President Nixon had been aware of the cover-up. Meanwhile, Watergate prosecutor Cox and his staff began to uncover widespread evidence of political espionage by the Nixon reelection committee, illegal wiretapping of thousands of citizens by the administration, and contributions to the Republican Party in return for political favors.
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In July, the existence of what were to be called the Watergate tapes–official recordings of White House conversations between Nixon and his staff–was revealed during the Senate hearings. Cox subpoenaed these tapes, and after three months of delay President Nixon agreed to send summaries of the recordings. Cox rejected the summaries, and Nixon fired him. His successor as special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, leveled indictments against several high-ranking administration officials, including Mitchell and Dean, who were duly convicted.
Public confidence in the president rapidly waned, and by the end of July 1974 the House Judiciary Committee had adopted three articles of impeachment against President Nixon: obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential powers, and hindrance of the impeachment process. On July 30, under coercion from the Supreme Court, Nixon finally released the Watergate tapes. On August 5, transcripts of the recordings were released, including a segment in which the president was heard instructing Haldeman to order the FBI to halt the Watergate investigation. Four days later, Nixon became the first president in U.S. history to resign. On September 8, his successor, President Gerald Ford, pardoned him from any criminal charges.An image from the GIF showing Donald Trump wrestling CNN to the ground. Twitter/Donald Trump
The Reddit user who created a GIF of President Donald Trump body-slamming and punching CNN's logo apologized Tuesday for racist and anti-Semitic comments the user made in the past.
"I would like to apologize to the members of the Reddit community for getting this site and this sub embroiled in a controversy that should never have happened," the Reddit user, HanA--holeSolo, wrote, referring to the pro-Trump Reddit community R/The_Donald.
"I am in no way this kind of person," the user continued. "I love and accept people of all walks of life and have done so my entire life."
The post, in which the user also urged other trolls to consider the impact of their actions and promised to quit posting from his account, has since been deleted from the site. A BuzzFeed News reporter posted screenshots of the apology before it was deleted Tuesday evening.
Trump tweeted out the GIF on Sunday morning. It was an altered video of Trump taking WWE CEO Vince McMahon to the ground in a 2007 wrestling performance. The CNN logo was superimposed on McMahon's face.
HanA--holeSolo took credit for |
179)
We love to design unusual enemies so we decided to let some of the fans have that chance as well! Design an enemy from how they look to how they fight. We'll try our hardest to make your design the best it can be! And the loot the enemy drops is your rewards from this tier so best design a weakness as well! (Please add £10 or $17 for International Shipping)
Bosses Need Some Paint (Limited stock of 5!) (£120 or $204)
What's better than designing an enemy? Designing a villain! Make up a boss and see him fight your beloved party in a grueling match! And we'll be sure to ensure he puts up a fight! He doesn't have any loot because you already took the other rewards from this tier! (Please add £10 or $17 for International Shipping)
Time's Hero (Limited stock of 4!) (£150 or $255)
For those who really want to say "I was here", this is the tier for you! You get a statue in your honour that will litter the lands in the Legena universe no matter which game! NPCs will know your name and respect you as a hero! And to top it all off, you get all the other rewards in this tier too! (Please add £10 or $17 for International Shipping)
Become The Hero (Limited stock of 1!) (£500 or $850)
Sometimes saying you were there isn't enough. Having statues or NPCs in honour of you just won't cut it. That's why this tier is here. Whoever pledges enough for this tier not only gets the rewards in this tier, but they get to design a hero to join Tetiro and Atesan on their journey throughout Dynol and Vesira. Will they meet at a bar? On a quest? Or even through a battle? Who knows, that will be all up to the lucky person to get this tier! (Please add £10 or $17 for International Shipping)Sue MacGregor gathers together five people who created and starred in the first series of Doctor Who back in 1963, launching a cultural phenomenon that still thrives today.
Sue MacGregor reunites five people who created and starred in the first series of a television landmark, Doctor Who. Fifty years later, those who crammed nervously into the BBC's Lime Grove Studios in 1963 recount the triumphs and disasters that ushered in the longest running science-fiction series in the world.
When Canadian TV executive Sydney Newman was drafted in to revitalise the BBC Drama department in the early 1960's, his idea for an ageing time-traveller who would illuminate both human history and Alien civilisations struggled to be successfully realised.
After a number of other directors refused to work on the project, a 24 year-old Waris Hussein took the job. The only Indian-born director within the BBC at that time, he felt the stern gaze of the 'old order' upon his work.
The first episode was recorded on the day President Kennedy was assassinated and transmitted the next day, despite concerns that the show might be postponed.
Doctor Who was played by the British actor William Hartnell. His sharp, sometimes grumpy demeanour came out of his increasing difficulty in learning the scripts, but the audience immediately took him to their hearts and the series had nearly six million viewers by Christmas.
Joining Sue MacGregor is Waris Hussein, the director of the episode, Carole Ann Ford who played the Doctor's granddaughter and companion Susan, William Russell who played the Doctor's right hand man Ian Chesterton, actor Jeremy Young who was the first Doctor Who enemy Caveman Kal, and television presenter Peter Purves who travelled with William Hartnell in the mid 60's as companion Steven Taylor.
Produced by Peter Curran
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.Three years after having sold to New York University for $25 million the vacant area of its former Catholic Center at NYU, the Archdiocese of New York has bought back a section of the new building just completed on that same lot for $10 million.
SEE ALSO: NYU to Open LA Extension Program in Fairfax District
It may or may not be God’s will, but overall, the Archdiocese has reported a $15 million profit, leaving to NYU the burden of the construction and has just celebrated the opening of a new 10,000-square-foot center on Washington Square Park South.
Among the largest owners of real estate in Manhattan, the Archdiocese, along with NYU, has now brought full circle their agreement on the property at 58 Washington Square South. After having demolished its Catholic Center at New York University, the Archdiocese sold the remaining vacant lot for $25 million in 2009. In the deed the buyer and the seller agreed to maintain a Roman Catholic Church on the premises.
As part of its ongoing expansion plans, NYU has built a five-story, 92,000-square-foot building designated to be home of NYU’s Center for Academic and Spiritual Life. Last May, the center was completed with spaces for religious observance, offices for NYU’s Chaplains’ Circle, classes and conference space.
A portion of the building has been set aside for the Catholic presence, with its own separate entrance on Thompson Street. An NYU spokesperson confirmed that the Archdiocese has just bought back this space for $10 million. The center features a chapel, a lecture hall for 200 people, a meeting room, a common room, a confessional room, a kitchen and other amenities.
The center, which was officially opened with a mass and a dedication ceremony presided over by the Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, has been dedicated to Cardinal Edward Egan.
apirolo@observer.comA neural algorithm of artistic style
UPDATE: An experiment.
UPDATE: I'm curating some images here.
Each of these images was produced in little over a minute...
Let's see how...
On the 26th August 2015, researchers Leon Gatys, Alexander Ecker and Matthias Bethge posted A Neural Algorithm of Artistic Style on arXiv. They described an algorithm which allowed them to combine the style of one image with the content of another. For example, we could combine the style of van Gogh's Starry Night with a photograph of the Eiffel tower to get...
... or instead some Picasso with grumpy cat.
Before explaining how this works, let's get a feel for the images this algorithm produces through example. Let's start with Edvard Munch inspired images.
Notice that all of these images have a similar range of colours and the brush strokes tend to be in the same direction. After a bit of experience with this algorithm, it tends to preserve colour if it can, but otherwise uses a nearby replacement in the image who's style it is recreating.
Let's try something very different, how about a Matisse?
Again all of the images use a similar colour palette, but it's not quite the same as the original image. However, the algorithm has captured the idea of block colours. Notice the algorithm has introduced a few artefacts; in particular the colorised border and grid pattern (which somewhat makes it look like the images are rendered on canvas which isn't so bad). My feeling at the moment is that many of the artefacts might go away if we use a better gradient based optimiser (currently using fixed step size with momentum, however, l-bfgs might be feasible).
Now let's try something more abstract, perhaps some Mondrian.
It has picked up on the block colours and thick vertical and horizontal lines. It hasn't picked up on everything being rectangles, but after only seeing one image that would be quite a large leap of faith. Perhaps this highlights that style and content are not always separable, especially in more modern works.
How about an older style, for example, Rembrant.
Hmmmm... less convincing. It appears to have produced an effect similar to dabbing a brush on the canvas not present in the original.
Now let's see some failures of the algorithm. Some style images are more likely to take over an image, such as Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
That said, I quite like these. Examples that really take over an image are Super Mario Brothers...
...this Rothko...
...and this Pollock...
...but I think this has more to do with a lack of invariances in the algorithm; more on this later perhaps.
I'm now running out of reasons to show more images, so here are more images.
How do I make my own images?
At the time of writing this is hot of the press, so there are only a few implementations in the form of code. I was halfway through writing my own stuff before this was released which I used to generate the images in this article. There is a new implementation here but I'm not convinced it's much better. I'm waiting for an implementation with a better optimiser and invariance to image sizes; or maybe I'll finish my own implementation. UPDATE: The second code link now has a better optimiser. This is probably the code to be using.
How does it work?
If you understand neural networks, the paper is highly readable. Just be careful that some of the equations are currently inconsistent; there are some implicit ReLUs and/or overloading of symbols.
If you are not so familiar with neural networks, do not fear, the technique is simple at a conceptual level. Neural networks for image processing tasks can be thought of as several layers of image filters. By filter, I mean things that identify the location of features like edges, straight lines or blobs rather than the instagram usage of the word. Several filters are applied sequentially to create more complex filters, such as those that identify the location of several parallel lines, or circles in a grid shape. As more and more filters are applied, more abstract objects can be identified, such as things that could be parts of noses, or pagodas. Check out this video to get a sense of the increasing abstraction of these filters as one passes through a neural network.
The outputs of these filters are what the creators of this algorithm define as content. This makes a lot of sense, they record the location of certain types of object or pattern. The algorithm tries to find an image that has similar content to some image as defined by these features, and similar style to another image.
So how is style defined? The answer is deceptively simple, they look at the correlations of these filters across the entire image. This measures things like whether or not lines are commonly found next to blobs and more abstract concepts. This is certainly not the only way to define style, but the guys behind the paper have written about visual style before so I'll take their word that this correlation measure captures certain aspects of style.
Is art dead?
No.
Where next?
There are a couple of problems with the current implementations. I would have fixed them myself but my skill level with torch and lua at the moment is baby seal. If I get the time I'll finish my caffe implementation.
First, most implementations are using very simplistic optimisers (e.g. fixed-step-size first-order methods). While this is pratically necessary for training neural networks, it should be feasible to use a more powerful optimiser on these problems. UPDATE: This code has just switched to l-bfgs.
Second, the algorithm is not invariant to changes in the size of the input images. It should be easy enough to get a handle on the expected size of the style and content objectives (across multiple layers) and make a suitable scaling based on this.
But on a more positive note, the code is good enough to play with this technique. I'm looking forward to new definitions of style, applications to video, fusing styles and whatever else the future brings.Arin Andrews, 17, and Katie Hill, 19, look like any loving young couple posing in their swimwear. It is hard to believe that just two years ago he was a girl called Emerald and she was a boy called Luke. Both have undergone surgery to change their gender.
Father and Daughter Have a Baby A report from The Irish Sun shows what happened when a father and daughter were reunited after many years. Penny Lawrence went in search of her father Gerry Ryan following the death of her mother and grandparents. The Irish Sun reports that she eventually found Dublin-born Ryan in Houston, Texas.
Louise And Martine Fokkens: Amsterdam's Oldest Prostitutes Finally Retiring at 70 Louise and Martine Fokkens, two 70-year-old twin sisters who have been prostitutes in Amsterdam for over 50 years, have decided to retire. They estimate that they have slept with about 355,000 men between the two of them. The twins are confident their income from film rights will keep them solvent in the years of retirement ahead.Tufts U. Moon Duchin, of Tufts U., has helped create a program to train mathematicians to serve as expert witnesses in court cases over redrawn electoral districts. A Tufts University professor has a proposal to combat gerrymandering: give more geometry experts a day in court.
Moon Duchin is an associate professor of math and director of the Science, Technology and Society program at Tufts. She realized last year that some of her research about metric geometry could be applied to gerrymandering — the practice of manipulating the shape of electoral districts to benefit a specific party, which is widely seen as a major contributor to government dysfunction.
At first, she says, her plans were straightforward and research-oriented — "to put together a team to do some modeling and then maybe consult with state redistricting commissions." But then she got more creative. "I became convinced that it’s probably more effective to try to help train a big new generation of expert witnesses who know the math side pretty well," she says.
“It's clear that this is the right moment to do this kind of work. We want to harness all that energy.”
In part, she says, that’s because court cases over voting districts have risen since a 2013 Supreme Court decision, Shelby County v. Holder, struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Former President Barack Obama is said to be making redistricting a focus after his presidency, and the former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. is leading a new Democratic group targeting gerrymandering ahead of 2021, the next time district lines will be drawn.
Before the Shelby decision, some states and localities with a history of racial discrimination were required to get federal clearance before redrawing electoral districts or making other changes in their election laws.
"Changes to voting rules that used to be considered by courts before they could be implemented," Ms. Duchin says, "are now implemented first and the courts consider them after the fact." Because of the increase in cases challenging new electoral maps, she says, there’s a need for expert witnesses who understand the mathematical concepts applicable to gerrymandering.
To meet that need, she’s spearheaded the creation of a five-day summer program at Tufts that aims to train mathematicians to do just that. The first three days of the program will be open to the public and available online, with lessons that put redistricting in legal, historical, civil-rights, and mathematical contexts. Attendees of the program’s final two days will participate in one of three specialized tracks on giving expert testimony, teaching, and working with geographic-information systems.
The summer program, created in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was announced late in January. Already, Ms. Duchin says, over 900 people have indicated their interest by signing up for a mailing list. "What was really remarkable," she says, "is that the mailing list didn’t say, Sign up if you care about gerrymandering. It said, We want to train mathematicians as expert witnesses. That’s very specific."
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Overwhelmed by the interest, Ms. Duchin and the Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group, or MGGG — a five-person group founded by Ms. Duchin that is organizing the summer school — decided to hold additional trainings in California, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin later this year.
"It’s clear that this is the right moment to do this kind of work," Ms. Duchin says. "We want to harness all that energy."
Ms. Duchin spoke with The Chronicle about the summer school and the group’s broader goals. This interview has been condensed and edited.
Q. What is the Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group’s aim?
A. In redistricting, one of the principles that’s taken seriously by courts is that districts should be compact. The U.S. Constitution does not say that, but many state constitutions do, and it’s taken as a kind of general principle of how districts ought to look.
But nobody knows exactly what compactness means. People just have the idea that it means the shape shouldn’t be too weird, shouldn’t be too eccentric; it should be a kind of reasonable shape. Lots of people have taken a swing at that over the years. Which definition you choose actually has stakes. It changes what maps are acceptable and what maps aren’t. If you look at the Supreme Court history, what you’ll see is that a lot of times, especially in the ’90s, the court would say, Look, some shapes are obviously too bizarre but we don’t know how to describe the cutoff. How bizarre is too bizarre? We don’t know; that sounds hard.
Q. It’s like how they define obscenity.
A. Exactly. When I started thinking about this, I was surprised to see that even though there were different mathematical attempts at a definition, you don’t ever see mathematicians testifying in court about it. So our first aim was to think like mathematicians about compactness and look at all the definitions that already exist, and compare them and try to prove theorems about the relationships between the definitions.
What courts have been looking for is one definition of compactness that they can understand, that we can compute, and that they can use as a kind of go-to standard. I don’t have any illusions that we’re going to settle that debate forever, but I think we can make a contribution to the debate.
Q. How was the group formed?
A. I founded it through realizing that this landscape of compactness had a hole in it. It’s not that mathematicians hadn’t been working on it; it’s that [geometry experts] hadn’t entered the legal conversation.
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“What courts have been looking for is one definition of compactness that they can understand, that we can compute, and that they can use as a kind of go-to standard.”
I’m always a little bit wary of coming off sounding like I’m the very first person to work on this idea; I just want to be clear that’s not the claim. But I do think we’re taking a new approach. There are scores — one of them is called the Polsby-Popper score ; that’s the area of a district compared to the area of a circle of the same perimeter, given as a percentage. Certainly courts have heard about Polsby-Popper scores. It’s just that no court has ever found that that alone is a persuasive way to rule out a bad district.
In geometric group theory, I work on what’s called metric geometry and within that, I already had a series of papers that were about essentially the average distances between points in various kinds of shapes. That’s actually directly applicable to compactness. It turns out that if you take a district and you look at the average distances between all of its points, then the bigger that is, the less compact, once you normalize by the diameter. That meant that I already had published theorems that, I think, cast some light on the districting problem.
Q. One of the group’s projects is the summer course. Are there other avenues you’re pursuing?
A. Absolutely. Our aim is to do some publication between now and then. We want to write papers where we prove theorems about different compactness metrics.
But the summer school — boy, you wouldn’t believe the incredible, incredible response we’ve gotten, including from leaders in all the various fields that touch on this problem. The point of the summer school isn’t just to bring people together so we can convince them of our ideas. We also want to pool ideas and see, putting all those brilliant people in one place, can we make some progress on what’s been a pretty intractable problem?
Q. Judges and jurors are often not mathematicians. How do you train a technical expert to explain these concepts to a lay audience in a courtroom setting?
A. That’s been on my mind a lot. Since I started working on this project, one thing that I’ve been doing is giving a lot of talks to different kinds of audiences about this work. It began with my "Mathematics of Social Choice" class. I was trying to explain to them some of these compactness statistics and to my surprise, some of the things that seemed very intuitive to me didn’t at all seem intuitive to my students. Then I started giving lectures to mixed audiences. I gave a talk at Parents Weekend at Tufts; I spoke to a public audience in Washington, D.C.; I went to a high school to talk about it.
Bouncing things off of diverse audiences has taught me things I didn’t already know about how rhetorically accessible different ideas are. This is well-known to educators: Once you achieve a certain level of expertise, it can be hard to find the difficult spots and the reasoning anymore because they’re so familiar to you.
A beautiful fact about high-stakes court cases is that they produce a lot of written documentation, so you can read transcripts of questions, you can read the decisions of particular Supreme Court cases, you can read these long detailed decisions, and you can look through those to understand what they accepted and what they didn’t accept in terms of the evidence.
Recently there was a big media sensation in Wisconsin around something called the "efficiency gap." It was a new metric of partisan gerrymandering that, for the first time, a court said they liked. The way it was devised was that the people who created it, they went back and they read all of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s written decisions about measuring gerrymandering. By reading his words and by reading what he said he found convincing and less convincing, they designed a statistic to appeal to him. He’s that vaunted median justice. If you can come up with something that will be convincing to Anthony Kennedy, then you’ve probably just changed the outcome.
Shannon Najmabadi writes about teaching, learning, the curriculum, and educational quality.In October, a federal district judge in San Francisco interpreted the budget amendment as a prohibition on federal prosecutors from shutting down a Marin County dispensary that complied with state law.
Wykowski said the federal government initially appealed the ruling by U.S. Dist. Judge Charles Breyer, brother of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, but recently withdrew it. If it had been upheld by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, it would have affected Harborside and dispensaries in all Western states.
Federal prosecutors "saw the handwriting on the wall," he said.
"They tried to have us evicted. We won that," he said. "They tried to get an injunction to stop us from selling. We won on that."
Oakland tried to intervene in the case on behalf of the dispensary, but a federal judge decided in August that the city lacked the legal right to have a say in the case. The U.S. Supreme Court let that decision stand in March.
Still, Oakland officials attributed the resolution of the case to their strong support of the dispensary.
Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan noted that Harborside and other dispensaries generate $3 million in revenue annually to the city. She said Oakland was the first in the state to set up a permit program for dispensaries, which required they provide security.
"I am glad that Oakland's work on the federal case helped keep Harborside open during this dispute and heartened to know that the threat against them is now removed," Kaplan said.
More than 30 states have legalized cannabis for medical use, but marijuana remains illegal under federal law. The Obama administration told federal prosecutors in 2013 that enforcement efforts should be concentrated on cases involving violence, distribution to minors, the involvement of criminal enterprises, growing on federal lands and trafficking marijuana to states where it is illegal.
The case against Harborside was originally brought by former U.S. Atty. Melinda Haag, who resigned last year and was succeeded by Brian J. Stretch, a longtime prosecutor in the office.Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Ahmed Hussen has unveiled a new pilot program for northern and rural communities. iPolitics/Matthew Usherwood
Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen would not commit Thursday to ensuring that female genital mutilation is described as a crime in Canada’s revised citizenship guide.
In an uncomfortable exchange with Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel at a Commons immigration committee meeting this morning, Rempel pressed Hussen to say whether the government will list the practice as a crime in the citizenship guide.
Rempel has been advocating that FGM be described as a crime in the guide since the summer, when the Canadian Press reported that a draft version of the guide had dropped the line stating “barbaric cultural practices,” such as FGM and honour killings, are illegal in Canada.
The current “Discover Canada” guide dates back to 2011, when the previous Conservative government overhauled it. Hussen’s predecessor in the portfolio, John McCallum, was in favour of axing the Conservatives’ warning that certain “barbaric cultural practices” are crimes in Canada.
According to United Nations figures, around 200 million women around the world have been subjected to FGM.
Rempel asked Hussen a number of times if he will reverse his decision to remove FGM from Canada’s citizenship guide, but her question was met each time with roughly the same response from Hussen: “The citizenship guide hasn’t been written. We’re still in the consultation stage.”
Rempel also asked whether the draft document that was leaked to media in June was drafted by the department of immigration. “The citizenship guide has not been written,” Hussen responded.
“Will female genital mutilation …” began Rempel. “It has not been written,” Hussen interjected, later adding that the government is consulting stakeholders.
“This is a yes or no question,” said Rempel. “It’s not,” Hussen replied.
“FGM affects over 200 million women worldwide. We’re talking about a woman’s clitoris being cut off to remove her sexual agency,” said Rempel. “This is a practice that happens because it’s shrouded in silence and the reason why it’s in Canada’s citizenship guide right now is to arm women with an understanding of their rights. Will you commit today to ensuring this practice is listed as an intolerable practice and a crime as it currently is right now?”
“I will commit to continue to consult, which your party and your government didn’t do,” Hussen responded.
Rempel referenced a petition signed by over 17,000 Canadians who want to keep FGM listed as a crime in the guide.
Hussen did confirm that no experts have advised the government to remove FGM from the guide and he has not been directed by the Prime Minister’s Office to remove FGM from the guide.
With files from The Canadian Press.Truck Maker Discovers Chinese Knockoff Company; Helps It Come Up With Its Own Design
from the well-there's-a-different-strategy dept
"We told them that we welcome competition but we think you should invest in a unique identity towards your customers"
Scania even gave them design tips.
"We gave them sketch-like ideas on the lines of the cab that you can do instead.
They later came back with a sketch of what they had thought about.
"We thought it was still too much like us. Then they did the job and came back again. It was a very friendly and constructive discussion. They respected what we said and made sure that they have not crossed the border again. Their next series will not be like Scania, "said Mr Harborn.
We've seen different companies respond in different and creative ways to companies making knockoffs in the past. One of my favorites was the South African clothing firm that created an entire (secret) knockoff line of clothes to "compete" with unauthorized knockoffs. However Sebastian Brannstrom points us to a really surprising story out of Sweden. While the linked article mostly complains about knockoffs and talks about the need for greater "patent" protections, at the end there's the fascinating story of truckmaker Scania (Google translation of the original Swedish ) and how it responded to the discovery of a Chinese firm making knockoff trucks. Rather than freak out, it actually reached out to the firm, andThe company admits that it knew that a lawsuit would be pointless, and figured it was worth a shot to try a different approach:Now there's a strategy you don't see every day...
Filed Under: copying, knockoffs
Companies: scaniaImage copyright Getty Images
Sportswear giant Adidas has signed a £750m deal to make Manchester United's kit for 10 years from next season.
It comes after US rival Nike decided to end its association at the end of the 2014-15 season.
Nike has been paying United £23.5m a year, and the new deal is worth a world record-breaking £75m ($128m) a season to the Old Trafford club.
Champions League winner Real Madrid's £31m-a-year deal with Adidas was previously the biggest club deal.
Adidas will provide training and playing kit to all the club's teams and will have the exclusive right to distribute dual-branded merchandising products worldwide.
The huge sum involved is only £40m less than the Glazer family paid for the club in 2005.
Sales boost
Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer said the deal would help the firm "to further strengthen our position in key markets around the world".
He added: "We expect total sales to reach £1.5bn during the duration of our partnership."
Adidas has not given any details about the design of the new strip but said they may look to the Manchester United kits of the 1980s and early 1990s for inspiration.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Adidas made Manchester United's kit throughout the 1980s
It will be the first time Adidas has made the Premier League's team's strip in 23 years, since the 1991-92 season.
The announcement comes a day after the German firm, a Fifa World Cup sponsor, provided the kit for 2014 finalists Germany and Argentina.
In trading on the German stock exchange on Monday, the firm's shares closed up by 2.73%.
Adidas also supplies Bayern Munich, Chelsea, AC Milan and Flamengo. From the 2015-16 season, they will also provide kit for Juventus.
'Robust'
Sean Hamil, director of the Sport Business Centre at London's Birkbeck College, said that the Glazers had put in place "an exceptional marketing and sponsorship team", although they had taken flak for the way they had put debt onto the club's books and for increasing season ticket prices.
He said: "They have been able to secure this landmark deal in the sector, against the background of no Champions League football next season. This is clearly a major vote of confidence in the Manchester United brand.
"Also, it shows that leading English clubs are sufficiently robust in terms of global appeal that sponsors are making value decisions based on the long term and not just around one season."
'Global position'
Dr Leah Donlan, a marketing expert at Manchester Business School, said the deal will give Adidas "a significant competitive advantage" over Nike.
She added that Adidas could "strengthen its global brand position" by adding Manchester United to its portfolio of teams.
Nike had been given a period of exclusivity to negotiate an extension with United and also retained the right to match any other offer.
But the company decided against exercising either option, claiming the terms "did not represent good value for Nike's shareholders".
Manchester United suffered their worst Premier League finish to date last season after manager Sir Alex Ferguson left following 26 years in the job.
Manchester United in numbers The Glazer family bought the club for £790m in 2005 Club's commercial operations grew by 30% to £34.9m in 2012-13 - Deloitte The club still owes about £400m in loans used to finance the takeover £10m-a-year interest payments due on the club's debt Turnover for the 2013-14 financial year is expected to top £418m Juan Mata is the club record signing - bought for £37.1m Net profit of £146m for 2012-13 Wayne Rooney's new four-year deal worth a reported £300,000 a week Chevrolet will pay £53m a year to have its name on United's shirts Total wage bill estimate for the financial year 2012-13 was £182m- Deloitte Aon paid £120m to sponsor the club's training ground and kit No Champions League football will cost £50m- 10% of annual revenue - Deloitte
His successor, David Moyes, lasted just 10 months as the club failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 19 years.
United will now be managed by Louis van Gaal, whose commitments with the Netherlands are over following the climax of the World Cup.
The club has already unveiled the last MUFC kit bearing the Nike logo.
It features Chevrolet as shirt sponsor for the first time.
The US motor giant is said to be paying £53m a year to have its name splashed on the red shirt fronts.
Image copyright Manutd.com Image caption Nike had been given a six-month period to decide if it wanted to continue
Since the Glazer family took over at Manchester United, they have segmented many of their sponsorship deals, seeking specific regional partnership deals in many of their sponsorship sectors.
Other high-profile arrangements included an agreement to rename their Carrington training ground.This is a continuation of TradeBlock’s block chain and network analysis to address the ongoing block size discussions. It is intended for an audience with at least a fundamental comprehension of block chain technology. If you have not yet done so, we recommend first reading:
Part 1: Macro Block Trends, and
Part 2: Macro Transaction Trends
Part 3 – Miner Incentives
Bitcoin miners play a critical role in the bitcoin ecosystem by processing and securing payments. They’re rewarded for their efforts by a combination of newly issued bitcoin and transaction fees. The analysis below explores the incentive structures underlying mining efforts and looks at the potential effects of an increased block size limit on miner’s willingness to participate in the network.
Based on 2015 data, there are nine miners and/or pools that comprise roughly 75% of the mining capacity in the network. For context, in 2014 there were ten participants responsible for 75% of the mining capacity. The chart below illustrates the market share for the largest miners in 2015.
Transaction Fee Trends
Miners are compensated via both the block mining reward known as the coinbase, currently 25 XBT per block, and also via fees paid by users seeking to have their transactions included in the upcoming block. The average total fees collected per block has remained fairly steady since 2014 at roughly 0.1 XBT, or ~$25 at current market rates.
As visible in the charts below, transaction fees per block are roughly in line with where they were before the November 2012 halving of the mining reward. Similarly, transaction fees as a % of the total block reward (including the coinbase) remains fairly low at roughly 0.5%, implying that miners derive substantially all of their compensation in the form of the coinbase.
Miners Have Discretion
Per the charts below, the top miners in 2015 all earn fees that are roughly in-line with the average; the results are also consistent with the average block fee stats above (roughly 10M satoshis or ~0.1 XBT). Eligius appears to stand out for receiving higher fees-per-block than other miners – presumably for prioritizing higher fee transactions. This is also evidenced by a higher average fee-per-transaction earned by Eligius (not shown in the chart). Overall, we note that Eligius’ average fee-per-block is still within one standard deviation of the group average.
As it relates to mining revenues, we went a step further and examined the proportion of accepted transactions in each block that did pay a mining fee. In general, the data shows that on average in 2015, only 1.9% of transactions in a given block did not include a fee. Discus Fish, BTC Guild, and Eligius included less than 1% no-fee transactions, while certain smaller miners (not shown on chart) had higher proportions (BitMinter in particular stood at 8.7%).
Implications for the Block Size Debate
Assuming miners operate at current levels of efficiency and there are no significant changes to the competitive landscape, miners’ stand to lose 50% of their reward per block at the next scheduled halving event when the coinbase decreases 12.5 XBT per block (projected to occur in 3Q16). Moreover, while miners can exert notable discretion when accepting transactions, they appear limited in their ability to generate higher transaction fees – currently only 0.5% of per-block compensation. How, then, can the network incentivize miners enough to continue growing hashing power and related security?
Below we summarized the required level of changes in the price of bitcoin, transaction fees, or number of transactions that would allow miners to continue to earn current levels of compensation (at roughly 25.1 XBT) following the next halving event. All other factors constant, either the price of bitcoin would need to double, or transaction fees increase by a factor of 120x or transactions per block increase 120x.
Our analysis indicates that for compensation per block to remain constant after the next halving event, fees would have to increase to ~$4.6 per transaction (from 4 cents today) if transaction volumes and XBT price remain unchanged. The data shows that at the current assumed max transaction rate of 1,667 transactions per 1MB block (see Part 2: Macro Transaction Trends for more info), the average fee would have to increase 48x (to approximately $1.9 per tx), all else equal.
However, the ongoing block size debate offers an additional lever for miner compensation. If the maximum block size were increased beyond 1MB, each block could support a greater number of transactions, in turn reducing the per-transaction fee at which miner compensation per block remains at current levels. As shown in the chart below, the required fees per full 10MB and 20MB blocks to keep miner compensation at roughly 25.1 bitcoin are 18 cents and 9 cents, respectively.
Worth noting, current transaction growth rates do not indicate anywhere close to full 10MB or 20MB blocks by the next halving event (see Part 2 for more info). As such, the benefit of larger blocks offering greater compensation to miners while keeping fees low is calculable, but likely multiple |
different cultures," she said.
"Those are all neutral topics instead of scrutinizing every vitamin and mineral."How many birthday buddies do you have? If you were born on February 29th, not many. Of course, the limitations of that date are obvious.
The other least amount of birthdays day, Christmas, surprised me. But you'll have lots of fellow birthday friends if you were born on September 16th.
According to a heat map created by Matt Stiles, a data journalist with the National Public Radio, September 16 is the single most common birthday for Americans between the ages of 14 and 40.
Americans born in the months of September and July share their date of birth with a great number of other Americans.
A new study conducted by an NPR reporter, and reported in the U.K. Daily Mail, shows that September 16th is the single most common birthday for Americans between the ages of 14 and 40 years old.
On the other end of the spectrum, the least common date of birth is February 29th, which comes every four years during a leap year.
The second least popular birthday falls on Christmas, December 25th, followed by January 1st.
Babies delivered on the most common day of the year, September 16, were likely conceived on December 24th, which ranked as the fourth least common birthday.
The 13th of every month also suffered from a shortage of birthdays.
Check out the birthday chart from Matt Stiles/The Daily Viz! Check your birthday and let me know how you factor, in the comments section below.
Sources: UK Daily Mail, Matt Stiles/The Daily VizTwice Oscar-nominated screenwriter and Emmy-winning television writer Stewart Stern, who wrote film classic “Rebel Without a Cause,” Dennis Hopper’s “The Last Movie” and seminal telepic “Sybil,” starring Sally Field, died February 2 at the Swedish Hospital in Seattle, after battling cancer. He was 92.
Stern’s credits included the iconic 1955 James Dean teen rebellion drama “Rebel Without a Cause (screenplay by Stern, adaptation by Irving Shulman, story by Nicholas Ray), as well as a documentary feature on the late actor, “The James Dean Story” (1957), co-directed by Robert Altman; 1971’s notorious counterculture indie drama “The Last Movie,” co-written and directed by Hopper (written by Stern, story by Hopper and Stern); 1963’s The Ugly American,” starring Marlon Brando (screenplay & screen story by Stern, from the novel by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick), which earned Stern a Writers Guild Award nomination for best written American drama; and the Paul Newman-directed 1968 film “Rachel, Rachel,” starring Joanne Woodward, for which he earned an Oscar nomination for adapted screenplay as well as a WGA nomination for best written American drama.
His other screenwriting credits included “Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams” (1973); “The Rack” (1956), starring Paul Newman; “The Outsider” (1961); “Thunder in the Sun” (1959, screenplay by Russell Rouse, adaptation by Stern); and his debut feature film, “Teresa” (screenplay by Stern, story by Alfred Hayes and Stern), for which he earned his first Oscar nomination for best writing, motion picture story, shared with Hayes. He also wrote the Oscar-winning short film “Benjy” (1951).
“Stewart Stern lived so many lives! He was a great screenwriter, a tireless mentor, a WWII hero, an interlocutor with the primates at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle — and a man possessed of greater generosity of spirit than most anyone I’ve ever met. He had such access to his feelings, and in his presence you had the same. In so many conversations I can recall having with him I ended up near tears — not in sorrow, but in recognition of the truths he so wisely and gently shared,” said WGAW vice president Howard A. Rodman.
Stern also wrote several movies for television, including the 1976 miniseries “Sybil,” starring Sally Field (from the book by Flora Rheta Schreiber), which memorably explored multiple personality disorder, earning Stern an Emmy, as well as the holiday telepic “A Christmas to Remember” (1978), which earned Stern a Writers Guild Award for anthology adaptation.
During the ’50s, Stern also wrote several productions for TV drama anthology series such as “Playhouse 90” (“Heart of Darkness,” 1958), “Goodyear Playhouse” (“Thunder of Silence,” “And Crown Thy Good,” 1955) and “The Gulf Playhouse” (“Crip,” 1953).
Stern’s experiences on the set during the rehearsal and filming of the 1973 TV adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” provided him with the material for his book “No Tricks in My Pocket: Paul Newman Directs.”
Stern was raised in New York City. After graduating from the University of Iowa, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the 106th Infantry Division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. For his service Stern received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry Badge.
Stern was connected to Hollywood through his family: He was the nephew of Paramount Pictures founder Adolph Zukor, and his cousins were the Loews, who formerly controlled MGM. He was subject of the 2005 documentary “Going Through Splat: The Life and Work of Stewart Stern” and of an upcoming documentary written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie set for release later in 2015.
Stern was a member of the Writers Guild of America West since 1951 and served on the guild’s screen council branch from 1970-72.
He was a guest lecturer and instructor at USC’s Film Writing Program in the 1980s and, after moving to Seattle, taught screenwriting at the University of Washington’s Extension Program through the ’90s.
In 2005, he and actor Tom Skerritt founded TheFilmSchool, a non-profit educational institute dedicated to training the next generation of film and television writers, where Stern taught a course titled “The Personal Connection.”
He also served as a mentor and taught workshops at the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriting Lab for many years.
Stern is survived by his wife, Marilee Stiles Stern.
There are no plans for a memorial service.Expand Damage in a market area after a bombing allegedly by Boko Haram in Borno State, Nigeria on March 2, 2014. © 2014 Reuters
(Abuja) – The Islamist insurgency Boko Haram in Nigeria killed at least 2,053 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014. The figures are based on detailed analyses of media reports as well as field investigations. The killings and other abuses were part of widespread attacks on civilians in over 70 towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria, in the federal capital, Abuja, and elsewhere that are apparent crimes against humanity.
There has been a dramatic increase during 2014 in the numbers of casualties from bomb blasts, including several apparent suicide bombings. Since January, at least 432 people have been reported killed in 14 blasts in crowded marketplaces, a brothel, a technical college, and, on two occasions, places where people were watching soccer matches. Three of these attacks were in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital; two in Kano; two in Jos, the Plateau state capital; and three in Abuja, the federal capital. The Abuja attacks may demonstrate a southward trend of Boko Haram operations, Human Rights Watch said.
“Boko Haram is effectively waging war on the people of northeastern Nigeria at a staggering human cost,” said Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Atrocities committed as part of a widespread attack on civilians are crimes against humanity, for which those responsible need to be held to account.”
The bulk of the attacks and casualties credibly reported and investigated by Human Rights Watch took place in Borno State, the birthplace of Boko Haram, where 1,446 people died. Attacks killed 151 in Adamawa state and 143 civilians in Yobe state.
Human Rights Watch compiled the figures by analyzing credible local and international media reports, and the findings of human rights groups, as well as interviewing witnesses and victims of numerous attacks. The media reports generally quoted villagers, hospital and morgue workers, police and military officials, and local leaders who had observed, registered, counted or buried the dead. In the vast majority of cases, Boko Haram forces appeared to deliberately target civilians.
Since 2009, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency popularly known as Boko Haram, has waged a violent campaign against the government to impose its authority under Sharia (Islamic) law. Widespread poverty, corruption, security force abuses, and longstanding impunity for a range of crimes have created a fertile ground in Nigeria for militant armed groups like Boko Haram.
The pace of attacks has dramatically intensified in remote villages since May 2013, when the federal government imposed a state of emergency in the northern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe.
In many of the attacks Boko Haram gunmen fired on civilians, such as people gathered in busy marketplaces, places of worship, and residential neighborhoods. In three villages in Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State, in early June, Boko Haram fighters impersonated military personnel to round up hundreds of villagers, then opened fire on them, media reports said. Two local chiefs from Attagara, one of the villages, told journalists they had buried 110 people killed in the attack.
On May 6, Boko Haram fighters allegedly killed 336 villagers in the twin towns of Gamboru-Ngala during an attack in which they used two armored personnel carriers they had stolen from the Nigerian military several months earlier. Residents reported that the villages had been burned to the ground.
Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 276 girls from a school in Chibok in April was not its only attack on schools in the northeast. In February, Boko Haram militants locked the doors to a boys’ dormitory of the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi, a secondary school near Damaturu, Yobe State and set the building on fire, killing 59.
Boko Haram forces have abducted and otherwise abused hundreds of women and girls during the attacks. Human Rights Watch will release a report in coming weeks on abuses by Boko Haram against girls and women, based on interviews with victims and witnesses in June. The report will also examine the deficiencies in the Nigerian government’s response to these abuses.
The killings and other abuses by Boko Haram appear to rise to the level of crimes against humanity. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Nigeria is a party, defines crimes against humanity as various criminal offenses, including murder, torture and rape that are “committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.” Such crimes can be committed by a government or a non-state group. They must be widespread or systematic, but need not be both. “Widespread” refers to the scale of the acts or number of victims. A “systematic” attack indicates “a pattern or methodical plan.”
Since 2009, and increasingly since mid-2013, Boko Haram has carried out several hundred attacks against civilians and civilian structures in schools, marketplaces, and places of worship in villages, towns and even cities. The nature and frequency of the attacks indicate the actions of an organized movement. This is evidenced by the presence of convoys of trucks, motorbikes, and occasionally armored personnel carriers with well-armed gunmen; the fashion in which gunmen were seen deploying in and around the target or setting up checkpoints; and the planning required to infiltrate the cities in which attacks took place.
Human Rights Watch and other national and international human rights groups have also documented abuses by the Nigerian Security Forces since 2009 as they responded to the attacks by Boko Haram. These include excessive use of force, burning homes, physical abuse, and extrajudicial killings of those suspected of supporting Boko Haram. Amnesty International found that following a March 14 Boko Haram attack on Giwa Barracks that led to the escape of hundreds of detainees, the security forces executed hundreds of the unarmed recaptured detainees.
Security forces have rounded up hundreds of men and boys suspected of supporting Boko Haram, detained them in inhuman conditions and physically abused or killed them. Many others have been forcibly disappeared. The Nigerian government should account for the “disappeared” and ensure that all law enforcement operations are conducted in full accordance with international human rights standards.
“No matter how egregious the violence, Nigerian security forces engaged in operations against Boko Haram may not operate outside the law,” Dufka said. “The Nigerian government should recognize that it needs to protect its population both from Boko Haram and from abusive members of its own military and police.”This article is over 7 years old
The holders of concealed handgun licences are set to be allowed to carry weapons into public college buildings and classrooms in Texas, after Republicans in the state senate approved the measure as part of a universities spending bill.
Republican senator Jeff Wentworth had been unable to gain the votes he needed to pass the issue as its own bill after it met stiff resistance from higher education officials, particularly from within the University of Texas UT-System.
The senate's 12 Democrats had mostly worked together to block the measure but were powerless to stop it on Monday when a majority in the 31-member chamber got it added to the spending bill as an amendment.
Supporters hope the vote will help push the measure past a roadblock in the house, where a similar bill has been stuck without a vote in that chamber with just a few weeks left in the legislative term.
"Campus carry has more momentum than a runaway freight train," said Scott Lewis of Students for Concealed Carry, a nationwide group backing the measure.
Supporters call it a self-defence and guns rights issue. UT-System chancellor, Francisco Cigarroa, wrote to politicians and Governor Rick Perry outlining concerns that the measure will lead to more campus crime and suicides.
Hearings were dominated by testimony from supporters who had been raped or assaulted on college campuses, and several people who had survived the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech University when a gunman killed 32 people.
Democratic senator Judith Zaffirini, who was a student at the University of Texas in 1966 when sniper Charles Whitman killed 12 people and wounded dozens of others, argued against the bill. She predicted mass chaos if police responded to a call and found several people with guns drawn.
"I can't imagine the horrors if this passes," Zaffirini said.
Wentworth, recalling the shooting at Virginia Tech, said he wanted to give students a chance to defend themselves.
"There was no one there to defend themselves in a gun-free zone that was a victim-rich zone," he said. "I'm trying to avoid that type of situation."
Texas passed its concealed handgun licence law in 1995. Licence holders must be at least 21 and pass a training course.
Guns on campus bills have been rejected in at least 23 states since 2007. The bill originally covered private universities, but was changed to cover only public institutions of higher education. The senate rejected attempts to allow university boards of regents to decide gun policy on their campuses.
Concealed handgun licence holders in Texas are allowed to skip metal detectors in the state capitol,. Perry made headlines for shooting a coyote on a morning jog last year.
Earlier on Monday, senators voted to allow themselves to carry concealed handguns into places the rest of the public cannot, such as churches, restaurants and sporting events.
Perry has said he supports the campus guns measure and is expected to sign it into law if it reaches his desk.A U.S. federal grand jury is reportedly meeting to consider possible criminal charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to a lawyer for Assange.
The grand jury has met secretly in Alexandria, Virginia, according to Mark Stephens, an attorney for Assange.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder indicated last week that he had authorized “significant” actions in the criminal investigation into WikiLeaks, but would not go into details. The United States could bring charges against Assange under the Espionage Act for disseminating classified U.S. State Department cables and other information.
Or, the Justice Department could bring a conspiracy charge against Assange under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, if investigators have evidence that Assange incited or aided someone in obtaining the documents illegally. The latter charge would help prosecutors avoid First Amendment issues that come with charging Assange under the Espionage Act.
The Espionage Act, which dates to 1917, has never been successfully used against a media organization, but this doesn’t mean Assange is in the clear.
In the case of the Pentagon Papers (the most famous case involving the publishing of classified information), the Justice Department sought to prohibit The New York Times from publishing the documents, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against prior restraint. However, the justices in that case made it clear that federal authorities could still prosecute the Times under the Espionage Act after the newspaper published the documents.
Assange’s attorney, Stephens, told Al Jazeera that he believed the United States was waiting for Assange to be extradited to Sweden on a different case to make a formal legal move against his client.
Assange is currently in custody in London awaiting an extradition hearing in a case involving alleged sex crimes in Sweden. The hearing will be held Tuesday. Stephens said it’s his understanding that if Assange is extradited to Sweden, authorities there plan to “defer their interest in him to the Americans,” essentially taking a backseat to any criminal complaint the United States has against Assange.
“It does seem to me that what we have here [in Sweden] is nothing more than a holding charge,” Stephens said. The United States simply wants Assange detained in whatever way possible so that “ultimately they can get their mitts on him,” he said.
The allegations made by two women in Sweden include one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape.
The first complainant, identified by Swedish authorities as “Miss A,” alleged that she was a victim of “unlawful coercion” on August 14 in Stockholm. In that instance, Assange allegedly used his body weight to hold her down so that he could have sex with her.
In the second charge involving sexual molestation, Miss A alleges that Assange had sex with her without wearing a condom, although she had made it her “express wish” that he use one.
The third charge claims that Assange “deliberately molested” Miss A on August 18 “in a way designed to violate her sexual integrity”.
The fourth charge involves a second complainant, identified as “Miss W,” who spent the night with Assange on August 17 and accused him of having sex with her while she slept, without her consent and without wearing a condom.
Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant for Assange last month in order to bring him in for questioning, though no charges against him have been filed. This was followed by an Interpol “red notice” issued for Assange’s arrest, due to the fact that he was no longer in Sweden.
Assange volunteered last week to surrender at a London police station to answer the warrant. At a court hearing in Westminster he was denied bail and was remanded in custody.
Assange reportedly said during his first hearing that he would fight extradition to Sweden.
See also:The value of Annual Reviews is a contentious subject, just ask Microsoft. In my view, so long as they are kept separate from pay reviews and form just a small part of the overall act of providing continuous feedback, I can see some value in them as a means to discuss long term progression.
A few years ago my company re-wrote our review template – I was concerned that my team might not take a great deal of interest in the new form, and heaven forbid, might not even read it before the reviews came about.
I felt that everyone would get more from the process if they had some idea of what to expect and how to use the template, so I filled in the form detailing the annual review that no doubt occurred between Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vadar in the aftermath of the original Stars Wars.
I share it here simply because I wish there was more HR material in the world based on Darth Vadar and Emperor Palpatine.
For those of you who consider the annual review to be an outdated process, bear in mind that this happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Part 1: Overview of Role and Recent Projects
Vadar writes:
During the past six months I have focusing on the construction of the Death Star with a view to using it as a tool to dominate the Galaxy. The project is extremely complex and I worked closely with key stake holders to ensure that the design and subsequent deployment match business goals and directives. Separately I have been working closely with the Galactic Fleet to isolate the crush what remains of the Rebel Alliance. This has involved detaining and interrogating key figures as well as embarking on an extensive search across the out reaches of the Empire.
Palpatine writes
I concur with Vader’s comments. It’s also worth noting that Vader has been actively recruiting and restructuring the Galatic fleet leadership team.
Part 2: Performance Overview
Objective #1 – Deliver a fully functional Death Star
Vadar writes:
How well did I perform against this objective? I delivered a fully operational Death Star, which passed all user acceptance tests. It is true that the delivery was delayed and I put this down to the project management techniques employed in the early stages. Towards the end of the project I took a much more hands on role implementing a more iterative and incremental approach to delivery. In doing it was possible to gain rapid feedback and ensure that value to the customer was maximized. Furthermore I made some tough decisions over poor performing members of the management team, introducing them to my ‘claw of death’. Next Actions I consider this objective complete, though note that following the destruction of the Death Star, we may need to build a new one.
Palpatine writes:
I agree that a functional Death Star was delivered. I am pleased that I was able to set a vision and direction and that the manifestation of that vision became a reality. I am also very pleased with the aesthetics, it almost looked like a real Moon. While I was disappointed by the late delivery of the project I am much more concerned how such an obvious vulnerability found its way through the design reviews. I would have expected that this would have been picked up pretty much form the off. I am also deeply concerned by how it became possible for the Rebel Alliance to steal plans for the Death Star such that they were able to exploit the weakness. Furthermore the destruction of the Death Star has damaged our reputation as a Galactic force – how a single manned fighter was able to implode an entire space station is the stuff of science fiction.
Objective #2 – Crush the Rebel Alliance once and for all
Vadar writes
How well did I perform against this objective? It’s fair to say that the Rebel Alliance cannot be described a ‘crushed’. I am happy with my overall approach, the Empire is very much in control of the Galaxy and the Rebel Alliance have not been able to secure an outpost, meaning that they are forced to move from temporary base to temporary base to evade a the might of the Galactic fleet. I feel strongly that it is only a matter of time before I have them trapped. That said I failed to account for key figures within the alliance, as well over looking a key vulnerability in the Death Star itself. Next steps I will embark upon a Galaxy wide search for the relocated rebel base, and continue with the aforementioned crushing
Palpatine writes
I agree that your general approach was thorough and methodical. I would have like to see more outright annihilation of innocent people but overall I am pleased with your execution. Where I am less pleased is that you failed to adapt your plan to take into account key events, specifically the rebel attack on the Death Star and Luke Sky Walker’s ability to evade attack. It is unclear to me why you were not able to land a direct hit even when pursuing him along a narrow trench and supported by two of the finest pilots in the galactic fleet.
Part 3: Overall Rating
Vadar writes:
3 out of 5 – Effective contributor
Palpatine writes
2 out of 5 – Low Contributor, I feel that your overall performance was not up to the standard that I would expect from a Lord of the Sith.
Part 4: Feedback on Galactic Empire Inc
Vadar writes:
What I enjoy most about working here? I really like the almost unbounded opportunities to inflict misery and despair on pretty much anyone I like. One thing I would change about Galactic Empires Inc. I think we need to review the weapons issued to our Storm Troopers, they seem faulty and rarely inflict any damage at all. One thing I would like to see remain at Galactic Empires Inc. I think that our uniforms are pretty much the best in the industry. This is especially true for the Storm Troopers
Part 5: Future Development/Business Goals
Vadar writes
What I do well: Inspire terror in others. What I want to improve: Despite being a master of the dark side of the force, I am still unable to consistently smite Knights of the Jedi. How I would like my career to develop over time:Long term I’d like to move into a Supreme Leader of the Universe role
Palpatine responds
I agree with Vader’s comments, in particular I am keen to help him to improve his smiting skills. While I do not see Vader’s wish to move into Supreme Leader of the Universeship as unrealistic, such roles do not come up often.
Part 6 – Objectives
Objective #1: Create a new death star
Next Actions: Review the design docs to remove unlikely failure modes Time frame for achievement: This coming October
Objective #2: Crush the rebel alliance
Next Actions: Discover the location of the rebel base Time frame for achievement: Next April
Palpatine summarises objectives:
Long term, Vader is looking to rule the entire universe, I see building the most devastating weapon ever created and crushing the only viable opposition as key stepping stones towards this goal.
Part 7: Record of discussion arising from the review discussion
Palpatine summarises
During the meeting we discussed my rating of Vader’s performance. While disappointed he understands that the loss of the Death Star played a big part in my overall decision.
Remember kids, appraisals should be:
Separate from pay reviews
A small part of a wider mechanism to provide staff with continuous
A two way street
I thought that 7 Digital had some good things to say on the subjectIAN MADIGAN WAS right when he admitted a week was a long time in rugby.
The bonus point win of last week suddenly meant nothing and it was as clear from the first minute that this was a different Northampton Saints team. They kept getting across the gainline in every attack and when Leinster tried to counter they were double-teamed in the tackle and got nowhere.
It was payback time for Northampton. My God, the physicality was there from the off. They won every single collision. You can’t win a game, if you’re Leinster, getting knocked back each time you attack.
They were hungrier and outplayed, and out-fought, Leinster at the scrum, lineout and at rucks. When I saw Sean O’Brien wasn’t starting, I did not read too much into it but he was dearly missed. This is taking nothing away from Shane Jennings, who did fine, but O’Brien’s presence and carries would have made a difference, I feel. Until Mike Ross made a big hit, around the 30 minute mark, there was nothing to get the crowd going.
Another player Leinster missed was Leo Cullen. I genuinely think they were missing his leadership out there. You could see at their lineouts that Northampton were happy to take it into a maul. They threw straight to their two big guys and held on; Leinster never adjusted. At the very least, they could have put a big guy at the front of their line to make it hard for the Saints.
Added to that you had dropped passes, knock-ons and kicking away possession. After five or six phases, rather than build pressure, they were trying miracle passes. You had a crowd of over 47,000 and the atmosphere was fantastic as it was such a tight game. As poor as Leinster were, they were still in with a shout going into the closing stages but surrendered the game with the breakaway from Jamie Heaslip’s fumble. To end the game without even a point was a huge blow.
The loss means they left the job half done. It takes away all that hard work of last week. They now have to win their next two games and that trip away to Castres next month is not going to be easy. Everything always seems to rest on a hair’s breadth in the Heineken Cup but that is the beauty of the competition.
Rugby is over 80% mental. You can be the biggest, strongest bloke out there but if you are not mentally up for a game these things will happen. Matt O’Connor’s job will be to find out why it happened because they knew a Northampton backlash was coming but could not prevent it.
Paul O’Connell celebrates after Munster’s late, late victory in France. INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Munster’s 18-17 win over Perpignan was a cracking game, with the lead changing hands so much in the closing stages. Munster brought a huge physicality to the game and were dominant in the scrum, which not many people expected.
That was a big win for them — absolutely fantastic — and to do it like that, with JJ Hanrahan’s magnificent side-step, must rank it up there with some of their best ever.
It was a shame Leicester Tigers got their late try against Montpellier as it keeps them in touch with Ulster. Mark Anscombe’s men did exactly what they needed to in their two games against Teviso. On Saturday, they were very workmanlike in horrendous conditions in securing the bonus point victory. They have it all in their hands.
The flu virus that ran through the Connacht ranks was terrible for them and the 37-9 losing scoreline against Toulouse does not reflect the effort they put in. Toulouse went back to basics and had a straightforward gameplan — attack Connacht physically and play direct, direct, direct.
*Shane Byrne’s publication, Club Rugby Magazine is available monthly in the Irish Independent. You can also follow Shane on Twitter @shanebyrneoffic
Like rugby? Follow TheScore.ie’s dedicated Twitter account @rugby_ie >We’ve gotten really good at waiting. In fact, we’ve been waiting three years for the state or the counties in Hawaii to take meaningful action to protect our communities from pesticide drift.
And for many, in the midst of this waiting, the recent announcement by the state departments of Agriculture and Health regarding initiatives to address community concerns about pesticide exposure seems like progress. Progress from nothing is, well, progress.
But here is why I’m fed up and asking all of you to please critically respond to this announcement as we continue our grassroots fight to protect our families from the outdoor experiments of multi-national agrichemical companies. The state’s initiatives address acute exposure to pesticides, while the medical literature confirms that long-term (chronic) exposure to low levels of toxic pesticides poses the greater risk to human health.
Zeynel Cebeci/Wikimedia Commons
When you read the state’s press release, you’ll notice that most of the proposed initiatives are designed to address pesticide “incidents” – that is, one-time (acute) exposure to large amounts of a pesticide, resulting in nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and similar symptoms.
These incidents are important and headline-grabbing. Many have heard about the hospitalization of 10 Syngenta field workers exposed to chlorpyrifos – an insecticide so toxic that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned from home uses 15 years ago, and early this year proposed to prohibit farm spraying as well.
We also know of the many schoolchildren sickened in various pesticide drift incidents at Waimea Canyon Middle School, including some sent to the emergency room. And it’s not just Kauai. Dozens of students and staff were sickened by off-school use of chemicals (most likely pesticides) at Kahuluu Elementary School. These are just a few of many pesticide poisoning incidents that have occurred in the state. Many more likely go unreported.
We know acute exposure to pesticides is a problem, and that in some cases it can lead to lasting health impairment. So the state’s initiatives to educate homeowners about pesticide use, form rapid-response teams to better respond to pesticide poisoning episodes and educate physicians to recognize symptoms of pesticide poisoning are all welcome. But they are far from being enough.
This is because the initiatives do nothing to address the disease burden from chronic exposure to pesticides, as documented in the medical literature. We know, based on numerous epidemiological studies and other lines of evidence, that long-term, low-level exposure to chemicals like chlorpyrifos, atrazine, paraquat, and others used every month on Kauai and other islands causes real harms, especially to agricultural workers and children.
Workers exposed to toxic pesticides have higher rates of chronic diseases such as bladder and colon cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Parkinson’s disease and depression. Children who live or go to school near genetically engineered crop test fields operated by the likes of Monsanto and Dow are at high risk of regular exposure to pesticides drifting onto them from spraying operations.
Pesticide exposure is particularly hazardous for young and unborn children, who are at heightened risk of neurodevelopmental disabilities like autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Other diseases linked to pesticide exposure in children include leukemia and asthma.
Chronic exposure is the expected outcome when a company sprays pesticides year-round, two of three days, up to 16 times a day, as is done for example by DuPont on Kauai. Exposure is all the more likely under windy conditions (spray drift) and when it’s still and hot (vapor drift). Although spraying is often officially prohibited under such conditions by on-label warnings, there is abundant evidence that it occurs, and occurs frequently, nonetheless. Pesticides can drift onto children playing out of doors, and can even infiltrate homes and classrooms.
Chronic exposure to pesticides is not effectively mitigated by forming interagency rapid-response teams, educating homeowners or resolving discrepancies in birth defects registries. Lessening exposure to pesticides requires full implementation of the measures recommended by the Joint Fact-Finding Study Group, a committee of experts that undertook a year-long investigation of the impacts of pesticide use by the GE seed industry and Kauai Coffee on Kauai.
The JFF recommended that Gov. David Ige and state agencies “undertake a major update to Hawaii’s pesticide laws and regulations.” Recommendations included setting lower exposure limits for chronic exposure to hazardous pesticides; mandatory public disclosure of pesticide use by all large users; and establishment of a consistent, no-spray buffer zone policy around schools and other institutions where people congregate.
State actions should also include stricter oversight of agrichemical companies that spray large quantities of restricted and general use pesticides on their GE corn test fields. But this is unlikely to happen as long as the Department of Agriculture is in denial.
According to The Economist, DOA officials think that agri-chemical companies apply pesticides in the state “better than anybody ever has.” Then why, one might ask, have children in Waimea been sickened by pesticide drift from neighboring GE test fields?
Why did EPA just file a complaint against Syngenta for allowing up to 38 workers at its Kauai operations to be illegally exposed to the highly toxic insecticide chlorpyrifos? The episode, for which EPA is seeking $4.8 million in civil penalties, involved 261 violations of federal law governing farmworker safety. Everything from lack of warning signs and failure to provide instructions not to enter a toxic treated field, to absence of accessible decontamination supplies and delays in transporting exposed workers to hospitals.
If this is how companies treat their workers, how much more negligent are they when it’s the public’s health that’s at stake?
The measures just announced by the state departments of Agriculture and Health to better address acute pesticide poisonings are all well and good. But we should not even begin to mistake them for the thoroughgoing reform we need to truly protect Hawaii’s keiki and environment from the the harms caused by toxic pesticide exposure.
Sign the petition for no-spray pesticide buffer zones and mandatory pesticide disclosure and notification this legislative session. Read Hawaii Center for Food Safety’s report, Pesticides in Paradise: Hawaii’s Health and Environment at Risk, to learn more.An Arkansas woman remained jailed Tuesday, more than a week after authorities reportedly found a $20 bill, a pill and three syringes in her vagina.
According to an affidavit from Bentonville police, the woman was pulled over shortly after 9 p.m. Sept. 18 after someone called to report that a Honda Civic was “swerving all over the road” and “driving into oncoming traffic.”
Cpl. Tracy Brown said the woman, identified at the time as Shannon Cannady, failed three sobriety tests and was taken to Benton County jail, where police asked for a urine sample.
While attempting to collect it, a deputy reportedly found two syringes, a folded $20 bill and a white pill later identified at Dilaudid, an opioid pain medication, inside the woman’s vagina.
After these were removed, the woman was asked to repeat the test and was again unable to complete it, the affidavit states. At this point, police said, they found a third syringe inside her vagina.
The woman declined any further tests, according to the report.
Two days later, a Benton County jail deputy reportedly informed Brown that the woman who had appeared at a Wednesday bond hearing was not named Shannon Cannady.
The real Shannon Cannady also reported to the Bentonville Police Department that the jailed woman was her sister, Tracy McCoy, adding that it was not the first time her sister had used her name.
Documents show that when Brown re-examined the booking documents, the corporal found that some were signed “Shannon Cannady,” while others were signed illegibly or with variations of “Tracy McCoy.”
The woman, whose name is listed as Tracy Joann Jackson-McCoy on a probable cause affidavit, has been arrested 30 times before, the document shows. Jail records show she is a Rogers resident and is 38 years old.
She now faces charges that include possession of a controlled substance, furnishing prohibited items to a corrections facility, obstructing governmental operations and second-degree forgery.
As of Tuesday afternoon, she was being held at Benton County jail in lieu of $15,000 bond.Having been a student of politics for the past five years and currently working on my masters degree in Canadian political science, election season in Canada is that rare time of year(s) when |
. Am Abend versuchte man die erhitzten Gemüter mit einem spontanen Grillabend zu beruhigen. Ein Polizeisprecher bestätigte uns gegenüber am Abend, dass der Einsatzraum des SEK zerlegt wurde.
„Wer da jetzt hochgeht, wird gelyncht. Wir sind doch nicht lebensmüde und greifen da ein,“ sagte uns ein Beamter. „Von einem Neuanfang oder einer geordneten Situation kann keine Rede sein. Das ist hier absolutes Chaos.“
Polizeipräsident Wolfgang Albers hatte zur Auflösung des Kommandos gesagt: „Der derzeitige Erkenntnisstand lässt solch konsequente Organisationsmaßnahmen und differenzierte Personalentscheidungen bereits zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt zu. Diese Entscheidung ist auch geboten, um frühestmöglich die Weichen für einen Neuaufbau zu stellen und das SEK in vollem Umfang wieder handlungsfähig zu machen.“
Unterdessen kritisierte die Gewerkschaft der Polizei (GdP) Albers Entscheidung: „Die gegen die Kölner Polizisten erhobenen Vorwürfe haben sich bislang nicht bestätigt“, so der GdP-Landesvorsitzende Arnold Pickert. Die Gewerkschaft beruft sich dabei auch auf die Ermittlungen der Aachener Staatsanwaltschaft.ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves know the routine.
Get it down to their final swing. Come through with the big hit. Run onto the field to celebrate.
The Atlanta Braves did it again in their last at-bat, beating the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Jason Heyward's two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth inning Wednesday night.
"Whew!" manager Bobby Cox said. "We need a breather once in a while."
Atlanta won for the 21st time on its final swing, which leads the majors, and improved baseball's best home record to 44-16, maintaining their 2½-game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The Phillies kept pace by beating the San Francisco Giants 8-2.
With one out, Rick Ankiel blooped a broken-bat single just over the outstretched glove of second baseman Adam Kennedy. Sean Burnett (0-7) was replaced by Tyler Clippard, who made matters worse by walking David Ross. Clippard struck out Omar Infante, but Heyward lined a 3-0 pitch to left-center to bring home Ankiel without a throw.
"It wasn't the best pitch to hit," said Heyward, who was mobbed by his teammates near second base, "but it was enough to get the job done."
Clippard's pitch was down and away. Not enough, though, to keep the Braves rookie star from delivering the fifth walk-off hit of his young career.
"I wasn't really throwing strikes," Clippard said.
Billy Wagner (7-2) struck out the side in the ninth.
The Braves' fourth straight win came hours after they acquired slugging first baseman Derrek Lee from the Chicago Cubs for three minor league pitchers. Lee will join the team when it gets to Wrigley Field on Friday for the start of a weekend series.
"We're excited about it," said Tim Hudson, who pitched seven strong innings but wasn't around for his 15th win. "It lets us know [the front office] is on the same page as us. We want to win. There's no egos in here."
In the meantime, the Braves did just fine in their next-to-last game before Lee comes aboard.
Hudson allowed two runs and eight hits -- all singles -- and benefited from four double plays. Washington starter Livan Hernandez allowed two runs over seven innings, pitching around nine hits and getting a heads-up play from center fielder Roger Bernadina in the sixth.
Martin Prado tried to tag up at first on a flyout to the warning track in the sixth. Bernadina wasn't fooled, making a strong throw to second that nipped Prado.
For the second straight night, the Nationals took a 2-0 lead. For the second night in a row, it didn't matter.
Michael Morse and Willie Harris got the third started with consecutive singles. With one out, Bernadina lined a run-scoring hit to right, but he was tagged out trying to reach second on the throw home. Ryan Zimmerman drove home another run with a two-out single to left.
In the fourth, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs on Prado's leadoff double and two walks. Hernandez was on the verge of escaping with minimal damage when Melky Cabrera hit into a double play -- Prado scored on the play -- but the Nationals' defense made a boneheaded play.
Alex Gonzalez lofted a popup into short right field. Morse came charging in from right field, Kennedy drifted out -- then both veered off at the last second, apparently thinking the other had called for the ball. It fell for a gift single that brought home the tying run.
The Nationals took another blow in the eighth when Zimmerman was tossed by home plate umpire Scott Barry after striking out to end the inning.
Zimmerman slammed down his bat and helmet, upset only at himself for swinging at a low pitch from Jonny Venters, but Barry took exception and gave him the heave. Walking toward his position, Zimmerman spun around in disbelief. Manager Jim Riggleman charged out of the dugout and got ejected, too, after an extended argument with the ump.
"I was frustrated about striking out," Zimmerman said. "He thought I was throwing my helmet at him."
Game notes
The Nationals placed catcher Wil Nieves on the temporary leave list so he could be with his wife, who's expecting a child. Catcher Wilson Ramos was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to fill in while Nieves is away.... Washington will make another roster move Thursday, when outfielder Nyjer Morgan is eligible for come off the 15-day DL. Outfielder Josh Willingham (knee) will replace Morgan on the DL.... The Braves called up infielder Brandon Hicks from Triple-A Gwinnett for what figures to be a short stay. He'll likely return to the minors when Lee joins the Braves in Chicago on Friday.... The Braves (71-49) haven't been 22 games over.500 since Sept. 27, 2005 (90-68).The latest issue of Dabiq, the ISIS propaganda magazine, mocks Westerners for being too P.C. to fully embrace religious violence. The Bible is filled with "clear references to violently applying the Law of the Lord," the author argues, but "Christians have cast aside such commandments and instead have followed papal decrees and the sermons of priests—showing that their love for men is greater than their love for the Creator of men." The Islamic State, by contrast, is "not ashamed of abiding by the rules sent down from their Lord regarding war and enforcement of divine law."
And so, the magazine declares,
if it were the Muslims, instead of the Crusaders, who had fought the Japanese and Vietnamese or invaded the lands of the Native Americans, there would have been no regrets in killing and enslaving those therein. And since those mujahidin would have done so bound by the Law, they would have been thorough and without some "politically correct" need to apologize years later.
I'm not sure when the phrase "politically correct" entered the ISIS lexicon, but this isn't the only time the concept has come up in the English-language edition of the magazine. Another article in the same issue scoffs at pundits who profess not to know why ISIS hates them, declaring that such "analysts and journalists" say this only "to keep themselves from becoming a target for saying something that the masses deem to be 'politically incorrect.'"
By the way: If you wanted more details about how the Islamic State claims it would have fought the Japanese, the Vietnamese, and the Native Americans, the magazine is glad to oblige. The Japanese "would have been forcefully converted to Islam from their pagan ways—and if they stubbornly declined, perhaps another nuke would change their mind." The Vietnamese would "be offered Islam or beds of napalm." If ISIS had battled the Native Americans, the conquerers "would have taken their surviving women and children as slaves, raising the children as model Muslims and impregnating their women to produce a new generation of mujahidin." Also, Jews "would face a slaughter that would make the Holocaust sound like a bedtime story," and the African slave trade "would have continued, supporting a strong economy," because God thinks it's fine "to sell captured pagan humans." If your only criterion for supporting a movement is how un-P.C. it is, I guess this sales pitch is for you.Australia's Diamonds hammer England in final netball Test to complete clean sweep of tour
Posted
Australia's Diamonds have completed a dominant clean sweep of their England tour, smashing the hosts 55-41 in the third and final Test.
The sweep, Australia's first in England since 2004, was built on the back of another standout game from player of the series Sharni Layton and lights-out shooting - this time from Caitlin Bassett, who sent home a game-high 27 goals, equal with English star Helen Housby.
As has been the case throughout the series, the two teams played out a tightly contested first half on Sunday in London before Australia pulled away late in the second quarter to take a 26-20 lead into the half-time break.
Again, it was defensive star Layton, even more important to the Diamonds with regular captain Laura Geitz rested, who proved key to the charge, forcing four first-half interceptions and five deflections.
The NSW Swifts player again had game highs in interceptions (4) and deflections (9), while grabbing four rebounds - second only to Bassett's five.
Throughout the series, Australia had broken the game open with big third quarters and Sunday's clash proved no different.
Increased pressure at both ends led to England coughing up six turnovers as Australia opened up a 12-goal lead at the final break which they extended to 14 by full-time.
England suffered a blow when centre and captain Sara Bayman went down hard and picked up a left-knee injury which briefly forced her from the court, while Australia went on an 8-1 run to crack the game open.
Bayman was later sent off for repeated fouls following an earlier warning, leaving England to play out the match a player down for the final minute.
Gretel Tippett had the best game of her six-cap Diamonds career, drawing on her basketball background to execute several of her trademark lay-up finishes in an impressive first half.
Firebird Tippett, who started all three Tests but is still viewed as a project player, shot 8/8 before coming off with a finger injury just before half-time.
AAP
Topics: netball, sport, england, united-kingdom, australiaTODAY: Kratz opted out of his deal when he learned he would not receive a promotion, per a tweet from his representatives at J.M.G. Baseball.
YESTERDAY: The Mariners have released catcher Erik Kratz, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). Kratz had been playing at Triple-A since being released by the Royals and signing a minor league deal with Seattle.
Given this morning’s report that the Mariners were nearing a deal to acquire a backstop, it would appear that this move is designed to allow current backup Jesus Sucre to return to Tacoma. It remains unclear whether a deal will get done, but the release of Kratz certainly lines up with that outcome. Nevertheless, Divish notes on Twitter that his sources tell him there are no trade talks that can be characterized as being “close.”
Kratz, 35, owns a.211/.276/.400 slash over 105 Triple-A plate appearances on the season. He also briefly appeared at the major league level with Kansas City. Over parts of six seasons in the big leagues, beginning in 2010 when he was already thirty years of age, Kratz has put up a.217/.270/.400 slash with 23 home runs in 537 turns at bat.TRACY BOWDEN, PRESENTER: With 5,000 job losses announced since the Abbott Government swept to power in September will pale by comparison to what lies ahead according to major Australian manufacturers.
They say more than 100,000 jobs will soon be lost unless the Government intervenes to solve a looming energy crisis.
A gas shortage that is already pushing up gas prices for households and heavily job-laden industries.
Strangely, Australia meantime is on track to become the world's largest exporter of gas in the next few years. So what's going wrong ask what needs to be done about it?
Greg Hoy reports.
GREG HOY, REPORTER: This CSR factory at Ingleburn in Sydney is preparing to pull down its huge old chimney stack.
ROB SINDEL, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CSR: Well, it is a historic day, it's also a sad day. This plant was built in the 1980s.
GREG HOY: After 30-odd years melting raw materials to make glass, this factory is shutting shop and retrenching its 150 staff, mostly because of its energy bills. The cost of gas, the lifeblood of this smelter has tripled.
ROB SINDEL: Factories like this, they just can't support that additional impost. For the people here it's the saddest part because if you thing about the 150 people who worked here, it's not only their jobs, those 150 people supported a family, they supported a community, they were part of the local soccer club and now they're out looking for employment.
GREG HOY: Just some of the collateral damage the company says of Australia's burning ambition to become the world's biggest exporter of gas, supplying fuel-starved Asian markets that will pay triple what Australians do for energy, a bonanza for gas producers.
DAVID BYERS, PETROLEUM PRODUCTION ASSN, APPEA: It's a big opportunity for Australia. This is destined to be a huge boost to Australia's GDP over the next 20 to 25 and beyond - years and beyond.
GREG HOY: But manufacturers say there's a down side that's being ignored.
ROB SINDEL: One of the issues for Australia is we've agreed to triple our gas exports. Nobody quite understood that that would mean there wouldn't be enough gas available, post-2016, to support local industries like this one.
SUE MORPHET, CHAIR, MANUFACTURING AUSTRALIA: We've got major companies that have survived the GFC that are now really under pressure to move their manufacturing offshore.
GREG HOY: Sue Morphet, chair of Manufacturing Australia, warns the consequences for the economy will be dire.
SUE MORPHET: It could cost our GDP about $28 billion and 100,000 direct jobs plus all the indirect jobs for people who service the manufacturing sector.
GREG HOY: The head of global chemical giant Dow, Andrew Liveris, is one of Australia's most successful business exports. Born in Darwin, he is now co-chairman of Barack Obama's advanced manufacturing partnership and chairman of the US Business Council.
ANDREW LIVERIS, GLOBAL CHAIRMAN, DOW CHEMICAL: Our Dow Australia factories here in Melbourne are seeing a doubling of gas prices when our contract expires here this year which is going to render them pretty uncompetitive.
GREG HOY: These huge new export facilities in Queensland are being constructed to service massive export licences which were granted on the understanding they would source new supplies of coal seam gas but they haven't found enough CSG. This, manufacturers say, is leading to shortages in their traditional gas supply. Gas exporters deny they're eating into local supply for manufacturers.
DAVID BYERS: It's coming primarily from the CSG fields in Queensland.
GREG HOY: But, with respect, that's rubbish, isn't it, because the industry itself says these exporters do have a shortfall in gas and they're buying up domestic supplies as fast as they can to fill that shortfall.
DAVID BYERS: There's not a shortfall at the moment because the projects haven't ramped up the to full production. They're still under construction.
GREG HOY: Manufacturers say, however, big gas producers are already hoarding gas in preparation for exports. Gas producers deny this and say it's just a smokescreen.
DAVID BYERS: The market is working. What we have, however, from Manufacturing Australia, particularly, is essentially quite a protectionist proposal which is trying to have gas supplied at preferred prices, lower prices, cheap gas into one industry sector at the expense of the gas production industry.
GREG HOY: Gas producers say that you're effectively lying or, at best, exaggerating and that you're simply trying to drive down the cost of gas.
ANDREW LIVERIS: Why should Australia pay Korea and Japanese prices for its domestic gas? The Australian domestic consumer should see the benefit of abundant supply. It's not a question of who's telling the truth and who's not, I ask anyone to look that facts of domestic markets around the world.
GRANT LUKEY, COOGEE ENERGY: In Australia it means we're right on the cusp of the entire country losing a huge investment wave in the chemical sector.
GREG HOY: Australian businessman Grant Lukey is also searching for a factory site in America. Back home in Victoria, his company, Coogee Energy, makes methanol, a cleaner transport fuel. The Chinese simply can't get enough of it so Coogee is about to build a billion-dollar plant but must build it in America to get enough affordable gas.
GRANT LUKEY: Australia no longer is that attractive and it's particularly around the changing dynamics of the gas market.
ANDREW LIVERIS: In the United States they've also got rules, for example on oil, that they should not export any of their oil. On gas, the department of energy, by rule of law, has something called the public interest. It will not export gas if it's not in the public interest so the debates that are going on in the United States right now is how much of the gas to let loose.
GREG HOY: Australian manufacturers say quarantining gas to promote local industry is also happening in other countries.
SUE MORPHET: Canada, Israel, Qatar, the USA. They have all had a full review of what they can use their gas for domestically before they have allowed export. Israel holds back 60 per cent of their gas for domestic value-add. Canada does exactly the same thing, USA have only just allowed export after they've allowed their domestic market to fully flourish.
GREG HOY: Manufacturing Australia is calling for a national interest test. It points out that Western Australia has already adopted a policy of reserving 15 per cent of its gas for use in WA.
DAVID BYERS: This is an interference with the way in which demand and supply should operate. It's an increase in costs in being able to supply into the Western Australian marketplace.
GREG HOY: Andrew Liveris is taking his message to Canberra. His meetings with the Federal Government this week were private but there's little doubt what stern question was raised.
ANDREW LIVERIS: I think this next period of time you will not like the answer as the Alcoas and other companies start shutting down and you haven't got a plan to re-skill your workforce to the advanced economy and I think that pressure has arrived and I think what will happen is the Government will have to respond.
TRACY BOWDEN: Greg Hoy with that report.CTVNews.ca Staff
Russia is retaliating for Canadian sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, by slapping an entry ban on 13 Canadian lawmakers and officials.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Monday the move was in response to the "unacceptable action by the Canadian side that has inflicted serious damage to bilateral relations."
It added that Russia remains open to a "constructive" co-operation with Canada.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird are missing from the travel ban list, but other curious choices are included.
Clerk of the Privy Council Wayne Wouters, for example, is on the list, as is Speaker of the House Andrew Scheer, who has not spoken out about Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Liberal MP and former justice minister Irwin Cotler tweeted that he was pleased to see his name on the list.
"I see my travel ban from Russia as a badge of honour, not a mark of exclusion #justice4sergeimagnitsky #cdnpoli #russia," he tweeted, referring to Sergei Magnitsky, the Russian lawyer who died in prison after accusing Russian officials of colluding with organized criminals.
Later, in a statement, Cotler added he was first arrested and expelled from the Soviet Union in 1979 while advocating on behalf of political prisoners..
"These acts did not stop my human rights advocacy. Indeed, today’s announcement only inspires me to redouble my efforts to advance the cause of human rights for all. I stand in solidarity with the Russian people and those fighting for human rights and democracy. Their day will come and Putin will be no more," Cotler said.
Among the other names on the list were:
Peter Van Loan, government House leader Dean Allison, Conservative MP for Niagara West-Glanbrook Ted Opitz, Conservative MP for Etobicoke Centre James Bezan, Conservative MP for Selkirk-Interlake Chrystia Freeland, Liberal MP for Toronto Centre Paul Dewar, NDP MP for Ottawa Centre Jean-Francois Tremblay, deputy secretary to the cabinet Christine Hogan, assistant secretary to the cabinet Sen. Raynell Andreychuk, a Conservative senator from Saskatchewan Paul Grod, national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
Don Martin, the host of CTV's Power Play, says some of the names on the list don't appear to make much sense, and while he suspects the travel bans won't have much of an effect on the officials, the choices are interesting.
"It shows they're monitoring the media to find the 'hostile voices' here in Canada against Russia's move on Crimea," Martin told CTV News Channel shortly after the travel bans were announced.
Last week, Harper extended the country's sanctions against Russia, banning several senior Russian bureaucrats from travel to Canada, including the intelligence chief of the Russian general staff and several of President Vladimir Putin's aides and advisers.
The sanctions also forbid Canadian citizens and companies from doing business with Bank Rossiya, which the Prime Minister's Office has said is the personal bank for senior Russian officials.
Over the weekend, Harper called for a "complete reversal" of Russia's annexation of Crimea, and suggested Russia should be kicked out of the Group of Eight nations. He has said that Putin can’t be trusted and that Putin's actions will spur similar territory grabs if his actions in Ukraine go unpunished.
Last week, Russia slapped a similar travel ban on nine U.S. lawmakers and officials, after U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new round of sanctions.
Among those included on that list was Republican Sen. John McCain, who has called for stronger punitive measures against Russia and who travelled to Ukraine to support the protesterswho forced out former president Viktor Yanukovych.
"I guess this means my spring break in Siberia is off, my Gazprom stock is lost, and my secret bank account in Moscow is frozen," he joked in response.In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus observed that he had ‘never seen anyone die for the ontological argument’. Galileo was right to recant, since the ‘truth was not worth the stake. Whether the Earth or the Sun revolves around the other is a matter of profound indifference.’ What does matter, Camus argued, is to find reasons for living. He explored what meaning life might have in the face of the fundamental antinomy of the human condition: that we are flickers of freedom in a dull, mechanical natural world; that we are unique possibilities and yet march only towards the certainty of our own mortality. Camus’s mythological hero can only find a measure of happiness when he realises the absurdity that arises from the human drive to understand crashing into the unreasonableness of the world, and, accepting his ineluctable fate, finds that there is enough to keep him going in the very struggle to live without hope.
Roger Scruton, in The Soul of the World, agrees that hope for an afterlife is an absurdity. There can be nothing following on from death, since things only follow on from each other as causes in the bounded ‘space-time continuum that is the world of nature’. He argues that an acceptance of death allows us to ‘see the world as making a place for us’. But while Camus’s transcendence of the human condition was based on an all-too-human revolt against, and scorn for, a world lacking in God, Scruton makes the case for a transcendence founded on ‘our works of love and sacrifice’ in a world that we make human by looking for God. He finds room for this hope for mankind precisely in faith, by which he means our refusal ‘to rest content with the contingency of nature’. When we cry out in extremis ‘Why?’, we reveal that we are looking for reasons that will let us understand why things are the way they are, why it is I suffer, why it is I love. We demonstrate – in our faith that there can be answers to existential questions such as these – that there are two ways of looking at the world, says Scruton: the ‘way of explanation’ and the ‘way of understanding’. The former looks for natural causes and universal laws in a world of facts, in the order of nature; the latter looks for reasons and meanings in a world of experience, in the order of the covenant. Human beings can think about the world in both of these ways, says Scruton. Unlike animals, which ‘live immersed in nature’, humans have evolved from nature and now ‘stand forever at its edge’. With this unique perspective, we can think about the world in a way that transcends our genetic needs. Scruton returns frequently to the example of music to cast light on this cognitive dualism. If, listening to the opening theme of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, we follow the way of explanation, then the concerto ‘consists of a series of pitched sounds, one after the other, each identified by a frequency’. But if we follow the way of understanding, then we can describe the concerto as ‘a kind of action in musical space’, in which a melody moves up from C, through E-flat, to G and then down again. These two accounts are incommensurable, yet they are both true. While the music depends upon the sounds, it is not reducible to them; while music is real, ‘it is perceivable only to those who are able to conceptualise and respond to sound in ways that have no part to play in the physical science of acoustics’, Scruton says. To put it another way, the sounds are not all there is. Not everything scientifically inexplicable is irrational – and nor is everything that is scientific necessarily rational or even reasonable, certainly from the point of view of practical reason and the question of how we should act.
The American composer Aaron Copland argued that ‘the ideal listener is both inside and outside the music at the same moment… a subjective and objective attitude is implied in both creating and listening to music’. Scruton also sees the ‘I’ that stands for our self-consciousness as ‘poised between freedom and mechanism, subject and object’, suspended between nothingness and being. As music exists in a different way to sound, so ‘I’ exist in another way to that of my brain and body. If we allow the truth of this, then we shift the argument about God on from whether or not we can find proof of His existence. After all, when science makes an account of the world, it cannot give an account of what it is like to be me. But from my first-person perspective, I know, without having to check, that my shoulder aches. I don’t carry out any kind of medical examination to know that, and I cannot be wrong about it. My shoulder aches only for me. This epistemological privilege amounts to an ability to know things about myself on the basis of no evidence whatsoever. Is God, then, perhaps a person like me? This relationship of self-consciousness, in which I can say to myself, ‘Angus, what do you think about this?’, is the basis for the way in which I can also ask you what you think about it. It has the structure of an I-you relationship. When I find myself in my thinking about myself, I also find that you are a necessary part of that finding: I cannot be anything unless you recognise it. As Sartre put it: ‘The intimate discovery of myself is at the same time the revelation of the other as a freedom which confronts mine.’
Try as I might, I can never pin down just what it is to be me. Wherever it is that ‘I’ stand, I stand forever on the edge of things. As do you. And because ‘I’ requires ‘You’, then it follows that I am always looking for you, trying to attain to that infinite horizon which is your perspective, your uniqueness. Scruton calls this the ‘overreaching intentionality of interpersonal attitudes’, but we might as well call it love. After all, it is when I am in love that I try to reach beyond – or through – your face, your lips, your eyes, so as to grasp you. The you that is present in your face but at the same time not there, not identical with it. This overreaching is also what we do when we reason – and it is to be found in the exercise of our freedom. Scruton argues that ‘I-you intentionality projects itself beyond the boundary of the natural world’, and, ‘in doing so, it uncovers our religious need’. Such a religious frame of mind, Scruton continues, amounts to a ‘reaching out from subject to subject; it searches for a relation that is close, intimate, and personal, with a being who is present in this world though not of this world; and in this reaching out, there is a movement towards sacrifice, in which both self and other might give themselves completely and thereby achieve a reconciliation that lies beyond the reach of ordinary human dialogue’. We experience this searching in love, and we hear it in music. Thus, the atheists’ argument that they can find no evidence of God’s existence is as insufficient as attempting to explain love in terms of reproduction or music in terms of vibration. After all, God may only reveal Himself to those who love Him. Or maybe God is simply not to be found in the universe that He created. Or Maybe God is like the number one: ‘outside space and time… [with] no causal role to play in the physical world.’ But if this is true, and it is the central question of Scruton’s book, then we cannot expect to encounter God anymore than we can expect to meet the number one. But how, then, is it possible for God to ‘be a real presence in the life of His earthly worshippers’? And how is it possible for us to be in love? Scruton makes an appeal to religion, the arts, erotic love, friendship and familial ties: all spheres which rely upon that overreaching intentionality which allows us to catch sight of the ‘other person in the I’. It also allows us the possibility of morality, that is, of treating others as people and not as things, as fellow subjects and not objects. Yet Scruton acknowledges the pressing need for this ‘care of the soul’ precisely because it is ‘vanishing from our world today’. We live in a world of contracts rather than obligations; a world where parents are condemned as a jilting generation rather than honoured; a world in which human relationships are being steadily pornified; a world in which the humanities are studied – if they are studied at all – as a means to well-paid job; a world in which there are those who would dismiss the humanities entirely in favour of a natural science of man. What grounds are there for thinking that Scruton’s call for due care of the soul will be listened to?I am an 18-year-old, now middle school graduate. Perhaps that which differs from the average, is that I trust that I can help solve a mistake.
I discovered last Friday [2017-07-22] that I could take a monthly ticket for 50 for the new internet e-ticket system in BKK, and then informed them about two minutes later. I did not use the ticket, I do not even live near Budapest, I never traveled on a BKK route. My goal was just to signal the error to the BKK in order to solve it and not to use it (for example, to sell the tickets at a half price for their own benefit).
The BKK has not been able to answer me for four days, but in their press conference today they said it was a cyber attack and was reported. I found an amateur bug that could be exploited by many people - no one seriously thinks an 18-year-old kid would have played a serious security system and wanted to commit a crime by promptly telling the authorities.
I am convinced that if I do not speak about the error, I will not report it. My hire was canceled only after I sent my letter to them.
I would like to publish this post without my name and identity. I ask you to help by sharing this entry with your acquaintances so that the BKK will come to a better understanding and see if my purpose is merely a helper intention, I have not harmed or wanted to harm them in any way. I hope that in this case the BKK will consider withdrawing the reportWe have discussed the almost weekly race to the bottom by Islamic extremists who use their faith to justify the most despicable and inhumane acts. However, few can match the atrocities of Boko Haram (“Western education is sinful”) — more properly known as The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad. This Islamic movement in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002 and has made murder and church bombings its special signature of faith. However, even the piles of thousands of corpses killed in the name of Allah did not prepare the world for the latest atrocity: the kidnapping of 200 Nigerian girls and an announcement from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau that “I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah.” Reports indicate that many of the girls have been “married” to Boko Haram soldiers. Nigerians are complaining that the government (which receives enormous U.S. and foreign aid) is not working particularly hard to free the girls. President Goodluck Jonathan described the detention as “unfortunate” and “insensitive”. His wife proved more direct. Mrs. Jonathan has reportedly ordered the arrest of Naomi Mutah, a representative of the Chibok community where the girls were seized from their school. So 200 girls are abducted to be sold into slavery by a fanatical Islamic movement and the wife of the president has the woman leading protests arrested.
Last month, the fanatics overpowered guards at a school and forced the girls out of bed and into trucks. Some 276 were kidnapped and at least 53 escaped. That left 223 in captivity. Mutah and others started a campaign to force action from the government.
Reports indicate that First Lady Patience Jonathan felt slighted that the mothers of the abducted girls had sent Ms. Mutah to the meeting. The First Lady appears to have no authority to order such an arrest but that does not appear to matter in Nigeria.
For his part, the devout man promising to sell girls into slavery is captured on a video coldly describing how “There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women.” The State Department believes that he means it and that the girls could well disappear into Nigeria’s “market.”
Even if one accepts the statements of the government that they are trying to find the girls, the actions of the First Lady are an outrage. At some point, the United States has to tie foreign aid to basic values protecting women and the rule of law. Nigeria is breathtakingly corrupt. We have seen around the world how such corruption invites extremists to take hold and offer Sharia law as the answer to endemic problems of local governments. We seen to be sustaining such corruption from Iraq to Afghanistan to Nigeria while increasing drone attacks against insurgents fighting these governments. It has not proven a winning strategy but we do not seem to have a plan B. We gave some $625 million to the country in 2012. In the meantime, girls are denied their most basic right to education and choice. U.S. dollars should go to those countries that commit themselves to basic values, including the rights of women and girls as well as protections for free speech and free exercise. The world is facing a deep divide between religious orthodoxy and individual rights. The West has to stop being apologetic for demanding that nations afford their citizens basic rights as a condition for support. At the moment, we are pouring billions into countries that continue to radicalize and organize against basic freedoms. At a minimum, we should put the emphasis on aid to educating girls and establishing free press and independent court systems. Obviously, this needs to include security protection for schools. I believe that the Obama Administration is targeting such programs but we clearly need to require more from recipient countries in terms of reforms. In the case of Nigeria, we might want to start with demanding reforms of the faux office of the First Lady.
Sources: BBC and CNN.
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FacebookCOBRA subsidies begin expiring for the unemployed
The stimulus act included $25 billion to help the jobless stay on their former employers' health plans for up to nine months, but the money is running out and Congress is unlikely to extend it soon.
If the subsidy is not extended, hundreds of thousands will lose the subsidy each month, forcing them to pay health insurance premiums that are three times higher than what they're currently paying.
The insurance subsidy will also no longer be available for Americans who lose their jobs starting today.
However, the so-called COBRA subsidy was designed to last no more than nine months for each person who was unemployed. Hundreds of thousands who got this subsidy when it was first made available in March are slated to roll off the program today.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed in February, launched a temporary government program to subsidize the often crippling cost of buying health insurance through a former employer's plan after a layoff.
Millions of unemployed Americans face the prospect of a huge increase in health insurance costs, thanks to the looming expiration of a government subsidy.
The White House wants to extend the subsidies, an Obama administration spokeswoman said |
dog.
Perhaps surprisingly, there was not a consistent effect of activity on maintenance energy requirements in dogs. This may be due to limitations in the methodology used to quantify activity, and diversity in the types of dog represented including racing, hunting, working, and pet dogs. In the current study, we classified activity based upon the time spent exercising [17], but this classification did not take account intensity of activity, which is likely to have a marked effect on energy consumption. For example, both greyhounds and huskies would be classed as racing dogs, but the nature of the exercise differs greatly between them: greyhounds typically undertake short bouts of extreme activity, often covering a distance of 500 m in a 33s race [44]. In contrast, huskies undertake long periods of endurance activity. During races such as the Iditarod trail, the dogs travel 700 km over a period of 10 days [45]. Not surprisingly, therefore, estimates of maintenance energy requirement were least reliable (i.e. R2 was worst) for dogs with moderate and high activity levels. For future studies involving active dogs, the energy cost of different types of exercise should be better defined, since this would permit maintenance energy requirements to be more accurately defined in different groups of racing dog. Further, objective methods of measuring physical activity should be used in preference to subjective methods, such as HRM and accelerometry, as recommended for humans [34]. The main advantage of such an approach is that it is then possible to tailor dietary reference values for energy values based upon the amount of physical activity undertaken [34].
In contrast to the complete dataset, activity level was found to be of importance in influencing energy requirements of the pet dogs in the study. Not surprisingly, maintenance energy requirements for those dogs undertaking high levels of activity were greater than for other groups. However, maintenance energy requirements for dogs classed as having moderate activity (114.1 kcal.kgBW−0.75.day−1) were not significantly different from dogs classed as resting (95.7 kcal.kgBW−0.75.day−1), and less than dogs reported to have low activity levels (125.4 kcal.kgBW−0.75.day−1). This discrepancy both questions the reliability of reporting of activity levels in the publications, which were often based upon owner reports, and also suggests that the typical exercise that most pets undertake is minimal and does not markedly alter energy requirements. Most pet dogs are inactive or only moderately active [17], with median weekly activity equating to only 4 walks of 40 minutes each, and 40% of pet dogs not being walked at all [46]. These low activity levels are in contrast to owner perceptions, with most believing that their dogs receive adequate exercise, even though some receive no exercise at all [47].
Therefore, although our findings indicate that activity, most notably high activity levels, influence the maintenance energy requirements in pet dogs, the challenge for the veterinary profession is to develop clear guidelines that will not be misinterpreted by dog owners. Currently, many commercial foods provide different recommendations for active and inactive pet dogs. However, given the tendency for owners to overestimate the activity of their dog reliably, it would be preferable either not to include different recommendations based upon activity, or to choose the terminology used carefully. For instance, rather than using terms such as “inactive” or “low activity”, the term “typical pet” or “standard” might be more appropriate. Further, it might be preferable to use the terms “very active” or “working dog” to note an energy requirement for the minority of dogs with genuinely increased activity levels.
The majority of publications examined used dogs of both sexes, or did not specify the sex, making it difficult to determine the effects of sex and neuter status on maintenance energy requirements. In kennelled dogs, maintenance energy requirements were greater in entire than in neutered females, but this difference was not evident in either working dogs or pet dogs, most likely because of smaller numbers of neutered working and pet dogs in these categories. Although the effects of neutering have been widely investigated in cats [11], work has been less extensive in dogs. Anantharaman-Barr [48] found that energy expenditure decreased by 30 days after neutering in mixed-breed female dogs. However, the difference was no longer evident at day 90 post-neutering, probably due to the fact that body weight increased by 7% over this period. Decreases in energy expenditure in neutered animals were also seen in another study [21] and, together with the increase in voluntary food intake that is also observed, suggests that close monitoring is required after neutering to prevent unwanted weight gain.
This meta-analysis included data from studies using a range of experimental methods including DLW, IC, and FE. With FE, direct estimates of the metabolisable energy required for maintenance can be made, provided that body weight remains stable during the experimental period. In contrast, methods such as DLW and IC measure energy expenditure rather than maintenance energy requirements. For this meta-analysis, it was assumed that the dogs in these studies were in energy balance and, therefore, that energy expenditure was equivalent to energy requirement. This is a limitation of the current study, since this might not have been the case. Nonetheless, the same approach has been used when setting energy reference values for humans [34]. The influence of experimental method on maintenance energy requirements was also examined statistically in the current meta-analysis, and there were no significant differences amongst methods. That said, markedly different allometric equations were generated, with constant coefficients varying between 7.6 (IC) and 105 (FE), and exponents varying between 0.85 (FE) and 1.59 (IC). Therefore, whatever the reason for these differences, we would advise that direct comparisons amongst studies using different methodologies should be made cautiously in the future. As well as differences in the allometric equations themselves, marked discrepancies were seen in the reliability of the different allometric equations, with r2 varying between 0.55 (DLW) and 0.99 (IC). The reason for this is also not clear, but it is noteworthy that, when allometric equations were generated for dogs with different activity levels, the most reliable equation was generated for resting dogs. Thus, the superior reliability of the allometric equation generated from IC studies might actually be because dogs undergoing IC must be resting during the procedure.
The species Canis familiaris is unusual in that it encompasses many different breeds, which vary greatly in size, from toy (e.g., Chihuahua, Papillon) to giant (e.g., Saint Bernard or Great Dane). Breed differences not only have a marked effect on stature and body shape, but also on lifespan and internal anatomy (e.g., the relative size of the digestive tract) [20]. These differences also make it inherently difficult to determine maintenance energy requirements accurately across the species [20], and might explain the fact that no breed size differences were observed in the current study. Typically, the data available were too variable to determine allometric equations reliably for dogs based on breed size, as indicated by poor Adjusted R2 values (Table 5). This is likely due to the fact that breed size in the current study was mainly based on BW, meaning that breeds of broadly similar size were grouped. For example, the Husky and Greyhound are both considered to be large dogs, but their shape, body composition, overall volume, and coat characteristics differ, all of which are likely to affect maintenance energy requirements [49], [50]. One limitation of the current study was that data for toy breeds and giant breeds were sparse. Thus, whilst the maintenance energy requirements are likely to be accurate for mid-size and large-breed dogs, caution should be exercised when extrapolating these results to the extremes. The popularity of miniature dog breeds is increasing, relative to other breeds [51], likely due to their convenience and reduced costs. As a result, more data regarding the nutritional requirements of such breeds are needed in the future, to ensure that feeding recommendations are soundly based.
Related to breed differences is the possible effect of age on maintenance energy requirement, since growth, ageing and lifespan differ markedly amongst breeds [20]. Giant dogs are growing until 2 years of age, but their lifespan is considerably shorter than for other breeds such as toy breeds. Thus, biological age depends not only on chronological age, but also upon the breed, and makes interpretation of the effects of age on maintenance energy requirements complicated [52]. Age is likely to have been an additional confounding factor when examining the effect of differences in breed.
Longevity is increasing in companion animals [53] and, with this, comes an increased likelihood of developing chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis and chronic kidney diseases. Therefore, knowledge of the nutrient requirements of ageing pets is an area of increasing importance. In cats, data on the energy requirements of older cats are contradictory, with some publications reporting a decrease in daily maintenance energy requirements at approximately 6–7 years of age [54], [55], whilst others report no affect of age [11], [56], [57]. Ageing in cats may also result in decreased digestibility of nutrients, most notably fat [53], [58], [59]. To the authors' knowledge, few publications have examined the effects of ageing on the physiology of domestic dogs. The limited work conducted to date has suggested that there are no effects on intestinal permeability [60], but changes in intestinal morphology are seen [61]. Thus, more ageing-related work is required in dogs. Unfortunately, allometric equations could not be generated for old dogs because not enough of the treatment groups used in the analysis contained such dogs. This likely reflects the difficulty in obtaining the participation of older dogs in research studies; sporting, hunting, working, and laboratory dogs are often retired before they reach old age, whilst the development of ageing-related diseases can preclude the participation of older pet dogs in research studies. Therefore, older dogs would be a priority for future studies assessing maintenance energy requirements in pet dogs, so that the knowledge base in this area can be improved.
One final limitation of the current study was the fact that data were not available for lean mass or body composition. This is not surprising because determining lean body mass is expensive, invasive, and may not always be practicable, not least for pet dogs. Lean body mass is known to be a better predictor of resting energy expenditure in humans [62], and the best predictor of maintenance energy requirements in cats [11]. As a result, acquiring body composition data should be a priority in future studies of maintenance energy requirements in dogs.
In conclusion, the current meta-analysis has estimated maintenance energy requirements of adult dogs. Although the allometric equation generated was a better estimate for maintenance energy in dogs than previous estimates, great variability in requirements was still seen. Such variability could be reduced if energy requirements were not solely based upon BW data, but included information on the activity level (predominantly for pet dogs), husbandry, and neuter status. For future studies, consideration should be given to generating reference data for energy requirements using objective measurements, such as DLW, in a ‘representative’ target population, and utilising objective measures of determining physical activity such as accelerometry. More attention should also be paid to generating data on the nutritional requirements of older dogs and dogs at the extremes of the body size continuum (i.e., giant and toy breeds). Finally, care should be taken when using the current study findings to develop recommendations for specific groups of dog, most notably those in the pet population. A programme of owner education will be necessary to ensure that overfeeding is avoided, and that caution is exercised when modifying food intake based upon activity levels, given owners' misperception between perceived and actual activity.Dreaming Iolanthe, by Caroline Shawk Brooks, depicting King René's Daughter. It was this 1876 masterpiece that ignited popular interest in butter sculpting as a public art form. The bowl was kept cool with ice underneath it., by Caroline Shawk Brooks, depicting Yolande, Duchess of Lorraine, the heroine of Henrik Hertz's play. It was this 1876 masterpiece that ignited popular interest in butter sculpting as a public art form. The bowl was kept cool with ice underneath it.
Butter sculptures often depict animals, people, buildings and other objects. They are best known as attractions at state fairs in the United States as lifesize cows and people, but can also be found on banquet tables and even small decorative butter pats.[1] Butter carving was an ancient craft in Tibet, Babylon, Roman Britain and elsewhere. The earliest documented butter sculptures date from Europe in 1536, where they were used on banquet tables. The earliest pieces in the modern sense as public art date from ca. 1870s America, created by Caroline Shawk Brooks, a farm woman from Helena, Arkansas.[1] The heyday of butter sculpturing was about 1890-1930,[1] but butter sculptures are still a popular attraction at agricultural fairs, banquet tables and as decorative butter patties.
History [ edit ]
The history of carving food into sculptured objects is ancient.[1] Archaeologists have found bread and pudding molds of animal and human shapes at sites from Babylon to Roman Britain.[2][3]
In Europe, during the Renaissance and Baroque periods molding food was commonly done for wealthy banquets.[1] It was during this period that the earliest known reference to a butter sculpture is found.[1] In 1536 Bartolomeo Scappi, cook to Pope Pius V, organized a feast composed of nine scenes elaborately carved out of food, each carried in episodically as centerpieces for a banquet.[1] Scappi mentioned several butter sculptures for the feast, including an elephant with a palanquin, a figure of Hercules struggling with a lion, and a Moor on a camel.[4] Another early reference is found in the biography of Antonio Canova (1757–1822), who said he first came to his patron’s attention when as a humble kitchen boy he sculpted an impressive butter lion for a banquet - the story is now thought apocryphal, though it reaffirms the existence of butter sculptures during that period.[1] Butter sculpting continued into the 18th century when English dairy maids molded butter pats into decorative shapes.[1]
Caroline Shawk Brooks with a butter sculpture basrelief of Columbus for the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition.
The earliest butter sculpture in the modern sense (as public art and not a banquet centerpiece) can be traced to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition where Caroline Shawk Brooks, a farm woman from Helena, Arkansas, displayed her Dreaming Iolanthe, a basrelief bust of a woman modeled in butter.[1] It was kept cold with a system of layered bowls and frequent ice changes.[1] Brooks had no formal art training but as a farmer she spent years making butter and in 1867, to make the work more interesting, she began sculpting it, eventually using it as a selling point.[1] As her skills progressed she began to see it as more than marketing butter, indeed as an art form unto itself.[1] In 1873 she made her masterpiece Dreaming Iolanthe, which she would re-do over the years at regional exhibitions around the US.[1] Thus she was invited to bring a replica to the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 where it drew so much attention and praise she was invited to sculpt live for the crowds.[1] Afterwards she studied in Paris and Florence and eventually became a professional sculptor who worked in marble, but occasionally continued to make butter art.[1] She returned for the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition and made busts of Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus. By then, however, there were other butter sculptors: the art form had come into its own.[1]
The heyday of butter sculpting was from about 1890 to 1930. During this period refrigeration became widely available, and the American dairy industry began promoting butter sculpture as a way to compete against synthetic butter substitute like Oleomargarine (margarine).[1][5] Butter sculpting decreased during the Great Depression and WWII due to shortages but picked up again after the war.[1]
United States [ edit ]
The first butter cow sculpture to appear at a state fair was displayed at the Ohio State Fair in 1903, sculpted by A. T. Shelton & Company.[6] New cow and calf sculptures are created each year, reflecting positive ideals and cultural trends in Ohio, and have become a Fair tradition.
[1] Postcard of John K. Daniels’s butter sculpture of a boy, cow, and calf. Iowa State Fair, 1911.
The first butter cow in Iowa was made by sculptor John K. Daniels at the 1911 Iowa State Fair.[1] The sculpture was sponsored by the Beatrice Creamery Co., now part of Con-Agra Foods. The exhibit, designed as a way to promote dairy products in the area, was a big hit with fairgoers. Because of its success, the butter sculpture was continued each year.[7] Over the years, several different artists have sculpted the Butter Cow for the Iowa State Fair. Daniels created sculptures and was followed by J.E. Wallace of Florida, who held the position until 1956. Wallace started making an additional butter sculpture for the exhibit each year. This second sculpture typically depicted people in everyday activities such as butter churning, or playing with a dog. This tradition has continued with each sculptor since. Earl Frank Dutt of Illinois became the third official sculptor. Dutt was trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and had experience sculpting many materials, from plaster and clay to lard. Over the next few years he sculpted cows in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan, spreading the love of the Butter Cow throughout the Midwest United States. His additions to each year's exhibit were far more cartoonish than those of J.E. Wallace, depicting such things as a fight between political party mascots or a parade of smiling pigs.
It was Dutt who trained Norma "Duffy" Lyon, now known widely as The Butter Cow Lady. She began her career as an assistant to Frank Dutt in 1959.[8] The previous year she saw a photo of Dutt's creation and told the fair director she could do better. In 1960, she took over as the sculptor in residence—and first female to do so—and created a new piece for the fair each year until 2005. Some of her more notable sculptures include likenesses of Garth Brooks, John Wayne, Elvis Presley, and her own full version of The Last Supper, all made of butter. Duffy (a nickname derived from her maiden name, Duffield), as she was lovingly known, also sculpted Butter Cows for other states such as Illinois and Utah over the years. In 2006, Duffy retired, due to health limitations, and was succeeded by her apprentice Sarah Pratt.
The process through which the artists work varies according to the sculptor, but often follows the same general steps. Most start with choosing one of the six dairy cattle breeds (Holstein, Guernsey, Jersey, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, and Milking Shorthorn) to recreate. Usually, they produce drawings of the cattle or take several photographs from which to work. As the sculpting actually begins, it is important for the butter to be of the right consistency, which has been described as feeling like cold cream. In total, about 500-600 pounds of butter is used. Over the years, sculptors moved from working in chilled rooms to large refrigerated display cases with temperatures between 35 and 40oF. The butter is placed on a wooden-and-wire armature, at first in large amounts to achieve the general shape of the cow, and later in smaller quantities to fine-tune the form. The butter is added layer upon layer until the cow is in its finished form, taking between two days and a week, depending on the artist. Though the sculptors claim it was never a secret that the Buttercow is built on a wooden armature, many people assumed the sculpture was solid, and made entirely from butter, despite the logistical impossibilities.[9]
Linda Christensen sculpting butter at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair.
The Minnesota State Fair has never had a Buttercow, but showcases butter sculpture in another way. The fair commissions carvings in butter of the twelve finalists of the Princess Kay of the Milky Way contest. These finalists are chosen from young Minnesotan women between the ages of 16 and 23 to be Dairy Princesses. Their likenesses are carved from 90 lb. blocks of butter. Each of the twelve days of the fair one finalist will be carved, currently by Linda Christensen, a California sculptor originally from Minnesota. While a princess poses on a turning platform in a chilled display case, Christensen takes about six hours to carve her likeness, all in front of fairgoers, passing by the refrigerated display area. Once the carving is complete it is displayed for the remainder of the fair, and at its closing each dairy princess may take hers home and use it as she wishes (sometimes used at graduation parties or wedding receptions).[10]
Australia [ edit ]
Having seen the success of the Prince of Wales in butter in the Canadian Pavilion in the 1924 season of the British Empire Exhibition, in 1925 the Australians placed a larger butter sculpture in their pavilion at Wembley Park. It showed England cricketer Jack Hobbs being stumped at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the 1924-5 test series, which Australia had won 4-1.[11]
Canada [ edit ]
In 1924 and 1925 the Prince of Wales featured in two butter sculptures in refrigerated cases in the Canadian Pavilion at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park, Wembley, north-west London. The sculptures were both displays of patriotism and an effective advertisement for the Canadian dairy industry. In 1924 the sculpture depicted the Prince standing beside his horse outside his ranch at Pekisko, Alberta. 3,000 pounds of butter were used to produce the sculpture. The 1925 sculpture showed the Prince seated in the dress of a First Nations chief and was based on Edward’s visit to Banff in 1919, where he had been made an honorary chief by the Assiniboine. It was sculpted by George Kent and Beauchamp Hawkins. The figures of First Nations women in the 1925 butter sculpture case were the only reference to Canada's First Nations in the Canada Pavilion.[12]
It is on record that the Prince was pleased with both sculptures. When Queen Mary saw the butter sculpture of her son she laughed and said it was "quite a remarkable likeness." The British press was impressed too, declaring the 1925 sculpture one of the wonders of Wembley.[12] Others were equally impressed. One schoolgirl said that the prince of Wales in butter "was the one feature that captured everybody's imagination,"[13] while a schoolboy said that his favourite exhibit at the Exhibition was the Prince of Wales in butter, and that "an ear’d keep us a week." Some in the Canadian press were however unhappy about the 1925 sculpture, with one paper writing "it is time that Canada should cease to be advertised by representations of Indians in war paint.”[12]
Shortly after the end of World War II, the Ontario Cream Producers Marketing Board and the Dairy Producers of Canada began a campaign to promote their products. Butter sculpting was initiated as part of this campaign along with the slogan "It's better with butter". This was intended to increase butter's market share in competition to the high-powered advertising for margarine in the late 1940s. Butter sculptures were displayed at both the Canadian National Exhibition and Royal Agricultural Winter Fairs in Toronto. Ross Butler was the first Canadian artist to sculpt in butter at these fairs. Ross' reputation as a farm animal artist was well known by the dairy people. He created many different life size butter sculptures between 1947 and 1954. Some of the subjects included Bessie the Butter Cow with her calf Buttercup, Barbara the Milkmaid and her butter cow, Ideal Guernsey, Canadian Olympic Figure Skater Barbara Ann Scott, Laura Secord and her cow, Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman and Queen Elizabeth II on her horse Winston. Each sculpture was life sized. They were created in refrigerated, glass cased enclosures and were displayed for the duration of each fair. At the end of the events, the butter was reclaimed and put back in the trade. The last butter sculptures that Ross created were Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the Western Fair in London, Ontario in 1956. After that, he returned to working in clay with the familiar subjects of cattle and horses. In 1986, a fitting tribute to Ross Butler at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair included his likeness sculpted in butter by Windsor artist, Christopher Rees. [14]
Tibet [ edit ]
Butter sculptures in front of the assembly hall of the Kopan Monastery in the Kathmandu valley (Nepal)
Butter sculpture is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition; yak butter and dye are still used to create temporary symbols for the Tibetan New Year and other religious celebrations.[15]
See also [ edit ]Running is an intensely mental sport. Often the barriers in our training and racing are not physical, but are mental road blocks. Overcoming them and believing that we can run faster or longer is a crucial component of reaching our full running potential.
Countless times I have finished a race and thought, “I could have run faster” or “My head wasn’t in that race.” What happened? Those races were failures of the mind, not the body. I was ready to run fast physically, but mentally there was something missing.
The excuses during my 12 years of racing have been endless: I heard my first mile split and decided to bag the race…I fell asleep on the third lap…I got bored after the 5th mile and lost contact with the pack…I forgot how to hurt…
These excuses reflect an inability of the mind to push past small obstacles (because they are small) and force the body to be as competitive as possible. Looking back on my running career, I have had so many opportunities to race fast but often I wasn’t mentally ready.
What happens when mental barriers are knocked down? What happens when the seemingly impossible – or supposedly difficult – enters the realm of possibility?
Breaking Records – The Cascade Effect
In the professional running circuit, world and American records aren’t broken very frequently in the distance events. Not only is it incredibly physically demanding, but the mental stress of trying for a record is intense. Certain events however have interesting stigmas attached to them.
The American 5k record was held by Bob Kennedy until recently. He ran 12:58.21 in 1996 to break his own American record of 12:58.75. He also became the first American to break the elusive 13 minute barrier for 5,000 meters. After he set his record, it stood for 13 long years.
Last year, Dathan Ritzenhein smashed the record by nearly two seconds and ran 12:56.27. Only a week later Matt Tegenkamp ran 12:58.56. The American record fell again on June 4, 2010 as Bernard Lagat ran 12:54.12. Chris Solinsky ran 12:56.66 in the same race, taking 16 seconds off his personal best time and making this the first time in history that two Americans broke 13 minutes in the same race.
In less than a year, four Americans dipped under 13 minutes for 5k and the record fell twice. Quite the year!
Chris Solinsky broke the American 10k record in May, 2010 running 26:59 – becoming the first American to run under 27 minutes for 10,000 meters. How long do you think it will take for a slew of Americans to dip under 27 minutes?
The same progression played out for the “mythical” 4 minute mile when Roger Bannister ran 3:59 in 1954. Just 46 days
later, John Landy ran 3:58. Deemed a feat no human could perform, running under 4 minutes for a mile has since been done by thousands of athletes. The world record is now a stunning 3:43.13 by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj.
Overcoming Mental Blocks for Huge PR’s
Believing you can do something can help you achieve lofty goals that you once thought were almost unachievable. Set your sights on seemingly impossible personal records and then mercilessly work toward them. There are people who think they can and people who think they can’t. Both are right.
During my senior year in college I raced significantly faster simply because I set “almost unachievable” goals. During indoor track, I ran 4 seconds faster for 800 meters than my previous PR because I set a goal that was ten seconds faster than my best. Sure, I failed because I didn’t run ten seconds faster. But I set an enormous PR for such a short race. Ultimately, I knew that I wouldn’t run ten seconds faster. But I knew that goal would help me run faster overall.
Similarly, I took 24 seconds off my 3,000m PR by setting an “unrealistic” goal of sub-9 minutes. A decade ago, I never thought I could run under 5 minutes for the mile. At that point in my career, I didn’t think I could run under 5 minutes for the first mile in a 3,000 meter race. After three races, I had run 9:04 with a 4:50 first mile – 24 seconds faster than the season before.
Every example here shows that you’re faster than you think – you just need to start racing like it. I have since stopped trying to make small improvements when I’m attempting a personal record. Why try to run 2-3 seconds faster when I can try to run 20-30 seconds faster? I might fail, but I will race faster than if I attempted a smaller goal.
Believing you can’t race faster is an enormous limiting factor for many people. The next time you lace up your racing shoes, break through those mental barriers that make you think you can’t PR by a large margin. You absolutely can. You just need to believe it.
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Stop Sign photo credit: HoyasmegStardock’s large-scale RTS Ashes of the Singularity is one of the few great Real-Time-Strategy games that has come out in recent years. You may be playing Starcraft 2 or enjoying the new Dawn of War III, but if you want something a bit different, and certainly more large-scale, then read on as to why you may be interested in Ashes of the Singularity.
It’s a return to an RTS mainstay
Ashes has been been praised as being a return to one of the main pillars of RTS design, back when RTS ruled the roost of PC gaming (before the MOBA). This particular pillar was large-scale, planet-encompassing battles with hundreds of units fighting each other all at once. Instead of one unit, you would have a group, and instead of an army, you would have many. Planetary Annihilation may have been the most popular one, and Ashes makes no attempt to hide how much it was influenced by it. For those who liked this form of strategy, this game is essential.
It’s point control system brings players out of their base
If you’ve played one of Relic’s RTSs such as Dawn of War or Company of Heroes, you’ll be familiar with the ‘control point’ mechanic. Nodes spread throughout the map must be captured and held to provide you with resources. Ashes borrows this, meaning that sitting in your base and building up a humongous army is counter-productive. You’ll be forming battle lines across the map, making sure your points are safe and under your control. Beware though, because the nodes need to be connected to your base. If one point in the line is captured by the enemy, all the resources it connects to are lost. Games can be won or lost by player’s behind-enemy-lines adventures.
AI that can actually rival a human player
Allow me to get a little technical. Most RTSs and games are built to be played on single core processors, which limits things like AI in RTS games, and that is seemingly where the constant wave of attacking behaviour seems to come from in most RTS games. However, Ashes makes full use of quad-core processors, making the Artificial Intelligence extremely…intelligent. It will
make its own control groups, come at you at different angles, cut off your supply lines. In fact the AI in the game is so scary, it’ll force you to play online just to play against an opponent that’ll make mistakes.
Scenarios Are A Different Take
There are several different game modes that are quite unique to Ashes, built in from the get-go. You have King of the Hill, where you must defend against waves of increasingly hard enemies. If you are tired of going on the offensive in normal games, then try your hand at defence! There’s also Overlord, a game mode that pits you and 2 AIs against an unfairly hard AI, where the bigger team will have unit restrictions. This sets up an asymmetrical struggle in a delightfully satisfying way, particularly if you’re a fan of horde armies.
Lasers, Lasers Everywhere
If you like watching big armies clashing, then nothing is more enjoyable than Ashes’ myriad lasers, missiles and rockets flying back and forth. The particle effects in the game are an incredible spectacle, and whether you’re fielding hordes of tiny tanks or huge dreadnoughts and artillery pieces, you can expect a firework display.
Have you played Ashes of the Singularity? Are you an RTS player, who is now seriously considering picking it up?This is a guest post by Hiba Krisht, an ex-Muslim writer and bisexual woman. It is adapted with her permission from her response on Facebook to this meme:
Look, if we’re going to expound upon the virtues of meticulously and accurately acknowledging the multifaceted character of Muslim belief and practice, then when we do that we simply can’t cherry-pick for ourselves which aspects of Islam we want to acknowledge and which ones we want to minimize or rationalize away. We can’t walk around saying ‘Islam is not a monolith’ when negative or unsavory interpretations or practices of Muslims are taken to be representative of the entire faith and turn around only to do the same exact thing ourselves by taking positive interpretations, etc., as uniquely representative. It’s not only an ineffective form of harm reduction, it ends up absolutely hurting those who get the brunt of mistreatment from systemic Islam-related problems: other Muslims, ex-Muslims, and people from within Muslim-majority countries or cultures.
I think it’s important to understand the pervasiveness of these phenomena where certainattempts to combat anti-Muslim bigotry using the powerful visibility of Western media only serve to obscure and enable further isolation and silencing of marginalized people in Muslim majority-communities. These are crucial human rights issues that are being shuffled to the side when denunciations of the behavior of privileged people being shitty about Islam and Muslims are not carried out with measured consideration of how the subject being discussed actually can and does negatively impact people in, or from, Muslim communities themselves. Nor do these emphases show any measured consideration of how choosing to focus on either a specific type of negative behavior from white people or a positive, but non-universal, Muslim narrative might make things harder for the people you’re trying to help.
It suddenly becomes many times more difficult for someone like me to start a conversation about the harmfulness of the words “kafir”, “kuffar” (“infidels“) or “kufr” (the act of blaspheming or the demonized act of proclaiming or implying disbelief) as a family of concepts with destructive effects within Muslim communities when memes like the one above epitomize how my liberal allies choose to direct their focus. I have to undo the work they have done and assert the importance of my narrative to even begin to talk about this issue, an issue of a slur personally used against me and people like me.
Specifically, related to the meme above, in Islamic contexts the English word “infidel” is a translation of the word “kafir”, which in Arabic ordinarily translates to simply “nonbeliever” but in the context of Muslim usage usually has the intent and effect of being a slur against non-Muslims or people perceived to be false Muslims. So it turns out this is a bit more complicated than the meme which tries to minimize the aggressive scope of this word would have you believe. Most Christians and Jews are definitely considered kuffar in some sects. To deny the widespread anti-Semitism concurrent with Muslim belief is dangerous and irresponsible. By no means is discussion of Judaism unilaterally positive in the Qur’an or ahadith to begin with, and in the case of Christianity the trinity is viewed to be kufr in multiple schools because it is interpreted as contradicting the doctrine of God’s oneness. We also know that cultural use of the term isn’t always consistent with scriptural use. It has taken on a pervasive and culturally significant meaning whereby it is used as a catch-all term for the West and Western ideology. Such usage is a real connotation. The meme above virtually argues that this expressly Othering use of kafir is never intended by Muslims and thereby commits the same kind of mistake that it is ostensibly rejecting: that of essentializing Islam and reducing Muslim experience and interpretation to one version.
I would also argue it is irrelevant to appeal to the fact that the term isn’t limited to Islam in order to imply its harmlessness. Of course, as a word from a broader language and not limited to Islamic usage, it obviously has uses outside of Islam (unless you believe Arabic is tied inextricably to Muslim expression such that Islam gives the ultimate meaning of all its terms somehow), but this is irrelevant to what the word means in its specifically Islamic context. Unless you would point out that not only Christians use the term “nonbeliever” in English as a relevant point, why point it out for the Arabic?
I understand that the goal is pointing out the bigotry of conflation, which does happen a lot, but the way it is approached reinforces binary thinking. I fear it’s still treating the language as somehow different than you’d think about English because of the incongruity in contextualizing terms. The fact that kafir has uses outside of labeling unbelievers in a Muslim sense should not properly be relevant to its significance as both a concept in Muslim belief and a specific cultural regime of truth within the Islamic world.
This may seem like splitting hairs but it is important because of the work it does to unwind and obscure. It reminds me of a stream I have to often wade: when the hijab is brought up people are quick to point out that women in other cultures/religions cover their hair, which simply serves to derail the discussion, shifting the focus onto whether it is okay at all to talk about hair covering as it manifests in Muslim cultures within a limited context directly involving Islam, putting me in a position of having to explain the many salient factors that make it a particularly, if not exclusively, Muslim |
if you can do it without it obstructing the rest of your header), and one at the bottom of every blog post and page. I prefer to skip the header signup to keep everything a bit cleaner at the top. Instead, I’ll often put a signup higher up in the blog post, if it makes sense to (like in this post). I don’t try to cram one in somewhere that it doesn’t fit, either physically or contextually.
If you’re on WordPress and using ConvertKit, you can actually do this really easily with their WordPress plugin, which is exactly what I use.
You’ll need to go to WordPress and install and activate the ConvertKit plugin, then go to you ConvertKit account and get your API key and API Secret key.
Then, in WordPress under Settings, you’ll find the ConvertKit plugin. Go there and put in your two keys. Click “Save Changes” and it will refresh with a dropdown of your current forms. You can then select which one you want to be the default.
In WordPress, under Appearance, go to Widgets and you can drag and drop the ConvertKit widget into whatever sidebar you want it in.
To have it in the bottom of a post, you can select that option in each individual post, at the bottom of the page below the post text box. It will automatically have the form you set as default, but you can easily change it to another one, or none at all.
This also works with ConvertKit landing pages.
What to send in your brand new email newsletter.
You’ve followed all the instructions above. You signed up for ConvertKit. You set up a welcome email. You’ve even set up some tags to segment your list.
But what do you send?
Updates! Newsletters! Projects you’re working on!
Mostly, just things that are relevant to what you’re working on, that your subscribers would want to see. Keep in mind their preferred content you’ve tagged them to receive.
If you’re using your blog to teach people what you know, which you should be, then definitely send that information out in your emails as well.
One thing to make sure of is that you don’t constantly bombard your subscribers with advertisements of your games and/or other products. That’s spam, and it’s bad.
Definitely do promote yourself, but don’t over-do it.
When to send out your newsletter.
You need to be sending out newsletters at least once a week. This keeps you on people’s minds and increases your chances of landing new sales.
Studies have shown that the more emails you send, the better your clickthrough rates. It’s important to make sure you don’t spam people, though. That’s a quick way to lose subscribers.
Marketers have been studying time of day and day of week to send out emails and it varies wildly.
CoSchedule compared 10 different studies and found that Tuesday is the best day to send email, and if you send two emails a week, Thursday is the best day for your second email. Wednesday was also a popular day.
As for time of day, they found that 10 A.M. and 11 A.M. are great, as well as anywhere between 8 P.M. and Midnight.
I usually send out my newsletter on Tuesdays, but the time is different each week.
Of course, this all depends on your audience. Your subscribers may operate at a different time. Being that your audience is mostly video game players and/or people learning from you how to make video games, they could operate at non-normal business hours (such as college students who stay up all night playing your games). But, another industry could have an audience who are mostly day-job people and thus open the most emails between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM.
The best thing to do is to try different days and times to figure out what your audience prefers.
Legal Stuff.
In the USA, according to anti-spam laws called the CAN-SPAM Act, you have to have a valid physical mailing address in your email newsletters. This address doesn’t have to be your home or office. It can be a P.O. Box.
It does have to be an address attributed to you where you can be contacted. You can’t just pick a random gas station address of of Google Maps.
If you’re using ConvertKit, they’ll provide you a free address you can use.
I recommend you don’t use your home address for safety reasons, unless you’ve already put your home address openly on the internet. Generally, that’s not a good idea at all, so if you can take that down and set up an office or P.O. Box, that’ll be a much safer way to do things.
But also, don’t use a fake address. One single email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act can cost you as much as $16,000.
You also need to have an unsubscribe button in the email so that users can easily remove themselves from your list. There are lots of clever tricks some marketers use to confuse people who try to unsubscribe. The best policy is to make it easy. The people who want to unsubscribe aren’t your target audience, anyway, or else they wouldn’t want to unsubscribe.
You’re ready to get started!
That’s what you need to know to get started with email marketing your video games.
Get out there and start collecting newsletter subscribers!
FREE Game Design Document Template Grab the free GDD template today. I might start charging for this! Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription and grab the free Game Design Document (GDD) template.
Like this: Like Loading...A lengthy and damning new profile of the Environmental Protection Agency administrator in Rolling Stone speculates about the real motivation behind all of Pruitt’s “crimes against nature.” Author Jeff Goodell writes, “It’s likely that Pruitt won’t hang around at the EPA long enough for anyone to count the bodies. His sights are set on higher things: the Oklahoma governor’s race in 2018, or a run for [Senator Jim Inhofe’s] Senate seat in 2020.”
This speculation has been around for awhile, but Goodell makes a compelling case. He lays out Pruitt’s early political life in Oklahoma, in which he lost two elections—for lieutenant governor and for the U.S. House of Representatives. It wasn’t until the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited political spending by corporations, that Pruitt’s fortunes began to change. He deepened and strengthened his ties to Oklahoma’s fossil fuel interests and Koch Industries, which donated generously to his successful campaign for state attorney general.
These are the same interests Pruitt has been consistently appeasing during his reign as EPA administrator. Pruitt has also been traveling to Oklahoma a lot since becoming administrator. According to a recent report, he “spent 43 out of 92 days from March through May in Oklahoma or traveling to or from the state.” (An EPA spokesperson said these trips were business-related, and asserted that Pruitt “is not running for elected office.”)
As Goodell correctly notes, the position of EPA administrator “has never been a launchpad for political ambition. In fact, no administrator in the 47-year history of the agency has ever gone on to higher office.” But as Pruitt’s unprecedented rollbacks of environmental protections show, he is no ordinary EPA administrator. It would be unwise to underestimate him.Our spiritual capacity is like a bowl, it can only hold so much. Once it’s full, it just spills out over the edge. Then, no matter how great the teaching, only so much of it can be retained.
Of course, the first question that crossed my mind was, “So, how do we increase the size of our bowls?”
But, that’s not really the point. Just be aware of your capacity, and do your best with that.
Another great teacher, Zen Master Kyong Ho, responded;
Desiring to become as a big tree or a great container of Wisdom prevents you from being a true teacher. Big trees have a big use; small trees have a small use. Good and bad bowls both have uses. Nothing is to be discarded. Keep both good and bad friends; this is your responsibility. You must not reject any element; this is Buddhism. My only wish is for you to free yourself from conceptions.All week long, we've broken down the teams we believe have the best chance at narrowing the gap between SEC king Alabama and the rest of the league. We've examined Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU and a few others.
Now our SEC reporters take their pick of which of those teams is best positioned to be the one to make a run at the Crimson Tide in the coming years:
In 10 seasons at Alabama, Nick Saban has compiled a 119-19 record and won four national championships. Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire
Edward Aschoff: Florida
This one is really tough for a few reasons. For starters, is anyone really going to catch Alabama in this league? Clemson and Deshaun Watson ain't walking through that door, Greg Sankey. I'm sure most will go with an SEC West team, like LSU or Auburn. But I didn't consider either when I thought about this. I'm looking at Florida and Georgia. I think both of these teams will be playoff-caliber very soon, and my pick was essentially a coin flip. But I'll go with Florida because Jim McElwain has won the SEC East his first two seasons in Gainesville, and he did it with two squads that weren't even the most talented in his division both years. So if he can do that without stellar players all around, imagine what he can do with some elite recruiting and a real offense. And it feels like both of those are coming his way. He has his quarterbacks and solid skill players, and he bolstered his staff's recruiting efforts, especially in the state of Florida, with the hiring of running backs coach JaJuan Seider and defensive backs coach Corey Bell. If McElwain can run his true offense and recruit as he did at the end of the 2017 cycle, the Gators will be trouble for Bama.
David Ching: Georgia
This is stating the obvious, but if a program is to compete with Alabama, it has to recruit like Alabama. Because nobody in the SEC has stacked class upon class the way Nick Saban has (average ESPN recruiting class ranking over the past five classes: 1.2), the Crimson Tide have run away from the pack over the past few years. But if we’re looking for teams that pose the greatest immediate threat to Alabama’s reign, it has to be one that recruits consistently. That trims your options to six most likely contenders: LSU (average ESPN recruiting class ranking over the past five classes: 5.8), Georgia (7.4), Auburn (8.8), Florida (10.6), Texas A&M (11) and Tennessee (13.6). If I have to pick one out of that group, give me Georgia, which I view as a potential recruiting giant that might have recently woken up. The Bulldogs usually signed top-10 classes under Mark Richt, but it’s possible that the class Kirby Smart just signed after his first full recruiting cycle was as good as any from the Richt era. Smart’s recruiting base is as fertile as it gets, and he coaches in the lesser of the SEC’s two divisions. If he can reel in a few more classes of the same quality as the one he just brought to Athens, Georgia could become a true thorn in Alabama’s side.
Sam Khan Jr.: LSU
David is correct in that in order to compete with Alabama, you have to recruit like Alabama. The program that does that the best and the most consistently is LSU. That's why I think the Tigers are the team best positioned to make a run at Alabama. Over the past five years, Alabama is the only program that has consistently outrecruited LSU. All five of the Tigers' classes were top-10 groups, including two top-five classes. Coach Ed Orgeron, who is an outstanding recruiter, should continue that. He's also armed with two quality coordinators in Dave Aranda and Matt Canada. What Canada does with the offense this year will be interesting; what Aranda has done on defense throughout his career and his short time at LSU speaks for itself.
Greg Ostendorf: Georgia
In the short term, I think it’s Auburn. With quarterback Jarrett Stidham onboard, the Tigers have a legitimate chance to beat Alabama and win the West. However, looking over the next five years, I like what Smart is doing at Georgia. He’s landed two very good quarterbacks in Jacob Eason and Jacob Fromm, which is a must if you want to beat Alabama head-to-head. He took back the Peach State in recruiting and landed the No. 2 class nationally last month. There’s no telling how good they can be if they can continue to recruit at that level. The biggest thing, though, is that they’re in the East. It’s much easier to come out of the East right now, and you might not have to play the Tide until the SEC championship. The jury is out on Smart as an SEC coach, but the way he’s building his program is similar to how Saban did it when he first got to Tuscaloosa.An Afghan migrant has been charged with raping and murdering an EU official's teenage daughter in Germany.
Hussein Khavari, 22, has been accused of ambushing Maria Ladenburger, 19, as she cycled home after a party, raping her and then drowning her in a river last October.
He was linked through his DNA to medical student Maria, who volunteered at various shelters that house migrants in her spare time in the university city of Freiburg.
Hussein Khavari (left), 22, of Afghanistan, has been charged with raping and murdering Maria Ladenburger (left), 19, in Germany
Maria's father is a senior legal adviser to the European Commission in Brussels.
The killing sparked frenzied new waves of hatred and fear of refugees.
The boss of the country's police union said her death would have been prevented had the open door asylum-seeker policy of Chancellor Angela Merkel been less lax.
The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was to piggyback on the killer's arrest to highlight what it says are the dangers of unregulated immigration. It calls Maria a 'victim of Merkel's welcome culture.'
Maria's body was found in the Dreisam River less than one mile from the student accommodation where she lived.
Khavari was born in Ghazni in Afghanistan and came to Germany as an illegal unaccompanied minor in November 2015.
In numerous social media posts he liked to present himself with hair slicked back with gel, jogging pants and training shoes.
On Facebook, before the killing of Maria on October 16, he wore his hair long but it was cut back after the crime.
A single strand of it was found at the crime scene but he left other traces of his DNA behind too.
He was linked through his DNA to medical student Maria, who volunteered at various shelters that house migrants in her spare time in the university city of Freiburg
Another disturbing photo he posted on his Facebook page in June shows a wolfman clutching a young maiden in his arms.
He said he was 17 at the time but he is thought to be 22. He has not spoken to police since his arrest.
After his arrest it emerged that he was let out of jail early in Greece where he was sentenced to ten years for trying to kill a young woman.
Stern magazine reported that Khavari had thrown a 20-year-old student off a cliff on Corfu, Greece, in May 2013.
The woman was severely injured but'miraculously' survived and was able to identify her attacker.
Khavari told his lawyer that he'regretted' what had happened.forced
Code: Changelog for v1.2.0: Features: * POTION EFFECTS FIXED * Potions are now restored when damage is taken * Quests are no longer repeatable * Lifesteal effect given on spawn * New Guidebook added, walks you through the ins and outs of Vampire Money * Awesome new main menu, courtesy of Lumien * Added Somnia * The world is now simulated while you sleep * You can now sleep all 24 hours of the day * New Structures in the Nether * Easier Player Revival * Filled Gintos are now given in the first quest * Realistic World Gen added (Disabled by default) * Sanity Changes * The Nether now takes Sanity slower than it did before * The Sacrificial Knife removes Sanity very quickly * Corrupt Fluix Crystals take Sanity as well * Pure Fluix Crystals add Sanity at a very high rate. One should be enough to negate most negative Sanity effects * Various items have Sanity values added to them. Think before you pick things up. * Ender Zoo added * Silverfish were given alternate drops to prevent exploits * Dynamic Lights was added to help you see in the dark * Auto-UHC lore added Technical: * Ender Zoo added * Dynamic Lights added * Realistic World Gen added (disabled by default) * Somnia added * PhoenixMod added * Silverfish drops changed * Overworld drops rebalanced * Aluminium drops added * Nether ore drops removed * Nether drops/quests added * README.txt quest added * Potion effects fixed * Each player now has their own "vamp" level * vamp level incremented every time the player completes a quest * Potion effects given based on vamp level when the player takes damage * Health added to "list" scoreboard * Blood Magic updated * Tinkers' Construct updated * Buildcraft updated * Guidebook added * Sanity rebalanced * Last potion effect given changed from Strength to Night Vision * Nether Structures added * Merchants removed until I can figure out how to fix them * Blood Moon rate increased * Typos fixed
Code: Changelog for v1.1.1: * Update CoFHCore * Update Lore Expansion * Add Soundtrack
Code: Changelog for v1.1.0: Be Afraid of the Dark: * New Sanity Mechanic is in place: -Sanity drops during the night and around baddies -Sanity can be restored by sleeping or hanging around flowers or other happy things -Going insane can have *fun* side effects * Darkness is now complete. Bring torches. * Nights can sometimes be home to a Blood Moon -Increased baddies -Inability to sleep -Red. Friends and Foes: * Multiplayer support! -Server version created -Friends can revive each other for Hardcore play -Quests are now repeatable so folks can play non-hardcore * Vampires and Heroes now roam the land -Powered-up Skeletons and Zombies have left the boss zone and are now out and about in the day! Look out! -Travelling merchants now roam the land, looking for deals. But, you'd better reach them before the Vampires do Technical: * Created Server Version (Wooo!) * Disabled the OpenBlocks Gravestone * Fixed key conflicts * Fixed quest bugs * Removed Halloween Quests * Updated Blood Magic * Updated BloodUtils * Updated Sanguimancy * Updated BuildCraft * Updated RailCraft * Updated EnderIO * Updated CoFHCore * Updated Applied Energistics * Updated Special Mobs * Updated Tinker's Construct * Updated Mine & Blade: Battlegear 2 * Added Enviromine * Added Random Things * Added GenCreator
You should generate your world as Hardcore for the best experience.This release currently only contains Chapter One, however, more Chapters will be released in the near future.Thanks for all the venom, and enjoy.Aaand we are now on Github! https://github.com/PhoenixTeamMC/Running-Red-2-Vampire-Money/tree/masterBig news on the Alien prequel front: it seems as if there is no longer an Alien prequel. What started out as a film expanding the backstory of Ridley Scott‘s 1979 sci-fi-thriller-monster movie masterpiece has become something else.
Today 20th Century Fox has officially announced Prometheus, which will star Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, and open on March 9, 2012. What’s going on here? More after the break.
Deadline reports that the film once meant to be an Alien prequel has become something “more original,” and that the Jon Spaihts draft that kicked things off has been reworked by Damon Lindelof and Ridley Scott into Prometheus. In addition to the part being played by Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) there is another big female role in the film, which is being circled by Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie. Three major male roles have to be cast, too.
Here’s what Ridley scott has to say about the film:
While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.
My first reaction: this is awesome. I love Alien to death, and was cautiously warming up to the idea of a prequel. But I would so much rather see an original film from Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof. And when Fox is the studio that gets so much flak for aiming squarely at the lowest common denominator, seeing them give a writer and director the reins like this is beautiful. An original, big sci-fi film rather than another sequel/prequel/remake? Well done, Fox.
Damon Lindelof seems to agree:Google has teamed up with Diane von Furstenberg for new fancy frames and shades for the Google Glass. The new fancy collection of the Glass will be called the DVF | Made for Glass collection. This is certainly a promising news for the Glass lovers who fancy some sleek design and variety of the Glass.
This is not a first collaboration between Diane and the Glass team. The Glass was already promoted by Diane’s models. This collaboration for another cause will add spice to the Glass.
It is true that the Glass lacked variety in terms of fashion and fancy. Sure, the Glass has numerous apps and technical functionality – but unlike a smartphone that resides in our pocket or handbag and unlike our computers, the Glass is going to be on our face!
So expecting a little bit of fancy and fashion becomes unavoidable. In order to please and tease that group of “fancy” and “stylish” Glass lovers, Diane von Furstenberg and Google have come together to create fashionable frames and shades for the Glass.
With these fashionable frames and shades, the Google Glass will be no more perceived as a nerdy or a geeky gadget; the Glass will become a desirable and fashionable gadget for more people.
Google will be releasing the DVF made Glasses as a limited edition; we are not sure about how many of them will be for sale, yet. The new shades are grey, brown and a rainbow-like multicolored shade. The Glass will also have a DVF logo in the corner.
The Titanium collection of Glass is already in production! The DVF collection and the Titanium collection will both be available from June 23rd onwards via Mr Porter and Google’s direct sale.
The Glass was opened for the public (in the US) a few weeks ago at $1500 per piece. Now these cool additions will also add to the price. The Glass with prescriptive lenses will cost $1725 and the DVF collection of the Glass will cost $1620.
If you want a fashionable piece of the Glass, you need to save a bit more than you expected!CFP Committee: How Bulldogs jumped Spartans into Orange Bowl
Jeff Long, College Football Playoff selections committee chairman, explained why Mississippi State's body of work pushed it ahead of Michigan State in the race for the Orange Bowl. (Photo: AP)
Dan Mullen said if his players could have choose one bowl, outside the semifinals, they would have picked the Orange Bowl.
Mississippi State got its wish. It jumped Michigan State in the final College Football Rankings to secure its first trip to the Orange Bowl since 1941.
The rankings are pivotal for the selection of the teams in the Orange Bowl. The game pits an ACC representative against the top ranked non-champion from the SEC, Big Ten and Notre Dame.
Heading into the last week of the season, Mississippi State ranked 10th. Michigan State sat at No. 8. At that point, the Spartans were set to go to the Orange Bowl, especially since neither MSU played last week.
Yet, when the final rankings were released last Sunday, Mississippi State climbed three spots to No. 7. Michigan State remained at No. 8.
Here's why that happened, according to Jeff Long, the chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee:
"We went back and looked at Mississippi State and Michigan State and really, when we started that clean sheet of paper, the fact that Mississippi State had two top-25 wins really caused us to look at those rankings and rank them differently. When Mississippi State has four top-25 victories, along with four other victories against winning programs or bowl-eligible teams and Michigan State had zero, and they have four against.500 or better teams. So that's really what swayed us to make that change."
The move makes senses under the explanation. It doesn't explain then why Michigan State was ever ahead of Mississippi State. The resumes of the two teams were the same in Week 15 as Week 16. The committee corrected its mistake from Week 15's rankings, but the move won't instill confidence in already controversial the selection process.
Many have wondered why Ohio State entered the semifinals over Baylor and TCU. The Buckeyes jumped the Horned Frogs in the final week of the season. TCU was firmly in the playoff as the No. 3 team in Week 15. It dropped to No. 6 in the final week after it beat Iowa State 55-3.
Read or Share this story: http://on.thec-l.com/1Dn7FOVSo that we're all on the same page, I will crudely reduce the excellent card game Concrete Jungle down to this: it's SimCity vs Tetris vs Scrabble. Which sounds weird, I know, but trust me, it works.
If I was going to explain everything about the game — especially the stuff I like — I'd be typing all week, so in the video below you'll find me taking a quick little look, running you through the basics.
The tl;dr for those who can't watch the clip is that you build city blocks like SimCity, you arrange them to clear lines like Tetris, and you need to be aware/take advantage of the numerical value of tiles like Scrabble. Oh, and it's excellent. And looks great to boot.
Concrete Jungle is out now on Steam, and it's pretty cheap to boot. Sadly, this is not part of the game's soundtrack.
Speaking of the soundtrack, as as someone to had to record a clip and put it on YouTube, here's something (the "STREAM-SAFE MUSIC" option) that every video game should include as standard from now until the end of days:By International Crisis Group
Libya’s economic conditions could turn sharply for the worse, as rival authorities vie to control rapidly shrinking national wealth. The struggle affects oil fields, pipelines and export terminals, as well as the boardrooms of national financial institutions. Combined with runaway spending due to corruption and dwindling revenue because of falling exports and energy prices, the financial situation – and with it citizen welfare – faces collapse in the context of a deep political crisis, militia battles and the spread of radical groups, including the Islamic State (IS). If living conditions plunge and militia members’ government salaries are not paid, the two governments competing for legitimacy will both lose support, and mutiny, mob rule and chaos will take over. Rather than wait for creation of a unity government, political and military actors, backed by internationals supporting a political solution, must urgently tackle economic governance in the UN-led talks.
Since the Qadhafi regime fell in 2011, Libya has been beset by attacks on, labour strikes at and armed takeovers of oil and gas facilities, mostly by militias seeking rents from the fledging central government. Initially brief and usually resolved by government concessions, the incidents gradually took on a life of their own, in an alarming sign of the fragmentation of political, economic and military power. They show the power accrued by militias during and since the 2011 uprising and the failure of efforts to integrate them into the national security sector. The dysfunctional security system for oil and gas infrastructure presents a tempting target for IS militants, as attacks in 2015 have shown.
One aspect of the hydrocarbon dispute is a challenge to the centralised model of political and economic governance developed around oil and gas resources that was crucial to the old regime’s power. But corruption that greased patronage networks was at that model’s centre, and corrupt energy sector practices have increased. A federalist movement some consider secessionist controls a number of the most important crude-oil export terminals. It exploits the situation by pursuing its own sale channels, adding to the centrifugal forces tearing Libya apart.
This complicates efforts to resolve a political conflict that in July 2014 triggered a split between rival parliaments, governments and military coalitions – one based in the capital, Tripoli, the other in the east, and both with support from competing regional players. Convinced of its legitimacy, each fights to control key institutions. As the most important, the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) and the National Oil Company (NOC), are under Tripoli’s control, the internationally recognised parliament in Tobruk and its government in al-Bayda are trying to set up parallel institutions. The sides also contest the assets of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA, the sovereign wealth fund), in international courts. In anticipation of a unity government, most regional and all other international actors with a stake remain committed to the established CBL, NOC and LIA. They understand that these institutions jointly represent upwards of $130 billion and have senior technocratic expertise critical to rebuilding the state.
The longer negotiations stall, however, the greater the risk the Tobruk/Bayda authorities (which consider the Tripoli-based CBL and NOC biased against them) will be able to create rival institutions or weaken the existing ones. At the same time, Libya’s once-significant wealth (derived almost entirely from oil and gas sales) is haemorrhaging, due to corruption and mismanagement. Combined with reduced crude-oil exports because of damage to production and export sites, pipeline and other infrastructure blockades and the sharp decline in international oil prices, this makes remedial action urgent. Poor economic management already causes some shortages of fuel and basic goods; a wider economic crisis like a sudden, uncontrolled devaluation of the dinar, would severely harm millions. This would likely cause new security crises, encouraging more predatory behaviour by militias whose salaries the state pays, increasing the importance of the parallel economy (notably smuggling) and spurring new refugee flows.
Even as UN-led negotiations for a Government of National Accord (GNA) continue, several steps should be taken, including at a minimum:
reiterating international determination that there can be only one CBL, NOC and LIA, with a GNA to appoint their senior managers; and oil sales or related contracts outside official channels will not be tolerated;
prioritising economic governance in the UN-led talks so as to secure agreement on short-term economic policy and interim management of key institutions. This should be done in a separate negotiating track, including representatives of both authorities and with the support of international financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank;
brokering of local ceasefires in the UN-led talks’ security track, or other channels where relevant, to increase revenues in the short term by allowing reopening of blockaded oil fields, pipelines and export facilities. Security arrangements for repair and reopening of damaged facilities should be negotiated in the longer term; and
making the question of the armed groups guarding oil facilities another priority security-track topic. Some of these have considerable arsenals and allies across Libya and are largely autonomous, so cannot be ignored. Including these armed groups could also help improve the protection of oil and gas infrastructure against attacks by IS affiliates.
The slow progress of the UN-led talks on political questions should dissuade neither the belligerents nor the internationals from encouraging such interim steps. That Libya has kept, against all odds, a minimum level of economic governance and even briefly increased oil exports shows that interim economic arrangements are possible; they could even deliver political gains by building confidence and demonstrating that compromise can be mutually beneficial. But this needs a push from outside, the resolve of both local and international actors – notably regional powers that have oscillated between backing a political solution and supporting one side or another – to maintain the integrity of the financial institutions and perseverance from negotiators. Above all, it entails convincing the two sides they are fighting over a rapidly diminishing prize and would be better off agreeing to these steps so as to share a bigger pot.
For the full report, click here.Each year, the Oakland Tribune publishes a city map of Oakland showing the location of each homicide from the previous year and a photo of the victim. The idea behind the project is to show the human toll these deaths have on the city. In 2014, there were 86 homicides in Oakland.
If you are a relative of the deceased, and you do not want your loved one’s photo included on the map, send an email by Feb. 11, to Pamela Turntine at pturntine@bayareanewsgroup.com and Laura Oda at loda@bayareanewsgroup.com. Put “Homicide 2014” in the subject field of the email. Simply state that you do not want a certain person’s picture published and include your relationship to that person and your telephone number. Please give the full name, including middle name.
If you would like the Tribune to run a photo other than the DMV’s head shot, send a copy of the photo to Laura Oda at loda@bayareanewsgroup.com. Do not send originals; photos will not be returned.The company is another example of startups with feet firmly planted in both Israel and Singapore
Trax announced on Wednesday that it scored a $40 million Series C funding round, bringing their total financing raised to date to $78 million. They did not disclose the names of investors, but a spokesman told Geektime that it includes many private investors and Broad Peak Investment Advisers, a hedge fund originally backed by Temasek upon its founding.
What makes Trax legitimately groundbreaking is that it uses image recognition to give back data feeds quickly on brands and recommendations for promotion. You use the Trax app to take photos of a given manufacturer or retailer’s product on a store shelf. The app then spits back sales data and recommends how to improve sales even by changing the placement of products relative to its environment in the store.
“We are incredibly excited to expand our footprint in North America, particularly with retailers in the United States. We have found the market extremely enthusiastic and eager to leverage our advanced machine learning technology and retail data science solutions,” said Co-Founder and Trax CCO Dror Feldheim in a press release. “Retailers turn our data and insights into broader market intelligence and highly accurate trend predictions that shine a light on new ways to improve their customer experiences in-store.”
The product is mainly for supermarkets, with special settings for shelves and coolers/refrigerators. But it pools selling data from a number of sources. Its so-called “real-time shelf analysis” is justifiably labeled a “corrective actions” tool. If your product is too low on the shelf or blends too much with the color scheme of another (an example I just made up), it’s worth moving it.
Some major brands have already signed on, including Coca-Cola, Nestle and Heineken. The money will also reportedly support development of new products like in-store roaming bots, smart coolers and cameras to track individual products.
“Trax is very much a part of the thriving hi-tech scene in Israel,” says Trax Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Joel Bar-El. “We have pioneered a proprietary deep learning platform, which is a form of Artificial Intelligence, to power our image recognition process.”
The company is also another prime example of startups setting up in tandem branches in Israel and Singapore. The two ecosystems have been growing closer, highlighted by a $10 million investment from UOB (United Overseas Bank) in Israeli fund OurCrowd.
“Singapore is a special partner of Israel,” OurCrowd’s Jon Medved told Geektime earlier in 2015. “If you look anywhere in the East then you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better ally than Singapore.”
Founded in 2010, the company has 220 employees, 130 at its R&D center in Tel Aviv and 90 in Singapore.A year ago I wrote a series of posts on how to build a mobile app with Ionic. The Ionic Team have been working on the next version of Ionic and will be releasing that in beta soon, so now is a good time to revisit that tutorial and update it for Ionic 2. This tutorial series is for web developers who don't have any previous experience with Ionic.
This tutorial is for Ionic 2, you can find the Ionic 1.x tutorial here.
Update: Ionic 3 has now been released, and you should still be able to follow this tutorial series to create an Ionic 3 app. However, I won't be updating this tutorial series anymore. I have a free email course that I will keep up to date with the latest version of Ionic, you can sign up for it below.
This tutorial is part of a multi-part tutorial:
Part 1 - Introduction to Hybrid Mobile Apps and Ionic (this post)
Part 2 - Set Up your Development Environment
Part 3 - Introduction to TypeScript & ES6
Part 4 - Introduction to Angular 2
Part 5 - Build an Ionic 2 App
Part 6 - Navigating between Pages
Part 7 - Test on Emulators and Mobile Devices
What is a Hybrid Mobile App?
A hybrid mobile app is built with HTML, CSS and JavaScript and is contained in a native wrapper so that it can be installed on a mobile device.
This allows web developers to build mobile apps without having to learn the native programming languages (e.g., Objective-C, Swift, Java). It also means that you can have one codebase for all the different platforms.
Cordova/PhoneGap
The most popular native wrapper is Cordova (the engine that powers PhoneGap) and has been around since 2009. Cordova is responsible for loading your HTML/CSS/JavaScript in a web view when the mobile app is started.
The other big feature of Cordova are plugins that allow you to communicate with the native features of your mobile device, for instance accessing the Contacts list or Camera, using just JavaScript.
Ionic 2
The Ionic Framework uses Cordova and provides you with a UI framework that mimics the native UI. That means that you don't have to worry about implementing a |
the rest of his life.[4]
By October, the Colonist reported that a dozen camels had survived their first season and were wintering at Quesnel Forks.
Decline [ edit ]
In May 1863, the camels were back at Lillooet, but after creating more headlines and occasioning more threats of legal action from outraged and exasperated stage drivers, Frank Laumeister retired the camel train for good. What became of the remaining camels has always been a subject of much debate and apocryphal stories. Several were taken in at ranches, either as exotic pets or as working stock, while another was mistaken for a grizzly bear and shot by miner, John Morris, who would forever be known as "Grizzly" Morris. The camel didn't go to waste but ended up on the menu at a hotel near Beaver Lake as a dinner special called "Grizzly's Bear".[6] Unconfirmed camel sightings were reported all over the Cariboo and Central British Columbia for decades.[7]
Last known survivor [ edit ]
The last known surviving camel was known as "The Lady" and lived at a ranch in Grand Prairie, British Columbia, now Westwold. She died sometime between 1896[8] and 1905.[9] The Lady is the subject of the only known photograph of the Cariboo camels (shown above). She is shown with W.H. Smith.[10]
Places named for the Cariboo camels [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]BAREILLY: According to a report prepared by adolescent-friendly health centres (AFHCs) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government in most districts, all is not well with the sexual health of adolescent boys in the Rohilkhand region.In shocking details that have come to light, 22% of them are on the verge of becoming impotent, while another 19% do not nurse any sexual desire. According to experts, hormonal imbalance, adulterated food, depression and watching too much porn in formative years are said to be the reasons behind this.Following the revelations, the minimum age for counselling of boys has been reduced to 10 years. Earlier, boys between 14 and 17 years and girls between 12 and 17 years could approach AFHCs in their area, said an official of AFHC who added that the centre is flooded with complaints from teenagers reporting symptoms indicative of developing impotency in future.Dr Subodh Sharma, additional director (health), Bareilly region, told TOI, “Growing myths and misconceptions among teenagers about their sexual lives are largely to blame for this. Experts at the AFHC centres are able to wean many youngsters away from these influences and put them on the right track.”Mohd Nadeem Khan, counsellor incharge at Bareilly AFHC, said, “In Bareilly division alone, around 1 lakh boys between 14 and 17 years have visited the centre which was set up three years ago. Of these, the condition of 4,000 is quite alarming. Apart from them, around 22% of the boys showed symptoms, which if not treated in time, may lead to impotency in future.”Khan said the report has been sent to the state government, which in turn would forward it to the Centre. He also added that in the wake of these revelations, the minimum age for counselling of boys has been reduced.According to Khan, the boys were facing problems the due to varied reasons, including hormonal imbalance, adulterated food, physical disability, watching porn for a prolonged period, addiction and depression.DNIPRO, Ukraine (Reuters) - The wall around the Yuzhmash rocket factory in east Ukraine is in places overgrown with weeds, a sign of hard times at a plant which a new study says could be the source of engines that power North Korean missiles.
A general view shows the Rocket Park in Dnipro, Ukraine August 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandra Prentice
Workers at the plant have had their hours cut and wages are in arrears, but Yuzhmash denies the study’s finding that unhappy employees could have been induced to steal engine technology and sell it to illicit arms dealers who passed it on to Pyongyang.
The study by a former U.S. rocket scientist, published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), concluded that missile engines used by Pyongyang derive from designs linked to only a few former Soviet factories. It based its findings mainly on photographs taken by North Korea.
A Reuters reporter who visited Yuzhmash in the city of Dnipro this week found staff struggling to make ends meet and facilities falling into disrepair. The only visible security cameras and guards around the plant were at the main entrances.
“At the moment we’re working a one-day week,” said Valery Vasiliev, head of the trade union at Yuzhmash.
The average wage is around $160 a month but even that is not always paid on time, he said.
“Now there are some small wage arrears — a bit more than 40 million hryvnias ($1.4 million). We’re paying it off bit by bit. There are still debts for May and June,” Vasiliev said.
Yuzhmash used to be part of a state-run conglomerate that built rockets for the Soviet space and defense programs.
When the Cold War ended, it became a Ukrainian state enterprise. Its workforce shrank but it limped on, producing space rockets, mostly in partnership with the Russian plants it had worked with in the Soviet era.
After Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, and a conflict began between government forces and separatists in east Ukraine, those ties were disrupted.
“HUGELY DIFFICULT SITUATION”
Yuzhmash General Director Sergei Voit told workers in January that annual revenue had fallen to a quarter of what it was before the conflict.
He listed problems including “worn-out manufacturing capacity, a hugely difficult situation with personnel... arrears on wages, power bills and debt repayments.”
The plant’s chief economist, Dmitriy Nikon, told Reuters that new contracts were being signed with customers, the factory’s finances had stabilized and there were plans to raise salaries by the end of the year.
“It’s still tough but nevertheless I think the worst of the crisis is over,” he said.
Nikon said that on average staff work three days a week, not just one, and earned an average of around $230 per month.
Defending security at the plant, Nikon said the perimeter and areas inside it were guarded, and staff had to surrender sensitive documents after each shift.
“We have not had a single instance of a finished product or a document going missing,” Nikon said.
A machine-worker who said he had worked at Yuzhmash for 36 years, but did not want to be identified because he feared repercussions, complained however of a lack of investment.
“The workers aren’t happy but there’s not much we can do. The young people have all left, but what can someone like me do?” he said. “They say the pay might get better soon because of new orders, but it can’t really get worse... They still owe us (unpaid wages).”
NORTH KOREANS JAILED IN 2012
Technology from Ukraine has attracted the interest of North Korea in the past. In 2012, two North Koreans were sentenced by a Ukrainian court to eight years in jail after approaching an employee at a firm affiliated to Yuzhmash seeking secret rocket propulsion documents.
The engine which is the subject of the new study is around two meters tall and one meter across. Yuzhmash’s sister company Yuzhnoye, which handles design, said the engines used by North Korea did not match anything the plant had ever produced.
The factory no longer has the capacity to manufacture the RD-250 engines referred to in the IISS report, it said, and all RD-250 engines fit for flight use that it produced had left the factory and been shipped to legitimate clients.
Slideshow (3 Images)
Some U.S. intelligence officials also dispute the findings of the study.
Ukraine is a signatory to an international pact called the Missile Technology Control Regime but the pact has no external verification mechanism.
Ukrainian officials have said the components mentioned in the IISS study were more likely to have come from Russia. Moscow denies this.Thanks for this tutorial. I have a couple of questions. Am I supposed to be soldering the legs of the RGB LEDs as depicted in the image in Step 2 (with Redpin1=0, Greenpin1=1, and Redpin1=2, Redpin2=3, Greenpin2=4, Bluepin2=5) or as delineated in the code?
In the code, the pins are identified as follows:
// The pins that the LEDs are soldered to
#define redPin1 0
#define redPin2 5
#define greenPin2 1
#define greenPin1 4
#define bluePin2 2
#define bluePin1 3
Using your code and the diagram in Step 2, I haven't been able to get the common cathode RGB LEDs to light up. The code is, however, working well to control onboard RGB LED. What am I missing?
(P.S. I have checked the connections of the RGB LEDS. I am able to blink them both in all three colors using a Blink sketch. I am using six 330 Ohm resistors and brand new AA batteries).Climate change may be harming far more of the world's threatened species than previously thought. A new study suggests that nearly half of the mammals and a quarter of the birds on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's "red list" have already become victims of a shifting climate.
The research, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, concludes that scientists and wildlife conservationists have failed to account for the damage inflicted by global warming.
"Our results clearly show that the impact of climate change on mammals and birds to date is currently greatly under-estimated and reported upon," co-author James Watson, of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Queensland in Australia, said in a statement. "We need to greatly improve assessments of the impacts of climate change on species right now, we need to communicate this to the wider public and we need to ensure key decision-makers know that something significant needs to happen now to stop species going extinct.
"Climate change is not a future threat anymore."
The authors, part of an international team of academics and conservationists, reviewed 130 previous studies on nearly 700 bird and mammal species and chronicled whether climate change had harmed, benefited or had no discernible effect on the creatures.
They then identified characteristics that appeared to make species more vulnerable to climate change and extrapolated their findings to all the birds and mammals listed as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
According to their analysis, climate change has likely already harmed 47 percent of terrestrial mammals and 23 percent of birds listed. The IUCN lists climate change as a threat to only 7 percent of those mammals and 4 percent of the birds.
The review found that mammals that burrow into the earth, for example, can protect themselves from extreme heat and tend to be more resilient. Rodents and insectivores on the list seem to have benefited more than they've been harmed.
But members of nine other orders of mammals have not fared so well. Primates, marsupials and elephants have likely been hit hard by climate change, the authors wrote. They live primarily in tropical or sub-tropical zones, meaning they've evolved within a narrow range of temperatures. Primates' and elephants' slow reproductive rates also make it harder for them to adapt to rapid environmental changes.
Among birds, species living at high altitudes are particularly at risk. Aquatic birds and those inhabiting tropical forests are also more likely to be harmed, with their habitats particularly threatened by fragmentation.
The authors noted several uncertainties and limitations to their work. Animals in Europe and North America were studied far more than those on other continents, so the findings "might be less generalizable" to creatures in Africa, Asia and South America.
"Despite these uncertainties, our results suggest that the impact of climate change on mammals and birds in the recent past is currently greatly underappreciated," the paper said. "We recommend that research and conservation efforts give greater attention to the 'here and now' of climate change impacts on life on Earth."Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas are absent from Great Britain's final line-up for the 2017 UCI Road World Championships in Norway, September 17-24
Chris Froome and Lizzie Deignan have been confirmed to represent Great Britain at the 2017 UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Bergen, Norway, over September 17-24.
Deignan has recovered sufficiently from an appendix operation at the end of August to head up the women’s road race squad, where she will rank among the favourites for a medal. The 28-year-old from Otley claimed the 2015 road race title.
Deignan joins a strong line-up for the women’s road race that also includes Elinor Barker, Alice Barnes, Hannah Barnes, Dani King, Mel Lowther and Hayley Simmonds. Barker and Hannah Barnes will also ride the women’s individual time trial.
Fresh from his historic victory in the 2017 Vuelta a España on Sunday, Froome has been picked for the men’s individual time trial along with British TT champion Steve Cummings. As previously reported, British TT specialist Alex Dowsett will not ride this year.
>>> 2017 Road World Championships: Latest news, race info and reports
Froome is one of the favourites to take the TT title on a course that looks to suit his talents, with a tough finishing climb up Mount Floyen. Should the 32-year-old take the world title, it will cement a stand-out year that has included the Tour de France and Vuelta titles.
Neither Froome or Cummings will ride in the elite men’s road race, with the squad consisting of Adam Blythe, Mark Christian, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Peter Kennaugh, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift and Scott Thwaites.
Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas had been named on the original long list last week but neither was selected for the final line-up.
Watch: UCI Road World Championships essential guide
Both men’s and women’s road squads are the maximum number possible under UCI rules.
“Selection for this year’s road world championships was a difficult one due to the depth of talent we have in Great Britain across the board, which is a good position to be in,” said BC head coach Iain Dyer.
“I’m delighted to see Chris Froome wishing to finish his season in Great Britain Cycling Team colours after another fantastic year for him and I’m looking forward to seeing him in action on a course which suits his strengths.
“Equally, I’m pleased to see Lizzie selected for the women’s road race following her recent illness. Lizzie will be supported by a full strength women’s team which is testament to how much women’s cycling is growing in this country in general but also the investment we have made in developing our best female road riders.”
>>> Lizzie Deignan has appendix removed: World Championships in doubt
Deignan and Froome are by no means the only medal hopes for Great Britain. Tom Pidcock goes into the junior men’s road race as current junior world, European and British cyclocross champion and after a strong season on the road.
Pfiefer Georgi will ride in both the junior women’s TT and road race after she, too, has enjoyed a successful season.
Chris Lawless should also be a key rider in the under-23 men’s road race, fresh from the news that he has been signed by Team Sky for the 2018 season.
“The junior squads are looking strong and we’ve seen some great results from individuals named within the teams this year,” said Dyer.
“It would be great to see this reflected in the results at the world championships, but what’s important for me is they make the most of the opportunity of being in the same team as the professional road riders and benefit from this experience as part of their long-term development.
“There are some notable omissions from the squad, such as Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas plus Jacob Hennessy from the under-23 squad which is unfortunate but understandable. We are coming to the end of a long season for the road riders and injury and illness becomes inevitable so their decisions to withdraw themselves from selection are respected.”
The 2017 UCI Road World Championhsip take place in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday September 17 to Sunday, September 24. A full schedule of events can be found on our World Championships page.
Great Britain team for the 2017 UCI Road World Championships
Elite Men – Time Trial
Steve Cummings
Chris Froome
Elite Men– Road Race
Adam Blythe
Mark Christian
Jon Dibben
Owain Doull
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Pete Kennaugh
Ian Stannard
Ben Swift
Scott Thwaites
Elite Women – Time Trial
Elinor Barker
Hannah Barnes
Elite Women – Road Race
Elinor Barker
Alice Barnes
Hannah Barnes
Lizzie Deignan
Dani King
Mel Lowther
Hayley Simmonds
Under-23 Men – Time Trial
Scott Davies
Chris Lawless
Under-23 Men – Road Race
Scott Davies
Ethan Hayter
James Knox
Chris Lawless
Mark Stewart
Ollie Wood
Junior Men – Time Trial
Tom Pidcock
Fred Wright
Junior Men – Road Race
Mark Donovan
Tom Pidcock
Jake Stewart
Jacob Vaughan
Fred Wright
Junior Women – Time Trial
Lauren Dolan
Pfiefer Georgi
Junior Women – Road Race
Rhona Callender
Lauren Dolan
Pfeifer Georgi
Jessica Roberts
Sophie WrightSpaghetti Monster church member wins right to wear colander in US licence photo
Updated
An American woman who identifies as a member of a parody religion has won the right to wear a colander in her driver's licence photo.
Massachusetts resident Lindsay Miller, a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, had previously been told she could not wear the pasta strainer in her licence photo by her state's Registry of Motor Vehicles, CBS Boston reported.
The RMV does not allow people to wear hat or head coverings, except for medical or religious reasons, according to its website.
Ms Miller was put in touch with a lawyer from the American Humanist Association who filed an appeal on her behalf, which Ms Miller won.
She received her driver's licence, complete with a photo of her wearing a colander, last week.
"I feel delighted that my Pastafarianism has been respected by the Massachusetts RMV," Ms Miller told The Humanist, the American Humanist Association's magazine.
"While I don't think the government can involve itself in matters of religion, I do hope this decision encourages my fellow Pastafarian atheists to come out and express themselves as I have."
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose members refer to themselves as "Pastafarians", is a parody religion which takes the view that the existence of a Flying Spaghetti Monster is as likely as the existence of other gods.
The movement was sparked 10 years ago by a satirical letter written to protest Kansas schools teaching intelligent design — an alternative form of creationism.
Topics: offbeat, religion-and-beliefs, united-states
First postedJoan II (French: Jeanne; 28 January 1312[1] – 6 October 1349) was Queen of Navarre from 1328 until her death. She was the only surviving child of Louis X of France, King of France and Navarre, and Margaret of Burgundy. Joan's paternity was dubious because her mother was involved in a scandal, but Louis X declared her his legitimate daughter before he died in 1316. However, the French lords were opposed to the idea of a female monarch and elected Louis X's brother, Philip V, king. The Navarrese noblemen also did homage to Philip. Joan's maternal grandmother, Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy, and uncle, Odo IV of Burgundy, made attempts to secure the counties of Champagne and Brie (which had been the patrimony of Louis X's mother, Joan I of Navarre) to Joan, but the French royal troops defeated her supporters. After Philip V married his daughter to Odo and granted him two counties as her dowry, Odo renounced Joan's claim to Champagne and Brie in exchange for a compensation in March 1318. Joan married Philip of Évreux, who was also a member of the French royal family.
Philip V was succeeded by his brother, Charles IV, in both France and Navarre in 1322, but most Navarrese lords refused to swear loyalty to him. After Charles IV died in 1328, the Navarrese expelled the French governor and declared Joan the rightful monarch of Navarre. In France, Philip of Valois was crowned king. He concluded an agreement with Joan and her husband, who renounced Joan's claims to Champagne and Brie in exchange for three counties, while Philip acknowledged their right to Navarre. Joan and her husband were together crowned in Pamplona Cathedral on 5 March 1329.
The royal couple closely cooperated during their joint reign, but Philip of Évreux was more active. However, they mostly lived in their French domains. Navarre was then administered by governors during their absence.
Uncertain legitimacy [ edit ]
Joan was the daughter of Louis, King of Navarre, and his wife, Margaret of Burgundy. Joan was born in 1312. Her father was the oldest son and heir of Philip IV of France, by his wife Joan I of Navarre.
Joan's mother, Margaret, and Margaret's sisters-in-law, Joan and Blanche of Burgundy, were arrested, together with two knights, the brothers Philip and Walter of Aunay, in 1314. After being tortured, one of the brothers confessed that they had been the lovers of Margaret and Blanche for three years. The Aunay brothers were soon executed, and Margaret and Blanche were imprisoned. Before long, Margaret died in her prison in Château Gaillard. After the scandal, the legitimacy of Joan became dubious, because her mother was accused of having had an extramarital affair around the year of Joan's birth.
Philip IV died on 26 November 1314, and Joan's father became Louis X of France. Louis stated that Joan was his legitimate daughter on his deathbed. He died on 5 June 1316. His second wife, Clementia of Hungary, was pregnant. According to an agreement of the most powerful French lords, which was completed on 16 July, if Clementia gave birth to a son, the son was to be crowned King of France, but if a daughter was born, she and Joan could only inherit the Kingdom of Navarre and the counties of Champage and Brie (the three realms that Louis X had inherited from his mother, Joan I of Navarre). It was also agreed that Joan was to be sent to her mother's relatives in Burgundy, but her marriage could not be decided without the consent of the members of the French royal family.
Orphanhood [ edit ]
Joan's family tree, depicting her father, mother, stepmother, herself and her half-brother
Clementia gave birth to a son, John the Posthumous, on 13 November 1316, but he died five days later. Joan's maternal uncle, Odo IV, Duke of Burgundy, who was in Paris, entered into negotiations with Philip IV's second son, Philip the Tall, to protect Joan's interests, but Philip did not respond to Odo's demands. Instead, he made arrangements for his own coronation, which took place in Reims on 9 January 1317. The Estates-General of 1317 [fr], an assembly of the French lords strengthened Philip's position on 2 February, declaring that a woman could not inherit the French crown. The Navarrese noblemen sent a delegation to Paris to swear fidelity to Philip. Philip also refused to give Champagne and Brie to Joan.
Joan's maternal grandmother, Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy, sent letters to the leading French lords, protesting against his coronation, but Philip V mounted the throne without real opposition. Letters were also written to the lords of Champagne in Joan's name, urging them to refrain from paying homage to Philip and to protect Joan's rights to Champagne. In another letter, Odo IV argued that the disinheritance of Joan by Philip V went against "the divine right of law, by custom, in the usage kept in similar cases in empires, kingdoms, fiefs, in baronies in such a length of time that there is no memory of the contrary". However, Philip V's uncle, Charles of Valois, defeated Joan's supporters.
Philip and Odo concluded an agreement on 27 March 1318. Philip gave his eldest daughter (who was also named Joan) in marriage to Odo, recognizing them as heirs to the counties of Burgundy and Artois, while Joan was to marry her cousin, Philip of Évreux, with a dowry of 15,000 livres tournois in rents and the right to inherit Champagne and Brie if Philip V died leaving no sons. The men also agreed that Joan was to renounce her claims to France and Navarre at the age of twelve. There is no evidence that the renunciation ever took place. The marriage of Joan and Philip was celebrated on 18 June 1318. Thereafter Joan lived with her husband's grandmother, Marie of Brabant. Although they lived near each other, Philip and Joan were not raised together due to age difference. The marriage was only consummated in 1324.
Extinction of the main Capet line [ edit ]
Philip V died without leaving a surviving son in early 1322. His brother, Charles the Fair, who was Philip IV's last surviving son, succeeded him in both France and Navarre. Most Navarrese refused to do homage to Charles, and he did not confirm the Fueros (or liberties) of Navarre. Charles died on 1 February 1328, prompting another succession crisis. Since Charles's widow, Joan of Évreux, was pregnant, the peers of France and other influential French lords assembled in Paris to elect a regent. The majority of the French lords concluded that Philip of Valois had the strongest claim to the office, because he was the closest patrilinear relative of the deceased king. The representatives of the Estates of the realm in Navarre, who assembled at Puente La Reina on 13 March, replaced the French governor with two local lords.
Charles's widow gave birth to a daughter, Blanche, on 1 April. Her birth made it clear that the direct male line of the royal Capetian dynasty of France had become extinct with Charles the Fair's death. Joan and her husband could claim the French throne, because they both were descended from French monarchs, but there were at least five other claimants, including Philip of Valois. The claimants' representatives met at Saint-Germain-en-Laye to reach a compromise. The general assembly of Navarre passed a resolution in May, requesting Joan to visit Navarre and to take control of its government, because the crown belonged "by right of succession and inheritance" to her.
Philip of Valois was crowned king of France in Reims on 29 May. He had no claim to Navarre, Champagne and Brie, because he was not descended from Joan I of Navarre. To strengthen his position in France, in July Philip acknowledged the right of Joan and her husband to rule Navarre. He also persuaded them to renounce Champagne and Brie in exchange for the counties of Longueville, Mortain and Angouleme, because he wanted to preserve the strategically important Champagne and Brie for the French crown.
Accession and coronation [ edit ]
After the decision of the general assembly of Navarre in May 1328, Joan was regarded the lawful monarch of Navarre. This decision put an end to the personal union of Navarre and France, formed through the marriage of Joan I of Navarre and Philip IV of France. During the following months, Joan and her husband conducted lengthy negotiations with the Estates of the realm, especially about the role of Philip of Évreux in the administration of the kingdom. Although the Navarrese had only acknowledged Joan's hereditary right to rule, her husband also claimed authority. During the couple's absence, pogroms against the Jews occurred in the towns of Navarre.
Joan and Philip of Évreux sent two French lords, Henri IV de Sully and Philippe de Melun [fr], to Navarre to represent them during the negotiations. The Navarrese were initially reluctant to confirm Philip's right to share the queen's rule. The delegates of the general assembly first declared that Philip would be allowed to take part in the administration of Navarre in a meeting in Roncesvalles in November 1328. However, they also stated that all traditional elements of the coronation (including the new monarch's elevation on a shield and the throwing of money to spectators) would only be carried out in connection with Joan. To emphasize Philip's claim to reign in his wife's realm, Henry de Sully referred to Paul the Apostle who had stated that "the head of woman is man" in his First Epistle to the Corinthians. Sully also emphasized that Joan had approved and consented to strengthen her husband's position.
Joan and Philip came to Navarre in early 1329. They were crowned in the Pamplona Cathedral on 5 March. Both were raised on a shield and both threw money during the ceremony. They signed a coronation oath, establishing their royal prerogatives. The charter underlined that Joan was the "true and natural heir" of Navarre, but also declared that "all of the kingdom of Navarre would obey her consort". However, the Navarrese also specified that both Joan and Philip were to renounce the crown as soon as their heir reached twenty-one, or they were obliged to pay a fine of 100,000 livres. Joan also compensated her husband for his expenses connected to the acquisition of Navarre.
Reign [ edit ]
Joan as depicted in her book of hours
Joan II and Philip III of Navarre closely cooperated during their joint reign. Out of the eighty-five royal decrees preserved from the period of their joint rule, forty-one documents were issued in both names. However, the sources suggest that Philip was more active in several fields of government, especially legislation. He signed thirty-eight decrees alone, without referring to his wife. Only six documents were issued exclusively in Joan's name.
After the coronation, the royal couple ordered the punishment of the perpetrators of the anti-Jewish riots and the paying of compensation to the victims. The royal fortresses were repaired and a new castle was built at Castelrenault during their reign. Irrigation system of the arid fields around Tudela was also constructed with the royal couple's financial support. They also wanted to maintain peaceful relationship with the neighboring states. They opened negotiations about the betrothal of their firstborn daughter, Joan, to Peter, the heir of Aragon, already in 1329. A peace treaty with Castille was signed at Salamance on 15 March 1330.
Joan and Philip left Navarre in September 1331. Historian Elena Woodacre notes, the "royal couple had to balance the needs of their French territories alongside the rule of Navarre", which forced them to split their time between all of their domains. Joan and Philip could hardly get accustomed to the "tastes and customs of the Navarrese, and were alien to their language", according to historian José María Lacarra, for which they were often absent from the kingdom. During the monarchs' absence, French governors administered Navarre on their behalf.
A border dispute over the ownership of the Monastery of Fitero developed into a war with Castille in 1335. Peter IV of Aragon supported the Navarrese and a new peace treaty with Castille was signed on 28 February 1336. Joan and Philip returned to Navarre in April 1336. Their second visit lasted till October 1337. Philip twice returned to the realm, but Joan did not accompany him.
Philip III died in September 1343. She soon replaced Philip of Melun, who had administered Navarre in the royal couple's name, with William of Brahe. Before long, she also dismissed William of Brahe, replacing him with Jean de Conflans. These changes may have reflected a disagreement with Philip over administration of Navarre, according to historian Elena Woodacre. In 1344, a copy of the Fueros of Navarre was arranged for the queen in the local Romance language (in ydiomate Navarre), providing a spare column for its translation to the ydioma galicanum (a French variant) eventually left a blank. French was probably the natural language used by Joan, even to deal with matters related with Navarre. Joan established the convent of San Francisco in Olite in 1345.
Joan decided to again visit Navarre, but she never returned, most probably because of the possibility of an invasion of her family's domains in France during the Hundred Years War. She and her husband had supported Philip VI against Edward III of England, who claimed the French throne as the son of Joan's aunt Isabella. By 1346, however, Joan was disappointed by Philip VI's failures as military leader. In November she boldly concluded a truce with the Earl of Lancaster, granting Edward's troops free passage through her county of Angoulême in return for protection of her lands. She also promised not to build new fortification or allow Philip's army to use the existing ones. Philip was unable to take action against her.
Joan died of Black Death on 6 October 1349. In her last will, she requested that her son finance a chapel in Santa Maria of Olite. She was buried in the Basilica of St Denis, though her heart was buried at the now-demolished church of the Couvent des Jacobins in Paris alongside that of her husband's.[48][49]
Family [ edit ]
Joan's husband, Philip of Évreux, was a grandson of Philip III of France. They were efficient as co-rulers but no evidence attests to the closeness of their personal relationship, in contrast to the well-documented marriages of Joan's grandparents, father and uncles. This indicates that their marriage was marked neither by particular affection nor difficulty. They were very rarely apart, however, and had nine children together.
Family tree [ edit ]
Ancestors [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ Flores historiarum of V Kal Feb" in 1311 of "Ludovicus rex...filiam Johannam". Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France, vol. XXI, Guigniaut, Wailly (dirs.) Paris, 1855: E floribus chronicorum auctore Bernardo Guidonis, p. 724. Theof Bernard Gui records the birth "" in 1311 of "". Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France, vol. XXI, Guigniaut, Wailly (dirs.) Paris, 1855:, p. 724. ^ Les Grandes Chroniques de France, vol. 9, Jules Viard, ed. (Paris: Librairie Ancienne Honoré Champion, 1927): 241. ^ Connolly, Sharon Bennett (2017). Heroines of the Medieval World. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445662657. ^ Fermin Miranda Garcia, Reyes de Navarra: Felipe III y Juana II de Evreux (Pamplona, 1994). ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.10, 722.Despite the Trump administration’s environmental rollback, U.S. states are forging ahead with initiatives to combat climate change. Now, a coalition of states – from California to Colorado to North Carolina – are banding together to slash emissions and boost renewable energy.
Just hours after President Trump’s Rose Garden speech in June announcing plans to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the governors of three states — California, Washington, and New York — announced their remedy. They formed the U.S. Climate Alliance, and called on other states to join them in continuing to push ahead on fighting climate change. “It only took two nanoseconds,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in an interview with Yale Environment 360. “We heard the president wanted to run up the white flag of surrender. We wanted to send a strong message to the world: We’re not going to surrender.” The Trump administration was already in the midst of an aggressive effort to roll back nearly every climate change initiative of President Barack Obama, including the Clean Power Plan, designed to reduce emissions from the nation’s electricity sector 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. In Virginia, Governor Terry McAuliffe responded by ordering state officials to draft a rule to create a cap-and-trade program for carbon pollution from the state’s power sector. “Virginia cannot and will not stand idly by while the federal government abdicates its role,” he said.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee (center) flanked by then-Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin (left) and California Governor Jerry Brown at the Paris climate summit in 2015. COP Paris/Flickr
In the void created by Trump, states are stepping up to become bigger players in the climate battle, both individually and by joining together. The U.S. Climate Alliance, which has grown to include 14 states and Puerto Rico, plans to collaborate on a broad range of greenhouse gas-cutting initiatives, such as creating new mechanisms for financing clean-energy projects, updating electric grids to better accommodate wind and solar power, improving construction standards to reduce electricity use by buildings, and hastening the transition to electric vehicles. The alliance states also plan to boost communities’ resilience to the more damaging natural disasters that are a consequence of climate change, including mapping the risks posed by sea level rise, storm surge, and extreme precipitation. These efforts will add to momentum already underway in alliance states, such as California’s recent extension of its economy-wide cap-and-trade program and a proposal by nine Eastern states to continue their Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) until 2030. RGGI states have cut electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half since 2009, and under the proposal, they would further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity 30 percent below 2020 levels by |
boats after at least one of them traveled within 900 yards of the Mahan with a sailor manning its main gun. The Mahan was traveling north through the strait toward the Persian Gulf with two other Navy vessels, the amphibious craft USS Makin Island and the oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
“This was an unsafe and unprofessional interaction,” Davis said, citing the speed with which the Iranians approached and the manning of the weapons on board. “They only stopped their approach following the warning shots being fired.”
Davis said the incident marks a return to a series of provocative encounters between U.S. and Iranian vessels that had started to wane over the latter half of 2016. The Navy counted 23 interactions in 2015 and 35 in 2016 that included actions by the Iranians that were considered “unsafe and unprofessional,” but the last significant one occurred in August. In that incident, the coastal patrol ship USS Squall fired three warning shots after three Iranian boats approached the Squall and another similar U.S. ship, the USS Tempest, at a high rate of speed.
[Navy patrol ship fires warning shots amid series of confrontations with Iranian vessels]
The incidents last year involving Iranian and U.S. vessels also included one in which the Iranians took 10 U.S. Navy personnel at gunpoint and held them blindfolded overnight, angering U.S. officials and embarrassing the Navy. The service later determined that the unit involved was “poorly led and unprepared,” and removed at least three officers from their jobs.
In the incident Sunday, the Iranian boats broke away after the warning shots were fired, and established radio contact with the Mahan afterward to ask for the destroyer’s course and speed, U.S. officials said.
Recent incidents between the U.S. Navy and Iran are the latest signs of friction near Iran's coast between the two countries. (Missy Ryan,Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)
The move came one day before Iran’s parliament on Monday approved expanded military spending, including funds for its long-range missile program, Iranian media reported.
Iran insists its ballistic missile tests do not violate a 2015 accord with world powers aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program. But the nuclear deal specifies that Iran halt development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads. Iran, in turn, claims its missile program is not designed for such warheads.
Trump has pledged to oppose any expansion of Iran’s missile capabilities, which Iran asserts can already reach Israel and other points in the region.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the enlarged military spending also includes programs such as armed drones and cyber warfare capabilities.
Missy Ryan and Brian Murphy contributed to this report.Three top picks helped Rookie League Connecticut cruise to an 11-2 blowout win over Lowell. The group included first-round pick Christin Stewart, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, second-round pick Tyler Alexander, who allowed one hit, one walk and notched four strikeouts in four innings, and fifth-rounder Cam Gibson, who ripped a grand slam in a 1-for-5 night.
It takes years to decide whether a draft class panned out or not, but Tigers general manager David Dombrowski has to be feeling good about his 2015 haul after watching the Connecticut Tigers Thursday.
It takes years to decide whether a draft class panned out or not, but Tigers general manager David Dombrowski has to be feeling good about his 2015 haul after watching the Connecticut Tigers Thursday.
Three top picks helped Rookie League Connecticut cruise to an 11-2 blowout win over Lowell. The group included first-round pick Christin Stewart, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, second-round pick Tyler Alexander, who allowed one hit, one walk and notched four strikeouts in four innings, and fifth-rounder Cam Gibson, who ripped a grand slam in a 1-for-5 night.
Alexander, the No. 65 overall pick in June, was making his pro debut, while Gibson -- the son of former Tigers great Kirk Gibson -- was playing in his fifth contest.
"We have only been together a little while, but we all enjoy each other, and that's always good to have in the locker room," Stewart told MiLB.com. "That shows on the field."
Selected No. 34 overall, Stewart, who played at Tennessee, debuted on June 22 for the Gulf Coast League Tigers, where he batted.364 in six games. On June 28, he went 1-for-3 with an RBI in his Connecticut debut.
"It was a blessing to hear my name called that day," Stewart said. "It was an unbelievable feeling for me and my family. I'm happy the Tigers saw something and took me that early. I'm just going to do everything I can to help the team win."
If Thursday was any indication, he'll have some help from his fellow Tigers.Filet mignon steaks
If you want to understand how high energy prices are impacting the economy, you could spend your days reading the Wall Street Journal or consulting with economists. Or you could go have a really expensive New York strip steak at the Palm or Morton’s.
High-end steakhouses have expanded rapidly in recent years thanks to an economic expansion, the popularity of cholesterol-reducing statins such as Lipitor, and the low-carb/high-protein Atkins/South Beach diet crazes. You’ll now find outposts of Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris, and several competitors in all the best suburban strip malls, edge-city shopping districts, and gentrified downtowns.
The financial results of these testosterone-filled cow palaces reveal much about several trends affecting the U.S. economy. First, they are a neat case study in the unexpected collateral effects of high energy prices. The high price of oil has spurred demand for ethanol, which in turn has boosted the price of corn. Corn is a primary “input”—or as we say in English, “food”—for beef cattle. (Here are charts showing the rising prices of corn futures and cattle prices over the last several years.) The combination of higher grain and energy prices has led to burgeoning inflation in food. In the first quarter of 2007, food prices rose at an annualized rate of 7.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Like many businesses, steakhouses face the classic choice of swallowing the higher costs—and accepting lower margins—or raising prices.
Some beef boîtes are boosting prices. The New York Times recently reported that “The Palm steakhouse chain has raised the price of its steaks by $2, and side dishes have gone up 50 cents to help compensate for the price of the beef.” The company’s chief operating officer told the paper: “I don’t think our customers have noticed.” (Note: If customers haven’t noticed a sly price increase, you might want to refrain from broadcasting it to the New York Times’readers.) At Peter Luger, the Brooklyn landmark whose very name causes this writer to salivate, the price of the iconic porterhouse for two has risen from $79.90 to $81.
But most of the big meat chains seem to be eating the costs, as shown by their falling margins. At Morton’s margins fell from 9.8 percent to 9 percent in the first quarter, thanks in part to rising costs. Ruth’s Chris reported that first quarter 2007 operating income fell from 13.8 percent of revenues to 10.1 percent of revenues. Rare Hospitality, which owns 280 Longhorn Steakhouse outlets, saw first quarter 2007 operating income fall to 8.6 percent of revenues, down from 9.8 percent in the first quarter of 2006.
To aggravate matters, the rising cost of beef appears to be accompanied by slowing demand. At Morton’s steakhouses, same-restaurant sales rose by a meager 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2007. For the year, Morton’s expects same-restaurant revenue growth of between 1.5 percent and 3 percent. When Ruth’s Chris reported first-quarter sales in April, it reduced expectations of same-store sales growth substantially. At Rare Hospitality, same-store sales actually fell 1 percent in the most recent quarter. For the remaining three quarters of fiscal 2007, the company sees same-store revenue growth of between 0 percent and 2 percent for its Longhorn Steakhouse outlets. In each instance, same-store growth is rising at a rate slower than inflation.
Not surprisingly, given the shrinking margins and slowing revenue growth, the stocks of the major public steakhouse companies have done poorly in recent months. Here’s a three-month chart of Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris, and Rare Hospitality compared with the S&P 500.
A look at the six-month chart of the same stock and the S&P 500 shows how the steakhouses could function as economic indicators. Note the outperformance in the first quarter and the underperformance in the second quarter. Steakhouses thrive on expense accounts. Their sales are tied to the exuberance of (mostly) men in the corporate world, and their business is largely discretionary. (It’s easy to lose sight of just how expensive steakhouses are. At the Michael Jordan steakhouse in New York, for example, a dinner of shrimp cocktail [$16.50], New York Strip [$38.50], hash browns [$7.50], and creamed spinach [$8.50], plus dessert, wine, tax, and tip easily tops $100 per person.) Their outsized sales and stock performance in the early part of the year are lagging indicators, as bonuses are paid out and entertainment budgets are set based on the prior year’s performance.
But as the year unfolds, steak stocks become more like leading indicators. If profits are humming, M&E budgets are in rude health, and prospects look good, you’d expect businesspeople to use steakhouses for meetings, deal-closing dinners, and recruitment lunches. When business slows down a lot—as it has in many sectors of the economy—it becomes much harder to justify a $250 lunch for three. Wall Streeters and hedge-fund guys may still be splurging for Kobe, but think about all those real estate and mortgage brokers, car dealers and consumer products salesmen, retailers and contractors who may be nibbling on takeout burritos because of slowing demand.
Right now, the steakhouse damage seems confined to the chains. The next trouble spot, however, could be the highest quality, most—um—rarefied steak joints. For decades, Peter Luger has been the epitome of high-end, high-quality, consumer-unfriendly steak: no credit cards, brusque waiters, and a remote location. So long as the economics of the steak business were friendly, the restaurant could afford to be standoffish. If the portly waiters in Williamsburg start wishing you a nice day and loudly tout the fact that Luger’s proudly accepts the American Express card, start praying.The Washington State Department of Agriculture says it is planning aerial spraying to battle a moth infestation across the state — including over Capitol Hill.
“The recommended treatment area includes an area of 130 acres in Capitol Hill where 22 European gypsy moths were caught in traps set this past summer,” an information page on the plan reads.
The eradication plan follows similar efforts in Oregon to remove the destructive moths before they can establish a permanent foothold in North America.
WSDA’s preliminary proposal is to treat areas in:
Pierce County, where several Asian gypsy moths were captured.
Thurston County, where two Asian gypsy moths were captured.
King County in Kent, where two Asian gypsy moths were captured, and Seattle, where 22 European gypsy moths were captured.
Clark County, where one Asian gypsy moth was captured.
In 2006, similar spraying drew protests and lawsuits as helicopters released insecticide known as Btk over parts of the city including Capitol Hill.
In 2015, WSDA says it trapped 10 Asian gypsy moths and 32 European gypsy moths in Western Washington. “It is the highest number of Asian gypsy moths ever trapped in Washington and the first time since 1999 that Asian gypsy moth has been found in our state,” the agency’s report states.
Gypsy moths are reported to be destructive to hundreds of types of trees and plants and were first recorded in the state in the late 1970s. You can learn more about the trapping program here.
WSDA must complete environmental reviews and “consult” with other agencies before the eradication plan can be finalized. You can email PestProgram@agr.wa.gov to comment on the proposal. The No Spray Zone site also has information on “ecologically sound pest management practices.” The state says the organic pesticide Btk is not toxic to humans but recommends minimizing exposure. Spraying is slated to take place in April.
There is more information on the moths and the eradication efforts at agr.wa.gov.While Fractional Reserve Banking with Bitcoin is possible, there is disagreement over what it would entail. Much discussion occurred on the Myths Talk Page.
Keynesian Viewpoint
Fractional Reserve Banking with Bitcoin is possible and practical. It is already implemented with CoinLenders. There is no fundamental difference between classical currencies and Bitcoin as it applies to banking. Banks will still be free to take in bitcoins and present them to customers as "available for withdrawal" while still lending most of those bitcoins to a different customer for a profit. Some of those bitcoins will be held in reserves in case of a bank run. It will be up to the bank to hold a sufficient supply of reserves in order to prevent insolvency in the event of a bank run. Central banks were established to enforce reserve requirements and so, with Bitcoin lacking a central bank, some banks will almost surely collapse, taking their customers' deposits with them. A large bitcoin exchange could tomorrow lend out 10,000 bitcoins to an individual to start a business. The money supply would thus increase by 10,000 and we would instantly have Fractional Reserve Banking. The same amount of bitcoins would still exist in the Block Chain, but the body of people participating in the Bitcoin economy would have the perception that more bitcoins exist. If the value of a bitcoin is stable for a long period of time, then Fractional Reserve Banking is inevitable.
See Fractional reserve banking.
The Monetary Base of Bitcoin is limited to 21 million. But because Fractional Reserve Banking is possible, the money supply of bitcoins (which includes demand deposits) can exceed 21 million by a factor of x where x is the Money Multiplier.
Austrian Viewpoint
According to the Austrian viewpoint:
Fractional-reserve banking (or FRB) is the widespread banking practice in which only a fraction of a bank's demand deposits are kept in reserve and available for immediate withdrawal (as cash and other highly liquid assets), whilst the remaining cash is lent out to borrowers (and so is never actually available for immediate withdrawal to legitimate deposit-holders).
In order for fractional reserve banking to affect the money supply, the debt instruments issued by the bank (for example, bank notes or demand deposits) must be accepted as if they were money proper, in other words, they must be money-substitutes. This is explained for example by Rothbard in Austrian Definitions of the Supply of Money:
And so long as demand deposits are accepted as equivalent to standard money, they will function as part of the money supply. It is important to recognize that demand deposits are not automatically part of the money supply by virtue of their very existence; they continue as equivalent to money only so long as the subjective estimates of the sellers of goods on the market think that they are so equivalent and accept them as such in exchange.
In the historical cases of money based on gold or government issued fiat, the reason why money-substitutes are accepted as if they were money proper is that the money proper has in some circumstances high transaction costs (for example, gold might be too heavy to carry around, or the buyer and seller are not at the same location and want to perform the exchange electronically), or are not legally permitted (normal people are not allowed to obtain central bank reserves). This creates a demand for forms of money which have lower transaction costs. With gold/fiat, this requires the creation of debt instruments, which then, after being generally accepted in exchange, become money substitutes and a part of the money supply.
The situation with Bitcoin is different, because other forms can be created without debt instruments, for example Casascius physical bitcoins or Bitbills. Bitcoin in its "classical" form is similar in function of a bank account (allowing electronic transfers of balances) even though there is no debt instrument. Any object that can store 64 bytes of data (size of Bitcoin keypair) can, hypothetically, be used as a form of Bitcoin. In some cases, shorter forms than 64 bytes are possible too (for example, mini private key format used by Casascius physical bitcoins). Issuers of Bitcoin-based debt instruments, if they expect these instruments to be accepted in exchange, need to create demand for them as a method of payment outside of the Bitcoin network. This is difficult, because a transaction that occurs outside of the Bitcoin network is incompatible with it, so people equipped with software for handling only pure Bitcoin transactions cannot accept it. Furthermore, they also would need to compete against not only Bitcoin, but against other currencies, payment methods and services.
Currently, Bitcoin based debt instruments are restricted to a narrow field of uses. Exchanges allow these instruments to be traded against other currencies. E-wallets allow inter-wallet transfers. GLBSE allows the floating of shares or other contractual arrangements. However, these debt instruments are, in general, outside of these narrow fields, not accepted for exchange as if they were native Bitcoins. They rarely even circulate outside of the internal transactions of the providers of these services. There are very few exceptions, such as the redeemable Mt. Gox code. If the service provider attempted to conduct FRB by overissuing these instruments, they would be exposed at risk of having them redeemed too quickly. One possible way of mitigating this risk is to institute a suspension of specie payments (for example, Mt. Gox. having a default withdrawal limit).
If in the future, P2P exchanges and distributed wallets are available (both have been suggested already at bitcointalk.org forums), this would decrease the demand for Bitcoin-based debt instruments even further.
Historically, in all known situations where an overissue of Bitcoin-based debt instruments was produced, this resulted either in a voluntary elimination of the excess instruments (Mt. Gox hack from June 2011), bankruptcy (the demise of mybitcoin) or a new investor bailout (the demise of bitomat.pl and subsequent takeover by Mt. Gox). Here we have empirical evidence that FRB with Bitcoin is possible.
Putting all this together, there are several steps that need to be addressed regarding Bitcoin-FRB and money supply:
overissue of debt instruments (this would cause FRB) general acceptance of these instruments as a method of payment (this would mean the instruments need to be included in the money supply) market price of these instruments at a different rate than the reserve ratio of the issuer (this would cause inflation or deflation)
Even if we assume that an overissue is possible in long term, there are significant obstacles in phase 2 and 3, as elaborated above. It is therefore unlikely that even if Bitcoin-FRB became widespread, this would significantly affect the money supply of Bitcoins or inflation/deflation.BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A popular Greek restaurant on Elmwood Avenue is up for sale, its owner announced on Wednesday amid a simultaneous announcement that he will be expanding another one of his businesses.
Paul Tsouflidis said it saddens him to put the restaurant, which his parents started in 1982, up for sale, but said he must do so to follow new opportunities with his other venture, the Newbury Street cafe.
Newbury Street, which focuses on healthy foods and drink, has been a wild success, Tsouflidis said. He said in the two years since opening shop, his customer base has exploded as they convert people to healthy food options.
In addition to expanding Newbury Street locally, he plans to pursue national ventures and announced he would like to become a licensed franchiser.
On his decision to sell his family's shop, Tsouflidis said, "There is no doubt that Acropolis has many more generations of western New Yorkers to serve."
Tsouflidis said he wants the new owner to love the area, people and neighborhood as much as he does.– Downtown Detroit is ready for the 38th annual Detroit Free Press-Talmer Bank Marathon. Some 28,000 runners are lacing up for Saturday’s 5k and fun runs, plus Sunday’s marathon, half-marathon, and relays.
Race director Barbara Bennage says while the start-finish line has been moved to Fort and Cass, there won’t be any M-1-related detours.
“We cross over Woodward on Congress – they promise us everything will be done by Saturday,” says Bennage. “Paved over, nice and good for us, it won’t be completely finished but it will be good for our runners.
“We do put mats over the M-1 rail – so we have mats so nobody trips over that.”
Bennage says a lot of runners will give you the shirt off their back–literally, as all the cast off shirts, gloves, and hats are collected for a good cause:
“Fort Street Presbyterian gives it to their homeless program that they have and we bundle everything up and give it to them and they give it to the homeless,” she says.
They won’t take last-minute runners, though last-minute volunteers are welcome. [MORE DETAILS HERE]
Bennage says popular spots for spectators include the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, Griswold and Woodward–for half-marathon fans, and Indian Village, which she affectionately calls “party central,” because the residents get involved along the sidelines, “they come out in droves and have parties,” to celebrate the run.Just as the book is shockingly labeled NOW, Superior Spider-Man #27.NOW starts off with an attention grabbing moment that sets the stage for the end of the Superior Spider-Man series. Spider-Man, suit presumably torn from fighting Goblin minions, stands over the Brooklyn Bridge realizing, for the first time, the price of his hubris. The Green Goblin has declared war and Spider-Man has already lost.
As the first part of the “Goblin Nation” storyline, Superior Spider-Man #27.NOW does a great job of throwing readers right into the middle of a story, while still laying out all the players set to throw down in this story. Dan Slott’s storytelling is at its strongest here, as he successfully enters scenes late enough to make them exciting and mysterious while still leaving them early enough to make the future developments enticing. With so many fun and exciting moments already delivered in this first issue of the story, the stage has been set for even more twists, turns, and reveals in the future issues.
A large number of cast members get brief check-ins in this issue, but they are never short enough to feel like a cheat or to make the issue feel overstuffed. All of these asides feel substantial in some way; whether it be an announcement from a vengeful J.J. J., a dinner with the love-struck Anna Maria, a tech session with Uatu Jackson, or with Peter Parker as he wander’s Doctor Octopus’s mindscape.
These scenes range in effectiveness, with the Peter Parker sequence taking a rather bizarre twist that could get interesting in future issues, but the highlight of the issue is the meeting between the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus. The scene, depicting the two heavyweight Spider-Man villains discussing the terms of their new relationship, demonstrates Slott’s understanding of these characters and his ability to construct a sequence that carries great weight and tension. It is a refreshing moment, particularly at the beginning of a story like this, which puts everything on the table for the reader. More quiet moments like this could do well to sell this story and the consequences of these two major players’ actions.
How this meeting resolves itself also showcases Slott’s ability to make every story that he has introduced in Superior Spider-Man count towards the overall narrative. This smart reveal demonstrates that even though Doctor Octopus is clearly outnumbered, he still has a few cards up his sleeve. The reveal does, unfortunately, bring up a problem similar to how the Winkler device has been used in last issues; particularly that it lets a character readers care about get caught in a tough predicament only to have them be revealed to not actually be there. An overuse of this storytelling technique could eventually rob the story of tension and expose plotholes in the characters’ actions. (For a spoilery example highlight here: How did Spider-Man’s spider-sense react to the Goblin in the sewer if he wasn’t actually there?)
Superior Spider-Man 27.NOW’s art is as strong as ever, with Camuncoli finally perfecting his Green Goblin and with his work with Antonio Fabela, on colors, proving to be a fruitful as ever. His costumed heroes are gorgeous, particularly Green Goblin’s thugs, but his human faces remain a bit blocky and overly lantern-jawed. His story is visually well-paced and the action panels are appropriately huge. It sets up an exciting future for the art on the remainder of the book as readers head towards some large-scale action.
Superior Spider-Man #27.NOW is a fantastic start to the final storyline of Superior Spider-Man. It does everything an introductory story should do and more, which is to light the match and ignite the wick. It is fitting that the story ends with a “KRAKOOM!” as that bomb explodes.
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Superior Spider-Man #27.NOW – REVIEW Dan Gvozden February 17, 2014 8.5 / 10 Superior Spider-Man #27.NOW delivers a wonderful introduction to a story that has been building for year. February 17, 2014"The Catalan parliament will adopt the necessary measures to start this democratic process of massive, sustained and peaceful disconnection from the Spanish state," the resolution, in Catalan, said.
The fraught debate over Catalan secession has railroaded campaigning for national elections on December 20, away from the country's lopsided emergence from an economic crisis.
The declaration, which pro-independence parties in the northeastern region hope will lead to it splitting from Spain altogether within 18 months, was backed by a majority in the regional parliament.
Catalonia's regional assembly voted on Monday in favor of a resolution to split from Spain, energizing a drive towards independence and deepening a standoff with central government in Madrid.
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Catalonia's regional assembly voted on Monday in favor of a resolution to split from Spain, energizing a drive towards independence and deepening a standoff with central government in Madrid.
The declaration, which pro-independence parties in the northeastern region hope will lead to it splitting from Spain altogether within 18 months, was backed by a majority in the regional parliament.
The fraught debate over Catalan secession has railroaded campaigning for national elections on December 20, away from the country's lopsided emergence from an economic crisis.
"The Catalan parliament will adopt the necessary measures to start this democratic process of massive, sustained and peaceful disconnection from the Spanish state," the resolution, in Catalan, said.
Related: 'There's No Going Back': Why Spain and Catalonia Are on Immediate Collision Course
Parties favoring independence from Spain won a majority of seats in the Catalan assembly, representing one of Spain's wealthiest regions, in September.
But the Spanish constitution does not allow any region to break away and the center-right government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly dismissed the Catalan campaign out of hand.
The government would file an appeal with the Constitutional Court to ensure that Monday's resolution had "no consequences," Rajoy said. "I understand that many Spaniards have had a bellyful... of this continued attempt to delegitimize our institutions."
Polls show that opposition to Catalan independence is a vote winner across the political spectrum in the rest of Spain.
Catalan secessionists argue that they have tried to persuade the government to discuss the independence issue and have been blocked by unionist parties.
Related: Catalonia May Vote to Break Away From Spain in Sunday Elections
The declaration said it considered that judicial decisions "in particular those of the Constitutional Court" were not legitimate, setting the region and Madrid on a collision course.
A proxy independence vote was held one year ago and the erstwhile head of the regional government, Artur Mas, has been indicted for holding the ballot.
"What Catalan society faces now is the concept of politics as a war by other means," Raul Romeva, representing the Junts Pel Si party whose independence platform won the regional election, told parliament.
"We have a golden opportunity to design and construct a modern state which belongs to the 21st century, which is exemplary and able to defeat wrongdoing and corruption," he said.COLORADO CITY, Arizona – Workers replaced the window glass in the office of a Mohave County victims advocate in Colorado City last Monday – a window that was shot on Sept. 4.
Kim Nuttall was attending court the day the shooting occurred; if she had been in her office, the shot that broke the window could have killed her.
“If I had been sitting at my desk it would’ve hit the back of my head,” Nuttall said.
An investigator from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, who routinely travels to Colorado City, told Nuttall the shot appeared to have come from a.22-caliber rifle, a B.B. gun or a pellet gun.
“He said, ‘This is not a rock (that broke the window). You need to pack your stuff and get out of the office,’” Nuttall said.
Retaliation against government workers is nothing new in the border towns of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah – communities commonly known to locals as “Short Creek” and primarily founded and governed by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
“When you’re raised to believe the government is evil and the government is the problem, anybody that works for the government is going to be suspect,” Nuttall said.
The shot into Nuttall’s office was fired from a spot that was out of view of the security cameras that monitor the building; whoever fired the shot not only knew where the cameras were, Nuttall said, but took great pains to avoid being recorded by them.
In her nearly 10 years as a victims advocate in the Short Creek area, Nuttall said, she’s had her phones tapped and her office broken into multiple times – particularly when she’s working on a case that strikes a nerve in the community. But having shots fired into her office has taken the retaliation to a whole new level.
“Even though it’s disconcerting to me, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop doing my job,” Nuttall said. “I’m not going to give in to terrorism.”
Who is policing the police?
A longstanding and ongoing problem for residents of the Short Creek community is when an incident occurs, such as shots being fired or some sort of discriminatory action taking place, calling the local marshals for intervention can create more problems than it solves.
“The town marshals have been nothing more or less than the executioners of the (FLDS) church,” Hildale resident Willie Jessop said.
“A hundred percent of their loyalties are pledged to the church leaders,” he added.
Jessop said he knows firsthand about corruption within the local law enforcement; he once served as now-imprisoned FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs’ bodyguard and was part of the FLDS church’s protective detail for many years before Jeffs became a leader over the church. (See ed. note)
“I understood the loyalty conflict between an officer choosing his religion and choosing his job,” Jessop said.
Jessop said the retaliatory action committed against excommunicated and disenfranchised FLDS members didn’t begin until the child sexual abuse perpetrated by Jeffs started coming to light. The marshals then became a tool for hiding Jeffs’ illegal and immoral acts, Jessop said; families didn’t even know Jeffs had raped their daughters.
“We realized this isn’t about religious persecution – this is about the rape of little girls,” Jessop said.
“Since it became known that Warren (Jeffs) was guilty of having sex with 12-year-olds, that’s what drove the desperation of why we’re having this crisis,” he added.
Jessop said he and others began taking a stand against the corruption when they realized what Jeffs was doing. Subsequently, Jessop resigned from the FLDS church.
Now that Jessop is no longer loyal to the FLDS religion, he said he and his family members have become victims of the discrimination and retaliation themselves – from their vehicles and properties being vandalized to individual family members being targeted for their non-FLDS stance.
“We constantly face the retaliation of other church members against us,” Jessop said.
And the Jessops aren’t the only ones who feel the heat of falling out of faith with the FLDS church.
In July, a historic event took place in Short Creek as a class reunion was hosted for members of the last classes to graduate from the former Colorado City Academy. Hundreds of people who, for years, were not welcome in the FLDS community were invited back to their hometown and traveled from as far away as Missouri and North Dakota to come home – many of them for the first time since they left.
During one reunion event, as friends and relatives met for the first time in decades, the local marshals crashed the party on an alleged noise complaint. Local resident Harvey Dockstader, one of the organizers of the reunion, became the brunt of police brutality, having his arm twisted behind his back so forcibly that it badly injured his shoulder – allegedly because he helped orchestrate an event that brought shunned FLDS members back to the community.
“They tore him up very bad,” Jessop said. “It was in total retaliation of the church.”
A week after the reunion, during an interview about Jessop’s new bed and breakfast – built inside a compound originally constructed for the imprisoned Warren Jeffs – Dockstader’s arm was still in a sling and he was speaking with Jessop about medical bills related to the officer-caused injury.
“We become subject to some of the most horrific crimes of corrupt law enforcement that you would find in any Third World country,” Jessop said.
Jessop said the local marshals not only retaliate against those who are seen as oppositional to the FLDS church, but they have a history of trumping up false charges against people, as well. A high percentage of the false charges are ultimately dismissed, Jessop said, but the ordeals nonetheless leave their intended mark.
“The family still goes through the drama of being arrested or harassed by the officers,” Jessop said.
“It’s become such a crisis in the community,” he added.
The assertion that corruption abounds in the local Marshal’s Office was validated by former Chief Marshal Helaman Barlow earlier this year when he detailed wrongdoing in the Marshal’s Office and local city governments during court proceedings in a discrimination case against the cities.
No more discrimination?
Sept. 4, the day Nuttall’s office was shot at, was also the day an Arizona judge denied a motion filed in June by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office that sought to disband the Colorado City/Hildale Marshal’s Office altogether and turn the towns’ law enforcement entirely over to the Mohave County and Washington County sheriffs’ offices. Instead of disbanding the marshals, the judge ordered that, concerning housing and utilities matters, the twin city governments must not discriminate, intimidate, threaten or retaliate against anyone based on religion for a period of 10 years; the towns must also not discriminate or retaliate against anyone who was involved in Cooke v. Colorado City – a lawsuit filed against the cities for refusing to provide utility services to local residents Ronald and Jinjer Cooke, allegedly because they were not FLDS church members and because Ronald Cooke had a disability.
In an ironic twist, Sept. 4 was additionally the day – just as the judge was ordering the towns not to discriminate based on religion or involvement in the Cooke case – that longstanding local law enforcement officer Barlow was fired from his post by the cities.
Barlow, who has openly left the FLDS church, became a whistleblower of sorts in April when, in exchange for limited immunity, he detailed corruption in the Marshal’s Office and local city government in a deposition and also admitted under oath that, as chief marshal, he had lied multiple times when giving testimony in the Cookes’ discrimination case.
Jessop said those working in the Marshal’s Office must constantly choose between loyalty to the FLDS church and properly carrying out their jobs – and loyalty to the church predominantly wins out. Those who take action contrary to the church’s wishes can find themselves, like Barlow, out of a job no matter how many years they’ve served in law enforcement.
“When (Barlow) tried to make corrective measures … he was just another victim of how systemically the department is evil,” Jessop said.
“He wouldn’t declare his loyalties to Warren Jeffs, and it got him fired,” he added.
At the time this report is published, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has not responded to multiple phone calls seeking comment about the judge’s dismissal of the motion to disband the Marshal’s Office.
Though having the Marshals remain in force for the present is viewed by many in the community as a devastating step backward, Jessop said he’s confident the battle has only begun and the government will continue making strides forward to end religious discrimination in the Short Creek community.
“The government can’t sit and let Warren Jeffs run his vendetta against the people using our local marshals,” Jessop said. “The people are left in a destitute situation, where they call 911 to get help only to face retaliation over and over and over again from the local marshals.”
“(The government) has had hundreds of complaints on it,” he added. “They know these boys are corrupt.”
Jessop said it’s a sad irony that FLDS members, who have experienced firsthand the pain of religious persecution, would commit atrocities against others in the name of religion.
“I think that’s been my greatest personal heartbreak,” Jessop said, “that this society of all societies knew what it was like to be persecuted and discriminated against, only to turn around and do that to its own people.”
Ed. note: Updated 12:45 p.m. per further comment from Willie Jessop
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.Frank Lampard could yet choose to leave Manchester City this month.
The 36-year-old started against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday but has grown frustrated at his general lack of game time.
City have been impressed with Lampard and his contribution on and off the pitch during his loan spell and his presence proved vital in the absence of Yaya Toure during the Africa Cup of Nations.
Frank Lampard started Manchester City's last match |
site was designated an EZ zone back in 2002 when it was a former factory undergoing environmental remediation. During the mandated 10-year review of EZ zones this year, Harbor Point was removed by the Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC).
That was in April. On July 10, Gov. Martin O’Malley approved the new EZ map, replacing the expired 2002 map.
Now three weeks later, the BDC has set in motion an “expansion application” process that not only proposes to restore Harbor Point’s EZ status, but to expand the designation to include other Paterakis-owned property along the Thames Street waterfront and the east side of Central Avenue south of Eastern Avenue.
The BDC plans to submit the expansion application to the City Council this month after holding a public meeting on the application next Wednesday (see location of meeting below).
“High Poverty Rates” Near the Site
Already, the Paterakis group has geared up with a 10-page letter justifying its tax-break status as essential to move the $1.3 billion project forward.
“The history of the past two decades strongly suggests that the economic formula [the EZ zone and other tax breaks for Harbor East] has been working,” the letter says.
“Now is not the time to upend that formula by removing Enterprise Zone status from the site.”
The application letter strongly suggests that construction will not proceed without the tax break, even though the Paterakis group signed an agreement to complete a 350-foot-high office tower for energy giant Exelon by 2014.
In its application, the Paterakis group argues that Harbor Point would improve “the area immediately north of Harbor East,” which it characterizes as having “high poverty rates, elevated joblessness and ongoing lack of investment momentum.”
The application does not further identify the impoverished zone. The community “immediately north” of Harbor East is Little Italy, a thriving neighborhood of well-kept rowhomes, restaurants and condos. Neither does the document provide any census tract or demographic data that typically under-girds EZ zone designations.
Instead, the Paterakis groups lauds its success in championing “an already established dynamic waterfront neighborhood” by luring global banker Morgan Stanley to the Thames Street Wharf in 2010 – “a success for the city, for the state and for the enterprise zone program.”
The ultimate build-out of Harbor Point will produce 7,040 construction jobs and will “support $1,642.2 million in sales of goods and services by city businesses when multiplier effects are fully considered,” the application said.
These and other economic impacts come from a study that the developer commissioned from the Sage Policy Group, a Baltimore firm that has done economic impact studies for East Baltimore Development Inc., General Growth Properties and the Maryland Stadium Authority.
Estimating the Tax Benefits for Paterakis
There are no estimates of the value of proposed EZ tax breaks for the developer.
M.J. “Jay” Brodie, president of the BDC, did not respond to a request for information by The Brew earlier this week. Marco E. Greenberg, vice president for development of Paterakis’ Harbor East Development Group, said in an email, “We are still pulling together all the information that we will present at next week’s hearing, including the answers to your questions. I would be happy to provide more details at that time.”
Baltimore’s property tax rate stands at $2.268 per $100 of assessed value.
The application says that the Harbor Point project will ultimately cost $1.3 billion. Discounting $150 million of that cost covered by the TIF tax break, the value of the property should be approximately $1.15 billion. At the current tax rate, Paterakis would pay $26 million in annual property taxes.
But with an 80% credit on the tax bill, the developer would save $20.8 million in taxes a year – or $104 million over the first five years. After the fifth year, the tax discount is reduced in 10% annual increments until it reaches 30% in the tenth and final year.
This would make the tax savings amount to $18.2 million, $15.6 million, $13 million, $10.4 million and $7.8 million over the five years – for an additional $65 million in property tax relief. This would make for an estimated total tax savings of $169 million.
These savings would help Paterakis reduce the amount of TIF tax financing on the project, which would in turn reduce his financing costs. So far, the developer has not applied for the PILOT tax credits that subsidized the Legg Mason Tower, Marriott Waterfront Hotel and other properties constructed at Harbor East.
Extending Tax Credits to Adjacent Properties
The Paterakis proposal to extend the EZ zone to its Thames Street/Jackson Wharf property in Fells Point (2 acres) and Central Avenue property (2.4 acres) would result in an estimated $600 million in additional private development, according to the application letter.
Using the city’s current tax rate, the tax credits for these improvements would amount to $54 million for the first five years and $27 million in the final five years – for a total of $81 million over the life of the EZ credit.
Unlike the PILOT and TIF programs, where the city bears the full cost of the tax savings in lost general funds, the EZ tax program splits the net reduction of property taxes between the city and state.
In other words, the city is reimbursed for 50% of the amount of the tax savings accrued to the developer.
Because of the high level of state reimbursement and because the EZ zones are primarily located in low-income Baltimore, Gov. O’Malley called on the city to decrease the amount of land eligible for tax benefits in the latest redrawing of the tax map.
That resulted in the shrinking of the city’s enterprise zone from 22,000 acres to 13,500 acres by removing large areas of south, west and east Baltimore from the map.
The tax credit is only available for commercial businesses and developers in an enterprise zone. A business is eligible for the 80% tax savings if it makes a capital investment (new construction or renovation) or hires at least one new employee.
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The BDC has scheduled a public hearing next Wednesday (August 8) at 6:30 p.m. at Johns Hopkins Eastern, 1101 East 33rd Street, 3rd floor, on the proposed EZ zone expansion for Harbor Point and for the Alameda Shopping Center in northeast Baltimore.'Modern Art Desserts': How To Bake A Mondrian In Your Oven
Hide caption Left: One of Piet Mondrian's grid-like color block compositions. Right: Caitlin Freeman's cake homage. Previous Next Art 2013 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International USA/Dessert Clay McLachlan/Reprinted by permission from 'Modern Art Desserts'
Hide caption The Rosana Castrillo Diaz Panna Cotta (right), patterned after Diaz's 2009 Untitled installation. The dessert is a maple yogurt and creme fraiche panna cotta with St. Elizabeth allspice dram gelee and luster dust. Previous Next Both images Wally Gobetz/via Flickr
Hide caption Alejandra Cartagena's photograph Fragmented Cities, Juarez #2 was the inspiration for Freeman's Cartagena vanilla ice cream and sorbet trio. Previous Next Reprinted by permission from 'Modern Art Desserts' /Dessert photo copyright Clay McLachlan 2013
Hide caption Tony Cragg Ice Cream Cone, inspired by the artist's 1987 sculpture Guglie, uses salted caramel and malted milk-chocolate ice cream, a brown sugar cone and a custom cone wrapper. Previous Next Both images Wally Gobetz/via Flickr
Hide caption John Zurier's minimalist painting Arabella (2005) inspired these simple strawberry-and-mint popsicles. Previous Next Art 2005 John Zurier/Dessert photo courtesy Charles Villyard 1 of 5 i View slideshow
As an artist, Caitlin Freeman found her calling in cake.
Freeman started out wanting to be an art photographer. But one day, while still in art school, she came across Display Cakes, artist Wayne Thiebaud's 1963 painting of frosted confections, during a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The image was so arresting, it stayed with her for years, and later inspired her to set off on a completely different career path: baking.
"I wasn't really sure what I loved about [the painting], but I really just became obsessed with cakes," Freeman tells The Salt.
Over the past several years, Freeman has made a name for herself by crafting desserts inspired by the great works of modern art on display at SFMOMA. She sells these edible art bites at the Blue Bottle Coffee bar, the cafe she and her husband, Blue Bottle founder James Freeman, operate inside the museum.
The project started as a cake-with-your-coffee concept. Appropriately enough, one of the first modern art sweets she put on the menu was an homage to Thiebaud. These days, she has a full menu of desserts — and some savory items, too — that gets updated as often as new art exhibits rotate through the museum.
toggle caption Copyright Clay McLachlan 2013/Reprinted by permission from 'Modern Art Desserts'
"When we started thinking about other artwork to base desserts on, I didn't want to re-create things," Freeman says. "I didn't want to splatter frosting on a cake and have it look like a Jackson Pollock. I wanted to reinterpret it somehow."
The results have been so popular with museum visitors that curators now include Freeman early in the process of planning new exhibits.
Freeman and her team of two (a pastry chef and an assistant) seem to find inspiration and play with form in much the same ways as the artists whose works hang on the walls.
"I think that's so much of what being an artist is," she says. "They're inspired by something and they keep delving. And our thing is art."
In their hands, the bathing suit pattern in a beach portrait from photographer Rineke Dijkstra becomes a striped icebox cake. A layered trifle echoes the horizontal lines of color in Ocean Park #122 by Richard Diebenkorn.
And then there's the cafe's most popular item, a dessert inspired by the art of Piet Mondrian, featuring geometric blocks of white velvet cake, colored red, blue and yellow, stacked together and "glued" with chocolate. In her new book, Modern Art Desserts, which came out this week, Freeman details how to make this signature confection: It's a two-day effort involving four separate cakes and assembly blueprints.
So what's it like to have your art turned into dessert? Freeman says feedback from the featured artists has generally been positive — even enthusiastic.
Artist John Zurier, she says, would often stop by to enjoy a strawberry and mint-cream popsicle inspired by his painting Arabella. And Freeman once snapped a picture of famed conceptual photographer Cindy Sherman taking a cellphone photo of a dessert inspired by one of Sherman's photographs. (Talk about meta.)
As for Thiebaud? "From what I've heard, he's kind of charmed by what we do," Freeman says.
Freeman and her team have made about 70 menu items so far; the book explains how to make 27 of them. But only a few confections, like the Mondrian and Thiebaud cakes, are mainstays on the cafe's menu.
"Our rule is that we only make things for the cafe that are on display at the museum. That means things are always changing, things are always coming up and coming down, and so it's really pushed us" to keep constantly innovating, she says. "We're not able to get lazy and have the greatest hits on the menu."
*Images reprinted with permission from Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art, by Caitlin Freeman, copyright (c) 2013. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
The SFMOMA will soon close for renovations for three years. Until the museum and café reopen, you can find Freeman online at her blog, Modern Art Desserts, telling the stories behind her work-of-art desserts.The lengths that some people would go to see President Donald Trump impeached have been laid bare.
In a new Detox.net survey, 73.3 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of Republicans said they’d ditch alcohol for good if it meant Trump could be impeached tomorrow.
Only 1,013 men and women were questioned nationwide, but it suggests that almost one fifth of GOP voters would happily quit drinking for the rest of their lives in protest against their own candidate.
Detox.net
Of those asked who’d give up booze in exchange for the media not writing negative things about Trump, who is a teetotaller, only 6.5 percent of Democrats and 30.6 percent of Republicans agreed.
The survey also questioned people on “greater good” issues that they wouldn’t give up alcohol for ― such as the halting of climate change, saving the life of a stranger, discovering a cure for cancer or giving 10 children in another country access to clean drinking water.
Check out the results below:
Detox.net
Detox.net also discovered that wine drinkers were more likely to give up sex for alcohol and that millennials were marginally more happy to lose a finger than forego drinking:
Detox.netHenry M. Gunn High School sits at the corner of Arastradero and Foothill, around two miles from the East Meadow Caltrain crossing and very near Stanford’s faculty row. Compared to the students at rival Paly, Gunn kids are stereotyped as being more academically intense, less spirited and sporty. Many are the children of Stanford professors; many more are the offspring of immigrants who came here for tech jobs and rapidly moved their families into the stable ranks of the upper-middle class. At lunch, kids speak Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese — nearly half the school is Asian. Sixty-four percent of the school’s 2015 graduating class had a grade point average of 3.51 or better at the end of their junior year.
To a person, Gunn students say that their school is unhealthily competitive. “If one person is succeeding, it means that someone else is falling behind,” says one senior. Sophomore Olivia Eck describes a culture of unbounded striving: “There’s no middle point for success. There’s no ‘I’m here and I’m happy with where I am.’ It’s always ‘I need to be up there,’” she says. The kids paint a picture of a sort of academic coliseum, where students look down their noses at peers in a lower math “lane,” guard their grade point averages like state secrets, brag about 2 a.m. cramming sessions, and consider a B a disaster.
“I am not OK, and I can speak for many
of my friends at school — we are not OK. I want to feel comfortable at school. I want to enjoy what I’m learning. Right now, I’m doing none of those things.”
Martha Cabot,
sophomore,
Gunn High
While they’re relentlessly pushed to chase higher grades and greater commendations, students say, they are simultaneously pressured to maintain an air of confidence and composure. Gaby Candes, a Gunn sophomore whose parents are both Stanford professors, refers to the condition as “Stanford duck syndrome”: “Everybody puts on a front of being super-relaxed and perfect, but under the surface they’re kicking furiously,” she says. “When all you see is calm ducks, you think that you are the only one who’s not perfect.” The attitude even bleeds into class activities that are intended to ameliorate stress. “We’re always doing exercises where they say, ‘We all have problems, and other people have problems just like you,’” says junior Hayley Krolik. “But nobody really believes it. This isn’t really an environment where people talk about being less than perfect.”
With everyone paddling desperately (but stealthily) in pursuit of distinction, pulling out in front becomes nearly impossible. “Everyone wants to be the one to stand out, because it’s really hard to stand out here,” says Hayley. Consequently, anything that gets you noticed — being gay, being Jewish, even being inordinately sad — garners social capital at Gunn. Depression is effectively “glorified,” a senior says, because it attracts attention.
That obsession with specialness extends to many parents. “Because we live in this extraordinary place that really has some singular qualities,” says Ken Dauber, a Palo Alto father and a member of the school board, “we think somehow that our kids are also singular and extraordinary. But they are just kids.” Dauber, a Google software engineer, and his wife, Michele, a Stanford law professor, are not immune to this overinflated feeling — or to its consequences. They lost their daughter, Amanda, to suicide in 2008, after she’d graduated from Rhode Island School of Design.
It was that event, and the subsequent spate of suicides in 2009–10, that incited Dauber to campaign for sweeping change. In what came “like a shot from nowhere,” as the Palo Alto Weekly reported in 2011, the techie with a sociology PhD called for new district leadership, deriding the “lack of urgency” in addressing the misery-producing school climate. Particularly enraging to Dauber was then-superintendent Kevin Skelly’s insistent denial of any direct connection between the Gunn suicides and the school. In response, Dauber launched We Can Do Better Palo Alto, an activist group that pushed for measures to reduce school stress and boost attention to the whole child. In 2012, he took a run at unseating several long-term school board members. He lost, narrowly, but continued to rail against the crisis of sleep-deprived, stressed-out kids, eventually scoring a board seat in 2014.
Change, however, has not come easily to Palo Alto. An agenda of school reforms was proffered in 2009 by a consortium that included faith leaders, the YMCA, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, and the Palo Alto police, among a dozen other entities. The ensuing Project Safety Net (PSN) proposed a dense deck of 22 initiatives to curb suicides and foster a more supportive environment. The project started with the low-hanging fruit: fielding a volunteer army of track watchers to monitor the most visible Caltrain intersections; instituting a new required course, Titan 101, that included a mental health curriculum; moving fall-semester finals ahead of winter break; and distributing books on stress relief and relaxation to faculty members.
But many of the project’s well-considered action items proved problematic. Some, like mental health screening, were significantly more complex than anticipated: Parental consent issues flared up, and inpatient services for those found to be at risk were wanting. Fall-semester finals were moved, but efforts to avoid “stacking” of tests and homework on an everyday basis flopped. A policy to limit homework was adopted — and overwhelmingly ignored. The bulk of school counseling is still carried out by unpaid interns — master’s students, mostly — who typically stay just one to two years, undermining the larger goal of tight relationships between providers and kids. As Kathleen Blanchard, whose son, Jean-Paul, was the first student lost in the 2009–10 cluster, chides, “A plan is not action.”
Crucially, some of the most widely accepted changes have been undercut by the students themselves. In 2011, Gunn’s start time was moved to 8:25 a.m., based upon research indicating that later-morning classes improve sleep, boost academic performance, and decrease incidents of depression. But students clamored for an optional 7:20 a.m. class, known as “zero period.” A recent push by the school to eliminate academic classes during zero period erupted into a showdown with students who desired more flex-time. (In April, Palo Alto Unified superintendent Max McGee finally settled the dispute by discontinuing AP calculus, chemistry, and other heavy academic courses at the early hour, but allowing “nonacademic” electives like gym to continue.)
Last October, the head of Palo Altos’s Office of Human Services warned that the PSN had entered “ a real time of paralysis.” The situation has only gotten shakier. The project is currently leaderless, having lost a second director in the past 13 months. Infighting has been a problem, according to an insider, and egos have repeatedly made progress difficult. PSN is now considering adoption of an alternate framework altogether. Dauber believes that the general state of inaction is the result of knee-jerk defensiveness on the part of the school district and some of PSN’s members. The earnest search for answers to a problem that nobody truly understands is manifesting as something much more pernicious: the shifting of blame.AP Photo Fourth Estate The Post Pours Some Sugar on Gary Cohn Trump’s economic adviser is faster than a speeding bullet and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, we’re told.
Jack Shafer is Politico’s senior media writer.
Washington journalists who covet places aside the thrones of power will happily season their copy to ingratiate themselves to the powerful. Known inside the trade as “beat sweeteners” or “source greasers,” such praiseful articles lavish flattery upon officials in hopes that the subject will come to trust the reporter and return the favor in the future by leaking inside skinny or providing other access.
Sweetening the beat this week is Damian Paletta of the Washington Post, who pours so much steaming hot journalistic honey all over Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, the tableau resembles that sexy Ohio Players album cover from the 1970s. The Post calls Cohn an “unlikely player” who is “exercising new influence on the direction of President Trump’s administration.” The secret to his sway? He’s a moderate aligned with other White House moderates, including Prince Jared and Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser for strategy (who received a mini-beat sweetener of her own this week), in pushing “a centrist vision” and courting “bipartisan support” against the evil forces of Bannonism.
Story Continued Below
Conservative press critics can’t shut up about liberal media bias, but for my money the enduring bias in the Washington press is for moderation, centrism and bipartisanship. If a politician or policymaker signals a willingness to make deals in Washington—no matter what the deal—the press will treat him like a wise and worldly figure. “People who have met with Cohn in his new role said they weren’t aware of what his ideology was,” Paletta notes. Has no ideology? Or camouflages it? Pick one. As long as a Washington figure camouflages his policies in neutral colors, he can expect reporters to lap treats directly from his hand.
The lead Wall Street Journal editorial in Friday’s edition pegs Cohn—accurately, I think—as a “pragmatic Wall Street Democrat” who is deficient in the “vocabulary of free-market conservatives.” In other words, he’s very Trumpy. Today, he’s reaping praise from centrist-lovers for having changed Baby Donald’s economic course to the usual Washington route. How long that will hold is anybody’s guess. It’s worth pointing out that the Journal credits Cohn with having built an “impressive team,” which is the page’s way of saying “conservative.” Even should Bannon leave, the conservative policy voice would still sound in the administration, the page concludes—a polite way of saying the White House’s chief strategist won’t be missed.
Cohn’s smartest move has been to position himself inside the Trump administration as the anti-Bannon. Bannon has embraced his image as Darth Vader and Satan and others who possess carbuncled souls, creating the niche for a lighter, more conventional hero. And into it Cohn steps. In persuading the president to flip-flop on China, government subsidies, his views on Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen, and moving him closer to the Wall Street mainstream of many Republicans and Democrats—essentially restoring the status quo ante—Cohn has already convinced willing scribes that he’s an effective power broker.
The Post weirdly salutes Cohn for finding “an edge by hiring two dozen policy experts, most with government experience” in contrast to other White House shops, which have failed to fill their slots. In the annals of beat sweeteners, this must be a first: Cohn deserves stroking for having hired some competent people? “His team produced detailed proposals on overhauling the tax code, rebuilding infrastructure, cutting back financial regulations and restructuring international trade deals,” Paletta continues. Well, one would hope that two dozen policy experts, most with government experience, would have something to show for their time on the White House clock. By this standard, I’m due a raise and a promotion. How about it, boss?
Any moth holes in the man’s armor? None accounted for in the piece. Instead, we’re treated to his well-traveled back story—middle-class; struggled with dyslexia; charmed his way, Don Draper-style, into his first Wall Street job while sharing an airport-bound taxi with an executive and rose to become a master of the universe as the president of Goldman Sachs. No skeletons. No closets.
Cohn doesn’t get a totally free ride. The beat sweetener formula demands the collection of a few discouraging words about the subject. In Cohn’s case, pro-Trump hard-liners Larry Kudlow, Sam Nunberg and Rush Limbaugh—wingers all—appear in the piece to heave a few rocks. But the missiles strike the honey-soaked Cohn and slide off, inflicting no damage.
Why soft-soap Cohn in the first place? The National Economic Council makes news from time to time, but not that much. Paletta serves a broad hint a fourth of the way into the piece when he writes that Cohn “is widely considered a future candidate to be chief of staff.” White House chief of staff has traditionally been the hub that feeds the spokes. If Cohn makes that leap—and given current White House disarray, that’s more than possible—he would make a most excellent source. This adulation, rich as sweet cream, will pay off.
******
I take my coffee black. Send sweets to Shafer.Politico@gmail.com. My email alerts are the con cop, my Twitter feeds the tough cop. My RSS feed is doing soft time in a minimum security prison.
This article tagged under: Media
Fourth Estate
TrumpScott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter.[1][2] He started off as a keyboardist for the group The Roots.
Early life [ edit ]
Storch was born on Long Island, New York,.[1][2] He was raised in South Florida and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3][4] His mother, Joyce Yolanda Storch, was a singer signed to Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Records under the stage name Joyce Carol, and is of Lithuanian Jewish heritage.[5] His father, Phil Storch, was a court reporter.[6] His uncle, Jeremy Storch, was a founder of soul-rock band The Vagrants and wrote songs recorded by Dave Mason and Eddie Money.[5] Storch's parents divorced in 1983.[5]
Storch attended elementary school in Sunrise and middle school in Davie, Florida. In the middle of his freshman year, he left South Florida to join his father in the Philadelphia area, and attended high school in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.[5] After dropping out of high school in the ninth grade, Storch was expelled from home at the age of 16.[6] By age 18, he was living with his father in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Career [ edit ]
Storch began his professional music career in 1991, when he became one of the first members of the hip hop group The Roots as a keyboard player.[citation needed] He was heavily involved in the following two albums released by The Roots: 'Organix' and 'Do You Want More?!!!??!' and had involvement in 'Illadelph Halflife'. Storch, however, had a distaste towards touring and preferred creating in the studio and decided upon becoming a music producer in his own right.
Storch's first two commercial hits were from the production on the track "You Got Me" by The Roots ft. Erykah Badu and Eve and his collaboration with Dr. Dre for the song "Still D.R.E." including the characteristic piano.[citation needed] Storch's most successful solo production hit was "Lean Back", a 2004 single by Terror Squad.[citation needed] He was one of the top producers in the business, having worked on hits by 50 Cent, The Game, T.I., Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Dr. Dre, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Pink, Lil' Kim and many others."[7] Storch was also awarded ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year award in 2006.[7]
He produces hip hop music through his label, Storch Music Company. He also has his own music production company called Tuff Jew Productions LLC[8][better source needed] which is published by Reservoir Media Management.
Since filing for bankruptcy in 2015, he decided to focus on music and lay off drugs. He has worked since then with DJ Khaled, The Game, Russ, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Crim Dela Crim,[9] and more.[10]
Personal life [ edit ]
By 2006, Storch had more than $70 million but also picked up a cocaine addiction the prior year.[11] In August 2006, he "took a month off" and vacationed in Hollywood, California. Friend and manager Derek Jackson said, "It was just a wonderful year, but I think it was defined by the magic month of August. He ran into the Hollywood class – and when he went to Hollywood, all things changed."[7] He withdrew from producing and focused on partying with friends at his $10 million mansion in Palm Island, Florida. He also purchased a private jet, a 117-foot yacht, and nearly 20 luxury cars, about half of which he estimated he purchased while high on cocaine.[11] Storch squandered $30 million in less than six months, and was in dire financial straits by January 2007.[7]
In 2008, Storch hit legal trouble after reportedly falling behind on both his child-support payments and his property taxes.[7] In early 2009, he was arrested for grand theft auto for allegedly failing to return a Bentley he had leased three years prior.[7] In April 2009, Storch checked into an intensive inpatient rehab program in Hollywood, Florida, and filed for bankruptcy that May.[11] In February 2012, Storch was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada for possession of cocaine and was released on bail.[12] On June 24, 2015, Storch officially filed for bankruptcy.[13]We made history in Ukraine last week. For the first time ever, more than 100,000 top officials, including the president, members of the cabinet, MPs, judges, prosecutors and civil servants, declared their assets under our new e-declaration system. In a statement endorsed by all of Ukraine’s leading civil society organisations, none of whom has been shy to criticise the authorities, they hailed the system as “a truly revolutionary step towards eradicating corruption”.
Activists and journalists are already investigating the origins of cash and assets that have been declared by officials. This has shone a light on the highest levels of power and things will never be the same again. Achieving this was not easy and on our path to greater transparency we encountered many obstacles.
The media, civil society and the public were sceptical until the last moment. The guardians of the old system were doing everything possible to prevent this and other changes that we have made to stamp out corruption.
I well remember the difficulties that we had pushing this law through parliament, as I was the speaker of parliament at the time.
Last summer, the e-declaration system was delayed and for a moment it looked as though it would fail, but the government stayed firm. I was one of the first top-level officials to declare his assets on the system. I will also be the first to say that I am ready for my declaration to be scrutinised. I believe that all Ukrainian public servants should have to explain the origin of their assets and, in cases where violations are uncovered, they should be punished under the law.
The e-declaration system allows us to draw a line between politicians of the past, who have never explained the origins of their assets, and politicians of the future of Ukraine, who from now on will be accountable to the people and who must explain where they got their money.
The new system is an important step in the process of stamping out corruption in Ukraine, but it is far from the final step. My cabinet will provide absolute support to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, which our government created.
As my declaration has shown, I am not the poorest man in Ukraine, though I am far from the richest. I entered politics in 2006 as a successful businessman, since which time I have declared my income. However, I am well aware that many people in my country still have very few economic opportunities and some live below the poverty line. The gap between rich and poor is a large part of what has made the declarations shocking for many Ukrainians.
Improving this situation is my government’s top priority. There is still much work to be done, but we are making real progress in implementing our reform agenda, with the ultimate goal of improving economic prospects for all Ukrainians.
In addition to the reforms we have made to combat corruption, Ukraine has also taken steps to modernise our judiciary, transform the national police force and cut red tape to improve the environment for business and foreign investment.
We have liberalised our energy markets, an important reform also intended to combat corruption and one that faced considerable opposition from vested interests. This year, the economy will grow by 1.5%, with 3% growth predicted for 2017. Inflation has fallen dramatically, from 43% in 2015 to 12% this year and 8% forecast for next year. The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the European Union came into force on 1 January, creating substantial economic benefits for both sides, and last summer we signed the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement.
As prime minister, my top priority is stabilising the country and growing the economy so that all Ukrainians can have the chance to succeed and improve their standard of living. To achieve this, we must lay down strong foundations on which we can build a modern European state. The e-declaration system is a milestone in this process.
• Comments will be opened laterNew Delhi: The new commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu said he wants to develop linkages between Indian industry and global supply chains in order to create more opportunity for Indian exports and upgrade domestic technological capabilities.
“Global supply chains are now become a reality. India is part of that in auto components and generic formulations. You cannot join the global value chains unless your own technology, manufacturing ability is up to that level in other sectors," said Prabhu, who took charge on Monday after Nirmala Sitharaman demitted office to become defence minister.
Prabhu said he has asked commerce ministry officials to prepare an agriculture export policy to integrate Indian farmers into the global supply chain and raise their income. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has targeted doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
Holding that Indian exports face challenging times amid strong global headwinds, Prabhu said India will follow a trade policy in a way that will enable it to overcome these challenges. “Protectionist ideas are growing. They are stronger over a period time," he added.
On logistics, which has been added to the rules of business of the commerce department recently, Prabhu said the ministry will bring it to the forefront and work on building a direct link between competitiveness of exports and logistics.
Prabhu said exporters are facing certain challenges in the new goods and services tax (GST) regime and that the ministry is taking up those issues with the concerned authorities. “The ministry is working on the support measures which can facilitate quick increase in exports (both in terms of) volume and value," he said.
To promote investments, the commerce and industry minister has told the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to prepare a district-wise industrial plan as local situations like human resource availability, law and order, and natural resources help attract more investors.Chapter 1: Welcome to Hope's peak
Jin Kirigiri looked over the young woman standing before him. Red hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a blue suit jacket over a white shirt. She couldn't seem to sit still as she stood in front of the desk.
"Miss Yukizome? You're the new homeroom teacher for our 77th class," he said.
"Great! I'll be the best teacher you've ever seen!" she responded.
"Are you addicted to any substances?"
"No."
"Have you committed any felonies or anything that could be construed as a crime against humanity or good sense?"
"No?"
"Are you qualified to instruct high school students?"
"Well, I just graduated from here a few months ago, so I'm not quite sure whether…"
"Congratulations, you're the best teacher who has ever graced this academy. Good luck."
Kizakura, wearing his flat cap and goatee, then placed himself into the conversation with a well-timed belch.
"Sorry, nursing a hangover," he said.
"And here we have the man you're replacing, hope's peak's talent scout and designated drunk." As Jin spoke, he propped his head on his arm, leaning it against the desk.
"Wait, Hope's peak only has one talent scout and they have him doubling as a teacher?" Yukizome asked.
"Yeah, cheapass trustees can't be bothered to hire more than the bare minimum to be considered a school. The old bastards are more concerned with their checkbooks than the kids who come through here," Kizakura said, stumbling over his words as he spoke.
"Sadly, he was also the best teacher to ever grace Hope's peak, up until today. Anyway, class starts in ten minutes. You should get over there if you plan to make the most of your time," Jin said.
"Yes sir! Right away sir!" Yukizome replied, jogging out of the room. Kizakura stumbled over to Jin's desk and threw an arm over his shoulder.
"So, that's Munakata's girl? Heard he had to pull a few strings to get her in," he said.
"Yes, though I doubt telling her about the trustees is going to win you any favors from them," Jin answered.
"Bah, it's their own fault for hiring |
EU press release. The tentative agreement was hammered out in meetings between union and NCCABC negotiators and mediated by the Labour Relations Board.
The move to wage parity will likely be welcomed by native court workers but it will do nothing to make up for long years of brutal underpayment. The province failed to include the NCCABC under the Community Social Service Employers Association (CSSEA) process when it was revamped in 2003. BCGEU president Stephanie Smith said she continues to be baffled about why the government has not moved to include the court worker association under the umbrella of CSSEA, a move that would have seen the native court workers receive equal pay for work of equal value over the last decade.
''It looks like discrimination to me,'' Smith said.
Terry LaLiberté, the prominent Metis lawyer who heads up the NCCABC, said, ''The court system can't really work without native court workers.''
Jack Kruger, a veteran native court worker based in Penticton, agrees about the key role he and other court workers play.
Without native court workers, Kruger, a court worker since 1974, told the Penticton Western News during November's month long rotating strike, ''I think crime would go up lot. Natives would fall through cracks and be sentenced to jail for things that normally they wouldn't because the judge doesn't know the person or background.
''We're strangled for resources.'' That's LaLiberté's assessment of the damage done by government inadequately funding the NCCABC in the past. He lays the blame for salary shortfalls for his workers on government failure to properly fund the court worker program.
Systemic racism: a case study
Darlene Shackley, executive director of the NCCABC, has watched her ranks shrink. When she started with the program in 1982, there were close to 60 other native court workers. Currently, she supervises a staff of only 23 court workers.
While LaLiberté stopped short of attributing the program's underfunding to explicit racism among politicians or government managers, he said, ''Racism in the court system in B.C. is systematic.''
The form of racism LaLiberté is describing -- systemic, structural racism -- is woven into the operations of the B.C. government, as it is in B.C. society in general. The government's decision to bring native court workers up to wage parity is to be applauded. But if we are serious about reconciling with First Nations and righting the injustices of the past, why did these workers endure such a long delay before their chance, finally, to achieve basic wage justice?Michael Todd, a psychology professor at Paradise Valley Community College, was placed on paid administrative leave after one of his students fell into a coma at his North Phoenix home and died last week, according to a report in the East Valley Tribune.
The Phoenix Fire Department responded to a call of an unconscious woman early last Sunday morning. At a local hospital 30 minutes later, Andria Ziegler, 19, was pronounced dead. No cause has been determined, and toxicology results are pending, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Ms. Ziegler’s parents reported her missing on Monday afternoon, and Phoenix police officials became involved when they learned that the woman’s body was lying unidentified at the medical examiner’s office.
Mr. Todd called in sick on Monday and Tuesday, a college official said. He was placed on leave after Ms. Ziegler’s parents alerted the college of her death.
A private investigator who is looking into the case said that Ms. Ziegler’s best friend told him that Mr. Todd had previously sought to date Ms. Ziegler but that she had initially declined, according to the newspaper’s report.
The case is not being investigated as a homicide, police officials said. —Don TroopTailors have lower margins than other retailers. Customers of bespoke accept that, and appreciate it. But how much lower are they?
In order to answer that question as much as I could, I got four London tailors – two on Savile Row, one off Savile Row and one in the City – to give me their costs anonymously. By comparing that to the retail price, we were able to come up with a basic production cost, as a percentage.
I focused on the cost of production because it is the most important, transparent and – crucially – consistent aspect. With tailoring, it is simply the total of cloth, trimmings, coat maker, trouser maker and cutter. This does vary between tailors, and certainly varies between countries, but it can be sensibly examined.
The full costs of a suit vary much more. Rent, most notably, from zero to three floors on Savile Row. Plus sales staff, travel, marketing, insurance, administration and so on.
So what is this production cost of a suit? For a house on or around Savile Row it breaks down as (on average):
Coat making: £700-£800
This is just the cost of the labour, but includes making, finishing and pressing, which might be done by three different people
This is an average of houses, coat makers they use, and difficulties of job
Trouser making: £220-£260
For simplicity, we get it to a two-piece suit
Cloth: £200-£240
This can go up very fast, but we looked at fairly standard suiting bunches
Trimmings: £100-£110
This is canvas, lining, silk thread, horn buttons etc
Cutting: £200-£300
This is the hardest to calculate, as it is based on annual salaries, divided by the number of suits cut (and fitted, re-cut and so on)
A cutter that is seeing customers might be earning £30k-£40k. An experienced cutter perhaps 40k-50k; a bigger name something over £60k. But then that has to be averaged with the under-cutter, or anyone re-cutting for fittings
One of those people might be responsible for, on average, 180 to 300 suits a year. There’s a lot of variation here. The figure above is an average wage divided by an average volume
We also reduced the number slightly to account for the time spent by a cutter selling rather than just ‘making’ the suit
So the total is £1420 to £1710, average £1565. If an average Savile Row suit costs £4800, then the production cost is 33% of the retail price you pay.
Compare that to the average production cost in retail, which is 13% to 20%, and you can see the basic value of bespoke tailoring. (Numbers based on three different retail sources). A lot more of your money – twice as much in fact – goes into making the goods than with most things you buy elsewhere.
Interestingly, I also asked some City tailors about similar numbers, and their costs were lower as compound result of lower salaries, bulk deals on cloth, and particularly cheaper making. But as a percentage their production costs were also 30%-80% higher than Savile Row tailors. A precarious business to be in.
All the numbers above obviously contain potential for variation. You can see that even in the final cost, which varies by 20%. I also only focused on Savile Row, and only on the UK. But there is actually more transparency in bespoke tailoring than many other businesses, given the known costs of cloth and coat/trouser-makers. So we can get a better idea than in most industries.
Photo: Andy BarnhamBefore the FBI went digital, it looked a little more like a giant stock warehouse for Amazon.com. In the 1920s, the bureau was only employing 25 workers to classify around 800,000 print cards, but by 1943, there were more than 20,000 employees sorting through 70 million fingerprints. At the height of wartime, the archives were so overwhelmed that the FBI eventually moved into an 8,000 square foot facility in the National Guard Armory in Washington D.C. They called it the Fingerprint Factory.
With the war came new responsibilities for the FBI. No longer was it only investigating domestic crimes committed in the United States, the bureau was now tracking suspected spies, gathering information abroad, pursuing draft dodgers, tracking immigrants and even their own personnel who could be potential saboteurs. There were fingerprint cards for members of the armed forces, US foreign agents, war-material manufacturers and even all the government girls who were working amongst the labyrinthine archive of cards themselves. Everyone needed background checks. Agents looked into nearly 20,000 reports of sabotage during the war, of which they found 2,282 actual attempts.
Crime was increasing on the home front too as wartime made an ideal opportunity for defrauding the government and stealing from its vast military supplies.
Yes, the FBI had an actual file called “Notorious Dead Criminals”.
The thousands of women working at the FBI in the early 1940s were trained in the Henry System of fingerprint identification, a method used in the United States and other English-speaking countries which manually categorised fingerprints by their physiological characteristics.
A complex and time-consuming process, essentially, these ladies would spend their entire day assigning numerical value according to the ridge patterns of loops, whorls, and arches they saw in the magnified fingerprints.
It was as this time that the bureau began investigation cases of espionage against the United States and its allies, which would continue until the 1970s. If promoted from classifying and categorising fingerprints, female employees would spend most of the war getting vital information and military secrets into the right hands to keep the war machine running.
They worked 10 hour days, six days a week, processing upwards of 35,000 prints in total in a single day. Their salaries were paid by war bonds, the same bonds they were endlessly encouraged to buy.
Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” is starting to play in my head.Ordering wine in a restaurant can be an intimidating and potentially embarrassing situation, akin to the fear of being chosen last for a pickup baseball game or not being asked to dance at the senior prom (or being asked to dance, depending on how many left feet you have).
The waiter, or worse, sommelier, comes by and hands you a leather-wrapped book which is just a few pages longer than War and Peace. After fingering through a few pages with your eyebrows turned up, you glumly reply “We’ll have the house wine.”
First of all, don’t EVER order the “house” wine; unless you’re eating in a European village (where the house wine might be fun to try) or in Little Italy (where you’ll be shot if you don’t). The United States definition of “house wine” is “the cheapest wine we could get our hands on this week to sell off for a major profit to people who don’t know any better.”
If you don’t have any idea what bottle to choose from the list, check for “wines by the glass”. Most decent restaurants have at least a red and white wine by the glass, and the better establishments have a few choices. This is a great way to experiment and discover which wines you enjoy with which foods.
Once you feel confident enough to order from the list, be prepared for The Presentation. This is the procedure that all restaurants practice, and begins of course with the handing over of the wine list. If the list is not given to your party automatically, clear your throat boldly and ask for it. (Some restaurants also have a “reserve” list, which is a special list offered to their best customers, and often includes old bottles from the owner’s personal cellar. Unless you really know your wine, you’re with a group of serious geeks, AND you have a LOT of money to spend, I suggest you avoid this list.)
As you peruse the list, take note of the organization. Wine lists are usually arranged either by type of wine (chardonnay, merlot, pinot grigio, etc.) or by region (California, Burgundy, Piedmont). Almost always, each section is listed from least expensive to most expensive (beware of lists without prices!). The better restaurants list the variety of the wine (ex. “pinot grigio”), the brand of wine (ex. “Santa Margherita”), the area it comes from (“Italy” or more specifically, “Trentino”), and the vintage (ex. “1998”). Although I don’t personally believe that the vintage is such a huge deal (the producer is almost always a more important detail), if the vintages are not listed I would be wary—this is an indication that the wine list is not updated often and/or they often buy “off” vintages that have been sitting in someone’s warehouse too long.
Once you have decided on a wine, tell the waiter/sommelier of your selection. In a few minutes he/she will return with a bottle and show it to you. This is your chance to check the label to ensure it is the correct wine and vintage that you ordered (assuming you can still remember after drinking all those martinis). If it’s correct (or you can’t remember), simply nod or say, “yes.” I would say you’ll get the wrong bottle about 10% of the time. Then the server will open the bottle and place the cork on the table in front of you. DON’T sniff it! There’s nothing at all you can learn about the wine by snorting the cork, and besides you look like an idiot doing it. The cork is presented for two reasons; first, the printing on the cork should match the bottle. Not all wines have their name (and/or vintage) listed on the cork, but the most expensive wines will. This is a time-honored tradition that guards against people switching labels on wines. (Sure, the pump says “super unleaded” but how do you know the tank’s not really filled with regular?) The chance of this happening is almost zero in your lifetime, but old traditions die hard. The second and more useful reason to inspect the cork is to see that it’s wet. This indicates that the bottle was properly stored on its side (or the waiter shook up the bottle on his way over to your table). If the cork is dry, it could be a signal that the wine may be flawed. Not to worry, you still have one more chance to test the wine before accepting it.
After you have looked at the cork for a moment, the server will now pour about an ounce or two of wine into your glass and step back from you. No, he’s not being a wise guy—he’s giving you a chance to test the wine. Swirl the wine around the glass a few times, then stick your nose all the way into the glass and take a big whiff. Yes, you will feel silly at first, but you’ll look cool doing it. If you smell fruit, flowers, and other nice aromas, then simply nod to the server and he/she will begin serving wine to the rest of the table (don’t worry, your glass will be completely filled after everyone else). However, if the wine has an unpleasant odor, and you can’t identify any fruit aromas, it may be corked, and you’ll have to send the bottle back. Corked wine will smell dank and musty, very similar to the odor of wet books (have you ever been in a basement just after a flood’s been pumped out? THAT’s the smell). If you’re not sure, don’t be afraid to ask the sommelier to smell the wine. First of all, he likes to be called on as an authority, secondly, he’s looking for a good tip, and third, you’re spending good money on that bottle.
So that’s it! Once the wine is poured, The Presentation is done—you survived. After you go through this routine a few more times, it’ll seem like old hat, and you can concentrate your anxiety on choosing the right wine for your meal.Toby suffered a punctured lung as he fought off the intruder A Labrador who fought to protect its owners from a knife-wielding burglar has been honoured for his bravery. Toby was stabbed four times in the chest and legs by the intruder but still managed to chase him out. The Morton family, from Barnoldswick in Lancashire, had been staying at Leconfield Barracks in East Yorkshire. They awoke to find their pet in a pool of blood. But the eight-month-old survived and has been awarded by the animal charity, PDSA. The armed burglar, who attacked Toby with three knives taken from the kitchen, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for the offence. Toby suffered a punctured lung in the attack, in June 2007, as he fought to stop the offender going upstairs to the sleeping family. After succeeding in chasing the offender out of the building Toby then woke his owner, Jonathan Morton, by barking. Had it not been for Toby's determined barking and lunging at the intruder, Mr Morton would not have been aware of the threat to his family.
Chris Heaps, PDSA deputy chairman Mr Morton and his wife Samantha praised their pet's actions. He said: "Toby is our hero. I dread to think what could have happened if he had not intervened that night." The Labrador has been presented with the PDSA Certificate for Animal Bravery by the charity's senior deputy chairman Chris Heaps. He said: "Had it not been for Toby's determined barking and lunging at the intruder, Mr Morton would not have been aware of the threat to his family. "Toby is indeed a worthy recipient of the PDSA Certificate for Animal Bravery."
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(Tunica, MS) Tunica Sheriff K.C. Hamp says 34-year-old Nathaniel Yates III is in custody for the county’s first murder this year.
Deputies were called to the Hollywood Casino in Tunica just before 6 Thursday morning by security.
Security told deputies that guest had complained of loud screams and yelling coming from one of the first floor hotel rooms.
Deputies said no one would let them in the room, so they forced their way in.
Once inside, they found the body of 25-year-old Brandi Floyd of Collierville on the floor.
They said her boyfriend, 34-year-old Nathanial Yates, was trying to flee.
“The subject was tased in order to get him to comply with law enforcement officers; he did try to evade law enforcement by jumping through a window,” said Hamp.
Yates was taken into custody and taken to Baptist DeSoto Hospital where he was treated for small cuts.
Floyd was pronounced dead on scene.
Investigators say they found a small sharp object they believe is the murder weapon.
“She had multiple injuries probably caused from a sharp object,” said Hamp.
Investigators are not sure what led up to Floyd’s death.
Hamp says Yates is the only suspect, “We believe that the person may be under the influence we don't know that, we have to subpoena blood for DNA and those types of tests.”
As for hotel guests at Hollywood Casino, many say they were concerned when they were not told what was going on.
“It was time for us to exit so we decided to quickly exit so we just started getting dressed and just got out,” said Kimberly Hagler from Kentucky.
Hamp expects charges to be filed in the next 24 hours.
He says Yates will recover from his injuries and he has a criminal history in the state of Tennessee.The trade that sent running back Bryce Brown to the Buffalo Bills last year has been completed, and it still looks just as good now as it did the day the Eagles pulled it off.
The draft pick the Eagles will receive from the Bills will be a fourth round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, a solid outcome considering the team did not miss Brown at all, and have now netted a fairly high pick for a third-string running back.
How did the Eagles end up with the fourth-round pick? It's a little complicated.
When the Eagles sent Brown to the Bills during the 2014 NFL Draft last season, the deal was for a conditional draft pick. The conditions were actually tied to San Francisco 49ers receiver Stevie Johnson, as the pick sent to the Eagles from the Bills was previously owned by the 49ers, who traded it to the Bills for Johnson.
The deal centered around three possible outcomes — either a fourth-round pick in 2015, a fourth-round pick in 2016, or a third-round pick in 2016.
What the exact conditions were are not known, but Johnson finished with only 35 catches for 435 yards and three touchdowns this past season in San Francisco. Although it didn't impact the pick, Brown finished with only 36 carries for 126 yards in Buffalo.
Making the Eagles walking away from this three-team swap looking pretty good with a fourth-round pick.
Here is a look at where the Eagles stand right now in terms of draft picks heading into the offseason:GENEVA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China won the bulk of a World Trade Organization complaint against certain U.S. methods of determining anti-dumping duties on Chinese products in a WTO dispute panel ruling released on Wednesday.
Cargo containers at the Port of Los Angeles in a file photo. REUTERS/Bob Riha, Jr.
China brought the complaint in December 2013, one of a string of disputes challenging Washington’s way of assessing “dumping,” or exporting at unfairly cheap prices.
Specifically, the panel found fault with the U.S. practices of determining dumping margins in certain cases of “targeted dumping,” in which foreign firms cut prices on goods aimed at specific U.S. regions, customer groups or time periods.
Dumping is normally found when a foreign producer’s U.S. prices are lower than its home market prices for the same or similar goods, or when the imports are sold at prices below production costs.
The panel ruled against the U.S. Commerce Department’s practise of “zeroing” in cases involving targeted dumping. In zeroing, the department typically assigns a value of zero any time a producer’s export price is above that producer’s normal home market price, partly to account for freight and customs charges.
In practice, the zeroing methodology tends to increase the level of U.S. anti-dumping duties on foreign producers.
Some points of China’s argument were rejected by the WTO panel, including a claim that the Commerce Department systematically punishes Chinese state enterprise by assigning them high anti-dumping rates.
Either side can appeal the ruling within 60 days.
China’s Ministry of Commerce welcomed the ruling saying that the WTO panel had “upheld China’s principal claims” on the unlawfulness of targeted dumping and the separate rate applied in certain U.S. anti-dumping measures.
The dispute related to several industries including machinery and electronics, light industry, metals and minerals, with an annual export value of up to $8.4 billion, it said.
“The United States is disappointed by these findings,” a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said in a statement.
“We will carefully review the report and consider next steps. Nothing in the report will undermine the commitment of the United States to impose antidumping duties to address injurious dumping,” the USTR spokesman added.Okay so my girl is 9 days old, at the hospital she was doing 15-20 on each breast and then once my milk supply came in it went down to about 15 minutes total and now she's at 5 minutes gulping away and falls asleep right away, I try tickling her, wiping her down with a Wipe, changing her diaper, undressing her, blowing air on her lightly and talking to her to keep her up but she will just pass out and not wake. Now, because she is gulping away she is getting alot of milk and I have a big supply for her. But she does her 5 minutes sleeps for 2-3 hours and another 5 and again to bed at night she sleeps 4 hours between feeds so I'm up once a night with her. She is not crying from hunger or cry at all unless were pissing her off to wake and she doesn't get fussy,so I guess that she is satisfied I'm just worried that it isn't enough but she is filling her diapers with lots of urine and she's pooping yellow and seedy just like they said she should be! Should I just feed her the 5 and put her back down to sleep until her next feeding? I really want the best for my baby girl and I'm scared she's not getting enough, I'm going to weigh her today tho!.and she sleeps so much she barely wakes its very nerv racking for me as a first time mother.. Any advice you have would be amazing tho thank you!The Bug That Shut Down Computers World-Wide was originally published on October 2nd, 2007, and today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the story. Here’s to a great 2009!
Where were you the morning of January 1st, 1984? Me? I was out living it up at Divestiture-fest ’84 and – let me tell you – it was quite a party. We drank until those seven little Baby Bells looked like fourteen, and kept drinking until it all looked like AT&T again. Ah, the good old days. But not all of us were out celebrating. Some – like Robert Reagan – were actually working, desperately trying to fix the bug that shut down computers across the world.
With all the “oh no, the world’s gonna end” date problems out there – Y2K, DST, The End of the Epoch, and Y2070 – it’s surprising that most haven’t heard of the day that the world actually ended. On that day – January 1st, 1984 – a single bug was responsible for shutting down – and keeping down – a whole lot of computer systems.
There were three big rages back in the 1980’s: Rubik’s cubes, Molly Ringwald, and Wangs. While I’m sure you are all familiar with those first two 80’s icons, Wangs – i.e., any one of the many systems from Wang Laboratories – have fallen into the void of boring, obsolete computer junk. But a quarter century ago, Wang was where it was at.
Around 1983, Wang Laboratories employed upwards of 30,000 people and brought in revenues of nearly $6 billion/year (in today’s dollars). And their computers were everywhere. The Wang OIS (Office Information System) was perfect for many businesses and allowed “easy extensibility” through its Glossary programming language. It was so simple, apparently, that secretaries were able to master it.
Wang was even able to compete with IBM’s System 34 and System 36’s with their own line of mini-computers called the Wang VS. These systems hosted the standard development tools – COBOL, BASIC, RPG, etc – and its own. And like many Operating Systems of Old, the Wang VS was a little peculiar.
One interesting security feature of the Wang VS was File Expiration Dates. In addition to having a Creation and Modification date, files included an Expiration date. If someone – regardless of his/her security privileges – attempted to delete a file not past expiration, the operating system would raise an error. Although users could easily change the expiration date with another command, it was seen as a “nice to have” that prevented accidental deletions.
Like many operating systems, the Wang VS and its applications utilized temporary files to do all sorts of things, from caching to scheduling.
Like many modern development environments, there was no built-in mechanism for date/time calculations. Different modules of the operating system and its applications relied on different functions for different date/time calculations. Not surprisingly, one of these functions had a bug.
Unfortunately, the bug was in the temporary file creation module. Specifically, it mistakenly incremented the zero-indexed day-of-year for all day-of-years that are equal to 0 in a leap-year. In other words, when January 1, 1984 (day 0 in a leap year) hit, the code set “January 2, 1984” as a temporary file’s expiration date.
Because temporary files are created and deleted in a manner of seconds, the operating system was blocked from deleting its own files. One by one, processes in the Wang VS shut down and the computers grinded to a halt. Since boot time activity included the creation and deletion of temporary files, the operating system boot process could not complete. This effectively put ever single Wang VS computer in an unbootable state.
Wang engineers and support techs worked around-the-clock to restore and fix everyone’s broken computer. Thankfully, a combination of the New Year’s Day holiday and FedEx (who, apparently, were all using IBM computers) overnight shipping, most businesses only suffered a minor disruption of service. And the day the world ended – January 1st, 1984 – passed like every other.U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning has formally petitioned President Barack Obama to reduce her sentence to the six years she's already served.
The 28-year-old transgender woman was sentenced in 2013 to 35 years for releasing a trove of government and military documents to WikiLeaks. Through those leaks, the Center for Constitutional Rights has argued, she "helped bring to light the criminality of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan."
In the Nov. 10 petition, which was obtained by the New York Times, she states that she takes "full and complete responsibility" for the disclosures she made "out of concern for my country, the innocent civilians whose lives were lost as a result of war, and in support of two values that our country holds dear—transparency and public accountability."
Her experiences in solitary confinement, both before formal charges were brought and a following a suicide attempt, "have broken me and made me feel less than human," she states.
She also describes being the target of homophobic insults during her youth and time in the Army. "I wish I had received a a fair shot at a better life," she writes.
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While the military is now allowing some treatment for her gender dysphoria, Manning is still forced to keep her hair at a male standard, which she calls "a never-ending nightmare."
"I am living through a cycle of anxiety, anger, hopelessness, loss, and depression," she writes.
She is not requesting a pardon, she adds, as she "understands that the various collateral consequences of the court-martial conviction will stay on my record forever. The sole relief I am asking for is to be released from military prison after serving six years of confinement as a person who did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members."
The petition application includes letters of support from Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg; former military commissions chief prosecutor Morris Davis, who resigned after being placed under command of a torture advocate; and Glenn Greenwald, a former constitutional lawyer, journalist, and co-founder of The Intercept.
Ellsberg writes that Manning released the documents "for the purpose of informing the American people of serious human rights abuses, including the killing of innocent people by United States troops in Iraq." Greenwald, for his part, writes, "It is not an exaggeration to say that Chelsea is a hero to, and has inspired, all kinds of people all over the world."Remember the "Silent Majority"? Well, it's back in 2010, but it's not the old Richard Nixon voting base anymore. No, there's a new Silent Majority in America. Oh, it's still silent. And it is the majority. But make no mistake, there's been a tectonic shift culturally, racially and demographically from the America of the 1950's and 1960's. And that's not good news for the Republican Party. Why?
Because America's new Silent Majority is growing sick and tired of the of crude, loud right-wing, tea-bagging minority and their vulgar antics. You can take this to the bank.
So, just who is this Silent Majority? I'll tell you.
They are the quiet men and women in the grocery line when the right-wing cranky woman starts gassing her lunacy out loud about President Obama being a Muslim, being born in Kenya, or hating white people, or that he is cozy with terrorists.
They are parents, who attend school sports events with their kids, and are forced to endure hearing that same old, cranky man in the bleachers talking loudly -- and always loud enough so everyone can hear him -- about that "god-damned Nancy Pelosi" and the Democrats for socializing our health-care" and "taking away our constitutional rights".
This new Silent Majority of Americans includes not just whites, blacks, asians, latinos, but also families that are blessedly mixed racially, and who have a gay child, brother, sister, aunt or uncle that they love dearly. These Americans may not speak up in that grocery line or at the sports event, for not wanting to embarrass their children or because it's just not how they behave. But, believe me, their silence is deadly.
Americans are not fooled. They know that every town has these cranks, who are always the usual suspects, the same ones who quote Rush Limbaugh, who always get "worked up" about this or that, who harangue city council meetings with their right-wing crap. They know them.
Americans know that the racist at the end of their street is the same one they saw at at tea-bagger "rally" in their town or is writing letters to the editor. And they know that he's only one house on their very long street.
Don't forget this: This new Silent Majority is the very same American people who elected Barack Obama, an African-American to be President of the United States, preferring him over a cranky white "war hero", and doing so by over a 9 million vote margin!
This new Silent Majority also took the reins of power away from the Republican Party decidedly in 2006 and in 2008 in both mid-term and in general elections.
Now, this new Silent Majority doesn't talk a lot at the grocery store. They may not argue back at a sports event. But they vote when they feel they need to. And it looks like they feel they might need to return, yet once again to the polling booth in November. Why? Because they are really beginning to get pissed off at all the noise.
The GOP "tea-party" got just a little bit too loud and now they've awakened this new Silent Majority.
Proof?
Just look at the latest polling from across the country for these past 3 weeks as we approach the election. Democrats are rising and Republicans are tanking. Across the board. State by state, Democrats who were down double digits are pulling even or even ahead. What's going on? I'll tell you.
The American People remember.
The American People know good and god-damned well who caused the great financial collapse, and who caused the national wave of home foreclosures. They know it was George W. Bush and his Republican Party.
The American People know good and god-damned well who caused the horrific unemployment in our nation, who cheer-led the outsourcing of their jobs to cheap foreign labor. No amount of Republican television advertising can make them forget who ran the Titanic into the iceberg.
The American People know good and god-damned well who started these two multi-trillion dollar wars that returned young boys and girls back to their hometowns in caskets or permanently maimed physically and mentally. And Americans know exactly who to blame for it.
And this Silent Majority, normally apathetic, typically apolitical has been holding their collective tongue for the last 12 months, as the right-wing rabble began their shouting, whipping up their pathetic, puny "loud minority" into harassing Democratic candidates at public forums, seizing town-hall meetings, stirring up hatred for immigrants and minorities. And they have not liked what they have seen.
Today's Silent Majority looks nothing like the one from the 1960's. It may be unhappy with the Democratic Party, but it really can't stand the Republican Party. At all.
Look at the polls. The trends are clearly on our side, not theirs.
And the GOP has begun hedge their bets, to scale back on their bragging. As Bob Dylan said, "Now you don't talk so loud, now you don't seem so proud..." Oops, maybe they have awakened a sleeping giant that would have otherwise ignored this election and just sat it out. Oops, maybe the tea-baggers got too loud, you know, like an alarm clock.
The Silent Majority in America is no longer Republican. Rise up with me and let's remind them that they may be loud and obnoxious as hell, but they are the minority now for a reason. Americans don't trust them and, really don't like them much either.Simulated blindness gives adult mice sharper hearing, researchers find
COLLEGE PARK, Md - Call it the Ray Charles Effect: a young child who is blind develops a keen ability to hear things others cannot. Researchers have known this can happen in the brains of the very young, which are malleable enough to re-wire some circuits that process sensory information. Now researchers at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University have overturned conventional wisdom, showing the brains of adult mice can also be re-wired, compensating for a temporary vision loss by improving their hearing.
The findings, published Feb. 5 in the peer-reviewed journal Neuron, may lead to treatments for people with hearing loss or tinnitus, said Patrick Kanold, an associate professor of biology at UMD who partnered with Hey-Kyoung Lee, an associate professor of neuroscience at JHU, to lead the study.
"There is some level of interconnectedness of the senses in the brain that we are revealing here," Kanold said.
"We can perhaps use this to benefit our efforts to recover a lost sense," said Lee. "By temporarily preventing vision, we may be able to engage the adult brain to change the circuit to better process sound."
Kanold explained that there is an early "critical period" for hearing, similar to the better-known critical period for vision. The auditory system in the brain of a very young child quickly learns its way around its sound environment, becoming most sensitive to the sounds it encounters most often. But once that critical period is past, the auditory system doesn't respond to changes in the individual's soundscape.
"This is why we can't hear certain tones in Chinese if we didn't learn Chinese as children," Kanold said. "This is also why children get screened for hearing deficits and visual deficits early. You cannot fix it after the critical period."
Kanold, an expert on how the brain processes sound, and Lee, an expert on the same processes in vision, thought the adult brain might be flexible if it were forced to work across the senses rather than within one sense. They used a simple, reversible technique to simulate blindness: they placed adult mice with normal vision and hearing in |
knew I was going to die one way or the other, that going down this path ended with my death.”
‘Emotional numbness’
Cook, whose only sin was being in a house where a friend of Mildred Muhammad’s was staying, was the first victim in a spree that hit California, Arizona, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland, the District and Virginia. Malvo said there were at least 200 crimes that ranged from the murders everyone remembers to robberies and assaults.
“If we were anywhere for three days, someone was getting robbed,” Malvo said.
“We were searching for Mildred,” Malvo said, adding that everything they did was toward the goal of finding her and getting the children back.
“Every day there was something to do, something to focus on, in order to get me to that state of emotional numbness in which he could just say, ‘Do,’ and it immediately happened,” he said. “There was no hesitation. There was no thought. There was no moral compunction. There was no interference. He said ‘Jump’ and it was, ‘How high?’... It was a systematic process until he got me where he needed me to be. Day in, day out, he controlled what I read, what I did, what I ate, my itinerary, when I slept.”
There was military precision to the attacks, and then there were after-action briefings, in which Muhammad would critique the crimes down to the finest details, Malvo said. Malvo said he carried out the crimes that involved getting close to people, such as handgun shootings and robberies, or any shooting that involved possibly getting caught. He called Muhammad “a coward” and believes that Muhammad was setting him up to take the fall.
Malvo said that he felt as if Muhammad kept him on a “need to know” basis and that he did not know what the plan was until long into the shootings. He said the five shootings in Montgomery County on the morning of Oct. 3, 2002, were based “on a strategy of compacting everything in one area” so that they could “use the system against itself” and overwhelm authorities. He said they spent weeks scoping out 60 different spots.
On the day of the shootings, they would drive up to one of the spots and stay there for 10 minutes. If a shot presented itself, they took it.
“We’d drive up, he’d park, he’d go in the trunk, I’d put my window down halfway, and I could see whatever...,” Malvo said. “My focus is on witnesses, passengers, and whenever there was an opening, I told him to shoot.” It was rapid, one after another, he said, all at random. “Whoever was there.”
Malvo said he shot many people en route to the District, then took the shots that injured 13-year-old Iran Brown at a Bowie middle school on Oct. 7 — “Imagine that, a kid, shooting a kid,” he said, slapping his right hand to his forehead — and Jeffrey Hopper at the Ponderosa Steakhouse in Ashland, Va., on Oct. 19. He said he also killed Conrad Johnson, the final sniper shooting, on Oct. 22, in Aspen Hill.
When prompted, Malvo remembered crossing paths with a Post reporter in Ashland in 2002. Malvo said he remembered a green car turning into a hotel parking lot as light rain began to fall — “You almost hit me,” he recalled — and how he was scurrying toward the wood line to pick up a duffel bag he had hidden away.
He said he wandered up to the news conferences that night in a brightly colored sweater and spoke to police officers and others, asking what was going on. He called it “intelligence collection” and said he did the same thing at other scenes.
‘Layers of darkness’
At times, Malvo said, he stashed the sniper rifle in holes and hides near shooting locations. He would then wait for police to search the area and would return later to get the gun. Police found the weapon in the blue Chevy Caprice when the two were arrested.
They were aware of the media coverage and tailored some of their actions accordingly, Malvo said. The white van and white box truck craze led Malvo to call shots when there were white vans and trucks nearby, knowing the vehicles would draw attention away from them.
He said the killings became remarkably routine. The victims weren’t victims — they were targets, he said.
“There is no feeling,” Malvo said. “At that point in time, I had been desensitized. I’d been killing people for months, if not a whole year, day in and day out. In the midst of the task, there is no feeling.... It got to a point where I’d get in a zone. There was nothing else but whoever is before me, and anything that comes between me and, as you would say, the target, I’m either going to destroy, or if it’s too big, find a way around it. Nothing is going to stop me but death to get that done.
“I was able to tap into a place that if there was a soul there it was behind layers and layers and layers of darkness.”
But deep down, Malvo said, there were still elements of his former self. He said there were several times when he thought about killing himself and once when he pulled a gun on Muhammad. He also said there was one time he drew a line: Muhammad told him during the D.C. shootings that Malvo had to kill a pregnant woman, and Malvo couldn’t bring himself to do it when the opportunity presented itself.
After their arrest, Malvo took the blame for all the shootings in early interviews with police, at times bragging about certain shots and killings. Now, he says, those interviews were planned attempts to deflect responsibility from Muhammad.
“Once they told me I was in Virginia [where the death penalty is more prevalent], I did everything I thought I could do to save his life,” Malvo said. “It was just a mixture of half-truths, details that only I or the killer would know, because I was there. What’s crazy is this entire process. I’m concerned for him, and he doesn’t give a rat’s a-- whether I live or die.”
Malvo said the most enduring memory about the shootings for him, next to Ted Franklin’s eyes, is something he realized when he returned to Virginia after testifying against Muhammad in Maryland. He saw an educational television show in which Stanton Samenow — a clinical psychologist who testified as an expert against Malvo at trial — explained that a criminal’s actions do not devastate just a single family but also their neighbors, their community, anyone the victim knew. A large and expanding circle of people.
“Once I began to list the victims for every single possible crime that I could think of, the number, quickly, it was like multiplying by seven. It just exponentially grew,” Malvo said. “The enormity of it. When you’re in the midst of doing the shooting, that was my sole focus. I didn’t give it thought.... You never get a grasp on what exactly you actually did and what the ramifications were for others.”
And Malvo is outwardly apologetic to his victims and their families, but he said there’s no way to express that. When asked what he would say directly to them, he implored people to forget about him.
“We can never change what happened,” Malvo said. “There’s nothing that I can say except don’t allow me and my actions to continue to victimize you for the rest of your life. It may sound cold, but it’s not. It’s the only sound thing I can offer. You and you alone have the power to control that. And, you take the power away from this other person, this monster, and you take control....
“Don’t allow myself or Muhammad to continue to make you a victim for the rest of your life,” Malvo said. “It isn’t worth it.”
Sari Horwitz contributed to this report.MMOBomb has teamed up with Bandai Namco to giveaway alpha keys for their upcoming Moba, Supernova. To get your code key you just need to click on the button below. Don’t miss out!
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[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-1]Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulWhite House pleads with Senate GOP on emergency declaration The Hill's Morning Report — Emergency declaration to test GOP loyalty to Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump escalates fight with NY Times MORE (R-Ky.) writes that controversial conservative donors Charles and David Koch have "always stood for freedom, equality and opportunity" in a tribute published by Time magazine on Thursday.
“Consistent with their love of liberty, they have become prominent advocates for criminal-justice reform,” the 2016 GOP presidential candidate said in his short piece, published as part of the annual Time 100 list of influential people.
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“The Koch brothers’ investment in freedom-loving think tanks will carry on for generations, reminding all of us that ideas and convictions ultimately trump all else," he added.
The libertarian brothers, who have built a network of organizations to support and develop public policy in line with their political views, have been criticized by liberals as emblematic of the post-Citizens United era of campaign finance. Their network reportedly plans to spend $889 million on the 2016 elections.
Their fortune comes from Koch Industries, the Kansas-based company that they lead.
They, like Paul, have been vocal about their support for criminal justice reform — based largely on a libertarian belief that the justice system has become an example of government abuse that disproportionately affects poor people and minorities.
The comments come as Paul launches his presidential campaign, hoping he can leverage his libertarian message to appeal to new constituencies within the Republican Party.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will lift his predecessor’s restriction on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research on Monday and will give the National Institutes of Health four months to come up with new rules on the issue, officials said on Sunday.
President Barack Obama walks out of the Oval Office before departing for the presidential retreat in Maryland, March 7, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing
Obama will not lay out guidelines himself but will let the NIH decide when it is ethical and legal to pay for embryonic stem cell research, science adviser Dr. Harold Varmus said.
Researchers and advocates have been invited to a White House ceremony at which Obama will make the announcement, said Melody Barnes, director of Obama’s domestic policy council. He will also sign a pledge to “restore scientific integrity in governmental decision making,” Barnes said.
“He believes that by signing them he’s going to continue to fulfill the promises that he made over the 20-plus months on the campaign,” Barnes told reporters in a conference call.
“And the president believes that it’s particularly important to sign this memorandum so that we can put science and technology back at the heart of achieving a broad range of national goals.”
Former President George W. Bush was accused by scientists and politicians of injecting politics and sometimes religion into scientific decisions regarding not only stem cells, but climate change policy, energy policy and contraceptive policy.
Barnes said scrapping the restriction on federal funding imposed by Bush would help to create jobs and strengthen national security.
Varmus said Obama will give the NIH 120 days come up with a framework to govern the use of federal funds to work with human embryonic stem cells.
LIMITED USE
A law called the Dickey Amendment limits the use of federal money to actually make the powerful stem cells, because they must be taken from human embryos. So federal research money can currently be used only to work with cells that were made using other sources of funds.
“The president, in effect, is allowing federal funding on human embryonic stem cells research to the extent that is allowed by law,” said Varmus, a former NIH director who is also president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and an adviser to Obama.
“There will be no explicit attempt to draw up what those guidelines will be,” Varmus added.
Researchers are delighted.
“Hallelujah! This marks the end of a long and repressive chapter in scientific history. It’s the stem cell ‘emancipation proclamation’,” said Dr. Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts.
“I really hope this is the end of this political football game,” agreed Michael West, who once headed ACT and Geron Inc and is now chief executive officer of a California-based biotech firm called BioTime.
Stem cells are primitive, long-living cells that are the source of all other cells in the body. When taken from days-old embryos they are virtually immortal and can give rise to all the other cells and tissues in the body.
Supporters say they can transform medicine and have been working to use them to repair severed spinal cords, regenerate brain cells lost in cases of Parkinson’s Disease and restore the tissue destroyed by juvenile diabetes.
Dr. Douglas Melton, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, noted that the process of getting federal funding itself is time-consuming but said his group will seek the cash alongside its other sources of money.
“The removal of this barrier that has stood in our way for eight years will open important new areas of research, and help in moving the field forward more rapidly,” Melton said.
Although support for federal funding of human stem cell research crosses political and philosophical boundaries, opponents remain.
“Taxpayer dollars should not aid the destruction of innocent human life,” said House of Representatives Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio.This will be a top sticky post for a day or two, new stories will appear below this one.
At the Heartland Conference in Chicago this morning, four of the forty-nine signers of the March letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (discussed at WUWT here, here, and here) appeared to discuss their reasons for signing that letter and to announce a second letter responding to NASA’s response.
The text of that letter is reproduced below:
May 11, 2012
The Honorable Charles Bolden, Jr. NASA Administrator
NASA Headquarters
Washington, D.C. 20546-0001
Dear Charlie:
In our letter of March 28, 2012, we, the undersigned, respectfully requested that NASA and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) refrain from including unproven remarks in public releases and websites.
On April 11th, Dr. Waleed Abdalati responded, holding that: “As an agency, NASA does not draw conclusions and issue ‘claims’ about research findings.”
Eight days later, at a senate hearing, Dr. Abdalati, did just that, concluding that Sea-Level rise within the next 87 years projects within a range of 0.2 meters to 2 meters, with lower ranges less likely while “the highest values are based on warmest of the temperature scenarios commonly considered for the remainder of the 21st century.” Abdalati added: “The consequences of a 1 meter rise in sea level by the end of this century would be very significant in terms of human well-being and economics, and potentially global socio-political stability.”
The range and imprecision of this conclusion is astounding!
“Commonly considered?” Is this science by poll? If hard data points to a provable rise, it should be stated with its probability. Can you imagine one of your predecessors, Dr. Thomas Paine, declaring, “Our Apollo 11 Lunar Lander’s target is the Sea of Tranquility, but we may make final descent within a range that includes Crater Clavius”?
We are not trying to stifle discourse, but undisciplined commentary, lacking in precision, is wholly inappropriate when NASA’s name and reputation is attached.
This letter should end the discussion, as a protracted discourse on this topic is not in NASA’s interest, but a commitment from you to equal or exceed the agency’s reputation for careful reliance upon rigorous science and accurate data most certainly is!
Join us, please, in encouraging your colleagues to achieve the level of excellence the world has come to expect from America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration!
Waiting to do so is not an option!
[signed 41]
PS Waiting to send was not an option either –we have fewer signatures than the first, as not everyone was reachable and only one opted out.
/s/ Jack Barneburg, Jack – JSC, Space Shuttle Structures, Engineering Directorate, 34 years
/s/ Larry Bell – JSC, Mgr. Shuttle Cargo Engineering, Crew Syst. Div. 32 years
/s/ Jerry C. Bostick – JSC, Director of Mission Support, 23 years
/s/ Dr. Phillip K. Chapman – JSC, Scientist – astronaut, 5 years
/s/ Michael F. Collins, JSC, Chief, Flight Design and Dynamics Div., MOD, 41 years
/s/ Dr. Kenneth Cox – JSC, Chief Flight Dynamics Div., Engr. Directorate, 40 years
/s/ Walter Cunningham – JSC, Astronaut, Apollo 7, 8 years
/s/ Dr. Donald M. Curry – JSC, Mgr. Shuttle Leading Edge, Thermal Protection Sys., Engr. Dir., 44 years
/s/ Leroy Day – Hdq. Deputy Director, Space Shuttle Program, 19 years
/s/Charles F. Deiterich – JSC, Mgr., Flight Operations Integration, MOD, 30 years
/s/ Dr. Harold Doiron – JSC, Chairman, Shuttle Pogo Prevention Panel, 16 years
/s/ Grace Germany – JSC, Program Analyst, 35 years
/s/ Richard Gordon – JSC, Astronaut, Gemini Xi, Apollo 12, 9 years
/s/ Gerald D. Griffin – JSC, Apollo Flight Director, and Director of Johnson Space Center, 22 years
/s/ Thomas M. Grubbs – JSC, Chief, Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Branch, 31 years
/s/ David W. Heath – JSC, Reentry Specialist, MOD, 30 years
/s/ Miguel A. Hernandez, Jr. PE – JSC, Flight crew training and operations, 14 years
/s/ Enoch Jones – JSC, Mgr. SE&I, Shuttle Program Office, 26 years
/s/ Dr. Joseph Kerwin – JSC, Astronaut, Skylab 2, Director of Space and Life Sciences, 22 years
/s/ Jack Knight – JSC, Chief, Advanced Operations and Development Div., MOD, 40 years
/s/ Dr. Christopher C. Kraft – JSC, Apollo Flight Director and Director of Johnson Space Center, 24 years
/s/ Paul C. Kramer – JSC, Ass’t. for Planning Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Div., Egr. Dir., 34 years
/s/ Dr. Lubert Leger – JSC, Ass’t. Chief Materials Div., Engr. Directorate, 30 years
/s/ Dr. Humbolt C. Mandell – JSC, Mgr. Shuttle Program Control and Advance Programs, 40 years
/s/ Donald K. McCutchen – JSC, Project Engineer – Space Shuttle and ISS Program Offices, 33 years
/s/ Richard McFarland – ARC, Mgr. Tech development VMS & Motion Simulators, 28 years
/s/ Thomas L. (Tom) Moser – Hdq. Dep. Assoc. Admin. & Director, Space Station Program, 28 years
/s/ Dr. George Mueller – Hdq., Assoc. Adm., Office of Space Flight, 6 years
/s/ James Peacock – JSC, Apollo and Shuttle Program Office, 21 years
/s/ Alex Pope – JSC, Aerospace Engineer, Engr. Directorate, 44 years
/s/ Joseph E. Rogers – JSC, Chief, Structures and Dynamics Branch, Engr. Directorate,40 years
/s/ Bernard J. Rosenbaum – JSC, Chief Engineer, Propulsion and Power Div., Engr. Dir., 48 years
/s/ James R. Roundtree – JSC, Sim. Dev. Branch Chief, Systems Dev. Div., Mission Support Dir., 26 years
/s/ Dr. Harrison (Jack) Schmitt – JSC, Astronaut Apollo 17, 10 years
/s/ Kenneth Suit – JSC, Ass’t Mgr., Systems Integration, Space Shuttle, 37 years
/s/ Robert F. Thompson – JSC, Program Manager, Space Shuttle, 44 years
/s/ Frank Van Renesselaer – Hdq.– Dir. Expendable Equipment (Ext. Tank, Solid Boosters, & Shuttle Upper Stages), 20 years
/s/ James Visentine – JSC Materials Branch, Engr. Directorate, 30 years
/s/ Manfred (Dutch) von Ehrenfried – JSC, Flight Controller; Mercury, Gemini & Apollo, MOD, 10 years
/s/ Al Worden – JSC, Astronaut, Apollo 15, 9 years
/s/ Thomas (Tom) Wysmuller – ARC, GSFC, Hdq. – Meteorologist, 5 years
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RedditHouston Texas just voted to reinstate, repealing the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which included non-discrimination protection for 15 classes of people. A hate group called Campaign for Houston defeated the ordinance by perpetuating the dangerous lie that trans women are perverted men who only use the restroom to assault cisgender women. A Williams Insititue studies shows the opposite is actually true – Trans people are far more likely to be victims of assault in public restrooms than perpetrators. There are zero cases of a trans person assaulting a cis person in a restroom.
But as they’ve demonstrated with school textbooks, climate change and police brutality, facts don’t matter to conservatives.
When your right to use the restroom is literally a political debate, you feel like you’re living in a dystopian society. Or should I say a pisstopian society. It might be funny if it wasn’t frighteningly real.
I worked at a local conservative call center where telephone interviewers call on behalf of right-wing superPACs, candidates and hate groups, including Minnesota’s Child Protection League in Feb. 2015. Though the workplace itself is surprisingly trans-friendly, when we conducted calls spreading misinformation urging voters to support discrimination against trans youth, I started to feel unsafe at work and quit soon after.
Several states have proposed legislation forbidding trans people from using gender-appropriate public restrooms and locker rooms. Bills in Texas and Florida even criminalize people (including up to a year in jail and a $4000 fine) for using the restroom.
Though I haven’t seen the issue framed as such, this actually can be a matter of life and death. It’s already a health issue, as Gavin Grimm’s case points out. The 16-year-old held his urine the entire school day because the school deferred his rights to a few hateful parents who objected to him using the boys’ room. This gave him a urinary tract infection. Those aren’t life-threatening, unlike TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome). Since many trans people, especially minors, lack access to healthcare, most trans boys have monthly periods and may wear tampons. If you don’t change your tampon often enough, you can get TSS which is life-threatening. A risk you may run if you don’t have access to a restroom in public spaces.
Although there is zero statistical evidence that trans people have ever assaulted or harassed someone in a public restroom, nor any reports of male predators pretending to be transgender to harass or assault cisgender people in public restrooms, there are several cases of violence against trans people in public facilities.
According to a 2013 Williams Institute report, approximately 70% of trans people have been denied entrance, assaulted, or harassed while trying to use the restroom.
These conservative fear-mongers want us to die. We know that. They deny our existence, call us abominations, sinners, nuclear weapons, and they debate our right to pee in peace as if it’s a matter of public discourse. It shouldn’t be. We just.
So what can we do? Trans activists spoke out about the illogical and humiliating reality of the bathroom issue. A burly, bearded trans male Texan, photographed himself in a restroom, with the caption, “Do I look like I belong in women’s facilities?”
While “passing” should not be a factor in determining whether trans people deserve access to appropriate public facilities, the reality of bearded, muscular, balding trans men in women’s rooms definitely isn’t one the right-wing transphobes want to address.
Drawing attention to the absurdity here helps disintegrate the transphobic bathroom myth for what it really is: unfounded hate and fear. If you’re cisgender, please speak out against transphobic discrimination in public facilities and elsewhere. It’s a much less dangerous and emotionally charged issue for you than for us. If you’re trans, please keep your head up. We’re stuck in this pisstopian society for now, but it’s improving.
In the meantime, here’s a list of in Kent: First floor KSU Library, KSU Wellness Center, Prentice Hall KSU, Scribbles Coffee, both Circle K locations, Unitarian Universalist Church, United Methodist Church (by Pierson Hall), Baked in the Village Cafe, and Starbucks Coffee.
A map of gender neutral restrooms at Kent State is also available here.Below you will find the exclusive unveiling of the Wooden Award preseason top 50. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible, but they can be added to the list as the season progresses and ultimately win the award. For example, former Kentucky star Anthony Davis won the honor last season.
The John R. Wooden Award has been distributed since 1977, when UCLA’s Marques Johnson captured it. Media members vote on a list of candidates established by the award’s national advisory board toward the end of the season.
Here’s a rundown of the players who cracked the preseason watch list (alphabetical order):
Keith Appling, G, Michigan State: With Draymond Green gone, the shifty point guard (11.4 ppg, 3.9 apg) is the top scoring option for a Michigan State squad with national title hopes just months after it exited the NCAA tournament in a 13-point loss to Louisville.
Coach Rick Pitino hopes Chane Behanan can lead Louisville back to the Final Four. Jamie Rhodes/US Presswire
Chane Behanan, F, Louisville: Rick Pitino’s plans to return to the Final Four are partially based on Behanan’s continued development. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 13.2 ppg and 8.0 rpg during Louisville’s run to New Orleans.
Kenny Boynton, G, Florida: Florida is ranked 10th in the Associated Press preseason poll in part because the 6-2 Boynton (15.9 ppg, 41 percent from beyond the arc) returns to a Gators squad that looks like a threat to Kentucky’s SEC title hopes.
Lorenzo Brown, G, NC State: Brown has recovered from offseason knee surgery, so he’s ready to continue the momentum he amassed in NC State’s run to the Sweet 16. The 6-5 guard was the Wolfpack’s most versatile player in the NCAA tournament (13.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.0 apg).
Trey Burke, G, Michigan: As a freshman, Burke (14.8 ppg, 4.6 apg) led Michigan to a share of the Big Ten title. He enters 2012-13 as one of the most prolific point guards in America.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G, Georgia: Caldwell-Pope was a silver lining in Georgia’s 15-17 finish in 2011-12. He cracked the SEC’s all-freshman squad after averaging 13.2 ppg for the Bulldogs.
Isaiah Canaan, G, Murray State: Canaan (19.4 ppg, 3.8 apg) was critical as Murray State won its first 23 games last season. The return of the Associated Press preseason All-American point guard raises projections for the Racers in 2012-13.
Jack Cooley, F, Notre Dame: He’s not the nation’s flashiest player, but Cooley is a blue-collar forward who produces. Cooley finished last season with a 122.9 offensive rating, 11th among players who used at least 20 percent of their team’s available possessions.
D.J. Cooper, G, Ohio: Cooper (14.7 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.3 spg) led the Bobcats to last season’s Sweet 16, where they nearly upset North Carolina in overtime.
Vincent Council, G, Providence: Council is the catalyst for a Friars squad that finished 15-17 in 2011-12. Marks of 15.9 ppg, 7.4 apg and 4.1 rpg made Council one of the top -- and most underrated guards -- in the country.
Allen Crabbe, G, California: Crabbe (15.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) earned first-team all-Pac-12 honors and guided the Bears to an NCAA tournament slot in 2011-12.
Aaron Craft, G, Ohio State: The reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year (2.5 spg) will take on a larger offensive role with the Buckeyes as they adjust to life without Jared Sullinger.
Seth Curry, G, Duke: With Austin Rivers gone, Curry (13.2 ppg, 38 percent from the 3-point line) is Mike Krzyzewski’s top perimeter threat.
Brandon Davies, F, BYU: The Cougars will not cede the WCC to Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s without a fight, because Davies (15.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg), the league’s top post player, is back.
Matthew Dellavedova, G, Saint Mary’s: Dellavedova (15.5 ppg, 6.4 apg) helped Saint Mary’s secure the regular season and conference tournament titles over Gonzaga in 2011-12. He played with Australia’s national team in the Olympics in London during the summer.
Gorgui Dieng, C, Louisville: The Senegalese big man’s knack for blocking and altering shots (3.2 bpg) helped Pitino’s squad reach the Final Four and achieve the nation’s highest defensive efficiency rating last season. He also averaged 9.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 1.2 spg for the Cardinals.
Jamaal Franklin, G, San Diego State: San Diego State will challenge UNLV for the Mountain West crown with Franklin, who led the Mountain West in scoring with 17.2 ppg in 2011-12 and won the league’s player of the year honor, anchoring a guard-heavy lineup that maintained its core from last season.
Tim Frazier, G, Penn State: Frazier cracked the all-Big Ten first team in 2011-12 after finishing second in the league with 18.8 ppg and leading the conference in assists (6.2 apg). The Big Ten all-defensive team member was also second in the league in steals (2.4 per game).
Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Michigan: Burke’s backcourt mate was equally pivotal in Michigan’s push for the Big Ten title after averaging 14.6 ppg last season.
Elias Harris, F, Gonzaga: The 6-8 senior from Germany enters 2012-13 as a strong candidate for WCC player of the year. He averaged 13.1 ppg and 8.5 rpg, and he connected on 41 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2011-12.
Solomon Hill, F, Arizona: The gutsy, 6-7 forward was forced to play power forward for Sean Miller last season. But Hill (13.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.0 spg) was one of the Pac-12’s most versatile performers despite his disadvantage in size.
Pierre Jackson, G, Baylor: Jackson (13.8 ppg, 5.9 apg) leads one of the nation’s top backcourts in Waco. Baylor’s leader makes the Bears Kansas’ greatest threat in the Big 12 race.
Elijah Johnson, G, Kansas: Johnson came alive in the NCAA tournament (13.3 ppg in six games) as Kansas soared into the national title game. The dynamic combo guard could lead the Jayhawks to their ninth consecutive Big 12 title.
Sean Kilpatrick, G, Cincinnati: The 6-5 guard/forward pushed the Bearcats into the Sweet 16 with 18 points and six rebounds in a 62-56 victory against Florida State in the third round.
C.J. Leslie, F, NC State: The former McDonald’s All-American’s decision to return for another season increased the buzz surrounding the Wolfpack, the favorite to win the ACC for the first time in more than 40 years. NC State hasn’t won a regular-season title since 1989, but Leslie (14.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg) changed all expectations when he led the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16.
James Michael McAdoo, F, North Carolina: McAdoo (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) will be the central figure of Roy Williams’ Tar Heels in 2012-13. The sophomore passed on the NBA for an opportunity to develop and showcase his full arsenal.
Ray McCallum Jr., G, Detroit: McCallum finally became the leader his father and coach Ray McCallum Sr. needed him to be during the final stages of last season. McCallum led the Titans to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1999 by amassing 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in a win over Valparaiso in the Horizon League title game.
C.J. McCollum, G, Lehigh: The Associated Press preseason All-American opened eyes around the country when he dropped 30 points during an upset against Duke in the NCAA tournament. His 113.6 rating was 10th among players who’d used at least 28 percent of their team’s possessions in 2011-12.
Doug McDermott, F, Creighton: McDermott (22.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg) finished 2011-12 with a 123.5 offensive rating and exploded onto the national scene as he ended the season with multiple All-American honors.
Rodney McGruder, G, Kansas State: The 6-4 senior averaged 15.8 ppg and connected on 38.5 percent of his 3-point attempts for the Wildcats last season. He was also an 80 percent free throw shooter.
Tony Mitchell, F, North Texas: Mitchell (14.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg) nearly led the Mean Green to the NCAA tournament as a freshman. The double-double machine (10 for North Texas last season even though he wasn’t eligible until mid-December) is a projected lottery pick in next summer’s NBA draft.
Mike Moser, F, UNLV: Moser’s all-around effort fueled UNLV’s 26-9 season in 2011-12. Moser (14.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg) is one of the nation’s most complete players.
Brock Motum, F, Washington State: The 6-10 forward led the Pac-12 in scoring in 2011-12. He also finished with a 109.0 offensive rating (18th among players who used at least 28 percent of their team’s possessions).
Le'Bryan Nash, G/F, Oklahoma State: The athletic, versatile player (13.3 ppg) made a splash in his freshman season in 2011-12. Paired with freshman Marcus Smart, Nash & Co. could spice up the Big 12 title race.
Brandon Paul, G, Illinois: Paul (14.7 ppg) wasn’t always consistent last season, but his efforts kept Illinois alive in multiple games.
Mason Plumlee, F, Duke: Plumlee (11.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg) erased memories of his late-season struggles when he scored 19 points (9-for-9) and grabbed 12 rebounds in Duke’s upset loss to Lehigh in the NCAA tournament.
Otto Porter, F, Georgetown: The sophomore forward (9.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) finished strong in 2011-12. He was inserted into Georgetown’s starting lineup down the stretch and proved that he belonged with his efforts in the Big East and NCAA tournaments.
Phil Pressey, G, Missouri: Pressey (10.3 ppg, 6.4 apg) is one of the few returning contributors on a Missouri team that lost four starters from a 30-win team. Frank Haith will count on Pressey -- the Big 12’s assists leader last season -- to develop cohesion within a group that welcomes multiple newcomers.
Andre Roberson, F, Colorado: Roberson (11.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 1.9 bpg) |
of advice. "Take care," she said. Why? "Because you are an enemy of Putin," she replied, matter-of-factly.
By August 2008, we had left Voikovskaya and moved into a wooden dacha in the artists' colony of Sokol in north-west Moscow. The house was a haven amid the madness of the city: lily of the valley grew near our front gate, Virginia creeper decked the green picket fence. The cycle of harassment from the FSB had seemingly tailed off. And then, on 7 August, war erupted in Georgia. The flashpoint was the separatist enclave of South Ossetia, run in effect by Moscow and the FSB. Over the following three weeks, I reported what I witnessed as Russian columns swept down from South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, towards Tbilisi. The Georgian army's disastrous incursion into Tskhinvali itself had been crushed; what was left of president Mikhail Saakashvili's forces was in disarray and retreat. In the Georgian border villages next to South Ossetia, South Ossetian irregulars went on a murderous rampage. Backed by the Russian army, they shot dead ethnic Georgian civilians (teenage boys first), looted cars and household furniture, and torched Georgian houses. It was 21st-century ethnic cleansing, and I said as much. These killings by Russian proxies went unreported inside Russia itself. Instead, state-controlled TV hailed Moscow's long-planned invasion of Georgia as a peacekeeping operation.
When I got back to Moscow, the mood towards western journalists was sour and vengeful. On 25 November 2008, I had an unhappy meeting with Boris Shardakov, the foreign ministry official responsible for British journalists' accreditation. "Why do you stay in this country?" he said. "Is your family not afraid that if you remain here something unpleasant might happen to you?" Was this a threat? It looked like one.
At the same time, the FSB resumed and escalated its campaign of brutishness. The break-ins at my home and flat became numerous. I kept a log.
29 October-2 November 2008. Upper outer right bedroom window open. Shut when we left. Batteries removed from alarm system in every room in the house.
8 December 2008. Central heating disconnected. House freezing. Mobile-like ringing from under the stairs in middle of the night. Can't find source. Ringing continues.
'The FSB’s invisible presence continued. I kept a log. 30 January 2009. Break-in at office. Screensaver of Phoebe and the kids deleted from computer'
30 January 2009. Break-in at Guardian office. Screensaver showing Phoebe and kids deleted from my computer. Screen locked. Keyboard wiped clean. Door and lock stiff.
3 February 2009. Email to British Embassy returns with message deleted and "NULL" written on it.
By this point it was clear the security services were prepared to continue their campaign until I got the message and cleared off. The break-ins were not without humour. I once found a cheap paperback left by the side of my bed, offering tips on how to achieve better orgasms.
On 30 June 2010, the FSB broke into my office again. They unplugged the internet, opened the window and left the phone off the hook, placing it next to my laptop. The message was clear: we are still here. That day I had written a story about Anna Chapman, the spy who was part of a network of sleeper Russian agents uncovered in the US. The nocturnal visit was a reminder that I was again pursuing themes the Kremlin considers off-limits. Most news organisations in Russia – including, despite the efforts of its braver correspondents, the BBC – obey a series of informal rules, all of which I had broken. Taboo themes include corruption in the Kremlin, activities of Russia's intelligence agencies and human rights abuses by federal security forces and their local proxies in the troubled North Caucasus, and speculation about Putin's personal wealth, which some sources say is as much as $40bn. US diplomatic cables alleged "secret assets" abroad. Putin has denied this.
My Russian accreditation and visa expired on 27 November 2010; as in previous years, I had asked the foreign ministry for a renewal. The phone call, on Tuesday 2 November 2010, is unexpected. I'm in London, immersed in reading the secret WikiLeaks cables on Russia. The Russian foreign ministry summons me to an urgent meeting. They refuse to explain what it is about. I return to Russia and on Tuesday 16 November I turn up at the ministry's press department. I am told I broke permit rules during a Greenpeace press tour 13 months earlier to Russia's Arctic and during a visit to Ingushetia in March 2010. As a result, my accreditation will no longer be renewed. The FSB is behind the decision. I point out that other journalists from Reuters and AFP didn't have the right paperwork on both trips. I ask if president Medvedev – apparently keen to modernise Russia and attract foreign investors – is aware of my expulsion? There are no answers to these questions. But the calm demeanour of Oleg Churilov, head of the press department, during this exchange makes me think that the order to deport me has come from the very top. I warn him there will be a scandal. He appears not to care.
My four years in Russia end, then, in dramatic fashion: with a textbook Soviet-style expulsion. I am the first western staff correspondent to suffer this fate since the end of the cold war. I'm stunned. But my expulsion is not, I reflect, a surprise. It's something I have always accepted as a real, if far-fetched, possibility. Western correspondents in Moscow meet at least once a month in informal gatherings known as the "hack pack". Six months earlier, a young woman doing an internship at the ministry of foreign affairs turned up at hack pack drinks. Asked which journalist the ministry hated most, she unwittingly replied: "There's a guy called Luke Harding – they really hate him."
'The Russian foreign ministry summons me to an urgent meeting. My visa will not be renewed. I am stunned.'
My family and I book tickets to leave Moscow on Wednesday 24 November. Twenty-four hours before our departure, my phone rings. It is Nikolai, the junior press department diplomat. "Mr Harding, I have good news for you," he says. "We are willing to give you a visa for six months, so your children can finish school."
It appears I am to be temporarily un-expelled, before being re-expelled later.
The reasons are unfathomable. This could be a pragmatic victory for the Kremlin's liberals. It's also possible that British diplomacy has done the trick. It's only later I reflect that the climbdown may always have been the plan. The FSB's decision has turned our life as a family upside down.
Phoebe, Tilly and Ruskin return to Russia in early January, so the children can resume school; I stay behind in Britain to finish a book about WikiLeaks. In the meantime, the Guardian publishes hundreds of stories based on the US state department's secret cables that see Russia depicted as a "mafia state". They are not happy reading for the Kremlin. My byline is on the stories.
On Saturday 5 February, British Midland flight 891 makes its approach to Moscow's Domodedovo international airport. I feel an unmistakable sinking in my stomach. On landing, I hand over my battered British passport. A federal border agency official taps in my details. She calls over her boss. They exchange glances, and then break into an embarrassed giggle. (I've observed this on previous occasions and wonder if something puerile, something mockingly unpleasant, is written on the agency's system next to my name – the bearer of this passport has a small cock?) I'm told to stand to one side. The supervisor takes my passport. After a few minutes another official, Nikolai, arrives.
Before I can ask what's going on, Nikolai launches into a brief speech: "In accordance with paragraph 27 of Russian federal law, you are refused entry to the Russian Federation," he says. Why, I ask. "For you, Russia is closed," he answers.
I text Phoebe: "I'm being deported." "NO," she texts back. I assure her that this isn't a joke.
Nikolai takes me through my own security control point, back to departures and gate number one. I realise I'm being sent back on the same British Midland flight I've just arrived on.
The FSB's decision to deport me causes a minor international scandal. After a career writing the news, I become the news. I am the subject of a debate in the House of Commons. I worry about my family stuck in Moscow.
It becomes apparent that the Russian foreign ministry is entirely clueless about my expulsion. Sources protest they know nothing of the FSB decision to put me on a blacklist. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, denies the prime minister has anything to do with it. Exactly who took the decision, then, is a mystery. It is, nevertheless, embarrassing for the authorities. Within four days of my deportation, the Russian foreign ministry performs an extraordinary U-turn and gets in touch to say I can have a visa. Exactly a week after I'm deported, I return. My accreditation expires on 31 May 2011, I read – so the decision to grant me a new visa is merely an interim face-saving measure. In three months, when the scandal is quietly forgotten, I have to leave Russia again.
Back at our Moscow dacha, and reunited after more than a month apart, my family vote is 3-1 in favour of getting out. Only Phoebe votes to stay put. She has spent four years writing about the other Russia. While I've been immersed in the grim world of Kremlin politics, Phoebe has been roaming around Moscow under an open sky.
Back in England, I immediately deadlock the front door. In cafes and restaurants I glance over my shoulder, on the lookout for young men wearing cheap, ill-fitting suits and brown shoes. Once, I hear Russian voices outside on the street and find myself following two men. But over time, it appears that the old world has gone for good. When I return to the house, the white patio doors – bolted when I left – are still bolted. Household objects remain where I left them. We are anonymous again. And – I think – safe.
• Luke Harding's book, Mafia State: How One Reporter Became An Enemy Of The Brutal New Russia, is published on 29 September by Guardian Books at £20; ebook and audiobook editions are also available. To order a copy for £13 (including UK mainland p&p), go to guardianbookshop.co.ukYou seek to build a bastion against which your enemies shall break like water against the rocks.
Prerequisite: You must have the Leadership feat and must lead at least 10 combat-capable followers (such as fighters or rangers).
Benefit: You can spend a move action to give battle orders to your troops, granting creatures under your command within 60 feet your choice of a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls, a +1 dodge bonus to AC, or a +1 bonus on a single type of saving throw. All creatures must receive the same benefit. You can’t use this benefit on allies not under your command. This is a language-dependent, mind-affecting effect.
Goal: Build or capture a stronghold capable of housing a force of at least 200 troops, and staff it with at least 100 combat-capable soldiers (or the equivalent) under your command. You must also provide food and water sufficient to survive at least a 6-month siege and a gold reserve sufficient for at least 6 months of wages if your troops require pay.
Completion Benefit: Your battle order bonuses improve to +2, and the range of your orders increases to 120 feet. In addition, you can give two different orders to your troops. For example, you could grant your archers +2 on attack rolls while your front line gains a +2 bonus to AC.Just for fun… In my last post I showed my Hollywood portrait lighting style using just hard light from fresnel spotlights. The post before that featured two point lighting on the street using Speedlights. Now I’ve combined two point lighting with fresnel spotlights and styled the shoot with a Film Noir theme. Film Noir calls for some dramatic acting and there is no better actress for this role than Chloe-Jasmine. Let the drama begin.
The Wikipedia entry for Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasise cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywoods classical Film Noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s however it often depicted scenes from just after the great depression of 1929 1933.
LED fresnels can run on battery even though they deliver the equivalent of 1000w of tungsten light but with a daylight colour balance. I use inverter battery packs that are Li-Ion powered and last for between two and four hours depending upon what light I’m using.
I always set my camera to manual exposure to ensure the lighting build is consistently represented in the image. Aperture priority is not usable because of the massive swings in exposure that happen with a change in composition.
The shadow of the man in the main picture at the top of this post was created with a cardboard cut out and a spotlight. I didn’t have the budget for a second model so my creative assistant Luke made one for me.
You can connect with me by leaving a comment below. You can also message me on. I always respond to all messages and questions. If you want to stalk me 🙂 you can have a rummage through my personal blog: Prophotonut.
In my next post I’ll share my 10 step guide for using location flash in full sun.
______(Repeats story from late Monday with no changes)
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Environmental regulators may have underestimated by 50 percent the amount of the greenhouse gas methane emitted in the United States, according to a study published on Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study, conducted by scientists at several institutions and led by researchers at Harvard University, found the discrepancy was greatest in south central United States, where total emissions are nearly five times greater than measurements by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others.
The researchers said their findings also “cast doubt on the EPA’s recent decision to downscale its estimate of national natural gas emissions by 25 to 30 percent.”
The EPA is in the middle of setting federal limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and accurate measurements of methane - the second most prevalent greenhouse gas - are essential, the report’s authors said. States will be asked to devise their own plans to carry out those rules.
The report said methane emissions are likely to be 1.5 times higher than EPA’s estimate, and 1.7 times higher than that of the international Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research. Methane is produced in a variety of ways from gas escaping during oil and gas production to manure from livestock.
The scientists’ approach differed from the EPA’s because they measured what is in the atmosphere using meteorological data and statistical analysis. The government agency’s method is based on estimated emissions per cow, for example, or per unit of coal or gas sold.
“Effective national and state greenhouse gas reduction strategies may be difficult to develop without appropriate estimates of methane emissions from these source sectors,” the report said.
The EPA said Monday it is reviewing the PNAS study and appreciates the fact that new data is available to the public.
“EPA is committed to using the best available data for our inventory and continually seeks opportunities to update and improve our estimates,” the agency said in a statement.
“Research studies like these will add to our knowledge base of greenhouse gas emissions and will help us refine our estimates going forward.” (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; editing by Ros Krasny and Jackie Frank)Nice. Obama Meets With Dalai Lama; Makes Him Leave Through Garbage Exit
Obama would not meet the Dalai Lama in the Oval Office.
Not-so-grand exit: The Dalai Lama leaves the White House via an exit where rubbish bags are kept on the ground following his meeting with Barack Obama, (Daily Mail)
Obama showed the Dalai Lama the back door today after their meeting.
The Daily Mail reported:
The Dalai Lama and U.S president Barack Obama met for the first time at the White House today, defying furious protests from China The two Nobel Peace Prize winners seemed intent on keeping the meeting low-key, in order avoid worsening tensions between the two countries The Tibetan spiritual leader, who was also denied a meeting in the Oval office, left via a side entrance where rubbish bags were piled up and The White House didn’t release photos of the meeting until several hours afterwards.
Hat Tip GiniFormer White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said he has no bad blood with President Trump over his resignation, but he still won’t talk about his feud with Anthony Scaramucci.
Priebus clarified on CNN with Wolf Blitzer Friday evening that he tendered his resignation and the president accepted it — he was not fired. According to Priebus, it became clear that the president wanted to go in a different direction and so he decided to leave.
However, just because he doesn’t have any hard feelings with Trump, that doesn’t mean things are peachy with new communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
Priebus refused to touch Scaramucci’s expletive-laced rant against himself and Steve Bannon and became visibly annoyed when Blitzer asked him to say whether or not he was leaking information out of the White House.
“That’s ridiculous, Wolf, come on, give me a break,” Priebus said. “I’m not going to get into his accusations.”
“Why not respond?” Blitzer pressed.
“Because I’m not going to because it doesn’t honor the president,” Priebus responded. “I’m going to honor the president every day, I’m going to honor his agenda, and I’m going to honor this country. I’m not going to get into this personal stuff.”
Priebus then changed the topic to say that he still supports the president and supports the president’s decision to hire Homeland Security secretary John Kelly to take over as chief of staff.
WATCH:
Follow Amber on TwitterJournal Exercise
I find this to be a fun, meditative exercise to do with the Major Arcana archetypes. Explore the questions that I've posed from the perspective of each card and write down the feelings and thoughts that may surface. I have done this contemplative exercise during 'transitional' stages in my life and have gotten surprisingly different results.
The Fool/Dreamer
Remember a time when you felt careless and free? When you followed a hunch and trusted that it would work out just fine. What happened?
The Magician
What skills are you learning to develop? What talents do you already have at your disposal?
Sorceress/High Priestess
What is the biggest secret you keep from yourself?
Empress
In what ways do you feel you make the world a better, more livable place? How do you nurture yourself?
Emperor
What is your greatest achievement? What are you most proud of?
Hierophant/Sage
Who do you look up to and why? What has been your greatest truth - your'motto'?
The Lovers
Think back to a time when you had to make a choice between love and your own needs and goals. Do you feel you made the right decision?
The Chariot/Challenge
Recall a time when you were courageous and overcame your fears. What was that like?
Justice
What is the most difficult injustice you face in your own life? What is the greatest injustice you perceive in the world around you? Do you think you have any power to change this and if so, how? And if not, why not?
The Hermit
How often do you make time just for yourself? What do you do with this space and time?
The Wheel/Karma
Recall a time when you were faced with your own prejudice. Did this awareness alter your views?
Strength
Remember a time when you put your own needs, wants, even ego aside to look compassionately upon another and protected them or defended their honor.
Hanged Man/Reflection
Think of a time when you knew you were right, but then someone's view turned yours upside down.
Death
When was the last time you felt rejuvenated by the possibilities life has to offer? Is there something key in your life that you are letting go of...what is this experience like?
Temperance/Alchemy
What aspect of your life seems effortless, flowing?
The Devil
What are your dreams and secret desires? What is holding you back from living them out?
The Tower
What is the most devastating tragedy you have lived through? How did you overcome this loss?
The Star
What are you optimistic about? What is the one dream that you will never part from?
The Moon
What cycles of change do you feel you move through over and over again in your life? When are you most receptive to change? What part of yourself do you keep hidden from everyone else?
The Sun
Recall a time when you felt completely happy and comfortable with who you are.
Judgment/Liberation
How have you changed your view about the meaning of life over time? What mistakes in your life have you still not forgiving yourself for?
The World
Think of a time when you felt the awareness of a connection to all living beings. Are you feeling that now?Getty Images
Graham Hughes, a gregarious thirty-four-year-old ginger from Liverpool, recently became the first person to travel to every country on earth without taking a plane. It took him four years. He recently commemorated his accomplishment with a YouTube video—nearing one million views and counting—featuring short clips of him in each of his 201 destinations. ("BURKINA FASO!") His first passport stamp came in Uruguay on January 1, 2009. That seemed like a good place to start our conversation, too.
Why would you start in Uruguay?
Because it's the most southerly country that's still attached to other countries.
Oh, right. You'd actually have to be a bit strategic about this.
I was strategic. It was like a board game, like Snakes & Ladders except with visas and shipping. I did all of South America in two weeks, got around the Caribbean in a month or two. It was quite easy. Got over to Europe on a cargo ship from Canada, did all fifty states of Europe in two or three weeks. I was doing, like, seven countries a day. And then I hit Africa. I thought it might take me two or three months. By the end of the year I was still in Africa. It was a lot trickier than I thought it was going to be.
Is that just because the ground transportation isn't very good?
No, the ground transportation is fine. It's bureaucracy. It's visas. I got held up going to the Cape Verde Islands because I got put in jail for six days. [Ed. note: More on this later.] I got held up getting to Sao Tome. The islands were the nightmare. I tried to get to the Seychelles from Madagascar and failed miserably. I had to leave the Seychelles until later.
Wait. How did you finally get to the Seychelles?
There was one cruise ship that left Europe, bound for Australia, and it hit the Seychelles. It also went to the Maldives, which I needed to get to. The trouble was—the Seychelles are smack in the middle of the high-risk area for Somali pirates. So cargo ships couldn't take me, because of their insurance. I just got really lucky that it was Costa cruises that was going, and after the Concordia I got in touch with them to see if they wanted a good news story. They agreed to help me out and picked me up in India. This year, that same cruise ship, going down to Australia for the winter season, is going all the way around Africa to avoid that area. That was my one shot.
I wouldn't have guessed the Seychelles would have been the hardest.
People ask about Iraq and Afghanistan, but they were easy—I didn't even need a visa. Iraq, I just turned up from Turkey. The guy sat me down with a map and some tea—he was very polite and friendly—and he said, "This is the area you can travel in. Just don't go south of here. If we catch you, we'll arrest you. If they catch you, you'll be on YouTube getting your head chopped off." I was like, Okay, won't be going there. Some border guards were happy just to have something to do, I think.
You must have been the first tourist some of these guys have ever seen.
I have Visa No. 0085 for Afghanistan. I did learn quite quickly that your best defense when you're traveling on your own is just having a smile and a good sense of humor and taking it all in your stride. If it takes a day for someone to stamp your passport, it takes a day for someone to stamp your passport. Getting upset won't change that. What happened to me when I arrived in Brazzaville, Congo, I'd just been on this horrific journey—literally on the back of his meat truck with hundreds of people. My feet were on this rotting carcass of a goat or something, flies all over it… We got stopped at a police checkpoint, and at the time, I was tired, I was frustrated, I had two hellish days of travel. I wasn't in a good mood, I was angry with the police, and as a reflection of that I spent six days in jail.
Smile. Got it. Any other lessons from your journey?
My main lesson from all of this: You can't judge a people by the actions of their government. The friendliest country I went to, by a mile, was Iran. I just wasn't expecting that. I was on this overnight bus, and this little old Persian grandmother was sitting in front of me, nattering away on a mobile phone. She turned around and waved at me and gave me her phone. I didn't know what she wanted me to do with it. I said "Hello," and there was a guy on the other end, perfect English. He said that his grandmother was concerned about me—the bus gets in very early in the morning, and she's worried that you won't have anywhere to go or anything to eat, so she wants to know if she can take you home with her so she can cook you breakfast. Faith in humanity, restored. That's the lesson: People are good. The spirit of common decency is everywhere you go. Maybe I'm just the luckiest motherfucker in the world, but I went to every country, and I didn't get robbed, I didn't get beaten up—I didn't even get ill.
Seriously? That might be the most amazing part of all of this. I would have gotten sick after standing on that dead goat for two days. I would have caught something through my feet.
That's years of going to European music festivals and eating dodgy kebabs.
When you take a flight now, it must seem like a miracle—you're crossing an ocean in six hours.
It's incredible. People moan about long-haul flights. Try taking a meat truck for two days.
How did this all end? From Uruguay to—
Well, I had to make my way back from the South Pacific to South Sudan—the country that wasn't a country when I started this. On the way back, it almost felt like a victory lap. Everywhere I went, I met up with an old friend of mine, someone I had stayed with or had met traveling. When I went to South Sudan, I met a guy I'd hung out with in Kenya three years before. He had champagne for me. Then I went up to Egypt and met up with a friend of mine, Kendra, from Boston. On the Saturday night, we got together with three local lads she knew, all named Mohammed, and we climbed over the fence into the Pyramid complex. No one was guarding it. We got to the Great Pyramid and we climbed up it. We got to the top, and that for me was the pinnacle of the journey. Below was the city of Cairo, and at about five a.m., the call to prayer started, with one ghostly murmur, and then there was another one and another one, all across the city, just rising up to us. The three Mohammeds got down to pray on top of the Great Pyramid, and that's something I'll take with me until the day I die.OAKLEY, Calif. (AP) – Two people were shot and wounded during a brawl involving about 20 people in the parking lot of a Mormon church in the San Francisco Bay Area just as Sunday services were ending.
Police in Oakley say a third person was beaten but all the injured are expected to survive. It wasn’t clear if those involved were connected to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where the afternoon melee took place.
Police Sgt. Robert Roberts tells the Contra Costa Times says one man began hitting another with a hammer or crowbar, and that led to shots being fired in response. He says the two groups involved knew each other.
The suspects and victims had left when police arrived, but two shooting victims appeared at local hospitals on their own.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.Jackie MacMullan says Knicks president Phil Jackson wants New York to use the triangle correctly when it does use it, wants them to play the game the right way and why Jeff Hornacek is the right man to do this. (1:08)
NEW YORK -- Phil Jackson says he hasn't voted for a president since 1980. After campaigning vigorously on behalf of losing democrats George McGovern and Jimmy Carter, Jackson determined the political system was flawed, perhaps even broken, so he ceased participating.
He watched last Tuesday's presidential outcome at the New York abode of his friend and former teammate Bill Bradley, the one-time U.S. senator from New Jersey who ran for president in 2000.
"We ordered out -- Greek,'' Jackson reveals. The senator and Knicks president did what most American did that night -- obsess over the turnout in Broward or Wayne County and try to make sense of one surprise after another. Then, for Jackson, thoughts of his day job intervened: "We had it on for a while, but I wanted to watch the Minnesota-Brooklyn Nets game because we were playing the Nets the next night, so I flipped the channel.
"Bill said to me, 'What are you doing?' I had just heard enough. Wolf Blitzer was talking so fast it hurt my brain.
"I sent my staff a riff earlier in the day from George Carlin about not voting. If you vote, you are responsible for what you get.''
Phil Jackson is, of course, a president of a different kind. He's in control of the New York Knicks and fully endorses the notion that if his platform doesn't pan out, he will assume responsibility.
Jackson sat down for an exclusive interview with ESPN.com the morning after the election to discuss Derrick Rose, the triangle, Carmelo Anthony's activism and Gregg Popovich's "asterisk.''
Jackie MacMullan: You have been under siege since you've taken over the Knicks, which has been different for you. In your coaching travels you've been all but untouchable. How have you handled the adversity?
Phil Jackson: I knew the parameters of what would go on from years of playing in series against the Knicks. I remember all the barbs. It's a process of sticking to my beliefs and being able to say, 'Whatever.' This is what I was hired to do. I'm going to follow the plan and if it doesn't work out, it will be evident.
JM: There have been reports you are frustrated that (Knicks coach) Jeff Hornacek isn't employing the triangle offense enough. Is that the case?
PJ: No. But when they run it I want them to run it the right way. If you are going to do it, use your skills and run it the right way. I'm not frustrated at all. Derrick Rose missed three weeks of training camp (because of a civil trial). It's totally understandable where we are as a ballclub. We have guards that do a lot of stuff off the dribble. I want them to understand they can do things off the pass. It has to be a combination.
JM: Can the triangle still be effective in today's game, which has gone the "space and pace" route?
PJ: If you want to learn the fundamentals of the game, you don't bypass any of the basics, like how to make a post pass, how to set up a screen, what pivots you can use to escape pressure and force defenses to react. What are the passing lanes? You have to acknowledge that. You have five players on the floor. If you are going to drive you have to know where players will be on the court. If you are going to make a pass you need space between players and have a certain amount of lanes open. Appropriate space between players is 12-to-16 feet. Eighteen-to-20 feet is a little long to make an appropriate pass. We've extended that to create long lanes to allow players to roll to the basket and stretch the floor.
JM: So, is it safe to say the Knicks will not be a "space and pace" team any time soon?
PJ: It's my feeling when everybody does the same damn thing it becomes, 'Who has the best Rolls-Royce? Who has the best, fastest stock car in this race we are running?' So if you have LeBron, wow, we're going to do the same thing even though we don't have the Rolls-Royce? You have to be unique. You have to have something no one else is doing to have genius in this game. It becomes an ownership. I don't care about the triangle. I care about systematically playing basketball. If the spacing isn't right, if guys are standing on top of each other, if there aren't lanes to be provided, or rebounders available to offensively rebound the ball, or we don't have defensive balance when a shot goes up, all of these things are fundamental basketball. I follow it. I'm not railing, 'This is inadequate' or 'This isn't right.' Just show me what will work. Are we running around for no reason? Can we hit the first cutter? Do we have the ability to hit the second option or are we just bypassing plays so someone can hit a 3-point shot? It doesn't make sense to me.
JM: Which NBA teams impress you?
PJ: It's obvious Golden State plays a game in which people move the ball, they move themselves, they are creating passing lanes, they get penetration, they hit the open man, they set picks. They get a little wild, but Steve (Kerr) does a really fine job of keeping everyone in their lanes, so to speak. He's a really fine coach with a great command of the game. That "feel" for basketball is so important.
"I don't care about the triangle. I care about systematically playing basketball." Phil Jackson
JM: What other teams do you like?
PJ: Cleveland has really gotten better about playing together as a team. They have shown much more resilience defensively and are taking responsibility on the defensive end. The ball still gets stuck. Not everyone has a purpose. They have a role, but they might not feel like they are involved and I like to see all five players being involved in the game.
San Antonio continues to do what they do best, running their system, which incorporates a lot of things I believe in, things Pop and I have struggled with each other over for a few years.
JM: So what is your relationship with Popovich like?
PJ: We have no animosity. We just played against each other so many times. One time he just stuck guys in the corner and ran the twin towers and that was it. But they've evolved so much. I like the way his teams play. He's using a lot of triangle stuff, a lot of pinch post stuff. It works.
JM: If you ran into Popovich on the street, what would you say?
PJ: Where are we gonna have a glass of wine? I have great respect for his ability as a coach and how he keeps his players playing at a very high level.
Pat Riley made the move from championship coach to front office executive long before Jackson. Victor Baldizon/NBA/Getty Images
JM: You, Popovich and Pat Riley are the most decorated coaches of your generation. What separates Riley?
PJ: Pat has a terrific sense of what he wants to do. Now that I'm president, I have to read all this stuff about the league. Usually it's 'delete, delete, delete.' But I noticed there was something about D-Wade (Dwyane Wade) and Pat's communication breaking down the other day. I wondered about that. I found it surprising.
JM: It all started when LeBron left, right? Could you have ever imagined Earvin Johnson leaving Riley, or Michael Jordan leaving you?
PJ: It had to hurt when they lost LeBron. That was definitely a slap in the face. But there were a lot of little things that came out of that. When LeBron was playing with the Heat, they went to Cleveland and he wanted to spend the night. They don't do overnights. Teams just don't. So now (coach Erik) Spoelstra has to text Riley and say, 'What do I do in this situation?' And Pat, who has iron-fist rules, answers, 'You are on the plane, you are with this team.' You can't hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland.
I always thought Pat had this really nice vibe with his guys. But something happened there where it broke down. I do know LeBron likes special treatment. He needs things his way.
JM: You traded for Derrick Rose, which was a gamble. What was your thinking behind it?
PJ: Mike Conley was the best choice as a free agent, but he's making $30 million a year. That's almost insane. We saw that was going to happen. We had the opportunity to play with Derrick and see if he does have enough left in the tank -- he's 27 years old -- before we have to get into that (free) agent market again. It gave us an opportunity to build a team around him, Carmelo and Kris (Porzingis).
And, having experiences with Joakim (Noah) over the years, not only as a player with talent, but a guy who showed up at my door in Montana, he knows Derrick and he knows how to play with him. It gives us an advantage. Both are coming |
thoughts of a shootout. Instead we got a game controlled by the defenses for three quarters. In the fourth quarter, both teams turned the ball over a combined total of four times, with two fumbles and two interceptions. Here I break down the interceptions that gave the Seahawks a chance to win, and then dashed their hopes to end the game.
Fourth Quarter Interceptions
Third and eighteen, Seattle 20, 4:10 left in the fourth quarter
Formation: Shotgun in max protect
Personnel: three receivers, one tight end, one running back
Tampa Bay was ready to increase their lead by a touchdown. Their great field position was set up by a Jimmy Graham fumble and a Lavonte David return for 53 yards to put them in striking range. After having a Cameron Brate touchdown called back, quarterback Jameis Winston was looking for the home run ball. Wide receiver Mike Evans (red), who already had two touchdowns, lined up across from Richard Sherman (blue) on the play (wide) side of the field.
Seattle was in their nickel package (five defensive backs, two linebackers) with the corners playing ten yards off the line of scrimmage to avoid from getting beaten over the top. Strong safety Kam Chancellor lined up over the top of Sherman to essentially double Evans in coverage. Showing Cover 2, a rarity for Seattle, they needed to force a turnover quickly to have a shot to win the game.
The game included two great quarterbacks, both of whom made key mistakes in the red zone. After the snap, Evans and Cecil Shorts III run go routes while Adam Humphries (purple) runs a post route. Winston has both Brate and Doug Martin (blue) who are left uncovered coming out of the backfield. The offensive line creates a solid pocket to give their quarteback time to make a good read. Seattle plays a cover 2 with the outside cornerbacks following their receivers and the safeties playing over the top. Chancellor (yellow) watches Winston’s body language which allows him to zero in on Evans.
Decision making is key
Winston gets the ball off untouched. Chancellor knows it’s going to the back corner of the endzone. Evans realizes that the ball is underthrown and is going to be short of the back corner. Attempting to fight back for the ball, he is boxed out by Sherman to set up Chancellor. The all-pro strong safety moves into postion to make a play on the ball looking to create a much needed turnover.
Mistakes were made by each team on this play. When Seattle leaves the underneath routes wide open it allows one of them to set up a short field goal with the clock running. The reasoning is it essentially forces Tampa Bay into fourth down. On the offensive side, Winston should have taken the check down instead of throwing towards two All-Pro defensive players. A field goal puts the Bucs up by 12 which makes it a two touchdown game for Seattle. While a turnover means its still nine point deficit and all that is needed to win is a touchdown and field goal.
On top of the decision making error, Winston throws the ball short of Evans. The ball needs to be placed in a spot where only a Buccaneer can make a play on it. Instead, the placement allows Seahawks players to have a better shot at it. If the ball is placed to the back corner at the pylon at the proper elevation, then the 6’5″ Evans can go up and over 6’3″ Sherman. Because the ball is placed short of him he’s boxed out and has no ability to affect the play. Winston is provided a clean pocket and absolutely has the arm strength to make this throw.
Consequence
If the game ended differently this play is a highlight moment for a Seattle defense that loves momentum changing plays. As it stands, the defense bailed out a stalled Seattle offense who began to move the ball down the field only to turn it over. The ensuing Russell Wilson interception bears striking similarities to the one we just looked at.
Second and seven, Tampa Bay 31, 1:44 left in fourth quarter
Formation: Shotgun
Personnel: three receivers, one tight end, one running back
Seattle’s defense gave them one last shot to bring the game in reach for a desperation onside kick attempt. Wilson and the offense just had to get in position to score a touchdown, while a field goal also put them within a touchdown. Methodically moving down the field, it appeared the Seahawks were ready to make this game interesting.
The offense comes out in a modified shotgun look with an offset Jimmy Graham to the left of George Fant. Two wide receivers line up on on the play side of the field with Tyler Lockett (red) on the numbers of the boundary side. The Buccaneers, much like the Seahawks, show a cover 2 look in a nickel package, with the corners giving five yards of cushion. Lining up on Lockett is cornerback Brent Grimes (blue) with safety Bradley McDougald (yellow) providing coverage over the top.
Lockett runs a double move with a quick inside juke to a post route and then breaks outside for a flag route. Wilson has one of his best pockets of the night, with adequate time to read the field. He sees Lockett appear to come open between Grimes and McDougald with a clear shot to the endzone. Wilson gets the ball off clean and it appears to be a touchdown.
Much like Winston, Wilson has an underneath receiver wide open on the play. He decides instead to take a game changing shot to an “open” Lockett. However, Tampa is playing zone coverage with McDouglad breaking on the receiver that had been passed to him from Grimes. This is why Lockett appeared to come open on the play.
Bad throws, Bad decisions
Wilson throws to a double covered Lockett much the same as Winston threw his interception. The ball is in the air as both Grimes and McDouglad converge to make a play. Along with the questionable decision he makes a similar throw to Winston. The ball needs to be farther back in the endzone, McDougald is only able to undercut Lockett because the sophomore receiver is aiming to split the endzone and go over the top of Tampa Bay. Wilson puts the ball at the three yard line which leads to a game ending interception. Against New England, the quarterback made a similar throw to running back C.J. Prosise that was placed on the inside shoulder whereas if it was on the outside its a touchdown.
Consequence
Making a game clinching throw is usually a great thing, except when it’s to the other team. While this throw ruined Seattle’s hopes of winning last Sunday, it also turned hopes of catching a strong Dallas team into a distant wish. The Seahawks hold the second seed in the NFC by a half game over Detroit and Atlanta. With a surging Carolina team coming to CenturyLink next week after besting Seattle twice last year, there is a lot on the line for this veteran team. Hopefully, this experience should allow them to bounce back strong and make a run to secure the second seed in the NFC.
While the offensive line had their worst showing of the year and the defense provided two of their five points, Seattle has proved they cant put up big numbers and allowing few points to opposing teams, both which will be crucial down the stretch.With so many constitutional rights under siege, it’s welcome news when one of them is defended. Reaffirming the presumption of innocence, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law last month that forced criminal defendants to prove their innocence when the defendants’ convictions were already overturned. As the court explained, “Absent those convictions, Colorado would have no legal right to exact and retain petitioners’ funds.” Not only is this decision a win for due process, the court’s ruling in Nelson v. Colorado could have major ramifications for government shakedown schemes nationwide.
The case arose after two defendants, Shannon Nelson and Louis Madden, were convicted for sexual offenses and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in court costs, fees and restitution. Between her conviction and later acquittal, the state withheld $702 from Nelson’s inmate account, while Madden paid Colorado $1,977 after his conviction. When their convictions were overturned, Nelson and Madden demanded their money back.
Although a state appellate court sided with them, the Colorado Supreme Court denied their refund request. Instead, the court ruled that Nelson and Madden could reclaim their money only through the state’s Exoneration Act, which requires filing a civil claim and proving “that the person was actually innocent of the crime for which he or she was convicted.”
Allowing that ruling to stand would fly in the face of centuries of Western legal traditions. As the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm, noted in an amicus brief, “the presumption of innocence has deep historical roots” and can be traced back not only through American jurisprudence but through English common law, Roman law and even to the Pentateuch. Moreover, that presumption is a critical safeguard against a justice system “where individuals can be subjected to arbitrary and irrational deprivations of their liberty and property.”
Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-1 ruling, ruled Colorado’s law was unconstitutional. Writing for the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg held that “the Exoneration Act’s scheme does not comport with the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.” Nelson and Madden are “entitled to be presumed innocent” and “should not be saddled with any proof burden” to regain what is rightfully theirs.
Ginsburg forcefully rejected Colorado’s argument that “[t]he presumption of innocence applies only at criminal trials,” and not to civil claims, as under the Exoneration Act: “Colorado may not presume a person, adjudged guilty of no crime, nonetheless guilty enough for monetary exactions.”
Armed with this ruling, the Nelson decision may set an important precedent to rein in another abusive civil proceeding: civil forfeiture. The parallels are striking. Through civil forfeiture, law enforcement can confiscate and keep cash, cars and real estate without securing a criminal conviction or filing charges against the owner. Perversely, under civil forfeiture, even those found not guilty in criminal court can still forfeit their property in civil court, since the latter has a lower standard of proof.
According to the Institute for Justice, under civil forfeiture proceedings in over 30 states and on the federal level, the burden of proof is on the property owner, not the government. So when police seize someone’s property, the owner must prove they did not know of or consent to their property being used for an alleged criminal activity. That turns the presumption of innocence straight on its head.
Although civil forfeiture sounds like a clear-cut violation of many constitutional rights, courts have repeatedly upheld civil forfeiture schemes. For instance, in 2014 the Texas Supreme Court refused to hear a case involving a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado belonging to Zaher El-Ali. Ali had previously sold the Chevy but still held title to it and it was registered in his name. When the buyer was arrested for a DWI and drug possession, police seized the truck and filed a civil forfeiture action against it, even though Ali was not involved. In order to regain his Chevy, Ali was asked to prove his innocence.
Represented by the Institute for Justice, Ali made claims very similar to the arguments by Nelson and Madden. By “impos[ing] an unconstitutional burden on innocent owners,” Texas’ civil forfeiture law violated his right to due process. In a strident dissent from not taking the case, Justice Don Willett highlighted the injustice inherent in the system: “Criminals in our legal system enjoy a presumption of innocence, requiring government to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. But property owners are actually treated worse, presumed guilty and required to prove their innocence.”
Fortunately, reform is on the march. Today, 12 states require a criminal conviction for most or all forfeiture cases, while Utah has banned forfeiting property from the acquitted. For innocent-owner claims, New Hampshire and Ohio have also shifted the burden of proof for proving knowledge or consent of illegal activity onto the government.
In Congress, the FAIR Act by Sen. Rand Paul and the DUE PROCESS Act by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner would both reform federal forfeiture laws so that property owners are innocent until proven guilty. And Justice Clarence Thomas (the lone dissenter in the Nelson decision) recently slammed civil forfeiture for its “egregious and well-chronicled abuses.”
If judges can be as engaged as the U.S. Supreme Court was in Nelson, civil forfeiture will not be long for this world. Or as Justice Willett so eloquently put it, “Our Constitution was written precisely to prevent carte blanche assertions of governmental power, to prevent police power from devolving into police state.”The Human Rights Commission in Lexington, Kentucky has a chilling message for Christian business owners who refuse service to LGBT organizations: leave your religion at home.
“It would be safe to do so, yes,” Executive Director Raymond Sexton told me. “Or in this case you can find yourself two years down the road and you’re still involved in a legal battle because you did not do so.”
On Tuesday, a Lexington Human Rights Commission hearing examiner issued a recommended ruling that the owner of a T-shirt company violated a local ordinance against sexual-orientation discrimination. You can read the ruling by clicking here.
“It was a landmark decision,” Sexton said. “This is a very important ruling for us.”
The examiner concluded that Blaine Adamson of Hands On Originals broke the law in 2012 by declining to print shirts promoting the Lexington Pride Festival. The Gay and Lesbian Services Organization subsequently filed a complaint.
Alliance Defending Freedom, a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases, represented Adamson, a devout Christian.
“No one should be forced by the government or by another citizen to endorse or promote ideas with which they disagree,” said ADF attorney Jim Campbell. “Blaine declined to the request to print the shirts not because of any characteristic of the people who asked for them, but because of the message that the shirts would communicate.”
ADF also pointed out that Hands On Originals has a history of doing business with the LGBT community as well has hiring LGBT workers.
But Sexton told me the law is the law. And in Lexington it’s against the law to discriminate against the LGBT community – regardless of religious beliefs.
“We’re not telling someone how to feel with respect to religion, but the law is pretty clear that if you operate a business to the public, you need to provide your services to people regardless of race, color, sex and in this case sexual orientation,” Sexton said.
The hearing examiner recommended the following punishment:
First, Hands On Originals cannot discriminate against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In other words, the T-shirt company must service LGBT customers – no questions asked.
The examiner also ordered Adamson to attend “diversity training” conducted by – wait for it – the Lexington Human Rights Commission.
Take just a moment and let that sink in – a Christian business owner is being ordered to attend diversity training – because of his religious beliefs. That’s a pretty frightening concept and a mighty dangerous precedent.
“That is certainly one of the dangers of an order like that – for the government to step in and order (what is essentially) a re-education of its citizens,” Campbell told me. “That’s a dangerous precedent for the government to engage in.”
In essence, the Human Rights Commission is telling Christian business owners they have to change their religious beliefs. It’s the idea that the government knows best and Christians must reorient their beliefs.
Sexton, who said he is a Christian, said he’s just upholding the law.
“The law in Lexington is pretty clear,” he said. “You cannot discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Regardless of what your religious beliefs are – if you have a public business – then that’s how you have to operate.”
It seems to me if a Christian business owner does not want to do business with an LGBT organization – that should be their right. And should an LGBT business choose not to do business with a church that should be their right, as well.
There’s no denying there’s a conflict. Even Sexton admits to that.
“Our local law has exemptions for religious organizations,” he said. “However, religious organizations are narrowly defined. You actually have to be some sort of religious institution to get the exemption.”
Meanwhile, a growing number of hardworking Christian business owners are caught in the crosshairs of the culture war.
“There does tend to be a trend toward that,” attorney Campbell told me. “Business owners are being targeted for simply trying to operate their business consistent with their beliefs.”Jonathan Chait has an excellent piece documenting the way in which what he calls the establishment, and I call Very Serious People, misjudged the way the debt ceiling thing would play out:
The failure to understand the crisis we were entering was widely shared among centrist types. When Republicans first proposed tying a debt ceiling hike to a measure to reduce the deficit, President Obama instead proposed a traditional, clean debt ceiling hike. He found this position politically untenable for many reasons, one of them being that deficit scolds insisted that using the debt ceiling to force a fiscal adjustment was a terrific idea, and that connecting the deficit debate to a potentially cataclysmic financial event was the mark of seriousness.
He then goes on to show how the usual suspects — the WaPo editorial page, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the Concord Coalition, etc. welcomed a crisis over the debt ceiling in the belief that it would lead to fiscal goodness.
This was terrible policy, even if it had worked: now is not the time for fiscal austerity, and the way the VSPs have shifted the whole conversation away from jobs and toward deficits is a major reason we’re stuck in the Lesser Depression.
But it also showed awesome political naivete. As Chait says, the first thing you need to understand is that modern Republicans don’t care about deficits. They only pretend to care when they believe that deficit hawkery can be used to dismantle social programs; as soon as the conversation turns to taxes, or anything else that would require them and their friends to make even the smallest sacrifice, deficits don’t matter at all.
I can’t help but notice that Chait’s list of chumps is basically the same as the list of people who puffed up Paul Ryan and gave him an award for fiscal responsibility. Enough said.
What’s really awesome here is the blindness. Anyone reading the newspapers with an open mind had a pretty good idea of what would happen in the debt fight; only Washington insiders managed to fool themselves.
But they’re Very Serious.FBI Stepping In on Case of Murdered Gay Candidate in Mississippi
The family of the gay mayoral candidate whose body was found beaten and burned want a hate crime investigation, though local authorities don't. Now the FBI is reportedly stepping in to see whether federal charges are warranted.
USA Today reports that the FBI is responding to the family's request and will consider whether the murder of Marco McMillian, an openly gay candidate for mayor in Clarksdale, Mississippi, should be prosecuted under the fairly new Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
For its part, the Coahoma County Sheriff's Department had refused to request that the feds investigate. Mississippi doesn't have a hate crimes law that is inclusive of sexual orientation protection, so it would have had to rely on the federal law.
USA Today points out that Mississippi has the country's worst record for prosecuting anything as a hate crime. It reported just one hate crime in 2011, less than anywhere else, and in 2005 and 2007 it reported none.
No information has been released by police on what might have motivated the man they arrested in the attack, Lawrence Reed, except that the county coroner claimed politics wasn't a factor.A lot of new skins and first call of Celtic Event coming in 2017.
Post is now under working phase, this means I’m still working in this and not finished yet. Please check back in a few mins. Also, follow @SmiteDatamining for up to date news
Remember Post is also added to Reddit, if you prefer leaving a comment there I read them all! – Link to Reddit Post
Smite Board – 3D Models & Voice Packs
As last patch was mentioned, I opened a new site called Smite Board where you can hear the voice packs, simulate the VGS commands and check the models.
New Skins
Ares (Skin 6 – New FX)
Artemis (Skin 7 – New FX)
Athena
G84 Skin 2
G84 Cutesy
Hou Yi
Ra (Skin 7 – New FX)
Raijin (Skin 4 – New FX) Banana Wall in hand?
Skadi
Terra (Skin 3 – New FX)
Thor (CarThor)
Ymir Voxel Test (From last datamining)
Pedestal
Face It Ward
G84
Please read 3.23 Datamining for more and previous G84 info.
Unknown info? effect lifetime pet lifetime to be safe
General Info Has a Decoy Pet can expire Swap control to pet
Passive CC Stack
Ability 1 – AOE Damage Ground Target Can jump while firing?
Ability 2 – Combo (2 Hits) Ground Target Mark Projectile Has a timer Fizzle
Ability 3 – Spawn pet
Ability 4 – Spawn pet There’s an option to control your pet, I’m still unsure but it may have an execute, it would work like drogoz ultimate in paladins?
Season 4 Changes
For previois info please check 3.23 datamining.
Still working
EGY Clash
Apophis Entrance Deals 225 damage over 3 seconds and slows by 15%
Baboon
Fire Elemental
Harpy
Hyena Enhanced Hyena
Jungle Buff – Shield
Phoenix appears as V3, so maybe a rework of them
Also the normal brute and warriors
Promotional Content / MiscWelcome to the Bitcoin Java Programming Tutorial
Click the run button at the bottom of this section! This interactive tutorial uses BitcoinJ. You can modify the code examples in your browser. This coding system has internet disabled, so do not use it to send or receive real money!
How do you make a key?
You should already be familiar with a bitcoin public address like 1JwSSubhmg6iPtRjtyqhUYYH7bZg3Lfy1T. Public addresses allow users to receive funds, and private keys allow users to send funds. Here is the corresponding private key for the above public address: 5KJvsngHeMpm884wtkJNzQGaCErckhHJBGFsvd3VyK5qMZXj3hS.
Some technical details: A bitcoin key is actually an ECDSA public private key pair, which uses the secp256k1 parameter. The curve equation is y^2 = x^3 + 7.
In BitcoinJ, a key is represented by the "ECKey". To generate a random key, use the default constructor. The standard toString() allows you to print the public key, and you can use toStringWithPrivate to print the private key:
import com.google.bitcoin.core.*; public class MyProgram { public static void main(String[] args) { System.out.println("Hello World!"); ECKey key = new ECKey(); System.out.println("We created key:
" + key); System.out.println("
Here with private:
" + key.toStringWithPrivate()); } }
Notice that an ECKey key is actually a long hexadecimal string, such as 00956f37ff89dd854922d87b52fd9ec21144b5aa5162e293ebe3c157100dc4eaec. We will convert this into an address later. If you already already have a known private key, you can convert this into an ECKey. You will need to first create a BigInteger from hex. Try running this code:The Seattle Police Department is conducting an internal review of Detective Philip Wall, who has been placed on paid leave.
A veteran Seattle police detective is under internal investigation arising from an undercover operation at a North Seattle strip club that led to the criminal conviction this year of another officer.
Detective Philip Wall, 50, is the subject of an internal review in a case that resulted from the Seattle Police Department’s investigation of the Dancing Bare strip club, Pierce Murphy, director of the department’s Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), said Wednesday.
The matter was referred to the OPA by the department.
Murphy said he couldn’t disclose what alleged conduct is under review.
A department source said Murphy also flagged a potential criminal case involving the detective, although the source said it is unlikely to rise to that level. Wall’s alleged misconduct appears to be more related to his ties to the other officer and the club, the source said.
Murphy said he could not reveal whether he had referred the potential criminal matter to be separately investigated by the department.
Wall, who has been placed on administrative leave with pay, couldn’t be reached for comment.
A member of the department since 1988, Wall had most recently worked in the department’s Real Time Crime Center, identifying potential criminal suspects to be shared with patrol officers.
His name surfaced in records obtained by The Seattle Times from the King County Prosecutor’s Office relating to the criminal prosecution of the other officer, Robert Marlow, who pleaded guilty in February to drug and computer-trespassing charges.
Under a plea agreement, Marlow, who admitted he “went off the rails,” pleaded guilty to solicitation to possess the drug MDMA and second-degree computer trespassing, both gross misdemeanors.
A judge sentenced Marlow to an agreed term of 30 days on an offender work crew, saying Marlow had “betrayed the trust of the community.” The judge said Marlow may seek to have both convictions dismissed in two years if he meets the terms of his sentence and has no further violations.
Marlow, who joined the Police Department in 1999, resigned after his court appearance.
He had been placed on paid leave last year after an undercover investigation into the Dancing Bare revealed his alleged role in illegal activities. Two club operators pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges.
According to court documents, Marlow was romantically involved with a club dancer and shared drugs with her.
The dancer, who later pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, admitted using heroin and selling small amounts to support her habit. She also told investigators she had used narcotics with Marlow, including cocaine and “molly,” street slang for MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, on his days off, according to the documents.
The dancer said Marlow was responsible for buying the cocaine and MDMA and sharing it with her, the documents say.
During the investigation, detectives discovered that Marlow also had regularly sent Q13 FOX News news anchor David Rose text messages containing personal information on crime victims obtained from a restricted department computer database, the documents say. Rose then contacted the people for news stories.
Rose later told investigators he was doing his due diligence as a reporter in using Marlow as a source of information for his stories, the court documents say.
Marlow was originally accused of felony drug possession, but he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense under the plea agreement. His guilty plea to computer trespassing stemmed from his unauthorized use of the database.
After his pleas, the OPA launched an internal investigation of Marlow, which is under final review and will be completed even with his resignation.
In a January email obtained by The Times, the prosecutor who handled Marlow’s case briefly referred to Wall.
“Wall was named in the course of my investigation, but nothing was submitted for charging,” the prosecutor wrote. “The only evidence re: Wall’s criminal activity came from Marlow’s statement.”This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to the wave of historic protests that struck the retail giant Wal-Mart on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. That’s the busiest shopping day of the year. Workers and their supporters demonstrated at more than a thousand Wal-Mart stores. Democracy Now! went to the Wal-Mart store in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Friday.
PROTEST ORGANIZER: Once you get off the bus, we’re going to divide in different groups. We’re going to start going in different groups to the store. We’re going to have a flash mob at 9 o’clock. We’re going to occupy the parking lot, and we’re going to sing a lot of fun songs.
SUNDROP CARTER: My name is Sundrop Carter, and right now we’re in front of—actually, we’re in front of Sam’s Club next to Wal-Mart in Secaucus, New Jersey, at a Black Friday protest. Workers across the country are walking out of stores today, telling Wal-Mart that they’re tired of being treated badly and want fair wages and respect at their workplace. And we’re here in solidarity with those workers. Last I heard, there’s over a thousand actions happening across the country, and there’s walkouts happening, worker walkouts happening in over a hundred stores.
WALTER AREVALO: My name is Walter Arevalo. I used to work at the store over at Kearny, New Jersey. That was store number 5447. I worked there for like about two-and-a-half years. It was a pretty hostile environment. Particularly, they would expect you to do like—for one person to do like a three-man job and like, you know, in basically eight hours. There were times like—I don’t know how I would do so, but there were other workers that—you know, that they just really couldn’t handle like the amount of work that was given to them.
TAMI TYREE: My name is Tami Tyree. I’m with the Retail Action Project, and we fight for change in the retail industry. Many people shop, but they don’t think about who’s the person that’s helping them and that that person has a family and is making a living. This is not just something that people do on their way to something else all the time, which is what the major employers try to tell people. These are careers. I made a living doing retail work for 30 years. And many people are not able to do so today.
There’s a large percentage of retail workers that are working for $7.25 an hour, which is minimum wage, and even some retailers are paying people below minimum wage. Benefits come to you when you work a certain amount of hours and when you have a certain status. But if people are working, and they’re not getting even part-time hours, not even part-time hours, how can you get benefits? So the way that they are denied benefits is by not giving the workers the hours and giving them the classification of full-time or even authorized part-time work.
WALTER AREVALO: We talked about going on strike and everything, but that just never—it just never went through. We even talked about walking out on Black Friday, even before all this happened. Management bullies them, and like, they’ll just let them know, well, look, if you do so and so, you’ll just lose your—you know, you’re going to lose your job, point blank.
PROTESTERS: Treat workers with respect!
PROTESTER: In solidarity!
PROTESTERS: In solidarity!
PROTESTER: Occupy Wall Street!
PROTESTERS: Occupy Wall Street!
WAL-MART SECURITY: Excuse me.
PROTESTER: Occupying this store!
WAL-MART SECURITY: Excuse me.
PROTESTORS: Ocupying this store!
STEVE SHERMAN: People were doing mic checks, like in groups about 10, and Wal-Mart security was coming around and telling people they would have to leave. And so people sort of dispersed, and then we just found this other group of about 50 or 60 people who were being pushed out of the store by security and chanting on the way out.
MAX BRUNY: My name is Max, and I’m from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 888. The nation is finally catching up with what’s going on at Wal-Mart. It is one thing to say, “Low price, low price, low price,” but there is a price to the low price.
WALTER AREVALO: It’s time for like Wal-Mart associates and even associates now, you know, to show a message over to the folks over in Bentonville, Arkansas, that, you know, we’re just not going to take it anymore.
AMY GOODMAN: The voices of protest outside a Secaucus, New Jersey, Wal-Mart, produced by Democracy Now!'s Sam Alcoff and Martyna Starosta. They produced the piece. The Wal-Mart protests were organized, in part, by OUR Walmart, an organization backed by the United Food and Commercial Workers. Nine people, including three Wal-Mart workers, were arrested at a protest in Los Angeles after they blocked traffic. Wal-Mart responded by diminishing the impact of the demonstrations. This is the company's marketing officer, Duncan MacNaughton.
DUNCAN MacNAUGHTON: We estimate that less than 50 Wal-Mart associates were involved in the protests across the United States. And in many of those locations, no Wal-Mart associates took place. We had roughly the same number of call-ins than we had last year for people that didn’t come to work.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more, we’re joined by Josh Eidelson, contributing writer for The Nation magazine_, Salon and In These Times, where he’s been reporting on the Wal-Mart protests. We did ask Wal-Mart to join us today, but they did not respond to our request.
We had you on last Wednesday, before the big protests on Friday. Can you summarize what happened, Josh, on Black Friday?
JOSH EIDELSON: Sure. So what we saw Thursday night and Friday was over a thousand protests, strikes in a hundred cities, according to organizers. Those strikes, they say, included hundreds of workers. Organizers say they’re still counting the number. But for perspective, in October we saw 160 retailer workers go out on strike. So, if there were hundreds out, we’ve seen not exponential growth, but likely steady increase in the number of workers who are out. And that comes after significant threats and captive audience meetings and other efforts by Wal-Mart to suppress the protests and make workers believe that there would be, quote-unquote, “consequences.”
AMY GOODMAN: What do you mean by “captive audience meetings”? And also, talk about Wal-Mart’s changing or evolving response to these growing protests.
JOSH EIDELSON: So, I talked to workers for The Nation who described mandatory meetings, where Wal-Mart, a company that we know doesn’t pay for anything they don’t think they have to, paid workers to sit in meetings where they were told that if they participated, it could hurt Wal-Mart sales, it could cut into their bonuses, where they were told “no comment” in response to the question of whether they could be disciplined for participating. And so, we see, at the same time that Wal-Mart publicly has been dismissive, privately Wal-Mart has made an intensified effort over the past week leading up to Black Friday to make workers believe that they could suffer adverse consequences if they participate.
AMY GOODMAN: And then, talking about whether these protests were legal or illegal?
JOSH EIDELSON: Yes. So, Wal-Mart filed a National Labor Relations Board charge, which, as I explained at The Nation, is unlikely to succeed, but sends the message to workers that Wal-Mart is claiming the strikes are not legally protected. Whether Wal-Mart wins would turn on whether the strikes are designed to win union recognition, and the workers haven’t really provided Wal-Mart any evidence of that. But this was a shot across the bow to send the message that even though the law protects strikes against unfair labor practices, Wal-Mart sees the strikes as illegal, which would give Wal-Mart justification to fire people who participated.If you follow the solar industry at all, you know that solar power costs have fallen off a steep cliff in recent years, but the graph above puts that into somewhat shocking perspective. The contrast between the solar price trend and price trends for various types of fossil fuels is so sharp, and the ramifications for those industries so disruptive, that the creators of the graph gave it a title more fitting of the welcome mat for a Halloween haunted house: "Welcome to the Terrordome."
AllianceBernstein's Michael Parker and Flora Chang, the creators of the graph, write:
Exhibit 2 is the chart the solar industry has been working towards for 60 years. Solar is now – in the right conditions – cheaper than oil and Asian LNG on an MMBTU basis. Yes, we are using utility- scale solar costs in developing markets with lots of sun. But that describes the growth markets for global energy today. For these markets solar is just cheap, clean, convenient, reliable energy. And since it is a technology, it will get even cheaper over time. Fossil fuel extraction costs will keep rising. There is a massive global market for cheap energy and that market is oblivious to policy changes at the NDRC, MITI, the EU or the CPUC.
The first line of a Business Insider article about this, where I first ran across the chart, notes: "It's now a question of how and where, not if, solar becomes a dominant force in energy markets."
That line actually brought another chart to mind for me, the one below. But before checking that chart out, be sure to note one important oddity. The chart shows total recoverable reserves of finite energy resources (i.e., coal, natural gas, petroleum, and uranium), but it only shows annual energy potential for renewable resources. (Also note that the big yellow thing is not the background.)
“Comparing finite and renewable planetary energy reserves (Terawatt‐years). Total recoverable reserves are shown for the finite resources. Yearly potential is shown for the renewables.” (source: Perez & Perez, 2009a)/Screen capture “Comparing finite and renewable planetary energy reserves (Terawatt‐years). Total recoverable reserves are shown for the finite resources. Yearly potential is shown for the renewables.” (source: Perez & Perez, 2009a)/Screen capture
As Thomas Edison famously said back in 1931, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
Of course, markets don't care about potential. They care about cost. Nonetheless, combining that first image with this second one makes for quite a prelude to energy market disruption. We're seeing the very early stages of that with solar's strong growth in recent years. Expect much, much more of that in the coming decades.
Since someone influential once said that three's a charm, I'll close with one more chart, one we've shared a few times but which deserves all the love it can get. It shows the drop in solar panel prices over 36 years.
© BNEF © BNEF
Got solar?This week an international team of astronomers reports the first multiple-star system to be observed during the earliest stage of formation. This finding supports model predictions about how two- and three-star systems form by University of Massachusetts Am |
she can get it, I have to spend it on useless things like gold shoes and Griz and Dotcom.”
“I don’t gotta pre-nup. When Angie and I got married, my only assets were a toaster oven and two tickets to a Young MC concert.”
“OK. I’ll bring Angie in, but I’m going to tell her this is all YOUR idea.”
“Don’t help me, I’m too proud.”
“You’re not?!”
“She’s done it before, Jack!”
“Forget it. I know you’re not going to leave me. I’ve got somebody whose going to watch me die.”
“This is happening, Jack. You can stay or you can leave, but it’s going to take a while.”
“There he is. I owe you, Jackie D. When I’m on my deathbed frenching my wife, I will think of you.”
“This is real people. This is not a drill.”
“They do that a lot in movies. An Afair to Remember, Sleepless in Seattle, and that remake of An Affair to Remember that I was in, A Blfair to Rememblack.”
“Wooooow. Now you have what me and Angie have, minus the hypertension.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Hello, yes, ok, thank you.”
“The test was positive. Nonono. I mean positive like it’s good. The test results were negative. Oh, I see your confusion. That’s funny. Ahahaha. Ahahaha. Funny. Jack thought the test results was positive.”
Episode 8
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Lalalalalalalalal.”
“They said it was a flu shot, but I know it was really a truth serum?”
“Then why am I telling you you look like Tootsie today.”
“Yeah.”
“We didn’t know what to get them and then I had a brainstorm. It was a bad one, Jenna had to put my tongue guard in.”
“So, go do that.”
“My what?”
“No.”
“With what, my arms?”
“That would be the worst part.”
“Yeah, for the crew, cuz it’s they birthday.”
“Yeah, we were out getting soup for the crew. Nope. We forgot about that, too. We were out shopping together. We had fun, though.”
“Yeah, I tried on a lot of outfits.”
“I know. I also want to thank you for controlling yourself sexually, while we spent time together on this adventure.”
“Give it to me, it’s mine.”
“Medicine?”
“No!”
“Attention, ladies and germs and gentleman. Are you ready to feel better, cuz we have just the thing.”
“No. Now in the grand tradition of Patch Adams, prepare yourself for the comic stylings of Tracy the Amazing and Jenna!”
“What, why aren’t you laughing? This is happening to Liz.”
Episode 9
“So, how am I looking Dr. Spaceman?”
“Diabetes?”
“So, how bad is diabetes, really?”
“Could I replace it with a wheel, like Rosie from the Jetson’s?”
“It’s a practice wheel for when I lose my foot to diabetes.”
“There’s no link between diabetes and diet. That’s a white myth, Ken. Like Larry Bird or Colorado.”
“Word.”
“And I heard that from Yusef Jackson.”
“Diabetes and diet. Next you’ll be telling me that leasing a sports car is a bad investment.”
“K. What’s up with this disgusting stuff?”
“N-O-E. No. E.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Through the stone?”
“I’m fine, Ken. I have so much energy, my hand keeps dancing.”
“Hmmm. What is this?”
“Damn, K. That is weak. I’m a fourty year old man. You think I’ma be scared into eating some stuff because some-”
“Ahhhhh. I renounce everything. Cover your brain.”
Episode 10
“What’s up, Brian?”
“Of course not, I transcend race.”
“You shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition at. But yeah, I’m in.”
“A yard, like a lawn? Yes I have.”
“I went out with the interns. Those white boys are not kidding around. Have you ever tasted scotch? It’s terrible! And this thing they call ‘box seats at the Ranger’s game,’ it’s so cold. And what is Rohyphnal?”
“So I shouldn’t have taken 2 of them for my headache?
“Hey, you know it, Bri-man.”
“I have no idea what either one of us just said.”
“I have a rep to maintain. If I can’t keep up with a bunch of Wall St frat boys- uh, oh, here come the Roofies. You can do whatever you want to me.”
“I’m going to. I’m Tracy Jordan. Why would I be afraid of fire next to my mouth.”
“Ken, these interns are wearing me out. It’s like I said in my non-hit comedy ‘Cruise Boat,’ I’m getting too old for this ship.”
“Yes there is. Do you know what happens to a comedian when he gets old and loses his audience? He starts to get offered serious roles. And do you really want to see me play Arthur Ashe?”
“Exactly, so if I’m going to keep my hilarious reputation, these interns gotta go.”
“Then I’ll find something for them to do.”
“I’m doing this so no one will know I’m getting old.”
“This interview is over.”
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Episode 11
“NBC, blah blah blah, thank you.”
“Ken, you need to snap out of it and ask out that sexy Ms Magoo.
“I know love at first site when I see it. I saw it when I met Angie. I saw it the first time Dotcom laid eyes on Griz’s fiance.”
“Now’s the time for gallantry.”
“Well, cotton and fiddles, I enjoy your smile.”
“You may call me, Kenneth the Page, cuz that is who I am. Would you like to go out with me tomorrow night? Yes, indeedy corn cobs.”
“It’s a Valentimesdatelydoo.”
“That’s how you get to Manhatten’s fanciest restaurant.”
“Yes, I found it on my favorite website. Stopshowingoff.com.”
“It’s the best, darn tootenist restaurant in all of New York.”
“Not just any entertainment, the best singer in the world. Michael McDonald.”
“It doesn’t have to end here, ya’llsies.”
“That is cold, blind lady. Oh, and by the way, you’re not so attractive yourself.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I tried.”
Episode 12
“You know it! I cursed for three hours straight just to get it out of my system, you dumb bitch!”
“You got it. NGS, Fridays at C30 on TB10.”
“But then he scores a basket even though he’s not a wolf anymore.”
“Good. I’m glad I’m here.”
“Larry, I’m not an expert, but I do have a strong opinion. New York, as we know it, will no longer exist tomorrow.”
“Look. I grew up here, Larry, in the days before Starbuck. And if Wall St crashes, it’ll be the 1970’s all over again. People will get mean. The streets won’t be safe. It’ll be graffiti everywhere. And the movies will only cost 3 dollars.”
“Uhm, my work has taken me there. I was supposed to be in that movie Rush Hour, but two weeks into shooting, I was replaced by Jackie Chan.”
“Larry, what everyone needs to do is just take a deep breath, calm down, and start preparing their bodies for the Thunderdome. That is the new law.”
“Devil’s avocado here, Larry. I think people should freak the geek out. Withdraw all your money and hide it.”
“It’s what I’ve always done. I hide cash everywhere. At home, at church, even at work. In fact, I’ve hidden so much money, that if some of it was gone, I probably wouldn’t even notice.”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m saying the Disneyfication of New York is over, everyone. At the stroke of midnight, your Lexus is going to turn back into a hot pile of rats fighting over a human finger.”
“Hang on. I know Jack Donaghy and that is an imposter. Hang up. Hang up on him, Larry.”
“Hey, I recognize that voice anywhere, Larry. That’s my friend Peter Frampton on the phone.”
“Of course, Pete. I hid my money in the safest place at 30 Rock. Without giving it away, the place I picked is very dry and warm. Its top is hard, but its bottom is soft. And although the location changes all the time, the money stays in the same place.”
“I already told you. It’s dry and warm. Its top is hard, but its bottom is soft. And although the location changes, it’s always in the same place.”
“I never said it was a thing.”
“Watch TGS, Fridays at 10:30. Word!”
Episode 13
“Thanks for coming out, thanks for watching. Love, peace, and hairgrease!”
“That’s because I don’t have a birthday, Ken.”
“I don’t have a birth certificate, cuz I was born inside of Yankee Stadium. I bounced around foster families so much, no one ever bothered to throw me a party.”
“I don’t need a birthday cause I buy myself all the presents I need. And because of my drinking, they’re often a surprise.”
“But I don’t have a birthday!”
“I do feel it. You’re all so amazing. And to think I was just calling ya’ll a bunch of racists.”
“I did not know that?”
“Suree, Suree, Suree.”
“You were right, Ken, birthday’s are special. And now mine’s is over. And who knows when February 24th will come again. Now that warm happy feeling is gone, there’s no cake in my mouth, and that birthday wish is malarkey. Malarkey!”
“Come on, Daniel.”
“My birthday wish came to true!”
“I wished for you to get better. I was gonna to wish for breakfast in bed with Robocop while an elephant paints us.”
“But then I saw you with that backbrace on right before I blew out my candles. It’s a birthday miracle!”
“Ahhhahaaahah. Ahhhahaha.”
Episode 14
“Here come the County Court Steppers. Their traditional dance celebrates the spirit and the ingenuity of the Irish people.”
“Wake up, Motherfu-”
“I feel I should be rewarded for going this long without swearing on live TV.”
“50 grand? Can anyone cut this in half.”
“OK, great meeting.”
“There you are, Liz Lemon. You wanna buy half a watch? I have to pay my fine in cash. I guess FCC stands for Federal Bunch of Sticklers.”
“I sure have. I learned that if you pay some money afterwards, you can say whatever you want on TV. I can even say what Earnest Borgnine whispered to me at-”
“That’s always the lesson! If you have money you can do whatever you want. Now I’m off to appear on Martha Steward Live. Ooh, it’s gonna be raunchy.”
“Hello, Liz Lemon. Just catching up on some work. What sounds more shocking ‘[Bleeeeeeeep]’ or ‘[Bleeeeeeeep]’?
“Hear you go. Everything’s OK.”
“I don’t want to hurt the crew. I love the crew. All we do is joke around together about our stupid boss Liz Lem-”
“Great idea, Liz Lemon!”
“The first two thirds! I don’t need to stop being myself if I AM the advertiser! I have the money. I’ll just buy up all of the ads and let that hilarious Tracy Jordan character do whatever he wants.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Kenneth, I need you to set up a meeting with you and the folks from ad sales. What do you mean you’re not in charge anymore?”
“I do not apologize, America. I did not even write that apology. I am advertiser Tracy Jordan and I approve this message. I am an advertiser. I am an advertiser. Is that 30 seconds, yet?”
“Hey, America, check out my fun cooker!”
“Hi. I’m Tracy Jordan. My wife is throwing away some of our old towels. Do you want them cuz they’re out by the trash cans. Now that’s gots to be 30 seconds. Nine? OK, here comes the fun cooker.”
“Can we get some Diet Slice and pita chips up in here?”
“All I did is ask for some Diet Slice and some pita chips.”
Episode 15
“Hey, Ken, do you know what I have a craving for?”
“And some?”
“You are my Radar O’Reilly, Ken. Now get in here and rub my feet til you hear a chopper coming.”
“This is better than a family. No one around here asks me for my damn bone marrow.”
“OK. Sorry it took me so long to answer. I was just thinking about how weird it is that we eat birds.”
“How is this not really about money?”
“What’s that now, Charles?”
“I never thought of it like that. Thank you. I quit. Goodbye.”
“Hello?”
“Bill Cosby? You gotta a lot of nerve getting on the phone with me after what you did to my Aunt Paulette.”
“1971, Cincinnatti. She was the cocktail waitress with the droopy eye.”
“Try to tell me what to do? Dr Heathcliff Huxtable with your light-ass kids. Jack, why would you make me talk to this man?”
“[Singing] ‘My girl has a fat neck.’ I’m sharp, let’s do it again.”
“Oh, hey, Cranston, I was looking for Kenneth.”
“[Singing] ‘Fat neck girl let me count your neck rings.’ Family? Whose in charge of my thirst?”
“Cranston, why hasn’t Kenneth called me back yet? I miss him. Cranston? Why are you crying?”
“Hey, Ken? I’ve been calling you, has Cranston not been giving you my messages?”
“Yeah, well. Don’t worry. I just came to get a few of my things. And I won’t bother you.”
“Alright. I guess that’s everything. But I want you to know. If I walk out that door, Ken, I’m not gonna call again. It’s over. You understand?”
“You used Cranston as his gatekeeper?”
“Wait a minute, you want to fire my boy, Ken?”
“Unless?”
“You say Kenneth can’t work here because I don’t work here. But if I work here, so can Kenneth.”
“Of course you don’t, you idiot. I’m coming back to work, Jack. With Kenneth!”
“I’ll be in my dressing room.”
Episode 16
“I will be brief. I have decided to fulfill my dream of going into space. If you have a spaceship and are looking for a hilarious astronaut with an irregular heartbeat and thirty million dollars, I am prepared to leave as soon as tomorrow. I wrote that yesterday. I will not be taking questions.”
“What is this, Horseville? Cuz I am surrounded by naysayers. Wordplay!”
“Look, when I was a kid growing up in the projects, I would look up at the stars and dream of going into space. Of escaping the slums. Of killing the Ewok! Now the man that kid has become can make those dreams come true. Do you know what that’s like?”
“Then you know why I have to do this. As Robert Browning once wrote, ‘Ho, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what is a heaven for? I was prepared for the possibility of this meeting.”
“Thank you, Jacky D!”
“At least it’s a dry heat here in Florida.”
“Computer, when do I get some Tang? Also, I’m thirsty. Hahahahaha. Wordplay. Hahaha.”
“I’m scared, but I’m also excited! Hahahah. Ooooh. I’m Lizzing. Hahaha. Lizzing. I’m Lizzing.”
“Tracy to Earth. Come in Earth.”
“Great wink, Kenneth. Space is very cold, but very beautiful. And sometimes it sounds like Jenna yelling in the distance. I think I- Oh my God, where did you get that rocket?”
“It’s awesome.”
“Hey, Jacky D. If everyone could see the world the way I see it, it would be a better place to live!”
“I think so. I wish I was there so I could play with it.”
Episode 17
“Dessert.”
“Someone put too many farts in this engine, it’s about to explode.”
“I’m Flava Obama and I’d like to introduce our Undersecretary of Housing and Crystal Meth, boooooyyyyy.”
“It’s farting. It’s farting.”
“That’s our show for tonight, see you next week!”
“This is TGS.”
“Woah, K.”
“I’m sorry, but just let me know if there’s any way I can help.”
“No, I was just saying that. Why can’t you read human facial cues? Alright, what is it?”
“Yeah, OK. Birds are like little dinosaurs. So what I’ll be doing is actually pretty cool and brave.”
“What?”
“Hey, little guy.”
“I wasn’t going to. I wasn’t going to. Ahhh.”
“Jenna, something weird is going on.”
“No, it’s not that. Jenna, you’re the smartest person I know. Do you think Kenneth could be a murderer?”
“Well, I might be crazy, but neither he, nor his bird would let me into his bedroom. And why wouldn’t you want to let Tracy Jordan into your bedroom unless you got a bunch of dead nurses in there.”
“He grew up killing pigs.”
“No wonder he’s fascinated when I do that.”
“I admonished him for that earlier. Three for three, he’s a monster.”
“Hey, K. Where’s Jonathan?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Yeah, it’s about someone else. I’m afraid this guy I know in Canada might be a serial killer.”
“Kenneth. I mean, I’ll tell you his name. It’s Kenneth.”
“If I had any doubts about this before, and I don’t think I did, they’re gone now.”
“Yeah, like Julia and Denzel in the Pelican Brief.”
“Jenna, I just want you to know, that if we find any human remains in there, I’m gonna throw up all over your face.”
“Oh, no. Kenneth’s a murderer and a Riddler is coming.”
“Yeah, but on the bright side, you’ve been downgraded from suspect to person of interest.”
“Hahahaha. Time does heal all wounds.”
“Ken, we feel bad that we, but mostly Jenna, gassed your bird.”
Episode 18
“No, Passive resistance. I learned that from Dr. King. I’m brave!”
“I don’t need to read it. The entire thing is loosely based on an evening I spent with Isaiah Thomas.”
“Alright, enough. This fighting stops now.”
“I knew this would happen someday. A woman would come between us. Well I’m not standing by, I’m taking action.”
“Well, Liz Lemon’s in jail now and somebody has to step up and take charge around here.”
“Let the problem solving begin.”
“Are you Daphne? Yeah, you’re fired.”
“I had to. Friendship and trust in the entourage is the most important thing. Like that HBO show, John Adams.”
“Hmmm, usually this is the point in my process where Liz Lemon steps in and takes care of everything. Heavy is the head that eats the crayons. Gonna take a nap, see you in 10 hours.”
“No we don’t, he’s not even gonna notice they’re gone.”
“These are the new dancers, Ken. Say hi to Velvet.”
“Just think, an hour ago they were broiling in the parking lot, but tonight they’re gonna be stars. Oh boy.”
“As we celebrate the life of Jenna Maroney.”
“That was some of Jenna Maroney’s earlier work. It’s hard to believe that both of those women outlived her, especially the woman on the right. We’ll be right back.”
“And finally tonight. What more fitting way to say goodbye to our friend than with the gift she gave all of us, her music. Ladies and gentlemen, Issac Bimmelmans and the Tracy Jordan Dancers.”
“Why are you smiling, you’re freaking me out.”
“You’re crazy.”
(Thanks for visiting Unlikely Words. If you liked what you read Subscribe to RSS, check out our About Page, read some of our favorite posts or follow us on Twitter)
Episode 19
“We’ve narrowed it down, Liz Lemmon.”
“This Saturday is the 20th anniversary of the night that me and Angie met. She was working at the Diker Heights Arthur Treaches and I was residing there. She slipped me a free shrimp combo and we’ve been together ever since, so this present has to be special. It’s either going to be a denim jacket that says ‘Hot Bitch’ in diamonds, or a Slanket.”
“You are wise, Liz Lemon, like a genetically manipulated shark. So as a token of my gratitude, I got something especially for you.”
“Liz Lemon, you dummy.”
“I asked Angie what she wanted for our anniversary, and she wants me to get a tattoo of her name.”
“And above it she wants this picture of her face. I can’t have this on my chest scaring off beautiful women in the clubs.”
“You know I like to socialize, Liz Lemon. And you know my signature move with the ladies.”
“It’s taking off my shirt.”
“Now, it’s a Sophie’s Choice. I can’t get this tattoo and I can’t tell Angie ‘no’.”
“That’s a start, Liz Lemmon, that’s a start.”
“Dotcom, that is a great idea. If you want everyone to think I own a gay lion. Tangiers?”
“Look, this is my reputation we’re talking about here. Use your heads.”
“Continue.”
“-Is for me to arrange a test of erotic temptation. Yes.”
“We’re going out tonight, Jacky D, and we’re going to be tempted like Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus is my stereo guy and the Wilderness is a club I took him to once.”
“Sure thing, baby. Give a kid a call, hmm? Holla?”
“Tip of the iceberg, Jacky D. You can have all of this whenever you want. Or, you could marry that nice lady you’re in love with. It’s up to you.”
“Of course I do. Angie’s the one.”
“It’s a thing I made up after seeing the Matrix.”
“OK. This is something I’ve never told anyone. This is my terrible secret. In 20 years that I’ve known her, I’ve never cheated on my wife. There, I said it. Don’t look at me.”
“The partying is just for show, and because I’m a high-functioning alcoholic. All those phone numbers you see me handing out? They’re not even mine.”
“So can you. Because I’m a ridiculous unstable human being.”
“And if Angie wants me to get a tattoo of her to prove my life, then I’m getting that tattoo.”
“Griz, get the car. Dotcom get the coats and which one of your ladies wants to pick up the tab.”
“No and at large. I mighta went out and had too a little much to drink last night, but you’ll be proud of me, Liz Lemon Cool J, because I went out and got that tattoo Angie wanted me to get. Pow! How you like me now?”
Episode 20
“What the hell time is it?”
“No, I took my son to his cello recital this morning at what turned out to be midnight yesterday! White opressors, answer my question. What time is it really?”
“You’re a bunch of racists.”
“You treat me like a child. No worse than that. You treat me like one of those little pageant girls with the clip on teeth.”
“Irregardless, you know what? Race card!”
“I think I’ve made my point.”
“Don’t patronize me with your Celtic slang, Liz Lemon, we have a black president now.”
“This is post-racial America, and I demand to be treated like everyone else.”
“Fine.”
“Fine, I’ll bring my lunch from home.”
“You don’t think I can do that?”
“Fine, but I’ll have the last laugh. Hahahaha.”
“Professional is my middle name.”
“No need, I’ve got it memorized.”
“I’m going to do a Valentino cross, camera right, then dump the lavs, so stay on your fours, guys.”
“3:15, time for union break.”
“No. Do not apologize. In fact, everyone? Everyone gather round. Actor announcement. I want to publicly thank you, Liz Lemon, for you have shown me, that in today’s world, everyone should be treated exactly the same. No one should get preferential treatment.”
“Not black comedy superstars, not Hispanics, not Indians, not whatever this guy is. And not women, Liz Lemon.”
“Good. I feel parched from being so professional, could I trouble you for some water?”
“No. No. Equality. Everyone should be treated the same, right Liz Lemon? You should change it.”
“No one help her.”
“Hello, Liz Lemon. I was just telling these fellas how you don’t want to be treated any differently because you’re a woman.”
“Good. We’re learning.”
“Hello, Elizabeth.”
“I’m done with my work, I was very professional.”
“It was.”
“You coming, Liz Lemmon? Because a dude boss would be a jerk if he didn’t come to Lutz’s bachelor party. Also a dude boss, would pay for it.”
“Twist.”
“I don’t want to be here, I don’t like it here. Who is this guy?”
“The black one. I can’t take it anymore. I hate it.”
“Everything is upside down.”
“Yes, we upset the natural order. You’re going to strip clubs, I’m up writing all night.”
“We’re dressing monkeys up as people and monkeys are playing with people as toys!”
“We don’t wanna end up like those two!”
Episode 21
“Come on in, Jack, I’m just practicing sitting.”
“Because he’s dead.”
“Because if that man was alive, he’d be living in my pool house and I’d be paying him two hundred thousand dollars a year to mow my lawn.”
“I feel like you’re not telling me something, Jack. Let me guess. You bought a sidecar for your motorcycle and your dog won’t stay in it.”
“Why? Jack, every man should know his father.”
“No it wasn’t. I struggled through that sentence. But I know what I’m talking about because not long ago a son I didn’t know about found me.”
“My love child tracked me down. I was shocked, scared, angry. Like a dog in a sidecar when it comes loose from the motorcycle. But it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
“Everybody, gather up. Actor announcement. No, human announcement.”
“There’s something I want you all to hear directly from me before you read about it in next month’s issue of Black Entrepreneur and Butts Magazine. I have an illegitimate son.”
“Obviously, my family wanted to keep this private, but somehow, those vultures in the media found out about it.”
“Like a dog in a sidecar when it comes loose from the motorcycle. But it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
“Oh, noooooooo.”
“Now, I didn’t know about this boy up until three years ago, but I’ve been supporting him financially ever since. And I want you all to meet him.”
“I want you bastards to meet my bastard. My baby boy, Donald Jordan.”
“Well, as long as it’s for something you need.”
“I love you, man.”
“Why won’t this stupid gizmo do what I want. I’m going to miss the lotto drawing.”
“Of course, why would I lie about my age, I’m in the entertainment industry.”
“Not familiar, but what about this song? [Singing] Tea is great after being out late, after walking my baby ba-”
“39.”
“Yes you are, son. That’s what that birth certificate you printed out for me said.”
“Yes I do, and I left the amount blank, just like you asked.”
“Donald’s opening a dojo.”
I
“Hey, remember this song? [Singing] If e’r a fair maiden, a knight chance to see.”
“OK, that was to put in Dotcom’s birthday card. But you’re right. The card is enough.”
“I know.”
“Liz Lemon, I might hug people too hard and get lost in malls. But I’m not an idiot.”
“When Donald came to me he was a fast talking charmer from the wrong side of the track. He reminded me of someone, Liz Lemon, Jon Travolta’s character from Grease. And me.”
“Call it what you want, but in the last three years, Donald has gone from scamming celebrities to being a small business owner.”
“And the community center is thriving. Do you know Kenneth’s eighty dollars bought a chess set and a crate of condoms?”
“That’s what ya’ll naming it? Thank you, son. Thank you.”
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Episode 22
“Not interested.”
“Because Frank Lucas High School was a hell hole. Griz knows, he was there. A drug dealer named Campbell, he ruled that school. He wanted me to find a snitch called Baby. Campbell wanted me to cut him open.”
“I wouldn’t do it. I dropped out, and I vowed never to go back to that place.”
“Yes he was.”
“No he wasn’t.”
“What frog?”
“When have I ever cried?”
“It’s true, there is no Baby. I was chicken. I was chicken.”
“You can’t understand, Ken. Where I come from, street cred is everything. That’s why, when I left that school in shame, I vowed never to cry again. And I never have.”
“Don’t die! I love you, Jack.”
“Diet Slice and some pita chips.”
“I don’t wanna be here, I don’t like it here.”
“I was just calling ya’ll a bunch of racists.”
“We’re not really best friends, we’re just good friends.”
“I was chicken. I was chicken.”
“I’m never going back to Frank Lucas High School to be reminded of my greatest failure.”
“Uh uh. I’ve changed, Ken, into a badass adult. I have a wolfdog, and I have two bad knees and I have a gun. That I lost!”
“Damn, K, you know who that was?”
“I grew up with that guy. He was the baddest gangster in my class. We called him ‘Mean Steve’, but his real name was Steven Killah.”
“Well, if a bad ass OG like that can get stuck delivering food, how did I get out?”
“You’re right, Ken. They should. 5 F bombs, right?”
“I almost didn’t make it here this afternoon, but then a very special friend showed me the way. So I’d like to take a moment to thank Victor Cardova from the Sunoco station on Lennox Avenue.”
“But there’s another reason why I almost didn’t come today. Fear. Fear of letting people know the real me. I have but one thing to say to all of you. Be yourself. And I’m talking to you clearly, gay kid. And you, white kid just trying to go unnoticed.”
“Just be yourself and I guarantee you every single person in this room will one day be President of the United States.”
“OK, but I’m allergic to horses.”
“[Crying] Who wants my autograph.”
“There you are, you stupid cracker. Do you know why I get a hotel room? To poop in peace! No kids banging on the door, no phones ringing. It’s my time! Every Tuesday and Thursday at three PM. I don’t know why I only go twice a week. That’s what Angie should be worried about.”
“Pete, how am I going to live, I only have three hundred million dollars.”
“High school graduate, do you know what this means, Griz? Dotcom? Ken? We’re going to college.”
“How’d you say that without moving your mouth?”
Thanks for visiting Unlikely Words. If you liked what you read Subscribe to RSS, check out our About Page, read some of our favorite posts or Follow us on TwitterGerman princess appears in court charged with assaulting three people and shouting anti-Muslim abuse at student Oktoberfest event
Her Serene Highness Theodora-Louise accused of attack near St Andrews
She faces nine charges including acting in a racially aggravated manner
Princess, 27, allegedly made remarks about killing Muslims to a woman
A German princess has appeared in court after allegedly threatening to kill Muslims and calling police officers ‘paedophiles’.
Her Serene Highness Theodora-Louise, Prinzessin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, is accused of attacking three people at an event near St Andrews, Fife, where she is at university.
The 27-year-old, named on several lists of eligible single princesses, was led in handcuffs into Cupar Sheriff Court. She faces nine charges - including assault and acting in a racially aggravated manner.
Leaving court: Her Serene Highness Theodora-Louise, Prinzessin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (centre), is accused of attacking three people at an event near St Andrews, Fife, where she is at university
The princess - who denies all of the charges - is understood to have been attending a student Oktoberfest event on Saturday, which is aimed at promoting cultural understanding.
She allegedly assaulted a man called Damon Creevy by kicking him and acted in a racially aggravated way towards a woman named Farah Hussain by making remarks about killing Muslims.
The incidents are believed to have taken place at Kinkell Farm, and the princess is also said to have kicked a woman called Cara Anderson, struggled with her and attempted to head-butt her.
At the event, which was raising money for Tayside Children with Cancer and Leukaemia, the princess is alleged to have made offensive and homophobic comments towards security staff.
Head covered: The princess - who denies all of the charges - is understood to have been attending a student Oktoberfest event on Saturday, which is aimed at promoting cultural understanding
She also denied charges of shouting, swearing and threatening violence and struggling violently with police officers.
The court heard yesterday that Sayn-Wittgenstein was supposed to return to Germany on Sunday, but had to rearrange her flights.
She was said to have fought against being placed in custody by pushing, shouting, swearing and threatening violence towards officers in a police van.
Then - according to the final charge - she shouted and swore at officers at Glenrothes Police Station on March 9, and accused them of being paedophiles.
Education: The event was taking place near St Andrews, Fife, where she attends university (pictured)
The princess appeared in court in handcuffs, having spent the weekend in police cells in Glenrothes.
Defence solicitor Douglas Williams noted the Crown was not opposed to bail, provided the accused could give an address in Britain where she could be contacted. She provided one in London.
Mr Williams said she plans to return to Germany while she awaits trial to work with her father, Prince Ludwig, at his energy renewables business.
She was released on bail with the conditions of appearing at every calling of the case, does not commit any offences while on bail, and does not interfere with witnesses in the case.WASHINGTON — In a boon for the Obama administration’s efforts to advance the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York told President Obama on Tuesday that he was optimistic that he could vote for Mr. Hagel’s confirmation based on his grilling of Mr. Hagel on a variety of issues pertaining to Israel and Iran.
After a 90-minute meeting in the West Wing of the White House on Monday, Mr. Schumer appeared to be mollified on a number of concerns he has with some votes Mr. Hagel made while serving in the Senate and myriad comments he has subsequently made regarding the nuclear threat of Iran and other matters.
“Based on several key assurances provided by Senator Hagel,” Mr. Schumer said in a prepared statement, “I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation. I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him.” Mr. Schumer, the first senator to meet privately with Mr. Hagel since he was nominated last week, is likely to have influence over many of his Senate colleagues, particularly Democrats, who have been fretting over the nomination. He called Mr. Hagel Tuesday morning to let him know he was prepared to support him.
While the nod is unsurprising, having the support of Mr. Schumer, the most influential Jewish member of the Senate, may be helpful to Mr. Hagel’s pursuit of the defense job, effectively neutralizing the idea that he is somehow anti-Israel. His nomination has been met with suspicion, and even outright hostility, among Republicans and Democrats who are strongly aligned with pro-Israel groups.IT’S ONE of the great ironies of modern life. The liberated woman is exhausted. She has very little erotic energy once she’s married and has children. The sexual revolution isn’t all that much fun after all.
—- Comments —-
Thomas F. Bertonneau writes:
The specialist’s advice about sex to young women who are too tired for the sexual activity into which feminism has liberated them is quite amenable to generalization. In its essence it is simply that old basis of Western wisdom – the admonition to adhere to the golden mean in all things and to balance the demands of life. Feminism, the exacerbating cause of this seemingly pervasive problem of female non-responsiveness, is also amenable to generalization: It is a species of the modern imperative to serve nothing but a notion of the self that is entirely socially mediated – that is, to sacrifice an actual Self to an image of professional success and consumerist repletion supplied by a pathologically professionalized and decadently consumerist society. I draw one further conclusion from the article that you post – the sexualization of the social realm (as in the tireless Cosmopolitan campaign to do it every which way and all the time) is at least partly compensatory. As modernity kills off actual sex, which has a necessary spiritual component, it replaces it with a sexual “ |
in support of the bill Scottish Lib Dems - says the pricing move is going "in the right direction"
- says the pricing move is going "in the right direction" Scottish Labour- is opposed to a minimum unit pricing for alcohol
Ms Davidson said: "Support for alcohol minimum pricing represents a major policy shift for the Scottish Conservatives.
"It follows my commitment as leader to undertake a widespread review of policy and reflects our strategy of seeking to improve parliamentary bills in the face of an SNP majority at Holyrood.
"I am delighted that we have managed to secure two major concessions which will reassure the retail industry following productive negotiations with the health secretary."On the trail of Esperanto with Kate Bellamy
Posted on October 4, 2016 in
An example of a trilingual information board in Biaɫystok
The beauty of [working in] linguistics is that your object of study – language – is all around you. In fact, it’s pretty hard to avoid language; from the moment you wake up in the morning to the time you go to bed, your eyes and ears are bombarded with language in some form. Just think of the input you receive from the radio, TV, internet, messages and calls from your family and friends, even your pet parrot can imitate your speech patterns!
One language you don’t receive much input from is Esperanto. So imagine my surprise – and delight – when I discovered trilingual Polish-English-Esperanto information boards in front of noteworthy historical monuments in Biaɫystok, northeastern Poland. The reason for the seeming over-representation of this constructed language is simple: Biaɫystok is the birthplace of Ludwik Zamenhof, creator of Esperanto.
Zamenhof was born in 1859 to Polish-Lithuanian Jewish parents. Unsurprisingly he grew up multilingual, speaking Yiddish, Russian and Polish. His passion for language and communication was clearly kindled from a young age, for already at high school he was developing the rules for an international language. It was at the age of 28 already (younger than many people receive their PhD in The Netherlands!) that he published his first handbook, entitled ‘Lingvo Internacia’ (International Language), a handbook for Esperanto, which appeared in Russian, Polish, Yiddish, French, German, English and Hebrew. The name of the language as we know it now emerged later; learners adopted Zamenhof’s pen-name, Doktor Esperanto (“one who hopes”) as the name for the language, and it has stuck ever since.
Witness the delight of a fellow linguist at the location of Zamenhof’s family home
Zamenhof’s (real) name and influence are inescapable in Biaɫystok. The Esperanto Route (termed Szlak Esperanto on all the boards – strangely only in Polish) guides you round the most important sites in the city related to Zamenhof, from his family home (long since destroyed) to his middle school, via the Ludwik Zamenhof Centre. He is commemorated on plaques, road names – even a train from Warsaw to Łodź is named after him (although this probably more likely to be due to his Jewish heritage - not everyone is quite as obsessed with languages as we are!).
The Ludwik Zamenhof Centre, Biaɫystok (nerd alert: note the genitive case on his name)
Basically, people and places related to linguistics are all around us. Language is woven into our social fabric, it is an integral part of our history. So don’t forget, next time you go on holiday, keep your eyes and ears open!Hi everyone!
We are currently working towards getting a pre-alpha for release. Our log in system is in full development so you will be able to sign up and start redeeming bundle keys, wallpapers, and eventually alphas very soon. We are expecting that to be live in about two weeks, and pre-alpha builds downloadable in early February.
Progress:
The start of the year has thrown up a lot of challenges. We've been working towards the current milestone at a good rate, with lots of cool new content going in. I've also been coding a significant overhaul of my renderer. The game is starting to look quite smashing!
In other news, we are in negotiations to license audio middleware to help us deliver Nick's glorious music and sound effects. Currently I'm waiting for assurances that the Linux version of the system is up to scratch before going ahead with it. I'm hoping this won't delay development too much, but we all think it's worth it to make the game really come alive.
I'll be expanding the team this week with two more very talented developers who will be helping us get our characters animated and lifelike for the alpha. Exciting stuff!
The forums are the place to be for up to date info on development, and I'll be posting more updates on here too. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox as I will be sending out more tier specific messages again this week.
Feel free to drop me an email any time!
-SimonWelcome to the very first episode of Will of the Council! I am pleasantly surprised at the time of me writing this 99 people had voted. I'm glad people took the time and voted on their favorite deck out of the four nominees.
Sylvan Plug took out the competition pretty soundly, garnering 41% of the votes. I'm actually kind of surprised by this. I thought for sure Brave Sir Robin was going to be the clear winner, but the people want to watch Plug, arguably the coolest midrange deck Legacy has to offer. I can't really blame you. Sylvan Plug is an awesome deck, designed to punish blue decks and outclass most of the creatures regularly seen on the battlefields of Legacy.
A quick rundown of Sylvan Plug for those of you unfamiliar with it. This is a type of deck that flourishes in the right metagame. We're looking to beat decks running a ton of one mana spells. Chalice of the Void is a disgusting card, especially in Legacy where you can set it on one charge counter and pretty much nullify most of your opponent's deck. It will counter Brainstorm, Ponder, Swords to Plowshares, Deathrite Shaman, and Delver of Secrets, to name just a few. Trinisphere's goal is to hinder how many spells opponents' can cast in a given turn. Along with Wasteland, our goal is to disrupt their tempo and turn their cheap broken cards into more fair ones.
Choke is more special. It can ruin an opponent's manabase or be completely dead depending on the matchup, but it is so good at what it does that having three to four mainboard is justified, at least in Sylvan Plug. To give you a sense of just how good Choke can be, here is a pic of me playing a game where I managed to choke out my opponent.
After we've succeeded in locking our opponents out of the game with Chalice, Trinisphere, and/or Choke, we can begin unleashing monsters like Obstinate Baloth. Not only is it a good blocker and attacker, but just knowing it's in our deck will make most players too scared to +1 Liliana of the Veil or cast that Hymn to Tourach in our direction.
We also have access to Titania, Protector of Argoth, who not only produces 5/3 Elementals but allows us to recycle a fetchland or Wasteland when she enters the battlefield. There's not a whole lot of things more satisfying than destroying a land, casting Titania, then destroying another land on the same turn with the same Wasteland.
Sylvan Library is Plug's Brainstorm and Sensei's Divining Top, and we're running a playset in the main. Of course Sylvan Library is better when we also have a fetchland so we can reset the top of our library, but what also combos well with the enchantment is Courser of Kruphix. Yeah, the centaur gives away information, but if you set it up right you can leave a land on top and play it with the Courser.
The first thing I did once I learned Sylvan Plug beat out the other three decks was to check online and see if there were any updates to the list. Not being much of an innovator myself, once I saw RomarioVidal recently going 4-0 I just copied his list. He had made some tweaks since the last time I played Plug. He had replaced Stingerfling Spider for Ancient Spider because my guess is Reanimator and Sneak and Show are not very popular Online right now and Delver decks are. He also now runs a playset of Choke in the main instead of the usual three. I agreed with these changes so I ran with it, as well. One thing that did stand out to me, he was using Centaur Vinecrasher, a Commander 2015 card! Now I'm not sure if he was just testing it out or if this was the real deal, but I'm leaning toward this guy being awesome. Legacy is full of fetchlands, City of Traitors, and Wasteland, and since Vinecrasher cares about lands in ALL graveyards, I imagine this dude getting huge. At first I overlooked that he had trample, too. Once I noticed that I immediately thought of how good he is going to be against True-Name Nemesis. I'm not sure how much his second ability will come into play since Abrupt Decay can't touch him and most other removal exiles instead of destroys, but I'm sure it won't be completely irrelevant.
The sideboard is mainly just a bunch of one-ofs in order to hate on a multitude of decks. I am not the best sideboarder but I have compiled a list of when I would want to bring in each card.
Like I said, I ain't no expert sideboarder and I'm sure I missed some cases where these cards might also want to be brought in. There are just too many decks in Legacy to include every kind of match up, but if you feel I missed something pretty relevant then please leave a comment. Anywho, let's get on to the videos!
Man, I love this deck. It does a pretty darn good job controlling the game and ramping us into some really fun-to-play creatures. If you haven't played this deck and are looking for something off the beaten path, I highly encourage you to pick this up and give it a whirl.
But alas, it's time to move on, and also time to vote for the next deck! Sylvan Plug, as much as I hate doing it, has been replaced by Dragon Stompy in the new poll. Thanks for reading, watching, and voting!Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) was one of five Republicans who voted against House Speaker John Boehner’s resolution to sue President Barack Obama. But it wasn’t because he doesn’t think the president has overstepped his authority. Instead, as Jones made clear in a radio interview this week, it’s because he prefers impeachment instead.
Answering a listener question on the Talk of the Town radio show, Jones said, “I am one that believes sincerely that the Constitution says that when a president, be it Republican or Democrat, when a president exceeds his authority, and you can’t stop a president from exceeding his authority, then we do have what’s called impeachment.”
“We recently had a vote to go to federal courts,” Jones said, referring to the lawsuit resolution. “I did not vote for that,” he said. “I was one of five.”
Jones explained that Congress has tried to use the courts to curtail Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in the past and ultimately failed.
“My problem with what my party is trying to do to sue is it will cost the taxpayers between two and three million dollars,” Jones said in conclusion. “Use the Constitution, that’s what it is there for.”
With the support of all Republicans but five and no Democrats, Boehner’s lawsuit moved forward last week after a 225-201 vote in the House. Boehner has said he has no plans to impeach Obama and called any suggestions otherwise a “scam started by Democrats at the White House.”
Watch video below, via Talk of the Town:
[h/t BuzzFeed]
[Photo via screengrab]
— —
>> Follow Matt Wilstein (@TheMattWilstein) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comCPD dispatcher charged with shooting woman in road rage altercation
A Chicago Police dispatcher shot and wounded an 18-year-old woman who shoved and pulled the city worker’s hair following the pair’s contentious traffic dispute in McKinley Park, Cook County prosecutors said Friday.
The victim, who was traveling with her 12-year-old brother and two small children after a trip to McDonald’s, was shot in the abdomen Wednesday afternoon and has since had surgery, Assistant State’s Attorney Erin Antonietti said.
Her prognosis unknown, the woman, who is awaiting two more procedures at Stroger Hospital, also suffered injuries to her pancreas and liver. The bullet remains lodged in her stomach, Antonietti told Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil, after describing the series of events that led to the gun violence.
Meanwhile, Keli McGrath’s attorney, Jim McKay, called the injured woman who is “significantly heavier” than McGrath the “bully” and “aggressor” in the confrontation.
McGrath also was taken to Stroger Hospital for a head injury, police said. McKay, a former prosecutor, said his 46-year-old client, a breast cancer survivor, had the “right” to carry a gun and defend herself.
The incident, which Kuriakos Ciesil called “road rage,” started when McGrath, who was on her way home from a hospital appointment shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, tried pulling in front of the younger woman’s vehicle without signaling.
The younger woman honked and didn’t let McGrath pass into her lane, Antonietti said. Then, while stopped at a traffic light at 35th and Ashland, the younger woman threw a cup of soda through McGrath’s window, hitting her, Antonietti said.
The 18-year-old continued to pull into an alley, in the 3400 block of South Ashland, and McGrath followed behind, pulling out her phone to call police, Antonietti said.
The younger woman then got out of her car, argued with McGrath and went back into her vehicle to drive away. But McGrath stood in front of the woman’s car, preventing her from leaving, Antonietti said.
Apparently angered by McGrath’s actions, the younger motorist got out of her vehicle again, grabbed McGrath by the hair, and shoved her to the ground, Antonietti said. That’s when McGrath allegedly pulled out her gun and fired at the 18-year-old.
The weapon recovered from the scene had 10 live rounds and one bullet casing, Antonietti said. McGrath legally owned the gun, according to McKay, who said he was confident pod cameras capturing the encounter would prove McGrath was trying to protect herself.
McGrath, who lives in the Scottsdale neighborhood, has been employed with the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications for 22 years. It was unknown if she has been suspended or fired.
McGrath, who was charged with aggravated battery, was released on her own recognizance. The judge recommended that she be placed on electronic monitoring while she awaits trial.
Contributing: Jacob Wittich, Matthew HendricksonThe European Commission is launching an EU-wide consultation period to gauge public opinion on net neutrality. To collect responses the EC has created a questionnaire that any European citizen can complete, which poses questions such as:
"Please provide your views on the following ways/situations where traffic management may be applied by ISPs. Are traffic management measures used to implement or manage compliance with the explicit contractual restrictions (e.g. on P2P or VoIP) of the Internet access product accepted by the user necessary, appropriate, or problematic?"
Other questions relate to congestion management, managed services, privacy, transparency, internet restrictions, and the ease of switching internet providers. The consultation period is just the latest in a long line of EU research into net neutrality. Neelie Kroes, EU Vice President, says that there's a "lack of effective consumer choice" that needs to be addressed. She plans to use the consultation to "prepare recommendations that will generate more real choices and end the net neutrality waiting game in Europe."
Kroes has spearheaded the EU's work on net neutrality, and has previously said that she is "in favor of an open internet and maximum choice. That must be protected. But you don’t need me or the EU telling you what sort of Internet services you must pay for."
If you want your voice to be heard, you can head directly to the survey — it shouldn't take longer than ten minutes to fill out, and you'll make Nilay Patel a very happy man. The closing date for responses is October 15th, so speak now, or forever hold your peace.Orlando gun show canceled after GEORGE ZIMMERMAN was named as featured guest
'The New Orlando Gun Show' was cancelled after organizers announced George Zimmerman would be in attendance
Zimmerman was a paying vendor whose attendance did not need to be cleared with the event space's owners, organizers claim
They are planning to sue to recoup losses, and Zimmerman is welcome at any of their future events as long as he is legally able
Organizer Mike Piwowarski, who owns local gun shop The Arms Room, says Zimmerman will make an appearance Saturday at the store
A Florida gun show was cancelled after organizers publicly announced Trayvon Martin killer George Zimmerman would be a guest at the event - but Zimmerman will still make a public appearance.
‘The New Orlando Gun Show,’ scheduled for this weekend at Orlando’s Majestic Events Center, was cancelled Thursday despite more than 100 vendors threatening to take the owners to court if the show did not go on.
Organizer Mike Piwowarski, who also owns a local gun store, told ClickOrlando that the show was cancelled because of the announced Zimmerman appearance, and Zimmerman posted emails to his Twitter account backing up that claim.
The guest of honor: George Zimmerman, pictured with Mike Piwowarski and two other individuals, caused a gun show to be cancelled after he was named the 'featured guest'
‘We've had discussions with The Majestic and they decided to cancel the event because George Zimmerman was making an appearance,’ said Piwowarski.
When contacted by MailOnline, Piwowarski clarified that Zimmerman was to be a paying vendor who wanted to attend for a meet and greet - he would not have charged for any autographs.
Zimmerman's intent was to be able to attend an event where he would be more free to be himself, where there would be less negativity than he has encountered in other settings, according to Piwowarski.
When asked if organizers had considered possible backlash to Zimmerman's attendance, Piwowarski replied 'I’m not sure that we were gauging reaction at all.. it was someone who was legally able to have a table.'
Not allowed: Majestic's owners said in an email posted online by Zimmerman that the gun aficionado is not allowed on their property
Piwowarski was notified of the event's cancellation via email, but the Majestic's owners are not returning any of his messages.
'it was very detrimental to Majestic's image as a local business for Arms Room to post on Twitter saying that George Zimmerman would be a guest of honor without confirming that with Majestic and without getting prior approval from Majestic management,' general manager Vikash Mahadeowrite in an email provided to MailOnline.
Piwowarski was also quick to point out that, per the terms of their contract with the Majestic's owners, they were not required to clear any vendors with management ahead of time.
He also refuted claims the announcement was posted on Twitter and said the backlash was generated by Majestic management's reaction, not by the Arms Room post on Facebook.
A picture posted to the Facebook page for The Arms Room, Piwowarski’s gun shop, shows Zimmerman recently visiting the store with the caption ‘we had a friend stop by recently.’
Comments on the picture ranged from surprise to outrage, and that is what led Majestic’s owners to call off the whole thing, according to the station.
‘The event center asked us to do a few things when they found out Mr. Zimmerman was present; pull down posts, pull down announcement that he was going to be there.,’ Piwowarski recalled during a ClickOrlando interview.
‘We did all of that when they asked us to do it,’ Piwowarski continued. ‘They rescheduled the event. Then they later went on to cancel it again, after we complied with all of their requests.’
The organizers and more than 100 gun vendors had a year-long contract with the Majestic and plan to go to court if the show does not go on as scheduled, Piwowarski told the station.
The show will not go on: The gun show's organizers have confirmed the show has been cancelled and have plans to take the Majestic's owners to court
The show’s cancellation will cost the vendors a combined $100,000, Piwowarski claims, and organizers plan to move forward with a lawsuit to recoup that money.
'The attorneys are down at the courthouse right now,' he said while speaking to MailOnline.
‘Mr Zimmerman will not be permitted on Majestic’s property for the gun show,’ manager Vikash Mahadeo wrote in an email posted online by Zimmerman.
Zimmerman also tweeted ‘another company bowing to threats of being labeled racist’ in response to the show’s cancellation.
Messages left with Majestic’s owner by MailOnline seeking further comment have not yet been returned.
The quarterly gun shows will need to find a new home, Piwowarski explained, and Zimmerman is free to attend and will make an appearance Saturday morning at 10.00am at a mini event at the store featuring a few of the other vendors slated to attend the bigger show.Labour housing spokesperson has sparked a twitter storm after he used highly questionable data based on Auckland house sales and the ethnicity of purchaser’s names based on how they looked.
And he used this to try and justify stating that Labour would ban all foreign purchases of property in New Zealand, despite also saying “we have a policy review underway”.
Mr Twyford, people listening to this will think to themselves, ‘There’s only one thing certain here, which is that Labour is prepared to play the race card.’
I’m speaking out on this issue because, like most New Zealanders, I believe that the Kiwi dream of homeownership is worth fighting for. Rampant property speculation in Auckland is driving house prices higher and higher and out of the reach of young, hard-working first-home buyers. Offshore speculators are a major part of this picture. That’s what this data suggests. I think it’s as plain as day, and I think that so many Aucklanders will wake up this morning, they’ll look at these numbers, and they’ll say, ‘I told you so.’ Okay, if it is such a big issue, what would Labour do about it?
We would ban foreign buyers from buying New Zealand houses, end of story. That’s what the Australians have done. Look, there’s a reason— So long-term residents can buy, and if you buy, what, a new build, you can buy? But otherwise no?
If you’re not a citizen or a resident, you’re sitting on the other side of the world, and you want to buy a house, come and live here. That’s the way to do it. Or, if you want— as the Australians allow, if you want to build a new house and add to the supply, we don’t see any problem with that. But, look, there’s a reason that so many countries around the world – Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and a dozen others – have enacted laws and restrictions that put limits on the ability of foreign speculators to trade local housing. Juwai.com, the preeminent Chinese website that specialises in marketing international real estate to Chinese investors in China, they reported recently that the Chinese government’s plans to free up capital controls, so that their citizens can move money in and out of the country more easily— (Source: Scoop)
So Australians, Samoans, Tongans, English, any non New Zealander would be banned from buying property in New Zealand?
What other policies do you have that would make a difference? Because the thing is, Labour ditched capital gains tax, which arguably would have made a difference, because it wasn’t popular with voters, but you’re happy to give the old foreigners a kick, because that doesn’t lose you votes?
We’re going to crack down on speculators generally, and we have a policy review underway. There are a myriad of different tax and policy approaches that we can do to level the playing field away from the current incentives for property speculation in our economy. So we’re going to do that. We’re going ban foreign buyers.
They have a policy review under way but apparently Twyford is in a position to announce this policy now.
The criticism of the data and the ban has bee fairly vigorous from across the political spectrum.
Full transcript: Lisa Owen interviews Labour’s housing spokesman Phil Twyford
Video: Interview: Labour’s housing spokesman Phil Twyford
And it turns out that Rob Salmond did the data analysis based on surnames of property buyers, he defends his analysis at Public Address: House-buying patterns in Auckland"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." --Dave Barry If there's one universal constant in human society, it has to be alcohol. Rare indeed is the culture that hasn't worked out the tricksy process of fermenting and/or distilling some type of vegetable matter -- be it malted barley, potatoes, honey or grape juice -- into a brew containing a significant percentage, as the dictionary puts it, of an "organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group." In other words, booze. Among the mildest and most variable of these alcoholic beverages is that fine elixir known as beer. A true beer connoisseur would never pass up an opportunity to try the local brew, no matter where on Earth where they found themselves, and so it behooves the serious beerologist to know how to order a beer in as many languages as possible. That's why we've taken it upon ourselves to provide you with a handy guide on how to order a beer in 50 different languages. Where the pronunciation isn't obvious, or in which the term is normally written in non-Roman characters, we've rendered it phonetically. Cheers! One beer, please! Afrikaans A beer, ah-suh-bleef! American Brewski here, please! Arabic Waheed beera, meen fadleek! Basque Garagardo bat, mesedez! Belarusian Ad-no pee-vah ka-lee lah-ska! "You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." -- Frank Zappa Bengali Eka handoiya, doya koray! Bulgarian Edna beerra, molya! Catalan Una cervesa, si us plau! Cheyenne Nok hee-sevo-tamah-peh, mas-eh-met-ah-no! Chinese Ching gay woh ee bay pee joh! "Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.'" -- Jack Handy Czech Pee-vo, pro-seem! Danish Yay vil geh-neh heh en url! Dutch Un beer, ahls-yer-bleeft! Egyptian (Ancient) Wekha henqet! Esperanto Unu bieron, mi petas! "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer." -- Abraham Lincoln Estonian Ooks ur-loo, pah-lun! Finnish O-loot moolek kee-tos! French Une bière, s'il vous plait! German Ein Bier, bitte! Greek Mee-a beer-a paraka-loh! "Remember: I before E, except in Budweiser." -- Anonymous Hawaiian 'Ekahi pia, ho'olu! Hindi Eka biyara, krupaya! Hungarian Edj pohar shurt kayrek! Icelandic Ay-dn byohr, tahk! Interlingua On bira, per favor! "He was a wise man who invented beer." -- Plato Irish Byohr awoyn, lyeh doh hull! Italian Una birra, per favore! Japanese Bee-ru ip-pon, ku-da-sai! Korean Mayk-joo hahn-jahn, joo-se-yoh! Kurdish Dan min yek bire! "Give me a woman who loves beer, and I will conquer the world." -- Kaiser Wilhelm Lakota (Sioux) Wan-jee m'nee-pee-gah, ee-yo-kee-pee! Latin Cervisiam, sodes! Lithuanian Pra-shau vie-na, al-lows! Norwegian Ehn url, tahk! Old English An beor, nu! "24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?" -- Stephen Wright Pig Latin One-ay eer-bay, ease-play! Polish Yed-no peev, proshe! Portuguese Uma cerveja, por favor! Romanian Oh beh-reh ver rohg! We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards. Strong beer is the milk of the old. -- Martin Luther Scots Gaelic Lyawn, mahs eh doh hawl eh! Serbo/ Croatian Yed-no pee-vo, mo-lim! Slovene Eno pee-vo, pro-seem! Spanish Una cerveza, por favor! Swahili Moja pombe, tafadhali! "I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety." -- Shakespeare, Henry V Swedish Ehn irl, tahk! Twi Mah-me bee-ye bah-ko, mee pow-che-oo! Turkish Beer beer-ah, luht-fen! Welsh Koo-roh ohs gwel-ookh-un-thah! Yiddish A beer, zeit a-zoy goot! "Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer." -- Dave BarryBack at the 2015 event at which Donald Trump announced his bid for the presidency, his daughter Ivanka introduced her father as, first and foremost, an implacable foe of political correctness. "My father is the opposite of politically correct. He says what he means and he means what he says," she said, shortly before Trump characterized Mexican immigrants as disease-ridden, drug-smuggling rapists ("Some, I assume, are good people," he granted). In the first Republican primary debate, held in August of 2015, Trump himself reiterated that being anti-P.C. would be the hallmark of his political life, declaring, "I don't frankly have time for total political correctness."
It's ironic, then, that perhaps Trump's greatest accomplishment so far as president is to make it OK—or maybe even mandatory—for his followers to engage in the worst excesses of political correctness, especially its attempts to shut down debate and heterodox opinions through bullying, appeals to ad hominem attacks, and unthinking "whataboutism."
Among the Trump faithful, there are never legitimate grounds upon which to disagree with anything the billionaire says or does. If Barack Obama's most strident defenders were sometimes quick to claim any criticism of him was racist, thereby delegitimating honest disagreement, Trump's supporters are equally quick to denounce any dissent as proof positive of secret membership in Antifa, a pro-Hillary voting record, or a desperate attempt to look good among the communists who run the much-discussed-yet-little-seen Washington, D.C. cocktail party circuit.
And thus it has come to pass that the president of these United States, who hates political correctness at his very core, didn't "frankly have time" to immediately and unambiguously denounce by name violent right-wing protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia who last week carried torches and Nazi flags (complete with swastikas) around town while chanting "Jews will not replace us" and the Hitlerian slogan of "blood and soil." Sure, Trump had time to talk to the public. But even after a car ran into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one and injuring 19 others, the president only issued a statement vaguely condemning "this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides." Reportedly pushed by advisers, including his daughter Ivanka, he eventually called out the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists specifically and boldly averred that "racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs." Within a few hours of delivering those remarks to generally poor reviews, even among his fellow Republicans and conservatives, the president whined via Twitter that "once again the #Fake News Media will never be satisfied...truly bad people!"
But the president wasn't finished with disquisitions on Charlottesville. He called a press conference on August 15 at which he rendered his second, explicitly anti-Nazi statement inoperative by stressing the presence and violence of left-wing protesters, the bias of the media, and the pressing need to preserve statues commemorating Confederate war heroes (a cause that was not mentioned in the posters recruiting protesters for the Unite the Right rally).
As Allahpundit of the conservative site Hot Air summarized:
Short of [Trump] overtly endorsing the alt-right, which he can't do (I think?), I don't know what more he could have said here to make them happy. He stressed that not everyone who was at the demonstration in front of the Robert E. Lee statue on Friday night was a white nationalist, that some perfectly decent people were part of the group. This group? The one carrying torches and chanting things like "blood and soil" and "Jews will not replace us"?
Trump's last comments on the matter drew praise from former KKK leader David Duke, who tweeted "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa," and ethno-nationalist Richard Spencer, who texted The Atlantic's Rosie Gray to gush, "Really proud of him."
Is it politically correct to expect the president of the United States to unequivocally denounce the racial theories and violence of neo-Nazis and white supremacists? For Donald Trump and his supporters, the answer is unambiguously yes and so even libertarian critics of the president who are unsurpassed in their contempt for collectivist racial theories and their defense of free speech (something Trump himself is not so good on) must be attacked for calling out Nazis as stupid, bigoted, and, well, definitionally un-American (didn't we fight a war against Nazism?). Don't you understand, Trump's supporters insist, that we need to fight progressives with the same tactics they use? If you hold him to basic standards of decency, competence, or comportment, they continue, you're as bad as the left (typically defined as libertarian-leaning Republican Sen. Jeff Flake and anyone to his left).
That sort of thinking may keep Trump happy and insulated in the Oval Office and his fans energized and ill-tempered online, but it also means there will over time be fewer and fewer of them. In fact, Trump's approval ratings, never good to begin with, continue to set negative records. According to Marist, just 35 percent of Americans approve of the job he is doing and his support among Republicans has dropped 12 percentage points since June, to a new low of 79 percent. It seems unlikely that Republicans, who voted overwhelmingly for him, would be bamboozled by media bias, doesn't it? Perhaps Trump's falling approval rating has less to do with President Obama, the press, or the supposed power of Black Lives Matter to somehow cloud our minds and more to do with his inability to get much of anything done, to turn around the economy (the recent claim that he created an "unprecedented" number of jobs in the first six months of his presidency is flatly wrong), or to speak bluntly and honestly to the American people. On that last score, a recent poll for CNN found that just "36% of respondents said Trump was honest and trustworthy, while 60% answered that the description 'does not apply.'"
Yeah, yeah, I hear you already, Trump's P.C. loyalists: CNN is biased, what about all the people killed by Black Lives Matter at its rallies (zero, in truth), your gal HILLARY CLINTON would have been worse, why aren't you condemning Antifa and left-wing violence (been there, done that, and will continue to do so)!?!?
You are playing not a dangerous game so much as a losing one (as Trump's adviser Steve Bannon says, the alt-right is filled with "losers" and "clowns"). "The Left" is hardly ascendant in American life, especially if you use the imprecise measure of the number of Democrats who hold office in the United States; certainly Democrats in Congress aren't the reason why the GOP and the president can't produce balanced budgets, entitlement reform, or market-oriented health-care legislation. (Of course, from a libertarian viewpoint, we've got plenty of statists around, but they hail from all points on the conventional political spectrum, and that's a different argument altogether.)
Confidence in major American institutions (including the presidency and Congress, held by the GOP) are at or near historic lows and Trump's brain farts on Twitter and at press conferences aren't the tonic needed to change any of that. You're forgetting that most Americans actively despise left-wing political correctness for all the ways that it chokes off even the possibility of meaningful debate about all sorts of issues that matter to us all. Far from wanting a right-wing variant that squelches discussions before they can even get going, we want a social sphere we can talk honestly, work toward common ground, and agree to |
so very little to talk about.
Part of that aura of bitchiness derived from Theron's continued insistence on privacy.
Theron did this deliberately: She avoided Hollywood paparazzi hangouts; when she and Townsend were together, they rarely went out in public. “Some people are really into that world, of being photographed, being at the party, being with the guy, being in the Bentley,” she said. “Good for them, because it’s so entertaining to watch. It’s just not me.” Theron may have been naturally inclined toward privacy, but she also understood the ways that focusing on her private life would make it even more difficult to disappear into her parts. Growing up, the actors she admired most — Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep — were the ones whose private lives hadn’t become public property, who could show up and be a “clean canvas,” as she put it, for whatever the performance demanded. “There’s a sadness in that the longer you stay in this career, the harder it becomes to get people to sit in a theater and not focus on your looks,” she told Vogue in 2007, while promoting In the Valley of Elah, another “unglamorous” role. “Maybe that’s why I try to keep my private life so private and why I don’t want to be an In Touch celebrity. It’s why I don’t have any patience for the paparazzi. It’s just not something that helps me at all.” Here, Theron is talking about the long-standing separation between performers known for their acting and performers known as stars. Stars act, but their fame is rooted in the combination of their public performances and “private” lives. If Theron had become a more typical star, she would have taken roles that underlined and amplified her folksy cool girl–ness. She’d have starred in a rom-com. She’d have gotten married instead of flatly dismissing the idea with “I never had the dream of the white dress.” She’d have been purposefully paparazzied in situations that kept her private life in conversation, instead of completely dropping off the map for years at a time, which she did twice over the course of the 2000s.
When Theron adopted a son in 2012, she did not sell the story of their home life, or pictures of them, to a magazine. She did not post pictures of him — or his sister, adopted three years later — to social media. She kept appearances in which they could be photographed together to a minimum. When she started dating Sean Penn in 2014, she acknowledged that their relationship had been more publicized than any of her previous ones, but also spoke flatly about their partnership. “I love Sean and I love our relationship, because we make life better for each other,” she told Esquire. “But he doesn’t fill a hole in me and I don’t fill a hole in him. We are two very healthy adults and we have one hell of a time together and I think that’s important.”
Dominique Charriau / WireImage Theron and Sean Penn on the red carpet for the Mad Max: Fury Road at the Cannes Film Festival.
But even if Theron refused the narrative, or the idea that who she was dating was the most interesting thing about her, the press continued to push it. At a press junket in 2015, all the questions were about Penn and her son and, as Theron put it, “what I eat.” “It’s really a roundabout way of getting as much private shit as they can,” she said. Theron resisted that push — which, according to people I spoke to who’ve worked junkets and red carpets with her, is part of the reason that she’s known as no-nonsense, with little time for small talk, niceties, bullshit, or other types of performative posturing expected of celebrities. And she's basically given up on the traditional celebrity profile — long considered obligatory for stars of all levels. As she recently told Bill Simmons “I'm not a secretive person, but I am a private person, and other than podcasts, it's really hard to kind of have you as a person come across. I just got tired of sitting down for interviews and having some writer just write whatever they wanted to write.” Put differently, she got tired of writers mapping an understanding of her — as cool girl, as survivor of childhood tragedy — onto her otherwise complicated self. “There's a sense of irony that gets lost,” she continued, “especially with me, and I think with women in general...for some reason with men it's a little more forgiving if a writer takes their own idea of what the interview was, but I feel like with women it's so unforgiving.”
While there are many men who’ve opted for this route, it’s a rarity for a woman, in part because a woman’s refusal to share her private life is generally considered selfish, snobby, bitchy. But again, Theron could lean into that bitchiness because she had her beauty as insurance — and could essentially pick whatever project she wanted.
Theron could lean into that bitchiness because she had her beauty as insurance — and pick of whatever project she wanted.
Which is why her filmography between the late 2000s and early 2010s reads like that of someone with an expansive understanding of what they can or should do onscreen. She dabbled in action (Aeon Flux, Prometheus), indies (Sleepwalking, Battle in Seattle), meditations on grief (In the Valley of Elah, The Road), summer blockbusters (Hancock, A Million Ways to Die in the West), satire (Young Adult), cartoons (Kubo and the Two Strings), and thrillers (Dark Places). She embraced what she herself called her “bitch phase” — playing deeply unlikable characters, villains, and literal ice queens. “I’m owning that market for myself now,” she told The Scotsman in 2012. “What a legacy to leave behind:'she played all the bitches.'” Theron was joking — but not really. Since 2012, she’s only gone on to play more bitches (another Snow White movie), more villains (The Fate of the Furious), more fearsome women (Mad Max: Fury Road). But her role in Mad Max, like her current role in Atomic Blonde (and the narrative of her personal life, in which she purportedly “ghosted” Sean Penn when his presence was no longer pleasing) have transformed her into a different sort of icon. She’s no longer a bitch. She’s a broad.
Universal Pictures; Village Roadshow / Kobal / REX / Shutterstock / Via youtube.com Theron as Ravenna (left) in Snow White and the Huntsman and Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015.
A broad, aka the type of old-school Hollywood actress (think Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Mae West) who combined aesthetic and intellectual virtues and coupled them with the confidence of a man. Broads are women, not girls. Broads aren’t “nice.” Broads don’t put up with Tom Hardy’s shit on set. Broads, like bitches, get shit done — on their own terms. People have been calling Theron a broad for years. Woody Harrelson described her as a “classic broad”: “incredibly talented, and also able to tell more vulgar jokes than you and drink you under the table.” Niki Caro, who directed her in North Country, likened her to the “thirties Hollywood sense” of the word, explaining that “she has this brilliant ability to set the bar very high and the tone very low.”
Broads are women, not girls. Broads aren’t “nice.” Broads don’t put up with Tom Hardy’s shit on set. Broads, like bitches, get shit done — on their own terms.
That's the cool girl understanding of broad. But broad also has another meaning — best explained by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, creators and stars of Broad City, who define a broad as “a full woman” who “knows what she wants, knows who she is, and is doing the best she can.” It’s an understanding Theron has independently embraced. As she told Interview in 2012, “You know when girls say, ‘I’m a girl’s girl?'” It has never felt right for me to say that because I don’t know if I’m a girl’s girl. I think I might be a full woman’s woman.” That fullness, that complexity of image, is exactly what eludes most Hollywood stars — something which Theron has long been aware of and annoyed by. When doing roundtables with other actresses for Young Adult she noticed that the conversation kept returning to “this frustration of not having material out there that really challenges and explores and asks questions about who we really are as women.” And part of that is because cinema reflects and further flattens the expectations for women in the world. As she told the Ottawa Citizen, “We come from a society that’s very comfortable with the Madonna-whore complex. We’re either really good hookers or really good mothers.”
Esquire; GQ
Most female stars who insist that they’re neither, or maybe both — onscreen or off — end up on the margins of Hollywood. But not Theron, whose persistence in rejecting such flat roles have earned her the label of iconoclast, “refusing to conform to society’s — or Hollywood’s — expectations of her," as Vogue put it. But let's be clear: Theron only allowed that right of refusal because she has a body and face that do conform to society’s standards. It’s Theron’s beauty that has afforded her the ability to refuse such dichotomies — and, like other broads before her, retexture the parameters of female stardom. Which might be why Theron keeps appearing without pants on the cover of magazines: It’s the obligatory payment of dues that liberates her to do whatever else she wants. In this way, she’s engaged in an age-old feminist dilemma: When you realize the system is stacked against you, do you figure out how to slyly game it, exploiting your privilege, whether as a white person, as a middle-class person, as a straight person, as a pretty person, as a thin person — or do you try to explode it, even if that tactic ends up excluding you entirely? “Progress,” and the feminist project for women in Hollywood, looks like many things, including, but not limited to: women in roles like spies or superheroes, historically relegated to men; women working with female directors and screenwriters to surface more complicated roles for women; women producing the projects that matter to them; women advocating for — and refusing to work without — equal pay; and women suggesting that their value, as actors, is not contingent on their ability to market or commodify their private lives. Theron has done all of these things, and she’s been doing them for the vast majority of her career. But progress also includes making way for different types of talented and worthy women to enjoy this sort of success on their own terms. It’s not Theron’s fault that her face and body on the cover of magazines and film posters fortifies the notion that there’s basically only one way for women to succeed in Hollywood — namely, by making your face and body as close to hers as possible. But the persistence of that unspoken ideal suggests that it will take much more than troubling the archetypes of female behavior, more than owning the role of bitch and transforming it into the broad, more than showing that hot women over the age of 40 can fight. So much of being a broad, after all, is conducting oneself “like a man.” But men get to age in Hollywood. And women — even women as beautiful as Theron — do not age so much as disappear. To “win” as a woman in Hollywood, then, is to participate in a machine that will soon exclude you. And as the careers of many previously powerful female stars suggest, no amount of plastic surgery or body modification can change that. What can work — as Theron’s extensive participation in the production of Atomic Blonde seems to suggest — is taking over the levers of power, and producing the sort of roles (for yourself, and, more importantly, for other female stars who don’t look like you) that challenge the accepted knowledge of what audiences want and, by extension, what women can be or do onscreen. Theron has long manipulated her pretty-girl privilege to get the roles and freedom she wants. But can she use it to get those same roles and freedom for others? ●
Jonathan Prime / Focus FeaturesBuy Photo The biggest contention of the class-action lawsuit is how much money the BMV owes to Indiana drivers. (Photo: Frank Espich/IndyStar file photo)Buy Photo
ELKHART, Ind. — A man who initially was denied an Indiana license plate reading “ATHE1ST” now has the personalized plate.
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles denied Chris Bontrager’s first request in February without citing a specific reason. The bureau’s denial letter to Bontrager noted the agency could refuse a personalized plate if it had a connotation offensive to good taste or decency, was misleading or deemed improper.
Bontrager believed the decision was religiously motivated, and he filed an appeal with the state. He said the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana helped the appeal process move quickly, without him having to testify before an appeals panel, The Elkhart Truth reported.
“My intention was never to litigate this matter,” said Bontrager, who lives in Goshen. “I just felt that the process should be more transparent.”
The effort culminated in him receiving the new license plate Monday.
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The BMV issued a short statement on Bontrager’s case, affirming the state’s ability to deny any plate at will. The ACLU didn’t respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.
Both the Indiana Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have sided with the state’s ability to decide whether a message on a personalized plate would be approved or denied, saying the messages amount to “government speech.”
► IF YOU'RE ARRESTED:How long should Indiana keep your DNA on file?
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Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/2mQJBxeA short guide to Nano S firmware 1.3 features
Ledger Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 28, 2017
We just released the Nano S firmware 1.3, which contains mostly new security features for both end users and developers as well as UX improvements.
Overview
4–8 digits PIN code
change PIN option
auto-lock after delay
on device passphrase management
plausible deniability PIN
temporary passphrase
quick wipe of device
keep seed on firmware update
PIN request on unsigned applications installation
unsigned applications information
developer certificate
application attestation
Please refer to our firmware upgrade FAQ entry for instructions about how your can update your Nano S to the latest firmware.
Note that this update is optional, and that you will need to re-enter your seed after flashing (make sure you have your 24 words backup before starting the update process).
Longer 4–8 digits PIN
Your PIN can now be up to 8 digits — nothing much to explain here, and is created when you set up the device. The PIN entry UX has been updated to take into account the larger number of digits.
Note that the UI doesn’t reveal the number of digits you have set. You’ll have to select the ✓ symbol and press both buttons to validate your PIN.
Changing your PIN
You can now change your PIN code without reinitializing the device in Settings/Security/Change PIN.
Auto-lock after delay
You can set up a device security timeout (default being 10 minutes) in Settings/Security/Auto-lock. After this inactivity period, the device will prompt you to enter your PIN again to unlock it.
Plausible deniability with secure passphrase entry
The plausible deniability feature has been fully redesigned to support multiple BIP 39 identities and a secure passphrase entry on device.
To use it, you can select a passphrase in Settings/Security/Passphrase, type it securely on the device then either use it for the current session or attach it to a secondary PIN. When attached to a PIN, entering this PIN will use the common seed derived by the BIP 39 passphrase, for every PIN entry (this means that if you enter for instance your secondary PIN when unlocking the device, the passphrase will be activated).
Each PIN is using its own independent counter and the PIN comparison is done in constant time — this makes it highly unlikely for an unsuspecting sophisticated attacker to guess that a second PIN is enabled, providing that you give the first PIN to the attacker, and not possible to brute force one PIN knowing another one.
You can also enter the passphrase on a host computer, select a different BIP 39 word list for each PIN or for the temporary identity, and initially onboard the device in Recovery mode (mostly for developers) by using the ledgerblue.hostOnboard Python script.
Note: the ledgerblue.derivePassphrase script is now obsolete and only usable on previous firmware versions.
Quick wipe
You can wipe the device immediately on Settings/Device/Reset All followed by your PIN code rather than by entering 3 wrong PINs in a row.
Hassle free firmware update
Last but not least, from this firmware on you’ll be able to keep your device configuration in all cases when upgrading, even if the upgrade process is interrupted for any reason (sorry, you’ll still have to restore your device when upgrading to 1.3 though) — installation of a new firmware is secured by your PIN entry (to make sure that a physical attacker cannot force an update), and installing an unexpected firmware (not following the standard upgrade path we defined) will still wipe the user configuration for security purposes.Fallon Smart’s family and friends, concerned members of our community and transportation reform activists have left their mark on the intersection at SE Hawthorne and 43rd.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The death of Fallon Smart has torn our community apart. A potent mixture of how she was killed (run over by a dangerous man who used his car as a deadly weapon while she legally walked across a street), where she was killed (a stretch of Hawthorne you might see in a tourism brochure), and who she was (by all accounts a bright, giving and creative 15-year-old who attended a nearby high school), has led to multiple protests, heated online debates, an outpouring of support for her grieving family, and a much-needed dose of reality on Portland’s back-patting path to “Vision Zero.”
Whenever someone dies in a traffc collision, it has an impact on the community; but every once in a while a fatality will spark something larger. Smart’s death appears to have done that. But strangely, while citizens and grassroots activists have mobilized, there’s a deafening silence from City Hall.
The day after Smart was killed, volunteers with BikeLoud PDX spearheaded an occupation of the intersection at 43rd and Hawthorne. They put up signs on traffic poles and in the intersection and some people even stood in the road to make sure the messages got to people driving by. Activists also painted two unsanctioned crosswalks — reacting not just to Smart’s death but to the fact that she was hit in the middle of a seven-block stretch that is notorious for speeding and where there are no marked places to cross.
From reports we read, Smart’s friends and classmates came to the site throughout the day to leave flowers, sing, and just hold the space. Many tears were shed from strangers and those who knew her. All day long people came and went to pay their respects. And it even lasted into the evening.
I wasn’t able to get over there until Saturday night. When I did I was surprised to see two people sitting in chairs adjacent to the new guerilla crosswalk. They weren’t eating or drinking, they were sitting toward the street. Then I realized they were there to act as a sort of citizen police force. Every few minutes one or both of them would suddenly spring out of the chairs while waving their arms and yelling “Slow down!! A girl was killed her yesterday!”
Catie Griesdorn stood watch at the intersection for over three hours, imploring people to slow down.
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to help maintain and expand this vital community resource.
The two people were Brian Burch and Catie Griesdorn. They didn’t know Smart or each other before Saturday.
Burch was there because he heard about it on the news. Now in his 50s, he was born and raised in the neighborhood. Smart’s death hit him especially hard because his own big brother was hit and killed when he was just 10 (and his brother was 14). They were riding bikes together and Burch saw the whole thing happen. He teared up telling me about it. Then I understood why he was jumping into the street yelling at people to slow down. Burch was out on that street all day and well into the night.
Catie Griesdorn is a local school teacher (formerly at Sunnyside a few blocks away and not at Arleta). She’s not a traffic safety activist and had no personal connection to what happen Friday night. She just happened to be in the area and felt compelled to be there. It seemed like she was doing this as a penance, letting the emotion and sadness of what happened wash over her so that she would be a better person on the other side. “I’m a driver. I need this.” she said. As I talked to her, I realized that she was also there to try and build a connection where one was so violently and tragically broken. She stayed at that intersection for over three hours before going home just before midnight.
Employees from Ranger Station, a cafe on the corner that closed it doors after the collision to provide a space for the Smart family to grieve (they were with her when it happened), also came out to talk with us. They fully supported the guerilla crosswalks and loved the citizen patrol of Burch and Griesdorn. They told us people always drive dangerously and speed on this stretch of Hawthorne. One employee even offered to give us eggs to throw at people who were driving too fast.
The connection Smart had to those who knew her is clearly evident in the outpouring of support for her family. A fundraising site set up for funeral expenses has raised nearly $38,000 in just two days.
While her family and friends go through unfathomable pain, activists are expressing theirs through demonstrations and more protests. On Friday (8/26) two volunteer activists have organized, “We demand safe streets – A call to action,” an event and ride that will be a show of solidarity and remembrance. Here’s more from the organizers:
“This is another senseless and completely preventable death here on our streets. Our city doesn’t seem to have any plan other than talk of ‘Goal Zero’. Let’s challenge them to do better, lets create ways as a community in which we can make our own roads safe for us once again…. We can make our voices heard by showing up in mass. let’s not be silent anymore.”
The ride will begin at City Hall and will visit 43rd and Hawthorne where they will lay down a crosswalk made of flowers (bring some if you can).
The stop at City Hall is important because we haven’t heard much yet about this tragedy from the people who work there. It doesn’t appear that Mayor Charlie Hales or three of the other five city council members have publicly acknowledged Smart’s death. Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick has offered condolences.
Despite this lack of official recognition, most Portlanders won’t soon forget what happened to Fallon Smart. Her death — on a day when Portland was touting its leadership in “open streets” at an international conference — has forced us to acknowledge the vast gap between what we say we want and what reality provides for us.
Read more about Fallon Smart via The Oregonian.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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fallon smart, fatal collisionsRepresentatives of European Jewish groups defended ritual circumcision at a hearing of the Council of Europe.
Officials from the European Jewish Congress and the Conference of European Rabbis presented facts and defenses of Jewish male ritual circumcision during the hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing was called after the council’s Parliamentary Assembly, or PACE, passed a resolution last October suggesting that religious circumcision contravened “the rights of children’s physical integrity.” The resolution equated the ritual known as brit milah with female genital mutilation.
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Rabbi Moche Lewin, executive director of the Conference of European Rabbis, said, “There is no doubt that we would prefer the issue of milah not to be on the political agenda at any level in Europe, but what was demonstrated today is that wherever it is discussed or debated, the Jewish communities of Europe will be unequivocal and robust in our defense of our fundamental religious rights.”
The resolution, while not binding on member states, has acted as a catalyst for anti-circumcision initiatives in several European states.
The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organization that encourages dialogue and is not connected to the European Union.Today, Mayor Lyda Krewson, announced that the City of St. Louis has been selected as one of five cities nationally that will receive support to develop an Equality Indicator to measure progress toward equity.
An Equality Indicator is an online data tool used to analyze whether St. Louis is making progress toward reducing inequity. The Krewson Administration, Forward Through Ferguson, and a cohort of local partners will establish the baseline against which progress will be measured. This publicly accessible dataset will then empower the entire St. Louis community to track successes and implement data-informed interventions to address disparities impacting St. Louis residents. Development of the Equality Indicator will build upon and support existing reports, data and measurement efforts happening in other parts of the region.
The Equality Indicators project is a collaboration with the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG), The Rockefeller Foundation, and 100 Resilient Cities (100RC).
St. Louis joins Dallas, Oakland, Pittsburgh and Tulsa in collaborating on this effort.
“August of 2014 has become a defining moment for both St. Louis and our nation,” said Mayor Lyda Krewson. “The protests which began in Ferguson marched down the streets of nearly every major American city. As a result, St. Louis now stands at the forefront of the national conversation about equity and the debilitating racial disparities across our communities.
What we've learned through this conversation is that real equity cannot be defined by merely one indicator, but rather many, and it is something that we have to work toward continuously and with intention," Krewson added. "The ISLG Equality Indicators grant and our partnership with 100 Resilient Cities presents St. Louis with an opportunity to collaborate with other leading cities and experts in order to better inform our local decisions and utilize data to drive the policies that will close our equity gaps."
The Equality Indicators tool is based on a model developed in 2015 in order to measure equity in New York City. The New York effort measures six broad indicators, including economy, education, health, housing, justice, and access to city services.
ISLG Executive Director Michael Jacobson said: “We’re proud to expand our work with The Rockefeller Foundation to measure equality in five diverse cities across the country. At this critical time when there is increased scrutiny of local government policies and practices, it’s important for jurisdictions to look closely at the data they have to really understand what’s going on, what’s working, and where improvement needs to be made. This work will go a long way towards helping jurisdictions do this in a thoughtful and transparent way.”
The Equality Indicators are a project of the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG). The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance bridges the gap between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to address the challenges and opportunities confronting government. ISLG works with government agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations, philanthropic institutions, and the private sector, to improve public systems to produce better results that are worthy of public investment and trust. For more information, please visit equalityindicators.org and islg.cuny.edu.The Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q and Logo proudly announce their partnership in a national public service announcement campaign designed to create public awareness surrounding HIV in 2013. The campaign, sponsored by Gilead, will feature six on-air spots, written by the Tony Award-winning book writer of AVENUE Q, Jeff Whitty. Popular characters from the musical, including Lucy, Rod and Ricky, will be featured in the PSAs, alternately known as “puppet service announcements.” Airing on Logo, the first spot will debut during the 90-minute fifth season premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race, on Monday, January 28 at 9 PM ET/PT. Each on-air spot will be complimented by six separate online spots (viewable at LogoTV.com). New spots are scheduled to roll out every eight weeks throughout 2013.
The PSAs cover a range of topics from erasing the stigma of HIV, talking frankly about sex with your partner(s), the importance of being tested and to adhering to HIV treatment if positive. Viewers will be encouraged to rethink HIV... Spread the word, not the virus.
“It is the goal of this partnership to reignite a discussion around HIV, especially in the gay community – a population that is still seeing HIV rates rising in spite of increased awareness and education,” said Amy Wigler, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Logo. “These ‘puppet service announcements’ will use the comedic talents of Avenue Q to fearlessly address issues surrounding infection including frequency of testing, anonymous sex, stigma, open communication and more.”
AVENUE Q co-producer Robyn Goodman states, “We are very proud to be partnering with Logo on this important effort. Throughout its run, the AVENUE Q puppets have been able to tackle key issues — from Presidential elections to same-sex marriage and now HIV awareness — in their own, singular heart-’felt’ way.”
The combination of human actors and puppet characters in the PSA campaign mirrors the premise of AVENUE Q, a musical about 20-somethings who move to the city with big dreams and tiny bank accounts, all neighbors on a rundown street where they deal with grown-up issues while they try to find their purpose in life. One of the most enduring hits in New York, now in its 10th year on stage, AVENUE Q has become an international sensation with productions in countries around the world.
The PSAs star Lucy The Slut, a cabaret singer, street-walker and AVENUE Q’s resident home-wrecker; Rod, a closeted, Republican investment banker with a tremendous fondness for Broadway musicals; and Ricky, who appears at the conclusion of AVENUE Q, turning Rod’s world upside-down.It’s always fun to go through Pat Robertson’s annual predictions, which he says God gives to him directly the first week of every year while he’s praying (how convenient that God schedules around Pat). His 2012 predictions were for chaos and economic collapse in the country.
He said that the lord revealed to him who the next president would be, but that he wasn’t supposed to reveal who it would be. But he did say that God told him that “your president holds a radical view of the direction of your country which is at odds with the majority.” Given that Obama got five million more votes than Romney, it seems God is as good an election prognosticator as Dean Chambers.
God also allegedly told him to expect “a time of maximum stress and peril, greater than at any time since the CBN ministry began. This country will begin disintegrating.” CBN began in 1960. One would be hard pressed to argue that the country was in more “stress and peril” in 2012 than at any time since 1960. Since then we went through the Cuban missile crisis, the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, Vietnam, Watergate and 9/11. Pat even lists those things and says that 2012 would be worse.
He says he even gave God a list of possible calamities that would befall us, from an EMP blast to solar flares to earthquakes and natural disasters to North Korea getting nuclear weapons. God told him, “it’s an economic collapse.” Not only did the economy not collapse in 2012, we had slow and steady growth and unemployment dropped a full percent. Gee Pat, you know what the Bible says about false prophets, don’t you?
httpv://youtu.be/PNhrNqS0lyE
We can contrast this with Kenneth Copeland’s 2012 predictions, which aren’t nearly as specific but he says God gave him a very different message:
“Have no worry. Do not be in fear about the United States of America. Don’t be in fear over the failure of this republic. This is not the time for this nation to fail. I’m not done with it yet. And it may come as a surprise to many; this nation is not done with Me yet,” saith The LORD. Hallelujah. “We have a job to do. And this year will be like none other where this nation is concerned. And many will say, ‘Oh, woe is us! Oh, woe is us!’ And you know what? Oh, woe will be them. “And there are others who’ll say, ‘Oh, we can’t win! We can’t win!’ And to them they can’t win. “Ah, but to those of them who say, ‘Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. This is a time of greatness! America again! Oh, and it’s my nation and it’s God’s nation and we’re right where we’re supposed to be. He has us right where He wants us, and our future is bright because God is still LORD over the United States of America.’
httpv://youtu.be/KjKAVSsUFh8Seriocomic story based on the memoir by Beverly Donofrio, the movie follows a young woman who finds her life radically altered by an event from her teen years. Born in 1950, Beverly grew up bright and ambitious in a working-class neighborhood in Connecticut; her father was a tough but good-hearted cop who listened to his daughter's problems, and her mother was a nervous woman eager to imagine the worst. From an early age, Beverly displays a keen intelligence and an interest in literature, and dreams of going to college in New York and becoming a writer. However, she also develops an early interest in boys, and at 15 finds herself madly in love with a boy from her high school. However, an attempt to get his attention leads to an embarassing incident at a party, and Ray, a sweet but thick-headed 18-year-old, steps forward to defend her. Beverly and Ray end up making out, and after one thing leads to another, Beverly discovers she's pregnant. Telling Ray is only marginally less difficult... Written by AnonymousEditor’s Note: Jason got the scoop on the building that’s displacing South End staples Common Market and Food Truck Friday, and he’s not happy with what he saw. The plans filed with the city are not set in stone, but are pretty far along.
First, look at what’s planned. Jason will pick up below the photos.
Let me start by saying I defended this project for a long time. Dimensional Fund Advisors is spending $100 million-plus in Charlotte, bringing jobs. The company committed to enhance the urban experience and integrate into the community. It all sounded great on paper. I defended it against those who said, “But OMG we are losing the Food Truck Lot and Common Market.”
I defended it by saying DFA and land owner Gaines Brown seemed genuine when they were talking about moving the community forward, and that even though we are losing some historical buildings, we gain much more.
However, after seeing the initial plans filed with the city, I cannot defend this project anymore. It goes against everything we should be looking for in a project like this.
Here’s what’s wrong:
The destruction of our history
The continued destruction of anything historic in our community is an ongoing plague that the folks behind “Historic South End” have yet to address. The corner of Tryon & Camden has some fantastic older buildings. Why build a minimal height monstrosity of glass and boring design when you could save, incorporate and build around the existing buildings by going up?
Here is an example of a project in Durham. It is a new apartment complex where, instead of tearing down all of the history, is at the very least saving the face and incorporating it into the final design.
The plaza
Yes, there is retail, and that is certainly a great thing, but rather than put it street front, they decided to set it back in a plaza space that will only serve office workers. Yes, there is a good amount of public space, and that is also certainly a great thing, but it is not properly utilized and should be the center of the project, rather than the border (that should be reserved for retail store fronts).
The design
People who are really into modern suburban office design will love it, but they should be in Ballantyne, not South End. Large, boring, blank walls cover the project when unique design could have been incorporated to the Camden-facing side. Why build a mid-rise project with no unique design features when they could have just gone up, saved the old buildings and added a cool tower to extend the skyline?
The lobby
Why does Charlotte have an obsession with massive lobbies? It is quite possibly the biggest waste of space in any design. The lobby with this project will likely be underutilized and a missed opportunity. Look at the placement of the lobby, at the corner of Tryon and Camden. Why not shrink the lobby and salvage the existing buildings? There’s no good reason that I can think of, although I’m sure with some marketing spin there is some nonsense reason.
While there is much more to complain about, I won’t do it here. I am merely presenting what went wrong and what should have been done better. Dimensional Fund Advisors is not integrating themselves into this neighborhood, but rather stomping on the history and plopping their project where they happened to buy land. It’s not that we don’t want Dimension |
freedoms are on the line.”
In the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016, Obama skirts around the Constitution by having Sections 1021 and 1022, authorize “indefinite military detention, without charge or without trial, any person, including an American citizen”, and applies the “Laws of War,” to U.S. soil, making the United States legally a battlefield. Obama claimed he would develop “an appropriate legal regime” to permanently detain people prior to having committed any crime. The idea of these detentions would be to prevent any individual from committing a “possible future crime.” Obama says that he might detain someone up to ten years before they might commit a crime. The NDAA removes all of the rights guaranteed under the US Bill of Rights.
The Countering Foreign Disinformation and Propaganda Act of 2016, initially entitled the Countering Information Warfare Act, essentially created another level on top of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that has complete control of every type of broadcast in America. Some call this new governmental mechanism of scrubbing all American broadcasts, the “Ministry of Truth.” In a post-truth age, we call it Main Stream Media.
Translation: Obama has declared all Americans to be enemies until proven otherwise and thus subject to military attacks without recourse to US laws.
Step Ten – George Soros Conducts CIA Economic Terrorism
“It is sort of a disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out.” George Soros, The Independent, 1993
George Soros has been behind destabilizing national currencies and markets in England, China, Thailand, Burma, Hungary, France, Russia, USSR, and many other countries. No country in the world is safe from Soros who is a wanted criminal in numerous countries and yet he is allowed to give $6 billion to the Democratic National Committee and be the largest donor to the Clinton and Sanders campaigns. Soros owns the DNC and the DNC leaks demonstrate that Hillary and the Democratic Party take their orders from Soros.
Soros uses the old trick of the Jesuits to first buy his way into the hearts of his enemies while establishing “influence” organizations that preach the Socialist philosophy of Soros’s “Open Society.” Infiltrate, educate and control are the Jesuit steps, also called covert penetration, brainwashing, and propagandizing. Soros has a vast network of financial and social intelligence that is similar to the CIA’s but even more insidious because the espionage and subversion drives his “economic terrorism” that has vampirized nations and driven millions into poverty.
It seems that Soros is only content when he is attacking markets for his own personal gain, or fomenting decent in one of the 187 political activist organizations he backs in America. He has given over $4 billion world-wide since 2002 to these one-sided groups that work to destabilize nations. Soros removes politicians who stand in the way of him fleecing the assets of a country. He has removed numerous duly elected national leaders through the political actions of these organizations.
Under the guise of Democracy, Soros infiltrates and destabilizes politicians he opposes and rakes in the assets during the chaos and economic confusion. He finds a weakness in the economic system of a country, and then leverages it until the country’s economy crashes.
Even though Soros does not pay a single penny in taxes in America, he is considered one of the wealthiest people in the world. All of his operations run from off-shore accounts – even though he has an office in NYC. He was the original hedge fund manager who taught others the rules of gambling with markets for personal greed. Soros loves regime changes, as he and the CIA call it, especially if he personally takes the regime and its leader down. During the election of George Bush Jr. Soros said: “Removing President George W. Bush from office was the central focus of my life.” He gave $23.58 million to various groups dedicated to defeating Bush.
Soros has donated a great deal of money to numerous “Open Society” organizations that are taking action to impeach Trump. Soros recently criticized Trump at the economic meetings in Davos.
“He [Trump] stands for that other form of government, which is the opposite of an open society,” said Soros.
To have Soros hate you and say that you are the opposite of his “Open Society” means that you are not a globalist and might have the economic health of America at heart. Soros wants chaotic socialism and Trump wants Democracy based upon the Constitution and rule of U.S. laws. Soros believes his greed and delusions of grandeur are more important than America or any other country and its laws. Soros wants Trump deposed.
The real story is that Soros told the press many times that he had “taken care” of the election and Trump would lose. Trump’s unexpected win in November hurt Soros beyond money or ideology. Soros lost more than $1 billion in trades he made that would have benefited if the market went down. Instead, a month-long rally after the election cost Soros big-time and his attempt at crashing the U.S. markets failed.
Soros’s Seven Steps to Bring Down a Government
Let’s look at Soros’s own words from his books and articles that describe his tried and true system for taking down a country – or “regime change” as he calls it. (See our article on Soros’ Seven Steps for more information.)
Step One: Form a shadow government using humanitarian aid as cover.
Step Two: Control the airwaves. Fund existing radio and TV outlets and take control over them or start your own outlets.
Step Three: Destabilize the state, weaken the government and build an anti-government kind of feeling in the country. You exploit an economic crisis or take advantage of an existing crisis — pressure from the top and the bottom. This will allow you to weaken the government and build anti-government public sentiment.
Step Four: Sow unrest.
Step Five: Provoke an election crisis. You wait for an election and during the election, you cry voter fraud.
Step Six: Take power. You stage massive demonstrations, civil disobedience, sit-ins, general strikes and you encourage activism. You promote voter fraud and tell followers what to do through your radio and television stations. Incitement and violence are conducted at this stage.
Step Seven: Outlast your opponent.
As you can see, we are on Step Six with the recent “Women’s March” on Washington. Soros controlled the march because the organizations who took part were principally funded by Soros and his Open Society Foundation. It truly was a Soros March against Trump as the enacting of Step Six in his plan to oust Trump.
Soros Leads the Impeachment Attempts on Trump
One need not look too deeply to discover the two groups behind the movement to impeach Donald Trump are tied to billionaire George Soros. The organization that just filed a lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of Trump’s presidency is financed by Soros’s Open Society Foundations.
The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a lawsuit claiming that Trump is in violation of a Constitutional clause banning government officials from accepting benefits from foreign nations. CREW, which does not publicize its donor list, has received financing from Soros’s Open Society Foundations. CREW has also been funded by the Soros-financed Tides Foundation. In August 2014, long-time Hillary Clinton ally David Brock, founder of the Soros-financed Media Matters for America progressive group, was elected chairman of CREW’s board. Brock departed the organization last December, but Politico reported that CREW is part of a network of groups for which the activist is attempting to raise $40 million to oust Trump. The campaign to impeach Trump is being led by two liberal advocacy groups – Free Speech for People and RootsAction, both of which are Soros-funded.
Step Eleven – The US Intelligence Community Dismantles America
Since the reign of Bush Sr., military intelligence has been “sold out,” quite literally, to corporate intelligence agencies. Before the restructuring of the U.S. Intelligence Community, the National Security Council (NSC), working with the National Security Agency (NSA), was the lead intelligence group that was only trumped by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in matters of “international security.” The Bush/ Clinton/ Obama CIA White House continued to broaden international control of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Eventually, 850,000 corporate contractors would be granted Top Secret security clearance per year, even if they were also working for foreign nations that were our enemies. The U.S. Intelligence Community counted on contractors whose allegiance was to transnational corporatism, not U.S. interests.
There has been an erosion of American sovereignty by international intelligence corporations that is tantamount to an overthrow of our government by our very own U.S. Intelligence Community. Eventually, the Council on Foreign Relations came to direct both domestic and foreign policy and usurped the authority of the U.S. military’s prior control through the National Security Council (NSA).
The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data for foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. The NSA is concurrently charged with protection of U.S. government communications and information systems against penetration and network warfare. Although many of NSA’s programs rely on “passive” electronic collection, the agency is authorized to accomplish its mission through active clandestine means, among which are physically bugging electronic systems and engaging in sabotage through subversive software and cyberwarfare. The NSA has a co-located organization called the Central Security Service (CSS), which was created to facilitate cooperation between NSA and other US military cryptanalysis components. Additionally, the NSA Director simultaneously serves as the Commander of the United States Cyber Command and as Chief of the Central Security Service.
Originating as a unit to decipher coded communications in World War II, it was officially formed as the NSA by President Harry S. Truman in 1952. Since then, it has become one of the largest U.S. intelligence organizations in terms of personnel and budget, operating as part of the Department of Defense and now structured to report to the newly created Office of Director of National Intelligence, who coordinates all 17 US Intelligence agencies.
On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama merged the White House staff supporting the Homeland Security Council (HSC) and the National Security Council into one National Security Staff (NSS). The HSC and NSC each continue to exist by statute as bodies supporting the President. The name of the staff organization was changed back to National Security Council Staff in 2014.
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is the United States government cabinet-level official – subject to the authority, direction, and control of the President – required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to: serve as head of the sixteen-member United States Intelligence Community, direct and oversee the
National Intelligence Program; and serve as an advisor, upon invitation, to the President and his executive offices of the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council about intelligence matters related to national security.
Obama placed control of all U.S. Intelligence agencies under one person who was a political appointment. James Clapper, who lied before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions about NSA surveillance of Americans, is a good example of the integrity of the people who have been appointed to run this “shadow intelligence agency” for the Obama White House called the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The Strategies of the U.S. Intelligence Community
The U.S. Intelligence Community shares its plans, which are principally created by the Council on Foreign Relations, with the world through public dissemination so that America’s future strategies are shared with the entire world including U.S. enemies. The document below is the current “predictions and strategies” of U.S. Intelligence Community for the next five years. It is a document that any citizen can retrieve right now by opening the hyperlink.
This gross disregard for secrecy or “putting America first” is demonstrated by the existence of this report on Wikipedia. There are no secrets in the U.S. Intelligence Community; it has been dismantled and replaced by international corporate intelligence agencies. The Bush/Clinton/ Obama strategies were almost complete and then Trump’s victory spoiled those plans.
Let’s look at the disturbing intelligence strategies that the Bush/Clinton/Obama CIA White House laid out as the downfall of America in the report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It only takes reading a few quotes from this document to see what would have happened if Hillary Clinton would have become president. It is obvious that Hillary took her “playbook” from this report. Exact descriptions of her political planks are spelled out in the future plans of the combined 17 US intelligence agencies.
Global Trends / Paradox of Progress
A publication of the National Intelligence Council, January, 2017, NIC 2017-001 ISBN 978-0-16-093614-2 or www.dni.gov/nic/globaltrends
Prediction of the Use of a Nuclear Weapon
Orbits (regions) explore a future of tensions created by competing major powers seeking their own spheres of influence while attempting to maintain stability at home. It examines how the trends of rising nationalism, changing conflict patterns, emerging disruptive technologies, and decreasing global cooperation might combine to increase the risk of interstate conflict. This scenario emphasizes the policy choices ahead for governments that would reinforce stability and peace or further exacerbate tensions. It features a nuclear weapon used in anger, which turns out to concentrate global minds so that it does not happen again.
Translation: Once Hillary was elected she was going to drop a nuclear bomb on some country to continue the policy of maintaining global control by inciting war to destabilize nations and boost military spending. The fulfillment of Henry Kissinger’s “Clash of Civilizations” was about to be enacted.
Use of Propaganda
Information technology remains the key enabler, and companies, advocacy groups, charities, and local governments prove nimbler than national governments in delivering services to sway populations in support of their agendas. Most national governments resist, but others cede some power to emerging networks.
Translation: The U.S. should continue hiring private intelligence agencies to propagandize US citizens.
Migrants Bread Terrorism
The spread of ungoverned space, particularly during the past five years, created an environment conducive to extremism and encouraged the enlistment of thousands of volunteers eager to fight. Until some semblance of security is established, militancy will continue to breed. Second, today’s foreign fighters unless identified, de-radicalized, and reintegrated back into society are likely to become the recruiting pool for tomorrow’s violent non-state actors. Similarly, disaffected migrants, without better integration, education, and economic opportunity, could become an ideal recruiting pool for violent extremist groups.
Translation: “Ungoverned space” = No-fly zones. No-fly zones imposed by Obama/Hillary created civil war and radicalized the migrants who were displaced
by the bombing.
Prediction of One World Government
To be clear, we expect the term “World Government” to remain seldom spoken aloud, even though two of what might be considered four “branches’ of such governance have been augmented in recent years—international courts and the rising bureaucracy of agencies like the World Trade Organization. Notably, these are the two entities that vest legal standing in nations and, to some degree, in corporations and NGOs, rather than in private persons. As yet, no major or substantial movement has gathered to press for the two missing branches—executive and a legislature—in part because those would require standing elections on the part of global citizens.
Translation: America was one step away from becoming a subject of the United Nations in the New World Order – as predicted by George H. W. Bush.
Intelligence Agencies Peddle Post-truth and Post-factual
Competing silos of information and perspectives of truth and fact among proliferating influential actors are poised to complicate governments’ ability to generate compromise. A combination of factors, including growing distrust of formal institutions and the proliferation and polarization of media outlets, are driving some academics and political observers to describe the current era as one of ‘post-truth” or “post-factual” politics. This results in part from the growing number of individuals and agencies providing information to consumers. Whether this atmosphere continues, or people and political groups adjust to growing flows of communication and trend back toward more-balanced perspectives, will be crucial in coming years.
As a result of this “post-factual” trend, individuals appear more likely to base their political views more on feelings than on fact and to seek out information that supports their opinions. Conflicting information actually reinforces views that the new information is from a biased or hostile source and further polarizes groups. To interpret the deluge of details, people turn to leaders who think like they do and trust them to interpret the ‘truth.’
Translation: Fake News and intelligence leaks are planned by the US Intelligence Community.
MSM is in a War with Social Media
Social media has radically lowered the transaction costs of mobilizing populations, but some social scientists worry that virtual activism will replace more concrete political participation—including voting—diluting the quality of the political process. Worse, some worry that new technologies fracture and polarize populations; social media, in particular, typically passes information and ideas through narrow, existing networks to members who self-select, rather than traditional forms of media, which project ideas to a broader audience. This selective dissemination and receipt of information contribute to reinforcement and confirmation bias, segregation, and polarization.
Translation: The Alternative Media has upset the plans of the Intelligence Community to control information. There truly is a war of information going on.
Prediction of Trump
Liberalism is likely to remain the benchmark model for economies and politics over the coming decades, but it will face stronger competition and demands from publics to address its shortfalls. Many developing countries will strive for modernization more or less along Western lines, but the allure of liberalism has taken some strong hits over the years as political polarization, financial volatility, and economic inequality in western countries have stoked populism and caused doubts about the price of political and economic openness.
Governments having trouble meeting the needs of their citizens will be strongly tempted to turn to nationalism while publics fearful of loss of jobs to immigrants or economic hardship, are likely to be increasingly receptive to more exclusive ideologies and identities.
Translation: It seems that Trump’s team is completely aware of this document and used its indicators as tools to win the election.
Prediction of Sanders
It is not clear that economic ideologies, such as socialism and neoliberalism, which had dominated much of the 20th Century until challenged by the collapse of communism and the 2008 financial crisis, will remain relevant in a world in which both low-growth and high levels of inequality dominate political agendas. Other forms of political thought remain viable alternatives —in particular, nationalism, political liberalism, and religiously-based political thought.
Translation: The far left needed to go even more far left into socialism and neoliberalism and merge with the Democratic Party.
Trump Toppled Globalism Expansion
Islands investigates a restructuring of the global economy that leads to long periods of slow or no growth, challenging both traditional models of economic prosperity and the presumption that globalization will continue to expand. The scenario emphasizes the challenges to governments in meeting societies’ demands for both economic and physical security as popular pushback to globalization increases, emerging technologies transform work and trade, and political instability grows. It underscores the choices governments will face in conditions that might tempt some to turn inward, reduce support for multilateral cooperation, and adopt protectionist policies, while others find ways to leverage new sources of economic growth and productivity.
Translation: The globalists are worried they are losing their grip on people and economies.
Description of the Work of George Soros
Communities show how growing public expectations but diminishing capacity of national governments open space for local governments and private actors, challenging traditional assumptions about what governing means. Most national governments resist, but others cede some power to emerging networks. These trends will further blur the lines between different forms of violence; governments will continue to debate which actions constitute “terrorism” versus “war,” “insurgency” or “criminal acts.” These developments suggest that how we fight terrorism will probably continue to evolve.
Translation: The economic terrorism of George Soros is a new form of “insurgency” and “war.”
Desperate Cry for Globalism Instead of Nationalism
A new, more broadly defined, more widely conceived definition of national interest, based on the concept of mutuality, might induce states to find far greater unity in deliberations at the international level. With the growing number of existential challenges facing humanity, “collective interest” could become “national interest.” Leadership among international institutions will need to promote a long-term perspective and a global mentality – and be decisive in the short-term – to overcome the temptation toward insularity and muddling through. Rule-making, enforcement, and dispute resolution by private actors, however, is becoming more common. Multi-stakeholder multilateralism will complement state efforts. Government officials will dominate—but not monopolize—multilateral cooperation in the future.
Translation: A prophetic worry that a nationalist like Trump might come to power.
It is clear by this report from the combined 17 US Intelligence Agencies that the future is uncertain and that American national interests have been completely sold out to globalism. The opening for a populist running on a nationalistic platform calling for borders, jobs, and America first is clearly predicted. The advice that the liberals need to become even more liberal, if not socialistic, is also quite clear. The “Paradox of Progress” is a report that is truly hoping that the Bush/Clinton/Obama loyalists can maintain power long enough to complete the overthrow of America.
Step Twelve – The Election of Hillary Clinton
America was one step away from its complete overthrow by the transnational forces being directed through the recent efforts of the Bush/Clinton/Obama CIA White House. Each step of the gradual overthrow of America subsumed yet another aspect of American life: economic, political, cultural, military and constitutional rights. The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights have been abnegated and eroded by the globalization of America.
Hillary would be the American president who would willingly surrender U.S. citizens to the slavery of United Nation’s policies and the economic terrorism of George Soros. Hillary was Soros’ puppet who was headed to the White House to continue the warlord policies of international bankers and brokers and her personal greed. Hillary had already demonstrated herself to be the penultimate criminal politician, along with Wild Bill her husband, and was headed for even higher realms of deceit, criminal activity, and treason.
Trump’s victory was the worst blow the imperialistic globalists have had since 1913 when they installed foreign bankers in the U.S. Federal Reserve. Every evil cabal, from the Trilateralists to the Knights of Malta, had emergency meetings to create a “plan B” for the shock of a Trump victory over the assumed Queen and King of America, Hillary and Wild Bill. The new global Bonnie and Clyde were only an inch away from completing the total overthrow of America.
Trump was the wild card, the ace up the sleeve, the black swan that shook the entire world and announced that “America ain’t dead yet.” Trump is the intelligence community’s worst nightmare, the fly in the soup, the mill-stone around their necks. George Soros is ready to have a heart-attack and Valarie Jarrett, Barrack and Michele/Michael, and Oprah Winfrey have been called to the front lines to help enact George Soros’ strategy of regime change that has worked so effectively before in other countries.
Their fear of criminal prosecution has them so worried that they will do anything to stop Trump from being the “wrecking ball” that knocks down their carefully constructed house of cards.
We can see why the “vested interests” behind the Clintons, and even Bernie Sanders (another Soros puppet), are going crazy with wild rhetoric, imaginary Russian scandals, MSM fake news, baseless accusations, and Hollywood created dissent and resistance. (Patriots must boycott Hollywood. See our article.)
We can see that all 187 funded Soros political activist groups are doing exactly what they are being told to do to help alleviate the “globalist’s stress” that Trump creates every time he opens his mouth. The Democratic Party is in shambles and the “bought and paid for” Republicans are having anxiety attacks because their steady stream of money may be cut off and the rule of law upheld for the first time in decades. Trump has called them all out and they are showing their true colors and jumping from what they think is a sinking ship. The question is, “Whose ship is sinking?”
Trump Dismantles the 12 Steps
The Anonymous Patriots have written before about what President Donald J. Trump can do to grab this bull by the horns and tame it. Essentially, Trump is doing the right things by going slowly, enforcing the rule of law, and carefully auditing and dismantling the mechanisms of globalism in the American political, economic, and cultural spheres. He has put everyone in Washington D. C. “on notice” and is threatening a sort of “mass firing” and the rehiring of honest politicians who have term limits, financial transparency, and honesty in their selfless service to the spirit of American freedom.
The steps are clear and simple and only require a thorough review of existing laws and a diligent application of them in all matters. Investigations, audits, and criminal proceeding should take place within the defined limits of the law, but the law must be enforced without impunity.
Action Item One – Creating the US Federal Reserve
Audit, investigate wrongdoing, and then seize the assets of the Fed and surrender them to the US Treasury.
Action Item Two – Creation of the Council on Foreign Relations
Disband the Council of Foreign Relations and create a national advisory board for foreign relations with only U.S. citizens (no dual citizens) as members.
Action Item Three – Creating the Exchange Stabilization Fund
Take back control of the ESF from the CIA and put this office under the control of the U.S. Treasury without a Federal Reserve System or central bank system.
Action Item Four – Joining the United Nations
Audit, investigate and prosecute criminal activities, and seize US funds being held by the UN. End American membership in all aspects, branches, and agencies of the United Nations.
Action Item Five – The Birth of the Bush Criminal Family
Thoroughly investigate all allegations of crimes and wrongdoings of George H. W. Bush.
Action Item Six – Bush’s 911 False Flag
Conduct an honest investigation of the attacks on 911. Prosecute the criminals found involved.
Action Item Seven – Enacting of the USA Patriot Act
Rescind the USA Freedom Act (USA Patriot Act) and all of its components.
Action Item Eight – Enacting the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
Create legislation that makes illegal banking practices and criminal stocks and market
manipulation equal to terrorism.
Action Item Nine – Broadening the National Defense Authorization Act
Reinstate the language of the NDAA that existed before the Bush/Clinton/Obama White House broadened its scope and application.
Action Item Ten – George Soros Conducts CIA Economic Terrorism
Arrest George Soros as a criminal economic terrorist and seize his assets. Investigate all Soros funded organizations and prosecute criminals for conspiracy to create sedition, treason, and murder.
Action Item Eleven – The U.S. Intelligence Community Dismantles America
Fire all corporate intelligence agencies working for the US government and replace them with military personnel. Create laws against sharing US intelligence and enforce those laws.
Action Item Twelve – The Election of Hillary Clinton
Seize all assets of the Clinton Foundation and prosecute Bill & Hillary for tax evasion and the misuse of a governmental department (presidential library commission). Prosecute Hillary for using the State Department as part of her foundation solicitations. Prosecute Hillary for her mishandling of secret State Department documents on her personal server.
As we always ask our readers and viewers, please do what you can to help your fellow patriots in the Second American Revolution. The American Intelligence Media is a grassroots citizen to citizen intelligence network and our home page can be found at www.aim4truth.org. Please get to know our members and subscribe to their channels and emails so that you can receive intelligence reports directly into your inbox. Share these videos and articles with your friends, family, and colleagues.
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Originally published at: http://themillenniumreport.com/2017/03/how-america-was-being-systematically-overthrown-in-12-steps-until-trump/Wheaton College football players have pleaded not guilty to brutally hazing a freshman by trying to sodomize him, stripping him and beating him up.
Wheaton College students Kyler Kregel, Benjamin Pettway, Samuel Tebos and Noah Spielman have been charged with aggravated battery, mob action and unlawful restraint after allegedly entering a freshman's room, duct-taping his wrists and ankles, putting a pillowcase over his head, punching him in the ribs, trying to sodomize him with an object, and dumping him half-naked in a park off-campus.
The freshman teammate, who withdrew from Wheaton and now attends a school in another state, said he tore both his shoulders in the ordeal. He has since had three surgeries as part of his recovery.
He told investigators that after he was abducted and bound up in a car, the players played Middle Eastern music and joked they were Muslims who wanted to have sex with goats, patting his foot and suggesting the freshman would be the goat.
The freshman added his teammates continued to restrain him as they pulled down his underwear, then attempted to insert an object in his anus. Investigators heard how he shouted at them to stop and was beaten up, left with bruises and scratches.
Each count of aggravated battery carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, while the charges of mob action and unlawful restraint could lead to three years and a fine of $25,000. A fifth player, James Cooksey, is due in court next month.
In a statement to the Chicago Tribune, the student said: "This has had a devastating effect on my life. What was done to me should never occur in connection with a football program or any other activity. … I am confident that the criminal prosecution will provide a fair and just punishment to the men who attacked me."
"We have all seen situations where young men have engaged in foolish and immature behavior," the student's attorney Terry Ekl said. "What was done to our client goes far beyond what is acceptable behavior or which can be dismissed as merely harmless hazing. We are hopeful Wheaton College will learn from this incident, and subsequent criminal investigation and charges, and may not in the future condone this type of conduct."
A rep for the university said: "The conduct we discovered as a result of our investigation into this incident was entirely unacceptable and inconsistent with the values we share as human beings and as members of an academic community that espouses to live according to our Community Covenant."
The case continues.By Bill McKeever and Aaron Shafovaloff
According to a Mormon-friendly and official Church-published source, Joseph Smith taught that the moon was inhabited by who dressed like Quakers. With Philo Dibble, a close associate with Joseph Smith, as his source, Oliver B. Huntington wrote with significant detail:
“The inhabitants of the moon are more of a uniform size than the inhabitants of the earth, being about 6 feet in height. They dress very much like the Quaker style and are quite general in style or the one fashion of dress. They live to be very old; coming generally, near a thousand years. This is the description of them as given by Joseph the Seer, and he could ‘See’ whatever he asked the Father in the name of Jesus to see”1
Huntington was quoted in the Young Woman’s Journal, which “was adopted as the official magazine for the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association in 1897.”2
“Astronomers and philosophers have, from time almost immemorial until very recently, asserted that the moon was uninhabited, that it had no atmosphere, etc. But recent discoveries, through the means of powerful telescopes, have given scientists a doubt or two upon the old theory. Nearly all the great discoveries of men in the last half century have, in one way or another, either directly or indirectly, contributed to prove Joseph Smith to be a Prophet. As far back as 1837, I know that he said the moon was inhabited by men and women the same as this earth, and that they lived to a greater age than we do — that they live generally to near the age of a 1000 years. He described the men as averaging near six feet in height, and dressing quite uniformly in something near the Quaker style. In my patriarchal blessing, given by the father of Joseph the Prophet, in Kirtland, 1837, I was told that I should preach the gospel before I was 21 years of age; that I should preach the gospel to the inhabitants upon the islands of the sea, and — to the inhabitants of the moon, even the planet you can now behold with your eyes.”3
Huntington’s account fits with the larger context of Latter-day Saint teachings and beliefs. Author Dan Vogel notes the following:
“The statement in Abraham 3:5 that the moon is greater than the earth would hardly make sense if the moon were a desolate globe. Of course the pronouncements of Oliver Cowdery and Hyrum Smith that every star and planet was inhabited implied an inhabited moon. Like their contemporaries, Mormons were fascinated with possible inhabitants on the planet closest to earth. Encouraged by the recent spectroscopic discoveries which indicated that the moon had an atmosphere, Oliver B. Huntington related in 1892 an occasion on which Joseph Smith was purported to have expressed his belief that “the moon was inhabited by men and women the same as this earth.” According to Huntington, Smith described the moon’s inhabitants, saying that “they lived to a greater age than we do—that they live generally to near the age of 1000 years,” that the men averaged “near six feet in height, and dres[sed] quite uniformly in something near the Quaker style… The literature of the day also described supernatural ways of going to the moon and other planets. Later in the nineteenth century, when science began replacing supposition regarding an inhabited moon, Mormons refused to give up their belief, which they believed was rooted in revelation. An article entitled “Are the Worlds Inhabited?” appeared in the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star in 1882 to defend the Mormon position against the advances made by science: “To the question, is the moon inhabited? astronomers have returned a definite negative answer. It has been claimed that the moon is a dead world, without atmosphere, without vegetation, without moisture, and consequently without inhabitants.… On this subject the Latter-day Saints have the advantage of a little definite information.… ‘That by him and through him and of him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God [LDS D&C 76:24; RLDS D&C 76:3h].’… The worlds are inhabited—millions of them. They form the abode of the offspring of Deity. Birthplaces, probation planets; prisonhouses; spirit spheres; paradises; gehennas; homes for the resurrected; glorified suns for perfected and celestialized intelligences; all moving in their respective orbits, governed by fixed laws adapted to their condition and that of their inhabitants.” First-generation Mormons resisted any changes in their cosmological concepts. To them these were not just ideas or theories; they explained reality as they knew it.”4
According to Van Hale, Philo Dibble
“was a collector and had expended considerable effort to collect and produce an exhibit about the life and death of Joseph Smith, which he presented in several Mormon communities. It was at one of these presentations in January of 1881 that Huntington acquired Joseph Smith’s moonmen statement from Dibble.”5
All things considered, the argument that Smith actually taught such things about moon men is probably not strong enough to use. While evidence suggests that Dibble was probably recounting things from one of his own experiences with Joseph Smith, it is not conclusive. If non-Mormons are going to appeal to Huntington’s claim as found in the official Mormon publication, they should do so with caution, context, and qualification.
Of course, to outright reject Dibble’s and Huntington’s claim, one must join Mormon apologists in questioning their integrity as well as the judgment of the Mormon editors of the Young Woman’s Journal for including Huntington’s account in this Church-published magazine. While some think of the issue as a controversy between Mormons and “anti-Mormons”, it is probably more of a disagreement between modern Mormon apologists and the testimony of Dibble, a revered early Mormon who was a close associate of Joseph Smith.
A Common Belief Nonetheless
Despite any questions that remain over Huntington’s and Dibble’s direct link of the teaching to Joseph Smith, the idea of moon men was commonly held among Mormon leaders, many of whom had intimate acquaintance with Smith. It even showed up in patriarchal blessings, which are supposed to include “an inspired and prophetic statement of the life possibilities and mission of the recipient.”6 Van Vogel writes:
“[Oliver B.] Huntington received a blessing from his father, William, on 7 December 1836. As recorded in the Patriarchal Blessing Book, the text reads: ‘I lay my hands on thee & bless thee with a father’s blessing.… Thou shalt be called to preach the gospel to this generation.… Before thou art twenty one thou wilt be called to preach the fullness of the gospel, thou shalt have power with God even to translate thyself to Heaven, & preach to the inhabitants of the moon or planets, if it shall be expedient, if thou art faithful all these blessings will be given thee …’ Other early Mormon blessings expressed similar sentiments. On 15 December 1836 Lorenzo Snow received a blessing under the hand of Joseph Smith, Sr.: ‘Thou shalt have great faith, even like the brother of Jared. Thou shalt have power to translate thyself from one planet to another, power to go to the moon if thou desire it, power to preach to the spirits in prison. Power like Enoch to translate thyself to heaven …’ On 21 February 1836 Joseph Smith, Sr., blessed Jonathan Crosby, saying: ‘Thou shalt … Be caught up to the third heavens, and behold unspeakable things, whether in the body or out.… And when thy [p.210] mission is full here, thou shalt visit other worlds.’ Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal on 3 January 1837 that Zebedee Coltrin ‘Pronounced great blessings upon my head by the Spirit of Prophecy & Revelation.’ Among other things the blessing said that he ‘should visit COLUB & Preach to the spirits in Prision & that I should bring all of my friends or relatives forth from the Terrestrial Kingdom.’ These blessings are congruent with Joseph Smith’s conviction that translated beings were ordained by God ‘to be ministering angels unto many planets.'”7
Is the Sun Inhabited?
Brigham Young expanded on the teaching that the Sun was inhabited.
“Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon?… when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fathers. So it is in regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. It |
. The Governor-General took part in this private traffic. His favourites received contracts under conditions whereby they, cleverer than the alchemists, made gold out of nothing. Great fortunes sprang up like mushrooms in a day; primitive accumulation went on without the advance of a shilling. The trial of Warren Hastings swarms with such cases. Here is an instance. A contract for opium was given to a certain Sullivan at the moment of his departure on an official mission to a part of India far removed from the opium district. Sullivan sold his contract to one Binn for £40,000; Binn sold it the same day for £60,000, and the ultimate purchaser who carried out the contract declared that after all he realised an enormous gain. According to one of the lists laid before Parliament, the Company and its employés from 1757-1766 got £6,000,000 from the Indians as gifts. Between 1769 and 1770, the English manufactured a famine by buying up all the rice and refusing to sell it again, except at fabulous prices. [6]
The treatment of the aborigines was, naturally, most frightful in plantation-colonies destined for export trade only, such as the West Indies, and in rich and well-populated countries, such as Mexico and India, that were given over to plunder. But even in the colonies properly so called, the Christian character of primitive accumulation did not belie itself. Those sober virtuosi of Protestantism, the Puritans of New England, in 1703, by decrees of their assembly set a premium of £40 on every Indian scalp and every captured red-skin: in 1720 a premium of £100 on every scalp; in 1744, after Massachusetts-Bay had proclaimed a certain tribe as rebels, the following prices: for a male scalp of 12 years and upwards £100 (new currency), for a male prisoner £105, for women and children prisoners £50, for scalps of women and children £50. Some decades later, the colonial system took its revenge on the descendants of the pious pilgrim fathers, who had grown seditious in the meantime. At English instigation and for English pay they were tomahawked by red-skins. The British Parliament proclaimed bloodhounds and scalping as “means that God and Nature had given into its hand.”
The colonial system ripened, like a hot-house, trade and navigation. The “societies Monopolia” of Luther were powerful levers for concentration of capital. The colonies secured a market for the budding manufactures, and, through the monopoly of the market, an increased accumulation. The treasures captured outside Europe by undisguised looting, enslavement, and murder, floated back to the mother-country and were there turned into capital. Holland, which first fully developed the colonial system, in 1648 stood already in the acme of its commercial greatness. It was
“in almost exclusive possession of the East Indian trade and the commerce between the south-east and north-west of Europe. Its fisheries, marine, manufactures, surpassed those of any other country. The total capital of the Republic was probably more important than that of all the rest of Europe put together.” Gülich forgets to add that by 1648, the people of Holland were more over-worked, poorer and more brutally oppressed than those of all the rest of Europe put together.
Today industrial supremacy implies commercial supremacy. In the period of manufacture properly so called, it is, on the other hand, the commercial supremacy that gives industrial predominance. Hence the preponderant rôle that the colonial system plays at that time. It was “the strange God” who perched himself on the altar cheek by jowl with the old Gods of Europe, and one fine day with a shove and a kick chucked them all of a heap. It proclaimed surplus-value making as the sole end and aim of humanity.
The system of public credit, i.e., of national debts, whose origin we discover in Genoa and Venice as early as the Middle Ages, took possession of Europe generally during the manufacturing period. The colonial system with its maritime trade and commercial wars served as a forcing-house for it. Thus it first took root in Holland. National debts, i.e., the alienation of the state – whether despotic, constitutional or republican – marked with its stamp the capitalistic era. The only part of the so-called national wealth that actually enters into the collective possessions of modern peoples is their national debt. [7] Hence, as a necessary consequence, the modern doctrine that a nation becomes the richer the more deeply it is in debt. Public credit becomes the credo of capital. And with the rise of national debt-making, want of faith in the national debt takes the place of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which may not be forgiven.
The public debt becomes one of the most powerful levers of primitive accumulation. As with the stroke of an enchanter’s wand, it endows barren money with the power of breeding and thus turns it into capital, without the necessity of its exposing itself to the troubles and risks inseparable from its employment in industry or even in usury. The state creditors actually give nothing away, for the sum lent is transformed into public bonds, easily negotiable, which go on functioning in their hands just as so much hard cash would. But further, apart from the class of lazy annuitants thus created, and from the improvised wealth of the financiers, middlemen between the government and the nation – as also apart from the tax-farmers, merchants, private manufacturers, to whom a good part of every national loan renders the service of a capital fallen from heaven – the national debt has given rise to joint-stock companies, to dealings in negotiable effects of all kinds, and to agiotage, in a word to stock-exchange gambling and the modern bankocracy.
At their birth the great banks, decorated with national titles, were only associations of private speculators, who placed themselves by the side of governments, and, thanks to the privileges they received, were in a position to advance money to the State. Hence the accumulation of the national debt has no more infallible measure than the successive rise in the stock of these banks, whose full development dates from the founding of the Bank of England in 1694. The Bank of England began with lending its money to the Government at 8%; at the same time it was empowered by Parliament to coin money out of the same capital, by lending it again to the public in the form of banknotes. It was allowed to use these notes for discounting bills, making advances on commodities, and for buying the precious metals. It was not long ere this credit-money, made by the bank itself, became. The coin in which the Bank of England made its loans to the State, and paid, on account of the State, the interest on the public debt. It was not enough that the bank gave with one hand and took back more with the other; it remained, even whilst receiving, the eternal creditor of the nation down to the last shilling advanced. Gradually it became inevitably the receptacle of the metallic hoard of the country, and the centre of gravity of all commercial credit. What effect was produced on their contemporaries by the sudden uprising of this brood of bankocrats, financiers, rentiers, brokers, stock-jobbers, &c., is proved by the writings of that time, e.g., by Bolingbroke’s. [8]
With the national debt arose an international credit system, which often conceals one of the sources of primitive accumulation in this or that people. Thus the villainies of the Venetian thieving system formed one of the secret bases of the capital-wealth of Holland to whom Venice in her decadence lent large sums of money. So also was it with Holland and England. By the beginning of the 18th century the Dutch manufactures were far outstripped. Holland had ceased to be the nation preponderant in commerce and industry. One of its main lines of business, therefore, from 1701-1776, is the lending out of enormous amounts of capital, especially to its great rival England. The same thing is going on today between England and the United States. A great deal of capital, which appears today in the United States without any certificate of birth, was yesterday, in England, the capitalised blood of children.
As the national debt finds its support in the public revenue, which must cover the yearly payments for interest, &c., the modern system of taxation was the necessary complement of the system of national loans. The loans enable the government to meet extraordinary expenses, without the tax-payers feeling it immediately, but they necessitate, as a consequence, increased taxes. On the other hand, the raising of taxation caused by the accumulation of debts contracted one after another, compels the government always to have recourse to new loans for new extraordinary expenses. Modern fiscality, whose pivot is formed by taxes on the most necessary means of subsistence (thereby increasing their price), thus contains within itself the germ of automatic progression. Overtaxation is not an incident, but rather a principle. In Holland, therefore, where this system was first inaugurated, the great patriot, DeWitt, has in his “Maxims” extolled it as the best system for making the wage labourer submissive, frugal, industrious, and overburdened with labour. The destructive influence that it exercises on the condition of the wage labourer concerns us less however, here, than the forcible expropriation, resulting from it, of peasants, artisans, and in a word, all elements of the lower middle class. On this there are not two opinions, even among the bourgeois economists. Its expropriating efficacy is still further heightened by the system of protection, which forms one of its integral parts.
The great part that the public debt, and the fiscal system corresponding with it, has played in the capitalisation of wealth and the expropriation of the masses, has led many writers, like Cobbett, Doubleday and others, to seek in this, incorrectly, the fundamental cause of the misery of the modern peoples.
The system of protection was an artificial means of manufacturing manufacturers, of expropriating independent labourers, of capitalising the national means of production and subsistence, of forcibly abbreviating the transition from the medieval to the modern mode of production. The European states tore one another to pieces about the patent of this invention, and, once entered into the service of the surplus-value makers, did not merely lay under contribution in the pursuit of this purpose their own people, indirectly through protective duties, directly through export premiums. They also forcibly rooted out, in their dependent countries, all industry, as, e.g., England did. with the Irish woollen manufacture. On the continent of Europe, after Colbert’s example, the process was much simplified. The primitive industrial capital, here, came in part directly out of the state treasury. “Why,” cries Mirabeau, “why go so far to seek the cause of the manufacturing glory of Saxony before the war? 180,000,000 of debts contracted by the sovereigns!” [9]
Colonial system, public debts, heavy taxes, protection, commercial wars, &c., these children of the true manufacturing period, increase gigantically during the infancy of Modem Industry. The birth of the latter is heralded by a great slaughter of the innocents. Like the royal navy, the factories were recruited by means of the press-gang. Blasé as Sir F. M. Eden is as to the horrors of the expropriation of the agricultural population from the soil, from the last third of the 15th century to his own time; with all the self-satisfaction with which he rejoices in this process, “essential” for establishing capitalistic agriculture and “the due proportion between arable and pasture land” — he does not show, however, the same economic insight in respect to the necessity of child-stealing and child-slavery for the transformation of manufacturing exploitation into factory exploitation, and the establishment of the “true relation” between capital and labour-power. He says:
“It may, perhaps, be worthy the attention of the public to consider, whether any manufacture, which, in order to be carried on successfully, requires that cottages and workhouses should be ransacked for poor children; that they should be employed by turns during the greater part of the night and robbed of that rest which, though indispensable to all, is most required by the young; and that numbers of both sexes, of different ages and dispositions, should be collected together in such a manner that the contagion of example cannot but lead to profligacy and debauchery; will add to the sum of individual or national felicity?” [10]
“In the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and more particularly in Lancashire,” says Fielden, “the newly-invented machinery was used in large factories built on the sides of streams capable of turning the water-wheel. Thousands of hands were suddenly required in these places, remote from towns; and Lancashire, in particular, being, till then, comparatively thinly populated and barren, a population was all that she now wanted. The small and nimble fingers of little children being by very far the most in request, the custom instantly sprang up of procuring apprentices from the different parish workhouses of London, Birmingham, and elsewhere. Many, many thousands of these little, hapless creatures were sent down into the north, being from the age of 7 to the age of 13 or 14 years old. The custom was for the master to clothe his apprentices and to feed and lodge them in an “apprentice house” near the factory; overseers were appointed to see to the works, whose interest it was to work the children to the utmost, because their pay was in proportion to the quantity of work that they could exact. Cruelty was, of course, the consequence.... In many of the manufacturing districts, but particularly, I am afraid, in the guilty county to which I belong [Lancashire], cruelties the most heart-rending were practised upon the unoffending and friendless creatures who were thus consigned to the charge of master-manufacturers; they were harassed to the brink of death by excess of labour... were flogged, fettered and tortured in the most exquisite refinement of cruelty;... they were in many cases starved to the bone while flogged to their work and... even in some instances... were driven to commit suicide.... The beautiful and romantic valleys of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire, secluded from the public eye, became the dismal solitudes of torture, and of many a murder. The profits of manufacturers were enormous; but this only whetted the appetite that it should have satisfied, and therefore the manufacturers had recourse to an expedient that seemed to secure to them those profits without any possibility of limit; they began the practice of what is termed “night-working,” that is, having tired one set of hands, by working them throughout the day, they had another set ready to go on working throughout the night; the day-set getting into the beds that the night-set had just quitted, and in their turn again, the night-set getting into the beds that the day-set quitted in the morning. It is a common tradition in Lancashire, that the beds never get cold.”
With the development of capitalist production during the manufacturing period, the public opinion of Europe had lost the last remnant of shame and conscience. The nations bragged cynically of every infamy that served them as a means to capitalistic accumulation. Read, e.g., the naïve Annals of Commerce of the worthy A. Anderson. Here it is trumpeted forth as a triumph of English statecraft that at the Peace of Utrecht, England extorted from the Spaniards by the Asiento Treaty the privilege of being allowed to ply the negro trade, until then only carried on between Africa and the English West Indies, between Africa and Spanish America as well. England thereby acquired the right of supplying Spanish America until 1743 with 4,800 negroes yearly. This threw, at the same time, an official cloak over British smuggling. Liverpool waxed fat on the slave trade. This was its method of primitive accumulation. And, even to the present day, Liverpool “respectability” is the Pindar of the slave trade which — compare the work of Aikin [1795] already quoted — “has coincided with that spirit of bold adventure which has characterised the trade of Liverpool and rapidly carried it to its present state of prosperity; has occasioned vast employment for shipping and sailors, and greatly augmented the demand for the manufactures of the country” (p. 339). Liverpool employed in the slave-trade, in 1730, 15 ships; in 1751, 53; in 1760, 74; in 1770, 96; and in 1792, 132.[12]
Whilst the cotton industry introduced child-slavery in England, it gave in the United States a stimulus to the transformation of the earlier, more or less patriarchal slavery, into a system of commercial exploitation. In fact, the veiled slavery of the wage workers in Europe needed, for its pedestal, slavery pure and simple in the new world.
Tantae molis erat, to establish the “eternal laws of Nature” of the capitalist mode of production, to complete the process of separation between labourers and conditions of labour, to transform, at one pole, the social means of production and subsistence into capital, at the opposite pole, the mass of the population into wage labourers, into “free labouring poor,” that artificial product of modern society. [13] If money, according to Augier, [14] “comes into the world with a congenital blood-stain on one cheek,” capital comes dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt. [15]
Footnotes
* Industrial here in contradistinction to agricultural. In the “categoric” sense the farmer is an industrial capitalist as much as the manufacturer.
2. “The Natural and Artificial Rights of Property Contrasted.” Lond., 1832, pp. 98-99. Author of the anonymous work: “Th. Hodgskin.”
3. Even as late as 1794, the small cloth-makers of Leeds sent a deputation to Parliament, with a petition for a law to forbid any merchant from becoming a manufacturer. (Dr. Aikin, l. c.)
4. William Howitt: “Colonisation and Christianity: A Popular History of the Treatment of the Natives by the Europeans in all their Colonies.” London, 1838, p. 9. On the treatment of the slaves there is a good compilation in Charles Comte, “Traité de la Législation.” 3me éd. Bruxelles, 1837. This subject one must study in detail, to see what the bourgeoisie makes of itself and of the labourer, wherever it can, without restraint, model the world after its own image.
5. Thomas Stamford Raffles, late Lieut-Gov. of that island: “The History of Java,” Lond., 1817.
6. In the year 1866 more than a million Hindus died of hunger in the province of Orissa alone. Nevertheless, the attempt was made to enrich the Indian treasury by the price at which the necessaries of life were sold to the starving people.
7. William Cobbett remarks that in England all public institutions are designated “royal”; as compensation for this, however, there is the “national” debt.
8. “Si les Tartares inondaient l’Europe aujourd’hui, il faudrait bien des affaires pour leur faire entendre ce que c’est qu’un financier parmi nous.” [if the Tartars were to flood into Europe today, it would be a difficult job to make them understand what a financier is with us] Montesquieu, “Esprit des lois,” t. iv., p. 33, ed. Londres, 1769.
9. Mirabeau, l. c., t. vi., p. 101.
10. Eden, l. c., Vol. I., Book II., Ch. 1., p. 421.
11. John Fielden, l. c., pp. 5, 6. On the earlier infamies of the factory system, cf. Dr. Aikin (1795), l. c., p. 219. and Gisborne: “Enquiry into the Duties of Men,” 1795 Vol. II. When the steam-engine transplanted the factories from the country waterfalls to the middle of towns, the “abstemious” surplus-value maker found the child-material ready to his hand, without being forced to seek slaves from the workhouses. When Sir R. Peel (father of the “minister of plausibility"), brought in his bill for the protection of children, in 1815, Francis Homer, lumen of the Billion Committee and intimate friend of Ricardo, said in the House of Commons: “It is notorious, that with a bankrupt’s effects, a gang, if he might use the word, of these children had been put up to sale, and were advertised publicly as part of the property. A most atrocious instance had been brought before the Court of King’s Bench two years before, in which a number of these boys, apprenticed by a parish in London to one manufacturer, had been transferred to another, and had been found by some benevolent persons in a state of absolute famine. Another case more horrible had come to his knowledge while on a [Parliamentary] Committee... that not many years ago, an agreement had been made between a London parish and a Lancashire manufacturer, by which it was stipulated, that with every 20 sound children one idiot should be taken.”
12. In 1790, there were in the English West Indies ten slaves for one free man, in the French fourteen for one, in the Dutch twenty-three for one. (Henry Brougham: “An Inquiry into the Colonial Policy of the European Powers.” Edin. 1803, vol. II., p. 74.)
13. The phrase, “labouring poor,” is found in English legislation from the moment when the class of wage labourers becomes noticeable. This term is used in opposition, on the one hand, to the “idle poor,” beggars, etc., on the other to those labourers, who, pigeons not yet plucked, are still possessors of their own means of labour. From the Statute Book it passed into Political Economy, and was handed down by Culpeper, J. Child, etc., to Adam Smith and Eden. After this, one can judge of the good faith of the “execrable political cant-monger,” Edmund Burke, when he called the expression, “labouring poor,” — “execrable political cant.” This sycophant who, in the pay of the English oligarchy, played the romantic laudator temporis acti against the French Revolution, just as, in the pay of the North American Colonies, at the beginning of the American troubles, he had played the Liberal against the English oligarchy, was an out and out vulgar bourgeois. “The laws of commerce are the laws of Nature, and therefore the laws of God.” (E. Burke, l. c., pp. 31, 32.) No wonder that, true to the laws of God and of Nature, he always sold himself in the best market. A very good portrait of this Edmund Burke, during his liberal time, is to be found in the writings of the Rev. Mr. Tucker. Tucker was a parson and a Tory, but, for the rest, an honourable man and a competent political economist. In face of the infamous cowardice of character that reigns today, and believes most devoutly in “the laws of commerce,” it is our bounden duty again and again to brand the Burkes, who only differ from their successors in one thing — talent.
14. Marie Angier: “Du Crédit Public.” Paris, 1842.
15. “Capital is said by a Quarterly Reviewer to fly turbulence and strife, and to be timid, which is very true; but this is very incompletely stating the question. Capital eschews no profit, or very small profit, just as Nature was formerly said to abhor a vacuum. With adequate profit, capital is very bold. A certain 10 per cent. will ensure its employment anywhere; 20 per cent. certain will produce eagerness; 50 per cent., positive audacity; 100 per cent. will make it ready to trample on all human laws; 300 per cent., and there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run, even to the chance of its owner being hanged. If turbulence and strife will bring a profit, it will freely encourage both. Smuggling and the slave-trade have amply proved all that is here stated.” (T. J. Dunning, l. c., pp. 35, 36.)
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[WASHINGTON, DC] Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) PhD candidate Ryan Shapiro filed a lawsuit this morning against the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Defense Intelligence Agency over the spy agencies’ failure to comply with his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for records on anti-apartheid activist and South African President, Nelson Mandela. Shapiro’s requests seek, among other records, documents pertaining to the U.S intelligence community’s role in Mandela’s 1962 arrest and Mandela’s placement on the U.S. terror watch list until 2008. Shapiro is already suing the Central Intelligence Agency over this same failure. Shapiro wants to know why the NSA, FBI, DIA, and CIA viewed Mandela as a threat to American security, and what actions the Agency took to thwart Mandela’s efforts to secure racial justice and democracy in South Africa.
Notably, in addition to invoking the Espionage Act (Title 18 U.S. Code 798), the NSA’s denial of Shapiro’s FOIA request (see embedded document) invokes “national defense” to support the agency’s refusal to even acknowledge the existence of records about Mandela. Asserts the NSA, “the fact of the existence or non-existence of the materials you request is a currently and properly classified matter [….] to be kept secret in the interest of national defense[.]”
A.PDF of Shapiro’s Lawsuit Filed This Morning is Available HERE
Shapiro, a FOIA specialist, is an historian of the political functioning of national security and the policing of dissent. His pathbreaking FOIA work has already led the FBI to declare his MIT dissertation research a threat to national security. Shapiro is represented by FOIA specialist attorney Jeffrey Light.
Two Key Features of Shapiro’s Lawsuit & Broader Pro-Transparency Effort:
1) Despite longstanding public knowledge of definite (if undefined) U.S. intelligence assistance to apartheid South Africa in general, and likely involvement in Mandela’s 1962 arrest in particular, much of the U.S. and world press has paid distressingly little attention to these issues. Even in the wake of Mandela’s death, these issues, including the fact that Mandela remained on the U.S. terror watch list until 2008, have for the most part remained ignored or discounted. In addition to beginning to fill these massive holes in public knowledge of U.S. intelligence operations, Shapiro’s FOIA efforts will bring much-needed attention to these vital topics, as well as to the U.S. intelligence community’s continued outrageous aversion to transparency.
2) The Freedom of Information Act is broken. The Department of Justice and the CIA continue to prevent the FOIA release of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the CIA torture program, despite the Senate Committee’s call for the report’s release. And as the Associated Press reported last week, despite entering office promising to be “the most transparent administration in history,” the Obama administration cites “national security” to censor and deny FOIA releases “more than ever.” The failures of the NSA, FBI, DIA, and CIA to comply with Shapiro’s FOIA requests for records on Nelson Mandela are further glaring examples of this anti-transparency trend. For this reason, Shapiro is not only turning to the courts to force agency compliance with his FOIA requests, he is also turning to the American people to address the ongoing crisis of secrecy more broadly. To this end, Shapiro is urging all persons with access to unreleased records pertaining to illegal, unconstitutional, or immoral government activities to return those records to their rightful owners, the American people. As Shapiro is quoted below, “See something, leak something.”
According to Shapiro:
Regarding the Mandela lawsuit »
“Though the U.S. intelligence community is long believed to have been involved in Mandela’s arrest, little specific public information exists regarding this involvement. Similarly, though the U.S. intelligence community is long known to have routinely provided information to the South African regime regarding the anti-apartheid movement, little specific public information exists about these activities either. Further, despite now being universally hailed as a hero and freedom fighter against gross injustice, Mandela was designated a terrorist by the United States government and remained on the U.S. terror watch list until 2008.
In bringing suit against the NSA, FBI, DIA, and CIA to compel compliance with my Freedom of Information Act requests, I seek access to records that will begin answering the following questions:
What was the extent and purpose of the U.S. intelligence community’s surveillance of Nelson Mandela prior to his arrest? What role did the U.S. intelligence community play in Mandela’s arrest and prosecution? What role did the U.S. intelligence community play in the broader effort to surveil and subvert the South African anti-apartheid movement? To what extent, and for what objectives, did the U.S. intelligence community surveil Mandela following his release from prison? To what extent, if any, did the U.S. intelligence community continue providing information regarding Mandela to the apartheid regime following Mandela’s release from prison? What information did the U.S. intelligence community provide American policymakers regarding Mandela and the South African anti-apartheid movement? To what extent, and to what ends, did the U.S. intelligence community surveil the anti-apartheid movement in the United States? How did the United States government come to designate Nelson Mandela a terrorist threat to this country? How did this designation remain unchanged until 2008? And what was the role of the U.S. intelligence community in this designation and the maintenance thereof?”
Regarding the crisis of secrecy more broadly »
“Democracy cannot meaningfully exist without an informed citizenry, and such a citizenry is impossible without broad public access to information about the operations of government. Secrecy is a cancer on the body of democracy. The Bush administration initiated a disastrous welter of anti-transparency initiatives, yet the Obama administration has been, if anything, worse. Despite entering office promising unprecedented openness, the Obama administration has provided just the opposite, including bringing more Espionage Act prosecutions of whistleblowers than all previous administrations combined, and invoking “national security” to deny FOIA requests “more than ever.” FOIA is broken, and this sad reality is just one component among many of the ongoing crisis of secrecy we now face.
The records of government are the property of the people. Yet, unknown billions of pages are needlessly hidden from the American people behind closed doors and “classified” markings. Undefined “national security” concerns ostensibly legitimize this secrecy. Yet, as wrote Judge Murray Gurfein in his ruling against the Nixon administration’s infamous attempt to prevent the New York Times from publishing the leaked “Pentagon Papers,” “The security of the Nation is not at the ramparts alone. Security also lies in the value of our free institutions.”
Building upon the Pentagon Papers ruling, we as a nation need to foster a broader understanding of “national security.” In the interest of preserving the national security borne not of secrecy and state surveillance, but rather of the free exchange of ideas made possible by “our free institutions,” I call upon all persons with access to unreleased records pertaining to illegal, unconstitutional, or immoral government activities to return those records to their rightful owners, the American people.
It’s not surprising those in power wish to keep their actions secret. What’s surprising is how readily we tolerate it. We are all familiar with the security-oriented signage instructing us to “See something, Say something.” In the interest of promoting a fuller conception of national security, I add, “See something, Leak something.” The viability of our democracy may depend upon it.”
To arrange an interview with Ryan Shapiro please email or text Andy Stepanian at andy@sparrowmedia.net or 631.291.3010. A high resolution copy of the photo of Ryan Shapiro above is available royalty-free × photo credit Stephanie Crumley. You can follow Ryan Shapiro on twitter at @_rshapiroIf we could subscribe to the Food Network without having to get Cable, we’d probably own something other than the hand-me-down TV that sits in our living room. The Food Network has inspired much of my cooking and when I had a brief period between jobs in 2010, it was daytime programming that often decided what we’d have for dinner. In one episode, the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, shares a Croque Monsieur. By tweaking this dish so it’s both dairy free and kosher, you have the most indulgent vegan grilled cheese sandwich you could imagine.
When I learned that April was National Grilled Cheese Month I had to grab the opportunity to make vegan grilled cheese. Once you try it once, you’ll be able to serve it alone for breakfast, with salad for brunch, or alongside soup for dinner. Vegan grilled cheese sandwiches have never tasted this good!
Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Vegan Croque Monsieur)
Two slices of Whole Wheat Bread
1/4 Cup Daiya Vegan Pepperjack Cheese
1/2 Portabello Mushroom
3 slices vegan tempeh bacon
Spray a skillet with extra virgin olive oil and put your mushroom and vegan tempeh bacon on the skillet. At the same time put two slices of whole wheat bread under the broiler or in the toaster oven. Once the mushroom is cooked, remove the tempeh bacon and mushrooms from the skillet and put one slice of bread, un-toasted side to the heat, in the skillet.
Layer the vegan cheese, portabello mushroom and tempeh bacon, and the second slice of bread – toasted side down (touching the tempeh bacon). Put a weighted lid on the bread, as though you are making a panini, and cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown. Turn over and cook for a few more minutes until the second slice of bread is golden brown too.
This whole process will take you less than 15 minutes, possibly even less, and the taste of the tempeh bacon alongside the daiya pepperjack is heavenly. I am not vegan, by no means, but I would prefer this vegan croque monsieur with daiya cheese and tempeh bacon to the “real-deal” any day. The flavors marry perfectly, and there’s no better way to celebrate national grilled cheese month!If you are unsure about what to do with certain household items here are some ingenious ideas to try out.
Reuse Toilet Paper Rolls to Organize Cables and Chords
Turn Old Credit Cards Into Guitar Picks
Create a Window Cover Using Old Picture Slides
Upcycle Old Light Bulbs Into Candles
Repurpose Old CD Holders Into Bagel Storage Device
Fill a Box With Skewers and it Becomes an All-Purpose Knife Block
Turn Old Picture Frames Into Serving Trays
Reuse Ketchup Bottles as a Pancake Squirter
Use Paperclips to Organize Your Cables
Turn Old Wrenches Into Wall Hooks
Repurpose an Old Suitcase Into a Medicine Cabinet
Use Your Old Computer Tower as a Mail Box
Use Marbles to Plug Holes in Fences
Reuse Old Kleenex Boxes as Bag Dispensers
Turn an Old Door Frame Into a Coffee Table
Turn Old Bulletin Boards into a Jewellery Organizer
Use Post-It Notes as a Collector when Drilling
Repurpose a Card Catalogue Into a Mini Bar
Use Old Lego Pieces As a Key Holder
Upcycle a Shopping Cart Into a Rolling Chair
Turn Old Suitcases Into Side Tables
Upcycle Old Mugs, Bottles and Bowls Into Light Fixtures
Use Lifesavers as Candle Holders on Cakes
Use a Paper Clip as a Key Chain and Money Clip
Use a Pipe with Valves as a Coat Rack
Use Old Books as Shelves
Reuse Old Cassette Tape Cases as Gift Card Boxes
Use Old CD Cases to Store and Organize Cables
Turn an Old Bike Into a Bathroom Counter
Turn an Old Mini Fridge Into a TV Stand and Storage Unit
Turn Old Utensils Into Wall Hooks
Turn an Old Wine Box Into a Shoe Rack
Use Shower Hooks in Your Closet as Bag Holders
Turn Old Suitcases Into Accordion Folders
Turn Old Tennis Rackets Into Mirrors
Use Old Picture Frame Corners Like Tiles
Turn an Old Door Into a Frame for a Standing Mirror
Use an Old Paper Tower Holder as a Ribbon Holder
Turn An Old Bathtub Into a Love Seat
Use Frisbees To Reinforce Disposable Plates
Repurpose Old Barrels Into a Drum Set
Use Cupcake Wrappers to Prevent Posicles from Dripping
Use An Old Hanging Shoe Rack to Organize Your Pantry
Make a Chair from Old Waterskis
Use Old Books to Create a Desk
Turn a Six Pack Into a Condiment Carrier
Transform a Chair into a Towel Rack and Shelf
Use A Cupcake Tray as a Jewellery Organizer
Use Mason Jars to Carry Your Salad
Turn an Old Piano Into an Outdoor Water FountainTHURSDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- The quit-smoking drug Chantix may lead to a small but increased risk of heart problems in people with cardiovascular disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
In a study of 700 smokers with cardiovascular disease who were undergoing treatment with Chantix or a placebo, researchers saw a small but "statistically significant" greater risk of chest pain, non-fatal heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems in patients taking the quit-smoking drug, the FDA said.
Details of the new findings will be shared with doctors and will be included in the drug's medication guide to patients, the agency said.
In July 2009, the FDA mandated that Chantix (varenicline tartrate) and a second smoking-cessation drug, Zyban, carry a "black-box" warning about the potential risks of psychiatric problems, including depression and suicidal thoughts.
In its announcement Thursday, the FDA noted that smoking is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of Americans. So doctors and their patients should weigh the "known benefits of Chantix against its potential risks when deciding to use the drug in smokers with cardiovascular disease," the agency said in a statement on its website.
Patients taking Chantix, which received |
PEI Foundation. The concept is the same, locate the table and access services via function pointers. The previously linked Snare’s EFI utils are helpful for reversing, it tries to locate the tables, translate the function pointers to meaningful names and also name known GUIDs. The scripts are not perfect but can be helpful. Binary grep is also very helpful to mass locate GUIDs since there are some 200+ binaries on each dump.
Very important are the calling conventions used.
For 32-bit binaries the calling convention is the standard C calling convention (arguments passed on the stack).
For 64-bit binaries Microsoft’s x64 calling convention is used (arguments passed via RCX, RDX, R8, R9, stack). The stack must be aligned in a 16-byte boundary, and a 32-byte shadow space must be reserved on the stack above the return address. This means that we will see the first stack argument starting at offset 0x20.
SEC and PEI phase binaries are 32-bit (16-bit code also found for CPU initialization) and DXE binaries are 64-bit.
5 – Protocols and PPIs
The EDK reference manual defines protocol as:
A protocol is a data structure that associates: * a GUID (naming it in an unique manner); * possibly an interface, that is a collection of function pointers and/or public data.
So a protocol may be seen as the public definitions (or a sub-part of the public definitions) of a C++ class, or as a Java interface. A data structure can be associated to the GUID, it generally made of one or more function pointers (the protocol’s functions), and/or public data fields.”
A driver installs one or more protocols that can then be located and used by any other driver. Remember that there is no standard library to link against, so protocols (and PPIs) do this work. The following is an example of a protocol used in S3 sleep feature:
#define EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE_GUID { 0x125f2de1, 0xfb85, 0x440c, 0xa5, 0x4c, 0x4d, 0x99, 0x35, 0x8a, 0x8d, 0x38 } typedef EFI_STATUS (EFIAPI *EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE)( IN EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE_PROTOCOL * This, IN VOID * LegacyMemoryAddress ); typedef EFI_STATUS (EFIAPI *EFI_ACPI_GET_LEGACY_MEMORY_SIZE)( IN EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE_PROTOCOL * This, OUT UINTN * Size ); typedef struct _EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE_PROTOCOL { EFI_ACPI_GET_LEGACY_MEMORY_SIZE GetLegacyMemorySize; EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE S3Save; } EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE_PROTOCOL;
This protocol provides two functions, GetLegacyMemorySize and S3Save. The latter is the function that prepares all the information that is needed in the S3 resume boot path. It will internally use another protocol EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_SAVE_PROTOCOL, calling CloseTable() that is responsible for storing the boot script in NVS (non-volatile storage).
If we want to locate the driver that publishes this protocol, we can binary grep for this protocol GUID and find all the drivers that install and use it. In this case, it is expected that only a single driver calls S3Save.
The best way to find protocol definitions are the EFI/UEFI documentation and EDK/EDK2 source code.
In the PEI phase we can find PPIs (PEIM-to-PEIM Interface). For sake of simplicity, lets assume that they are equivalent to protocols in terms of functionality. From the same EDK Reference Manual:
PEIM-to-PEIM interfaces are a mechanism, similar to the protocols, that is used to facilitate the communication between two PEIMs. The principle is roughly the same: • PPIs are “named” with a GUID. • PPIs have an optional data structure containing function pointers and data”
Sample PEI phase code from EDK2 using LocatePpi service:
EFI_STATUS EFIAPI CapsulePpiNotifyCallback ( IN EFI_PEI_SERVICES **PeiServices, IN EFI_PEI_NOTIFY_DESCRIPTOR *NotifyDescriptor, IN VOID *Ppi ) { EFI_STATUS Status; EFI_BOOT_MODE BootMode; PEI_CAPSULE_PPI *Capsule; Status = (*PeiServices)->GetBootMode((const EFI_PEI_SERVICES **)PeiServices, &BootMode); ASSERT_EFI_ERROR (Status); if (BootMode == BOOT_ON_S3_RESUME) { // // Determine if we're in capsule update mode // Status = (*PeiServices)->LocatePpi ((const EFI_PEI_SERVICES **)PeiServices, &gPeiCapsulePpiGuid, 0, NULL, (VOID **)&Capsule ); if (Status == EFI_SUCCESS) { if (Capsule->CheckCapsuleUpdate ((EFI_PEI_SERVICES**)PeiServices) == EFI_SUCCESS) { BootMode = BOOT_ON_FLASH_UPDATE; Status = (*PeiServices)->SetBootMode((const EFI_PEI_SERVICES **)PeiServices, BootMode); ASSERT_EFI_ERROR (Status); } } } return Status; }
6 – Building and executing the S3 boot script
Most, if not all, boot script content is added by different DXE drivers. The related protocol is EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_SAVE_PROTOCOL. It publishes two functions, Write and CloseTable.
The Write function is used to write the information to a boot script table. The specification allows multiple boot tables but for now only one table is used, EFI_ACPI_S3_RESUME_SCRIPT_TABLE (0x0).
One of the disassembly listings above, locate_bootscript_save_protocol, is used to locate this specific protocol. It can be found in all the DXE drivers that use this protocol.
The Write function supports a few different opcodes. Each opcode supports different operations and data. The following is an incomplete definition of a few opcodes:
#define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_IO_WRITE_OPCODE 0x00 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_IO_READ_WRITE_OPCODE 0x01 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_MEM_WRITE_OPCODE 0x02 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_MEM_READ_WRITE_OPCODE 0x03 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_PCI_CONFIG_WRITE_OPCODE 0x04 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_PCI_CONFIG_READ_WRITE_OPCODE 0x05 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_SMBUS_EXECUTE_OPCODE 0x06 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_STALL_OPCODE 0x07 #define EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_DISPATCH_OPCODE 0x08
EDK2 supports a few more and Apple also implements some custom opcodes. The opcodes can be vendor specific, so they require reversing to understand their purpose. The functions that deal with each opcode are easy to find. For example, the following listing is a common function found in DXE drivers that implements the EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_IO_WRITE_OPCODE:
0000000000000289 save_script_io_write_opcode proc near 0000000000000289 0000000000000289 var_20 = qword ptr -20h 0000000000000289 var_18 = qword ptr -18h 0000000000000289 var_10 = qword ptr -10h 0000000000000289 arg_20 = qword ptr 30h 0000000000000289 0000000000000289 push rbp 000000000000028A mov rbp, rsp 000000000000028D sub rsp, 40h 0000000000000291 mov eax, edx 0000000000000293 mov rdx, 800000000000000Eh 000000000000029D mov r10, cs:Boot_Script_Save_Interface 00000000000002A4 test r10, r10 00000000000002A7 jz short loc_2CD 00000000000002A9 mov rdx, [rbp+arg_20] 00000000000002AD mov [rsp+30h], rdx ; *Buffer 00000000000002B2 mov [rsp+28h], r9 ; Count 00000000000002B7 mov [rsp+20h], r8 ; Address 00000000000002BC movzx edx, cx ; TableName (always 0) 00000000000002BF mov rcx, r10 ; *This 00000000000002C2 xor r8d, r8d ; EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_IO_WRITE_OPCODE 00000000000002C5 mov r9d, eax ; Width 00000000000002C8 call qword ptr [r10] ; EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_SAVE_PROTOCOL.Write() 00000000000002CB xor edx, edx 00000000000002CD 00000000000002CD loc_2CD: ; CODE XREF: save_script_io_write_opcode+1E 00000000000002CD mov rax, rdx 00000000000002D0 add rsp, 40h 00000000000002D4 pop rbp 00000000000002D5 retn 00000000000002D5 save_script_io_write_opcode endp
All the opcode functions are be easily identified by the reference to EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_SAVE_PROTOCOL and the value on R8 register before the call to Write.
As previously described, there is a DXE driver that locates the EFI_ACPI_S3_SAVE_PROTOCOL and executes S3Save to make the boot script ready for S3 resume. This function calls CloseTable that allocates a new memory pool to save the script, returning the physical address for the boot script. As previously described, the script is dynamically built on a normal boot path.
How about execution of the boot script?
The S3 boot script execution is initialized by the DXE IPL (Initial Program Load). This is the last binary executed in the PEI phase and if a S3 boot script exists it will follow that special boot path instead of the normal path. This is done by locating EFI_PEI_S3_RESUME_PPI:
#define EFI_PEI_S3_RESUME_PPI_GUID { 0x4426CCB2, 0xE684, 0x4a8a, 0xAE, 0x40, 0x20, 0xD4, 0xB0, 0x25, 0xB7, 0x10} typedef struct _EFI_PEI_S3_RESUME_PPI { EFI_PEI_S3_RESUME_PPI_RESTORE_CONFIG S3RestoreConfig; } EFI_PEI_S3_RESUME_PPI; Parameters S3RestoreConfig Restores the platform to its preboot configuration for an S3 resume and jumps to the OS waking vector.
The S3RestoreConfig function is responsible for locating the S3 boot script, other necessary information and trigger the boot script execution via another PPI, EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTE_PPI:
#define EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTER_PPI_GUID { 0xabd42895, 0x78cf, 0x4872, 0x84, 0x44, 0x1b, 0x5c, 0x18, 0x0b, 0xfb, 0xff } typedef EFI_STATUS (EFIAPI *EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTE)( IN EFI_PEI_SERVICES **PeiServices, IN EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTER_PPI *This, IN EFI_PHYSICAL_ADDRESS Address, IN EFI_GUID *FvFile OPTIONAL ); typedef struct _EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTER_PPI { EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTE Execute; } EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTER_PPI;
For a real world implementation and reversing check Cr4sh’s blog post.
After the boot script is executed with EFI_PEI_BOOT_SCRIPT_EXECUTER_PPI.Execute(), control is transfered to the OS waking vector and execution resumes at the operating system level.
The Dark Jedi vulnerability exploits this phase. The vulnerability exists because the boot script is saved into unprotected physical memory. This memory can be found and modified from a kernel extension. When the machine comes back from sleep the modified boot script is executed and malicious code can be run at firmware level. The flash memory can be written because the lock protections are never restored. It should be noticed that all Macs are still vulnerable to this specific attack (to be presented by Trammel Hudson, Xeno Kovah, and Corey Kallenberg at next BlackHat/Defcon).
7 – Finding the vulnerability
The PPI and Protocol GUIDs allow us to track all the binaries involved in the S3 boot script. I disassembled every single binary that uses the EFI_BOOT_SCRIPT_SAVE_PROTOCOL. The interesting DXE driver where the vulnerability occurs is the DXE identified with the GUID DE23ACEE-CF55-4FB6-AA77-984AB53DE823. If you lookup this GUID on the web, you will find a very interesting name, PchInitDxe.efi. What is so special about this one? The flash protections are implemented by the PCH (Platform Controller Hub) controller. This controller provides multiple IO functions and different protections for the flash chip. For example, the Flash Configuration Lock-Down (FLOCKDN) is described on PCH documentation as:
“When set to 1, those Flash Program Registers that are locked down by this FLOCKDN bit cannot be written. Once set to 1, this bit can only be cleared by a hardware reset due to a global reset or host partition reset in an Intel® ME enabled system.”
The Protected Range registers (PRX) can be configured to protect memory ranges of the flash chip itself (not machine RAM). We already saw that there is a writable NVRAM memory region in the flash chip. In practice the protected range registers will write-protect all flash memory except the NVRAM region. There are many other protections available. Please refer to Legbacore presentations for complete descriptions of available protections.
The suspend/resume vulnerability makes it possible to write the previously protected flash memory regions because the FLOCKDN bit is set to zero after the suspend/resume cycle. While this could be caused by some hardware failure, the reality is much simpler. What is missing is the boot script information that restores this register configuration. When the machine is put to sleep, the CPU context is lost so the flash memory is unlocked (this is another reason why Dark Jedi attack is possible) until the S3 boot script is executed. If there is no such information saved then the flash will be left unlocked, making it vulnerable to writes from the operating system level.
How does it look like the code to save the information of this FLOCKDN register?
// // SPI Flash Programming Guide Section 5.5.1 Flash Configuration Lockdown // It is strongly recommended that BIOS sets the Host and GbE Flash Configuration Lock-Down (FLOCKDN) // bits (located at SPIBAR + 04h and MBAR + 04h respectively) to 1 on production platforms // MmioOr16 ((UINTN) (RootComplexBar + R_PCH_SPI_HSFS), (UINT16) (B_PCH_SPI_HSFS_FLOCKDN)); SCRIPT_MEM_WRITE ( EFI_ACPI_S3_RESUME_SCRIPT_TABLE, EfiBootScriptWidthUint16, (UINTN) (RootComplexBar + R_PCH_SPI_HSFS), 1, (VOID *) (UINTN) (RootComplexBar + R_PCH_SPI_HSFS) );
R_PCH_SPI_HSFS value is 0x3804. This makes it easier to track down the location where this code (or something like it) might be implemented. We know that newer machines are not vulnerable so let’s start by trying to locate this code on those models. The following disassembly listing is the equivalent to above’s code found on MacBook Pro Retina 11,1 firmware:
000000000000519F lea edi, [rbx+3804h] ; R_PCH_SPI_HSFS 00000000000051A5 mov [rbp-0BCh], ebx 00000000000051AB mov rcx, rdi ; Address 00000000000051AE mov edx, 8000h ; B_PCH_SPI_HSFS_FLOCKDN 00000000000051B3 00000000000051B3 loc_51B3: ; CODE XREF: PchInitBeforeBoot+7BF 00000000000051B3 call MmioOr16 ; MmioOr16 ((UINTN) (RootComplexBar + R_PCH_SPI_HSFS), (UINT16) (B_PCH_SPI_HSFS_FLOCKDN)); 00000000000051B8 00000000000051B8 loc_51B8: ; CODE XREF: PchInitBeforeBoot+75E 00000000000051B8 mov [rbp-0D8h], r15d 00000000000051BF mov [rsp+20h], rdi ; buffer 00000000000051C4 xor ecx, ecx ; tableName 00000000000051C6 mov edx, 1 ; width = EfiBootScriptWidthUint16 00000000000051CB mov r8, rdi ; address 00000000000051CE mov r9d, 1 ; count 00000000000051D4 call save_mem_write_opcode
This explains why the newer machines are not vulnerable. The FLOCKDN information is being saved to the boot script. The same code (or variant) can’t be found on vulnerable machines firmware. From this we can conclude that the vulnerability is definitely due to flawed boot script information. Apple failed to implement Intel’s recommendation regarding the flash protections and fails to save it to the boot script on vulnerable machines.
Trammell was kind enough to send me the boot script output between a 10,1 and 11,2 Retina Macs (latest CHIPSEC added support for this but still has some problems with Macs).
Retina 10,1: MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f8c0 Data=00000007 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f890 Data=f94000c0 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f894 Data=3c6c0606 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f898 Data=0103029f MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f89c Data=ffd82005 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f8c8 Data=00002005 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f8c4 Data=00800000 Retina 11,2: MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f890 Data=f94204c0 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f894 Data=3c6c0606 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f898 Data=0103029f MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f89c Data=ffd82005 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f8c4 Data=80002045 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f8c8 Data=00000000 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f8c0 Data=0000000f MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f874 Data=80010000 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f878 Data=860f0190 MEM_WRITE: Width=2 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f87c Data=9fff0632 MEM_WRITE: Width=1 Count=1 Address=00000000fed1f804 Data=e008 These values translate to: Retina 10,1: fed1f890 f94000c0 SSFS/SSFC fed1f894 3c6c0606 PREOP/OPTYPE fed1f898 0103029f OPMENU fed1f89c ffd82005 OPMENU+4 fed1f8c8 00002005 UVSCC fed1f8c4 00800000 LVSCC Retina 11,2: fed1f890 f94204c0 SSFS/SSFC fed1f894 3c6c0606 PREOP/OPTYPE fed1f898 0103029f OPMENU fed1f89c ffd82005 OPMENU+4 fed1f8c4 80002045 LVSCC fed1f8c8 00000000 UVSCC fed1f8c0 0000000f? fed1f874 80010000 PR0 fed1f878 860f0190 PR1 fed1f87c 9fff0632 PR2 fed1f804 e008 HSFS FLOCKDN
The boot script output allows us to reach the same conclusion: older machines don’t have the FLOCKDN and Protected Range registers boot script information and there lies the source of the vulnerability.
To dump this information you can follow CHIPSEC code. Essentially it’s a matter of locating the ACPI variable and the physical memory address where the boot script is located. To read physical memory the DirectHW.kext can be used.
An interesting question is why the difference between Haswell and older platforms?
The AMI bios leak can provide us with an hint. Its reference code for Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge platforms are codenamed PantherPoint and CougarPoint. Apple’s Haswell DXE drivers have string references about LynxPoint.
From what I could gather, Haswell platform introduced a more complicated power management mode. Apple probably followed Intel’s reference code and this time they were capable to correctly copy and paste the flash locking code.
The other possible theory is that Apple knew about this bug, fixed it in Haswell firmware and opted for not patching older systems, a decision that isn’t exactly rare.
8 – Fixing ourselves the vulnerability
Now let’s go for the really interesting and fun part of this post. Once again, can we fix the vulnerability ourselves instead of waiting for Apple?
The answer is yes, of course we can. It’s all bits and bytes after all and Thunderstrike has shown us there are no hardware protections involved!
Most of the necessary code for the fix is described on the last disassembly listing. We need to first call MmioOr16 and then save_mem_write_opcode.
To build the fix we need to adapt that code to the target firmware and find space where to insert it.
Because there isn’t enough unused space we can use to inject the new code, I have opted for replacing an unused function. More on the target function later on. An alternative could have been to add a new section or expand a section, but that would require another read of PE format (I haven’t messed with PE for more than a decade or so) and I didn’t knew the impacts on UEFITool and EFI itself. Replacing code was the faster alternative. This means that we need to jump to the new code, execute it, execute the original bytes we stole for the jump and resume execution back at the original function where we jumped from. The first jump is placed near a similar area to the non-vulnerable versions.
The new code for the latest MacBook Pro Retina 10,1 firmware available is the following:
0000000000003BC4 lea esi, [r15+3804h] ; RootComplexBar + R_PCH_SPI_HSFS 0000000000003BCB mov rcx, rsi 0000000000003BCE mov edx, 8000h ; B_PCH_SPI_HSFS_FLOCKDN 0000000000003BD3 call sub_1388 ; call MmioOr16 0000000000003BD8 mov [rsp+20h], rsi 0000000000003BDD xor ecx, ecx 0000000000003BDF mov edx, 1 0000000000003BE4 mov r8, rsi 0000000000003BE7 mov r9d, 1 0000000000003BED call sub_2D6 ; call save_mem_write_opcode 0000000000003BF2 mov rax, [rbp+var_50] ; original stolen instruction 0000000000003BF6 mov rcx, [rax+8] ; original stolen instruction 0000000000003BFA jmp loc_1FF4 ; resume execution on original function
As you can see it’s rather simple. From the original function code we know that RootComplexBar is stored in R15 and that B_PCH_SPI_HSFS_FLOCKDN value is 0x8000.
The next call is to save_mem_write_opcode() function that will add the boot script entry. This is also a matter of reversing code that calls this function and setting the right parameters in registers and stack.
The last two MOV instructions are the original ones that were stolen so we could make space for the jump. We resume execution at the next instruction. The original code is:
0000000000001FE7 E8 3A E3 FF FF call save_script_mem_read_write_opcode 0000000000001FEC 48 8B 45 B0 mov rax, [rbp+var_50] ; jump to fix here 0000000000001FF0 48 8B 48 08 mov rcx, [rax+8] 0000000000001FF4 F6 01 01 test byte ptr [rcx], 1 0000000000001FF7 0F 84 97 01 00 00 jz loc_2194
The modified version:
0000000000001FE7 E8 3A E3 FF FF call sub_326 0000000000001FEC E9 D3 1B 00 00 jmp loc_3BC4 0000000000001FF1 90 90 90 align 4 0000000000001FF4 0000000000001FF4 loc_1FF4: ; CODE XREF: sub_1DC8+1E32j 0000000000001FF4 F6 01 01 test byte ptr [rcx], 1 0000000000001FF7 0F 84 97 01 00 00 jz loc_2194
The original target function to hold the fix:
0000000000003BC4 sub_3BC4 proc near ; CODE XREF: sub_5429+F7 0000000000003BC4 0000000000003BC4 var_20 = qword ptr -20h 0000000000003BC4 var_11 = byte ptr -11h 0000000000003BC4 var_10 = qword ptr -10h 0000000000003BC4 0000000000003BC4 push rbp 0000000000003BC5 mov rbp, rsp 0000000000003BC8 push rsi 0000000000003BC9 sub rsp, 38h 0000000000003BCD mov rsi, rcx 0000000000003BD0 mov [rbp+var_11], 0 0000000000003BD4 mov [rbp+var_10], 1 0000000000003BDC mov rax, cs:RunTimeServices 0000000000003BE3 lea rcx, [rbp+var_11] 0000000000003BE7 mov [rsp+40h+var_20], rcx 0000000000003BEC lea rcx, aDisabledeepsx ; "DisableDeepSX" 0000000000003BF3 lea rdx, dword_9D70 0000000000003BFA lea r9, [rbp+var_10] 0000000000003BFE xor r8d, r8d 0000000000003C01 call qword ptr [rax+48h] ; GetVariable 0000000000003C04 test rax, rax 0000000000003C07 js short loc_3C13 0000000000003C09 mov cl, [rbp+var_11] 0000000000003C0C cmp cl, 1 0000000000003C0F jnz short loc_3C13 0000000000003C11 mov [rsi], cl 0000000000003C13 0000000000003C13 loc_3C13: ; CODE XREF: sub_3BC4+43j 0000000000003C13 ; sub_3BC4+4Bj 0000000000003C13 add rsp, 38h 0000000000003C17 pop rsi 0000000000003C18 pop rbp 0000000000003C19 retn 0000000000003C19 sub_3BC4 endp
This function is called once and references a string called DisableDeepSX which is an EFI variable. It doesn’t appear to be doing anything special so it was a good candidate. We are hacking and experimenting so why not? Failure is part of the process!
The last thing we need to do is to remove the call to the original function since that function now contains the fix code. I have also opted for moving 1 into var_35 instead of the original 0 (just because it appears to be a better option).
0000000000005518 C6 45 CB 01 mov [rbp+var_35], 1 ; modified to move 1 into the variable instead of original 0 000000000000551C 48 8D 4D CB lea rcx, [rbp+var_35] 0000000000005520 90 nop ; NOP the original call 0000000000005521 90 nop 0000000000005522 90 nop 0000000000005523 90 nop 0000000000005524 90 nop 0000000000005525 80 7D CB 00 cmp [rbp+var_35], 0
Everything is now set to test the patch and check if it works.
9 – Reflashing and a temporarily bricked Retina
The next step is to replace the original DXE binary with the patched version. UEFITool is great for this because it will take care of everything. We just need to select the right GUID, go to the compressed binary and replace it with our patched version (use replace body option inside the compressed section for this GUID).
UEFITool will (re)organize the firmware volume and update all the necessary CRCs. After the new image is ready we can replace it via SPI or use the bug itself together with flashrom.
A few minutes later the result is… a black screen. The fans temporarily spin and then shut down. This means that the new bios image has a problem and is unable to boot.
The bad image needs to be replaced with the original dump. Always have a working dump before replacing anything!
What is the reason for failure?
The first task is to be sure that UEFITool packed everything correctly and the CRCs were valid. Yes, everything is ok here.
Next step is to assume there is some other kind of checksum or check somewhere else. I made a few tests and for example the boot firmware volume can be modified without bricking the machine (if you noticed there are two boot firmware volumes, one has invalid CRC on a working dump, maybe it’s a backup volume?). This means that if there is another check it should exist only in the DXE phase.
Read again Thunderstrike presentation notes… An old unanswered question pops up: what are the last four bytes of the ZeroVector used for?
Trammell says the last eight bytes change between volumes and firmware versions. We know that the first four are the CRC32 but there is nothing about the remaining four. UEFITool doesn’t change them so it also knows nothing about them.
What do we do? Let’s try to make sense of its value. Could it be a reference to free space or something? Yes, bingo at the first attempt (not kidding!). It’s not the free space but the amount of space used by all the files on each volume. My hint on this was that I previously tested modifying only its value and it also bricked the machine. This means that the value is indeed relevant for something.
If you make the difference between the total size of the firmware volume (FVLength field from EFI_FIRMWARE_VOLUME_HEADER) and the volume free space computed by UEFITool we get the value located in the last four bytes of ZeroVector.
On this volume we have a full size of 0x30000 bytes and a ZeroVector value of 0x102B0 bytes.
And its free space is 0x1FD50 bytes. The difference between volume full size and free space is 0x30000-0x1FD50 = 0x102B0, the same value found on ZeroVector.
Since the repacking of the patched binary will slightly modify the free space by a few bytes, that value is wrong and will invalidate the bios image. Compute the new value, fix the header, and recompute the header checksum (CRC16) to the new valid value. Reflash the new image and now it boots!
The issue has been reported to UEFITool author and it will be hopefully fixed in the next few weeks. For now you need to manually update the value and header CRC16.
10 – Does the fix work?
The last step of this adventure is to verify if our boot script modification works or not. And the answer is positive, FLOCKDN is now always set to 1 instead of the vulnerable 0. Repeat the suspend/resume cycle a few times to make sure it works and it’s stable. It really works and machine is stable.
Game over! (well sort of…)
We were able to track down the source of the bug and produce a binary patch for the same bug. It’s not a perfect patch – doesn’t take care of SMRR registers (SMM Range Registers) and misses other flash security features) – but the main goal was to show it is possible and easy to implement. Apple has no excuses to avoid releasing firmware updates for all the vulnerable models.
An interesting project would be to develop a fix for the Dark Jedi issue. A good starting point is Intel’s document A Tour Beyond BIOS Implementing S3 Resume with EDKII. It is a paper published a few months before Dark Jedi presentation that describes the issue and proposes a fix. It is rather amusing to read the paper after Dark Jedi was presented since you clearly see Dark Jedi issue there. Hindsight is always 20⁄ 20.
11 – Conclusion
This was a long technical post and hopefully a good overall introduction to the EFI/UEFI world. You should read the documentation. It is long but it is overally good and you get a good understanding of the EFI architecture (honestly I like it after you understand how everything fits together).
While I believe the impact to average users is small, it remains a critical issue that can be exploited remotely.
I also do not regret the full disclosure and 0day release since it seems the only way to pressure vendors to fix firmware issues. There is indeed some risk associated with firmware updates but those risks are much lower than the security risks posed by vulnerabilities at firmware level. Hopefully this attitude will finally change. Dark Jedi can also be remotely exploited, so fixing it is also necessary and can be bundled together with the fix for this vulnerability.
Big thanks to SentinelOne – this research was part of Sentinel’s OS X Research group (the bug itself wasn’t) – and Trammell, Julien-Pierre, Gualter for their feedback and proof-reading.
Apple just released an update for this bug and Dark Jedi right before this post went public.
I am very happy to see that Apple moved fast enough to fix both bugs and must congratulate them. It was a bit unexpected! Maybe full disclosure and bad publicity work after all 😉.
Because it’s just so fresh I have yet to reverse Apple’s fix. I have some knowledge that they adopted a different strategy mostly because Dark Jedi. This post will be updated sooner or later with information about Apple’s fix.
Have fun,
fG!Region
The Southeastern United States is broadly, the eastern portion of the Southern United States, and the southern portion of the Eastern United States. It comprises at least a core of states on the lower Atlantic seaboard and eastern Gulf Coast. Expansively, it includes everything south of the Mason-Dixon line, the Ohio River and the 36°30' parallel, and as far west as Arkansas and Louisiana.[1] There is no official U.S. government definition of the region, though different agencies and departments use various definitions.
Geography [ edit ]
The U.S. Geological Survey considers the Southeast region to be Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There is no official Census Bureau definition of the southeastern United States; instead, they divide a larger region including Texas and Oklahoma designated as the "South" into three subregions none of which are conventionally considered to define the southeast. The nonprofit American Association of Geographers defines the southeastern United States as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.[2] The OSBO (American small business support organization) uses the same states, but includes Arkansas and Louisiana. The states of Delaware and Maryland (plus the District of Columbia) are also sometimes added in some definitions of the term.
History [ edit ]
The history of human presence in the Southeastern United States extends to before the dawn of civilization about 11,000BC. The earliest artifacts were from the Clovis culture.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans of the Woodland tradition occupied the region for several hundred years.
The first Europeans to arrive in the region were Spanish conquistadores. In 1541, Hernando de Soto journeyed through the south and crossed the Mississippi River.
The region hosted the first permanent European settlement in North America, by the English at Jamestown, Virginia in 1609.
Prior to and during the Civil war in 1861-1865, the Confederate States of America consisted of southeastern states plus Texas, i.e., Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana |
3 million jobs a year as well. But that's not the point at contention here which is the oft repeated claim that because we left the EU then therefore the UK economy would suddenly be bereft of 3 million jobs, that 10% of the workforce. And sadly this claim is a common one and it just goes to show that there's lies, damned lies and then there's politics.
The way we're supposed to understand the contention is that there's three million who make their living making things that are then exported to our partners in the European Union. And we're then to make the leap to the idea that if we did leave the EU then absolutely none of those jobs would exist: leaving the EU would be the same as never exporting another thing to the EU. This is of course entirely nonsense as any even random reading of our mutual histories would indicate: what became the UK has been exporting to the Continent ever since there's actually been the technology to facilitate trade. Further too: there have been finds in shipwrecks in the Eastern Mediterranean of Cornish tin dating from 1,000 BC, so it's not just bloodthirsty and drunken louts that we've been exporting all these years.
To be a little more serious about it there's also no reason in theory why even such a cessation of trade would mean 3 million out of work. In anything but the very short term the general level of employment in an economy is determined by the general level of aggregate demand in that economy. We also import more from the EU than we export to it: thus, a cessation of trade with the EU would, after a notable amount of confusion and chaos to be sure, likely lead to an increase in demand for domestic goods and thus a rise in the general level of employment. And of course no one at all is suggesting that there would be a complete cessation of trade if the UK did leave the EU.
The worst that could happen is that the UK would be a member of the World Trade Organisation and thus we'd face the same sort of tariff barriers that other WTO members do. A few percent here or there, something that doesn't actually make a great deal of difference either way. So obviously the original claim is wrong but where and how is it wrong?
As Dominic Lawson explains today there's been a Freedom of Information Act request to find out:
It admits that ‘the full source’ of Alexander’s claim is a Treasury assessment done in... 2003. So much for the Lib Dem Cabinet Minister’s assertion that this is hot news of imminent employment disaster in the event of Britain’s exit from the EU. Even more devastatingly, the official response to Open Europe’s FOI request goes on to point out that this 11-year-old research ‘is not an estimate of the impact of EU membership on employment’. All it did was to suggest — in a very rudimentary piece of analysis — that approximately three million jobs were involved in our trade with the EU.
And it's worth pointing out that those 3 million jobs depend upon "trade with the EU", not "exports to the EU". It includes those who handle imports from there as well.
Sadly, Disraeli was too mild: it's really lies, damned lies and then there's politics.Vision Zero, San Francisco’s ambitious program to eliminate traffic deaths, is off to a rough start this year — with six people in crosswalks struck and killed by cars and accusations that the Municipal Transportation Agency is protecting parking instead of pedestrians.
In addition to the six pedestrian deaths, three people in a car were killed in a Super Bowl Sunday crash on a city street, and a cable car operator hit by an allegedly drunken motorcyclist in June 2015 died of his injuries in January.
The Vision Zero policy was adopted in 2014 with a goal of eliminating all deaths from traffic collisions in a decade. To that end, a collection of city departments has focused on the most dangerous streets and intersections.
The MTA has made at least 30 major renovations and scores of simpler safety improvements based on data compiled by the Department of Public Health identifying the city’s deadliest streets and intersections and most common causes of crashes. At the same time, police have stepped up enforcement efforts at deadly locations. Education campaigns focused on getting drivers to yield to pedestrians were also launched.
“The goal of Vision Zero is that nobody should be dying on our streets just trying to get around town,” said Ed Reiskin, transportation director for the MTA. “While lots of good things have been put in place, it is troubling and tragic that people are dying.”
Rash of deaths in 2016
The seven deaths this year compare with just one, a motorcyclist, during the first 10 weeks of 2015, and seven, five pedestrians and two motorcyclists, during the same period in 2014. Two pedestrian deaths in March this year have not yet been officially entered into the Vision Zero database but were recorded by the MTA and Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian advocacy group that is part of a community coalition supporting Vision Zero.
Nancy Sarieh, a Department of Public Health spokeswoman, said the early spate of deaths, as well as serious injuries, is tragic but it’s too soon to tell statistically if Vision Zero is losing ground.
“It’s an unfortunate start, but it’s too early to make any conclusions,” she said. “We still have 10 months ahead of us.”
Many of the projects have only been on the streets for months, Sarieh and Reiskin said, and some of the streets and intersections identified as most dangerous have yet to see safety improvements.
Easier said than done
Common safety improvements at intersections include painting more visible crosswalks, clearing parking from street corners, installing extended pedestrian waiting areas and transit boarding platforms, traffic signals that give pedestrians a head start, and bike lanes. Others include erecting new stop signs or traffic signals, lowering the speed limit and restricting turns.
But making major changes to street intersections is not without controversy in San Francisco, especially when it means parking spaces are lost.
“Anything we do to redesign streets is going to have trade-offs,” Reiskin said, “and one of those trade-offs is parking.”
This year’s fatal crashes have occurred at or near the intersections of Leavenworth and Ellis streets, Broadway and Powell streets, Athens and Geneva streets, Market and Seventh streets, Dolores and 30th streets and Post and Divisadero streets. Of those, only Seventh and Market has seen any Vision Zero improvements.
“Every one of those collisions is tragic, and every one of them was preventable,” Reiskin told the MTA Board of Directors at a recent meeting.
Vision Zero, Reiskin said, is a work in progress, and by year end, hundreds of intersections across the city will have been improved.
“We will continue doing everything we can to redesign the streets,” he said at the MTA meeting.
But he said safety improvements aren’t enough. “There are behavior issues at play here,” he said. “We need everyone in the city to be careful and mindful about how they’re getting around. We need people to slow down.”
Parking is a sore point
Pedestrian advocates applaud the progress that’s been made on Vision Zero projects but said they fear the MTA is weakening its resolve, and pulling back on some of its projects, when it meets neighborhood opposition — particularly over parking.
A plan in the works on Taraval Street calls for construction of concrete boarding islands to provide a safe haven for people getting on or off the L-Taraval line. According to the MTA, 46 pedestrians have been hit by cars on Taraval over the past five years, and 22 of them were getting on or off the L-Taraval in the middle of the street.
MTA planners say the boarding islands would make the street much safer for pedestrians. Merchants, however, say it would remove too many parking places from in front of their businesses, many of them small restaurants and shops.
“It will give pedestrians safety but it will suffocate any kind of prosperity on the street,” said Albert Chow, secretary of People of Parkside-Sunset, a merchants association that opposes the boarding islands. “What we are trying to do is find a solution that will preserve parking and let traffic continue to flow.”
The MTA plan calls for parking displaced by the boarding islands to be moved around the corners to nearby streets — a plan the merchants don’t like. Chow, who owns Great Wall Hardware, said many of the businesses, including his, require street-side parking.
Merchants’ alternative
The merchants have suggested that instead of installing boarding islands, the MTA should paint bold diagonal stripes in the street at Muni stops and post signs telling drivers to stop outside the zone when streetcars are present. The plan would allow curbside parking to remain.
While the MTA has not completed the Taraval plan, it may test the merchants’ idea on at least part of the street. That, in turn, has angered pedestrian advocates, who say the agency is sacrificing pedestrian safety for parking places.
“You can be Vision Zero leaders and not let this plan be watered down,” Cathy DeLuca, policy and program manager for Walk San Francisco, told the MTA board.
In an interview, DeLuca said she considered her remarks “a call to action for the board to put pedestrian safety above all these other issues like parking.”
Reiskin said Friday that the Taraval plan, which will continue to be worked on for a couple more months, has not been diluted, and that the MTA is putting safety first.
While the street safety markings may be tested starting later this year on the side of the street where the inbound streetcars stop, he said, physical boarding islands will be included on the outbound side because that’s where the majority of pedestrians are hit stepping off trains.
“I won’t support compromising on those,” he said. “We absolutely will not compromise on safety.”
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuanBrian Beutler of The New Republic expects that Donald Trump’s campaign will attempt to “hoodwink first-time voters or people who weren’t paying close attention…into believing known lies” about Hillary Clinton that first surfaced more than two decades ago. As for whether journalists will “debunk” Trump’s “whoppers,” Beutler’s not so sure.
“Unless a critical mass of media figures agrees to treat the things Trump exhumes from the fever swamps of the 1990s with the appropriate contempt, Trump will enjoy the benefit of the doubt most major-party nominees expect,” wrote Beutler in a Friday article. Beutler speculated that as Republicans unify behind Trump, reporters might be less inclined to criticize the presumptive nominee for his outrageous statements and more inclined to present him as a “partisan mirror image” of Clinton.
Trump’s new-old accusations, Beutler commented, “have all been either roundly debunked or, in the case of Hillary supposedly enabling Bill’s sexual indiscretions, merited no respectful hearing to begin with…[But] if enough [reporters] are cowed into treating the 20-year-old contents of The American Spectator as fair-game politics, Trump’s plan to dupe the young and forgetful will succeed.”
From Beutler’s piece (bolding added):In a revision of his 2015 doctoral dissertation at Uppsala University, Sh|rs presents a synchronic, diachronic, and comparative investigation of the expression of standard negation in Semitic languages.
The permanent exhibition Cyprus, the Sea and the Lighthouse: A Diachronic History will celebrate the restoration of the area of the lighthouse within the archaeological site of Kato Paphos.
Still, this collection navigates the divide between synchronic and diachronic methodologies quite nicely.
For this task, the scribes needed only a synchronic understanding of their language; they were not language historians with access to diachronic scholarship.
The Mercator-e project is designed to analyse the diachronic social, political and economical repercussions of the transport infrastructures during several periods of the Iberian Peninsula.
Rather, it's that Darwin Deleted uses a linear, "horizontal," diachronic organization as the implicit model upon to set its counterfactual history.
Eugenio L Giusti, The Renaissance Courtesan in Words, Letters and Images: Social Amphibology and Moral Framing (A Diachronic Perspective), LED: Milan, 2014; 96 pp.
The first diachronic study covers the external history from a socio-ideological viewpoint (Severo); the second text focuses on the internal history of the Romance languages from a functional perspective (Cambraia et al.
Gustafsson demonstrates this point by formulating a synchronic analogue of the diachronic money pump.
Current change, on the other hand, has emerged as one of the most interesting areas of research in the domains of diachronic English linguistics.
Some specific subjects addressed include Middle English, the elimination of velar fricatives, secondary agent constructions from a diachronic perspective, and J.A brief sketch from the pages of Reformation history.
Four hundred fifty eight years ago, on March 21, 1556, a crowd of curious spectators packed University Church in Oxford, England. They were there to witness the public recantation of one of the most well-known English Reformers, a man named Thomas Cranmer.
Cranmer had been arrested by Roman Catholic authorities nearly three years earlier. At first, his resolve was strong. But after many months in prison, under daily pressure from his captors and the imminent threat of being burned at the stake, the Reformer’s faith faltered. His enemies eventually coerced him to sign several documents renouncing his Protestant faith.
In a moment of weakness, in order to prolong his life, Cranmer denied the truths he had defended throughout his ministry, the very principles upon which the Reformation itself was based.
Roman Catholic Queen Mary I, known to church history as “Bloody Mary,” viewed Cranmer’s retractions as a mighty trophy in her violent campaign against the Protestant cause. But Cranmer’s enemies wanted more than just a written recantation. They wanted him to declare it publicly.
And so, on March 21, 1556, Thomas Cranmer was taken from prison and brought to University Church. Dressed in tattered clothing, the weary, broken, and degraded Reformer took his place at the pulpit. A script of his public recantation had already been approved; and his enemies sat expectantly in the audience, eager to hear his clear denunciation of the evangelical faith.
But then the unexpected happened. In the middle of his speech, Thomas Cranmer deviated from his script. To the shock and dismay of his enemies, he refused to recant the true gospel. Instead, he bravely recanted his earlier recantations.
Finding the courage he had lacked over those previous months, the emboldened Reformer announced to the crowd of shocked onlookers:
I come to the great thing that troubles my conscience more than any other thing that I ever said or did in my life: and that is, the setting abroad of writings contrary to the truth, which here now I renounce and refuse, as things written with my hand [which were] contrary to the truth which I thought in my heart, [being] written for fear of death, and to save my life.
Cranmer went on to say that if he should be burned at the stake, his right hand would be the first to be destroyed, since it had signed those recantations. And then, just to make sure no one misunderstood him, Cranmer added this: “And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christ’s enemy and antichrist, with all his false doctrine.”
Chaos ensued.
Moments later, Cranmer was seized, marched outside, and burned at the stake.
True to his word, he thrust his right hand into the flames so that it might be destroyed first. As the flames encircled his body, Cranmer died with the words of Stephen on his lips: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. I see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”An image released as part of a revised Olympics bid shows the envisioned site for a stadium at Widett Circle.
Boston Olympic organizers, in their winning pitch to the US Olympic Committee in December, strongly downplayed the likelihood of a referendum on the Games and characterized the opposition as a small band of doubters relying on little more than social media, according to the document, which was released Friday.
The complete version of Boston 2024’s initial bid, released by the group, reveals several sections that had been hidden from the public for months, including information about venue costs, fund-raising strategies, and roadblocks the group might face.
“Four local activists formed a group in opposition to our bid, and while we respect their differing views and their right to promote them, our polling data shows that they do not represent the majority of public opinion,” Boston 2024 wrote. “No elected official has publicly endorsed the group, they have not received significant financial backing and their efforts have been limited to social media.”
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The documents shows that information both substantial and seemingly trivial had been cut from the public version of the bid that was released in January.
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The disclosures once again shifted attention back to the bid committee’s troubled start and revived complaints about its commitment to transparency, even as the group’s new chairman tries to refocus the debate on a revised bid released in late June and what he says are the substantial benefits of hosting the Games.
One of the redacted sections from the initial bid sought to assure the USOC that it would be exceedingly difficult for critics to launch a ballot campaign to block the bid.
Boston 2024 officials told the USOC that it would cost “in excess of a million dollars” to launch a ballot initiative and that “opponents to an initiative petition have multiple opportunities to object and intervene throughout the process at every step, including through reviewing signatures for proper certification.”
“Although technically possible to have a ballot initiative in 2016, given the onerous process, any initiative petition advanced by opponents to Boston 2024 would likely not appear on the ballot before November 2018,” Boston Olympic organizers wrote.
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That was a miscalculation.
Months after making that argument, Boston 2024 bowed to the mounting pressure for a vote and agreed to propose its own referendum for the November 2016 ballot.
In the unredacted bid documents released Friday, Boston 2024 also told the USOC that it did not believe that the opposition group No Boston Olympics was formidable, a second error in judgment.
At the time, polls did indicate that a majority of residents supported the Games. Since then, the tide has shifted, and most residents now oppose the bid.
No Boston Olympics has also become a prominent voice in the debate, sparring on stage with bid leaders in a televised debate on Thursday night.
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The full bid documents also show that Boston 2024’s original plan contained a $4.7 billion operating budget that was short about $471 million, with only $4.2 billion in revenue accounted for.
The committee’s new budget, released in June, identified $4.8 billion in revenue and projects a surplus.
Some of the changes that Boston 2024 made were minor, and seemingly done for public relations.
In its original bid submitted to the USOC, the group said it would seek to reduce the “substantial risks” that the city of Boston would face if it signed a taxpayer guarantee for the Games.
But when the bid was released to the public in January, the word “substantial” was removed.
No Boston Olympics issued a statement on Friday blasting bid leaders for withholding the information.
“The release of Boston 2024’s unredacted bid documents confirm that the boosters have been saying one thing behind closed doors, and an entirely different thing to Massachusetts taxpayers,” the group said. “The redactions made in January show that the documents were whitewashed to remove any mention of existing opposition to the bid, and to conceal budget estimates that indicated the Games may operate at a deficit.”
Friday’s revelations also did not sit well with state Representative Bill Straus, cochairman of the Legislature’s transportation committee, who has previously pressed the bid committee for details about the transit projects associated with the plan.
“The long delayed release by Boston 2024 of the actual unedited bid documents today reveals that the local group has engaged in a cynical effort to keep the public and local officials out of the loop in terms of learning the finances and details of the mega project,” Straus said in a statement.
Boston 2024’s chairman, Steve Pagliuca, who took over in May, after the initial bid was submitted to the USOC, said the document was intended only to show that Boston was capable of staging the Games.
“The preliminary bid book was intended to serve as a ‘proof of concept’ — a general demonstration that Boston can, in fact, serve as host city,” he said in a statement. “While it served that purpose well, it was not meant to be a final or operable plan.”
The original bid, which has come to be known as version 1.0, was submitted to the USOC as part of the domestic competition to become the US bid city for the 2024 Games. At the time, Boston was competing with Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
After being chosen by the USOC in January, Boston 2024 struggled with how to share the documents.
Pressured by the media, the committee first suggested it would make the bid book available for reporters to read, but not to copy and publish. Then the committee agreed to make the documents public after removing what it called proprietary information that could pose a competitive disadvantage if released.
When media outlets used Freedom of Information laws to obtain a portion of the unredacted documents in May, Boston 2024 was heavily criticized for hiding from the public version a proposal for public financing for land and infrastructure at Widett Circle, site of the temporary Olympic stadium.
In June, hoping to move beyond the controversy, Boston 2024 issued a new Olympic plan, called version 2.0, designed to provide more credible and detailed information.
However, Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson insisted the remaining sections from the original bid also needed to be made public, creating another headache for the committee.
Jackson this week tried to persuade the council to subpoena the documents, and Mayor Martin J. Walsh urged the committee to release the full bid.
Questioned Thursday at a Boston Globe/FOX 25 debate, Pagliuca said the documents would be made public Friday. “Although initially private due to confidential and competitive concerns, we agree that the public and the City Council ought to be able to review this information,” Pagliuca said.
Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson
@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mlevensonResearchers, taxonomists, and students from The Field Museum and 88 other institutions around the world have provided new answers to two simple but long-standing questions about Amazonian diversity: How many trees are there in the Amazon, and how many tree species occur there? The study will be published October 17, 2013 in Science.
The vast extent and difficult terrain of the Amazon Basin (including parts of Brazil, Peru, Columbia) and the Guiana Shield (Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana), which span an area roughly the size of the 48 contiguous North American states, has historically restricted the study of their extraordinarily diverse tree communities to local and regional scales. The lack of basic information about the Amazonian flora on a basin-wide scale has hindered Amazonian science and conservation efforts.
"In essence, this means that the largest pool of tropical carbon on Earth has been a black box for ecologists, and conservationists don't know which Amazonian tree species face the most severe threats of extinction," says Nigel Pitman, Robert O. Bass Visiting Scientist at The Field Museum in Chicago, and co-author on the study.
Now, however, over 100 experts have contributed data from 1,170 forestry surveys in all major forest types in the Amazon to generate the first basin-wide estimates of the abundance, frequency and spatial distribution of thousands of Amazonian trees.
Extrapolations from data compiled over a period of 10 years suggest that greater Amazonia, which includes the Amazon Basin and the Guiana Shield, harbors around 390 billion individual trees, including Brazil nut, chocolate, and açai berry trees.
"We think there are roughly 16,000 tree species in Amazonia, but the data also suggest that half of all the trees in the region belong to just 227 of those species! Thus, the most common species of trees in the Amazon now not only have a number, they also have a name. This is very valuable information for further research and policymaking," says Hans ter Steege, first author on the study and researcher at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in South Holland, Netherlands.
The authors termed these species "hyperdominants." While the study suggests that hyperdominants - just 1.4 percent of all Amazonian tree species - account for roughly half of all carbon and ecosystem services in the Amazon, it also notes that almost none of the 227 hyperdominant species are consistently common across the Amazon. Instead, most dominate a region or forest type, such as swamps or upland forests.
The study also offers insights into the rarest tree species in the Amazon. According to the mathematical model used in the study, roughly 6,000 tree species in the Amazon have populations of fewer than 1,000 individuals, which automatically qualifies them for inclusion in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The problem, say the authors, is that these species are so rare that scientists may never find them.
Ecologist Miles Silman of Wake Forest University, another co-author of the paper, calls the phenomenon "dark biodiversity".
"Just like physicists' models tell them that dark matter accounts for much of the universe, our models tell us that species too rare to find account for much of the planet's biodiversity. That's a real problem for conservation, because the species at the greatest risk of extinction may disappear before we ever find them," says Silman.
While the authors are confident that these hyperdominants also dominate the vast expanses of Amazonia where scientists have never set foot, they do not know why some species are hyperdominant and others are rare.
The authors note that a large number of hyperdominants - including Brazil nut, chocolate, rubber, and açai berry - have been used and cultivated for millennia by human populations in Amazonia.
"There's a really interesting debate shaping up," says Pitman, "between people who think that hyperdominant trees are common because pre-1492 indigenous groups farmed them, and people who think those trees were dominant long before humans ever arrived in the Americas."
###President Barack Obama responded for the first time on ABC News’ This Week to the criticism that the Democratic Party has seen historic electoral losses in his eight years in office.
“The Democratic party got hollowed out on your watch,” noted George Stephanopoulos. “About 1,000 seats lost in the Congress, Senate, governors, state houses. Is that on you?”
“I take some responsibility for that,” Obama admitted.
Still, he said, “some of it is circumstances.” Obama argued in particular that the Tea Party surge of 2010 was in reaction to economic factors largely outside of his control.
“I think that what is also true is that– partly because my docket was really full here– I couldn’t be both chief organizer of the Democratic Party and function as commander in chief and president of the United States,” he said. “We did not begin what I think needs to happen over the long haul, and that is rebuild the Democratic Party at the ground level.”
Watch above, via ABC News.
[Image via screengrab]
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Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comYou need to have Adobe Flash Player installed in order to view the component. You can download it from here: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
You can find here a list with all the transitions.
Other features: - the font can be embedded or not - you can show text only on mouse over, or you can pause the slideshow on mouse over - once the current image is loaded and displayed, the next image can be loaded in background so the preloader would appear as least as possible
- over 100 transitions to choose from - supports JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, SWF - autoTiming (optionally, each image lasts according to the length of the text; otherwise, you can specify the duration in seconds for each image) - you can have random images and/or random transitions - Zoom and Ken Burns image effects - resizable to the extent of 1680 x 1050 pixels - if the images are random, the Banner uses the fair advertising policy (you won't see an image twice until all other images are shown) - images of any sizes can be used; they will be automatically adjusted according to the imageFitting option - each image can optionally have different particularities, different from the overall properties of the Banner, like transition, image effect, text options, text effects - HTML and CSS formatted text
Download the banner-rotator.zip package, extract it and copy all the resulted files and folders in the same location as the web page in which you want the product to be displayed. As an alternative, you can copy all the resulted files and folders in a different folder. From the downloaded package, the SWF file represents the actual product while the other files (XMLs, images) are the assets that the SWF file uses. A short explanation how SWFs and XMLs interacts can be found here. Open the HTML file with a text editor (like Notepad or TextEdit) and add the following code where you want the product to be displayed: <div id="DivBannerRotatorFX"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="swfobject.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var flashvars = {}; var params = {}; params.base = ""; params.scale = "noscale"; params.salign = "tl"; params.wmode = "transparent"; params.allowFullScreen = "true"; params.allowScriptAccess = "always"; swfobject.embedSWF("BannerRotatorFX.swf", "DivBannerRotatorFX", "600", "260", "9.0.0", false, flashvars, params); </script> Don't forget to replace the 600 and 260 from the swfobject.embedSWF() function above with your own width and height that you specified in the settings.xml file through bannerWidth and bannerHeight elements. Also, don't forget to update the paths as specified in this FAQ article if you copied the product's files in a different folder. CUSTOMIZATION You can customize the Banner Rotator FX using the Live Demo above, press Generate button, then select all the generated code (Ctrl+A) and copy-paste it over the existing content of settings.xml file or you can edit the settings.xml file with a text editor. To use your own images edit the images.xml file with a text editor and define in each row the image path, the url to go to when an image is clicked, the target(_self for the same browser window or _blank for a new browser window) the duration in seconds and the text in the CDATA section. To add specific properties for each image add a new attribute to each image in the XML file.
Here's an example: <photo image="images/01.jpg" url="http://www.flashxml.net" target="_blank" duration="7" transition="57" effect="ken burns" dur="7" direction="bottom" vpos="center" width="250" func="Elastic" type="wide"><![CDATA[<head>Your title text here</head><body>Your description text here</body>]]></photo> You can have as many images as you like. To add a new image, add a new row in the XML file. If you want to get rid of the flashxml.net label from the top-left corner visible in the free version you have to purchase the product and use the paid version instead.
YYou can see an example on how to add a product in your Wordpress article/page here and how to add it in your theme or as a widget here. Make sure your Wordpress version is greater than 2.8 and your hosting provider is using PHP5. 1. There are two files to download: a. WordPress Plugin that you have to install and activate b. Free package 2. Create a new folder inside your wp-content folder called flashxml, inside this folder create a new one called banner-rotator-fx and copy the content of the free package there 3. If you copied the free package to a location different than the one above, go to Banner Rotator FX from the Settings tab in your WordPress Dashboard and update the path accordingly 4. Add [banner-rotator-fx][/banner-rotator-fx] where you want the Flash to show up in your post/page 5. If you want to make the Banner Rotator FX part of your theme, edit the template files and add <?php fxbannerrotator_echo_embed_code();?> where you want it to show up 6. Customize your Banner Rotator FX using the Live Demo from the top of this page. Download the ZIP file and use the included settings.xml file to overwrite wp-content/flashxml/banner-rotator-fx/settings.xml 7. To use your own images, upload them to wp-content/flashxml/banner-rotator-fx/images and update the wp-content/flashxml/banner-rotator-fx/images.xml file accordingly Additional settings file To embed the Banner Rotator FX more than once, you will need another settings file and (probably) another set of images. Let's assume your new file is called settings2.xml. Add [banner-rotator-fx settings="settings2.xml"][/banner-rotator-fx] where you want the Flash to show up in your post/page. If you made the Flash part of your theme, add the file name as the first argument of the fxbannerrotator_echo_embed_code() function call (for example <?php fxbannerrotator_echo_embed_code("settings2.xml");?> ). Add as widget To add the Banner Rotator FX as a widget, go to Widgets from the Appearance tab in your WordPress Dashboard, then drag and drop the Banner Rotator FX from Available Widgets to the widget area you want. You can specify a different settings.xml file and an alternative content for users without Adobe Flash Player from the widget's settings. No Flash support text To support visitors without Adobe Flash Player, you can provide alternative content by adding the text between [banner-rotator-fx] and [/banner-rotator-fx]. If you made the Flash part of your theme, add the text as the second argument of the fxbannerrotator_echo_embed_code() function call (for example <?php fxbannerrotator_echo_embed_code("", "Alternative content");?> ). Change WMODE By default, the WMODE value is transparent but you can change it to window from the Banner Rotator FX in the Settings tab in your WordPress Dashboard. For widgets, this can be done from the widget's settings. If you want to have a different WMODE value in a specific place, it can be done like this: [banner-rotator-fx wmode="window"][/banner-rotator-fx]. If you're using the PHP function, here's an example on: <?php fxbannerrotator_echo_embed_code("", "", 0, 0, "window");?>. If you have PHP4 To make it work with PHP4, add [banner-rotator-fx width="400" height="300"][/banner-rotator-fx] where you want the Flash to show up in your post/page. If you made the Flash part of your theme, add the width and height as the third and fourth argument of the fxbannerrotator_echo_embed_code() function call. Don't forget to provide your own width and height values, since 400 and 300 are just examples. Getting rid of the FlashXML.net label To remove the FlashXML.net label from the top-left corner you'll need to buy the paid package. Once you'll do that, simply use the SWF file from the paid package to overwrite the SWF file from the wp-content/flashxml/banner-rotator-fx/ folder.
1. Download the free package. You need to host all the included files from the package on your own domain because Facebook doesn't allow file hosting. 2. Log in to your Facebook account. 3. Search for the Static HTML: iframe tabs application and select it. 4. Click on Add Static HTML to a page button and you'll be prompted for the page where you want the app to be added. 5. Once added you'll see on the left side menu of your page a new tab with a star icon called Welcome. Click on it to edit it. 6. Add the following HTML embedding code in the text field: <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/swfobject/2.2/swfobject.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var flashvars = {}; flashvars.folderPath = "http://www.yourdomain.com/product_folder/"; var params = {}; params.scale = "noscale"; params.salign = "tl"; params.wmode = "transparent"; params.allowScriptAccess = "always"; params.allowFullScreen = "true"; var attributes = {}; swfobject.embedSWF("http://www.yourdomain.com/product_folder/ProductName.swf", "DivFlashComponent", "600", "400", "9.0.0", false, flashvars, params, attributes); </script> <div id="DivFlashComponent"></div> Don't forget to use your own URL for the product's location, name, width and height. 7. Click preview to see how it looks or save changes. The product is now added to the Welcome tab of your page. 8. Optional: To change the tab's name, called by default Welcome, edit your page, go to the Apps tab and click Edit Settings option next to the Static HTML: iframe tabs application to enter the name you want. 9. Optional: To make the tab your default landing tab (first thing your visitors see on your page) edit your page and go to the Manage Permissions tab and change the Default Landing Tab. Note that this option doesn't work with the new Timeline for pages. Getting rid of the FlashXML.net label To remove the FlashXML.net label from the top-left corner you'll need to buy the paid package. Once you do that, simply use the SWF file from the paid package to overwrite the SWF file from the location where you hosted all the files from the free package.
The module is |
the far Left, to the extent that it exists at all in Winnipeg any longer, is absent from this struggle.
It is striking, however, that growing numbers of progressive young people are becoming interested in and active in this struggle. Although what follows is impressionistic, it may be that many young people recently energized by the anti-globalization movement have now turned their attention to local, community-based anti-poverty struggles in the North End and broader inner city.
If young, urban Aboriginal people were also to become politicized as part of this struggle, and were to begin to mobilize around demands related to antipoverty efforts, the pace of change would surely accelerate. There are few signs yet of that happening, and in fact an Aboriginal middle class is emerging, anxious to distance themselves from the poverty and related problems of the North End.
Yet there is deep anger in Winnipeg’s North End, the product of poverty, racism, and segregation. Much of that anger is inner-directed, in such forms as addictions and domestic abuse, but also in the form of increasingly severe street-level conflict and violence confined largely to the North End and directed largely at other North End residents, and frequently at police.
Most Winnipegers, spatially and socially segregated from the North End and its residents and steeped in stereotypes previously used to describe Eastern Europeans, are removed, in every respect, from these issues. If they could be mobilized in support of genuine, publicly-driven anti-poverty efforts, and/or if North End youth, and especially Aboriginal youth, were themselves to become politicized and direct their anger outwards, real gains could be made in the North End. Until that happens, and despite the exceptional community development efforts in the North End, change will be unbearably slow, and will come too late for many.Bernie Sanders reacts during a caucus night party on Monday in Des Moines. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thinks former secretary of state Hillary Clinton isn't a progressive. A couple of President Obama's former top aides beg to differ.
Sanders -- who has 1.31 million Twitter followers -- triggered plenty of reaction when he took a clear shot at Clinton's own liberal branding, tweeting Wednesday that it was impossible to reconcile being "a moderate" and "a progressive."
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
[What's the Obama-Sanders relationship? There isn't one.]
To support his line of argument, he pointed to three policy positions Clinton had taken in the past: supporting the invasion of Iraq, remaining silent for years on the Keystone XL pipeline and backing the initial negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
In the case of TransCanada's permit application to build a massive oil pipeline between Canada and the United States, he wrote, "Most progressives that I know were opposed to the Keystone pipeline from day one. Honestly, it wasn’t that complicated." Tommy Vietor, who served as Obama's National Security Council spokesman before leaving to start the San Francisco-based consulting firm Fenway Strategies, shot back:
Actually it was complicated. The agency she ran conducted a review of Keystone. She allowed professionals to run it. https://t.co/W6YVAosG9a — Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 3, 2016
Sanders tweeted "Most progressives I know are firm from day 1 in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. They didn't have to think about it a whole lot." Vietor countered, "Obama is a progressive who supports TPP."
Vietor, who has 12,800 Twitter followers, also questioned the senator's overall premise, suggesting that most Americans reject strict ideological litmus tests:
Demanding ideological purity is among the reasons people hate DC. How about we evaluate issues on the merits? https://t.co/8UaLKwVr5O — Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 3, 2016
Ben LaBolt, who served as the national press secretary for Obama's 2012 reelection campaign and now manages the New York-based consulting shop he co-founded, The Incite Agency, weighed in on Vietor's side in the dispute.
I agree with @TVietor08's tweetstorm — Ben LaBolt (@BenLaBolt) February 3, 2016
Obama has officially not taken sides between the two Democratic primary candidates, although he is a strong proponent of the Pacific Rim trade accord and took years to veto Keystone XL. And the president took pains in a recent Politico interview to praise Clinton's approach to governing and rejected any comparison between himself in 2008 and Sanders during this current campaign.
The online dispute between the president's former aides and Sanders speaks to thinly-veiled antagonism between Obama's inner circle, the vast majority of whom are either openly working for Clinton or privately back her, and the cadre of Democratic Party activists who have thrown their lot in with Sanders. It is a schism that is certain to become even sharper in the weeks ahead.London mayor, who had pledged residents ‘won’t pay a penny more’ for travel, says fares freeze applies only to single journeys
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has been accused of breaking one of his key election pledges after he announced that his fares freeze on public transport would apply only to single journeys.
London mayor: who says Sadiq Khan's fare freeze figures can't add up? Read more
The restriction means hundreds of thousands of people who use Travelcards, Oyster cards or pay-as-you-go caps on contactless cards will not benefit from the trumpeted four-year suspension.
The Liberal Democrat London assembly member Caroline Pidgeon told Khan: “I think you have broken your fares promise today.”
There was also criticism from the Conservatives. Gareth Bacon, the party’s group leader at the London assembly, said: “Just four weeks after the election the mayor’s flagship policy has been thrown out of the window.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sadiq Khan. Composite: Getty
“By raising Travelcard prices by inflation and breaking his biggest promise he is turning his back on those who showed faith in him. Hundreds of thousands of commuting Londoners use Travelcards, and thus will never see this freeze.”
Ukip assembly members said the mayor had been “shamelessly quick” in breaking his pledge.
David Kurten (@davidkurten) Sadiq Khan breaking his fares freeze promise was predictable but I am astonished by how shamelessly quick it was! https://t.co/JGl9fA8jzb
During his election campaign, Khan pledged that Londoners “won’t pay a penny more for their travel in 2020 than they do today”. He also accused his main rival, Zac Goldsmith, of a secret plan to hike fares.
Nonetheless, he claimed on Tuesday that his pledge had been delivered in full, pointing out that the Department for Transport sets Travelcard fares.
Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) My manifesto promise to Londoners. Delivered in full. I'll make commuting more affordable for millions of Londoners. pic.twitter.com/FIC8gwfzFE
During a London assembly session, Khan said rail fares charged by non-TfL (Transport for London) operators were out of his control. “I can’t make the government do what I’m doing,” he said.
A spokesman for the mayor said: “The fares freeze will benefit 96% of commuting Londoners. Sadiq only has the power to set the fares on TfL services, which is why he will continue to push the government to follow his example by freezing their own fares and transferring suburban rail services to TfL as quickly as possible, so that even more passengers benefit from his fares policy.”
The cost of the freeze is estimated at about £640m over four years, significantly higher than the £450m quoted by Khan during his campaign.
TfL, in calculations seized upon by Goldsmith, had put the cost of a five-year freeze at £1.9bn, but that may have been on the assumption that all fares – and not just those for single fares – would be frozen.
Tony Travers, local government expert and director of the LSE’s Greater London Group, said the announcement by Khan came down to an issue of trust and how the average person would interpret his pledge.
“The words he used at the time made it very hard to understand the commitment only applied effectively to pay-as-you-go and cash fares on TfL-only services,” he said. “It’s inevitably going to be interpreted as not quite what was [advertised] on the tin.”american fuzzy lop (2.52b)
American fuzzy lop is a security-oriented fuzzer that employs a novel type of compile-time instrumentation and genetic algorithms to automatically discover clean, interesting test cases that trigger new internal states in the targeted binary. This substantially improves the functional coverage for the fuzzed code. The compact synthesized corpora produced by the tool are also useful for seeding other, more labor- or resource-intensive testing regimes down the road.
Compared to other instrumented fuzzers, afl-fuzz is designed to be practical: it has modest performance overhead, uses a variety of highly effective fuzzing strategies and effort minimization tricks, requires essentially no configuration, and seamlessly handles complex, real-world use cases - say, common image parsing or file compression libraries.
The "sales pitch"
In a hurry? There are several fairly decent reasons to give afl-fuzz a try:
It is pretty sophisticated. It's an instrumentation-guided genetic fuzzer capable of synthesizing complex file semantics in a wide range of non-trivial targets, lessening the need for purpose-built, syntax-aware tools. It also comes with a unique crash explorer, a test case minimizer, a fault-triggering allocator, and a syntax analyzer - making it dead simple to evaluate the impact of crashing bugs.
It has street smarts. It is built around a range of carefully researched, high-gain test case preprocessing and fuzzing strategies rarely employed with comparable rigor in other fuzzing frameworks. As a result, it finds real bugs.
It is fast. Thanks to its low-level compile-time or binary-only instrumentation and other optimizations, the tool offers near-native or better-than-native fuzzing speeds against common real-world targets. The newly-added persistent mode allows for exceptionally fast fuzzing of many programs with the help of minimal code modifications, too.
It's rock solid. Compared to other instrumentation- or solver-based fuzzers, it has remarkably few gotchas and failure modes. It also comes with robust, user-friendly problem detection that guides you through any potential hiccups.
No tinkering required. In contrast to most other fuzzers, the tool requires essentially no guesswork or fine-tuning. Even if you wanted to, you will find virtually no knobs to fiddle with and no "fuzzing ratios" to dial in.
It's chainable to other tools. The fuzzer generates superior, compact test corpora that can serve as a seed for more specialized, slower, or labor-intensive processes and testing frameworks. It is also capable on on-the-fly corpus synchronization with any other software.
It sports a hip, retro-style UI. Just scroll back to the top of the page. Enough said.
Want to try it out? Check out the documentation or grab the source code right away; there is also a single-page quick start guide. Still unconvinced? Have a look at the technical whitepaper to see what makes AFL tick.
Yeah, it finds bugs. I am focusing chiefly on development and have not been running the fuzzer at a scale, but here are some of the notable vulnerabilities and other uniquely interesting bugs that are attributable to AFL (in large part thanks to the work done by other users):
IJG jpeg 1 libjpeg-turbo 1 2 libpng 1 libtiff 1 2 3 4 5 mozjpeg 1 PHP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mozilla Firefox 1 2 3 4 Internet Explorer 1 2 3 4 Apple Safari 1 Adobe Flash / PCRE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 sqlite 1 2 3 4... OpenSSL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 LibreOffice 1 2 3 4 poppler 1 2... freetype 1 2 GnuTLS 1 GnuPG 1 2 3 4 OpenSSH 1 2 3 4 5 PuTTY 1 2 ntpd 1 2 nginx 1 2 3 bash (post-Shellshock) 1 2 tcpdump 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 JavaScriptCore 1 2 3 4 pdfium 1 2 ffmpeg 1 2 3 4 5 libmatroska 1 libarchive 1 2 3 4 5 6... wireshark 1 2 3 ImageMagick 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9... BIND 1 2 3... QEMU 1 2 lcms 1 Oracle BerkeleyDB 1 2 Android / libstagefright 1 2 iOS / ImageIO 1 FLAC audio library 1 2 libsndfile 1 2 3 4 less / lesspipe 1 2 3 strings (+ related tools) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 file 1 2 3 4 dpkg 1 2 rcs 1 systemd-resolved 1 2 libyaml 1 Info-Zip unzip 1 2 libtasn1 1 2... OpenBSD pfctl 1 NetBSD bpf 1 man & mandoc 1 2 3 4 5... IDA Pro [reported by authors] clamav 1 2 3 4 5 6 libxml2 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9... glibc 1 clang / llvm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8... nasm 1 2 ctags 1 mutt 1 procmail 1 fontconfig 1 pdksh 1 2 Qt 1 2... wavpack 1 2 3 4 redis / lua-cmsgpack 1 taglib 1 2 3 privoxy 1 2 3 perl 1 2 3 4 5 6 7... libxmp radare2 1 2 SleuthKit 1 fwknop [reported by author] X.Org 1 2 exifprobe 1 jhead [?] capnproto 1 Xerces-C 1 2 3 metacam 1 djvulibre 1 exiv 1 2 Linux btrfs 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 Knot DNS 1 curl 1 2 3 wpa_supplicant 1 libde265 [reported by author] dnsmasq 1 libbpg (1) lame 1 2 3 4 5 6 libwmf 1 uudecode 1 MuPDF 1 2 3 4 imlib2 1 2 3 4 libraw 1 libbson 1 libsass 1 yara 1 2 3 4 W3C tidy-html5 1 VLC 1 2 FreeBSD syscons 1 2 3 John the Ripper 1 2 screen 1 2 3 tmux 1 2 mosh 1 UPX 1 indent 1 openjpeg 1 2 MMIX 1 OpenMPT 1 2 rxvt 1 2 dhcpcd 1 Mozilla NSS 1 Nettle 1 mbed TLS 1 Linux netlink 1 Linux ext4 1 Linux xfs 1 botan 1 expat 1 2 Adobe Reader 1 libav 1 libical 1 OpenBSD kernel 1 collectd 1 libidn 1 2 MatrixSSL 1 jasper 1 2 3 4 5 6 7... MaraDNS 1 w3m 1 2 3 4 Xen 1 OpenH232 1... irssi 1 2 3 cmark 1 OpenCV 1 Malheur 1 gstreamer 1... Tor 1 gdk-pixbuf 1 audiofile 1 2 3 4 5 6... zstd 1 lz4 1 stb 1 cJSON 1 libpcre 1 2 3 MySQL 1 gnulib 1 openexr 1 libmad 1 2 ettercap 1 lrzip 1 2 3 freetds 1... Asterisk 1 ytnef 1 2 3 4... raptor 1 mpg123 1 Apache httpd 1 exempi 1 2 libgmime 1 2 3 pev 1 2 3 4 Linux mem mgmt 1 sleuthkit 1 Mongoose OS 1 iOS kernel 1
On top of this, the fuzzer helped make countless non-security improvements to core tools (v8, sed, awk, make, m4, yacc, PHP, ImageMagick, freedesktop.org, patch, libtasn1, libvorbis, zsh, lua, ninja, ruby, busybox, gcrypt, vim, Tor, poppler, libopus, BSD sh, gcc, qemu, w3m, zsh, dropbear, libtorrent, git, rust, gravity, e2fsprogs, etc); found security issues in all sorts of less-widespread software (e.g., parrot, lodepng, json-glib, cabextract, libmspack, qprint, gpsbabel, dmg2img, antiword, arj, unrar, unace, zoo, rzip, lrzip, libiso*, libtta, duktape, splint, zpaq, assimp, cppcheck, fasm, catdoc, pngcrush, cmark, p7zip, libjbig2, aaphoto, t1utils, apngopt, sqlparser, mdp, libtinyxml, freexl, bgpparser, testdisk, photorec, btcd, gumbo, chaiscript, teseq, colcrt, pttbbs, capstone, dex2oat, pillow, elftoolchain, aribas, universal-ctags, uriparser, jq, lha, xdelta, gnuplot, libwpd, teseq, cimg, libiberty, policycoreutils, libsemanage, renoise, metapixel, openclone, mp3splt, podofo, glslang, UEFITool, libcbor, lldpd, pngquant, muparserx, mochilo, pyhocon, sysdig, Overpass-API, fish-shell, gumbo-parser, mapbox-gl-native, rapidjson, libjson, FLIF, MultiMarkdown, astyle, pax-utils, zziplib, PyPDF, spiffing, apk, pgpdump, icoutils, msitools, dosfstools, schoco, MojoShader, and so on); and is likely responsible for quite a few other things that weren't publicly attributed to the tool.
Download & other useful links
Here's a collection of useful links related to afl-fuzz:
You can follow the author on Twitter to stay in the loop on major improvements to AFL and related news.
The tool is confirmed to work on x86 Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, and NetBSD, both 32- and 64-bit. It should also work on MacOS X and Solaris, although with some constraints. It supports programs written in C, C++, or Objective C, compiled with either gcc or clang. On Linux, the optional QEMU mode allows black-box binaries to be fuzzed, too.
There are variants and derivatives of AFL that allow you to fuzz Python, Go, Rust, OCaml, GCJ Java, kernel syscalls, or even entire VMs. There is also a closely inspired in-process fuzzer baked into LLVM and a a fork that runs on Windows. Finally, AFL is one of the fuzzing engines behind OSS-Fuzz.
Oh - if you have gnuplot installed, you can use afl-plot to get pretty progress graphs.
Contact and mailing list
To send bug reports, feature requests, or chocolate, simply drop a mail to lcamtuf@coredump.cx.
If you'd like to compare notes with other users or get notified about major new features, you may also want to subscribe to our mailing list. To join, simply send an empty mail to afl-users+subscribe@googlegroups.com.
Your lucky number is: 19124238Snow is still falling in the northern hemisphere and the forecasts are looking good! Here are the opening dates for 2013-2014 winter season and current snow conditions for the Japanese and European ski resorts.
Depending on future snowfalls, weather and magic snowmaking, some opening dates may vary. However, Europe has already received a layer of snow and with high altitudes, the quality of the snow is pretty good. As for Japan, the biggest ski resorts like Niseko and Hakuba have already received a decent amount of snow. Most ski resorts will be opened this week end, so get ready!
JAPAN
Furano
Open on November 30, 2013
Close on May 6, 2014
Last Snowfall: 28 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 20 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 20 cm
Piste: Closed
Off-piste: Closed
Hakuba
Open on November 23, 2013
Close on May 1, 2014
Last Snowfall: 28 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 90 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 5 cm
Piste: Good
Off-piste: Limited
Nozawa Onsen
Open on November 30, 2013
Close on May 4, 2014
Last Snowfall: 12 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): –
Snow Depth (lower): –
Piste: –
Off-piste: –
Niseko
Open on November 30, 2013
Close on May 4, 2014
Last Snowfall: 28 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 80 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 45 cm
Piste: Closed
Off-piste: –
Rusutsu
Open on November 30, 2013
Close on April 7, 2014
Last Snowfall: 11 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 40 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 40 cm
Piste: Closed
Off-piste: Varied
Shiga Kogen
Open on December 1, 2013
Close on may 6, 2014
Last Snowfall:-
Snow Depth (upper): –
Snow Depth (lower): –
Piste: –
Off-piste: –
EUROPE
Austria
Kitzbuhel
Open on November 15, 2013
Close on April 27, 2014
Last Snowfall: 26 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 67 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 15 cm
Piste: Good
Off-piste: Limited
St Anton
Open on December 6, 2013
Close on April 27, 2014
Last Snowfall:
Snow Depth (upper): 80 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 40 cm
Piste: Good
Off-piste: Limited
Italy
Cortina
Open on November 22, 2013
Close on April 6, 2014
Last Snowfall: 21 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 70 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 15 cm
Piste: Good
Off-piste: Limited
Campitello
Open on November 30, 2013
Close on April 27, 2014
Last Snowfall:21 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 50 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 20 cm
Piste: Good
Off-piste: Limited
France
Chamonix
Open on November 30, 2013
Close on May 24, 2014
Last Snowfall: 25 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 150 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 50 cm
Piste: Closed
Off-piste: –
Val d’Isere
Open on November 30, 2013
Close on May 24, 2014
Last Snowfall: 23 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 130 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 50 cm
Piste: Closed
Off-piste: Varied
Val Thorens
Open on November 23, 2013
Close on May 11, 2014
Last Snowfall: 21 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 110 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 75 cm
Piste: Good
Off-piste: Fresh
Switzerland
St Moritz
Open on November 23, 2013
Close on April 6, 2014
Last Snowfall: 22 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 23cm
Snow Depth (lower): 20 cm
Piste: –
Off-piste: –
Verbier
Open on November 16, 2013
Close on May 4, 2014
Last Snowfall: 22 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 90 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 10 cm
Piste: Closed
Off-piste: Limited
Zermatt
Open on November 1, 2013
Close on May 4, 2014
Last Snowfall: 24 November 2013
Snow Depth (upper): 170 cm
Snow Depth (lower): 35 cm
Piste: Packed
Off-piste: VariedAndrew Hyde owns only 15 things. And he knows what you’re thinking right now:
The first question is always “Do you do laundry? How many pairs of underwear?” I’ll never get a stranger’s obsession with my knickers, but that is *always* question #1. Question #2 is the “What do you own?” countdown, which is both fun and annoying to answer.
Here’s the secret. He doesn’t count underwear or socks, because he could “easily replace [them] and could not resell for any value.” (Also, how much stuff do you own, buddy? Yeah, that’s what I thought.) Hyde told author Scott Berkum what he’s learned from living minimally:
This whole experience has taught me something very simple: debt kills dreams. Debt is cash, things and fear … I don’t have much right now. 3 shirts, a pair of pants and shorts. Some odds and ends. I do some pretty interesting and amazing things everyday, and not once in the last month did I really want anything more … It has turned by life from stuff centric to relationship centric.
Oh, you want the list, right? Here’s one that Hyde posted back in May:
1. Arc’teryx Miura 30 backpack
2. NAU shirt
3. Mammut rain jacket
4. Arc’teryx tshirt
5. Patagonia running shorts
6. Quick Dry towel
7. NAU wool jacket
8. Toiletry kit
9. Smith sunglasses
10. Wallet
11. MacBook Air
12. iPhone 3GS
13. NAU dress shirt
14. Patagonia jeans
15. Running shoes
Hey, he said he was living light, he didn’t say he was cheap. If you only owned 15 things you’d probably want two of them to be a laptop and an iPhone, too.The highest active volcano in Russia has thrown out an enormous ash cloud up to six kilometers high, the Emergency Services Ministry said Saturday.
PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, December 7 (RIA Novosti) – The highest active volcano in Russia has thrown out an enormous ash cloud up to six kilometers high, the Emergency Services Ministry said Saturday.
The Klyuchevskoi volcano in the tectonically active Kamchatka region in Russia’s Far East has been erupting sporadically since August.
“We have observed the latest ash eruption from the Klyuchevskoi volcano,” the local branch of the Emergency Services Ministry said in a statement. “The ash cloud is moving in a north-east direction.”
The highest mountain in the Kamchataka region, Klyuchevskoi has erupted in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012, spewing out lava and ash over the surrounding area.
The Emergency Services Ministry said in the statement that a red aviation warning was in place around Klyuchevskoi and cautioned tour companies not to take tourists near the volcano.Dr Urbina says the unit has gone back to methods and medications used decades ago, because of the shortages. Where once they had state of the art chemotherapy for cancer patients he says they now have to make do with lesser options. “Sometimes people die because of these shortages, even here in the best children’s intensive care unit in Venezuela”, he says.
A 15-year-old girl called Rosalvys is in intensive care fighting a severe infection and waiting for an operation. Born with a complex intestinal problem she’s had many surgeries but the most recent one went badly wrong when the stitches burst. Dr Urbina claims the sutures being provided to surgeons are of a poor quality, and prone to snapping. When she goes back in for corrective surgery they will have to use two or three times the number of stitches that would be normal in this case, he says.
• Venezuela elections: Will election results mark a turning point?
A two-year-old boy with cancer called Santiago is also admitted with a severe infection. The chemotherapy drugs he’s on are an improvised cocktail, instead of the preferred combination.
Testing kits for blood and other disposables are also scarce. The hospital has taken to boiling and reusing items that are supposed to be for single-use. When challenged on the dangers of this Dr Urbina’s junior colleague Dr Alvarez agrees but says they have no choice.
The intensive care unit is operating with a reduced number of beds. That is partly due to the shortages of supplies, and also because of the shortage of doctors. Around 10,000 are estimated to have left the country in recent years. Dr Alvarez explains that as a junior doctor he earns the equivalent of around thirty dollars a month. With runaway inflation in Venezuela an already paltry sum is worth less by the day. He would leave for Colombia or Brazil if he could, he says, but he can’t yet afford the ticket.
Maria De Los Angeles is an eight-year-old girl with brain cancer and epilepsy. Both medical conditions cause fits and her chemotherapy makes it worse. Without anti-convulsive drugs Maria can have a dozen fits a day or more and the key medicine required to reduce the spasms, called Trileptal by the international company Novartis, is among the hardest to get hold of in Venezuela. The hospital doesn’t have it in stock.
Maria’s mother Joli spends hours every day going around the pharmacies looking for the medicine. When she finds it there is only ever a few days supply, but on the day of our visit she tried five different pharmacies and found nothing. Mother and child both live in constant fear of it running out. When that has happened before, Maria went into uncontrollable spasms which could only be relieved with intravenous drugs in hospital. The doctors have also told Joli the epileptic fits could lead to a heart attack.While St. Paul’s next mayor will confront many new challenges and opportunities, he or she will need to make public safety the No. 1 priority of City Hall.
There are any number of considerations when it comes to keeping a city safe, yet I believe there are four areas that should be the priority of St. Paul’s next mayor.
The first is addressing the simmering anger and distrust that far too many of our citizens have with law enforcement.
Tensions between minority communities and their police departments will not go away by ignoring them.
St. Paul is well-served by a new police chief. He hasn’t just risen through the ranks — he has risen through the community — and understands that hands-on engagement is the only way to restore trust and strengthen the bond between communities and their police department.
Yet, while we address legitimate complaints and concerns citizens have, we cannot lose our respect for the work, dangers and sacrifice of men and women in law enforcement.
The people of St. Paul are blessed to have one of the most professional and respected police departments in the United States. That didn’t just happen.
That reputation has been earned by the men and women of the SPPD who have devoted their lives to protecting and preserving the safety and security of every neighborhood on behalf of every one of its citizens.
Respecting the police department and those who serve in it, and acknowledging the legitimate concerns and complaints citizens have about how law enforcement engages with them, are not mutually exclusive.
The second is understanding and addressing the causes of crime and social unrest in St. Paul.
As a former prosecutor, I understand that making a city safe doesn’t start with arresting criminals.
It begins by addressing the root causes that lead to crime and bad behavior.
A community lacking in opportunities for young people — economically, socially and culturally — is ripe for unrest. Related Articles Robert Samuelson: Economic policies or pipedreams?
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Rosario: On snow, free throws, hate, and the closing of a Saintly City spot
Enhancing public safety in St. Paul must involve the business community as an active partner.
Engaging the St. Paul business community isn’t simply a matter of passing laws increasing the minimum wage or demanding business deliver benefits that their bottom line can’t support.
It is in the business community’s best interest to directly engage in making St. Paul a safe place for every citizen.
Take the increasing challenge of crime in downtown St. Paul.
Crime in the Central Business District isn’t just a “Downtown” issue any more than crime in our neighborhoods is just a “Neighborhood” issue.
Crime, regardless of where it is, impacts the lives of every citizen no matter who they are, how much their home is worth, how big their bank account or the color of their skin.
It also directly impacts the choices that businesses of every size make about where they will locate, expand or, for that matter, stay in business at all.
Another strategy must involve enhancing our public education system.
The dysfunction of the city’s public school leadership and its impact on the safety and security of students, teachers and other education professionals is unacceptable. If the city’s public school system fails, then, too, does the promise of a bright future for thousands of St. Paul children.
The fecklessness of the school administration when it comes to the safety of its teachers and the children within its buildings cannot be ignored by the next mayor as falling outside the boundaries of the role and responsibility of the city of St. Paul.
A debate about whether the current structure of the St. Paul School District is the best structure for the needs of St. Paul’s children must be part of any campaign for mayor.
Finally, a mayor needs to take a stand.
Being mayor is not a job for those unwilling or unable to stand up and be counted when it comes to public safety.
Criminal behavior cannot be condoned.
Riots that lead to violence against law enforcement or disrupt the lives of the community are not anybody’s right.
Ignoring panhandling has consequences. Being timid in confronting inappropriate behavior and conduct by young people isn’t a stand for racial equality and tolerance.
Keeping quiet on issues ranging from the composition of the Police-Civilian Review Commission or use-of-force rules for law enforcement are not the qualities of leadership St. Paul needs in its mayor.
St. Paul remains one of the truly great American cities. That greatness begins and ends with our neighborhoods and the people who live and work in them.
Protecting and preserving the investment of those who work hard every day to achieve the American Dream has been, and remains, the first priority of government and the No. 1 job of St. Paul’s next mayor.
Norm Coleman is a former mayor of St. Paul and a 39-year resident and taxpayer.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday hammered away at his closest challenger’s eligibility to be U.S. president, while the party’s Senate leader said the chamber will stay out of the fray involving Ted Cruz’s citizenship.
Under the Constitution, presidents must be “natural born citizens.” Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, to an American mother, which he says makes him eligible to run.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told ABC’s “This Week” the Senate would not act to counter Trump’s claim that Cruz’s Canadian birth makes him ineligible to be president. The father of the senator from Texas was born in Cuba.
In 2008, the Senate passed a resolution declaring Senator John McCain, a Republican presidential candidate, a natural born citizen. McCain was born to American parents on a U.S. military base in the Panama Canal Zone.
“I just don’t think the Senate ought to get into the middle of this,” McConnell said. “These guys are all slugging it out in Iowa and New Hampshire. We’ll have a nominee, hopefully, by sometime in the spring.”
The winner will face the Democrats’ nominee in the November general election.
Trump, who leads Republican candidates in national opinion polls, is grappling with the rise of Cruz in Iowa, which holds the first presidential nominating contest next month.
As Cruz took the lead in Iowa before its Feb. 1 caucuses, Trump’s glare followed. The billionaire businessman highlighted the citizenship issue last week, warning that Democrats could challenge Cruz’s eligibility in court.
Cruz has refused to engage with Trump on the issue. On Sunday, he said the law was straightforward.
“As a legal matter, the Constitution and federal law are clear that the child of U.S. citizens born abroad is a natural-born citizen,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Asked on “Fox News Sunday” whether he really doubted Cruz was a natural born citizen, Trump said, “I don’t know. I really don’t know. It depends.
“Does |
, she did not burn slowly. The fireball cause by the gas roasted her body instantly.
Her teacher, Ali, remembers how many in the crowd that April morning took photos and made videos of the crime scene. Those grainy and terrifying images and the recent renaming of the local school after her are the only signs that Ambreen did once exist.
Even her grave in Makol graveyard remains unmarked: a small mound of dried earth with a shapeless piece of rock placed where a tombstone should have been.
Dewal Sharif is like Makol in many ways. Both are located in the same mountain valley that links the tourist resort of Murree in the south to Abbottabad in the north-west through scattered settlements nestled amid forest-covered ravines and snow-capped peaks. But Dewal Sharif is much bigger and, with its own commercial areas and multiple road links with the rest of the country, is more economically developed than Makol.
And there are more private schools in Dewal Sharif than there are shops in Makol. Maria Sadaqat, a tall 19-year-old girl, was both a beneficiary and a contributor to this sprawling private education system. Her death on June 1, 2016 is also linked to it — albeit indirectly.
Also read: Enforced disappearances: The plight of Kashmir's 'half widows'
Many in this town of more than 10,000 people agree that Maria was a bright girl. Even when she was studying at a local school, she taught other students in her class. By the time she reached the second year of college, there was competition among the owners of private schools to hire her as a teacher. The head teacher at Al Abbas School – where Maria had done her primary and secondary schooling – was certain that she was going to teach at his school. Shaukat Abbasi, proprietor of the Suffa School of Modern Studies, believed she would join his institution. He was, after all, a close friend of Maria’s father Sadaqat Abbasi.
Sadaqat and Shaukat had become friends some years ago. The former was working as a driver then and the latter as a Grade-17 government officer. They, respectively, came from the relatively poor lower part of Dewal Sharif town and its better off upper part. It was originally a case of a small man trying to be seen as being close to a big man; a way of gaining some social and financial traction in a highly hierarchical society. Then Shaukat gave Sadaqat some money to set up his own chicken coop.
The main road of Dewal Sharif | Annie Ali Khan
Perhaps to return his favour, Sadaqat decided that Maria would teach at Shaukat’s school after she passed her intermediate exam. All her younger siblings – five sisters and a brother – were also to attend the same school as students.
Her colleagues at the school liked Maria but they thought she was a little odd for a girl of her age. Firstly, she was a couple of inches taller than most women around her and then she did not wear any make-up other than an occasional application of kohl to her eyes. The teachers felt “embarrassed standing next to her”, a member of her family recalls.
She had one foible though — she liked spending money on buying watches. One of her watches had a small dial with a long thin leather strap. She wore it on most workdays. The other one looked like a gold bracelet that she paired with pearl earrings. Recently, she had started wearing a delicate gold nose ring that her grandmother had bought for her.
These distinctions apart, she wore a black abaya, as did all other teachers working with her, while walking to and from the school. It had a sprinkling of black shiny objects on the shoulders and across the front. And like most teenage girls, she loved bags. Her shoulder bag was made of imitation fur and leather — a popular design sold everywhere in Murree’s bazaars.
Maria was friendly and confident and had the talent for putting people at ease with her conversation. Her friends and family say she always had a story or two to tell. She was obviously an object of envy among her peers.
Her father was very proud of her. Maria had brought him prestige in the community and additional cash to his family kitty.
Some months after Maria started teaching at Shaukat’s school, Sadaqat developed business problems with her boss. Accounts differ. Sadaqat says Shaukat was his business partner — they shared profit and loss. When the business was doing well, Shaukat was receiving his share of the profit but when sales and profits were badly hit, he started asking for his money back. Shaukat says he had given the money to Sadaqat as a loan.
At first Shaukat did not press his demands much. Sadaqat, in the meanwhile, went to Saudi Arabia on a work visa as a labourer. It was then that the environment started changing for Maria at the school. Rumours began circulating that Shaukat had sent a marriage proposal to Maria for his son — an already married man with a child who also taught at another private school. Others suggested that Maria and Shaukat’s son were having a secret affair. To avoid the scandal to blow up in her face, she quit her job. Her siblings were also transferred to a different school.
[Also read: The evolution of honour killing]17
The relationship between Sadaqat and Shaukat was steadily souring all this while, especially after Sadaqat came back from Saudi Arabia, abandoning his contract halfway. Almost penniless, he started a vehicle repair shop in the market area in lower Dewal, where Shaukat appeared regularly, demanding his money back in full view of other people. The two often exchanged hot words.
One day in May this year, the two men almost came to blows. But Shaukat backed off, sensing that the much younger and fitter Sadaqat would outdo him easily in a fist fight. Sadaqat, though, believed the quarrel was not over.
The next day, he left Dewal to attend a funeral in the nearby town of Phagwari. All the elders of his family and five of his children went with him. Maria was left at home to take care of her special-needs sister, six-year-old Habiba.
The area in front of Maria’s house where she was thrown off a slope after being burnt | Annie Ali Khan
At 11:45 am that day, Shaukat – along with four or five other people – arrived at Maria’s house, a small three-room stand-alone house on a hillock. He called her outside. As soon as Maria opened the gate, the men slapped her and pulled her to a clearing where some goats were tied. They ripped her clothes and beat her in turns, making a circle around her. “You are stalking my son. Today, I will set you on fire,” Shaukat said to her. The men forced her to the ground. Shaukat took out a plastic container, threw kerosene oil on Maria and set her ablaze. She screamed for help but no one came to her rescue. The men then threw her down a nearby mountain slope. She landed on a path, many feet below. This is how the events of the day transpired, according to the statement that Maria gave to the police from a hospital bed and the accounts of her family.
Her neighbour’s son, a 12-year-old, was playing on the rooftop of his house when he heard someone screaming. He rushed to Maria’s house where the screams were coming from. He found her lying on the path, still in flames with her clothes ripped at many places. He called his sister. She gave Maria water to drink and called Sadaqat, who came back home and took Maria to a government hospital in Phagwari.
Also read: Republic of fear
The hospital did not have any facilities to treat burn victims. He eventually shifted her to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad for treatment.
Maria lay there in a bed, fully conscious for 36 hours. She recorded her statement – an audio and a video – describing her attackers in detail. On her last day in the hospital, an uncle roughly the same age and with the same white beard as Shaukat, came to see her. She screamed in terror. “Master Shaukat is here to burn me,” she cried. “Baba, throw him out.”
She died the same day.
Seen in her pictures, Maria looks like a younger version of her grandmother, Subeda — same height, same straight nose, same high cheekbones and same curious brown eyes. Subeda wants the courts to give Shaukat the same punishment he has inflicted on her granddaughter — death by fire. Maria’s father has the same demand.
Sadaqat and his family, however, seem more sad than angry. “For me, she was a son,” he says. “All my children are very bright but Maria was exceptionally intelligent.”
While the financial dispute between Sadaqat and Shaukat is well known in Dewal Sharif and rumours about the latter’s desire to make Maria his daughter-in-law are widespread, few men outside Maria’s family believe that he killed her. Many of them are willing to vouchsafe for Shaukat’s good character; others remember him as one of the best and the most respected educationists in the area.
After the police arrested him and put him behind bars, there were, indeed, public marches in Dewal Sharif in his favour. Many female teachers and students also participated in those.
“She is already dead and she has also named me, but as a human being I feel sad over her death,” he says calmly
Members of Maria’s family allege that Shaukat was enraged because she had refused to become the second wife of his son. “He kept threatening her,” says Maria’s aunt Sobia. “If you don’t marry my son then I will make sure you marry no one else,” she quotes Shaukat as telling her niece.
I manage to sneak inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on June 28, 2016, to have a meeting with Shaukat. We talk in a room full of people where the prisoners stand on one side in a cage-like iron structure and their visitors on the other side, both groups trying to have a conversation through tiny holes in steel sheets separating them.
Maria (centre) with her sisters | Annie Ali Khan
He looks older than he did in a video of him available online. He also appears withdrawn. He acknowledges his verbal squabble with Sadaqat and also claims that he backed off that day in May in the market so that he could avoid getting hurt. But he denies even being in Dewal Sharif the day Maria was burnt. “I had gone to a village 45 kilometres from Dewal to enquire about an ailing friend.”
Shaukat says he came to know about the incident through a phone call. “Then I heard Maria’s father had nominated me and my neighbour for the crime. We ran away initially but surrendered a few days later.”
He insists that he never saw Maria after she had left his school. “She has given her pre-death statement under dictation from her father,” says Shaukat.
Maria’s family members say they kept asking Shaukat to come forward and clear his name while the girl was still alive. He did not do that. “The media was baying for blood. How could I risk my life by going there?” he responds.
Shaukat also denies that he ever asked for Maria’s hand for his son. “I swear I never talked about marrying the two,” he says.
As I start to leave, he stops me. “She is already dead and she has also named me, but as a human being I feel sad over her death,” he says calmly, showing no outward signs of agitation, anger or animosity. “I really feel sorry for her,” he adds.
In his online video, apparently made when he was being investigated by the police, he makes a passionate plea about his innocence. “I have a grown-up daughter of my own. Those who have grown-up daughters of their own don’t eye other people’s daughters.”
Given Maria’s last statement and the media’s coverage of the incident, it looked unlikely that Shaukat would be released from jail any time soon.
Maria’s personal belongings | Annie Ali Khan
The police investigations, however, soon absolved him of the accusations. A few weeks ago, a committee formed by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to investigate Maria’s death declared that she had “committed suicide and was not murdered.”
According to a report published in daily Dawn on July 2, 2016, the “committee headed by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abubakar Khuda Dad Khan, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khuda Bux Cheema and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ghasud Deen analysed forensic data, obtained polygraph tests, mobile phone records, fingerprints, medical reports, talked to doctors and conducted interviews in order to ascertain the cause of death.” The officers recommended releasing Shaukat and two of his alleged accomplices.
They were released on bail soon afterwards.
The police are also said to have leaked Maria’s cell phone data. It showed she was exchanging amorous messages quite regularly with Shaukat’s son.
Asma Jahangir, the renowned human rights lawyer and activist, visited Maria’s home as part of a three-member fact-finding mission sent by the Supreme Court Bar Association soon after the incident of her burning. Jahangir has seen her autopsy report and spoken to her family. She has also met Maria’s neighbours who were the first ones to hear her screams.
She says she found Dewal Sharif divided along gender lines over Maria’s death. The women were “in full sympathy with the victim whereas the men were either justifying [the] crime or denying it totally,” says the mission led by Jahangir in its recently released report. “There was a concerted effort to paint the occurrence as a suicide rather than murder,” it adds.
“It was obviously not a suicide. It was murder,” Jahangir says in her office in Lahore.
They are straightforward murders, disguised as honour killings to escape punishment
She cites Maria’s postmortem report to say that her hands, feet and head were unburnt. This, she says, suggests that more than one person held her down to the ground while she was being set ablaze.
The fact-finding mission report quotes one Ejab Abbasi, chairman of union council Dewal Sharif, as saying that he met Maria in hospital twice to probe her thoroughly. “The victim was absolutely certain and remained consistent about her version of the incident,” he is reported to have told the members of the mission.
Jahangir says she also tried to meet Shaukat’s family but they were unable to meet the mission for unspecified reasons. She clarifies that it was not her mandate to find out who had killed Maria. “My mission was to ensure that the investigation was carried out independently. There was obviously a lot of prejudice against the girl. I wanted to ensure that the rumours did not sidetrack legal proceedings.”
The fact-finding mission initially “was quite satisfied with the inquiry” but its members were “shocked to know that the investigation had declared the main accused as being innocent”. They also point out that a magistrate hearing the case did not accept the police recommendation to release the accused “and yet bail was granted” to him.
The report lists developments that might have had some negative impact on the investigation. “There was a campaign of character assassination of the victim and her family and … there were credible reports that the family members were being threatened and induced to accept some reward for their silence.”
Jahangir points to a widespread public perception, especially among men, in Dewal Sharif — something she has noticed in many similar cases: That a woman who leads a life of moral laxity always ends up dying in ignominy.
He passed through her street every day. She waited for him half-hidden behind a half-open door. “Why don’t you look my way? Why don’t you talk to me?” she gathered the courage to ask him one day. “I have nothing to offer,” he replied. “I want nothing,” she said.
Muqaddas Bibi was a young girl with a soft face. “She was the daughter of a potter but she looked like she belonged to a family of Rajputs,” the boy’s mother says.
Taufiq Ahmed is a handsome young man with a thick mustache and thick wavy black hair, oiled and slicked back stylishly. One of his legs is shorter than the other but that is barely noticeable. He works as a tailor.
The two lived in the same Buttranwali village, a nondescript settlement a little off the road that connects Gujranwala with Sialkot — nestled amid green fields being steadily taken over by ramshackle housing and brick kilns. They came from two different castes and their financial status varied. Though the girl’s family was poor a couple of generations ago, they have been doing well of late and are regarded well off by the village’s standards. Ahmed comes from a family of carpenters which struggles to make ends meet even when some of its members have branched into other professions. They had no chance of having an arranged marriage.
Taufiq Ahmed | Annie Ali Khan
Three years ago, the two ran away and got married in a court.
At first Ahmed’s family was hesitant to accept Muqaddas into its fold but she took to her married life wholeheartedly. “She made rotis every day for the family, washed clothes and was always helping everyone,” says Ahmed’s mother. Everyone in the family and the neighbourhood soon started liking Muqaddas. An elderly woman living next door to her would come to her complaining of headache and Muqaddas would apply oil to her hair to massage and soothe her.
Ahmed lives in a small single-storey home made of red bricks, unplastered and unpainted. It is hard to distinguish from other houses in the village. His entire family has one room to sleep in — a simple structure with bare walls, save for a couple of framed images of the Kaaba.
Ahmed works from 7 am to 11 pm in one corner of the house, making about fifteen thousand rupees a month by stitching clothes. Muqaddas would serve him tea every few hours.
“Once women become independent, they also get a mind of their own and want to marry of their own choice. This is seen as a major contravention of family boundaries.”
About a year ago, they had a daughter. A few months after her birth, Muqaddas became pregnant again. She was happy about her second child. The delivery was still two months away but she made new clothes for herself to wear after she had given birth.
One day this June, she felt ill and Ahmed’s mother offered to take her to a hospital. They were to take a bus to Gujranwala, slightly more than 10 kilometres away. While Muqaddas and her mother-in-law were waiting at a bus stop, her mother arrived there and grabbed Muqaddas by the hair and the neck. “It all happened so fast,” says Ahmed’s mother, “that I did not know what to do.” Before anyone could come to their help, Muqaddas’ mother had dragged her daughter into her house and closed the door from inside.
As a crowd gathered outside, the mother screamed at the daughter. “Why did you marry a cripple?” Other members of the family were also present inside the house and they are known to have beaten up one of Muqaddas’ sister-in-law for trying to help her. Within minutes, the mother took out a knife and slit the daughter’s throat.
As Muqaddas lay dying, people waiting outside tried to enter the house but could not. “They must have planned for a long time,” says a visibly angry Ahmed. “Our women seldom leave the house. They have been waiting for a chance all this time to grab her.”
Muqaddas Bibi’s husband Taufiq Ahmed with his daughter and mother | Annie Ali Khan
The old woman who liked Muqaddas for oiling her hair curses the girl’s mother. “The whole neighbourhood is in shock,” she says crying. “This is not about honour. Once the girl had become a mother, the question of honour died there and then.”
Ahmed’s mother now looks after his daughter. “What will this little girl think when she grows up?” she asks before she starts crying. “I am going to take good care of our child,” Ahmed says, lifting his daughter in his arms.
Muqaddas is buried in a grave behind a wall forming the village’s boundary. There is an empty bottle of camphor and fresh flowers lying on the grave.
Back at his home, Ahmed takes out an album carrying the photos of the couple. In one photo, a heart pierced by an arrow overlaps them as they pose for the camera. “I want to ask the world, if love is forbidden then why did God give us a heart,” he says. “If these people call themselves believers, do they not believe that couples are made in heaven?”
The months of May and June this year have been the cruelest. Violence against women has been rampant during this period. In May alone, the national media reported at least five cases in which women were murdered — in most instances by their close relatives.
Zeenat Bibi’s killing stands out among all these cases for multiple reasons. An 18-year-old girl living in a working class neighbourhood in southern Lahore, she was burnt to death on June 8 by her mother, Parveen Rafiq. This is the first known incident this year of a girl torched to death by her own family. Zeenat also did not belong to a village where some supposedly primitive anti-women social code operated. She lived and was killed in the second biggest city in the country where tribal concepts of male honour look distinctly unfeasible to follow. And she was killed by her mother — not by her brother or father though they may have a role in it.
Yet the cause of her death is what it has always been in such cases: “bringing shame to the family,” as her mother put it, according to a report published by daily Dawn.
Parveen, who confessed to her crime and is undergoing trial, set Zeenat on fire more than a week after the girl had reportedly eloped with one Hassan Khan. The two had married in court. “Hassan had agreed to let his wife return [to her parents’ home] after her family promised... to organise a traditional wedding reception for the couple,” the newspaper reports.
Less than a week before the girl was murdered, the neighbours had seen her brother carrying home a jerrycan of petrol. The fire that killed Zeenat was so big that it was extinguished only with help from the official rescue service.
Taufiq Ahmed shows a dress belonging to his wife | Annie Ali Khan
Ammar Majeed, who works at Jahangir’s law firm, AGHS Associates, as a media officer, has been visiting homes from where violence against women is reported. He has seen cases similar to that of Zeenat’s. In his reckoning, these “are crimes of ego” that “have nothing to do with honour.” A mother, upset that her daughter did not listen to her before deciding who to marry, resorts to killing not in order to redeem her honour but to satisfy her pride.
From experience, Majeed knows that such pandering to the self often has a destructive outcome. He once asked a boy why he had killed his sister. “Because it was satisfying,” is the answer he got.
Khawar Mumtaz, a veteran of the women’s rights movement in Pakistan, has worked in different capacities over the last three and a half decades — first as a member of the Women’s Action Forum (WAF), then as a founding member and head of the Aurat Foundation, a Lahore-based lobbying and research group on women’s rights, and recently as the chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women. “Most cases of violence against women in the 1980s were reported from tribal areas in Sindh and Balochistan,” she says. The situation has only worsened over the years as similar cases are being reported from everywhere in the country.
One reason, according to Mumtaz, is that the economic, social and political environment is changing in Pakistan. “Women are doing much better economically, politically and socially as compared to the past,” she says. “Women are marrying late. More and more women are working.” This, she says, is one of the major factors in the backlash against them.
The graveyard in Butranwali, Punjab where Muqaddas Bibi is buried | Annie Ali Khan
Mumtaz points to “a total disjuncture” between how the society is moving ahead and how social structures and social roles are still playing out in the same old ways. She gives an example: “Once women become independent, they also get a mind of their own and want to marry of their own choice. This is seen as a major contravention of family boundaries.”
That explains why it has become acceptable that a woman can work to provide for her family but it is still not acceptable if she exercises choice in marriage. “Violence then is likely. It is part of a control mechanism.”
Shahnaz Rouse, a professor of sociology at the Sarah Lawrence College in the United States, has also written about social and political changes that have led to an increase in violence against women in Pakistan. In her book, Shifting Body Politics: Gender, Nation, State in Pakistan, she sees the crucial shift in attitudes towards women having resulted from the militarisation and progressively increasing masculinisation of society itself since the military regime of General Ziaul Haq.
Freely available arms and ammunition and Pakistan’s status as a frontline state during the war in Afghanistan and the drug trade are some of the contributing factors to the social changes she highlights. “The militarisation of the state and civil society [is] a result of the international/global politics of the last two decades, combined with the collapse of the liberalisation policies of regimes following Zia … the continued reliance by all three [regimes] on “Islamic” ideology as constructed by increasingly militant and conservative religious groups for “strategic” and/or ideological purposes, have resulted in an alarming masculinisation of public space.”
A photo taken in Asma Jahangir's office in Lahore | Annie Ali Khan
The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India by Urvashi Butalia goes another step backwards. Her book deals with one of the most brutal manifestations of the notion of shame and honour being linked to women and their bodies on a mass scale. Women were humiliated by being paraded naked in the streets or forced to abandon their religion and marry their rapists, never to see their families again during the cataclysmic events of 1947. Thousands of them died willingly at the hands of their own men to avoid bringing shame and dishonour to their families.
“They are straightforward murders, disguised as honour killings to escape punishment,” Butalia said in an interview about some recent incidents of violence against women in India.
The word honour invariably appears in news reports covering violence against women. Maqsooda Solangi, who has been working for the Aurat Foundation for six years, believes that many crimes are seen as honour killings because the media portrays them as such. “News contents are spiced up,” she says.
The situation is particularly bad at relatively small Punjab-based Urdu language newspapers. Whenever an honour crime occurs, it is covered in a way that focuses on the love marriage aspect of it, Solangi says. She adds that the coverage of crimes against women in local-language newspapers in Sindh is not as salacious as it is in Punjab.
It was during Zia’s era that honour killing first entered the lexicon of the news media and human rights activists, Mumtaz says. It has its origin in a 1979 judgement by the Peshawar High Court that declared that Islamic concepts of qisas (retribution) and diyat (compensation) must be taken into account before deciding any cases involving the death penalty. Awarding capital punishment without any provision for forgiveness is un-Islamic, the court ruled.
Graffiti against domestic violence along a road in Abbottabad | Annie Ali Khan
In politics, this put Zia’s self-professed Islamist regime in an uncomfortable position as far as hanging – without provision for forgiveness – of deposed prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was concerned. The verdict also raised alarm among women’s rights activists. It will lead to impunity for those men who kill their women because they can benefit from forgiveness – which in such cases is the prerogative of their own next of kin – is how the activists looked at the possible impacts of the law. They were proved right. The next decades saw a spike in crimes against women but most of them did not lead to conviction and punishment. The accused, the police, the prosecutors and even the judges used family honour as an excuse to condone such crimes as crimes of passion, committed on the spur of the moment by someone incensed by the injury to his or her own honour.
This led activists to demand that the state and the courts treat murders in the name of honour as a separate category of crimes in which forgiveness, qisas and diyat did not apply. As a term, “honour killing” thus became a part of everyday language.
In March 2015, after multiple failed efforts to reform the law, the Senate, the upper house of the parliament, finally approved a piece of legislation the activists have been asking for all along: honour killing became a crime against the state; the parties to it could not reach an out-of-court settlement in such cases. Women’s murders became “non-compoundable” — provided that the prosecution was able to prove that those were honour killings. Tabled by Senator Sughra Imam in 2014, the legislation, however, lapsed because it could not win approval from the National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament, mainly due to opposition from the religious political parties.
“Every murder should be seen as a crime against the state, not a matter between two individuals that they can resolve mutually,”
Jahangir believes the focus by activists on the term honour killing has hardly been helpful. Lawyers now spend all their energy and time on proving the crime to be an honour killing, she says. If they can’t do that, she says, the parties to a case can still go and affect a compromise no matter how gruesome the murder.
Additionally, qisas and diyat, as Islamic instruments to settle murder disputes, still stay on the statute books. The legal heirs of a victim also have the right to drop the charges at any point during the proceedings.
Jahangir blames non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for this state of affairs. “If they can write in English, they think they can also draft laws,” she says. Their advocacy has only added multiple layers of litigation that women face in courts, she says. Any benefit that could have come about in terms of stricter penalties for honour killing has been apparently cancelled out by these additional legal complexities, Jahangir adds.
A view of the bazaar in Murree | Annie Ali Khan
Many in the NGOs seem to recognise these problems. A report commissioned by a group of women’s rights organisations and development foundations in 2015 attributes major hurdles in justice for women to a number of legal and judicial problems. There are hardly any female judges; availability of a lawyer is as low as 2.5 per 100,000 people and there are not enough female police officers, says the report entitled The Laws of Honour Killing and Rape in Pakistan: Current Status and Future Prospects.
The report cites surveys conducted by local human rights organisations that reveal a general lack of faith in the judiciary and very low levels of contact with the courts, especially among women. Most importantly, it points out that the reformed laws have changed nothing on the ground. The lack of sympathy encountered by survivors of rape and other forms of violence against women and the tendency among the police officers to encourage out-of-court settlements seem to have survived despite changes in the law, it says.
Nafisa Shah, a long-time campaigner for women’s rights and a member of the National Assembly affiliated to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), readily agrees that the criminal justice system needs reforms. In an interview at her residence inside the parliamentary lodges in Islamabad, she argues that the recent cases of women’s murders are far more complex than they are made out to be.
In the past, she explains, the manner of killing women was different. “Most murders were spontaneous acts committed with such weapons as axes or clubs and they usually happened in rural areas,” she says. “Now there seems to be premeditation in these killings.” The existing laws, she says, do not define honour killing in such a way as to cover cold-blooded murders.
Shah is soon to publish a book, Honour Unmasked, which contains the results of her own field research on the subject.
“Patriarchy is violent against women. It is particularly violent against fearless women.”
Shah, as well as Jahangir and Mumtaz, agree that distinguishing one type of crime from the other – as has been the case with honour killing – has created more problems than it has solved. Ideally, all three say, all crimes should be treated alike – investigated, prosecuted and adjudicated in the same manner regardless of the gender, caste, creed, ethnicity and the social status of both the perpetrators and the victims.
“Every murder should be seen as a crime against the state, not a matter between two individuals that they can resolve mutually,” says Mumtaz.
Fauzia Azeem was a small-town girl from Punjab’s southern backwaters of district Dera Ghazi Khan. Her father, Muhammad Azeem, was a tenant farmer in his native village of Shah Saddar Deen on the Indus Highway.
Fauzia was married off at an early age — she later said she was less than eighteen at the time. She got a divorce after giving birth to a son. Next, she worked as a salesgirl and as a bus hostess in Multan.
In 2013, she made her first media appearance, as a contestant for Pakistan Idol, a music show aired on television — not as Fauzia Azeem but as Qandeel Baloch. She was rejected in the auditions. She then chose social media platforms to post videos that, her critics said, were bold to the extent of being provocative by Pakistani standards. She dallied online with sports stars, politicians and, finally, with a mullah.
Illustration by Samya Arif
Qandeel Baloch developed a mass fan following. Her videos were liked and shared by over 700,000 followers on Facebook and by more than 40,000 people on Twitter.
One the night of July 15, 2016, her younger brother, Waseem, and cousin, Haq Nawaz, killed her (exact details of her murder are yet to be fully known). Their reason in a confessional statement: she was bringing dishonour to the family.
In the First Information Report her father registered with the police in Multan -- where she was found murdered in her rented house -- he gave multiple motives: “Waseem … used to stop Fauzia from working in showbiz … my son Waseem has killed my daughter Qandeel Baloch in the name of honour … he has done this for money…Waseem has killed Qandeel Baloch on the instigation of my other son Muhammad Aslam Shaheen who is a subedar in the army.”
A week after her murder, The Second Floor (T2F), a meeting place for discussions on political, social and cultural issues, organised a panel discussion. Titled Bold Women, Bad Women: How to talk about Qandeel Baloch, the discussion moved from looking at her private and public life, her views on sexuality, independence and feminism and public reactions to her online activities, to the issue of violence against women in general and honour killing in particular.
The vehicle in which Ambreen was burnt | Annie Ali Khan
Dr Nosheen Ali, who taught sociology at the New York University recently, said at the discussion that a limiting framework of morality divided women into good and bad. We need to ask who has created this divide, she said. “How is it enforced and who does this benefit?” These questions, she said, take us from “a framework of morality to a framework of patriarchy.” She, then, observed: “Patriarchy is violent against women. It is particularly violent against fearless women.”
Abira Ashfaq, a Karachi-based lawyer and another panelist at the discussion, agreed with Nosheen Ali but she added that all murders should be treated just like honour killings are so that people who are killed in the name of ideology or religion also get the justice they deserve. She gave the example of the murder of Zafar Loond, a leftist Seraiki activist living and working in Kot Addu town, less than 100 kilometres from where Qandeel Baloch was killed.
He was shot dead outside his house only a day before her murder. It is not clear who killed him. What is known is that, fearing opposition from religious activists, his family did not bury him in his ancestral town of Shadan Loond, which, like Qandeel Baloch’s ancestral village, is also in district Dera Ghazi Khan.
There were allegations that he was an Ahmadi.
Loond’s funeral prayers were offered in Dera Ghazi Khan city where he was buried in an unmarked grave.
An earlier version of this article was published in the Herald's August 2016 issue. To read more subscribe to the Herald in print.
The writer is a freelance journalist and photographer.
The writer was earlier referred to as Annie Ali Khan. The name has been changed on her request.WATCH: Girl Fight At Rockets Game Complete With Flying Chest KickWe don't endorse fighting, at all. Just like we don't endorse people recording things vertically on their cell phones. But this video from the Rockets game Wednesday night is a little stale and boring fan/girl fight, with just some hair pulling and yelling, until at :33 from above comes a two footed power kick.
NBA Playoff Picture: Eastern ConferenceWith the NBA Playoffs two months away, the Bucks, Raptors, Celtics and 76ers all have a legitimate shot at making the NBA Finals.
Greedy Woman Steals Ball From Little GirlThis is unbelievable. During a recent game between the Astros and Diamondbacks at Minute Maid Park, an unknown was woman caught on camera taking a ball from a sweet little girl.
NBA Playoff Picture: Western ConferenceAs the NBA Playoff stretch run gets under way, the Warriors hope to fend off the Nuggets and Thunder as they eye another NBA Finals.
WWE Roster Changes, As NXT Takes Over Raw And SmackDownWWE is in the midst of a major roster shakeup, as a second wave of NXT wrestlers are being called up to RAW and SmackDown.
Best |
ressembler leur vie au saut de l'utérus, et tu retournes boire ton café et rire à la salle des profs – sans ces instants entre collègues, tu serais vite bon pour l'asile psychiatrique.
Les autres élèves, ce sont des maghrébins ou des africains, souvent de nationalité comorienne ou française. En fait, personne ne sait vraiment car le droit du sol n'est pas automatique : un enfant peut naître en France mais il doit attendre ses 18 ans pour demander la nationalité. En attendant, il est en transit identitaire et certains politiques proposent de les trier comme du bétail : si le gamin n'a pas donné satisfaction ses 18 premières années, on le renvoie dans un bled qu'il n'a jamais connu pour son anniversaire.
Avec tout ça, la première question que tu te poses après deux semaines de fonction, c'est comment enseigner un programme normal à des élèves qui viennent parfois en cours avec des cahiers à moitié bouffés par des rats qui squattent leurs sacs. Mon taf, c'est non seulement de leur apprendre à apprendre, mais aussi d'en faire des citoyens éduqués, un minimum patriotes, laïcs et républicains qui disent bonjour et merci. Nicolas Sarkozy ajoute aussi, dans sa loi portant reconnaissance de la nation, qu'ils doivent connaître et réciter « les aspects positifs de la colonisation » de leurs pays d'origine. Est-ce bien raisonnable?
Très vite, tu comprends que la transmission des valeurs républicaines sera plus compliquée que celle des règles d'accord du participe passé. En fait, tu le comprends avant même d'arriver à l'école tant c'est un périple d'y accéder sans caisse. La Bonne Mère de la basilique Notre-Dame, cette élégante gardienne censée veiller sur tous les Marseillais, ne peut pas voir aussi loin. D'ailleurs, elle est plutôt tournée vers les beaux paysages. Le quartier est paumé à tel point que certains enfants ont beau habiter Marseille et supporter son club de foot, ils n'ont jamais vu ses plages du Prado ni son centre-ville. Aucun sentiment d'appartenance à une nation ne peut naître dans un lieu où elle regroupe ceux qu'elle juge être ses parias.
Si on ressent constamment ce manque de considération à leur égard, il a explosé au lendemain des attentats de janvier. Je me souviendrai toujours de ces quelques journalistes venus remuer la merde qui ont campé comme des vautours devant les écoles sensibles du coin. Ils n'étaient pas à Béziers ou à Hénin-Beaumont, mais là où il y a des noirs et des arabes. J'ai trouvé que cette démarche avait un parfum de prophétie autodestructrice.
Dans son essai de sociologie Social Theory and Social Structure, Robert K. Merton développait la théorie selon laquelle, par un jeu de rétroactions bâtardes, on finirait toujours par ressembler à l'idée que les autres se font de nous. Il appelle ça l'effet Pygmalion quand il est positif et Golem quand il est destructeur, en référence à un personnage de la mythologie juive fait d'argile, incapable de parole, dépourvu de libre-arbitre et entièrement façonné par les autres. On s'attend à ce que ces gamins soient au mieux des dealeurs de shit à l'huile de moteur et au pire qu'ils applaudissent les frères Kouachi, mais en réalité ils sont comme tous les minots, c'est-à-dire débordants d'énergie, hyper influençables, curieux jusqu'à en être chiants, et je m'excuse de décevoir les chantres de l'apocalypse identitaire : ils ne portent pas de haine en eux.
Ils sont au contraire motivés par la volonté de me plaire à tout prix, moi, leur prof. Je le vois dans leur besoin de me montrer tout ce qu'ils font, ou dans ce sourire qu'ils esquissent quand je les félicite. Ils sont dans l'affectif le plus total et leur manque en la matière est criant : un jour, alors que je leur expliquais le principe d'une pétition, j'ai vu une feuille circuler entre eux. J'ai soupiré, bombé le torse et je m'apprêtais à les engueuler théâtralement, avant de réaliser que c'était une pétition pour je que sois « leur maître pour toujours ».
Mettons-nous bien d'accord : je ne dis pas là que ma vie professionnelle ressemble à un film de Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Parfois, mes journées commencent avec des grosses bagarres à gérer, le caillassage de ma caisse, des « nik tes mores » écrits sur les murs de la cour, ou même une fois un crachat reçu en pleine face. Néanmoins, une fois que t'as trouvé ce subtil équilibre entre bienveillance et autorité, détachement et implication, professionnalisme et légèreté, tu rentres dans une bonne phase.
Là, tu te découvres le pouvoir de changer ce qui peut l'être, la force d'accepter les merdes qui te tombent dessus et la sagesse de distinguer l'un de l'autre. Comme l'explique le philosophe Henri Peña-Ruiz dans son essai Qu'est-ce que la laïcité?, la société déconne violemment par endroits, par moments, mais l'École fait tout ce qu'elle peut pour rattraper ses regrettables conneries à répétition. N'en déplaise aux réacs qui l'ouvrent à chaque aubaine, l'École évolue avec son temps, propose tout un escadron de dispositifs qui vont vers un enseignement à la carte et sort des sentiers trop longtemps arpentés de la compétition pour penser « progression personnelle ».
Quand l'École mène une croisade contre les notes, c'est parce qu'elle a compris que cette pratique venait d'une époque où on cherchait à la mettre au service de l'entreprise. Quand elle veut en finir avec les devoirs, c'est parce qu'elle aspire à nous rendre un peu plus égaux devant l'apprentissage. Tout ça, les adeptes de la blouse et de l'encrier devraient lever leur nez du bouquin de Zemmour pour le réaliser, et même s'ils peuvent accuser l'École de mettre des pansements sur des jambes de bois, qu'ils se préservent de dire qu'elle n'essaye pas des choses qui vont dans le bon sens.
Des collègues, plus âgés, m'ont raconté l'histoire d'un élève, peut-être l'un des plus brillants qui soit, passé par notre établissement. De ce qu'on m'en a dit, c'était un peu le prototype du gamin-éponge hyper enthousiaste qui absorbe tout sur son pupitre et te rend fier à chaque intervention. Malheureusement, on a toutes les chances de le retrouver en train de faire le guet en sixième, à crier « akha » pour avertir les vendeurs de shit du quartier de la présence de flics. Petit frère a déserté les terrains de jeu. Bourdieu et sa reproduction sociale ont gagné, Merton et son effet Golem aussi. Et moi, je resterai en éveil malgré la pesanteur des choses, loin des prophéties et des étiquettes foireuses, parce que c'est le seul moyen de se prémunir contre le renoncement.I want you to read this tweet, sent after today’s MOAB drop and written by an American patriot and a man I’m privileged to know, Johnny (Joey) Jones:
I lost my legs because my gov’t was afraid to use the tools they had and saw me as expendable. I wish I’d had this admin. — Johnny (Joey) Jones (@Johnny_Joey) April 13, 2017
In response to online argument, he further amplified his point:
We begged to use bombs on the minefield ghost town I lost my legs clearing. But by all means-continue your rhetorically righteous tweeting. https://t.co/OoyoxZzZtV April 13, 2017
And again:
Because, I believe, more of us would’ve come home alive and whole if we’d used bombs to eradicate enemy safe havens-Feel free to disagree https://t.co/jnWsZKdGVO April 13, 2017
By the way, I quote these tweets not to spark any anger against the man Jones is addressing, Daniel Riley (who’s also a vet and amputee; he lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan ), but to highlight an important and painful point about our almost 16-year-long war. Excessive American caution has cost American lives and American limbs, and it has left families and friends of the victims with deep psychological wounds. Those wounds would be grievous enough in the best circumstances, but they’re compounded by the fact that many of the decisions not to shoot, not to use artillery, or not to drop bombs were based on a combination of rules of engagement and military misjudgments that were transparently foolish at the time.
To understand what our men in the field faced, you have to understand just a bit about the legal and command superstructure. First, the law of war defines the limits of military force in any context. They’re designed to place outer boundaries on the conduct of any force in the field, not just America and its allies. In practice, however, only America and its allies comply with the law of war.
Second, rules of engagement place an additional restriction on the use of force. The rules can’t be broader than the laws of war, only narrower. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the rules of engagement have defined not just when force is authorized (for example, in the face of a “hostile act” or “hostile intent”) but also which level of commander can authorize the use of any given weapon system.
Finally, there still exists commanders’ discretion. This discretion can only run in one direction, however. Commanders can’t order the use of force in conflict with the laws of war or rules of engagement, but they can choose not to use force even when legally authorized. In other words, even if they have the legal power to bomb a target, they may choose to hold fire. This happened a number of times in my deployment, and this decision can be among the most agonizing a commander makes.
Thus, this concept of of commander’s discretion grants a commander (and a commander-in-chief) the ability to make important changes in the conduct of the war even without changing the formal rules of engagement. With my own eyes I’ve seen commanders apply the same rules of engagement and use dramatically different degrees of force. The rules were the same, but the mindset was different. And the mindset often comes straight from the top.
While we don’t yet have indications that the Trump administration has changed any rules, it seems to have changed the mindset, and that could well not only make a concrete difference in conditions on the ground but also in the minds and hearts of our own troops. Soldiers tend not to respect timidity, and they generally have little patience for commanders who seem to place public or political perceptions over their lives and limbs. Watch this Trump statement carefully:
pic.twitter.com/DheqU0SsRl JUST IN: Trump says he’s “proud” of “very successful job” the military did with the use of ‘The Mother of All Bombs’ https://t.co/G3qGtUdiu8 April 13, 2017
He doesn’t say he authorized the use of the bomb itself. He says he authorizes the military. This is a key, wise, statement — one that hopefully empowers the military to act from a proper position of legal, moral, and political strength. Obama was notorious for not only implementing strict rules of engagement but for vacuuming an enormous amount of military decision-making authority straight to the White House. It’s hard to think of a more disempowering practice. It’s hard to think of a practice better calculated to lead to timidity in the field. Trump seems to be bringing a change, and it’s a change that’s long overdue.It doesn't sound silly to me.
It sounds like building a room of one's own (so to speak, and with all due respect to Ms. Woolf) within a literary space.
If feminism is learning the cultural architecture to build rooms of one's own wherever one finds the need, and I believe that it is, then creating a character for an author who couldn't be arsed to create one for you is an act of feminism, not silliness.
I've been thinking a lot aboutandlately.Now, it's really difficult to write a post aboutandwithout defining the terms for the readers who aren't familiar with either. And it's really difficult to accurately define these terms because they mean different things for different people. So I'm going to try to define what the terms mean to, but with the advance warning that I tend to define these terms more loosely and more broadly than many other people do. And, it's worth noting: I don't own the terms and I'm not the definitive guide for using them. So there's that!But having said that, I use the term fan-fic to refer to stories written by fans of an existing fictional work. The fan-fic work utilizes some or all of the existing work's pre-established characters, world building, and possibly story arcs. I use the term slash-fic to refer to "fan-fic that contains romantic pairings between existing characters that is not directly supported by the established work", but it's important to note that a large body of slash-fic requires changing or modifying a character's established sexuality in order to make the pairing work.Based on these very broad definitions, I've loved fan-fic for years. Some of my favorite novels are new retellings of old fairy tales or modern rewrites of Shakespearean plays. My favorite Greek plays are the ones that took pre-existing myths and reworked them into new interpretations. I've seen "The Divine Comedy" described in jest as "history's first recorded self-insert fan-fic", but by golly I like that Dante gets to meet Virgil and be Best Friends Forever. Fan-fic has always seemed to me to be a great platform for breathing modern concerns and issues into relevant older pieces, as well as for filling in plot holes or extrapolating what happens after The End.Slash-fic, on the other hand, I've had a more changeable relationship with, and for that I blame Sherlock Holmes. You see, I like Sherlock Holmes stories, although I think I liked them more when I was a child and the logic trains seemed more clear-cut and less authorially-mandated. But I like them nonetheless, and I especially like that Sherlock Holmes is portrayed, in my opinion, as a rare asexual character in a genre that more often than not seems to center around the hero getting The Girl (if not lots and lots of girls) as a prize at the end of every solved mystery.But Sherlock Holmes is also one of the most famous literary characters I can think of who is also regularly the subject of slash-fic romance with his sometimes live-in roommate Watson, despite Holmes' (in my opinion) carefully portrayed asexuality and Watson's romantic devotion to his wife. And if you'd asked me a few months ago what I thought about the tendency to slash-pair Holmes/Watson, I would have said it really isn't my thing. But then Melissa McEwan said something that made me reconsider my position.A few days after I very badly communicated in a Slacktiverse thread that non-canon pairings weren't really my thing because of this hang-up I have with Sherlock Holmes, Melissa McEwan posted on her blog a trailer for the upcoming movie " The Hobbit ". And because Shakesville is a feminist blog with a heavily female readership, a delightful conversation sprung up about Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" epic and the relative lack of female characters therein. In the ensuing discussion, I confessed that as a child I had accidentally read hobbit Merry and elf Legolas as females, because I had assumed thatin an epic adventuring party needed to be female. I also offered that I had been so upset on the realization that there were no women in the LOTR adventuring party that I wrote a truly execrable fan-fic about "Gandalf's daughter". I pointed out that this character I had written was a silly and one-dimensional device intended simply to follow the party around and provide a 'hook' for me to sink into the narrative. Melissa responded by saying:I'd never seen it that way before, and now that it had been said, I couldn't see it any other way.We live in a world where popular fiction, if it wants to avoid being shoved into the "issues" section, frequently presents a world of monochromatic characters in hetero-normative relationships. Female characters, no matter how "strong" or competent, are more often than not shoved aside in favor of male protagonist pie. Minority characters -- people of color, people with disabilities, people with body fat -- are included rarely, if at all, and almost never as main characters and almost always with glowing neon "issue" signs over their heads. Non-neurotypical characters, including people with multiplicity, are rarely included and almost inevitably whodunit QUILTBAG characters are frequently silenced or absent altogether.Of the 100+ books I read last year, only two of them even mentioned gays and lesbians, let alone the other letters in the alphabet soup. One of those books was a non-fiction book with the word 'gay' in the title. The other was a history book about U.S. presidents. The last fictional book I read with a bisexual character was Steig Larsson's "The Millenium Trilogy", and the bisexual female protagonist largely prefers men. I cannot remember reading a fictional book with undecided, intersex, transgender, or asexual characters that wasn't explicitly an "issue" book. I can't remember recently watching a movie or television show with QUILTBAG characters where the issue wasn't largely included to drive ratings or to serve in place of actual characterization except maybe, True Blood's Lafayette. Who, in addition to being gay, is also a drug dealer and a prostitute (and a perfect example of why television writers need to read up on Wicca before throwing it into a show with Vampires and Werewolves and Fairies as though all of those things is just like the others). Well-adjusted, happy QUILTBAG characters seem to be as rare in mainstream fiction as unicorns.If creating a character with an identity similar to yours, for an author who couldn't (for whatever reason, because I fully recognize that It's Very Complicated) create one for you, is an act of positive subversion, does it matter if the character is a new oneGandalf's Daughter or a new interpretation of an existing oneSherlock Holmes?I'm not sure that it does matter, at least as far as fan-fic goes. Possibly the full power and finance of Hollywood does not need to be directed into turning Hamlet gay for a Hamlet/Horatio pairing, or Mary Bennet lesbian for a Mary Bennet/Charlotte Lucas interpretation, or Odysseus transgender and his classic odyssey through space-time reinterpreted as a modern odyssey through self-identification. With great power comes great responsibility, and with the power that big-budget movie makers wield to create definitive renditions of text, possibly they have a greater responsibility to cleave to the author's perceived intent.But fan-fic is written largely by the powerless and shared widely among those who are not looking to permanently change the original work. The goal of fan-fic is almost always to enjoy and savor the original piece, but with a few tweaks here and there to make the story more approachable for the fan and their readers. And with that in mind, I now have to think that fan-fic and slash-fic can be positive acts, acts that take an existing work and say, "I know you couldn't include a person of my gender, a person with body fat, a person of color, a person who identifies as QUILTBAG, a person of my religion, or a person of non-neurotypicalness in your narrative. But I love your narrative enough that I'm going to write a fan-fic to fix that for me. And I'll share it with anyone else who has the same needs as I."I now think that can be a good thing, a positive subversive act meant to signal to the larger world that we -- the non-white, the non-male, the non-heterosexual, the non-neurotypical, the non-body conforming -- are here and we are not going away any time soon. I think it can be an act that signals that we are not only building rooms of our own in new houses that we build from scratch, but we are also building additions to the older, existing houses that we've been given to inhabit.It's More Complicated Than That, of course. Fan writers aren't always automatically on the side of angels, and things become more muddied when the author of the original work is still alive and the work is still under copyright. (This is one of many reasons why the examples in this post are all works in the public domain.) There's the question of author intent to consider, and how much that author's intent should weigh on the interpretation of the work in question. There's the question of how the fan-fic is written, and whether the newly added elements are'merely' subversive or actively harmful. (As with, for example, fan-fic that portrays intensely triggering, disturbing, or illegal elements.) Like almost every issue there are shades of gray, and reasonable people are going to disagree here and there.But considering all that, and purely as my personal opinion, I think that when crafted with love and respect and when shared with the intent to expand and embrace, fan-fic and slash-fic can be positive subversive acts. And I am mostly in favor of that.Fox News' Bill Hemmer mischaracterized public opinion as strongly opposed to union rights, citing what he himself called an "unscientific poll." In fact, actual scientific polls - including a Fox News poll - have shown widespread public opposition to restricting collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Hemmer Cites "Unscientific Poll" To Mischaracterize Support For Unions
"Unscientific" Foxnews.com Poll Suggests That The Majority Of Americans Want To Limit Union Rights. After interviewing State Sen. Keith Faber (R-OH) and discussing legislation in Ohio that would restrict collective bargaining rights for most state workers, Hemmer asked:
HEMMER: What do you think? Would you support limitations on unions in your home state? At Foxnews.com/americasnewsroom we have an unscientific poll online, you can cast your vote right there. Ninety-four percent say yes, they would. Six percent say no. Foxnews.com right now. [Fox News' America's Newsroom, 3/24/11, accessed via Nexis]
But Actual Polls Show Strong Support For Public Union Rights
Fox News Poll Concludes More Than Two-Thirds Of Americans Support[s] Public Union Rights. A Fox News poll indicates that more than two-thirds of Americans believe that states should allow public employee unions to negotiate for salary and wages, health care benefits, and pension and retirement benefits. [Fox News Poll conducted March 14-16, 3/17/11]
Quinnipiac: "No Matter How The Question Is Asked, Voters Oppose Limits On Collective Bargaining." From Quinnipiac University:SALEM, Massachusetts — Just in time for Halloween, a controversial Satanic temple has set up its international headquarters in Massachusetts’ beloved Salem.
Located one-mile from historic sites tied to Salem’s 1692 witchcraft hysteria, the building — a former funeral home — was inaugurated last month by activist Malcolm Jarry, a self-described “secular Jew” who co-founded The Satanic Temple (TST) in 2013. Jarry is a pseudonym, and he refuses to be photographed.
The temple houses an art gallery in honor of Baphomet, a “sabbatic goat” representing the universe. Behind the two-story building, an eight-foot tall statue of Baphomet sits in a plain shed, where visitors can pay to view it.
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With up to 50,000 members in chapters around the world, TST has garnered colossal media attention in the last three years. Chief among Jarry’s causes are marriage equality and women’s reproductive freedom. Any issue related to the government using religion to restrict individual freedom is also likely to engage temple leaders, some of whom staged a 2014 “Black Mass” at Harvard University to push the envelope on religious freedom.
Outside of New England, TST has taken legal action against the placement of edifices of the Ten Commandments in civic settings, including statehouses. To illustrate how such displays violate religious freedom, the temple has insisted it be allowed to erect goat-headed Baphomet statues in the same locations. TST is also planning to take on some schools’ use of isolation, denial of bathroom access, and corporal punishment of children.
For the 49-year-old Jarry, there is not much conflict between being Jewish and a Satanist. As a matter of fact, the two identities have come to inform each other, he said.
“I see it like Buddhism,” said Jarry. “Satanism is something that can co-exist with being a Jew,” he said.
In addition to Jarry’s belief that Judaism and Satanism can co-exist, there are parallels with how Judaism and Satanism have been branded by their detractors, he said.
“The false accusations that have been thrown at Jews historically are similar to what some people say about Satanism,” said Jarry, mentioning accusations of blood libel and — more recently — fabricated allegations that Israel perpetrates genocide against Palestinian children.
“I do not accept when people delegitimize Israel or use lies to marginalize Israel,” said Jarry. “I am an unwavering supporter of Israel, so long as it remains democratic, pluralistic, and protects human rights.”
‘Satanic Panic’
Satanists, for the record, do not believe that Satan exists. Derived from the Hebrew root for “adversary,” Satan is viewed as a symbol, not an idol or deity.
The Church of Satan was founded by Jewish-born Anton LaVey in 1966. Known in his heyday as “the black pope,” LaVey seeded “grotto” churches around the country, and Hollywood figures including Sammy Davis Jr. joined the church. (Davis had converted to Judaism in 1961.)
As the “sigil” for his movement, LaVey adopted an inverted pentacle surrounded by the Hebrew letters for Leviathan, a sea monster featured in the Old Testament. From the center of the pentacle glares the half-human, half-animal Baphomet, both female and male, intending to symbolize the harmony of the universe.
During the 1980s, “Satanic Panic” set in, and the church was accused of ritual abuse and criminal activity. LaVey was labelled a dangerous charlatan by critics, and many of his life stories were exposed as fraudulent after his 1997 death. Having once been called “the world’s most notorious religion,” the church’s last big hurrah was a Satanic High Mass, held in Los Angeles on 6/6/06 for its 40th anniversary.
Unlike the occultist LaVey and his Church of Satan, Jarry and his upstart Satanic movement do not associate with magic, he said. Like other religions and non-religions, Satanism has multiple off-shoots and — spoiler alert — Satanists are against submitting to centralized authority, which the pay-to-play cult of LaVey began to exemplify for some practitioners of so-called LaVeyan Satanism.
‘We expect to be treated in the same manner as all other religions and will sue for all of the same rights’
In recent weeks, TST has been in the news for one member’s attempts to deliver a Satanist invocation at Boston City Hall. The opportunity to open meetings with prayers is by invitation only, and only mainstream religions have ever been asked, said Jarry.
“If the decision is that only we cannot deliver an invocation, then we will sue and we will win,” said the veteran contrarian.
“We expect to be treated in the same manner as all other religions and will sue for all of the same rights,” said Jarry, adding that TST’s campaigns are fueled by “the importance of standing for freedom of expression and against tyrannical authority.”
According to Salem city officials, only a handful of citizens have expressed concern about the Satanic temple’s arrival in the bewitched seaport, one of New England’s top tourist destinations. Among Salem’s several thousand Jewish residents, those questioned by The Times of Israel had only positive things to say about their town’s newest faith — or faithless — based neighbor.
“Honestly, for us, it is such a non-event,” said Liz Polay-Wettengel, a Salem resident for more than a decade.
“We live with so many different types of beliefs here, including a very large Wiccan community, that having a satanic church open doesn’t even register for me and other Salem Jews I have spoken with,” said Polay-Wettengel, who directs marketing for InterfaithFamily.com.
“As long as we can practice our Judaism freely, I have to extend those rights to them as well,” she said.So the stimulus plan agreed to by House Democrats is a real piece of, um, bad legislation. It could have been even worse — it could have been the plan Bush wanted, which would have delivered virtually no stimulus at all. But it’s very, very weak.
But why worry, aside from the big waste of funds? Because there’s a real chance that we’ll be very sorry that we didn’t get a serious stimulus plan.
This plan leaves recession-fighting entirely up to the Fed. And as I’ve pointed out before on this blog, the Fed may not have enough ammunition.
People say that the last recession was brief and mild. But that’s an artifact of the way the NBER defines recessions — basically as periods when everything is going down. Once something starts going up (usually GDP), it’s labeled a recovery. But in the last two recessions the thing that matters most — employment — kept falling long after the official end of the recession.
And in the last two recessions the Fed kept cutting interest rates long after the recessions were supposedly over — all the way down to just 1 percent in 2003:
Indeed, as Alan Greenspan has revealed, the Fed still feared the possibility of “corrosive deflation” well into 2003.
What finally created a convincing recovery was the housing boom. But that turned into a bubble, which has burst big time.
We don’t know for sure by any means, but it definitely looks possible that this slump will be worse and more persistent than 2001-2003. And housing won’t come to the rescue this time. Meanwhile, the Fed has less room to cut: interest rates can’t go below zero (banks will just sit on cash rather than lend money out at a negative rate), and they started lower this time than they did in 2000.
The bottom line is that Ben Bernanke could definitely use some fiscal wind at his back. But thanks to the lousy deal announced today, he won’t get it.Short-blanket syndrome: a term used to describe having inadequate resources to deal with a fixed problem. It's cold, you're in bed, your blanket is a just a bit too small. Either your feet or your shoulders will get cold. All you can do is choose which way to suffer.
I couldn't help but think of this phrase while playing FIFA 14. Hundreds of thousands of hours have been poured into the franchise to get it to the point where it stands now, and the fundamentals of the game's mechanics - the very foundations upon which this towering behemoth has been built - are resolutely fixed.
Most of these foundations, of course, are based in the rules of football themselves. Others have been found through a process of trial and error. Camera angles, instant replays, celebrations: here to stay, you would have thought. User-controlled diving, trialled in FIFA 99, didn't really work. The 'hack' button - pressing R1 to scythe down a player for an instant red card, from FIFA 2001, was quickly abandoned. FIFA International Soccer was released 20 years ago this July and, by and large, the most important parts of making a good football game have been worked out. So, in a business model where people have to buy a new game each year, what are you left with?
FIFA 14's deeper, more tactical and slower-paced. Great if you read The Blizzard - but what about everyone else?
This is where the blanket comes in. EA has a fixed time-span, a fairly fixed development budget and thousands upon thousands of suggestions from superusers as to how to tweak the engine. The dynamics of the game are so complex that every tweak has repercussions, and every repercussion will prompt thousands upon thousands of suggestions of superusers for the next iteration. Every step forward can mean a step back everywhere else. Feet or shoulders: which to choose?
"Precision movement" was the main feature impressed on us during our Guildford press day - and was later mentioned when I spoke to producer Sebastian Enrique as the feature that he most hopes will become the game's legacy. And, well, it's about as exciting as it sounds. Extra frames of animation have been added to make switching direction more realistic - and time-consuming - and add another small slice of realism to the game's presentation.
This change to the time it takes a player to turn is a particularly interesting point. We've come a long way since Sensible Soccer, where a player will instantly change direction in response to the control pad. But how much time should it take? Five seconds, Enrique says, is the average time it takes a real-life player to stop sprinting in one direction and shift to the opposite. But in FIFA that's about how long it takes to run the length of the pitch.
Given how the five-minute halves are a fraction of the full 90 minutes we could apply that rule. Or we could use a multiple based on the scale of the players (4cm on my TV screen to Dirk Kuyt's 184cm of Dutch steel - it's pretty big). In fact there is no magic rule, the developers and producers just experiment and find what 'feels' right. Get this feeling wrong and they face a community backlash. It's an unenviable task.
"The dynamics of the game are so complex that every tweak has repercussions, and every repercussion will prompt thousands upon thousands of suggestions of superusers for the next iteration. Every step forward can mean a step back everywhere else."
Shooting's been tweaked, meaning opportunistic punts are now more viable.
So with this new so-called "authentic motion", the blanket shifts once again. Running with the ball, for example, has become much more about control than pace, with the slower, left-trigger dribble becoming a vital part of play, even at a basic level. Building on last year's changes to first touch, you also have to take into greater consideration the player you're controlling before you decide what to do with the ball - if Jonjo Shelvey receives possession, it's probably best you just (try and) pass it.
Even experienced players will find themselves consistently running the ball out of play unless an appropriate amount of care is taken. It takes a bit of getting used to, to say the least - but does make you think more about how your team should play. Norwich and Barcelona can't use the same tactics in real life - and now they definitely can't in FIFA 14. My FIFA Seasons love-affair with Simeon Jackson is well and truly over.
As a knock-on, however, the game slows down considerably in midfield, and while the game's being sold this year partly on its embracing of playmakers like Pirlo and Xavi, I can't help but feel if this isn't quite what we want from a football game. Pirlo and Xavi are aesthetes to admire, but only a true football hipster would rather be blessed with their talents than those of either of the Ronaldos. If games are about wish-fulfillment, then Fifa should be Roy of the Rovers, not Jonathan Wilson's Inverting the Pyramid.
Add-in revamped ball-protecting and better team-mate intelligence in defence, and you essentially have a game that rewards patient, possession-based play much more than in recent years. As an impatient player who's relied on chipped through-balls and constantly holding down right-trigger for the past decade, I have mixed feelings about this. If you're prepared to put in the time, I'm sure it would be hugely rewarding to learn to get your Norwich team playing tiki-taka. But should a game like FIFA, with such a large, and largely casual audience, demand such an effort? Perhaps that's a debate for another day.
Jan Vertonghen, there, looking completely oblivious to his surroundings.
Shooting, however, is one improvement I can be unequivocal about. The disappointing clunk of a poorly-hit shot from range, arrowing its way directly into a keeper's arms with exactly the same flat trajectory, is a frustration that's run throughout this generation of releases. Now, as in real-life (particularly if your name is Dirk) you're unlikely to hit the same kind of shot twice.
"Real Ball Physics" as it's so neatly called by EA, means trajectories vary in a way they never have |
of war only when the EU rejects these sanctions," he said. "If they fail to remove the sanctions, then we will block access for EU representatives, and they won't be able to get to us. I will remind my guests from the OSCE about this."
In contrast to US sanctions, the EU has not included senior Russian businessmen such as Igor Sechin, the head of Russian energy giant Rosneft, who was targeted with an American asset freeze by Washington on Monday.
The United States has been much more aggressive in the sanctions imposed on Russia than the EU which is heavily dependent on Russian energy and has closer economic and trading links than America.
However, Russian has accused the EU of following doing America's bidding on sanctions which, the country's foreign ministry said, are "absolutely counterproductive" and pushing Ukraine to "a dead end".
"Are you not ashamed?," said a Russian foreign ministry statement.
"Instead of forcing the Kiev clique to sit down at the negotiating table with the southeast of Ukraine over the future makeup of the country, our partners are doing Washington's bidding with new unfriendly gestures towards Russia."
Germany was forced to distant itself from Mr Schroeder on Tuesday after the press published pictures showing him in an warm embrace President Putin in St Petersburg on Monday evening at a celebration in honour of the former German chancellor's 70th birthday on April 7.
"He does not represent the German government," a senior German government official said. "It should be clear to everyone that Mr Schroeder left active politics some time ago."
The photographs of a former German Chancellor smiling and hugging the Russian president highlight Germany's reluctance to step up sanctions against Moscow as the country relies on Russia for natural gas supplies.
Mr Schroeder, chancellor from 1998-2005, became the board chairman of a German-Russian pipeline joint venture with gas monopoly Gazprom Nord Stream after leaving office.
Gazprom, which meets 30 percent of Europe's demand for gas, on Tuesday warned that further Western sanctions over Ukraine could disrupt its energy exports to Europe.
"An expansion of the US, EU and other sanctions programmes could adversely impact operations," it said in a management report following its 2013 financial results.Moeen Ali has been banned from wearing “Save Gaza” and “Free Palestine” wristbands in the remainder of the third Test against India in Southampton by David Boon, the former Australia batsman who is the International Cricket Council’s match referee.
England had cleared Moeen to wear the bands, arguing that he was making a humanitarian statement and not a political one, and perhaps sensitive to accusations of inconsistency as the whole team will wear the logo of the Help for Heroes charity on their shirts on Tuesday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the first world war.
But the ICC issued the following statement on Tuesday morning: “The ICC equipment and clothing regulations do not permit the display of messages that relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes during an international match. Moeen Ali was told by the match referee that while he is free to express his views on such causes away from the cricket field, he is not permitted to wear the wristbands on the field of play and warned not to wear the bands again during an international match.”Chai or CHAI may refer to:
Drinks [ edit ]
Chai (wine), a shed for storing casks, common in Bordeaux
Masala chai, a blend of black tea and herbs and spices, originating in India
Chai, a word for tea in numerous languages, derived from Chinese chá ( 茶 )
People [ edit ]
Names [ edit ]
Chai (surname) (柴), a Chinese surname
Chae, also romanized Chai, a Korean name
Zhai (翟; Chai in Wade–Giles), a different Chinese surname
Individuals [ edit ]
Places [ edit ]
Chai, Mozambique, also called Chai Chai, a posto of Macomia District in the province of Cabo Delgado, and the site of the opening attack of the Mozambican War of Independence
Chal, Zanjan, Iran, sometimes called Chāi
Radio [ edit ]
CHAI-FM, Canadian radio station
ChaiFM, South African radio station
Kol Chai, Israeli radio station
Other uses [ edit ]Constables of the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals seized 25 farm animals from a Mission property on Friday after they were discovered neglected and suffering from a wide range of medical conditions.
An investigation is underway after BC SPCA constables seized 25 neglected animals from a Mission property. More at https://t.co/7Sh9yf2skp pic.twitter.com/Y1e9UJcqmR — BC SPCA / BCSPCA (@BC_SPCA) April 22, 2017
The animals included nine pigs, three goats, three turkeys, two alpacas, two horses, a llama, a miniature horse, a miniature pony and a calf. Two dogs – an Akita cross and a hound cross – were also seized by the B.C. SPCA.
According to Eileen Drever, B.C. SPCA senior animal protection officer, the animals were seized after it was discovered they were suffering from a range of issues due to neglect.
“The animals were suffering from a wide range of medical conditions due to neglect,” said Drever. “Issues included serious malnourishment, parasites, skin and eye conditions, lice, flared hooves and heavy matting.”
Drever also noted that the property in which the animals were kept was strewn with hazardous debris.
According to reports, the owner pepper sprayed B.C. SPCA staff and others when they presented the warrant and went to seize the animals.
The farm animals are currently being cared for at the Surrey Branch of the B.C. SPCA, in the society’s Good Shepherd large animal barn.
An investigation is underway and charges of animal cruelty will be recommended in the case against the owner.
The B.C. SPCA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia.“They know they are on the losing side of history,” she said of the militants. “But they are determined to take as many lives with them as their movement is finally exposed for the nihilistic, empty effort it is.”
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In a vivid tableau, some television stations broadcast Mrs. Clinton’s remarks on a split screen — one half showing her speaking, the other half dominated by plumes of gray smoke and flames from the blast.
While there was no evidence that the attacks were coordinated, they may be traced to Taliban factions based in Pakistan’s tribal areas, where Pakistani Army forces have taken on a widening campaign against the militants.
Responsibility for the Kabul attacks, which included rockets fired at the five-star Serena Hotel, was claimed by an Afghan Taliban faction led by Siraj Haqqani, who uses his base in North Waziristan, along the Afghan border, to organize an insurgency against American and NATO forces.
“This is a very dark day for the U.N. in Afghanistan,” said Kai Eide, the United Nations special representative to Afghanistan. He said officials of the organization would review “whether other appropriate measures need to be taken to protect all our staff.”
No one claimed responsibility for the Peshawar bombing, but the authorities said it appeared to be another in a series of attacks by Pakistani Taliban militants to answer the military’s offensive against their stronghold in South Waziristan.
Since the military moved into the region this month, the Pakistani Taliban have shifted their attacks from suicide bombings aimed at security installations and Western targets to more powerful and more indiscriminate bombings in urban centers intended to kill large numbers of Pakistani civilians.
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“The militants want to destabilize the government and intimidate the public,” Mehmood Shah, a retired brigadier and defense analyst based in Peshawar, told the Geo news network. As long as the military operation continues, he added, “We can expect such attacks to carry on.”
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A senior intelligence official blamed Taliban militants based in Darra Adamkhel for the attack. “We had an intercept last week that spoke of a ‘heart-rending’ attack in Peshawar,” the official said, requesting he not be identified. The militants, he said, spoke of carrying out the attack to “unnerve” the government. “This explains why they are now targeting civilians,” he said.
At a dinner for Mrs. Clinton, President Asif Ali Zardari characterized the violence as an attack on Pakistan’s way of life and said there was no choice but to strike back.
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Mrs. Clinton praised the Pakistani military for its campaign against insurgents in South Waziristan, saying: “I want you to know that this fight is not Pakistan’s alone. This is our struggle as well.”
She responded to criticism here that the United States had drawn down its forces in the Afghan border region, allowing more extremists to flow into Pakistan. The complaint reversed familiar American demands that Pakistan do more to stem the flow of insurgents into Afghanistan. The Pentagon, she insisted, has put more forces in that region, but has consolidated its border outposts into fewer, larger posts.
For all the talk of security, Mrs. Clinton stuck to her goal of trying to broaden the relationship between Pakistan and the United States. She announced a new American-financed energy program that would help Pakistan repair and upgrade its aging power plants to cut down on power failures. The United States will contribute $125 million to the first phase of the program.
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Mrs. Clinton tied the program to a broader American effort to improve the lives of Pakistanis.
“For months, families have endured sweltering heat and evenings spent in the dark, without appliances or televisions or computers,” she said, adding that “blackouts prompt an increase in crime.”
That observation seemed almost quaint on a day when Pakistan was convulsed in a crime wave of a different magnitude.
The attack in Peshawar was not a total surprise, according to Pakistani and American officials. A representative of a shopkeepers association in Peshawar said that he and others had received demands from militants in recent days to ban women from shopping in the market.
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The car bomb exploded between two narrow lanes of Meena Bazaar and Kochi Bazaar, an area frequented by female shoppers. Most of the bodies were charred and mutilated beyond recognition.
Hospital officials said 87 bodies had been brought from the scene, where as many as three clusters of shops on narrow lanes and passageways collapsed, and fires raged out of control. Three hours after the explosion, people were still trying to dig bodies and survivors out, witnesses said.
Sahibzada Anees, the deputy coordination officer in Peshawar, said the city was poorly equipped to cope with such a large-scale attack. It does not have enough trained firefighters and could not move excavators into the narrow streets to rescue those buried in the rubble, she said.
At the colonial-era Lady Reading Hospital, medics were overwhelmed by the casualties.
“We don’t even have time to count the bodies,” said an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of government rules.I’m still perusing Henry VIII’s letters and papers. One of today’s letters to Cromwell is an eyebrow raiser so I couldn’t resist it. The letter containing scandalous information about a nun from Syon was written by Richard Layton who has been mentioned many times in this blog but has never had his own post – so I thought that today’s metaphorical advent could be Dr Richard Layton. This image shows the monastic visitors arriving at a monastery with their cavalcade of out runners or “rufflers” and much fanfare.
Here’s the letter:
Bishop this day preached, and declared the King’s title, to a church full of people. One of the “focares” openly called him false knave: “it was that foolish fellow with the curled head that kneeled in your way when ye came forth of the confessor’s chamber.” Must set him in prison, to deter others. Learnt yesterday many enormous things against Bishop in examining the lay brethren, —that he had persuaded two of them to have gone away by night along with him, but that they lacked money to buy the secular apparel, —that he tried to induce one of them, a smith, to make a key for the door to receive wenches at night, especially a wife of Uxbridge, dwelling not far from the old lady Derby. He also persuaded a nun, to whom he was confessor, ad libidinem corporum perimplendam, and that she would be forgiven if she confessed immediately after each occasion, and was absolved by him. She wrote him many foolish letters, and would have got his brother, the smith, to have pulled a bar of iron out of that window where Cromwell examined the Lady Abbess, and at which they used to commune by night. He got the sexton also to assist him. Intends to make further search this afternoon both of the brethren and of the sisters, and will certify Cromwell tomorrow morning. Most of the brethren are weary of their habit. Such religion and feigned sanctity God save me from!
To all intents and purposes Layton presents himself as a loyal subject of the king and a religious reformer.The letter sums up his rather tabloid writing style; his approach to the visitation of the monasteries and his strategy of looking for gossip amongst the lay members of a community. The letter even contains an example of the rather delightful habit of referring to anything carnal in latin in order that messengers carrying his communications to Cromwell might not be tainted with the knowledge of a letter’s contents. In this case the literal translation is “the passion of their bodies fulfilment.”
So who was he? Layton was a Cumbrian descended from the Layton who owned Dalemain at that time. Dalemain had been in the hands of the Layton family since 1272. It would leave the family in the seventeenth century due to the fact that there were six daughters and no sons. If you go far enough back up the family tree its possible to find Nevilles but the Laytons weren’t nobility they would be more correctly defined as gentry. Layton’s mother was a Tunstall – Cuthbert Tunstall, the Bishop of Durham, was his uncle. He was born somewhere near the turn of the century. Moorhouse notes that he was supposed to have thirty-two siblings (Moorhouse:27), another one of them became an MP. It is clear however that with such a large extended family Layton had to look to his own skills for advance. He was also, somewhat ironically, related to Robert Aske one of the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace who rebelled against the dissolution of the monasteries and I think that there’s a priest hole at Dalemain demonstrating that the family weren’t all as keen on reform as Richard.
It would appear that Layton, having finished his education and been received into the priesthood, entered Wolsey’s service. This was a conventional enough progression in the Tudor civil service which still drew on the Church for its clerks at this time. He appears to have had a number of livings in London including on at the Tower of London but as it required his presence he resigned from it fairly swiftly when better opportunities arose.
He came to the forefront of the changes that were occurring in the 1530s because of his acquaintance with Cromwell. As the King’s Great Matter became ever more pressing he found himself interrogating the likes of Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher – his education and ordination giving his questions legitimacy. Cromwell must have found his old colleague efficient and effective because he sent him along with Thomas Ap Rice to the University of Oxford to undertake an investigation there as well.
The following year, August 1535, he found himself heading up the team of visitors rootling through the monastic houses of England and Wales with a list of pre-prepared questions in hand but always reporting back to Cromwell who arranged their findings into two groups: firstly, the Valor Ecclesiasticus which contained the accounts and lists of relics; secondly, the Comperta or ‘Black Book’ which contained all the monastic misdeeds. Layton had a hand in the construction of the questions and also in the injunctions which were issued at each visit. An example of the latter would be the prohibition on leaving the monastic enclosure. This prompted many letters to Cromwell complaining about the unreasonableness of the strictures involved. It should be noted that Layton was the only ordained cleric on the team of visitors. Initially there seems from Cromwell’s letters to have been some jockeying for position between Layton and Legh, another visitor. Both told tales and complained about one another but generally speaking Layton emerges in history as Cromwell’s chief visitor.
Layton gathered confidence with each foundation he visited. His task was to inspect the accounts, uncover any poor practice from failure to obey the rule of St Benedict to encouraging superstitious practices as well as administering the oath of supremacy. He seems particularly good at sniffing out scandal amongst the monks and nuns of the places he visited – much of it with a tabloid quality! The letter above is a case in point – it reads like a particularly bad bodice ripper; although interestingly he did sometimes note a blameless monastic foundation. Bristol and Durham received a clean bill of health from Layton. Having said that it is worth remembering that Layton was related to Cuthbert Tunstall who as bishop was also the titular abbot. Having finished visiting the southern monasteries, narrowly avoiding being burned in his bed whilst visiting Canterbury, he volunteered to visit the northern monasteries – it was after all a lucrative task. He set off just before Christmas 1535. As a consequence of his dependence on Cromwell for advancement his letters are often toadying and nearly always full of tales of naughty nuns and monks.
Layton managed to make himself so disliked that he together with Thomas Cromwell and Legh are identified in the list of the pilgrims grievances in 1536 with a request that these “wicked” advisers be punished. Not that this had any effect! As the monasteries closed it was Layton who journeyed around the country accepting the surrender of many of the monasteries that he’d inspected earlier. It is impossible to know how many bribes he took for recommending former monks to new posts.
Layton became rector of Harrow-on-the-Hill and rather lucratively in the north he was appointed Dean in York on 23 July 1539. He helped himself to rather a lot of York’s plate and pawned it for his own benefit. This only surfaced after his death when the deanery were forced to redeem the items in question.
By now he had a reputation as a ‘can do’ man so he found himself on the team investigating the validity of Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves. He’d already had a role at Anne Boleyn’s trial. In short his career follows the path of many Tudor administrators but it was through his work on the monasteries that he attained notoriety.
His career as a diplomat began to extend in the period that followed. He became English Ambassador in the Court of the Netherlands. He was with the Queen of Hungary in March 1544 dealing with safe conduct passes. We know this because he receives a mention in one of her letters to Chapuys. It is from the Spanish archives that we can learn about his illness and his death. He died in June 1544 in Brussels.
For those of you who are a little Henried out I will try to find something less Tudor tomorrow.
‘Henry VIII: December 1535, 11-20’, in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 9, August-December 1535, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1886), pp. 318-340. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol9/pp318-340 [accessed 6 December 2016].
http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/layton-william-1514-51523 Big Reasons Disney Should Save Tron Ascension By Mike Reyes Random Article Blend Tomorrowland was supposed to be the continuation of a bright future for Disney’s 2015. Unfortunately, with the film languishing in box office hell after a week of general release, it looks like the studio has given up on the film becoming a money maker. Which means that it was almost like clockwork when the executives at Disney announced last night that Tomorrowland started to look like a less than sure fire hit.
Though it might look like Disney making the right decision on paper, it’s really a poor move on to cancel a project so anticipated as Tron: Ascension. In fact, there’s three really good reasons that come to mind when fighting for the fans that want to see Sam Flynn, Quorra, and the rest of the Tron Ascension just yet.
The Story Needs Closure When we last left the world of The Grid, Sam Flynn was ready to inherit the family legacy that is Encom, and Quorra was ready to learn about Tron Legacy, setting the stage for an epic war between Flynn and the Dillinger family. With that huge thread dangling in the wind, there’s still quite a bit of story to tell.
Tron Ascension, by title alone, sounds like it’s about the story of Sam and his quest to bring the Flynn name back to its former glory. At the very least, Disney should close off the story that they started in 1982 with one final sequel, drawing the story of the Tron franchise to a close. Let’s not forget, Tron still has a lot of fans out there who’ll eat this up. was supposed to be the continuation of a bright future for Disney’s 2015. Unfortunately, with the film languishing in box office hell after a week of general release, it looks like the studio has given up on the film becoming a money maker. Which means that it was almost like clockwork when the executives at Disney announced last night that Tron Ascension, after a good month of underground buzz that the film was going to start shooting this fall, was cancelled. While the studio hasn’t officially announced this as the cause of death, anyone could see the writing on the wall asstarted to look like a less than sure fire hit.Though it might look like Disney making the right decision on paper, it’s really a poor move on to cancel a project so anticipated as. In fact, there’s three really good reasons that come to mind when fighting for the fans that want to see Sam Flynn, Quorra, and the rest of the Tron Legacy gang come back for at least one last ride. It’s time to enter the arena and battle the naysayers, as we throw down the three big reasons Disney shouldn’t give up onjust yet.When we last left the world of The Grid, Sam Flynn was ready to inherit the family legacy that is Encom, and Quorra was ready to learn about the world outside of the computer. Of course, the story didn’t end with what we saw in the movie, as the further unfolding story was told on the Blu Ray special features to, setting the stage for an epic war between Flynn and the Dillinger family. With that huge thread dangling in the wind, there’s still quite a bit of story to tell., by title alone, sounds like it’s about the story of Sam and his quest to bring the Flynn name back to its former glory. At the very least, Disney should close off the story that they started in 1982 with one final sequel, drawing the story of thefranchise to a close. Let’s not forget,still has a lot of fans out there who’ll eat this up. Tron Still Has A Faithful Following While Tomorrowland’s middling grosses could be taken as an indicator that the public might not rush to accept Tron Ascension, it’s a thin comparison at best. Tomorrowland was a newer idea to the public than Tron Legacy was when it was released, and when all was said and done Tron Legacy grossed $400 million on a budget of $170 million. While they weren’t the sort of numbers films like The Avengers would bring in, it’s certainly not the lukewarm reception Tomorrowland has received.
Box office aside, Tron still remains an influential film in science fiction history, and it still maintains a strong following of fans that want to see another installment of the series. Looking at the reaction to Tron Ascension’s cancellation is proof enough that fans are pretty upset that they’re being denied another chance to see one of their favorite franchises, while Disney focuses their original IP energies on projects like sequels to Frozen and Finding Nemo. But perhaps the most important reason for Whilemiddling grosses could be taken as an indicator that the public might not rush to accept, it’s a thin comparison at best.was a newer idea to the public thanwas when it was released, and when all was said and donegrossed $400 million on a budget of $170 million. While they weren’t the sort of numbers films likewould bring in, it’s certainly not the lukewarm receptionhas received.Box office aside,still remains an influential film in science fiction history, and it still maintains a strong following of fans that want to see another installment of the series. Looking at the reaction tocancellation is proof enough that fans are pretty upset that they’re being denied another chance to see one of their favorite franchises, while Disney focuses their original IP energies on projects like sequels toandBut perhaps the most important reason for Tron Ascension’s importance is the one you’ve been hearing repeated quite a bit in the past week. Disney Needs To Support Original Sci-Fi The failure of Tomorrowland has caused a great deal of people to assume that the marketplace isn’t supporting enough "original sci fi" properties. While the originality of Tomorrowland can be debated, it is still an original story that is based off of a pre-existing concept and history that inspired it. Audiences rejection of Tomorrowland shouldn’t dampen the creative spirits at Disney. Independent of that film’s marketing campaign, fans were begging for the studio to confirm Tron Ascension was going to be green lit any day now. Just because one film didn’t work out doesn’t mean the whole operation needs to get shut down, and now more than ever Disney should be blazing the trails for more original ideas to arrive at on the big screen – even if they’re doing so with a sequel to one of their original ideas.
Tron Ascension seems like an idea that’s poised to make a good amount of money, so long as Disney markets the film correctly and scales back on the budget to make for a cleaner margin of profit – something it’s forgotten to do in the case of not only Tomorrowland, but also Tron film is still a very good idea, one that people are energized for. All it takes is the right combination of care and restraint to make sure that the possibly final adventure of Sam Flynn and company scores another win for the happiest studio on Earth. The failure ofhas caused a great deal of people to assume that the marketplace isn’t supporting enough "original sci fi" properties. While the originality ofcan be debated, it is still an original story that is based off of a pre-existing concept and history that inspired it. Audiences rejection ofshouldn’t dampen the creative spirits at Disney. Independent of that film’s marketing campaign, fans were begging for the studio to confirm the rumors thatwas going to be green lit any day now. Just because one film didn’t work out doesn’t mean the whole operation needs to get shut down, and now more than ever Disney should be blazing the trails for more original ideas to arrive at on the big screen – even if they’re doing so with a sequel to one of their original ideas.seems like an idea that’s poised to make a good amount of money, so long as Disney markets the film correctly and scales back on the budget to make for a cleaner margin of profit – something it’s forgotten to do in the case of not only, but also John Carter before it. Making one lastfilm is still a very good idea, one that people are energized for. All it takes is the right combination of care and restraint to make sure that the possibly final adventure of Sam Flynn and company scores another win for the happiest studio on Earth. Blended From Around The Web Facebook
Back to topOn April 4th, 2013, NBC premiered the first episode of “Hannibal“, the Bryan Fuller developed series based on characters created by Thomas Harris in his novels “Red Dragon”, “The Silence of the Lambs”, and “Hannibal”. Starring Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Valhalla Rising, Clash of the Titans) in the title role, the series followed FBI special investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) as an empath who has the ability to investigate and understand crime scenes, and criminals, in startling, almost eerie ways.
I don’t have cable or basic TV channels. I haven’t had them for well over 20 years. When I moved into my own place and ordered internet, Comcast asked if I wanted TV, something I explicitly turned down. To this day, I still get calls asking if I want to upgrade my account to include even the most basic package, which, ridiculously, has something like 100+ channels. For those of you who have cable, that might seem like nothing. For me, that seems unnecessary. I remember as a child having 60-ish channels and that’s it.
I bring this up because “Hannibal” was the first show to make me seriously consider upping my package so that I could watch it as it aired. Something about it just drew me in, almost hypnotizing me with its gorgeous visuals and brilliantly built characters. It was a show where I would seek a fix once an episode ended because I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I needed more but had to be patient, much like Hannibal and how he was ever vigilant in selecting and ultimately dispatching his victims.
I miss “Hannibal”, which, as I’ve mentioned previously, “…was a gift from above for horror fans.” It featured some of the most gruesome and horrifying scenes I’ve ever witnessed, such as Hannibal making Dr. Abel Gideon (Eddie Izzard) eat his own leg or the people buried alive to act as fertilizer for fungi in “Amuse-Bouche”. Every episode expertly crafted a narrative around the crimes that delved further into the minds of each character, their own psyches the truly fascinating aspect of the series. For every moment we saw something nauseating, there was far more time dedicated to the haunting impact and toll these events had on those around them. Graham was breaking more and more with every episode, Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) desperate to come to his aid, Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) demanding control from his employees while desperately spiraling out of control with his wife and her illness. Hovering over them all, controlling them like a marionettist, was Hannibal, making them all dance on strings of his own weaving, his cold calculations deeply, intricately, and terrifyingly constructed.
As the show progressed, we only saw these relationships intertwine themselves further, becoming a web of distrust, suspicion, and unknowing betrayal, all according to Hannibal’s conniving plans. It’s only because of Hannibal’s affection for Will, and what he could potentially become, that the threads expose themselves, able to be pulled, unravelling the entire picture. It is because of this magnificent arrangement that the story was so enthralling. With every new revelation, with each new episode, the story moved forward and it felt meaningful, unlike shows where we have exciting premieres and finales but the middle feels lackluster. “Hannibal” was, in my opinion, a show that constantly progressed and evolved.
I miss the music, composed by Brian Reitzell. Yes, I can pop on my records anytime I wish or I can stream the soundtrack if I’m feeling lazy. But there was something delicious about hearing new music every episode that felt so disjointed and unsettling. It was dissonance of the purest form, the kind that mimics the tension on the screen as each layer of mystery is either added or unveiled, both fitting perfectly yet still feeling wrong and unwelcome. With a show so focused on intellectualism, introspection, and complex psychological patterns, there needed to be a soundtrack that aimed for those lofty heights. Reitzell met those heights and conquered them, week after week.
I miss the visuals, wonderfully brought to the screen by the directors and the show’s primary cinematographer James Hawkinson. Even in the first five minutes of the first episode, I knew that this was going to be a beautiful show and it never failed in that department. Every scene oozed beauty, even amidst the viscera. Splashes of blood arced gracefully through the air, bodies faded into nature, becoming one with the world around them, and even the food, which we knew was tainted and taboo, looked macabrely delicious. Some victims were transformed into angels, their majesty and horror vying for equal attention, while others were arranged in a gigantic eye, aimed to see a reflection that can’t possible be there.
I mourn the loss of a show that never hid from its horror foundation. Rather, it embraced it and aimed to elevate itself above all associated stigmas and preconceptions. It knew that horror could be smart, so it went there. It knew that horror could push boundaries, which it did. It knew that horror didn’t care about who or what you are, so everything was fair game. Being a witness to the craftsmanship behind “Hannibal” felt truly special as a horror fan. Rarely do we get something that looks and sounds so wonderful, that has such care and devotion given to every minute detail.
I could talk endlessly about my love of this series, but I feel that I need to come to an end and not overstay my welcome. So, to cap this off, I send these messages: To Bryan Fuller, thank you for developing “Hannibal”. To the cast and crew, thank you for bringing these characters and this story to life. To NBC, thank you for taking a chance and giving the show three seasons. To the fans of the series who so ardently and adamantly refuse to let go, thank you for your passion.
To “Hannibal” itself, thank you, I miss you, and I hope that one day we’ll see you again. Maybe for dinner?Families lined up up Thursday for the first round of distributions for those who have qualified for Dolly Parton's My People Fund.
Many of them stopped to say thanks to Dolly for establishing the fund, and to the many people who have stepped up to help.
The first funds will be distributed Dec. 15-16 and Dec. 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the CARE MORE Assistance Center at the LeConte Events Center in Pigeon Forge. The checks will be given out according to the first letter of the last name.
Thursday, Dec. 15: Last Name A-F
Friday, Dec. 16: Last Name: G-L
Monday, Dec. 19: Last Name: M-R
Tuesday, Dec. 20: Last Name S-Z
One check per household per month will be issued. All recipients must show a photo I.D. Families can receive aid for up to six months.
Anyone who needs help in the application process should call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
"I've always believed charity begins at home and my home is someplace special. That's why I've asked my Dollywood Companies—including the Dollywood theme park, and DreamMore Resort; my dinner theater attractions including Dixie Stampede and Lumberjack Adventure; and my Dollywood Foundation—to help me establish the My People Fund," Parton said in a video on Wednesday.
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The fund will provide $1,000 each month to Sevier County families who lost their homes "until they get back up on their feet," she said.
Any family who lost their primary residence (renters and homeowners) due to the wildfires in Sevier County will be eligible. A pre-application for those affected is available here. https://dollywoodfoundation.org/ Completion of the pre-application is not required but is encouraged to expedite the distribution process.
“We are proud to assist Dolly in the creation of the My People Fund,” said Craig Ross, President of The Dollywood Company. “We hope this serves as the first step to rebuilding for the families of the Sevier County community. We send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to everyone affected.”
Jim Rule, CEO of World Choice Investments, LLC said, “It is our hope that the My People Fund will make a difference to those families looking for a way to move forward during this difficult time. The Dixie Stampede and Lumberjack Adventure families are honored to help Dolly provide this special support.”
“We are working to gain a better idea of the number of families affected by the tragedy,” said David Dotson, President of the Dollywood Foundation. “The My People Fund has already secured more than $1 million and climbing. But we know that substantially more donations will be required to meet the need.”
Significant donations have already been made by Verizon, Tanger Outlets, Miley Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation, CoreCivic and The Blalock Company. Cumulus Knoxville and The Vol Network will hold a radio-thon for the My People Fund on Monday, Dec. 5 from 6 a.m. – midnight.
Anyone can donate to the fund by visiting the website or by mail:
My People Fund
c/o Dollywood Foundation
111 Dollywood Lane
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
The Dollywood Foundation asks for help spreading the word about the effort by using the hashtags #MyPeopleFund and #someplacespecial.
"We want to provide a hand up to those families who have lost everything in the fires. I know it has been a trying time for my people and this assistance will help get them back on their feet," Parton said.Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration,
Note: Data include facilities with a net summer |
that was given up 17 years ago, so it doesn’t have the currency and immediacy of a man who comes back who may actually be plotting something against the country of his origin. So, clearly, we owe a lot to the Israeli series, but we really took it in a different direction.
AVC: You and Howard Gordon both worked on 24, which was very restrictive in its structure in a lot of ways. What did you find most freeing about breaking away from that model?
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AG: The obvious things. What I mentioned earlier in terms of the reliability of the protagonist, in terms of the guilt or innocence of her quarry—we were able to really let episodes breathe and have a rhythm all their own. We weren’t building to artificial act breaks. We could do nudity and language. All that stuff was incredibly liberating.
With regard to 24 specifically… Look, Howard worked on 24 from the very beginning, and he was very schooled in how to tell a good, cracking thriller and I knew nothing about that when I came on to 24 [in the show’s seventh season]. I learned a lot on that show just in terms of straight plotting, but we were very, very adamant at the beginning of Homeland that Carrie wasn’t going to pick up a gun, and that we were going to tell a much slower-paced psychological story, rather than an action story. That was a big difference. Actually, if you talk to Howard, he’ll tell you. I mean, he really had to be weaned off the formula, and it led to a lot of arguments and disagreements at the beginning about how much of the thriller aspect we had to put into the show.
AVC: What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of cable versus network?
AG: Well, I’ve developed a couple of shows for HBO but none for Showtime, so I’ve had limited experience developing for paid cable, or for cable in general. But it’s hard to think of a positive on the broadcast network side. It is so restrictive, and the various networks have such preconceived ideas about what their kinds of shows are, so you’re constantly feeling like you’re snuggling and squeezing into their box. It does close off your mind a little bit.
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Whereas in paid cable, you’re really allowed to spread your wings. They encourage you to push the envelope; they encourage you to think outside of the box. Obviously, as a writer, that’s just the most liberating, great thing. Now, it can lead to complete disaster, I feel. [Laughs.] It’s like they say. In some ways, writing free verse is the hardest thing to do. Writing a sonnet is easy, because it’s got to be iambic pentameter, it’s got to be 16 lines, it’s got to have this rhyming scheme. So, there’s a sense that it’s almost easier to do the network thing, but it’s much more rewarding to do the paid-cable thing if you hit it, if you nail it.
AVC: In the pilot, Saul’s the one guy we’ve seen a lot of times before: the grizzled mentor who helps out the hero. How did you set about making him his own guy?
AG: Saul’s character is a direct descendent of a couple John le Carré characters: George Smiley [of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy] and Gunther Bachmann, if you’ve read A Most Wanted Man. He is very much in the Cold War-era mode: an old-school CIA operative who trained and learned his craft overseas, and married his wife overseas. So, he became our father figure. He became the paternal, grounding moral center of the intelligence universe for us.
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Mandy [Patinkin] was always our first choice. I was in college, and I had a girlfriend who was a huge musical theater fan, and she always wanted me to come into New York to go see some show. And I was always, like, “I’m not going to go see any musical theater; I’m not a musical theater guy.” And finally, she said, “Look, I’m breaking up with you if you don’t come to this show.” So I got on the train, and I met her in New York, and we went to go see Mandy and Bernadette Peters in Sunday In The Park With George. It’s all about making art: “Finishing the Hat,” “Move On,” all these songs. And I remember at the end of the first act, I had tears streaming down my face. I was just so moved by the performance, and I turned to this girl who I was with and said, “That is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” and she looked at me and said, “Yeah, that was okay.” [Laughs.]
Anyway, ever since then, Mandy has been on my mind, and I’ve always wanted to work with him. He had such a profound effect on my life at that point. Interestingly enough, he also wore a beard in that show, in Sunday In The Park With George. So, the first thing we did after he read the pilot, I said, “Man, you gotta do me one favor: You gotta grow the beard back.” So he grew the beard back, and I think in a way it makes him more approachable and more appealing, and certainly in this role I think it really helped. There’s something about the beard that softens him.
[pagebreak]
AVC: Did you write a lot of these parts with actors in mind? In another interview you said you wrote Carrie vaguely with Claire Danes in mind.
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AG: Oh, not vaguely at all. These things are all serendipity. Obviously, having been huge fans of Claire since My So-Called Life. It’s interesting, because Chip Johannessen, one of the writers on the show, was working on [Beverly Hills,] 90210 when My So-Called Life was on, and apparently the staff of 90210 would watch My So-Called Life and say, “Now, that’s how we should have done the story.” We were all huge Claire Danes fans forever, but certainly, mostly because of that show. Then, as we were developing this, Temple Grandin aired on HBO, and she came back on our radar. We started calling the character Claire from the get-go, thinking there’s no chance in hell we’re going to get her. Will she come to television? Probably not, she’s got a feature career. So the casting of that role and the Saul role were our wish list: Mandy and Claire, and we were lucky to get both of them.
AVC: How about Damian Lewis and Morena Baccarin?
AG: I’ve seen Damian on the West End in a couple of plays, some Noël Coward plays, and I knew of him also from Band Of Brothers and I knew of him from that short-lived show on NBC, Life. Once you have a failed series on the air, like Life, it was hard to get Damian approved. There were some ultimatums that were laid down whether or not we could cast him. Somebody said at some point, “Over my dead body, Damian Lewis.” We found this little independent movie by Lodge Kerrigan called Keane. I remember it was like 6:30 or 7:00 one night in my office, and I had just heard this “Over my dead body” comment. So I was about ready to move on. We were just not going to push for Damian. I was on Netflix, and I said, “People have been mentioning this move Keane over and over to me. I’m going to see if I can instantly stream it.” So, luckily, it was stream-able. I watched the first 45 minutes of the film. Damian just holds the frame pretty much himself for the first 45 minutes of the film. He is so compelling to watch and so ambiguous in his performance. He plays, I guess, a paranoid-schizophrenic father who lost his daughter. Now, it’s 10 years later and he’s still laying around, and it’s really just an amazingly powerful performance.
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So I called the network and the studio and said, “You know, you guys have to watch this.” To their credit, they watched the film, and the next morning, we were making an offer to Damian Lewis. Now that role, in a way, is the toughest role in the show. Claire’s role is obviously difficult too, but Damian, certainly through the course of the first number of episodes, has to play this strange combination of a Norman Rockwell-like soldier returning from war, but at the same time somebody that is hiding something and that may either be suffering from this PTSD thing or damaged somehow by his captivity, or, you know, with a big secret. That was really hard. It was very difficult to find somebody that we were confidant could play that complexity.
“Grace” (Oct. 9, 2011)
Carrie’s surveillance of Brody steps up, but she’s stymied by her team’s failure to get a camera in the garage—where Brody spends a surprising amount of time.
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AVC: One of the big things that was fraught around 24 or any thriller in the last 10 years is this question of how to deal with Muslim terrorists. With Brody being Muslim, how did you guys feel your way around that?
AG: These were issues that we had dealt with on 24, as you might imagine. I can’t remember whether it was the seventh or eighth season of 24, but there was a character, an imam. I think it was one of two brothers, and they were Muslim immigrants in this country, and Jack Bauer was convinced that one of them was a terrorist. It turned out that he was wrong and that they were both actually completely innocent. I remember calls coming in from people saying, “That is so dangerous—to portray an innocent Muslim on television. That’s a dangerous message to be sending out to the world.” Now on the flipside of it there were people who were like, “Of course, you know, it’s crazy [to think all Muslims are terrorists].” Howard has had much interface with the Muslim community in the United States, and particularly with Muslim actors, so we were very sensitive to all these questions.
That said, we were dealing with a suspected terrorist, and we were about to reveal the fact that he had been converted in captivity. We did the obvious things. We did a lot of research about the religion. We did a lot of research about what a POW who had suffered extreme isolation and torture might need to reach out to in that circumstance to keep himself sane. And we played on people’s fears. We wanted to challenge people’s assumption that if he had indeed been converted to Islam, did that necessarily make him a terrorist? That was the primary question in that episode that we were building to. You see a man who is struggling with the reintegration back into his life. There are clues that are dropped that indeed he may have been turned in captivity, and when we reveal at the end that he had been converted to Islam, what does the confluence of all those narrative strands mean? How can we test an audience to really question their own preconceptions about this? So that was sort of the thematic course of that episode. That’s what we were building to. That’s the question we were trying to pose.
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AVC: These episodes deal with Carrie’s surveillance of Brody. At the time, a lot of people worried you guys were endorsing the surveillance state. How did you deal with depicting that without necessarily coming out and saying, “This is just great?”
AG: You never know how people are going to respond to these things. We thought that we laid the pipe in the pilot and in the episode of “Grace.” The huge complexity of Carrie’s decision to put cameras and microphones in this guy’s house and that it was really an invasion of his civil liberties and that it was morally questionable—I don’t know how anybody can come away from those episodes thinking that we were endorsing that—which is not to say that we weren’t endorsing it! We were saying, “Look, here’s a woman with a strong suspicion. She’s a little nuts; she went to an extreme measure to prove her point; she went against her mentor; she’s breaking the law; she’s risking federal prison.” All these things—we felt we were very rigorous about showing that she wasn’t doing it just for the hell of it. She understood what she was doing. She understood that there was a moral question about it. We were not endorsing it in any way, shape, or form. We had seen movies like The Conversation and The Lives Of Others, which were huge influences on Homeland. There’s something incredibly powerful about one human being listening in and watching the private life of another.
AVC: One other thing you do that’s really interesting with the surveillance is build this chemistry between two people who never meet. How did you deal with building that central relationship when you couldn’t have the two actors on screen together?
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AG: Your previous question answers that. Before we were able to intersect their lives, we did that by Carrie’s watching. We’re jumping ahead a couple of episodes, but in the break between the third and fourth episodes, we did a time jump. There was this sense that Carrie had been watching Brody and had started really to get to know him quite well, to know where he kept his tie, where he kept his clothes, what his habits were. It was by using her surveillance of him that from her side, it became more a personal thing than a professional thing, and that line was blurring, too. That’s how we solved the problem that intersecting their lives was going to feel forced too soon. Honestly, it’s one of the things we’re most proud of—that we were able, over the course of the entire season, to create a bond between two people who really didn’t spend that much time together.
AVC: You also introduce the character of Lynne Reed, who is a window into the world of the terrorist Abu Nazir. How did you build his plot when he was never onscreen?
AG: At some level, one of the things we tried to do during the episodes was in large part a response to the idea that we were telling a thriller. We had to make sure that we paid homage to the genre. That required us, usually toward the end of episodes, to reveal something or to make it clear that there actually was a viable and real plot against America that was going on and that Nazir was behind this, so that even though Carrie may be wrong about Brody, there was something really going on. That was important to push the story forward episode after episode after episode. I think that’s what built the anxiety in the audience that, whether it was Brody or not, something was going on.
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The first character that made this clear to the audience was Lynne Reed. The actress who played the part [Brianna Brown], I thought did a fantastic job, again in a very abbreviated amount of time. She was able to really make you care about her and was ultimately a patriot in a way. Though what she was doing with the Saudi prince you can look at again and disagree with her moral choice. It was the first validation of Carrie’s thesis, and so she became a very, very central figure in the story and as it relates to Abu Nazir.
AVC: At this point, you were plotting out the whole season, instead of just the pilot. How much did you know about Brody’s motivations at this point? Did you know he was a terrorist?
AG: Yes, we did. We knew that Brody had been turned.
When we first finished the pilot, it was a very binary question. Has he or hasn’t he been turned? As we moved through the season, we realized that, well actually, that’s not the most interesting question. Once we answer that question, the far more interesting question is, will he go through with it? So if you look at the season that way, you can really break it down into two parts. The first one is really asking that first binary question, and the second one is asking what we thought was a more interesting question which was, when he’s integrated back into his family, when he’s back in America, will he go through with what he’s agreed to go through? However, we didn’t know what he was going to do exactly. We knew he’d had this relationship with Issa. That was a part of our original conception of the character. We knew he’d established this bond. We knew Issa was dead. We knew the drone program was going to be the target of his attack, but we didn’t know how it was going to happen. At one point we thought, well, maybe he gets into the drone center and has some homing device and is able to send some guided missile into the drone center. We talked for a while about the drone pilot who actually pushed the button. We didn’t really know how he was going to perpetrate his attack, and it wasn’t until midway through the season that we settled on the suicide vest, which I’m sure we’ll talk about later.
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“Clean Skin” (Oct. 16, 2011)
The Brody family prepares to go on national television, as Carrie searches desperately for proof that she’s right.
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AG: We were very much at this stage of the season in the writer’s room all just getting to know each other. There were a couple of writers, Moira Walley-Beckett, who writes on Breaking Bad, and Rolin Jones, who worked on Friday Night Lights, who were still a part of the staff at that time. They were really part of these first two episodes, and they were writers who were much more interested in the family dynamics of the Brody family than, for example, Howard, who was much more suspicious of whether or not an audience would be at all interested in the fact that, for example, Dana and Jessica had not been connecting in their lives and Brody being re-insinuated into the family was going to affect the dynamic of that relationship. There was a lot of concern about whether anyone would give a shit about that. Chip [Johannessen], who wrote the episode, and Moira, and Alexander [Cary], and Rolin, and frankly me, as well, we were all convinced that that was going to be an interesting part of the show. But, we didn’t know. We had no idea.
So we sat down and we started to plant the seeds of what happened in the finale, and that is that, of all the people in Brody’s immediate family, it was Dana with whom he was able to reconnect immediately. So what we tried to do in the episode was to show that re-acquaintance between father and daughter and how that would threaten the mom. That was really the thrust of the family story in that episode. I think we were successful largely because it led to something perverse and profound, and that is the masturbation scene between Brody and Jessica. In other words, Jessica, who is unable to connect with him sexually after the pilot, sees this relationship happening between father and daughter, between her daughter and her husband, and in an attempt to connect with Brody himself, reaches out to him sexually, and it turns into a humiliating experience. So we were planting the seeds of this family that was just trying to get to know each other again. That was the impetus for the episode. We tried to spend as much time on that story as we could as kind of a test case as to whether anybody would be interested in exploring these kind of ideas in the context of Brody’s return.
AVC: Even the most lenient networks get a little nervous about this sort of family drama. Did you have any pushback on that level?
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AG: We had no pushback. I have to say that there was only one big area of pushback that the network had all season long. Honestly, everybody in that room, Chip, Meredith [Stiehm], Alex, and Henry [Bromell], these are all just the best writers I’ve ever worked with. The scripts, for the most part were so beautifully wrought and written. First-year president at Showtime, first-year president at Fox 21 [the show’s production studio]—if you think that was easy, then you know, there was a lot of second-guessing and a lot of, “Is this going to work? Are we doing the right thing? Should this be a psychological thriller? Is anybody going to care about the family?” All these questions were swirling around, so there was a lot of anxiety, but when the scripts were delivered, they were at such a high level that everybody thought it was worth a shot. I guess the answer is, at the story stage, yes, but once the scripts started coming in, we realized that we were firing on all cylinders.
AVC: The relationship between Jessica and Mike is vital to the season, but it’s a relationship that the viewer never really gets to see the bulk of it. How did you go about building that relationship?
AG: The germ of the relationship, the germ of the idea of the relationship came from the Israeli series, in which one of the prisoners of war comes back and finds that his wife has married his brother. So that was the starting point for the Mike and Jessica relationship, although we made it Brody’s best friend rather than his brother, because it just felt way too incestuous, and it felt too important in a way. It would have been too much of a betrayal on Mike’s part if he had been Brody’s brother, so we made it a friend.
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Ultimately, it grew out of those scenes in the pilot where our goal was to create a situation where nobody was to blame. In other words, for all intents and purposes, Jessica thought Brody was dead. She waited a long time. She and Mike both loved Brody in their own ways, and it was just natural that they would come together. So we chose to make the Mike and Jessica relationship an impediment to Brody’s reintegrating back into the family. Initially, in the first draft of the finale, it was actually Mike who appeared at the house when Dana and Carrie were having their confrontation about whether or not Dana was going to call the dad in the bunker. It was actually Mike who showed up, and it turned physical between Mike and Carrie. It became more emotionally true to have Jessica show up instead, but Mike was originally meant to come back in the finale, and he got written out.
AVC: The character of Virgil is almost a comic-relief character. There’s a lot of dark and brooding drama in the show. How did you come to the decision to have this very funny guy hanging around the edges?
AG: In some ways, it was another reaction to 24, which was so relentlessly un-ironic and so earnest all of the time. We felt that it would be great to get somebody who humanized Carrie at some level and made her laugh—someone with whom she was easier, someone outside of the intelligence community, someone who wasn’t a family member, someone with whom she connected in a way that wasn’t sexual. All those things we felt were important because—look, we were all concerned that Carrie was going to be just relentlessly unlikable. So we wanted to populate her life with people who loved her. Virgil was one of those people, and we wanted to differentiate him from her sister, her father, Saul, and Estes, and make it someone with whom she was extremely comfortable, who was a bit of a character himself. That was the genesis. As often happens in these things, it’s the first scene with characters that are really important, and if you remember in the pilot, the first scene is with Virgil. Carrie comes into the Brody house, and Virgil is there with his nutty brother, and so we were able to establish a little bit of offbeat comedy. The last series I created that was on the air, that I was credited with creating, was Maximum Bob, which was full of these whacked-out characters, and so we tried to get a little bit of that in here as well.
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AVC: The terrorist plot, looking at the season as a whole, moves in pods. You have the Lynne Reed episodes, and then you have the Aileen and Faisel episodes, and then you have the “what’s Brody going to do” episodes. How did you come to that way of structuring the story, and how did you decide to kill off Lynne Reed so quickly?
AG: Frankly, that was story-room stuff. I have a couple of things about the season that I’m not particularly happy with. One of those things is, we would create a character and kill ’em; we’d create another character and kill that person; we’d create another character, and you know. [Laughs.] It was Faisel, and it was Lynn Reed. It was the Saudi diplomat; it was Tom Walker. I think we got into a little bit of a repetitive narrative strategy in that.
Interestingly enough, by doing it as you said, in these pods, it sort of let the story breathe in a way that the Brody-Carrie stuff was not breathing, because that was so intense that we were able to introduce these other characters. For example, I would not say that the Aileen/Faisel relationship, as portrayed in script and on camera, was entirely successful. I didn’t really feel that I understood that relationship in a way that I wish we had. However, where it got to with Saul and Aileen in the car on that cross-country interrogation was worth the fact that we didn’t nail the previous relationship as well as we might have.
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Look for part two, covering episode four, “Semper I,” through episode six, “The Good Soldier,” tomorrow.Millions of Muslims have arrived in Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform the sacred ritual of Hajj. In understanding the pilgrimage, many like to focus on the history and symbolism behind it.
According to the Muslim narrative, Hajj is a reenactment of some of the key events in the life of the Patriarch Abraham and his family, who were in Makkah millennia ago. The events mark manifestations of Abraham’s obedience and total submission to Allah’s will, as well as a rejection of Satan and his ways. Performing Hajj is supposed to be a reaffirmation of Abraham’s path.
There is a broader motive that underlies the practice of pilgrimage, which makes it a human practice irrespective of religion or tradition. Abdullah Hamidaddin
While many Muslims adopt this narrative about what they do when they perform Hajj, I believe there is a broader motive that underlies the practice of pilgrimage; a motive that makes pilgrimage a human practice irrespective of religion or tradition.
Hajj before advent of Islam
To start with, it worth remembering that Arabs performed Hajj well before the advent of Islam. While we do not know what Hajj meant to them, we can safely assume that they had a different world view from Arabs after Islam, thus a different narrative than what we know today.
Thus to explain the continuity of Hajj amongst Arabs – pre- and post-Islam – we need to explain it in non-Islamic terms. That is, if we want to understand how we as Muslims today think about Hajj it would be enough to understand the meanings we associate with it. But if we want to understand why we – as people – perform Hajj in the first place then we need to think outside the realm of Islam.
This applies to understanding the different forms of pilgrimage all societies perform. Each year millions of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews and others perform some sort of practice that takes the form of leaving one’s home and moving to another place, which is usually sacred. To understand pilgrimage we need to understand the common denominator between those different people who adhere to different faiths, beliefs and historical traditions.
Collective affirmation of faith
One probable motive is the need for collective affirmation of faith. People who find harmony and satisfaction from their faith also find a need to publicly affirm that faith and to see others doing the same. Pilgrimage in this sense is a form of mutual collective affirmation of faith. In this way pilgrimage is like what followers of faith do in their weekly congregations but at a larger scale and beyond the immediate location of the believer.
One interesting insight made about the religious practice of pilgrimage is that it is essentially a move away from structure to anti-structure. Our societies are organized by roles and statuses, and our day to day lives are constrained and bounded by those. One cannot be a person without being from somewhere, doing something, and belonging to a certain point in the socio-political and economical hierarchy; one lives in a structure.
According to that idea, pilgrimage in its essence is a technique that creates an experience away from structures; it is a way of liberating one’s sense of self from the various imagined constraints we live – a momentary living in an antistructure.
This idea makes more sense to me than pilgrimage being an affirmation of faith, and it relates quite closely to the way Hajj is practiced. The limitations placed on the Muslim pilgrim all seem to erode the different social structures of the different pilgrims and create a new ‘non-structure’.
There is another explanation to pilgrimage, which is even more appealing to me. Some anthropological studies suggest that pilgrimage is a quest for something different or authentic. It is performed by wanderers whose movement from one place to another is driven by a purpose of self-reflection and the desire to discover new people and new places. Pilgrimage according to this is a form of wandering which has an end point from which one returns back to his or her place of origin, albeit after having undergone an experience akin to rebirth.
Whether it is to the River Ganges in India, Lourdes in France, a temple in Thailand, Makkah in Saudi Arabia – and whether it is to affirm faith, or to be liberated from structures, or to wander – pilgrimage is a universal behavior, practiced by most humans. Its roots are to be found in our human nature rather than in the religion or tradition one follows. When looking at the performances pilgrims undertake, it would be useful to consider them as small details in a wider picture. And this picture is one of humans expressing some of their deepest urges to connect with each other, and to discover their innermost selves.
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Abdullah Hamidaddin is a writer and commentator on religion, Middle Eastern societies and politics with a focus on Saudi Arabia and Yemen. He is currently a PhD candidate in King’s College London. He can be followed on Twitter: @amiq1
Last Update: Monday, 21 September 2015 KSA 10:44 - GMT 07:44STEVE CANNANE, PRESENTER: Joining us from Seoul in South Korea is John Delury, Assistant Professor of East Asia Studies at Yonsei University. He's a regular visitor to North Korea. He was in Pyongyang in January as part of a delegation that included Google chairman Eric Schmidt.
John Delury, welcome to Lateline.
JOHN DELURY, EAST ASIA STUDIES, YONSEI UNIVERSITY: Thank you. Good to be with you.
STEVE CANNANE: Over-the-top rhetoric coming out of Pyongyang is nothing new. How serious should we be treating this latest round of threats to the US and to South Korea?
JOHN DELURY: Well, it's been at a sort of fever pitch for a sustained period of time, so I think, although as your report indicated, if you talk to a lot of people, South Koreans have seen this for years and decades, so the mood, you know, here was stoic about it. Still, many North Korea watchers have been concerned that some kind of conflict, the risk of conflict were really increasing over the last couple of weeks, especially some kind of localised conflict, say, on the sea border between the two Koreas. And then the concern was with the new South Korean doctrines of response, that that could quickly escalate into something out of control.
STEVE CANNANE: What is the significance of moves like tearing up the 1953 armistice and also the closing down of the military hotline between the two countries?
JOHN DELURY: Yeah, I think, you know, those are a little less unprecedented than it might appear. A standard position that North Korea takes is the 1953 armistice is not really worth the paper it's written on anyway. North Korea consistently demands negotiation of a peace treaty, and in fact that's part of the six-party talks. The deal is before North Korea completely denuclearises, they get a peace treaty, they get a so-called permanent peace regime on the Peninsula. So for them to say, "We're completely discarding the armistice," is actually part of a standard position for them which is to say, "... because we need to replace the armistice with a peace treaty."
STEVE CANNANE: What about the issue of the hotlines because there were several hotlines operating between the two countries. They shut down the humanitarian hotline last month; now they've shut down the military hotline. Is there a concern that if the two nations aren't talking that this could lead to a miscalculation on the side of North Korea and it could lead to a situation where it would make it very difficult to prevent a certain situation from escalating?
JOHN DELURY: Yes. Those hotlines - that was unnerving when they cut off the hotline. For example, one of the incidents people are aware of in 2010, there was an artillery attack on a South Korean-held island, and the morning of that attack North Korea used that hotline to tell the South, "Don't go through with those exercises today or we're going to do something about it." So that's a very clear example of how the hotlines do communicate real information. Now, South Korea went through with its exercises and of course North Korea then attacked the island. So, it's - the same logic holds with the hotlines as with the armistice, which is that, you know, what North Korea really wants is high-level political dialogue with leaders, especially with Washington, but I think also with South Korea. So, again, throwing out these ultimately very low-level hotlines is to say, "if you really want to channel with us, we need to do it at a much higher level."
STEVE CANNANE: If you look at the photo released last week of Kim Jong-un in his war room where he's apparently signing the order for North Korea's strategic rocket forces to be on standby to fire at US targets, in the background there is a map with the heading "US mainland strike plan". How far off is North Korea from being able to land missiles on the US mainland?
JOHN DELURY: Well, you know, that's a critical question and that's something that military analysts keep looking at, you know, and some would say it's a three-to-five-year, some would say it's more of a 10-year. But obviously, you know, the Pentagon took it seriously enough and the Obama administration took it seriously enough that they announced a major new missile defence program to respond to that threat down the road, I think scheduled for 2017. So that gives us an indication of when the Pentagon on when it needs to have missile defences ready for that kind of capability. I mean, certainly they're making progress with their long-range rocket/missile technology, as we saw with a pretty much successful launch in December, so that's certainly a cause for concern.
STEVE CANNANE: What do you think is driving the rhetoric this time round? Is it a response to the US? Is it a response to the sanctions from the UN? Is it possibly something more to do with a new president in South Korea and testing her mettle out?
JOHN DELURY: I would say all of the above. I mean, if we pick apart this recent cycle, it did start with North Korea's satellite launch. They've insisted before that this is peaceful. They say they're following all the international protocols. They consider it cruel hypocrisy that they're not allowed to launch satellites, but everyone else, including Iran, including South Korea, can. So they're very adamant on that point. In my interactions with North Korean officials, they've consistently emphasised that point. So they take great umbrage at the UN Security Council response and to the US role in that response. So that ticked off this latest cycle, but then of course, they came back with a nuclear test and it's just kind of gone from bad to worse.
As you point out, domestic politics in North Korea are certainly feeding into this because Kim Jong-un is a young leader, still establishing himself after only the second political transition in North Korea's history. The first was when his grandfather died and the second was when his father died. Meanwhile, we have a new leader in South Korea, we have a new leader in Japan, we have a new leader in China. So there's a great deal of transition/instability as all of these leaders set their new foreign policy strategies and consolidate their authority domestically, so that's all feeding into this.
STEVE CANNANE: Kim Jong-un is very inexperienced, as you point out. He's only 30 years old. He had very little experience in military or politics before he took over from his father. What do we know about him and the people who are advising him at the moment?
JOHN DELURY: Well, we know more about the people who are advising him and there've been some very important reshuffling of that leadership recently. Even just today we learned about some important promotions. So, we know the team around him, but there's still a lot of question marks about Kim Jong-un himself. He's presented a very different style than Kim Jong-il in terms of political style, in terms of - he's sort of a populist so far. If you study his moves, he goes out and he's constantly hugging people and kissing children - you know, that sort of politico style, which is quite different. He gives public speeches. In his speeches, he will talk about corruption in the party and talk about the need to change the old ideological way of doing things.
So, he's - I think what he's trying to do, or the people who are producing him are trying to do, is turn his weakness, his youth, into his strength, to say he's got dynamism, he's got energy. But again, he's so young that we really don't know enough and the problem is no-one's really sitting down and talking with him, except someone like Dennis Rodman. So, we - I think there's really a need for a higher level political dialogue so that we can get a better sense of who we're dealing with.
STEVE CANNANE: Well let's talk more about US engagement because Mike Chinoy, the author of Meltdown, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post on the weekend and he said, "Every time Pyongyang has faced pressure, sanctions and coercion, it has responded in precisely the same way by |
thousands over the past three years, several officials said. Overseas, about 5,000 to 7,000 people suspected of terrorist ties are monitored at one time, according to those officials."
The paper also notes that additional information was omitted, again at the request of the Bush administration. The allegations at hand would seem to quickly dovetail into, 'Why?'
Make that, Senators too?
On July 9, 2008, the US Senate passed a bill expanding legal authority for electronic wiretaps by spy agencies, handing victory to President George W. Bush after a standoff over anti-terror strategy. Then-Senator Obama, along with newly appointed Secretary of State Clinton, said they would support Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn) in filibustering the GOP effort, specifically when it came to immunity for the private telecom companies which allowed the NSA to conduct warrantless spying.
Obama ultimately "compromised," saying: "The President's illegal program of warrantless surveillance will be over. It restores FISA and existing criminal wiretap statutes as the exclusive means to conduct surveillance making it clear that the President cannot circumvent the law and disregard the civil liberties of the American people."
Clinton maintained her position, voting against the majority.
"I've never seen contempt for the rule of law such as this," said Sen. Dodd in Dec. 2007.
With this latest round of revelations, perhaps another new question should be, 'Has Obama?'
Tice reappeared on Countdown the following night, bearing new allegations against the NSA.
This video is from MSNBC's Hardball, broadcast Jan. 22, 2009.
Download video via RawReplay.com
Further reading:
Whistleblower: NSA spied on everyone, targeted journalists19 questions ahead of Raptors-Pacers
William Lou Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 14, 2016
You won’t find a more comprehensive preview of Raptors-Pacers anywhere else.
1. How to stop Paul George
George is by far the Pacers’ best player. He’s in discussions to make his third All-NBA team, he ranks in the top-10 in scoring, and he’s stood toe-to-toe against prime LeBron James in past playoff series. He’s going to be a problem.
But here’s an encouraging sign: the Raptors did a decent job of stopping him in the regular season. George averaged 16 points per game while shooting 31 percent from the floor in four meetings against the Raptors. If that trend continues, the Raptors could be looking at a sweep.
Here’s his shot chart from their four meetings this season:
George’s shot chart vs. TOR
George’s shot distribution speaks to his propensity to launch jumpers. He’s absolutely terrifying when he uses his athleticism to attack the basket, but George isn’t really a slasher. He averages 5.4 drives per game, which is less than even a bench player like Cory Joseph. He also commits turnovers on 11 percent of his drives, which is substantially higher than someone like Joseph (4.3) or DeRozan (4.0).
The key with George is to keep him from going middle. If you force him baseline, he usually settles into the midrange jumper, or tries to crossover along the baseline to create a path to the hoop. But he won’t seek out contact like DeRozan, and he much prefers to stick to the perimeter.
I have a hunch that the Raptors will stick with Norman Powell in the starting lineup, so that puts the onus on DeRozan to check George. DeRozan fared well in that match-up, holding George to 7–24 shooting in their last meeting. DeRozan should be able to hang in isolation, but he can be lazy chasing shooters around for spot-ups, and that’s where George is really deadly.
2. Stat comparison
source: NBA Stats
3. Who is Solomon Hill and why is he important?
Ask a Raptors fan that’s been paying attention, and they’ll tell you all about the importance of Patrick Patterson. The stats don’t jump off the page, but he’s a versatile defender, he doesn’t force his shot, and he’s a perfect compliment next to some high-usage scorers.
Hill is that same way. He’s a bulky wing that has enough quickness to stick with guards, and enough bulk to bang with power forwards. He gives the Pacers the ability to switch, and he’s liable to blow up many of the Raptors’ dribble-handoff (DHO) and pick-and-roll (PnR) action.
Look how Hill’s switch completely neutralizes Patterson and Joseph’s DHO.
Hill’s ability to handle the ball and finish in traffic also gives the Pacers a different dimension. Indiana only scores well in fullcourt scenarios, and Hill gives them the luxury of having four wings on the court without sacrificing anything on defense. He can’t really shoot (32.4 percent from deep), but the Pacers will lean heavily on Hill to match-up when Casey puts Patterson or Carroll on the floor.
The Pacers often turn to Hill to play power forward when they downsize for defense. They do the same with C.J. Miles when they need offense.
4. Good and bad Monta Ellis
The Pacers made a mistake when they grabbed Ellis in the offseason. The idea was to have Ellis be a slashing-and-kick creator, but he’s lost a step since his glory days with the We Believe Warriors, and he really can’t generate efficient offense in the halfcourt.
Ellis has always thrived playing PnR, but he can no longer get to the rim and finish the way he used to. He’s shooting 55.9 percent in the restricted area on three attempts, which is decent, but he only takes 2.7 free throws per 36 minutes. Compare that to 3.7 threes attempted per 36. That’s where Ellis is at in his career.
There are only two ways Ellis can hurt the Raptors.
The first is if he gets hot with the jumper. Ellis’ go-to move is to curl around a high screen before pulling-up at the elbow. He’s at 40 percent on the year on those shots (a totally acceptable figure for the defense), but when he’s hitting those, there’s not much you can do.
The second is if Ellis picks up a head of steam in transition and semi-transition opportunities. Once he gets two full steps, Ellis morphs back into the whirling dervish that breaks down your defense for kickouts. The key will be for whoever is guarding him to pick him up early before he steps across halfcourt.
5. Indiana’s midrange problem
It’s a bit ironic that the Pacers are trying to play smallball, but that they also rank fourth in midrange shots attempted per game. The idea with going small is to put more shooters on the floor to spread the defense. The Pacers downsize and then take bad shots.
It speaks to personnel. As mentioned previously, Ellis and George love working at the elbows (there’s a real redundancy when they share the court), but it’s not just their wings. Frank Vogel runs a lot of his offense through his bigs and they love hoisting midrange shots too. Myles Turner is a pick-and-pop or spot-up threat who, again, shoots a bunch of midrange shots. Even Ian Mahimni likes to try his luck from the dreaded no-fly zone.
The key here is to not overreact if the Pacers get hot. They’ll make some shots from the midrange, but the Raptors definitely should prioritize taking away the hoop, and closing down 3-point shooters. No matter how hot they get, Indiana cannot conjure up enough efficient offense if they’re mostly firing away from the midrange area.
6. What is Indiana’s team identity
Happy family photo
The Pacers are very much a team without an identity, and it’s been that way since preseason.
Rewind 10 months back to last offseason. Pacers president Larry Bird saw where the league was trending, and put forth a plan to rebuild his team around Paul George as the power forward. He let all his bigs walk (Scola, Hibbert, West), then used all his cap room to amass a crop of guards (Ellis, Stuckey, Budinger). Bird envisioned a run-and-gun team with a walking mismatch in George.
There was only one problem: George didn’t want to play power forward. He bickered with Bird in the media about the position change, and after one shot at it in preseason (it produced mixed results), George moved back to the wing, and C.J. Miles was tabbed as the power forward. And while that effectively achieved what Bird wanted (four wings, one big), that lineup faltered midway through the season on account of not being able to defend, nor secure rebounds.
The Pacers then changed course and slotted in a traditional lineup with two bigs, but they didn’t have enough frontcourt talent. Lavoy Allen, Jordan Hill, Ian Mahinmi, Myles Turner — those are solid bench pieces, not starters.
So who are the Pacers? Well, they built a team to play fast, but oddly enough, they’re at their best when they play slow. What they really are is lesson in organizational structure: Having the star player in lockstep with the coach and the general manager is more important than schematics.
7. The importance of live-ball turnovers
I have the utmost faith that the Raptors can dominate the Pacers in a halfcourt game. A slow tempo favors the Raptors. Lowry, DeRozan, and Valanciunas are tough to stop in any setting, and keeping the pace to a crawl allows the Raptors to set their defense.
The only way Indiana can generate enough offense is through causing turnovers, and making it a fullcourt game. The Pacers are the league’s best team in points off turnovers (18.9 per game) despite ranking seventh in turnovers forced. Outside of Ellis, the Pacers don’t gamble for steals, but as soon as opponents cough up the ball, they’re off to the races.
Fortunately, the Raptors don’t turn the ball over very often. They hold the sixth-best turnover ratio (percentage of possessions ending in a turnover). But the Raptors’ offense does rely on precise side-to-side swing passes to reverse the ball from the strongside to spark weakside attacks, and the Pacers might look to intercept those.
The cost for the Pacers in pressing up high on those swing passes is that it leaves the lane open for drives if they don’t get the steal. But my guess is that Indiana will overload the ball and hunt for steals instead of keeping it in a halfcourt setting that doesn’t favor them.
Vogel’s scheme is conservative, meaning that they generally hang back to protect the basket, and don’t commit too many help defenders to the ball. But once their offense sputters, look for Vogel to turn up the pressure with a smallball lineup featuring Miles or Solomon Hill at power forward.
Ellis-G.Hill-George-Miles-Mahinmi — 20 turnovers caused per 48 minutes
Ellis-G.Hill-George-S.Hill-Mahinmi — 17.8 turnovers caused per 48 minutes
8. Will the real Terrence Ross please stand up
I’ve defended Ross in the past, but there’s no sugarcoating how horrendous he’s been in the Raptors’ last two playoff runs. Save for that clutch steal that nearly led to the Raptors beating the Nets in 2014, Ross has been abysmal.
Here’s two quick stats:
3.6 — Ross’ PER in 11 playoff games
40.3 — Ross’ TS% in 11 playoff games
Twice burned, the Raptors have learned a lesson I’ve yet to grasp: don’t rely on Ross. When he’s on his game, prosper. When he’s spaced out, have a backup. That’s what Carroll and Powell provide (more below). More than anything else, the Raptors won’t be living and dying with Ross as they did in previous years.
But that doesn’t mean Ross can’t be effective. He’s thrived in his role off the bench, and he’s quietly blossomed into the 3-and-D role player that many pegged for him coming out of college. Ross is shooting 40 percent from deep and holds the third-lowest individual Defensive Rating on the team since Dec. 1.
Granted, most of Ross’ work has come against backups, and rotations will shorten in the playoffs. But Ross still figures to be a useful piece to have against Indiana. Ross has always bothered Paul George on defense (dating back to Ross’ breakout game in 2013), and he’s the most laterally quick defender on the team, which makes him an ideal counter to Monta Ellis. Ross’ shooting ability should also open up more space in the paint for drives.
The trick with Ross is to get him fully engaged, which has proven difficult. Here’s hoping Ross can overcome his demons and submit a performance in the playoffs that isn’t totally shit.
9. Defensive match-ups for Lowry and DeRozan
The Pacers won’t get cute. They’ll stick George Hill on Lowry, and Paul George on DeRozan. Indiana has the ideal defenders to match-up against Toronto’s all-star backcourt.
The Raptors will likely try to run sets to draw mismatches. Lowry loves to screen for DeRozan, but the Pacers should have no trouble switching those. Hill is strong enough to body DeRozan in the post and George can pretty much guard anybody. The Raptors might also turn to Patterson for quick DHOs to force switches, but again, that won’t be a problem if they stick Solomon Hill on Patterson, then switch Hill onto DeRozan or Lowry.
Depending on who’s on the floor with the Raptors, the Pacers will also freely help on Lowry and DeRozan’s drive. Expect plenty of scenes like the one below:
Everyone’s focused on DeRozan
DeRozan and Lowry are tremendous players, and they’ll still get their points, but it won’t be easy. Last time they played the Pacers, Lowry and DeRozan combined to take 47 of the Raptors’ 88 shots. They still managed to score 56 points and grab the win in overtime, but it would help a lot more if their teammates could step up and lessen the load.
10. How do the Pacers defend pick-and-roll?
Indiana keeps it simple. They force the ball-handler away from the middle of the floor, and drop their bigs back to prevent dribble penetration. It looks something like this:
George takes away middle, Allen prevents penetration
There should be more space to operate with Valanciunas instead of Biyombo, but generally, there won’t be a lot of room for Lowry and DeRozan to work with — it’s been that way all season. They could negotiate more space with a stretch forward like Patterson at the top of the key instead of the flat formation they have in the picture above, but making that pass could invite Indiana to jump the passing lanes and get into transition.
In previous years, the Wizards and Nets opted to trap DeRozan and Lowry. I doubt the Pacers start out that way, but they might be forced to move in that direction if the Raptors beat their conservative scheme.
11. X-factor for Indiana
Jordan Hill — Hill is like a center version of Ross. His effort comes and goes, but he’s really talented on offense, and he can be effective on defense if he’s focused. Hill is their best bet in pick-and-roll, he’s a decent finisher around the hoop, and he can get hot from the midrange. If he’s on his game, Hill could give the Pacers a much-needed third dimension in their halfcourt offense.
Look, Hill isn’t some world beater (he’s pretty shitty on average), but there’s decent upside when he’s on his game. He’s pretty much the antithesis of Ian Mahimni, who is rock steady, but rarely amazes.
12. Can Indiana defend without fouling?
Pacers fans gonna be salty af about these two
Save for the Los Angeles Clippers, no team fouled the Raptors at a higher rate (27.8 per game) than the Indiana Pacers this season. That allowed the Raptors to take 35.3 free throws per game.
The Raptors took 35.3 free throws per game against the Pacers!
Granted, it’s just four games, and there were extenuating circumstances that fed into that massive tally. The Pacers really didn’t try at all in their fourth contest (Norman Powell had 19 FTA). In the third meeting, the Pacers couldn’t keep Biyombo off the glass (he ripped a franchise-high 25 that night) and kept fouling him. That won’t continue heading into the playoffs.
But when you break it down further, there is some validity to that number. DeRozan and Lowry both consistently got to the line (11 and 6 apiece), and they were guarded by Hill and George in each match-up. That’s a really positive sign.
13. What to do at PF: the Luis Scola conundrum
Scola has been a great veteran. By all accounts, he’s been a great mentor to the rookies, he’s always ready for games, and he runs a mean two-man game with Lowry. Scola brings all the intangibles and he should be lauded for that.
But Scola shouldn’t see much of the floor against the Pacers. There’s really no need for him to play.
Patterson should draw the bulk of minutes at power forward. He brings spacing, he’s infinitely better on defense, and he moves the ball. That’s exactly what DeRozan and Lowry need. Patterson’s ability to switch onto Paul George and George Hill is key.
Carroll should get most of the minutes behind Patterson. After spending three months no the sideline, Carroll’s conditioning is a bit lacking, but he’s looked really strong at power forward in limited stints. He bodied up Paul Millsap and recorded four steals in 14 minutes upon his return, and led a massive 25–6 run in the third quarter on Tuesday against the Sixers. Carroll brings the same switchability that Patterson does, while being a more dynamic shooting and off-the-dribble threat.
Playing Carroll and Patterson will also help the Raptors’ transition defense, which as mentioned previously, will be put to the test. Bless his heart, but Scola is 35 and was never fast to begin with. Patterson and Carroll at least give the Raptors a chance to recover.
Ultimately, the Pacers have nobody in the frontcourt that could really impose their will against either player. Lavoy Allen is mostly a pick-and-pop threat, while Mahimni lacks touch and grace around the hoop.
Sorry, Scola.
14. How will Norman Powell and DeMarre Carroll split duties?
Norman Powell should be a shoo-in for Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April after putting up 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 53.6 percent from deep. Those numbers are bonkers.
Powell has earned the right to start, and given how Casey cherishes lineup continuity, expect the rookie to draw the start. He’s been absolutely money on catch-and-shoot threes (50 percent over the last 15 games), and he’s a threat to score in transition. He hung 27 on the Pacers in their last meeting of the season.
That being said, Powell will likely be kept on a short leash, and Ross would probably replace him fairly quickly if he fucks up a defensive assignment.
Carroll should slot in as the de facto backup power forward behind de facto starter Patrick Patterson, while also picking up some scant minutes at small forward if Paul George overpowers DeRozan.
That leaves a minute distribution of:
SG: Powell 15, Ross 20, Joseph 13
SF: DeRozan 40, Carroll 8
PF: Patterson 30, Scola 5, Carroll 13
15. Frank Vogel’s pet plays
Vogel is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the league, and he deserve all the praise in the world for consistently constructing ironclad defenses. But he has never once had an offense that was better than league average.
The Pacers pretty much run the same plays as the Raptors. Here’s one where they dump it into the high post, then run pin-downs to free up a wing player. The Raptors run that exact same play for DeRozan and Ross all the time.
Here’s another cover from the Raptors’ greatest hits. The Pacers run a pick-and-roll on one side, before quickly swinging it to the weakside for another pick-and-roll.
The Raptors’ offense is far more efficient despite running the same sets because the Raptors actually have players who can get all the way to the basket, and they can draw fouls, whereas the Pacers often settle for midrange shots.
Vogel does have a few interesting wrinkles out of timeouts. Here’s one where they Mahimni deep in the post. Vogel likes to feed his bigs early, then ignore them for the rest of the game (sound familiar?).
There’s also some clever sets to get George open for looks. Here’s a nice little play where George sets a ball screen, then runs around some pindowns to pop open for three.
16. Who will stop Jonas Valanciunas?
Valanciunas only played twice against the Pacers on account of Kobe Bryant breaking his hand, but he absolutely dominated them in both contests. He averaged 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game while shooting 72.2 percent from the field. Not surprisingly, Valanciunas had the third-highest Net Rating on the team.
The Pacers really only have one reliable rim protector in Ian Mahimni, but since DeRozan and Lowry put so much pressure on the defense with their drives, Valanciunas is bound to get open for dump-offs and putbacks when Mahimni rotates to help. So long as the Raptors’ guards make an emphasis to find Valanciunas, he should flourish.
Indiana’s best bet to solving Valanciunas might be to downsize, but they don’t have the personnel to pull that off. They could do something like having Lavoy Allen at center, but their wings are such shitty rebounders that Valanciunas would just feast on the glass.
I could see Casey getting frustrated and pulling Valanciunas after some Pacers big drains a few midrange shots, but that would be a mistake. Valanciunas is too great a weapon not to use.
17. How much is too much Bismack Biyombo?
The Raptors really can’t go wrong with whichever center they trot out, because they’ve both proven to be effective. Biyombo absolutely dominates the paint and the Pacers wouldn’t get anything near the rim when he’s on the floor. He’d also shut out the Pacers on the defensive glass.
The thing is, Biyombo would have a similar effect on the offense. Here’s a snapshot of how the Pacers treat Biyombo on defense. Notice all the extra bodies swarming Lowry’s drive.
Pacers swarm Lowry, Biyombo is Akon aka Mr. Lonely
Biyombo brings security in terms of having a capable backup to fill in for Valanciunas when he lands in foul trouble. But I really can’t see Valanciunas struggling much on defense, which means Biyombo should mostly be used in a limited capacity off the bench. Something like a 32–16 minute split sounds right.
18. Likely crunch-time lineups
If the Raptors need defense, they’ll put Biyombo at center. If the Pacers need offense, they’ll put C.J. Miles at power forward.
19. Prediction
Raptors in five. Expect an ugly series. Raptors drop Game 4 on the road.The Dáil has begun debating a motion of confidence in the Government.
Enda Kenny and his cabinet have tabled the motion after Sinn Féin tabled a motion calling on the government to resign.
There was been angry scenes in the Dáil with TDs complaining that debate on the new water charges system will be deferred until after midnight.
However, the three-hour debate has begun with the Taoiseach arguing that Ireland would be worse off under any other government.
“If we had followed the Sinn Féin policy in 2011 of telling the Troika to go home with their money or telling Europe to bugger off, Ireland would be trapped into a vicious circle of forced bailouts and loss of national sovereignty,” said the Taoiseach.
You can watch the debate here:The Associated Press
BEIJING -- China has scrapped its export quotas for rare earths, minerals used in mobile phones and other high-tech products, after losing a World Trade Organization case brought by Washington and other trading partners over controls that alarmed global technology producers.
The change was included in the Ministry of Commerce's trade guidelines for 2015 but there was no separate announcement. Under the new guidelines, rare earths will require an export license but the amount that can be sold abroad will no longer be covered by a quota.
China's curbs, imposed in 2009, prompted concern about supplies for global technology producers. They led to efforts to reopen or develop new mines in the United States and elsewhere, and by Japan and some other countries to recycle rare earths.
China has about 30 per cent of global deposits of rare earths but accounts for more than 90 per cent of production. It imposed export limits while it tried to build up domestic manufacturers to capture more of the profits that go to Western and Japanese producers of mobile phone batteries and other products.
Beijing cited the need to conserve a dwindling resource and limit environmental damage from mining but imposed no restrictions on production and use of rare earths by companies within China.
Chinese officials have expressed hope foreign manufacturers that use rare earths will shift production to China and give technology to local partners.
The United States challenged the quotas in 2012 in a WTO complaint and later was joined by the European Union, Japan and other governments. They said China violated its free trade commitments by limiting access to raw materials.
Rare earths are 17 minerals used to make goods including hybrid cars, weapons, flat-screen TVs, mobile phones, mercury-vapour lights and camera lenses.
The United States supplied its own rare earths needs from domestic sources until the late 1990s. Production ended after low-cost Chinese ores flooded global markets.
Beijing also tightened control over its rare earths industry by pushing companies to merge into state-owned groups and forcing smaller producers to close.
The export controls were especially sensitive at a time following the 2008 financial crisis when governments were trying to boost exports to reduce unemployment. The United States and Europe want to increase sales of high-tech goods that include products made with rare earths.
China exported 22,493 tons of rare earths in 2013 and 22,224 tons in the first ten months of 2014, according to customs data reported by state media.
The Chinese restrictions prompted some foreign manufacturers to shift to alternative materials for making magnets, polishing camera lenses and other uses.
The market price of rare earths spiked in 2011 amid fears of shortages. Prices have declined since then but are above 2010 levels.
One of the minerals, dysprosium oxide, costs $265 per kilogram ($120.50 per pound), about one-quarter its 2011 level of $994.33 per kilogram ($452 per pound). But it still is about 50 per cent above its 2010 level of $166.48 per kilogram ($75.67 per pound).
AP researcher Yu Bing contributed.President Barack Obama calls today’s Iran nuclear agreement a “comprehensive deal”, while President Rouhani says a “new chapter” has begun in his country’s relations with the world.
The UK, US, France, China, Russia and Germany have reached a deal granting Tehran economic sanctions relief in exchange for a curb on its nuclear programme.
Under the agreement, which has taken months to finalise, sanctions imposed by the US, EU and United Nations would be lifted in return for Iran scaling back its nuclear activities to ensure that it cannot build a nuclear bomb.
UN inspectors would have also access to all suspect Iranian sites, including military ones, but Iran could challenge its request for access.
The international sanctions currently in place have crippled Iran’s economy for more than a decade, slashing the country’s oil exports. Negotiations between Iran and the six world powers, known as the P5+1 group, begun in 2006.
Deal prevents ‘more war’
US President Barack Obama outlined the deal in a statement from the White House today saying the agreement prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He said no deal “would mean a greater chance of more war in the Middle East” and he is prepared to use force in the interest of national security.
Iranian Prime Minister Hassan Rouhani said the deal opened a “new chapter” in Iran’s relationship with the world and urged neighbouring countries to ignore what he called propaganda by Israel saying Iran had a shared interest in the stability of the region.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Iran, gave his support calling it a “major turning point” in the history of Iran.
“We are confident that the Islamic Republic of Iran will support, with greater drive, just causes of nations and work for peace and stability in the region and the world.” he said.
Shia powers in Iran have provided financial and diplomatic support to Assad and backed Hezbollah fighters in conflict.
The United Arab Emirates has also congratulated Iran on the agreement, marking the first official comment by Gulf Arab countries towards the deal.
Current sanctions
Sanctions on Iran have targeted the country’s key energy and financial sectors, damaging its economy.
The UN sanctions on Iran include a ban on supplying heavy weaponry and nuclear related technology to the country, and a block on arms exports and trade. They have also frozen the assets of key individuals and companies.
The EU has imposed its own sanctions, which restrict trade on equipment that could be used for uranium enrichment. There is an asset freeze on individuals and organisations that the EU believes have helped develop Iran’s nuclear programme, and a ban on transactions with Iranian banks and financial institutions.
A trade embargo banned Iran from buying western aircraft and has had a huge impact on the country’s aviation industry. Purchasing, importing and transporting Iranian crude oil and natural gas is also banned. Japan and South Korea have also imposed sanctions similar to those of the EU.
But under the new agreement, bans on Iran’s aviation will be lifted after three decades. Bans on Iran’s central bank, the National Iranian Oil Company, Iran Shipping Lines and a number of other institutions will also be lifted, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.
#IranDeal shows constructive engagement works. With this unnecessary crisis resolved, new horizons emerge with a focus on shared challenges. — Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) July 14, 2015
‘Historic mistake’
The deal comes after round-the-clock talks between the US Secretary of State Jon Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for nearly three weeks.
Mr Zarif said the deal for Iran was a “historic moment” and “a new chapter of hope”, and Mr Kerry said the US will continue to support key allies in the Middle East, marking the deal as a step away from conflict.
#IranDeal is not a ceiling but a solid foundation. We must now begin to build on it. — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 14, 2015
A roadmap has also been drawn up by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), meaning it will provide a report on Iran’s nuclear history and tackle any remaining issues by the end of the year.
“By 15 December 2015, the director general will provide the final assessment on the resolution of all past and present outstanding issues,” the IAEA’s Yukiya Amano said.
But the agreement has been met with some hostility from the Middle East, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu calling the deal a “historic mistake”.
“Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world. This is a bad mistake of historic proportions,” he said.
World powers have made far-reaching concessions in all areas that were supposed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability. — ×?× ×?×?×?×? × ×ª× ×?×?×? (@netanyahu) July 14, 2015
The deal has faced a backlash from critics in the US and Israel as US Republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham called the agreement a “death sentance for Israel”and it will “make everything worse.”
US Republican House Speaker criticised Mr Obama, accusing him of “abandoning his own goals for a deal in the course of the negotiations.”
Israel has been at the forefront of blocking any accord which lifts the sanctions on Iran and plans to ramp up its lobbying of the US Congress to reject the deal.
Minister of public security and a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, Gilad Erdan, told Israel’s Army Radio that Israel will “focus and explain all of the holes in this agreement, which will just intensify terrorism and increase Middle East chaos”.Almost 31,000 bricklayers and over 15,000 electricians will be needed over the next four years to cope with planned construction, according to the Construction Industry Federation.
As a result, the CIF has launched a website targeting Irish construction workers living overseas to fill jobs required to deliver targets in Government housing and infrastructure strategies.
The CIF says the construction industry is set to grow by 9% annually by 2020.
The Demand for Skills in Construction to 2020 report states that construction activity can sustain an additional 112,000 jobs up to 2020 with an estimated €17.8bn worth of projects in the pipeline in 2017.
The report identified the demand for the different professions and trades within the construction industry for the next three years with 30,800 carpenters and joiners, 15,200 electricians and 13,900 plasterers and tilers among the trades needed.
Director General of the CIF Tom Parlon said his organisation is also working with the Education and Training Boards to upskill those on the live register with construction experience and is trying to attract young people into the industry by highlighting the modern globalised careers available.
Construction sector sees strong growth in November - Ulster Bank PMIThe built-in backup utilities in Windows are pretty solid. Let’s take a look at how to create a full backup image of your PC without the need for a third party utility.
Open the System Backup Image Tool. In Windows 10, head to Control Panel > Backup and Restore (Windows 7) > Create a System Image. Choose where you want to save the backup image. Select the drives to back up. Start the backup. Optionally, create a system repair disc that you can use to start your computer and restore a backup image.
Normal backup programs, like CrashPlan or Windows’ built-in File History feature, essentially copy your files to another location. A system image backup, on the other hand, is like a full snapshot of an entire hard drive. The advantage of a system image is that if a hard drive crashes, you can replace it, restore the image, and have your system right back to where it was when the image was captured. No need to reinstall Windows or your apps.
The biggest disadvantage with system image backups—other than taking a bit longer—is that you can’t restore the backup to a different PC. You’re creating an image of your full Windows installation and, since Windows is set up specifically for your hardware, it just won’t work as-is in another PC. It would be like trying to plug your hard drive into another PC and expecting everything to load well. With that in mind, though, image backups can still be really handy.
Third-party apps like like Macrium Reflect or Acronis True Image—at least, the paid versions—do offer some advanced features you won’t find in the Windows system image backup tool. For example, both support incremental backups, password protected images, and the ability to browse backups for individual files. But free is free, and if you don’t need the extra features, the Windows tool offers a solid way to perform a full backup of your system.
Step One: Open System Image Backup
The process of finding the System Image Backup tool is different in Windows 7 than in Windows 8 and 10, so we’ll show you to find the tool in all versions, and then explain how to create and use the system image.
Open System Image Backup in Windows 10
In Windows 10, hit Start, type “backup,” and then select the entry.
In the “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” window, click the “Create a system image” link.
Open System Image Backup in Windows 8
In Windows 8, hit Start, type “file history,” and then select the “File History” entry.
In the “File History” window, click the “System Image Backup” link.
Open System Image Backup in Windows 7
Hit Start, click the arrow to the right of the “Getting Started” item, and then click “Back up your files.”
In the “Backup and Restore” window, click the “Create a system image” link.
Step Two: Create a System Image Backup
Once you’ve opened the system image tool, the steps for creating a system image are the same in Windows 7, 8, or 10.
When you first open the tool, it will scan your system for external drives. You can then decide where you want to save the image. It can be to an external drive, multiple DVD’s, or on a network location. Select where you want to save your backup and then click “Next.”
By default, the tool only backs up your system drive. You can include other drives if you want, but remember that this will add to the size of the final image. Typically, we like to create separate image backups for each drive.
At the confirmation screen, notice the amount of space the image may take. If anything doesn’t look right, you can still go back and make adjustments. If everything looks okay, click the “Start Backup” button.
You’ll see a progress meter as the tool creates the image.
It can take a while. In this example, we’re backing up a drive with about 319 GB of data. It took about 2.5 hours when backed up to an external hard disk connected to our PC via USB. Your time will vary depending on your PC and the type of storage to which you’re backing up.
Step Three: Create a System Repair Disc
RELATED: How to Create and Use a Recovery Drive or System Repair Disc in Windows 8 or 10
When the backup is complete, Windows gives you the option to create a system repair disc. You can use this disc to start your PC and restore from your image backup in the event you ever need to replace your hard drive and can’t start Windows. We highly recommend you go ahead and create the disc, then label and store it in a secure location.
Select the drive you want to use to create the disc and then |
wooden sticks.
The site of the protest, Collège deMaisonneuve, made headlines last month when it was reported that five of its students had left the country to join jihadists in Syria.
One of those students had also attended at least one class taught at École des compagnons, an Arabic school run by Adil Charkaoui that rents out several of the college's classrooms.
Duelling protests get tense
Tensions boiled over on Sunday afternoon outside of the CEGEP, a Quebec post-secondary school.
If defending my liberty and condemning Sharia law is being racist, then I'm racist, said one protester in French.
"No you're not. You're a Quebecer," a fellow anti-radicalization protester told him.
A couple of dozen people who said they supported Quebec's failed secular charter — a proposed bill that would have imposed rules on head coverings in Quebec — ultimately showed up at the school. About 50 people from the anti-racism camp were there to denounce them.
"They were saying racist things about Muslims [on their Facebook page], and we had to come here and tell them that we refuse such speech in the Collège de Maisonneuve," said Collège de Maisonneuve student association spokesman Rafik Bentabbel.
Accusations of terrorism rang out among the anti-Islamization protesters, while speculation circulated wildly about what, exactly, Charkaoui was teaching at his school.
Charkaoui himself is a controversial figure. In the past, the Muslim-Montrealer had been detained by the Canadian government on a security certificate he later was successful in quashing.It’s no exaggeration to say Disney has been very careful with content released from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Trailers, footage and toys have all been calculated in what’s revealed and while there’s more coming soon, there’s also stuff out there you may have missed.
I’m talking about cards released by Topps in Star Wars Card Trader. Yes, that again. Ever since Force Friday, the app has been releasing brand new Force Awakens sets featuring artwork that’s either exclusive to the app, or being used on various different pieces of merchandise: mugs, notebooks, etc. So unless you’ve been scouring the Back to School aisles, odds are, you may have missed them.
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Some of these sets are ongoing, others are complete, and some are just the same images repurposed into new designs. Either way, they’re all pretty awesome. Here are the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Topps Digital cards found in Star Wars Card Trader up to this point.
Note: Lots of these come in multiple color variants, hence the plethora of colors you see below.
First Order Widescreen
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Die Cut
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Monochrome
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Premiere
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Helmets
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Sketches
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Visages (ongoing)
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Schematics (ongoing)
Topps Classic
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[Star Wars Card Trader]
Contact the author at germain@io9.com.Spiritual Change or a Complete Revolution?
J. Krishnamurti - Book of Life - October 25
Emptiness itself brings about a complete revolution in consciousness...
For the complete mutation in consciousness to take place you must deny analysis and search, and no longer be under any influence - which is immensely difficult. The mind, seeing what is false, has put the false aside completely, not knowing what is true. f you already know what is true, then you are merely exchanging what you consider is false for what you imagine is true. There is no renunciation if you know what you are going to get in return. There is only renunciation when you drop something not knowing what is going to happen. That state of negation is completely necessary. Please follow this carefully, because if you have gone so far you will see that in that state of negation you discover what is true; because, negation is the emptying of consciousness of the known. After all, consciousness is based on knowledge, on experience, on racial inheritance, on memory, on the things one has experienced. Experiences are always of the past, operating on the present, being modified by the present and continuing into the future. All that is consciousness, the vast storehouse of centuries. It has its usefulness in mechanical living only. It would be absurd to deny all the scientific knowledge acquired through the long past. But to bring about a mutation in consciousness, a revolution in this whole structure, there must be complete emptiness. And that emptiness is possible only when there is the discovery, the actual seeing of what is false. Then you will see, if you have gone so far, that emptiness itself brings about a complete revolution in consciousness: it has taken place.
J. Krishnamurti - Book of Life - October 26
...A deliberate change...is no change at all...
In the very action of the individual changing, surely, the collective will also change. They are not two separate things opposed to each other, the individual and the collective, though certain political groups try to separate the two and to force the individual to conform to the so-called collective.
If we could unravel together the whole problem of change, how to bring about a change in the individual and what that change implies, then perhaps, in the very act of listening, participating in the inquiry, there might come about a change which is without your volition. For me, a deliberate change, a change which is compulsory, disciplinary, conformative, is no change at all. Force, influence, some new invention, propaganda, a fear, a motive compels you to change,-that is no change at all. And though intellectually you may agree very easily with this, I assure you that to fathom the actual nature of change without a motive is quite extraordinary.
J. Krishnamurti - Book of Life - October 27
Change outside of the field of thought...
You have changed your ideas, you have changed your thought, but thought is always conditioned. Whether it is the thought of Jesus, Buddha, X, Y, or Z, it is still thought, and therefore one thought can be in opposition to another thought; and when there is opposition, a conflict between two thoughts, the result is a modified continuity of thought. In other words, the change is still within the field of thought, and change within the field of thought is no change at all. One idea or set of ideas has merely been substituted for another.
Seeing this whole process, is it possible to leave thought and bring about a change outside the field of thought? All consciousness, surely, whether it is of the past, the present, or the future, is within the field of thought; and any change within that field, which sets the boundaries of the mind, is no real change. A radical change can take place only outside the field of thought, not within it, and the mind can leave the field only when it sees the confines, the boundaries of the field, and realizes that any change within the field is no change at all. This is real meditation.Roy scored 677 runs at an average of 48.35 in the T20 Blast this year
Surrey batsman Jason Roy has signed a new three-year contract, keeping him with the county until the end of 2017.
The 24-year-old, who came through the club's academy, was the leading run-scorer in the T20 Blast this season and has been called up to England's Twenty20 squad to face India on Sunday.
"It is exciting times at the club," Roy told BBC London 94.9.
"The nucleus of the squad has grown up playing together and we will be looking to win some silverware."
South Africa-born Roy made his first-class debut for Surrey in 2010 and scored over 700 runs in one-day competition for the side in 2013.
He has impressed again in one-day competition this season, with his 677 T20 Blast runs coming at an average of 48.35 and a strike rate of almost 160.
Roy has also scored 839 runs in Division Two of the County Championship this year, at an average of 52.43.
The former Whitgift School pupil featured for England Lions in last month's triangular series against New Zealand A and Sri Lanka A.
Jason Roy's career stats (as at 5 September) First Class Matches: 48 Runs: 2,361 Average: 33.72 High Score: 121 not out List A Matches: 55 Runs: 1,408 Average: 29.33 High Score: 131 Twenty20 Matches: 82 Runs: 2,143 Average: 28.19 High Score: 101 not out
Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart said he was "delighted" to see Roy commit his future to the side.
"Jason has had an excellent season in all forms of the game, culminating in his deserved call up to the England squad for the T20 against India," Stewart said.
"With his continued work ethic and improvement, I would hope to see him playing other formats of the game for England very soon."
Meanwhile, Roy is excited by the prospect of making his full international debut at Edgbaston on Sunday.
"It is going to be amazing and a whole new experience," he said.
"It has been my dream to play for England ever since I started playing. We'll see what Sunday holds for me."J.R. Smith has now played 10 games in the Wine & Gold for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In those 10 games, he has attempted a stunning 85 three-point shots. Quickly, Smith is climbing up the franchise’s all-time leaderboard in long-distance shot attempts.
From the great research database of Basketball-Reference.com, here’s where Smith currently stands. Warning: The list is pretty fantastic and hilarious:
55. Zydrunas Ilgauskas — 99
56. Eric Williams – 95
57. Christian Eyenga — 93
58. Chris Gatling — 92
59. Baron Davis — 87
60. J.R. Smith — 85
T-61. Johnny Newman — 83
T-61. Luke Walton — 83
T-63. Dell Curry — 81
T-63. Randy Smith — 81
This is thus a harsh reminder that J.R. Smith is one of the NBA’s all-time gunners. Among players with 12,000 career minutes, his 7.0 three-point shots per 36 minutes are the most. The players next on the list are Damon Jones (6.5), Stephen Curry (6.4) and Kyle Korver (6.2).
J.R. already has five games with 10+ three-point attempts for the Cavs this season. Only Wesley Person (nine) and Dan Majerle (six) have ever had more such games in a single season in franchise history. More stunningly, Smith has made 33 threes in his 10 games … while Dion Waiters had 22 three-point makes in his 33 games for the Cavs this season.
Maybe we discounted how useful the former Sixth Man of the Year could be? It was only two years ago when he averaged 18.1 points in 33.5 minutes per game for the 54-win New York Knicks. On the surface, his.484 effective field goal percentage wasn’t that impressive. But again, he did so with a 26.5 Usage rate. That should conceivably be much lower now in Cleveland.
Here is a look, via NBA.com/stats, of Smith’s shooting chart in his very impressive last nine games since his 0-for-5 debut in a Cavaliers uniform against the Rockets on Jan. 7:
J.R. Smith's last 9 games. I'm gushing over how many threes, man. pic.twitter.com/LpIpC9zasX — Jacob Rosen (@WFNYJacob) January 26, 2015
And the 29-year-old New Jersey native also continued his torrid shooting pace against Oklahoma City despite an infamous career split on Sundays. Don’t party too hard, kids:One of the strangest things about the immigration debate is the fervent belief by conservatives that President Obama is motivated only by devious partisan considerations. Immigration hawk David Frum notes, “the president’s political opponents almost unanimously believe that his act of nullification is motivated by the crassest kind of political calculation.” (Frum does not endorse this belief among conservatives, he merely passes it on.) Michael Gerson — like Frum, a former Bush speechwriter, and unlike Frum, a strong proponent of immigration reform — argues that Obama “uses undocumented workers in a vast political ploy.”
This is a strange belief, first of all, because it fails to recognize the blindingly obvious humanitarian motive that surely supplied much of Obama’s incentive. Obama is a liberal Democrat. Liberal Democrats like immigrants. They want to do something to help the millions of people who have committed a victimless crime in order to give their children a better life.
The second and even stranger thing about conservative suspicions is that they seem not to have fed back into the right’s own decision-making matrix. Obama has been threatening to, for months on end, act unilaterally if Republicans would not pass a bill. The threat such an action posed should have been obvious enough to spur Republicans to head it off. Passing some kind of bill through the House, even one that fell far short of Obama’s ambitions, would have placed the president in a tough spot, muddying the political issue and making his unilateralism harder to sustain. Rather than complain about Obama’s diabolical maneuver, they should have thought about maybe preventing it.
It is clear that Obama’s executive action places Republicans in a near-impossible spot. The newest evidence is a poll this week from Latino Decisions, finding that 89 percent of Hispanics support Obama’s move. Now, the wording of the poll, which repeats Obama’s justification but not Republican objections, likely inflates support. Still, it seems to suggest extremely high levels of support. If, as seems likely, the next Republican nominee is forced to promise to overturn it during the primary, it will lock the GOP into a stance of implacable hostility toward the overwhelming majority of the Latino community.
Why have Republicans allowed themselves to be felled by such a telegraphed punch? Internal dysfunction plays a major role, of course, along with sheer distrust. But one underappreciated factor may be that Republicans have come to rely on a strategy that works extremely well in other cases.
The GOP has withheld cooperation from every major element of President Obama’s agenda, beginning with the stimulus, through health-care reform, financial regulation, the environment, long-term debt reduction, and so on. That stance has worked extremely well as a political strategy. Most people pay little attention to politics and tend to hold the president responsible for outcomes. If Republicans turn every issue into an intractable partisan scrum, people get frustrated with the status quo and take out their frustration on the president’s party. It’s a formula, but it works.
The formula only fails to work if the president happens to have an easy and legal way to act on the issue in question without Congress. Obama can’t do that on infrastructure, or the grand bargain, and he couldn’t do it on health care. But he could do it on immigration. So Republicans were stuck carrying out a strategy whose endgame would normally be “bill fails, public blames Obama” that instead wound up “Obama acts unilaterally, claims credit, forces Republicans to take poisonous stance in opposition.” They had grown so accustomed to holding all the legislative leverage, they couldn’t adapt to a circumstance where they had none.Illegales Hostel in Berlin-Neukölln
Der Fuchs ist tot
Räumung einmal anders: Das illegal betriebene Fantastic Foxhole Hostel in der Weserstraße wird vom Bezirk geschlossen und versiegelt.
BERLIN taz | Am Montagnachmittag war noch ein Etagenbett im Schlafsaal für Frauen am nächsten Wochenende zu haben, so stand es jedenfalls auf den Buchungsseiten im Netz. Doch die 19 Euro für den Platz im Fantastic Foxhole Hostel in der Neuköllner Weserstraße 207 können sich potenzielle Kundinnen sparen, denn aus der Übernachtung wird nichts mehr. Am Morgen hatte der Bezirk dem illegalen Betrieb nach Monaten ein Ende bereitet. Das Hostel wurde geschlossen und polizeilich versiegelt.
Bereits Mitte April, kurz nach Eröffnung der Herberge, hatte der Bezirk den Betrieb untersagt; eine Genehmigung für das Hostel im Hinterhof eines Wohnhauses lag nicht vor. Anfang September dann kam auch das Oberverwaltungsgericht zu dem Ergebnis, dass das Foxhole mit seinen 33 Schlafplätzen illegal betrieben wird. Neuköllns Baustadtrat Jochen Biedermann (Grüne) sagte der taz am Montag, die Schließung sei dem Betreiber ohne Nennung eines konkreten Datums angekündigt worden. Dieser habe aber nicht reagiert.
Also passierte das Unvermeidliche: Als am Morgen die Mitarbeiter des Bezirksamtes und der Polizei anrückten, mussten Gäste vor die Tür gesetzt werden. „Ich hätte gern vermieden, dass man das auf dem Rücken der Touristen austrägt“, so Biedermann. In der Sache jedoch zeigte er sich überzeugt: „Es ist wichtig, dass wir den fortgesetzten Rechtsbruch beendet haben und damit zeigen, dass man mit so einem Verhalten nicht einfach durchkommt.“
Hausbesitzer Alexander Skora reagierte auf die Schließung empört. Auf Twitter forderte er die „sofortige Absetzung von Jochen Biedermann“ und warf diesem „Nazi- und Stasi-Methoden“ vor. Die Bewohner des Hauses, die sich zusammen mit anderen in der „Nachbarschaftsinitiative Weserkiez“ zusammengeschlossen haben, zeigten sich auf Facebook erfreut. Ihre Anzeigen wegen Lärm gegen das Hostel und einen dazugehörigen Club wurden in den vergangenen Monaten mit Kündigungsdrohungen beantwortet. Ihrem Vermieter und den zwei Düsseldorfer Hostelbetreibern werfen sie „Schikanen“ vor.Timothy Kirkhope | Photo credit: European Parliament audiovisual
The ECR group member has promised to use his seat in the House of Lords to promote his home county of Yorkshire.
"This is a great honour and an unexpected one," said Kirkhope on Friday.
"It is recognition not just for me but all the Conservative MEPs who perform an important and often unheralded role in representing the UK's interests in Brussels.
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"When I take up my seat in the Lords I will continue champion Yorkshire as I have always done as an MP and MEP."
Kirkhope has been MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber since 1999. He is the Conservative spokesperson for justice and home affairs and a member of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the United States.
He recently succeeded in steering his passenger name record directive through the European Parliament. This will see air travel details shared between police and intelligence services across the EU, aiding the fight against terrorism and organised crime.
In 2009 he was a founding member and Vice-Chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament.
Kirkhope was MP for Leeds North East from 1987 to 1997, holding a number of posts, including home office minister responsible for immigration, race and community relations and international policing.
Among the 46 people to get honours are Cameron's former director of communications, Craig Oliver, who will get a knighthood, and George Osborne, the former Chancellor, who becomes a companion of honour.
Michael Fallon, the UK defence secretary, will be a knight commander (KCB) and Patrick McLoughlin, the new Tory chairman, is to get a knighthood.
Apart from Kirkhope, other peers include Olivia Bloomfield, who worked in fundraising at Conservative party headquarters, Jonathan Caine, a former special adviser in the Northern Ireland office, Mark McInnes, a Conservative councillor in Edinburgh, Philippa Roe, leader of Westminster city council and Charlotte Vere, a former executive director at Conservatives In.
The publication of the list created an immediate backlash against Cameron and his successor in Downing Street, Theresa May, who has refused to block the list because it would "set a bad precedent".
Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, accused Cameron of making a list "so full of cronies it would embarrass a medieval court."
The list will increase membership of the House of Lords to more than 800 for the first time and mean the number of appointed Conservative peers rises above that of Labour, making it easier for the government to pass legislation in the upper chamber.Former students of King's College journalism program have been contacted by Halifax's Chronicle Herald newspaper for work. The catch is the jobs would be as replacement workers in the event of a potential work stoppage at the paper.
Now, Kelly Toughill, director of University of King's College School of Journalism, is cautioning her former students about working during a contract dispute.
In the past, people who have worked through a strike or labour disruption at newspapers have really been treated as a bit of a pariah in the journalism community afterwards. - Kelly Toughill
She says three former students have contacted her after they were approached by the paper. Of those, one refused and she's unsure about the other two.
She tells As It Happens host Carol Off that while she hasn't told the students directly what to do, she advises that any short-term monetary gain or experience could hurt their careers in the future.
"In the past, people who have worked through a strike or labour disruption at newspapers have really been treated as a bit of a pariah in the journalism community afterwards. It can be harder to find work if these are new journalists... it can hamper their career going forward."
Ingrid Bulmer, the president of the Halifax Typographical Union said in a press release that despite two rounds of earlier cuts and concessions designed to help the newspaper get through a tough environment for print media, management at the Herald wants to cut the newsroom by a further 30 per cent and expand its advertorial division. Bulmer claims this would make the paper a "cheaply produced vehicle for sponsored content."
Kelly Toughill is the director of the School of Journalism (ukings.ca)
Bulmer has asked unionized freelancers to turn down any work offered by the Chronicle Herald.
The Chronicle Herald has reportedly offered potential replacement workers the ability to work from home and no byline in an attempt to give the workers anonymity. Toughill, however, says privacy is a misnomer in the digital age.
<a href="https://twitter.com/wearenovascotia">@wearenovascotia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rickconrad">@rickconrad</a> Understand this: starting your career as a scab imparts a long-lasting odour on a young journalist. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/canlab?src=hash">#canlab</a> —@Lafotoz
"I think anonymity is very difficult to maintain. In past strikes, people have found out who was writing. Particularly in this age of social media, privacy is almost a quaint notion of the past. They may be offering no bylines but they can't guarantee anonymity."
Toughill says recent graduates face an incredibly competitive job search, especially in a smaller market like Halifax.
"These are people who are struggling."
The Chronicle Herald has filed noticed with the province that it intends to lock out its newsroom and news bureau staff at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on Jan. 23.
As It Happens reached out to the Chronicle Herald for comment but there was no response.
Note: The Chroncile Herald's freelancers belong to the Typographical Union. The CBC's Canadian Media Guild belongs to the same parent union CWA/SCA Canada.Venice Film Festival will be remembered for Rourke’s performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler“, which the actor and critics agree is his best yet.
“The Wrestler” won the coveted Golden Lion award for best movie on Saturday.
“Darren Aronofsky came here a couple of years ago and fell on his ass,” Mickey Rourke told a packed Sala Grande crowd after the award was announced, referring to Aronofsky’s “The Fountain,” which flopped in Venice in 2006. “I’m glad he had the balls to come back. I don’t think he wanted to come back but I told him, “You have to come back’ and he did.”
The award seals his comeback from the Hollywood wilderness, and comments that Rourke is ready to ditch his bad-boy image and cooperate with directors suggest there is more to come.
“A guy like me changes hard, I didn’t want to change, but I had to change,” the star of 1980s hits “9-1/2 Weeks” and “Angel Heart” told in an interview in Venice.
There was controversy at Saturday’s closing ceremony when jury president Wim Wenders criticized rules which prevent the Golden Lion winner also picking up best acting prizes, suggesting Rourke should have won that too.
The Silver Lion for best director was won by Russia’s Alexei German Jr. for “Paper Soldier“, set on the windswept steppes of Kazakhstan and centring on the 1960s Soviet space program.
The best actor prize went to Silvio Orlando for his acclaimed portrayal of an overprotective father in “Il Papa di Giovanna” (Giovanna’s Father).
The best actress prize went to France’s Dominique Blanc in “L’Autre” (The Other One), a haunting tale of a woman who becomes dangerously obsessed with a young ex-boyfriend.
“Teza“, by Ethiopian director Haile Gerima, picked up two prizes, the special jury award and best screenplay.
The story chronicles the life of an Ethiopian intellectual who flees his country during the Marxist “red terror” in the 1980s, only to be attacked in Germany by racist youths.
Jennifer Lawrence of the United States was named best emerging actress for her role in “The Burning Plain“, in which she appeared alongside Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron.
As well as “The Wrestler”, “The Hurt Locker” by U.S. director Kathryn Bigelow impressed critics with its portrayal of the perils faced by a bomb disposal unit in Iraq, while actress Anne Hathaway generated awards buzz in “Rachel Getting Married“.Kickstarter-funded Bitponics was showing off its finished product at TechCrunch Disrupt NY’s Hardware Alley today in New York, which is shipping out to backers in the next few weeks according to company cofounder Michael Zick Doherty. The Bitponics system is a cloud-based hydroponic garden manager, complete with a web-based dashboard that’s accessible anywhere and can control every aspect crucial to the process, like the pH of the soil, temperature, light and moisture level.
The Kickstarter project from the Brooklyn-based company managed to pass its $20,000 goal back in June of last year, as people seemed drawn to the idea of a platform that takes a lot of the guesswork out of setting up and managing a hydroponic garden. It’s designed to be dead-simple, with guides for how much sun, water and nutrition your plants need. It collects data via sensors that plug into a base, which connects to your local Wi-Fi network, and then logs data in a dashboard and can send you notices when things aren’t going exactly as they should. The base has two power outlets built in which feature timers that allow you to set schedules for components like lights and pumps.
“I was working for a company called Windows Farms doing the hydroponic systems, who do the growing and the plumbing and all those aspects of it,” Doherty said of how Bitponics came up with the idea. “My issue with hydroponics is that there are a lot of things that you have to know well to be able to grow well, and there’s a lot of time put into monitoring the conditions of the plans.”
As a hardware and software platform startup, I asked what the biggest challenges Bitponics has faced in terms of actually delivering a product. Doherty said that there were challenges with manufacturing and getting that right, but that the biggest challenge was making sure the entire process was engineered correctly in terms of user experience, so that literally anyone could pick it up and use it, and grow things well.
“Probably the biggest challenge was figuring out a user flow that was something that anyone could do,” he said. “Building something that someone who had never tried hydroponics, or someone who had never touched a computer would be able to just follow these instructions and get running in a reasonable amount of time, that was a huge challenge.”
Bitponics is going to start shipping to the general public once it gets all of its backer systems out to Kickstarter supporters, when it’ll be available for $499 for the base station, with service available on a recurring subscription basis. If you’re looking for a way to manage your in-home herb or cannabis farm even when you’re away on business, this could be one to check out.Joseph Abrams
Fox News
March 12, 2009
The Senate is gearing up to ratify a Nixon-era U.N. treaty meant to create universal laws to govern the seas — a treaty critics say will create a massive U.N. bureaucracy that could even claim powers over American waterways.
LOST — the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, also called the Law of the Sea Treaty — regulates all things oceanic, from fishing rights, navigation lanes and environmental concerns to what lies beneath: the seabed’s oil and mineral wealth that companies hope to explore and exploit in coming years.
[efoods]But critics say the treaty, which declares the sea and its bounty the “universal heritage of mankind,” would redistribute American profits and have a reach extending into rivers and streams all the way up the mighty Mississippi.
The U.N. began working on LOST in 1973, and 157 nations have signed on to the treaty since it was concluded in 1982. Yet it has been stuck in dry dock for nearly 30 years in the U.S. and never even been brought to a full vote before the Senate.
But swelling approval in the Senate and the combined support of the White House, State Department and U.S. Navy mean LOST may be ready to unfurl its sails again.
Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during a January confirmation hearing that he intends to push for ratification. “We are now laying the groundwork for and expect to try to take up the Law of the Sea Treaty. So that will be one of the priorities of the committee, and the key here is just timing — how we proceed.”
Read entire articleIt is the final chapter in the 'format wars' between Betamax and VHS
But the electronics giant is to cease
Japan is the last country where Sony Betamax tapes are
Sony has placed the final nail in the Betamax coffin four decades after it launched the format.
The electronics giant said it would no longer produce the cassettes in Japan, which is the last country where they are available.
The decision is the final chapter in the 'format wars' between Betamax and VHS which took place in the 1970s and 80s until DVDs arrived.
Sony has placed the final nail in the Betamax coffin four decades after it launched the format. The electronics giant said it would no longer produce the cassettes in Japan, which is the last country where they are available
Even though Betamax was regarded as superior, VHS won because it was cheaper and the tapes lasted three hours instead of one.
Sony launched Betamax in 1975, a year after the Video Home System - its rival by electronics company JVC.
The Beatamax LV-1901 cost $2,495 or about $8,300 in today's money (£5,500) and came inside a wooden console with a 19-inch colour TV.
The seven-minute long promotional video now seems hopelessly quaint in an era of Netflix and on-demand viewing.
The video said that the Betamax's 'only purpose is to serve you' and that it will 'expand your enjoyment of television viewing to something that was a short time ago nothing more than an ambitious dream'.
Sony first launched its Betamax products in 1975 as a household, magnetic video format for consumers to record analogue television show. The Beatamax LV-1901 cost $2,495 or about $8,300 in today's money (£5,500) and came inside a wooden console with a 19-inch colour TV
The Betamax also promised that you will be 'free from restrictions of time' and vowed that viewers would 'never be deprived of watching whatever programme you desire at your convenience'.
VHS WON BETAMAX 'FORMAT WARS' THANKS TO PORN NDUSTRY The success of VHS over Betamax has been largely attributed to the porn industry. Its cheap price and greater adoption saw the porn industry pick VHS as the format for its home videos. It has also long been rumoured that Sony’s did not allow pornography on its tapes, leading to the overall downfall of the format Eventually, Sony emitted defeat and in 1988 produced its first VHS video cassette recorder.
The reality was somewhat different, however, and cassettes each cost $35 or $117 (£77) today, meaning that building a library would cost you a small fortune.
Faced with such a high price consumers chose JVC's Vidstar instead, one of its early machines that played VHS cassettes.
It was much cheaper than Betamax and cost $1,280, or about $4,600 in today's money (£3,000).
By comparison, cassettes cost $20, or $72 (£47) today.
In its first year of sales in the US, VHS took 40 per cent of sales away from Sony and by 1987 it had captured about 90 per cent of the market.
Sony has not produced a Betamax recorder since 2002 but the cassettes were still being manufactured.
An original advert for the Sony Betamax. The popularity of Betamax tapes peaked in 1984 when 50 million cassettes were shipped, according to Sony. Sony has not produced a Betamax recorder since 2002 but the cassettes were still being manufactured
The company said the last Betamax products it was discontinuing were cassettes with model number EL-500B, 2L-500MHGB, 2L-750MHGB.
The L-25CLP cleaning tape - which users had to play to keep the machine in good working order - is also being discontinued.
Sony is also taking it MicroMV cassettes off the market, which were used in camcorders.
The sequel to Betamax vs VHS format wars took place in the 2000s when Sony's Blu-Ray technology took on Toshiba's HD-DVD.
Blu-Ray effectively won but a few years later was supplanted by online streaming.New Market Research: Music Streaming Services Halve Illegal Downloads
from the giving-customers-what-they-want dept
For a long time, the copyright industries have taken the position that they won't launch new digital music services until piracy is "solved" – or at least punished. The inevitable consequence of that position is obvious to everyone outside the copyright industries – people turn to other, unauthorized sources to satisfy their musical needs. Fortunately, a few startups have launched pioneering digital music offerings and some, like Spotify, look like they might succeed.
This means that we are beginning to get some real-life figures to flesh out the counter-argument that offering people new ways to listen to music online would greatly help to reduce piracy. For example, at the end of last year, Techdirt wrote about a Swedish study that supported this idea. Now we have some new market research on music streaming services in Scandinavia: While we may think of Sweden as the home of music streaming, the proportion of Norwegians who have access to a music streaming service has increased from 37 to 56 percent in the last six months. For the first time, Norway has surpassed Sweden in this statistic - in Sweden during the same period the corresponding figure increased from 48 to 54 percent. Those are impressive figures, and give an indication of the untapped potential in other markets that still don't have serious music streaming services able to offer most tracks that people want to listen to – crucial if they are to displace illegal downloads. Even more remarkable is the following statistic about the three countries where the research was conducted – Norway, Sweden and Denmark: Across all three Scandinavian countries, the survey also shows that over half the people who previously downloaded music illegally no longer do so after they have been given access to a streaming service. So forget SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, TPP, HADOPI, the Digital Economy Act, La Ley Sinde and all the other punitive frameworks for tackling unauthorized downloads: this latest research adds weight to the argument that by far the quickest way to reduce the scale of music piracy is to introduce decent streaming services.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: copyright, infringement, innovation, service, streamingView the video
It’s not water into wine, but close enough. By stimulating certain nerve cells in the brains of mice, scientists made plain water taste sweet or bitter. The results show that the brain — not the tongue — is the ultimate tastemaker.
Columbia University neuroscientist Charles Zuker and colleagues took aim at a part of the mouse brain called the gustatory cortex. There, the nerve cells responsible for sensing bitter lie about two millimeters from those that sense sweet. Researchers tweaked these groups of cells so they would spring into action when light hit them.
When the sweet-sensing nerve cells were stimulated with a laser, mice eagerly lapped up plain water, even though the mice were plenty hydrated. And when the bitter-sensing cells were stimulated, the miceFor most of us, the internet is a useful resource and a fun diversion: a place to read the news, learn about things, watch movies, or just hang out with friends. But in recent years, the web has emerged as a remarkable philanthropic resource. Everyday people have gotten organized online through crowd-based fundraising sites, rallying around important causes and doing what they can to offer comfort in times of tragedy. When disaster strikes, net users have risen to the occasion, gathering together and proving they can be a force for good.
In April of 2013, the finish line of the Boston Marathon was attacked by terrorists, who had planted homemade bombs among the crowds. There were three fatalities, and a further |
ischuk, the favourite of only 4% of chess fans.
Could Levon's great year continue in Tbilisi?
The other players who were picked to win were:
Mamedyarov, Kramnik - 3.5% each
Nakamura, Anand - 2.5% each
Wei Yi, Svidler, Caruana, So, Ding Liren - 2% each
Giri - 1.5%
Karjakin, Fedoseev, Radjabov - 1% each
Nepomniachtchi, Hou Yifan - 0.5% each
Of course you can, however, pick any of the 128 participants!
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See more:Three Square Market (32M), a Wisconsin-based business, will become the first US company to implant RFID microchips in employee's hands.
The decision is nothing more than a media stunt orchestrated by 32M in partnership with BioHax, a Swedish-based company that provides bio-friendly implantable RFID microchips.
32M is a provider of break room food dispensers and has recently added support for implantable RFID microchips, allowing anyone to pay for food just by waving their RFID-implanted hand near one of their devices.
Company holding a "chip party"
To show that RFID implants are safe, the company will provide free RFID implants to all employees during a "chip party" on August 1. Implants are optional.
Besides the benefit of using Jedi-like tricks when buying food from office break rooms, 32M and BioHax say the chip has secondary benefits, such as opening access doors, activating office copy machines, automatic login for work computers, unlocking work phones, sharing business cards, and even storing critical medical/health information.
32M hopes their stunt will garner enough media attention, so other companies will consider the benefits of employee implants.
The benefit for 32M is that once companies adopt RFID implants — for any other reasons — they'll be able to push their RFID-friendly food dispensers to those companies' office break rooms.
Implants work similarly to contactless payment cards
RFID implants work on the same NFC (Near-Field Communications) technology used by today's contactless payment cards and mobile wallet solutions. The RFID chip is implanted between the thumb and forefinger underneath the skin. An implant takes seconds, and the body's reaction varies from person to person.
In a press release, the company says it views RFID implants as the future in micro-payments.
"We see this as another payment and identification option that not only can be used in our markets but our other self-checkout / self-service applications that we are now deploying which include convenience stores and fitness centers," said 32M COO Patrick McMullan.
Image credit: 32MLogitec introduced a NAS device of a different kind: an optical drive that acts as a WLAN hotspot, letting a wide range of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and notebooks access contents of DVDs, or write onto them. The drive works as a standard external DVD writer over USB 2.0 interface, using a single cable for both host connectivity and power. USB is the drive's only power source, so you'll need AC adapters or vehicle cigarette lighter adapter to use it without a host PC.Its optical drive component is originally made by TSST (Toshiba-Samsung). It can write DVD ± R/+RW at 8X, DVD±R DL /-RW at 6X, DVD-RAM at 5X, and CDs at 24X. DVDs are read at speeds of up to 8X, and CDs at 24X. The drive ships with store links to apps on Apple App Store and Google Play, which let you download file-manager, and disc burning software for smartphones and tablets; as well as Nero Kwik Burn for PCs. Measuring 150 x 198 x 25 mm, the drives weigh about 430 g. The base model, which includes just a USB cable and AC adapter is priced at 6,980 JPY (US $88.2), and a variant that includes a vehicle power adapter for 8,980 JPY (US $113.4).SANAA, Yemen — During its modern history, Aden has represented a unique model for coexistence and tolerance, as it is the only city in Yemen housing citizens from all regions, religions and races. But its history has been put to the test like never before.
Since the Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh were expelled from Aden in July 2015, following 3½ months of bloody battles with forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is backed by the Arab coalition forces, Aden’s openness has declined amid the takeover of extremist groups such as the Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda and the Salafists.
On May 15, an anonymous armed man shot activist Amjad Abdul Rahman, 21, in the head, killing him instantly inside an internet cafe in Aden's Sheikh Othman district.
A close friend of Rahman’s told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing his life, “Amjad was threatened by Salafists who accused him of atheism. They told him that his life would be at risk unless he repented.” Rahman was a member of a cultural club called Al-Nasieh, which was established by secular citizens and intellectuals in 2016. The club discusses religion and women’s rights, which extremists consider prohibited.
After his assassination, armed men in a military vehicle affiliated with Salafist Imam al-Nubi, the commander of a security camp called Liwaa 20, blocked the road in front of Rahman’s funeral procession and prevented his burial, under the pretext that he was an infidel who should not be buried in a Muslim graveyard.
On April 25, 2016, Omar Batweel, a 17-year-old Yemeni activist who opposed religious extremism, was also shot dead in al-Mansoura district in Aden. The victim had received letters accusing him of atheism and telling him he would be killed. Batweel was found drenched in blood in the street, and the incident shook the Yemeni people.
On June 3, activist Mohammad Kheir Othman, 17, was assassinated while leaving a sports stadium in Breiqa district. An unknown person shot him in the head. The way he was killed resembles that of Batweel and Rahman, although there is no proof that extremists carried out the assassination. Othman was not known to the public, which perhaps pushed investigations into his death into the background.
Tawakkol Karman, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist, told Al-Monitor, “The situation of freedom of expression, thought and belief has become horrendous in Aden. Extremists have blended into the Security Belt Forces that are funded and managed by the United Arab Emirates and that control the security situation in south Yemen. These forces are keeping mum about the murders and they might even be giving the operations their blessings.”
The Security Belt Forces were founded in spring 2016. They are officially affiliated with Yemen’s Ministry of Interior, but their funding and command come from the UAE. Human Rights Watch said that these forces have strayed too far from the Yemeni government’s authority, and they control at least two unofficial detention centers in Aden and have tortured and arrested many people.
Most ministers of the Yemeni government live in Riyadh, and their absence has fed the weakness of this government and encouraged the rise of militias and extremists clamping down on freedoms and religious beliefs.
In March 2016, four armed men attacked a home for the elderly in Aden, killing four Indian nuns, two Yemeni employees, eight elderly residents and a guard.
Nasma Mansour, a civil engineering student at the University of Aden, told Al-Monitor, “Murder in Aden has become commonplace and is given strange justifications. I know somebody who was killed for being reportedly gay.”
She added, “Activists have been leaving Aden one after the other. The situation is tense, and my family has forbidden me from leaving the house because of the dangerous situation.”
Mansour said that freedom of thought in Aden “is long gone. If you criticize religious groups, you are an atheist. If you criticize the weak local authority, you are definitely an Islah Party member [in reference to the party’s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood]. If you attack the Southern Movement — an armed faction seeking the independence of south Yemen — then you are an agent and advocate of Saleh. The accusations against activists are ready-made and each party is willing to go to extremes against its opponents.”
Failure to instill order and security in Aden reflects how hard it will be for Hadi to keep his promises of regaining control of all the cities that the Houthis took over.
Activists in Aden accuse Islamists of waging war on them. It is difficult though to pin down the party responsible for the attacks, given the numerous armed groups such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, IS’ Yemen wing and the prevalent Salafists.
Mohammad Ali told Al-Monitor that he left Aden along with 10 other young men for fear of assassination. Ali, a writer, escaped to India on Dec. 29, 2016, after two people, one of whom was hooded and the other carried a gun that produced muffled shots, tried to kill him.
He added, “I know three activists who are still in Aden. Nobody is pursuing them, but I fear for them from extremists.”
A teacher at the University of Aden told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “Regardless of who is responsible for this systematic clampdown on the freedom of belief, it seems that regaining security and stability in Aden is not a priority for the Arab coalition forces. This jeopardizes the credibility of the coalition before the Yemeni public.”
Amal Mohammad is a media activist who arrived in Sanaa from Aden four months ago with her husband and child. She told Al-Monitor that she had been threatened and left Aden out of fear, but that she continues to write on her Facebook page about freedom of thought and to criticize radicalism.
Mohammad, who worked at the Aden public media office, misses her family, but returning to Aden would be dangerous. She said, “The party that threatened me is the same that killed Batweel. This was mentioned in the threat I received on Facebook
Hadi’s grip on Aden is loosening, while extremists and armed militias are gaining ground. The situation worsened after Aden’s governor, Aidaroos al-Zubaidi, was dismissed April 27. Hadi’s decision sparked the Southern Movement’s secession calls, in the hope of establishing a self-rule authority in south Yemen, which had been an independent state until 1990.
Zubaidi is one of the leaders of the movement calling for secession. When Hadi decided to dismiss him, the Southern Movement considered that a way to target Zubaidi's project for secession.
Amid all this chaos, Yemen is facing its worst days. The civil war has killed 10,000 civilians since 2015, while diseases like cholera have claimed the lives of those who escaped the conflict. Meanwhile, the ghost of famine lingers, threatening the lives of 20 million Yemenis.Teuvo Teravainen made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks against the Dallas Stars Tuesday night. Did he have a natural hat trick, sing the National Anthem duet style with Jim Cornelison and drive a Zamboni? No. But the 19-year-old had a very solid start to his career with the Blackhawks.
Teuvo went 7-7 on the dot, winning all the faceoffs he took. He also helped some decent plays and chances develop with a few nice feeds. Perhaps what educated fans and Coach Q were happiest to see from Teuvo was how solid he played on his own end.
Teravainen seemed to focus on playing a sound defensive game his first time on official ice. Now that the nerves and first time jitters have evaporated, Teuvo can further develop his offensive game with the Hawks.
With his offensive skill set and the faceoff and defensive chops Teuvo demonstrated Tuesday night, the sky is the limit for Teravainen with the Blackhawks. Teuvo will likely get more and more ice time and responsibilities with the Hawks to fill the hole Patrick Kane has left in the line up. Seeing him eventually reach his full potential as a player will be even more interesting, and exciting.
Scott King is a contributing writer for The Wall Street Journal and RedEye Chicago. Follow "Blackhawks Crazy" on Facebook.
Subscribe to "Hawk Crazy" for exclusive Blackhawks game photos, news, and commentary by just entering your email below. No spam mail, opt out at any time.Even if the spy, Allen Dulles, should arrive in heaven through somebody’s absentmindedness, he would begin to blow up the clouds, mine the stars, and slaughter the angels.
—Ilya Ehrenburg I cannot think that espionage can be recommended as a technique for building an impressive civilization. It’s a lout’s game.
—Rebecca West
By now it goes without saying or objection in most quarters of a once freedom-loving and democratic society that our lives, liberties, and pursuits of happiness are closely monitored by a paranoid surveillance apparatus possessed of the fond hopes and great expectations embedded in the fifteenth-century Spanish Inquisition. Our local fire departments don’t grant permits for burnings at the stake, but our federal intelligence agencies (seventeen at last count, staffed by more than 100,000 inquisitors petty and grand) make no secret of their missionary zeal.
Four months after the fall of the World Trade Center and President George W. Bush’s preaching of holy crusade against all the world’s evil, the Pentagon established an Information Awareness Office, adopting as an emblem for its letterhead and baseball cap the all-seeing eye of God. Under orders to secure the American future against the blasphemy of terrorist attack, the IAO’s director, Rear Admiral John Poindexter, presented plans for programming its hydra-headed computer screens and databanks to spot incoming slings and arrows of outrageous fortune well in advance of their ETA overhead the Washington Monument or Plymouth Rock—to conduct “truth maintenance” and deploy “market-based techniques for avoiding surprises”; to defeat and classify every once and future hound from hell on a near or far horizon; no envelope or email left unopened, no phone untapped, no suspicious beard or suitcase descending unnoticed from cruise ship or Toyota.
Thirteen years further along the roads to perdition, the dream of a risk-free future under the digital umbrellas of protective fantasy is the stuff of which our wars and movies now are made, the thousand natural shocks to which the flesh is heir, projected day and night on the hundred million screens that text and shred our collective consciousness, herd our public and private lives—the latter no longer distinguishable from the former—into the shelters of heavy law enforcement and harmless speech.
This issue of Lapham’s Quarterly looks for the when and why did the lout’s game of espionage become the saving grace that makes cowards of us all. I’m familiar with at least some of the story because I’m old enough to remember the provincial and easygoing American republic of the 1940s—wisecracking, open-hearted, not so scared of the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns. I also can remember the days when people weren’t afraid of cigarette smoke and saturated fats, when it was possible to apply for a job without submitting a blood or urine test, when civil liberty was a constitutional right and not a political favor, the White House unprotected by concrete revetments, and it was possible to walk the streets of New York without making a series of cameo appearances on surveillance camera.
Espionage in the ancient world was for the most part reconnaissance of a declared or foreign enemy in the field. The ancient Chinese military sage Sun Tzu recommends the use of spies in the fifth century bc to “ascertain the enemy’s situation and condition” because they know things beforehand that “cannot be obtained from ghosts or spirits.” He doesn’t regard spies as “masters of victory,” but if deployed in all five of their applications (“local, inside, double, dead, and live”), they construct “a divine net” that is the “ruler’s treasure.”
Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the observing world. —Aleksandr Pushkin, 1837
So they served the Greeks in their war against the Trojans, the Periclean Greeks against the Persians. The rulers of ancient India employed spies to watch not only thieves and desperadoes on the roads outside the city but also, inside the city, strangers “who spend lavishly...in drinking houses without having a known source of income.” The instruction is specific in the Arthashastra, a teaching on governance circa 150 BC that suggests the disguising of clandestine agents as blind lunatics and deaf idiots as well as minstrels, jugglers, and fortune tellers.
The searching out of metaphysical threats to the safety of the soul is the work of the papal Inquisition established by the medieval Catholic Church “to root up from the midst of Christian people the weed of heretical wickedness.” Ad extirpanda, the mission statement released by Pope Innocent IV in 1252, consecrates torture as an effective gardening tool, affixes the Vatican’s seal of approval to the techniques recently in use by the U.S. military rooting up the weed of Islamic terrorism.
Spycraft becomes statecraft during the religious wars that afflicted Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the lines of physical and metaphysical investigation strenuously intertwined by
Sir Francis Walsingham, the Elizabethan progenitor of England’s Secret Intelligence Service, who was tasked with objectives both spiritual and temporal: defense of the Protestant Reformation against the Catholic Counter-Reformation, holding of the body of Queen Elizabeth harmless against assassination by papist agents. A devout Puritan and shrewd diplomat, Walsingham ensnared Mary, Queen of Scots, for a plot of treason that warranted her beheading, subjected prisoners to renditions on the rack and interrogations that stretched their awareness of God along lines drawn and quartered by Martin Luther and John Calvin. He purportedly numbered among his agents the playwright Christopher Marlowe, possibly also his son-in-law, the poet Sir Philip Sidney. Within the networks of his informants it was said that “he waited upon men’s souls with his eye, discerning their secret hearts through their transparent faces.”
So did
Shakespeare, who was Walsingham’s contemporary. The plays wait upon the assumed and masked identities behind which move the palace intrigue that was the pith and moment of Elizabethan politics, the world known to Walsingham at the court of the virgin queen doubling for the one in which Iago plays his game against Othello and Desdemona, and who therefore cannot wear his heart upon his sleeve because “I am not what I am.”
America’s variant of a police state emerges from the Espionage Act of 1917, carried into law to accommodate President Woodrow Wilson’s wish to cleanse the world of its impurities. The self-glorifying son of a Presbyterian minister captivated at an early age by delusions of spiritual grandeur, Wilson engineered America’s late entry into World War I in order that he might play the part of savior statesman.
Wilson never doubted it was America’s duty to save the world, and during his eight years as instrument of divine will in office as president of the United States, he sent American troops to Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico “to teach the South American republics to elect good men.” In the immediate aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, Wilson dispatched troops briefly to Russia to defend its people against the communism proscribed by Robert Lansing, Wilson’s secretary of state, as “the most hideous and monstrous thing that the human mind has ever conceived,” refuge of “the criminal, the depraved, and the mentally unfit.”
The Fourteen Points of good behavior that Wilson brought to the Paris Peace Conference pledged America to consequences foreseen by John Quincy Adams, who spoke as secretary of state in 1821 against sending the U.S. Navy to dismantle Spain’s colonial empire in Colombia and Venezuela. America, he said, “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.” Were the country to embark on such a foolish adventure,
she would involve herself, beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force. She might become the dictatress of the world; she would no longer be the ruler of her own spirit.
So it has come to pass. America, the dictatress of the world, no longer the ruler of her own spirit, which passes out of the hands of its people and society into the safekeeping of the state.
The Hermit and Sleeping Angelica, by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1628. © Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna / Bridgeman Images.
The transfer of power was set in zealously administrative motion by
J. Edgar Hoover, a young Justice Department operative eager to destroy monsters wherever found—in body and mind, on land, at sea, in or on the air. Wilson, in his war message to Congress in 1917, said there were “millions of men and women of German birth and native sympathy who live among us,” and “if there should be disloyalty, it will be dealt with with a firm hand of stern repression.” Wilson’s admonition was Hoover’s command. On January 2, 1920, as deputy to Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, Hoover organized the largest mass arrest in American history, rounding up an estimated 10,000 disloyalists— immigrants of all nations, citizens of German descent, subversive liberals, and suspected anarchists as well as communists. The Red replaced the Hun as the barbarian at the gate and in the closets, and by that same year Hoover had dossiers on 60,000 people suspected of illicit dealings with Karl Marx.
During his long and relentless term as director of the FBI (from 1924 until his death in 1972) Hoover remained convinced that communism was not a political idea but a malignant and evil way of life, akin to a disease. Often and easily enraged, fanatical in his paranoid imaginings, Hoover for fifty years harried the always larger legions of his fear and prejudice (liberals, Negroes, homosexuals, Jews, hippies) with illegal arrests and detentions, break-ins, burglaries, beatings, murders, wiretaps, blackmail, suborned evidence and testimony, coerced confessions. The bureau in the 1960s opened operations against the civil rights and antiwar movements and assembled a list of more than 26,000 individuals to be summarily detained in the event of a “national emergency.” By his admirers Hoover was seen as a visionary genius, by his detractors as a “goddamn sewer,” by Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis as an armed and dangerous enemy of the American people and Constitution.
The life of spies is to know, not be known. —George Herbert, 1621
Justice Brandeis could have as easily brought the same charges against the eminent American statesman who organized the Central Intelligence Agency to fight the Cold War with the Russians. President Harry Truman established the agency under the National Security Act of 1947, and for the next six years the government spent a great deal of money on bureaucratic organization and reorganization of the agency, separating its covert military operations from its clerical intelligence gathering, acquiring thousands of volunteers in all of the applications named by Sun Tzu—uniformed military officers, artists and poets, Ivy League academics and Wall Street stockbrokers, State Department diplomats, German agents released on waivers by the Gestapo. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his first inaugural address in January 1953, vouched for troop movements in the vicinity of Armageddon—“forces of good and evil are massed and armed, and opposed as rarely before in history. Freedom is pitted against slavery, lightness against the dark”—but he was concerned about the readiness of the CIA to combat the forces of darkness.
For clear definition of the agency’s mission, President Eisenhower turned to Air Force General Jimmy Doolittle, friend and companion-in-arms, who had flown the heroic mission over Tokyo in 1942. Doolittle in 1954 provided Ike with his top-secret report:
It is now clear that we are facing an implacable enemy whose avowed objective is world domination by whatever means and at whatever costs. There are no rules in such a game. Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. If the United States is to survive, longstanding American concepts of “fair play” must be reconsidered. We must develop effective espionage and counterespionage services and must learn to subvert, sabotage, and destroy our enemies by more clever, more sophisticated means than those used against us. It may become necessary that the American people be made acquainted with, understand, and support this fundamentally repugnant philosophy.
Doolittle went on to describe the agency as “ballooned out into a vast and sprawling organization” housing unskilled, undisciplined, and incompetent “dead wood...at virtually all levels,” overly fond of covert operations “beyond its capacity to perform.”
The sorry state of affairs showcased the temperament of Allen Dulles, appointed director of the CIA by Eisenhower early in 1953. Dulles was the man from whom it can be fairly said the agency acquired the character of the lawless, incompetent, and deluded enterprise that is with us still, as lost in its cloud of unknowing overhead the Syrian desert in 2015 as it was asleep under the tents of its weatherproof fantasy in the rainforests in South Vietnam in 1968.
At the age of sixty in 1953 Allen Dulles (State Department intelligence officer in World War I, active in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II) was five years younger than his brother, John Foster, whom Eisenhower that same year appointed secretary of state. Both brothers regarded force, not liberty, as the fundamental maxim of American policy. They had been taught by the severe Presbyterian minister who was their father that Christians are weapons in the hands of God, executors of his providential will; they saw the word made flesh in the person of Woodrow Wilson, whom they accompanied to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 as bright young Princeton graduates helping out with the platitudes and the maps.
John Foster was puritanical and direct; Allen, like Iago, was not who he pretended to be. In his own mind a hero modeled on his reading of Ian Fleming novels, he cultivated a surface of sophisticated charm, affable and gregarious, good with the ladies and small sailboats on Long Island Sound. He smoked a pipe, dressed in tweed, told witty stories about his days in the OSS subverting the Nazi occupation of Europe.
Behind the mask of easy upper-class insouciance, Allen was a devout proponent of the fundamentally repugnant philosophy noted by Doolittle and presumably deployed by the Soviet enemy. Often moved to predatory fury well beyond “hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct,” Allen during his eight years in charge of the CIA directed the elimination of regimes he identified as communist in Iran, Guatemala, and the Congo. The identifications were forgeries in visibly paranoid ink. Leaders of the regimes in question were socialist and nationalist, their objective to escape the bonds of European colonial empire. But Dulles didn’t let facts get in the way of his hatreds. On the strength of his lying risk assessments Eisenhower authorized the CIA to assassinate Patrice Lumumba in the Congo and Fidel Castro in Cuba, to begin covert military operations in South Vietnam.
Dulles’ enthusiasm for subversion, sabotage, and destruction was boundless. So was the unskilled, undisciplined incompetence of an agency that sixty years later still hasn’t discovered that the Statue of Liberty cannot be made to stand on the pedestals of criminal violence. The record is in equal parts short-term comic farce and long-form geopolitical tragedy.
The game at the beginning looked to be easy and fun. The agency played with sending an émigré army to capture the lost kingdom of Albania, but once parachuted into the Balkan darkness the advance scouts were never seen or heard from again because the CIA’s head of secret ops was unwittingly coordinating the event with a Soviet double agent providing the KGB with the map coordinates of the intended drop zones. To discredit Sukarno as president of Indonesia in the mid-1950s, the CIA planned to incite popular envy and resentment of his sexual prowess, shooting a propaganda film entitled Happy Days showing Sukarno (played by a Mexican actor wearing a mask) in bed with a Soviet agent (played by a California actress wearing a wig). To assassinate Fidel Castro the agency drew up plans to present him with an exploding cigar and poisoned scuba gear. The bungled invasion of the Bay of Pigs in 1961 assumed a crowd of joyful Cuban peasants rising from the sugar cane and marching gloriously to Havana.The cadre of Cuban exiles was landed at the wrong tide on the wrong boats, soon to be confronted by Castro at the head of a column of tanks. In what came to be known as the Iran-Contra affair (running guns to the mullahs in Iran in return for money to fund a thuggish junta in Nicaragua) the “enterprise” deposited $10 million in the wrong Swiss bank account, hired drunken aircraft mechanics in El Salvador, and dropped munitions into the wrong jungles in Nicaragua.
Detective Allan Pinkerton and President Abraham Lincoln, Battle of Antietam, 1862. Photograph by Alexander Gardner. © The Stapleton Collection / Bridgeman Images.
The geopolitical consequences of the CIA’s covert derring-do have for the most part proved to be both dismal and unexpected.The overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddegh’s elected government in Iran in 1953 installed the vicious and corrupt tyranny of the Shah of Shahs, which in 1979 led to an Islamist revolution and the regime that now stands as America’s most formidable enemy in the Middle East. By encouraging the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem in Saigon in 1963, the U.S. allied itself with a policy of realpolitik no less cynical than the one which it was seeking to correct. Accepting the CIA’s analysis and methodology, four American presidents defined the expedition to Southeast Asia as a prolonged covert action and systematically lied to the American people about the reason for our presence in a country with which we never declared ourselves at war. As a result our effort to rid Indochina of communism, Vietnam became a unified communist state. As a result of our effort to teach the world the lessons of democracy, we sent 58,000 American soldiers to death under a false flag and taught a generation of American citizens to think of their own government as an oriental despot.
The CIA’s failures as an intelligence-gathering operation during the second half of the century billed as America’s own have borne out Doolittle’s early warning of “dead wood at virtually all levels.” The agency evidently didn’t foresee the Soviet explosion of an atomic bomb in 1949, the invasion of South Korea in 1950, the popular uprisings in Eastern Europe in the 1950s, the installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba in 1962, the Vietcong Tet Offensive in 1968, the Arab-Israeli war in 1973, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the explosion of an atomic bomb by India in 1998, the attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2003.
Reports of the CIA’s blunders tend to show up on the record well after the fact. I’ve been reading them with interest over the past fifty years, but they don’t come as a surprise. Long ago and in another country, America in 1957, I sought enlistment in the CIA and sat for an interview with a credentials committee ordained by God and country and Allen Dulles. From that day forward I’ve never doubted the agency’s talent for making a mess of almost any operation, overt or covert, beyond its capacity to perform.
In 1957 I was recently returned from a year at Cambridge University in England, where I had come to know several students who in October 1956 went to Budapest to join the uprising against the regime holding Hungary hostage to communist domination. Two of the young men died in the street fighting, and I didn’t need to be told by General Eisenhower that the communist hordes were at the gate of Western civilization. In my last year at Yale I had been tipped to the agency by an English professor (Shakespeare scholar, Tyrolean hat, former OSS), who passed on a phone number to call if I was prepared to take a shot at the dark. At the age of twenty-two I was willing to leave at once, preferably at night, with trench coat and code name, on the next train to Berlin.
In Washington the written, physical, and psychological examinations occupied the better part of a week before I was summoned to an interview with five operatives in their late twenties, all of them graduates of Yale and not unlike President George W. Bush in appearance and manner. The interview took place in a Quonset hut near the Lincoln Memorial. The design of the building imparted an air of urgent military purpose, as did the muted, offhand bravado of the young men asking the questions. Very pleased with themselves, they exchanged knowing nods to “that damned thing in Laos,” allowed me to understand that we were talking life and death, whether I had the right stuff to play for the varsity team in the big game against the Russians.
Prepared for nothing less, I had spent the days prior to the interview reading about Lenin’s train and Stalin’s prisons, the width of the Fulda Gap, the depth of the Black Sea. None of the study was called for. Instead of being asked about the treaties of Brest-Litovsk or the October Revolution, I was asked three questions bearing on my social qualifications for admission into what the young men at the far end of the table clearly regarded as the best fraternity on the campus of the free world:
1. When standing on the thirteenth tee at the National Golf Links in Southampton, which club does one take from the bag?
2. On final approach under sail into Hay Harbor on Fishers Island, what is the direction (at dusk in late August) of the prevailing wind?
3. Does Muffy Hamilton wear a slip?
The first and second questions I answered correctly, but Muffy Hamilton I knew only at a distance. In the middle 1950s she was a glamorous figure on the Ivy League weekend circuit, very beautiful and very rich, much admired for the indiscriminate fervor of her sexual enthusiasms. At the Fence Club in New Haven I had handed her a glass of brandy and milk (known to be her preferred drink by college football captains in five states) but about the mysteries of her underwear my sources were unreliable, my information limited to rumors of Belgian lace.
If you read somebody’s diary, you get what you deserve. —David Sedaris, 2004
The three questions, however, put an end to my interest in the CIA. The smug complacence of my examiners was as smooth as their matching silk handkerchiefs and ties. When I excused myself from the interview (apologizing for having misread the job description and wasted everybody’s quality time) I remember being frightened by the presence of so much self-glorifying certainty and primogeniture crowded into so small a room. Here were people like Woodrow Wilson before them, after them Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who knew more about what was good for the world than the world—poor, lost, unhappy, un-American world—had managed to learn on its own. Even at the age of twenty-two I was old enough to recognize the attitude as not well positioned for intelligence gathering. It was better suited to the projection of monsters on the screens of deluded fantasy than to their destruction in a forest or a swamp.
People accustomed to knowing they know everything worth knowing resent having to turn away from the mirror. The resentment framed the Bush administration’s response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Although there had been many warnings of terrorist attacks somewhere on the horizon, the signals had been lost in the maze of a national security apparatus “ballooned out into a vast and sprawling” clutter of undisciplined incompetence many orders of magnitude beyond the one reconnoitered by General Doolittle in 1954. Not knowing who, why, or wherefrom the airplanes overhead the Hudson and Potomac rivers, the Bush administration declared war on an unknown enemy and an abstract noun, set to work forging the shields of invincible paranoia, bringing up to combat strength the levels of fear and trembling within the American body politic. In time for Halloween, Congress passed the Patriot Act, claiming the government’s right to arrest without charge American citizens marked as enemy combatants; the Department of Homeland Security produced its color-coded alerts, hands in the air, off with shoes and belts when passing go at the airport. The Justice Department in May 2002 named as its “first and overriding priority” the defense of the American people against terrorist intrusion and distributed a fact sheet shifting the FBI’s mission from “prosecution to prevention.” The supplementary power points testified to brave, bold, and |
one and only, the legendary Tony Wilson, manager of the infamous Hacienda nightclub, co-founder of Factory Records and journalist for Granada Television.
The film follows Tony to his first Sex Pistols gig in 1976. He is so taken by the music and the performance he decides to organize a series of weekly punk rock shows at a club in Manchester. This is where he’s introduced to Joy Division—the first band he would sign on his label, Factory Records. In Ian Curtis’ blood. In 1982, Wilson opened the Hacienda, which was considered the most famous club in the world during the ’90s. It was around this time that Wilson signed bands like Happy Mondays but they soon made way for a change in the music scene: the rise of acid house and Madchester style rave parties.
2. Party Monster: The Shockumentary (1998)
When Andy Warhol died in 1987 so did the NY downtown scene. Who would have thought a young kid from Indiana would be the one to revive it all? Michael Alig arrived in New York with big dreams and an obnoxiously ambitious attitude. Having learned a thing or two about party promotion working at the Danceteria, he soon took the New York club scene by storm. Following in the footsteps of his “mentor” James St. James, he started organizing insanely creative and outrageous parties, usually surrounding a particular theme. It started with the weekly Disco 2000 parties at The Limelight. Club-goers came dressed in fantastic, colorful costumes, loud makeup and some impressive headwear. Michael’s ideas pushed boundaries, ultimately turning a nightmarish fairy tale into the sweetest dream for all clubbers. You’d see all types of things at Disco 2000: people getting naked on stage for the Hot Body Contest, a dancing Go-Go Chick(en), the Drug Child who was kept in a cage all night, with sounds strictly stating, WARNING DO NOT FEED THE DRUG CHILD – THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU. The Drug Child was of course a slutty, gothic looking James St. James, repeatedly pleading for bumps.
Michael’s parties outgrew the clubs and were often held at seemingly random locations like Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King and the subway. You know—as you do. Michael was the leader of the “Club Kids,” “the mother hen creating all these fairytale characters,” as columnist Michael Musto put it. But as the parties grew more grotesque and Michael, James St. James and various other members of the Club Kid family lost themselves in their K-Holes and heroin dreams, things started getting ugly. So ugly, Michael and drug dealer Robert “Freeze” Riggs turned one of their bloody, morbid party scenes into a reality when they murdered fellow club kid Andre “Angel” Melendez. Michael served a seventeen year sentence and was released last year. He has since started his “the Pee-Yu” show online.
This is a discerning piece about the rise and fall of Michael Alig which should definitely be followed up by the film Party Monster, featuring Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green.
1. Human Traffic (1999)
Anyone who has ever gone on a real blinder consisting of drugs, contagious beats and buzzing people will understand that there is a specific build up and a particular come down to every party. No other movie highlights these ups and downs, these crazy intense feelings and paranoias quite like Human Traffic. This film has become a true cult classic for a whole variety of electro heads and ravers. Justin Kerrigan explores various details of disillusioned twenty somethings who have found their escape in the music they love. Jip (John Simm), Koop (Shaun Parkes), Nina (Nicola Reynolds) and Lulu (Lorraine Pilkington) all work shitty jobs, go through ridiculous relationship dramas, put up with daily stick from their bosses and deal with their respective, disapproving families. The only one who hasn’t yet committed to a nine to five and earns his keep dealing is Moff (Danny Dyer). He sums up the sentiment perfectly: “I don’t have one single friend who actually enjoys their job. Each one counts down the days until Friday night. I’m not ready to become that miserable!”
The one thing that keeps them going is their countdown to the weekend when they can blow steam out of their heads like a screaming kettle and celebrate the “second summer of love” amidst fellow clubbers of the chemical generation. Exploring all the themes that occupy the mind of people in their twenties in such an honest, sarcastic, intelligently funny and imaginative way, the characters click with you in much the same way as the overall vibe of this, their gloriously holy weekend. You’re not just following their peaks and lows as a silent observer but as a silent participant. This film truly communicates and connects with its audience: you buzz off of their energy as they’re dancing, loving and tripping in unity and you relate, truly relate, to their struggles and insecurities off of the dance floor. It portrays the chemical generation and all its unwritten rituals and experiences in such a beautifully well-rounded manner it makes you laugh and feel kind of special. Because this is a language only you and your chosen family will understand.
With appearances by Howard Marks, Carl Cox and Pete Tong, a master soundtrack, witty dialogues and an excellent cast, this movie is the rave movie of all rave movies. Dive into the world of Cardiff’s rave scene, discuss spliff politics and contemplate the meaning of it all at the end of the night.
“What’s your name? What have you had? Reach for the lasers. Safe as fuck.”
Roxanne Sancto is a freelance journalist, co-author of The Pink Boots and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow her on Facebook. She likes getting creative in padm?sana.Update: Pre-order registrations have been extended "due to high demand," until Monday February 2nd, 12pm MST. Beside the $50 discount you get for registering, you'll also receive an extra battery and a glass screen protector. Pre-orders should open on Monday, but the discount and freebies will be gone then.
Beside Energous, the most novel company I met with at CES 2015 was Saygus. Here was this start-up I hadn't heard about touting a superphone of sorts, with bells and whistles to rock most bells and blow most whistles, an unconventional product that seemed, on paper, more hallucinogenic than the most optimistic crowd-funding project you've come across. But my time spent with the Saygus team revealed a bit more to the story.
The company had been creating innovative technologies for smartphones for over a decade, but thought it was time to try its hand at making its own device. Mass market appeal wasn't in the cards, replaced by the drive to push the envelop and see how many cool features — and novelties too — could be crammed into the phone to grab the attention of an elite, decidedly geekier, clientele. What OnePlus did for the affordable but powerful smartphone market, Saygus seems to want to do for the demanding technophiles. That's where the V² got its roots.
The V² is an upper mid-range device by 2015's standards, but the phone isn't trying to compete on the "standard" featureset to begin with. It starts with a 5" 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 4, 3GB of RAM, 64GB of on-board storage, a 2.5GHz Qualcomm quad-core processor (most probably the 801), a 21MP camera with OIS and a physical shutter button, and adds the usual features we expect in modern smartphones like GPS, Wi-Fi, NFC, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, and MicroUSB with OTG and MHL support. The V² also has an IR transmitter and powers everything with a decent 3100mAh battery and Qi charging. Not a bad spec list, but definitely not an earth-shattering one either.
Where it gets interesting is with the specs that we usually don't look at, or the ones we are trained to glance over and not expect anything from. That's where Saygus is trying to differentiate. Some of these could be very useful, others sound intriguing to say the least, and a few seem like they were added because the company went all-in with every novelty it could find.
The front camera is a 13MP auto-focus sensor with OIS — selfie lovers rejoice! 2 MicroSD slots are found under the battery cover, both with support for cards up to 128GB — 320GB of total storage anyone? A light sensor sits on the back of the phone as well as the front, to grab as much ambient light data and enhance the screen's brightness control. Speaking of the screen, it's an edge-to-edge one, there are no visible black borders — whether the display itself doesn't have them or the designers were smart enough to conceal these behind the phone's Kevlar side borders, I couldn't tell.
Left: edge-to-edge screen. Right: two MicroSD slots.
Kevlar isn't the only material used, there's fiberglass and anodized brushed aluminum too. The phone is waterproof with an IPX7 rating, with no covers on any ports. There are two front stereo speakers and three microphones (for better noise reduction), all with Harman Kardon's sound technology.
Left: front speaker. Right: light sensor next to the camera.
Moving onto the cool novelties, the V² has a fractal antenna built into the battery cover to enhance its signal reception. It's the first phone to support 60GHz wireless gaming and beaming to televisions. A biometric fingerprint scanner is flanked onto the side for privacy and security. And lastly, the phone has a power-saving chip that enhances its battery's endurance by 50%. If this isn't the most intriguing set of specs you've seen on a modern smartphone, I don't know what is.
Left: fractal antenna. Right (right to left): 60 GHz wireless, volume buttons, power, biometric scanner, camera shutter.
My short hands-on time with the Saygus V² (pronounced V-squared by the way, and not V-two) wasn't enough to test most of these features. The engineering samples present at CES weren't exactly market-ready (you can clearly see the flaws from the photos) and seemed to have been flashed with a CM11 ROM that wasn't yet optimized for the hardware's additional features. Speaking of, the V² is supposed to ship with KitKat 4.4.4, a mistake as I argued with the team, especially if one of their main selling points is the dual MicroSD slots. Lollipop would be better suited for that. On the plus side, the phone should be rooted or at least root-ready out of the box.
But back to the hands-on, the phone exists and works. There's that at least to quell my inner doubts of this being an elaborate bluff, the result of someone's delirium, or a madly optimistic project. The rest, from the battery-optimizing chip to the wireless gaming, biometric scanner, speakers, microphones, MicroSD slots, cameras, fractal antenna, and everything else that forms this psychedelic mix of specs, has to be tested thoroughly and proven once we get a device to try for a longer period of time.
And I do realize how sad it is that I consider this featureset "psychedelic," but we've been trained and groomed to the status-quo of the mobile industry for such a long time that anything slightly out of the ordinary disrupts our set ways. Wait, you mean there's more than a bigger higher resolution screen, faster processor, and better camera?! What an obscenity!
If the Saygus V² sounds like the kind of phone you might want to put your dough on, pre-order registrations are already available on Saygus' website and will continue to run until today, 12pm MST (that's 2pm EST, 11am PST). This will guarantee you a spot in the line once pre-orders are actually open and a discounted price of $549 as opposed to the phone's regular price of $599. It's not clear whether the discount will remain after 12pm, so if you're uncertain, you might as well register your email address to be on the safe side. Exact payment withdrawal times as well as shipping dates and details should be announced later today. We'll update the post once we know more.
Saygus V² specs, pre-order registrationOn Friday, the Gateway Pundit said that the social media site Twitter is allowing a hashtag advocating the death of President-elect Donald J. Trump. A search for the hashtag, #AssassinateTrump, finds reaction from both sides of the political aisle, with liberals using it to advocate murder while Trump supporters expressed outrage.
https://twitter.com/blakepatraw/status/796234111455113216
“Why bother rioting when so many Americans have guns. Wait for one of his public speaches, (sic) snipe him,” one person tweeted Thursday.
And it seems the hashtag has been around for quite a while:
Trending: Jackson, Michigan – Another Fake Hate Crime: LGBTQ Activist Burns Down Own Home with Pets Inside
https://twitter.com/LocoDiablo_/status/786699967645745152
https://twitter.com/kaileydmusic/status/780599117739196417
https://twitter.com/BIRDFAN7/status/778381735402668032
But now that Trump has won the election, many are demanding action:
If you see something, say something. #AssassinateTrump activity should be screenshotted and reported accordingly. Don't assume it's in jest. — D Fens (@Fens16D) November 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/Elements11997/status/796363300883853312
If you think that #assassinatetrump is a legit idea then you are no better than isis. Killing of humans and destruction of property is wrong — 👑 (@arlaj_nikojan) November 11, 2016
It’s not just wrong, it’s illegal. But that has never stopped liberals who think it’s perfectly okay to advocate murdering conservatives and Republicans.
Some expressed anger that Twitter would even allow such a hashtag to exist:
Thanks for proving @Twitter a liberal hate machine. You ban @Nero and won't allow criticism of @AnitaSarkeesia but approve #AssassinateTrump — Twyla Naythias Fox (@TheRealTwylaFox) November 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/KilroyRising/status/797156934298247168
https://twitter.com/jesternew/status/797155069015818240
Right — like Clinton faced consequences for having a homebrew server and placing our national security at risk…
What makes this worse is the fact that unhinged liberals have actually used the social media platform to advocate the murder of Trump and his supporters.
The question now is: Will Twitter do the right thing and dump the hashtag? Or will it continue to let liberals use it to call for Trump’s murder?
Related:
If you haven’t checked out and liked our Facebook page, please go here and do so.
And if you’re as concerned about Facebook censorship as we are, go here and order this new book:His name is Marshall Mathers. He's just a regular guy who happens to have a few alter egos, some skeletons in his closet, and a way with words.
OK, maybe he's not so regular, seeing how the man also known as Eminem has rhymed himself into Greatest Of All Time contention—not to mention that his every move has been publicized and scrutinized since 1999, when The Slim Shady LP donkey-punched the game silly, making it unsafe for pop stars, moms, and anybody else who pissed off the Detroit representer. Ever since, the Dre-signed rap superstar has attempted to keep his private life private, a task he himself makes difficult by always being so brutally honest in his songs. It's his compulsive willingness to share his raw feelings in inspired lyrics and wide-ranging flows that has struck a chord with fans.
But even before his breakthrough, Em was a promising MC looking for his chance to blow. Controversy aside, at the essence of all his music there has always existed an artist's deep-rooted respect for hip-hop. Every lyrical war he waged, whether it was against kin, rap rivals, or the media, every confrontational and/or funny remark he made on record—it could all be traced back to his humble beginnings as a battle rapper from the wrong side of the tracks.
His rise to fame is a real-life drama full of protests, court cases, and a duel with drugs, all echoed in his songs, videos, and albums. But, above all else, it's the passion that burns within his competitive nature that has set him apart from many of his peers. How the Great White Hope became possibly the G.O.A.T. is a story best told in verses, so with Slim Shady's next album soon upon us, Complex felt it was the perfect time to compile 100 of Eminem's best sonic scriptures to tell the tale of this rapper/producer, shit-starter, loving father, and survivor. Take a listen and you'll see Eminem's saga is as much about where he's from, where he's been and where he's at—back on top. These are the best Eminem songs.
Related: Complex Cover Story - Dec 2017 : Eminem On How Jay Z Inspires Him and the Making of 'Revival'Foto: Index, Jure Mišković/Cropix
POZNATI hrvatski politički emigrant Zvonko Bušić ubio se u svojoj kući u Rovanjskoj kod Zadra pet godina nakon što je pušten iz američkog zatvora. Iako policija još ne otkriva detalje, Bušić si je, prema svemu sudeći, oduzeo život hicem iz vatrenog oružja.
Za oružje nije imao dozvolu. Istražuje se kako je nabavio pištolj. U kupaonici ga je pronašla supruga Julienne Eden Bušić.
U ime obitelji Zvonka Bušića novinarima se obratio njegov prijatelj Dražen Budiša koji je u Rovanjsku stigao jutros s Murtera. "Zvonko je napisao dva oproštajna pisma, supruzi, rodbini, prijateljima i Hrvatima u kojima ih moli za oprost zbog onoga što je jutros učinio, jer više nije mogao izdržati. Na jednom mjestu u pismu kaže da više nije mogao živjeti u Platonovoj pećini", rekao je Budiša. Dodao je kako je "očito sanjati slobodnu Hrvatsku uz sve nevolje bilo lakše nego izdržavati hrvatsku zbilju". Budiša je više puta ponovio da je Zvonko Bušić bio "iznimno dobar čovjek".
Alegorija špilje poznat je pojam iz povijesti filozofije koji je Platon opisao u svojoj "Državi". Antički filozof čovječanstvo je opisao kao skupinu ljudi u mračnoj špilji kojima je iza leđa otvor iz kojega dolazi svjetlost koja baca sjene na zid u koji ljudi gledaju. Ljudi tako vide tek sjene stvarnih pojava pa stječu pogrešne dojmove o vanjskome svijetu. Ako se netko izdvoji iz skupine i izađe iz špilje, jaka svjetlost ga zaslijepi i on se prestrašen vraća u špilju iz koje je izašao.
Tekst se nastavlja ispod oglasa
U zatvoru proveo 32 godine
Bušić je u američkom zatvoru proveo 32 godine zbog otmice zrakoplova i podmetanja eksplozivne naprave u jednoj njujorškoj željezničkoj postaji.
Otmica i podmetanje bombe bili su namijenjeni isticanju lošeg hrvatskog položaja u tadašnjoj Jugoslaviji, a Bušić i njegova supruga Julienne Eden Bušić, Petar Matanić, Frane Pešut i Slobodan Vlašić odgovorni su za otmicu.
Otmičari su zrakoplov kompanije TWA s 92 putnika oteli 10. rujna 1976. godine. Zrakoplov je poletio s aerodroma La Guardia u New Yorku prema Chicagu, a skupina predvođena Bušićem otela ga je s namjerom da iz njega izbaci letke u kojima se objašnjava status Hrvatske u Jugoslaviji.
Podijeljen stav javnosti
Zrakoplov je iz SAD-a preletio Atlantik i sletio na Island, odakle je poletio prema Londonu. Otmičari su iznad Londona bacili letke, nakon čega su putovanje nastavili prema Parizu iznad kojeg su također bačeni leci. Avion je nakon toga sletio na pariški aerodrom Charles de Gaulle na kojem su se Bušić i ostali predali policiji.
1977. godine supružnici Bušić su zbog otmice i pogibije policajca, koji je poginuo prilikom pokušaja demontiranja podmetnute eksplozivne naprave, osuđeni na doživotnu kaznu zatvora. Ostali otmičari dobili su 30 godina zatvora, ali su u međuvremenu pomilovani i pušteni na slobodu. Bušić je pušten iz zatvora i došao u Hrvatsku u srpnju 2008. godine
Bušić je rođen 1946. u hercegovačkom selu Gorica, a na studiju i Beču je upoznao američku studenticu Julienne Eden Schultz s kojom se oženio i koja mu se pridružila u borbi za hrvatsku neovisnost. Mišljenje javnosti o njemu je podijeljeno. Dok ga jedni smatraju hrabrim domoljubom, drugi podsjećaju na njegove terorističke metode.Related stories
Other Stories By Oakes
Oakes Weekly - March 1, 2008
Beer & Chocolate Tasting
March 1, 2008
I initially resisted the overtures to attend a recent beer and chocolate tasting. After all, the whole beer & food thing really isn’t my bag. The venue, the Alibi Room, looks to be the first proper beer bar in Vancouver since Fogg n’ Sudds jumped the shark.
That was a big part of the reason I decided to attend. The room is gorgeous brick and natural light, tucked beside the railroad tracks on the wrong side of Gastown’s cobbled streets. The tap handles are as good as this town has ever seen, representing micros you never see in the big city. The owner promised me the previous weekend they would be ever better with additions from Victoria brewpubs and sure enough Spinnakers and Swans were there on tap. That is 100% unheard of in the history of the BC beer scene. It’s exactly the sort of thing I know I would do if I had a beer bar here, so I was pretty impressed someone else thought of it, too.
What put me over the top was that the chocolatier, Themis Velgis of the Chocoatl boutique, would be explaining the background and terroir of the different chocolates on offer.
“Well, okay,” I told myself. Out loud. On the bus. I do that sometimes. “It’s an academic exercise. I can do that.” Besides I figure I’ve got to flex those tastebuds, whip them into shape before the heavy lifting of Hard Liver and WBC judging.
Round one started with a very creamy 48% cacoa. I did exactly as our hosts instructed. I tucked the chocolate into the right side of my mouth and allowed it to melt a little bit. Then I poured the beer into the left side of my mouth – or did my best to – and slowly mixed them. Apparently this technique is important because if you just toss them both in there without care the cold from the beer will draw out a certain waxiness from the chocolate that will inhibit your palate’s ability to perceive any subtlety. That’s pretty dorky! Chocolate-dipped strawberries and impy by the fireside this is not…no way…this is an academic exercise here.
The creamy chocolate was matched with a bitter and I don’t think the pairing worked well at all. The chocolate brought out a hint of fruitiness in the beer but otherwise these two did not come together in any meaningful way.
The next pairing was the no-brainer of the afternoon. Crannóg’s Back Hand of God paired with an austere, earthy 70% from São Tomé that finished with a distinctly roasty accent. The cask-conditioned stout was on form, which is to say very complex, and matched the chocolate beautifully.
The third pairing was another natural, so I thought. A 70% Grenada with an intense herbal character and bitter finish matched with Tin Whistle’s Cherry Chocolate Porter. The porter on its own was better than when I rated it – more aromatic chocolate and a bigger cherry character. Put together, the herbal character of the chocolate drops out and the sour cherries in the beer blow up. The whole packages has more body and sweetness as well. This pairing was very complementary, beautiful stuff.
For fun, I tried the Cherry Chocolate Porter with the São Tomé from the previous pairing. I pegged that chocolate as being a natural beer companion but with this beer the combo was a fiasco of bitterness and competing flavours. I did not expect it to be so totally unpalatable.
The same beer I then paired with the next pairing’s chocolate. That one was a 71% from Brazil. That country’s chocolate is usually of low quality and used for mass market purposes. While I was assured that this wasn’t the case with this particular Brazilian chocolate, I really didn’t think much of its coconut and peanut oil character. It flopped with the cherry porter.
It also flopped with its own beer, Phillips Longboat Chocolate Porter. I could actually see where they were going with the combo of syrupy beer and oily chocolate but that beer is a thin, gutless, one-dimensional swiller (note: it does have its fans, I’m just not one of them). Nothing could save that beer, let alone the weakest chocolate of the day.
Then, before the final pairing, I ordered up the new seasonal Porter from Swan’s. A mild, vaguely earthy example, it was crushed by the muscular São Tomé, but was at least a tolerable companion for the Grenada and the Brazil.
The last pairing was the most unorthodox of the afternoon. It was a 64% cacoa from Papua New Guinea and a cask-conditioned Mission Spring IPA. As a result – so I was told – of a high copper content in the local soil, the chocolate has a rich tobaccoey, smoky character. This paired so brilliantly with the IPA I was in shock. Fruity, orangey, leafy, tobaccoey…this combination revealed untold layers of depth.
I then tried the three previous chocolates with the IPA – nothing even came close to working. I then tried the PNG chocolate with the Swan’s Porter. That was a fine combination – it really pumped up the tobaccoey notes almost giving me the impression that I was smoking a cigar. Probably my third favourite pairing, after the Back Hand of God and São Tomé.
The best meal I’ve had this year was at a place around the corner from the Alibi called Boneta. It’s popular with food geeks and restaurant industry types, but I think its food is completely geared to analysis. If you don’t want to think about your meal, you’d probably be wasting your time at Boneta.
Chocolate is a lot like beer. Most folks get crap chocolate and like it. There aren’t a lot of people who could point out PNG, Grenada or São Tomé on a map, much less tell you what their chocolate is like. So like a dinner at Boneta, there is this whole analytical level on which this sort of thing works. But I’m not sure if it could possibly translate to a realm that thinks chocolate is Toblerone and beer is Heineken, any more than a gorgeous multitextural fried tuna in kazu sauce would appeal to lovers of corner store California rolls.
But us geeks sure get a kick out of it!
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This paired so brilliantly with the IPA I was in shock. Fruity, orangey, leafy, tobaccoey…this combination revealed untold layers of depth. Copyright © 2000-2019,
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Oakes WeeklyDmitry Lovetsky / AP Demonstrators carry a Russian flag as they march during an opposition rally in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 12, 2012.
The police raids began on Saturday, June 9, three days before the Russian opposition was to hold another “March of the Millions” in Moscow. Search warrants were served that night on the homes of at least five activists. Those who opened the door were arrested, their computers confiscated along with anti-government leaflets and stickers. Maria Baronova, who has been organizing protests since the wave of opposition began in December, had a hunch that she would be on the blacklist. “We realized they were coming for all of us,” she says.
And she was right. The crackdown turned out to be the worst so far against the opponents of President Vladimir Putin. The homes of Russia‘s most active opposition leaders, including the anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, were ransacked by police for the first time, as were the residences of some of their parents and in-laws. The aim, according to police, was to investigate the bloody clashes of May 6, the last “March of the Millions,” when protesters battled riot troops in the center of Moscow, throwing chunks of asphalt and taking police batons to the head. But the timing of these searches suggested another motive: The government seemed eager to disrupt and intimidate the organizers of the next march, planned for Tuesday (June 12).
(PHOTOS: Vladimir Putin Sworn In as Russia’s President)
In some ways they succeeded. Baronova, who has served since December as the movement’s volunteer spokeswoman, quickly got out of town, taking her 5-year-old son Sasha to live with in-laws in the suburbs of Moscow. On Monday morning, however, officers reportedly raided Baronova’s Moscow apartment while only Sasha’s nanny was at home. “I told her not to open the door for anyone,” Baronova says, and the nanny held out for about half an hour while officers banged on the door. She says two of them then climbed onto the fifth-floor balcony and said they would cut through the door with a circular saw if the nanny refused to open up. When the woman finally unlocked the door, Baranova says, eight masked troops piled in with assault rifles and put the nanny face down on the floor.
For the next three hours, Baranova says, officials from the Russian Investigative Committee searched the three-bedroom apartment, not sparing Sasha’s playroom. Before leaving, the activist says, they drew up a seizure order that reads, as the activist describes it, like a parody of Orwell or Kafka, a text so rich with Soviet pedantry that Baronova said could only laugh as she read it aloud. “In the righthand corner of a shoe box, located to the right of the entryway, 86 stickers were found and confiscated with the words, ‘In what kind of Russia shall we live? One of fairness, freedom and justice.'” The order also lists two books titled “Putin – Corruption,” four laptops, a protest organizer’s badge, 31 copies of the opposition newspaper “Grazhdanin” (Citizen), and exactly 15 “strips of white material 36 cm in length.” (The latter refers to the symbol of the protest movement: a white ribbon.) All of these things were confiscated, along with items of personal hygiene and a medical inhaler that, apparently by mistake, the document lists as a “bong.”
(PHOTOS: Yuri Kozyrev – My Year On Revolution Road)
“The searches were carried out in strict compliance with the norms of the code of criminal procedure, and the investigators behaved themselves with extreme propriety,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Monday.
“As far as I’m concerned, they robbed my house,” says Baronova, who met me at the Moscow School of Political Science, a college in a suburb of the capital, where she was hiding out after she learned about the raid. “I guess this is Putin’s revenge after the elections.” On May 7, Putin was inaugurated for a third term as president, which will extend his rule until 2018, making him the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev. The day before, the opposition staged its first “March of Millions,” which was meant to wind through Moscow toward an anti-Putin rally on Bolotnaya Square. Tens of thousands of people took part. But as they reached a bridge leading to the square, a cordon of riot police blocked their way, and a fight broke out between the helmeted troops and the protestors. Dozens of people were injured, hundreds arrested.
The following day, the authorities closed off a path through the center of Moscow, and Putin’s cortege drove to the Kremlin for his inauguration through empty streets, an image that has come to symbolize his growing estrangement from Moscow’s urban electorate, who gave him less than half of the popular vote in the presidential ballot in March. Since then, the state has moved to stop the swell in civil activism. Putin signed a law last week that raised the fines for participating in an unsanctioned protest to around $10,000. The raids on organizers’ homes seemed to be the next installment of this crackdown.
In its statement from Monday, the day when most of the raids were conducted, the Investigative Committee said that it had confiscated “no less than” 1 million euros “placed in more than 100 envelopes” from the apartment of Ilya Yashin, an opposition leader, and Ksenia Sobchak, a television celebrity who has also joined the movement. “The investigation is trying to determine the source of this currency and what it was meant for,” the statement said, apparently hinting at the government’s dubious claim that protestors are paid to attend rallies.
On Tuesday, the day of the second “March of Millions,” the committee ordered most of the leading activists to appear for interrogations, preventing them from speaking at the rally. Navalny and several others complied. But rather than scaring the protesters away, the raids seemed to increase the turnout. Several of the demonstrators marching through Moscow told me they might not have come if they had not heard about the raids the day before. “I was at my dacha [summer home] in the suburbs, but decided to come back when I read the news online,” said Yury Arkhipov, a middle-aged businessman, who had two white ribbons tied to the back of his baseball cap. In the end, around 50,000 people took part in the march.
(MORE: Will Poland vs. Russia Spark a Soccer War on Warsaw’s Streets?)
When they reached the rally site, unimpeded by the troops who stood by in dozens of city buses and army trucks, the speakers had more to talk about than hackneyed slogans of “Russia without Putin!” “The crooks and thieves are panicking,” said Sergei Udaltsov, an opposition leader who refused to show up for the interrogation on Tuesday. “Our rally is taking place under unprecedented circumstances. Massive raids, arrests, criminal charges, this monstrous new law against protests. All of this meant to repress our activism.” The raids became the leitmotif for all the speeches at the rally, whose leaders have otherwise struggled to keep the movement’s messages coherent.
So if anything, the attempt to scare the leadership of the opposition has only invigorated it, and the authorities, having perhaps realized their mistake, are again backing off. No arrests were made at the march itself, and the detectives were “sweet as can be” during the interrogations afterward, Baronova says. “They probably realized they’d gone too far.” The next march through Moscow is now being planned for Oct. 7, Putin’s birthday, and Udaltsov has called for a nationwide political strike to start the same day. That would be another escalation in the stand-off that has shaken Russia’s political life awake in the last six months, and the government will likely respond with an escalation of their own. Dozens of activists are still being investigated in connection with the violence of May 6, and five of them are in jail awaiting trial. “But at a certain point, an activist is more useful to the cause from behind bars,” Baronova told me from her hideout in the suburbs. “So if it’s my time to go, I’ll go.”
(MORE: Crackdown or Negotiation? Russian Protests Pose a Dilemma for Putin)The Minnesota Republican Party on Friday was slapped with $30,000 in fines for taking inappropriate campaign contributions from a company created to help pay for the 2010 gubernatorial recount.
After an inquiry that included depositions of a former state Supreme Court chief justice and one of the party's most reclusive major donors, the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board found a party awash in sloppy bookkeeping, "out of control" spending |
Shovelers.cool! We're the only game site founded and operated by people who identify on the LGBT+ spectrum!Our mission is to give independent game developers and publishers the press and recognition they deserve. With thousands of games released on Steam in recent years, great games get lost in the shuffle. We strive to highlight games which tell stories in interesting ways, provide unique experiences, and utilize mechanics in new ways. If you can give a little, or a lot, each donation allows us to provide coverage for games which might otherwise go unnoticed.Facebook: Steam Shovelers Twitter: @SteamShovelers
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Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/streamshovelers Twitch streams are live reviews and impressions. Taylor, the owner/operator of Steam Shovelers, usually streams, and streams typically last 1-2 hours. Special event streams are held occasionally (usually days when Taylor doesn't have to work at her day job) which typically run four hours or more.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We want to thank each and every person who supports our site. Not just here on Patreon, but everyone who watches our videos and streams and reads our articles. It means so much to us that we are able to serve marginalized groups in the games industry and the community, and provide an outlet for small studios and single-person productions.Quidditch, the broomstick-riding fictional sport from the "Harry Potter" series, is becoming an increasing popular real life sport. Learn how to play, and why it's catching on, straight from the mouths of Quidditch players, coaches, and organizers. (Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post)
Quidditch, the broomstick-riding fictional sport from the "Harry Potter" series, is becoming an increasing popular real life sport. Learn how to play, and why it's catching on, straight from the mouths of Quidditch players, coaches, and organizers. (Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post)
The Nike-clad coach barked out the words as they appeared on the screen: Rules! Opponents! Officials! Teammates! Self!
Her audience was still attentive more than an hour into her presentation. They soaked it up as she encouraged them to prove themselves, to be what they knew they could be: athletes.
Athletes, with coaches and referees and rule books and tryouts and fans.
But also with brooms.
And a guy who runs around as if he is a magical flying ball.
1 of 15 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Quidditch makes a play for credibility as a sport View Photos An activity born in J.K. Rowling’s novels about the boy wizard Harry Potter is claiming a space in the real world. Caption An activity born in J.K. Rowling’s novels about the boy wizard Harry Potter is claiming a space in the real world. June 29, 2014 Quidditch enthusiasts Alex Amodol, left, and Ricky Nelson enjoy an afternoon game in Fairfax, Va. QuidCon, now in its third year, is the annual conference of the International Quidditch Association. This year, it was held in Washington. The focus of the three-day conference included building players’ skills, developing teams and establishing links with quidditch-playing children around the world. Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
No capes though — they tossed that idea years ago, they promise.
Welcome to the third annual conference of the International Quidditch Association, held this weekend at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Quidditch, of course, is a game invented by J.K. Rowling and detailed in her seven “Harry Potter” novels. In the game, wizards fly on brooms to score points by catching, throwing and shooting balls through elevated hula hoops.
Adapted by muggles (non-wizarding folk) at Middlebury College in Vermont in 2005, the phenomenon has grown to include more than 4,000 players on 300 teams around the world, mostly based at colleges and universities, although several cities have community teams as well.
The game is typically played on a 30-by-48-yard field on which athletes run with brooms or PVC pipes between their legs, throw volleyballs or dodgeballs at each other and through hoops. Scoring is complex, and the highest-value maneuver involves catching a human embodiment of the “snitch,” who sprints around the field of play.
“Attitude is what matters most,” the coach, a paid speaker, was saying now. “Especially when you want to be taken seriously.”
To be taken seriously, the quidditch players have been adapting the culture of more respected sports by certifying their coaches, standardizing the rules and recruiting talented athletes. The conference this weekend, where some 40 players gathered to improve their coaching, refereeing and team-management skills before playing in a small tournament Sunday, was part of that effort.
1 of 28 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Inside Diagon Alley, Universal’s new Harry Potter park View Photos The new addition to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has just one ride — but seven shops to pass the time. Caption The new addition to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has just one ride — but seven shops to pass the time. June 19, 2014 A dragon breathes fire from atop the Gringotts bank during a preview of Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Orlando Resort. Featuring shops, dining experiences and a thrill ride, the attraction will officially open July 8. John Raoux/AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
But they’ve also been trying something else to gain respect: ditching Harry Potter.
In recent years and in conferences such as the Washington gathering, the players have been actively disassociating themselves from the fantasy world in which their sport was born.
Though most still love the series, they have decided that the sport has outgrown its children’s-novel roots.
And they’re not alone. Seven years after the final book was released and four years after the last movie premiered, the fan base for the Boy Who Lived — on Web sites, at conferences and in this college-popular “sport” — is carrying on the Potter legacy by leaving Harry behind.
Enduring and adapting
Record-breaking sales, the highest-grossing film series of all time, Diagon Alley replicas... you remember.
For more than a decade, the world was taken with the magical universe in which 11-year-olds could steal their dads’ flying cars, discover invisible rooms, fight evil wizards and, of course, learn inspiring lessons from it all in the end.
The Potter mania hasn’t faded quickly, especially with Warner Bros. adapting Rowling’s fictional encyclopedia “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and the Universal Studios Potter attractions.
The fan-based institutions that brought together the diehard Potter lovers are still alive and well. But they too are shifting away from Harry Potter to survive.
At its peak, top Potter fan site MuggleNet.com had more than 50 million visitors per month. Its founder, Emerson Spartz, said traffic dropped in half after the last movie came out in 2011.
But in the three years since, the stream of visitors has been consistent, even as posts shifted focus from the books and movies to news about the movies’ actors, theme park and J.K. Rowling’s new novels. “Look at ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ or ‘Star Trek’,” Spartz said. “Those series have all taken pauses from an official perspective, but their community of fans remain strong and vibrant.”
A similar fan site, The-Leaky-Cauldron.org, was known for organizing each year the world’s largest Harry Potter conference, called LeakyCon. Today, LeakyCon advertises itself as an event for multiple fan bases, from Disney to “Twilight” to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Quidditch has followed suit. It was once common for players on college campuses to wear capes, dress as characters from the books and talk about “bringing fantasy to real life.” Today, Harry Potter isn’t mentioned in the online history of the International Quidditch Association.
Instead, hoping to attract former varsity athletes, the group highlights that the activity is a full-contact sport. This year, they are even changing the rules so that all quidditch coaches must be tested and certified.
“As we’ve pushed to be more of a sport, and as the average college team has become more competitive, it becomes more intimidating for the casual Harry Potter fan who has never played a sport before to join,” said Logan Anbinder, who has played for the University of Maryland team and the Silicon Valley Skyfighters, a community team. “And that’s kind of sad.”
Homage to the original star
The day after the quidditch coaching session, the conference continued with meetings on injury prevention, tournament planning and referee training.
But for one hour on Saturday afternoon, 15 players gathered in convention center room 147A for a discussion on Harry himself.
The group was made up primarily of the players who came to quidditch first as Potter fans. They are no longer the majority of the participants.
One had tried to start a team in the second grade. Another still runs a blog where she writes in character as Narcissa Malfoy. One bought a new Hogwarts robe every time she outgrew the previous one, so that she could keep dressing as Hermione.
The question on the table was right up her alley: Who was a better friend to Harry — Ron or Hermione?
“Hermione is way more useful. I mean, what does Ron do?”
“Just because they fought, true friendship is sometimes hating each other’s guts.”
“Hermione isn’t under the same pressure and circumstances as Ron!”
A few players flipped through tattered copies of the books to make their points, their inner fandom now out in full force.
Back and forth they went: Is Voldemort redeemable? Is it fair for J.K. Rowling to say Dumbledore was gay after the series ended? Does your house affiliation matter after you graduate from Hogwarts?
And then it was time to be done. They gathered their books and headed over to the next room, where for the first time they could be certified as official quidditch coaches. The questions took a different form: When can a team be disqualified? When can a player be banned from the league? Does a medical professional need to be present at each match?
They would always be Potter fans, but these days, being athletes mattered more.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
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New York magazine had the Harvey Weinstein story — or nearly had it — a year ago but didn’t run anything after the movie mogul and his team of lawyers and p.r. consultants intervened.
Reporter Ben Wallace spent months interviewing dozens of people in Weinstein’s world in the hope of exposing Weinstein’s history of sexual aggression toward young women.
“New York magazine had the story a year ago, and Harvey had it killed,” one source told me.
“Harvey was sweating bullets. He sat down with Editor-in-Chief Adam Moss, and they were still going ahead. Then, it suddenly went away. The reporter must be kicking himself now.”
Wallace declined to speak to me.
“The suggestion that we killed this story due to pressure from our business side or from Harvey Weinstein is completely false,” a magazine spokeswoman said.
“The fact is that we couldn’t get the story to the point where we had sufficient confirmation and sourcing to publish.”
The New York Times reported that Weinstein had secretly paid off at least eight women — including Rose McGowan — to remain silent after allegations of sexual harassment.
“He was voracious in his appetites — for movies, for food and for women,” a former employee told me. “He had no limits and no one to stop him.”Horror stories about the increasingly unpopular taxi service Uber have been commonplace in recent months, but there is still much to be learned from its handling of the recent hostage drama in downtown Sydney, Australia. We're told that we reveal our true character in moments of crisis, and apparently that's as true for companies as it is for individuals.
A number of experts have challenged the idea that the horrific explosion of violence in a Sydney café was “terrorism,” since the attacker was mentally unbalanced and acted alone. But, terror or not, the ordeal was certainly terrifying. Amid the chaos and uncertainty, the city believed itself to be under a coordinated and deadly attack.
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Uber had an interesting, if predictable, response to the panic and mayhem: It raised prices. A lot.
In case you missed the story, the facts are these: Someone named Man Haron Monis, who was considered mentally unstable and had been investigated for murdering his ex-wife, seized hostages in a café that was located in Sydney's Central Business District or “CBD.” In the process he put up an Islamic flag – “igniting,” as Reuters reported, “fears of a jihadist attack in the heart of the country's biggest city.”
In the midst of the fear, Uber stepped in and tweeted this announcement: “We are all concerned with events in CBD. Fares have increased to encourage more drivers to come online & pick up passengers in the area.”
As Mashable reports, the company announced that it would charge a minimum of $100 Australian to take passengers from the area immediately surrounding the ongoing crisis, and prices increased by as much as four times the standard amount. A firestorm of criticism quickly erupted – “@Uber_Sydney stop being assholes,” one Twitter response began – and Uber soon found itself offering free rides out of the troubled area instead.
What can we learn from this incident? Let's start by parsing that tweet:
“We are all concerned with events in CBD...”
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That opener suggests that Uber, as part of a community under siege, is preparing to respond in a civic manner.
“... Fares have increased to encourage more drivers to come online & pick up passengers in the area.”
But, despite the expression of shared concern, there is no sense of civitas to be found in the statement that follows. There is only a transaction, executed at what the corporation believes to be market value. Lesson #1 about Uber is, therefore, that in its view there is no heroism, only self-interest. This is Ayn Rand's brutal, irrational and primitive philosophy in its purest form: altruism is evil, and self-interest is the only true heroism.
There was once a time when we might have read of “hero cabdrivers” or “hero bus drivers” placing themselves in harm's way to rescue their fellow citizens. For its part, Uber might have suggested that it would use its network of drivers and its scheduling software to recruit volunteer drivers for a rescue mission.
Instead, we are told that Uber's pricing surge was its expression of concern. Uber's way to address a human crisis is apparently by letting the market govern human behavior, as if there were (in libertarian economist Tyler Cowen's phrase) “markets in everything” – including the lives of a city's beleaguered citizens (and its Uber drivers).
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Where would this kind of market-driven practice leave poor or middle-income citizens in a time of crisis? If they can't afford the “surged” price, apparently it would leave them squarely in the line of fire. And come to think of it, why would Uber drivers value their lives so cheaply, unless they're underpaid?
One of the lessons of Sydney is this: Uber's philosophy, whether consciously expressed or not, is that life belongs to the highest bidder – and therefore, by implication, the highest bidder's life has the greatest value. Society, on the other hand, may choose to believe that every life has equal value – or that lifesaving services should be available at affordable prices.
If nothing else, the Sydney experience should prove once and for all that there is no such thing as “the sharing economy.” Uber is a taxi company, albeit an under-regulated one, and nothing more. It's certainly not a “ride sharing” service, where someone who happens to be going in the same direction is willing to take along an extra passenger and split gas costs. A ride-sharing service wouldn't find itself “increasing fares to encourage more drivers” to come into Sydney's terrorized Central Business District.
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A “sharing economy,” by definition, is lateral in structure. It is a peer-to-peer economy. But Uber, as its name suggests, is hierarchical in structure. It monitors and controls its drivers, demanding that they purchase services from it while guiding their movements and determining their level of earnings. And its pricing mechanisms impose unpredictable costs on its customers, extracting greater amounts whenever the data suggests customers can be compelled to pay them.
This is a top-down economy, not a “shared” one.
A number of Uber's fans and supporters defended the company on the grounds that its “surge prices,” including those seen during the Sydney crisis, are determined by an algorithm. But an algorithm can be an ideological statement, and is always a cultural artifact. As human creations, algorithms reflect their creators.
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Uber's tweet during the Sydney crisis made it sound as if human intervention, rather than algorithmic processes, caused prices to soar that day. But it doesn't really matter if that surge was manually or algorithmically driven. Either way the prices were Uber's doing – and its moral choice.
Uber has been strenuously defending its surge pricing in the wake of accusations (apparently justified) that the company enjoyed windfall profits during Hurricane Sandy. It has now promised the state of New York that it will cap its surge prices (at three times the highest rate on two non-emergency days). But if Uber has its way, it will soon enjoy a monopolistic stranglehold on car service rates in most major markets. And it has demonstrated its willingness to ignore rules and regulations. That means predictable and affordable taxi fares could become a thing of the past.
In practice, surge pricing could become a new, privatized form of taxation on middle-class taxi customers.
Even without surge pricing, Uber and its supporters are hiding its full costs. When middle-class workers are underpaid or deprived of benefits and full working rights, as Uber's reportedly are, the entire middle-class economy suffers. Overall wages and benefits are suppressed for the majority, while the wealthy few are made even richer. The invisible costs of ventures like Uber are extracted over time, far surpassing whatever short-term savings they may occasionally offer.
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Like Walmart, Uber underpays its employees – many of its drivers are employees, in everything but name – and then drains the social safety net to make up the difference. While Uber preaches libertarianism, it practices a form of corporate welfare. It's reportedly celebrating Obamacare, for example, since the Affordable Care Act allows it to avoid providing health insurance to its workforce. But the ACA's subsidies, together with Uber's often woefully insufficient wages, mean that the rest of us are paying its tab instead. And the lack of income security among Uber's drivers creates another social cost for Americans – in lost tax revenue, and possibly in increased use of social services.
The company's war on regulation will also carry a social price. Uber and its supporters don't seem to understand that regulations exist for a reason. It's true that nobody likes excessive bureaucracy, but not all regulations are excessive or onerous. And when they are, it's a flaw in execution rather than principle.
Regulations were created because they serve a social purpose, ensuring the free and fair exchange of services and resources among all segments of society. Some services, such as transportation, are of such importance that the public has a vested interest in ensuring they will be readily available at reasonably affordable prices. That's not unreasonable for taxi services, especially given the fact that they profit from publicly maintained roads and bridges.
Uber has presented itself as a modernized, efficient alternative to government oversight. But it's an evasion of regulation, not its replacement. As Alexis Madrigal reports, Uber has deliberately ignored city regulators and used customer demand to force its model of inadequate self-governance (my conclusion, not his) onto one city after another.
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Uber presented itself as a refreshing alternative to the over-bureaucratized world of urban transportation. But that's a false choice. We can streamline sclerotic city regulators, upgrade taxi fleets and even provide users with fancy apps that make it easier to call a cab. The company's binary presentation – us, or City Hall – frames the debate in artificial terms.
Uber claims that its driver rating system is a more efficient way to monitor drivers, but that's an entirely unproven assumption. While taxi drivers have been known to misbehave, the worldwide litany of complaints against Uber drivers – for everything from dirty cars and spider bites to assault with a hammer, fondling and rape – suggest that Uber's system may not work as well as old-fashioned regulation. It's certainly not noticeably superior.
In fact, prosecutors in San Francisco and Los Angeles say Uber has been lying to its customers about the level and quality of its background checks. The company now promises it will do a better job at screening drivers. But it won't tell us what measures its taking to improve its safety record, and it's fighting the kind of driver scrutiny that taxicab companies have been required to enforce for many decades.
Many reports suggest that beleaguered drivers don't feel much better about the company than victimized passengers do. They tell horror stories about the company's hiring and management practices. Uber unilaterally slashes drivers' rates, while claiming they don't need to unionize. (The Teamsters disagree.)
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The company also pushes sketchy, substandard loans onto its drivers – but hey, what could go wrong?
Uber has many libertarian defenders. And yet, it deceives the press and threatens to spy on journalists, lies to its own employees, keeps its practices a secret and routinely invades the privacy of civilians – sometimes merely for entertainment. (It has a tool, with the Orwellian name the “God View,” that it can use for monitoring customers' personal movements.)
Aren't those the kinds of things libertarians say they hate about government?
This isn't a “gotcha” exercise. It matters. Uber is the poster child for the pro-privatization, anti-regulatory ideology that ascribes magical powers to technology and the private sector. It is deeply a political entity, from its Nietzschean name to its recent hiring of White House veteran David Plouffe. Uber is built around a relatively simple app (which relies on government-created technology), but it's not really a tech company. Above all else Uber is an ideological campaign, a neoliberal project whose real products are deregulation and the dismantling of the social contract.
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Or maybe, as that tweeter in Sydney suggested, they're just assholes.
Either way, it's important that Uber's worldview and business practices not be allowed to “disrupt” our economy or our social fabric. People who work hard deserve to make a decent living. Society at large deserves access to safe and affordable transportation. And government, as the collective expression of a democratic society, has a role to play in protecting its citizens.
And then there's the matter of our collective psyche. In her book "A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster," Rebecca Solnit wrote of the purpose, meaning and deep satisfaction people find when they pull together to help one another in the face of adversity. But in the world Uber seeks to create, those surges of the spirit would be replaced by surge pricing.
You don't need a “God view” to see what happens next. When heroism is reduced to a transaction, the soul of a society is sold cheap.Almost every team has a problem position -- you know, that spot where one season a hot prospect is starting (and failing), the next season it’s a washed-up vet, then some random Triple-A player -- and the team can never get out of that cycle.
Maybe your favorite club has one, like left field for the Seattle Mariners. This one goes way back. Ken Griffey Jr. patrolled center field 11 seasons for the Mariners and played next to nine different regular left fielders, including Pee Wee Briley, Jeffrey Leonard, Kevin Mitchell, Eric Anthony, Jose Cruz Jr. and Brian “The Fast One” Hunter. The Mariners have had problems filling the position in recent years as well. Norichika Aoki was supposed to be the answer last season, wasn’t the answer, and now they’re hoping Jarrod Dyson is the answer, although even that is a short-term fix as he’s an impending free agent.
So let’s see if Seattle’s left fielders have been as awful as Mariners fans believe, and who has had it even worse over the past decade.
METHODOLOGY Thanks to the invaluable Baseball-Reference.com, finding a way to examine this was relatively simple. For each MLB season, the site includes a position-by-position table of Wins Above Average. Wins Above Average are similar to Wins Above Replacement, just scaled to an average player instead of replacement level. Note how Baseball-Reference calculates the value for each position: Sabermetric stats like WAR and Wins Above Average are computed at the team/position level by prorating the players' team-season totals by time played at the position, so they may not represent exactly what the player did at that position, but rather it assumes they were equally valued at each position. Fielding Runs is based on actual time at the position. This means that if a player split his time between two positions and hit.275 overall, he's valued as a.275 hitter at each position, even if he hit.300 at one and.250 at another. This doesn't have any major impact on the results of this study.
The Weakest Positions
Let the lineup of dishonor begin! Our top 10 weakest positions since 2007 based on wins above average (or, in this, wins below average) from the bad to the very, very bad:
10. Kansas City Royals SS: minus-13.0 WAA
Starters: Tony Pena (2 seasons), Yuniesky Betancourt (2), Alcides Escobar (6)
This one stands out because it has been relatively stable. Pena and Betancourt were awful, but the surprise is the low rating with Escobar. But his career OBP with the Royals is.297, with just 26 home runs over six seasons, so he’s pretty much an offensive zero, and the defensive metrics rate him as only average.
9. Chicago White Sox LF: minus-13.2 WAA
Starters: Rob Mackowiak, Carlos Quentin (2), Juan Pierre (2), Dayan Viciedo (2), Alejandro De Aza, Melky Cabrera (2)
The rating is this bad even though Quentin finished fifth in the MVP voting with a 5.3-WAR season in 2008. It has been a string of mostly bad defenders and low-OBP hitters with only moderate power. Cabrera is still around for 2017, although general manager Rick Hahn would happily dump him on somebody for a warm carton of milk and some of that special sand you put on the infield dirt when it rains.
Melky Cabrera's defensive woes have helped keep left field as a weak point in the White Sox outfield. Jason Miller/Getty Images
8. Tampa Bay Rays C: minus-13.6 WAA
Starters: Dioner Navarro (3), John Jaso, Kelly Shoppach, Jose Molina (3), Rene Rivera, Curt Casali
If you want to argue this rating is unfair because it’s not properly measuring catcher defense such as pitch framing, OK, but there’s no denying the offensive ineptitude, especially in recent seasons. Overall since 2007, Tampa Bay catchers are hitting.222/.287/.342.
7. New York Mets C: minus-14.2 WAA
Starters: Paul Lo Duca, Brian Schneider, Omir Santos, Rod Barajas, Josh Thole (2), John Buck, Travis d’Arnaud (2), Kevin Plawecki
Well, that’s certainly a mishmash of past-their-prime veterans and career backups given a chance to start. Mets catchers haven’t hit much better than Tampa’s group: (.240/.301/.361), and none of these guys was known for their defensive reputations. Once again, they’ll count on d’Arnaud to remain healthy and maybe hit like he did in 2015.
6. Chicago White Sox 2B: minus-14.7 WAA
Starters: Tadahito Iguchi, Alexei Ramirez, Chris Getz, Gordon Beckham (5), Carlos Sanchez, Brett Lawrie
Man, the White Sox gave Beckham opportunity after opportunity to find himself, but in those five seasons he hit.241/.300/.361 and wasn’t anything special on defense. Remember, as well, that the ballpark formerly known as U.S. Cellular Field has been a good home run park, further deflating the value of those power numbers.
5. Texas Rangers 1B: minus-15.1 WAA
Starters: Mark Teixeira, Chris Davis (2), Justin Smoak, Mitch Moreland (3), Prince Fielder, Moreland (2)
Some big names, but this mostly is about the long leash the Rangers kept extending on Moreland. His career OPS-plus is 100, which is league average, but a league-average hitter at first base isn’t a good thing. Davis had a terrible season in 2009, and 2014 was a merry-go-round of 11 different starters after Fielder was injured.
4. Minnesota Twins LF: minus-15.7 WAA
Starters: Jason Kubel, Delmon Young (4), Josh Willingham (3), Eddie Rosario, Robbie Grossman
Yes, Young was that bad. Twins left fielders produced a mediocre.321 OBP over the decade, but much of this rating is about terrible defense: A combined minus-101 defensive runs saved. Kubel, Young and Willingham were really DHs masquerading as left fielders, and Grossman rated an unbelievable minus-21 DRS in just 635 innings last year, which is why Rosario may be back out there this year despite his poor OBP skills.
3. Seattle Mariners C: minus-17.0 WAA
Starters: Kenji Johjima (2), Rob Johnson (2), Miguel Olivo (2), Mike Zunino (3), Chris Iannetta
The lethal double dosage of bad hitters and bad defense! Mariners catchers have hit just.223 with a.281 OBP. Zunino performed better last season after some time in the minors, and he’s at least a solid defender. And while Mariners left fielders just missed being in our top-10 worst positions, don’t worry, Mariners fans, we’re not done with you.
2. Seattle Mariners 1B: minus-19.2 WAA
Starters: Richie Sexson (2), Russell Branyan, Casey Kotchman, Justin Smoak (4), Logan Morrison, Adam Lind
This encompasses the decline phase of Sexson’s career, a good year from Branyan in 2009 (31 home runs,.520 slugging), the year Kotchman hit.210, the agonizing run of Smoak’s warning-track power, the year Morrison hit.225 with a.302 OBP and then Lind’s.286 OBP last season. Where have you gone, John Olerud?
1. Miami Marlins 1B: minus-22.5 WAA
Starters: Mike Jacobs (2), Jorge Cantu, Gaby Sanchez (2), Carlos Lee, Logan Morrison, Garrett Jones, Justin Bour (2)
Is Justin Bour the answer to problems at first base that have plagued the Marlins for years? Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire
Well, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at those names and see that this ranking isn’t a surprise. It does show how teams can be fooled by first-base production. Marlins first basemen have averaged 21 home runs and 86 RBIs, but with a lowly.738 OPS. The MLB averages for first basemen since 2007 are 25 and 91, but with a.797 OPS. Basically, Marlins first basemen have hit like second basemen and fielded like DHs. In related news, the Marlins haven’t made the playoffs since 2003.
Worst position for each team
Just because a team's weakest position doesn't make the worst of the worst, that doesn't mean they don't have an area coming up short. Let's go division by division to see where each franchise has produced least over the past 10 seasons:
AL EAST
Orioles LF: -10.0
Red Sox C: -5.3
Yankees RF -5.8
Rays C: -13.6
Blue Jays LF: -12.8
AL CENTRAL
White Sox 2B: -14.7
Indians 1B: -10.5
Tigers RF: -6.7
Royals SS: -13.0
Twins LF: -15.7
AL WEST
Astros LF: -11.6
Angels LF: -7.0
A’s DH: -8.1
Mariners 1B: -19.2
Rangers 1B: -15.1
NL EAST
Braves LF: -8.0
Marlins 1B: -22.5
Mets C: -14.2
Phillies 1B: -14.8
Nationals LF: -14.2
NL CENTRAL
Cubs RF: -8.3
Reds LF: -8.7
Brewers 3B: -5.1
Pirates 1B: -12.0
Cardinals 2B: -0.9
NL WEST
Diamondbacks LF: -7.5
Rockies 1B: -8.2
Dodgers LF: -5.9
Padres SS: -12.0
Giants 2B: -10.5
You may note all the left field positions here. I think a possible explanation could be that position adjustment used in the value metrics is penalizing left fielders too much -- that the models haven’t properly adjusted for the decline in offense in left field in recent years. Dave Cameron wrote about this decline in an ESPN Insider piece a few weeks ago. He went back to 2002 and looked at offense from left field:
weighted runs created plus or wRC+ is an index metric, meaning that it is centered so that 100 is always average, and every point away from that indicates a percentage point above or below the average hitter at all positions for those years. For the first three years of this graph, the line is flat, noting that hitters put up a 113 wRC+ when they were playing left field. From that, we could say that left fielders were, on average, 13 percent better than average hitters in those years. From 2005 through 2010, there was a slight decrease, but left fielders were still comfortably above-average hitters. The trend continued down, though, with a huge dip in 2011, before reaching a 15-year low of 97 wRC+ last year, meaning that left fielders hit 3 percent worse than an average major league hitter overall.
As Dave pointed out, one reason for the offensive decline is teams are playing better defensive left fielders. Another reason, however, is that left field has kind of become a dumping ground for talent, the position teams are mostly likely to punt.
Getting their cuts The number of players receiving 400 plate appearances at each position over the past five seasons Pos. 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 Total 1B 21 22 20 19 21 103 2B 22 20 21 20 21 104 3B 20 20 25 24 17 106 SS 28 25 23 24 21 121 LF 12 10 13 15 15 65 CF 18 23 19 19 22 101 RF 21 20 17 18 18 94
Left field has been the least “stable” position each season. It follows that it has been the weakest position for many teams.
Positions with the most turnover
Unfortunately, no team scored a perfect 10 in our quest to identify baseball’s revolving doors. We did have 11 positions, however, that had nine different primary starters in 10 seasons:
Coming next -- Part 2: The strongest positions!The bigger question is whether monetary policy and a depreciating currency can make a significant difference. There is growing evidence that simply increasing the money supply may not be enough to revive weak economies, especially if demand in the rest of the world is not growing quickly enough. Countries cannot export their way to growth if other nations are not in a position to buy their goods and services.
That might help to explain why Japan’s economy is still struggling two years after its central bank began buying bonds in a big way, which has helped to send the yen tumbling against the dollar. A major part of the problem is that the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has not done enough to reform the economy, for instance by getting businesses to invest more of their savings and increasing the employment of women.
There are some signs of a European revival, though not enough to celebrate a return to growth. Several countries, like Greece, Italy and France, are still shrinking, stagnant or barely growing. A weaker euro is good for all the countries that use it but will primarily benefit big exporting nations like Germany, which is already one of the strongest eurozone economies. Even if the euro reaches parity with the dollar, this might not significantly help weaker countries like Greece that are not big exporters or nations like Portugal that export mostly to other European countries. To help those nations, policy makers in the eurozone have to move away from mindless austerity and push through long-delayed reforms to encourage investment and job growth.
For the United States, a stronger dollar will serve to dampen growth, though by how much nobody can accurately predict because the relative values of currencies are hard to forecast. Some American manufacturers have said they are losing orders or seeing their profits decline as they are forced to cut prices to compete with the lower prices offered by European and Japanese businesses.
The appreciation of the dollar is a good reason for the Federal Reserve to hold off on raising interest rates this summer. But more than anything else, the stronger dollar serves as a reminder that the world is still far too reliant on the United States, which itself has not yet fully recovered from the financial crisis. That does not augur well for sustainable global growth.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa announced that the collective decision to sever relations with Qatar came after Doha’s insistence on taking an anti-Arab stance.
The statement came after a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday where both leaders discussed the decision to sever ties with |
with has been binned."
New South Wales Liberal Premier Mike Baird has all but ruled out a state-led emissions trading scheme.
"It would seem an unusual approach for state governments to go alone," he said.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he supported Mr Weatherill's proposal for national action, while Queensland Premier Anna Palaszczuk said she would discuss the proposal with her South Australian counterpart before commenting.
Government backtracks on scope of review
On Monday, Mr Frydenberg announced an energy review that would examine the best ways to meet Australia's climate commitments and told the ABC that an emission intensity scheme was being considered.
"We know that there's been a large number of bodies that have recommended an emissions intensity scheme, which is effectively a baseline and credit scheme, we'll look at that," he said on Monday.
Within hours, the proposal was criticised by Liberal backbenchers including Cory Berardi who described it as "one of the dumbest things" he had heard and warned there would be political costs.
The next day, Mr Frydenberg said he did not mention an emissions intensity scheme and was instead focused on keeping electricity prices low.
The Financial Review reports Australia's Chief Scientist Alan Finkel will recommend the scheme as the best way to more away from coal towards gas and renewable energy, despite the Government refusing to consider it.
Mr Weatherill said an emissions intensity scheme would lower electricity prices in South Australia.
"It would clean up our energy system, it would make it more secure because it would encourage more baseload gas generation which is half as carbon polluting as coal fired generation," he said.
"It would put downward pressure on prices because you would introduce more competition in the South Australian energy market."
'Complete bunkum'
Treasurer Scott Morrison said Labor's claim the Prime Minister had caved into pressure from the right wing of his party was "complete bunkum".
"This is a fabricated position that is being put to me," he told Sky News.
Mr Morrison said the energy review was a low-level housekeeping procedure and had caused a national overreaction.
"The Government has never been contemplating the issue of an emissions trading scheme or a carbon tax," he said.
Mr Turnbull dismissed Mr Weatherill's proposal and accused him of putting South Australian jobs at risk.
"The South Australian Labor Government has delivered a double whammy of not being able to keep the lights on and having the most expensive energy prices in Australia," he told Melbourne's 3AW Radio.
Topics: federal-parliament, climate-change, electricity-energy-and-utilities, environment, sa, australia
First postedDisney’s 2013 feature Frozen has done a magnificent job of stirring the pot. The film has been lauded as a one of the most progressive of the pantheon to date, which has in turn sparked a series of discussions concerning the progressiveness of Disney films as a whole. It is no secret that these childhood cinematic memories have earned the scrutiny of many, yet they have always managed to supersede the harshest of them by being “timeless classics”.
Yet the true blunder is that we often fail to notice that Disney has already produced its progressive masterpiece, and it is over a decade old. Like Frozen, its heart and soul revolves not around the fairy tale romance but rather the fierce affection and dedication found between two sisters, but unlike Frozen, it takes its accomplishments far off into the stars themselves, so far that we often forget of its existence.
Lilo & Stitch is that film.
Lilo is, like many of her animated brethren of similar age, a troubled youth with an overactive imagination. The only difference here is that Lilo’s problems are real. She is, quite frankly, an emotionally disturbed little girl, not simply one with quirks outside of the acceptable. Our introduction to her shows us her staunch, unyielding belief that a fish named Pudge requires weekly peanut butter sandwiches as tribute because he is master and controller of the weather. It is easy to laugh these off as the rantings of a young girl, but when another girl calls out her strangeness, Lilo attacks, punching and biting in a way that is not meant to be comical. This is the kind of behaviour we associate with children from a broken home, a youth meant to be looked at accusingly – the kind we send to detention, or worse. Lilo is not the Elsa or Anna, she is not a misguided yet hopeful soul filled with a wanderlust that cannot be satiated. Lilo is a girl with problems, ones that we can clearly relate to because they are real. Lilo acts like a girl going through something that is bigger and stranger than she can understand.
This is because that is precisely what is happening to Lilo. She lives with her twenty-something sister Nani, whose clumsiness and general lack of tact make keeping a job to support her and her little sister all the more difficult. Lilo is a realistic portrayal of a little orphan – her parents are dead, and we all react to that level of pain, despite our age or maturity, in an irrational, powerful, and generally selfish manner. She is teetering on the edge of being taken away by Social Services (portrayed as the outrageously threatening Man-In-Black Mr. Bubbles, who even has “cobra” tattooed on his knuckles). Lilo does not understand this, so she continues to make Nani’s already difficult life harder. Her actions when he comes to survey and assess the home are comical bordering on the extreme, but they still make us look and ask the same thing Nani herself does – “Do you want to be taken away?”
Stitch is a much-needed insane antithesis to the shockingly realistic protagonists. The result of a self-proclaimed evil genius’s multiple experiments in genetic tampering to create the ultimate instrument of destruction. Stitch (or “Experiment 626”) was created, quite literally, to be nothing more than an agent of un-tampered chaos and insanity. He is virtually indestructible, with the sole weakness of open expanses of water because of his “dense molecular structure”. Stitch has the same wanton and selfish desire to undo all the things that those around him have made.
Lilo and Stitch are true cinematic foils: Lilo finds it difficult not to wreak havoc on her surroundings, her profound distress buried deep enough that it manifests in such displays. Whereas Stitch cannot, quite frankly, do anything besides destroy. Lilo attempts to reach out and grasp those things from her past that she has lost and fill those empty spaces with anger and sadness – Stitch has no history whatsoever, and can find satisfaction only in removing the history of others. Stitch gives Lilo a purpose, to make him a “productive member or society”, filling the absence inside of her with the presence of a true friend. She, on the other hand, is the much-needed proverbial and literal leash to rein in his determination to obliterate just about everything.
Orbiting their tug-o-war is Nani, juggling jobs and balancing delicate financial concerns while dodging the constant affections of David, a surfing fire-dancer who intrudes on the family’s life just enough to remind them they are not alone. Despite the clear threat of an imminent romantic entanglement, the subplot between them stays just that – their romance is never confirmed nor denied, because it is simply not the focus of the story. David is an important support for Nani, but it is clear that Lilo’s eccentricities are far more of a focus for the older sister – for the betterment of the film as a whole.
But interesting characters alone do not make this the Disney film. One thing that has been more intrinsically tied to the Disney canon than even princesses or fairy tale remakes is music. Whether they are award-winning scores, or simply a tune that elicits a smile whenever you hear it again, Disney music is as synonymous with the sensation of nostalgia as the films themselves. Every Disney film, is honestly, a quality musical in its own right.
Except Lilo & Stitch.
While it does have its own set of exceptional original songs (from the surprisingly affecting title song He Mele No Lilo to the incredibly heart-warming Hawaiian Roller Coaster surfing montage sequence), the majority of the soundtrack is actually Elvis Presley; in fact, the ‘morals and ideals’ of that era play a rather humorous role in Stitch’s development as a “model citizen”. All musical segments are presented montage-style, without so much as a single note leaving any of the character’s lips.
This should not be misconstrued as an argument that non-musical films are inherently superior to musicals, however it is a noticeable change from the Disney norm and clearly an attempt to be taken more seriously (or at least appear different from the rest). Sure, Lilo & Stitch is science fiction, but despite its fiction this is clearly an attempt at a more realise approach (granted, one with aliens that look like bipedal orcas or dinosaurs and where government agents retire to social services). Few things interfere with suspension of disbelief quite like a choreographed song and dance number.
Perhaps the most substantial praise of Frozen is directed at its supposedly unique portrayal of romance in animated cinema. First and foremost are the rather blunt critiques of Anna’s “love at first sight” mentality. Characters make it abundantly clear that this mindset is not only childish and immature, but clearly not the purpose of the film. While Norweigan-Cupid’s ice arrows do penetrate by the end, it is a filler that does not represent the true conflict and resolution (though it is used extensively as a blunt red herring).
Nani and David’s relationship is insignificant to the primary story arc (and is never used to distract the audience, it should be noted) because the entire film is about two sisters and their relationship (with a purplish interstellar genetic monstrosity in the mix).
Perhaps most importantly, however, is the film’s usage of villains. Disney has a strong history of producing fascinating antagonists, often with complex origins or motivations. Yet despite this, the underlying message of all the villains is that they are villains – that is, they are actively evil in their attempts to thwart the protagonists, not simply there to create conflict. The typical Disney arc necessitates at least one character who is openly despicable – Frozen is hardly a change from this. While beginning with little more than crude, unintelligent parenting and a vow of mistaken love, the story still saw fit to do a 180 with its token prince charming, haphazardly revealing him as the puppet master, tugging at political and heart strings alike. While the history of the Disney villain has always had its appeal, and while they are often intriguing and surprisingly complex, at the end of the day they are still evil, and evil cannot win.
This is not the case with Lilo & Stitch, where there is absolutely no villain. In the beginning it is the title protagonist Stitch who is the main antagonist, a creation whose sole purpose for existing is to destroy and not be destroyed. He represents both the immediate threat of planetary annihilation and the inner-conflict of Lilo. His escape is the immediate stimulus for conflict, and his arrival on Earth marks him as the target for interstellar scrutiny. His progenitor, Dr. Jumba, is given a chance to leave prison if he can rein in his abomination. Once Stitch begins the progression towards love and understanding, it is Jumba who becomes the villain, a force trying to take Stitch away from his adoptive family in the same way that Mr. Bubbles is trying to take Lilo. Stitch becomes the sympathetic protagonist as he attempts to reconcile his destructive persona with his newfound affection, but Jumba, his prospective captor, is not the villain either, as he is simply trying to bring his abomination to justice. Both Jumba and Pleakley turn over a new leaf when they realise that Stitch is not as evil as he would seem, and go well out of their way to help the wayward family reunite because it is the right thing to do. From there it is Captain Gantu who becomes the stimulus for conflict. As Jumba fails his mission, a stronger and more capable protector of the peace must be called in – yet his penchant for violence outweighs even that of Stitch’s, and political necessity sees this this situation neutralised.
There are no villains in Lilo and Stitch. Sure, there are antagonists galore – the imminent, ticking time bomb of Mr. Bubbles, Jumba and Pleakley’s misguided attempts to capture Stitch, the looming threat of galactic politics – but not a single one of them is evil. In fact, the resolution of the film is one of all characters coming to terms with their own personal mistakes and misgivings. Jumba and Pleakley stay behind, live with, and help Lilo and Nani. Bubbles uses his apparently substantial government connections to keep the family safe, and even the galactic government itself acknowledges that sometimes rules must be bent to protect what is important. Captain Gantu grudgingly acknowledges the Grand Councilwoman’s decision to allow Stitch to remain on Earth, when it would have been so easy to write him as a rogue agent deserving harsher justice.
Everyone is deeply flawed in the universe of Lilo & Stitch. No one is safe from selfishness, egotism, prejudice, ill intentions, political influence, crassness, ignorance or arrogance.
Yet it is these very same misguided intentions and missed opportunities that brings rich complexity to the characters and their story. Lilo & Stitch is a story about broken people in a broken world – a true story in a true world, despite its fiction.
Truly, Lilo & Stitch is the most progressive Disney film to date.In Broadway's past, the actor playing Jean Valjean, the hero of Les Miserables, typically looks like the kind of guy who would steal a loaf of bread—off the next table in a restaurant. But the new revival of the beloved musical is throwing the notion that Valjean is a doughy rival to the more fit Inspector Javert out the window, giving Broadway the ripped musical theater hunk Ramin Karimloo in the iconic role. So how does that change the onstage fireworks between Karimloo and Tony nominee Will Swenson as Javert, which reaches its peak in the Act One duet "The Confrontation"? We asked the pair at a recent rehearsal, and heard talk of airborne actors, rehearsal bruises and a "fight scene" that just might blow our minds. Hear the duo reveal all in the video below!110
1416 Groesbeck St
Bryan, TX 77803
(979) 218-3362
I was lucky enough to find this place when I was in Bryan Texas today. My grandmother was born there 93 years ago. I got the fried pork chop and fried shrimp with jambalaya and Mac n cheese. The fried shrimp were cooked to perfection. Full of flavor fresh and clean! I really enjoyed the shrimp. The fried pork chop was pretty good. Way too much salt though. If you are trying to give some one high blood pressure bring them here and ask for two fried pork chops lol. I'm sure it will take them out. The Mac n cheese was decent. Not much flavor though. The jambalaya was really good! To me the shrimp and jambalaya are the real winners here. The owners are super nice and came to our table and talked to us. The fly in French bread from New Orleans. Really good stuff here.
Update review. I went again (again, one of my favorites place) for crawfish. Their crawfish are actually cheaper than most places in town and tastes really good! They are still slow... but the taste makes the waiting all worth!
I don't know how everything else was, but the Chicken Gumbo was the best. The broth is still a seafood base and it is DELICIOUS. I used to live in Louisiana and this gumbo is authentic. The waiter said they make everything from scratch except the ranch dressing lol
Fantastic! We come here for special occasions but I'm thinking if making it more frequent. Must try the Boudain balls and gumbo. So delicious! Miss Renee always takes care of us! Food is fresh so don't expect "quick dish and done". Take your time. Great for groups of 4 and more.
Absolutely amazing authentic New Orleans food. I've always been meaning to try it and finally stopped in. If you're expecting a fancy sit down restaurant this isn't it, if you're expecting fresh delicious Cajun food this is the spot. I will definitely be coming back
Man, I'm a sucker for fried food. This place is da bombbbbbb. Let me tell you, make sure you buy an order of those Boudain balls mannn they are pretty good. The sauce used for dipping those balls in is out of this world. The daily special is pretty worth to do and they give you a good amount so I would suggest that. The fried fish is battered really light which is really nice and what I enjoyed the most. The fried pork chop tasted good but it was a bit dry.
WOW!!! This place is the definition of a hidden gem. Some of the absolute best food I've had in so long. Prices are very reasonable and the service is outstanding. We ordered the fried boudain for the appetizer and it was superb. It was crispy with meat in the middle ( not greasy at all) with the most delicious Cajun sauce. For our meal we had the tenders with jimbalaya, fries, and toast, and more sauce. Just absolutely delicious and only 7.99. The sodas are cans but they let you know this before which is nice. The man working was also awesome and hilarious. He was so helpful and recommended lots of great choices for us to try. ( which we definitely will when we return this Friday for their fish special!) Basically what I'm tryin to say... If you are in cstat/ Bryan area and haven't tried this joint out you are missing out.
This place was so good!! I have never even written one of these before but I had to just so y'all would know how good it is!! Got the combination plate to share, and they were more than generous with the portions! Definitely recommend if you're craving authentic Cajun food
It's good but I did get food poisoning from it. Super salty food. Not a lot of seating. No refills unless you want to buy another can of pop. Looks like it needs some updates. The waitresses were in and out of the dining area but mostly in the kitchen/ prep area and we could hear their conversations while they were in the kitchen. Didn't know whether we wait at the table for the check or to go up to the stand and pay.
Shut up awesome! Once again, Yelp did not disappoint. The food was 5 stars. The owner served us and he was a hoot. By the time we left we felt like we had a new family. It doesn't get any better than this.
This is a not-to-be missed place in Bryan, just off the campus of Texas A&M. The proprietor serves up home cooked Louisianian fare. Everything is very tasty and the hospitality is amazing. I had a pork chop and it was perfectly cooked. The jambalaya rice was great and the potato salad was a little rich, but great nonetheless. I ate there on a Monday and hoped to have the Monday night special of red beans and rice. But unfortunately, the shipments from N.O. hadn't come in. Next time!
The Shrimp PoBoy is straight up NOLA. Boudin Balls were also good but the sandwich was the best. It was large enough to split and fill us both up with the fries that are included. Great bread, excellent shrimp and great flavor. Loved it. It took a while to get our food which wouldn't work on a weekday lunch for most people. Not a lot of tables but worth getting it to go if you can't dine in. Bathrooms were spotless and that impressed the misses. The ladies were real sweethearts as well. You can feel the family love and it shows in the service.
Soooooo good! Every time. I've been at least a dozen times and they never disappoint. It's always a little bit of a wait but it's always worth it too.
We were on the way to Houston from Austin when we started feeling hungry. I checked on yelp and Cajun food sounded really good at the time. The reviews were good, plus I love checking out mom and pops shops. I already had etouffe on my mind and my best friend wanted gumbo. Upon walking in, it's just a small place with not much decor. However, this kind of stuff doesn't bother me when it comes to mom and pop shops since their food typically shines. In addition to the above dishes, we also ordered Cajun fries. I didn't realize until later that our orders had been switched when they brought the food to our table. Overall, the dishes weren't as flavorful as I had expected. The fries were also a bit dough-y instead of crunchy. The sauce that came with the fries was amazing, though. Additionally, the owners and employees were so kind and warm. But overall, we were not impressed with the food.
Came in shortly before close with a few buddies. Had heard the legend of The Remnant From Nawlins for some time but hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. Came in for a crawfish special, but were sad to hear they were "out" of crawfish for the day. Reluctantly, I ordered a shrimp po-boy instead and to my delight, it was delicious. I was not disappointed in the slightest. I also tried my friend's boudin balls and they were fantastic. Turns out the owner is a nice guy and we're actually friends with his son. The owner (Corey) heard about our desire for crawfish, went back in the kitchen, and came out with a big bag full of mudbugs for all 3 of us to take home (FOR FREE). The nicest people and some of the best food I've had in a while.
Right when you walk in you get this wall of great energy. After a beautiful description from our waitress, we tried the Boudain balls. I could have ordered multiple orders of that to have as a meal they were amazing! As entrees, we ordered the fish plate and crawfish. Everything was amazing. And the prices are insanely low for the quality of the food. You honestly can not lose! I hope the best for this restaurant.
This is straight up, no holds barred one of the best restaurants in Bryan / College Station. If you're familiar with authentic Cajun food from NOLA this place will blow you away; if you've never tried Cajun food and have no desire to try Cajun food this place will STILL blow you away. Everything is made fresh right when you order it with care and attention to authenticity. The boudin balls are life changing especially when paired with the Who Dat sauce. While we're talking about sauce you better dip the battered Cajun fries in it, which you should order alongside your shrimp po-boy. Fresh, small crispy battered shrimp, crisp vegetables right down to the authentic po-boy bread brought in from New Orleans. I don't know what else to say other than if you haven't been to the Remnant, go there. Tell the owner Korey that Max sent you. It's incredible.
I love visiting Louisiana for their delicious Cajun food. There really aren't many choices around town to get some really good home cooked Cajun food. Since I can't drive to New Orleans every other week when I want some of their food, Remnant from Nawlins is a good place to satisfy those cravings. You get some really good food and at a really good price. I went in for lunch and ordered their lunch special for $6.99 you get your choice of meat plus two sides. Their jambalaya was pretty good, the chicken tenders were seasoned perfectly. The sauce that they give you for the tenders was soooooo goood! It is on a sketchy side of town but do not be deterred by that. You can also call in, your order and pick it up. Give them a try, you will not regret it!
Excellent fried shrimp, fish, and boudin balls. The fish was tender and flavorful and the house sauces were fantastic.Previous Next Previous Next 1| Pickled French Fries at Al's Place (Mission); alsplacesf.com Previous Next 2| Mamak Laksa at Azalina's (Civic Center); azalinas.com Previous Next 3| Trout Tostada at Cala (Civic Center); calarestaurant.com Previous Next 4| Greek Yoghurt with Baklava Crumbs and Syrup at Souvla (Hayes Valley); souvlasf.com Previous Next 5| Oysters at Petit Crenn (Hayes Valley); petitcrenn.com Previous Next 6| Haunch and Flagon at Whitechapel (Tenderloin); whitechapelsf.com Previous Next 7| Fried Onioncakes at House of Nanking (Chinatown); houseofnanking.net Previous Next 8| Dark Chocolate Brownie at Marla Bakery (Outer Richmond); marlabakery.com Previous Next 10| Traditional Egg Hopper at 1601 Bar and Kitchen (SoMa); 1601sf.com Previous Next 11| Rabbit Pappardelle at Flour + Water (Mission); flourandwater.com Previous Next 12| Organic Pop-Tarts at Foreign Cinema (Mission); foreigncinema.com Previous Next 13| Americana Burger at Causwells (Marina); causwells.com Previous Next 14| Jane Bread with butter at Huxley (TenderNob); huxleysf.com Previous Next 15| Beyond Ramen at Orenchi Beyond (Mission); orenchi-beyond.com Previous Next 16| Sicilian Style Pizza at Tony's Pizza Napoletana (North Beach); tonyspizzanapoletana.com Previous Next 17| Special Breakfast Sandwich at Devils Teeth Baking Co. 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The Big Eat 2016 is here! This year's list is guaranteed to make your mouths water with 35 delectable new dishes—including an insanely luscious lobster roll, our new favorite ramen, and the already culty fries at America's best new restaurant. As always, the list promises a smattering of San Francisco's absolute hottest and most beloved restaurants, with a variety of meats, sweets, sides, and veggies at every price point and in every neighborhood of San Francisco.
So without further ado, we'll leave you to salivate over the photos of all our 100 dishes to eat in San Francisco before you die.
(*Denotes dishes new to the 2016 list.)
1. Pickled French fries,* Al's Place // (Mission) alsplacesf.com
2. Mamak laksa, Azalina's // (Civic Center) azalinas.com
3. Trout tostada,* Cala // (Civic Center) calarestaurant.com
4. Greek yogurt with baklava crumbles and syrup, Souvla // (Hayes Valley); souvlasf.com
5. Shigoku Oysters with preserved Meyer lemon,* Petit Crenn // (Hayes Valley) petitcrenn.com
6. Haunch & flagon,* Whitechapel // (Tenderloin) whitechapelsf.com
7. Fried onioncakes, House of Nanking // (Chinatown) houseofnanking.net
8. Dark chocolate brownie, Marla Bakery // (Outer Richmond) marlabakery.com
9. Chilled squid ink pasta,* Octavia // (Pac Heights) octavia-sf.com
10. Traditional egg hopper,* 1601 Bar & Kitchen // (SoMa) 1601sf.com
11. Rabbit pappardelle, Flour + Water // (Mission) flourandwater.com
12. Organic Pop Tarts (seasonal), Foreign Cinema // (Mission) foreigncinema.com
13. Americana burger, Causwells // (Marina) causwells.com
14. Jane bread with butter, Huxley // (TenderNob) huxleysf.com
15. Beyond ramen,* Orenchi Beyond // (Mission) orenchi-beyond.com
16. Sicilian-style pizza, Tony's Pizza Napoletana // (North Beach) tonyspizzanapoletana.com
17. Special breakfast sandwich, Devil's Teeth Baking Co. // (Outer Sunset) devilsteethbakingcompany.com
18. Super carnitas dorado burrito, La Taqueria // (Mission) 415-285-7117
19. Raviolo di ricotta, Cotogna // (Jackson Square) cotognasf.com
20. Fugazetta empanada, El Porteño // (Embarcadero) elportenosf.com
21. Whipped scrambled eggs, Lazy Bear // (Mission) lazybearsf.com
22. Fresh baked cookies,* Spruce // (Presidio Heights) sprucesf.com
23. Brisket, 4505 Burgers & BBQ // (Western Addition) 4505meats.com
24. Pad kee mao, Kin Khao // (Union Square) kinkhao.com
25. Ham and cheese sandwich,* B. On The Go // (Pac Heights) b-onthego.com
26. Meatballs (Mondays only),* A16 // (Marina) a16sf.com
27. Baked pork buns, Hong Kong Lounge 2 // (Inner Richmond) hongkonglounge2.com
28. Blue Bottle Vietnamese coffee,* Humphry Slocombe // (Embarcadero) humphryslocombe.com
29. Xiao long bao, Kingdom of Dumpling // (Parkside) kingofchinesedumpling.com
30. "Happy spoon" oyster,* Pabu // (FiDi) pabuizakaya.com
31. Chips and salsa, Papalote // (Mission) papalote-sf.com
32. Wagyu |
variation of “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by British Broadcasting Corporation.”
Just as dozens of blogs and mainsteam media outlets were trumpeting the ability of the internet, and international media, to circumvent the Indian government’s controversial ban, the film is no longer available online:
It is not even available on the BBC’s own iPlayer channel outside of the UK:
To view the documentary outside of the UK, you’ll need to use a private VPN or a service like Hola! to create a fake IP address in the UK.
“When a copyright holder notifies us of a video that infringes their copyright we remove the content promptly in accordance of the law,” Google told Quartz, explaining why the video has been removed from YouTube.
Update: The BBC said in an e-mailed statement a day after this was published that the company “has only broadcast the documentary, and made it available, in the UK,” and has not uploaded it to YouTube. “The independent production company which made the film is currently taking steps to remove illegal uploads,” the statement said.Most of us hate starting thoughts and sentences this way, but when you were a kid, you didn’t spend all your time indoors or in front of a screen. Kids today—pardon the phrase—have more mental health issues than ever before, and a lot of that comes from stress.
But how do we fix childhood stress? What’s the cause? The culprit isn’t totally clear.
It’s not just time away from cellphones and computers. In fact, it may be about how they spend that time away, and how in control they feel when they’re playing.
All of the safe play and helicopter parenting initiatives may be playing a bigger role than screens. It just depends on who you ask.
We all know that getting time away from screens and routines to go out and run around is good for everyone—not just kids. A little activity not in a chair is good for everything from sleep cycles to critical thinking. Advocating activity has been the cornerstone of Michelle Obama’s First Lady legacy, and one of the major points of discussion in the past decade as obesity rates have increased.
And mental health requires it too.
Here’s the big twist though: a little outdoor time isn’t going to solve the problem—at least not if that time is spent under surveillance. A recent Psychology Today story highlighted the independence, adventurous spirit, risk-taking, and sense of control that children get from unstructured play as important for building healthy adults. It's also, the study says, what’s missing from a growing number of unhealthy childhoods.
The article’s author, Dr. Peter Gray, pointed to a San Diego State University study authored by Dr. Jean Twenge that tested for a sense of control among participants and compared it to the past few decades. Kids who have a sense of control “are more likely to get good jobs that they enjoy, take care of their health, and play active roles in their communities—and they are less likely to become anxious or depressed.”
What they found was a severe shift from one side of the scale to the other.
Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and the author of Generation Me, explains that her results suggest the problem might be worse in one specific way: kids might not understand that their levels of anxiety and unhappiness aren’t normal.
In recently conducted survey results, “12th-graders are now more likely to say that they have trouble sleeping, that they have headaches, that they have trouble remembering. These are all things that are psychosomatic symptoms of depression. Most people don’t realize that these are symptoms of depression, but they are,” Twenge told The Daily Beast.
“It’s this interesting picture where they’re more likely to say they’re happy, but there are more mental health issues showing up.”
Twenge wouldn’t proffer any specific theories about why kids have more mental health issues, but she says any of a dozen factors could be partially at fault. What’s more, she explains that it’s hard to test for things retroactively
“You can’t randomly assign people to grow up in different time periods,” she explained. “Given that, all you can do is look at the pattern of change: when it started, when it accelerated, maybe when it plateaued.”
Could it be technology? Screens? Sure. And if you listen to experts, it’s probably a contributing factor, if not a major one. Twenge says there are “lots and lots and lots of possible causes. There’s a lot we still don’t know about the effects of screens on kids.”
But those cultural shifts matter, too. Twenge’s research shows a decline in mental health since the 1950s, long before the Internet, video games, or cellphones entered the space reserved for playtime. TV could be part of that equation, too, but Twenge’s best guess wasn’t an object, or even a parenting style—it’s a cultural shift toward individualism.
That would account for the increased anxiety about the future. It would also account for a lost sense of control for many children and young adults—a very important part of the overall happiness equation.
The problem with feeling out of control is that it doesn’t just make someone feel inadequate or anxious. It puts the ability to establish the terms of “success” squarely in someone else’s hands.
In the Psychology Today story, Gray points to Twenge’s research for his explanation: “Twenge cites evidence that young people today are, on average, more oriented toward extrinsic goals and less oriented toward intrinsic goals than they were in the past,” he explained.
For example, an annual poll of college freshmen shows that most students today list “being well off financially” as more important to them than “developing a meaningful philosophy of life.” The reverse was true in the 1960s and 1970s.
This is all very abstract, but it has a root in the way we talk about success. And consequences. If success is about finding something you’re good at, everyone can succeed somewhere. If we shift the conversation to money, there’s a very specific set of parameters—and a specific measure of failure.
Failure, danger, and aversion to risk are becoming the center of the conversation, and it really does start at the playground. Consider the “safe” playground: a structure that takes the risk out of the equation.
Yes, fewer children get injured. Yes, fewer parents worry. But maybe we’re preventing the wrong anxieties by helping parents rather than kids.
So screens may cause their own problems, but as far as mental health at early stages goes, the biggest concern appears to be keeping kids from getting up, getting creative, and doing stupid things. Same for helicopter parenting, bland adventure-less playground equipment, and constant supervision.
So what can parents do right now? It’s unclear what the steps are, since there isn’t data to really explain the perfect solution. But turning off the TV and kicking the kids out of the house may be part of the solution… just so long as they don’t spend that time on their phones.Fashion takes inspiration from a limitless variety of sources, from cultural trends to the natural world. Unfortunately, “taking inspiration” from a source can look a lot like stealing. One of the most recent trends is the use of designs inspired by traditional Navajo culture. It apparently really took off last year with Proenza Schouler’s spring collection, and spread, as such things do, throughout the fashion community. Elements like earth tones and geometric “Southwestern” designs led inevitably to “Indian” clichés such as fringe and turquoise jewelry. From there the trend spread to mass-market store chains such as Urban Outfitters.
Urban Outfitters may have forgotten that hey, Navajo actually exist, when they began selling items like the Urban Outfitter Printed Hipster Panty. While I’m sure it’s nice, as panties go, it’s the sort of item that makes conservative elements like the traditionalist Navajo being imitated here sit up and take notice, and not positively. Last year, the Navajo Nation made contact with Urban Outfitters and began trying to get them to remove the targets; they met with mixed success, which a colleague of mine covered here. Urban Outfitters removed the Navajo name from its own products in many cases, but kept other products available through alternate sources like catalogues and the Free People website, which is controlled by Urban Outfitters. The Navajo Nation officially filed suit in February for trademark infringement and violation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
The Navajo Nation has trademarks containing the name Navajo, which it uses to market its own goods and services. They argue that by using the name “Navajo” in a product line, Urban Outfitters is falsely suggesting a connection with the Navajo Nation. This would violate 15 U.S.C. 1052(a), section 2(a) of the Trademark Act, which would bar the registration of any mark that falsely suggests a connection with a person, institution, belief or national symbol. If Urban Outfitters has a registered trademark in its Navajo product lines, the lawsuit could cancel that registration. In terms of the general infringement suit, the Navajo Nation will have to prove “likelihood of confusion”, which courts evaluate based on several factors (varying in details from jurisdiction to jurisdiction) including the strength of the marks in question, evidence of actual confusion between the marks, the similarity between the marks and the marketplace in question. While we don’t necessarily know all the details, including what products the Navajo Nation uses, Urban Outfitters is using the same word as a well-known, independent sovereign entity within the US, and that’s hardly a good sign. As to the last count, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act prevents the suggestion that a good is of authentic Native American manufacture when it isn’t. The latter claim seems weak to me (although I’m not familiar with the law of the Act specifically), because it’s unlikely someone seeing “Urban Outfitter Printed Hipster Panty” is an official Navajo Nation product.
The whole case shows some of the US’s odd relationship with Native Americans. Keep in mind that the Navajo don’t dress in this “Navajo” style anymore. The sorts of designs that inspired the fashion world’s brief fascination with the Navajo would today mostly be seen in official ceremonies or other highly traditional gatherings. Of course, this only makes the treatment more irritating to those who value these traditions.Robert Gates
As he prepares to leave the Pentagon after a four-and-a-half-year stint as defense secretary, Robert Gates has been making the rounds to his old stomping grounds, delivering farewell addresses designed to make his audiences squirm.
He did it again today, before the American Enterprise Institute, the think tank that, as he put it, has been “inextricably tied to the war in Iraq, the conflict that pulled me out of private life and back into the public arena” (a move about which Gates clearly feels both honored and ambivalent).
His message to the assembled neocons was this: Like it or not, the defense budget is going to be cut over the next 10 years; he’s already weeded out the particularly wasteful or redundant weapons systems and bureaucratic structures; so we’re going to have to slice into “force structure”—Army divisions, Marine expeditionary units, Air Force wings, Navy ships—the meat and muscle of U.S. fighting power.
Rather than take the easy way out and “salami slice” a certain percentage of all costs off the top, a technique sure to leave a “hollowed-out” force (plenty of troops and weapons but too little money for operations, maintenance, or training), Gates said the Congress, the president, and the American people must make conscious choices of what military missions to forgo and what level of risk to accept.
It’s a good point, and I think it’s also Gates’ way of saying that he’s relieved to be leaving this job—not just for all the reasons that he’s mentioned or implied already (he’s tired, he’s been at this for longer than he’d intended, he hates Washington, he yearns to retire to his two nice houses in the Pacific Northwest), but also because he’s reached the end of his comfort zone when it comes to slashing the defense budget.
In both halves of his tenure, the last two years of George W. Bush’s presidency and the first two and a half of Barack Obama’s, Gates has been a transformative defense secretary—more so than any since Robert McNamara under President John F. Kennedy. (Under Lyndon B. Johnson, he slid into tragedy.)
Gates killed or halted more than 30 weapons systems, including some of the services’ most cherished chestnuts (the Air Force’s F-22 fighter, the Army’s Future Combat Systems vehicle, the Navy’s DDG-1000 destroyer). He forced the chiefs to build or accelerate a new generation of weapons that rubbed up against their institutional interests but were vitally necessary to the wars they were fighting (the MRAP, mine-resistant ambush-protected, troop-carrier and a slew of unmanned aerial vehicles, aka “drones”).
He has helped change the military culture: the way the Pentagon does business and the services fight wars. But he has no interest in challenging that culture’s foundations—the global reach of U.S. military power and presence. That is to say, he’s a radical, to the extent that he has forced the bureaucracy to perform its missions more effectively—but he’s a conservative, in that he’s dedicated above all to preserving those missions.
President Obama wants to cut defense spending by another $400 billion over the next 12 years. A coalition of liberal doves and deficit hawks may force deeper cuts still. The Simpson-Bowles deficit-reduction commission, for instance, recommends cutting it by $1.2 trillion. Gates probably isn’t the ideal man to do that; he won’t be around to do it anyway; all he’s saying, with one foot out the door, is that his successors should at least do it sensibly.
There was a time when the Defense Department and its overseers in the congressional armed services committees did this sort of analysis routinely. But the knack, or the demand for it, dried up during “the post-9/11 decade,” when the military grew “accustomed,” as Gates put it in his AEI speech, to a “no-questions-asked” attitude on funding requests for anything and everything the services wanted. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the same point in hearings this past January: “We’ve lost our ability to prioritize, make hard decisions, make trades.”
The question is whether Congress will just slash money arbitrarily, the salami-slicing that Gates fears, or whether it—and the team that Gates’ presumptive successor, Leon Panetta, puts together—will restore the art of military-budget analysis.
Gates did a fair bit of this in his time. He halted the F-22 not just because it was an expensive Cold War relic but because his analysts noticed that the Air Force’s justification for continuing to build more planes was deeply flawed.
At the time, the Air Force already had 183 of these planes. Its senior officers wanted to build a total of 387. Yet their case for this expansion, laid out in internal briefing books, assumed that the United States would someday fight two wars simultaneously against two foes with just as much air power as we have. It also assumed that a large percentage of the F-22s would be in routine maintenance depots when the wars started—i.e., that the two foes would coordinate a surprise attack.
The unstated implication was that if the attacks did not come as a surprise, and if we therefore had more of the F-22s online and ready to go, we wouldn’t need quite so many planes to begin with. And if we were willing to let go of the premise that two comparably powerful nations (a resurgent Russia and a much more powerful China?) would go to war against us simultaneously, the 183 F-22s that we already had—in addition to the many other planes in the arsenal—would be plenty.
And so Gates stopped the project. Obama agreed, to the point where he announced he would veto the entire defense bill if it contained money for a single additional F-22. And Congress went along (with 15 Republican senators joining in), despite the fact that the Air Force had over the years ingeniously parceled out contracts and subcontracts to corporations in 44 states.
Many other weapons systems and military missions could be subjected to the same sort of analysis. For instance, the defense budget that Obama and Gates put forth in February includes $24.6 billion for 11 new ships, $4 billion for two new Virginia-class submarines, and $1 billion for a down payment on a new nuclear aircraft carrier. Are all these things really needed? What are the assumptions and scenarios that support the case? How valid are they? Do we need to spend $9.4 billion to buy 32 F-35 stealth fighter planes, when we’re also spending $2 billion to upgrade the older (but still world-class) F-15s? And what about the $1.4 billion for 24 new Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles? Is our nuclear deterrent degraded without them?
These are the questions that Gates is saying we need to ask, even if he might disagree with the answers.Bernie Sanders: Silent partner of American militarism
By Patrick Martin
27 August 2015
Bernie Sanders now leads frontrunner Hillary Clinton in polls of Democratic voters in New Hampshire, the first state to hold a primary, and he is closing the gap in Iowa, the first caucus state, and in national polling as well. The Vermont senator continues to attract large crowds, favorable media attention (including a flattering front-page report in the New York Times August 21), and a flood of campaign contributions.
The flaccid and unimaginative media punditry has largely ignored a significant void in the Sanders campaign. The White House aspirant has offered not the slightest hint of what he would do as commander in chief. Four months into the campaign, Sanders makes little or no reference to foreign and military policy in his stump speech. The subject of foreign policy is not even addressed on the Sanders campaign web site, which lists 10 topics, all of them concerned with domestic policy.
A report on Yahoo News August 24 raises the question of “How President Bernie Sanders would handle foreign policy.” It begins by taking note of this curious fact: “Bernie Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont, has a special ‘War and Peace’ section on his official website, detailing his views on issues like Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East peace process. Bernie Sanders, the contender for the Democratic presidential nomination … doesn’t.”
The report goes on to detail the positions that Sanders has taken on a range of foreign policy issues, based on his voting record as a congressman and senator. His profile is typical of liberal Democrats, supporting the Clinton administration’s war against Serbia in 1999 and the Bush administration’s invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, while voting against the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the Authorization for the Use of Military Force against Iraq in 2002. Sanders criticized Obama’s bombing of Libya in 2011—mainly because he did not seek congressional authorization—but backed his bombing of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Sanders is a down-the-line supporter of the state of Israel, repeatedly endorsing Israeli onslaughts against the Gaza Strip, most recently the savage bombardment of July-August 2014 which killed nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including more than 500 children. At an August 2014 town hall meeting, Sanders notoriously demanded that audience members “shut up” when they questioned his support for Israel’s criminal actions.
He is a vociferous opponent of China in both economic and foreign policy, and backed the US intervention in Ukraine to foment a coup spearheaded by fascist elements to overthrow the pro-Russian government and set up a pro-Western stooge regime. “The entire world has got to stand up to Putin,” Sanders declared last year, at a time when the warmongering campaign in the US and European media was at its height.
Yahoo News summed up the candidate’s foreign policy profile as follows: “The picture that emerges is less that of a firebrand anti-war radical than a pragmatic liberal who regards military force as a second choice in almost any situation—but a choice that sometimes must be made.”
CBS News, in a profile of Sanders last week, noted his general alignment with the foreign policy of the Obama administration, including its war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, its nuclear agreement with Iran, and its decision to normalize relations with Cuba.
The continued silence of Sanders on foreign and military policy has become something of an embarrassment to some of his left-liberal supporters. In a commentary published earlier this month on the web site of Al Jazeera America, media critic Norman Solomon, after expressing enthusiastic support for Sanders on domestic and economic issues, complained of the candidate’s refusal to address issues of militarism and military spending.
Solomon continues: “The same omissions were on display at an Iowa Democratic Party annual dinner on July 17, when Sanders gave a compelling speech but made no reference to foreign affairs. Hearing him talk, you wouldn’t have a clue that the United States is in its 14th year of continuous warfare. Nor would you have the foggiest inkling that a vast military budget is badly limiting options for the expanded public investment in college education, infrastructure, clean energy and jobs that Sanders is advocating.”
Sanders is not only generally aligned with Obama administration foreign policy, he has refused to specify a single weapons program or Pentagon project that he would cut or eliminate if elected in 2016. He is a longstanding backer of the most expensive US weapons program, the $1.4 trillion F-35 fighter jet, some of which are to be based in Burlington, Vermont, his hometown.
The so-called “socialist” has voted repeatedly for vast Pentagon appropriations bills, maintaining funding of the wars he was (rhetorically) opposed to, as well as funding for the CIA, NSA and the rest of the vast American intelligence apparatus, the infrastructure for police-state spying against the American people.
So right-wing is his record on foreign and military policy that even his most craven apologists, the pseudo-left groups Socialist Alternative and the International Socialist Organization, have been compelled to complain about it, although this has not stopped them hailing the Sanders campaign as a huge advance and openly supporting a candidate for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party.
In a lengthy profile of Sanders, Dan LaBotz of the ISO describes Sanders’ foreign policy views as “a big problem,” adding, “What this record makes clear is that Sanders has no consistent and principled position against US imperialism.” This is a gross distortion: Sanders is a longtime proven defender of US imperialism, not a half-hearted or inconsistent opponent.
LaBotz continues: “Sanders’ program makes no mention of the military. While he calls himself a socialist, Sanders’ foreign policy and military policy remain in line with corporate capitalism, militarism, and imperialism.”
In other words, Sanders has nothing in common with the internationalist principles on which genuine socialism is based. He is cut from the same cloth as Tony Blair, the British “Labor” prime minister who was the junior partner of George W. Bush in perpetrating the criminal war in Iraq, and François Hollande, the French “Socialist” president who is Obama’s junior partner in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and throughout Africa.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Let’s cut right to the hyperbole: The 2017 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE is a rolling manifestation of Bruce Springsteen’s most celebratory lyrical fairy tale, the “all-American boy with a nose for trouble finds his way by means of a pushrod-V-8–powered muscle car with a weary but naturally beautiful girl in the passenger seat.” Born from the same humble two-door-coupe blueprint that launched the Camaro 50 years ago, it’s the everyman’s super-Camaro: a 455-hp, apex-craving monster that rings in with a $44,400 base price ($6500 for the SS 1LE Performance package on top of $37,900 for the 1SS coupe). That’s $17,735 less dear than the expected $62,135 sticker for the 2017 Camaro ZL1, and it will likely undercut the price of the upcoming 2018 Camaro Z/28 by even more. While we’re talking matters of finance, the only other option on our test car was a performance data recorder for $1300, which brought the as-tested price to $45,700. It may not be free, but it’s at least attainable for most aspiring part-time track rats.
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Decoding 1LE
Regular readers may recall that, over some 15,000 miles, our long-term 2016 Camaro SS has proved itself to be a comfortable cruiser as well as an extroverted destroyer of tires. Although it’s otherwise similar, the 2017 Camaro SS tested here is further equipped with the vaunted 1LE package, a collection of performance and cosmetic upgrades aimed at putting a sharper edge on all the attributes that make our long-term SS such a blast to drive. (For 2017, the 1LE package is also available on 1LT and 2LT V-6 models, but this review focuses on the V-8–powered SS.)
View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI
The $6500 1LE package includes a comprehensive list of hardware. Key items include an FE4 performance suspension with specific tuning for the springs, anti-roll bars, and magnetorheological dampers (GM’s Magnetic Ride Control); Brembo six-piston front monoblock calipers and four-piston rear calipers (painted red); aluminum-hat and iron-friction-surface rotors; an electronically controlled limited-slip, 3.73:1 differential; a six-speed manual transmission; a dual-mode performance exhaust system; and a track cooling package with engine, transmission, and differential coolers. Tasked with keeping the car in contact with the pavement are Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires constructed with a rubber compound developed specifically for the Camaro. Sized 285/30ZR-20 in front and 305/30ZR-20 at the rear, the imposing tires wrap 20-inch Satin Graphite forged-aluminum wheels (10 inches wide up front, 11 inches at the rear).
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Telltale cosmetic items include an aggressive-looking fascia and grille with a larger splitter plus a rear blade spoiler; the aero aids are rendered in the same satin black as the hood wrap. The interior features a head-up display and Recaro front buckets, while the flat-bottomed steering wheel and the shift knob are both wrapped with a soothing synthetic-suede material that feels great under your fingers.
View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI
Hardware Wars
Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of how this hit parade of Chevrolet performance parts translates into test results, let us remind you of how well this sub-$50K Camaro SS 1LE performed at this year’s Lightning Lap competition at Virginia International Raceway. In Turn One, its 1.11 g of grip matched that of the Ferrari 488GTB, and in the uphill esses it managed a higher average speed (121.6 mph) than the McLaren 570S. Do we really need to tell you how many 1LE Camaros you could buy for the price of either of these exotics? Ultimately, the Camaro posted a lap time of 2:54.8, earning it a second-place ranking in the hotly contested LL2 class ($35,000 to $64,999). Only the 526-hp 2016 Ford Mustang GT350R lapped the circuit faster, shaving an even three seconds off the 1LE’s time. With a base price of $63,495, the Stang cost $6365 extra for each of those three seconds. (It’s worth noting that the V-6 Camaro 1LE took first place in the sub-$35K, LL1 class.)
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View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI
With all those racetrack heroics in mind, let’s take a look at how the 1LE fared in our standard round of tests: The zero-to-60-mph run consumed 4.1 seconds, and the quarter-mile arrived in 12.4 seconds with the car clearing the traps at 116 mph. Although the Camaro was equipped with launch control, our drivers beat it by utilizing old-fashioned reflexes, launching the car with the engine spinning around 2000 rpm for the best results. Braking and roadholding prowess, the primary focus of the 1LE tweaks, catapult the Camaro beyond the sub-$50K pack. Once warmed up, the brakes consistently hauled the 3747-pound 1LE to a stop from 70 mph in just 141 feet with no fade, and a lap of our 300-foot skidpad revealed 1.05 g of grip. Those figures meet or beat those posted by the significantly more expensive 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 (149 feet, 1.05 g) and the only mildly more expensive 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (171 feet, 1.00 g) as measured in a recent comparison test.
While the numbers are impressive, they don’t relay how innocuous the SS 1LE can be in day-to-day driving. Sure, the Recaros are snug, but they leave enough room for your limbs to move about and take care of business. The compromised outward visibility makes it somewhat difficult to place the car on the road, but most staffers eventually acclimated to the environs. Mountains of torque available all over the rev band—the peak of 455 lb-ft comes at 4400 rpm—ensure there’s no need to blip the throttle when letting out the clutch pedal to move away from a stop, which is handy in stop-and-go traffic jams. The magnetorheological dampers manage to soften the impacts transmitted by those massive tires. Hard as it may be to believe, highway slogs are not only possible, they’re pleasant; the 1LE even measured an interior noise level of 75 decibels at a steady 70 mph, which is not entirely unreasonable for a performance vehicle.
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View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI
But when the urge to cut and run arises, the full might of the 1LE package is at your service. The steering is direct and precise, the shifter feels instantly familiar, and the brake pedal is firm and linear in operation. Together, they conspire with the chassis to transform a meat cleaver into a scalpel, a vehicle that immediately responds to and rewards the slightest inputs. The Camaro is endowed with so much grip and stopping power that it’s nearly impossible to find public roads to explore anything more than a fraction of its capabilities. Stable and confident, it inspired even novice drivers to push a little harder on our 10Best Cars test loop, so clearly does the chassis telegraph its behavior. At the risk of drawing major-league hate from both camps, one driver likened its reassuring demeanor to that of a “big, fat Miata.” Let us assure you this was meant as a compliment of the highest order.
There are caveats: Like all Camaros, outward visibility is poor, the rear seats are all but pointless, the interior lacks any substantial provisions for stowage, and the trunk opening is barely large enough to swallow a gym bag. But there are plenty of staid, sensible vehicles that excel at those tasks. This one is fast, brash, and wears its underdog legacy as a badge of pride. You’ve gotta respect that, even if you hate Bruce Springsteen.There’s a lot of hype around blockchain. In 2015, Tierion was the first company to complete a blockchain healthcare project through becoming the first partner in Philips Blockchain Lab. To separate the hype from the reality, we’re sharing our perspective after a year of working with the world’s largest healthcare and insurance companies. Many blockchain reports portray overly optimistic scenarios. We aim to provide a balanced perspective that addresses the opportunities and risks for the use of blockchain technology in healthcare. Download a PDF of this report
What is Blockchain?
Blockchain started with Bitcoin in 2009. Bitcoin was designed as a global network for routing value without trusted intermediaries. Blockchain is a term used to describe systems that borrow technology and design patterns from Bitcoin. Key characteristics include no central point of control, high availability, strong data integrity, and network-wide consensus.
“…the term ‘blockchain’ has been so misappropriated that no one knows what it means anymore.” - Elaine Ou, Bloomberg
There is a fierce technical debate over the definition of blockchain. For those making strategic technology decisions, the details of this debate may not matter. Companies will continue to market a broad range of technologies that carry the blockchain label regardless of the outcome.
Promise & Pitfalls of Blockchain Healthcare 2016
Most blockchain technology is not ready for mainstream deployment. Financial services companies have produced hundreds of proof-of-concepts. Most of these projects have not evolved into production ready software due to technical and regulatory challenges. Experimentation continues and activity is starting to accelerate in the health care and insurance sectors.
Promises
Data Integrity & Security
Improve the security and management of patient data.
Higher quality clinical trial data.
Reduce regulatory & compliance costs.
New Standards
Opportunity to establish new standards and practices
Optimize interactions between health care and insurance companies.
Disruption
Mid-sized companies and startups have the opportunity to form consortiums and disrupt incumbents.
Pitfalls
Vendor Lock In
Blockchain vendors want customers locked into their platform.
High switching costs give vendors control and pricing power.
Risk building new data silos where customers rent access from vendors.
Hype Overload
Analysts and professional experts are issuing overly optimistic reports in an effort to make their mark on the industry.
Betting on technology before it’s ready is a fast way to lose your job.
Tokenized platforms such as Ethereum have an incentive to hype the technology to increase the value of the token.
Immature Infrastructure
Most blockchain technology is experimental and untested.
Greater security risk and higher development costs.
Use blockchain to enhance secure cloud based architectures.
Patient-Controlled Data
Enabling patients to manage their health care data is risky.
Deploying wallets creates a large key management problem.
Promises of Blockchain Techology in Healthcare
Data Integrity & Security
The volume of patient data managed by hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies increases each year.
Electronic Health Records
Health Information Exchanges
Data collected from monitoring systems and IoT devices
Medical insurance claims
How can organizations securely share information and allow each party verify the data is correct? A hallmark of blockchain systems is strong data integrity. Once information is recorded on the blockchain and confirmed by nodes on the network, it is nearly impossible to modify or erase. There are two primary approaches to using blockchain to securely record and share data. The first is to build a private blockchain system among a trusted set of parties. It’s not yet clear that this approach offers advantages over systems that use a distributed database. The second is to anchor data to the public blockchain. This generates a proof that can be used to verify the integrity and timestamp of any data, file, or business process. Anyone with this proof can use open source tools to independently verify the data without relying on a trusted third-party. This seemingly minor technological advance could have far reaching implications for the healthcare industry.
Verify the integrity of patient health data shared between organizations
Create immutable audit trails for health care business processes
Prove the integrity of data collected in clinical trials
Reduce the cost of audits and regulatory compliance
Technology to monitor the integrity of systems is sometimes marketed as blockchain technology but this predates Bitcoin by decades. The key differentiation is that new advances enable data integrity and verification on a global scale.
New Standards
Interest in blockchain brings the opportunity to improve standards for managing health care records, insurance claims, and patient data. R3Cev is a consortium of 45 member banks that researches and develops the usage of blockchain technology in the financial sector. A similar consortium could be formed by large health care and insurance companies. Additionally, organizations such as the Council for Affordable Quality Health (CAQH) can start analyzing blockchain technology and make recommendations on it’s usage.
Disruption
Modernization of infrastructure creates the opportunity for smaller players to disrupt incumbents. Interest in blockchain may encourage smaller players to create networks and compete in new ways. These networks don’t necessarily need to use blockchain technology. Interest in blockchain combined with secure cloud computing technology may be sufficient to have a meaningful impact.
Pitfalls of Blockchain in Healthcare
Vendor Lock-in
Blockchain vendors want customers locked into their platform. The network effect of attracting many companies to their platform increases switching costs. This gives vendors control of customer data and the ability to raise prices. This is an unacceptable scenario for many companies. Companies promoting blockchain technology platforms know that once an applicaiton is built with their software stack, the cost of moving to another platform is prohibitively high. It may be best to wait for established software vendors to integrate new technology than to try and build something from scratch.
Hype Overload
Analysts and professional experts are issuing overly optimistic reports in an effort to make their mark on the industry. There’s little penalty for them to be wrong about predicting the future. The consequences for those making strategic technology decisions can be disastrous. Betting on technology before it’s ready is a quick way to lose your job. Before making any commitment, ask hard questions and compare new technology to existing solutions. Start small and scale up once something has demonstrated value. Tokenized platforms such as Ethereum have an incentive to hype their technology to increase the value of the token. This risk hasn’t existed with prior generations of technology. Blockchain hype has led to misinformation and widespread misunderstanding. This is an important factor to consider this when evaluating vendors.
Immature Infrastructure
Healthcare technology moves slowly, in part because of the high consequences of failure. People can die. Healthcare data is a prime target for hackers. Cybercriminals sell medical records on the dark web for $20 compared to $1 per credit card number. These pressures increase the need for companies to use proven technology. Most blockchain technology is less than two years old and has not been tested in a production environment. Smart contracts, blockchain identity, decentralized systems, and other popular buzzwords are in a very early stage of development. Developers with blockchain expertise are rare. Blockchain developer tools are nascent. These factors increase security risks and make the cost of developing with blockchain platforms higher than existing technology stacks. Public blockchain platforms are constantly attacked and subject to security exploits. For example, in Q3 2016, Ethereum suffered two attacks that shut down a large percentage of nodes. An exploit in a smart contract resulted in the loss of $60 million USD. A political decision to rectify this exploit led to a network fork. There are now two competing versions of Ethereum. The risks of building mission critical applications on unstable infrastructure is significant. Over time, countermeasures to attacks may harden the security and resilience of blockchain networks. Many companies will choose to wait for mainstream providers to integrate blockchain technology with their products instead of taking a risk on a |
thanks to better designs and lower prices.
FILE PHOTO: Visitors try Huawei's devices during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 27, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo
Apple last week unveiled new iPhones with wireless charging, an edge-to-edge screen and dual cameras - all features already widely available in phones from China’s Huawei and Oppo, and Samsung Electronics.
While Apple must convince buyers to fork out nearly $1,000 for its high-end model, challengers are tilting at the luxury market, offering similar features for less money.
Chinese vendors, formerly seen as churning out cheap phones with copycat innovation, have upped their quality game and now control nearly half the global mobile market. By cramming high-end features into affordable devices, and using a canny mix of promotion, advertising and retail reach, they have also won over some loyal Apple users.
“Huawei is seen as a relevant competitor to Apple and Samsung (by) covering all major price points and placing big investments in marketing and sales,” said a spokeswoman for MediaMarktSaturn, Europe’s biggest electronics retailer.
She said Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo and TCL - all Chinese firms - were among the top-10 best-selling smartphones in its stores.
Chinese manufacturers’ rapid growth has been fueled by strong domestic sales, but they now export 40 percent of their smartphones, almost double the number just three years ago, according to CLSA.
Huawei, whose smartphone shipments to Europe jumped more than 50 percent in the first half of this year, is poised to overtake Apple as the world’s second-largest vendor.
The Chinese firm’s confidence was on show in a short Facebook video ad ahead of its “RealAIphone” launch next month, using a clown to poke fun at Apple’s facial recognition feature that unlocks the new iPhone.
Huawei plans to unveil its top-of-the-line Mate 10 phone on Oct. 16, with artificial intelligence-powered features such as instant translation and image recognition. And media reports speculate the phone will have an edge-to-edge screen, and undercut the iPhone on price. Huawei declined to comment.
With their growing scale and the flattening of hardware improvements, other Chinese firms are also looking to crack the high-end smartphone market.
Xiaomi, for example, unveiled a full-screen phone this month that features a sleek, all-ceramic ‘unibody’ design and 12-megapixel front camera. The special edition Mi MIX 2 retails for $720. Also, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are working with Qualcomm to embed ultrasound sensors under smartphone screens to improve the touch function.
“Chinese brands with growing scale, access to the same supply chain, rising components buying power, aggressive marketing and value-for-money offerings have stalled Apple’s growth rate and nullified the differentiation points,” said Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint.
Apple declined to comment beyond what their executives have said publicly about why they hold off on certain technologies.
STILL A BIG GAP
To be sure, Apple maintains a healthy market share lead over Chinese rivals in the premium segment, and few experts see Apple fans switching from the iPhone X to Huawei’s Mate 10.
“The biggest challenge they (Chinese firms) face would be proving to consumers their products and brand are worth paying that much for,” said Xiaohan Tay, an analyst at research firm IDC.
“Apple has taken years to build that premium brand image, and Samsung too. If they can pay a little more to purchase an Apple or Samsung phone, most consumers may still continue to do that.”
In the $600-plus segment, Apple has 63 percent market share, against just 3 percent for Huawei, and the U.S. firm’s retention rate of around 82 percent, versus Huawei’s 52 percent, suggests it will be tough for Chinese firms to raise their prices, according to UBS.
The average selling price of smartphones from the top-3 Chinese makers - Huawei, Oppo and Vivo - is just $248, or two-thirds less than the cheapest iPhone 8.
Slideshow (4 Images)
Yet experts say the threat of competition is real, especially as buyers pay more attention to smartphone apps than hardware features.
“How much impact would a $1,000 iPhone really have on UX (user experience) of WhatsApp, or YouTube, or Snapchat?” said Sameer Singh, founder of research firm Tech-Thoughts.
“The most popular apps being available on both platforms (Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android) really makes the experience a bit of a wash, making it harder to justify the price point based just on features. This isn’t all that different from the PC industry 10-20 years ago. At one point, a PC was a PC irrespective of the manufacturer.”The impending deletion of content from Google Video has inspired quite a few uploaders to port their content to Youtube, unearthing a trove of pre-YouTube-era gems like this one. It’s a BBC documentary from 1997 called Inside the Internet, and features interviews with the scientists who actually built the infrastructure on which the Internet is based.
It’s full of details that are not common knowledge among the billions who now rely on the Internet:
• Leonard Kleinrock, the computer scientist who helped set up the very first piece of hardware to comprise the Internet, an “Interface Message Processor,” demolishes the myth that the ARPAnet, the precursor to today’s Internet, was set up as a communications network that would be able to continue to pass message even after some of its nodes were knocked out by nuclear war.
Instead, it was simply a means for engineers to give themselves access to the capabilities of remote computers that their systems might not possess.
• The Internet was – and still is – based on sending tiny packets of information back and forth (aka “packet switching”) because the mathematical theory known as Queueing Theory suggested that the best way to avoid congestion on a communications network was to send small, individually addressed packets of information that could be routed one at a time, so as to find the shortest route.
• UNIX, the basis of Linux (essential to web servers), Mac OS X and countless open-source OSes was born at Bell Labs, and was a product of the frustration of Bell Labs computer scientists with the software they had been forced to use up to that point. It was an internal project that was licensed to academic institutions for only a nominal fee, which helped it go viral.
• The combination of old-style modems operating through telephone lines and the Unix program UUCP allowed the first network of machines that was not part of the officially sanctioned ARPAnet. Called Usenet, it forwarded message from one machine to the next, whenever they happened to connect to the next machine in the chain via modem.
By connecting the edges of the blooming Internet, it helped to create a system in which there was no central node. This made the network immune to censorship, whether intentional or accidental. This, in turn, helped feed the rumor that the network had originally been conceived as one that would be invulnerable to the loss of any central communication hubs(s).About a century ago, astronomers discovered a fast-moving star formally known as HD 140283. Initial estimates of its age placed it a perplexing 16 billion years old — a serious problem considering that the universe is 13.8 billion years old. But a recent analysis of this so-called Methuselah Star has re-dated it to 14.5 billion years old, give or take about 0.8 billion years. Given this margin for error, astronomers are now slightly more confident that its age is compatible with that of the universe.
Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers now have a better handle on Methuselah. It's located in our own galaxy about 190 light-years away and it's zipping past at about 800,000 mph relative to our solar system; it was likely spawned in a dwarf galaxy that was consumed by the Milky Way more than 12 billion years ago.
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Astronomers were able to reduce the uncertainty of its age by using trigonometric parallax, a shift in the position of a star that's caused by a change in an observer's position. Once the astronomers had a more precise sense of its distance, they were subsequently able to measure its intrinsic brightness. This in turn allowed them to posit a more accurate estimate of its age.
From NASA:
With a better handle on the star's brightness [Howard] Bond's team [at Pennsylvania State University] refined the star's age by applying contemporary theories about the star's burn rate, chemical abundances, and internal structure. New ideas are that leftover helium diffuses deeper into the core and so the star has less hydrogen to burn via nuclear fusion. This means it uses fuel faster and that correspondingly lowers the age. Also, the star has a higher than predicted oxygen-to-iron ratio, and this too lowers the age. Bond thinks that further oxygen measurement could reduce the star's age even more, because the star would have formed at a slightly later time when the universe was richer in oxygen abundance. Lowering the upper age limit would make the star unequivocally younger than the universe.
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In their study, the authors write:
Within the errors, the age of HD 140283 does not conflict with the age of the Universe, 13.77 ± 0.06 Gyr, based on the microwave background and Hubble constant, but it must have formed soon after the big bang.
Interestingly, the star's elongated orbit is a remnant of the time it was ejected from its original galaxy. Given its speed, Methuselah is just passing by. Every 1,500 years or so, it traverses a distance in our field of vision about the width of the moon.
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Read the entire study at Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Image: Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), STScI/AURA, Palomar/Caltech, and UKSTU/AAO.The iPhone 6 launch is just weeks away, but there will be much more than just one or two new phones. Of greater importance to most iPhone and iPad users is the accompanying release of iOS 8. Apple has heavily reworked its mobile operating system and the biggest change will be a drive into fitness. It is a move which has doctors concerned.
Apple HealthKit In A Nutshell
Apple’s health offering is called ‘Healthkit’ and connects with both the sensors in your phone (like a gyroscope counting steps) and third party products from the likes of Nike, Fitbit, Wahoo and Withings. HealthKit will display all their information in one phone with an easy to read dashboard and Apple has also said it is working with the Mayo Clinic in the US and the Cambridge Trust in the UK to connect your results with your GP or even to contact a hospital proactively.
HealthKit will work with the iPhone 4S, fifth generation iPod touch, iPad 2 and above (older models won’t get iOS 8), but the iPhone 6 will be the centrepiece and driving force for HealthKit as it will have an array of new sensors expected to deliver far greater health monitoring capabilities.
On the surface HealthKit sounds great, so what is it that is raising wider concern in the medical industry? (sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). I spoke to two medical professionals to find out:
Dr. Rakesh Kapila is a private GP at the South Kensington GP Clinic in London. He completed his training at the Mayo Clinic in the US.
Dr. Dushan Gunasekera is a medical graduate of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital who left medicine to become a healthcare financial services advisor. He runs his own practice at the myHealthCare Clinic in Battersea, London and works with the Regent’s Park Heart Clinics.
Accuracy and Generalisation
“One thing that is a problem is the purported accuracy of the data,” explains Gunasekera. “Whilst having this data could be of use, a doctor is unable to guarantee that whichever blood pressure monitor, glucose monitor or fitness tracker a patient is using will be accurate. Because of this, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever be at a point where a doctor will take a look at your phone and be able to give a diagnosis.”
Kapila agrees: “The app needs to be programmable in an individual way specific for the patient with individual limits set. Not everybody will be expected to achieve results within the normal range. Look at an athlete with a resting heart rate of 40 beats per minute, this is abnormally low for the majority of other people... there is no perspective available from raw data and interpretation by a doctor in relation to the patient’s overall medical condition.”
Complacency and Paranoia
“Apple Health will almost certainly affect the mentality of patients, however whether it will make them more paranoid or more aware is less clear,” says Gunasekera. “The key to Apple Health being useful all rests on the data produced being interpreted correctly. There is certainly a risk that people will see a sharp dip in one of their graphs and interpret that as a big problem, when in fact the reading could still fall within a normal range.”
“Some patients will develop anxiety over less than perfect figures and it could end up being an unhealthy obsession,” adds Kapila who also notes that “Those people that do focus on their health often do think they are healthier than they actually are. The mere act of inputting information about oneself into a tracker is psychologically very reassuring.”
“In relation to the group that might think they are healthy when not, I think this can be avoided if the app offers inbuilt safeguards to warn when action is needed. Numbers in isolation do not help users to know what’s important and what’s not” stresses Kapila.
The likes of BetterDoctor and FindADoctor in the US and Zesty in the UK need not worry yet.
Privacy
“A further issue is with data protection,” says Gunasekera. “All medical records are now kept in software devices and whilst it might be beneficial for patients to have their own medical records on their smartphones, who owns this data has to be considered.”
But the good news is not all is doom and gloom.
Benefits for Diabetes and Pregnancy
“There is one particular condition that HealthKit works very well for and that is Diabetes,” argues Gunasekera. “Diabetics have to constantly measure their blood glucose level, which is traditionally done using a pinprick and a small about of blood being analysed with a portable device. But there are tiny monitors that can be implanted under the skin that can track blood glucose that could then be tracked using something like Apple HealthKit.
Having your iPhone alert you when your blood sugar falls too low would be a monumental lifestyle change for diabetics. No more would they need to manually check their levels, they would just need to glance at their smartphones – or wait for an alarm signal to go off.”
Gunasekera also sees major benefits for pregnancy. “Pregnant women have to keep an eye on exactly what they are eating and doing, throughout the 9 months,” he explains. “Monitoring something like heart rate would give mothers a way of ensuring their baby is doing well. There are ways to do this at the moment, but it involves regular prenatal checkups and there’s no real way of tracking stats in-between. By wearing a monitor at all times a mother could have her iPhone alert her if something was amiss.”
Kapila also points to HealthKit’s potential to help in the areas of oxygen saturation in COPD patients, asthmatics and those with sleep apnoea.
Education
Ultimately both professionals stress that education will be critical to the success or failure of HealthKit.
“When iOS 8 is launched, Apple will need to make an effort to show users what [HealthKit users] should be aiming for, failing that a patient’s doctor will have to... technology is certainly not yet at the point where it can replace a real doctor,” says Gunasekera. “The human body is a complex object that changes from day to day and from hour to hour. Being so complex means that it will take a trained professional to look at all of your stats to make a diagnosis if something is wrong.
Apple needs to make it clear that a Health app isn’t a replacement for regular checkups, it is instead a way of monitoring some of your stats in-between appointments that can affect your overall health.”
Health Vs. Fitness
And this is perhaps the crux of doctors’ arguments: presentation – because in name alone Apple HealthKit is not really about healthcare.
“Overall the categories lean far more towards fitness than healthcare,” says Gunasekera. “Tracking the intake of individual vitamins is all well and good for someone trying to balance their diet, but it doesn’t tell a doctor much about a patients overall well-being.”
“I can also see this being beneficial to anyone in sports and fitness and also for people who have had a health scare or wakeup call,” agrees Kapila. “We do a lot of annual medicals during which we can pick up new problems, for example high blood pressure, that need monitoring. iOS 8’s HealthKit would be ideal for that issue.”
“The upside is that if this motivates people to improve their fitness, their health should improve as well as a consequence,” concludes Gunasekera.
Over the coming months Google Fit will also join Apple HealthKit as personal monitoring technology accelerates far beyond today’s devices. But the message is clear: whatever they promise, don’t stop seeing your doctor.
____
Follow @GordonKelly
More on ForbesBen Roethlisberger has added yet another milestone onto his list of career achievements.
On the following play, a 97-yard touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Big Ben became the first quarterback in NFL history to have three touchdown passes of at least 94 yards under his belt. The play helped Pittsburgh defeat Detroit 20-15 to head into their bye week with a 6-2 record.
The Steelers are off to a great start to 2017! Keep up to date and sign here for your FREE Newsletter!
Roethlisberger's scoring strike the Smith-Schuster is also a franchise record, surpassing Big Ben's 95-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace in a win over the Cardinals back in 2011. Roethlisberger then completed a 94-yard touchdown pass to Martavis Bryant in Pittsburgh's victory in Cincinnati back in 2014. Ironically, none of Big Ben's touchdown passes of at least 94 yards have come at Heinz Field.
While his scoring strike to Smith-Schuster will go down in the history books, there was one other play in Sunday's game that Roethlisberger may have liked just as much, if not more.
"Taking a knee, that’s the greatest play in football when you can take a knee to seal it," Roethlisberger said after Sunday's win. "When we can find ways to win football games, our defense is stepping up huge. We need them to keep playing like that, because the offense is going to come around."Bitcoin's popularity in the U.S. is gradually rising as it branches out from tech-savvy and libertarian circles into the mainstream financial world. But who may benefit most from the technology are residents in countries like Argentina, where independent observers estimate inflation at 25 percent and the government imposes strict capital controls.
The price of Bitcoins in Buenos Aires are about 30 to 40 percent higher than those in neighboring Uruguay, and last week, a Bitcoin Meetup brought 150 Argentines to the nation's capital to discuss the advance of the technology in the country.
From Forex Magnates:
With the Peso undergoing yet another period of severe inflation at a rate of 20%, and now President Kirchner’s attempt to lure citizens back into the banking system over which they have absolutely no trust, by attempting to repatriate the US dollars held overseas or in hidden accounts by citizens in exchange for the domestic Cedin, the demand for Bitcoins has rocketed... The nation exercises capital controls, preventing citizens from exporting their funds to Uruquay for exchange into Dollars, creating even higher demand for crypto-currencies that circumvent the domestic rulings.
The rise of Bitcoin in Argentina reflects the citizens' growing desire to subvert the government's repressive monetary controls and soaring inflation. A short documentary about the digital currency was released earlier this year highlighting the practical uses of Bitcoin in the once-prosperous country. Supporters, like Daniel Alós of the Meetup group, who appear cautious about revealing their motivations, say on their event page they hope it will be soon become an everyday payment method.
I think Bitcoin will gain more momentum and confidence of the public to the extent that it will start to be accepted by most shops and businesses. I just was in touch with a site that delivers organic vegetables with payment in Bitcoin. I was struck by how nice and friendly the user interface of the site was.
Alós wrote that he intended to purchase vegetables for his restaurant from the site using Bitcoins.
The meetup was organized by an advocacy group called the Foundación Bitcoin Argentina. They don't detail its virtues of relative certainty and privacy on their website, but that is understandable—Bitcoin advocates receive threats even in America. But inherent in the cryto-currency camp's message is that more Bitcoin users in the country would benefit Argentines. And with a stateless alternative currency, more transactional privacy would be possible, as Reason's J.D. Tuccille wrote in May.
Why all this effort—and legal risk—to keep communications private? Because much of the world's population lives under the thumbs of nosy rulers, whether overtly malevolent or just overly officious... It's not clear that Bitcoin can live up to its promise. It's the first serious crypto currency, unanchored to a government or to a physical presence, and it's just now being tested. What's obvious, though, is that people want what Bitcoin is supposed to be, and that desire will certainly be fulfilled either by it or by a successor technology that can live up to the billing.
Residents in countries like Argentina who are advised to avoid banks and pay cash because the government can't be trusted would certainly be served by Bitcoin or whatever alternative arises in the free market, if only for the peace of mind.
Why Bitcoin is here to stay:Malcolm Jenkins will no longer be raising his fist in the air during the national anthem prior to NFL games. The Philadelphia Eagles safety said as much in the locker room on Thursday.
Here's Malcolm Jenkins explaining why he will not demonstrate during the national anthem on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/HcxHAzYAvv — Zach Berman (@ZBerm) November 30, 2017
Jenkins insisted this is not about the money the league's investing. "I personally wouldn’t just accept a check a move on. What I wanted to make sure happened is we replace the platform that we’ve been using." Thinks there's a plan to "amplify these issues." — Zach Berman (@ZBerm) November 30, 2017
Jenkins: "There’s a lot still to be done. I’m not popping champagne bottles just yet. But I am looking forward to continuing to work and providing an area for other players to amplify their efforts as well.” — Zach Berman (@ZBerm) November 30, 2017
Jenkins has been demonstrating since the start of the 2016 season, shortly after Colin Kaepernick began kneeling on the sideline. So why the change now? Here’s a lot of good information from a recent ESPN report:
In an unprecedented move for a major professional sports league, the NFL has proposed partnering with its players to effect social justice change, though not all players are in agreement on the proposal. On Monday, the league submitted to players the final draft of a proposal that, according to documents reviewed by ESPN, would contribute nearly $100 million to causes considered important to African-American communities. The NFL hopes this effort will effectively end the peaceful-yet-controversial movement that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started when he refused to stand for the national anthem last season. [...] Under the proposal, money at both the national and local level would provide grants for nonprofit organizations focused on law enforcement and community relations, criminal justice reform and education reform.
As a leader of the Players Coalition, Jenkins has been one of the main people involved in negotiations with the NFL.
Not everyone is on board, though. San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid — Kaepernick’s former teammate — and Miami Dolphins safety Michael Thomas withdrew from the Players Coalition on Wednesday. They both issued the following statement:
"The Players Coalition was supposed to be formed as a group that represents NFL Athletes who have been silently protesting social injustices and racism. However, Malcolm and Anquan [Boldin] can no longer speak on our behalf as we don't believe the coalition's beliefs are in our best interests as a whole."
Jenkins disputed their claims and called their decisions to withdraw “disappointing.”
Jenkins’ decision not to protest anymore indicates a level of satisfaction with the NFL’s response to demonstrations. Some players clearly feel differently.Ninth Sunday after Pentecost / Ninth Sunday of Matthew, August 21, 2016
I Corinthians 3:9-17; Matthew 14:22-34
Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
What happens if I doubt my Christian faith?
To some, the answer to this question seems to be just to dismiss the idea out of hand: You’re not supposed to doubt. You had better not doubt. If you doubt, then you don’t love God. If you doubt, then you are a bad person. If you doubt, I don’t want anything to do with you. If you doubt, there is something wrong with you.
But the doubts come anyway. What am I doing here? What if there is no God? What if when you die, that’s just it? What if some other religion is right and this one is wrong? What if I’ll never be good enough? What if God doesn’t really love me? What if I’m missing some fatal flaw that’s going to send me to hell forever?
What if all this is just a big joke?
Some people say that they never have doubts. For other people, some doubts occur occasionally, while others just won’t go away. They become nagging doubts.
Doubt can paralyze us. Doubt keeps people away from worship with the community. Doubt drives people out of the Church altogether.
Doubt seems so negative. Isn’t the Christian faith about believing? Is there any room for doubt in the Christian life? What do we do when we have doubts?
The memorable scene we read in today’s Gospel selection from Matthew 14 is very much wrapped up in all these questions about doubt. The scene opens with Jesus going to a mountain to pray and His disciples getting onto a boat. While Jesus was away from them their boat gets into trouble, being beaten by the wind and the waves. Then, late in the night, Jesus comes out to meet them, walking on the water. And they say, “It is a ghost!” Already, they are experiencing doubts.
The story continues with Jesus telling them Who He is and not to fear. Then Peter tests this “ghost” by asking Him to bid him walk on the water. So the Lord tells him to walk. And he walks. And then he saw the wind and began to sink. Peter’s doubts were sinking him.
When we experience doubt in our spiritual life, we often feel as though we are also sinking. This will be the end of us. There is no way to recover. See the wind and the waves? See how the confusion and the complication of this world toss us around and threaten us? And so we sink, and we lose sight of the Lord Who is the object of our faith.
If we are going to discuss the place of doubt for the Christian, we have to look at it closely. I believe that we can actually talk about two kinds of doubt, and both are typified in this night out on the water for the disciples.
The first kind of doubt is the sort that asks questions because it does not know the truth. When the disciples say, “It is a ghost!” it is because they do not know the truth of what they are seeing. And so they jump to conclusions. Their doubt is the questioning variety.
Is it okay to ask questions as a Christian? Is it all right to question the teachings and practices of the Church? Some would say it is never okay, that we should believe and practice our faith unquestioningly. I agree with them, but only in the sense that we do need to get to a place where we don’t need to question any more. So is it okay to ask questions? Yes, it’s okay.
Indeed, how can we learn anything if we don’t ask questions? Unless it is mature, faith without a question is just fanaticism. And fanaticism for a religion can just as easily become fanaticism against religion, just as soon as a question occurs and goes unanswered. And even an unfanatical Christian who does not question his faith can lose it if his childhood faith does not mature through asking questions and learning answers. I have heard more than one ex-Christian say that he asked questions but no one could or would answer them, so he left.
So the kind of doubt that leads us to ask questions because we don’t understand can be a good doubt. As George MacDonald, a Christian writer from the turn of the last century, once said, doubts are “messengers of the Living One to the honest” and “You doubt because you love truth.” These doubts are permitted by God to allow us to explore His presence more fully, to allow us to understand His teachings, to stir in us the desire to know Him better.
Notice what Jesus’ answer to the disciples is when they say, “It is a ghost!” He says, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” He reveals to them Who He is. He invites them to know Him, to encounter Him, and therefore not to fear. We don’t have to be afraid of these doubts. We have to let them motivate us to explore, to expand our faith, to bring us into contact with Him Who is Truth.
But there is another kind of doubt, and this is the kind Peter expresses when he sees the wind and begins to be afraid and therefore to sink. This kind of doubt is not the sort that leads to questions which have the possibility for exploration. Rather, this is the doubt that comes when we pay attention to the cares of this world rather than to Christ. And in this distracted attention, the evil one whispers to us, “God cannot save you.” He says, “Jesus is not real.” He says, “There is no point in your prayers or in trying to live virtuously.” And we believe those whispers, and we begin to sink spiritually.
Often when people experience this doubt, they may say things like, “I’m trying to believe, but I just can’t” or “This just haunts me—what if none of it is true?” Notice that these are not questions seeking answers. These are doubts that turn us away from real questioning.
This kind of doubt is actually what in our Orthodox spiritual understanding we call a passion. What are the passions? By passion we do not mean something we’re really interested in, like I have passions for Star Trek and reuben sandwiches, nor it is the kind of passion that is a deep motivation, like I have a passion for teaching the Gospel. In Orthodox spiritual language, the passions are those addictions that pull us away from God. We may think of lust or laziness or anger—these are passions, and they are addictive. Likewise, this kind of doubt is a passion, an addiction. This is why doubt can nag at us and haunt us—we are addicted.
So what do we do about the passions? The most basic strategy for dealing with passions is to cut off what is feeding them so that they starve, and then to feed the virtue that is the opposite of that passion so that it expands and develops. What is it that feeds the passion of doubt? It is putting our attention on the cares of this world.
When we look at the wind and the waves of life or even just become obsessed with sailing or navigating or fishing, but we take our eyes off the Lord Jesus, then we are feeding the passion of doubt and starving the virtue of faith. But when we take our eyes off the cares of this world and place them on Jesus—through prayer, worship, service, and giving—then we are feeding the virtue of faith and starving the passion of doubt. It’s really pretty simple.
When the disciples doubt and come to the wrong conclusion about Who Jesus is, He teaches them and encourages them.
When Peter doubts and then begins to sink, he cries out a prayer: “Lord, save me!” And Jesus takes his hand and pulls him up, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” Notice that Jesus says “little faith” and not “no faith.”
When we doubt with the passion of doubt, we should not believe the lie of Satan that tells us we have no faith. In reality, we simply have little faith. And we can use that little faith to say, “Lord, save me!” And then that puts our attention back on Jesus, and our faith therefore becomes stronger.
So there are two kinds of doubt. The first is the questioning kind that leads us to greater understanding and therefore maturity and peace in our faith. This doubt is good if used well. The second is the passionate kind that is addictive and turns us away from Jesus. This kind is bad if we feed it by putting our attention on the world and not on Christ.
At the end of the Gospel reading, Jesus and Peter get into the boat, and the wind ceases. And having both kinds of doubt addressed, we see that the response of the disciples and Peter is the same. The Gospel says this: “And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly, Thou art the Son of God.’”
Do you have doubts that are questions? Don’t be afraid to ask your questions. We can explore the answers together. Even if there is no one here who has an answer to your specific questions, we can find out. And in the exploration, we will grow.
Do you have doubts that are full of worry and that haunt you? Take stock of where you’re putting your attention. Are you spending time with Jesus every day in private prayer and often in corporate prayer with other Christians? Are you partaking of all the sacraments that we should be receiving regularly, most particularly confession and communion? Are you giving of your time and your talents and your possessions? If not, then you are paying more attention to the wind and the waves than to the Jesus Who is walking on the water to meet you. Look back to Him. Starve that passion. Feed that virtue.
And then worship Him as those disciples did, saying to Him, “Truly, Thou art the Son of God.”
To Him therefore be all glory, honor and worship, with His Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.Date Mon, November 02, 2015
Today is the day :) “Why?” you might ask. The reason is that today we’re wrapping up our discussion of arithmetic expressions (well, almost) by adding parenthesized expressions to our grammar and implementing an interpreter that will be able to evaluate parenthesized expressions with arbitrarily deep nesting, like the expression 7 + 3 * (10 / (12 / (3 + 1) - 1)).
Let’s get started, shall we?
First, let’s modify the grammar to support expressions inside parentheses. As you remember from Part 5, the factor rule is used for basic units in expressions. In that article, the only basic unit we had was an integer. Today we’re adding another basic unit - a parenthesized expression. Let’s do it.
Here is our updated grammar:
The expr and the term productions are exactly the same as in Part 5 and the only change is in the factor production where the terminal LPAREN represents a left parenthesis ‘(‘, the terminal RPAREN represents a right parenthesis ‘)’, and the non-terminal expr between the parentheses refers to the expr rule.
Here is the updated syntax diagram for the factor, which now includes alternatives:
Because the grammar rules for the expr and the term haven’t changed, their syntax diagrams look the same as in Part 5:
Here is an interesting feature of our new grammar - it is recursive. If you try to derive the expression 2 * (7 + 3), you will start with the expr start symbol and eventually you will get to a point where you will recursively use the expr rule again to derive the (7 + 3) portion of the original arithmetic expression.
Let’s decompose the expression 2 * (7 + 3) according to the grammar and see how it looks:
A little aside: if you need a refresher on recursion, take a look at Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen’s The Little Schemer book - it’s really good.
Okay, let’s get moving and translate our new updated grammar to code.
The following are the main changes to the code from the previous article:
The Lexer has been modified to return two more tokens: LPAREN for a left parenthesis and RPAREN for a right parenthesis. The Interpreter‘s factor method has been slightly updated to parse parenthesized expressions in addition to integers.
Here is the complete code of a calculator that can evaluate arithmetic expressions containing integers; any number of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division operators; and parenthesized expressions with arbitrarily deep nesting:
# Token types # # EOF (end-of-file) token is used to indicate that # there is no more input left for lexical analysis INTEGER, PLUS, MINUS, MUL, DIV, LPAREN, RPAREN, EOF = ( 'INTEGER', 'PLUS', 'MINUS', 'MUL', 'DIV', '(', ')', 'EOF' ) class Token ( object ): def __init__ ( self, type, value ): self. type = type self. value = value def __str__ ( self ): """String representation of the class instance. Examples: Token(INTEGER, 3) Token(PLUS, '+') Token(MUL, '*') """ return 'Token({type}, {value})'. format ( type = self. type, value = repr ( self. value ) ) def __repr__ ( self ): return self. __str__ () class Lexer ( object ): def __init__ ( self, text ): # client string input, e.g. "4 + 2 * 3 - 6 / 2" self. text = text # self.pos is an index into self.text self. pos = 0 self. current_char = self. text [ self. pos ] def error ( self ): raise Exception ( 'Invalid character' ) def advance ( self ): """Advance the `pos` pointer and set the `current_char` variable.""" self. pos += 1 if self. pos > len ( self. text ) - 1 : self. current_char = None # Indicates end of input else : self. current_char = self. text [ self. pos ] def skip_whitespace ( self ): while self. current_char is not None and self. current_char. isspace (): self. advance () def integer ( self ): """Return a (multidigit) integer consumed from the |
000s of users a week but as we get further along and were a more mature company, there’s a lot of low hanging fruit there to look at. We’ve taken a lot of inspiration from what quip has done. If you look at the new user experience, they had a dedicated product team to go through every step and looking at how that happens. For example, if you sign up for quip with a google apps address, so now just put your domain is managed by google apps, when you type it in and hit next they show you a button to log in with google and going on the server side and seeing your mx record is coming from google and they are like just come in through google and let you skip the other stuff. You don’t need a password, you’ve authenticated the domain you’re in so you can now connect the same people in the same domain this is all kinds of little tricks that you can do on that experience of coming in and not thinking of it, like there’s a website and signup process and then there’s people in the app. It’s not – that’s not the experience from the end users perspective, it’s this whole seamless thing and I think that iteration changes what we’re going through internally and thinking about right now.
Audience Question: Hi, my question is you said that at some point you decided to bring in a VP of sales cause neither of you had any experience with that. I’m curious how you evaluate that particular person and make sure they come in?
Michael Pryor: Well, we had to – maybe we’ve hired like 5 people in that position over the years cause we had Fog Creek, stack overflow and Trello and two of them didn’t work – I think like to find people that had direct sales experience and a lot of times you don’t know until a person gets in there. And in the case of Trello today, our VP of sales she worked at Fog Creek and we knew her and what she was capable of. And she was amazing and continues to be. So that was a bit easier, even though some of the challenges we threw at her, we didn’t know how she would perform. As far as – particularly for us being a developer focus company and our background is product people, Joel and I, it’s important we get the right kind of sales philosophy and team which is difficult in sales I think – it’s probably getting better I think a lot of the people like Mark from Hubspot and a lot of the education around sales and how it’s done in this new economy where software sales is a lot of bottom up instead of the top down with my Rolex, I roll in to your CEO and CTO and say let’s go play golf! That atmosphere doesn’t happen anymore. You build a good product, the team brings it in and that’s the sales experience. The sales function is getting a lot better and the philosophy around it so I think it’s important to – when sales people come in, we have them sell our product. It doesn’t matter if it’s an actual sales person. We’re big on the audition based interview so we give them a bit of prep and say sell our management team, sell us Trello! They come in and do a PowerPoint or whatever and a lot of times we don’t give them material so it’s interesting what they come up with. I don’t care about the facts they use, because they don’t understand how it’s sold, but the level of presentation they come up with – do they hand you a think they printed out or no presentation? Those sorts of things help you understand is this person prepared? And then at the end of the interview when we say awesome! Thanks! Do they then try to close us? What’s the follow-up? You’d be surprised how many people don’t follow up on the end. All right we’ll put you on the calendar for next week. We look for that – it’s the sales you gotta have the base level.
Audience Question: Tony Pappas and great interview so far! Curious, Gail spoke of the fact that engineering teams, there’s never extra capacity, free time or whatever, a non-busy moment. At Trello how do you go about thinking about true forward looking RD? Stuff that will be monetisable in the next 6-12 months? How do you allocate resources to that plan and get the go ahead to what’s good and pause things that aren’t?
Michael Pryor: It’s hard at a company where you have so many things to do and there’s so many opportunities to improve on what you have and ideas, there’s always gonna be a longer list of things to do, how do you carve out time? I think that’s been a cultural thing from the early days but even in Trello Joel would tell people early on you gotta shoot gamma rays at Trello, mutate it and figure out what works and doesn’t, it’s ok if we shut something down. So very early on, I don’t know if you actually know what a web RTC is but there’s this video chat you can do in browsers and Chrome supports it and it’s built into the browsers, a standard, but it’s still a little janky, it’s not like you’re using zoom or skype or something like that. It’s like kind of breaks sometimes and have to refresh your browser. Early on we were like let’s play with that and see if you can go to a Trello board and then you can hit a button and appear in a meeting. It’s like a video conference at the bottom – we built that and used it internally and the experience was cool when it worked but when it didn’t work – it wasn’t our fault, the web RTC wasn’t prime time yet and so we knew if we shipped it, that that pain would fall on us, people would be mad at Trello, they wouldn’t be you implemented this with web RTC so clearly that isn’t Trello’s fault! They would be like sending support emails of your video chat stinks. I think about that a lot when you talk about the features before and you’re like when you add them, think about are you guys in the developer tools space? Like the big elephant – and there’s a lot of people that are like Agira stinks and hate it. A lot of times it’s very configurable so you can put out this whole workflow, add custom fields and build it the way you want it and in many organisations you have an IT person or maybe a PM that they build the perfect structure and are like voila! Use this tool! And everyone is like this is convoluted, weird and gets in my way. It’s not the tool’s fault, it’s the psychosis of the person that implemented this crazy structure but no one blames the IT person, in most cases they blame the tool and say this tool is too complicated. So it’s a very fine line when you’re building out these features and giving people complexity and what they do with it, there’s some – as developers, interesting ways to deal with that. If you’re in slack and type add channel and then a message, it notifies everyone in that channel and that’s ripe for abuse, you’re like you just woke up people in Australia cause their phone buzzes they have a message and you didn’t even know. And slack added this fun little thing where if you try to do that a rooster pops up and say you will interrupt 22 people in 15 time zones. Do you really want to do this? And then you have to say yes, you can still be a jerk but at least you know you’re being a jerk. There’s a humanisation of software that’s going on and it’s like certainly with all the tools and the way we built software has gotten better and better so it’s much easier to build something today and it’s like what are you offering then? What are your viewpoints and how is it presented? The marketing and brand and voice of your tool. It’s much more important nowadays than before where if you built a database website that was awesome! You know how to code in Pearl? You can make a lot of money – those days are gone, so it’s a tangent –
Audience Question: I was really – touched my heart to hear about the reason you started the company with Joel being the place you want to work. It’s the same reason I created my company 18 months ago. As you’ve gone through the experience of sprouting multiple organisations that came out, any advice for someone who started with that mission? I’m curious about corporations, in your experience with all these organizations is that a thing that would be useful to look at?
Michael Pryor: I don’t know much about b corps – I will tell you this though. That – so we ran Fog Creek for 10 years and when we spat out Stack Overflow, that was a really a joint venture between Jeff who was a very famous blogger and Joel and the programmers but when we spun it off, there were some employees that went with it, including Joel. And now is actually a very tough time for us as a business inside, culturally, splitting off the leadership and some of the employees and it created this us versus them and even though it was the same people that you were just working with and it was hard. And when we did it with Trello we learned our lesson and tried to give people a lot of information upfront and tell them about what will happen and have many questions. It’s much smoother – but having done it twice, I definitely don’t want to do it again. It creates a vacuum, you need a leadership vacuum to run an organisation that like. There’s Joel, me and our time on Fog Creek and there were already constraints on our time, what we’re focused, what we’re spending it on, so yeah. Don’t underestimate the cultural impact and the pain of doing that.
Audience Question: You mentioned that Trello is at the moon right now and headed to Mars. How do you set the rhythm for your team and sticking along that journey to Mars?
Michael Pryor: Specifically, I sit down with every new hire, our group of new hires and tell them the story in person. It’s called story time with Michael [laughing]. As we’ve grown actually it’s interesting because you realise you have to insert formalities for things that used to happen informally. And that’s hit us because we’re mostly remote, 60% of the company is remote so you realise you have to do things that you wouldn’t need to do if you were on the same place. Every Friday we pair up 4 people together to just shoot the shit over a video conference. It’s like a 30 minute work, but it’s not for work, talk about whatever. And it’s just to try and create a connection between a sales person who didn’t talk to a dev cause they don’t work together and they’re not in the same office so they’re not going to hit the coffee machine or they wont have lunch together. So we had to invent things to create connections between people and build that culture. We do town halls every month, but that even in the early days that was a 2-way street and now it’s just a presentation cause there’s too many people so they won’t speak up at a town hall. So now I actually do skip level meetings with the teams so there’s like the individual contributors, level of management and I meet directly with pieces of the sales or marketing team and just kind of talk about higher level vision, what’s going on this week – I try to do that once a month. But as you scale, you change up what you’re doing and realise where there’s friction and try to come up with something to help it.
Paul Kenny: Ok. Michael, thank you very much!
Michael Pryor: Thanks for having me!Sex with animals still not OK in US military
WASHINGTON — Just in case you weren’t sure, bestiality is still illegal in the U.S. military.
And, yes, that issue was actually in question this week. For the past few days, White House and Pentagon officials have fielded uncomfortable queries on whether they are working to decriminalize sex with animals as part of efforts to update the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
In fact, Congress is poised to remove from the books the only specific reference to bestiality contained in the UCMJ. The obscure deletion, contained in the massive Defense Appropriations bill now being finalized, raised the ire of some conservative groups still outraged over the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law that allowed homosexuals to serve openly in the military.
For their part, Pentagon officials say the deletion of bestiality is a legal technicality and does not represent any fundamental change in the military’s moral code for servicemembers (and service animals).
“The department’s position on this issue remains unchanged and that act remains illegal,” said defense spokesman Lt. Col Todd Breasseale.
The issue traces back to the 2004 Supreme Court case knocking down state anti-sodomy laws, a ruling which riled conservative groups. Despite that, anti-sodomy regulations remained in the UCMJ as officials worked to update sex crimes statutes.
Military officials have now asked Congress to drop the anti-sodomy language from the UCMJ. But that article of the military code doesn’t just include humans, and that’s where the confusion begins.
Article 125 actually states that any servicemember who “engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same sex or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy.” Offenders face court-martial for any violations.
Cue various conservative groups and bloggers, who promptly attempted to link the recent “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal with this apparent evidence that the military now accepts bestiality — a comparison that military officials this week blasted as false and offensive.
In a recent online post titled “Bestiality Should Give Leaders Paws,” the Family Research Council called the sex with animals confusion proof that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal was done too hastily.
Then, at a White House press briefing this week, Les Kinsolving, a correspondent for the conservative WorldNetDaily, asked White House spokesman Jay Carney: “Does the commander in chief approve or disapprove of bestiality in our armed forces?”
Carney laughed off the question and refused to answer, which in turn prompted a stinging rebuke from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
“With respect, this is no laughing matter,” wrote PETA spokesman Colleen O’Brien. “Animal abuse does not affect animals only — it is also a matter of public safety, as people who abuse animals very often go on to abuse human beings. I hope that in the future, you will address important issues with sensitivity and not dismiss them with a joke.”
Lobbyists from the far left and far right don’t often agree on much, but apparently sex with animals can bring them together.
But Breasseale said the whole controversy is off-base.
Even if Article 125 is removed, the UCMJ contains provisions under which troops can be punished. Article 134, for example, forbids “all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces” and “all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.” Breasseale said that would cover any and all animal abuse.
In fact, past instances of bestiality in the military have been prosecuted under that statute, instead of Article 125. The legal record dates back to 1957, when Pvt. Ricardo Sanchez was convicted of “an indecent act with an animal” under Article 134, even without specific wording prohibiting sex with animals.
In addition, before the potential language changes reached Congress, the Joint Service Committee on Military Justice drafted a list of punitive offenses under the UCMJ which specifically includes animal abuse. That is set to be included in the Manual for Courts-Martial, and will give clear guidance on what to do in such cases.
Breasseale said the change pending before Congress is truly just a legal clean-up effort, and will in no way endanger animals.
“It is difficult to envision a situation where a servicemember engages in sexual conduct with an animal that would not be conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline or service-discrediting,” he said.
shanel@stripes.osd.mil
Twitter: @LeoShaneBy Crewman Becky | June 4, 2012 - 11:15 pm
The first U.S. Star Trek: The Next Generation 25th anniversary reunion is happening right in our own backyard, Austin Texas. This October, Wizard World is bringing together 7 stars from the Next Gen cast for this bridge crew reunion. So far on board are Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Worf), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data) and Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher). Dang! With a line up like this my head might explode.
Along with nearly everybody who’s anybody on Next Gen, other guests include; James Marsters (Smallville, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Anthony Michael Hall (The Dead Zone, Weird Science), and Paul McGillion (Stargate: Atlantis, Star Trek).
Wizard World puts on a great convention and always has a fabulous turnout. They have a ton of events and panels planned to fill your weekend with excitement and entertainment. They’re the ones that even produced the first ever gathering of all five captains from the five Star Trek television series, at their recent Philadelphia Comic Con, at the beginning of June.
Don’t miss this opportunity of insane proportions to see nearly the entire bridge crew together at last.
This amazing Next Gen reunion is set to be held on October 26th, 27th & 28th, 2012. That gives you plenty of time to make your inter-galactic travel plans.
Austin Comic Con
OCTOBER 26-27-28, 2012
FRI-SAT-SUN
Location
Austin Convention Center
500 East Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, TX 78701
Show Hours
Friday, October 26, 2012 – 12 NOON - 8pm
Saturday, October 27, 2012 – 10am - 7pm
Sunday, October 28, 2012 – 10am - 5pmOTTAWA, Aug. 29, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ABcann Global Corporation (TSX-V:ABCN) (“ABcann” or the “Company”) is pleased to release the Company's financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017. Copies of the interim filings, including the Management’s Discussion and Analysis, are available on the Company's website and under the Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
The first half of 2017 was transformational due to the successful completion of ABcann’s go-public transaction and, subsequent to June 30, the Company completed an additional substantial equity raise. Achieving these milestones positions ABcann to substantially expand its production capacity at both its Vanluven and Kimmett locations, utilizing its approximately $43m in current working capital.
“ABcann's first quarter as a publicly traded issuer was a successful one, leading to the Company having over $40 million in current working capital,” said Aaron Keay, Chief Executive Officer of ABcann. ”With our strong cash position, ABcann expects to significantly increase production capacity in 2018 while pursuing our aggressive construction and expansion timelines at both Vanluven and Kimmett."
We expect that the increase in production capacity will enable ABcann to increase the sales of our premium, organically grown, pesticide free cannabis products in the current domestic market and position the Company for global distribution in the emerging markets we have targeted. Further, the ability to serve larger and broader markets as a result of the production increase positions ABcann extremely well for the anticipated adult consumer market in July 2018.”
Company highlights from the first half of 2017 included:
ABcann completed multiple financings including a subscription receipt offering for gross proceeds of $11.8 million and a private placement of convertible debentures for gross proceeds of $15 million.
Immediate expansion of the Company's fully operational Vanluven facility was initiated and construction at ABcann's 150,000 square foot Kimmett facility commenced with the engagement of Bird Construction Inc. as general contractor and NORR Engineering as project engineer.
ABcann announced a strategic partnership agreement with Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp. (“CBW”) that includes a $30m investment into ABcann ($15m of which has been completed to date). In addition, upon completion of the initial $30m equity placement, CBW has the opportunity to finance a 50,000 square foot expansion facility in a 50/50 joint venture.
ABcann amended and extended the research contract in place with the University of Guelph. The ongoing research is focused on the controlled environment production of medicinal cannabis and has become a contributing factor to increasing yields and a higher quality, pesticide free standardized product.
ABcann welcomed two new additional advisors in Prof. Raphael Mechoulam and W. Brett Wilson. The Company also appointed Dr. Michael Shannon as its chief medical consultant.
Subsequent to June 30, 2017:
ABcann was included in the Horizons Medical Marijuana Life Sciences ETF. The ETF offers investors direct exposure to a basket of North American publicly listed companies that meet minimum asset and liquidity thresholds.
Additional listings on both the OTCQB Marketplace (ABCCF) and FSE, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (23Q) were obtained.
The Company completed a private placement financing of common shares to CBW at a price of $2.25 per share for proceeds of $15m.
The Company received approximately $7.5m in additional proceeds from the exercises of nearly 12m warrants issued in connection with 2014 and 2015 private placements. These warrants were to expire on September 9, 2017.
About ABcann Global Corporation (TSX.V:ABCN) :
ABcann was one of the first companies to obtain a production license under the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, which it received on March 21, 2014. It obtained a sales license on December 31, 2015. ABcann’s flagship facility in Napanee, Ontario utilizes proprietary plant-growing technology, including environmentally-controlled chambers capable of monitoring and regulating all variables in the growing process. This approach and the systems in place allow ABcann to produce organically grown and pesticide-free, high-yielding plants, which, in turn, can generate high-quality products that are consistent from batch to batch. ABcann is able to control environmental and nutrient demands, tailor-made for a particular strain of cannabis, without the variation that is typical when producing large quantities in less-controlled, larger rooms and greenhouse-type structures. ABcann’s modular approach to systems technology eliminates scale-up risk and allows ABcann to locate anywhere in the world and maintain consistency and quality of product.
ABcann is expanding capacity in its current facility to approximately 30,000 sq ft and concurrently undertaking its expansion into a new 150,000 sq ft facility in Napanee. ABcann is pursuing opportunities in Germany, Australia and other jurisdictions as well as exploring the development of multiple delivery vehicles.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Aaron Keay"
Aaron Keay
CEO and Director
For further information, please contact Aaron Keay by email at aaron@ABcannglobal.com, or Leo Karabelas by phone at 416 543-3120 or by email at leo.k@ABcannglobal.com
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which are statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Forward looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: ABcann’s ability to substantially expand its production capacity at both its Vanluven and Kimmett locations; ABcann’s ability to significantly increase production capacity in 2018 while pursuing its aggressive construction and expansion timelines at both Vanluven and Kimmett; ABcann’s ability to increase the sales of its premium, organically grown, pesticide free cannabis products in the current domestic market; ABcann’s ability to distribute globally in the emerging markets it has targeted; ABcann’s ability to serve the anticipated adult consumer market in July 2018 as a result of its ability to serve larger and broader markets; and ABcann’s ability to serve larger and broader markets as a result of its production increase. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including: (i) that ABcann may not be able to substantially expand its production capacity at both its Vanluven and Kimmet locations; (ii) that ABcann may not be able to significantly increase production capacity in 2018 while pursuing its aggressive construction and expansion timelines at both Vanluven and Kimmett; (iii) that ABcann may not be able to increase the sales of its premium, organically grown, pesticide free cannabis products in the current domestic market; (iv) that ABcann may not be able to distribute globally in the emerging markets it has targeted; (v) that ABcann may not be able to serve the anticipated adult consumer market in July 2018 as a result of its ability to serve larger and broader markets; (vi) that ABcann may not be able to serve larger and broader markets as a result of its production increase; and (vii) other factors beyond the Company's control. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are urged to consider these factors, and the more extensive risk factors included in the Company’s filing statement dated March 31, 2017, which is available on SEDAR, carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.The summer is nearly behind us and a whole new NHL season filled with drama, excitement, triumph and tribulation is just around the bend.
Milestones will be reached and surpassed, contracts will be negotiated and some of them will be disputed, new stars will emerge and old ones will attempt to prove they aren’t fading. There will be a lot to look out for in this 100th season of NHL hockey—the last one featuring 2460 games, with a new team in Las Vegas expanding the league to 31 teams in the fall of 2017.
Without further ado, here are seven compelling things we believe you should zero in on during the winter months.
Subban takes Nashville
It’s not often that two perennial Norris Trophy contenders, who are both in the prime of their careers, get traded for each other. Heck, we can’t remember a one-for-one trade like the one that sent Subban from Montreal to Nashville for Shea Weber ever happening before.
It only makes sense that all eyes be on how both players do with their new teams but we’re particularly intrigued by what Subban might do under coach Peter Laviolette, who has much more of a penchant for embracing an offensive style of play than does Canadiens coach Michel Therrien.
Does Subban have a burr in his saddle after being shipped away from the team he always dreamed of winning a Stanley Cup with? You better believe he does.
A video posted by P.K. Subban (@subbanator) on Aug 18, 2016 at 3:54pm PDT
Does he represent the piece that puts Nashville over the top? He very well might.
Subban joins Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm to give the Predators a powerhouse Top-4 on defence. All of them can skate the puck out of the defensive zone as easily as they can move it, and all of them will make it a nightmare for the opposition to defend against the rush.
The Preds’ forward group packs some punch with Ryan Johansen getting a full year to show what he can do with elite scorers James Neal and Filip Forsberg.
In nets, Pekka Rinne, who turns 34 in November, is still among the five best goaltenders in the game.
When Nashville’s scheduled to play, we’re watching. And we’ll be largely focused on Subban.
Montreal Canadiens’ revamped roster
The Canadiens were the talk of the league when they opened the 2015-16 season with a franchise-best nine straight wins in regulation. They were the laughingstock of the league when they bottomed out with the worst record of any team from Dec. 1 onward.
Change was predictable. How it happened was anything but.
Beleaguered centre-turned-winger Lars Eller was shipped from Montreal to the Washington Capitals just minutes into the 2016 Draft. Within an instant, the Canadiens then sent two draft picks to the Chicago Blackhawks for centre Andrew Shaw.
Five days later Weber, who had spent the first 11 seasons of his career (six of them as team captain) with the Predators, was acquired.
Canadiens Montréal on Twitter
And then on July 1, the Canadiens outbid the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings to sign Alexander Radulov out of the KHL.
We can’t wait to see the impact these three players have in turning the Canadiens around, but none of them will take up more of our attention than goaltender Carey Price.
Price, who won the Hart, Vezina and Jennings Trophies and the Ted Lindsay Award in 2015, was limited to just 12 games last season after suffering two injuries to his right knee. He says he’s now at 100 per cent—a statement that will be tested over the next few weeks, as he’s set to take on the best players as Canada’s starting goaltender for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The fans in Montreal expect big things out of the Canadiens after a season that knocked them far off course. If the team doesn’t fly out of the gate, Subban chants will be raining down at the Bell Centre, coach Therrien will be hot under the collar, and general manager Marc Bergevin might add some grey to that famous beard of his.
It’s going to be a dramatic season for the Canadiens, and we’ll be watching every second of it.
A full year of McDavid
Suggesting that 19-year-old Connor McDavid is the best player in the world might be considered hyperbolic and premature at this stage, but one can’t help but wonder how the statement will sound a year from today.
‘McJesus’ put up 16 goals and 32 assists for 48 points in 45 games last season. He also managed to finish minus-1 on a putrid Edmonton Oilers team that allowed 42 more goals than they scored. To say his game is well-rounded would be an understatement.
The team around him is vastly improved, even when you consider the lopsided nature of the Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson trade.
Larsson will anchor a blue line that now appears to be passable. Cam Talbot and Jonas Gustavsson will hold down the fort in net. And the additions of Milan Lucic and Jesse Puljujarvi up front gives McDavid a much better supporting cast with which to work.
Is 100 points out of the question for a healthy McDavid? We wouldn’t bet against the possibility. If he pulls it off, he might just bring this Edmonton crew to where they haven’t been since 2006 (the playoffs).
If you’re on the East Coast, set your PVRs for all those late Oilers games. If you miss them, you won’t be able to argue with those trying to convince you that McDavid’s the best player in the game.
Sid and Ovi take their place in history
Curiosity got the better of us as we searched through some milestones that players may hit this season. We were wondering how far away the two best players over the past 10 years were from hitting 1,000 points. Turns out both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will ride right by the mark.
Ovechkin’s likely to notch No. 1,000 by the halfway point of the season, but he’ll be achieving the feat somewhere around Game 880 of his career whereas Crosby currently has 938 points in 707 games.
Only 14 of the 83 players who have managed 1,000 points did so in less than 800 games. That puts Crosby in some pretty elite company.
Sidebar: Wayne Gretzky scored 1,000 in 424 games before adding another 1,000 over his next 433.
We digress. This storyline is just one of 100 reasons to watch Crosby and Ovechkin on a nightly basis.
The Vancouver Canucks aren’t likely to be quite as compelling, but it’s worth noting that Henrik (970) and Daniel Sedin (942) are both on pace to get into this exclusive group this season.
And Arizona’s Shane Doan needs 55 points to join this club.
Jagr continues to drink from the fountain of youth
Jaromir Jagr isn’t just a fine wine, he’s the Benjamin Button of hockey.
It wasn’t 20-year-old Aleksander Barkov or 23-year-old Jonathan Huberdeau who led the Florida Panthers in scoring last season. It was the 44-year-old, mullet-wearing Czech.
We’ve loved watching him since 1990, and we’re going to really savour the moment he passes Mark Messier as the second-leading point-getter in NHL history when he scores his 22nd point this season.
Jagr’s on pace to pass Messier’s 1,887 points in roughly 100 fewer games than the Edmonton native played.
And provided Jagr is healthy out of the gate, he’ll play Game 1,653 of his career on Dec. 22 when the Panthers welcome the Boston Bruins to Sunrise, Fla. In doing so he’ll move past Mark Recchi for fourth place on the all-time list.
Imagine this guy hadn’t spent three years playing in Russia, never mind the three NHL lockouts cutting into his totals.
Matthews and the rookie class
We’re watching every game Auston Matthews plays this season, and we’re extremely excited to watch what promises to be one of the most compelling races to the Calder Trophy we’ve ever seen.
Matthews is going to play a huge role with the Toronto Maple Leafs considering the depth of their roster, and the other top picks in 2016 are going to get their shots, too.
Winnipeg Jets forward Patrick Laine lit up the 2016 World Championship and we expect he’s going to do the same in the upcoming World Cup. That should set him up for a remarkable season. We’ll be watching.
Puljujarvi in Edmonton… PVR is already set.
Pierre-Luc Dubois in Columbus…Thanks for giving us a reason to watch! We’re just kidding, Blue Jackets fans.
Jimmy Vesey in New York…we’ll all be watching you. Well, maybe the Predators and Buffalo Sabres won’t be watching you.
Burns set to become marquee UFA
It’s the story we’re least looking forward to but the one we can’t turn away from. One of the best players in the world is currently set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017.
Last season, Brent Burns helped the San Jose Sharks to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history. He was also a Norris Trophy candidate after setting career highs with 27 goals and 48 assists.
No defenceman, outside of Erik Karlsson, has scored more points than Burns has over the past four seasons. And at 31, there’s plenty more in the tank for this player.
We’re hoping this doesn’t drag on throughout the season. We’re sure Sharks GM Doug Wilson and Burns are in the same boat.
But considering Burns has yet to put pen to paper on a new deal, we know it’s a possibility this situation becomes another version of Stammergeddon.Before we start, I just want to share that we’re having an awesome discussion of supplements on Reddit regarding supplements and what other BJJ supplements we can’t live without.
So what are the best supplements for BJJ?
We’ve all googled “supplements for BJJ” at some point, so that’s what we’re going to sort thru in this article. By now we have a good idea of whats healthy, but when BJJ is thrown into the equation, we are susceptible to being sold magical foods or shortcut supplements. We feel pressured to purchase them, but that’s natural as it’s the result of effective marketing. BJJ brands are so good at making us want to buy things. (I guess you could say they’re black belts at it.) This is yet another topic that can be frustrating to sort through.
The answer is simple: Buy only the supplements you absolutely need for your personal well-being.
There’s a staggering amount of supplements out there– but are you going to buy them ALL? Of course not! In order to abide by our budgets, we as individuals will inevitably take only the supplements we cannot live without. Everyone’s own set of supplements will differ as we all have our own personal needs and interventions. You alone will form your core supplements for BJJ.
How to identify “core” BJJ supplements?
Your core BJJ supplements rely solely on what improves vs. compromises your well-being. After training for some odd years, I’ve had to filter thru what things I need vs. what I can manage without. My “core” of supplements and medications are what I must absolutely take. If I forget them, I could face some painful consequences.
My current core supplements: Zyrtec (for allergies), 5-htp (eliminates waking grogginess), MCT oil (articulation supplement) and a triple expresso in the morning. These are all the things I actually take daily. I want you to do some reflection and assessments, what do you absolutely need?
Personal needs will dictate your core supplements for BJJ/well-being
In order to figure my core supplements, I simply asked myself what I absolutely cannot live without. It’s kind of obvious, but I need to continually my assess mind, body and spirit in order to figure out what aches and pains me. I personally suffer from seasonal allergies and bad sleep, so now I’ll go over how I address these.
My core supplements in-depth:
Zyrtec/certrizine (over the counter medication): Not |
will create a fully blown event website using the python framework Django. On its homepage (http://djangoproject.com) it is described as: “The web framework for perfectionists with deadlines”. In “Learn Django in 4 hours” we will prove that this is very true.
We will get you started right away and let you create something awesome yourself!!!
After that course you will know the most important things about Django – what it can do, how it is used and you will have a feeling for how easy it is to get started. Of course it is not possible to cover all aspects of Django in 4 hours … this is not what we want and it is also not necessary to get you started on the fast lane. … (Oliver Moser – Senior IT Conultant, Instructor)
Preview Video
About this training
This course is separated into 4 units – 1 hour each. You are free to do the whole tutorial at once or just 1 hour per week – just as you can organize it with your schedule.
With our courses you just need 1 hour per week and you will learn a new awesome technology every month. IT technology is fast paced – so should be your learning …
Never stop Learning!
Invest only 1 hour per week – and learn a new technology in just one month!
In this tutorial you are going to build an awesome event website – in just 4 hours. You will use an open source template to make it look professional.
You will do everything in the cloud – even your editor will be in the cloud. So you can start coding and creating your new project right away …
What will you need to learn Django?
You should have some basic understanding about Programming/Python, HTML, CSS and Linux to be able to follow the course.
about to be able to follow the course. Your complete learning environment will be in your browser
You will directly work in an online workspace to create an awesome web application
to create an awesome web application If you have never worked with Python, please have a look at: “best way to learn python” before
Your instructor
Oliver is an expert in Linux and many related Open Source technologies. Recently he is focusing on Big Data, IT Security, python development and deployment automation (DevOps) topics. He is working in international enterprise projects since 1999 for customers like Siemens, Atos, Allianz, 1&1, Deutsche Telekom, international Banks etc.
He has seen many enterprises and what they do well and what most of them do wrong. IT departments in big organisations have become a bureaucratic nightmare. His passion is to automate, secure and simplify things – using Open Source technology and custom tools. (Oliver Moser, Senior IT Consultant)
What is included in this course
Chapter 1 – Introduction, Development Environment 1 Your first Django project 2 Create an Event Website using Django 3 Technologies that will be used in this course 4 Setup your Online Development Environment 5 Checkout Django workspace from github 6 Workspace Introduction – get familiar with your cloud environment 7 First Run of your Project 8 The Django Project Structure 9 Create your own Django Home Page 10 Create your first Django App 11 Excercises Chapter 2 – Model and Admin 12 Django Model and Admin Site 13 Database Migration 14 Admin Site 15 Login to your Admin Site 16 Improve your Lists 17 Making changes to the Model 18 Adding search functionality 19 Django Model API 20 Excercises Chapter 3 – Views, Templates and URLs 21 Views, Templates and URLs 22 Views and Templates 23 Static Files 24 Event Detail Page 25 … more on Templates 26 URL Configuration 27 Dynamic Home 28 Excercises Chapter 4 – Authentication, Forms and more
29 Authentication and Forms 30 Login Page 31 Welcome User! 32 Logout 33 Who is attending an Event? 34 Revoke joining an Event 35 Who is going to an Event 36 Events that the logged in user is attending 37 Last but not least
Get StartedLast month, we shared with you a curator walkthrough of the fascinating exhibit, Jacob Riis: Revealing New York’s Other Half at the Museum of the City of New York. Here are 10 highlights of the exhibit that showcase the breadth of the installation and demonstrate how reformer Jacob A. Riis was much more than just his photographic legacy.
1. The Teddy Roosevelt Letters
Teddy Roosevelt and Jacob Riis became close friends during Roosevelt’s tenure as New York City Police commissioner. Curator Bonnie Yochelson calls their friendship a “bromance,” telling us “The two men supported each other publicly, artfully using the media to enhance each other’s reputation.” The original letters displayed in the exhibition reveal the chumminess between the two. In the above, written on White House stationery in 1901, Roosevelt refers to Riis as “Jake” and asks when he will visit Washington: “I am getting homesick for you!” Roosevelt writes.
Another letter, on Civil Service Commission letterhead from 1894 is much longer (and begins more formally). “Dear Sir,” it reads, “Unfortunately I had to leave New York before being able to get down to see you again. I am very sorry, and I shall hunt you up the next time I come to New York.” Roosevelt expresses his desire to introduce Riis to New York City mayor-elect William Strong, the anti-Tammany Hall candidate who Roosevelt feels is a “working man’s mayor.” He praises Riis’ efforts: “I know barely any one who has done more than you to give people an intelligent appreciation of the great social problems of the day and who has approached these problems with more common sense and sobriety.”
View all on one pageTierney Sneed and Cameron Joseph contributed reporting.
Republican senators have a lot to say about the so-called “skinny repeal” bill they may pass late Thursday night, but almost no one argues the stripped-down, not-yet-fully-written legislation is good policy. The hope among GOP senators is that by passing it they can proceed to conference with the House, buying more time to hash out the Obamacare replacement they have promised for seven years.
In essence, Senate Republicans are voting for a bill many of them don’t want to see become law in the hope the House will save them from themselves. But they have no guarantee other than a few verbal “assurances” that the House won’t just pass skinny repeal and call it a day.
“It’s a means to end,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) told reporters. “The skinny bill, in my opinion, is almost like a motion to proceed. It’s a vehicle to keep going forward.”
“The substance of this is not what’s relevant,” added Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). “This a pathway to conference. That’s the only purpose in this.”
Senators are voicing confidence that the House will proceed to conference—despite reports they are considering just passing the skinny bill into law and getting out of dodge. House leaders further stoked speculation of a swift vote by announcing Thursday that instead of leaving for the annual August recess at the end of this week: “All Members should remain flexible in their travel plans over the next few days.”
Senators have also discussed, over the past few days, fattening up the “skinny repeal” bill with provisions like defunding Planned Parenthood, a further sign that they are angling for House passage rather than going to conference.
On Thursday, just hours before a final vote, GOP leaders admitted they have no guarantees their shell of a bill won’t land on President Trump’s desk—other than a verbal promise from Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), the leader of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus, that the bill as-is would be dead on arrival in the House.
“I saw what Mark Meadows said, that they want to get this to a conference,” Senate Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told reporters Thursday. “And I know the Leader [McConnell] has been in communication with Speaker Ryan on that topic.”
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a key swing vote from a Medicaid expansion state, confirmed that he would vote for skinny repeal solely based on the non-binding promise a conference would happen. “I would refer you to some of the comments made by members of the House themselves including Congressman Meadows,” he said.
Meadows told reporters earlier on Thursday that he had serious concerns about the content of the “skinny repeal” bill—which would scrap Obamacare’s individual mandate and do little else—and was committed to “working the language to come up with something different.”
But neither McConnell or Ryan have made a firm guarantee, and Cornyn confirmed Thursday that the Senate cannot demand or force the House to go to conference and has no power to stop them if they choose to simply pass the bill as-is. “For technical reasons, the request to go to conference has to originate with the House. But I have every expectation that we will,” he insisted.
A senior Democratic aide told TPM that these expectations and assurances are worthless.
“No matter what McConnell says—and what the Freedom Caucus is saying now—once a skinny bill leaves the Senate, the House can take it up and pass it,” the aide said. “There is nothing Senators who had hoped for another bite at the apple can do about it.”
Once the train has left the station, the aide added, more grim possibilities present themselves. “They could use this vehicle to bring full-blown Trumpcare back to life, with all of the Medicaid cuts and other policies that moderate Republicans in the Senate claim to oppose, and here too there is almost nothing they can do.”
This news came as a shock to some lawmakers.
“Say what?” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said, clearly taken aback at the news the House could vote on the bill as early as Friday. “Come again?”
Asked if he thinks the bill could become law or is merely a vehicle to get to conference, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) frowned. “If you pass a bill,” he began, before trailing off. He then admitted, “I haven’t thought it through.”
Johnson and several other senators indicated to TPM that they do not want the bill they vote on this week to become law.
“The goal here is to go to conference and get a much better bill,” he said.
Corker agreed, adding that for conservatives who campaigned for seven years on repealing Obamacare “root and branch” and replacing it with a better system it would be an embarrassment to pass a bill neither repeals nor replaces.
“Do you really want to vote on something that doesn’t do a whole lot? After focusing on a full repeal and then going to almost nothing?” he asked. “I think people would have some concerns voting for that, unless they realize, and I think they do, that this a pathway to conference. That’s the only purpose in this.”Posted by Andy, under NOTEBOOK
If someone looked at my wife’s texts to me, they could easily look like a bunch of messages to a personal assistant. Knowing that these were back-and-forths between husband and wife, someone might say, “Yeeeeeah. There’s a loveless marriage, right there!” But it’s not loveless!!! It’s child-FULL. We’re parents. Sometimes parenthood has to roll up its sleeves and knock the prancing stuffed animal of love out of the way to get the job of being a family done. And by “sometimes” I’m pretty much talking about once or thirteence every single day.
Wife: Can you pick up some trash bags on your way home? Me: You got it.
I’m a nerd though. I love Sci-Fi. So, I’m not actually being sarcastic when I say that I kind of dig getting commands on my phone from my Darlin’ Dearest. Robots are rad! Sometimes when I’m performing one of my text-activated tasks I even move around in a jerky, animatronic fashion to really get into the role.
Wife: Frtppstable Me:??? Wife: Sorry! The little one got ahold of my phone! Me: ;) Wife: Can you turn down the air before you come to bed? Me: Affirmative.
I really do like it. I even ask for my text commands. We’ll be on the phone going over the plan for the day and just before my eyes fully disappear, as they roll up into the back of my head, I’ll cut in with “Hey luv, sorry! Any way you can text me all this?”
Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m no saint or slave. It’s not much that I’m asked to do. My wife runs the whole household and family, these are just occasional chances for me to help out. I’m thrilled to do them, for the most part. Sometimes not so much. That’s another perk of text-based requests, by the way. The freedom to roll your eyes, groan or mutter something unwholesome under your breath without creating a “situation.” In any case, the job gets done. Unless I forget, of course.
Wife: DON'T FORGET the bananas on the grocery list I'm about to text. Me: I won't. I mean I wlll. Me: Not forget. Me: I mean I'll get them!!!
We all know texting is out of control. All I’ve got to offer on this is a shrug and a guilty look. On more than one occasion I’ve texted Cody and Max to be quiet when they were conducting World War 3.5 upstairs in their room. Try not to judge. It works! The modern-day equivalent of banging the ceiling with a broom.
It’s not a pushpin bulletin board anymore, and it’s not refrigerator-magnet or Post-It notes, but it’s the way the world is now. And whatever anyone’s opinion is, that’s the world we have to parent in.
I even have a clear picture in my mind of a future scene, when one of the boys is older, a dad. I can see glowing text suddenly appearing on a lens over his eye just as he’s about to jump onto his hoverboard after work: “Can you pick up some diapers on the way home? [blink twice for location of nearest store]”
Wife: Try not to go to bed too late. Me: Processing request...... ERROR! ERROR! Does not compute!
–
You can even TEXT pictures now!
Oh. You knew that already? Well, here are some funny pics.
Instuctionaldiagram Alley
It’s where all the smart Hogwarts students get their books.Dark Horse Comics will release the first volume in a brand-new The Legend of Korra graphic novel series, The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars in June 2017. This three-part graphic novel series is written by Nickelodeon TV series co-creator and executive producer Michael Dante DiMartino, drawn by Irene Koh (Batgirl, 1602, TMNT), with covers by Heather Campbell (Free Comic Book Day 2016: The Legend of Korra), and consultation by TV series co-creator and executive producer Bryan Konietzko.
Turf Wars begins with Korra and Asami leaving the spirit world and returning to Republic City only to find political hijinks and human vs. spirit conflict, as a pompous developer plans to turn the new spirit portal into an amusement park, potentially severing an already tumultuous connection with the spirits. In addition, the triads have realigned and are in a brutal brawl at the city’s borders where hundreds of evacuees have relocated. In order to get through it all, Korra and Asami vow to look out for each other—but first, they’ve got to get better at being a team.
Dark Horse’s award-winning Avatar: The Last Airbender program has seen multiple number-one New York Times bestsellers and continues to grow with the current North and South series written by Gene Luen Yang, an Eisner Award winner and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Turf Wars is the latest release in an ongoing partnership between Nickelodeon and Dark Horse to bring fans the very best in graphic novels.
The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Parts 1–3 will serve as the official continuation of The Legend of Korra television series. The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part 1 is available for preorder today at local comic shops or through these fine retailers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble and IndieBound.
Also available:
Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Library Edition HC
Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (W), Gurihiru (A)
$39.99, 978-1-61655-074-5
Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Search Library Edition HC
Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (W), Gurihiru (A)
$39.99, 978-1-61655-226-8
Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Rift Library Edition HC
Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (W), Gurihiru (A)
$39.99, 978-1-61655-550-4
Avatar: The Last Airbender—Smoke and Shadow Library Edition HC
Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (W), Gurihiru (A)
$39.99, 978-1-50670-013-75/7/2012 PAL version available, tell your European friends!
PAL & NTSC versions of Star Castle cartridges are now available! Don't worry if you've already ordered a cartridge, when the campaign is over I'll be sending everyone confirmation emails asking for shipping information, names for the manual, PAL/NTSC preference, etc.
I can not modify the rewards because people have already pledged, please ignore the "NTSC only" text.
The challenge
In 1981 a young Howard Scott Warshaw, left his first programming job at HP for a more interesting job at Atari. His first assignment was to create an Atari 2600 conversion of the vector coin op game Star Castle. In this game, you pilot a ship around the screen trying to defeat the Star Castle by shooting the Energy Cannon, but first you must blow holes its rotating shields while avoiding the ever pursuing Space Mines and beware, the Energy Cannon will blast back through openings in the shields! After evaluating the arcade game and the console hardware he came to the conclusion "that a decent version couldn’t be done" (interview link), and "that this conversion would suck on the VCS system" (interview link). So he reorganized the core game-play elements into a new game designed specifically for the 2600. That game became Yars' Revenge, the most successful original Atari game ever for the Atari 2600 (play it free on Atari's site here!).
I love video game history, and I love this story in particular, but when I read about it in MIT Press's excellent historical Atari 2600 book "Racing the Beam" in 2008 something stuck with me. I thought surely Star Castle could be done, there must be some way, so I set out to try.
Every engineer, no matter the discipline, is drawn to some particular project. This project becomes the nagging pull that draws an engineer ever-onward. For me, that project was Star Castle. I'm an Atari fanatic; I always have been. I'm also a Star Castle fan. I used to pump quarters into that machine at the local bowling alley every day after school. It's no surprise that I ended up becoming a video game developer. My first job in the game industry was also at Atari where I worked on the 2600, though six years after Yars' Revenge was made.
The work
I dug deep into my crawl space and excavated the documentation and samples I had from when I worked for Atari and cobbled together a 2600 development environment.
The Atari 2600 only has 128 bytes of RAM (variables start at the bottom, the stack comes down from the top, and you pray they never meet), and you have to build the display line by line using a handful of hardware registers while the electron beam is scanning the TV screen. You have to use a lot of "tricks" to get more graphics and colors on the screen and you still need to handle input, sound, and make a playable game, all in a little less than 8192 (8K) bytes of ROM in my case. To be fair, Yars' Revenge used a 4096 (4K) byte cartridge which is a marvelous feat, but another similar game, Asteroids was released on an 8K cartridge the same year. My goal was to make a Star Castle game that could have been made in 1981 which meant I had to stay within 8K.
I started with a lot of ego and confidence that was soon dashed, the first couple of attempts were miserable humbling failures. It quickly became clear that if possible it was going to be a terrific challenge. I hit timing and space limitations one after another until, several months later, I was able to draw rotating shields, after that, the enemy cannon, then the space mines, and the players ship, the players bullets, and the cannons dreaded energy blast, and then AI, collision, sound... and by early 2010 I had done it. I had created a faithful reproduction of the game experience on the Atari 2600 in 8K.
I was so proud, I showed the game at the Video Game Summit, a local video game conference where it was received with surprising enthusiasm so I kept working on the project. By 2011 I had made improvements to the AI, collision, level progression, and designed my own cartridge. It's all original from the circuit board to the programmable logic chip to the lights inside the cartridge that actually flash with the gameplay - something I NEVER would have expected to find in an Atari cartridge as a kid.
Now that it had lights, a traditional black case would not do, so I designed and machined my own custom clear Lexan case (on a CNC machine that I designed and built myself but that's another story)
and made a reproduction Atari game box.
The response after showing the game in 2011 was overwhelming.
The Result
This is one of the coolest things I have ever done. It's a technical accomplishment and it's really really fun! Right now there is only this one cartridge that I made by hand.
It took nearly three years of software, electronic, and hardware engineering to get this project this far. To make cartridges I'll need to have boards made and programmed, molds made, cartridge shells cast, manuals, boxes, labels and CD's made, but I'm ready. If successful, this Kickstarter will allow me to make Star Castle 2600 available to the many people who have expressed interest in the game.
If you are a collector you can get a cartridge and play it the way it was meant to be played: on an Atari, with a joystick, in front of a TV (preferably an old one).
If you're a casual player you can play it on just about any PC. Many people prefer playing Atari 2600 the games on the Stella emulator because it's easy, convenient, the emulation is indistinguishable from the real thing, and the picture and sound are perfectly crystal clear.
If you are a developer or just interested in programming, the game comes with all the source code and art on the CD, everything you need to build your own copy of the game (you have to download the free compiler, but the link is on the CD). You can look it over if you are just curious, or you can modify it and make it your own. The game comes with Stella which includes a full Atari 2600 graphical debugger that allows you to step through each instruction, line, or frame of the game and graphically shows all of the registers in real-time.
This may be the only chance you have to get Star Castle 2600, after this Kickstarter campaign there are no plans to produce or make available any additional cartridges, CD's, or materials.
So, you may be wondering why anyone would bother to make a version of a 30 year old vector arcade game on an arcane 33 year old platform? I was inspired by one of the greatest and most influential game programmers of all time to make something that he said was impossible. I don't consider this a game development project, rather an alternative history art piece*, a demonstration that it could indeed be done.
* I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for all of Howard Scott Warshaw's work. I in no way mean to discredit or demean his magnificent ground breaking accomplishments in Yars' Revenge or any of his other titles. Also, if you really want a great insider view into the early days at Atari, you need to check out his excellent candid documentary DVD Once Upon Atari.
Now, finally, here's the good part...
Rewards!
Game cartridges
Each clear cast acrylic cartridge will be hand made and serial numbered. Game cartridges will work with the Atari 2600 Video Computer Systems (PAL or NTSC). I can't provide Atari 2600 systems on Kickstarter but they are plentiful and affordable on eBay if you don't still have your childhood game or are too young to have had one.
Harmony FLASH cartridges come preloaded with Star Castle but additional games can be loaded onto SD cards (not included) and launched from a menu on the 2600 connected to a TV the way they were intended to be played. One SD card can hold every Atari game ever made. These cartridges are black and do not contain flashing lights.
The Star Castle CD contains everything you need to play the game on your computer and much much more:
Star Castle 2600 ROM files for emulator/conventional cartridges and custom cartridges with internal lights
2600 ROM files for emulator/conventional cartridges and custom cartridges with internal lights Star Castle 2600 manual (pdf)
2600 manual (pdf) Stella Atari 2600 emulator versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Star Castle 2600 source code
2600 source code Star Castle 2600 source artwork
2600 source artwork The story of the games history, my inspiration, and the making of the game.
Pictures: The game at video game conventions, the making of the game, electronics, and cartridge casing.
Video: exposition of the game, interviews, making of the cartridge.
Links! I've gathered a ton of information that I want to share but I can't include everything on the CD so I'll do the next best thing and share all of my sources for information with links about the game, video game history of that era, 2600 programming reference, techniques, and free tools like compilers and debuggers. Plus links to other versions of Star Castle (some FREE), press and YouTube videos, photos and much much more.
Systems supported by Stella Atari 2600 emulator :
32-bit or 64-bit Windows XP / Vista / 7
32-bit Windows 98 / 2000
Mac with Mac OS X
32-bit or 64-bit Linux
If playing on a computer, I'd also suggest getting one or more Stelladaptor's. I can't provide these through Kickstarter but these USB interfaces allow you to play games using your real Atari joysticks and paddles!
Stella emulator Copyright © 1996-2012 Bradford W. Mott, Stephen Anthony and The Stella Team, and comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. Stella emulator is released under GPLv2 and a portion of all CD proceeds will be donated to the Stella project to promote continued development.
The music in the video is A Break In The Weather from the album It's Got A Ring To It by Chupathingy. © 2012 Chupathingy, all rights reserved. This and other great music by Chupathingy can be found at chupathingy.bandcamp.com
A high resolution version of the video can be found on YouTube here.According to this report from NBC's Kelly O'Donnell, the trip had actually been in the works for some time and the invitation came at the behest of the Trump campaign not the other way around. O'Donnell reported that son-in-law Jared Kushner led the effort and it was only after they secured the invitation that Mexico offered the same to Hillary Clinton.
Evidently, Trump himself wasn't all that enthusiastic but agreed to do it as long as he could give the immigration speech he really wanted to give. And so he did. If campaign manager Kellyanne Conway had planned a "pivot" to attract those rapidly defecting white college educated women, Trump apparently decided that what they were looking for was an angry,red-faced demagogue shouting about dangerous foreigners for over an hour.
Despite some dispute about whether his policy of forcing Mexico to finance his great big beautiful wall had come up, his halting and amateurish photo-op in Mexico City was portrayed by the pundits as some sort of turning point because he proved he could appear in a formal setting without talking about the size of his hands. But the speech last night forced many of the credulous press corps to admit that Trump had not changed at all. Politico summed it up nicely with this headline and subhead: "Trump Promises Wall and Massive Deportation Program. The GOP Candidate Ditches His Softer Approach, Returning to his Core Promise of a Big Wall, Paid for by Mexico."
But that wasn't all. Trump devoted a lot of time to reciting lurid stories of undocumented immigrants killing Americans through various means in great detail while also making a case that even law-abiding immigrants are destroying the American way of life. It was, in short, as chilling as any speech he's given and that's saying something.
As he was ranting and raving he did manage to lay out something of a "plan" although the legality and constitutionality of its various provisions for ridding America of immigrants is likely to be the subject of furious debate. There was one part of the speech, however, that he may very well come to regret ever bringing up:
Approximately half of new illegal immigrants came on temporary visas and then never, ever left. Why should they? Nobody's telling them to leave. Stay as long as you want, we'll take care of you... Last year alone nearly half a million individuals overstayed their temporary visas. Removing these overstays will be a top priority of my administration. If people around the world believe they can just come on a temporary visa and never, ever leave, the Obama-Clinton policy, that's what it is, then we have a completely open border, and we no longer have a country. We must send a message that visa expiration dates will be strongly enforced.
Considering that Trump's own wife is suspected of having over-stayed her visa and working in the U.S. illegally it's surprising that somebody in the campaign didn't urge him to back off. It was just a few weeks ago that headlines appeared all over the world saying Melania Trump reportedly posed nude at one point in her modeling career and revealing some inconsistencies in her story of how she came to live and work in the U.S. Apparently, she has told numerous people over the years that when she was working as a model here she had to return to Europe every few months to renew her visa which would indicate that she was here on a tourist visa rather than a work visa. That would be illegal. When the story came up a few weeks ago, Trump promised that his wife would hold a news conference to explain but that has failed to materialize.
However, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Just this week Mother Jones published a blockbuster expose which would, in a normal campaign, be considered a possible candidacy-ending scandal. Since Trump saw fit to make the visa issue a part of his speech last night, this story about illegal immigration, exploitation of under-age girls, failing to pay workers, criminal abuse of women and knowing violations of federal law at Trump's modeling agency should at least get wider attention.
Mother Jones interviewed three former models and reviewed financial and immigration documents in a recent lawsuit filed by a fourth and uncovered what amounts to a sweatshop in which Trump pockets millions while charging underage models so much money for their "room and board" in cramped apartments housing a half-dozen girls that they end up owing their souls to the company store, also known as Trump Model Management. And Trump has a little problem with the law:
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."
One of the models Mother Jones interviewed said, "honestly, they are the most crooked agency I've ever worked for, and I've worked for quite a few."
That's a line echoed by dozens, if not hundreds, of Donald Trump's former employees from virtually every business he's run. But this one runs afoul of Trump's signature campaign policy and shows him to be on the wrong side of federal immigration law. I know the bar for Trump is lower than for any presidential candidate in history but surely charges of running an illegal sweatshop exploiting underage girls on tourist visas should garner at least a little attention for the man who promises to put his rival for the presidency in prison?Ever wonder just why it is that folks on the Left get so easily outraged and personally offended when somebody disagrees with them? To be sure, everybody has felt at least a little disgust and opprobrium towards ideas they believe immoral and depraved, eye-rolling exasperation at ideas that are blatantly illogical or otherwise in error, heat in a debate, and so on like that. These sentiments are all perfectly natural and, when properly ordered, indeed healthy. But the Left seems to have a special propensity to take dissenting thoughts and points of view as urgently threatening even where they concern only minor points of order, and react to them with horror and loathing morbidly exaggerated beyond due proportion, less because of any particular contents of those thoughts and points of view than simply that they dissent and disagree with the (actual or supposed) Leftist consensus. Thus it happens, for example, that SJWs ostentatiously affect being grievously traumatized by the mere fact that some speaker gave a public lecture on campus, even though none of the putative victims actually attended the lecture or even had any idea what it was supposed to have been about aside from having heard that the speaker was critical of the agenda of the Left in some way.
We can immediately recognize the legacy of Puritanism in all this, and also the Left’s intrinsically feminine mindset: emotionally labile and undisciplined, unable to subjugate the passions to Reason and ascend to the masculine level of the impartial and objective, and so incapable of distinguishing between the political and the personal, disputation and attack, objection and outrage.
There is also a cognitive-epistemic dimension to it, in the form of a horizon of assumptions about the ultimate nature of truth, reality, and Man’s relation to them, and his world; it is this more purely intellectual component of the Leftist mind that I want to single out for attention in this entry. To this end, I present, as a clinical case-study, an especially suggestive and illuminating specimen of Leftist thought, its author an associate professor of sociology and self-described revolutionary Socialist.
The starting point for our author is Marx’s “materialist” theory of the etiology of ideas:
Marx and Engels’s materialist method of history asserts that all human consciousness arises out of practical life experience. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness (Marx, Preface to A Critique of Political Economy) […] Every form of knowledge from religion to philosophy to science is a product of social relations.
So far, not so bad; I would have formulated it differently, and think it’s wrongheaded as it stands, but there’s no gainsaying the general gist of it: the great ideas of a time are products of that time, and the beliefs men have about the nature of men, things, and the ultimate are formed in the social milieux in which men are born and bred, and subsequently move. Nothing especially controversial here- at least as long as we draw a distinction between what men believe to be true at any given historical time and place and what actually is true.
The Marxists, however, fail to do precisely that. For them, there is no Heaven, only social struggles on Earth; there is no God, and, a fortiori, no rational nature, no rules of right reason, and thus no truth or reality that are “objective”, viz. irresistibly binding on every thinking subject. The distinction between the sociology of knowledge- considered as a genetic theory of how various ideas are formed- and knowledge per se- considered as a corpus of universally valid propositions concerning the objective nature of things- is altogether obviated, and the unity of truth radically particularized into various “ideologies” that create their own truth according to their own desires, interests, and standards:
Bourgeois ideologies validate truth-claims relative to capitalist praxis, which works to maximize the rate of exploitation.
Proletarian ideologies validate truth-claims relative to working-class praxis, which works to minimize the rate of exploitation, and ultimately to abolish exploitation altogether.
Indeed, our author goes as far as to argue that, since there is after all no universal objective standard of truth against which the diverse ideological regimes of truth could be measured:
bourgeois ideologies are not actually false. Or, more specifically, they are false only in relation to working-class praxis, just as proletarian ideologies are false in relation to capitalist praxis.
Rest assured, though: our author has absolutely no intention of building some kind of happy-hippy, post-modern world in which you have your truth, I have mine, and we all agree to disagree. On the contrary: that there is no Universal that transcends the diversity of particular truth-claims seems to make the demand for punctilious ideological uniformity all the more urgent to the Leftist mind. If truth begins and ends in the subjective beliefs of individual men, then it follows that the truth of Socialism, like the Tinkerbell fairy who begins to vanish whenever a child stops believing in her, disappears where it does not succeed in gaining absolute social dominance and ascendancy in a zero-sum elimination contest fought between the competing truths:
[T]he danger, the urgency, for an intellectual committed to radical socialism [is] not that the workers will be deceived into the false ideas of bourgeois ideologies, because those ideas are not false. They become true, or at least potentially true, the moment one rejects the project of revolutionary social change. In other words, the danger is that bourgeois ideas will become true by virtue of the complete social dominance of capitalism.
And in the interest of seeing to it that the truths of Socialism shall not perish from the Earth, objectivity is brought back in- this time, in the form of a social consensus, a uniformity of thought and action (“praxis”) that stands in for the universal-objective as a man-made functional equivalent:
The question whether objective truth can be attributed to human thinking is not a question of theory but is a practical |
edit ]
Of the hundreds of alleged apparitions the Catholic Church has investigated, only twelve have received ecclesiastical approval, and nine of them occurred between 1830 and 1933. Cultural anthropologists Victor and Edith Turner, who converted to Catholicism in 1958, at one time viewed the increase in Marian apparition "cults" as a post-industrial reaction of a "disenfranchised lower middle class to a rapidly changing culture."[5]
At the age of fourteen, Lúcia was sent to the school of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy in Vilar, near Porto. In 1928, she became a postulant at the Dorothean convent in Tui, just across the border in Spain. Lúcia continued to report private visions periodically throughout her life. In the mid-1930s the Bishop of Leiria encouraged Lúcia (now Sister María Lúcia das Dores) to write her memoirs, in the event that she might disclose further details of the 1917 apparitions.
As early as July 1917, mention was made that the Lady of the apparitions had entrusted to the children a secret, "that was good for some and bad for others".[5] It was not until her third memoir, written in 1941, that Lúcia indicated that the secret had three parts. In this she follows Mélanie Calvat of La Salette, whose secrets were written down almost twenty years after the event.[7]
First secret [ edit ]
In her third memoir, written in 1941, Lúcia said that the first secret, a vision of Hell, was disclosed to the children on July 13, 1917.
Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.[8]
Second secret [ edit ]
The second secret was a statement that World War I would end, along with a prediction of another war during the reign of Pope Pius XI, should men continue offending God and should Russia not convert. The second half requests that Russia be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pope Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.[9]
In 1925 Sister Lucia reported an apparition of the Virgin Mary at the Convent of Saint Dorothea at Pontevedra, Galicia. She said she was asked to convey the message of the First Saturday Devotions. By her account a subsequent vision of the Child Jesus reiterated this request. In 1930, she wrote to her confessor that in 1929 she had a vision of both Mary and the Holy Trinity in which God had asked for the Consecration of Russia to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary by the Pope in communion with all the bishops of the world. The message regarding the establishment of the Devotion of the Five First Saturdays is reminiscent of that reported by Margaret Mary Alacoque in the seventeenth century, which led to the First Friday Devotion.[7]
It is unlikely that this message was conveyed to the Pope, but the Bishop of Leiria suggested that she write her memoirs in the event that she might reveal further details of the 1917 apparitions.[7] In her third memoir, written in 1941, Sister Lucia recalled that at the apparition of July 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary had first mentioned the consecration of Russia, and said that she would return to give particulars.
Skeptics have noted that the second prophecy was not disclosed until August 1941, after World War II had already begun.[10] They have also questioned whether Mary, in 1917, referred explicitly to Pope Pius XI, as Ambrogio Ratti did not choose that regnal name until after his election in 1922. Further, the European portion of World War II is generally held to have begun on September 1, 1939, and by then, Pope Pius XII had succeeded Pius XI. As for the "conversion" of Russia, to what was Mary making reference on July 13, 1917? The Bolshevik Revolution did not come until November, 1917.
Some proponents of the Fatima prophecies argue that the secret did not say that the war must begin in Europe, and during the pontificate of Pius XI Japan had already invaded China in 1937, which is generally seen by historians of China and other parts of Asia as when the Second World War actually began,[11] a view which also has qualified support from some Western historians. Some critics argue that the Russian Civil War (1918-1921), the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), the Chinese Civil War (1927-1937), the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the war between Italy and Ethiopia (1935-1936) serve to illustrate that the prediction that one war will end and that another will start is not necessarily an indication of divine inspiration. Proponents of the prophecy will point out that the second secret called for a war worse than World War I, not simply any armed conflict. In addition, with regards to the conversion of Russia, there was already, at the time, strong revolutionary ferment in Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution as witnessed by the earlier February Revolution in 1917 and the active communist and anarchist movements, which would explain Mary's reference to the conversion Russia on July 13, 1917
On January 25, 1938, The New York Times reported "Aurora Borealis Startles Europe; People Flee in Fear, Call Firemen."[12] The celestial display was seen from Canada to Bermuda to Austria to Scotland, and short-wave radio transmissions were shut down for almost 12 hours in Canada.[13] It is noteworthy that during the final hour of this aurora, Christian Rakovsky was undergoing interrogation in the Soviet Union, giving information to Stalin about Western involvement in Hitler's rise, suggesting an alliance with the Western powers against Germany.[14]
Third secret [ edit ]
Sister Lúcia chose not to disclose the third secret in her memoir of August 1941. In 1943, Lúcia fell seriously ill with influenza and pleurisy. Bishop Silva, visiting her on 15 September 1943, suggested that she write the third secret down to ensure that it would be recorded in the event of her death. Lúcia was hesitant to do so, however. At the time she received the secret, she had heard Mary say not to reveal it, but because Carmelite obedience requires that orders from superiors be regarded as coming directly from God, she was in a quandary as to whose orders took precedence. Finally, in mid-October, Bishop Silva sent her a letter containing a direct order to record the secret, and Lúcia obeyed.
The third part of the secret was written down "by order of His Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and the Most Holy Mother" on January 3, 1944.[15] In June 1944, the sealed envelope containing the third secret was delivered to Silva, where it stayed until 1957, when it was finally delivered to Rome.[16]
It was announced by Cardinal Angelo Sodano on May 13, 2000, 83 years after the first apparition of the Lady to the children in the Cova da Iria, and 19 years after the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II that the Third Secret would finally be released. In his announcement, Cardinal Sodano implied that the secret was about the 20th century persecution of Christians that culminated in the failed Pope John Paul II assassination attempt on May 13, 1981, the 64th anniversary of the first apparition of the Lady at Fátima.[17]
The text of the Third Secret, according to the Vatican, was published on June 26, 2000:
J.M.J.
The third part of the secret revealed at the Cova da Iria-Fátima, on 13 July 1917.
I write in obedience to you, my God, who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and through your Most Holy Mother and mine.
After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: 'Penance, Penance, Penance!'. And we saw in an immense light that is God:'something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White 'we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.
Tuy-3-1-1944.[15][18]
Along with the text of the secret, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, (the future Pope Benedict XVI), published a theological commentary in which he states: "A careful reading of the text of the so-called third'secret' of Fatima... will probably prove disappointing or surprising after all the speculation it has stirred. No great mystery is revealed; nor is the future unveiled." After explaining the differences between public and private revelations, he cautions people not to see in the message a determined future event:
The purpose of the vision is not to show a film of an irrevocably fixed future. Its meaning is exactly the opposite: it is meant to mobilize the forces of change in the right direction. Therefore we must totally discount fatalistic explanations of the “secret”, such as, for example, the claim that the would-be assassin of 13 May 1981 was merely an instrument of the divine plan guided by Providence and could not therefore have acted freely, or other similar ideas in circulation. Rather, the vision speaks of dangers and how we might be saved from them.[15][19]
He then moves on to talk about the symbolic nature of the images, noting: "The concluding part of the'secret' uses images which Lucia may have seen in devotional books and which draw their inspiration from long-standing intuitions of faith." As for the meaning of the message: "What remains was already evident when we began our reflections on the text of the'secret': the exhortation to prayer as the path of'salvation for souls' and, likewise, the summons to penance and conversion."
Despite this statement, on May 11, 2010, during the flight to Fatima, answering to a question about the Third Secret, Pope Benedict XVI told that "we would be mistaken to think that Fatima's prophetic message has been completely realized".[20] Then, he expressed the hope the centenary of the apparitions of 1917 may hasten the fulfillment of the "prophecy of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the glory of the Blessed Trinity", specifying that the suffering inside the Church "would have originated not from external enemies, but from within the same Church".[20]
Third Secret controversy [ edit ]
Prior to the 1930s the main focus of devotion to Our Lady of Fatima (which was at that time not widely known outside Portugal and Spain) was on the need to pray the rosary for an end to World War I and for world peace. After the publication of Sister Lucia's memoirs, starting in 1935, Fatima came to be seen as presenting the victory of the Blessed Virgin over Communism.
In 1960 the Vatican issued a press release stating that it was "most probable the Secret would remain, forever, under absolute seal."[21] This announcement produced considerable speculation over the content of the secret. According to the New York Times, speculation ranged from "worldwide nuclear annihilation to deep rifts in the Roman Catholic Church that lead to rival papacies."[22] On 2 May 1981, Laurence James Downey hijacked an airplane and demanded that Pope John Paul II make public the Third Secret of Fatima.[23]
The release of the text sparked criticism from the Catholic Church in Portugal. Clergy as well as laypeople were offended that the text had been read in Rome and not at the Fátima shrine in Portugal where the reported events took place. The Times for June 29, 2000 reported that "The revelation on Monday that there were no doomsday predictions has provoked angry reactions from the Portuguese church over the decision to keep the prophecy secret for half a century."[citation needed]
Critics such as Italian journalist and media personality Antonio Socci claim that the four-page, handwritten text of the Third Secret released by the Vatican in 2000 is not the real secret, or at least not the full secret.[24] The argument is based on the following:
Written on one sheet of paper: the text of the Third Secret released by the Vatican is handwritten on four sheets of paper. [15] Father Joaquin Alonso, official Fátima archivist for sixteen years, reports in his book that, "Lucy tells us that she wrote it on a sheet of paper. [25] In a taped interview, Charles Fiore quoted Malachi Martin as saying the following regarding the text of the Third Secret: "I cooled my heels in the corridor outside the Holy Father's apartments, while my boss, Cardinal Bea, was inside debating with the Holy Father, and with a group of other bishops and priests, and two young Portuguese seminarians, who translated the letter, a single page, written in Portuguese, for all those in the room." [26]
Father Joaquin Alonso, official Fátima archivist for sixteen years, reports in his book that, "Lucy tells us that she wrote it on a sheet of paper. In a taped interview, Charles Fiore quoted Malachi Martin as saying the following regarding the text of the Third Secret: "I cooled my heels in the corridor outside the Holy Father's apartments, while my boss, Cardinal Bea, was inside debating with the Holy Father, and with a group of other bishops and priests, and two young Portuguese seminarians, who translated the letter, a single page, written in Portuguese, for all those in the room." Written in the form of a letter: another reason why critics argue the full Third Secret has not been released is because of indications that the Third Secret was written in the form of a signed letter to the Bishop of Leiria and the text of the Third Secret released by the Vatican is not written in the form of a letter. [15] Lúcia was interviewed by Father Jongen on February 3, 1946. When Fr. Jongen asked Lúcia when the time would arrive for the Third Secret, Lúcia responded, "I communicated the third part in a letter to the Bishop of Leiria." Also, Canon Galamba, an advisor to the Bishop of Leiria, is quoted as saying, "When the bishop refused to open the letter, Lucy made him promise that it would definitely be opened and read to the world either at her death or in 1960, whichever came first." [27]
Lúcia was interviewed by Father Jongen on February 3, 1946. When Fr. Jongen asked Lúcia when the time would arrive for the Third Secret, Lúcia responded, "I communicated the third part in a letter to the Bishop of Leiria." Also, Canon Galamba, an advisor to the Bishop of Leiria, is quoted as saying, "When the bishop refused to open the letter, Lucy made him promise that it would definitely be opened and read to the world either at her death or in 1960, whichever came first." Contains words attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary: the text of the Third Secret released by the Vatican contains no words attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. [15] Socci asserts that the Third Secret likely begins with the words, "In Portugal the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved etc", words which Lúcia included in her Fourth Memoir, but which are included only as a footnote to the text released by the Vatican. [28]
Socci asserts that the Third Secret likely begins with the words, "In Portugal the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved etc", words which Lúcia included in her Fourth Memoir, but which are included only as a footnote to the text released by the Vatican. Contains information about the Apocalypse, apostasy, Satanic infiltration of the Church: in an interview published in the November 11, 1984 edition of Jesus Magazine, Cardinal Ratzinger was asked whether he had read the text of the Third Secret and why it had not been revealed.[29] Ratzinger acknowledged that he had read the Third Secret, and stated in part that the Third Secret involves the "importance of the novissimi", and "dangers threatening the faith and the life of the Christian and therefore (the life) of the world." Ratzinger also commented that, "If it is not made public – at least for the time being – it is in order to prevent religious prophecy from being mistaken for a quest for the sensational."[30] Also, a news article quoted former Philippine ambassador to the Vatican, Howard Dee, as saying that Cardinal Ratzinger had personally confirmed to him that the messages of Akita and Fátima are "essentially the same."[31] The Akita prophecy, in part, contains the following: "The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. … churches and altars sacked...."[32][33] On May 13, 2000, Cardinal Sodano announced that the Third Secret would be released, during which he implied the secret was about the persecution of Christians in the 20th century that culminated in the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II on 13 May 1981.[17] In a syndicated radio broadcast, Malachi Martin stated that the Third Secret "doesn't make any sense unless we accept that there will be, or that there is in progress, a wholesale apostasy amongst clerics, and laity in the Catholic Church...".[34]
In a 1980 interview for the German magazine Stimme des Glaubens published in October 1981, John Paul II was asked explicitly to speak about the third secret. He said:
Because of the seriousness of its contents, in order not to encourage the world wide power of Communism to carry out certain coups, my predecessors in the chair of Peter have diplomatically preferred to withhold its publication. On the other hand, it should be sufficient for all Christians to know this much: if there is a message in which it is said that the oceans will flood entire sections of the earth; that, from one moment to the other, millions of people will perish... there is no longer any point in really wanting to publish this secret message. Many want to know merely out of curiosity, or because of their taste for sensationalism, but they forget that 'to know' implies for them a responsibility. It is dangerous to want to satisfy one's curiosity only, if one is convinced that we can do nothing against a catastrophe that has been predicted." He held up his rosary and stated "Here is the remedy against this evil. Pray, pray and ask for nothing else. Put everything in the hands of the Mother of God." Asked what would happen in the Church, he said: "We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because it is only in this way that the Church can be effectively renewed. How many times, indeed, has the renewal of the Church been effected in blood? This time, again, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong,... we must entrust ourselves to Christ and to His holy Mother, and we must be attentive, very attentive, to the prayer of the Rosary."[35]
According to one source, when Lúcia was asked about the Third Secret, she said it was "in the Gospels and in the Apocalypse", and at one point she had even specified Apocalypse chapters 8 to 13, a range that includes the Book of Revelation 12:4, the chapter and verse cited by Pope John Paul II in his homily in Fátima on May 13, 2000.[36]
Cardinal Bertone's response [ edit ]
The Vatican has maintained its position that the full text of the Third Secret was published in June 2000. A report from the Zenit Daily Dispatch dated December 20, 2001 based on a Vatican press release, reported that Lúcia told then-Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, in an interview conducted the previous month, that the secret has been completely revealed and published, and that no secrets remain.[37] Bertone, along with Cardinal Ratzinger, co-authored The Message of Fatima,[15] the document published in June 2000 by the Vatican that contains a scanned copy of the original text of the Third Secret.
Cardinal Bertone.
Bertone, who was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2003 and held the position of Vatican Secretary of State until September 2013, wrote a book in 2007 titled, The Last Secret of Fatima.[38] The book contains a transcribed interview between journalist Giuseppe De Carli and Bertone in which Bertone responds to various criticisms and accusations regarding the content and disclosure of the Third Secret. At one point in the interview, De Carli comments on an unsourced accusation that the Vatican is concealing a one-page text of the Third Secret which predicts a great apostasy where Rome will "lose the faith and become the throne of the Antichrist." Bertone responds as follows:
That's absolutely crazy. Look, are you claiming that the prophecy of Fatima is about the apostasy of the Church of Rome? That Fatima is a prediction of Rome's transformation into the throne of the Antichrist? Despite the love Our Lady has for the Pope and the Popes for Our Lady? Anyone can write books based on conspiracy theories, on biased interpretations. Anybody can take sentences out of context and present them as clues to some supposed plot to avoid divulging the truth and to transmit it in a code that only the initiates can understand. No, the whole theory you allude to is a fabrication. And this supposedly factual account is actually the sort of device the Masons used to invent to discredit the Church. I'm surprised that journalists and writers who claim to be Catholic let themselves be taken in.
At another point in the interview, De Carli mentions that Cardinal Ottaviani had once stated that the Third Secret was written on a single sheet of paper. He also mentions that one of Lúcia's memoirs contains the words, "In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved etc", words which some believe introduce the real Third Secret. Describing these observations as "feeble bits of evidence that neither prove nor disprove anything", De Carli asks Cardinal Bertone about the possibility of there being two texts, where the "first document" contains the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the other contains the description of the vision published by the Vatican. Bertone answers in part, "There is no first document. There never was any such text in the archives of the Holy Office." Bertone also says, "So I'm not sure what Cardinal Ottaviani was talking about." Bertone also states that, "We have the word, better, the official confirmation of Sister Lúcia: 'Is this the Third Secret, and is this the only text of it?' 'Yes, this is the Third Secret, and I never wrote any other'."
Later on in the interview, Bertone again addresses the question as to whether a text exists with words attributed to the Blessed Virgin that was censored: "The part of the text where the Virgin speaks in the first person wasn't censored, for the simple reason that it never existed....I'm basing my statement on Sister Lucia's own direct confirmation that the Third Secret is none other than the text that was published in the year 2000."
In early September 2007, archbishop Loris Francesco Capovilla, private secretary to Pope John XXIII, who witnessed Pope John open the envelope of the third secret, said there was no truth in the rumor that the Vatican was suppressing a vision of the end of the world. "There are not two truths from Fatima and nor is there any fourth secret. The text which I read in 1959 is the same that was distributed by the Vatican." Capovilla is also quoted as saying, "I have had enough of these conspiracy theories. It just isn't true. I read it, I presented it to the Pope and we resealed the envelope."[42]
On September 21, 2007 writers Antonio Socci and Solideo Paolini, who have competing books on Fatima, attempted to crash a reception at the Pontifical Urbanianum University where Bertone was to introduce his book The Last Fatima Visionary: My Meetings with Sister Lucia. They stated that they wished to participate in the question and answer part of the reception. When told that the cardinal would not be taking questions, they then tried to confront Bertone, who is the Vatican Secretary of State. Security guards hustled them. In talking to reporters afterwards, Socci and Paolini produced a tape recording in which they claimed Archbishop Loris Francesco Capovilla, revealed that there were two texts of the Third Secret,[43] although Capovilla had stated otherwise less than two weeks before.[42]
Pope John Paul I [ edit ]
The Catholic Counter-Reformation group, founded by theologian Abbé George de Nantes, takes the position that the released text is the complete Third Secret, but refers to Pope John Paul I rather than John Paul II, pointing out that the latter, after all, did not die when he was attacked, while the bishop in the Third Secret did.[44] John Paul I had met Lúcia Santos while he was Patriarch of Venice, and was deeply moved by the experience. In a letter to a colleague after his election, he vowed to perform the Consecration of Russia which Lúcia said Mary had asked for.[45]
Michael Cuneo notes, "Secret messages, apocalyptic countdowns, cloak-and-dagger intrigue within the highest echelons of the Vatican: not even Hollywood could ask for better material than this".[46]
"To understand and appreciate Fatima is to understand and appreciate Portuguese Catholicism".[7] Jeffrey S. Bennett takes note of how, starting in the 1930s, the image of Our Lady of Fatima developed into a rallying point for anti-communism, an idea that spread far beyond the Iberian peninsula.[5] Martindale mentions a concept where the fruits of a phenomenon are more important than its historical origins. Therefore, it is possible to conceive of a vibrant cultus where the strength of the devotion, shrine, or pilgrimage, can outweigh uncertainties regarding its origin. According to Maunder, Fatima demonstrates not only how seriously Catholics took "the revelations of an enclosed nun remembering visions she had experienced at the age of ten, but also show how difficult it is for the hierarchy to manage a movement of popular piety, despite critics claims of manipulation.[7] Following Fatima, there would be proliferation of apocalyptic manifestations, such as at Necedah.The head of the US government’s independent privacy watchdog has denied that his organization has been neutered by Barack Obama’s decision to deliver a major speech on surveillance before it completes its examination into the National Security Agency.
Obama is due to announce his proposed reforms on surveillance activities on Friday, before the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has had a chance to deliver its final report.
But the chairman of the task force, David Medine, told the Guardian on Thursday that he did not feel undercut. "We felt we accomplished our goal of having input to the president’s decision-making process,” he said.
Medine and his four colleagues on the board have given the White House drafts of their recommendations, which will be published on 23 January, for reforms to the bulk collection of domestic phone records and the composition of the Fisa court. They met with Obama and the vice-president, Joe Biden, last week ahead of Obama’s widely anticipated speech on Friday about the future course of the NSA’s sweeping surveillance powers.
It has struck some observers as awkward that Obama is delivering his speech before the so-called PCLOB delivers its own assessment of US surveillance and its implications for civil liberties, a subject central to its existence.
Additionally the PCLOB has been overshadowed by a surveillance review panel Obama handpicked in August, whose recommendations have captivated a Washington debate the PCLOB has yet to influence – and one of those recommendations was to replace the PCLOB with a more institutionally powerful organization.
“It appears as if the president is thumbing his nose at the PCLOB’s recommendations,” said Angela Canterbury of the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group.
Julian Sanchez, a privacy researcher at the Cato Institute, said: “The timing here really seems like a bit of a slap to the PCLOB; you would think if only for the sake of appearances the White House would have waited a few weeks for the publication of their full analysis before announcing a policy agenda.
“But the president may have decided it would be even more awkward to announce the rather flaccid reforms we've been led to expect after two of the government's own expert panels have concluded a more serious overhaul is needed.”
While the PCLOB gave Obama and Biden their recommendations about bulk domestic phone records collection and the Fisa court, the board did not advise the president about its recommendations on the NSA’s foreign-directed mass surveillance under Section 702 of the Fisa Amendments Act.
That surveillance dragnet – which includes communications between foreigners and Americans, and through which the NSA has authority to search for Americans’ identifying information – will be the subject of a follow-on report from the PCLOB. Medine said the board still did not have a publication date.
“When I say we’re going to turn to 702 it’s not that as if we’re turning from scratch, it’s based on the study, the research, the input we’ve received. We’ll turn to the 702 report as soon as we finish the 215 report,” Medine said, using a bureaucratic shorthand for mass domestic phone metadata collection.
The PCLOB has had a rocky first decade. Despite being created in 2004 as a post-9/11 intelligence reform the board has not done any substantive work until this year, struggling with independence from the White House and persistent vacancies that have left it unable to function as intended.
“It’s just been a total frustration,” former New Jersey governor and 9/11 commissioner Tom Kean, one of the architects of the board, said in 2012 for a New York Times story about the board’s “troubled life”.
Obama did not finish nominating the board’s full membership until December 2011 including Medine, whose nomination was held up in the Senate for 510 days due to ongoing fights between Obama and chamber Republicans. Since only the PCLOB’s chairman has the power to appoint staff the board did not get properly under way until Medine finally arrived in May of 2013, just days before the Guardian published the first Edward Snowden leak about the NSA.
“My first week on the job, you published your story, so you made my job a lot more exciting,” Medine said.
The board has had an opportunity to add staff – it has six staffers now, up from two – and has held two marathon public hearings into the NSA disclosures, in July and November. Medine said he was satisfied the PCLOB had received a comprehensive look inside the NSA and associated intelligence agencies; it had received briefings not only on the agencies’ bulk domestic phone records collection and foreign internet communications collection but also its broader foreign intelligence activities that operate under an executive order called 12333, which officials cite to justify, among other things, collecting data transiting between Google and Yahoo data centers.
Medine is aware that the PCLOB’s performance reviewing the controversial surveillance activities has implications for his organization’s prestige – and even its existence given the surveillance review board’s recommendation to replace it.
“It was certainly a very challenging first project for us,” Medine said.
“But I believe we’ve risen to the task, and are demonstrating both in the United States and around the world that the United States has a vigorous oversight body that will take a close look at these programs, have full access to them, and will be able to advise whether the programs do strike the right balance.”
Regardless of the timing of Obama’s speech, privacy advocates hope the PCLOB’s recommendations – which Medine would not discuss – would arrive in time to influence a congressional debate on surveillance likely to intensify in the wake of Obama’s remarks.
“Hopefully his speech and his recommendations are just the beginning of a back and forth between the Hill and the administration, so the PCLOB will still have an opportunity to weigh in,” said ACLU surveillance lobbyist Michelle Richardson.
“In terms of both the public and Congress, the fact that we’re issuing our report in close proximity to the president’s speech gives everyone a chance to evaluate the president’s conclusions and recommendations with our conclusions and recommendations,” Medine said.
“To the extent there’s a congressional process, it’s just starting, and we will have put into that process, both in terms of our report and, if requested, any testimony that we give congressional committees on these issues.”June 28, 2014 4 min read
This story originally appeared on Business Insider
Tired of wasting your time watching cat videos or scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed? Want to be more productive next time you go online?
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1. Digital Photography School — Read through this goldmine of articles to improve your photography skills; they're helpful even if you're a complete beginner. There's also an active forum where you can find a community of other photographers to connect with.
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3. Factsie — Did you know the horned lizard can shoot blood out of its tear ducts? Keep clicking through this site to find unusual historical and scientific facts, along with links to sources. Another great site for fun facts is Today I Found Out.
4. Freerice — Expand your vocabulary while feeding the hungry. It's the best way to feel good about yourself and learn words you can use for the rest of your life.
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supply all the DOT sheds with straw that they use to seed the side of roads,” Hill said. “This barley thing has really sparked an interest with me, because it makes everything come together.”
Endeavor was developed to expand winter barley’s range from traditional growing areas in Dakotas and Idaho to the Great Lakes. With help from N.C. State University researchers, Hill is experimenting to see if it will take well in the region’s warmer climes.
“We’re kind of pushing the envelope and taking it further south,” said Brent Manning, co-founder of Riverbend Malt House. Endeavor is a “two-row” barley akin to those used by European brewers, he said, and it appeals to customers who want traditional malts.
“Six-row” barley varieties like Thoroughbred are commonly grown for livestock feed in the Piedmont, but Hill and Davis are the first farmers in Western North Carolina to grow it for making beer. Six-row barley can impart beer with a slight haziness, but growing it with less nitrogen minimizes that, Manning said.
Sourcing barley from local farmers is an arrangement that Manning said benefits local farmers, the environment and the region’s burgeoning craft beer industry.
“We’re basically trying to pull farmers out of the commodity markets,” he said. “They know up front what they’re going to get, assuming they meet the quality criteria next June when it comes out of the ground. And that helps us because we know what our profit margins are going to be,” rather than falling victim to fluctuating prices on the global grain market.
Growing and processing the barley locally, rather than 1,500 miles away at the next nearest malt house in Chilton, Wisc., means less fuel is needed to transport the grain to brewers, saving transport costs and pollution, Manning said.
“We operate with a triple bottom line: people, planet, profits, in that order,” Manning said. Paying farmers “above-market rates for their grains, if they meet quality criteria” helps people, less transport helps the planet and profits follow as more breweries sign up to buy artisan malts, he said.
“Our angle is not to kick sand in the face of the (malting) giants,” he said. “It’s more to say, much as the farmer’s market is a driver for local farmers to connect with the community, we’re trying to facilitate that connection between the farmers and the brewers.”
As the region’s barley-growing test case, Davis and Hill realize there are challenges ahead. They’re working with N.C. State and U.S. Department of Agriculture experts to pinpoint the best sites, soils, varieties and cultivation techniques.
“I really hope it works well for us,” said Hill. “It’s hard to grow as good a grain in this part of the country, especially in the mountains, as you do in a drier climate such as the Midwest. They never have the foggy, wet mornings we do, so the grain stays dry.”
Mountain winters may also be a factor, said County Extension Director Marvin Owings Jr.
“It’s very unusual to plant any barley here,” he said. “Most of it is grown in the Piedmont. Part of that has to do with the tight window of planting — we only have about three weeks (after the fall harvest) to get it planted before the cold temperatures come in.”
Davis said barley must be monitored carefully, but he’s optimistic that he and Hill are pioneering a new, profitable cover crop that could replace wheat for mountain farmers willing to invest extra time and effort.
“It’s going to be very high-maintenance,” he said. “It’s not like going out and throwing out a regular cover crop. But there’s been a great deal of research and thought that have gone into this, and I think we’re going to learn a lot more (about barley growing in the mountains).”
Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.Pennywise, for the uninitiated, is a trans-dimensional force of fear and pain that enjoys haunting children, personifying generational trauma, and hanging out in the form of a clown.
Does the internet want to fuck it? Oh hell yes the internet wants to fuck it.
Let me introduce everyone to Pennywise Confessions, the epicenter of a thriving and thirsty tumblr fandom for everyone’s favorite clown monster metaphor thing.
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These confessions are good. They’re really good, y’all.
Pennywise is, apparently, daddy AF. It makes sense; clown fetishists and monster fetishists both exist, and Pennywise is the perfect hybrid. Who doesn’t want to stare deep into those terrible eldritch eyes?
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Most of the confessions on offer are of the highly explicit variety, but some are more innocent. Some of us just want to get to know Pennywise. Find out what makes him laugh. Take him out to a nice dinner.
And before you think that the love is exclusively reserved for Bill Skarsgard’s younger, sexier clown prince of oh-god-i’m-going-to-die, rest assured that some members of the community aren’t so limited.
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And before the intrepid book readers in the comments say, “Wait, but Pennywise isn’t really a clown. Isn’t he, like, a conglomeration of light and pain?” The Pennywise fandom knows. And they’re into it.
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It may seem like I’m making fun here, and I kind of am, but I legitimately get a huge kick out of this. The internet is this bizarre place where everyone gets to work through and share their weirdest, most unusual interests (sexual or otherwise), and no matter what, they’ll always find someone else who’s into it.
Just think that, in past generations, there were people who were just super into sentient fear monsters and they didn’t have anyone to turn to. What dark times those must have been.
Tumblr user tinytoychihuahua put it best, I think:The Portland Thorns scored three goals in four minutes in an offensive blitz on their way to an 5-2 win against the Boston Breakers on Wednesday.
The dominant win before 15,624 fans at Providence Park is the most recent signal that the Thorns (5-6-4, 19 points) are poised to make a push to the playoffs.
"We're still a work in progress," Thorns coach Paul Riley said. "I know it's hard to say with five games to go, but it's a work in progress.... there's still more work to do."
McCall Zerboni scored twice in the second-half frenzy. In the 49th minute, she converted a chip pass from Allie Long. Four minutes later, she scored off a cross sent in by Christine Sinclair.
"My team really made me look good out there," Zerboni said. She credited Long and Sinclair for "all that work off the ball" to set her up for both goals.
A minute later, Sinclair set up Mana Shim, who started the second half in place of Jodie Taylor.
When Long scored in the 66th minute, she became the first Portland Thorns player to have double-digit goals (18) and assists (10).
Taylor made the most of her first start since returning from England's run to third place at the Women's World Cup. Paired with Sinclair at the top, she scored Portland's first goal in the 19th minute off an assist by Tobin Heath.
The game was tied on a Thorns own goal in the 36th minute, and looked disconcerted in the final minutes of the second half.
"We were moving all over the field and then we stopped. We decided we were OK. We got complacent," Riley said. "We lost our way a bit for (the final) 15 minutes."
But that was Portland's only costly miscue in the match. The Thorns "got a good start straight away," in the second half, Riley said.
And the Thorns' defense was able to control the back and goalkeeper Michelle Betos was decisive in goal, parrying Boston's few chances.
Breakers midfielder Kristie Mewis converted a penalty kick in the 87th minute to cut Portland's lead to the final margin.
In the run of play, Mewis had the best chance for Boston (3-10-3, 12 points) in the 70th minute when she ripped a shot close in, but Betos dived to her right for the save. It was Mewis who scored in second-half stoppage time to beat Portland 1-0 in Boston in their last meeting.
The Thorns, who have won two in a row for the first time since the first two games of the season, started Wednesday in seventh place in the standings, four points out of the fourth and final playoff spot. They need to keep the momentum going during this crowded window. They play host to the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday at 6:30 and head out to FC Kansas City next Wednesday.
-- Molly BlueAdd Frame and Stone to the List of Papers Validating IPCC Warming Projections
Posted on 18 December 2012 by dana1981
Just a few weeks ago, a paper in Environmental Research Letters by Rahmstorf, Foster, and Cazenave (2012) confirmed the accuracy of the global surface warming projections made by climate models used in the 2001 and 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports (the Third and Fourth Assessment Reports). Now a new paper published in Nature Climate Change, Frame and Stone (2012) has confirmed the accuracy of the temperature projections made by the climate models in the 1990 IPCC First Assessment Report through 2011 (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Observed changes in global mean surface temperature over the 1990–2010 period from HadCRUT3 and GISTEMP (red) vs. 1990 IPCC business-as-usual best estimate (dark blue), vs. projections using a one-dimensional energy balance model (EBM) with the measured greenhouse gas (GHG) radiative forcing since 1990 (light blue) and with the overall radiative forcing since 1990 (green). Natural variability from the ensemble of 587 21-year-long segments of control simulations (with constant external forcings) from 24 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) climate models is shown in black and gray. From Frame and Stone (2012).
Frame and Stone Methodology
The paper tests the IPCC warming projections using a simple one-dimensional energy balance model (EBM) comparable to the main model used to make the 1990 prediction, using similar input parameters. Frame and Stone then ran the model using just the radiative forcing (heat imbalance) caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) changes from 1990 through 2011, represented by the light blue line in Figure 1. Because the IPCC model projection is based on GHGs-only, this is the most applicable comparison. They also simulated other radiative forcings like changes in solar activity and particulates in the atmosphere, represented by the green line in Figure 1.
Results Similar to Prior Skeptical Science Analysis
We at Skeptical Science previously conducted a similar analysis to that in Frame and Stone (2012). The 1990 IPCC report ran simulations using models with climate sensitivities (the total amount of global surface warming in response to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentrations, including all feedbacks) of 1.5°C (low), 2.5°C (best), and 4.5°C (high) for doubled CO2 (Figure 2).
Figure 2: IPCC FAR projected global warming in the BAU emissions scenario using climate models with equilibrium climate sensitivities of 1.5°C (low), 2.5°C (best), and 4.5°C (high) for double atmospheric CO2
In reality, GHGs have increased about 20% slower than the IPCC's "business-as-usual" scenario, in part because of the success of the Montreal Protocol in reducing chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions (CFCs are GHGs), and in part because of the collapse of the Soviet Union, among other reasons.
As noted above, the light blue line in Figure 1 is the most appropriate for comparison, and is very similar to our own previous analysis at Skeptical Science (Figure 3).
Figure 3: 1990 IPCC business-as-usual "best" global warming projection reflecting the observed GHG changes (blue) vs. observed average global surface temperature change from GISTEMP (red) since 1990.
Observed Warming Not Natural Variability
Frame and Stone (2012) also simulated the possible range of natural temperature variability since 1990 by using the ensemble of 587 21-year-long segments of control simulations with constant external forcings from 24 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) climate models. These give a 90% range of about ±0.19°C, and are shown in black and gray in Figure 1. The observed warming from 1990 through 2011 was approximately 0.39±0.20°C (95% confidence range); thus there is only a very small chance that the observed global surface warming over the past 21 years could be explained purely by natural variability.
IPCC Has Excelled at Global Warming Projections
Ultimately, Frame and Stone note that while there is a fairly large range in the envelope of all climate model projections, and while to some degree they may have gotten the right answer 'for the wrong reasons', the IPCC has thus far done quite well in projecting future temperature changes.
"...it seems highly likely that even in 1990 we understood the climate system well enough to make credible statements about how its aggregate properties would change on timescales out to a couple of decades, even in the presence of considerable uncertainty surrounding the exact forcing trajectory."
Rahmstorf, Foster, and Cazenave (2012) arrived at a similar conclusion by taking a very different approach, first using the statistical technique of multiple regression to filter out much of the short-term variability, then showing that the IPCC temperature projections have been very accurate (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Observed annual global temperature, unadjusted (pink) and adjusted for short-term variations due to solar variability, volcanoes and ENSO (red) as in Foster and Rahmstorf (2011). 12-month running averages are shown as well as linear trend lines, and compared to the scenarios of the IPCC (blue range and lines from the 2001 report, green from the 2007 report). Projections are aligned in the graph so that they start (in 1990 and 2000, respectively) on the linear trend line of the (adjusted) observational data. From Rahmstorf, Foster, and Cazenave (2012).
Frame and Stone have also shown it is very unlikely that natural variability alone can account for the observed global surface warming over the past two decades.
While it has underestimated many climate impacts, thus far the IPCC has done very well at projecting average global surface temperature changes.Toon Talk Weekly - Episode 048 - “Super Mario Bros. Super Show”
In episode 48 of Toon Talk Weekly, Brad and Jake spend an entire episode reminiscing about Mario video games, merchandise, and everything else that was huge while growing up. The guys anchor the discussion by diving into an episode of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show titled “Quest for Pizza.”
Download the MP3 (35.5mb) or subscribe on iTunes!
While I definitely had low expectations for the show, it was truly a blast from the past. The music and sound effects for most actions are so reminiscent of early Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 soundtracks. Of course, you can’t talk about the show without listening to the incredible hip-hop theme song.
We’d love to hear all about your experience with Mario growing up too! Send us an email or follow us on Twitter!
For more info about the show, check us out on Facebook and Google+.Amazon Web Services Thursday said an employee trying to debug its billing system entered a command incorrectly, causing the four-hour outage that disrupted service to Amazon S3 clients around the world earlier this week.
In a postmortem detailing the events that led to Tuesday's high-profile disruption, AWS apologized for the impact on customers and outlined the changes it is making to prevent the problem from occurring again.
The crash started with a bad command entered during a debugging process on its S3 billing system at 9:37 am PT in the provider's Virginia data center that serves the eastern region of the United States.
[Related: Partners: AWS Outage Puts Spotlight Onn Private Cloud Advantages]
An employee, using "an established playbook," intended to pull down a small number of servers that hosted subsystems for the billing process. Instead, the accidental command resulted in a far broader swath of servers being taken offline, including one subsystem necessary to serve specific requests for data storage functions, and another allocating new storage, AWS said in the postmortem.
"Removing a significant portion of the capacity caused each of these systems to require a full restart. While these subsystems were being restarted, S3 was unable to service requests," the postmortem said.
The restart process then took longer than expected, largely due to the cloud's growth in recent years, AWS said.
"While this is an operation that we have relied on to maintain our systems since the launch of S3, we have not completely restarted the index subsystem or the placement subsystem in our larger regions for many years. S3 has experienced massive growth over the last several years and the process of restarting these services and running the necessary safety checks to validate the integrity of the metadata took longer than expected," AWS said.
Even after restarts are completed, problems typically persist a while longer due to backlogs created from the downtime, said Mat Elis, CEO of Cloudability, a cloud management software vendor.
Think of the analogy of a series of phone lines, Elis said.
"Normally the phone lines receive five calls a minute. The phone system went down, and callers get an engaged tone, so they start calling back. After one minute there are 10 callers, after five minutes 25 callers, all trying to call the five lines."
That kind of scenario, with robots instead of human callers, is what happened at AWS. After the reset, automated systems across Amazon's massive customer base tried to resume stalled processes, such as uploading or downloading files to and from S3, all at once. It takes time for a provider to catch up with backlog and resume normal operations.
Amazon has already modified the tool used to pull down the intended servers, which allowed "too much capacity to be removed too quickly," the statement said.
The tool has been updated to remove servers slower and add safeguards that prevent removing servers in situations where it will bring the system below a minimum level of capacity.
"We are making several changes as a result of this operational event," said AWS.
Tuesday's outage took down many popular websites and enterprise services like Slack and Trello that rely on the public cloud giant. That not only embarrassed the cloud leader, but delivered a marketing windfall to rivals.
"This is going to force a Google conversation. They just handed Google thousands of customers," Jamie Shepard, senior vice president at Google partner Lumenate, told CRN earlier this week.Weekend mail call:
Benny from San Mateo, Calif., wants to know how important was it for the 49ers to get a third-round compensatory pick.
Bill Williamson: The 49ers received the final of the third-round comp picks. It is the 100th overall pick and the last pick of the second day of the draft. The expectation was the 49ers would get a third or a fourth-round pick, so getting the third rounder is important. The comp pick can’t be traded, but it does allow the 49ers to be more flexible in dealing one or both of their two third-round picks, which are No. 77 and No. 94 overall. So, getting the extra pick was pretty big.
Michael from San Diego wants to know if the 49ers can acquire the No. 5 overall pick from the Raiders in order to snag Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins.
BW: It would take a big leap. Going form No. 30 to No. 5 would take a load. In 2011, it cost Atlanta a first, second and fourth-round picks in that draft and a first- and fourth-round picks in 2012 to go from No. 27 to No. 6 to take receiver Julio Jones in a deal with Cleveland. It may cost the 49ers the No. 30, No. 56, No. 61, No. 77 and No. 94 picks -- their first five picks. That is a major, major investment. But Watkins would be a beautiful fit for the 49ers, who don’t have a lot of other needs. Plus, the Raiders have a ton of needs and would likely be intrigued by getting a big cache of picks back. In the end, the 49ers would likely think the price is too steep, but if they fall in love with Watkins, you just never know.
George from San Jose wants to know how many of the 49ers’ 11 draft picks do I see making the 53-man roster.
BW: That’s another reason why the 49ers will likely consider bundling some picks. This is a loaded roster. I really don’t see more than five or six draft picks making the final roster, especially considering the 49ers are adding running back Marcus Lattimore and defensive lineman Tank Carradine. They were both injured during their rookie season.Steve Hess is the Director of Performance for the Denver Nuggets, and has been with the organization for 20 years. The man who oversees all of the team’s weight training, conditioning, stretching and nutritional programs joined FOX Sports for a Q&A courtesy of his partnership with MET-Rx, which is all about helping athletes take their training to the next level. We discussed player nutrition, the use of wearable technology in the NBA, and Nikola Jokic’s breakout season. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
FOX Sports: One of the crazy things that we hear about NBA players, especially the young ones when they first come into the league, is how terrible their diets are. You’ve obviously been around a lot of players, what are some of the worst dietary habits that you’ve seen?
Steve Hess: Here’s the problem: Because of the schedule and how crazy our scheduling is — it’s not like some sports where you have the luxury of playing one game a week — sometimes we have four games in five nights, in four different cities. So it’s kind of, get whatever you want. The other thing is, a lot of times your sleep patterns are messed up, you’re getting in at two or three in the morning. So there’s a bad habit where people under-fuel — they want satisfying meals that fill them at the time, but it comes down to what they can get.
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Some of the worst things that I see are, and I hate to say this, but it’s American foods — processed big, thick burgers, chicken wings, then they put the sauce on there, or a hot dog that’s processed with all this garbage on there — I’ve seen this before they play a game, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t even know how you live,’ because it’d take me eight hours just for it to clear my system. So what we try and do is try to educate that the ultimate fuel for your system is food. You can’t run an appropriate system with that type of fuel, and the thing that we try to encourage is pre-planning.
FS: I’ve been surprised at some of the meals I’ve seen in locker rooms, after the games. There’s a spread out there and it’ll be fried chicken fingers, pizza sometimes, and it amazes me that teams wouldn’t go to greater lengths to make sure their guys had some better options.
HESS: This is where the problem comes in. The most important thing is that the guys — it’s absolutely imperative — if they don’t eat right after, then they don’t replenish their glycogen stores. … I’m partners with MET-Rx, and we’re able to provide specific drinks that have the appropriate amount of carbohydrates and protein right after activity. Then they’re more unlikely to eat something that’s bad for them after they’ve already replenished their glycogen stores. … I don’t know what’s worse, having bad food or not having any food at all. And I hate to say this, but I’d rather have bad food. So in order to avoid the bad food dilemma, I want to pre-plan. I want to create unbelievably nutrient-dense food that tastes amazing, so they’re inspired to eat it. And wherever possible, have them fill up on that food, and if they have to have garbage, then eat it afterwards.
FS: Totally makes sense. Shifting gears here, how much do you guys use the wearable technology that’s available to help keep players healthy and performing at their best?
HESS: We have specific devices that we use to monitor our players during practice, and then we utilize the data as best we can to put a package together which I can then take to coach to determine practice levels, playing levels, or if we can go to cities early. So we’re doing a much better job with that, which is pretty exciting. But the bottom line is, to do all that, you still have to have the coach’s buy-in. And then you’ve got to have player buy-in, because you’ve got all these amazing devices that you want them to utilize to track things, but if only four out of the 15 players wear it, it doesn’t necessarily help you. I think our guys have been amazing wearing them, and it really helps to give us a good picture so we can act on that picture. We’re not getting data to write a research paper, we’re getting data so we can actively help these players right off the bat.
FS: You mentioned the player buy-in part and how important that is, I’m not sure how deep you get into this stuff but as part of the new collective bargaining agreement, the NBA and its players are going to form a wearables committee to review the use of the technology, which could obviously impact the team-wide data if players push back against it.
HESS: The reason why we do it is for the longevity of our guys. It’s not for me to get data. I have one goal: It’s how do I make a player better? And we’re going to do whatever it takes to help these guys — prolong their careers, make them better. We use wearable devices because we’re working as a team trying to win a championship, to make you better within the realm of what the coach wants. This is all for you! It’s for you and the coach and the team.
FS: You’ve got a couple of young guys that are going to be participating in some of the All-Star weekend festivities. The guy that’s getting a lot of the national attention this season is Nikola Jokic, who’s having a phenomenal second season. What have you seen from him? How much of his development do you attribute simply to his physical development?
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE/Getty Images
HESS: All the credit goes to him. He’s bought into the whole system. He came into Denver at 296 pounds, he’s 265 right now. He’s dedicated to the process, he works with the entire team to get better daily. His nutritional habits are amazing. What he does amazes me, his ability to understand the game and continue to learn the game is amazing. But the most amazing thing about the man? Joker is humble. He’s humble and he’s hungry. He’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever worked with, and I think he’s a stud. You can’t teach seven feet, the skill that he has with his hands and his ability to understand the game, you can’t teach. Will he ever have a 44-inch vertical leap? I don’t think so, but we’re moving in that direction.
FS: What advice would you give to the weekend warrior basketball types? What’s the best workout they could do to stay in shape and to keep active playing basketball, kind of for the average person?
HESS: I love this question. If you look at the sport of basketball, it’s a run and jump sport. I would start slow, but I’d make sure to do some running, and I would make sure to participate in a basic strength program. I’d do some cardiovascular basketball-specific training, which would include both slower running and faster running I would do in intervals. And I would do some jumping, but again, that doesn’t mean 700 jumps. I would be really careful how I load my system, so it’s progressive. And then I’d also do some basketball-specific stuff before actually playing, just to get my nervous system and everything ready. What I see happening is, guys wait 20 years and then they try to play the same way they did without preparing, so I would prepare. Most importantly, I’d make sure I was in good shape before I played any sport if I was a weekend warrior. If we’re smart in our approach, not only can we have fun, but we can utilize the sport as a healthy outlet. I love the whole aspect of competition, even when you’re 60. But you have to be smarter about it.
To answer your question, what one workout would I do? I can’t because I don’t know if you haven’t played for three years, seven years, 20 years. I don’t know your age, I don’t know if it’s a lady. You can’t generalize. But generally speaking, you’ve got to think through the process. Then we build up to it, and then we have the best time of our lives.Amino-acid neurotransmitter system dysfunction plays a major role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRS) to investigate whether prefrontal levels of amino-acid neurotransmitters predict antidepressant response to a single intravenous infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist ketamine in MDD patients. Fourteen drug-free patients with MDD were scanned 1–3 d before receiving a single intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). We measured gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and Glx/glutamate ratio (a surrogate marker of glutamine) in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VM-PFC) and the dorsomedial/dorsal anterolateral prefrontal cortex (DM/DA-PFC). Correlation analyses were conducted to determine whether pretreatment GABA, glutamate, or Glx/glutamate ratio predicted change in depressive and anxiety symptoms 230 min after ketamine administration. Pretreatment GABA or glutamate did not correlate with improved depressive symptoms in either of the two regions of interest (p>0.1) ; pretreatment Glx/glutamate ratio in the DM/DA-PFC was negatively correlated with improvement in depressive symptoms [r s (11)=−0.57, p<0.05]. Pretreatment glutamate levels in the VM-PFC were positively correlated with improvement in anxiety symptoms [r s (11)=0.57, p<0.05]. The findings suggest an association between lower Glx/glutamate ratio and greater improvement in response to ketamine treatment. Because glutamine is mainly contained in glia, the decreased Glx/glutamate ratio observed in this study may reflect the reduction in glial cells found in the same regions in post-mortem studies of individuals with MDD, and suggests that the presence of this neuropathological construct may be associated with antidepressant responsiveness to ketamine.
We hypothesized that GABA, glutamate, and Glx/glutamate ratio levels would correlate with improvement in depressive symptoms 230 min after ketamine infusion. Given the high comorbidity of MDD with anxiety disorders and the overlapping pathophysiology between those two disorders, we also performed an exploratory analysis to investigate whether pretreatment GABA, glutamate, or Glx/glutamate ratio would correlate with a decrease in anxiety symptoms following ketamine infusion.
The present study investigated whether pretreatment concentrations of GABA, glutamate, or the Glx/glutamate ratio in the PFC might be related to rapid clinical improvement in response to a single intravenous infusion of ketamine in drug-free patients with MDD. To quantitatively assess glutamate, we used a TE-averaged spectrum acquisition technique that allows reliable measurement of glutamate by resolving the C4 proton signal of glutamate at 2.35 ppm ( Hurd et al. 2004 ; Umhau et al. 2010 ; Zhang et al. 2007 ).
Evidence regarding the neurobiology of treatment response to ketamine in humans is more limited ; interestingly, consistent with evidence obtained using conventional antidepressants, recent studies have implicated anterior cingulate cortex activity and its functional connectivity with the amygdala as novel predictors of clinical improvement to ketamine ( Salvadore et al. 2009, 2010 ).
Despite the increased attention directed towards developing glutamatergic agents for the treatment of MDD, little research has been conducted exploring whether pretreatment amino-acid neurotransmitter levels in the PFC might be a viable biomarker of clinical improvement for this class of drugs, especially those that directly target the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, such as ketamine.
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 3 T allows the in-vivo quantification of amino-acid neurotransmitters in the brain; therefore it has been used to obtain insights into the pathophysiology of MDD ( Walter et al. 2009 ) and the mechanisms underlying antidepressant treatment. Previous MRS studies have demonstrated that GABA and Glx – a composite peak formed by glutamate and glutamine – levels are reduced in the medial and dorsal anterolateral prefrontal cortices of patients with MDD ( Hasler et al. 2007 ), whereas post-mortem studies have provided evidence of reduced glial cell numbers and gene expression in the same regions ( Price & Drevets, 2010 ). Glial cells take up glutamate released by pyramidal neurons and convert it to glutamine through the enzyme glutamine synthetase. Glutamine is then released by glia and recycled back to neurons where it is hydrolysed into glutamate and replenishes the neuronal glutamate pool. Glutamine is also the major source for GABA synthesis. A reduction in glial cell number or function might therefore result in reduced glutamate transport and elevated intrasynaptic glutamate concentrations, which may ultimately lead to apoptosis and neuropil reshaping, as well as decreased GABA levels ( Rajkowska & Miguel-Hidalgo, 2007 ; Sanacora et al. 2008 ).
Support for the importance of glutamatergic system dysregulation in mood disorders stems in part from the results of clinical trials showing that glutamatergic modulators had antidepressant properties ( Zarate et al. 2004, 2006 ); from post-mortem evidence of abnormal expression of glutamatergic signalling genes ( Bernard et al. 2011 ) in individuals with depression; and from post-mortem evidence of reduced pyramidal cells and/or γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic inter-neurons in regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in individuals with depression ( Choudary et al. 2005 ; Rajkowska et al. 2007 ).
Spearman correlations were conducted to determine the relationship between pretreatment GABA, glutamate, and Glx/glutamate ratio and the percentage change from baseline in depressive symptoms at 230 min after ketamine administration according to each individual’s MADRS score. Given the high degree of comorbidity between MDD and anxiety disorders in the clinical population and in our sample, exploratory correlation analyses between pretreatment GABA, glutamate, and Glx/glutamate ratio and percentage change in anxiety symptoms measured using the HAMA rating scale were also conducted. Significance was set at p<0.05, two-tailed.
Separate ANCOVAs were conducted for each metabolite and each voxel using GABA, glutamate or Glx/Glu as the dependent variable, gender as a factor, and age, duration of illness, and percentage of grey matter as covariates. Significant variables were included in the primary correlation analysis between baseline MRS measures and clinical improvement to ketamine.
Quantification of the MRS measures of interest was performed by two investigators (J.W.v.d.V. for GABA and Glx; Y.Z. for glutamate) blind to the clinical ratings obtained both before and after ketamine infusion.
The data of TE-averaged spectra were acquired with a scan number of 128 and finished in about 8 min for each voxel. shows a TE-averaged spectrum and the corresponding simulated spectrum from a single subject participating in this study. The co-edited Glx/Cr to glutamate/Cr ratio (Glx/glutamate) was also obtained for each of the two voxels as a potential surrogate marker of glutamine.
Glutamate was quantified using a 1D variant of the 2D J-resolved spectroscopy method, which was previously validated both in vitro and in vivo, and which is described in more detail elsewhere ( Hurd et al. 2004 ; Umhau et al. 2010 ; Zhang et al. 2007 ). Briefly, the methylene signal of glutamate C4 protons was resolved by averaging different echo-time spectra ( Hurd et al. 2004 ) (TR 3 s, number of excitations 4, number of acquisitions 128, echo interval 6 ms, echo number 32). The quantification program was also developed inhouse using IDL, as previously described ( Zhang et al. 2007 ). It used individually simulated spectra as basis spectra that were linearly combined to fit the experimental data, yielding the relative ratio of glutamate to creatine (Cr). The sequence was optimized and used an echo interval of 6 ms and 32 incremental steps, resulting in negligible macromolecule contaminations and further improved baselines in the regions of interest. The fitting used the sub-region from 1.9 to 3.3 ppm and thus only included the proton spins of glutamate, glutamine, NAA, Cr and choline. The raw data were preprocessed with eddy-current correction ( Zhang et al. 2007 ).
GABA was quantified using an interleaved point resolved spectroscopy (PRESS)-based J editing method, as described in further detail elsewhere ( Hasler et al. 2007 ) (TE 68 ms, TR 1.5 s, number of excitations 2, number of acquisitions 1024). Individual |
leave a company who is making great strides in player behavior, eSports, community practices and especially in their exciting gameplay. When people called me the “Face of Riot” I think that’s a lie. I’ve been the face of the FANS of Riot. That’s how it should be.
Today the decision is made that we need to part ways, because we’re growing in different directions.
I want to focus on writing more. I want to make crazy videos and have a little bit more free time to be whatever I want to be, and right now I’m not even sure of what that is. I’m not disappearing as a fan, and nobody could stop me if they tried.
I want to see what else I can do. And I think what I can do is fucking infinite. And I think I’m ready to try.
Thank you all for supporting me, through a lot of sleepless nights and drunken evenings of wondering whether I’m doing the right thing. It’s so difficult, but I know I am.
I’m happy to discuss this with all of you. Just message and tweet:
http://www.facebook.com/ThisIsNikasaur
http://twitter.com/NikaHarper
Thank you Riot and thank you all. So much.With the college hoops season now less than two months away, let's take a look at what awaits in November. Yes, all of those big events and mini tournaments.
College basketball's start means a boatload of exempt tournaments in faraway spots. Personally, I'd prefer to see as many home-and-home matchups as possible, but the reality is these events are not going away.
And plenty of them are worth the watching.
So let's look at what's coming up in November. I've graded out the top tournaments and events. You can feel free to bookmark or favorite this page. The events are listed in chronological order.
ARMED FORCES CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 11
: Nov. 11 Location : University of Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu
: University of Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu Matchups : Arizona vs. Michigan State, Indiana vs. Kansas.
: Arizona vs. Michigan State, Indiana vs. Kansas. Last year's champion : N/A
: N/A Grade : A
: A Comment: This is clear-cut. You've got four of the 10 best programs in America competing here. It's an absolutely stellar way to start this season. Yes, this doubleheader will be played on the opening night of college hoops' season. Normally that first Friday is forgettable, but not anymore.
VETERANS CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 11
: Nov. 11 Location : Navy, Annapolis, Md
: Navy, Annapolis, Md Matchups : Vanderbilt vs. Marquette, Ohio State at Navy
: Vanderbilt vs. Marquette, Ohio State at Navy Last year's champion : N/A
: N/A Grade : C+
: C+ Comment: A proud event, one that Navy is involved in every season. Ohio State will be really strong and Marquette should be favored against a Vanderbilt team now coached by Bryce Drew.
CHAMPIONS CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 15
: Nov. 15 Location : Madison Square Garden, New York City
: Madison Square Garden, New York City Matchups : Kansas vs. Duke, Michigan State vs. Kentucky
: Kansas vs. Duke, Michigan State vs. Kentucky Last year's champion : N/A
: N/A Grade : A
: A Comment: It's year No. 6 of the must-watch event and the same four programs are back. All are likely to be ranked in the top 10, if not top six or seven in the polls. You can make the case that the event has never been better than it will be this year, because I expect the cumulative number of each team's AP poll ranking to be less than 12. We've never had a year since the Champions Classic began that Kentucky, Kansas, MSU and Duke were all considered this good, all considered such big favorites to reach the Final Four.
PUERTO RICO TIP OFF
Date : Nov. 17-18 and 20
: Nov. 17-18 and 20 Location : Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico
: Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico Matchups : Xavier vs. Missouri, Clemson vs. Davidson, Arizona State vs. Northern Iowa and Oklahoma vs. Tulane
: Xavier vs. Missouri, Clemson vs. Davidson, Arizona State vs. Northern Iowa and Oklahoma vs. Tulane Last year's champion : Miami
: Miami Grade : B+
: B+ Comment: Xavier will be a preseason top 10 team, probably. Arizona State is on the upswing. Northern Iowa is always legit so long as Ben Jacobsen is in charge of the program. Oklahoma loses Buddy Hield, but the Sooners will be NCAA Tournament-worthy again. And Davidson runs one of the most beautiful offenses in the sport. The teams going can offer up plenty to watch.
Be sure to check out who your favorite team is matching up against in the @ESPNPRTipOff! pic.twitter.com/wJmXtz74GW — Tire Pros PR Tip-Off (@ESPNPRTipOff) August 2, 2016
GILDAN CHARLESTON CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 17-18, 20
: Nov. 17-18, 20 Location : TD Arena in Charleston, S.C
: TD Arena in Charleston, S.C Matchups : Villanova vs. Western Michigan, Wake Forest vs. UTEP, Mississippi State vs. UCF and Boise State vs. College of Charleston
: Villanova vs. Western Michigan, Wake Forest vs. UTEP, Mississippi State vs. UCF and Boise State vs. College of Charleston Last year's champion : Virginia
: Virginia Grade : B-
: B- Comment: Having the reigning national champs -- Villanova's going to be a top-five team entering the season, by the way -- automatically puts this event among the 10 best out there. Wake Forest is one of my favorite off-the-radar teams heading into the season. (Expect the Deacs to be called on Selection Sunday.) Mississippi State enters Year 2 of Ben Howland, and it's going to probably flirt with being a ranked team throughout the year. Boise State is always fun. Charleston has a good coach in Earl Grant. Could be a 20-win team this season.
The updated bracket is here. See you in Charleston! pic.twitter.com/d2sCoMullj — Charleston Classic (@ESPNCharleston) July 15, 2016
2K SPORTS CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 17-18
: Nov. 17-18 Location : Madison Square Garden, New York City
: Madison Square Garden, New York City Matchups : This is a tournament, like many others, with satellite games before the main event, but for TV purposes, the final semifinal matchups are Michigan vs. Marquette and Pitt vs. SMU
: This is a tournament, like many others, with satellite games before the main event, but for TV purposes, the final semifinal matchups are Michigan vs. Marquette and Pitt vs. SMU Last year's champion : Duke
: Duke Grade : B-
: B- Comment: A lot is interesting here, at the very least. Pitt and SMU will be under first-year coaches. Kevin Stallings at Pitt and Tim Jankovich takes over at SMU. Michigan, I think, is going to be close to what it was last year: a 23-win team that eked into the tourney. Marquette will be the best team at the event, even though it won't have its stellar freshman from last season, Henry Ellenson, who's now collecting an NBA paycheck.
PARADISE JAM
Date : Nov. 18-21
: Nov. 18-21 Location : UVI Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
: UVI Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Matchups : Quarterfinal matchups are Loyola (Chicago) vs. Saint Joseph's, Oral Roberts vs. Ole Miss, Montana vs. NC State, Washington State vs. Creighton.
: Quarterfinal matchups are Loyola (Chicago) vs. Saint Joseph's, Oral Roberts vs. Ole Miss, Montana vs. NC State, Washington State vs. Creighton. Last year's champion : South Carolina
: South Carolina Grade : B-
: B- Comment: This is a tournament that's been around much longer than people realize. Miami won it back in '01. Boston College took it all in 2003, when BC was at its peak. UConn won the event in 2008. A better field than last year. Andy Kennedy and the Rebels can be good and unpredictable -- in fun ways. NC State is going to have the player I expect to be a top-two point guard prospect by the time we get to the end of the season (Dennis Smith, Jr.). He's must-watch. Creighton is going to have Mo Watson Jr., and don't be shocked if he's a top 20 player in the country this season. Saint Joe's was in last season's NCAAs. Kind of an underrated event here.
HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF
Date : Nov. 19-20
: Nov. 19-20 Location : Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Matchups : The "Naismith Bracket" involves the four biggest programs involved in the event. Duke vs.Penn State, Cincinnati vs. Rhode Island
: The "Naismith Bracket" involves the four biggest programs involved in the event. Duke vs.Penn State, Cincinnati vs. Rhode Island Last year's champion : Purdue
: Purdue Grade : A-
: A- Comment: Penn State is the worst team in the field here, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Pat Chambers' team wind up with more than 20 wins by the end of the season. Duke's appeal is obvious. The Blue Devils will have Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, two players who will almost definitely be one-and-done, and both of whom could be taken in the top five of the 2017 draft. Cincinnati and Rhode Island are top 25-caliber teams. Rhode Island is going to have a huge home-fan advantage, given how close the campus is to Mohegan Sun. Solid final four field here. The best this event has produced since it began in 2011.
GULF COAST SHOWCASE
Date : Nov. 21-23
: Nov. 21-23 Location : Germain Arena in Estero, Fla.
: Germain Arena in Estero, Fla. Matchups : Quarterfinal matchups are Vermont vs. Wofford, Hofstra vs. Bradley, Kent State vs. South Dakota and Houston vs. George Mason.
: Quarterfinal matchups are Vermont vs. Wofford, Hofstra vs. Bradley, Kent State vs. South Dakota and Houston vs. George Mason. Last year's champion : Weber State
: Weber State Grade : C-
: C- Comment: There's not a lot here. Houston and Hofstra will be good, and this could wind up being the type of event that showcases some top-tier mid-level college teams, but void of any major-conference heft, there's not a lot to sell.
MAUI INVITATIONAL
Date : Nov. 21-23
: Nov. 21-23 Location : Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii
: Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii Matchups : Tennessee vs. Wisconsin, Georgetown vs. Oregon, Oklahoma State vs. UConn and North Carolina vs. host Chaminade
: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin, Georgetown vs. Oregon, Oklahoma State vs. UConn and North Carolina vs. host Chaminade Last year's champion : Kansas
: Kansas Grade : A-
: A- Comment: Always one of the best, and likely will remain that way for decades to come. Maui is a lock for at least two top-20 programs every season. Here we have Oregon and UNC, who will be ranked top-eight/top-10/top-12 by the time Maui gets going. UConn and Wisconsin could be in the rankings. Oklahoma State has a new coach, a fantastic one, in Brad Underwood. Georgetown... enigmatic but should be fun. And Tennessee is going to be better than it was last season. As always, root for the humble hosts, Division-II Chaminade.
Experience the top early season Tournament on the best island in the world. https://t.co/0qpFifpvOH#MauiHoopspic.twitter.com/CL1Qj94NHh — Maui Invitational (@MauiInv) July 29, 2016
LEGENDS CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 21-22
: Nov. 21-22 Location : Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Matchups : Texas vs. Northwestern and Notre Dame vs. Colorado
: Texas vs. Northwestern and Notre Dame vs. Colorado Last year's champion : Marquette
: Marquette Grade : B
: B Comment: It got a B last year, and I'll give the same grade for 2016. I think Texas is going to be a top-five entertaining team in the country next season. Notre Dame's going to take a step back, though. Northwestern, will you have the talent to be a top-40 team in the country? Would love to see it, but not convinced yet. Colorado is also a little mysterious right now.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Matchups set for Legends Classic on 11/21 & 11/22! Get your tickets now 🎟→ https://t.co/YmNFujhJ4Lpic.twitter.com/zETZ9tAOb6 — Barclays Center (@barclayscenter) July 13, 2016
CBE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 21-22
: Nov. 21-22 Location : Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
: Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Matchups : Kansas vs. UAB and Georgia vs. George Washington
: Kansas vs. UAB and Georgia vs. George Washington Last year's champion : North Carolina
: North Carolina Grade : C+
: C+ Comment: Kansas will be must-watch with Josh Jackson running the show. He could be the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft. Georgia has been a better SEC program under Mark Fox than most realize. George Washington will have a dark horse All-American candidate in Tyler Cavanaugh. UAB is not going to beat Kansas, but it can topple either UGa or G-Dub.
MEN WHO SPEAK UP MAIN EVENT
Date : Nov. 21 and Nov. 23
: Nov. 21 and Nov. 23 Location : MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas
: MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas Matchups : BYU vs. Saint Louis and Alabama vs. Valparaiso
: BYU vs. Saint Louis and Alabama vs. Valparaiso Last year's champion : Creighton
: Creighton Grade : C+
: C+ Comment: BYU is going to be better than a lot of people realize. Alabama heading to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 is a prediction of mine. Saint Louis starts anew with Travis Ford, so expect some growing pains. Valpo lost its coach, Bryce Drew, to Vandy. But it does get back Alec Peters, who will probably be the best mid-major player in the country. This was previously known as the "MGM Grand Main Event."
GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT
Date : Nov. 23-26
: Nov. 23-26 Location : Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska
: Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska Matchups : Oakland vs. Nevada, UC Davis vs. Weber State, Iona vs. Drake and Buffalo vs. host Alaska-Anchorage
: Oakland vs. Nevada, UC Davis vs. Weber State, Iona vs. Drake and Buffalo vs. host Alaska-Anchorage Last year's champion : Middle Tennessee
: Middle Tennessee Grade : C+
: C+ Comment: Grade on a slight curve here for the longest continually running early season destination event in Division I hoops. Hey, check last year's winner. Middle Tennessee of course went on to upset No. 2 Michigan State in the first round of the NCAAs. The 2016 crop has entertaining teams and coaches in Iona and Oakland. Nevada is going to be a good mid major-type team this season. Weber State is always well-coached. This event unfortunately will never reclaim its glory days, but if it can become a destination for the best of the best at the mid-major level, that would be terrific.
CANCUN CHALLENGE
Date : Nov. 22-23
: Nov. 22-23 Location : Maya Convention Center, Cancun, Mexico
: Maya Convention Center, Cancun, Mexico Matchups : This bracket has a two-tiered approach, just like the Hall of Fame Tipoff. The Mayan Division semifinals features Eastern Kentucky vs. Idaho State and Georgia State vs. NJIT. The semifinals of the Riviera Division are Purdue vs. Utah State and Auburn vs. Texas Tech.
: This bracket has a two-tiered approach, just like the Hall of Fame Tipoff. The Mayan Division semifinals features Eastern Kentucky vs. Idaho State and Georgia State vs. NJIT. The semifinals of the Riviera Division are Purdue vs. Utah State and Auburn vs. Texas Tech. Last year's champion : Maryland
: Maryland Grade : C
: C Comment: The Riviera Division offers us a Purdue team that's not going to be as good in 2017 as it was in 2016 -- a Utah State team that's got no broad appeal, an Auburn club that is looking to be good enough for the NCAA Tournament, but the jury is out on that and a Texas Tech team that starts with Chris Beard taking over. And how good will TTU be?
Syracuse won last season's Battle 4 Atlantis title. USATSI
BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
Date : Nov. 23-25
: Nov. 23-25 Location : Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas
: Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas Matchups : VCU vs. Baylor, Michigan State vs. St. John's, Louisville vs. Old Dominion and Wichita State vs. LSU
: VCU vs. Baylor, Michigan State vs. St. John's, Louisville vs. Old Dominion and Wichita State vs. LSU Last year's champion : Syracuse
: Syracuse Grade : A-
: A- Comment: The Bahamian tournament now competes with Maui for top billing. This year's field is not ridiculously loaded, but it's still a top-three early season event all the same. Michigan State is the best team in the field, but you've got terrific programs and/or programs with good fan bases everywhere. Even Old Dominion, the small team in the group, won't be an easy out. I could see this tourney breaking in weird, wacky ways. LSU will have almost no pressure on it after the disappointment from Ben Simmons' only season in Baton Rouge. Watch the Tigers win a couple here. Wouldn't that be something. Meantime, Wichita State will absolutely have a shot at stealing this thing. And Louisville will likely need to get a few good wins here, since Rick Pitino believes his team has an unfair schedule.
Baylor will face VCU in first round at #Battle4Atlantis
📅 Nov. 23
⏰ 1:30 pm CT
📍 @Atlantisresort, Bahamas#SicEmpic.twitter.com/CAFMe6H6El — Baylor MBB (@BaylorMBB) July 13, 2016
NIT SEASON TIP-OFF
Date : Nov. 24-25
: Nov. 24-25 Location : Barclays Arena, Brooklyn, N.Y.
: Barclays Arena, Brooklyn, N.Y. Matchups : West Virginia vs. Illinois and Florida State vs. Temple
: West Virginia vs. Illinois and Florida State vs. Temple Last year's champion : Villanova
: Villanova Grade : C+
: C+ Comment: I'd love to see Illinois finally get going again, but let's actually watch it happen first. Temple isn't super compelling. You'll have a solid WVU squad and a Florida State club that's not nearly as good as it could have been, thanks to losing Malik Beasley to the NBA. But FSU is still going to be formidable. In fact, the Noles are my pick here.
WOODEN LEGACY
Date : Nov. 24-25 and 27
: Nov. 24-25 and 27 Location : Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
: Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Matchups : UCLA vs. Portland, Dayton vs. Nebraska, Virginia Tech vs. New Mexico and Texas A&M vs. Cal-State Northridge
: UCLA vs. Portland, Dayton vs. Nebraska, Virginia Tech vs. New Mexico and Texas A&M vs. Cal-State Northridge Last year's champion : Michigan State
: Michigan State Grade : B+
: B+ Comment: Look at it this way. UCLA will have one of the bright young point guards in the game in Lonzo Ball. Dayton is going to be reliable, as always. Nebraska will be better. Va. Tech could be a top-eight team in the ACC. New Mexico is definitely going to be better. A&M is still going to have top-four-in-the-SEC talent. There's plenty here. Good event. My guess is Tech wins it, though it's a complete guess.
The 2016 DIRECTV #WoodenLegacy bracket is here! pic.twitter.com/cFhmBhjQKw — The Wooden Legacy (@TheWoodenLegacy) July 14, 2016
ADVOCARE INVITATIONAL
Date : Nov. 24-25 and 27
: Nov. 24-25 and 27 Location : Disney World's HP Field House, Orlando
: Disney World's HP Field House, Orlando Matchups : Gonzaga vs. Quinnipiac, Seton Hall vs. Florida, Iowa State vs. Indiana State and Miami vs. Stanford in the quarterfinals.
: Gonzaga vs. Quinnipiac, Seton Hall vs. Florida, Iowa State vs. Indiana State and Miami vs. Stanford in the quarterfinals. Last year's champion : Xavier
: Xavier Grade : B
: B Comment: A big reason a lot of college hoops fans watch these events is to find out about teams whose lineups aren't familiar, and to see who's getting better (or not). You'll have a lot of that here. Gonzaga, Seton Hall, Iowa State, Miami, Stanford -- all of these teams are going to have big changes from what we saw last season. Expect the unexpected. This is November.
Which match up are you most excited for at the @AdvoCareInv? #AdvoCareInvpic.twitter.com/yH0Zhfakil — AdvoCare Invite (@AdvoCareInv) August 2, 2016
CONTINENTAL TIRE LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
Date : Nov. 24-25
: Nov. 24-25 Location : Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas Matchups : Arizona vs. Santa Clara and Butler vs. Vanderbilt.
: Arizona vs. Santa Clara and Butler vs. Vanderbilt. Last year's champion : West Virginia
: West Virginia Grade : B-
: B- Comment: A fun Arizona team should romp to two wins here. Butler might have troubles getting to 20 wins next season and Vandy starts anew with Bryce Drew.
EMERALD COAST CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 25, 26
: Nov. 25, 26 Location : Northwest Florida State College Arena in Destin, Fla.
: Northwest Florida State College Arena in Destin, Fla. Matchups : Iowa vs. Virginia, Memphis vs. Providence
: Iowa vs. Virginia, Memphis vs. Providence Last year's champion : Iowa State
: Iowa State Grade : B+
: B+ Comment: Hey, this Emerald event is a hidden gem. You get Virginia, which will be really good again (welcome, Austin Nichols). And not only that, but if Virginia wins, and Memphis wins, that means Nichols will face his former school. Memphis is now coached by Tubby Smith. The Tigers also have Dedric Lawson, who will be one of the best sophomores in the country. Providence will take a step back, but the Friars will still have some offense. Iowa also won't be as good as it was last year, but it's still a team capable of winning 20-plus games.
BARCLAYS CENTER CLASSIC
Date : Nov. 25-26
: Nov. 25-26 Location : Barclays Center in Brooklyn
: Barclays Center in Brooklyn Matchups : Maryland vs. Richmond and Boston College vs. Kansas State in the semifinals.
: Maryland vs. Richmond and Boston College vs. Kansas State in the semifinals. Last year's champion : Cincinnati
: Cincinnati Grade : C+
: C+ Comment: Maryland is the primary attraction here. Richmond will have T.J. Cline, who could be the second best player in the event. Bruce Weber is in a critical year with K-State, and Boston College just needs to show signs of improvement.
CHALLENGE IN MUSIC CITY
Date : Nov. 25-27
: Nov. 25-27 Location : Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
: Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Matchups : A round-robin four-team tournament will be played amongst Evansville, Middle Tennessee, UNC Wilmington and Toledo
: A round-robin four-team tournament will be played amongst Evansville, Middle Tennessee, UNC Wilmington and Toledo Last year's champion : Mercer
: Mercer Grade : C-
: C- Comment: Eventually, you have enough of these tournaments and you're just not going to be getting any top-100 programs.
GLOBAL SPORTS CLASSICMIAMI -- Interact with Jimmie Johnson, even in passing, and you'll notice almost immediately that his greatness should not be measured in wins or championships. It should not even be measured in a race car.
The wins and the championships and the race car merely provide the platform to display the impact of his greatness.
The greatness is the man.
Jimmie Johnson is a father and husband first and foremost, a six-time Sprint Cup champion second. Graythen/Getty Images
This is an estimate based on experience: I probably know 20 men who will tell you Jimmie Johnson is his best friend. Rare is the man who integrates seamlessly into every crowd. Rarer still is the man who means it.
Johnson makes it look easy. He makes everything look easy. That's his true talent. Because the fact is, nothing he does is easy. Racing is not easy. Winning is damn sure not easy. Parenting and husbanding aren't easy. He's just willing to work harder than you are.
It's no wonder so many folks think they hate him.
They don't hate him. They envy him.
Sustained envy invariably produces a false sense of dislike.
Then you meet the guy. And you realize he's the real deal. Suddenly you're faced with a choice: love or hate. His competitors love him. All of them. And he beats them. A lot. The decision's on you, man. He's cool with either one.
Because he's spread thin. Thinner than his frame, recently reshaped through endurance-training workouts so ridiculous you must see to believe. Granted, seeing doesn't equal understanding. One must participate to understand. And not many could hack it. Not many can do what he does on the pavement (20-mile runs at a pace of 7:21 a mile; 45-mile road bike rides) or in the drink (3,000 meters in an Olympic-size pool).
This training is merely the latest example of an unmitigated desire to recreate himself in the tireless effort to ensure he doesn't rest on past achievement. The past is nice. He appreciates it. The past has made for a sweet life. But the past is dangerous. And the past terrifies him.Only a few years prior to the 1903 strike in Clifton-Morenci, the case of In re Rodriguez demonstrated how unclear, yet very critical, citizenship status for Mexicans living in America was. Although The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) officially gave former Mexican citizens that now resided in American territory the opportunity for U.S. citizenship, these formal protocols were also widely governed by people’s own perceptions and definitions of race.[i] In 1897, the case of In re Rodriguez became a struggle over whether Mexicans had the right to naturalize.
In 1896, Ricardo Rodriguez, a 37 year-old born in Mexico, applied for citizenship after having lived and worked in Texas for the past ten years. The Naturalization Board denied his application after concluding that the applicant was “not a white person.” When Rodriguez appealed his denial to the district court, the defendant referred to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to point to the obscurity of who was and was not white, and therefore, eligible for citizenship rights:
It has been shown that Mexicans (and the term includes all Mexicans, without discrimination as to color) who remained in the ceded territory, and who failed to declare their intention within one year to remain Mexican citizens, became, by virtue of the stipulations of the treaty of February 2, 1848, citizens of the United States. Whether congress intended to include Mexicans in the expression “white male inhabitants,” as employed in the territorial acts above-mentioned, may admit of question.
Although the treaty specifically granted citizenship to Mexicans who remained in the ceded territory, defendants argued that Rodriguez maintained indigenous traits, thus making him unsuitable for citizenship due to his “racial inability”. Attorneys A.J. Evans and T.J. McMinn both argued that Rodriguez could be “classed with the copper-colored or red men. He has dark eyes, straight black hair, and high check bones.” After debating the racial ambiguity of Rodriguez, Judge Maxey concluded that he was not “an Indian” once Rodriguez testified that he knew nothing about indigenous practices or culture. Further, Maxey granted citizenship to Rodriguez arguing that the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo accorded citizenship rights to all Mexicans that remained in the relinquished territory, and that Rodriguez had, “practically illustrated and emphasized his attachment to the principles of the constitution,” and should be granted citizenship rights based upon these characteristics.
The ruling of In re Rodriguez became a landmark case for Mexicans, upholding their “white” status and giving them a naturalization exception that excluded Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and others. Yet the case itself was less meaningful in Arizona Territory, which would not achieve statehood until 1912. Rather, Mexicans in the territory would continue to struggle for representation in a territorial government that was largely controlled by mining interests.Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is in stable condition after he was taken to a hospital during a performance in New York.
Perry, 65, became ill around 9:30 p.m. Sunday while performing with Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper in his side band, the Hollywood Vampires, at Ford Amphitheater in Brooklyn's Coney Island.
Sources told The New York Post Perry lost consciousness on the scene and police revived him.
A concertgoer told FOX411, “[Joe Perry] was sitting by the amp on stage during the first song. I thought that was odd. He walked behind the stage. The show kept going. They didn’t stop.”
Thanks to everyone asking about our brother @JoePerry. He is stable right now, with family & is under the best care pic.twitter.com/oxCRUqRAk6 — Alice Cooper (@RealAliceCooper) July 11, 2016
Hollywood Vampires record label rep Sujata Murthy says Perry is "stable and resting." Cooper also tweeted "our brother" Perry is stable and with family.
A message was also posted on Perry's account thanking fans.
A video posted by a fan on social media shows Perry sitting down on stage and then walking off in the middle of a song and stumbling.
The band continued playing after Perry left the stage.
FOX411's Diana Falzone and the Associated Press contributed to this report.The Australian theropod dinosaur fossil record is extremely limited. Triassic and Jurassic theropod fossils are almost unknown. Most Australian theropod fossils come from the Early to mid-Cretaceous, largely because fossil-bearing rocks of this age are exposed at the surface more often than older rocks from the Late Triassic or Jurassic or younger rocks from the Late Cretaceous. There is a single record of a theropod from the Late Cretaceous, an unnamed species from Western Australia known only from a single fragmentary humerus (upper arm bone).
Footprint evidence
Trackways - the preserved footprints of dinosaurs and other species - can help fill the gaps in the fossil record when body fossils are rare. Theropod footprints from the Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic are known from Queensland, evidence that early theropods were present in Australia shortly after dinosaurs first appeared in the late Middle Triassic. Theropod footprints are also known from the Early to mid-Cretaceous of Queensland. These include the prints of theropod ichnospecies (species based on trace fossils) Skartopus and Tyrannosauropus from the Lark Quarry ‘dinosaur stampede’ site near Winton.
Gondwanan isolation
Theropod dinosaurs have had a long history in Australia, from the Late Triassic right up to the end-Cretaceous extinction event. The Triassic Australian theropods must have been part of a global (Pangaean) radiation of early dinosaurs. Later, dinosaurs from the Jurassic of Australia would have been part of a progressively more Gondwanan fauna as the southern continents gradually drifted apart. Australian theropods of the Cretaceous, relatively isolated from most other dinosaur faunas, survived in cool to near-polar climates as Australia remained joined to Antarctica. Today, theropod dinosaurs are still with us as living birds.
Doubtful species and recent discoveries
Many Australian theropods may be nomen dubia (species of doubtful validity). These include Ozraptor subotai, Kakuru kujani, Walgettosuchus woodwardi and Timimus hermani. These species, named on the basis of fragmentary remains, lack diagnostic features that can distinguish them from other theropod species. The recent discovery of Australovenator, the first Australian theropod known from substantial fossil remains, is therefore a highly significant discovery.Say to yourself in the morning: I shall meet today inquisitive, ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill. But I, because I have seen that the nature of good is the right, and of ill the wrong, and that the nature of the man himself who does wrong is akin to my own... I can neither be harmed by any of them, for not man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him; for we have come into the world to work together, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. To work against one another therefore is to oppose nature, and to be vexed with each other or to turn away from him is to tend to antagonism. – Marcus Aurelius, 2.1
This passage is among the most often-cited in classic Stoic literature – and rightly so, since in it Marcus sets out an exercise that bears fruit in daily practice. Notice several key things about it. First of all, Marcus doesn’t excuse or euphemize anything about the characters or conduct of the people one is to anticipate encountering. He doesn’t pretend that, deep down inside, they’re really decent people. He labels them as what they are, picking out a number of negative character traits that presumably do actually apply to them.
Second, he reminds himself that these troublesome people are the way they are – and behave the ways that they do – because there’s something fundamentally screwed up in their own lives. They are ignorant, mistaken, off-base about what genuinely is good and bad. This itself is a bad state to be in, and they quite likely don’t even realize that this is the case. Many of them will be convinced that they have matters fundamentally right, and that it is other people (perhaps even the whole rest of the world) who are messed up and mistaken.
Third, precisely because he does not share in their wrongheaded perspective – because he does know what the genuine natures of good and bad are, and because he understands how human choice, agency, and responsibility work – he draws some practical conclusions. To get angry with those people, to hate them, to work against them, to turn away from them is to act against nature, and to do damage to oneself. One should attempt to work cooperatively with them instead, one might then surmise, at least as best as one can.
Problems The Unduly Demanding Pose
But what about people who are unduly and unreasonably demanding? People who take advantage of your repeated attempts to be reasonable with them? People who view you adopting a Stoic attitude as a sign of weakness, and vulnerability to be exploited? Let’s go even further. What about people who have already displayed disrespect, denigrated and downgraded you, demanded more of you than is their due – people who have already developed a track-record of treating you – and likely many other people – badly, unjustly, wrongly? Is Marcus’ approach still applicable? Or does it just lay you in for more mistreatment?
This represents a serious challenge for the Stoic prokopton in the contemporary workplace. We have not only the age-old challenges of dealing with the sort of misguided and morally underdeveloped people Marcus describes – and the proportion of them in our own times is quite likely similar to that in his own – we also live in a time when one constant theme in the workplace is doing more with less, getting more out of everything and everyone. Many workplaces are already stressful on their own, and continuing to have steady employment, clients, or income can be unpredictable, precarious, subject to whims and wishes of those who temporarily possess the power to decide those matters. (This isn’t everyone’s experience, of course – some people would say that their work life is wonderful, exciting, fantastic... or at the very least uneventful, all right, and satisfactorily remunerative).
Dealing with unduly demanding people presents particular obstacles for the Stoic. They are not the run-of |
that by offering the rewards — $25,000 for each fire that saw interruptions by drones — investigators can get tips to identify the drone operators and prosecute them.
"This type of activity is not going to be tolerated when first responders are trying to put out fires that drastically affect the constituents of San Bernardino County," said Board of Supervisors Chairman James Ramos.
None of the drone operators has been identified. The reward will allow county officials to launch a hotline to collect information about suspected drone operators, Ramos said.
Drones first became a problem in the county during the Lake fire, which ignited June 17 and burned through more than 31,000 acres of wildlands in the San Bernardino National Forest and nearby San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Low-flying aircraft were preparing to drop fire retardant over flames in the Barton Flats area when a 3- to 4-foot drone was seen buzzing between two planes. Fire officials immediately grounded the aircraft. Fire officials later saw a second drone in the area.
On July 12 — the first day of the Mill 2 fire — officials had to briefly suspend a tanker after a drone was spotted flying over Mill Creek Canyon near California 38.
And for about 25 minutes, officials had to halt tankers over the July 17 North fire, which jumped Interstate 15 near California 138 and destroyed dozens of vehicles, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
Drones pose a major risk to firefighters, pilots and aircraft, officials say. A collision between a drone and aircraft flying at low altitude could result in major damage and potentially injure the pilot and crew on board.
U.S. Forest Service officials said they will continue to stop helicopters and air tankers from dropping fire retardant over a fire until they can confirm the devices have left the area.
New legislation, if passed, could allow firefighters and law enforcement to take down any drones hindering emergency operations.
The proposed law, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale) and state Sen. Ted Gaines (R-El Dorado), would give firefighters and other first responders immunity if they damage drones interfering during a fire or other emergency.
Another piece of legislation would make it a misdemeanor to fly a drone over a forest fire. Drone operators could face up to $2,000 in fines.This is long but it’s important. Bear with me.
Stephen Harper sounded concerned in Vancouver earlier this month as he discussed Chinese investment in Canada and Canadian investment in China. “We want to see this economic relationship continue to expand,” he said, “but we want to see it expand in a way where it’s a clear two-way flow and clear benefits for both sides.”
This is an odd thing to say because in February Harper asserted he had locked in assurances of clear two-way flow with clear benefits. He was in Beijing and he announced the conclusion of negotiations toward a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) with the Chinese. “Today’s landmark agreement will further facilitate these flows by providing a more stable and secure environment for investors on both sides of the Pacific,” he said then.
This was a big deal, proof that Harper could get results where his predecessors had face-planted: Canada-China FIPA negotiations had been underway since 1994 and never concluded. Until now.
February’s announcement did not include release of a text of the proposed agreement. Neither did the announcement, early this month, that Canadian and Chinese officials had signed formal texts of the FIPA. We had to wait until Trade Minister Ed Fast tabled the text in the Commons yesterday to see it.
The text suggests there are good reasons why the Prime Minster should not feel reassured about Canadian access to Chinese markets.
Here’s the text of the Canada-China FIPA. These things are common in international relations. They amount to promises to play fairly between two countries, with mechanisms for settling disputes if one country feels slighted. Canada has more than 20 with other countries. China has many of its own (under a more common generic name, Bit or Bilateral Investment Treaty). The heart of a FIPA is a promise to treat the other countries’ investors at least as well as you treat any foreign country’s investors (“Most Favoured Nation Treatment”) or, better still, as well as you treat your own country’s investors (“National Treatment.”) Here’s the relevant section of the Canada-China FIPA, with bold-face emphasis added.
Article 5 Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment 1. Each Contracting Party shall accord to investors of the other Contracting Party treatment no less favourable than that it accords, in like circumstances, to investors of a non-Contracting Party with respect to the establishment, acquisition, expansion, management, conduct, operation and sale or other disposition of investments in its territory…. Article 6 National Treatment 1. Each Contracting Party shall accord to investors of the other Contracting Party treatment no less favourable than that it accords, in like circumstances, to its own investors with respect to the expansion, management, conduct, operation and sale or other disposition of investments in its territory.
One of these things is not like the other.
Most of the news coverage about Canada-China investment has centred on Chinese attempts to buy into Canada, especially on the Nexxen deal. But Canadians are also trying to buy into China and they have had a hard time of it. That’s what was making Harper nervous in Vancouver (and former Harper cabinet minister Jim Prentice borderline apoplectic). And the vaunted FIPA provides prospective Canadian investors (of which there are many) very limited protection compared to what it provides existing Canadian investors (of which there aren’t enough).
How on earth did an itinerant Ottawa columnist know to look for this language? In February, while I was waiting for a text, I found this paper (opens a.pdf) by a former UBC prof named Justin Carter. Carter asked the $64 question: “So why has it taken so long to reach an agreement?”
What Carter found was that negotiations had hung up over substantive differences between Canada’s model for FIPAs and China’s standard BIT template. “First, Canada’s FIPAs use a preestablishment model, which grant protections to not only already admitted investment, but also those seeking admission,” he wrote. “These standards apply to both national treatment and most-favoured nation protections. In contrast, China does not include any pre-establishment language in its BITs.”
So on this vital measure, the Canada-China FIPA uses the Chinese instead of the Canadian standard for protection. Contrast with the FIPA Canada negotiated with Jordan in 2009, while Stockwell Day was trade minister. That treaty extends national treatment at the establishment and acquisition stage.
(I haven’t been able to check in with Carter since he wrote that piece because, according to Linkedin, he has since left UBC to seek his fortune in China. This is a bit of an occupational hazard among academic and diplomatic China hands.)
Carter also wrote: “Canada has taken a very aggressive approach on dispute resolution and procedure in its FIPAs, notably surrounding public access and allowances for amici in the arbitration process. The procedural provisions of China’s investment treaties are patently broad, and do not afford the same level of transparency.”
Here again, the language in the final treaty is very restrictive. “The treaty does not require that arbitration of disputes be done in a manner that is open to the media and the public,” Luke Eric Peterson told me. He’s a reporter in New York City with this investment arbitration newsletter. “This is a huge concern,” he added — especially because the arbitration process is designed to supplant the previous forum for such disputes, which is the courts. “Journalists that want to cover this beat in future may be deeply chagrined to discover that they are barred from arbitration hearings and may not be able to access the ‘court file’ related to major disputes — unless the states decide that it is in the ‘public interest’ to allow such access.”
So when massive commercial disputes are arbitrated under this FIPA, they will be arbitrated out of public view unless both Canada and China agree. Again, this is a departure from Canadian practice and an embrace of Chinese practice.
Peterson’s bottom line: “It will be interesting to see if this is spun as an agreement that ‘liberalizes’ or opens markets for Canadians. If it is, that will not be true.”
Why am I dragging you through all this business about dispute-settlement arbitration? Because things are getting crazy out there, and by “out there” I mean “wherever China doesn’t like the way a business deal turns out.” Say hello to Belgium, where on Monday the Chinese insurance company Ping An filed an arbitration claim worth $3 billion. In 2008 a Chinese SOE bought a Belgian bank. The global economy went through the ensuing turmoil and the Chinese firm lost its shirt. Which is, you know, life, but the Chinese firm figures the government of Belgium owes it the $3 billion it lost, and the arbitration mechanism will now consider the claim seriously.
“This might signal the beginning of a wave of Chinese claims if you think about the commodities they’ve been buying, and the investments they’ve made in commodity-related companies around the world,” a British trade lawyer told Reuters, while freaking ominous music played in the background if you’re reading his quote in Canada. “There are bound to be any number of outward investments they have made in the last five to ten years which may now be starting to run into problems.”
So, you know, good luck. The FIPA, tabled yesterday, is available for consultation at the link above for 21 Parliamentary sitting days, at which point it comes into force without need for a vote in the House of Commons.Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta begins a visit Sunday to the country that is fast becoming this East African nation’s biggest economic engine. It’s not the United States, one of Kenya’s biggest aid donors. Nor is it former colonial power Great Britain. It’s China.
Kenyatta’s choice of Beijing as one of the first places outside Africa to pay an official state visit to since his inauguration in April speaks volumes about China’s growing presence in Kenya. It also highlights the United States’ waning influence in a country vital to U.S. interests, say analysts.
“The Chinese government and people are eagerly expecting the arrival of President Kenyatta,” wrote Liu Guangyuan, China’s ambassador to Kenya, in a recent opinion piece published on Kenya’s Capital FM Web site.
“As long as we work hand in hand, China-Kenya friendship will become more magnificent than Mount Kenya, and the prospect of China-Kenya mutually beneficial cooperation will become broader than Maasai Mara,” added Liu, referring to Kenya’s tallest mountain and one of its best-known game parks, respectively.
Given what has unfolded over the past few months in Kenya, it’s not surprising that Kenyatta, 51, has chosen to visit China, as well as Russia, before Washington. He stopped in Moscow late last week before heading to China.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta arrives for the Special Summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region held at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya, July 31, 2013. (Ben Curtis/AP)
Both China and Russia have been silent over allegations that Kenyatta and his vice president, William Ruto, committed crimes against humanity at the time of Kenya’s disputed 2007 elections.
Kenyatta and Ruto are accused of orchestrating and funding mobs to kill and pillage. Both men face charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague; Ruto is scheduled to face trial next month, Kenyatta in November. Both have said they are innocent.
During the run-up to this year’s elections, Johnnie Carson, then the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, cautioned that Kenyans’ choice for president would have consequences because the victor “must work with the international community.” That prompted Kenyatta and his advisers to declare they would look to China if the United States and its allies were unwilling to work with his government.
President Obama’s decision this summer to bypass his ancestral homeland of Kenya during his first extended visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office provoked anger and frustration among many Kenyans. Many Kenyans felt Washington was punishing them for electing Kenyatta and Ruto. Senior White House advisers said Obama was reluctant to visit Kenya and meet with Kenyatta because of the ICC charges, though Washington remains willing to work with him.
China has no such concerns. In fact, Liu is seeking to elevate China’s diplomatic relationship with Kenya to a strategic partnership, which only a few African nations enjoy, according to local news reports. In his op-ed, Liu touted how Chinese investment in Kenya had reached $474 million, representing Kenya’s largest source of foreign direct investment, and how bilateral trade had reached $2.84 billion last year.
Today, China is Kenya’s second-largest trading partner, and its investment has created thousands of jobs for Kenyans while building up Kenya’s infrastructure, repairing roads and erecting schools across the country. Chinese media organizations have set up offices in Kenya, and the Chinese government offers more than 200 scholarships to Kenyan students annually, Liu wrote.
“Analysts will likely confirm the long-held viewpoint that Kenya looks to China as a counterweight to the fallout with the West, particularly in the wake of the ongoing arraignment of President Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, at the International Criminal Court,” wrote political analyst Bob Wekesa in China Daily last week. “From one viewpoint, Kenya’s look-East stance is seen as a means of fashioning alternative sources of development assistance in view of strained relations with the traditional Western sources.”
The Chinese have been more engaged across sub-Saharan Africa than the United States, and this is happening at a time when the continent is becoming more important than ever to the United States, analysts say. The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about Islamist movements and terrorism on the continent. The region is also an important source of oil and other mineral resources, and home to six of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies.
The Chinese have been making several high-level visits a year to African countries, including at the presidential level. Kenyatta is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Kenya wants to strengthen ties with China and Russia “to grow new markets that focus on the East,” according to a statement released Thursday by Kenyatta’s office. Accompanied by 60 Kenyan business people, Kenyatta also plans to sign economic agreements and gain support from China for a planned $2.5 billion railway from the southern Kenyan port of Mombasa to neighboring Uganda, as well as a nearly $1.8 billion dam, according to the statement.
In other words, by the time Kenyatta leaves Beijing, ties between the two nations will be that much closer.In a recent interview with The Economist, outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderón, whose crackdown on drug cartels was followed by a surge in prohibition-related violence that has claimed 50,000 or so lives so far, said shutting down the illegal drug trade is "impossible." Unless Americans are ready to stop using drugs, he added, they have a moral obligation to consider "market mechanisms" that would cut the cartels out of the business:
Either the United States and its society, its government and its Congress decide to drastically reduce their consumption of drugs, or if they are not going to reduce it they at least have the moral responsibility to reduce the flow of money towards Mexico, which goes into the hands of criminals. They have to explore even market mechanisms to see if that can allow the flow of money to reduce. If they want to take all the drugs they want, as far as I’m concerned let them take them. I don’t agree with it but it’s their decision, as consumers and as a society. What I do not accept is that they continue passing their money to the hands of killers.
Calderon made similar remarks last year. But this time around, combined with last month's marijuana legalization votes in Colorado and Washington, his allusion to repealing drug prohibition seems to have made more of an impression on the Dallas Morning News, which last week editorialized in favor of "a third-way drug policy":
Momentum seems to be building around the idea of decriminalizing consumption to remove mega-profits from illicit trade.... This newspaper supports certain medical uses of marijuana, but reserves judgment on whether broader decriminalization is the right approach.... This much is certain: The war against drugs isn’t working—here or abroad. Congress and the White House owe it to Americans and our drug-fighting allies to devise more realistic marijuana policies.
I am glad to see another big-city paper (especially one published in the town where I live) question the war on drugs. But the "third way" favored by this editorial is morally incoherent and cannot accomplish its ostensible goal. If consuming drugs should not be crime, neither should facilitating consumption. And "decriminalizing consumption" cannot "remove mega-profits from illicit trade"; only decriminalizing the supply can do that. Finally, as critics of marijuana legalization are quick to point out, cannabis is only part of the black market. Although legalizing production and sale of marijuana will take a bite out of the cartels' revenue, prohibition will continue to enrich murderous thugs as long as drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine remain illegal.
Last week Mike Riggs noted that our outgoing secretary of state, unlike Mexico's outgoing president, sees no merit in legalization as a response to prohibition-related violence. Whereas last year she said we can't legalize the drug business because "there is just too much money in it" (which some might count as an argument in favor of repealing prohibition), on Thursday she said the problem is that criminals will always find something else to do. "They'll do kidnapping," she said. "They'll do extortion." So as long as kidnapping and extortion are viable ways for them to make money, why not give them other revenue streams as well?
[Thanks to Richard Cowan for the tip.]Dell has updated its networking portfolio with new campus switching gear just before the annual Dell World conference starts.
The new Dell Networking N-series includes new silicon, hardware chassis and a new Linux-based operating system. The new switches include the N2000 and N3000, both 1 GbE switches with 10 GbE uplinks. Dell's refreshed campus portfolio competes in a highly competitive space dominated by Cisco, with HP and Juniper also pushing hard for market share.
The N2000 and the N3000 series include both 24- and 48-port configurations, with the N2000 operating as a Layer 2 device and the N3000 operating at Layer 3.
The N4000 is a 10 GbE switch with 40 GbE uplinks and also has both 24- and 48-port configurations available.
Arpit Joshipura, VP at Dell Networking, explained the new Linux-powered operating system that the N-series includes.
"We took all the features that are relevant to the campus LAN and ported data center FTOS features as well," Joshipura said.
FTOS is the Force10 operating system that powers much of Dell Networking's portfolio today. Dell acquired Force10 in 2011 and has been growing out the solution set ever since.
Joshipura said that Dell is not branding its new Linux-powered networking operating system on the N-series at this time. He stressed, however, that from a management perspective, Dell's networking solutions can all be managed seamlessly whether or not the system is Linux or FTOS.
"The kernel is Linux, but that doesn't show up from an operations perspective," Joshipura said. "What it provides is the openness, reliability and programmability that Linux brings."
The Command Line Interface (CLI) that Dell Networking has is now standardized across the entire portfolio, enabling a similar management experience.
C-Series
Dell is also revamping its C-Series of switches, which had originally come to Dell from Force10.
The C-Series is now being refreshed, adding new 10 GbE and 40 GbE line cards as well as support for Power over Ethernet (PoE). The new chassis includes the 9-RU C7004 and the 13-RU C7008, which can deliver up to 1.536 TB of performance.
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at Enterprise Networking Planet and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalistJacket by Isabel Marant. T-shirt by Gap. Jeans by Isabel Marant Étoile. Earrings by Marie-Hélène De Taillac. Watch by Cartier. Ring by Emily P. Wheeler. Pumps by Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini. Paola Kudacki
In six seasons on Saturday Night Live, Kate McKinnon has established herself as a comedic force: an Emmy-winning, character-creating powerhouse who instills every Hillary, RBG, Ellen, Justin—and even Kellyanne—with both hilarity and heart. A year after her wonderfully wacky performance in Ghostbusters, the Long Island native and Columbia grad is solidifying her movie-star stripes opposite Scarlett Johansson (and Zoë Kravitz! And Ilana Glazer! And Jillian Bell!) in this summer's insanely funny bachelorette-party comedy, Rough Night. On the occasion of her second ELLE cover, McKinnon, 33, spoke with SNL superalum Tina Fey about career idols, Leslie Jones, and the j-word (okay, fine, we'll tell you: It's joy).
Bodysuit by Gap. Trousers by Giorgio Armani. Earrings by Bulgari. Mules by Manolo Blahnik. Paola Kudacki
Here, an excerpt of her interview with Fey:
Tina Fey: Let's talk about political characters, Kate! How extensively do you follow politics in real life?
Kate McKinnon: I wasn't a newspaper person until I got hired here. You have to get ideas from somewhere, and when the election began, I began reading [the]. Now it's an everyday thing. When we're off, I try not to do it as much because you want to have a moment of joy.
Tina Fey: It's kind of stressful and all-consuming. When you play a person like Kellyanne Conway, what are the advantages of building a character off that person, as opposed to a common character?
Kate McKinnon: It's much easier for me to do an impression of someone real, because you and the audience begin with a baseline understanding of this person's life. And then if you subvert that in any way, it's a little comedy surprise. That does the bulk of the work for you.
For the full interview, pick up a copy of ELLE on newsstands Tuesday, June 20.
Dress by Versace. Earrings by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Ring by Emily P. Wheeler. Paola Kudacki
Photographed by Paola Kudacki. Styled by Samira Nasr.Europe and northern hemisphere are warming at faster pace than the global average and ‘multiple climatic hazards’ are expected, says study
Europe’s Atlantic-facing countries will suffer heavier rainfalls, greater flood risk, more severe storm damage and an increase in “multiple climatic hazards”, according to the most comprehensive study of Europe’s vulnerability to climate change yet.
Temperatures in mountain ranges such as the Alps and the Pyrenees are predicted to soar to glacier-melting levels, while the Mediterranean faces a “drastic” increase in heat extremes, droughts, crop failure and forest fires.
Europe and the entire northern hemisphere are warming at a quicker pace than elsewhere, to the extent that tropical diseases such as West Nile fever are expected to spread across northern France by mid-century.
Hans-Martin Füssel, one of the lead authors of the European Environment Agency report, said that scientific evidence was pointing increasingly to a speeding up in the pace of climate change.
2016 hottest year ever recorded – and scientists say human activity to blame Read more
“We have more data confirming that sea-level rise is accelerating,” he said. “It is not a linear trend, largely due to increased disintegration of ice sheets. There is also new evidence that heavy precipitation has increased in Europe. That is what is causing the floods. The [climate] projections are coming true.”
Earlier this month, Nasa, Noaa and the Met Office confirmed that 2016 had broken the record for the hottest year ever previously held by 2015, which had itself broken the record that had been held by 2014.
The new EEA report finds that land temperatures in Europe in the last decade were 1.5C warmer than the pre-industrial age, although near-surface temperatures – measured at a metre above ground level – were only 0.83C-0.89C warmer.
Hans Bruyninckx, the director of the EEA, which produced the report said that there was now “not a snowball’s chance in hell” of limiting global warming to 2C without the full involvement of the US, which has just elected a climate-sceptic president.
“Empirical evidence is the basis of the climate debate,” Bruyninckx said. “There are still people around who say the earth is flat or was created in seven days but if you don’t accept the logic of empirical reasoning it becomes a very difficult discussion.”
The peer-reviewed EEA study was compiled by 60 contributing authors and institutions, including the EU’s Joint Research Centre. The report, which contains new observations and projections, looked at a wide range of indicators including agriculture, health, transport and biodiversity.
Over the course of this century, the study expects average global sea levels to rise between 1.5-2 metres, potentially threatening low-lying areas including south Florida, Bangladesh and Shanghai.
The paper is intended to spur Europe’s sluggish moves towards adaptation strategies for dealing with the impacts of climate change, ahead of an EU review later this year.
Flood disasters more than double across Europe in 35 years Read more
Frogs, birds, butterflies and insects are already advancing their life cycles as springs arrive earlier, but local extinctions of some species are being reported. “Species are adpating but not as fast as the climate is changing and this may cause disturbances in the equilibrium of ecosystems,” Bruyninckx said.
Butterflies and birds were already migrating northwards to the poles, he added.
This trend is only like to deepen as heat extremes in central Europe grow stronger, while the boreal forests of Scandinavia experience less snow, river ice, and an increasing risk of winter storms and pest infestations. On the positive side, the region’s hydropower and summer tourism potential are likely to increase, even as a reverse trend occurs in the Mediterranean.
Europe’s thermal growing season is now 10 days longer than in 1992, with delays to the end of the season more dramatic than the advance of its start. In countries such as Spain, warmer conditions are expected to shift crop cultivation to the winter.
In the Arctic, one of the most rapidly warming parts of the planet, many habitats for flora and fauna such as sea ice, tundra and permafrost peat lands have already been lost.
Oxygen-depleted ocean “dead zones” caused by agricultural fertilisers – particularly in the Baltic Sea – and ocean acidification fed by an influx of freshwater from melting continental ice will pose further threats to marine ecosystems, and the indigenous peoples who depend on them.
While retreating sea ice will open up the potential for greater resource exploitation, the report’s authors warn that “utilising Arctic oil and natural gas resources would challenge the transition to a low-carbon society, as it is recommended that two-thirds of known global fossil resources remain in the ground if the 2C warming limit of the UNFCCC [UN framework convention on climate change] is to be met.”SANA, Yemen — Nine months of war between a Saudi-led military coalition and a Yemeni rebel group have left thousands of civilians dead, a nation gravely polarized and the land strewn with debris, mines and unexploded bombs.
The conflict has produced another bitter legacy: a new branch of the Islamic State that has quietly grown in strength and appears determined to distinguish itself as Yemen’s most disruptive and brutal force, carrying out attacks considered too extreme even by the country’s branch of Al Qaeda.
The Islamic State’s deadliest assaults, on mosques here in the capital, killed more than 130 people and helped start Yemen’s civil war in March. In recent weeks, the group has carried out powerful car bombings in southern Yemen and released videos filled with grisly executions and sectarian denunciations of Yemen’s Shiite minority. The violence has raised tensions before United Nations-brokered negotiations to end the conflict, scheduled to begin this week in Geneva, as well as a cease-fire announced by the Saudi-led coalition that is set to begin Tuesday.
Like Islamic State affiliates in Egypt and Libya, the Yemeni group has shown signs it is more closely coordinating its activities with the headquarters in Syria, analysts said. And its emergence has only added to the peril from Sunni extremism in Yemen, already home to a powerful branch of Al Qaeda that has been able to seize territory during the latest conflict, including Al Mukalla, the country’s fifth-largest city.Calibre: 5.4x48mm
Feed system: 32-round side-loading box magazine
System of operation: Striker-fired, annular gas piston-actuated rotating bolt
Muzzle velocity: 930m/s
Effective firing range: Integrated reflector sight set for ~380m point target
Rate of fire (cyclic): 840 rounds/minute
The Type 26 is a Kohlan infantry weapon typically issued to those in junior combat leadership roles. Firing a relatively light 5.4mm cartridge at 840 RPM, the weapon more or less fills the same role as an assault rifle - it is a light, select-fire weapon chambered in the Kohlan equivalent of an intermediate cartridge.
Since file leaders - a file being the Kohlan counterpart to a squad, or more properly a half-platoon, nominally composed of sixteen members split into two teams of eight - are expected to lead from the front, it was thought appropriate for them to be armed with a lightweight automatic weapon that would prove more handy in close-quarter battle than the longer and heavier Type 14 semi-automatic rifle. In spite of this, however, the Type 26 has no provision for mounting a bayonet.
The weapon feeds from 32-round double-stack box magazines inserted into the left-hand side of the receiver, and features a three-position safe/semi-auto/full-auto fire selector. Typically the weapon is fired in short bursts of two to three rounds, with semi-automatic fire being used for long-range shooting and ammunition conservation. An integrated reflector optic allows for quick target acquisition in all conditions.
The "typical" daily-issued combat load of ammunition for the weapon is six magazines carried in two pouches on the belt, with a further six magazines stowed in the knapsack. Additional ammunition is often issued when heavy combat is anticipated, packed in disposable textile or plastic bandoliers. In practice, however, much like human troops Kohlan soldiers prefer to carry as much ammunition as they can acquire.Mitt Romney got thumped among women and young voters in key states. | REUTERS GOP soul-searching: 'Too old, too white, too male'?
BOSTON — President Barack Obama’s thrashing of Mitt Romney exposed glaring structural weaknesses in the GOP that will shut the Republicans out of the White House until they find a way to appeal to a rapidly changing America.
Battling a wheezing economy and a deeply motivated opposition, Obama still managed to retain much of his 2008 map because of the GOP’s deficiencies with the voters who are changing the political face of once conservative-leaning Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Nevada.
Story Continued Below
( Also on POLITICO: Obama’s grind-it-out win)
Republicans face a crisis: The country is growing less white, and their coalition has become more white in recent years.
In 2004, George W. Bush won 44 percent of Hispanics. Four years later, John McCain, the author of an immigration reform bill, took 31 percent of Hispanics. And this year, Romney captured only 27 percent of Hispanics.
“The conservative movement should have particular appeal to people in minority and immigrant communities who are trying to make it, and Republicans need to work harder than ever to communicate our beliefs to them,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who will immediately be looked to as a potential 2016 presidential candidate.
( Also on POLITICO: Rubio: GOP must focus on minorities, immigrants)
But the GOP’s problem is more fundamental than one bloc of voters. For the second consecutive presidential election, the Republican got thumped among women and young voters in the states that decided the election.
( Also on POLITICO: Study: Youth vote was decisive)
“Our party needs to realize that it’s too old and too white and too male and it needs to figure out how to catch up with the demographics of the country before it’s too late,” said Al Cardenas, the head of the American Conservative Union and a longtime GOP leader. “Our party needs a lot of work to do if we expect to be competitive in the near future.”
Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), a prospective 2014 statewide candidate in a state moving sharply to the middle, was just as blunt: “After tonight, the GOP had better figure out that a big tent sounds good, but if there aren’t any seats in it, what good is it.”
The desperate straits Republicans find themselves in are structural. But Romney should not be completely absolved of responsibility for his party’s ebb. He galloped to the right on immigration and reproductive issues in the GOP primary and only awkwardly attempted to move to the middle on those issues in the fall. His 50s-era persona was almost comically far removed from Americans who are in their 20s and 30s. And he never attempted to distance himself from or truly challenge a Republican Party that still bears bruises left from the Bush years.
( Also on POLITICO: 12 takeaways from Obama’s win)
But the rapidly growing population of minorities is something that looms larger than one flawed candidate.
Look no further than Florida, that reliable battleground that usually picks White House winners. Obama won there by only 2½ percentage points in 2008, but somehow found a way to eke out a narrow lead again in the face of 8.7 percent unemployment there.
Why? Partly because there are 190,000 more Hispanics and 50,000 more African-Americans in the state than there were in 2008.
Florida Republicans were staggered: Obama managed to actually increase a 20-point margin from 2008 in suburban Orlando’s Osceola County, home to thousands of Hispanic immigrants, to 25 points.
“Hispanics continue to grow in importance, and we need to embrace these voters for two reasons: It is simply the right thing to do, and it’s mandatory demographically if we are to avoid more presidential disappointments,” said former George W. Bush political director Matt Schlapp. “It’s about simple math and basic moral decency.”The following open letter from an Assyrian Christian to Austrian politicians was made available to Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff and has been translated by Rembrandt Clancy. Elisabeth includes this note:
This open letter was forwarded to me by a young Assyrian Christian lady whom I know personally. She wishes to remain anonymous, for obvious reasons. The letter was sent to Austrian politicians, members of parliament and other so-called very important persons.
The translated letter:
Only a few weeks have passed since the violent advance of ISIS paralysed Iraq, sent hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths and drove another hundred thousand out of their homes.
It is mass murder in and of itself, that one of the most ancient peoples in the world, together with their thousands of years of culture, one representing a global cultural inheritance, is being annihilated. The Christian minority in Iraq is altogether one of the most ancient Christian communities, having been in existence since the first century; and today, they are on the point of being abandoned on a road from massacres and executions to everlasting oblivion.
It is very sad to have to look on as Austria in particular, a country which enjoys constitutional status with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is one of the most important sources in law for her fundamental rights, scarcely reacts to the horrifying events. The ignorance in the face of the gravest human rights violations unfolding before our eyes, and at the gates of Europe, is beyond me.
As a proud Austrian woman primarily, and then as an Assyrian of Iraqi origin, I appeal to you to direct particular attention to the horrific ethnic and religious cleansing and the dreadful genocide which is being perpetrated, especially at this very moment, against Christians in Iraq and Syria. This systematic mass murder is being committed by radical Islamic holy warriors whose leader a few weeks ago proclaimed a new Caliphate, presently called IS, or the Islamic State.
A month ago, the Islamic State captured large swaths of Iraq with breathtaking speed and overran its second largest city, Mosul. Ninweh [Nineveh] is the Assyrian name for the city of Mosul; it is more than 2,000 years old. This city was home to a Christian community in Iraq that from time to time constituted the country’s second-largest community.
However, the advances of this Jihadist group did not stop with the taking of Mosul, but advanced further. A few days ago they conquered the city of Qaraqosh [Bakhdida], in which around 50,000 Christians resided; the refugees, who were simultaneously fleeing from Mosul, increased this number threefold. It was in Qaraqosh that the Christians from Mosul and surrounding villages such as Tall Kayf [Tel Keppe], Bartella and Karamlesh had found safety. The adherents of the Islamic State issued an ultimatum to the Christians: they painted the Arabic letter N (ن) on the houses of Christians in order to identify them as unbelievers, hence consign them to execution; similar to the Nazis who marked Jewish property with the Star of David.
The Arabic letter N (ن) stands for Nazarene, a disparaging term for Christians; in fact, they are characterised as such in the Koran. In addition to the letter N, they wrote the statement: “This house or this property belongs to the Islamic State”.
The holy warriors gave the “unbelievers” the following alternatives:
1. Convert to Islam; 2. Pay the jizyah, or “religion tax”, which is however set so high that de facto no one can afford it; 3. Move out and leave everything behind; 4. Die by the sword.
That is exactly what the Koran prescribes for dealing with Christians and Jews. They told the Christians to leave the city, even using loudspeakers attached to the minarets of the hundreds of mosques in the city.
The time limit within which Christians had to decide was fixed at twenty-four hours. Anyone who failed to make a decision by that time was executed in the most brutal fashion. In this way, the pious Jihadists required only twenty-four hours to render the city, in which Christians had been dwelling for 2,000 years, Christian-free.
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man could be comfortable, it argues not his toughness, but his ignorance or foolishness, which is exactly the case with our blatant friend of the drawing-room reputation.
Probably no men endure more hardships[31] than do those whose professions call them out of doors. But they are unavoidable hardships. The cowboy travels with a tin cup and a slicker; the cruiser with a twenty-pound pack; the prospector with a half blanket and a sack of pilot bread—when he has to. But on round-up, when the chuck wagon goes along, the cow-puncher has his "roll"; on drive with the wangan the cruiser sends his ample "turkey"; and the prospector with a burro train takes plenty to keep him comfortable. Surely even the Tough Youth could hardly accuse these men of being "soft."
The author doing a little washing on his own account
Outfit Should Correspond to Means of Transportation
You must in this matter consider what your means of transportation are to be. It would be as foolish to confine your outfit for pack horses to the equipment you would carry on your own back in the forests, as it would be to limit yourself to a pack horse outfit when traveling across country in a Pullman car. When you have horses it is good to carry a few—a very few—canned goods. The corners of the kyacks will accommodate them; and once in a blue moon[32] a single item of luxury chirks you up wonderfully and gives you quite a new outlook on life. So you chuck them in, and are no more bothered by them until the psychological moment.
On a walking trip, however, the affair is different. You can take canned goods, if you want to. But their transportation would require another Indian; another Indian means more grub and more equipment; and so at the last you find yourself at the head of an unwieldy caravan. You find it much pleasanter to cut the canned goods, and to strike out with a single companion.
Common Sense Should Rule
After all, it is an affair of common sense; but even common sense when confronted by a new problem, needs a certain directing. The province of these articles is to offer that direction; I do not claim that my way is the only way, nor am I rash enough to claim it is the best way. But it is my way, and if any one will follow it, he will be as comfortable and as well suited as I am, which is at least better than going it blind.
[35]
CHAPTER III
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT
IN discussion of the details of equipment, I shall first of all take up in turn each and every item you could possibly need, whether you intend to travel by horse, by canoe, or on your own two feet. Of course you will not carry all of these things on any one trip. What is permissible for horse traveling would be absurd for a walking trip; and some things—such as a waterproof duffle bag—which you would need on a foot tramp, would be useless where you have kyacks and a tarpaulin to protect your belongings. Therefore I shall first enumerate all articles of all three classes of equipment; and then in a final summary segregate them into their proper categories.
Concerning Hats
Stetson Hat the Best
Long experience by men practically concerned seems to prove that a rather heavy[36] felt hat is the best for all around use. Even in hot sun it seems to be the most satisfactory, as, with proper ventilation, it turns the sun's rays better even than light straw. Witness the Arizona cowboy on his desert ranges. You will want a good hat, the best in material that money can buy. A cheap article sags in the brim, tears in the crown, and wets through like blotting paper the first time it rains. I have found the Stetson, of the five to seven dollar grade, the most satisfactory. If it is intended for woods travel where you are likely to encounter much brush, get it of medium brim. In those circumstances I find it handy to buy a size smaller than usual, and then to rip out the sweat band. The friction of the felt directly against the forehead and the hair will hold it on in spite of pretty sharp tugs by thorns and wind. In the mountains or on the plains, you can indulge in a wider and stiffer brim. Two buckskin thongs sewn on either side and to tie under the "back hair" will hold it on, even against a head wind. A[37] test will show you how this can be. A leather band and buckle—or miniature cinch and latigos—gives added security. I generally cut ample holes for ventilation. In case of too many mosquitoes I stuff my handkerchief in the crown.
Kerchiefs
About your neck you will want to wear a silk kerchief. This is to keep out dust, and to prevent your neck from becoming reddened and chapped. It, too, should be of the best quality. The poorer grades go to pieces soon, and their colors are not fast. Get it big enough. At night you will make a cap of it to sleep in; and if ever you happen to be caught without extra clothes where it is very cold, you will find that the kerchief tied around your middle, and next the skin, will help surprisingly.
Coats
A coat is useless absolutely. A sweater is better as far as warmth goes; a waistcoat beats it for pockets. You will not wear it during the day; it wads up too much to be of much use at night. Even your trousers rolled up make a better temporary pillow.[38] Leave it home; and you will neither regret it nor miss it.
Sweaters
For warmth, as I have said, you will have your sweater. In this case, too, I would impress the desirability of purchasing the best you can buy. And let it be a heavy one, of gray or a neutral brown.
Buckskin Shirts
But to my mind the best extra garment is a good ample buckskin shirt. It is less bulky than the sweater, of less weight, and much warmer, especially in a wind, while for getting through brush noiselessly it cannot be improved upon. I do not know where you can buy one; but in any case get it ample in length and breadth, and without the fringe. The latter used to possess some significance beside ornamentation, for in case of need the wilderness hunter could cut from it thongs and strings as he needed them. Nowadays a man in a fringed buckskin shirt is generally a fake built to deceive tourists. On the other hand a plain woodsmanlike garment, worn loose and belted at the waist, looks always at once comfortable[39] and appropriate. Be sure that the skins of which it is made are smoke tanned. The smoke tanned article will dry soft, while the ordinary skin is hardening to almost the consistency of rawhide. Good buckskins are difficult to get hold of—and it will take five to make you a good shirt—but for this use they last practically forever.
Overshirts
Of course such a garment is distinctly an extra or outside garment. You would find it too warm for ordinary wear. The outer shirt of your daily habit is best made of rather a light weight of gray flannel. Most new campers indulge in a very thick navy blue shirt, mainly, I believe, because it contrasts picturesquely with a bandana around the neck. Such a shirt almost always crocks, is sure to fade, shows dirt, and is altogether too hot. A lighter weight furnishes all the protection you need to your underclothes and turns sun quite as well. Gray is a neutral color, and seems less often than any other to shame you to the wash soap. A great many wear an ordinary cotton work[40] shirt, relying for warmth on the underclothes. There is no great objection to this, except that flannel is better should you get rained on.
Underclothes
The true point of comfort is, however, your underwear. It should be of wool. I know that a great deal has been printed against it, and a great many hygienic principles are invoked to prove that linen, cotton, or silk are better. But experience with all of them merely leads back to the starting point. If one were certain never to sweat freely, and never to get wet, the theories might hold. But once let linen or cotton or silk undergarments get thoroughly moistened, the first chilly little wind is your undoing. You will shiver and shake before the hottest fire, and nothing short of a complete change and a rub-down will do you any good.
Now, of course in the wilderness you expect to undergo extremes of temperature, and occasionally to pass unprotected through a rainstorm or a stream. Then you will discover[41] that wool dries quickly; that even when damp it soon warms comfortably to the body. I have waded all day in early spring freshet water with no positive discomfort except for the cold ring around my legs which marked the surface of the water.
Wear Woolen Underclothes Always
And if you are wise, you will wear full long-sleeved woolen undershirts even on a summer trip. If it is a real trip, you are going to sweat anyway, no matter how you strip down to the work. And sooner or later the sun will dip behind a cloud or a hill; or a cool breezelet will wander to you resting on the slope; or the inevitable chill of evening will come out from the thickets to greet you—and you will be very glad of your woolen underwear.
A great many people go to the opposite extreme. They seem to think that because they are to live in the open air, they will probably freeze. As a consequence of this delusion, they purchase underclothes an inch thick. This is foolishness, not only because such a weight is unnecessary and unhealthful,[42] but also—even if it were merely a question of warmth—because one suit of thick garments is not nearly so warm as two suits of thin. Whenever the weather turns very cold on you, just put on the extra undershirt over the one you are wearing, and you will be surprised to discover how much warmth two gauze tissues—with the minute air space between them—can give. Therefore, though you must not fail to get full length woolen underclothes, you need not buy them of great weight. The thinnest Jaeger is about right.
The Laundry Problem
Two undershirts and three pairs of drawers are all you ever will need on the most elaborate trip. You perhaps cannot believe that until you have gotten away from the idea that laundry must be done all at once. In the woods it is much handier to do it a little at a time. Soap your outershirt at night; rinse it in the morning; dry it on top of your pack during the first two hours. In the meantime wear your sweater; or, if it is warm enough, appear in your undershirt.[43] When you change your underclothes—which should be one garment at a time—do the same thing. Thus always you will be possessed of a clean outfit without the necessity of carrying a lot of extras.
Trousers
The matter of trousers is an important one; for unless you are possessed of abundant means of transportation, those you have on will be all you will take. I used to include an extra pair, but got over it. Even when trout fishing I found that by the time I had finished standing around the fire cooking, or yarning, I might have to change the underdrawers, but the trousers themselves had dried well enough. And patches are not too difficult a maneuver.
Moleskin and Khaki
The almost universal wear in the West is the copper-riveted blue canvas overall. They are very good in that they wear well. Otherwise they are stiff and noisy in the brush. Kersey is excellent where much wading is to be done or much rainy weather encountered—in fact it is the favorite "driving" trousers with rivermen—but like all[44] woven woolen materials it "picks out" in bad brush. Corduroy I would not have as a gift. It is very noisy, and each raindrop that hits it spreads at once to the size of a silver dollar. I verily believe an able pair of corduroys can, when feeling good, soak up ten pounds of water. Good moleskin dries well, and until it begins to give out is soft and tough. But it is like the one-hoss shay: when it starts to go, it does the job up completely in a few days. The difficulty is to guess when that moment is due to arrive. Anything but the best quality is worthless. Khaki has lately come into popularity. It wears remarkably well, dries quickly, and is excellent in all but one particular: it shows every spot of dirt. A pair of khakis three days along on the trail look as though they had been out a year. The new green khaki is a little better. Buckskin is all right until you get it wet, then you have—temporarily—enough material to make three pairs and one for the boy.
The best trousers I know of is a combination[45] of the latter two materials. I bought a pair of the ordinary khaki army riding breeches, and had a tailor cover them completely—fore, aft, and sideways—with some good smoke-tanned buckskin I happened to have. It took a skin and a half. These I have worn now for three seasons, in all kinds of country, in all kinds of weather, and they are to-day as good as when I constructed them. In still hunting they are noiseless; horseback they do not chafe; in cold weather they are warm, and the hot sun they turn. The khaki holds the stretch of buckskin when wet—as they have been for a week at a time. Up to date the smoke tan has dried them soft. Altogether they are the most satisfactory garment of this kind I have experimented with.
There remains the equally important subject of footwear.
Socks
Get heavy woolen lumberman's socks, and wear them in and out of season. They are not one whit hotter on the feet than the thinnest you can buy, for the impervious[46] leather of the shoe is really what keeps in the animal heat—the sock has little to do with it. You will find the soft thick wool an excellent cushion for a long tramp; and with proper care to avoid wrinkles, you will never become tender-footed nor chafed. At first it seems ridiculous to draw on such thick and apparently hot socks when the sun peeping over the rim of the desert promises you a scorching day. Nothing but actual experience will convince you; but I am sure that if you will give the matter a fair test, you will come inevitably to my conclusion.
The Ideal Footwear
If a man were limited to a choice between moccasins and shoes, it would be very difficult to decide wisely which he should take. Each has its manifest advantages over the other, and neither can entirely take the place of the other.
The ideal footwear should give security, be easy on the feet, wear well, and give absolute protection. These qualities I have named approximately in the order of their importance.[47]
Security of footing
Security of footing depends on the nature of the ground over which you are traveling. Hobnails only will hold you on a slope covered with pine needles, for instance; both leather and buckskin there become as slippery as glass. In case of smooth rocks, however, your hobnails are positively dangerous, as they slide from under you with all the vicious force and suddenness of unaccustomed skates. Clean leather is much better, and buckskin is the best of all. Often in hunting deer along the ledges of the deep box cañons I, with my moccasins, have walked confidently up slants of smooth rock on which my hobnailed companion was actually forced to his hands and knees. Undoubtedly also a man carrying a pack through mixed forest is surer of his footing and less liable to turned ankles in moccasins than in boots. My experience has been that with the single exception mentioned, I have felt securer in the buckskin.
Ease
As for ease to the feet, that is of course a matter of opinion. Undoubtedly at first[48] the moccasin novice is literally a tenderfoot. But after astonishingly few days of practice a man no longer notices the lack of a sole. I have always worn moccasins more or less in the woods, and now can walk over pebbles or knife-edge stones without the slightest discomfort. In fact the absence of rolling and slipping in that sort of shifting footing turns the scale quite the other way.
"Mountain on mountain towering high,
And a valley in between"
Wear
The matter of wear is not so important. It would seem at first glance that the one thin layer of buckskin would wear out before the several thick layers of a shoe's sole. Such is not always the case. A good deal depends on the sort of ground you cover. If you wet moccasins, and then walk down hill with them over granite shale, you can get holes to order. Boots wear rapidly in the same circumstances. On the other hand I have on at this moment a pair of mooseskin moccasins purchased three years ago at a Hudson's Bay Company's post, which have seen two summers' off and on service in the Sierras. Barring extraordinary[49] conditions, I should say that each in its proper use, a pair of boots and a pair of moccasins would last about the same length of time. The moccasin, however, has this advantage: it can be readily patched, and even a half dozen extra pairs take up little room in the pack.
Waterproofing
Absolute protection must remain a tentative term. No footwear I have succeeded in discovering gives absolute protection. Where there is much work to be done in the water, I think boots are the warmest and most comfortable, though no leather is perfectly waterproof. Moccasins then become slimpsy, stretched, and loathsome. So likewise moccasins are not much good in damp snow, though in dry snow they are unexcelled.
In my own practice I wear boots on a horseback trip, and carry moccasins in my pack for general walking. In the woods I pack four pair of moccasins. In a canoe, moccasins of course.
About Boots
Do not make the common mistake of[50] getting tremendously heavy boots. They are clumsy to place, burdensome to carry, and stiff and unpliable to the chafing point. The average amateur woodsman seems to think a pair of elephantine brogans is the proper thing—a sort of badge of identification in the craft. If he adds big hobnails to make tracks with, he is sure of himself. A medium weight boot, of medium height, with medium heavy soles armed only with the small Hungarian hobnail is about the proper thing. Get them eight inches high; supplied with very large eyelets part way, then the heaviest hooks, finishing with two more eyelets at the top. The latter will prevent the belt-lacing you will use as shoestrings from coming unhooked.
You will see many advertisements of waterproof leather boots. No such thing is made. Some with good care will exclude water for a while, if you stay in it but a few minutes at a time, but sooner or later as the fibers become loosened the water will penetrate. In the case of the show window[51] exhibit of the shoe standing in a pan of water, pressure of the foot and ground against the leather is lacking, which of course makes all the difference. This porosity is really desirable. A shoe wholly waterproof would retain and condense the perspiration to such an extent that the feet would be as wet at the end of the day. Such is the case with rubber boots. All you want is a leather that will permit you to splash through a marsh, a pool, or a little stream, and will not seek to emulate blotting paper in its haste to become saturated.
The Most Durable Boots
Of the boots I have tried, and that means a good many, I think the Putman boot and the river driver's boot, made by A. A. Cutter of Eau Claire, Wis., are made of the most durable material. The Putman boot is the more expensive; and in the case of the three pairs I know of personally, the sewing has been defective. The material, however, wears remarkably well, and remains waterproof somewhat longer than any of the others. On the other hand the Cutter shoe[52] is built primarily for rivermen and timber cruisers of the northern forests, and is at once cheap and durable. It has a brace of sole leather about the heel which keeps the latter upright and prevents it running over. It is an easier shoe on the foot than any of the others, but does not remain waterproof quite so long as the Putman. Although, undoubtedly, many other makes are as good, you will not go astray in purchasing one of these two.
Rubber
No shoe is waterproof for even a short time in wet snow. Rubber is then the only solution, usually in the shape of a shoe rubber with canvas tops. Truth to tell, melting snow is generally so very cold that you will be little troubled with interior condensation. Likewise many years' experience in grouse hunting through the thickets and swamps of Michigan drove me finally to light hip rubber boots. The time was always the autumn; the place was always more or less muddy and wet—in spots of course—and there was always the greater or lesser possibility of[53] snow. My native town was a great grouse shooting center, and all hunters, old and young, came to the same conclusion.
But wet snow, such hunting, and of course the duck marsh, seem to me the only excuses for rubber. Trout fishing is more comfortable in woolen than in waders. The latter are clumsy and hot. I have known of two instances of drowning because the victims were weighted down by them. And I should much prefer getting wet from without than from within.
You will have your choice of three kinds of moccasin—the oil-tanned shoe pac, the deerhide, and the moosehide.
Shoe Pacs
The shoe pac is about as waterproof as the average waterproof shoe, and would be the best for all purposes were it not for the fact that its very imperviosity renders it too hot. In addition continuous wear affects the oil in the tanning process to produce rather an evil odor. The shoe pacs are very useful, however, and where I carry but two pairs of moccasins, one is of the oil tan.[54] Shoe pacs can be purchased of any sporting goods dealer.
Moccasins
The deerhide moccasin, in spite of its thinner texture, wears about as well as the moosehide, is less bulky to carry, but stretches more when wet and is not as easy on the feet. I use either sort as I happen to get hold of them. Genuine buckskin or moose is rather scarce. Commercial moccasins with the porcupine quills and "Souvenir of Mackinaw" on them are made by machinery out of sheepskin. They are absolutely useless, and last about long enough to get out of sight of the shop. A great majority of the moccasins sold as sportsman's supplies are likewise very bogus. My own wear I have always purchased of Hudson's Bay posts. Undoubtedly many reliable firms carry them; but I happen to know by personal experience that the Putman Boot Company of Minneapolis have the real thing.
Waistcoats
Proceeding to more outer garments, a waistcoat is a handy affair. In warm weather you leave it open and hardly know[55] you have it on; in cold weather you button it up, and it affords excellent protection. Likewise it possesses the advantage of numerous pockets. These you will have your women folk extend and deepen for you, until your compass, notebook, pipe, matches, and so forth fit nicely in them. As it is to be used as an outside garment, have the back lined. If you have shot enough deer to get around to waistcoats, nothing could be better by way of material than the ever-useful buckskin.
Waterproofs
I am no believer in waterproof garments. Once I owned a pantasote outer coat which I used to assume whenever it rained. Ordinarily when it is warm enough to rain, it is warm enough to cause you to perspire under the exertion of walking in a pantasote coat. This I discovered. Shortly I would get wet, and would be quite unable to decide whether the rain had soaked through from the outside or I had soaked through from the inside. After that I gave the coat away to a man who had not tried it, and was happy. If I[56] must walk in the rain I prefer to put on a sweater—the rough wool of which will turn water for some time and the texture of which allows ventilation. Then the chances are that even if I soak through I do not get a reactionary chill from becoming overheated.
Ponchos
In camp you will know enough to go in when it rains. When you have to sally forth you will thrust your head through the hole in the middle of your rubber blanket. When thus equipped the rubber blanket is known as a poncho, and is most useful because it can be used for two purposes.
Slickers
Horseback in a rainy country is, however, a different matter. There transportation is not on your back, but another's; and sitting a horse is not violent exercise. Some people like a poncho. I have always found its lower edge cold, clumsy, and wet, much inclined to blow about, and apt to soak your knees and the seat of your saddle. The cowboy slicker cannot be improved upon. It is different in build from the ordinary oilskin.[57] Call for a "pommel slicker," and be sure it is apparently about two sizes too large for you. Thus you will cover your legs. Should you be forced to walk, a belt around your waist will always enable you to tuck it up like a comic opera king. It is sure ludicrous to view, but that does not matter.
Chaparejos
Apropos of protecting your legs, there remains still the question of chaparejos or chaps. Unless you are likely to be called on to ride at some speed through thorny brush, or unless you expect to ride very wet indeed, they are a useless affectation. The cowboy needs them because he does a great deal of riding of the two kinds just mentioned. Probably you will not. I have had perhaps a dozen occasions to put them on. If you must have them, get either oil-tanned or hair chaps. Either of these sheds water like a tin roof. The hair chaps will not last long in a thorny country.
Gloves
You will need furthermore a pair of gloves of some sort, not for constant wear,[58] nor merely for warmth, but to protect you in the handling of pack ropes, lead ropes, and cooking utensils. A good buckskin gauntlet is serviceable, as the cuffs keep the cold breezes from playing along your forearm to your shoulder, and exclude the dust. When you can get hold of the army gauntlet, as you sometimes can in the military stores, buy them. Lacking genuine buckskin, the lighter grades of "asbestos" yellow tan are the best. They cost about two dollars. To my notion a better rig is an ordinary pair of short gloves, supplemented by the close-fitting leather cuffs of a cowboy's outfit. The latter hold the wrist snugly, exclude absolutely chill and dirt, and in addition save wear and soiling of the shirt cuff. They do not pick up twigs, leaves, and rubbish funnel wise, as a gauntlet cuff is apt to do.
That, I think, completes your wearing apparel. Let us now take up the contents of your pockets, and your other personal belongings.[59]
SUMMARY
Minimum for comfort Maximum Felt hat Felt hat Silk kerchief Silk kerchief Waistcoat Waistcoat Buckskin shirt or sweater Buckskin shirt and sweater Gray flannel shirt Gray flannel shirt 2 undershirts and drawers 2 undershirts, 3 drawers
(includes one suit you wear) Trousers—buckskin over khaki Trousers 3 pairs heavy socks 4 pairs socks 3 pairs moccasins 1 pair boots or Moccasins 1 pair boots Slicker 1 pair moccasins Gloves and leather cuffs Gloves and leather cuffs
[63]
CHAPTER IV
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT
(Continued)
Matches
MATCHES, knife, and a compass are the three indispensables. By way of ignition you will take a decided step backward from present-day civilization in that you will pin your faith to the old sulphur "eight-day" matches of your fathers. This for several reasons. In the first place they come in blocks, unseparated, which are easily carried without danger of rubbing one against the other. In the second place, they take up about a third the room the same number of wooden matches would require. In the third place, they are easier to light in a wind, for they do not flash up and out, but persist. And finally, if wet, they can be spread out and dried in the sun, which is the most important of all. So buy you a nickel's worth of sulphur matches.
[64]
One of the mishaps to be expected
Match Safes
The main supply you will pack in some sort of waterproof receptacle. I read a story recently in which a man was recognized as a true woodsman because he carried his matches in a bottle. He must have had good luck. The cardinal principle of packing is never to carry any glassware. Ninety and nine days it may pass safely, but the hundredth will smash it as sure as some people's shooting. And then you have jam, or chili powder, or syrup, or whiskey, all over the place—or else no matches. Any good screw top can—or better still, two telescoping tubes—is infinitely better.
The day's supply you will put in your pocket. A portion can go in a small waterproof match safe; but as it is a tremendous nuisance to be opening such a contrivance every time you want a smoke, I should advise you to stick a block in your waistcoat pocket, where you can get at them easily. If you are going a-wading, and pockets are precarious, you will find your hat band handy.[65]
The waterproof pocket safe is numerous on the market. A ten-gauge brass shell will just chamber a twelve-gauge. Put your matches in the twelve-gauge, and telescope the ten over it. Abercrombie & Fitch, of New York, make a screw top safe of rubber, which has the great advantage of floating if dropped, but it is too bulky and the edges are too sharp. The Marble safe, made by the Marble Axe Company, is ingenious and certainly waterproof; but if it gets bent in the slightest degree, it jams, and you can no longer screw it shut. Therefore I consider it useless for this reason. A very convenient and cheap emergency contrivance is the flint and steel pocket cigar lighter to be had at most cigar stores. With it as a reserve you are sure of a fire no matter how wet the catastrophe.
Knives
Your knife should be a medium size two-bladed affair, of the best quality. Do not get it too large and heavy. You can skin and quarter a deer with an ordinary jackknife. Avoid the "kit" knives. They are mighty[66] handy contraptions. I owned one with two blades, a thoroughly practicable can opener, an awl or punch, a combined reamer, nail pull and screwdriver, and a corkscrew. It was a delight for as long as it lasted. The trouble with such knives is that they are too round, so that sooner or later they are absolutely certain to roll out of your pocket and be lost. It makes no difference how your pockets are constructed, nor how careful you are, that result is inevitable. Then you will feel badly—and go back to your old flat two-bladed implement that you simply cannot lose.
Sheath Knives
A butcher knife of good make is one of the best and cheapest of sheath knives. The common mistake among amateur hunters is that of buying too heavy a knife with too thick a blade. Unless you expect to indulge in hand to hand conflicts, or cut brush, such a weapon is excessive. I myself have carried for the last seven years a rather thin and broad blade made by the Marble Axe Company on the butcher knife pattern. This[67] company advertises in its catalogue a knife as used by myself. They are mistaken. The knife I mean is a longer bladed affair, called a "kitchen or camp knife." It is a most excellent piece of steel, holds an edge well, and is useful alike as a camp and hunting knife. The fact that I have killed some thirty-four wild boars with it shows that it is not to be despised as a weapon.
Compasses
Your compass should be large enough for accuracy, with a jewel movement. Such an instrument can be purchased for from one to two dollars. It is sheer extravagance to go in for anything more expensive unless you are a yachtsman or intend to run survey lines.
Concerning Guns
I have hesitated much before deciding to say anything whatever of the sporting outfit. The subject has been so thoroughly discussed by men so much more competent than myself; there are so many theories with which I confess myself not at all conversant, and my own experience has been so limited in the variety of weapons and tackle, that I[68] hardly felt qualified to speak. However, I reflected that this whole series of articles does not pretend to be in any way authoritative, nor does it claim to present the only or the best equipment in any branch of wilderness travel, but only to set forth the results of my own twenty years more or less of pretty steady outdoor life. So likewise it may interest the reader to hear about the contents of my own gunrack, even though he himself would have chosen much more wisely.
My Rifle
My rifle is a.30-.40 box magazine Winchester, with Lyman sights. This I have heard is not a particularly accurate gun. Also it is stated that after a few hundred shots it becomes still more inaccurate because of a residue which only special process can remove from the rifling. This may be. I only know that my own rifle to-day, after ten years' service, will still shoot as closely as I know how to hold it, although it has sixty-four notches on its stock and has probably been fired first and last—at big game,[69] small game, and targets—upward of a thousand times. I use the Lyman aperture sight except in the dusk of evening, when a folding bar sight takes its place. At the time I bought this rifle the.33 and.35 had not been issued, and I thought, and still think, the.30-.30 too light for sure work on any animal larger than a deer. I have never used the.35, but like the.33 very much. The old low-power guns I used to shoot a great deal, but have not for some years.
Pistol a Handy Weapon
The handiest weapon for a woods trip where small game is plentiful is a single-shot pistol. Mine is a Smith & Wesson, blued, six-inch barrel, shooting the.22 caliber long-rifle cartridge. An eight-inch barrel is commonly offered by the sporting dealers, but the six-inch is practically as accurate, and less cumbersome to carry. The ammunition is compact and light. With this little pistol I have killed in plenty ducks, geese, grouse, and squirrels, so that at times I have gone two or three months without the necessity of shooting a larger weapon. Such a pistol[70] takes practice, however, and a certain knack. You must keep at it until you can get four out of five bullets in a three-inch bull's-eye at twenty yards before you can even hope to accomplish much in the field.
Revolver Experiences
My six-shooter is a.45 Colt, New Service model. It is fitted with Lyman revolver sights. Originally it was a self-cocker, but I took out the dog and converted it to single action. The trigger pull on the double action is too heavy for me, and when I came to file it down, I found the double action caused a double jerk disconcerting to steady holding. Now it goes off smoothly and almost at a touch—the only conditions under which I can do much with a revolver. It is a very reliable weapon indeed, balances better than the single-action model, and possesses great smashing power. I have killed three deer in their tracks with it, and much smaller game. This summer, however, I had the opportunity of shooting a good deal with two I like better. One is the Officer's Model Colt, chambered to shoot interchangeably[71] either the.38 Colt long or short, or the.38 Smith & Wesson special. In finish it is a beautiful weapon, its grip fits the hand, its action is smooth, and it is wonderfully accurate. The other is the special target.44 Russian. The automatics I do not care for simply because I never learned to shoot with the heavier trigger pull necessary to their action.
Shot Guns
I have two shotguns. One I have shot twenty-one years. It has killed thousands of game birds, is a hard hitter, throws an excellent pattern, and is as strong and good as the day it was bought. I use it to-day for every sort of shooting except ducks, though often I have had it in the blinds lacking the heavier weapon. It is doubtful if there are in use to-day many guns with longer service, counting not so much the mere years of its performance, as the actual amount of hunting it has done. The time of its construction was before the days of the hammerless. It was made by W. & C. Scott & Sons, is 16 gauge, and cost $125. My other is a heavily[72] choked Parker twelve. It I use for wild fowl, and occasionally at the trap.
The main point with guns, no matter what the kind, is to keep them in good shape. After shooting, clean them, no matter how tired you may be. It is no great labor. In the field a string cleaner will do the business, but at once when you get to permanent camp use a rod and elbow grease. In a damp country, oil them afresh every day; so they will give you good service. The barrels of my 16 are as bright as new. The cleaning rods you can put in your leather fishing-rod case.
Duffle Bags
Now all these things of which we have |
1977) was an American investment dealer and golf administrator.[2]
Early years [ edit ]
Born in Morning Sun, Iowa, Roberts had a financially troubled family life as a boy. He and older brother, John Darious Roberts, left school before graduation after beating up the school's principal. He worked as a successful, traveling clothing salesman, then as a promoter of speculative oil and gas leases and production. A large commission in the oil and gas industry, made in 1921, provided the financial means to become a Wall-Street stock broker, a career he followed for the remainder of his life.[3][4]
Augusta National Golf Club [ edit ]
Roberts served as Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club from 1931 through 1976, and was named "Chairman in Memoriam" after his death. He also served as Chairman of the Masters Tournament from 1934 through 1976.[5][6]
An investment banker on Wall Street from the late 1920s, Roberts was a partner with Reynolds & Company. He and Bobby Jones were co-founders of the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. In the early years, they personally extended invitations to the tournament. Roberts' friendship with President Dwight Eisenhower led to the Eisenhowers making Augusta National their retreat during the 1950s.
Roberts was sometimes described as a 'benevolent dictator'. Roberts received many awards and honors during his lifetime, including service on the PGA Advisory Committee from its inception in 1943 until his death, appointment by the United States Golf Association to serve on the Bob Jones Award Selection Committee, and election to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978. He was the author of The Story of the Augusta National Golf Club, published in 1976, and a subject of a book titled The Making of the Masters, Clifford Roberts, Augusta National, and Golf's Most Prestigious Tournament by David Owen, published in 1999.[4]
It was not until 1975 that tour pro Lee Elder became the first black person to play in the Masters Tournament (although he was not the first non-white person to compete; Sukree Onsham of Thailand played in 1970 and 1971). Roberts is quoted as saying "to make an exception would be practicing discrimination in reverse." Lee Elder later said, "I don't want anything special. I will make it on my own."
According to The New York Times, another comment attributed to Roberts is: "As long as I'm alive, all the golfers will be white and all the caddies will be black."[7][8]
At the end of the Monday playoff in 1966, CBS commentator Jack Whitaker referred to the energetic crowd on the 18th fairway following the three players as a "mob" and he was banned by Roberts until 1972.[9][10]
Death [ edit ]
A year after stepping down, Roberts committed suicide by gunshot in 1977 on the banks of Ike's Pond on the Par-3 course at Augusta National.[11] At age 83, he had been in ill health for several months with cancer and had a debilitating stroke.[12][13] Both of his parents had also committed suicide.[2]
Several weeks later, a bronze plaque in his honor was unveiled at the clubhouse entrance.[2][1]
Video [ edit ]
You Tube – Clifford Roberts interview"Just so you know," my fiancee said to me, "you're going to lose me to SimCity."
This was no idle threat. Throughout our relationship I had already lost her to Skyrim for roughly 150 hours and to Diablo III for something approximating that. I am happy to play a game for a few hours and then move on to the next one. She plays fewer games, but exhausts every last drop of enjoyment out of them in marathon sessions that would make Rand Paul blush. This was my fair warning that she expected SimCity, the first edition of the classic metropolis-building simulator in 10 years, to be one of those releases with her sleeping about three hours a night, more as a formality than anything else.
She'd played the beta, her city falling victim to meteor showers and zombie attacks. She knew how to avoid those mistakes at the big show. She'd conspired with our friends Dan and Stan to link their cities up to form Danville, Stanville and Wedgeville, collectively the Tri-State Area. She was ready to stop dreaming and start building.
As you might imagine, this is not what happened next. Electronic Arts' long-awaited release of SimCity on Tuesday should have been an occasion for a worldwide collective all-nighter of urban planning, a nonstop bacchanal of factory building, endless intricate min-maxing of grids of pavement. 12 a.m. Eastern Tuesday morning should have been SimCity's finest hour.
Instead, the whole operation seized up and shit the bed. EA, a technology company with a market capitalization of over $5 billion, could not muster the online servers necessary to handle an influx of players looking to build their cities. This was entirely a problem of EA's own making, as SimCity was not designed with an offline mode. Even if you don't want to team up with others and join your cities together, you can't just build your personal metropolitan layouts in peace: Every player must be constantly connected online, as a draconian step to crack down on piracy of this PC-only game.
Hey, launch hiccups happen, right? Everybody all tries to connect at once, servers get throttled, and you figure out a way to make it work. Trouble is, as of this writing EA hasn't figured out a thing. SimCity is still totally busted. It's difficult to log in: Nearly all of the servers are full, and when a player does find one that's available, attempting to log in usually throws back an error. And you can't try again until a 20-minute counter finishes ticking down.
Ah, but if the servers are full, that means at least some people are playing the game, right? Yes, but not really. Players are finding that the servers, choking to death on the player load, aren't saving their game progress. After spending hours playing through the game, many players are confronted with an error screen, forcing them to choose to either roll back their city to a previous save point or trash the whole thing.
In other words, SimCity is currently in the midst of a disaster that makes zombie attacks and nuclear meltdowns seem tame. Electronic Arts' attempts to fix the problem have not only been unsuccessful, they've been making the SimCity blackout even worse, at least from a public relations standpoint: EA said Thursday that it would actually begin removing features from the game in an attempt to get it to run. At first it was non-core features like achievements and high score leaderboards. By the end of the day EA had ripped out the "Cheetah" gameplay mode, which speeds up the passage of time so you can develop your city more quickly.
What's next? Will EA determine that the skyscrapers are just too tall?
In response to Wired's request for comment, an EA spokesperson referred us to a blog post by SimCity senior producer Kip Katsarelis, who wrote that Electronic Arts would be adding new servers until the player base could be fully accommodated, and that it would prioritize stabilizing this situation before it turned the game's features back on. She did not give a timeframe for the resolution.
There won't be any long-term repercussions, my now long-suffering fiancee said as we drove to work Thursday morning, as the blackout stretched into its third day. There had certainly been short-term ones: On Metacritic, the game currently has over 1800 user reviews that average out to a 1.7 out of 10. And Amazon removed both the downloadable and physical versions of the game from its store, with a note that reads, in part, "at this time we do not know when the issue will be fixed."
But once this is all solved, she said, it'll be like nothing happened. She has a point. This is hardly the first DRM-related controversy that's come up as a new game was released. Remember the great wailing and rending of garments over the launch of Half-Life 2 in 2004? That game simply required you to pop on Valve's server for a split-second to do a one-time confirmation that you had a genuine game, and then you could get to playing. But gamers, used to instant gratification, were up in arms when this process resulted in some slight delays. "Message boards on Half-Life 2 fan sites were buzzing with talk about the delays and the frustration people felt about being kept from playing," the BBC News reported at the time. It reported that fake programs promising to unlock your copy of Half-Life but that actually contained a virus were spreading around to impatient players.
And now? The once-reviled Steam service, required to play Half-Life and looked upon as useless bloatware in 2004, is now a beloved addition to any gamer's desktop. Half-Life 2 was celebrated as the game of the year.
To take a more recent (and more closely analogous) example, there was Blizzard's launch of Diablo III last spring. The situation was almost exactly the same: Fans, already upset that Blizzard required them to be connected online to play the role-playing game, got their games home and encountered what would become known as Error 37, a full-to-bursting server that rejected their advances. What happened then? Within a few days, Blizzard solved the problems and all frustrations were quickly forgotten. Diablo III went on to sell 12 million copies in 2012, the biggest PC game of the year by a country mile.
The lesson there was: If you screw up and don't properly plan for the launch of your service, so what? If the game's good enough, players will stop complaining the second they get in.
Of course, Diablo didn't also have the issue of erasing players' progress. Another recent game that did was Ubisoft's PC version of Assassin's Creed II, released in 2010. If your internet connection dropped during play for some reason, you'd immediately lose all your progress since the last save point.
What happened there? In fact, the bad PR and outcry from fans over an anti-piracy scheme that seemed to hurt legitimate players far more than it did pirates caused Ubisoft to reconsider. By the next year, it had dropped the always-online schemes, and Assassin's Creed III only required a single activation.
So maybe there's a chance that this debacle, whenever it ends, will conclude with Electronic Arts allowing players to enjoy the game without having to connect online. Or maybe EA is willing to suffer through weeks of terrible optics if it means achieving the long-term goal of converting traditionally single-player genres into online experiences. And SimCity is pretty good. The Metacritic user scores might be low, but the reviews from writers who played it before the public got in and overloaded everything were universally positive. So it all might blow over, in the end, with nothing changed.
Either way, I'll know when the worst is truly over: It'll be when I look around and realize I haven't seen my fiancee in days. Then everything will be fine.A man and a woman were killed over the weekend after the tire assembly of a semi-truck struck a vehicle they were riding in on Interstate 94 near Portage Road in southwestern Michigan.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, Portage police responded to a vehicle accident on eastbound I-94, according to a news release from the Portage Department of Public Safety. An investigation revealed a wheel/tire assembly from a westbound semi had came off its axle and careened over the median into eastbound traffic.
The assembly struck a 2013 Honda Accord carrying three people from Illinois, the release said.
The back-seat passenger, identified as Rebecca Avery, 67, of Glenview, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Honda, Michael Ditewig, 34, of Chicago, was taken in critical condition to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was pronounced dead Sunday afternoon, the release said.
A third woman, who was in the front passenger seat, was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the release said.
Eastbound I-94 was shut down for nearly four hours after the accident, which remains under investigation.Recently a grad student in journalism at Concordia University contacted me to ask a few questions about the state of drinking water in First Nations communities. I’d been meaning to eventually write a piece on the issue, but her shock at what she had been learning reminded me yet again that many Canadians are totally unaware of conditions that most native people are all-too familiar with.
The term ‘potable water’ is often used when discussing various water purification initiatives in other countries. I think it’s safe to say that most Canadians would feel that potable water is a settled issue in this country, and that every person living here has (and should have) clean drinking water. Unfortunately, such is not the case for thousands of indigenous people. One of Canada’s dirty secrets is just how bad the water situation is, and has been, for so many aboriginal communities.
Let us first take a look at the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines, put out by Health Canada:
Canadian drinking water supplies are generally of excellent quality. However, water in nature is never “pure.” It picks up bits and pieces of everything it comes into contact with, including minerals, silt, vegetation, fertilizers, and agricultural run-off. While most of these substances are harmless, some may pose a health risk. To address this risk, Health Canada works with the provincial and territorial governments to develop guidelines that set out the maximum acceptable concentrations of these substances in drinking water. These drinking water guidelines are designed to protect the health of the most vulnerable members of society, such as children and the elderly. The guidelines set out the basic parameters that every water system should strive to achieve in order to provide the cleanest, safest and most reliable drinking water possible.
Thus, ‘clean’ in relation to water is quantifiable. Note that while Health Canada in its federal capacity issues guidelines and procedural documents, the ultimate responsibility for water safety lies in the hands of the provincial and territorial governments. This of course makes it more difficult to get a sense of what is going on with water supplies in Canada. In addition, First Nations are a federal concern, and sometimes so are the Inuit. (The federal government has long denied responsibility for Métis, in case you were wondering.) I point this out so that you understand the following discussion is not going to be as clear, or simple, as you may have hoped.
What is a water advisory?
According to the Health Canada there are basically two types of water advisories:
Boil Water Advisory ( BWA ): An advisory issued to the public when the water in a community’s water system is contaminated with faecal pollution indicator organisms (such as Escherichia coli) or when water quality is questionable due to operational deficiencies (such as inadequate chlorine residual). Under these circumstances, bringing the water to a rolling boil for at least one minute will render it safe for human consumption (Health Canada, 2008a). Do Not Consume Advisory: An advisory issued to the public when the water in a community’s water system contains a contaminant, such as a chemical, that cannot be removed from the water by boiling (Health Canada, 2008a).
The Snapshot
Water advisories are not limited to First Nations. At any given time there are upwards of 1400 water advisories issued throughout Canada. Water security in this country is something that should concern everyone. Nonetheless, the severity and duration of water advisories in First Nations communities is nothing short of scandalous.
Health Canada reports that as of September 30, 2012, there were 116 First Nations communities across Canada under a Drinking Water Advisory. That is nearly 20% of all First Nations communities. This number has stayed pretty steady over the years. Between 1995 and 2007, one quarter of all of water advisories in First Nations lasted longer than a year. Sixty-five percent of these ‘long-duration’ water advisories lasted more than two years. One of the reserves I grew up by, the Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation, has been on a boil water advisory since 2007.
Another aspect of this problem is the fact that some First Nations do not have running water at all, and thus are not counted when water advisories are tallied. In Manitoba alone, 10% of First Nations have no water service. Across Canada, there are 1,800 reserve homes lacking water service and 1,777 homes lacking sewage service.
Since water advisories can be lifted if conditions improve even temporarily, a community can have the same water advisory in place for an extended period of time or may experience a series of advisories without the situation truly improving much. Neskantaga First Nation, bordering the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario has been on a boil water advisory since 1995. You can read about that community as well as five others in this Polaris Institute publication, Boiling Point.
Information is hard to come by
In 2011, Global News published an interactive map showing all the water advisories in First Nations communities at that time, as well as the duration of those advisories. The article accompanying this map does an excellent job of describing the nature of water advisories.
Note that in order to create this map, Global News had to submit an Access to Information request. That is because although Health Canada does keep track of water advisories that are issued throughout Canada, it does not provide a list that is available to the public. The only way to find out if there is a water advisory in place is to track media releases or find out after the fact through Access to Information.
Or that would be the only way, if it weren’t for the Water Chronicles, which tracks water advisories across the country and publishes them in an interactive map. The Water Chronicles divides water advisories into four categories: do not consume, boil water, water shortage and cyanobacteria bloom. Why we have to count on a volunteer research group to monitor this situation on a national level for us instead of having the information consolidated on the Health Canada site, I cannot fathom.
Why is potable water out of reach for so many First Nations communities?
Hopefully right now you’re asking yourself, how is this even possible? Well, the issue has been studied intensively. In 2005, the Auditor General of Canada issued a report on drinking water in First Nations communities. Basically, here’s how it works:
AANDC provides the funds for designing, constructing and maintaining water systems in First Nations.
Health Canada helps monitor water quality.
First Nations are responsible for getting the construction done and the maintenance in place.
“Aha!” you say, “so if people still don’t have clean drinking water in First Nations communities, it’s because the leaders are corrupt and stole the money and didn’t build anything properly!”
Well dear reader of the National Post or Globe and Mail, it’s not that simple at all. The Auditor General identified a number of problem areas:
No laws and regulations governing the provision of drinking water in First Nations communities, unlike other communities.
The design, construction, operation, and maintenance of many water systems is still deficient.
The technical help available to First Nations to support and develop their capacity to deliver safe drinking water is fragmented.
It is AANDC who defines the construction codes and standards applicable to the design and construction of water systems in First Nations communities, and the Auditor General found that these codes and standards are extremely inconsistent and poorly followed up on. In addition, the AG found that water testing by Health Canada is also inconsistent, hampering the ability to detect problems in water quality before a crisis arises. Added to this, most of those operating water treatment plant operators in First Nations are not properly trained for their position.
What has to happen?
This is not a problem that can be solved with a one-pronged approach. More money without addressing the regulatory gap and without ensuring capacity within the communities to ensure successful and safe operation of water service facilities has not, and cannot work. Yet despite a 2007 report by the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples saying basically the same thing, not enough progress has yet been made on these issues. If your question is, “what needs to happen?” then let’s review the Senate Committee’s recommendations:
RECOMMENDATION 1: That the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development provide for a professional audit of water system facilities, as well as an independent needs assessment, with First Nations representation, of both the physical assets and human resource needs of individual First Nations communities in relation to the delivery of safe drinking water prior to the March 2008 expiration of the First Nations Water Management Strategy; That, upon completion of the independent needs assessment, the Department dedicate the necessary funds to provide for all identified resource needs of First Nations communities in relation to the delivery of safe drinking water; That a comprehensive plan for the allocation of monies from said funds be completed by June 2008; and That, upon completion of the comprehensive plan, the Department provide a copy to this Committee and appear before it to report on its contents. RECOMMENDATION 2: That the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development undertake a comprehensive consultation process with First Nations communities and organizations regarding legislative options, including those set out in reports of the Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water and the Assembly of First Nations, with a view to collaboratively developing such legislation.
Has any of that been done yet?
In April of 2011, Neegan Burnside provided the independent needs assessment recommended by both the Auditor General and the Senate Committee, providing us finally with a more accurate view of what the situation is and what needs exist. Almost all First Nations participated in the study (97%). AANDC provided a Fact Sheet in July of 2011, laying out the summary of the report. Since people often focus on cost, here is what the report recommended:
Having assessed the risk level of each system, the contractor identified the financial cost to meet the department’s protocols for safe water and wastewater. The total estimated cost is $1.2 billion which includes, amongst other factors, the development of better management practices, improved operator training, increasing system capacity, and the construction of new infrastructure when required. The contractor also projected the cost, over 10 years, of ensuring that water and wastewater systems for First Nations are able to grow with First Nation communities. Including the aforementioned $1.2 billion to meet the department’s current protocols, the contractor’s projections for the cost of new servicing is $4.7 billion.
Problems with proposed legislation
Bill S-11, the Safe Water for First Nations Act was introduced in May of 2010, but the much-awaited federal legislation recommended by the Auditor General and the Senate Committee met with criticism for not having been produced with actual consultation with First Nations.
Bill-11 was replaced in February of this year with Bill s-8. Critics of this bill point out that there is no funding formula included and call it a ‘piecemeal’ approach that does not respect Aboriginal rights. The Canadian Environmental Law Association submitted a briefing note to the Senate Committee pointing out three problem areas with the proposed legislation:
the bill does not respect constitutionally protected Aboriginal rights there is no long-term vision for First Nations water resource management First Nations governance structures are not being respected
A legal analysis of the Bill commissioned by the Assembly of First Nations raises similar concerns (and is an excellent summary of the whole issue really).
As the Ontario Native Women’s Association points out, there is still no mechanism in place to ensure that development of regulations related to water in First Nations is a joint process, rather than merely top-down one.
This relationship has to change if things are ever going to improve
The top-down approach reflected in this proposed legislation HAS. NOT. WORKED. The water crisis in First Nations communities is not some recent development, but rather a chronic problem which was caused in great part by the failure of the federal government to bring First Nations into this process as partners.
For years Canada lacked a proper understanding of the scope of the problem, but that can no longer be used as an excuse. We now have the most comprehensive study ever done on the issue. We know where we need to go.
First Nations are working hard to develop a national strategy. Canadians and the Canadian government need to join this process. The need is pressing, and that cannot be forgotten. All Canadians need to be aware of the severity of the problem, and I would further ask that they stand with us as we ask to be consulted properly in any proposed solution.
Water security is an issue everyone living in this country faces, and access to clean drinking water has long been considered a basic human right. Guaranteeing that right is going to take a population becoming more informed on the issues and more vocal in its insistence that access to water not be sacrificed in the name of economic development. Building relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis is a vital part of developing a national strategy that works for everyone.
A much shorter version of this article was published on HuffPost.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte officials are attempting to “change the narrative” after violent protests in the city following the shooting death of a black man at the hands of police officers.
At a news conference in reaction to official statements, regional civil rights leaders speaking on behalf of the family said the narrative is right, and police killed an innocent man.
Violence erupts in Charlotte after cops kill man
Kerr Putney, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, said at a press conference Wednesday morning that Keith Lamont Scott, 43, had a gun in his hand when he was shot by police officers. A family member has claimed he was unarmed and reading a book when officers first approached him.
“I can tell you a weapon was seized,” Putney said. “I can tell you we did not find a book.”
Putney said there is video of the incident, but he had not viewed all of it, and was basing his assessment on witness and police statements.
On Tuesday, Putney said officers were executing a search for a man with outstanding warrants when they witnessed Scott get into a car with a handgun. Scott was not the man they were looking for, but police engaged him when he then got out of and back into the car with the gun, Putney said.
Brentley Vinson Liberty University
Officers approached Scott and gave him multiple warnings to drop the weapon, Putney said. Scott then attempted to get out of the vehicle with the gun in his hand, which is when he was shot by Officer Brentley Vinson, who is black and has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure in such cases. Vinson has been with the department for two years.
CBS Charlotte affiliate WBTV reports Vinson is a second-generation police officer in Charlotte.
Putney said officers called for medical help immediately after the shooting. He said he hoped a thorough explanation of the shooting will help calm the unrest in the city.
“It’s time to change the narrative,” Putney said Wednesday. “The story is a little bit different than it’s been portrayed so far.”
Putney may have been speaking in response to a woman claiming to be Scott’s daughter, who streamed the aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook, saying, “The police just shot my daddy four times for being black.”
The video has already been viewed more than half a million times and shows frustration building from members of the community, looking for answers.
“A life has been lost today, a life was taken and y’all want to block everybody out!” one community member said in a Facebook video.
Scott’s sister said he was unarmed and was reading a book while waiting for his son to get off the school bus, when police approached him.
“They jumped out their truck. They said, ‘Hands up! He got a gun! He got a gun!’ Pow, pow, pow, pow,” she said. “That’s it. He had no gun.”
At a news conference following the press availability of Charlotte officials, John C. Barnett, a civil rights activist who said he was speaking on behalf of the family, said Scott was just waiting at the bus stop for his kid when officers approached him.
Barnett and other civil rights leaders said that while they don’t encourage violent protests, they understood why people in Charlotte are on edge. He cited as an example the shooting of Jonathan Farrell, an unarmed former college football player shot 12 times by police in Charlotte after he left his wrecked car seeking help from a nearby home.
Barnett said the Scott shooting was part of a larger pattern of injustice.
An outspoken leader of the Nation of Islam, B.J. Murphy, called for an economic boycott of Charlotte at the press conference over the Scott shooting.
Murphy said that if black lives don’t matter, black money shouldn’t matter.
Court records indicate that Scott had a criminal record including an assault conviction.
Mecklenburg County records matching Keith Lamont Scott’s name and birth date show Scott was charged in April 2004 with multiple counts, including felony assault with a deadly weapon. Records show that most of the charges were dismissed, and he pleaded guilty to a single charge of misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon.
Records from nearby Gaston County show that Scott pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in 2015.
A woman who identified herself as an advocate for Scott’s family, Annette Albright, said at a news conference that he shouldn’t be “re-victimized” because of things he did in the past.
She told reporters: “What he was doing at the time of the shooting is what’s relevant.”Updated: 12:30 p.m. ET
PBS’ “FRONTLINE” this week details Washington, D.C.’s recent budget battles, with one scene taking a look at a speech during which President Obama’s eviscerated Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget.In the April 2011 speech at George Washington University, Obama sharply criticized Ryan’s proposal to privatize Medicare, saying, “It’s a vision that says America can’t afford to keep the promise we’ve made to care for our seniors. It says that ten years from now, if you’re a 65 year old who’s eligible for Medicare, you should have to pay nearly $6,400 more than you would today. It says instead of guaranteed health care, you will get a voucher. And if that voucher isn’t worth enough to buy insurance, tough luck – you’re on your own. Put simply, it ends Medicare as we know it.”
Ryan called the speech a “partisan broadside,” and other Republican leaders voiced similar sentiments.
According to the “FRONTLINE” report, top administration officials didn’t expect Ryan to attend the speech. The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza reported in August 2012 that the White House invited Ryan and gave him a V.I.P. seat for the speech.
Bill Daley, the White House chief of staff at the time, tried to warn Obama of Ryan’s presence, but didn’t get to him in time. And with the bright lights shining on stage, blocking his view of the crowd, the President went ahead with his critique.
“I mean, Jesus, it was heavy,” former Sen. Alan Simpson told FRONTLINE. “He didn’t use Ryan’s name, he just made fun of anyone who could propose anything like what he had read recently as a proposal presented to the House Republican leadership that did this to old people, and it went on and on. It was tough. And it was nasty.”
White House economic adviser Gene Sperling chased Ryan down after the speech. “All I was trying to do was to let him know that — that we didn’t know they were coming,” Sperling told FRONTLINE. “His response was that he felt the President had ‘poisoned the well.'”
The episode, titled “Cliffhanger,” airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, coinciding with Obama’s State of the Union address. It details the budget clashes to come, following the fiscal cliff deal, and covers House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) disappointment after his “Plan B” fiscal cliff proposal failed.
Watch the clip:Facebook founder, chairman and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: Getty Images
Earlier this week Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg made headlines for his response to commenter Darlene Hackemer Loretto who wrote that she encourages her granddaughters to "date the nerd in school (because) he may turn out to be Mark Zuckerberg".
The magnate - and new, first-time father of a daughter - deflected the supposed compliment, suggesting "Even better would be to encourage them to *be* the nerd in school so they can be the next successful inventor."
Vox's Emily Crockett praised Zuckerberg's response as "a fantastic affirmation for girls who grow up reading stories where the boys are the ones on hero's quests and the girls are there to fall in love with them". Bustle's Marissa Higgins called it an "awesome feminist statement about women and tech".
Indeed, Zuckerberg was right to gently chide Loretto; it's arcane to suggest that girls aspire to mere proximity to "nerdiness", which she and Zuckerberg seem to be defining as success in science, technology, engineering and math. But Loretto's statement bugged me for other reasons: I'm just really sick of "nerds" still being set forth as idealised relationship partners.
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"Date the nerd" isn't novel advice but it's certainly destructive advice. It presumes that "nerds", by sheer virtue of their intellect - and the earning potential it intimates - are the best suitors for the lovelorn to pursue. Besides the way the advice masculinises intellect, it also ignores that smart men aren't necessarily kind men or that intellect and earning potential aren't the only traits necessary for successful romantic partnerships.
Loretto isn't unique in her reasoning. The "date the nerd" trope is about as as old as the existence of the term "nerd" in popular culture. Two of my all-time favourite films employ it.
The first is 1944's Miracle at Morgan Creek, in which a homely, dutiful young man, Norville (Eddie Bracken), keeps confessing undying love to his lifelong neighbour, a blonde bombshell named Trudy (Betty Hutton). Popular Trudy wants nothing to do with nerdy Norville until she finds herself "in the family way" and Norville steps up to marry her and claim her unborn. Trudy is deeply contrite and grateful; Norville is portrayed as the noble, generous hero. The moral: Cool guys abandon you; marry the nerd.
In 1961's Splendor in the Grass, Bud, the dashing wealthy hometown hero type, pressures his girlfriend Deanie (Natalie Wood) to have sex. When she doesn't relent, he cheats, setting off a downward spiral for Deanie. Later, though, Bud (Warren Beatty) ends up living in relative squalor and Deanie sets off to marry a med student. The message: Once again, cute jocks are cads; marry the nerd.
1984's Revenge of the Nerds, in which a group of brilliant but socially ostracised men set out to gain social acceptance - and dates - and achieve their goals, is, of course, the crowning achievement of "date the nerd" trope-pushers. But the film rightfully faced its share of backlash.
In 2014, Arthur Chu pointed out in the Daily Beast that idealising nerds has resulted in misogynistic entitlement. "We are not the lovable nerdy protagonist who's lovable because he's the protagonist," Chu writes, asserting that media's long fixation on telling nerds that their smarts and social awkwardness should be women's preferred traits is deeply problematic.
For decades of film and television, handsomeness has suggested caddishness while homeliness and studiousness have connoted devotion and wealth. Those are really simplistic binaries, ones that will continue misguiding generations of love-seeking young people for as long as we perpetuate them. Zuckerberg has taken a great stride in encouraging a grandmother to re-envision her granddaughters as the stars of their own stories, the future "nerds" (or STEM luminaries) rather than the trophy wives of nerds.
But that still doesn't quite drive home the point that nerds - regardless of gender - aren't dateable by sheer virtue of their potential as inventors or scholars. The best romantic partners are the ones who know how to treat others with respect and to regard them as equals, even if they've earned fewer GPA or IQ points and even if they work in a field where they'll never earn six figures.
Dating a nerd isn't necessarily "dating up", and being a nerd isn't necessarily the same as being a decent person. Both Loretto and Zuckerberg would do well to encourage the young women in their lives to simply be decent people. If they achieve that, dating should be relatively easy.
The Washington PostRobot walks like a human
Round four of mankind’s epic battle against the walking, talking, killer machines starts with the opening of Terminator Salvation. But humanoid robots aren’t confined to the movies. Turns out the U.S. military is backing research into robots that act like people, as well.
Today, the American armed forces’ main ground robots, the Foster-Miller Talon and iRobot’s Packbot, look like boxes with caterpillar tracks. It’s a nice, stable design. And it works well – which is why the military has sent thousands of ‘em over to Afghanistan and Iraq.
But these robots don’t easily fit into a world that we humans have constructed for creatures that operate like us. Door handles only work if you have something like a hand – and it has to be at the right height, too. Wheels and tracks get stuck on obstacles that legs just jump over. So it makes sense, sometimes, to shape a machine like a man.
One of the American military’s leading humanoid robots is Petman. Its job will be to testing chemical protection clothing for the U.S. Army. Petman is being built by Boston Dynamics, famous for its alarmingly lifelike BigDog robotic pack mule. Unlike earlier suit-testing robots, which needed external support, Petman will stand – and walk – on his own two feet.
“Petman will balance itself and move freely; walking, crawling and doing a variety of suit-stressing calisthenics during exposure to chemical warfare agents,” the company promises. “Petman will also simulate human physiology within the protective suit by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating when necessary, all to provide realistic test conditions. ”
A sweating robot? I had a flashback to the first Terminator movie:
“The 600 series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy. These are new. They look human. Sweat, bad breath, everything….”
Petman needs to precisely simulate human movement, and the makers say it will be “the first anthropomorphic robot that moves dynamically like a real person, with natural, agile movement.” The mecha-man is described as “BigDog’s Big Brother.” In fact, his bottom half is simply a pair of BigDog legs.
The program will consist of 13 months of design and 17 months of construction. The finished product being delivered in 2011. (Will they have to deliver Petman, or will they just give him the address and send him off |
by applying the tape under the bust and in a cross-your-heart through the center to give individual definition rather than end up with a single uni-boob!
Now start to fill in. We decided to keep me cool and breathing easy in the Caribbean weather, we would start on the lower half first. Using long strips of duct tape, overlap them concentrating on one area at a time, placing the tape horizontally and smoothing in place without pulling tight and distorting the body shape.
Remember that this is supposed to be a duplicate of your own body, flaws and all. So don't pull tight around the waist or flatten your tummy to make it look better as tempting as that might be! Keep going with the tape in long pieces, front, sides and back. Continue down past the widest part of your hips, bottom and thighs so you can use it for fitting skirts and dresses too. End at the bottom with a line of tape as near horizontal as possible.
All done at the bottom? Let's start adding tape to the top section. Here shorter strips will be needed and will run in a more diagonal direction for a smoother finish rather than simple straight across. I had a v-neck t-shirt so added a piece of fabric around the neck and across the V so the tape didn't stick to my skin.
At this stage you might start to feel rather self-conscious as well as warm and constricted, and be keen to get this thing off you. But your helper has invested a good deal of time in patting and smoothing your tape and getting their fingers all sticky. So give them 5 minutes to enjoy laughing at you and taking silly photos while you melt in the very hot sunshine. It's only fair.
Now cut down the center back and through the back of the sleeves and remove. Go take a nice cool shower! Phew. Connect the cut edges of the hollow form without overlapping and tape them back together again. Cut some cardboard to top off the neck hole and the arm holes and tape these in place.
Then scrunch up lots of sheets of newspaper and start to stuff your body firmly but without distorting or stretching if you can. Make sure to keep turning it as you stuff to try to avoid too many voids and loose areas. Once its pretty well stuffed with the scrunched up newspaper, fill in the bottom with cardboard and tape in place. It will probably look something like this – still a little soft and baggy in places.
Spotted that can of expanding foam bottom left? This is where the magic comes in. Or in my case, the disaster! Using a very sharp knife cut small holes in the tape at the places where there are voids in the stuffing, typically the bust, bottom, tummy etc. Insert the nozzle and squeeze in a little foam. Notice I say a little! I underestimated how much this stuff expands and I filled in all of the voids at this stage until it was smooth and perfectly finished. Add a little tape over the cuts you just made.
At this point I thought myself finished, measured my body form and was delighted to see that it was almost spot on to a fraction of an inch, to my own body measurements. It looked so good, was light and easy to move about, and I was delighted with the finished result.
All that remained was to get my husband to make a basic stand, stick it on and it was done. Or so I thought.
But in the morning, I was greeted by a monster! The expanding foam had continued to slowly expand little by little overnight and because the form was already full, it had no where to go except to stretch and pull and stretch some more. I was not really enormous, but my body double was no longer my double, but some deformed monstrosity of lumps and bumps.
The foam was hard so there was nothing to be done to save it – we dressed it up in some old clothes and left it out the front of the house with the dustbins (trashcans if you are US). It was there a couple of days and must have given the passing tourists quite a shock!
So, can this be done? Absolutely. It was going perfectly well until I got overzealous with the expanding foam. If you want to make one of these, be sparing with the foam, leave it some hours to expand – you can always add a little more later, but you cannot remove your ugly lumps and bumps if it expands too far.
I do recommend this project – it really was a lot of fun. Anyone else out there had a go at making their own duct tape dress form?
Authored by: Deby at So Sew EasyHardik Pandya is potentially the fast-bowling allrounder India have craved since Kapil Dev retired.
Pandya is a huge hit with the fans and was partly responsible for India dominating Australia in the recent ODI series. However, his biggest influence on the team could come in the Test arena.
A player like Pandya, who has the ability to bat in the top six and also produce deliveries clocked at 140kph, gives a Test side the flexibility that leads to success under all conditions. It affords India the opportunity to field a balanced attack of five bowlers no matter what the conditions.
Pandya not only has the skill to perform the role successfully but now that he is achieving consistency at international level, his confidence has soared.
He also has the added attribute of being prepared to experiment and consequently his bowling is likely to be effective under a variety of conditions. Allrounders with these qualities have the ability to change the course of a game quickly and in doing so, inspire their team-mates.
For India to be regarded as a truly great side, they need to perform well under tough conditions and against extremely competitive opponents like Australia and South Africa. If Pandya can adapt his bowling to succeed in those cauldrons - and there's no reason he can't - then India, with a strong batting line-up, are more likely to experience consistent overseas success.
"With his flamboyant style, Pandya reminds me a little of the electrifying England allrounder Ben Stokes - the outstanding and highly combative cricketer on the field rather than the citizen with a propensity for self-destruction off it"
The other challenge Pandya will face - especially in Australia - is the needling high-profile players receive from the crowds. This can have the effect of being either an inspiration or an imposition, and the way Pandya handles the intense barracking will contribute to either his success or failure.
If he needs inspiration in this regard he only need look to former star Pakistan batsman Javed Miandad, who could be as annoying as a shovel grating on cement, and was constantly heckled in Australia, but this only made him more determined. Eventually Miandad was begrudgingly accorded the highest Australian sporting compliment: "He's a bloody annoying opponent but we'd love to have him on our side."
With his flamboyant style, Pandya reminds me a little of the electrifying England allrounder Ben Stokes - the outstanding and highly combative cricketer on the field rather than the citizen with a propensity for self-destruction off it.
Both players are aggressive in their approach and this often results in a match-changing performance or a deflating and spectacular misfire. Neither player is concerned with containment and this can lead to the odd profligate spell of bowling. Equally, their predatory batting approach is prone to occasional outlandish dismissals that leave fans groaning. However, when they succeed, it can lead to quick runs or wickets in clumps, either of which can change the course of a match.
At this stage Stokes has done it at Test level, while Pandya only has the potential for such electrifying achievements at that level. This type of player reminds me of a colourful description that radio commentator Johnny Moyes once utilised to describe South Australia's captain and ultra-aggressive opener. "We all know Les Favell," Moyes said. "Some days he does and some days he doesn't. Well, today he did." Fans flock to the ground to watch electrifying players like Stokes and Pandya. They hope to witness something exceptional so then they can boast: "Well, today he did."
Pandya left his imprint on the ODI series against Australia when he plundered three successive sixes from the bowling of legspinner Adam Zampa in Chennai. India went on to win that game after being in a precarious position when Pandya joined MS Dhoni at the crease.
In other games in that series Pandya made useful contributions with both bat and ball but it was only that performance that could be classed as match-winning. If Pandya can perform at a similar level in the Test arena, then he'll not only be regarded as a top-class allrounder, he'll also improve India's chances of winning worldwide.Even though gray wolf packs haven't roamed California for almost a century, the state is considering listing the animal as endangered.
The discussion to protect the species started after a lone wolf from Oregon was found wandering throughout the Golden State in 2011. Some wildlife officials hope it's a sign the animals can repopulate their former habitat within 10 years.
Nothing is going to happen for at least 90 days. The California Fish and Game Commission decided Wednesday to wait three months before determining whether to list the wolf as endangered.
As California mulls more protections for wolves, many states have relaxed their rules on killing the animals. On Wednesday, the Arizona House of Representatives approved a Senate bill that allows ranchers to kill endangered Mexican wolves in self-defense.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The hits keep coming for Maryland at wide receiver.
The program announced Monday that sophomore Juwann Winfree has been suspended indefinitely for violating the school’s student-athlete code of conduct. This is the second suspension of Winfree’s brief career. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder was suspended for two games last season for a previous code of conduct violation.
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Winfree, a four-star recruit in Maryland’s 2014 class, caught 11 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in eight games for the Terps last season as a true freshman.
Winfree’s suspension comes less than two weeks after the program confirmed that senior Marcus Leak, who was third on the team in receiving in 2014, is no longer enrolled at the university. In addition to Leak, three of the team’s other receivers from 2014 – Stefon Diggs (NFL), Deon Long (graduation) and Jacquille Veii (transfer) – are no longer with the program.
Fortunately for the Terps, senior Levern Jacobs (47 catches for 640 yards and 3 TDs in 2013) is slated to return from a year-long suspension. Taivon Jacobs (Levern’s brother) and Amba Etta-Tawo are also expected to contribute.
Winfree was expected to compete for a starting role in 2015. Now his status with the program is up in the air.
For more Maryland news, visit TerrapinSportsReport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!Chinese social media users track down dog owner Zheng Weiyang who chained Labrador to moving car in an attempt to kill it BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Chinese social media users have tracked down a cruel pet owner who attempted to “get rid” of his dog by dragging it behind his car on a busy road in the Guangdong province, south-east China. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/chinese-social-media-users-track-down-dog-owner-zheng-weiyang-who-chained-labrador-to-moving-car-in-an-attempt-to-kill-it-30610795.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article30610783.ece/99214/AUTOCROP/h342/dogdragged.jpg
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Chinese social media users have tracked down a cruel pet owner who attempted to “get rid” of his dog by dragging it behind his car on a busy road in the Guangdong province, south-east China.
Those using the Chinese social media site Sina Weibo were outraged when a video was posted of the driver now identified as Mr Zheng Weiyang driving his car with a clearly conscious dog chained to the vehicle's rear.
The footage shows the Labrador clearly in pain and leaving behind a trail of blood as his wounded paws drag along the tarmac.
Following the video being uploaded last week, it quickly went viral and led to a massive reaction from shocked viewers with an online manhunt for the perpetrator being organised across social media sites.
The ‘human flesh search’ as it was called by organisers, saw the registration number of the vehicle circulated across the web until the driver was identified as factory owner Mr Zheng.
After his address, national identification number and phone number were posted online, Mr Zheng spoke to Guangdong local television station Shantou TV to try and defend himself, pleading with people to stop sharing the video and expressing his regret at the situation.
Speaking to Shantou TV he said: "It was not my intention to do this … I had no choice because it bites a lot. Yesterday my wife told me to get rid of this dog. One friend suggested I should stone the dog to death. I couldn't do it, that's why I tied this dog behind my car to get rid of it.
"When I was driving, I couldn't see this dog from the rear-view mirror. Another driver questioned me about what I was doing. I told them that this is a mad dog and I am going to dispose of it."
According to the BBC, an animal rights charity in the Guangdong province has now launched a campaign to try and track down the mistreated canine, amid claims that the dog did not die as a result of the incident.
This is the second incident of animal cruelty to cause outrage throughout China and Hong Kong in recent weeks.
Two weeks ago, a Hong Kong resident calling himself Jacky Lo was lambasted after he posted images of a dog being killed after he placed it in a washing machine.
Over recent years, the movement for animal rights within China and Hong Kong has grown in force with more animal rights groups forming and more fervent activism taking place.
In June, activists stormed the annual Summer Solstice Dog Meat Festival in Yulin to try and put a stop to the controversial celebration.
Belfast Telegraph DigitalI’m taking another online course. This time it’s Content Strategy for Professionals (also from the coursera.org website). I have a homework assignment to create a piece of content directed at the fictional customer of a fictional clothing company aimed at young men with career goals. So, I decided to make a fashion article aimed at the typical casually bigoted cishet guy, who wants to look cool, but not “gay.” Please enjoy these pictures of me (a trans queer) trying to look like a cis dude trying to appropriate queer culture while maintaining a clear “No Homo” attitude (aka Macklemore).
(Note: The only thing that I made myself is the rope necklace)
(Also, the whole “fashionably surly” thing is ridiculous. Why are straight guys instructed to only smile at women and job interviews? What is that about?)
3:59 am • 16 February 2014 • 24 notesBusiness Whines That Even EU's Mild, Unsatisfactory Reform Of Corporate Sovereignty Goes Too Far
from the preserving-privileges dept
Last month Techdirt wrote about the attempt by the European Commission to deflect the growing EU resistance to the inclusion of a corporate sovereignty chapter in TAFTA/TTIP by turning it into a more formal Investment Court System (ICS). We pointed out some major problems with the proposal, and noted that the US Chamber of Commerce had already rejected the idea out of hand. We now have a response from BusinessEurope, one of the main lobbying organizations in the EU with 40 members in 34 countries. As Politico.eu reports, BusinessEurope is not impressed, and the reasons it gives are highly revealing. [Luisa Santos, director for international relations at BusinessEurope] said that the provision [in the proposed ICS] that requires investors bringing an arbitration case to pay for all the expenses related to the case if they lose will scare off small businesses. Moreover, the mechanism for appeals will likely be used extensively, leading to long and costly trials. On the matter of costs, a document put together by the European Commission on arbitration costs (pdf) includes the fact that: Research by the OECD indicates that the average legal and arbitration costs for a claimant are around $8 million. That average figure means that very few small businesses could contemplate bringing an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) case under the current system, so the move to ICS is unlikely to make any difference here. As for the criticism that the appeals process will be "used extensively", governments are only going to take on even more costs if they think that the rulings of the ICS are unfair or the awards disproportionate, and that is precisely why the appeal system is there -- to allow unfair and exaggerated awards to be challenged. Santos also contended that the provision on countries appointing the judges would discriminate against the business community. Leaving aside whether that is actually the case or not -- and why should it be? -- the comment overlooks a far more profound unfairness at the heart of both ISDS and ICS. This is the fact that only companies can bring cases, never the nations, which means that a country can never win a case: the best it can hope for is not to lose. That is a very real discrimination against the public, which always foots the bill when companies are successful in their claims against states, but never gets to enjoy corresponding awards against companies, because none is ever made. Finally, Politico.eu reports the following concern: [Santos] slammed Malmström's plan to tighten the rules for cases of "indirect expropriation," in which a business claims compensation for an indirect lowering of investment values, such as through new environment or health regulations. Although the commissioner wants to avoid the abuse of such claims, the new EU rules are so strict that "in reality it won't be possible for any investor to be compensated," Santos said. To its credit, the European Commission has published its proposed text for TAFTA/TTIP's investment chapter (pdf) in full. Here's the key passage limiting claims for indirect expropriation: For greater certainty, except in the rare circumstance when the impact of a measure or series of measures is so severe in light of its purpose that it appears manifestly excessive, non-discriminatory measures of a Party that are designed and applied to protect legitimate public welfare objectives, such as the protection of public health, safety, environment or public morals, social or consumer protection or promotion and protection of cultural diversity do not constitute indirect expropriations. As that makes clear, the intent is to prevent claims against measures that promote public welfare objectives -- and even then, exceptions can be made. So BusinessEurope's comments seem to mean that it thinks investors should still have the right to bring claims against all measures that are designed to promote public health, or to protect the environment -- in other words, precisely those kinds of legal actions that make corporate sovereignty provisions such a threat to society.
BusinessEurope's rejection of the ICS idea, which involves some very mild tweaks to the investor-state dispute process, demonstrates neatly that what it really wants is the old ISDS system, with all its egregious flaws, and its tilted playing-field that gives deep-pocketed corporations a powerful tool for intimidating sovereign governments, and interfering with democracy itself.
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Filed Under: corporate sovereignty, eu, ics, isds, tafta, ttip
Companies: businesseurope, chamber of commerceAs we prepare for the final presidential debate of 2016, with its inevitable clashes over Donald Trump’s alleged groping of women and the latest WikiLeaks revelations involving Hillary Clinton, let’s pretend for a moment that we are in an alternate universe where the American people are choosing a commander in chief who may have to lead our nation through an unprecedented — and unanticipated — national-security crisis.
It has happened before. In 1988, no one asked either Michael Dukakis or George H.W. Bush about Iraq during the presidential debates — yet soon the United States was called on to repel Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Similarly, in 2000 no one asked George W. Bush or Al Gore about the threat from al-Qaeda during the presidential debates — yet less than a year later, al-Qaeda had attacked the U.S. homeland and the war on terrorism dominated Bush’s presidency.
Knowing this history, I asked a number of leading national-security experts what question they would ask the candidates — a question that no one is asking today but that could come to dominate the next president’s term in office. Their answers are fascinating — and terrifying.
Several pointed to Pakistan as the epicenter of the next major international crisis. “Pakistan is making nuclear weapons faster than any other country on earth as its society becomes more violent, more radicalized, and more anti-American,” said former CIA and National Security Agency director Michael Hayden, adding “what happens if Pakistan fractures?” Former undersecretary of defense for policy Eric Edelman points out that Pakistan has adopted “a nuclear doctrine that, like Russia’s, foresees the battlefield use of low-yield, short range nuclear weapons” and that “a nuclear confrontation or nuclear war between India and Pakistan... would be the most likely route to terrorists getting hold of a functioning nuclear weapon.” What would either major-party candidate do to prevent this?
Others point to the vulnerability of our critical infrastructure. Retired Gen. David Petraeus, former CIA director, points out that “a sustained cyber-attack on our physical and/or virtual infrastructure... could prove especially challenging because of the extensive damage it would do, because there is no agreed concept for America’s response, and because it would likely be difficult to achieve unity in determining the appropriate international response.” How would the candidates handle such an attack? My American Enterprise Institute colleague Mackenzie Eaglen suggests an infrastructure attack could come not from cyberspace, but outer space. “China, Russia, and others... are developing and testing missiles and spacecraft to destroy or manipulate our satellite constellations, which allow for financial markets to trade in milliseconds, enable our cars and phones to help us get from point A to point B, and undergird the entirety of the US military,” she said. “How will each of you deter or fight back against a Russian or Chinese day-one space salvo?”
Others suggest that the next crisis could involve East Asia. “How would you respond if there were a collision between Japanese and Chinese military forces in the East China Sea — a disputed area that the two countries patrol in close proximity?” asked former CIA deputy director and acting director John McLaughlin. “If some sort of military action ensued, Japan, as a U.S. treaty ally, could call on the U.S. for help in combating China. What would you do?” And how about this for a terrifying question: “What if a North Korean ballistic missile test goes wrong, and a missile lands in Seoul or Tokyo?” asks Michael Auslin, AEI’s director of Japan studies. Wow.
With missiles having being fired at a U.S. warship off the coast of Yemen, reportedly from territory controlled by Iran-backed rebels, several experts raised frightening scenarios involving Tehran. Former CIA chief legal officer John Rizzo asked what the candidates would do if the Iranian government decides “to immediately test the new president and the resolve of Washington in its commitment to the nuclear deal” by taking “a provocative, high-profile act against the US government in the region, such as the kidnapping of diplomats or American servicemen.” Former House Intelligence Committee chairman Peter Hoekstra pointed out that “with the infusion of massive new funds from the Obama administration’s nuclear deal, Iran will have the means to establish forward operating bases for its intelligence and terror front groups in countries in the United States’ southern backyard.” What, he asks, will the candidates will do to address “the very real potential for subversive infiltration by Iranian-linked nefarious operators?”
Then there is Russia. McLaughlin asked, “What would you do if Vladimir Putin used a version of his Crimea or Ukraine tactics in a NATO country that has a large Russian-speaking population, such as Estonia or Latvia? Imagine that he stops short of moving in Russian forces but manages to foment unrest among that population by covert tactics, creating a measure of protest and instability. And imagine that this leads the affected country to invoke Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which calls on other NATO countries to come to the defense of the member under threat. How would you handle this?”
The questions — and potential crises — are endless. What if Saudi Arabia collapses, plunging the Persian Gulf region into chaos? Thanks to President Obama’s defense cuts, the U.S. military now has the resources to handle just one major contingency at a time, so what if we face two? The Islamic State recently attacked a U.S. base in northern Iraq with a chemical agent— what if the terrorist group carried out a chemical or biological attack in Europe or the United States?
There is no evidence that either presidential candidate has answers to these questions. Trump is an isolationist who wants to withdraw from the world to focus on building bridges and roads. And Clinton is a corrupt politician whose main achievement as secretary of state was blowing the Russian “reset” and paving the way for the disastrous Iran deal while possibly selling special State Department access to Clinton Foundation donors.
With three weeks to go before voters choose the next commander in chief, we’ve yet to have a serious foreign-policy debate. We now return you to the reality show that has become our presidential election.
At an event held by Retired American Warriors PAC Oct. 3, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump offered his plans for protecting the United States against cyber attacks and slammed rival Hillary Clinton for her handling of her emails as secretary of state. (The Washington Post)
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If you read the news magazines or watch TV, you might get the impression that American education is deep in a crisis of historic proportions. The media tell you that other nations have higher test scores than ours and that they are shooting past us in the race for global competitiveness. The pundits say it’s because our public schools are overrun with incompetent, lazy teachers who can’t be fired and have a soft job for life.
Don’t believe it. It’s not true.
Critics have been complaining about the public schools for the past 60 years. In the 1950s, they said that the public schools were failing, Johnny couldn’t read, and the schools were in a downward spiral. In the 1960s, we were told there was a “crisis in the classroom.” For at least the past half-century we have heard the same complaints again and again. Yes, our students’ scores on international tests are only average, but when the first such test was given in 1964, we were 12th out of 12. Our students have never been at the top on those tests.
The critics today would have us believe that our future is in peril because other nations have higher test scores. They said the same thing in 1957 when the Soviet Union sent its Sputnik into orbit and “beat us” by being first. At the time, the media were filled with dire predictions and blamed our public schools for losing the space race. But we’re still here, and the Soviet Union is gone.
Maybe those tests are not good predictors of future economic success or decline. Is it possible that we succeeded not because of test scores but because our society encourages something more important than test scores: the freedom to create, innovate, imagine, and think differently?
We should, as President Obama said in his 2011 State of the Union address, ignore the naysayers because “America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world. No workers are more productive than ours. No country has more successful companies or grants more patents to inventors and entrepreneurs. We are home to the world’s best colleges and universities where more students come to study than any other place on Earth.”
Since the 1840s, our public schools have been a bulwark of our democratic society. Over time, they have opened their doors to every student in the community regardless of that student’s race, religion, language, disability, economic standing, or origin. No one has to enter a lottery to gain admission.
With this openness, there is a price to be paid: Our public school teachers have one of the most difficult jobs in society. Their classes include children who are recent immigrants, many of whom don’t speak or read English; they include children who have social, emotional, mental, and physical disabilities; they include children who live in desperate poverty.
Let’s be fair to our schools and our teachers. As our society has changed, the schools have had to deal with escalating social problems. Compared to schools today, the schools of the 1950s were tranquil. Teachers were uncontested authorities in their classrooms. They were free of the mandates now regularly issued by Congress, the courts, and state legislatures. If students misbehaved or failed repeatedly, they were likely to be suspended or expelled. Only half of the students who started ninth grade eventually graduated high school, and responsibility for their success or failure was shared equally by family and school.
In the mid-20th century, most children lived in two-parent families; today, single-parent families are the norm in many communities, and many children come home to an empty apartment or house. Our popular culture has changed dramatically, too. Television, cell phones, and the Internet have connected children to the outside world, and the outside world often sends messages that contradict parents’ efforts to create sound values and a work ethic.
In the years after World War II, the American economy grew steadily, and there were plenty of good jobs for people who did not have a high school diploma. Now most of those jobs, whether clerical or in manufacturing, have been replaced by new technologies or by outsourcing. Back then, it was no shame to leave school without a diploma. Today, it is expected that everyone must graduate from high school, and anyone who does not is stigmatized socially and economically.
The good old days were not that good if you were black or disabled. Public schools routinely excluded children with disabilities, and schools in many parts of the nation were racially segregated, either by law or by custom.
Our schools are now expected to educate all children, whatever their condition. In 1975, Congress mandated special education for children with disabilities. It promised to pay 40 percent of the cost but has never followed through. When politicians complain about the high cost of education, they fail to acknowledge that most of the new money spent on the schools has gone to pay for services for children with physical, mental, and emotional problems.
Since the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, which banned racial segregation in the schools, the basic principle of American education has been equality of educational opportunity. Starting in 1965, Congress passed legislation to send extra resources to districts that enrolled the poorest children—resources that benefited children of all races. Meanwhile, as white and black middle-class families moved to the suburbs, urban districts had school systems characterized by heavy concentrations of students who were both racially segregated and impoverished.
In 2001, after the election of President George W. Bush, Congress passed a law called No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which changed the federal role in education. Instead of seeking equitable funding, Congress decided that it would impose a massive program of school reform based on standardized testing. The new law required states to test every child in reading and math from grades three through eight. The theory behind NCLB was that teachers and schools would try harder and see rapid test score gains if their test results were made public. Instead of sending the vast sums of money that schools needed to make a dent in its goal, Congress simply sent testing mandates to every school. It required that every child in every school must reach proficiency by 2014—or the schools would be subject to sanctions. If a school failed to make progress over five years, it might be closed or privatized or handed over to the state authorities or turned into a charter school. There was no evidence for the efficacy of any of these strategies, but that didn’t matter.
Educators knew that the goal of 100 percent of the students reaching proficiency was wildly unrealistic, but no one asked their opinion. So they kept their mouths shut. Over the past decade, districts and states have committed billions of dollars to testing, test preparation materials, and data systems. The results have been meager. Test scores have gone up in some districts and states, but federal audit tests do not reflect the same rate of improvement. That’s because most state tests have lower standards than the federal tests, and some states have since lowered their standards in an effort to show the kind of improvement the federal government has mandated.
NCLB was a radical plan of action, particularly because there was no reason to believe that annual tests—coupled with fear and humiliation—would produce the miraculous goal of 100 percent proficiency, a goal not reached by any nation on earth. The law treats public schools as though they were shoe stores: Make a profit or else. If you don’t, you might be fired, you might get new management, or you might be closed down. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently predicted that more than 80 percent of our public schools would be declared failures by next year based on federal standards.
Setting an impossible goal, providing inadequate resources to pursue that goal, and then firing educators and closing schools for failing to reach it is cruel and unusual punishment.
In 2009, the Obama administration launched its own radical school reform plan called Race to the Top. In some ways, it is worse than NCLB. Like NCLB, it assumes that higher test scores mean better education, even when those scores have been purchased by intensive test-prep activities. (What’s misleading about this kind of gain is that aggressive test-prep activities may lift scores without improving students’ knowledge or skills. In fact, some districts have seen scores and graduation rates rise while college remediation rates remained the same.) More than NCLB, Race to the Top blames teachers if student test scores don’t go up, which has demoralized millions of teachers. The program dangled nearly $5 billion in front of cash-hungry states, which could become eligible only if they agreed to open more privately managed charter schools, to evaluate their teachers by student test scores, to offer bonuses to teachers if their students got higher test scores, and to fire the staff and close schools that didn’t make progress.
Again, not one of these policies—not one—has any consistent body of evidence behind it. The fundamental belief that carrots and sticks will improve education is a leap of faith, an ideology to which its adherents cling despite evidence to the contrary.
Charter schools on average do not produce better academic results than regular public schools. As charters proliferate, regular public schools lose students and funding, and many charters try to avoid the students who are most costly and difficult to educate. Merit pay has failed again and again. Most testing experts agree that it’s wrong to judge teacher quality by students’ test scores. The promise of Race to the Top is that billions more will be spent on more tests, and districts will reduce the time available for subjects (like the arts and foreign languages) that aren’t tested. Piece by piece, our entire public education system is being redesigned in the service of increasing scores on standardized tests of basic skills. That’s not good policy, and it won’t improve education. Twelve years of rewarding children for picking the right answer on multiple-choice tests is bad education. It will penalize the creativity, innovativeness, and imaginativeness that has made this country great.
What the federal efforts of the past decade or more ignore is that the root cause of low academic achievement is poverty, not “bad” teachers. Children who are homeless, in ill health, or living in squalid quarters are more likely to miss school and less likely to have home support for their schoolwork. The most important educators in children’s lives are their families. What families provide in the way of encouragement, experiences, expectations, and security has a decisive effect on a child’s life chances. The most consistent predictor of test scores is family income. Children who grow up in economically secure homes are more likely to arrive in school ready to learn than those who lack the basic necessities of life.
Of course, no school should have any bad teachers. But bear in mind that administrators usually have three to four years to decide whether to grant due process rights (often called “tenure”) to teachers. In the years before a teacher gets due process rights, the teacher may be fired without any reason or cause at all. After a teacher wins due process rights, it doesn’t mean life tenure—it means that teachers have the right to a hearing before they may be fired. Teachers don’t hire themselves, don’t evaluate themselves, and don’t grant themselves due process rights. If there are bad teachers, we should ask why administrators are not doing their jobs, and the district should demand speedy resolution of any charges against teachers.
Most of what is called school reform these days consists of privatization and de-professionalization. The charter industry is growing rapidly and competing with regular public schools; it has ample resources to air television commercials and print ads to attract new “customers.” This competition has not proceeded on a level playing field because the charters frequently have smaller proportions of English-language learners and children with disabilities than the neighboring public schools. In addition, many charters are subsidized by additional millions of dollars in private donations, which enables them to market their wares and provide services that regular public schools cannot afford such as tutoring and mandatory summer school.
Some conservative governors—such as Mitch Daniels in Indiana, Scott Walker in Wisconsin, and Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania—have taken privatization to the next level and are pushing voucher programs, which will send public dollars to private and sectarian schools, possibly even to home-schoolers. This will divert many millions of dollars from the regular public schools.
At the same time, some states are lowering the standards for entry into teaching, ironically under the banner of improving teacher quality. Some, such as New Jersey, are proposing to remove certification as a requirement for teaching; others, such as Florida, are removing any stipends for experience. In Texas, a person can become a teacher by taking courses online. Still other states seek to make it easier for novices to become not only teachers, but also principals and superintendents.
Two major reports were released in spring 2011 that showed what a risky and foolish path the United States has embarked upon. The National Research Council (NRC) gathered some of the nation’s leading education experts, who concluded that incentives based on tests hadn’t worked.
In other words, the immense investment in testing over recent decades, the NRC commission said, were based on intuition, not on evidence—and faulty intuition, at that. The other report, by the National Center on Education and the Economy, maintained that the approach we are now following—testing every child |
her expense, came about at the height of the "taxation without representation" cow controversy. According to interviews, Julia thought publication of her translation would provide testimony of the accomplishments possible by a woman and possibly positively affect the outcome of the sister's suit. It has also been noted that the $1000 production costs would have been confiscated had it not been spent. In fact, Julia intended her translation to be a Feminist document. The American Publishing Co. (who published Twain) had the book typeset by a woman, the press run by a woman and the proof-reading done by a woman. There are indications this Bible was sold by canvassers, many (if not most) of whom were women. Called by wags at the time, "The Alderney Edition" it was the first feminist Bible. While it is difficult to ascribe these motives to Julia at the time she was making the translation, it would be difficult to ignore her own stated aims when publishing the translation some 20 years after she had made it, which clearly were feminist. In 1879, one year after the death of Julia's last surviving sibling, Abby, Julia accepted the proposal of marriage from Amos A. Parker of Fitzwilliam, NH. He had ordered a copy of Julia's translation of the Bible and then traveled to Glastonbury to meet the translator. There are indications that the ensuing marriage was not happy. Later, criticism centered on the "literalness" of her translation, which was that point of which she was most proud. In 1895 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her committee published Part I of THE WOMAN'S BIBLE. In an appendix to that work, the claim was made the Smith's translation was the ultimate authority for their work. Emily Sampson discounts this, but it is interesting (even if it is untrue) that the claim was made. Julia Smith's incredible effort has been ignored and dismissed since publication. Only now is serious scholarship centering on the work itself. Complete comparisons between her translations and others have yet to be done. Stern, M. "The First Feminist Bible: The Alderney Edition, 1876" in "Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress" 34, no. 1: 23-30. NAW III, pp, 302-304. Timelines, p. 29. Speare, E. in AMERICAN HERITAGE, June 1957. "Abby, Julia, and the Cows." Hastings, J. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION AND ETHICS, Vol. VI, pp. 230-231. Lippy & Williams, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, Vol. II, p. 845. Sampson, Emily. HER WORKS SHALL PRAISE HER: THE BIBLICAL TRANSLATIONS OF JULIA E. SMITH. Selvidge, NOTORIOUS VOICES: FEMINIST BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION, 1500-1920. Simms, THE BIBLE IN AMERICA, p. 252, pp. 149-150. Housley, THE LETTER KILLS BUT THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE. McNulty, M.G. GLASTONBURY: FROM SETTLEMENT TO SUBURB. Chapin, A. GLASTONBURY FOR 200 YEARS. (9862)
Please Note: This is a low-resolution photo, which shows the format, but makes reading the text nearly impossible. In reality, the text of these Bibles is large enough and clear enough to read very easily. Click Here To Go Back To Main Index Page
Just The Facts Item # JS1002
OT Title Page: 1876
NT Title Page: 1876
Clam Shell Cover
Size: 11 x 8 x 3
Font: Roman Additional Features:
First Bible Translated
by a Woman Clam Shell
Cloth
End Papers: Cotton Appraisal Value: $20,000
Inventory List Price: $17,000 Sale Price: Your actual price on this Bible is significantly LOWER than the "List Price" shown above. For a current exact price quote on item # JS1002, please Contact Us.Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
We've always liked to think of state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, as a kind of legislative Sisyphus.
Well, a shorter, balder, not quite as buff Sisyphus. But a Sisyphus nonetheless.
See, Pay Raise, 2005, Big Book of Dumb Ideas, annotated, with a forward by John Perzel). Since his arrival in the Capitol nigh on a decade ago, the suburban Philly lawmaker with a knack for insult comedy has been unafraid to take on both the tough votes -- and the potentially suicidal ones (
Leach has also fought the good fight on marriage equality, human trafficking and medical marijuana legalization. So when he Buthas also fought the good fight on marriage equality, human trafficking and medical marijuana legalization. So when he recently pronounced pot less addictive than chocolate, it raised the eyebrows of the guys in white coats whose job it is to think serious thoughts about this kind of stuff.
"Chocolate isn't an addictive drug," Stuart Gitlow, the president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine," tells The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"It isn't addictive at all. There are no significant risks of chocolate intoxication, nor are there direct effects or long-term risks of chocolate use, nor do people demonstrate a gradually increasing amount of chocolate intake in order to overcome tolerance," he said, clearly ignoring the scores of women who have sent their significant others out in the dead of night in search of the very addictive substance. "Nor is there any significant withdrawal when chocolate is unavailable. Marijuana is very addictive. Chocolate is not."
Even the pro-pot Marijuana Policy Project was unable to do Leach a solid on his claim, the newspaper reported.More than the threat of war on Iran, Netanyahu’s re-election is a call for war on Palestinians everywhere. It is a call for war on human rights and international law. It is a mandate for the Israeli government to murder Palestinians. It gives Netanyahu license to continue Israel's seven-decade policy of racism and apartheid towards the people from whom they stole the land. It is also a call for people of conscience to impose boycotts and sanctions to divest and to isolation Israel. No more business as usual - it is time for outrage, for action, the type of action that brought down apartheid in South Africa. It is a call to finally allow Palestinians to have their country back.
Netanyahu can thank the U.S. House of Representatives for his victory. The boost from the "campaign stop" here in early March did the trick. The unprecedented exposure, weeks of discussion on CNN and other major networks, including the printed press - first prior to his arrival, then during his visit and speech and then the aftermath - all of this was a gift to his campaign. He entered The House of Representative like Caesar entering Rome. Then upon his vanquishing and humiliating the president of the United States who was opposed to the visit and the speech, Netanyahu returned to Jerusalem where all of his opponents seemed like children in comparison.
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Comparisons to Nazi Germany are a dangerous thing, particularly in this context. Still, in his speech to members of Congress Netanyahu crossed this dangerous threshold. In a well directed gesture that could not but have been planned, Netanyahu pointed to Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel who was seated in the gallery. “Elie,” Netanyahu called out, “your life and work inspires to give meaning to the words, never again.” “And” he added, and here he crossed the line, “I wish I could promise you, Elie, that the lessons of history have been learned. I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past. …not to ignore aggression in the hopes of gaining an illusory peace.”
This reference without a doubt draws a line between President Obama and former British PM Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the German speaking Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Germany. However Adolf Hitler was not appeased but rather invaded Poland after which Britain declared war on Germany. Chamberlain was consequently forced to resign and Winston Churchill took his place as PM. Netanyahu is comparing Obama to Chamberlain and Iran to Nazi Germany.
Well, since he opened the door, other comparisons can be made as well. The election of Netanyahu is not unlike that of other leaders who invoke a racist ideology, are elected democratically and then lead their nation and their region to catastrophe. The U.S. must no longer appease Netanyahu’s Israel.
Israeli voters like power and they saw just that when Netanyahu returned from Washington DC. Israelis also vote in high numbers. This time they voted for a leader that promised promises to attack and kill Palestinian civilians, promised to deny Palestinians water, (Palestinians receive only 3 percent of the entire water supply though they make up more than 50 percent of the population), and deny Palestinians basic human rights we all take for granted. Netanyahu promises that 1.7 million people in Gaza will be subject to the brutally cruel siege, live in catastrophic conditions, and all this just minutes away from Israelis who live a life of plenty.
In many ways Israeli voters told the U.S. to go to hell. So will the U.S. continue to conduct "business as usual" with Israel or listen to the growing voice of the Palestine solidarity movement. Will the U.S. finally answer the call of countless Palestinian civil society and impose boycott, divestment, sanctions and once and for all isolate Israel? Perhaps now it is time to give Palestinians their country back.
Peled is an Israeli peace activist, author, and karate instructor. He has written one book, The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.San Francisco-based bitcoin startup Wyre has raised $5.8m in new funding.
The Series A round, which coincides with the stealth startup’s official launch, was led by Chinese venture firm Amphora Capital. Other investors include Chinese payments firms Baofoo.com and 9fBank, Draper Associates and Digital Currency Group. Wyre said it has raised $7.5m to date.
The startup’s main focus is cross-border payments, with a particular emphasis on those sent between China and the US. Wyre uses bitcoin (as well as other blockchains like ethereum and litecoin, among others) to settle transactions, acting as an intermediary between businesses in both countries. Among those firms is NihaoPay, a China-based eCommerce payments firm that plugs into services such as WechatPay and Alipay.
The startup, according to founder and CEO Michael Dunworth, is looking to capitalize on interest in money exchange between the two countries.
As such, today’s launch opens up the service to prospective customers in the US and China. Some of the newly-raised funds, he explained, will be used to support the launch of services in Europe and Latin America as well.
Wyre is far from alone in using the tech as a remittance rail, as other startups in the bitcoin space have been pursuing the same concept in different parts of the world – a process that hasn’t been without its own complications. Larger financial firms, too, have been testing cross-border payments using the tech.
According to Dunworth, Wyre hopes to gain traction through simplifying the process by which businesses can tap bitcoin for use in cross-border payments without actually handling digital currencies themselves.
Dunworth told CoinDesk:
“We take all the headache away from learning about the blockchain. Hey, you want to move money? Use our API, it’s all over blockchain technology as opposed to correspondent banks. We do it all on the public blockchain, it’s all basically through bitcoin.”
Looking ahead
Today’s launch brings a 10-month private beta to a close, which has seen companies in China using the startup’s service to move funds. Wyre says that it’s also currently working with several companies in Brazil on another private beta, with an eye to expand into that region in the future.
Some of the firms that have already been working with the startup say the concept holds promise, prompting companies like 9fBank to invest.
“We believe Wyre’s cross-border technology will revolutionize global payment and remittance and have since made a sizable investment into the company,” Sam Lin, who serves as CFO for 9fBank, said in a statement.
For now, according to Dunworth, the immediate steps ahead involve expanding the size of its engineering and business development teams.
“A lot of the money is going to be used for scaling our engineering team. Right now we’re at 10, we want to be at 30,” he said.
But just as important, he said, is work on building out the mechanisms by which it moves money between China and the US.
Dunworth told CoinDesk:
“We want to be very focused. When we do it, we want to make sure we’ve got a very solid set of processes from a compliance standpoint and a technical standpoint.”
Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in Wyre.
Image via Shutterstock
This article has been updated for clarity.When Obama, several weeks before the ’08 election, spoke of ‘fundamentally transforming’ the U.S., could any of us have possibly imagined that his real goal would be to lower the U.S. standard of living to that of…Mexico?
Via WSJ:
California Gov. Jerry Brown has a vision: When it comes to greenhouse-gas emissions, he wants his fellow Californians to emulate North Koreans. Meanwhile, many of Mr. Brown’s fellow Democrats—including President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders—will settle for putting Americans on a par with residents of Mexico.
That’s the essence of the climate-change agenda of America’s most prominent Democrats. They have pledged to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 80% by 2050, (aka 80 by 50). Their plan will take those emissions to levels that are common today in countries far poorer than the U.S.
Earlier this month, by a margin of two votes, the California Assembly rejected SB 32, a bill that would have required the state to achieve 80 by 50. Pushing this bill was the state’s Democratic leadership, including Gov. Brown, Senate President Kevin de León, and the state’s U.S. senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. President Obama has repeatedly endorsed 80 by 50. In early 2009, he said he was setting “a goal for our nation that we will reduce our carbon pollution by more than 80 percent by 2050.”
With the exception of Virginia’s former Sen. Jim Webb, all of the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for president have called for 80 by 50. Mrs. Clinton endorsed 80 by 50 during her first run for the White House. In 2013, Mr. Sanders joined Ms. Boxer to introduce an 80-by-50 bill. In 2014, Martin O’Malley issued an executive order while governor of Maryland endorsing 80 by 50.
All of this overlooks an essential question: What would 80 by 50 mean for individuals?
…those future Californians will be asked to emit less carbon dioxide than do current residents of North Korea. In 2012, according to the IEA, the average North Korean was responsible for 1.83 tons of carbon dioxide. Per capita GDP in North Korea: $1,800 a year.
Achieving 80 by 50 on a national basis will be similarly painful….
In short, America’s highest-profile Democrats, including the leading contenders for the White House, have endorsed a climate agenda that will cost far more than ObamaCare. Yet not one of them or their green allies have provided a credible plan—meaning one that doesn’t include lots of nuclear energy—for achieving such draconian reductions without wrecking the economy. These Democrats can’t provide a scenario for achieving 80 by 50—a plan that is affordable and technically viable—for a simple reason: Such a scenario doesn’t exist.THE SHORT VERSION:
This is like classic Resident Evil set in Victorian Ireland, following an æsthetic of German expressionism in silent films and telling a simple story in a complex way with attention to characterisation. Our engine is Unreal Engine 4. Here are videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oePnBLZVO88
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2DOMxv1gdY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhYwuXrCkRo
THE LONG VERSION:
·INTRODUCTION·
Instead of explaining the plot, which is rather tired by now, we'll explain the ideology. We wanted to make the game we were hoping we would get in 2005 when Resident Evil 4 came out. We love RE4, but we wanted survival horror, which we didn't get. We love fixed cameras and tank controls as well, which we didn't get (well, we got tank controls, but not fixed cameras).
In order to make this rather different from our inspiration and do it all legal, we've adopted a new setting for the game: Ireland in 1898. This setting introduces fears that would be artificial in a world of electricity and mobile phones and automatic weapons. In Road Fever, for example, most weapons take too long to reload in combat and as such the player is not given this option (reloading for these weapons is done when the player is in a safe location).
·TITLE·
The game is named after a combination of diseases that ran rampant during the Great Famine in mid-19th-century Ireland. The symptoms were similar to the famous Black Plague. These diseases were carried by lice and victims would be veritable skeletons for their hunger, staggering along the roads in search of food, in tattered clothes and nigh decaying as they walked. The majority failed to reach any destination and would drop dead in heaps on these roads, sometimes half-alive but too weak to move. No-one knew lice were the carriers, and people came to associate going anywhere near the road with contracting the diseases. Hence, 'road fever'. In this game, our protagonist Ned Lyons has survived the Famine and when he sees the roads littered with corpses, some of them stumbling about with only vague senses of direction, this is what it reminds him of.
·STYLE·
The æsthetic we're using is inspired mostly by silent films. We intend to use subtle spotlights to help players see important items, not unlike the techniques used in the classic film industry. Though not a silent film, Citizen Kane is visually a huge influence on the design of the mansion. Aiding in this, all sounds are put through a 1930s vinyl simulator. In some cases we'll hold back on the bass to add some power, but to the average ear it will sound very old, and this is what we want.
Another interesting thing is that in using limited saves and no continue options, the style of horror shifts dramatically. More akin to the horrors of real life, this style of horror is about *nearly* dying, not actually dying. In real life, the fear of death and the desperation to survive are very strong, and following the onset of death, one is no longer capable of fear. In a computer game, this is true as well, and after a few attempts at a particular section, the fear becomes an appreciation for hardship at best or a nuisance at worst. But in any case, the fear dissipates as a player becomes accustomed to dying. Not good for horror. The threat of this virtual death must be strong. The player must be immersed enough to forget for that moment, that death is simply reloading your game. The goal of this horror is to build a game that overcomes those that do not push themselves, but rewards true struggle with a tension cycle which culminates in a series of near-death experiences.
·STORY·
The plan is to have something of a minimalist but moving story. There is a great focus on characterisation, as the plot outline itself is honestly quite simple. In this way a balance can be attained such that cutscenes are not so long that they bore the player, nor are they so brief or otherwise lacking as to be ineffective. Plot developments can be established in seconds, and the rest of any cutscene can be devoted to the effects of these plot developments on the characters in question.
We have the opening cutscene scripted. There will be about five major cutscenes in the game. There will be several smaller ones as well, but these will mostly be short voiceovers, as a monologue style is the idea we have, and the game's events are treated as Ned's memories.
The game opens in 1898 in rural Kerry, Ireland, with Ned in his cottage listening to a music box from his first wife. He reminisces for a moment. A few scenes later and Ned is walking in the middle of the night to an abandoned manor where he suspects his son's sneaked off to with his friends. Ned's son and friends believe it's haunted and think this would be fun. Ned explains in a voiceover he's far more worried about the revolutionaries using it as meeting/fomenting/squatting grounds (this is how we account for finding random stashes of ammunition and firearms, obviously). Then Ned sees some zombies and runs the other way, back to his wife (second wife, who in the story is revealed to be more like a friend, as he still misses his first wife and she still misses her first husband, both of whom have died), who's now missing. Ned picks up a Webley six-shooter and a knife, looks about, and leaves through the exit least populated by zombies. Play begins here.
First few minutes, you've six bullets and a knife and you're trying to survive long enough to make it to the manor. When you succeed there's the cutscene that gives the game its name, as explained in the ·TITLE· section of this description. 'Skibbereen' is played on a lone violin during this scene, which ends with Ned running into the manor to escape from an undead throng.
It becomes apparent that when it comes time to go, Ned will need to leave a different way. So your time in the manor is spent looking for your son and an exit. The manor section will consist of finding keys, solving puzzles, and dealing with enemies (see the ·ENEMIES· section below), and it will probably be half of the game or so.
Ned escapes through an underground passage to a railway station, and he goes by train to Dublin, where his older son (from his previous marriage) lives. The journey reveals that the whole country are zombies, from what Ned can see looking out the window of the train.
Now in Dublin you encounter a new enemy. There's a brief bit of gameplay outside, moving through Temple Bar and such, and we find ourselves in an old factory. We've a few story-related ideas for what causes Ned to go there, but as of now we have not decided on one.
The remainder of the game is spent in this factory. A lot of interesting stuff happens that we've glossed over so's to avoid spoiling the story.
There's an ending of course, and this is followed by an epilogue, which is presented as a recording by Ned's grandson in the 1940s, explaining some of the game's story that science in 1898 would not have facilitated.
·GAMEPLAY·
The game plays very like old Resident Evil titles. Fixed cameras and tank controls are both present, as will be the auto-aim function as it was used in these games. Zombies will be slow and numerous, whilst ammo will be in short supply. Avoiding enemies is thus encouraged. Body-burning as in the Remake will be used in this game, though the specifics are not finalised.
Many of the new features we're including involve realistic treatment of Victorian firearms. Reloading is allowed only when away from enemies, with certain weapons. Speedloaders will be found for the handguns in the game as well. The shotgun is a weapon that reloads one shell at a time, which is fast enough to do in combat, but to refill it completely from an empty gun, you must engage the reload function five times. In combat, if you reload in the middle of your clip/magazine with other weapons, you will drop that clip on the ground to be picked up afterwards. One consideration is later in the game to have a dump pouch.
Another feature is a bleeding status. Certain enemies can smell blood. So, you'd rather not be bleeding in that case, or they may find you.
Health will be managed via a somewhat complex chemical-mixing system which is in this story a new discovery in the medical field. In the story you find that Ned survives owing to being clever and good with firearms, but more important, having a somewhat rare resistance to the virus (need to research but it could be something like a rare blood type). Things like the bleeding status are responses to physical damage, but Ned's health metre is more indicative of his resistance to the virus, though as in the real world, lower resistance will contribute to greater susceptibility to physical damage. These things will be handled by a number of different chemicals, some of which can only be got by mixing others, and the player will use a syringe to administer the medicine.
After receiving complaints about the old RE games' puzzles, it seems it would be ideal to include a puzzle difficulty level option. At the higher end it would be something like The Room or the Sherlock Holmes games. The lower difficulty would be, you know, less difficult.
Another plan is for the harder difficulty (overall difficulty, not just puzzles) to be unlockable. On this difficulty, which is by definition a second playthrough, certain things will be different in order to play on your expectations, and a hunger system will be unlocked as well. That will probably be a separate mode that can be turned on, and now we're considering making it a 'thirst' metre instead. Makes a bit more sense than finding large amounts of food in a supposedly abandoned manor, although perhaps the squatters had some brought. Things to think about.
Like Resident Evil, there will be fixed cameras, tank controls, rudimentary auto-aim, limited inventory space, limited save items that must be used in save rooms, and body-burning (as in the Remake).
Some features we've considered are oil management between body-burning and lighting dark rooms, a bit where you need to travel through a pitch-black cellar or something (no, the game will not be dark in general; we find that breaks immersion and annoys both us and Jim Sterling) infested with deadly bugs and you can only tell how close you are to them by the intensity of the music, checking bodies for information about who they were and how that can help you to survive, and having the game saves be written notes you can read in your inventory. Probably other things we're forgetting just now.
·WEAPONS·
Kitchen knife. You start with this weapon. Weak but it has 'infinite ammo', so it may be useful for that. There will be an opportunity to use a grindstone somewhere in the manor, and this will slightly increase the damage it does.
Combat knife. Later in the game the player can find a combat knife, which is slightly stronger than the kitchen knife after the kitchen knife's been sharpened. The combat knife is probably able to be sharpened as well but we haven't decided.
Webley revolver. Six-shooter you start with. This gun can be reloaded in combat with a speedloader. Otherwise the chamber must be filled one bullet at a time, which probably means it'll be done only when not in combat, but as it's the starting handgun we may need to work on that.
Mauser C96. Semi-auto, holds ten-round clip/magazine (not sure which yet), may be reloaded in combat. This gun is slightly weaker than the Webley but much easier to use.
1887 Winchester shotgun. Holds five individually loaded rounds. Can be reloaded in combat, but each time the player initiates the reload function, only one bullet is placed in the gun.
Lee-Metford rifle. Ten rounds, can't be reloaded in combat. You find only the one magazine, and any other bullets you find must be combined with it outside of combat, though bullets will be very rare. This rifle is like your magnum in later games, in that it is extremely high-powered and will kill low-level enemies with one bullet.
Grenades. There is a plan to include grenades made from items the player must find. These are bottles, nails and other sharp metal bits, powder, and a makeshift fuse. They need to be lighted as well of course.
Hand mortar. Highly experimental, archaïc grenade launcher. Very powerful, with rare ammunition. Can-not be reloaded in combat. Considering adding a chance to cause the player damage (this danger is the reason grenade launchers were not adopted until the 20th century), but this may be more of a nuisance than any thing, with ammunition so rare.
Madsen light machine gun. This is a tentative consideration that may not appear in the game. It holds 25 or 40 rounds. If you have the magazines it can be reloaded in combat (3-5 second reload in real life). But we could limit the number of magazines. Though, one thought is to make it the weapon needed for the final boss, in which case we'd want to think about it a bit differently.
·ENEMIES·
Zombies. These are traditional, walking zombies. Their strength is more in numbers and tight spaces than any thing else. They do moderate damage to the player and can take a fair pounding before they die, but they're overall less of a threat than some things you'll encounter. When they do die, you'll want them either beheaded or burned, because otherwise they'll lie there for a decent amount of time and then come back stronger. Similar to the idea of the crimsons in the RE Remake but not precisely the same.
Bleeders/bleeding bats. These are based on the flying foxes in Australia. They're already bats the size of people in actual real life. But in Road Fever they'll be slightly more humanoid in their lower bodies especially, giving the appearance of a man-bat. The virus decays their flesh, similar to the zombies. They're dubbed 'bleeding' bats because they drool constantly, and in many cases when a person sees them the blood of their previous meal is not totally dispersed, which causes the saliva to be coloured red. In-game there will be trails of this burgundy saliva left behind them as they roam the halls like skulking mad hunchbacked drunkard beasts.
Dobhar-chú. Mythical Irish beasts bear the same name, and it is for that particular creäture that the enemy in Road Fever is named. It is not precisely the same, but similar enough that Ned sees fit to call this monster after the one in the old stories. The design in the stories ranges from a monstrous dog-otter to a more crocodile-like form. It can bear resemblance to the Loch Ness Monster in some depictions as well. It tends to have dog-like or otter-like features, as the word 'dobhar-chú' means 'water-dog' in Irish and is a term sometimes used in the Irish language to refer to an otter. The design (and especially size) we'll use is dependent on many, many things, but one of the things we like about the legends is they say that if a dobhar-chú should be killed, it lets out an eerie whistling sound and its spouse will come to seek its killer. This gives the player the choice of attempting to evade the monster, or killing it to leave the room briefly clear to traverse. But if you're bleeding, the spouse may just follow after you by your scent...
Bunyip. The bunyip is another cryptid, and it was once presumed native to Australia. Its depicted forms are far more variable than our other cryptid, the dobhar-chú. In our game we have yet to settle on a design, but its existence in the game is a certainty.
Licker-inspired enemy. The lickers in Resident Evil 2 are among the best designed enemies in any game regarding their ability to terrify a player. Their visual design is simply a man with no flesh and no eyes, with claws and a long spear-like tongue. What's creepy is just about everything else. It breathes hoarsely as it waits for something to kill. It drools and the spit drips. It makes sounds that seem to walk a line between man and dæmon. It climbs upside down on ceilings and walls and perches there. It's blind. This makes you want to walk past it instead of running, and this draws out the fear, because if you walk too close to it or touch it it will indeed hear you. You could shoot it but they're not easy to kill, moreover without taking a hit or two yourself, or once there's more than one there, and you mayn't be able to spare all that ammo and health. It always crawls and never stands. But when it *thinks* it's heard something worth killing, it will squat, lift its head at attention, and sway like a right mental thing. If you move at-all when it's in this state, it will immediately be aware of your position and do its best to kill you, something it is very much equipped to do. In Road Fever, we can't be sure just what this enemy will look like, or what we'll do in order to design an enemy that constitutes an homage instead of a shameless and unoriginal copy, but the danger is something we are aware of and will overcome. There's been consideration of designing the bunyip to fulfil this need.
The very last thing to consider is bosses. We will certainly have them, but we have none concretely planned at the moment. We're considering the ideas of either many different bosses, or most boss fights being against a single enemy that mutates over the course of the game and follows the player. Perhaps a combination were best.
·GOALS·
The immediate short-term goal is to produce something worthy of crowdfunding. Ideally this would be done within the next couple of months. The trouble there is some necessary roles are not filled, and to fill them we may need to rely on crowdfunding, but as I've just said, we're missing some members we need for this, and this cycle goes on. Perhaps some interest will be got here.
The first very major goal following this is to have the game complete for the PC. When to expect this done is too contingent on team-mates we haven't even met as yet. It would be logical at that time to pursue selling this on Steam.
This sort of game works best on a console, and many of our most vocal supporters are not PC gamers so far. As such, it would be fantastic to work towards getting this onto consoles as well, but PC is necessarily the priority.
·CONCLUSION·
Thanks for reading. We hope this has you as intrigued and excited as we are. You may not be interested or able to work on this game with us, but even leaving a link to this page anywhere it would be appreciated, would be an immense help. Cheers.
--Square Crank.With audio post production being one of the final steps in the filmmaking process, it is a rare occasion when we are asked to impart our know-how during the early phases of a film’s creation. However, with budgets and schedules shrinking, and with the demand for stellar sound continuing to rise, it would seem imperative and advantageous for filmmakers to dialogue (pun intended) with a sound facility prior to the start of principal photography, in order to help a filmmaker avoid burning through their budget. Equally important is the fact that a solid line of communication between both parties can lead to an efficient, well-sculpted and extremely satisfying audio post production experience. If you’re planning on making a film, we’d like to share a few ideas that can save you some money, time and lots of heartache.
Tip 1: Hire a solid, like-minded crew
The key ingredient necessary for producing a film with amazing results is, and always has been, talent. Not only having it, but hiring it! A filmmaker who surrounds him or herself with a group of dynamic, professional, clear-headed and talented individuals stands to gain so much more for his or her project. Sushi Girl, a film we sound designed and mixed at the end of 2011, had that dynamic synergy from conception all the way through to the final sound mix. We still get goose bumps thinking about how all the departments gelled so perfectly (the film is now available on VOD, by the way).
Tip 2: Forget fixing it in post
It is a curious misconception that a film’s sound can be miraculously saved in post production, but unless you’ve got unlimited funding, be aware that not everything can or should be fixed in post. If your dialogue is buried under what sounds like the 5 Freeway during rush hour, there’s only so much filtering or noise reduction your editor or mixer can do before they begin to chip away at the frequencies that shape the dialogue. The alternative fix would be to ADR the troublesome scene, but you risk losing the spirit of the performance captured on location. There’s nothing worse than watching an actor come in for ADR, only to discover that we need to revoice their intense emotional crying scene because someone left a generator running through some of it. Don’t fix it in post; avoid it in production. This leads to our third tip:
Tip 3: Love your production sound team and let them do their job
It sounds like common sense, but capturing strong, clean production sound is essential, not only for having a healthy post production experience, but for simply telling your story. Let your sound guys record as much roomtone and ambiences as possible, particularly if environments are naturally noisy or dodgy. The more roomtone the better. Our dialogue editors appreciate having it. Other things to be aware of during production include: Generators or fridges running during a take (or two, or three), airplanes and/or traffic, muddy or distorted recordings, dolly tracks or camera movement, off screen crew members movement, etc. Your production sound team won’t ever ask for anything other than a few moments of silence. Use that time to meditate on how much money those couple of minutes will save you in the end.
Clean production tracks can not only make the dialogue editorial a relatively smoother task, but it can also result in a more focused and streamlined ADR schedule. Instead of booking time to fix technical issues, you can use your ADR budget to enhance performances. Your actors will appreciate that. So will your producers.
Tip 4: Avoid the Pitfalls of Temp Love
As sound editors, we seek to create unique sound experiences for |
ızılok—all the celebrities of Turkey played there. And me, as the daughter of the owners, I used to perform after them. I was just a girl singing and playing the guitar after the actual headliner left. People were shocked. That’s how my music career kicked off.
G.S.A.: All those guest artists, did they listen to your music at all?
S.B.: They heard my music there for the first time. Then they brought my music to Istanbul and made albums of it, even before I did!
G.S.A.: Cem Karaca got “Tatlı Dilim” and Barış Manço got “Katip Arzuhalim”…
S.B.: That’s right. I didn’t want to name those since they’re both deceased. But I did emphasize the fact every chance I had when they were alive! They never forced me or anything. After they died, I didn’t want to talk about it. I had a song called “Maden İşçileri” back then. All my friends were in the medical faculty, and I was in the physics department. A friend of mine dreamt that Timur Selçuk played a gig and played my “Maden İşçileri” song there. What a dream! I felt like all my songs were being taken, so I decided to make an album myself. But years later, I gave the song “Maden İşçileri” to Timur Selçuk. That’s an interesting, beautiful story too.
G.S.A.: Erkan Özerman listened to your music, and he insisted on recording your album. That started the Istanbul part of the story, right?
S.B.: Erkan Ağbi used to sweep me off my feet. I was a senior, and I used to say to myself, “There’s no way I can finish school if I yield to this guy.” He constantly told me that he was going to make me world famous but only on the condition that we changed my name to “Zelda.” He wanted to make me seem like I was Jewish. Since Jewish people owned most of the music market, I was supposed to be “Zelda.” I didn’t want that, of course.
There was a program on TRT in 1971. It was about prisons. Deniz Gezmiş and his contemporaries were still in prison back then. Türkan Poyraz, who owned an advertising agency, helped me record the first tapes. I owe her so much. She was a very strong woman, and she was also very influential on TRT. She followed the necessary inspection procedures for my song “Mapushanelerde Güneş Doğmuyor,” and she played it on this program. Can you imagine it? Deniz Gezmiş is in prison, and I’m singing “Neden Mapushanelerde Güneş Doğmuyor” on television. I wasn’t on the TV though, it was only my voice. In the meantime, the LPs came out as “Zelda.” There was a friend from Van there, Atilla Ilvan, who intervened and prevented the LPs from being distributed because he knew my name was Selda. I remained anonymous on that program. Luckily, I did! Afterwards, there was a lot of curiosity about who that woman was.
“Years later, I was back again for the Jerusalem Festival in Israel. I took a cab—this was almost 12 years later—and the driver turned around and said, “Zelda!” I was astounded! I asked him how he still remembered!
G.S.A.: Then you get a lot of phone calls and people start running after you?
S.B.: Well, years later Erkan Ağbi’s predictions came true. They call me Zelda in Israel; when I’m there, my name is Zelda. They pronounce ‘s’, ‘z’ in Israel, just the opposite of that in Germany. I was in Israel in 1990 for the first time for a beautiful festival. The festival took place in an Ottoman Castle, and there was an Ottoman flag on top of the tower. I took a cab—this was almost 12 years later—and the driver turned around and said, “Zelda!” I was astounded! I asked him how he still remembered. It’s a very small country, it’s like those first days of TRT. If someone is on the screen, they immediately become celebrities, their songs become hits. When I was blacklisted for 20 years, every song became a hit, other than mine.
G.S.A.: When you released the song “Mapushanede Güneş Doğmuyor,” Deniz Gezmiş was in prison, and rumors of a possible romance between you two spread all over. What’s the story behind that?
S.B.: I had no idea about the rumors at first. Back in 1976, somebody asked me about it backstage at a concert. It was very shocking to me. I couldn’t make sense of how it had spread so far. People wanted to think of us as a couple. Deniz and his friends had probably heard of me. My songs were on the radio and radio was available to inmates. But we never knew each other in person, never met in person or anything. Years later, a little girl came to me backstage after a concert and said, “Can I ask you something?” I knew what it was, and I let her ask. She asked if I had ever dated Deniz Gezmiş. Some people thought I was really his girlfriend, and I lied about it. They thought I was denying the fact. I wish! I have a friend who lives in Paris, Arzu Okay, who was a Yeşilçam artist. She was getting her house painted in the early 2000s. She called and told me that the carpenters were big fans of me, and they wanted to talk to me. I said ok, and one of them brought up this Deniz Gezmiş subject, and then he said, “After he died, you couldn’t’ marry anyone ever again, right?”
G.S.A.: Well… Urban legend.
S.B.: Exactly! Urban legend…
Aylin Güngör (Bant Mag.): Do you have all of your work in your personal archives? Is there stuff—artwork or LPs—that you don’t have at home?
S.B.: I think I have everything. I had only one thing missing. It’s so ironic actually. For some reason, I didn’t have “Aldırma Gönül.” I made an LP of it in 1977 or 1978. Somehow I couldn’t find it at home. It was either stolen or a friend took it. I was ready to buy it on the black market. Recently, a young man came from America for an interview. We talked about so many things, and at the end he took out 45 of “Aldırma Gönül” for an autograph. I asked him to give it to me immediately. He was surprised, but he had to give it to me. What else was he supposed to do?
“When Anglo Saxons get sick of each other, they open their eyes to new communities. Even Sting says a Muslim prayer in a part of one of his songs. When things like this happen, people got curious about us.”
“Three young English men were guests at a program on TRT; I was still banned from the screen back then. Korhan Abay was the producer and the host. He asked who they knew among Turkish artists, and they said “Selda Bağcan.” But I was still banned, so Korhan was shocked! I said to myself, “Censorship always fails.”
G.S.A.: You’re expectedly among Times’ list of 81 legendary female musicians. We all know how and why, but what do you personally think about it?
S.B.: I attribute the attention to that urgency in my voice. My vocal tone is unique, and it’s such a sincere way of singing. Also, there’s the fact that it’s the music from the heart of Anatolia, it’s authentic and frank. That was new for people. It’s the music of the Middle East. Ethno music, as you know, has gotten really trendy lately. When Anglo Saxons get sick of each other, they open their eyes to new communities. Even Sting says a Muslim prayer in a part of one of his songs. When things like this happen, people get curious about us. It just tipped somehow. There’s of course a long history to it. I was in the WOMAD Festival in London in 1987. The festival LP was distributed around the world, which laid the groundwork. I also performed in numerous festivals in Germany.
Three English young men were guests at a program on TRT; I was still banned from the screen back then. Korhan Abay was the producer and the host. He asked who they knew among Turkish artists, and they said, “Selda Bağcan.” But I was still banned, so Korhan was shocked! I said to myself, “Censorships always fails.”
G.S.A.: When we’re in Europe for concerts, we go to lots of record stores. There are always two Turkish artists’ LPs there, Selda Bağcan and Erkin Koray.
S.B.: His music is also very intriguing. “Şaşkın” and “Estarabim” are fascinating! I really appreciate his music.
G.S.A.: I’ve read an anecdote of yours. You, Seyyal Taner and Erkin Koray were at a summerhouse…
S.B.: We rented a summerhouse in Büyükçekmece. We were there all together. Seyyal and Erkin were really close friends. We naturally expected Erkin Baba to pick up the guitar and play something. He didn’t even touch it! We waited for three days. Then we learned his reason: If he played something in that house, I might have stolen the song from him. No way, it’s not possible!
G.S.A.: Maybe he thought so, as he was steadily influenced by the music from Egypt, Africa, the Middle East and carried their features into his music.
S.B.: “Şaşkın” and stuff, they’re all from abroad. I listened to the Arabic versions.
G.S.A.: When somebody asks him about it, his answer is, “My lyrics are really solid.”
S.B.: Anyway, even coming up with the idea is terrific. I had made this song “Ziller ve İpler” in 1992. It was originally an Israeli rocker’s. When I first went to Israel, I got really popular. I constantly went to rockers’, musicians’ houses. It was as if I came from outer space. One of the guys there gave me his cassette. I listened to the first track, it was an instrumental one, and I was amazed! I knew it would be a hit in Turkey. Luckily, the song was anonymous. It’s a Greek song, “rembetiko”. His family were immigrants from Greece, so I guess he learned the song from them.
G.S.A.: I remember the music video for it.
S.B.: Little children were playing around.
G.S.A.: I was in love with the video. I was six or so. That’s the first song of yours I listened to. Naturally, then the rest came.
S.B.: Those who learn about me through that video, they’re really surprised when they see me as a middle-aged lady. They can’t understand how this old lady appeared. They never saw me because of the ban. Only those who love ‘türkü’ and Alevi communities knew about me. I always say I’m where I am thanks to the Alevis. But I’m not an Alevi, though I wish I was one.
G.S.A.: You have an aphorism that really strikes me. You said, “You can’t be international without being national.” It reminds me of what Ruhi Su said: “From the local to the national, from the national to the universal.”
S.B.: Seriously, my music makes sense to the people who live here. I come up with compositions with the taste of a folk song. If you make music for this geography, you have to be national. Then the international community recognizes you. We’ve been noted much, thanks to the Internet. All information spreads at the speed of light. I released an LP in London in 2006. I had a contract with a company there. In two or three years, the songs became hits, and they kept spreading all around the world. It did so thanks to the Internet. If we had the Internet earlier, people would have found out about us much earlier…
G.S.A.: I believe the American rapper Mos Def sampled one of your songs. And there was a lawsuit following that, and you lost the case, right? That was really surprising for me.
S.B.: We didn’t lose the case. We couldn’t have it in the first place. We paid the lawyer, and he sat on the money. He’s not giving it back. There’s a record company called Finders Keepers. They’re unbelievable. They paid 4,000 liras twice, and that was all! They sent us the invoice, but there was no actual payment. It was a huge swindle. They even sold the songs to Americans. They sold it to Mos Def and a company called Electronic Arts. It was used in a series called Beverly Hills, where some musician called Dr.No sang it. It was even used in a computer game called Skate 2. These four are the ones we could determine. My lawyer kept writing to their lawyers. But they somehow made the case exceed the statute of limitations of three years. Then we couldn’t sue anyone because the case was from three years ago. They didn’t send the money back either. Then we found another American lawyer, and he didn’t send our money back either! After getting to know the British and the Americans, I realized how honest and decent people we are! I’ve always stuck to my contracts. I never break them. These guys were unbelievable frauds. Mos Def has no guilt in the case. It’s all about his record company, they’re the ones who didn’t pay me for my song.
“Reaching this point in my career has so much to do with my lyrics. As I took very good care of it, I never lost my voice. But I can totally say my lyrics brought me where I am today… And my posture of course, I have a very firm posture. I’ve never fit into the common idea of a woman.”
G.S.A.: As a female musician in a male-dominated society, you’ve kept making your music in your own way. Have you ever suffered because you are a woman? Besides the general hardships, was there anything specific?
S.B.: No, almost never. First of all, reaching this point in my career has so much to do with my lyrics. As I took very good care of it, I never lost my voice. But I can totally say that my lyrics brought me wHere I am today. It’s all about solid melodies and lyrics. And my posture of course, I have a very firm posture. I’ve never fit into the common idea of a woman. I go everywhere without wearing makeup, except when I’m on television. There they put make up on me. Under those circumstances, I actually quite like the makeup on myself.
G.S.A.: You said, “My leftism breaks the pattern.” I think that’s so true. The content of leftism has changed in Turkey. Yours really doesn’t fit anywhere anymore.
S.B.: True, the pattern has changed. I’m a leftist, but still, the left wing is so much more conservative than me. You can’t do any wrong there.
G.S.A.: Who does Selda Bağcan listen to?
S.B.: I listen to basically everything. Every beautiful sound naturally gets my attention. I make no differentiation among them. I listen to arabesque too. There are very good compositions in arabesque music. The songs İbrahim Tatlıses sang and the ones Burhan Bayar made… Pop music has gotten pretty bad lately, but there is some really good stuff too. Seventy-five percent of the pop music released is bad, and 25% is very good. But it’s generally bad. My friends and I can barely take it most of the time.
“I’m a physics graduate. I’ve always stayed away from the Internet. I’d like to live more freely from the digitalised world. The internet freaks me out.”
G.S.A.: Do you use the Internet?
S.B.: I’m a physics graduate. I’ve always stayed away from the Internet. I’d like to live more freely from the digitalised world. The internet freaks me out. Actually, I have a rock song about it.
"Bilgisayar dünya
Duygusavar dünya
Sen ne dersen de
Ben de varım burda"
(“Computer world / World that pushes the feelings away / Whatever you say / I also exist here”)
G.S.A.: What are your favorite movies?
S.B.: When I was a kid, I was very much impressed by Spartacus. The revolt of the slaves. I guess Spartacus lived around 2000 BC, and he rebelled against slavery. There’s also Dr. Zhivago among my favorites. It’s an amazing movie. It’s such a great narration of the October Revolution. I saw the movie first, then I read the novel. Gone With the Wind also had a great impact on my childhood.
G.S.A.: Another survey question: If you were to give any advice to 20 year-old Selda Bağcan, what would you tell her?
S.B.: That’s a really hard question. It’s never been asked before. You’re a very smart young woman. I made mistakes, I can’t say I didn’t—both in my career and in my private life. With the consciousness I have now, I may have not made them. They’re not like huge mistakes, they’re trifles. Everybody likes to think their mistakes are slight ones.
G.S.A.: I think you’re the biggest female rock star of this country has ever had. Do you have any thoughts on that?
S.B.: I am the greatest, no one can compare!
This piece was originally published on Bant Mag. No:34 in Turkish
Translation by Ege Yorulmaz, Edited by Chris McLarenThe amount of time needed to complete the story line and the side missions makes the game worth it. The story line provided a great synopsis of the anime's plot, which helped remind players some content that may have previously been forgotten. The game does progressively become more difficult, so it does not become boring due to the fights being too easy. The amount of characters that can be played is satisfying and appreciated, but I wish all of the characters from the anime and manga could have been added to the game since this is their last game in the ult series. Overall, this game is very entertaining and gives you a great opportunity to waste around 10-12 hours if you are trying to get everything possible in the story mode and side story. Plus the multiplayer and local match gameplay is not too bad.
Read moreThe major economic engines of Japan Inc. — car manufacturers, appliance giants and the like — have often been caught price-fixing: colluding to keep an even market share, squeeze competitors out and maintain “harmony.” Similarly, the commercial English-teaching business could be accused of wage-fixing: Rather than competing for talent, they have followed one another’s lead, driving down salaries to hamper career development, limit job mobility and keep foreign teachers firmly in their place.
We’ve all heard the tale of the scorpion and the frog. In a rising flood, the scorpion asks the frog for a piggy-back ride across the river. The frog refuses, complaining that the scorpion will sting it to death midway. The scorpion assures the frog it would do no such thing because they would both drown. The frog accepts the logic, lets the scorpion on its back and begins to swim.
Halfway across, the scorpion stings the frog anyway. As they sink, the frog reminds the scorpion that now they’ll both die. The scorpion replies, “I couldn’t help it; it’s in my nature.”
The eikaiwa (English conversation school) industry’s efforts to cut pay and drive down working conditions may be leading to a similar worst-case scenario for firms and their employees. With economies improving and salaries climbing in the Anglophone countries that traditionally supply Japan’s foreign teachers, there is less incentive to make the trip to Japan, where, in many cases, wages barely pay for the cost of living and respect for employees is at best a relative concept.
This decline seems to have accelerated in recent years, and Big Eikaiwa may be nearing rock bottom. At the same time, several perennial thorny issues appear likely to come to a head over the coming year, after disputes heated up in 2015.
All eyes are on October
The biggest change on the cards for 2016 concerns the infamous 29½-hour workweek, which has become the industry-standard method for eikaiwa chains to minimize their labor costs. Giving teachers schedules of less than 30 hours has allowed these firms to classify their teachers as part-timers, thereby avoiding enrolling them in the national shakai hoken social insurance program, under which the company is required to pay half its employees’ health insurance and pension premiums.
Yet, argues Chris Flynn of the General Union’s Fukuoka branch, “The 29½ hours was only ever an internal guideline (equal to roughly two-thirds of a full-time schedule) that the labor ministry used to clamp down on companies that didn’t enroll workers. It was never a hard and fast rule.”
In the spirit of price-fixing, most large eikaiwa chains have been bandying about this figure — which appeared on two Social Insurance Agency internal documents — like a get-out-of-jail-free card. Liam, a longtime ECC labor union member, says that by using this industry guideline, “the big chains funded their expansion with the money they should have paid into worker pensions.” One early victory for the ECC union, back in 2006, was winning the “option” for its members to be enrolled in the health and pension schemes, but nonenrollment remains the default for the company’s new hires.
Last year, with help from the General Union, one assistant language teacher (ALT) dispatched by Interac to the Tokai city Board of Education in Aichi Prefecture took the National Pension Service to court for the right to be enrolled in the health and pension schemes. The Tokyo District Court ruled that the teacher must be enrolled because he was in fact working more than 29½ hours a week, taking into consideration preparation and other “off-the-clock” time at school. The ruling failed to address the legality or otherwise of the 29½-hour rule, but the GU hopes this precedent will help other teachers working over the threshold based on time spent at the workplace win enrollment.
The big news for 2016 is that for teachers working for large firms — i.e., those with over 500 employees — the 29½-hour rule should cease to be an issue from October, when new labor regulations will require these firms to enroll all workers who put in at least 20 hours a week in the shakai hoken program. The law is supposed to be extended to cover all companies at an unspecified later date.
In a move the GU believes is not a coincidence, Interac announced in September that an “absorption-type split agreement” would take effect this month whereby the company (with “around 3,000 employees,” according to its website) would split up into at least six smaller regional firms “to position ourselves to manage the growth in the market,” in the words of the company. The union suspects that because the new law will apply only to companies with over 500 workers, Interac is trying to dodge this bullet by spreading its teachers around these new wholly owned subsidiaries.
Redefining employment
Meanwhile, other firms, such as Gaba, continue to sidestep the troublesome issues of thresholds and so on altogether by denying that their teachers are staff at all. Making use of itaku, or subcontractor, status — an increasingly popular tactic among companies within and outside eikaiwa — Gaba evades all the responsibilities an employer would usually have toward its employees: no sick leave, no pension, no insurance, no paid holidays, no overtime rates.
When an Osaka Labor Commission finding over one dispute carried wording that suggested the teachers were workers according to the Trade Union Law, Gaba appealed to both the district court, which stuck by the original judgment, and then the high court to have the wording removed, but the case was eventually withdrawn as part of a deal reached with the GU.
When Gaba’s owner, Nichii Gakkan, opened a new chain of schools — the fast-growing Coco Juku — it wasn’t going to be hostage to the teachers’ union all over again. Instead, it formed its own in-house one, which all teachers are required to join. Japan’s labor laws stipulate that an employer cannot “control or interfere with the formation or management of a labor union.” Perhaps Coco Juku didn’t get the memo.
The only hope a worker has of finding an employer that actually follows labor regulations may be a government job, and there are precious few of those around for foreign nationals. Enforcement in the private sector is universally lax. Worker rights are so shaky in the industry that even union membership can be grounds for dismissal, albeit illegal dismissal.
Though big names such as Berlitz and Nova have come under fire for nonrenewal of union teachers’ contracts in the past, others, such as Peppy Kids Club, Nichibei Eigo Gakuin and Linguaphone, have been ordered to reinstate nonrenewed staff. The Tozen Union was recently embroiled in a high-profile case with Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo over the nonrenewal of seven union members’ contracts, after SIT declared its intention to part ways with all of its foreign English-teaching staff. The SIT union subsequently went on strike, and the case was finally resolved last year with a settlement at the Tokyo Labor Relations Commission. The conditions of the deal are subject to a confidentiality order.
Threats of strikes win concessions
The general trend of deteriorating pay and work conditions for teachers showed little sign of abating in 2015. Nova, for example, taking a leaf from Gaba’s playbook, has taken tentative steps into the itaku “contracting” business. Last summer it offered new hires the opportunity to become Nova subcontractors at the competitive rate of ¥2,100 an hour.
However, Nova lessons usually do not last an hour, and new staff can now earn a whopping ¥1,400 per 40-minute lesson, before tax. That is still about double the wage a shop attendant earns at your local convenience store, but teaching English is not a job for grocery clerks: Nova teachers are required to be university graduates and hold a visa that names them as “specialists in humanities/international services.”
Some cry that the industry has been on the rocks since the big crashes of behemoths Nova and Geos some years ago. This a curious cop-out considering that big names such as Nova (reborn after its 2007 bankruptcy and rebranded) and Coco are expanding again and the 2013 summer bonus ECC paid to its permanent (seishain) employees amounted to an average of ¥855,000. This is three times the monthly salary of a typical teacher at that school, yet the teachers got no bonus at all.
Others argue that since foreign teachers will not stay forever, they don’t deserve the same bonuses as Japanese staff, but this chicken-and-egg logic misses the point: If the company has profited from the efforts of its core staff, don’t they deserve a share as long as they continue to work there? According to Sarah, who worked at ECC, “It’s an English school, selling English lessons by native English teachers. They can’t very well do it without us.”
With calls for across-the-board pay rises largely stalled, unions have recently been focusing on prizing payment out of employers for “off the clock” preparation time between lessons, a tactic that has met with some success. Drawing a line under a struggle that began nearly a decade ago over remuneration for unpaid five-minute preparation periods, the GU reached a deal last year with Berlitz guaranteeing an increase in pay for those teachers paid per lesson and a decrease in lessons for salaried instructors, among other concessions.
“The members’ solidarity at Berlitz really won the day,” explains GU chair Dennis Tesolat. “We’ve been making the same arguments since 2007, but when the union got big and we took a positive strike vote, the whole situation changed. This isn’t an increase for more work, as people were always working during this time; it is more money for each lesson the teacher teaches — a pay increase.”
ECC also faced strikes in 2014 — over the now-abandoned plan to replace yearly raises with noncumulative bonuses — and the threat of more last May. Industrial action was averted after the company agreed to concessions on pay raises, after which ECC union membership doubled.
Tesolat sees the Berlitz agreement as a springboard for better conditions at other schools. “This victory will have implications for the whole industry as many, especially part-timers, have never been paid for work outside lessons,” he says. “Already we have submitted a similar demand to Nova.”
In addition to asking for enrollment in shakai hoken, the Nova Union has also urged teachers not to sign away their existing rights when the company offers “subcontractor” status upon renewal.
A make or break year
Only time will tell whether successes like these can halt Big Eikaiwa’s rush to the bottom, and teachers’ dash for the exits. A General Union online survey of instructors taken last year makes grim reading. Many cited a reduction in wages or hours over the past five years and few respondents expressed optimism about the future. A majority felt they had little job security and that their living standards had not improved — or had deteriorated — since 2010.
Some are taking jobs only to leave within months, teachers report. ALT dispatcher Interac reduces pay in quiet months, or offers two contracts a year to avoid paying teachers during the main holiday periods; the lack of job security leads to a high turnover, and Interac is forced to keep hiring year-round.
Nick, who works as head teacher at a small Japanese-run school in Sendai, says he is finding it hard to hire. “They’re not coming to Japan, they won’t work in eikaiwa, they don’t want to work in Sendai, and they are staying away from our school because at every point they look at it and it doesn’t pay enough,” he says.
Even when it does pay enough, job security can be hard to find. Recent labor regulations stipulate that after five years, temporary and contract workers must be offered permanent positions if they request them. For some education providers determined to keep their foreign teachers at arm’s length, the solution is to dismiss them well before they reach this point. The General Union has reported that Otemon Gakuin High School is currently trying to nonrenew its entire faculty of foreign teachers, in order to avoid this responsibility. A part-time teachers’ union also took Waseda University to task over a plan to limit teacher contracts to five years, and the university was forced to back down.
It is baffling that institutions that pride themselves on quality education should be willing to suffer the loss of so much experience and goodwill. Surely these organizations are only shooting themselves in the foot. Among the customer complaints Nova faced during its implosion were those concerning the quality of the teachers. If Big Eikaiwa has decided its teachers — the core providers of its service — aren’t worth much, then teachers, for their part, will come to the same conclusion about their employers and won’t put in the effort.
With government calls to raise private-sector wages, increased media attention toward “black companies,” union pressure to improve compensation and a dwindling pool of capable people willing to work in the industry, or to stay, a turnaround could finally be in sight in 2016. But if the industry doesn’t improve upon the dreadful conditions it has conspired to create, it might just go down with the teachers on whose backs it has hitched a free ride for far too long.
Views expressed are the author’s alone. In cases where first names only are used, these are pseudonyms. Craig Currie-Robson has taught English in New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong for well over a decade. He is the author of “English to Go: Inside Japan’s Teaching Sweatshops,” available on Amazon Kindle and Print on Demand. Your comments and story ideas: community@japantimes.co.jpFor much of a memorable men's basketball season, new University of Alabama head coach Avery Johnson spent his time teaching. Now, with the season over, the street runs in the other direction. Johnson, while still busy with recruiting, is also reflecting on a year that showed great promise before a bittersweet ending.
For much of a memorable men's basketball season, new University of Alabama head coach Avery Johnson spent his time teaching. Now, with the season over, the street runs in the other direction. Johnson, while still busy with recruiting, is also reflecting on a year that showed great promise before a bittersweet ending.
Before he starts teaching again, Johnson is learning. He spoke with The Tuscaloosa News on Friday about three things he had learned over the course of Alabama's 18-15 season, his first year as a college basketball coach.
"I did learn a lot," Johnson said. "This was my first year back at the collegiate level as a head coach. It was my first year to work collectively with our staff. It was my first year to recruit. So I have been thinking about those things.
"One thing that stands out to me right now is that I learned a lot about how to prepare our team. You spend so much more time on that at the collegiate level. You have to push the right buttons. I learned how important that mental state is.
"Compared to the professional level, the kids are so much more immature, so much younger. You're talking about a 19-year old instead of a 29-year old man who might have played 500 or 600 games or more at the professional level. So the players (at the collegiate level) are a little more fragile."
That appeared to be one factor as Alabama struggled down the stretch, losing five of its last seven games.
"It wasn't an experience they had ever been through before," Johnson said. "They went from being able to play loose because there weren't any big expectations to suddenly having people talk about the NCAA Tournament.
"It's easy to play the blame game. I'm not going to do that. It was on all of us, starting with me as the head coach. And I think as the team matured, they started to take on more responsibility and I was proud of that. People forget that we were playing some very good teams in that stretch and a lot of them had studied us closely, so we didn't have that element of surprise that we might have had earlier in the year. That's something else we will learn from."
A second lesson, Johnson said, came from first-hand experience of the talent level required to compete in the SEC.
"Our players gave us everything they had," said Johnson, who did not get into a player-by-player evaluation. "That's what I will say. It did hurt us to lose (freshman guard) Dazon Ingram (who was injured after seven games) because he has a lot of potential.
"The league was very good. I do think what we had was two elite teams (Kentucky and Texas A&M) and about five or six who slid more to the middle but we're capable of beating a lot of the teams that made the NCAA Tournament. What this league needs in the long run is to go for two elite teams to four or five. That's what helps everyone, boosts their RPI.
"We need four elite teams and we're working to be one of those teams, whether that's next year or a little further down the road."
One area that Johnson studied closely after taking the Alabama job was scheduling -- and he took note of the benefits of a tough nonconference schedule, which put the Crimson Tide into position for a postseason run, even if later developments hampered that hope.
"It was challenging," Johnson said. "We got our brains beat out a few times but we snuck up on a few people. It helped us."
Next year's schedule will follow a similar philosophy. Alabama already has contracts for a return game at Oregon, a No. 1 seed in the current NCAA team, as well as a home game against Dayton, also an NCAA team. Johnson said there would be "a couple of exciting announcements in the near future" as contract details are finalized, but did not tip his hand.
"We're looking forward to it," Johnson said in conclusion. "People here are excited about basketball, which is great."
Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil@tidesports.com or 205-722-0225.Hi Pen Fans!
As usual, the Ohio Pen Show was a smashing success!!! Big thanks to Terry Mawhorter and his crew or putting on another great show!
Highlights….
Laurence Oldfield was able to visit from the UK. Very nice guy, and he had a couple of incredible Fords.
I saw a pair of solid gold Parker T-1’s. Amazing!
Michael Sull was in attendance making us all jealous of his phenomenal script!
There’s lots more! All of these highlights, as well as more are within the slideshow below.
(if you cannot see this slideshow, click here)
We are pretty exhausted, and will not be in the shop today and possibly tomorrow, as well. If you are expecting an email from me, I’ll return it tomorrow or Wednesday.
Thanks!
Brian at EdisonA California girl died while undergoing a simple dental procedure on Monday, leaving her parents with unanswered questions in her death, her family said.
Daleyza Avila Hernandez, 3, was getting two teeth pulled and caps put on two others at the Children's Dental Surgery Center in Stockton, east of San Francisco, her family told Fox 40.
"My daughter was very healthy," Araceli Avila said. "All I did was I take my daughter to the dentist because they were going to fix her teeth, and about 30 minutes later they brought her back dead."
DOCTOR ACCUSED OF USING PAINKILLER TO QUICKEN DEATH OF 8-YEAR-OLD BOY, POLICE SAY
Avila and her husband, Jose Hernandez, recalled seeing the toddler "vivacious and full of life" just before the procedure. The parents said they weren't allowed into the surgery room. But while waiting, Avila saw an ambulance pull up to the office.
"And I stood up and went outside because I was like, 'they are coming for a kid,' but I never thought it was for my child," Avila said.
A nurse told them their daughter's heart stopped, possibly from underlying heart issues. Daley |
is Herme’s recipe asks for egg whites only and for the first time in my life, the meringue didn’t whip properly, it just didn’t whip – I was in a hurry to finish the cake and made a few beginner’s mistake whick obviously led to a fail. So I decided to replace them with whipped cream, adding just a touch of gelatin to keep the mousse together. I’m going to write the recipe with my own changes, but if you’re looking for the original one, do yourself a favor and buy Herme’s books – they are a great investment regardless of what recipe you are after. The changes I made refer to the quantities I used mainly – I needed a 20-22cm diameter cake for my brother’s birthday and I didn’t think Herme’s original cake would be enough for the amount of family and friends we had to sweeten up.
Carrement au Chocolat Print Author: Olguta - Pastry Workshop Serves:: 1 20-22cm diameter cake Ingredients: Chocolate Cake: 125g dark chocolate, chopped
125g butter, cubed
110g white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
35g all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt Smooth Chocolate Cream: 140g dark chocolate, chopped
80 ml whole milk
120ml heavy cream
2 egg yolks
100g white sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Chocolate Mousse: 250g dark chocolate, chopped
120ml heavy cream
2 egg yolks
40g sugar
3g gelatin + 15ml cold water
350ml heavy cream, whipped Chocolate Sauce: 50g dark chocolate, chopped
95ml water
35g sugar
50ml heavy cream Chocolate Glaze: The chocolate sauce from above
100g dark chocolate, chopped
80ml heavy cream
20g butter
3g gelatin + 15ml cold water Directions: Chocolate Cake: Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a hot water bath then stir in the butter and mix well. Add the eggs, sugar, flour and salt, mixing quickly just until smooth. Pour the batter in a round cake pan (20-22cm diameter) and bake in the preheated oven at 400F - 200C for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool then place the cake in a round cake ring lined with acetate sheets. Place aside. Smooth Chocolate Cream: Combine the milk and cream and heat them up to the boiling point. In the meantime, whip the egg yolks with sugar until cream. Pour in the hot milk and cream then return in the pan and place over low heat. Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, stirring all the time to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. Add the vanilla then allow the cream to cool to room temperature. Pour the cream over the chocolate cake and place in the fridge to set properly. Chocolate Mousse: Melt the chocolate over a hot water bath or in the microwave. Place aside. Bloom the gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes. Heat 120ml heavy cream over low heat. Whip the egg yolks with sugar until creamy. Add the hot cream and place back on heat to cook for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and gradually pour this mixture over the melted chocolate, mixing well until smooth. Melt the gelatin and stir it in. Allow to cool to room temperature then fold in the whipped cream. Pour the mousse over the smooth chocolate cream and place in the fridge for a few hours, preferably over night. Chocolate Sauce: Combine the water, sugar and cream in a saucepan and place over low heat. Bring to the boiling point then add the chocolate. Mix well until smooth then place back on heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Chocolate Glaze: Bloom the gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes. Heat 80ml heavy cream to the boiling point. Add the chocolate and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate sauce and mix well then add the butter and melted gelatin. Allow the glaze to cool to room temperature. Remove the cake from the ring and freeze it at least 1 hour before glazing. Place the cake on a wire rack and pour the glaze carefully over the cake, first on the center, then on the edges. Decorate the cake with chocolate or leave it simple, as you wish. Notes Use chocolate that has at least 70% cocoa content.
These quantities are enough for a 20-22cm diameter cake. Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe 3.5.3208
ROMANIAN
Admiratia mea pentru Antonio Bachour si Pierre Herme e mai mult decat evidenta, cu toate ca ambii au stiluri diferite. Daca Bachour e un exemplu de creativitate si modernism in cofetarie, Herme e putin mai old school, dar pune la fel de mult accent pe tehnica. Pe Bachour l-am descoperit relativ de curand, dar de Herme am auzit inca de cand am inceput a invata eu mai multe despre cofetarie – considerat Picasso al cofetariei, Herme are o vorba care pe mine m-a fascinat si care e motto-ul meu cand vine vorba de cat de mult zahar se foloseste intr-o reteta, cat de dulce trebuie sa fie un desert si care sunt limitele. Ceea ce sustine el e ca zaharul e mai mult un condiment intr-un desert, si nu un ingredient de baza – trebuie folosit cu masura pentru ca scopul lui nu e altul decat acela de a evidentia celelalte arome, si nu de a le acoperi cu gustul lui puternic. Lasand la o parte faptul ca zaharul in exces (ca orice altceva folosit in exces, de altfel) nu e sanatos, un desert cu prea mult zahar e dulce si atat, un desert cu zahar peste masura nu are nicio alta caracteristica de gust si adesea nici textura nu e cea care trebuie, isi pierde orice personalitate, isi pierde esenta (treaba asta ma duce putin cu gandul la teoria formelor fara fond 😛 ). Asa ca nu uitati – mai putin e adesea mai mult, mai ales cand vine vorba de deserturi. Ori un desert reusit e suma unor factori care il alcatuiesc – arome, forma, culori, texturi, si nu faptul ca ai pus zahar si atat! De asemenea, va rog sa nu cadeti in extrema cealalta si sa incepeti sa combinati 10 arome intr-o prajitura decat daca aveti ani de experienta in spate si stiti clar ca acele gusturi merg impreuna, stiti cum sa le dozati intensitatea, stiti ce caracteristici are fiecare.
Tortul Riviera a fost una dintre primele retete ale lui Pierre Herme incercate si mi-a dat lumea peste cap la propriu – pana la acel tort eu nu vedeam lamaia si ciocolata impreuna intr-un desert, dar Herme mi-a dovedit exact contrariul prin acel tort. Asa ca am mers la sigur cu acest tort! Carrement au chocolat e un ciocolatos in adevaratul sens al cuvantului. O cantitate impresionanta de ciocolata e folosita in reteta si numai un iubitor de ciocolata inrait ii poate aprecia gustul – atat de fin, atat de cremos si bogat, cu adevarat decadent! Reteta de mai jos are cateva modificari spre deosebire de reteta lui Herme, principala schimbare fiind cantitatile folosite, dar si faptul ca pentru mousse-ul de ciocolata am folosit frisca in loc de albus batut (din doua motive: primul – e prea cald afara ca sa folosesc oua crude si al doilea – pentru prima oara in viata nu mi-a iesit bezeaua, stiu ce am gresit uitandu-ma acum inapoi, e o lectie invatata, dar nu mi-a picat tocmai bine in momentul respectiv; cu toate acestea, m-am reprofilat repede si am batut frisca pe care am stabilizat-o cu putina gelatina si a iesit perfect!). De asemenea, glazura a folosit cateva modificari minore, dar a iesit excelenta chiar si asa.
Cantitatile de mai jos sunt pentru un tort de 20-22cm diametru. Pentru un tort reusit, folositi ciocolata cu cel putin 70% continut de cacao si nu faceti rabat de la calitate – cu cat e mai buna ciocolata folosita, cu atat e mai bun tortul – intr-o reteta care se bazeaza pe o singura aroma, calitatea e cea mai importanta ori o ciocolata cu un continut de cacao sub 70% nu va ofera nici gust, nici textura. Nici nu va obositi sa faceti aceasta reteta fara o ciocolata de buna calitate, ar fi o risipa de ingrediente si timp si e pacat.
Ingrediente:
Blat de ciocolata:
125g ciocolata, tocata
125g unt, cuburi
110g zahar alb
2 oua
35g faina alba
1 praf de sare
Crema de ciocolata:
140g ciocolata neagra, tocata
80ml lapte
120ml smantana pentru frisca
2 galbenusuri
100g zahar
1 praf de sare
1 lingurita extract de vanilie
Mousse de ciocolata:
250g ciocolata neagra, tocata
120ml smantana pentru frisca
2 galbenusuri
40g zahar
3g gelatina + 15ml apa rece
350ml smantana pentru frisca, batuta
Sos de ciocolata:
50g ciocolata neagra, tocata
95ml apa
35g zahar
50ml smantana pentru frisca
Glazura de ciocolata:
Sosul de ciocolata de mai sus
100g ciocolata neagra, tocata
80ml smantana pentru frisca
20g unt
3g gelatina + 15ml apa rece
Mod de preparare:
Blat de ciocolata:
Topiti ciocolata pe baie de aburi apoi adaugati untul si amestecati bine. Adaugati ouale, zaharul, faina si un praf de sare si amestecati doar pana la incorporare. Turnati aluatul intr-o tava rotunda si coaceti la 180C pentru 8-10 minute. Lasati sa se raceasca in tava apoi transferati blatul intr-un inel de tort tapetat cu folie de acetat. Dati deoparte.
Crema de ciocolata:
Combinati laptele si smantana si infierbantati-le pe foc mic. Intre timp, mixati galbenusurile cu zaharul si sarea pana devin cremoase. Adaugati laptele si frisca fierbinti si puneti iar pe foc. Gatiti pana amestecul incepe sa se ingroase si acopera spatele unei linguri. Luati de pe foc si adaugati ciocolata. Amestecati bine si lasati sa se raceasca la temepratura camerei. Adaugati vanilia si turnati crema peste blat. Dati la rece.
Mousse de ciocolata:
Topiti ciocolata pe baie de aburi sau in microunde. Dati deoparte. Hidratati gelatina in apa rece pentru 10 minute. Infierbantati smantana pentru frisca intr-un vas. Intre timp, mixati galbenusurile cu zaharul pana devin cremoase. Adaugati smantana si gatiti pe foc mic pana amestecul incepe sa se ingroase. Luati de pe foc si turnati acest amestec treptat peste ciocolata topita, amestecand bine. Adaugati si gelatina topita apoi lasati sa vina la temperatura camerei. Incorporati frisca batuta apoi turnati mousse-ul peste crema de ciocolata. Dati la rece cateva ore, preferabil peste noapte.
Sos de ciocolata:
Combinati apa, zaharul si frisca intr-un bol. Dati in clocot apoi adaugati ciocolata. Amestecati bine si puneti iar pe foc mic. Gatiti pentru un minut apoi luati de pe foc si dati deoparte.
Glazura de ciocolata:
Hidratati gelatina in apa rece pentru 10 minute. Incalziti cei 80ml smantana pentru frisca apoi adaugati ciocolata si amestecati bine. Adaugati sosul de ciocolata de mai sus, apoi incorporati untul si gelatina topita. Lasati glazura sa vina la temperatura camerei, apoi scoateti tortul din inel, puneti-l pe un gratar si glazurati-l cu grija, incepand din centru spre margini. Pentru o glazurare eficienta, uniforma, dati tortul la congelator cel putin 1 ora inainte. Pentru decor eu am topit si temperat 50g ciocolata. Fiti cat mai creativi la decor – merge orice decor din ciocolata, foita de aur sau fructe proaspete.The rain in Spain was blood-red last year, at least in certain regions. Residents were disturbed to find crimson water pouring from the sky in the province of Zamora and, as of today, science can only partially explain why. Geologists have identified what made the rain red, but are still uncertain why it hit this particular region.
A study published in the Spanish Royal Society of Natural History Journal documented the presence of a certain type of algae in the rain, called Haematococcus pluvialis. This microalgae is found in freshwater and is usually a greenish hue, yet when under stress it can turn red by synthesizing a pigment called astaxanthin. What caused the algae to become stressed in this case? The researchers cite how the organisms are “especially sensitive to variations in the intensity, quantity and quality of light, which can affect the distribution, size and morphology of its cells.”
Related: The top 10 most innovative algae-powered designs
H. pluvialis is typically found in North America and some spots in Europe, yet has never made its way to Spain before. Scientists are still interested in tracing the algae’s original source – likely either wind or a body of water. Luckily for the residents of Ayoó de Vidriales and other villages where the rain hit, the algae is not harmful when ingested. In fact, there is some evidence the red microorganisms may improve cognitive functioning. The arrival of “blood rain,” in this case, is not as ominous as it seems, but mysterious all the same.
Via IFLScience
Images via Shutterstock, WikipediaToday I will be reviewing a relative newcomer in the fountain pen world, the Pilot Metropolitan. Pilot is perhaps the most well known of the Japanese pen manufacturers (part of the big three that includes Sailor and Platinum), and is one of the few fountain pen companies well known to non-fountain pen users due to the fact that they make an entire range of rollerballs, ballpoints, and other writing instruments.
The Pilot Metropolitan is significant for it’s relatively low price and wide availability. First available in 2012, it goes up against other economical fountain pens such as the Lamy Safari, yet amazingly undercuts it in price while still offering similar features and performance.
My Review will be in the following format: 1. First impressions (10) 2. Quality and workmanship (20) 3. Nib performance (30) 4. Filling system (10) 5. Cost/value (20) 6. Everyday use (10) 7. Observations and conclusions,
The score is based on comparison to other fountain pens in the price range.
So lets get started!
Pilot Metropolitan, capped:
Size next to a Lamy Safari:
First impressions:
The Pilot Metropolitan was my first Pilot pen, but the company had a reputation for quality writing instruments that preceded it, and my expectations reflected that.
The aesthetics of the exterior design at first glance confused me somewhat. While appearing to attempt a simple design, the somewhat elegant outline is broken by a midsection with what appears to be a different texture (it appears to be a clear coat over the paint) I questioned this design decision, but I later found out that the barrel itself is brass, yet the mid piece where the section meets the barrel is plastic with a metal insert. Perhaps the paint adheres to the plastic different than the brass and thus necessitates the extra clear coat. The overall paint finish was completely flawless.
Inspecting the pen I was disappointed at the cheap appearing clip. The clip is a folded metal sheet that is inserted into the cap through tabs. It appears no different than a clip found on any number of inexpensive disposable pens.
Upon holding it, I was surprised at the weight of the pen (due to the brass barrel), what I also noticed was that the pen was very bottom heavy due to the very lightweight plastic section. When placed in a tripod grip the pen balance is acceptable, but the narrow section necessitated a tighter grip than I am used to using.
Metro narrow section:
Overall, the first impression was underwhelming. I am not a fan of the aesthetic design decisions, and while the weight was reassuring, it caused imbalance. The clip and narrow section do not make the pen stand out as anything more than inexpensive.
Metro clip:
Score: 3/10
Quality and Workmanship:
Close inspection in the pen revealed no flaws in workmanship. The paint is impressively applied, the threading on the section and barrel fit well, and the cap sets securely with an audible “click.” The clip, while appearing cheap, was tightly secured to the cap, and had no side to side play whatsoever.
Pilot is known for high quality, and despite the price point of this pen it is obvious that the workmanship followed that tradition.
Score: 17/20
Nib Performance
Metro nib:
The stainless steel nib on the Metro is similar to many other economy pilot nibs. Like many Japanese mediums, it is akin to a western fine (in fact, it is finer than some of my western fine points). It would be nice to offer a variety of nib choices, but it is understandable that to keep the pen simple to manufacture and distribute, they choose to only carry what would have likely been the most popular nib choice anyway.
The writing experience allowed by the nib is a real strong point in this pen. It takes any kind of ink I put in it and puts out a consistent, if not somewhat uninteresting, performance. The pen writes a narrow line with a lighter amount of wetness, yet it has never once skipped on me or hesitated to start. The nib floats along the page with very little tactile feedback or “scratchiness.” I prefer some tactile feedback to remind me that I am indeed using a fountain pen, but the smooth Metro’s nib allows itself to slip into the background and become invisible to the writing experience itself.
The nib itself is a nail and does not allow for much to any line variation. This is characteristic of the vast majority of stainless steel nibs.
Line variation:
While it will not amaze the nib connoisseur, the consistency and reliability of the nib’s performance is an achievement in itself. While I enjoy some more tactile feedback, it is a personal and not universal preference.
Score: 25/30
Filling System:
“Cleaning” converter:
“Cleaning” converter next to Con-50:
In this price range, I know of no other pen that comes with a converter. The Metro’s “cleaning” converter is functional yet holds a tiny amount of ink that is unlikely to get a moderate volume writer through the day without a refill. Upgrading to the Con-50 converter only mildly helps things, but has a tiny capacity as well (with the agitator it has been reported as 0.6 ml). I really don’t understand the point of taking an already small converter and inserting an agitator that further takes up space. I have never had any issues with an agitator-less converter.
Pilot deserves credit for providing a converter at all in this price point, but the converter itself or the alternative leave much to be desired.
Score: 4/10
Cost/Value:
I paid 18.50 + tax for the pen. I know of no other pen that comes close to providing a similar quality writing instrument at this price point. That I can get a pen that with normal use will likely last a lifetime for this price is amazing in itself.
Score: 20/20
Everyday Use:
I used this pen as my primary writer for approximately 2 months, and as a secondary writer for approximately 6 months. It never once had any issues with quality. The clip, while appearing cheap, never once failed to secure the pen to my pocket. There were never any leaks. The friction cap made taking a quick note or two mildly simpler than a twist cap. The low ink capacity was often an issue, requiring me to carry a 2nd pen with the same ink. The opaque converter does not allow one to see how much ink is left, so running out is often unexpected.
Despite the weight asymmetry, and small section, writing for long periods was not uncomfortable and fatiguing. Once I quickly adapted to writing with the pen, I did not notice these things any more.
I enjoyed my time using the Metro as a primary writer, and often use it as my “2nd pen” to whatever I am using as my primary writer at the time.
Score: 7/10
Observations and conclusions:
I would suggest that not only is the Metro a great pen for the beginner, but it makes a great 2nd pen for any fountain pen user. It would also be ideal for anyone needing a reliable fountain pen that would be easily replaceable if lost, damaged, or stolen. I would not (and do not) hesitate to bring my Metro and use it at work, however I would never bring and use the Metro as my only pen due to the tiny ink capacity. The Con-50 does allow one to see the amount of ink left, but the low capacity is still an issue. I find the pen to be somewhat more usable with the Con-50, and much closer to a pen that can be carried without a backup.
The Pilot Metro is quickly becoming, along with the Lamy Safari, the go to “first pen” recommendation for those interested in trying fountain pens. To mention it with the likes of the Safari is an achievement that Pilot should be proud of.
Total Score: 76/100 (Great)
Score System: (score is compared to other pens in the price range)
0-49 Varying levels of unacceptable, there are other better pens for the same price
50-59 Acceptable for everyday use, average
60-69 Good, many features are above average
70-89 Great, most features are above average
90-100 Amazing, class leading, iconic
AdvertisementsIn America today, according to a federal appeals court, the free speech rights of an employer, in this case the Santa Barbara News-Press, allows the employer to trample the rights of employees.
That’s how the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has decided a California labor dispute, applying another court’s reasoning on pornography, not labor issues, and holding that somehow, by that pornographic logic, a long string of undisputed labor abuses were allowable under the First Amendment of the Constitution.
A three-judge panel heard the case in November, an appeal by the publisher of a daily newspaper, the Santa Barbara News-Press, seeking the reversal of a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that found the newspaper had committed numerous, unfair labor practices violations. As a result, the Board had ordered the newspaper to make extensive remedies, including reinstating some of the employees (357 NLRB No. 51, 55 pages, August 11, 2011):Â
We agree with the [administrative law] judge that a broad cease-and-desist order is warranted because the Respondent “has engaged in such egregious or widespread misconduct as to demonstrate a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental statutory rights.”
The three-judge appeals court issued its 14-page decision on December 18, vacating the decision against the publisher and denying any enforcement by the Labor Board and any relief to the harmed employees. The court ruled without addressing the facts of the case, as the opinion by Judge Stephen F. Williams, 75, put it, “without addressing the parties’ arguments regarding the details of the individual violations the Board found or the propriety of the remedy imposed” (No. 11-1284).
In other words, the court wasn’t denying that the publisher acted unlawfully, or that the Labor Board hadn’t proposed appropriate remedies – the court was just saying, by analogy to the logic of pornography cases, that the First Amendment protected the publisher’s behavior, deprived the Labor Board of authority, and denied the employees any redress under the law.
Core Issue Not Union Busting But Union Prevention
In 2006, employees of the Santa Barbara News-Press voted 33-6 to form a union and the owner rejected the idea. The parties have persisted for more that six years, through numerous Labor Board and various court hearings based on at least 14 separate complaints of unfair labor practices and other illegal behavior, with most tribunals affirming that the owner was guilty as charged. The current U.S. Court of Appeals decision does not dispute the facts or the guilt determined in other proceedings – it just says they don’t matter to the law.
The backstory of this case begins around 1855, with the founding of the Santa Barbara newspaper that eventually became the News-Press, which hummed along for almost a century and a half as the only daily in a city that grew to about 90,000 people before starting to lose population in the 2010 census. Â Â The New York Times bought the paper in 1984 and ran it till 2000, when it sold for $100-150 million (accounts differ).
The buyer and current owner is Wendy Petrak McCaw, 61, the multi-millionaire ex-wife of cellular phone billionaire Craig McCaw, 63, of Seattle. Â They met as Stanford undergraduates. On her official website, where she is still blonde, Wendy McCaw appears with a picture of Hollywood’s Michael Douglas and notes that she won the Michael Douglas Philanthropist of the Year Award in 2004, calling herself “a staunch defender of wildlife preservation and animal welfare” who also has a “commitment to the restoration and preservation of historic architecture.”
The first five years of her ownership of the News-Press were reportedly often tense between her and the 50 or so newsroom staffers, foreshadowing the turmoil to come. In 2005, the Humane Society of the United States even gave her an “Outstanding Newspaper Editorials” for her “unrivalled collection of 44 insightful, timely and reasoned editorials, exploring an array of significant animal issues in need of public attention and effecting change in the process.”
Under Professional Leadership, The Newsroom Stabilized
During that period (2002-2006), after McCaw hired Jerry Roberts as editor, promising he could “run the newsroom the way he wanted.”  The News-Press became what many, including Roberts, recall as special and wonderful place to work. Roberts had worked for 25 years at the San Francisco Chronicle and left in 2002 only after life under new owners had become “exhausting and difficult.” At the News-Press, McCaw failed to keep her promise and by mid-2004 she had stopped speaking to Roberts, but he still managed to keep the paper functional, profitable, and award-winning (especially from the California Newspaper Publishers Association) through 2005.
In 2006, the News-Press imploded, eventually making international news. The beginning of trouble that spring is hard to pinpoint, but a message from the owner to then-publisher Joe Cole on April 8, as quoted in the administrative law judge’s  recommended decision to the Labor Board (p.15), is a harbinger of sorts, since it started with McCaw writing, “I am extremely frustrated that my goals for the paper are not being achieved, in fact I feel they have been actively thwarted.”
The message listed 21 items that McCaw considered continuing problems at the paper, starting with “’Us’ vs ‘Them’ mentality.” Then she told Cole, “you have done nothing to stop it. This will stop IMMEDIATELY even if it means firing the whole newsroom and hiring new people. This has nothing to do with the purported wall between news and editorial, it has everything to do with biting the hand that feeds you.”
The Owner’s Unhappiness Was Unassuageable
McCaw also complained about “biased reporting,” especially by a reporter covering environmental issues that McCaw was personally invested in. McCaw had made the same accusation against the previous environmental reporter. Again she accused publisher Cole of doing nothing about it. Â (In 2004, referring to an environmental story about coyotes, the owner had objected to the coverage, complaining that the editor hadn’t contacted her about the story: “ I wasn’t quoted, nor was I even asked — so something is really wrong out there.”)Â Concluding her 2006 message, McCaw wrote:
“I shouldn’t have to remind you or anyone else at the paper what my goals are, and it would be a waste of time anyway, since they will undoubtedly continue to be ignored and worse thwarted. With that in mind, I am going to be making some major changes at the paper in the new [sic] future.”
Less than three weeks later, on April 26, Cole resigned as publisher. An attorney, he came to the paper with McCaw and served an earlier stint as publisher until mid-2002. The paper’s commitment to journalistic integrity was then a growing issue for at least 17 reporters, but the issue faded under Roberts’s leadership. Â Cole, 56, does not talk publicly about these issues. In his place as publisher, McCaw named herself and her boyfriend, Arthur von Wiesenberger, as co-publishers, at which time von Wiesenberger gave up his column as the paper’s restaurant critic.
On May 9, the paper’s editorial page editor, Travis Armstrong, was arrested for driving under the influence, and the paper covered the story on page A-3. The owner and co-publishers objected to the coverage and Armstrong refused to be interviewed. When the paper covered his sentencing hearing, the owner forced editor Roberts to kill the article before it could be published. Shortly after that, Roberts left on a long-planned vacation to Greece, and working conditions at the News-Press got worse.
News Suppression Becomes Official PolicyÂ
In late June, a reporter covered a planning commission hearing at which there was some objection to the plans of actor Rob Lowe, a personal friend of McCaw, to build a 14,260 square-foot house on an empty lot. Reporting the story on June 22, the paper followed its standard procedure of giving the address of the lot in question. The editorial page editor Armstrong had emailed the managing editor – but not the reporter — about Lowe’s concern about publishing the address, but it did not reach the reporter. Â Â That same day the paper’s director of human resources distributed a memo of new policy about “confidential information,” a memo that some in the newsroom took to be a gag order. And on June 23, for the first time since she’d bought the paper, McCaw issued letters of reprimand to four staffers for their part in the Lowe matter, even though no one had told them not to follow the paper’s standard procedure. The letters of reprimand announced a change of that procedure.
One of those reprimanded responded to McCaw in part:
“Including the address was intentional, appropriate and even necessary for the best understanding of  the story – even a casual reading of an edited Web version leaves one wondering why a story about a piece of property neglects to mention where that property might be.
 “No one disputes that a newspaper’s owner and/or publisher has the absolute right to make and enforce whatever policies they feel are appropriate.... But to punish hardworking people doing the right thing whose “violation” occurred ex post facto borders on the malicious and defamatory.” [emphasis added]
On July 3, the co-publishers McCaw and von Wiesenberger went on vacation, a Mediterranean cruise on her 193-foot yacht, carrying a crew of 14 and a helicopter. As acting publisher in their absence they appointed editorial page editor Armstrong, whose drunk driving conviction had proved so divisive within the paper just weeks earlier, when the owner ordered the suppression of the news of his sentencing.
Senior Editors Leave Newsroom Staff Undefended
Shortly thereafter the resignations began. Roberts was among the first, returning from vacation on July 6 and finding himself reporting to Armstrong, he tendered his 30-day notice only to be escorted off the premises without time to gather his stuff (later delivered by truck to his house). Â Â Within two weeks, fourteen people, mostly senior editors, but also a man who had been a columnist for 46 years, all gave notice, whereupon Armstrong also had them peremptorily removed from the premises. Â A month later, the Society of Professional Journalists at their annual meeting in Chicago presented an Ethics in Journalism Award to nine of those who had left the News-Press on principle.
This mass exodus from a respected daily newspaper drew international coverage from mainstream media (including the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post), as well as all the available social media. The American Journalism Review ran a long summary piece in its year-end issue, rich with detail gathered by Susan Paterno in “Santa Barbara Smackdown.”  Almost predictably, McCaw sued Paterno for defamation, calling the article a “biased, false and misleading diatribe” and setting off more coverage and a blogger splurge).  Commenting on the suit in Columbia Journalism Review, Mike Hoyt wrote:
“McCaw called [Paterno’s] piece a ‘biased, false and misleading diatribe.’ That’s odd, because it read to us as an example of the kind of solid journalism criticism that the American Journalism Review is known for at its best, the kind of analysis and reporting that would be sorely missed if the magazine disappeared.
Nevertheless it took almost two almost two years for Paterno to win in court. McCaw initially claimed 33 allegedly defamatory passages in Paterno’s story. The trial judge threw out 29 of the passages. On appeal, the California Court of Appeal ruled that the other four passages were not defamatory and sent the case back to the trial court, which dismissed it on September 24, 2008.
At the same time McCaw was suing Paterno, she was also threatening to sue a local Santa Barbara business for displaying a pro-union sign reading “McCaw Obey The Law,” a reference to the accumulating charges of violations of the National Labor Relations Act.
Employees Seek Protection from the Teamsters Union
Concurrently with the exodus in July, the remaining newsroom employees started exploring the possibility of organizing into a union. On July 6, about 30 of them met with a union rep and an attorney from the Teamsters.  A week later, employees presented a letter to Armstrong, addressing “the intolerable conditions at the newspaper we love.” The employees said they “respectfully request” that the acting publisher restore journalism ethics to the paper, invite six of the editors to return, negotiate a contract with newsroom employees, and recognize the union “as our exclusive bargaining unit.”  These requests, which the News-Press refused to discuss, became (with the later exception of the editors’ return) the employees’ “demands” – referred to as such in their own public handouts, court papers, and media accounts.
During the summer, the employees took their struggle to the public, with hundreds of people sometimes attending rallies. At the same time, McCaw and her subordinates took actions that would eventually be found to be illegal, unfair labor practices – including threats of lawsuits, intimidation, and firings. On August 10, the union filed with the National Labor Relations Board to represent a unit of news department employees. Despite the continued opposition of McCaw and her subordinates, on September 27, 2006, the newsroom employees voted 33-6 to join the union, which the Labor Board certified almost a year later, over the News-Press’s continuing objections. Â By then the News-Press had fired many of the leaders among the newsroom employees.
On August 24, 2006, the union (formally: Graphic Communications Conference, International Brotherhood of Teamsters) filed their first unfair labor practice complaint (formally: Case 31-CA-27950) against McCaw’s newspaper (formally: Ampersand Publishing, LLP, d/b/a/ Santa Barbara News-Press). Â Over time, this first complaint was consolidated with nine subsequent complaints against McCaw’s newspaper, which was found to have violated labor law in each instance.
More than six years later, the U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled, in effect, that the First Amendment of the Constitution makes it permissible for the publisher of a newspaper, in this case Wendy McCaw of the Santa Barbara News-Press, to |
. Creating a more business-friendly tax environment would only make it more so.
Calgary:The Road Ahead is CBC Calgary's special focus on our city as it passes through the crucible of the downturn: the challenges we face, and the possible solutions as we explore what kind of Calgary we want to create. Have an idea? Email us at calgarytheroadahead@cbc.ca
This column is an opinion. For more information about our commentary section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.But the northern Cypriots say the drilling is illegal because it does not take into account their competing claims to the island and its surrounding waters. They have called on energy companies to halt drilling, and on Cyprus to stop issuing licenses.
Turkey, too, is unhappy with the drilling and has threatened to send its navy if necessary. To underscore their displeasure, the Turks have erected a large oil and gas exploration rig on a hill above Sinirustu, a village near the north coast of Cyprus, and have festooned it with flags.
Photo
“Maybe war could explode again here,” said Fikret Akan, 29, a Turkish-speaking resident of the village who works at a fuel depot in a nearby town. “Turkey, Israel and the United States all could start fighting over these resources.”
The United Nations, which supervises a buffer zone between the north and south, has hailed the gas discoveries as a way of generating wealth that could finance a reunification of Cyprus. But Mr. Akan’s fears about a greater conflict may not be entirely unfounded.
Even before any gas has been produced, the discoveries have created “risks, big risks, as well as a myriad of legal issues,” Richard L. Morningstar said in March when he was the United States special envoy for Eurasian energy, adding that the issues “go beyond Cyprus, they go beyond Israel, they go beyond Greece — they affect the whole region.”
This year, the United States established its first regional headquarters for a new Bureau of Energy Resources in Cyprus. Although it, too, has urged a fair distribution of resources between the halves, Washington has strongly supported the right of the recognized government of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, to drill in its waters.
That forceful backing may have reinforced the Greek Cypriot leaders’ unwillingness to divide oil and gas wealth with the Turkish Cypriots, at least for now. “Don’t speak about sharing,” Neoklis Sylikiotis, the Cypriot commerce minister, said during a recent interview. Only after the division of the island is resolved can the revenue be shared, he said.
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As attitudes harden, the northerners have mapped out blocks of the eastern Mediterranean for licensing that roughly overlap waters claimed by the Cyprus government. The Turkish government has acknowledged that one vessel chartered by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation had made seismic surveys on behalf of northern Cyprus in waters that overlap Cypriot claims. And the northerners have begun their own onshore explorations, starting in Sinirustu.
Greek Cypriot officials like Mr. Sylikiotis dismiss the exploratory drilling in Sinirustu — which they call by its Greek name, Syngrasis — as nothing more than a theatrical stunt. But the drilling work has gone ahead at full speed this summer. A heady, sulfurous odor created by the mixture of drilling fluids and mud hung in the air over the village despite a warm breeze.
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Clad in red overalls bearing the logo of Turkish Petroleum, Ekrem Akyuz, 29, one of the Turkish engineers overseeing the site, shared a watermelon with colleagues in one of the dozens of air-conditioned trailers that surround the drilling rig. Mr. Akyuz said the geological data from the site were being kept unusually secure, making it hard to judge whether the area was promising. But he said the project was technically similar to wells he had drilled in other parts of the world.
“Maybe Turkey can produce first, or maybe Cyprus can produce first,” Mr. Akyuz said. “We just don’t know yet.”
Cyprus could produce enough gas to earn $2.2 billion to $3.1 billion a year at current prices by the early 2020s, according to Sohbet Karbuz, the director of hydrocarbons at the Observatoire Méditerranéen de l’Energie, an association of Mediterranean energy companies. The closest natural customer is Turkey, which imports most of its oil and gas.
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Despite the saber rattling by the Turkish government over the Cypriots’ offshore exploration, 15 companies and consortia, including Marathon Oil of the United States and Enel of Italy, submitted bids this year on nine additional blocks of seabed. Turkey has since warned those bidders they “will in no way be allowed to take part in Turkey’s future energy projects.” It also pledged to “give every support” to maritime territorial claims by northern Cyprus, which it alone recognizes as an independent state.
The drilling has also become entangled in the rupture between Turkey and Israel, whose friendly relations soured after Israeli commandos raided a ship in 2010 when it was sailing to Gaza in defiance of the Israeli naval blockade; nine activists, most of them Turkish citizens, died in the raid.
Israel has since turned to Cyprus as a regional partner, signing defense and cooperation agreements this year partly aimed at protecting their neighboring gas fields.
In May the tensions between Turkey and Israel spread to the skies above the island, when the Turkish Army command said its fighter jets chased an Israeli plane out of northern Cypriot airspace. That same month, Cyprus denied a report that Israel planned to deploy 20,000 troops in Cyprus to protect Israelis working on energy projects.
The fickle politics of the Middle East are another potential obstacle for Cypriot ambitions.
“What if Turkey and Israel find some face-saving way for Israel to apologize for the Marmara incident, and Israel pipes gas direct to Turkey?” asked Fiona Mullen, an analyst at Sapienta Economics in Nicosia, the Cypriot capital, referring to the raided ship. “Cyprus could be left high and dry.”During the early 2000s, detractors and doomsayers were heard throughout the tennis media: professional doubles tennis was dead. Regardless that doubles is the primary vessel for recreational tennis players in North America and the cornerstone for USTA league play, the pros on the doubles tour would not be able to save the game on a professional level. Tennis commentators spoke of lack of star singles players, lack of dynamic doubles pairings, and lack of interest from fans. The legendary Hall of Famer-turned-commentator John McEnroe (arguably the best doubles player of all time) asked the question, “Why are we even playing doubles at this point?” The ATP and WTA enforced new rules to try and make the game more attractive for the singles stars: no ad scoring and super tie breaks instead of 3rd sets. And yet, the dark clouds still hung over the game.
The winds of change started to blow in 2014 with the formation of young, successful partnerships (like Sock and Pospisil) and the continuing emergence of the Bryan Brothers dominance on tour. Martina Hingis became relevant again. Flash forward to a 2015 that saw the renaissance of both the WTA and ATP doubles tour’s relevance, proving that doubles isn’t dead.
Participation of elite singles players
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray all played doubles at multiple tour stops this year. Beyond just playing doubles, they often formed partnerships that caught the interest of both avid and casual fans alike. Andy and Jamie Murray captivated social media with their Davis Cup heroics throughout 2015. Then Andy went on to team with the likes of both the legendary Leander Paes and the young and infamous Thanasi Kokkinakis. Novak Djokovic too brought his brother (Djordje) to the court for a doubles appearance at the China Open. Sania Mirza and Hall of Famer Slam winner Martina Hingis formed one of the more successful doubles partnerships over the past decade, winning Wimbledon, the US Open, and the WTA Tour Finals. Lucie Safarova (#9 in the world) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands captured the first two Slams of the season in Australia and Paris. Leyton Hewitt and Kokkinakis, Stan Wawrinka and Benoit Paire, and Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki were just some of the veteran/young gun pairings that drew fans into side courts of tour stops this year. The participation of these elite singles players brought respect, attention, and skill to the doubles tour. With many of these singles players not making out of the second or first round in the doubles draw, it allowed a more common tennis fan to see what skill was required to be a doubles specialist.
The Stability and Fragility of the Game Equals Intrigue
The stability and fragility alike of the doubles tour helped to bring intrigue and media attention. The early season break up of then current #1 women’s team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci caught the tennis world off guard. Holders of the career doubles’ Grand Slam, they had been a dominant force on tour; however, success was not enough to hold the two together as both wanted to focus on their singles career, which did seem to benefit Vinci’s run to the US Open final and famous victory over Serena Williams in the semis of that Slam. The Bryan Brothers’ dominance of the ATP Tour waned, allowing other teams to claim the spotlight. Teams like Fabio Fognini and Simon Bolleli, Jean Rojer and Horia Tecau, and Pierre Hughes-Herbert and Nicholas Mahut all found Slam success on tour this year. Many of the partnerships formed this year were tailored with the specific purpose of beating the Bryans at their own game: big serving and confident low-risk volleying. But even with the Bryans’ struggles, ESPN and other tennis outlets still showed their matches (and others) on tv often in 2015 due to the interest and buzz around the duo. Other young partnerships also brought attention to the tour. Young guns Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil continued to garner much mainstream sports media attention with their power and on-court bravado, which was only heightened by Sock playing with the likes of Nick Kyrgios and John Isner as well this year. Then to bookend the breakup of Errani and Vinci, Jamie Murray announced in November that he and John Peers were terminating their successful partnership after the best season the two had ever had with each other or with anyone else in their career. Twitter exploded with comments from fans across the globe after all of these instances this year just demonstrating that people pay attention to the doubles game and its place on tour is more than deserved.
The Rio Boost
Doubles is always a hotter commodity for tour players in the seasons directly leading up to the Olympics, and this past season and upcoming season are no different. Martina Hingis and Roger Federer captured the attention of both tennis and mainstream sports media alike when announcing they would be playing mixed doubles at Rio. Two of the most legendary players in the game today announcing they would be seeking a gold medal together adds both interest and credence to the sport of doubles, and the spot that it holds in tennis world. Djokovic also teamed with several Serbians this season, spiking questions about his intentions in Rio. Djokovic played with Janko Tipsarevic several times this season, Nenad Zimonjic, and even Filip Krajinovic. Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson found success this season, reaching the US Open semiinals, and Querrey teamed with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to reach the US Open Mixed Doubles final.
The upcoming Olympics begs tennis fans to ask questions about the possibility of Nadal (who has stated he plans on playing doubles and possibly mixed doubles at Rio) teaming with Fernando Verdasco or one of the younger Spaniards (as he has done both in 2015) for a run at doubles gold. Will Milos Raonic team with Daniel Nestor in Rio or will the more doubles seasoned Vasik Poposil be the legendary doubles specialist’s partner? Will the established and successful Spaniard tandem of Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez-Navarro hold an advantage over newly formed women’s doubles teams, or will primetime (if not consistent) partnerships like Williams sisters and the Czech Fed Cup tandems reign supreme?
A doubles tour that has seen champions the likes of Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and Chris Evert can’t afford to have it’s place lost on tour. To survive in a tight prize money and media market the game will have to continue to grow and evolve, but if 2015 is any indication, evolution is possible and healthy for the doubles game. 2016 should prove to be an exciting year for both the doubles specialist and singles invaders alike on the doubles tour.
Main Photo:Keep life saving electronic cigarettes available!
by: Esmokers of the US
recipient: US Food and Drug Administration
Tobacco products have killed millions in the world and smokers find it hard to give it up even now. Smokers have found a solution that is saving lives yet we are at risk of losing our lifeline. We are requesting that the powers that be at the FDA allow us to continue to use and purchase these nicotine delivery devices at our own discretion while further testing commences from the FDA. If you ban these devices millions will return to tobacco products which would be a guaranteed death sentence for many.
With the harm that is well known with tobacco what more could it hurt us to just allow us to help ourselves for the time being with these devices many of us have been using for years. We just want to be heard and want you to give this device its fair hearing.
read petition letter ▾ We the undersigned:
We are requesting that the powers that be at the FDA allow us to continue to use these electronic nicotine delivery devices at our own discretion while further testing commences from the FDA. If you ban these devices millions will return to tobacco products which would be a guaranteed death sentence for many.
Tobacco products have killed millions in the world and smokers find it hard to give it up even now. Smokers have found a solution that is saving lives yet we are at risk of losing our lifeline.
With the harm that is well known with tobacco what more could it hurt us to just allow us to help ourselves for the time being with these devices many of us have been using for years. We just want to be heard and want you to give these devices a fair hearing. We ask you to read what people have to say and realize you will do more harm than good by refracting these products prematurerly.
Keep us from returning to tobacco and losing what hope we have that we may live a long healthy life.
Thanks for taking the time to read our letter. We are requesting that the powers that be at the FDA allow us to continue to use these electronic nicotine delivery devices at our own discretion while further testing commences from the FDA. If you ban these devices millions will return to tobacco products which would be a guaranteed death sentence for many.Tobacco products have killed millions in the world and smokers find it hard to give it up even now. Smokers have found a solution that is saving lives yet we are at risk of losing our lifeline.With the harm that is well known with tobacco what more could it hurt us to just allow us to help ourselves for the time being with these devices many of us have been using for years. We just want to be heard and want you to give these devices a fair hearing. We ask you to read what people have to say and realize you will do more harm than good by refracting these products prematurerly.Keep us from returning to tobacco and losing what hope we have that we may live a long healthy life.Thanks for taking the time to read our letter.Tony: So I’m here today with John Donaldson, International Master and captain for the American team at the World Team Championship. Thanks for joining me today, John.
John: Thank you, Tony.
Tony: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself just to start? You know, where you’re from and what you do.
John: Well, I first started playing in 1972. Like many people from my generation, it was the Fischer-Spassky match that got me interested. I was living in Tacoma, Washington, and I had just turned 14 years old. Seems kind of a little old by today’s standards, but I had some friends that were playing and we saw there was an announcement in the paper for the Tacoma club and we went down there. In retrospect, I think I was very fortunate. I made a lot of friends -- friends that I continue to have even now after all these years. And the Tacoma club just had a really warm and inviting atmosphere and I really enjoyed it. And so that’s how I started playing. I played throughout the northwest my first couple years. And the player that all of us sort of aspired to beat was Yasser Seirawan. None of us were really too successful at doing that, but a couple of us, like my friend Eric Tangborn and I, became International Masters. So it was pretty good for an area that didn’t really have any real tradition of strong players before that.
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I graduated from the University of Washington and shortly before graduating, about a year before I finished, I decided I would try to become a professional player. Or chess professional might be a better way to describe it, because I never really supported myself from prize winnings from tournaments. It’s been sort of a combination of writing and teaching and working for chess magazines, and also my last job for the last 11 years, since October of 1998, I’ve worked for the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, so I consider myself pretty fortunate.
Tony: So you said you graduated from the University of Washington. What was your degree?
John: In history.
Tony: In history. And... you said a year prior to graduating that you wanted to become a chess professional?
John: I did because at a certain point I was in the school of education and my idea was to be a high school teacher, and then I discovered that every summer I was going off to play in Europe and that I really enjoyed it, and so I just decided that the last year that I might as well just take history classes and then try to visit the places that I had studied.
Tony: Very nice. Did you intend on becoming a Grandmaster or were you even trying to become an IM?
John: By that point I was working for Player’s Chess News, and I was doing some coaching, and I didn’t really go to Europe very often and, you know, it’s hard to say. My peak USA rating was 2601 and that was in 1990. And that just about put me in the U.S. Championship then. But of course, in 1990 American chess was nowhere near as strong as it is now. I mean a lot of very fine players immigrated to the country in the early 1990s and that kind of changed the whole dynamic there. I have two Grandmaster norms, but they’re relatively recent. One was in Lindsborg. It was in 2002 or 2003, and then I made another one six months later in Stratton Mountain, Vermont, in a tournament that Bill Goichberg organized. And so my FIDE rating then was around 2470. So it would have been smart to concentrate all my energies and try to make the last norm. But a lot of different things came up and I kind of got distracted. And then I didn’t play very much for several years and then when I started playing, just sort of infrequently, it was with increasingly depressing results... I haven’t given up hope but you know, it would have been a lot better if I had just concentrated on finishing the job.
[imagefield_assist|fid=1750|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=375|height=250]Tony: So you’re known within U.S. circles for your representation to FIDE on behalf of the United States. How did you start with that role with FIDE?
John: Well, actually I’ve never had a long relationship with the USCF in representing FIDE. The job I took was as zonal president, and I took it when Robert Tanner retired. That was about 2006... and I kept the position until maybe a year and a half, two years. The only actual FIDE event that I represented us at was the Dresden Olympiad, and I accepted that position as zonal president under very specific parameters. That it would be like a technical position, that my job would be to make sure that players that where playing for titles would receive the titles that they were due, that our players would learn about when FIDE events were going to be held in a timely fashion. And that it wouldn’t be anything beyond that. So one of the things I was happy I could do was assist in getting our players to go to China for this series of mind sports Olympiad they had, which was like blitz and rapid games and stuff like that. Because all too often the United States doesn’t have a lot of representation in FIDE events, and I thought it was important that we should, both to give our players a chance and also because we are a part of the chess community.
Tony: And did you find that work satisfying?
John: I did find that part of it quite satisfying. I did go to one qualification committee (QC) meeting, and I have a lot of respect for the person that is head of the QC, Mikko Markkula of Finland, because he’s facing a lot of difficult challenges. He’s pretty much depending on the federations to police themselves, and they don’t always do [that]. Just to give you a couple examples, there’s a player Afromeev from Russia; he’s about 2650. He’s not a Grandmaster because he wouldn’t dare apply for the title because the guy is probably a low master at best. He is the one that said he would make his dog an International Master if he wanted to.
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So, you know, there’s [also] that guy Crisan from Romania that is over 2600, and he played in one Grandmaster tournament and scored one out of... I think he scored a half out of nine. And he couldn’t draw with a Philidor rook-and-pawn endgame, something you would expect an expert to know how to do. For Grandmasters, it's nothing to even think about... there’s quite a few examples like this where there's really flagrant violations... at that meeting there was a player from Canada, Valerian Adam, and he was 65 years old and he played in Canada for 30 years and his highest rating was about 2300. And then all of a sudden he plays in like four or five tournaments. Bing, bing, he makes several IM norms in a row. His international rating is like 2420 and... there's really not much that Mikko can do if the federations sign off on it. Unless there’s like a smoking gun, he’s kind of helpless. So that was kind of depressing in a way. Also, I mean, FIDE is probably like a lot of international organizations. There’s just, you know, a lot of stuff going on.
Tony: All right, well, on to other subjects. I guess I will ask you a little about U.S. chess in general. What advantages, and I guess disadvantages, do you see with the current situation of chess in the United States, and where do you see it headed?
John: Well, I see some real positive things. First off, what you guys are doing in Saint Louis is fantastic.
Tony: Thank You.
John: I mean, organizing these U.S. Championships, organizing these Women’s U.S. Championships... the World Team Championship. I mean, it’s really, really important. And it would really be kind of sad that at a time now when we have more young American talent and native born talent coming up. It would be pretty painful if we didn’t give them opportunities to show their skills and develop them further. So I’m very grateful for what’s going on in Saint Louis.
I’m also very impressed by Greg Shahade. He basically, from the ground up, built this U.S. Chess League. He also has this U.S. Chess School where a lot of youngsters from around the country that didn’t have opportunities to work with top players have been granted this privilege, and it's has been good for the top players to be able to have a chance to give back their knowledge. So it’s a real win-win situation. So I have been very pleased with both of these developments. There’s a lot more opportunities for youngsters to make, and older players, to have chances to make international title results. You can think of Chris Bird in New England, you can think of Danny Rensch in Arizona, there's Jon Haskel down in Florida, the Marshall Chess Club has organized several tournaments. It used to be that you had to play in Europe. When I made my IM norms, the only opportunity to do it in the United States was Lone Pine. And so I got to play one year, it was in 1980 or '81, I played like seven GMs in nine rounds. It was quite good. But the rest of my norms, I made one in Lugano and I made another one in Switzerland. I made another one in Greece. Pretty much all the international tournaments, you know, that’s where you had to go if you wanted to make norms.
Tony: So how difficult is it today, for a U.S. player to receive an international title?[imagefield_assist|fid=1769|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]
John: Oh, it’s much simpler. It’s much, much easier. I mean, there’s no real comparison. In addition to these organizers I’ve mentioned also, Susan Polgar has her Spice Cup Tournaments. There’s also University of Texas at Dallas holding another event. So there’s actually quite a few events going on. And there’s also several Canadian organizers, especially in Alberta. So, it's definitely a much better situation than it was 10 years ago, much less 20 or 30. I think that’s not really the major difficulty that American chess faces right now. The principle problem we have is that the U.S. Chess Federation has had a lot of tough times for quite awhile. When I joined, of course in '72 that was at the height of the Fischer-Spassky boom, and the federation's financial situation probably has you know, never been as good as that. But it was quite good. And then when Fischer didn’t defend his title a lot of those members turned out to be, somewhat...
Tony: Kind of fairweather fans?
John: Fairweather fans, and they were gone. But then things got better again. I was on the USCF executive board from 1990 to '93. And at that time the federation was actually in a very good financial situation. But two things changed there. One was that their book and equipment sales, which were bringing in a couple million dollars a year, became compromised. It was partly because of the Internet. It was also... because they were selling a lot of dedicated chess computers at a time when there wasn’t software that could play strong. And so they could sell those machines for like $500 to $1,000, and there was a big markup. So it was free money more or less. So the federation did pretty well. It might not have been as lean and mean as it could have been, but there was enough fat around it that it was quite okay. And then I think the situation got that they didn’t really see what was happening with the Internet. And in retrospect, there were probably a lot of businesses that didn’t see what was going to happen. The result was that not only did they not make the sort of money that they wanted to make from book and equipment sales, they were actually losing some, when you consider their staff and the cost of their building and stuff like that. So all that was quite sad.
But there were also a lot of self-inflicted wounds as well. I can think of a couple cases where they had lawsuits. There was one where there was an executive director that wasn’t there for too long, and some of the policy board members sort of spoke on the record when they shouldn’t have been. And they said things that basically enabled the guy to seek compensation and receive good compensation. So, things had gotten progressively more difficult. They had to sell their building in New York that they had paid off. It was kind of like their rock. And then they moved to Tennessee. And they’re doing what they can, but it’s very difficult. This recent lawsuit was extremely ill timed. The federation wasn’t in the position to have to deal with it. It’s still not resolved so probably better to not say too much about it, but as I understand it the legal costs are over half-a-million dollars. And that probably represents probably more than half of what the federation had in liquid assets. So, it’s quite sad. It is kind of odd because, I don’t know if odd is the right word, it’s just that there’s this strange sort of juxtaposition. On the one hand you have more good players playing in the United States than ever before. We have Hikaru Nakamura. We’ve never had, with the exception of Gata [Kamsky], well, and [Bobby]Fischer, we’ve never had a 2700 player. And you know, in an ideal world, we would have a series of tournaments for him and the other elite players playing in the United States, but that doesn’t really materialize, so he pretty much has to play exclusively in Europe except for the U.S. Championship.
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Tony: Well it’s really interesting, though, I’ve noticed that a lot of the top players in the U.S. are not native-born Americans. Why do you think that is, and is that something that you anticipate improving? Do you think there will be more U.S.-born chess players that become very strong?
John: Well, of course the key question is to become a very strong player, you know, you’re not going to just do it in a couple years. The younger you are when you get stronger, the more time you have to develop before the critical moment comes. Which is basically [when] you are about to enter college or you’ve graduated from college and, now what are you going to do? And, of course in the United States there’s a lot of people that earn a living from teaching... supplemented by playing and writing. There are very few that earn it just playing. Perhaps Hikaru and Gata are the only ones on that respect. So it’s a question of are they willing to make it a profession. That’s what it really comes down to. And if you look at the situation, we’ve lost some very promising players along the way.
In the 1980s and 1990s the U.S. Olympiad came to almost essentially very similar players throughout. There were some players in the '90s, composition changed because players came from Europe, from former Soviet Union but for the first part they were the Benjamins, the DeFirmians, the Seirawans the Christiansen's, and later the Yermos and the Kaidanovs, and the Shabalovs... But the players that would have been the natural ones to kind of finally push them out of the way as they got older, because these guys are still playing in their 40s, were players like Ilya Gurevich, who was a World Junior Champion... who was 2600 FIDE back 20 years ago practically when there were not so many players over 2600, and he did that when he was still, if not in his teens in his early 20s. Patrick Wolff won several U.S. Championships and he stopped playing. Both those guys actually did play for the U.S. once in a match against Armenia. But they never actually played for the national team in an Olympiad.
Tony: So it seems like it’s kind of difficult to support oneself or one's family through chess alone, whether that be in tournaments like you said or even in writing or doing lessons and things like that. How difficult is it?
John: It, of course, always depends on: What do you consider a living? Are you talking about making a 100,000 a year? 75, 50, or 25,000 a year, because in Europe, in places like the Czech Republic or similar countries like that, which are you know western Europe but don’t have the high standard of living... just that guaranteed money right there might be enough to live on. But in the U.S., if you live in New York, $25,000 isn’t gonna do it. And of course if you have a wife and if you have children then you know, you’ve got a bigger nut you’ve got to cover. So, what I can say is that before the match in 1972, Fischer was probably the only chess professional in the United States. Even Reshevsky had to work for some insurance company or some accounting job or what have you. And that’s why, in fact, the American Chess Foundation was funded... in part to allow him to play and compete for the world title and not lose money in the process, if you will.
After that, the '72 match changed things a lot... I would say now the money that people earn from writing isn’t huge, but there’s so many more opportunities to earn money here and there. Chess players seem to be pretty well diversified. So you could be a Joel Benjamin or you could teach, both in schools [and] individuals, you could also be doing commentary work on the ICC, you could also be writing articles for Chess Life. There’s a whole variety of activities you could do. And together, they make things right. But having said that... if your goal is to make big money, unless you become an elite player, it isn’t a very likely scenario. You know, you could also be like an administrator of a scholastic program overseeing a huge enterprise. There’s those people like Sunil [Weeramantry] and Shernaz Kennedy that have programs like that and they probably do quite well as well. In th e Bay area we have Elizabeth Shaughnessy that does that. But I don’t think that’s why people, strong players get into chess. I mean, they obviously want to play.
[imagefield_assist|fid=1770|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=341|height=512]Tony: Well it seems like they are kind of torn. The brilliant minds that make up the very strong chess players could apply their talents to another field where they make significantly more money or they can do what they love and play chess and make less money at it. It seems like a very difficult decision to have to make.
John: Right. I remember Peter Biyiasas once told me that he would only take a job if he earned twice as much as he earned from chess or more. And the feeling for him was that the travel, you know, choosing his own hours, being his own boss all of that.
Tony: Doing what you love.
John: Yes. But he did eventually find that job working for IBM. And he was gone, so go figure.
Tony: Well kind of along those same lines it seems like chess in the U.S. is supported by one of two financial sources. One being amateur chess players, you know, paying their entry fees in tournaments, buying lessons with the stronger chess players, but the second is mostly benefactors. You have wealthy individuals who decide that their passion for chess is enough that they want to give back and support the chess community. But you don’t see a whole lot of commercial support or sponsorship in the U.S.
John: No, I think you have hit it. You explained it just correctly. What we have in this country are patrons. We don’t have sponsors. And if you look at that, that has a long tradition. There was Professor Rice in the early part of 1900s. Marshall had Thomas Emery. The American Chess Foundation basically were supporters of Reshevsky in the mid-50s. Always it was his patron model.... More recently we had America’s foundation for chess, the Berry Brothers and now we have your organization and Mr. Sinquefield. And that seems to be the situation up to this point has worked best -- that you find individuals that really love chess and would like to give something back to the game. And you know, that’s pretty much the model.
In Europe it’s a different situation. It depends on the country but many places, like for example in Holland, they have a famous tournament every year, the Corus Tournament. [It] used to be the former Hoogovens Tournament. It was run by a steel company. They get a lot of publicity in the Netherlands. They have a lot of chess columns in all the newspapers. They want to be seen as a company that gives something back to the community, and chess is really popular there. It’s really in the public eye. I’m afraid in the Unites States that, while there’s a lot of interest in chess and a lot of youngsters playing, it doesn’t occupy the same place in society that it does in Europe. And [it may be] that’s because there are more things that fight for |
Thompson switching his commitment to the Buckeyes.
Thompson, who had initially given a verbal commitment to the Mountaineers of West Virginia, reopened his recruitment in March and was part of the recruiting festivities in Columbus this past weekend.
He was an early member of the WVU class, verballing the day after National Letter Of Intent Day to the staff in Morgantown.
A 6’2″ defensive back with a 32 inch vertical, Thompson is expected to be asked to play safety at Ohio State. He’s currently a three star recruit according to Scout and a four star according to Rivals.
Many observers believe that will increase over the coming season, but early commitments aren’t always conducive to increased recruiting rankings. He currently held offers from Nebraska, Illinois, Notre Dame, and Scout had him with offers from Michigan and Missouri as well.
Film, as always, after the jump.
Welcome (back) home, Jayme and to the Buckeye Family- looking forward to your career in Columbus!
Tags: 2013 Recruiting, Class of 2013, Jayme Thompson
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football, RecruitingJustin Gaethje made arguably the greatest UFC debut last night (Fri., July 7, 2017) at TUF 25 Finale live on FOX Sports 1 from Las Vegas, Nevada, when he smoked lightweight contender Michael Johnson in a Fight of the Year candidate. The former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion made UFC fans drool over his fighting style in less than 10 minutes, finishing “Menace” via second-round TKO after nearly getting knocked out himself.
As Gaethje walks away from his first UFC victory, the 28-year-old is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get his shot at promotional gold.
“Whoever gets me closer to an interim title right now,” Gaethje said during TUF 25 Finale’s post-fight press conference (replay here). “(Conor) McGregor’s not here, so I’m going to get that interim title on my waist, then when he comes back: pressure. I pressure people. You think you can take it. He has a fantastic left hand. If he touches me with it, I’ll go to sleep. If not, you saw what will happen tonight. [Johnson] has never been finished (by knockout) before. I finished him in the second round.
“I got the biggest heart. I’m the most violent guy in this division. I’ll prove it time and time again. Every time, I’ve been ‘Fight of the Year.’ For now (this is it). I’ll fight again, that will be considered ‘Fight of the Year.’ I can take the most boring fighter and put him in that fight right there, so that’s what I do. I’m an entertainer.”
If you haven’t watched Gaethje’s highlight reel by this point you’re truly missing out. The former WSOF king fights like he did at TUF 25 Finale every single time he steps inside of the cage. A potential showdown with Conor McGregor would surely produce fireworks, whether or not “Notorious” is able to hand Gaethje the knockout loss he’s waiting for.
But Gaethje understands the logjam atop the UFC’s 155-pound division and is more than happy to get his hands on No. 1 contender Tony Ferguson in the interim.
“That’s what I want,” Gaethje said about landing “El Cucuy” his next time out. “Michael Johnson whooped his ass, so I will break him. Guaranteed. Call me a liar all you want.”
“I’m not infallible,” Gaethje added. “Never will be. I will lose, like I said. I’m not scared to get knocked out, I’m not scared to lose. I’m scared not to perform.
“It sounds dirty, but I’m a promoter’s wet dream. What else can you ask for? I literally go in there and put it on the line. I have no regrets. I’m not scared to lose. I’m an entertainer. That’s proven, because I got a performance (bonus) and knockout of the night. That’s what I’m in there for. I’m here to make money, make a living. This is my job now. I was so ready for this. Everyone says ‘Octagon jitters.’ That’s because they’re not ready. There’s no reason to rush this process. If you’re a young fighter out there, take your time. Wait until you’re ready. I was so comfortable in back. I was so comfortable this whole week.”
Forget about the jitters. Gaethje’s UFC debut was so remarkable that even McGregor chimed in via social media to pay tribute.
“It’s been pointed out to me that [McGregor] tweeted tonight about my fight,” Gaethje said. “Real recognize real. That dude’s a warrior, I’m a warrior. If I get the interim belt around my waist — I’ve only got to do that maybe one or two more times, and then, like I said, I’m not going to ask for the money fight; I’m going to be the money fight. You sound like a little b*tch when you ask for the money fight.
“I’m going to earn it, one at a time. I don’t care who’s next. I want to fight Ferguson, but he’ll probably say I’m not worthy. He lost to Michael Johnson. I just finished him. So he’ll be full of sh*t when he says that.”
If Gaethje is able to sustain this insane offensive output next time he steps inside of the Octagon it will only be a matter of time before “Highlight” is fighting for a UFC championship. And if TUF 25 Finale is any indication of what Gaethje can do to the upper echelon of fighters at 155 pounds, McGregor, Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and even Nate Diaz better prepare for war.
For more TUF 25 Finale results and coverage click here.Plenty of people have lost a job before. I just happen to be one of the few who lost his on national TV.
You might know me as that guy who was on last year’s Hard Knocks with the Texans. I was the defensive back with the jokes and the silly socks.
On the show, I was portrayed as an underdog — the guy with no shot of making the team. I was quick, aggressive and … just a little too small. Story of my life. Regardless, I left it all out there on the field. I made plays and even saw a little action at running back. Hell, I even ran 73 yards for a touchdown in a preseason game against the Saints. The play was called back for a holding penalty, but it was still dope.
In the end, none of that mattered. My fate with the team was determined by the fact that I didn’t have long enough arms and legs. I know that because I got to watch the conversation between Bill O’Brien, the coach, and Rick Smith, the GM, when they decided to let me go. Reality TV is something, man.
Many people might have thought my story ended when I was sitting in Coach O’Brien’s office and he told me that the team was going to release me. I was happy with how I responded. I kept my cool and thanked him for the opportunity.
But in the back of my mind? I was straight pissed. Of course I was. This wasn’t the first time I’d been told I was too small. I’ve been hearing that shit my whole life. And I think that’s why I was able to hold my head high in that office, because this wasn’t new to me.
I understand that God hadn’t blessed me with the measurements that most football coaches look for. But I also absolutely understand what God had given me: A personal drive that’s always helped me to overcome my shortcomings.
My story began long before I stepped foot in Houston for training camp. In fact, if you knew my whole story, you’d know that it was a small miracle that I ever made it to an NFL training camp in the first place.
You know, I can still hear them laughing at me.
That’s what other people do when they’re scared of your ambition. They laugh at you so they can feel better about themselves.
I was an 18-year-old freshman at Charleston Southern, sitting in the cafeteria with my friend, Gerald Young, who was a star receiver on the football team. I was not a star on the football team. In fact, I wasn’t on the team at all. But that didn’t stop me from ticking off my career goals to Gerald while we were eating lunch.
“First, I’m gonna get my scholarship. Then I’m gonna start. Then I’ll get all-conference, and then I’m gonna break all the DB records as a corner.”
Some of the older guys on the team heard me talking and started cracking up. They thought I was a joke. Like, This freshman ain’t shit.
I get it. They didn’t know who the hell I was. They didn’t know the sacrifices I’d already made just to be sitting in that cafeteria.
They never saw me play for Mandarin High in Jacksonville, where I played on the same team as future college and NFL stars — and was on their level every single day. They weren’t there when I was standing in line at the post office, waiting to mail tapes to every school in the country, and then personally following up with a phone call to make sure the school had gotten my package. They didn’t see my frustration when no schools took a chance on me, even as a walk-on. And they didn’t know I had taken out $40,000 in loans just for the opportunity to attend Charleston Southern and attempt to convince the football coaches there that I was worth a look.
I think my desire to prove people wrong has always been my greatest strength, because my entire life I’ve been told there are things I can’t do. Coaches and players alike have always dismissed my abilities as a football player as soon as they got a look at me. I lack “the measurables,” as they say. Whatever, man.
I’ve never let the opinion of others dictate my goals because, in my mind, I’ve always known that I’m good enough. You see, when there’s a big divide between what other people think you’re capable of and what you know you’re capable of, you’re going to have to put up with some bullshit.
But in the end, if you can prove them wrong and gain their respect, it’s all worth it. The truth is, my measurables are off the charts. You just have to look really closely to see them.
I’d never even been to South Carolina before I decided to attend Charleston Southern. I wasn’t even invited to be a walk-on there.
My thought process went like this.
My friend was going and I trusted his opinion. I was offered admission They had a football team.
That was all I knew. It was on me to figure it out from there. So I took out some loans and packed my clothes, my Xbox and a couple of pairs of cleats, and went on my way.
My first year on campus I needed to get my academics in order, and so I focused on that. Honestly, it was brutal. It was the first time since I had been a really little kid that I didn’t play football. But I attended every single home game that year just to sit in the stands and watch the guys playing corner. I measured them up and envisioned myself out there playing. I could do it. I knew I could do it.
At the beginning of my sophomore year, I got invited to training camp. There was no guarantee that I’d make the team, or even that I’d get to walk on — it was just an invite. When camp opened, I found myself at No. 8 on the cornerback depth chart. Perfect. When I saw that I was like, Somebody in trouble. Because I didn’t just want to make the team, I wanted a scholarship. More accurately, I needed a scholarship. I didn’t want to take out any more damn loans. And it was around that time that I had been sitting with Gerald in the cafeteria listing out my goals, only to hear those guys laughing at me.
I didn’t try to check them or anything like that. I just took it in and thought to myself O.K., that’s what’s up. And in a small way, I think I was thankful to have heard them, because now I knew exactly what I had to do to shut them up.
I was on the sideline most of the time during the first few practices. I mean, reps are hard to come by when you’re eighth on the depth chart. So I waited and waited — then one guy gets injured, and then another guy gets benched for taking plays off, and suddenly I was on the field.
Somebody in trouble.…
I remember I played like my life was on the line those first few reps. I was balling out, man. I deflected some passes, even got a pick. And suddenly, I got moved up to the scout team. And I’m like, Oh shit! They should not have let me show what I can do! I ain’t ever coming off this field!
On the scout team, my job was to make the offense look bad. Period. So that’s what I did. The quarterback would see this walk-on and try to go after me. And I busted their asses. I tried so hard to make picks and bat down balls. If I had an opening, I laid people out. And each day, I inched a little further up the depth chart.
Near the end of camp our coach, Jay Mills, gathered the team around and made an announcement. It was something I’ll never forget.
He sat us down and said, “Guys, I’m big on rewarding hard work. And this guy’s been working his butt off. Charles James, you’ve earned yourself a scholarship. Not only that, you’ve earned yourself a starting spot on this football team.”
I was in shock. Just utter shock.
And just like that, nobody was laughing anymore.
I was happy to have gotten the scholarship (also my bank account was happy; no more loans — Yeaaah, boy!), but that really was just the start. Now the real work was about to begin.
The first game of my college career was at The Swamp against Florida.
By that point, I was very familiar with the Gators not only because I had grown up a Florida fan, but also because I played with them all the time in NCAA Football on Xbox. Remember that game? It was so sick. In that year’s game, the Gators were basically a cheat code. They had Tebow, who couldn’t be tackled, and Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps at running back — the two fastest players in the game. They were a truly legendary video-game team.
But the video-game experience was a little different than being on the field for the first play of my college career, with thousands of fans screaming. And then my coach called a corner blitz I was like, Really? Fortunately, I didn’t have much time to think about it. When the ball was snapped, I put my head down and went after it. I gave Tebow my best Hit Stick impression. Holy hell, he’s a big dude. I remember I hit him and brought him to the ground just as he released the ball, and it felt like I tackled concrete. He completed the pass and tapped me on the helmet: “Good hit.”
And like that, I was officially a college football player.
I got better with each week I played my redshirt freshman season and my confidence continued to grow. For four years, I matched up against the other team’s best receiver in every single game. And just like I always knew, none of them were that much better than me. Of course, early in my college career a quarterback might see me lined up across from a taller receiver and think it was a mismatch, and so they’d throw it my way. That didn’t happen for long. My sophomore season, I was near the top of the nation in picks. Now I wasn’t just a real college football player, I was an FCS All-American.
At that point, I started thinking, Why the hell can’t I play in the NFL one day? Pretty much everyone had been wrong about me not being cut out for college football. Why couldn’t I take it up one more level?
I put in paperwork with the NFL after my junior year to find out where I was projected to go in the draft, and got back a grade of late round/undrafted. I decided to stay in school one more season, and Coach Mills decided to put off his retirement by one year so he could coach me as a senior. That meant a whole lot. It was a gesture I’ll always appreciate. Unfortunately that season didn’t go like I’d hoped. I fractured my hand against Stony Brook in our fifth game and wasn’t able to put up the numbers I knew I was capable of.
Even though I was an All-American and a three-time all-conference player, and broke the school record for career interceptions, I wasn’t invited to the NFL combine. It was the same old shit I’d been told my whole life: I wasn’t tall enough to compete.
I watched the 2013 draft at home with my mom, stepdad and brother. There wasn’t any party. I figured I would get drafted, but I also figured it would be a long wait. So I sat there and watched a bunch of cornerbacks — most of them with fewer interceptions and accolades than me — get taken off the board one by one.
Then, sometime in the fifth round, my phone rings. It’s the Bears. Oh shit.
“Hello, Charles, this is [so-and-so] with the Chicago Bears. How are you doing?”
I’m jumping up and down in my living room.
“Good! It’s good, man! A little better now that you guys are calling!”
“Well Charles, we got a pick coming up and, you know, hopefully you could be that guy.”
And I don’t hesitate; I’m like, Yeah!
I’m ready. I start picturing myself in that Bears uniform, balling out at Soldier Field. It’s perfect. What a dream.
Then the Bears pick flashes across the screen and I hold my breath.
It’s an offensive lineman.
I didn’t realize NFL teams could mess with guys like that. I thought maybe it was a mistake or something. So I tried to call the guy back. No answer. Never heard from him again.
The exact same thing happened again with the Jaguars in the seventh round. I got a call saying that they were interested, but then, nothing.
Twenty-nine corners were drafted that year, and I wasn’t one of them. Yeah, I was pissed, but I was also determined. It was just like when those guys in the cafeteria laughed at me. Now I knew what was up, and it was on me to prove everybody wrong.
It was actually really interesting after the draft was over because I had six teams trying to sign me as an undrafted free agent. It was the first time I’d ever had teams actively recruiting me. That never happened in high school. Ultimately, I decided to sign with the Giants since they had been one of the only teams to come to my pro day.
I mean, what better place is there than New York?
I thought maybe it was a mistake or something. So I tried to call the guy back. No answer. Never heard from him again.
Early on, I really appreciated the little things about the NFL. I still do actually, but the difference between college ball and the pros really blew my mind.
Charleston Southern used to give us one pair of New Balance cleats at the beginning of each season that had to last us all year. So I was shocked when I walked into the Giants locker room for the first time and I saw I had two badass pairs of cleats, three pairs of gloves and all sorts of other stuff just waiting for me.
I turned to the equipment manager thinking there must be some mistake, “You know you have two pairs of cleats in my locker?”
He looked at me and said, “Yeah I know. They are yours.”
I was like, “For real?”
And he said, “Yeah, just tell me when you need a change and I’ll give you some more.”
My mouth jaw dropped, I couldn’t believe what he was telling me.
And he said, “Where’d you go to school?” And I tell him Charleston Southern. And he just laughed.
At Charleston, asking for another pair of cleats would have been like asking for another scholarship. I sure as hell wasn’t in Charleston anymore.
I was put on special teams duty as a gunner for the Giants. It’s an effort position, which was perfect for me because that’s what I grade out best in. I busted my ass all pre-season. By then, I knew how to stand out when nobody was paying attention. If you do your job to such a degree that nobody can deny that you’re good at it, you’ll eventually get noticed. I ended up getting signed to the Giants’ practice squad.
Then, during Week 5, I got bumped up to the active roster to fill in on special teams. I did well enough to be activated again the next week for Thursday Night Football against the Bears.
Now if someone verbally offered you a job, and then took it back without giving you a reason, how would you feel about them? That’s how I felt about the Bears.
Early in the third quarter we punted to Devin Hester, and I made a play.
Flipped him right on his head. Oooooh man, I was juiced! And you know, for all the hustling and setbacks, in that one moment, it really all felt worth it. To make a play — really make a play — on a fantastic football player was like an affirmation. It was a sign that I truly belonged amongst the best doing the thing I’m most passionate about in this world.
I felt good going into my second season with New York. The team had a lot of depth, it was clear that I was the odd man out. But it wasn’t anything new. If I got spooked by depth charts, I would have hauled my ass back home to Jacksonville from Charleston when I was 19. I went out there and competed my ass off.
Made it to the last week of camp, too, but then I got the phone call to turn in my playbook. I was basically told, Thank you for the hard work, but we have some veteran guys we’re happy with. I still think I should have made that team. Even Antrel Rolle, a guy I’ve always looked up to, hit up Instagram to make a case for me.
After that went down, I was… heartbroken. That’s really the only word for it. I had trouble eating. I couldn’t sleep. I thought I’d finally made it, I’d found my place. But that’s not how this business works. Any security you feel is an illusion.
After the season started, for the first time in my life, I hated watching football on Sundays. It just made me feel restless. I knew I should be out there. Then I felt dejected, like my window had closed and it might actually be over. I was depressed. I had trouble eating, and spent a lot of time with the windows covered and the lights off. It was hard to motivate myself to start working out again. But after being down for a few weeks, I knew it was time to get off my ass. I had to stop feeling sorry for myself.
I started waking up at 5 a.m. and hitting up this small park next to a Popeyes that the vets on the Giants used to make me go to for late-night fried chicken runs. As the sun rose, I would run sprints on the short track around the park. After that, I’d lay down some cones and, for hours and hours, I’d do agility drills. As I did all the exercises, I kept remembering what my stepdad used to always say, “Stay ready to keep from getting ready.” The more I worked, the more I started feeling more and more like myself again.
Then, one day in November, my phone rang. It was my agent.
“Charles, let’s get you to Houston. The Texans want to work you out. It’s going to be a practice squad opportunity. It’s a step towards where you want to be. It’s a job.”
It didn’t take me more than a second to respond.
“Let’s do it.”
I flew down to Houston with one bag and no plans for returning home without a job. I killed that workout, ran a 4.4 40-yard dash. And not long after, the Texans assigned me to their practice squad for the remainder of the season. It was actually the best feeling ever, just to know I wasn’t done with football. It was really satisfying just to get back to that point. Obstacles are just tests to see how badly you really want it.
If you watched Hard Knocks, you have some idea of how training camp went the following August. Honestly, I didn’t operate any differently in front of the cameras than I do otherwise. If I put any of my focus on putting on a show for them, I wouldn’t have played very well. It was fun being able to watch the show as camp went on. After that first episode, my Twitter blew up. It was weird, but it was also fair. The show didn’t just show me killing it, but it also included my low moments, like when I had a bad day of practice. When you’re trying to get a job, training camp isn’t a sprint, it’s a rollercoaster. You can sense your stock going up and down at any given moment.
Getting cut by the Texans, took a lot out of me. It would be one thing if I had been let go the first week of camp, but this was the second franchise in a row that thought I was just barely not good enough. Being the first cut for a team is a little easier to swallow than being the last. It reminded me a lot of how things went down with the Giants, but it was also slightly different in that I had another team, the Ravens, willing to offer me a spot on their practice squad shortly after I was let go. I stayed on Baltimore’s practice squad for the first six weeks of the season, just putting in the work, and then I was finally moved up to the active roster for Week 7, a game on the road against the 49ers.
I was really excited for that opportunity. Here was my chance to just get on the field and show what I could do.
I was at the team breakfast in San Francisco the day before the game, when someone on the staff tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to step outside. I’m thinking to myself, Uh-oh, what did I do? I walk in the hall and I see the team’s GM, Ozzie Newsome, waiting for me. That’s when I sort of froze. I knew what was about to come.
“Look Charles, we’re going to have to cut you, man.”
I had no words.
It was a numbers game. Forsett got injured, so the team needed to add a running back. He explained that if I cleared waivers, they’d look to sign me on Monday to either the practice or the active roster.
After I got the news, I knew I needed to get out of there. I had to clear my mind. So I ordered an Uber and told the guy to just drive. I didn’t care where we went. I put some earbuds in, and we drove around all of San Francisco to nowhere in particular. I can’t remember how far we went and for how long, but by the time I got out, the fare ended up being more than $100.
I was able to fly back to Baltimore with the team but I wasn’t allowed to watch the game on the sidelines or anything like that because I wasn’t on the roster. I had to watch from the trainer’s room and go into the stadium’s concourse to grab food.
The entire time, I felt almost numb. I really thought that my career might be over. I’ve never told anyone this, but I really considered retiring. Coming that close and having it taken away again was just a little too much.
When I got back to my apartment in Baltimore, I cried. I was crying to God because it was just like, I don’t know what else to do. I had given everything I could up to that point. I tried to so hard, man. My passion for football runs so deep, that it made those setbacks hurt that much more. Football is what I take pride in. It’s my identity. The money thing is cool, but that’s not what motivates me to play this game. If I was motivated by money, I would have tried to find a more stable job a long time ago. But football has always meant more to me than a paycheck.
That Monday my agent gave me a call to say I was going to hit the waiver wire and we would have to wait and see what happened. Then, a few hours later, he called me again and he was… laughing.
“Holy shit, Charles, you won’t believe this.”
“What?”
“The Texans. The Texans just claimed you.”
I was stunned. I got on the phone with Rick Smith, the Texans GM, and he told me I was coming home. My Twitter exploded with people wishing me well. It was one of the best days of my life.
And Rick was right. In Houston, I do feel at home. Last season I even started a few games at nickelback and made some plays that helped our team win some big ball games. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do — just go out there and be good enough to help my team win.
I play football because it’s my favorite thing to do. On the morning of every game day, I wake up smiling because I get to play football.
Now going into my fourth season as a pro, I’m in training camp again. I’m working as hard as ever, because now I know that people have heard of me. So I realize that I’m not just representing myself. I’m out there for all of the zero-star walk-ons who have been told they’re not good enough. If you need a story to give you hope, I want you to lean on mine. As long as your most valuable measurable is your work ethic, there’s no reason you can’t be successful at whatever you wish to do.
Scouts are losing out on players every day because they’re looking at height and weight. But I’ll always value heart over height. Yeah, I understand that this is a physical game. Your size can be a limitation in some cases. But if I have to choose between having an athlete or a football player on my team, I want the guy who truly loves to play this game. More than anything else, I think that’s what matters most.
Like I said, I’ll take heart over height every day of the week.
And especially on Sundays.The best strategy for endangered animals: Grow a spine. Then humans will protect you.
Most of the cash for conserving endangered animals goes to big “charismatic” species and there’s little left for smaller spineless ones, a global survey by Ottawa scientists shows.
Spineless things — insects and spiders and shellfish and the rest — matter a lot, the group largely from Carleton University and the University of Ottawa says. Bees and butterflies pollinate our food while beetles keep soil healthy.
But “charismatic” vertebrates, or animals with spines — lions, gorillas, whales, salmon and others — continue to attract the conservation and research funding.
Survival of the cutest, perhaps?
“Part of it is the fact that there are just so many of them (invertebrates),” said Steven Cooke, a fish scientist at Carleton University. You can’t have individual plans to protect several million insect species.
As well, the big animals are the ones to which we ascribe value, “and that value may simply be that it’s fluffy and it reminds me of Disney, or it may be economic value (or) food value. There are not many people that are supported day-to-day with insects,” although a few invertebrate marine species such as shellfish have economic value.
In nature, Cooke says invertebrates are often a bridge. They eat small species such as algae, and become food in turn for bigger animals. They also help break down dead material and recycle the nutrients.
People go to Africa to see herds of wildebeest and the big cats that chase them, never giving a thought to the lowly dung beetle, said Jeremy Kerr, an insect scientist from the University of Ottawa. “But you’re going to run out of reasons to go on safari if the dung beetles aren’t doing their job because the productivity of those grasslands will plummet,” and there will be fewer big animals.
Their paper, “Taxonomic bias and international biodiversity conservation research,” is published in a Canadian research journal called FACETS.
Cooke said the study was done largely by students, and without funding. “It was more a case of asking ‘I wonder…’ and then looking at the numbers and boom, there it was,” he said.
The group under lead author Michael Donaldson ran through data on 10,000 species and concludes: “We found extreme bias in conservation research effort on threatened vertebrates compared with lesser-studied invertebrates” both on land and in the water.
In a strange twist, the group got underway and then realized that it had no one on board who actually studies invertebrates. That’s when they added Kerr from the U of O.
It was lucky they did, Cooke said: “Then we had the finding that the invertebrates were the ones that were totally being ignored.”
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tspears@postmedia.com
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CAPE CANAVERAL — The enigmatic X-37B spaceplane, launched into low-Earth orbit on an experimental military mission in 2015, continues to circle the planet despite a flurry of landing rumors.
“The X-37 is still on-orbit. The program is conducting a regularly scheduled exercise this week,” said Capt. Annmarie Annicelli, media operations officer at the Pentagon’s Air Force Press Desk.
Internet chatter buzzed in recent days about a potential landing of the stubby-winged spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility as early as this morning.
But the Pentagon put those rumors to rest with its brief but pointed statement.
The X-37B was launched on May 20, 2015 and spent its 636th day in space today on a classified mission.
This fourth flight of the unmanned and reusable spaceplane program carried at least two payloads on its latest voyage. The military revealed before the ship took off that it was carrying an experimental electric propulsion thruster to be tested in orbit and a pallet to expose sample materials to the space environment.
What else, if anything, the vehicle is carrying in its pickup truck-size cargo bay is unknown.
As of today, the X-37B program has used twin reusable vehicles to amass 2,004 cumulative days in space on four flights since 2010, launching like a satellite atop Atlas 5 rockets and then landing like an airplane.
The three previous flights landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. But the Air Force and builder Boeing have worked to consolidate all X-37B launch and landing operations at the Kennedy Space Center to use the former hangars and runway from the now-retired civilian program.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It's going to be hard for Telvin Smith to top his first NASCAR race experience.
The Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker gets to drive the pace car at the Coke Zero 400 on July 2 at Daytona International Speedway.
"To actually be out on the track and not in the stands watching..." Smith said Monday morning. "That's what I think I'm looking forward to most, just being out there firsthand on the track and getting that feeling for it."
Joie Chitwood, the chief operating officer for International Speedway Corp., and NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray attended a Jaguars organized team activity in June 2014 and got a chance to catch passes, do a few drills and catch kickoffs from a JUGS machine. Chitwood wanted to repay the favor and have a Jaguars player drive the pace car next month.
Smith was the natural choice, Chitwood said, because he's one of the defense's fastest players. He just wants Smith to dial it back a tiny bit.
"I know in football it's about speed," Chitwood said. "It's communication, it's the right play and usually there's a big collision at the end, and I know Telvin's done that quite well on the ballfield. We just ask that there's no collision on our field as it relates to the pace car.
"I think he's going to do a great job. I think he knows what speed is all about."
Smith will get training in the Toyota Camry pace car the morning of the race, and he said he's going to drive as fast as they let him on the 2.5-mile tri-oval track in Daytona Beach, Florida.
"I drive fast a little bit, so I'm not worried about that," said Smith, whose 227 tackles are the most in franchise history by a player in his first two seasons. "I'm saying I'm not [nervous] right now, but maybe when I get out there and the engines start going [he will be]. I heard they shake the ground when they go, so maybe when I get out there it'll get more intense."My apologies for the clickbait-y headline, but even I’m surprised by this news. You might think that Netflix’s original series like Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards, which combine the high and lowbrow with equal measure and manage to garner critical praise and plenty of awards, might be the streaming service’s most popular television offerings. Alas, you’d be wrong!
On Monday, CBS chief research officer David Poltrack announced at the UBS Global Media Conference that while Netflix’s two biggest original series certainly have been successful, they pale in comparison to network-produced offerings on the service, particularly The Blacklist and NCIS. Per UPROXX:
He found that Netflix subscribers are spending about 1.1 billion hours a year watching the service’s five original programs. Compare that to the 800 million hours they spend watching NCIS reruns on Netflix. In fact, according to Poltrack, Netflix subscribers only spent 6.6 percent of their time watching Netflix originals.
When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. (I recall the massive shockwaves sent into the streaming ether the day my friends realized Law and Order was no longer available to |
, the door of their chamber is suddenly opened and the animal is confronted by the human observer (17). This is consistent with the idea that BAT thermogenesis contributes to increases in brain temperature during emotional hyperthermia.
Kiyatkin (25) notes that, in awake animals, “the brain is always warmer than the arterial blood supply and thus cannot be warmed by arterial blood.” However, if the brain is perfused with arterial blood that has itself been warmed, the final temperature of the brain will be higher than it would have been if perfused with arterial blood that has not been warmed. Our own results strongly suggest that BAT thermogenesis, triggered from the brain via the sympathetic outflow, contributes to the increases in brain temperature occurring during emotional hyperthermia. This is important because it suggests that the temperature increases have a functional role.
Possible functional role of the increases in body and brain temperature.
In the present study we observed the resident rat for at least 24 h, recording the coordinated behavioral and physiological events that occur when the rat engages with the external environment as part of the basic rest-activity cycle (2, 3, 46, 47). This enabled us to introduce the intruder rat when temperatures were at a basal level. The coordinated behavioral and physiological events evoked by the intruder rat are remarkably similar to those occurring, apparently spontaneously, during active phases of the basic rest-activity cycle. The contribution of BAT thermogenesis to the temperature increases is also similar in the two situations.
Increases in body temperature facilitate cardiac and skeletal muscle functioning associated with activity (1). Neural processing is both metabolically expensive and temperature sensitive (20, 21, 29, 38), so that increases in the temperature of the brain may be important for its own intrinsic functions. We have suggested that increases in brain temperature could facilitate the complex synaptic processing that underlies cognitive processes associated with exploration of the environment (2). Mechanisms whereby this occurs are still under investigation. The hippocampus expresses theta rhythm when an animal actively explores the environment (7, 49, 61). Higher physiological temperatures facilitate this rhythm because hippocampal neurons express transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) receptors, and activation of these receptors by physiological increases in brain temperature increases neuronal excitability (51, 52). Temperature-sensitive TRPV4 and TRPV1 receptors are also physiologically important in magnocellular neurosecretory neurons (58).
The intruder model of emotional hyperthermia.
Our intruder rat procedure has a number of advantages as a model of emotional hyperthermia in the resident rat. The procedure is technically simple and economical. The intruder-induced increases in temperature are substantial and reliable, with a stable temporal pattern. Habituation does not occur when the intruder procedure is repeated. Measuring the physiological variables in the resident rat means that it is possible to obtain continuous records without the problem of reconnecting the recording system, as is necessary when measurements are made in a “socially defeated” intruder rat, or when the cage-switch paradigm is used.
The free intruder rat sometimes disturbs the swivel connection and headpiece attached to the resident rat, and with this model it is harder to differentiate physical and psychological aspects of the intruder stimulation. The caged intruder model has the advantage of being a purer psychological stimulus.
Emotional hyperthermia and the concept of fever.
It has been claimed that a rise in temperature “must be defined as a fever” if it involves activation of thermoeffector mechanisms that would normally be inhibited during an increase in temperature resulting from increased heat load (5). In our study the sympathetic outflow to the tail artery was activated in association with the increases in temperature induced by the intruder rat. BAT thermogenesis was also activated, with the similar BAT temperature increases at 24–26°C and at 11°C. Thus the temperature increase observed in our study could/should be classified as a fever according to strictly applied set-point criteria (5, 9, 11, 27, 32, 57). However, there is a strong medical association between “fever” and underlying life-threatening processes, including infection and occult neoplasm, that increase temperature by cytokine-related mechanisms. Thus, when Renbourn (48) demonstrated that the body temperature of young boxers is higher before an actual boxing match than before a period of equivalent exercise, the boxing-related temperature increase was described as “emotional hyperthermia” rather than “psychogenic fever.”
Nevertheless the idea that emotional hyperthermia is a true fever has motivated many studies investigating whether it is prevented or reversed by agents that inhibit synthesis of prostaglandins. Kluger and colleagues (28) demonstrated a partial reversal of cage-switching hyperthermia after aspirin and indomethacin. However, the modern consensus is that emotional hyperthermia is not sensitive to inhibitors of cyclooxygenases and is therefore distinct from cytokine-initiated fevers mediated by prostaglandin synthesis (31). Clearly the set point concept is not useful for differentiating emotionally induced and cytokine-induced increases in temperature. There are other theoretical problems with the set-point concept (37) and we consider that emotional hyperthermia is a better term than psychogenic fever.
Perspectives and Significance
We show in rats that BAT thermogenesis, initiated reasonably independently of thermoregulatory homeostasis via brain central command, contributes to increases in temperature that presumably facilitate planning and action. Our present study and our earlier investigations in rabbits and rats (6, 14, 36, 63, 64) demonstrate that salient or emotional events also vigorously reduce thermoregulatory cutaneous blood flow, and this is also the case in humans (6, 13, 16, 22). Emotional hyperthermia also occurs in humans, as first convincingly demonstrated by Renbourn (48). BAT thermogenesis occurs in adult humans and is under sympathetic control (30, 41, 42, 50, 59). Human basal metabolic rate is particularly sensitive to emotionally significant or salient events (19). It will be important to determine whether BAT thermogenesis also contributes to emotional hyperthermia in humans.
GRANTS
This study was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant 1051826 and by the Flinders Medical Centre Research Foundation.
DISCLOSURES
No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s).
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Author contributions: M.M. performed experiments; M.M., Y.O., and W.W.B. analyzed data; M.M., Y.O., and W.W.B. interpreted results of experiments; M.M., Y.O., and W.W.B. edited and revised manuscript; M.M., Y.O., and W.W.B. approved final version of manuscript; Y.O. and W.W.B. conception and design of research; W.W.B. prepared figures; W.W.B. drafted manuscript.The 20th of November is always a sombre day on Amelia Newbert's calendar — a day she spends thinking about the victims and survivors of anti-transgender violence.
"It's heartbreaking to think about all the individuals who aren't here, but I'm immensely, immensely grateful for all of us who are here," Newbert, a co-founder of Calgary trans group Skipping Stone Foundation, said Sunday.
Newbert is one of thousands of people attending Transgender Day of Remembrance events worldwide. The annual commemoration honours those who have lost their lives to anti-transgender violence.
Between Oct. 1, 2016 and Sept. 30 of this year, 325 transgender people around the world lost their lives, according to an online list. The only Canadian name on the list this year is that of Sisi Thibert, a transgender sex worker who was stabbed in her Montreal apartment in September.
The remembrance services generally ask members of the trans community, local politicians and allies to take turns reading all the names of the victims. Those in attendance are then asked to light candles in their memory.
The transgender flag will be flying outside of the Alberta Legislature and Calgary's McDougall Centre on Monday to commemorate the 325 transgender people who have lost their lives this year. (torbakhopper/Flickr)
"It's a chance for us to … reflect on a community that's often invisible in their own families and in their own homes," said Edmonton-based trans advocate Marni Panas.
In Alberta, flags will be raised outside the legislature and the McDougall Centre in Calgary.
In a Facebook post, the Alberta government said its participation in the service is part of a commitment to a more inclusive and equal province.
Panas said the gesture "is indicative of a big shift" toward an inclusive environment for transgender people in Alberta, and the country at large.
Statistics Canada doesn't track the number of gender identity-related deaths, but does count hate crimes based on sexual orientation. There were 141 reported hate crimes related to sexual orientation in 2015, down from 155 in 2014. The majority of these hate crimes were violent.
"I feel safer today in Alberta being a trans person now than I would have in any time of my life," Panas said. "But with that the backlash is still very real."
'Suffering in silence'
Newbert said there are everyday challenges for trans people, including using the right pronouns, being understood in schools and gaining access to proper healthcare.
These issues can easily discourage youth as they start to discover who they are, Newbert added.
"It creates a ton of tension around their relationship with their body that's so, so important and really … perpetuates the discord they feel within themselves," Newbert said.
The number of people remembered during Transgender Day of Remembrance does not include the transgender people who die by suicide. If those numbers were included, Newbert said, the list would be even longer.
Results from a national online survey published in 2015 indicated that one-third of transgender Canadians between the ages of 14 to 25 had attempted suicide.
Panas said in going forward, what will be important to transgender Canadians is whether action on the front lines matches government policy.
"There are still a lot of youth out there who are suffering in silence," Panas said.
anna.desmarais@cbc.ca
@anna_desmaraisLately, I've been captivated by a sports analytics concept called PDO. As James Grayson explains in his fantastic blog (where he explores PDO extensively), PDO is originally an ice hockey metric which takes its name from the person that developed it. In soccer, PDO is calculated by combining a team's shooting percentage and save percentage and multiplying by 1,000. Since league-wide shooting percentages and save percentages are reflexive, every league's average PDO must be 1,000.
Dutch analytics blog 11tegen11 does a fabulous job demonstrating that a team's current PDO is a very good proxy for luck. It is very common for soccer teams to have outstandingly good or poor PDO scores at the beginning of the season only to see these values regress toward the mean of 1000. PDO has proven to be a very good indication whether a team is currently under- or over-preforming and an academic example of how exceptional sports statistics tend to regress toward the mean.
However, no matter how drastically each team moves toward the 1000 mark, PDO is still a very good predictor of end of season results. In fact, for the last two years in MLS, PDO still accounts for 58 percent of the variance in a team's total league points at the end of the season.
Using every shot on target from the 2011 and 2012 MLS season, I constructed a model that predicts the likelihood of a goal (or a save) based on multiple shot attributes such as distance, angle and if the shot resulted from a header or penalty kick. Using this model, we can construct a similar metric called Expected PDO. Instead of using actual goals and saves, Expected PDO looks at the number of goals and saves a team would have normally been expected to accumulate based on the types of shots they experienced over the season.
From there, I hoped to compare the Expected PDO to the PDO and consider whatever the difference was between the measurements to be "luck." Since good teams are increasingly likely to create more (and higher quality) shooting situations than an average team, the Expected PDO should be a relatively good indicator of team skill (and it is). Therefore, it seemed safe to assume the difference between the actual and the predicted was a product of un-modeled bias.
But, I don't think that un-modeled bias is luck. Or, at least solely luck. In fact, this table looks a lot more like a measurement of team skill.
Team Delta PDO Expected PDO League Points San Jose Earthquakes 49.76 1061.10 1011.34 66 New York Red Bulls 47.84 1051.10 1003.26 57 D.C. United 42.12 1052.20 1010.08 58 Chicago Fire 37.64 1027.10 989.46 57 Columbus Crew 37.12 1031.80 994.68 52 Seattle Sounders 30.10 1025.30 995.20 56 Vancouver Whitecaps 28.83 1035.10 1006.27 43 Real Salt Lake 12.04 1012.00 999.96 57 LA Galaxy 7.63 1018.10 1010.47 54 Sporting Kansas City 2.42 1002.80 1000.38 63 Philadelphia Union 0.81 1011.70 1010.89 36 Houston Dynamo -0.74 1008.30 1009.40 53 Colorado Rapids -18.71 999.00 1017.71 37 FC Dallas -21.72 995.00 1016.72 39 Montreal Impact -23.26 958.80 982.06 42 New England Revolution -44.11 952.60 996.71 35 Toronto FC -51.56 932.30 983.86 23 Portland Timbers -58.86 915.70 974.56 34 Chivas USA -80.29 913.10 993.39 30
And this made me realize just how difficult it is to quantitatively separate skill from luck. In a sense, skill could merely be the ability to get lucky consistently – and we would never be able to tell the difference in this context. At what point does luck become skill? If you "over-preform" for many consecutive games, are you really over-performing? Has your skill level temporarily changed?
Or are good teams simply better at getting lucky?Image: Sports Illustrated
Every time I think that the political, media and social elite have proven their total disconnect with the American people, I find myself continually corrected, and this weekend was no exception, as the NFL kissed their ratings and viewers goodbye.
After President Donald Trump spoke at a rally and gave his thoughts on NFL players that kneeled for the national anthem, many NFL spokesmen went on the defensive and media outlets decried it as an “attack on free speech”. President Trump said that kneeling during the national anthem was “…a total disrespect of our heritage. That’s a total disrespect of everything we stand for.”
Later on, the president called for people to boycott the NFL until the owners do something about this behavior, as several team members of the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars linked arms and took a knee to protest the national anthem during a football match in London…but they made sure to stand for Britain’s anthem.
To anyone with any concept of what the “freedom of speech” is really about, this is obviously no more of an attack on free speech than Trump’s calling the mainstream media liars was an attack on the free press. But as we should know by now, the left has their own definition of freedom, and the freedom of speech for them means that there should be no consequences for their speech or any speech that behooves them. However for their opponents, a different standard is applied.
In the eyes of the left, giving a negative opinion of left wing speech or media is oppression of their rights. Meanwhile, throwing bottles of urine, feces, or concrete and bricks, hitting people with clubs, pepper spraying people, and blocking traffic to prevent vehicles from moving, is all peaceful demonstration and the voice of the unheard.Anyone who has keeps track of politics knows by now that the left hates the freedom of speech in principle up until speech is being used to ridicule white people (especially if straight or male) or American heritage.
Of course many left-wing “libertarians” (libertines) could not resist but to jump in on the action either, as they made sure to let everyone know how much they hate law enforcement (really they hate anyone with authority of any kind) – even if this trend of kneeling during the anthem, which was started by Colin Kaepernick, was really more about hatred for white people, since the “Cops hunting black youths for sport” narrative has been debunked time and time again through a plethora of statistics.
Encouraging people’s delusions and ridiculous fantasies, however, is no problem for this crowd, as long as it helps further some political agenda and makes them feel like they have more mutual support than they actually do for their belief system as a whole. It is this tactic that has left the libertarian movement swamped with socialists and cultural marxists. They also made sure to voice their opinion that people who did not support either the act or the reasoning behind these people kneeling for the anthem were in favor of forced flag worship, and made it abundantly clear that they think that pride in your national origin and heritage is inherently statist.
Libertarians have always said, however, that boycotts were the market’s way of correcting bad behavior….but when you’re a leftist at heart, this one liner really only applies when you’re under the delusion that massive boycotts would force Christian bakers to make rainbow cakes with a penis on top (or you’re just trying to virtue signal that capitalism doesn’t bring about social conservative ends).
Thus many “libertarians” on social media also said that our president was attacking free speech as well. All of this aside, the NFL protests are not about free speech, and they never were. They are about pushing a race baiting agenda that breeds hatred of white people and of the entire concept of law and order. The protests are about encouraging the destruction of national identity and pride in the heritage that makes us as a people so very unique. It is about crushing the spirit of national and local patriotism and identity for a globalist and communist one.
This is why anyone who stands up for the NFL protesters is a tool for cultural marxism. It is evident to anyone with a brain what is going on here.SIPTU members of Dublin fire brigade have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over the decision not to hold an open competition for new fire fighters.
SIPTU members of Dublin fire brigade have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over the decision not to hold an open competition for new fire fighters.
In a letter to SIPTU members this morning, SIPTU sector organiser Brendan O’Brien said the result of the ballot was that 96 percent were in favour of industrial action and 87 percent were in favour of strike action.
He said the ballot was taken ‘following the decision by the chief executive of Dublin City Council to renege on the agreement reached in May on recruiting new fire fighters.’
Mr O’Brien said ‘we have received an overwhelming mandate’ to take action in support of our members in Dublin Fire Brigade who he said, ‘have been exposed by management to increased and unacceptable levels of risk arising from their failure to uphold our agreement to maintain minimum staffing levels.’
A source in the fire service in Dublin said that staff shortages mean that sometimes crew levels can be down 15-20 percent on what they should be ‘seriously reducing the level of cover to the city.’
Speaking this morning Mr O’Brien said, “there is a deficit of 70 fire fighters at the moment and we expect that to reach 100 by the end of this year due to the rate of retirement.”
He said it was agreed in May to hold an open competition for new fire fighters which was supported by SIPTU.
Instead he said that Dublin City Council wants to proceed with internal recruitment which Mr O’Brien does not believe will succeed in recruiting the numbers needed as quickly as they are needed.
Mr O’Brien said that fire fighters recruited today would not be ready for one year as they have to go through training and “in the meantime we sometimes do not have enough fire fighters to allow our appliances to be dispatched,” without calling in staff who are on rest days or on training days.
“It is a matter of urgency that the open competition starts. We do not want to see our members or the public at unnecessary risk,” he added.
A meeting of the Dublin Fire Brigade SIPTU dispute committee will now be convened to consider the outcome of the ballot and the union will decide on what course of action will be taken next.
Online EditorsZealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. By Reza Aslan. Random House; 296 pages; $27. Buy from Amazon.com
IN HIS earlier book about Islam, Reza Aslan, an Iranian-born American writer, presented a subtle view of the different layers of truth that can be found in sacred writings. For example, he explained that stories about Muhammad’s childhood are not meant to relate to historical events, but rather “to elucidate the mystery of the prophetic experience”. In any case, he added teasingly, myth is always true somehow; if it did not express a powerful truth, it would not last.
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The sensibility that Mr Aslan brings to his latest book, about the founder of another monotheism, is by comparison rather one-dimensional, although his considerable gifts as a storyteller and populariser of complex religious ideas remain intact. The purpose of “Zealot” is not to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth as a source of ultimate meaning, but to investigate and describe the story of his life. The book’s underlying assumption is that if Jesus has any significance at all, it is to be found in the facts of his earthly existence. And these facts, Mr Aslan maintains, are often diametrically opposed to the story set out in the New Testament—which is one the author himself once embraced as a 15-year-old convert to evangelical Christianity.
The trouble is that neither narrative—the familiar one or his alternative—can be established as incontrovertible, so Mr Aslan’s tendency to make pronouncements with blithe certainty can grate. Only periodically does he throw in an appropriate expression of doubt.
Far from being a pacifist, Jesus for Mr Aslan was the leader of a nationalist revolt against Rome who was punished for sedition, not blasphemy. In other words, Jesus meant it when he said “I have not come to bring peace, but the sword,” whereas sayings like “My kingdom is not of this world” may well have been made up. As for the commandment to “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s”, that is a statement of theocratic resistance to Roman rule. It is amazing, in Mr Aslan’s condescending view, that so many people have failed to see this.
He argues that the universalist pacifism ascribed to Jesus was superimposed on him several decades after his death, in the climate created by the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70AD. Once Jewish resistance to Rome was more or less quashed, followers of Jesus consciously or unconsciously refashioned their faith into one that meekly accepted imperial authority and could spread easily through a multinational empire.
Many religious scholars believe that texts should be studied and decoded in the context of the eras in which they were written. But Mr Aslan places enormous, and perhaps excessive, emphasis on the explanatory power of context. Because history reveals at least something of the role of itinerant preachers who challenged Roman rule in the quarrelsome Jewish world, he assumes it is possible to locate Jesus in that world.
Context is necessary for anyone trying to pin down the historical Jesus, but such arguments can go too far. At their most ambitious, they purport to decode with perfect accuracy any piece of religious text, laying bare both the facts that lie behind it and the reasons why those facts were refracted in a certain way.
That approach refuses to even acknowledge the possibility of prophecy, which means the ability of individuals to discern important truths about the world in ways that rise above the circumstances of their lives. How people respond to prophets and their claims is an existential choice, but a belief that prophets exist—that not all concepts can be reduced to historical context—is central to any religious faith. This means that appreciating the possibility of prophecy (whatever one chooses to make of it) is vital to the work of a religious historian. Mr Aslan has shown elsewhere that he understands this, but there is not much sign of this insight in his latest book.Valve head talks digital ownership Valve boss Gabe Newell talks about the tricky legal ground of digital ownership, and how service providers must take care of their customers to avoid conflicts.
Analysts are constantly proclaiming a digital future for games, but that notion is still uneasy for some customers. The lack of a physical object brings up questions of ownership, and Valve boss Gabe Newell has addressed those concerns head-on in an interview.
"It's sort of like this kind of messy issue, and it doesn’t really matter a whole lot what the legal issues are, the real thing is that you have to make your customers happy at the end of the day," he said.
Speaking to The PA Report, Newell side-stepped the legal issue brought up by a recent customer complaint, and consistently stated that satisfaction must be the number one priority. "If you're not making your customers happy you're doing something stupid and we certainly always want to make our customers happy," Newell said. "And I think we have a track record of having done that."
The instance of the Russian gamer who lost his games, in particular, is being dealt with from a customer service angle. "If you're asking me to render a legal opinion then I'm just not the super useful person to render a legal opinion," he explained. "At first blush it sounded like we were doing something stupid and then we'll get it fixed."
He also points out that the issue of ownership doesn't worry customers as much after they've had some experience with Steam. "So, you know, people were worried when we started using Steam initially because, oh my gosh, if I don’t have my discs what happens when I get a new machine?" he said. "And after they’ve done this a couple times they're like 'oh my god, this is so much better, I'm so much more likely' - you know, this isn't a legal argument, this is a real world argument - 'I'm so much more likely to lose my discs than I am to have any problem with my Steam account, that seems way better than having a physical token that I use to access my content.'"
While the question of ownership isn't fully settled, Newell's remarks are a good reminder that customers can vote for their wallets. If Steam or a service like it mistreats its customers as we burrow more heavily into the digital future, they can at least be held accountable by taking business elsewhere. Of course, doing such would mean sacrificing all semblance of "ownership" one has over their purchased digital content.Heir to Lamborghini’s best-selling Gallardo, the Huracán, has created a trail for itself, probably one more illustrious than the Gallardo. The Huracán has secured for itself 700 orders during a, as yet unfinished, month-long private preview tour worldwide for VIP clients. People worldwide seemed to have loosened their purse strings to welcome this hurricane into their garages.
The car was revealed to the world on December 20, 2013. Huracán is Spanish for 'hurricane', but it is also the name of an ancient Mayan god of thunder and - you guessed it - a fighting bull, this one recorded in Alicante history way back in 1879.
The Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 is powered by a 610-horsepower 5.2-litre normally-aspirated V10 engine, which allows it to reach a top speed of 325 kmph and accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 3.2 seconds, placing it at the top of its segment.
A candidate for'star of the show' at Geneva Motor Show 2014, it will be the first vehicle to be revealed at the exhibition, during a press conference given by President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann, scheduled for March 4, 2014.On a vacation with his wife and kids recently, Paul Deas opened his suitcase and found a rude surprise: his MacBook had been stolen. Not only that, but the thief had helpfully left him a note inside, telling him exactly who had robbed him: TSA Agent 5414.
Paul eventually got his MacBook back, but his post on the matter is interesting food for thought, not only because it reveals just how common TSA theft is (there’s millions of Google results for “TSA Theft”) but how, even if you get your MacBook back, you’re not likely to catch the person who actually stole it.
In Paul’s case, when he discovered his MacBook had been stolen, he used Find My Mac to locate it and lock the laptop down. He then went to his local UPS location to mail an empty box to the address where the MacBook had been tracked to, a few miles from the airport where it had been stolen. Inside the box was a message, “Return my laptop or we’ll call the police.”
Paul got the laptop back eventually, but it’s a typical story: the guy who returned the laptop had actually bought it from someone on Craigslist, who promptly disappeared when the Mac locked down. So while Paul got his laptop back, the guy who purchased it was out $650.
As for the TSA Agent? Turns out “5414” was just a bunch of random numbers, and there’s no telling, apparently, who actually inspected Paul’s case… and therefore, no telling who stole his laptop.
There’s a lot of clear warnings here. Don’t put your valuable computer equipment (or, indeed, anything valuable) in your check-in luggage. If you buy a used MacBook off of Craigslist, check for ownership. But it’s still disheartening that we live in an age where an organization that is meant to keep us safe in the sky is, instead, abusing their power to rob us blind.
Source: Paul DeasMarch 25, 2009 - Chet Faliszek
We recently updated the PC version of Left 4 Dead with some exploit fixes and Versus balancing. We are going to be releasing another small update later today that contains some server issue fixes and one small, but very large, gameplay adjustment. We have made a change to the melee mechanic in Versus and the soon-to-be-released Survival Mode.Xbox 360 users will see these same gameplay changes in an update coming out with the DLC which, in case you missed the announcement, will be coming out April 21st.As we continue to work on Left 4 Dead, our plan is to release more frequently on the PC, and then group those updates for the 360.With the upcoming release of the SDK, and the community servers already available on the PC, matchmaking is one place where the two platforms will diverge. A future blog post will detail our roadmap for PC matchmaking.Game statistics help us evaluate the success of the changes we've made to the game. In Versus, for example, we flipped the order in which teams play the next round based on who was winning the round before it. We were confident this would help to better balance the game and give neither team a lasting advantage. That would, in turn, translate into more people playing through the final maps. Since making that change, we've noticed the percentage of games being played to the end jump 5%. It is a small increase, but a step in the right direction.But statistics are only part of the picture. We also use direct feedback from players themselves. One of the questions people ask is if we read the forums: the answer is yes. So please post your feedback on the melee and other changes as we make them. We promise to keep listening to your feedback, making changes and improving the gameplay experience of Left 4 Dead. Remember: If you don't see an issue addressed with this update, that doesn't mean it isn't coming.SOMERVILLE — Consultants working on the embattled Green Line extension revealed on Wednesday that the original design of a nearly two-mile community path alongside the project would cost about $100 million, an expense that officials are hoping to pare.
Officials at a community meeting at Somerville High School said they have designed a new path that would cost $20 million instead.
“We’re doing our best to deliver a project that we can afford, but that you can accept,” the T’s general manager Frank DePaola told the crowd.
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The T in 2014 had estimated the path could cost about $40 million, but that number likely did not include the price of several necessary walls and other features — expenses that officials now want to cut. Until Wednesday, officials had not released to the public an estimate of all the costs of the path.
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After officials revealed last year that the total cost of the long-awaited project could be $1 billion more than previously estimated, the new board overseeing the MBTA said it would choose to proceed with the extension only if costs dramatically dropped. State officials will decide on May 9 whether to go forward with the project, which has already won approval for nearly $1 billion in federal funds and was originally projected to cost about $2 billion.
Supporters at Wednesday’s meeting urged the state to build the project, including some version of the biking and walking path alongside it. Justin Maloney, who lives in the Somerville’s Winter Hill neighborhood, said the community path would give residents a safe way to travel through the city.
“The path is at least as important to us as the Green Line,” Maloney testified.
As officials look to cut costs, extension advocates such as Ellin Reisner have worried that a community path — which she considers indispensable to the project — may get the ax.
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“It provides much better access to stations,” said Reisner, who helped found the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership in 2003 to make a concerted push for the project. “It doesn’t make any sense not to include it.”
The fight to preserve the path is one of many frustrations for longtime supporters. After years of advocating for the project — and eventually seeing it win state and federal approval — those same supporters say they’ve been stunned to learn the project may be scrapped or be stripped down substantially.
“It’s like we’re starting all over again,” said Reisner.
But state officials — including Governor Charlie Baker — have said a more conservative budget is necessary if supporters want the project to be done at all. Already, consultants have said they could save about $200 million by stripping station designs to the essentials: Five of seven planned stations for the extension could transform from enclosed buildings to bare-bones, open-air stations similar to most Green Line stops.
The commitment to the community path came as a big victory to longtime supporters of the extension: In April 2014, Governor Deval Patrick’s administration announced with fanfare that it would pay for a path, projected to cost $39 million at the time. When T officials applied for federal funding in 2015, a budget line related to the path pegged some of the price at $27 million, but did not include other associated costs.
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Jack Wright, the consultant who has been temporarily overseeing the Green Line extension as the T searches for new project leaders, said the original path was eventually so expensive partly because of the high retaining walls that had to be constructed alongside it.
Under the new design, the path would be farther away from the stations and tracks in some areas, so that the T could avoid building the walls. But that means some big changes. For instance, instead of running near the Green Line tracks in the section near Washington Street to around North Point, the path would run along the busy McGrath Highway.
Several supporters expressed concerns about that particular change, saying many cyclists and pedestrians would be reluctant to travel a path along McGrath Highway. Others worried that the new path had fewer entrances from the street and could take away access from communities that need it most.
Officials said the path’s design was ongoing and they would consider other ideas. A group called Friends of the Community Path has submitted their plan with a cost of about $19.4 million. DePaola said the T would consider it.
Wright said he knew that the new path design may not include everything that supporters had sought. But it was necessary to cut the costs, he said. “The goal of the interim project managing team is to get the [extension] back to being built, to bring Green Line service back to Somerville,” Wright said. “Everything else besides that service, is somewhat secondary.’’
Nicole Dungca can be reached at nicole.dungca@globe.comA Long Island company vying for a state license to distribute medical marijuana has leased space in Downtown Brooklyn, Crain's first reported Thursday.
PalliaTech Inc., a producer of marijuana-based pain medications, is looking to move into the second floor of 425 Fulton St., between Pearl and Jay Streets, where it will take up 3,000 square feet of space.
"You want to be in a population center and you want access to public transportation and it's a great location from that perspective," said Andrei Bogolubov, executive vice president of PalliaTech. "The state has placed a high priority on geographic dispersion of the dispensaries and where the medicine will be manufactured and you have Brooklyn, where we were able to find a terrific facility there."
At the moment, only five licenses will be awarded and the application process is an arduous one.
Companies vying for one of the coveted spots had to submit dozens of pages on business summaries, construction timelines, energy sources and up-to-date building codes, among other specifications by Friday's deadline. Each company that is granted a license by the New York State Department of Health will be permitted to open four locations.
"It is going to be very competitive and we can't go into it with confidence but we can go in with optimism, said Bogolubov. "We are hopeful that we will be well received and that the state will have a decision in July. They have a lot of material to review and the state has been really determined with meeting the deadlines because they want to be servicing patients in January 2016. Many operators will not be able to hit that target but we think we can."
Hours before the announcement Thursday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams coincidentally said he wanted a dispensary in Kings County.
"I want Airbnb. I want Bitcoin. I want a marijuana |
popularity, he later appeared in a Saturday morning live action TV adaptation and gained a prominent place in the mainstream continuity DC calls the DC Universe.
When the popularity of superheroes faded in the late 1940s the company focused on such genres as science fiction, Westerns, humor, and romance. DC also published crime and horror titles, but relatively tame ones, and thus avoided the mid-1950s backlash against such comics. A handful of the most popular superhero-titles, including Action Comics and Detective Comics, the medium's two longest-running titles, continued publication.
Silver Age [ edit ]
In the mid-1950s, editorial director Irwin Donenfeld and publisher Liebowitz directed editor Julius Schwartz (whose roots lay in the science-fiction book market) to produce a one-shot Flash story in the try-out title Showcase. Instead of reviving the old character, Schwartz had writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome, penciler Carmine Infantino, and inker Joe Kubert create an entirely new super-speedster, updating and modernizing the Flash's civilian identity, costume, and origin with a science-fiction bent. The Flash's reimagining in Showcase #4 (October 1956) proved sufficiently popular that it soon led to a similar revamping of the Green Lantern character, the introduction of the modern all-star team Justice League of America (JLA), and many more superheroes, heralding what historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books.
National did not reimagine its continuing characters (primarily Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), but radically overhauled them. The Superman family of titles, under editor Mort Weisinger, introduced such enduring characters as Supergirl, Bizarro, and Brainiac. The Batman titles, under editor Jack Schiff, introduced the successful Batwoman, Bat-Girl, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Bat-Mite in an attempt to modernize the strip with non-science-fiction elements. Schwartz, together with artist Infantino, then revitalized Batman in what the company promoted as the "New Look", re-emphasizing Batman as a detective. Meanwhile, editor Kanigher successfully introduced a whole family of Wonder Woman characters having fantastic adventures in a mythological context.
Since the 1940s, when Superman, Batman, and many of the company's other heroes began appearing in stories together, DC's characters inhabited a shared continuity that, decades later, was dubbed the "DC Universe" by fans. With the story "Flash of Two Worlds", in Flash #123 (September 1961), editor Schwartz (with writer Gardner Fox and artists Infantino and Joe Giella) introduced a concept that allowed slotting the 1930s and 1940s Golden Age heroes into this continuity via the explanation that they lived on an other-dimensional "Earth 2", as opposed to the modern heroes' "Earth 1"—in the process creating the foundation for what would later be called the DC Multiverse.
DC's introduction of the reimagined superheroes did not go unnoticed by other comics companies. In 1961, with DC's JLA as the specific spur,[n 1] Marvel Comics writer-editor Stan Lee and a robust creator Jack Kirby ushered in the sub-Silver Age "Marvel Age" of comics with the debut issue of The Fantastic Four.[22] Reportedly, DC ignored the initial success of Marvel with this editorial change until its consistently strengthening sales made that impossible. However, the senior DC staff were reportedly at a loss at this time to understand how this small publishing house was achieving this increasingly threatening commercial strength. For instance, when Marvel's product was examined in a meeting, Marvel's emphasis on more sophisticated character-based narrative and artist-driven visual storytelling was apparently ignored for self-deluding guesses at the brand's popularity which included superficial reasons like the presence of the color red or word balloons on the cover, or that the perceived crudeness of the interior art was somehow more appealing to readers. When Lee learned about DC's subsequent experimental attempts to imitate these perceived details, he amused himself by arranging direct defiance of those assumptions in Marvel's publications as sales strengthened further to frustrate the competition.[23]
However, this ignorance of Marvel's true appeal did not extend to some of the writing talent during this period, from which there were some attempts to emulate Marvel's narrative approach. For instance, there was the Doom Patrol series by Arnold Drake, a superhero team of outsiders who resented their freakish powers,[24] which Drake later speculated was plagiarized by Stan Lee to create The X-Men.[25] There was also the young Jim Shooter who purposely emulated Marvel's writing when he wrote for DC after much study of both companies' styles, such as for the Legion of Super-Heroes feature.[26]
A 1966 Batman TV show on the ABC network sparked a temporary spike in comic book sales, and a brief fad for superheroes in Saturday morning animation (Filmation created most of DC's initial cartoons) and other media. DC significantly lightened the tone of many DC comics—particularly Batman and Detective Comics—to better complement the "camp" tone of the TV series. This tone coincided with the famous "Go-Go Checks" checkerboard cover-dress which featured a black-and-white checkerboard strip (all DC books cover dated February 1966 until August 1967) at the top of each comic, a misguided attempt by then-managing editor Irwin Donenfeld to make DC's output "stand out on the newsracks".[27]
In 1967, Batman artist Infantino (who had designed popular Silver Age characters Batgirl and the Phantom Stranger) rose from art director to become DC's editorial director. With the growing popularity of upstart rival Marvel Comics threatening to topple DC from its longtime number-one position in the comics industry, he attempted to infuse the company with more focus towards marketing new and existing titles and characters with more adult sensibilities towards an emerging older age group of superhero comic book fans that grew out of Marvel's efforts to market their superhero line to college-aged adults. He also recruited major talents such as ex-Marvel artist and Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko and promising newcomers Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil and replaced some existing DC editors with artist-editors, including Joe Kubert and Dick Giordano, to give DC's output a more artistic critical eye.
Kinney National/Warner Communications subsidiary (1967-1990) [ edit ]
In 1967, National Periodical Publications was purchased by Kinney National Company,[28] which purchased Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969. Kinney National spun off its non-entertainment assets in 1972 (as National Kinney Corporation) and changed its name to Warner Communications Inc.
In 1970, Jack Kirby moved from Marvel Comics to DC, at the end of the Silver Age of Comics, in which Kirby's contributions to Marvel played a large, integral role. Given carte blanche to write and illustrate his own stories, he created a handful of thematically linked series he called collectively The Fourth World. In the existing series Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and in his own, newly launched series New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People, Kirby introduced such enduring characters and concepts as archvillain Darkseid and the other-dimensional realm Apokolips. Furthermore, Kirby intended their stories to be later reprinted in collected editions in a publishing format that would later be called the trade paperback, which would become a standard industry practice decades later. While sales were respectable, they did not meet DC management's initially high expectations, and also suffered from a lack of comprehension and internal support from Infantino. By 1973 the "Fourth World" was all cancelled, although Kirby's conceptions would soon become integral to the broadening of the DC Universe. Obligated by his contract, Kirby created other unrelated series for DC, including Kamandi, The Demon, and OMAC, before ultimately returning to Marvel Comics.
The Bronze Age [ edit ]
Following the science-fiction innovations of the Silver Age, the comics of the 1970s and 1980s would become known as the Bronze Age, as fantasy gave way to more naturalistic and sometimes darker themes. Illegal drug use, banned by the Comics Code Authority, explicitly appeared in comics for the first time in Marvel Comics' story "Green Goblin Reborn!" in The Amazing Spider-Man #96 (May 1971), and after the Code's updating in response, DC offered a drug-fueled storyline in writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams' Green Lantern, beginning with the story "Snowbirds Don't Fly" in the retitled Green Lantern / Green Arrow #85 (Sept. 1971), which depicted Speedy, the teen sidekick of superhero archer Green Arrow, as having become a heroin addict.
Jenette Kahn, a former children's magazine publisher, replaced Infantino as editorial director in January 1976. DC had attempted to compete with the now-surging Marvel by dramatically increasing its output and attempting to win the market by flooding it. This included launching series featuring such new characters as Firestorm and Shade, the Changing Man, as well as an increasing array of non-superhero titles, in an attempt to recapture the pre-Wertham days of post-War comicdom. In June 1978, five months before the release of the first Superman movie, Kahn expanded the line further, increasing the number of titles and story pages, and raising the price from 35 cents to 50 cents. Most series received eight-page back-up features while some had full-length twenty-five-page stories. This was a move the company called the "DC Explosion".[29] The move was not successful, however, and corporate parent Warner dramatically cut back on these largely unsuccessful titles, firing many staffers in what industry watchers dubbed "the DC Implosion".[30] In September 1978, the line was dramatically reduced and standard-size books returned to 17 story pages but for a still increased 40 cents.[31] By 1980, the books returned to 50 cents with a 25-page story count but the story pages replaced house ads in the books.
Seeking new ways to boost market share, the new team of publisher Kahn, vice president Paul Levitz, and managing editor Giordano addressed the issue of talent instability. To that end—and following the example of Atlas/Seaboard Comics[32] and such independent companies as Eclipse Comics—DC began to offer royalties in place of the industry-standard work-for-hire agreement in which creators worked for a flat fee and signed away all rights, giving talent a financial incentive tied to the success of their work. In addition, emulating the era's new television form, the miniseries while addressing the matter of an excessive number of ongoing titles fizzling out within a few issues of their start, DC created the industry concept of the comic book limited series. This publishing format allowed for the deliberate creation of finite storylines within a more flexible publishing format that could showcase creations without forcing the talent into unsustainable open-ended commitments.
These changes in policy shaped the future of the medium as a whole, and in the short term allowed DC to entice creators away from rival Marvel, and encourage stability on individual titles. In November 1980 DC launched the ongoing series The New Teen Titans, by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, two popular talents with a history of success. Their superhero-team comic, superficially similar to Marvel's ensemble series X-Men, but rooted in DC history, earned significant sales[33] in part due to the stability of the creative team, who both continued with the title for six full years. In addition, Wolfman and Pérez took advantage of the limited-series option to create a spin-off title, Tales of the New Teen Titans, to present origin stories of their original characters without having to break the narrative flow of the main series or oblige them to double their work load with another ongoing title.
Modern Age [ edit ]
This successful revitalization of the Silver Age Teen Titans led DC's editors[34] to seek the same for the wider DC Universe. The result, the Wolfman/Pérez 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, gave the company an opportunity to realign and jettison some of the characters' complicated backstory and continuity discrepancies. A companion publication, two volumes entitled The History of the DC Universe, set out the revised history of the major DC characters. Crisis featured many key deaths that would shape the DC Universe for the following decades, and separate the timeline of DC publications into pre- and post-"Crisis".
Meanwhile, a parallel update had started in the non-superhero and horror titles. Since early 1984, the work of British writer Alan Moore had revitalized the horror series The Saga of the Swamp Thing, and soon numerous British writers, including Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison, began freelancing for the company. The resulting influx of sophisticated horror-fantasy material led to DC in 1993 establishing the Vertigo mature-readers imprint, which did not subscribe to the Comics Code Authority.[35]
Two DC limited series, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Watchmen by Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, drew attention in the mainstream press for their dark psychological complexity and promotion of the antihero.[36] These titles helped pave the way for comics to be more widely accepted in literary-criticism circles and to make inroads into the book industry, with collected editions of these series as commercially successful trade paperbacks.[citation needed]
The mid-1980s also saw the end of many long-running DC war comics, including series that had been in print since the 1960s. These titles, all with over 100 issues, included Sgt. Rock, G.I. Combat, The Unknown Soldier, and Weird War Tales.
Time Warner/WarnerMedia unit (1990–present) [ edit ]
In March 1989, Warner Communications merged with Time Inc., making DC Comics a subsidiary of Time Warner. In June, the first Tim Burton directed Batman movie was released, and DC began publishing its hardcover series of DC Archive Editions, collections of many of their early, key comics series, featuring rare and expensive stories unseen by many modern fans. Restoration for many of the Archive Editions was handled by Rick Keene with colour restoration by DC's long-time resident colourist, Bob LeRose. These collections attempted to retroactively credit many of the writers and artists who had worked without much recognition for DC during the early period of comics when individual credits were few and far between.
The comics industry experienced a brief boom in the early 1990s, thanks to a combination of speculative purchasing (mass purchase of the books as collectible items, with intent to resell at a higher value as the rising value of older issues, was thought to imply that all comics would rise dramatically in price) and several storylines which gained attention from the mainstream media. DC's extended storylines in which Superman was killed, Batman was crippled and superhero Green Lantern turned into the supervillain Parallax resulted in dramatically increased sales, but the increases were as temporary as the hero's replacements. Sales dropped off as the industry went into a major slump, while manufactured "collectables" numbering in the millions replaced quality with quantity until fans and speculators alike deserted the medium in droves.
DC's Piranha Press and other imprints (including the mature readers line Vertigo, and Helix, a short-lived science fiction imprint) were introduced to facilitate compartmentalized diversification and allow for specialized marketing of individual product lines. They increased the use of non-traditional contractual arrangements, including the dramatic rise of creator-owned projects, leading to a significant increase in critically lauded work (much of it for Vertigo) and the licensing of material from other companies. DC also increased publication of book-store friendly formats, including trade paperback collections of individual serial comics, as well as original graphic novels.
One of the other imprints was Impact Comics from 1991 to 1992 in which the Archie Comics superheroes were licensed and revamped.[37][38] The stories in the line were part of its own shared universe.[39]
DC entered into a publishing agreement with Milestone Media that gave DC a line of comics featuring a culturally and racially diverse range of superhero characters. Although the Milestone line ceased publication after a few years, it yielded the popular animated series Static Shock. DC established Paradox Press to publish material such as the large-format Big Book of... series of multi-artist interpretations on individual themes, and such crime fiction as the graphic novel Road to Perdition. In 1998, DC purchased WildStorm Comics, Jim Lee's imprint under the Image Comics banner, continuing it for many years as a wholly separate imprint – and fictional universe – with its own style and audience. As part of this purchase, DC also began to publish titles under the fledgling WildStorm sub-imprint America's Best Comics (ABC), a series of titles created by Alan Moore, including The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Tom Strong, and Promethea. Moore strongly contested this situation, and DC eventually stopped publishing ABC.
2000s [ edit ]
In March 2003 DC acquired publishing and merchandising rights to the long-running fantasy series Elfquest, previously self-published by creators Wendy and Richard Pini under their WaRP Graphics publication banner. This series then followed another non-DC title, Tower Comics' series T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, in collection into DC Archive Editions. In 2004 DC temporarily acquired the North American publishing rights to graphic novels from European publishers 2000 AD and Humanoids. It also rebranded its younger-audience titles with the mascot Johnny DC and established the CMX imprint to reprint translated manga. In 2006, CMX took over from Dark Horse Comics publication of the webcomic Megatokyo in print form. DC also took advantage of the demise of Kitchen Sink Press and acquired the rights to much of the work of Will Eisner, such as his The Spirit series and his graphic novels.
In 2004, DC began laying the groundwork for a full continuity-reshuffling sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, promising substantial changes to the DC Universe (and side-stepping the 1994 Zero Hour event which similarly tried to ret-con the history of the DCU). In 2005, the critically lauded Batman Begins film was released; also, the company published several limited series establishing increasingly escalated conflicts among DC's heroes, with events climaxing in the Infinite Crisis limited series. Immediately after this event, DC's ongoing series jumped forward a full year in their in-story continuity, as DC launched a weekly series, 52, to gradually fill in the missing time. Concurrently, DC lost the copyright to "Superboy" (while retaining the trademark) when the heirs of Jerry Siegel used a provision of the 1976 revision to the copyright law to regain ownership.
In 2005, DC launched its "All-Star" line (evoking the title of the 1940s publication), designed to feature some of the company's best-known characters in stories that eschewed the long and convoluted continuity of the DC Universe. The line began with All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder and All-Star Superman, with All-Star Wonder Woman and All-Star Batgirl announced in 2006 but neither being released nor scheduled as of the end of 2009.[40]
DC licensed characters from the Archie Comics imprint Red Circle Comics by 2007.[41] They appeared in the Red Circle line, based in the DC Universe, with a series of one-shots followed by a miniseries that lead into two ongoing titles, each lasting 10 issues.[39][42]
2010s [ edit ]
In 2011, DC rebooted all of its running titles following the Flashpoint storyline. The reboot called The New 52 gave new origin stories and costume designs to many of DC's characters.
DC licensed pulp characters including Doc Savage and the Spirit which it then used, along with some DC heroes, as part of the First Wave comics line launched in 2010 and lasting through fall 2011.[43][44][45]
In May 2011, DC announced it would begin releasing digital versions of their comics on the same day as paper versions.[46]
On June 1, 2011, DC announced that it would end all ongoing series set in the DC Universe in August and relaunch its comic line with 52 issue #1s, starting with Justice League on August 31 (written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee), with the rest to follow later on in September.[47][48]
On June 4, 2013, DC unveiled two new digital comic innovations to enhance interactivity: DC2 and DC2 Multiverse. DC2 layers dynamic artwork onto digital comic panels, adding a new level of dimension to digital storytelling, while DC2 Multiverse allows readers to determine a specific story outcome by selecting individual characters, storylines and plot developments while reading the comic, meaning one digital comic has multiple outcomes. DC2 will first appear in the upcoming digital-first title, Batman '66, based on the 1960s television series and DC2 Multiverse will first appear in Batman: Arkham Origins, a digital-first title based on the video game of the same name.[49]
In 2014, DC announced an eight-issue miniseries titled "Convergence" which began in April 2015.[50][51][52][53]
In 2016, DC announced a line-wide relaunch titled DC Rebirth.[54] The new line would launch with an 80-page one-shot titled DC Universe: Rebirth, written by Geoff Johns, with art from Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver, and more. After that, many new series would launch with a twice-monthly release schedule and new creative teams for nearly every title. The relaunch was meant to bring back the legacy and heart many felt had been missing from DC characters since the launch of the New 52. Rebirth brought huge success, both financially and critically.[55][56][57]
DC Entertainment [ edit ]
DC Entertainment, Inc. is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. that manages its comic book units and intellectual property (characters) in other units as they work with other Warner Bros units.
In September 2009, Warner Bros. announced that DC Comics would become a subsidiary of DC Entertainment, Inc., with Diane Nelson, President of Warner Premiere, becoming president of the newly formed holding company and DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz moving to the position of Contributing Editor and Overall Consultant there.[58]Warner Bros. have owned DC Comics since 1967.
On February 18, 2010, DC Entertainment named Jim Lee and Dan DiDio as Co-Publishers of DC Comics, Geoff Johns as Chief Creative Officer, John Rood as EVP (Executive Vice President) of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, and Patrick Caldon as EVP of Finance and Administration.[59]
In October 2013, DC Entertainment announced that the DC Comics offices would be moved from New York City to Warner Bros. Burbank, California, headquarters in 2015. The other units, animation, movie, TV and portfolio planning, had preceded DC Comics by moving there in 2010.[60]
DC Entertainment announced its first franchise, the DC Super Hero Girls universe, in April 2015 with multi-platform content, toys and apparel to start appearing in 2016.[61]
Warner Bros. Pictures reorganized in May 2016 to have genre responsible film executives, thus DC Entertainment franchise films under Warner Bros. were placed under a newly created division, DC Films, created under Warner Bros. executive vice president Jon Berg and DC chief content officer Geoff Johns. This was done in the same vein as Marvel Studios in unifying DC-related filmmaking under a single vision and clarifying the greenlighting process. Johns also kept his existing role at DC Comics.[62] Johns was promoted to DC president & CCO with the addition of his DC Films while still reporting to DCE President Nelson.[63] In August 2016, Amit Desai was promoted from senior vice president, marketing & global franchise management to exec vice president, business and marketing strategy, direct-to-consumer and global franchise management.[64]
DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Digital Networks announced in April 2017 DC Universe digital service to be launched in 2018 with two original series.[65][66]
With frustration over DC Films not matching Marvel Studios' results and Berg wanting to step back to being a producer in January 2018, it was announced that Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada was appointed president of DC film production.[67] After a leave of absence starting in March 2018, Diane Nelson resigned as president of DC Entertainment. The company's executive management were to report to WB Chief Digital Officer Thomas Gewecke until a new president is selected.[68] In June 2018, Johns was also moved out of his position as chief creative officer and DC Entertainment president for a writing and producing deal with the DC and WB companies. Jim Lee added DC Entertainment chief creative officer title to his DC co-publisher post.[69] In September 2018, DC became part of the newly-created Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences division overseen by President Pam Lifford.[70][71]
Logo [ edit ]
1987 test logo.
1977–2005 logo, known as the "DC Bullet".
DC's first logo appeared on the April 1940 issues of its titles. The letters "DC" stood for Detective Comics, the name of Batman's flagship title. The small logo, with no background, read simply, "A DC Publication".
The November 1941 DC titles introduced an updated logo. This version was almost twice the size of the previous one and was the first version with a white background. The name "Superman" was added to "A DC Publication", effectively acknowledging both Superman and Batman. This logo was the first to occupy the top-left corner of the cover, where the logo has usually resided since. The company now referred to itself in its advertising as "Superman-DC".
In November 1949, the logo was modified to incorporate the company's formal name, National Comics Publications. This logo would also serve as the round body of Johnny DC, DC's mascot in the 1960s.
In October 1970, DC briefly retired the circular logo in favour of a simple "DC" in a rectangle with the name of the title, or the star of the book; the logo on many issues of Action Comics, for example, read "DC Superman". An image of the lead character either appeared above or below the rectangle. For books that did not have a single star, such as anthologies like House of Mystery or team series such as Justice League of America, the title and "DC" appeared in a stylized logo, such as a bat for "House of Mystery". This use of characters as logos helped to establish the likenesses as trademarks, and was similar to Marvel's contemporaneous use of characters as part of its cover branding.
DC's "100 Page Super-Spectacular" titles and later 100-page and "Giant" issues published from 1972 to 1974 featured a logo exclusive to these editions: the letters "DC" in a simple sans-serif typeface within a circle. A variant had the letters in a square.
The July 1972 DC titles featured a new circular logo. The letters "DC" were rendered in a block-like typeface that would remain through later logo revisions until 2005. The title of the book usually appeared inside the circle, either above or below the letters.
In December 1973, this logo was modified with the addition of the words "The Line of DC Super-Stars" and the star motif that would continue in later logos. This logo was placed in the top center of the cover from August 1975 to October 1976.
When Jenette Kahn became DC's publisher in late 1976, she commissioned graphic designer Milton Glaser to design a new logo. Popularly referred to as the "DC bullet", this logo premiered on the February 1977 titles. Although it varied in size and colour and was at times cropped by the edges of the cover, or briefly rotated 4 degrees, it remained essentially unchanged for nearly three decades. Despite logo changes since 2005, the old "DC bullet" continues to be used only on the DC Archive Editions series.
In July 1987, DC released variant editions of Justice League #3 and The Fury of Firestorm #61 with a new DC logo. It featured a picture of Superman in a circle surrounded by the words "SUPERMAN COMICS". The company released these variants to newsstands in certain markets as a marketing test.[72]
On May 8, 2005, a new logo (dubbed the "DC spin") was unveiled, debuting on DC titles in June 2005 with DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 and the rest of the titles the following week. In addition to comics, it was designed for DC properties in other media, which was used for movies since Batman Begins, with Superman Returns showing the logo's normal variant, and the TV series Smallville, the animated series Justice League Unlimited and others, as well as for collectibles and other merchandise. The logo was designed by Josh Beatman of Brainchild Studios[73] and DC executive Richard Bruning.[74]
In March 2012, DC unveiled a new logo consisting of the letter "D" flipping back to reveal the letter "C" and "DC ENTERTAINMENT".[75] The Dark Knight Rises was the first film to use the new logo, while the TV series Arrow was the first series to feature the new logo.
DC Entertainment announced a new identity and logo for another iconic DC Comics universe brand on May 17, 2016. The new logo was first used on May 25, 2016, in conjunction with the release of DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1 by Geoff Johns.[76]
Imprints [ edit ]
Active as of 2018 [ edit ]
Defunct [ edit ]
DC Universe [ edit ]
DC Universe is a video on demand service operated by DC Entertainment. It was announced in April 2017,[78] with the title and service formally announced in May 2018. DC Universe is expected to offer more than video content through the inclusion of an immersive experience with fan interaction that encompasses comics in addition to television.[66][79][80][81]
Films [ edit ]
Critical and public reception [ edit ]
Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore Batman Begins 84% (268 reviews)[93] 70 (41 reviews)[94] A Superman Returns 76% (258 reviews)[95] 72 (40 reviews)[96] B+ The Dark Knight 94% (317 reviews)[97] 82 (39 reviews)[98] A Watchmen 65% (294 reviews)[99] 56 (39 reviews)[100] B Jonah Hex 12% (145 reviews)[101] 33 (32 reviews)[102] C+ Green Lantern 26% (226 reviews)[103] 39 (39 reviews)[104] B The Dark Knight Rises 87% (333 reviews)[105] 78 (45 reviews)[106] A Man of Steel 55% (300 reviews)[107] 55 (47 reviews)[108] A- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 27% (353 reviews)[109] 44 (51 reviews)[110] B Suicide Squad 27% (348 reviews)[111] 40 (53 reviews)[112] B+ The Lego Batman Movie 90% (247 reviews)[113] 75 (48 reviews)[114] A- Wonder Woman 93% (411 reviews)[115] 76 (36 reviews)[116] A Justice League 40% (352 reviews)[117] 45 (52 reviews)[118] B+ Aquaman 64% (307 reviews)[119] 55 (49 critics)[120] B+ Average 60% 58 B+
Digital distribution [ edit ]
DC Comics are available in digital form through several sources.
Free services: In 2015, Hoopla Digital became the first library-based digital system to distribute DC Comics.[121]
Paid services: Google Play, Comixology[122]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
^ The Brave and the Bold #28 [February 1960] before going on to its own title) to
However, film producer and comics historian Alter Ego #43 (December 2004), pp. 43–44 Irwin said he never played golf with Goodman, so the story is untrue. I heard this story more than a couple of times while sitting in the lunchroom at DC's 909 Third Avenue and 75 Rockefeller Plaza office as Sol Harrison and [production chief] Jack Adler were schmoozing with some of us... who worked for DC during our college summers... [T]he way I heard the story from Sol was that Goodman was playing with one of the heads of Independent News, not DC Comics (though DC owned Independent News)... As the distributor of DC Comics, this man certainly knew all the sales figures and was in the best position to tell this tidbit to Goodman.... Of course, Goodman would want to be playing golf with this fellow and be in his good graces... Sol worked closely with Independent News' top management over the decades and would have gotten this story straight from the horse's mouth. Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, either Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld of DC Comics (then known as National Periodical Publications) bragged about DC's success with the Justice League (which had debuted in#28 [February 1960] before going on to its own title) to publisher Martin Goodman (whose holdings included the nascent Marvel Comics ) during a game of golf.However, film producer and comics historian Michael Uslan partly debunked the story in a letter published in#43 (December 2004), pp. 43–44 Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA's strong sales, confirmably directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to create a comic-book series about a team of superheroes. According to Lee in Origins of Marvel Comics (Simon and Schuster/Fireside Books, 1974), p. 16: "Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called The [sic] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes....'If the Justice League is selling ', spoke he, 'why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?'"
Citations [ edit ]
Sources [ edit ]Carly Fiorina says her first meeting in Washington wasn’t exactly at a posh power lunch spot — it was at a strip club.
“My first job once I got out of the secretarial pool was in Washington, D.C., actually,” the 2016 GOP presidential candidate told Julie Mason at a taping for SiriusXM’s “Leading Ladies” series on Tuesday.
“My first client meeting took place in a strip club, because that’s where clients wanted to go, you know,” Fiorina continued to laughs from a studio audience.
“It was a different time,” the former Hewlett-Packard CEO recalled.
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“When I became the chief executive at Hewlett-Packard I was one out of 50,” Fiorina told Mason, after being asked about getting more women involved in national politics.
“So things have gotten a lot better, but we have a lot of progress to make,” Fiorina, 62, said. “And certainly in politics, we have a lot of progress to make.”
Responding to a question from an audience member about tips for young women who want to go into business or politics, Fiorina advised, “Don’t let others tell you who you are, what you should do, what you can’t do, what you shouldn’t do, what you won’t do. You decide those things.”
“Look for people who will lift you up. Look for people who will see your potential,” Fiorina said, adding she would dish out that advice to both men and women.
The sit-down with Fiorina re-airs on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel 124 on Friday at 5 p.m.South African President Jacob Zuma now openly calls for blacks to steal white farms, amidst other horrors. Suidlanders are South Africans preparing for the approaching bloodshed and pandemonium.
Take some action to protect our Boer cousins, including our very own author Adi. Per Hunter Wallace at Occidental Dissent:
Here are some things you can do to help:
1.) Contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to impose economic sanctions on South Africa. I’ve already done so.
2.) Publicize this story on social media. Let’s get the word out on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. If you have a platform or radio show, contact the Suidlanders at [email protected] to arrange an interview to discuss the situation in South Africa.
3.) If you support the South African cause, consider donating to the Suidlanders through their website.
4.) Pressure the Trump administration to intervene in South Africa. We made refugee crime in Sweden a big story. The South Africans are in much greater need of our help.
5.) Create buzz about this issue so it will enter the news cycle. Talk to your friends about it.
Note: Check out the podcast the Suidlanders did with Jared Taylor. If you are pressed for time, skip ahead to the 29:00 minute mark to get to the gist of the situation.I’m the guy who always brings stuffing for Thanksgiving. It’s usually pretty classic: dried out french bread, celery, onions, sage, and some yawns. Not this year, family. What we have here is a totally unique and crazy-delicious stuffing (dressing?) that is both sweet and savory.
This recipe has all the classic savory holiday flavors you’d want from stuffing, but made from a cornbread base with a drizzle of maple syrup that makes it slightly reminiscent of a Mexican sweet corn cake. The way these flavors work so well together is indescribable… I may never be able to look at stuffing the same way ever again.
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients: 9×13 pan of cornbread (below)
4 celery stalks
1 medium white onion
1 cup sweet corn
3 tablespoons diced fresh sage 1 tablespoon thyme
2+ tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy milk
sea salt & black pepper
Step One
Make a 9×13 pan of cornbread. I used Isa’s Vegan Cornbread Recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen. It’s so easy and came out absolutely perfect. When the cornbread is finished cooking, loosely dice it into 1/2 inch cubes. Add these cubes to a baking tray and return to a 375º F oven to become more dry and crispy.
Step Two
While the cornbread is becoming crispy, chop the onions and celery and get them sautéing in a pan with a splash of water. After they become soft (3-5 minutes), add 1 cup of frozen sweet corn, sage, thyme, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and salt/pepper to taste. Let these sauté for 5-8 more minutes.
Step Three
Remove the cornbread cubes from |
reduce greenhouse-gas emissions over their entire life cycle, but that in some scenarios, corn ethanol (as well as lesser-used soy biodiesel) can produce even more emissions than gasoline. Some environmentalists and journalists have portrayed this as a courageous rebuke to the powerful agro-fuels lobby, while some advocates for farmers have complained that the stress tests were too tough. At a hearing after the announcement, House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat, accused the EPA of attacking corn and soybean farmers. "You're going to kill off the biofuels industry before it even gets started," Peterson said. "You are in bed with the oil industry!" (View 10 next-generation green technologies.)
It's hard to see how. Earlier studies exposed corn ethanol as a carbon catastrophe; the EPA had to use extremely generous assumptions to produce scenarios in which it's even remotely attractive as a fuel alternative. In any case, the heavily subsidized corn-ethanol industries won't really be penalized for promoting deforestation and accelerating global warming; Congress exempted its existing plants from any consequences in the 2007 law requiring the stress tests. At her May 5 news conference with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Jackson suggested this was a good thing, because corn ethanol is an "important bridge" to better biofuels. The Administration also announced that it plans to push the auto industry to make flex-fuel vehicles that run on 85% ethanol blends and since ethanol plants have been slammed by a combination of high corn prices, the rise of cleaner technologies and the lousy economy, Washington will help them get credit.
In other words: O.K., O.K., it might imperil the planet, but fortunately we can't do anything to stop it, and we actually plan to encourage it.
In fairness, corn ethanol was already pretty much a done deal; Congress demanded 15 billion gallons in annual production by 2022, and the industry is already almost there. That is why the real stress tests that mattered were the ones concerning biofuels of the future like cellulosic ethanol grown from switchgrass which has not been proven commercially viable but has been hailed as a kind of magic weed. Once again, the EPA used rosy life-cycle assumptions to conclude that next-generation biofuels will reduce billions of tons of emissions over the next century, ultimately reducing our oil consumption by 11%. If those draft conclusions become final, they will commit the U.S. to an additional 21 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022.
Princeton scholar Tim Searchinger, who helped launch a global rethinking of biofuels in 2007 by calling attention to their effects on land use, warns that the EPA assumptions are extremely optimistic and that if they're wrong the consequences could be extremely dire. "It takes a lot of land to make a small amount of energy," Searchinger says. "Academic studies have concluded that if the world gets even 10% of its energy from these new kinds of crops, most tropical forests will probably disappear." (Read "The Clean Energy Scam.")
Farm fuels can sound like the ultimate win-win situation, reducing our dependence on carbon-intense fossil fuels while boosting demand for American farm products. And they're "renewable," which has become a kind of synonym for green. But years ago, researchers began raising concerns about the direct emissions created by the heavy machinery and petroleum-based fertilizers it takes to grow corn and other biofuel feedstocks, the energy-intensive plants that convert the crops into fuel and the trucks that transport the fuel to market. A slew of studies have concluded that when you include all these life-cycle emissions, corn ethanol only produces about 20% fewer emissions than gasoline, although cellulosic ethanol produced from feedstocks like switchgrass can reduce emissions around 90%.
Yet the real problem with farm fuels, as Searchinger and others have shown, is in the indirect effects on land use: when an acre of land is used to grow fuel instead of food, an extra acre somewhere else is probably going to be converted into farmland to grow food. And that acre may well be an acre of wetland or forest that would otherwise store loads of carbon. So farm fuels become a lose-lose deal: exacerbating the deforestation that already creates one fifth of the world's carbon emissions, and driving up global food prices. (See pictures of the global food crisis.)
This is why Congress included the stress tests along with a huge biofuels mandate in its 2007 energy bill, throwing a bone to environmentalists who were freaking out that the alternative fuels they had championed for years were in fact ecological calamities. The law supported by then-Senator Barack Obama required life-cycle analyses that would calculate direct and indirect emissions.
The renewable-fuels lobby thinks the EPA should just ignore the indirect emissions, because they're hard to calculate. But Searchinger points out several ways the EPA gave biofuels the benefit of the doubt. Its analysis of direct emissions gave corn ethanol an advantage over gasoline nearly three times larger than most previous studies; it gave cellulosic ethanol savings 50% higher than nearly all other studies. It based most of its numbers not on what farmers and ethanol producers do now but on what it hopes they will do in 2022, assuming dramatic increases in crop yields and energy efficiency. And after the public comment period, it's fair to assume there will be intense pressure to make the analysis even more sympathetic to farm fuels.
The starkest example of the problems with the analysis is the time horizon. When the EPA studied a reasonable 30-year time period, even with its generous assumptions, soy biodiesel and corn-ethanol plants powered by coal or natural gas actually produced more emissions than gasoline; corn ethanol only passed the stress test (and just barely) when powered by the cleanest possible power. And that analysis assumed it's a good trade-off to accept massive emissions today in exchange for reductions over 30 years, when in fact massive emissions today could help trigger devastating ice melts and other feedback loops that could make reductions over 30 years practically irrelevant.
But the EPA also studied a 100-year time horizon, which makes the numbers look a bit better for corn and soy, but makes no sense: Who knows if we're going to use biofuels or gas or even automobiles for the next 100 years? Scientists believe we need to reduce our emissions 80% by 2050 to avoid catastrophe; the notion that we should tear down our rain forests and peatlands today in the hope that our cars will burn a bit cleaner a century from now is political analysis, not environmental analysis. "That's something we'll have to take into account as we go back and look at this," an EPA official told me.
It's true that Congress forced the Administration into this weird situation, in which it has to conduct pro-forma analyses of a policy that's essentially a done deal. Even if the EPA does rule that some biofuels flunk the life-cycle test, the industry can still apply for waivers.
It's also true that there's a lot of uncertainty when it comes to biofuels. But it's not good uncertainty. Study after study suggests that growing fuel could be a disaster for the planet, while raising global food prices and promoting global food riots. The amount of grain it takes to fill an SUV with ethanol could feed an adult for a year; we need every acre of farmland to feed the world. President Obama never claimed to be a reformer when it came to ethanol, and he and Vilsack have been big supporters of next-generation biofuels. Maybe there's nothing EPA officials can do to stop the renewable-fuels steamroller, but it would nice if they suggested slowing it down.Yesterday we featured Google’s web-based analogue synth Moog tribute when we found it on the Japanese site several hours before it hit the rest of the world. We were so impressed with it that we decided to rip it apart to see how it works!
It celebrates the 78th anniversary of the birth of Bob Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesiser (pronounced Mogue, like vogue, so sadly doesn’t quite work as ‘Moogle’). They’re using the new, not-quite-a-standard-yet Web Audio API to create a fully-functional synthesiser.
Because the Web Audio API is so new, this synthesiser uses webkitAudioContext in browsers that support it and falls back to Flash 10 (or above) for everything other than Chrome.
The Web Audio API is an extremely powerful tool for controlling audio in the browser. It is based around the concept of Audio Routes which are a common tool in sound engineering. This is a simple, but powerful way of representing the connections between a sound source and a destination, in this case, your speakers. Between these two end points, you can connect any number of nodes which take the audio data passed in, manipulate it in some way and output it to which ever nodes are connected next in the chain.
The common node types found in sound engineering are all present. To control the volume, you would create a gain node and set the value then place this in between the source and destination. Similarly, you can create filter nodes – specifically Biquad filters – and connect these too. By connecting several of these nodes, you can have fine-grained control over the audio produced.
In this Moog synthesiser, Google are primarily making use of another type of node specific to the Web Audio API – JavaScriptAudioNode. This is a node which can be used for audio generation or processing. This means that the synthesiser doesn’t rely on sampled audio files but actually generates the original signal in real-time before passing it through the various filters.
If you dig into the large amount of JavaScript powering this doodle, you’ll find that the majority is actually dedicated to handling the UI. The Web Audio API provides a great abstraction of the complicated audio processing underneath that by simply allowing the user to play with the settings (via all the knobs), the amount of code dedicated to creating the sound is actually quite small. Relatively. There’s also a nice little feature that encodes the audio and allows you to share multi-track recordings like this one we made earlier.
I’m sure Robert Moog would have had a great time playing with the API.
[UPDATE] we just found even more info about this on the Google Doodle blog post.
Moog synth on Google Doodle archivesAdmit it. Your job is boring. Even if love your job, no one wants to see pictures of you doing it. Unless you spend your days dangling from a rope washing windows, cleaning wind turbines, or doing any number of vertigo-inducing tasks that require hanging hundreds of feet in the air. Everyone wants to see pictures of that.
Open Instagram and check out hashtags like #ropeaccess and #ropeaccesstechnician and #womeninropeaccess. You'll find thousands upon thousands of photos. It makes sense when you think about it—the job is inherently photogenic, given the risk and spectacular views (and, occasionally, cats). "You can get awesome pictures," says Cerriann Morgan, a rope access worker in Ireland. "They look absolutely wicked."
Rope access applies mountaineering and caving techniques to jobs that once required scaffolds or cranes. Given the risk involved, training and certification by organizations like the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association is a must. The job pays $30 to $100 an hour, and attracts people who love being outdoors. Morgan, who left a career in biomedicine, says dangling from bridges and buildings around the UK is “so much better than being stuck in a lab.” People who do the job tend to love it. “I don’t know any rope access technician who doesn’t own a sweater that says ‘rope access technician’ on it,’” Morgan says.
Loading View on Instagram
Spending the day hanging on the side of a skyscraper or from a bridge is not without downsides, not the least of which is what happens when nature calls. Because rope access techs work in pairs both people must ascend or descend if one of them needs to go. Technicians work in all but the worst conditions, and the job can be exhausting—you try hauling 1,000 feet of rope around. And then there are the people (and cats) on the other side of the glass. Some stare. Others close the blinds. A few scramble to take a photo. “I have had a few just standing there expressionless, watching my every move until I drop down below," says Alex Chapman-Young, a window washer in London.
The job provides an adrenaline rush, not to mention spectacular views, two things that make for amazing Instagram photos. They offer a point of view most people will never see, and convey the joy of a sensation not unlike flying. “I love heights,” says Rosiane Larossa, a rope access worker in Sydney. "I love the adrenaline, the sensation of being up there. It’s a kind of freedom." Just don't drop your phone while snapping that selfie.Segregated toilet doors are today at the center of a big legal and ideological struggle. On March 29, 2016, a group of 80 predominantly Silicon Valley-based business executives, headlined by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook, signed a letter to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory denouncing a law that prohibits transgender people from using public facilities intended for the opposite sex. “We are disappointed in your decision to sign this discriminatory legislation into law,” the letter says. “The business community, by and large, has consistently communicated to lawmakers at every level that such laws are bad for our employees and bad for business.” So it is clear where big capital stands. Tim Cook can easily forget about hundreds of thousands of Foxconn workers in China assembling Apple products in slave conditions; he made his big gesture of solidarity with the underprivileged, demanding the abolition of gender segregation… As is often the case, big business stands proudly united with politically correct theory.
So what is “transgenderism”? It occurs when an individual experiences discord between his/her biological sex (and the corresponding gender, male or female, assigned to him/her by society at birth) and his/her subjective identity. As such, it does not concern only “men who feel and act like women” and vice versa but a complex structure of additional “genderqueer” positions which are outside the very binary opposition of masculine and feminine: bigender, trigender, pangender, genderfluid, up to agender. The vision of social relations that sustains transgenderism is the so-called postgenderism: a social, political and cultural movement whose adherents advocate a voluntary abolition of gender, rendered possible by recent scientific progress in biotechnology and reproductive technologies. Their proposal not only concerns scientific possibility, but is also ethically grounded. The premise of postgenderism is that the social, emotional and cognitive consequences of fixed gender roles are an obstacle to full human emancipation. A society in which reproduction through sex is eliminated (or in which other versions will be possible: a woman can also “father” her child, etc.) will open unheard-of new possibilities of freedom, social and emotional experimenting. It will eliminate the crucial distinction that sustains all subsequent social hierarchies and exploitations.
One can argue that postgenderism is the truth of transgenderism. The universal fluidification of sexual identities unavoidably reaches its apogee in the cancellation of sex as such. Recall Marx’s brilliant analysis of how, in the French revolution of 1848, the conservative-republican Party of Order functioned as the coalition of the two branches of royalism (orleanists and legitimists) in the “anonymous kingdom of the Republic.” The only way to be a royalist in general was to be a republican, and, in the same sense, the only way to be sexualized in general is to be asexual.
The first thing to note here is that transgenderism goes together with the general tendency in today’s predominant ideology to reject any particular “belonging” and to celebrate the “fluidification” of all forms of identity. Thinkers like Frederic Lordon have recently demonstrated the inconsistency of “cosmopolitan” anti-nationalist intellectuals who advocate “liberation from a belonging” and in extremis tend to dismiss every search for roots and every attachment to a particular ethnic or cultural identity as an almost proto-Fascist stance. Lordon contrasts this hidden belonging of self-proclaimed rootless universalists with the nightmarish reality of refugees and illegal immigrants who, deprived of basic rights, desperately search for some kind of belonging (like a new citizenship). Lordon is quite right here: it is easy to see how the “cosmopolitan” intellectual elites despising local people who cling to their roots belong to their own quite exclusive circles of rootless elites, how their cosmopolitan rootlessness is the marker of a deep and strong belonging. This is why it is an utter obscenity to put together elite “nomads” flying around the world and refugees desperately searching for a safe place where they would belong–the same obscenity as that of putting together a dieting upper-class Western woman and a starving refugee woman.
Furthermore, we encounter here the old paradox: the more marginal and excluded one is, the more one is allowed to assert one’s ethnic identity and exclusive way of life. This is how the politically correct landscape is structured. People far from the Western world are allowed to fully assert their particular ethnic identity without being proclaimed essentialist racist identitarians (native Americans, blacks…). The closer one gets to the notorious white heterosexual males, the more problematic this assertion is: Asians are still OK; Italians and Irish – maybe; with Germans and Scandinavians it is already problematic… However, such a prohibition on asserting the particular identity of white men (as the model of oppression of others), although it presents itself as the admission of their guilt, nonetheless confers on them a central position. This very prohibition makes them into the universal-neutral medium, the place from which the truth about the others’ oppression is accessible. The imbalance weighs also in the opposite direction: impoverished European countries expect the developed West European ones to bear the full burden of multicultural openness, while they can afford patriotism.
And a similar tension is present in transgenderism. Transgender subjects who appear as transgressive, defying all prohibitions, simultaneously behave in a hyper-sensitive way insofar as they feel oppressed by enforced choice (“Why should I decide if I am man or woman?”) and need a place where they could recognize themselves. If they so proudly insist on their “trans-,” beyond all classification, why do they display such an urgent demand for a proper place? Why, when they find themselves in front of gendered toilets, don’t they act with heroic indifference–“I am transgendered, a bit of this and that, a man dressed as a woman, etc., so I can well choose whatever door I want!”? Furthermore, do “normal” heterosexuals not face a similar problem? Do they also not often find it difficult to recognize themselves in prescribed sexual identities? One could even say that “man” (or “woman”) is not a certain identity but more like a certain mode of avoiding an identity… And we can safely predict that new anti-discriminatory demands will emerge: why not marriages among multiple persons? What justifies the limitation to the binary form of marriage? Why not even a marriage with animals? After all we already know about the finesse of animal emotions. Is to exclude marriage with an animal not a clear case of “speciesism,” an unjust privileging of the human species?
Insofar as the other great antagonism is that of classes, could we not also imagine a homologous critical rejection of the class binary? The “binary” class struggle and exploitation should also be supplemented by a “gay” position (exploitation among members of the ruling class itself, e.g., bankers and lawyers exploiting the “honest” productive capitalists), a “lesbian” position (beggars stealing from honest workers, etc.), a “bisexual” position (as a self-employed worker, I act as both capitalist and worker), an “asexual” one (I remain outside capitalist production), and so forth.
This deadlock of classification is clearly discernible in the need to expand the formula: the basic LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) becomes LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual) or even LGBTQQIAAP (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Allies, Pansexual). To resolve the problem, one often simply adds a + which serves to include all other communities associated with the LGBT community, as in LGBT+. This, however, raises the question: is + just a stand-in for missing positions like “and others,” or can one be directly a +? The properly dialectical answer is “yes,” because in a series there is always one exceptional element which clearly does not belong to it and thereby gives body to +. It can be “allies” (“honest” non-LGBT individuals), “asexuals” (negating the entire field of sexuality) or “questioning” (floating around, unable to adopt a determinate position).
Consequently, there is only one solution to this deadlock, the one we find in another field of disposing waste, that of trash bins. Public trash bins are more and more differentiated today. There are special bins for paper, glass, metal cans, cardboard package, plastic, etc. Here already, things sometimes get complicated. If I have to dispose of a paper bag or a notebook with a tiny plastic band, where does it belong? To paper or to plastic? No wonder that we often get detailed instruction on the bins, right beneath the general designation: PAPER–books, newspapers, etc., but NOT hardcover books or books with plasticized covers, etc. In such cases, proper waste disposal would have taken up to half an hour or more of detailed reading and tough decisions. To make things easier, we then get a supplementary trash bin for GENERAL WASTE where we throw everything that did not meet the specific criteria of other bins, as if, once again, apart from paper trash, plastic trash, and so on, there is trash as such, universal trash.
Should we not do the same with toilets? Since no classification can satisfy all identities, should we not add to the two usual gender slots (MEN, WOMEN) a door for GENERAL GENDER? Is this not the only way to inscribe into an order of symbolic differences its constitutive antagonism? Lacan already pointed out that the “formula” of the sexual relationship as impossible/real is 1+1+a, i.e., the two sexes plus the “bone in the throat” that prevents its translation into a symbolic difference. This third element does not stand for what is excluded from the domain of difference; it stands, instead, for (the real of) difference as such.
The reason for this failure of every classification that tries to be exhaustive is not the empirical wealth of identities that defy classification but, on the contrary, the persistence of sexual difference as real, as “impossible” (defying every categorization) and simultaneously unavoidable. The multiplicity of gender positions (male, female, gay, lesbian, bigender, transgender…) circulates around an antagonism that forever eludes it. Gays are male, lesbians female; transsexuals enforce a passage from one to another; cross-dressing combines the two; bigender floats between the two… Whichever way we turn, the two lurks beneath.
This brings us back to what one could call the primal scene of anxiety that defines transgenderism. I stand in front of standard bi-gender toilets with two doors, LADIES and GENTLEMEN, and I am caught up in anxiety, not recognizing myself in any of the two choices. Again, do “normal” heterosexuals not have a similar problem? Do they also not often find it difficult to recognize themselves in prescribed sexual identities? Which man has not caught himself in momentary doubt: “Do I really have the right to enter GENTLEMEN? Am I really a man?”
We can now see clearly what the anxiety of this confrontation really amounts to. Namely, it is the anxiety of (symbolic) castration. Whatever choice I make, I will lose something, and this something is NOT what the other sex has. Both sexes together do not form a whole since something is irretrievably lost in the very division of sexes. We can even say that, in making the choice, I assume the loss of what the other sex doesn’t have, i.e., I have to renounce the illusion that the Other has that X which would fill in my lack. And one can well guess that transgenderism is ultimately an attempt to avoid (the anxiety of) castration: thanks to it, a flat space is created in which the multiple choices that I can make do not bear the mark of castration. As Alenka Zupančič expressed it in a piece of personal communication: “One is usually timid in asserting the existence of two genders, but when passing to the multitude this timidity disappears, and their existence is firmly asserted. If sexual difference is considered in terms of gender, it is made — at least in principle — compatible with mechanisms of its full ontologization.”
Therein resides the crux of the matter. The LGBT trend is right in “deconstructing” the standard normative sexual opposition, in de-ontologizing it, in recognizing in it a contingent historical construct full of tensions and inconsistencies. However, this trend reduces this tension to the fact that the plurality of sexual positions are forcefully narrowed down to the normative straightjacket of the binary opposition of masculine and feminine, with the idea that, if we get away from this straightjacket, we will get a full blossoming multiplicity of sexual positions (LGBT, etc.), each of them with its complete ontological consistency. It assumes that once we get rid of the binary straightjacket, I can fully recognize myself as gay, bisexual, or whatever. From the Lacanian standpoint, nonetheless, the antagonistic tension is irreducible, as it is constitutive of the sexual as such, and no amount of classificatory diversification and multiplication can save us from it.
The same goes for class antagonism. The division introduced and sustained by the emancipatory (“class”) struggle is not between the two particular classes of the whole, but between the whole-in-its-parts and its remainder which, within the particulars, stands for the universal, for the whole “as such,” opposed to its parts. Or, to put it in yet another way, one should bear in mind here the two aspects of the notion of remnant: the rest as what remains after the subtraction of all particular content (elements, specific parts of the whole), and the rest as the ultimate result of the subdivision of the whole into its parts, when, in the final act of subdivision, we no longer get two particular parts or elements, two somethings, but a something (the rest) and a nothing.
In Lacan’s precise sense of the term, the third element (the Kierkegaardian chimney sweeper) effectively stands for the phallic element. How so? Insofar as it stands for pure difference: the officer, the maid, and the chimney sweeper are the male, the female, plus their difference as such, as a particular contingent object. Again, why? Because not only is difference differential, but, in an antagonistic (non)relationship, it precedes the terms it differentiates. Not only is woman not-man and vice versa, but woman is what prevents man from being fully man and vice versa. It is like the difference between the Left and the Right in the political space: their difference is the difference in the very way difference is perceived. The whole political space appears differently structured if we look at it from the Left or from the Right; there is no third “objective” way (for a Leftist, the political divide cuts across the entire social body, while for a Rightist, society is a hierarchic whole disturbed by marginal intruders).
Difference “in itself” is thus not symbolic-differential, but real-impossible — something that eludes and resists the symbolic grasp. This difference is the universal as such, that is, the universal not as a neutral frame elevated above its two species, but as their constitutive antagonism. And the third element (the chimney sweeper, the Jew, object a) stands for difference as such, for the “pure” difference/antagonism which precedes the differentiated terms. If the division of the social body into two classes were complete, without the excessive element (Jew, rabble…), there would have been no class struggle, just two clearly divided classes. This third element is not the mark of an empirical remainder that escapes class classification (the pure division of society into two classes), but the materialization of their antagonistic difference itself, insofar as this difference precedes the differentiated terms. In the space of anti-Semitism, the “Jew” stands for social antagonism as such: without the Jewish intruder, the two classes would live in harmony… Thus, we can observe how the third intruding element is evental: it is not just another positive entity, but it stands for what is forever unsettling the harmony of the two, opening it up to an incessant process of re-accommodation.
A supreme example of this third element, objet a, which supplements the couple, is provided by a weird incident that occurred in Kemalist Turkey in 1926. Part of the Kemalist modernization was to enforce new “European” models for women, for how they should dress, talk and act, in order to get rid of the oppressive Oriental traditions. As is well known, there indeed was a Hat Law prescribing how men and women, at least in big cities, should cover their heads. Then,
“in Erzurum in 1926 there was a woman among the people who were executed under the pretext of ‘opposing the Hat Law.’ She was a very tall (almost 2 m.) and very masculine-looking woman who peddled shawls for a living (hence her name ‘Şalcı Bacı’ [Shawl Sister]). Reporter Nimet Arzık described her as, ‘two meters tall, with a sooty face and snakelike thin dreadlocks […] and with manlike steps.’ Of course as a woman she was not supposed to wear the fedora, so she could not have been ‘guilty’ of anything, but probably in their haste the gendarmes mistook her for a man and hurried her to the scaffold. Şalcı Bacı was the first woman to be executed by hanging in Turkish history. She was definitely not ‘normal’ since the description by Arzık does not fit in any framework of feminine normalcy at that particular time, and she probably belonged to the old tradition of tolerated and culturally included ‘special people’ with some kind of genetic ‘disorder.’ The coerced and hasty transition to ‘modernity,’ however, did not allow for such an inclusion to exist, and therefore she had to be eliminated, crossed out of the equation. ‘Would a woman wear a hat that she be hanged?’ were the last words she was reported to have muttered on the way to the scaffold. Apart from making no sense at all, these words represented a semantic void and only indicated that this was definitely a scene from the Real, subverting the rules of semiotics: she was first emasculated (in its primary etymological sense of ‘making masculine’), so that she could be ‘emasculated.’”[1]
How are we to interpret this weird and ridiculously excessive act of killing? The obvious reading would have been a Butlerian one: through her provocative trans-sexual appearance and acting, Şalcı Bacı rendered visible the contingent character of sexual difference, of how it is symbolically constructed. In this way, she was a threat to normatively established sexual identities… My reading is slightly (or not so slightly) different. Rather than undermine sexual difference, Şalcı Bacı stood for this difference as such, in all its traumatic Real, irreducible to any clear symbolic opposition. Her disturbing appearance transforms clear symbolic difference into the impossible-Real of antagonism. So, again, in the same way as class struggle is not just “complicated” when other classes that do not enter the clear division of the ruling class and the oppressed class appear (this excess is, on the contrary, the very element which makes class antagonism real and not just a symbolic opposition), the formula of sexual antagonism is not M/F (the clear opposition between male and female) but MF+, where + stands for the excessive element which transforms the symbolic opposition into the Real of antagonism.
This brings us back to our topic, the big opposition that is emerging today between, on the one hand, the violent imposition of a fixed symbolic form of sexual difference as the basic gesture of counteracting social disintegration and, on the other hand, the total transgender “fluidification” of gender, the dispersal of sexual difference into multiple configurations. While in one part of the world, abortion and gay marriages are endorsed as a clear sign of moral progress, in other parts, homophobia and anti-abortion campaigns are exploding. In June 2016, al-Jazeera reported that a 22-year-old Dutch woman complained to the police that she had been raped after being drugged in an upmarket nightclub in Doha. And the result was that she was convicted of having illicit sex by a Qatari court and given a one-year suspended sentence. On the opposite end, what counts as harassment in the PC environs is also getting extended. The following case comes to mind. A woman walked on a street with a bag in her hand, and a black man was walking 15 yards behind her. Becoming aware of it, the woman (unconsciously, automatically?) tightened her grip on the bag, and the black man reported that he experienced the woman’s gesture as a case of racist harassment…
What goes on is also the result of neglecting the class and race dimension by the PC proponents of women’s and gay rights:
“In ‘10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman’ created by a video marketing company in 2014, an actress dressed in jeans, black t-shirt, and tennis shoes walked through various Manhattan neighborhoods, recording the actions and comments of men she encountered with a hidden camera and microphone. Throughout the walk the camera recorded over 100 instances coded as verbal harassment, ranging from friendly greetings to sexualized remarks about her body, including threats of rape. While the video was hailed as a document of street harassment and the fear of violence that are a daily part of women’s lives, it ignored race and class. The largest proportion of the men presented in the video were minorities, and, in a number of instances, the men commenting on the actress were standing against buildings, resting on fire hydrants, or sitting on folding chairs on the sidewalk, postures used to characterize lower class and unemployed men, or, as a reader commented on it: ‘The video was meant to generate outrage… and it used crypto-racism to do it.’”[2]
The great mistake in dealing with this opposition is to search for a proper measure between two extremes. What one should do instead is to bring out what both extremes share: the fantasy of a peaceful world where the agonistic tension of sexual difference disappears, either in a clear and stable hierarchic distinction of sexes or in the happy fluidity of a desexualized universe. And it is not difficult to discern in this fantasy of a peaceful world the fantasy of a society without social antagonisms, in short, without class struggle.
[1] Bulent Somay, »L’Orient n’existe pas,« doctoral thesis defended at Birkbeck College, University of London, on November 29 2013.
[2] See https://thesocietypages.org/sociologylens/2014/11/18/nice-bag-discussing-race-class-and-sexuality-in-examining-street-harassment/.In the only country where the organ trade is legal, the streets near hospitals have been turned into a 'kidney eBay'
Marzieh's biggest challenge in life is to come up with money for her daughter's wedding. In Persian custom, it is the parents' duty to provide a dowry, known as jahizieh, and as a widow from north Iran, she feels it is important to fulfil her responsibility and protect the family's honour.
To achieve this, she is ready to sell one of her kidneys. If she is successful, she will travel to one of Tehran's kidney transplant centres and have it removed. She will have to cope with only one kidney from then on, but she will have performed her duties by her daughter.
"It is getting too late for my daughter to marry – her moment has already passed," she said.
Iran is the only country where the selling and buying of kidneys is legal. As a result, there is no shortage of the organs – but for those trying to sell a kidney, there is a lot of competition.
In order to advertise her kidney, Marzieh has written her blood type and her phone number on pieces of paper and has posted them along the street close to several of Tehran's major hospitals, home to the country's major kidney transplant centres.
Others have done the same. Some have written in big letters or in bright colours to attract attention; some have sprayed their information on the walls of public or even private properties.
"Kidney for sale," reads one ad, carrying the donor's blood type, O+, and a mobile number, with a note emphasising "urgent", insinuating that the donor is prepared to consider discounts. Another similar ad reads: "Attention, attention, a healthy kidney for sale, O+." Many are handwritten, though some have typed the ads to make them look better. "24 years old, kidney for sale," another reads. "Tested healthy."
Competition means that some ads have been torn down. Some have added their information to ads by other donors. Others have placed their ads on people's doors or simply written them in marker pen on trees where they think they will catch people's attention.
At the heart of the capital, near the Charity Association for the Support of Kidney Patients (CASKP), the number of ads has made the streets of Tehran into a sort of kidney eBay. "My six-month-old baby was paralysed after falling from the hands of my wife," said Ali, 28, from the northern city of Nur in the Iranian province of Mazandaran. "I have to find 20m rials [around £7,500] for my child's operation." He hopes he will get 12m rials for his kidney.
Iran's controversial kidney procurement system, which has been praised by many experts and criticised by others, allows people to sell and buy kidneys under the state-regulated surveillance of two non-profit organisations, the CASKP and the Charity Foundation for Special Diseases. These charities facilitate the process by finding potential vendors and introducing them to the recipients, and are charged with checking the compatibility of a possible donation and ensuring a fair trade.
After the transplant, the vendor is compensated by both the government and the recipient. In an interview with the semi |
just issued some regulations. And if you look at the tax code, it’s really a socially driven code, and it’s set up to make society do certain things. Not only do their regulations make Bitcoin a tax nightmare, but it makes it unfavorable to transact in Bitcoin.
Mod: What would you have classified it as?
Gibbons: I think treating it as a currency is fine.
Q: It was really concerning that the CFPB identified the cost as being more expensive than when using a credit card, can you speak to that a little bit?
Cleef: The CFPB advisory that came out was in response to the GAO report, and that was commissioned by the senate committee on homeland security. The GAO was tasked with going out and evaluating what was happening with the federal government and what kind of regulation efforts were under way with respect to virtual currencies. What you would have expected would have been a critique on the way the Secret Service, FBI and DEA are working together, but at the end of the day the only recommendation they had was that that the CFPB needed to get in the game, and so they jumped in the game.
I thought it was interesting that it said it was virtual currencies but they only looked at crypto currencies and it was not too dissimilar from other advisories that have been put out.
And the CFPB were not very favorable on the cost when comparing it to using credit cards.
It’s the first time I’ve seen an analysis of that type and I’d like to see a more definitive analysis. The conclusion was that by the time you figure out how much it costs you to do an exchange, that it’s more costly to the consumer than using a credit card right now.
The federal reserve has also issued a couple advisory, on the federal reserve side, at the very end of that document, they said that a central bank might want to consider using this technology for a domestic payment system. Whether they could they use it as a payment method issued by government.
Moy: As most of the community knows, Bitcoin is many things, not just one thing. You can’t put it into one existing category that everyone can agree to right now, so as a result when you take a look at all the various things you can do, the government is going to be asking how can they co-opt this element or that element, and when they co-opt it, they might not do it as well or might have some problems. They are gonna see some advantages here, and see how that can make their job a lot easier. If they could somehow use Bitcoin block chain protocol to process checks and it ends up being cheaper, then that is a good government thing and they will pursue it.
A penny today costs about three cents to make and the Federal Reserve buys it from us for one cent, so any penny that goes into circulation today, the taxpayers are subsidizing it by two cents. If you want to create or digitize the U.S. dollar and issue it, the cost of doing it would be substantially less than the physical manufacture right now and that’s a good thing. As this begins to expand, the government is going to ask how they can co-opt parts of it to make their jobs easier and to benefit the taxpayers. I think its inevitable that we won’t use physical money due to cost and how easy digital is.
Cleef: We already have digitized money. The issue is: are the payment systems quick enough. And the Federal Reserve has been looking at how to revamp them. The Fed is still trying to do same day settlement, much less instant settlements, and they are still a couple steps away from getting to same day settlement. And they should take what we’re learning in the crypto world and give us alternative methods to do this quickly. There are currently initiatives in the government going on to look at how to do this quickly.
Q: Various states are trying to determine whether cryptos should be considered money under money services act. And they are saying that the owner of a unit of crypto has a right or guaranteed ability to convert that unity into sovereign currency, therefore the only way to convert is to find a willing buyer. So crypto cannot be considered money or monetary value under the monetary service act.
What do you think about states who say it’s not money and does not have monetary value?
Gibbons: I think its stifling what Bitcoin should be used for. I think it’s creating more layers of regulation and it’s going to be treated different in certain states like Texas and Kansas than it’s going to be treated somewhere else.
Aylor: It’s interesting that they go that far in one direction, and it has a lot to do with their real knowledge. And particularly, when you see other states following and copycatting. you’re just going to cause more confusion. And as we see more regulations move forward, you’ll start to see a lot of issues on the tax side of things at the state and federal level in terms of reporting standpoint. When you have things like Texas or Kansas, it’s going to be different. You’re going to see different loopholes that are created. It could be that a lot of states like to complain about the federal government when it’s convenient, then at other times they like to fall back on it. But whether it’s the business or tax side, there are only so many case the federal government will get involved. But at some point the states are going to have to do something more than they are doing.
Q: What do you think about when they say this is not money transmission?
Moy: I like dealing with states that narrow definition of money. A lot of other states have open ended definition of monetary value. And I know when a state has a narrow definition of money that my client activity doesn’t require them to get a license and so those states like Texas and Kansas have been outspoken about that. So it’s important for wholesale sellers, or ATMs. I like it when states come out and at least clarify that because clarity is something we don’t have a lot of. It might be short sighted but its clarity in the short term.
Cleef: We have 50 states and 50 different banking and security departments and they are staffed differently and many are understaffed, and the case of Texas, it was written by a lawyer who has a tech background and he has been getting himself educated on this. We don’t have those kinds of resources in many of the other states, so there is an educational issue here. So people need to work with these states and get them to understand what they are dealing with.
There is a steep learning curve and that’s what were dealing with. People don’t feel it has reached that critical mass.
Q: If somebody stole my bitcoins, is stealing bitcoins a crime?
Gibbons: Stealing anything is a crime.
Q: Somebody hacked my computer and stole my coins and so if they take that digital property, how would that be prosecuted? Is it a felony?
Aylor: Yes absolutely. Instead of Bitcoin, think about SS number or identification. You’re talking about their information thats being stolen and that’s clearly a crime. Whatever you want to define Bitcoin is, if it’s being stolen, just because it’s recognized differently in different states doesn’t mean that if it is stolen that it should be any different from any other thing you own. The problem is going to be, who is going to be investigating that and how will that case be brought forward? It think it will be hard to prosecute those that come through because you wont know who was responsible.
Q: Ebay: if I buy a flash drive and it has bitcoins on it. Is that money transmission, is that a sale of goods? What would you classify that as if I by that flash drive for $1000?
Cleef: The eBay example may not be the best example because eBay owns PayPal and the extent you have money transmission involved it would occur over PayPal in a regulated environment.
Whether or not that is considered money transmission depends on the state. And the question I’ll be asking is who is actually involved in the transaction and it’s a much more complicated issue. If you’re selling the drive and you’re engaged in the business of selling drives with bitcoins on them, and the state recognizes the sale of bitcoin in some way to be a transaction involving the transfer of value, then it may be you, the person who is selling the drive, who is engaged in money transmission instead of eBay itself.
Mod: From and accounting perspective, if I just sold, not every day but just wanted to sell one BTC for $500, I would have to account for that as a sale of property.
Cleef: You do need to be concerned as to whether you are involved in the transfer of value and if you are adhering to the licensing laws and if you know who’s buying on the other side. The DEA approached two gentleman on locabitcoins.com and said we want to buy bitcoin, and approached them representing illegal activity saying they want to buy bitcoin. So you need to be aware of those things.
Q&A
Q: We don’t know who is doing transactions and storing our data especially with large pools. The largest driver of risk are the miners. Do you think regulators will require identification of miners?
Cleef: I don’t think there has been a lot of review from a regulatory perceptive into that verification process. The anonymity issue is definitely something that has being considered, but is coming from the law enforcement community. How can they trace criminal activity and is the money function obfuscating that criminal activity? But we’re not very far along in the regulatory process in the way we look at the miner function overall.
Beal: Mining is becoming more centralized particularly with Bitcoin. It’s hard to be a hobbyist. And as those centralized bodies get more powerful and are responsible for processing those transactions, I think you will lose anonymity simply because they are tasked with a huge responsibility with billions of dollars going through that pool very day. I assume that that one day it will be a large enterprise running those centralized pools for profit.
Cleef: As you move towards more concentrated mining and centralization what’s going to happen is that you are going to move towards a central administrative model. If you remember when FinCEN came out, they had centralized on one side and decentralized on the other, so it’s going to move whatever cryptos into a more centralized function so it will put the miners into a position where they may be subject to money transmitters license and regulation, and have to take on a higher standard or responsibility in respect to regulations.
Mod: So if miners are the only ones who issue the currency, if you mine in the U.S., you might be regulated but what happens if you mine in South America?
Beal: If they did something in the U.S., if you are going to transact business here, they would be under the same standards.
Audience member: But what’s the going to be the argument from a miners stand point of being anonymous? What argument would they have if the government was going to begin asking for that requirement? “Look, if you’re going to mine you have to have some responsibility.”
Cleef: As you go from 1000 miners to 3 miners, to your point on the issuance, if you’re still generating currency through mining, then you do have a question whether that is proof that you are becoming issuers of money. When you’re talking about the verification process then you have questions, like if you look at it from a criminal analysis is are you facilitating criminal activity. So if you’re performing those mining functions to allow those transactions to happen, and you are down to one or two or three miners, does that mean you are helping to facilitate criminal actions? It will come down to how many players are at the table and what level of activity do they have.
Q: It seems like new regulatory opinions are coming out frequently, so, what should the community be doing. Are there any best practices We are def living in disruptive times. What should we expect?
Moy: I think there is a multi-pronged approach and i’m not saying its going to be easy due to the decentralized nature of the bitcoin ecosystem. But number one is: education. If you want better regulations, the people who write them need to be more knowledgeable and that is along process. You need to educate the members of congress who are on the key committees that will write the laws, you need to educate their staffs because staff will most likely survive longer as they go from committee to committee. And you need to educate state regulators and legislators, as well as regulatory agencies statewide. This is a multi-year process and you’re looking at a fast paced industry.
Number two is that to the degree that you can do this, the more you self-regulate and the more you provide transparency, and the more positive model you give to regulators to follow so that when they do put out the regulations they are going to make a lot more sense.
So for me in the gold industry, one way you determine a mutually agreeing price of the gold is through the London fix, and that basically came out because of the three biggest banks who had most of the gold trade would sit down and negotiate with each other until they had a price. That is the market coming up with a solution that today regulators don’t really come up with. And a lot of the fix stayed in place for almost a hundred years before the marketplace began forcing a different solution.
Educate regulators and provide self regulatory model to give guidance.Skip to comments.
Thief convicted after being caught green-handed (and faced)
NBC News ^ | October 1, 2013 | Alexander Smith
Posted on by 2ndDivisionVet
LONDON -- A chemical mist which turns perpetrators florescent green is being used to target thieves in Britain.
Officers have started fitting SmartWater technology to security systems in cars and houses in the U.K.'s capital.
When someone tries to break in, they are sprayed with the odorless substance which is only visible under ultraviolet light and cannot be washed off.
Crooks have no idea they have been tagged -- until it is too late.
The dramatic effect can be seen in these photos of Yafet Askale, a 28-year-old who stole a laptop from a "trap car" in the Brent area of London which police had fitted to spray the mist, which is known as SmartWaterCSI in the U.S.
The device alerted police officers that the car had been broken into and they tracked down Askale and arrested him. He initially pleaded not guilty in court. But armed with the luminous evidence police and prosecutors were able to prove Askale was behind the crime....
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnews.nbcnews.com...
TOPICS:
Business/Economy
Crime/Corruption
Culture/Society
Government
KEYWORDS:
crime
technology
Yafet Askale. Mennonite or Unitarian?
To: 2ndDivisionVet
“Hey that’s not me! That dude had green eyes!”
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Methodist. CC
by 3 posted onby Celtic Conservative (tease not the dragon for thou art crunchy when roasted and taste good with ketchup)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
“Askale appeared in court on Friday and was sentenced to 49 hours of community service and a fine of £400 (about $650).” I just can’t understand why there is any crime at all in England with harsh sentences like this.
by 4 posted onby Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Modern chemistry: making life better for all of us.
Huzzah for the Brits.
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Why are his eyes florescent?
by 6 posted onby WorkingClassFilth (You hear it here first.)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Nothing new. The Russians were using a very fine invisible powder called “spy dust” about 25 years ago.
To: 2ndDivisionVet
A little early for Halloween.
To: 2ndDivisionVet
I’d prefer that it had lethal consequences.
by 9 posted onby Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
We couldn’t get that here. Libs would say it’s racist. Although its a great idea, cops show a light at a person and see if they show up green, BAM!
by 10 posted onby vpintheak (Thankful to be God blessed & chosen!)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
He looks Nigerian. Either way, I’m sure he’s thinking, It’s not easy being green.
To: Mastador1
Typically if a car is broken in to it will cause far more than $650 in damage not to mention the loss of property. If you are lucky they just smash the window if they try to use a slim jim they can do real damage.
by 12 posted onby Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Need something like this at every polling location. Quietly, of course. Anyone who fluoresces green has already voted once...
by 13 posted onby ZOOKER (Until further notice the /s is implied...)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
by 14 posted onby Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
To: 2ndDivisionVet
who says that all the Zombie flicks aren’t about the future uprising of the sons of Obama?
To: Windflier
Funny.
by 16 posted onby coloradan (The US has become a banana republic, except without the bananas - or the republic.)
To: ZOOKER
How about the “Cemetery” crew and the Minnesota “in the trunk of the car extra ballots” and the “infinite absentee” ballots?
by 17 posted onby RetiredTexasVet (A civilian forece funded and equal to the military... Obama/DHS & Hitler/Gestapo & Stalin/KGB)
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For a government that makes much of its progressive, forward-looking credentials, the Trudeau crew are unusually obsessed with digging up the recent past. The platform itself was filled with promises (my colleague, Bill Watson, puts the number at 50 ) to reverse this or that Conservative initiative. Some of these were well-considered — restoring the long-form census, forswearing the use of omnibus bills — others, such as abolishing income-splitting, less so. But what was common to all was their relentless symbolic focus, achieving maximum political mileage for least expense.
That trend has continued in office. From dropping highly charged legal appeals — the niqab case being the most famous example — to repealing laws that had become lightning rods for favoured client groups (e.g. bills requiring greater transparency in the affairs of unions and native bands) to such relatively minor irritants as the monument to the victims of Communism in Ottawa or the “Mother Canada” statue in Cape Breton, the Trudeau government has at all times been at pains to remind voters of the differences between itself and the government that preceded it, at least so long as this does not require much actual change in direction.
The lengths to which it is prepared to go in this regard are best illustrated in the continuing silliness over the mission against ISIL. The platform was unequivocal on this point: “We will end Canada’s combat mission in Iraq.” More specifically, the Liberals had promised to withdraw Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets from the mission, though from the time they made the promise they have yet to make any serious attempt to explain why: why others should fight in the region while we do not; why flying combat sorties is not where our “competitive advantage” lies, though our pilots are among the world’s most skilled and our allies have specifically requested they continue; nor any other of the host of questions it raised.
But of course they haven’t; of course they can’t. The truth is the policy was solely intended to distinguish them from the other parties, neither so gung ho as the Conservatives nor so cravenly pacifist as the NDP. Which is why when what the Liberals are pleased to call their new “policy” is announced next week, it will look like such ludicrous mush: withdrawing our own fighter jets (on precisely the schedule the mission was originally projected to end), but leaving in place the planes that refuel and guide those of other nations; doubling the number of “trainers,” whose actual work of painting targets for bombing runs looks a lot like combat; perhaps even sending an army battalion.
This tendency — to announce policy first, then figure out the consequences later; to prefer show to substance — is by now established as this government’s modus operandi. Is it to be supposed that the “evidence-based” party had any research to support its claim to be able to safely admit 25,000 Syrian refugees under government sponsorship by December? Was there any basis whatever to the party’s claim that raising the rate of tax on incomes above $200,000 by three percentage points would raise precisely the same sum ($3 billion) as cutting the middle tax bracket by a point and a half — and not, as is now admitted, at least $2 billion less?
Of course not: they gave each about the same amount of thought as Trudeau did in announcing, on the day the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was released, that he would implement all 94 of its recommendations. Which is about twice as much thought as he and his advisers gave to the implications of abolishing party caucuses in the Senate, resulting in its current state of more or less total confusion and paralysis. Or, for that matter, than they gave to their pipeline policy.
It was great fun being in opposition, when it was possible to favour building pipelines in general, save for any that happened to be proposed (the exception was Keystone, which had the great political virtue of being on foreign soil), supporting established regulatory processes while insisting on the need to obtain “social licence” and promising aboriginal groups a veto. But now the Liberals are in government, and the party’s position is murkier than ever, the prime minister reduced to pleading with warring provincial politicians to get along.
Ah well. Perhaps it can all be held together with promises of more cash to everyone: more for public-sector unions (the Tories’ attempt to dial back the banking of sick days is the latest reversal), more for cities (is there a transit plan so ill-advised this government will not underwrite it?), more for provinces, more for aboriginal groups. It’s a particularly appealing strategy when you have effectively abolished the budget constraint: after first freeing themselves, at some political risk, from the stricture against running deficits, the Liberals found it comparatively easy to sail past the platform’s commitment to deficits of no more than $10 billion a year.
We’re now led to believe the bottom line is a continually declining debt-to-GDP ratio, but there’s no particular reason to think the Liberals will be any more bound by this constraint than they were the others. I’m sure they’re not completely happy about it, but in the end the show must go on.The Green Party was celebrating “overturning the odds” to push the Liberal Democrats into fifth place in the European elections.
The party, which backs a referendum on the EU but wants to stay in, had three MEPs elected with 8 per cent of the national vote, lifting it into fourth place for the first time.
The Green MEPs Keith Taylor, representing South East England, and Jean Lambert, for London, retained their seats, and Molly Scott Cato was elected for South West England for the first time.
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.
Natalie Bennett, the leader of the Green Party, called it a good night for the party, though it had hoped to secure six seats. Ms Bennett said the party would now scrutinise the best areas to target in next year’s election.
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Subscribe now.The ‘rolling release’ meme has been a popular one for years in Ubuntu. It’s one of the top requests from members of our user community. And it’s popular with Canonical team members too (who, largely, come from the community and share its values).
The problem for me is straightforward: a rolling release isn’t actually a release at all. It offers little certainty for those who need certainty. And we essentially accommodate the need for daily crack with our development releases, which have become highly usable (for developers) because of the strong commitment the Canonical and community teams made to daily quality throughout the release cycle.
So I haven’t personally given any air time to the topic of rolling releases over the years.
This year, the topic bubbled up again, and given the level of interest I supported that the core Canonical engineering team do a deep assessment of what it would actually mean, in hard pro’s and con’s, and how we might implement it, so that a straw man proposal (‘one you can poke holes in’) could be presented. Rick put forward that proposal last week. It should be clear that Rick is a strong and sincere proponent of the idea, hence the passion with which the case is made, but he is not the sole decision maker.
It’s nonsense to portray Rick’s position as a final position for Ubuntu. The TB have not weighed in, the CC (who were briefed that the assessment was being made and that a straw man would be proposed) are still considering their perspective, and I’m not convinced either. So, for those inclined to melodrama, you may want to calm down and join the conversation.
Some unexpected findings
In the course of Rick’s team’s assessment, several interesting and (to me) unexpected findings emerged.
First, there’s real confusion around interim releases. Between 12.04 LTS and 14.04 LTS there will be three interim releases on our current approach, and lots of people will find that confusing. Should ISVs target quantal AND raring AND ssssss? In practice, we have lots of data to say they can’t and won’t. PPAs are often inconsistent between interim releases. That suggests that having an ‘edge’ release (for which PPAs would over time build up a rich source of extra software) and LTS releases may be easier on that segment of the community.
Second, we have proven the LTS point release mechanism, which brings new hardware support and new software to the LTS releases. The cloud archive, for example, brings the latest OpenStack release to 12.04 LTS, and is by far the most popular way to deploy OpenStack. Point releases have brought fresh kernels, fresh OpenStack, and fresh Unity to 12.04 LTS, and there is no reason why we could not broaden that commitment. It’s worth discussing whether that doesn’t become a better mechanism to meet the needs of people who care about a stable release.
Third, the daily quality story really has been impressive. The amazing work of a sizable quality team has transformed the widespread expectations of participants and contributors in Ubuntu – raring is really useful, every day, with little risk of unproductive hours when things go wonky. That’s grown the number of *developers* running raring, and boosted Ubuntu in other ways as a result. I’m not convinced it’s good enough for end-users, but it’s worth digging in to see how it could get there.
Some unrealistic expectations
In the commentary I’ve seen during the course of the discussion, some of the expectations expressed by stakeholders strike me as unrealistic.
Ben Collins’ perspective, which addresses the need of a PowerPC OEM, is an example. Ben is a friend and former colleague, I’d like to be supportive, but the real cost of supporting an architecture is way outside the scope of Ubuntu’s non-commercial commitments. IBM and Canonical discussed bringing Ubuntu to the PowerPC architecture some years ago and chose not to; the gap is not something Canonical will close alone. I’m delighted if Ubuntu is useful for Ben, and pretty certain it will remain the best platform for his work regardless, but we should not spend millions of dollars on that rather than cloud computing or mobile, which have a much broader impact on both society and our commercial prospects.
Some unwarranted melodrama
The sky is not falling in.
Really.
Ubuntu is a group of people who get together with common purpose. How we achieve that purpose is up to us, and everyone has a say in what they can and will contribute. Canonical’s contribution is massive. It’s simply nonsense to say that Canonical gets ‘what it wants’ more than anybody else. Hell, half the time *I* don’t get exactly what I want. It just doesn’t work that way: lots of people work hard to the best of their abilities, the result is Ubuntu.
The combination of Canonical and community is what makes that amazing. There are lots of pure community distro’s. And wow, they are full of politics, spite, frustration, venality and disappointment. Why? Because people are people, and work is hard, and collaboration is even harder. That’s nothing to do with Canonical, and everything to do with life. In fact, in most of the pure-community projects I’ve watched and participated in, the biggest meme is ‘if only we had someone that could do the heavy lifting’. Ubuntu has that in Canonical – and the combination of our joint efforts has become the most popular platform for Linux fans.
If you’ve done what you want for Ubuntu, then move on. That’s normal – there’s no need to poison the well behind you just because you want to try something else.
It’s also the case that we’ve shifted gear to leadership rather than integration.
When we started, we said we wanted to deliver the best of open source on a cadence. It was up to KDE, GNOME, XFCE to define what that was going to look like, we would just integrate and deliver (a hard problem in itself). By 2009 I was convinced that none of the existing free software communities could create an experience that could challenge the existing proprietary leaders, and so, if we were serious about the dream of a free software norm, we would have to lead.
The result is Unity, which is an experience that could become widely adopted across phones, tablets, PCs and other devices. Of course, that is a disruptive change, and has caused some members of existing communities to resent our work. I respect that others may prefer different experiences, so we remain willing to do a large (but not unlimited) amount of work to enable KDE, GNOME, and other DEs to thrive inside the broader Ubuntu umbrella. We also take steps to accommodate developers who want to support both Unity and another DE. But if we want to get beyond being a platform for hobbyists, we need to accelerate the work on Unity to keep up with Android, Chrome, Windows and Apple. And that’s more important than taking care of the needs of those who don’t share our goal of a free software norm.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Everyone that I care about in open source has a shared dream: they want free software to become the norm, not the exception. And Ubuntu is the only way I can see for that to happen, which is why I spend all my time on it, and why so many other people spend huge amounts of time on it too.
I simply have zero interest in the crowd who wants to be different. Leet. ‘Linux is supposed to be hard so it’s exclusive’ is just the dumbest thing that a smart person could say. People being people, there are of course smart people who hold that view.
What I’m really interested in is this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a free and open platform that is THE LEADER across both consumer and enterprise computing.
With Ubuntu (and Unity) we have that. It’s amazing. Think about it – unlike years gone by, a free software platform is actually winning awards for innovative leadership in the categories that count: mobile, cloud. Investing your time and energy here might have a truly profound impact on the world. That’s worth digging into. Just roll your eyeballs at the 1337 crowd, roll up your sleeves, find something interesting to improve, and join in. To the extent that you can master a piece, you will get what you want. If you think the grand vision should follow your whims, you won’t.
If we work hard, and work together, Ubuntu will become a widespread platform for phones, tablets and PCs. You’ll have the satisfaction of designing, building and fixing tools that are used every day by millions of people. That’s meaningful. And it’s worth looking hard at our practices to ask the question: how best to achieve that goal? Of those practices, interim releases are just as subject to evaluation and revision as any other.
Going faster
So, rolling releases are not real releases.
But cadence is good, releases are good discipline even if they are hard. In LEAN software engineering, we have an interesting maxim: when something is hard, DO IT MORE OFTEN. Because that way you concentrate your efforts on the hard problem, master it, automate and make it easy. That’s the philosophy that underpins agile development, devops, juju and loads of other goodness.
In the web-lead world, software is moving faster than ever before. Is six months fast enough?
So I think it IS worth asking the question: can we go even faster? Can we make even MORE releases in a year? And can we automate that process to make it bulletproof for end-users?
That’s where I think we should steer the conversation on rolling releases:
Can we make the update process from point to point really bulletproof? Upgrading today is possible, but to keep the system clean over multiple successive upgrades requires an uncommonly high level of skill with APT.
Can we strengthen the definition of point releases in the LTS so that interim releases are obviously less relevant?
Can we do a reasonable amount of release management on, say, MONTHLY releases that they are actual releases rather than just snapshots?
Daily quality has made the Ubuntu development release perfectly usable for developers. That’s a huge accomplishment. Now let’s think carefully about the promises we’re making end-users, and see if it isn’t time to innovate again, just as we innovated when we created Ubuntu on a six month cadence.
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 7th, 2013 at 10:49 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.Accumulating evidence indicated that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are involved in the pathophysiology of depression and implicated in therapeutic targets. NMDA antagonists, such as ketamine, displayed fast-onset and long-lasting antidepressant activity in preclinical and clinical studies. Previous studies showed that Yueju pill exerts antidepressant effects similar to ketamine. Here, we focused on investigating the association of acute and lasting antidepressant responses of Yueju with time course changes of NMDA receptor subunits NR1, NR2A, and NR2B expressions in the hippocampus, a key region regulating depression response. As a result, Yueju reduced immobility time in the forced swimming test from 30 min to 5 days post a single administration. Yueju acutely decreased NR1 and NR2B protein expression in the hippocampus, with NR2A expression unaltered. NR1 expression remained down-regulated 5 days post Yueju administration, whereas NR2B returned to normal level in 24 h. Yueju and ketamine similarly ameliorated the depression-like symptoms at least for 72 h in learned helplessness test. They both reversed the up-regulated expression of NR1 in the learned helpless mice 1 or 3 days post administration. Different from ketamine, the antidepressant effects of Yueju were not influenced by blockade of amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate receptor. These findings served as preclinical evidence that Yueju may confer acute and long-lasting antidepressant effects by favorably modulating NMDA function in the hippocampus.The story of Aloun Farms begins in 1977, when Aloun Sou and his family of six immigrated to Hawaii by way of a refugee camp on the border of Laos and Thailand. Equipped with a hard work ethic and limited English speaking skills, the family settled in Waianae and started a farm on a five-acre agricultural land lease in the coastal Lualualei Valley.
Memorialized 40 years later in the Aloun Farms logo, green onion and won bok were the family’s first crops. An assortment of Chinese vegetables and herbs were soon to follow. Knowing that most of the produce consumed in Hawaii was, and still is, dependent on imports, the Sou family had the foresight to ramp up its food production, going all in on |
naissance of art and discovery.Data released on UN world wildlife day shows overall population is still falling despite a recent reduction in levels of poaching for ivory
More African elephants are being killed for ivory than are being born, despite poaching levels falling for the fourth year in a row in 2015.
The new data, released on UN world wildlife day on Thursday, shows about 60% of elephant deaths are at the hands of poachers, meaning the overall population is most likely to be falling.
“African elephant populations continue to face an immediate threat to their survival, especially in central and west Africa where high levels of poaching are still evident,” said John Scanlon, secretary-general of the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), which collects the data. At least 20,000 elephants were killed for ivory in 2015.
But Scanlon said there were some encouraging signs, including in parts of eastern Africa, such as in Kenya, where the poaching trend has declined.
World wildlife day: Animals are being slaughtered one by one, not saved two by two Read more
“This is showing us all what is possible through a sustained and collective effort with strong political support,” he said. “The momentum generated over the past few years is translating into deeper and stronger efforts to fight these crimes on the front line, where it is needed most – from the rangers in the field, to police and customs at ports and across illicit markets.”
Elephant poaching peaked in 2011, when it accounted for about 75% of all deaths. Poaching has gradually reduced since then but remains well above sustainable levels. Scanlon said even greater efforts were needed to fully reverse the trend.
The new report revealed that a “troubling” upward trend in elephant poaching was observed in the Kruger national park in South Africa for the first time in 2015. The proportion of elephants killed by poaching jumped from 17% in 2014 to 41% last year. “While [this] is still below the sustainability threshold, the substantial increase in what had been one of the most secure sites for elephants in Africa is a cause for concern,” said the report.
In January, poachers shot down a helicopter in Tanzania and killed its British pilot during an operation to track down elephant killers while, in October last year, 14 elephants were poisoned by cyanide in Zimbabwe.
As well as action to toughen law enforcement and increase the penalties for wildlife crime, publicity campaigns have attempted to deter people from buying illegal wildlife products. In October, just before China’s president visited the UK, Prince William told Chinese citizens to stop buying illegally traded wildlife products. Other campaigns have featured sports stars including Andy Murray, Rahul Dravid, Francois Pienaar and Yao Ming.
Interpol estimates the illegal wildlife trade is worth $10-20bn a year, the fourth most lucrative black market after drugs, people and arms smuggling and it is often linked to organised crime. The UN says it not only harms endangered wildlife but also fuels conflicts, feeds corruption and undermines poverty eradication efforts.Glutamate (Glu) is the main excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter in the Central Nervous System (CNS). As many as 80–90 % of the synapses in the brain are glutamatergic [1], therefore this neurotransmitter is involved in a plethora of functions, from sensory motor information and coordination to emotions and cognition. Glu exerts its actions through the activation of specific membrane receptors that have been traditionally divided into two main categories: ionotropic (iGluRs) and metabotropic receptors (mGluRs).
A family of sodium-dependent Glu transporters, also known as excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are responsible for Glu removal from the synaptic cleft [2]. Thus far, five EAAT subtypes have been described, being EAAT1 and EAAT2 preferentially expressed in glial cells and their activity represents more than 80 % of the total brain Glu uptake activity. Within the cerebellum, most of the Glu uptake takes place in Bergmann glial cells (BGC), which express exclusively EAAT1, a transporter also known as Na+- glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST). In contrast, in other CNS structures, EAAT2 or Glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) is the major Glu carrier, in fact, it is known that this transporter represents roughly 2 % of total brain protein [3].
Glu has a critical role in brain physiology and higher brain functions [4, 5]. A tight control of its extracellular levels is critical to prevent its well-characterized neurotoxic effect. In fact, all known neurodegenerative diseases are related to an excess of extracellular Glu, as in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer´s disease [6, 7]. Moreover, it has also been suggested that dysregulation of Glu extracellular concentrations is involved in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) [8, 9, 10].
Autism comprises a complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by social interaction impairment, communication and stereotyped behaviours [11, 12]. Multiple factors participate in its pathophysiology, it is known that genetic and environmental cues are involved, although the precise mechanisms underlying these disorders remain to be determined. In this scenario, the selection of an appropriate treatment is difficult.
Methylphenidate (MPH) is currently used for ASD treatment, although its efficacy is highly controversial [13]. Even though its effects over the dopaminergic system have been described, MPH also targets the glutamatergic system [10, 14]. Given the fact that Glu turnover is dependent on the glutamate/glutamine shuttle, a biochemical interplay between neurons and glial cells, in this contribution we focused on the effect of MPH on EAAT-1/GLAST-mediated [3H]-D-Aspartate (D-Asp) uptake activity. To this end, we decided to use the model of cultured cerebellar Bergmann glial cells.
A time and dose-dependent increase in [3H]-D-Asp uptake was observed, suggesting a rapid up-regulation of the Glu removal, likely to be relevant for the anti-anxiety effect of MPH. These results support the involvement of glial cells in the pathological features of complex brain disorders such as autism.This file is available on the Cryptome DVD offered by Cryptome. Cryptome DVD. Donate $25 for a DVD of the Cryptome 10-year archives of 35,000 files from June 1996 to June 2006 (~3.5 GB). Click Paypal or mail check/MO made out to John Young, 251 West 89th Street, New York, NY 10024. Archives include all files of cryptome.org, cryptome2.org, jya.com, cartome.org, eyeball-series.org and iraq-kill-maim.org. Cryptome INSCOM DVD. Cryptome offers with the Cryptome DVD an INSCOM DVD of about 18,000 pages of counter-intelligence dossiers declassified by the US Army Information and Security Command, dating from 1945 to 1985. No additional contribution required -- $25 for both. The DVDs will be sent anywhere worldwide without extra cost.
26 September 2006
http://www.defenselink.mil/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=3345
CONTRACTS from the United States Department of Defense
September 25, 2006
BOOZ Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Va., is being awarded a $6,613,354 cost-plus-fixed fee contract.This contract is associated with the "TANGRAM," a fully automated, continuously operating, and intelligence analysis support system.The purpose of this effort is to provide information understanding for better and faster access to quality intelligence information through systematic performance evaluations to ascertain the value of the TANGRAM system under development.This demonstration will occur four times during the course of these effort and monthly status and final technical reports will be delivered.The contractor performing this effort will cooperate with other contractors in this program in order to share information and improve the overall output of the program.At this time, $377,172 have been obligated.Solicitations began in September 2005 and negotiations were complete September 2006.This work will be complete September 2010.Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, N.Y., is the contracting activity.(FA8750-06-C-0208)
http://www1.fbo.gov/EPSData/USAF/Synopses/1142/Reference%2DNumber%2DBAA%2D06%2D04%2DIFKA/pip%2Edoc
TANGRAM
Proposer's Information Packet (PIP)
INTRODUCTION
The Intelligence Community and the Air Force routinely sponsor classified and unclassified research to advance the state of the art in intelligence and analytic support systems. The Advanced Research and Development Activity (ARDA) has sponsored several of these research programs. The Advanced Question Answering for Intelligence (AQUAINT) Program has focused on human-machine question and answering type solutions and seeks to improve the intelligence value of information retrieval systems through human-computer dialogue. The Novel Information for Massive Data (NIMD) program has sought to capitalize on the cognitive human-computer interface by learning how analysts think and operate in a computer enhanced analytic environment. The Air Force Topsail program has focused on structured analysis and collaboration enabling technology to support process and reporting of analysis.
The Evidence Assessment, Grouping. Linking and Evaluation (EAGLE), Knowledge Discovery and Dissemination (KD-D), and other Government programs have all focused on developing systems, tools and algorithms to detect international terrorist activities and planned events. In total, these programs resulted in the development and evaluation of several methods of detecting and searching for patterns of terrorist behaviors, representing these behaviors in human and machine interpretable form and efficiently searching large data stores for evidence of known behaviors.
While pattern-based representation and search techniques have proven to be a productive method for detection, it is only a reasonable approach when we have prior evidence to support the formulation of the pattern. EAGLE, in particular, developed novel algorithms and methods for linking entities and activities using a guilt-by-association model. By relying on highly accurate and analyst-vetted knowledge about known terrorists, groups, affiliations and activities, these tools and methods have proven to be very effective at tracking terrorist suspects and detecting their threat event intentions.
EMPHASIS
The EAGLE program concludes in calendar year 2005, and despite its successes, several fundamental challenges remain before the technology can be deployed broadly within the Intelligence Community. Significant effort has been invested in improving the performance and scalability of the most promising algorithms, often resulting in two orders of magnitude increase in scalability and four orders of magnitude speed-up in compute time. Currently, the total production time for a single answer is measured in days and weeks. Yet, to have any demonstrable improvement in the intelligence process we need to provide answers in hours or minutes. The four key challenges that define the essence of the Tangram program are:
Reduce system and data configuration time of all automated entity and threat discovery processes by two orders of magnitude (100 x).
Reduce threat entity and event discovery time by two orders of magnitude (100 x).
Increase overall efficiency by three orders of magnitude and overall productivity by two orders of magnitude over current processes while delivering a consistently high intelligence value as determined by experienced analysts.
Improve the detection of low observable threats and events where guilt by association assumptions may not apply.
The fundamental technologies developed under the previous programs have been evaluated through peer review and technical evaluations. There is no debate that these technologies are capable of filling an important void in the Intelligence Community's analytic arsenal. However, to achieve their potential, we must develop the processes, procedures and standards to deploy a fully automated, analytic system capable of processing tens of thousands of simultaneous analytic inquiries in an efficient and scalable manner.
To achieve this, the data, algorithms, and computing resources must be flexible and adaptable. Essentially, the system must be self composing because of the variety and unpredictability of the questions to be answered.
Tangram is unique in that it takes a systematic view of the process; applying what is now a set of disjointed, cumbersome to configure technologies that are difficult for non-technical users to apply, into a self-configuring, continuously operating intelligence analysis support system.
GOALS
Tangram is envisioned as a fully automated, continuously operating, intelligence analysis support system that's capable of configuring itself to achieve a reasonable tradeoff between estimated intelligence value and cost, where
Analysis Support means the production of hypotheses representing an adversary's intentions, methods, logistics support or intended targets based on: 1) behavioral patterns, relationships or context that are expressed only in data, and 2) analyst feedback about prior hypotheses.
Configuring itself means the system is aware of the data characteristics, algorithm capabilities and requirements, and hardware resources such that it can reason about how best to produce an answer.
Reasonable means good is enough, optimal is not required.
Intelligence Value is a subjective score or estimate of the intelligence utility of a hypotheses produced by the system.
Cost is the effort required to produce an answer and the opportunity cost of not producing a higher intelligence value product using the same system resources.
ANTICIPATED PROGRAM PROFILE
The Government provides the table below as general guidance about the funding profile, numbers of awards, contract duration and security requirements.
Expected No. Of Awards Anticipated Award per year Award Period (months) Teaming Anticipated Security Clearances Expected for Key Performers SYSTEM RESEARCH 2 (max) 24 mo. (06-08) Downselect 1 25-48 mo. (08 10) > $3.0M 48 Yes Yes COMPONENT RESEARCH Algorithm Characterization 1 $0.5M - $1M 24 Yes No Graph Unification 1 $0.25M - $2M 24 Yes No Data Characterization 1 $0.25M - $2M 24 Yes Yes GAP FILLING RESEARCH 4-10 $0.15M - $0.75M 48 No Preferred SYSTEM EVALUATION ARCHITECTURE (SEA) 1 $0.5M - $1M 48 Yes Yes
SYSTEM RESEARCH, COMPONENT RESEARCH, and SEA TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES
Below are brief descriptions of the goals of the System Research, Component Research and System Evaluation Architecture research tasks. Offerors are encouraged to identify their own important technical ideas for their proposed work.
System Research
Goal: Develop a composable underlying system prototype architecture within which the Component and Gap Filling Research can be integrated. This architecture should ultimately be able to incorporate the handling of human feedback as a data source. The underlying hardware may include standard and "novel" architectures. Note that the program will not be considered successful until the technology is transitioned in whole or in significant part to the Intelligence Community.
System Evaluation Architecture (SEA)
Goal: Conduct all evaluations of system prototypes developed by the System Research offerors. Prototype evaluations can be conducted using the as-built software/hardware installations at the contractor's sites using remote VPN access. Consider the software and evaluation harnesses necessary to evaluate the prototypes at the end of the 2nd year and collect data and algorithms to be used for the evaluation. With the introduction of human feedback from the System Research developers, the SEA offeror should be able to evaluate the intelligence value and cost based workflow planning functionality of Tangram. The final evaluation will be an exhaustive functional and systematic exercise of the complete Tangram intelligence support system by the offeror. Ideally this would be an evaluation using classified data and real world problems and may require additional data sets, algorithms, and hardware, including multiple cycles of human feedback from multiple analysts over an extended period of time.
Component Research
Algorithm Characterization
Goal: Develop an Algorithm Description Language Specification and implement this specification for the algorithm set of the offeror's choice. Consider: 1) the ability to discriminate between algorithms for known data characteristics, 2) the ability to support sequencing of algorithms for a specified analytic product, and 3) the ability to support streaming or batch oriented work flows. The algorithm descriptions will be made available to the SEA contractor for evaluation and the System Research contractor(s) for downstream use.
Graph Unification
Goal: Develop the capabilities to support graph editing, visualization and annotation by a set of predetermined applications. Consider the data exchange interfaces for the applications so that all Tangram hypotheses or graphs can be ingested by these third party applications and their outputs can be ingested by Tangram. A critical part of this implementation will be the potential change to the original hypothesis exchange specification to accommodate incremental processing or incremental changes to hypotheses in lieu of wholesale replacement of versions of prior hypotheses. Consider an intercomponent hypothesis exchange specification and common graph representation specification. Implement the specifications on the algorithm set of the offeror's choice and provide the software for testing to the SEA contractor.
Data Characterization
Goal: Develop a Data Characterization Process Description to describe the characteristics of the data that will be used as input to the Tangram System. Develop any data enrichment services and/or data transformation services necessary to shred the data from one input format to another for use by each of the prototype developers. Consider the impacts of multiple data source integration and data enrichment on the data characterization and transformation capabilities and develop the data transformation software required to meet the multi-source data integration and enrichment requirements of the program and deliver this capability to the prototype developers (i.e., System Research).
Program Reviews - Year 1
Kickoff PI Meeting - Year 15 day planning and coordination meeting in the Baltimore Washington Metropolitan area.
Mid-Year PI Meeting - Year 15 day program progress review, planning and coordination working meeting in Florida.Site Visit - Year 11-2 day Government site visit to contractor's facility for contract performance review
Program Reviews - Year 2
Initial PI Meeting - Year 25 day planning and coordination meeting in the Mountain States.
Mid-Year PI Meeting - Year 25 day program progress review, planning and coordination working meeting in Southwest US.Site Visit - Year 21-2 day Government site visit to contractor's facility for contract performance review
Program Reviews - Year 3
Initial PI Meeting - Year 35 day planning and coordination meeting in the Baltimore Washington Metropolitan area.
Mid-Year PI Meeting - Year 35 day program progress review, planning and coordination working meeting in Southwest US.Site Visit - Year 31-2 day Government site visit to contractor's facility for contract performance review
Program Reviews - Year 4
Initial PI Meeting - Year 45 day planning and coordination meeting in the Midwest US.
Mid-Year PI Meeting - Year 45 day program progress review, planning and coordination working meeting in Florida.
End of Program PI Meeting2 day planning and coordination meeting in the Baltimore Washington Metropolitan area.Site Visit - Year 41-2 day Government site visit to contractor's facility for contract performance review
The following figure illustrates how the multiple technical objectives in these three thrust areas contribute to the overall objectives of the program. It also provides some insight into the expected interactions amongst the various participants in the program. Offerors are advised to note that the figure is intended to provide additional clarity to them and is not intended to serve as a comprehensive list of interactions or objectives.
GAP FILLING RESEARCH - AREAS OF INTEREST
The expectations of the Government in this technical thrust area are far more exploratory and open than the rest of Tangram. The investments we intend to make will fill recognized gaps in our existing knowledge discovery arsenal. While these research gaps are described as a set of problems with examples of promising approaches, we are actively seeking novel ideas to address the problems and are not prescribing the solution. What should be clear is that the Government is interested in establishing a solid foundation for developing information-based detection systems, discovering and monitoring changes in trends and anomalous behaviors.
Theory of Detection
One of the highest risk investments of the EAGLE program was in the area of developing a theory of detection in non-random networks. Other theoretical investigations included preliminary work on the effects of collaboration and information sharing in terrorist detection processes and the sensitivities of guilt-by-association models to runaway false detections.
The development of a solid theoretical base for terrorist entity and threat detection is desperately needed. The Government would prefer to invest in a multidisciplinary team to continue this research over the course of the Tangram program. The objectives of the research is to first support the System Evaluation Architecture contractor in developing a rigorous and statistically sound evaluation methodology. Secondarily, to support the Data Characterization contractors in defining and validating the data collection metrics that will guide the Tangram system's planning functions. Third, to support the Algorithm Description contractors in validating that the algorithm performance metrics in the descriptions are accurate discriminators of algorithm performance. And finally, to continue to explore the systematic characteristics of the intelligence collection process and our terrorist opponents to identify methods that will assuredly fail and methods that will produce the highest possible detection outcomes.
Deception Detection
The EAGLE program and its predecessor have made impressive progress on inference for intelligence applications characterized by large, ill-defined, high-uncertainty, dynamic networks of individuals, objects and transactions. The results of the research highlight several areas of need in the pursuit of effective analyst-support systems.
The Tangram program makes no distinction between intentional and deliberate acts to avoid detection versus the consequences of spotty collection and reporting of intelligence. From the information analysis perspective of Tangram both instances look the same. The salient features of both are that we are trying to distinguish normal behaviors from seemingly normal behaviors of the observed and the observing system. In large measure, we cannot readily distinguish the absolute scale of normal behaviors for either. What is most readily deduced are changes in their behaviors which will first make them appear anomalous, then suspicious, and perhaps deceptive. While deception detection is our most earnest target, anomalous and suspicious behaviors are a satisfactory second best.
Intelligence applications typically are substantially more difficult than fraud detection, but the utility and usage of fraud detection systems nevertheless is illustrative. For example, fraud detection systems typically search for suspicious patterns of behavior. Unfortunately, individual suspicions rarely provide enough evidence to elicit an enforcement action.
Typically, fraud detection systems construct "cases", incrementally augment the cases with evidence, score and rank the cases by suspicion (dynamically), and provide an interface for analysts to consider the cases as a starting point and a way to collect and organize information.
Several approaches have been identified as potential investment areas:
Suspicion Scoring Under Uncertainty
A key tenet of deception with the intent to camouflage your existence or conceal your intentions is to blend in with the background. Intelligence collection is not a random act nor an indiscriminate vacuum. Rather, it is deliberate, focused and opportunistic when the rare or unusual fragment of evidence is acquired. The combination of intelligence collection, reporting and analysis is very unlike commercial fraud detection methods, which are no less deliberate and focused, but are an inherent part of the electronic transaction fabric of systems. Intelligence collection is far less cooperative or omnipotent. In most instances very little is known about new terrorist entities, implying that the intelligence analysis task has little "known" information to work from. Intuitively, establishing a suspicion score for individual information fragments is well beyond human capabilities. Yet, in such highly uncertain instances, a Tangram-like system may be the only method by which seemingly meaningless data becomes meaningful. The objective is to find the most important "known unknowns".
Recent research results suggest that collective inferencing techniques may provide a plausible approach to filling this gap. This technique is capable of making simultaneous inferences (scores) about large numbers of likely interrelated entities in large data collections and has met with some success.
To date the predominant approaches have used a guilt-by-association model to derive suspicion scores. In cases where we have knowledge of a seed entity in an unknown group we have been very successful at detecting the entire group. However, in the absence of a known seed entity, how do we score a person if nothing is known about their associates? In such an instance guilt-by-association fails.
However, collective inferencing research has demonstrated the potential power of drawing inferences about everyone simultaneously, so scores about an individual and associates are computed simultaneously. Although attractive, collective inference for real intelligence analysis is still a promise rather than a reality. Existing techniques are far too simple. Much more research is necessary to understand its applicability to real intelligence problems and to design appropriate methods to fill this critical gap.
Active Information Acquisition
Tangram embraces the concept of human feedback as a knowledge source. However, Tangram may be capable of providing feedback about existing information gaps in our data collections, which admittedly suffer from spotty collection and reporting. Since Tangram inherently performs suspicion scoring of terrorist entities, it may be capable of calculating expected information value scores of unknown information to improve the certainty of existing entity suspicion scores.
Sometimes called Active Learning, conceptually the approach would be to perform a succession of automated "what if" scenarios that compute the expected value of acquiring additional information. The information queries with the highest expected value would return prospective intelligence information requirements for analysts to consider as future lines of inquiry.
Behavior Profiling in Dynamic Worlds
Existing tools and techniques employ the concept of behavior-based suspicion scoring of terrorist entities and targets. The underlying assumption of existing approaches is that behaviors are a constant that can be described as a graph. Yet, behaviors are not constant and a recognized gap in current terrorist detection processes is the difficulty of handling the dynamic characteristics of behaviors.
How can we profile dynamic behavior well enough to be able to identify, with more or less confidence, entities who want to remain anonymous? Can we identify entities who have taken over the roles of other entities of interest (e.g., those recently apprehended) simply by using the changes in their behavior? Can we incorporate the techniques commonly used by intelligence analysts with the power of massive collective representations?
Network Dynamics Over Time
Many forms of link data have date codes on the links, and this should be exploited. Groups can add or lose members over time. Evidence from the past often bears on recent interactions. Some early research has been performed and the experiments resolved cases where totally irresolvable groups become perfectly characterized when time was accounted for.
Tip Management
Some terrorist data collections are filled with information fragments that are unvetted as to their meaning or significance, they just are reported. In some applications (e.g., food security and consumer complaint hotlines) data is collected from volunteers that is generally very noisy but can be used to detect sudden trends. New systems, such as the TIPS system through which reports of suspicious activity from transportation workers and dock workers are filed are examples of new information sources where fragmentary tips might be discovered. The Intelligence Community and military intelligence units have hundreds of small data collections like TIPS. It may well be beneficial to perform spatial analyses for "hotspots", or space-time analyses to detect previously unseen trends. The U.S. Government recognizes that we do not have an effective way of exploiting these sources and is asking for novel ideas to fill this gap. We believe that a combination of link discovery and pattern learning tools and other tools used in epidemiology, spatial statistics, dynamic belief networks, and graph theory will be applicable here.
Validated Synthetic Data
The EAGLE program's synthetic data generator, called the Performance Evaluation (PE) Lab, produced by Information Extraction and Transport, Inc. has become a staple of unclassified terrorist knowledge discovery research activities throughout the U.S. Government. As beneficial as it is, it lacks the most essential credential of any simulation system - validation. The Tangram program would like to fill this gap so that every element of the Intelligence Community could employ uncleared researchers to produce verifiably accurate and trustworthy algorithms and tools to defeat terrorism.
The existing PE Lab is capable of creating a variety of social networks that are consistent with existing social network theory of large populations. However, the data sets it produces do not reflect the social networks that existing intelligence data sources portray, which look more like a patchwork of holes.
Presuming the Data Characterization research task is successful; a new synthetic data generator will be required to produce unclassified data sets with the known characteristics of classified data sources.
Moreover, by generating validated synthetic data sets the Tangram program will have the ability to test and catalog new and existing algorithms in an unclassified environment; the consequence being faster delivery of proven detection methods to operational environments.
PROTOTYPE EVALUATIONS
Prototype evaluations by the SEA contractor will be conducted by presenting varied combinations of the four key variables: 1) queries/questions, 2) data, 3) algorithms, and 4) hardware to a continuously operating prototype system. The data will be inserted via any previously agreed upon structured form (e.g., spreadsheet, database, xml file, etc.). The algorithms will be inserted in a predefined form (i.e., executable code, processor specifications, algorithm description, heuristic performance results, etc.). The hardware will be inserted using a predefined hardware description method.
The prototype will be evaluated by varying the key variables of the system and comparing the precision of the results with ground truth, comparing work flow used to work flow prescribed by human experts, measuring the cost of producing the answer and the human scored intelligence value of the answer, productivity (intelligence value produced per unit time), and efficiency (intelligence value produced per unit cost).
Metrics may include adaptability (the ability of the system to dynamically reorganize workflow based on incremental changes to data and algorithms), controllability (the ability to guide and correct system operation when human intervention is required), and recoverability (the ability to provide high availability and continuous operational recovery mechanisms).
Offerors should be cognizant of the issues that arise from an increase in complexity while estimating proposed capabilities. The following descriptions are provided as a sample of the required analysis that offerors may need to conduct before constructing their proposals. In all cases, the offeror should not assume the queries can be answered by the available data, algorithms or hardware. Additionally, offerors should assume that some data sources are streaming sources that cannot be held entirely in memory.
Level 1 - Contractor defines the training questions (queries) that can be answered and the data to be used. The Government collaborates with the contractor to select the realistic algorithms and hardware.
Level 2 - Government establishes the queries to be answered using realistic data sets, algorithms and hardware.
Level 3 - Surprise data sets may require the system to perform data integration, data enrichment, or data transformations.
Level 4 thru 6- Multiple and previously unseen surprise variations will likely increase the cost of workflow planning and query response. Intelligence value vs. cost tradeoff functionality may be required to perform computations in a reasonable amount of time.
Level 7 - Intelligence value vs. cost tradeoffs significantly increase the complexity as surprises through human feedback of prior hypotheses necessitate re-computation of prior hypotheses fragments, pre-staged data sets etc.
Level 8 - Human feedback may negate earlier hypotheses generated in a prior workflow, requiring newly composed hypotheses to be derived from prior hypotheses, new data and human annotations.
Level 9 - The large numbers of concurrent analyst queries and feedback dramatically increase computational load for workflow planning and cross workflow sharing of intermediate results. Computation and maintenance of intelligence value estimation and validation results becomes critical.
COMPONENT AND GAP FILLING EVALUATIONS
Component evaluations will be conducted on hardware at the SEA contractor's facility installation. Component evaluations will verify that the each of the components meets the requirements of the prototype developers design goals for inserting new data, algorithms and hardware. Component evaluations will verify that all components produce and ingest hypotheses in a common hypothesis specification format as needed by the prototype.
Components in the Gap Filling Research area will be evaluated annually using specially generated synthetic data sets.Advertisement
Migrants and refugees threw rocks, bottles and gas cans at police in riot gear who were clearing more than a hundred of them from a makeshift camp in Rome.
They stood defiant in the face of the police's powerful water cannons as they were cleared from a piazza near Termini station.
The refugees occupied Indipendenza square in Rome in defiance of an order to leave an adjacent office building where as many as 800 had been squatting.
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Migrants and refugees threw rocks, bottles and gas cans at police in riot gear who were clearing about 100 people from a makeshift camp in a Rome
The refugees stood defiant in the face of the police's powerful water cannon as they were cleared from a piazza near Termini station. Pictured: A policeman comforts a crying refugee who was evicted from an adjacent office building
The refugees occupied the small square in Rome in defiance of an order to leave an adjacent office building where as many as 800 had been squatting
Officials defended the decision to evict them, saying they refused to move to accommodation they had provided elsewhere in the city
TV footage showed some of the refugees - many from Eritrea - screaming and trying to hit police who were armed with batons and shields
Officials defended the decision to evict them, saying they refused to move to accommodation provided for them.
TV footage showed some of the refugees - many from Eritrea - screaming and trying to hit police who were armed with batons and shields.
The square, just one block from Rome's main train station, was strewn with mattresses, overturned rubbish bins and broken plastic chairs.
Hung on the building they once occupied was a sheet with the words, 'we are refugees, not terrorists', in Italian.
Police began clearing the building at dawn Saturday in the latest of several such operations as the city struggles to find accommodation for new migrants.
On Sunday, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) voiced 'grave concern' over the mass eviction - a sign of the country's growing frustration at Europe's migrant crisis.
It said 200 of those expelled from the building were forced to sleep on the streets in a city already home to hundreds of homeless refugees who fled persecution and war, including many children.
TV footage showed some of the refugees - many from Eritrea - screaming and trying to hit police who were armed with batons and shields
Italian law enforcement officers use water cannons to disperse around a hundred migrants protesting at Indipendenza square
The square, just one block from Rome's main train station, was strewn with mattresses, overturned rubbish bins and broken plastic chairs
Migrants who once occupied an office building adjacent to the square were seen running from police water cannons
Two people were detained following today's clashes in which migrants were knocked to the ground by police water cannons
Commentators interpreted this weekend's eviction - carried out when Rome was virtually deserted - as a sign of hardening attitudes in Italy towards asylum seekers
Hung on the building hundreds of migrants once occupied in central Rome was a sheet with the words: 'We are refugees, not terrorists'
Italy's reception facilities are under massive strain from migrants and the centre-left government, facing elections next year, is under pressure on the issue
Interior Minister Marco Minniti, who has ultimate responsibility for Saturday's eviction, has recently overseen a series of controversial moves aimed at ending the crisis
Commentators interpreted the unexpected eviction - carried out when Rome was virtually deserted - as a sign of hardening attitudes in Italy towards asylum seekers.
Around 600,000 migrants have landed in Italy since 2014 - with more than 14,000 perishing on the treacherous route across the Mediterranean - but the country has seen a sharp fall in those arriving this year.
Around 13,500 have arrived in Italy since July 1, compared to 30,500 over the same period in 2016, a year-on-year fall of more than 55 percent.
Italy's reception facilities are still under massive strain and the centre-left government, facing elections next year, is under pressure on the issue.
In June. Italy threatened to close its ports to aid groups rescuing migrants off Libya's coast with its representative to the EU, Maurizio Massari, saying the situation 'had become unsustainable'.
After 10,000 refugees tried to cross the Mediterranean in just four days that month, Italy's former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said citizens were 'exasperated'.
Around 600,000 migrants have landed in Italy since 2014, with more than 14,000 perishing on the treacherous route across the Mediterranean
Anti-refugee sentiment in the country is said to be growing but the numbers of those arriving on Italy's shores has fallen dramatically this year
Around 13,500 have arrived in Italy since July 1, compared to 30,500 over the same period in 2016, a year-on-year fall of more than 55 percent
Interior Minister Marco Minniti, who has ultimate responsibility for Saturday's eviction, has recently overseen a series of controversial moves aimed at ending the crisis.
These include steps to curb the activity of charity and other privately-funded boats rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and Italian naval support for Libyan coastguard efforts to intercept boats headed for Europe.
Earlier this month, deputy foreign minister Mario Giro announced Italy is pushing for centres for refugees to be set up in Libya which could provide safety.
Giro said: 'We are working on it, but it's difficult... We need funds, agreements with the authorities and access to the country.'In the darkness before dawn, the people of Mabvuku trudge to the nearest borehole and place their buckets in a line. It will take many hours of patient queuing before they can get the water they need for their daily survival.
At home, their taps have been dry for more than four years. As Zimbabwe's crisis continues, the daily struggle for water is exhausting. It's a symptom of a collapsing state, where political infighting and corruption are keeping its people in poverty and misery.
"We were expecting that one day our taps would work, but there's nothing," says Tobias Gumboreshumba, a resident of this low-income suburb on the outskirts of Harare.
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"We're getting tired now. It really hurts. All of our brains are spent on where and how are we going to get water today. It's stressing us very much."
The 56-year-old grocery-warehouse supervisor had been helping his wife queue for water since 3 a.m., and after six hours they were still waiting.
His family, and three neighbouring families, have 46 buckets that they need to fill every day. They take turns in the queue, moving a bucket forward to hold their place. But the borehole is more than 25-metres deep, the water from the pump is barely a trickle, and it takes a lot of pumping to fill the buckets. Fights sometimes erupt among the frustrated people in the queue.
Zimbabwe, with rich farmland and natural resources including gold and diamonds, should be a middle-income country. But its resources are controlled by a tiny elite, and President Robert Mugabe continues to battle with Western governments and foreign investors, deterring the trade and investment that the country badly needs.
Until the late 1980s, the government supplied safe drinking water to 85 per cent of Zimbabwe's population. But decades of neglect and corruption have left the pipes dry, forcing many people to drink contaminated water. A cholera epidemic here in 2008 killed more than 4,000 people and sickened another 100,000.
Last year, a report by Human Rights Watch warned that Zimbabwe is at risk of another cholera outbreak because of the continuing shortages of clean water. Since then, little has been done to fix the water shortages, despite government pledges, residents say. "We only see the politicians when they're campaigning," said Mr. Gumboreshumba.
A bitter split in Zimbabwe's ruling party is the latest distraction from the promises. Grace Mugabe, wife of the long-ruling |
products.
Prof. Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, said:
“This study is disappointing. The authors measured frequency of e-cigarette use at baseline but did not report it, simply using an ever use measure which could simply be one puff on an e-cigarette.
“The authors seem to argue that trying one puff of an e-cigarette caused some young people to try tobacco smoking within the next 16 months. If so, we would be seeing large increases in tobacco smoking, but instead we are seeing marked declines in youth tobacco smoking since e-cigarettes came on the market. This suggests e-cigarettes are actually helping young people not to smoke tobacco cigarettes (something this study did not even consider).
“They also make a lot of a finding that that some youth who had tried e-cigarettes at baseline but felt that they were not susceptible to tobacco cigarette smoking, subsequently went on to try tobacco cigarettes. Instead, the fact that they had tried e-cigarettes and this didn’t affect their feelings about using tobacco, suggests that it wasn’t the e-cigarettes that made them try tobacco smoking at some point over the next 16 months. Indeed the authors only took into account a few of the many factors that have been shown to influence tobacco smoking uptake in the rapidly changing environments of young people.
“The gateway hypothesis in the addictions field is frequently used but is highly contested as it has a poor evidence base in general. This study does nothing to strengthen that evidence base.”
Prof. Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, said:
“The authors misinterpret their findings. Like several previous studies of this type, this one just shows that people who try things, try things.
“To assess whether e-cigarette experimentation by adolescents encourages smoking, one has to examine whether an increase in e-cigarette experimentation is accompanied by an increase in smoking on the population level. Such data are available and they show that as e-cigarette experimentation increased, smoking rates in young people have gone down. In fact the decline in youth smoking over the past few years has been faster than ever before.
“This does not necessarily mean that e-cigarette experimentation prevents the uptake of smoking (although this is possible), but there is a clear and strong evidence that such experimentation does not contribute to smoking uptake. The key bit of information in this context is that non-smokers almost never progress to regular use of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. Adolescents try them and leave them alone. E-cigarettes do not lure non-smoking adolescents even to vaping – let alone to smoking.”
‘E-Cigarettes and Future Cigarette Use’ by Jessica Barrington-Trimis et al. published in Pediatrics on Monday 13 June.
Declared interests
Prof. Hajek: “I received research funding and provided consultancy for manufacturers of stop-smoking medications (nicotine replacement products and varenicline). I have no links with any e-cigarette manufacturers, my research into the safety and effects of e-cigarettes is funded by MHRA, PHE, NIHR and UKCTAS.”
Prof. McNeill: None declaredJulia Butterfly Hill, byname of Julia Lorraine Hill, (born February 18, 1974, Mount Vernon, Missouri, U.S.), American activist known for having lived in a tree for 738 days in an act of civil disobedience to prevent clear-cutting of ecologically significant forests. From December 10, 1997, to December 18, 1999, Hill lived in a 1,000-year-old California redwood tree named Luna and drew media attention to the environmentally destructive logging actions of the Pacific Lumber Company (Palco) under its new owner, Maxxam Corp., controlled by Charles Hurwitz.
California; Rey, Hans; Goldstein, James; Hill, Julia Butterfly California's eclectic population is demonstrated through interviews with extreme mountain biker Hans Rey, billionaire James Goldstein, and activist Julia Butterfly Hill. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz
Hill was homeschooled in a deeply religious Christian family that settled in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She began college courses at age 16 and opened her own restaurant at 18. After a near-fatal car crash in 1996, she began to reassess her life’s purpose. Traveling west, she had a spiritual epiphany in California’s redwood forests and redirected her energies, joining the environmentalist movement to curb the destruction of the world’s remaining ancient redwoods.
Her 1997 protest in Humboldt county—which broke world records for tree sitting—sought to prevent deforestation, draw media attention to PL’s disregard for the environment, and educate the public about the role forests play in stabilizing hillsides. PL repressed employee whistle-blowing. Therefore, Hill publicized their new clear-cutting policy that reversed PL’s previous environmental sensitivity. Supported by supplies from Earth First!, a coalition of radical environmental activism groups, Hill lived on a 6-by-8-foot platform sheltered by tarps high in the tree and communicated by cell phone. She faced extreme weather, susceptibility to illness, and numerous attempts by PL to force her down, including the use of floodlights and loudspeakers. After more than two years in the tree, her vigil achieved a settlement that protected Luna’s immediate surroundings and included a $50,000 donation to Humboldt State University for forestry research.
Hill cofounded the Circle of Life Foundation (CILF), committed to transforming human interactions with nature, in 1999. She published a book about her tree-sitting experience, The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods, in 2000. In 2002 she was deported from Ecuador while protesting Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s plan for a new pipeline through the indigenous communities of the Mindo-Nambillo Reserve. Hill joined the war tax resistance movement in 2003 to protest the use of her federal taxes in the Iraq War. In 2006 she participated in a tree-sit at a community farm in South Central Los Angeles to protect working-class immigrant farmers.No one can pretend to be shocked anymore when a so-called reality television program turns out to be mostly fabricated. But we should take pause at some of the more drastic allegations being made against one of Animal Planet's hit shows. An explosive exposé from Mother Jones' James West reveals that the producers of "Call of the Wildman," ostensibly a program about "animal rescue," trapped, drugged and otherwise exploited animals, often illegally, all for the sake of entertainment.
"Call of the Wildman," produced in conjunction with Sharp Entertainment and starring "Turtleman" Ernie Brown Jr., is one of the network's most popular programs, as well as being a shining example of what West identifies as the network's "ongoing shift away from educational programming to reality TV." What turns out to have been going on behind the scenes shows just how far it has fallen down that path. West's seven-month investigation, which drew on internal documents, interviews with sources closely involved with the show's production (who risked up to $1 million in damages for breaching their confidentiality agreements) and government documents, exposes a culture far from the animal-loving ethos promoted by the program.
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A lot of it is just (arguably harmless) make-believe: A "mama raccoon" turns out to have probably been male; producers crafted fake animal droppings made of Nutella, Snickers bars and rice to make their staged scenes more believable. Treading into more ethically questionable areas, sources told West they were ordered to trap animals that Brown could then pretend to rescue. The show, according to one anonymous source, was 99 percent scripted. According to another, "We would basically pitch the entire script that was sent to Animal Planet weeks ahead of time with the exact animal, and location."
How far the show will go to sell an engaging narrative is apparent in this one example of West's piece:
In another Texas-based episode, "Lone Stars and Stripes," Turtleman chases a zebra that has supposedly escaped from its fenced-in yard at a ranch. He rides in hot pursuit of the animal in the flatbed of his pickup, brandishing a lasso; eventually he corners the zebra and tackles it. But behind the scenes, things were far murkier. Production sources told me that the zebra seemed woozy during filming; it could barely walk. Animal Planet and Sharp obtained the zebra from the Franklin Drive Thru Safari, an animal park run by a businessman named Jason Clay. In a phone interview, Clay confirmed that he supplied the zebra, but denied using sedatives. Clay is licensed under the federal regulations for animal exhibitors, which specify that "drugs, such as tranquilizers, shall not be used to facilitate, allow, or provide for public handling of the animals," and that handling of animals should not cause trauma, behavioral stress, physical harm, or unnecessary discomfort. Despite Clay's denial, Animal Planet and Sharp confirmed to Mother Jones that the zebra was drugged before filming, but they say it happened behind their backs. However, Jamie and other sources say that the crew was aware of the zebra's sedation during filming, especially since the animal nearly fell over several times. "I heard about the zebra being almost unusable," says another source. "They sedated it, to get it to be less crazy." Another confirmed that the zebra looked "out of it." Animal Planet admits that producers used an additional, unsedated zebra for supplemental footage.
This video produced by Mother Jones tells another such disturbing story, this one involving three baby raccoons whose "rescue" occurred entirely on the show's terms -- and ended in one of their deaths:(Brief because (a) I really don’t know that much history, and (b) there’s really only one idea here with a few examples, and once you get the point, we’re done and can move to the outro.)
Zed and Reg at Rubyfringe exchanging dangerous ideas, photo by Libin Pan
Astronomy and Celestial Mechanics were dangerous ideas because they undermined the most powerful organization of their day, The Church. That’s why people have been banned, tortured, and burned at the stake for talking about these ideas. Crossbows were a dangerous idea because they allowed an untrained peasant to kill a knight. Longbows were not a dangerous idea, because only trained archers can kill a knight with a longbow, and the nobility were the only people who could compel peasants to practise yeomanry.Cryptography is not a dangerous idea, because we really don’t know if any of our algorithms and protocols are resistant to the NSA. This was hi-lighted when researchers “discovered” differential cryptanalysis. When they looked at the DES algorithm IBM has been promoting since the 1976, they found that it had been specifically tuned to resist differential cryptanalysis. IBM ‘fessed up: the US government had told them to tune things that way without explaining why, leading us to conclude they had known about this attack for decades before it became public knowledge. Today, we have no idea whether what we think is strong is actually strong or whether it has vulnerabilities and back doors governments can exploit.Miles Davis was a walking, talking, trumpet-playing dangerous idea. Not because he reinvented Jazz five different times (Dear Steve: Apple II, Macintosh, iPod/iPhone, Pixar. One more for the tie, two for the record.) Miles was an egocentric, venal man who worked the system, not undermined the system. But he was still dangerous because he got white people directly interested in black music. There was no Elvis or Vanilla Ice or anyone else between his music and the mainstream audience. For a government intent on keeping America’s two dominant cultures divided through fear, anything uniting them was a threat.People say Miles’ legacy is his music. To me, Miles’ lasting legacy is people like me, people with one parent from each culture who grew up dancing to the same music together. People who, incidentally, do not vote for governments that take a divide and conquer approach to culture.And on to tech. Microcomputers were not a dangerous idea. But personal computers were dangerous. It took decades for IT departments to regain control over people bringing their own computers to work. They can thank Microsoft for helping them get back into the driver’s seat.(This, incidentally, is why I really dislike Microsoft’s policies: it has nothing to do with their lack of taste, it has to do with their mission to make the computer on my desk belong to my IT department or the record label or the movie studio or—I suspect—the government.)Web applications are dangerous. Never mind the fact that they make desktop applications obsolete. The people who built desktop applications just go and get jobs writing web applications. Same people, different shit. But as Giles Bowkett pointed out, web applications just might make venture capital obsolete! When you don’t need hundreds of programmers and distribution channels and all the other friction-managing elements of a company that ships old-school software, you need a lot less money to start a business.And on to media. You know that the web is busy putting newspapers out of business. My wife and I watched YouTube last Saturday Night. I’m not talking about the advertising business: I think we would have been happy to watch ads to watch our Mitch Hedberg and Billy Connoly comedy clips. But the web lets us choose what we want to watch, when we want to watch it. The network can’t put their up-and-coming show on right after their hit to give it a boost. The new show has to compete on its own merits. That puts users in control, and that’s dangerous.Joel Spolsky said a similar thing about pricing all music at 99 cents a track: it means the labels can’t kill an artist by sticking their CD in the $3.99 crapola bin. Users choose what they want to listen to. That’s dangerous, again because users are in control.Okay, that’s enough. Dangerous ideas are the ones that subvert the existing hierarchy of control, not just the ones that shuffle people around in the same old chairs. Apple Macintosh with a GUI replacing a PC with a command line? Not dangerous. Apple Macintosh with a Laserwriter and Aldus Pagemaker allowing someone to launch a magazine in their basement that competes with a company employing dozens of layout artists? That’s dangerous, and that’s interesting.Dangerous equals subversive equals interesting.Deep breath. Okay, the next thing is not particularly dangerous for the world at large, but it is for me. I am retiring from blogging and retiring from hacking on Ruby. Maybe I’ll un-retire one day. I don’t know, the future is not set.Miles Davis wasn’t afraid to move on when the time was right, even if what he was doing seemed to make people happy. Respecting his legacy means seeking what he sought.Remember how I said that microcomputers were not dangerous, but personal computers were? Right now, I would say this: Ruby is not dangerous, but Rails is dangerous and Merb is dangerous and Sinatra is dangerous. Rewriting for Ruby is interesting. I believe it is useful. But is it dangerous? No.Likewise, I can say with a clear conscience that while writing is gratifying, and trying to write out and explain ideas has helped me understand things, the writing I’ve been doing is not dangerous. It doesn’t subvert.So while hacking away on Ruby the language and blogging about software development is gratifying and useful, they are not dangerous activities. They are microcomputers, but they are not personal computers.I am going on vacation from August 2nd through 10th. During that time I plan to do absolutely no thinking about computers. For what it’s worth, I will be engaging in activities with faux danger: wreck diving and sport climbing. (p.s. these are not solitary pursuits: if you want to try some of the world’s greatest wreck diving and sport climbing, get in touch).When I return, I will give things some serious thought and hopefully, discover a way I can help make our world a more dangerous place.Thank you ever so much for your support and interest and feedback. Especial thanks to my fellow bloggers like Joel, Joey, Giles, Damien, Obie and so many others who exchanged ideas with me and kept the debate alive. And Reddit? And Hacker News? You rock, you are the future. I can’t wait to see how your communities and technologies evolve.Warmest regards,Reginald BraithwaiteAnd Kevin Millar broke it up! Here's what Heyman's had to say on the subject:
That's Kevin Millar's Twitter handle, sans an "L," along with that of Mike Teevan of the MLB Public Relations Department. Neither of the other two are talking about the near-fight, and Pat the Bat doesn't appear to have a Twitter, so it's only Heyman's word we have to go on at the moment. Phillies beat writer Kevin Cooney asked Heyman, "was that last night?" Heyman responded, "technically, this morning. but yes." College freshman Seth Guttman, tweeting under the handle @JewSwag24, said, "WTF!!! I would have had money on Heyman! #FuckPatTheBat," to which Heyman diplomatically replied, "lol. i wouldnt put too much on that one."
What might The Machine's beef have been? Well, an old CSTB post details Heyman's tendency to reach for the backhanded compliment when discussing Burrell, and earlier this year, Heyman said he'd vote Burrell off the Survivor island even before he voted off Jeff Kent (seriously, he tweeted that exact thing). A Yardbarker post from 2010 titled, "Jon Heyman Isn't Fond of Pat Burrell" oddly leads to a page in Japanese, so that's a non-starter. If anyone knows the root of their beef, send it here, or put it in the discussion.
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Regardless of the cause, it's safe to this only burnishes Pat Burrell's already sterling reputation in our eyes. Who hasn't wanted to beat up America's wealthiest baseball writer?
h/t Anthony R.Unofficial Copies of Android Support Libraries Being Distributed on JCenter Last Updated: 9/20/2016
Google has recently discovered that a person or entity has published several unofficial versions of the Android Support Libraries on JCenter. The specific unofficial versions of these artifacts are: com.android.support:animated-vector-drawable (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:appcompat-v7 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:cardview-v7 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:customtabs (24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:design (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:gridlayout-v7 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:leanback-v7 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:mediarouter-v7 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:palette-v7 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:percent (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:preference-leanback-v7 (24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:preference-v14 (24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:preference-v7 (24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:recommendation (24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:recyclerview-v7 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:support-annotations (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:support-compat (24.2)
com.android.support:support-core-ui (24.2)
com.android.support:support-core-utils (24.2)
com.android.support:support-fragment (24.2)
com.android.support:support-media-compat (24.2)
com.android.support:support-v13 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:support-v4 (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
com.android.support:support-vector-drawable (24.0/24.1/24.1.1)
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We have worked with JCenter and these unofficial copies of Android Support Libraries have been removed. To protect yourself and your users, we recommend that you do the following:
Use only the official Android Support Libraries. Only use the Android Support Libraries distributed through the Android SDK Manager. You can make sure you have all the official Android Support Libraries versions by making sure that your Android Support Repository is up-to-date. You can check this in Android Studio by going to Tools > Android > SDK Manager, then click on the SDK Tools tab, expand Support Repository, and make sure Android Support Repository is checked.
Clear your Gradle cache. You should delete your Gradle cache in case you have already downloaded one of these unauthorized versions of the libraries. The location of the Gradle cache folder is in the following locations: On Windows: %USER_HOME%.gradle/caches
On Mac/Unix: $HOME/.gradle/caches/ We are continuing to work with JCenter to protect the com.android.* and com.google.* namespaces of artifacts, and to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. We will keep this page up-to-date as we have news to share about this incident, and we will also provide updates through Twitter and the Android Developer Tools Community on G+.Cleveland Facebook killer committed suicide after troopers stopped car in city of Erie. McDonald's workers had tipped off troopers that Stephens was in area.
3:55 p.m.
Pennsylvania State Police troopers had "no firsthand knowledge" of a "ping" from Steve Stephens' cellphone in Erie County, Maj. William Teper Jr., commander of state police's Area I, which includes Erie County, said at a news conference at the state police's Troop E headquarters in Lawrence Park.
Teper also said troopers are still trying to determine how long Stephens was in Erie County and why he was here.
Teper said troopers were on the lookout for Stephens because he was known to be a gambler and because of Erie's proximity to Cleveland. Presque Isle Downs & Casino, which Stephens was last known to visit in March, is in Erie County.
"We were looking for him from day one," Teper said.
Stephens did not visit Presque Isle Downs & Casino since the shooting, casino spokeswoman Jennifer See said Tuesday.
"Absolutely not. We have not seen him since early March," See said.
Stephens posted on Facebook that he lost a significant sum of money gambling at the Summit Township casino, and one in Cleveland.
Teper said a "concerned citizen on Buffalo Road" contacted law enforcement at 11:10 a.m. and that Stephens was sighted at a McDonald's in Harborcreek. He would not identify the concerned citizen and said he did not know whether the person would receive a reward for the information.
He said Stephens shot himself after troopers pursued his car and stopped him in what is called a P.I.T. maneuver, or precision immobilization technique, in which police cause a car to go sideways and stop.
The chase, which Teper said never went above 50 miles per hour, involved four state police vehicles and was joined by members of the Wesleyville Police Department, he said.
Teper said state police followed up on a number of tips from the public, but none had been substantiated before Tuesday morning. Teper said he was not aware whether Stephens had any connections or relatives in the Erie area.
He said Stephens is not believed to have had any accomplices and his whereabouts before the Tuesday morning chase are not known.
2:04 p.m.
Pennsylvania State Police say they will hold a news conference on the Steve Stephens case at 3:30 p.m. at Troop E barracks in Lawrence Park.
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1:43 p.m.
Steve Stephens' taste for McDonald's helped the Pennsylvania State Police catch the accused Facebook killer in Erie.
Employees at the McDonald's on Buffalo Road, in Harborcreek Township, said a drive-through attendant alerted state police when Stephens stopped at the restaurant's drive-through window shortly after 11 a.m.
The McDonald's is about five miles east of where state police stopped Stephens in Erie.
Thomas DuCharme Jr., owner and operator of the McDonald's, said the attendant thought she recognized Stephens. DuCharme said the attendant then called state police.
DuCharme said Stephens ordered 20 chicken nuggets and a basket of fries, but that the workers held off on delivering the fries to delay Stephens. He said Stephens got the nuggets.
"We told him his fries were going to be a minute," said Henry Sayers, the restaurant's manager.
Said DuCharme: "I am pretty sure he figured out that we were on to him. He didn't want to wait for his fries."
He said Stephens then drove away without the fries.
1:23 p.m.
Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook pronounced Stephens dead at the scene at 11:35 a.m. Investigators are getting search warrants for the car and are waiting on the arrival of a state police accident reconstruction team later this afternoon.
Cook said his office would conduct an autopsy at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Three state police cruisers involved in the stop of Stephens' car remained at the scene, along with Stephens' car.
1:12 p.m.
Warren Harris, 64, of Erie, who is on the scene of the investigation, said he had lived near Steve Stephens and his family in Beachwood, Ohio.
Harris, who said he has lived in Erie for 12 years, said the family is "good, churchgoing family." He said that today's events did not surprise him because "incidents like this happen where I'm from."
1:07 p.m.
A spokeswoman at Stephens’ employer told the Erie Times-News in a telephone interview on Tuesday afternoon that employees there learned quickly of Stephens’ death in Erie via news reports.
“It’s just been a tragic situation, on every front, with this story,” said Nancy Kortemeyer, senior director of marketing and public relations at Beech Brook, located in northeast Ohio.
Beech Brook is a behavioral health organization serving children, teenagers and families.
According to a statement Beech Brook officials posted on its website, Stephens worked there since 2008, most recently as a vocational specialist for youth and young adults. Prior to that, Stephens had been a youth mentor.
Stephens had no major disciplinary actions at Beech Brook, Kortemeyer said, and there was nothing in his work history “that would have been a red flag.”
The manhunt for Stephens has been “very much a strain and a worry” for the Beech Brook staff, Kortemeyer said.
“We’ve been worried about the safety of our staff and our clients,” Kortemeyer said. “We are just relieved the situation has been resolved without any further harm to anyone else.
Kortemeyer added, “It’s so sad that Steve Stephens took his own life. We don’t know what would have caused him to do this.”
Beech Brook issued a statement regarding Stephens' death later Tuesday on its website:
“It was with a mixture of sadness and relief that Beech Brook learned of the suicide of Steve Stephens. Every suicide is a tragedy, but we also share a sense of relief with the rest of our community because we are no longer fearful that Mr. Stephens will take more lives.
"We are deeply grateful to the law enforcement officials who vigorously pursued this case. Our thoughts are with all of those impacted by these senseless acts of violence.”
1 p.m.
From Pennsylvania State Police, or PSP, in a news release:
" 'Facebook Killer' Steve Stephens was spotted just after 11 a.m. by an alert citizen near the intersection of Buffalo Road and Downing Avenue in Erie County, Pennsylvania, which is less than two miles from PSP Troop E headquarters.
"PSP troopers immediately began to canvas the area for Stephens and located him in his vehicle a short time later. Troopers in marked patrol units initiated a pursuit that lasted approximately two miles.
"The troopers attempted a PIT maneuver to disable Stephens’ vehicle, a white Ford Fusion. As the vehicle was spinning out of control from the PIT maneuver, Stephens pulled a pistol and shot himself in the head."
12:58 p.m.
Agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have arrived on scene. The FBI arrived earlier and agents are still on scene.
12:55 p.m.
From a news conference in Cleveland at about 12:15 p.m.
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said he had no information on why Steven Stephens was in Erie.
"We are taking a cautious approach," he said. "There may be connections we don't know about. There is still a lot we don't know."
Chief acknowledged that their federal partners had spent time searching Erie and the surrounding area.
Anyone who knows that area, he said, knows "there are a lot of places to hide."
The press conference was held less than an hour after Stephens took his own life. At that early point, "We have spoken with all the families involved. They had all been notified," Williams said.
Williams said at the news conference that he had few details: "Our investigators are on their way now," he said.
Another officer who spokes at the news conference, but whose name was not available, said: "We had hoped to bring Steve in peacefully and talk to him about what happened."
The same police officials said: "Kudos to Pennsylvania State Police for doing an outstanding job."
Asked if he was worried about potential copycats who might commit their own crimes and post them to social media, Chief Williams shook his head no.
"We're not putting that energy out there," he said. "We've talked about people not living their lives on social media. This is something that should never have been shared on social media, period."
Chief Williams said police followed up on about 400 leads across the country, but it was one particular tip that led police to Stephens.
"We are grateful to the people who gave this tip to Pennsylvania State Police," he said.
12:53 p.m.
State police commanders have left the scene. Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook had been examining the body of Steve Stephens inside the white Ford Fusion, where police said he fatally shot himself after state police pulled him over at around 11:10 a.m.
12:51 p.m.
Spectators at the scene of an investigation of Steve Stephens' apparent suicide in Erie, many streaming video of the scene from their smartphones, were glad the manhunt for the accused Cleveland Facebook killer was over. They said they'd been worried about the safety of local children after first hearing Stephens might be in Erie.
Others were not afraid at all. "Everyone was scared of this dude for no reason," Melvon Heidelberg said. Heidelberg, 21, of Erie, traveled to the scene from East Lake Road after his friend told him Stephens had been found. "People get shot out here everyday," he said. "In Erie, that's how it is. It's real out here. You gotta be careful." Another spectator, Lisa Jenkins, of Erie, said the city has enough problems already. "We don't need Cleveland's," said Jenkins, 47.
Earlier:
Erie police have confirmed the suicide in Erie on Tuesday of Steve Stephens, the Cleveland resident suspected of fatally shooting a Cleveland man on Sunday and posting video of the slaying on Facebook.
Stephens died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while driving a white Ford Fusion near Buffalo Road and Downing Avenue around 11:10 a.m., police said.
State police were following the car as it headed west into Erie after leaving a nearby McDonald's, police said.
The car, pointed west, is stopped in the westbound lane of Buffalo Road, across from the former Burton Elementary School, 1660 Buffalo Road. Police are blocking off the entire school grounds.
Erie police are also at the scene, with Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook and the FBI and Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri.
Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott said early Tuesday afternoon that he did not have much information about the incident, but he expected to be briefed later in the day by Police Chief Don Dacus.
"Obviously when you've got a fugitive out there, you're pleased to see it come to some quick resolution," Sinnott said.
Return to GoErie.com for updates.
Steve Stephens was spotted this morning by PSP members in Erie County. After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself.
— PA State Police (@PAStatePolice)April 18, 2017Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said people don’t expect “purity” on the part of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but instead “somebody strong enough to take on Washington.”
Partial transcript as follows:
KARL: Let’s get more with Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a long-time member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He was the first senator to endorse Donald Trump and is now chairman of his foreign policy team. Senator Sessions, let me pick it up right where we left off with Chairman Priebus. He talked about this article in “The New York Times,” about Trump’s relationship with women and said there are things in here that he is going to have to answer for. Do you agree with that?
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALA.: Well, of course, he has to answer and people will ask those questions and they’ve got 20 or — they’ve got hundreds, I suppose. People digging in to everything he’s done for all these years. But people have not expected purity on his part. What they’re concerned about, they’re deeply concerned about is this: somebody strong enough to take on Washington. Will he challenge the establishment? Will he end the illegality in immigration? Will he insist on trade agreements that lift our economy, increase manufacturing? And will he stand up to the elites? And he’s doing so and the people are responding. He’s leading in Ohio by 4 points, a state we’ve lost for several terms now, elections now. Pennsylvania, neck-and-neck; Indiana. So these situations to me suggest that he’s appealing to the new group of voters, bringing in voters Republicans haven’t had in eight years, the ones necessary to win an election.Welcome to our teacup pigs for sale in New Mexico page. We have been helping animal lovers adopt teacup pigs in New Mexico for several years now. Since there are currently no legitimate teacup pig breeders in New Mexico we are able to ship a pampered piglet to an airport near you safe and sound.
How much do our teacup pigs cost? Typical Range $1,500-3,000
Our teacup piglet cost will vary depending on the color, age and the expected size (whether it is micro pig or Super Micro). The term “teacup” is a little misleading. These little fellows can range in size anywhere from 15 pounds to 40 LBS. We have had some grown adults end up 8-15 pounds but those are extremely rare and when that happens it seems to be more random and not something we have been able to predict. We still receive emails weekly from people wanting a 5-pound full grown piglet. We have the smallest piglets in the United States and we have yet to see one grow to the size of just 5 LBS. It is important to keep in mind if piglets are not neutered or spade the tend to grow up to be larger therefore we HIGHLY RECOMMEND having your piglet spade or neutered. Breeder teacup pigs tend to get larger as well. If you are breeding a teacup pig you will want to make sure you add more food to their diet because they are eating for their piglets too. There are also different colors that typically will cost more.
Pink is one of the most desired colors so pink piglets usually sell for more than a more common color like black. Juliana and Chocolate are also very desired colors.
Size is the biggest thing to consider when it comes to teacup piglets. Many competitors sell piglets for 800-1,500 they take pictures of these piglets are just a couple days old!!! Not only is it unhealthy for the piglet to be taken away from their mothers at a few days old, it also is very unethical for these breeders to misrepresent their piglets that way. Most people do like how cute piglets look at a couple days old. The unethical breeders take advantage of this by posting pics of super young piglets. If you’re finding a “teacup piglet” for under $1,500 you are not getting quality bloodlines. Young piglets that sell for that cheap typically grow up to be 80-150 LBS. Be very careful of breeders that try to predict how many inches a piglet will be when they become adults. This is just a sales ploy. There is no way to guess what a piglet’s size will be when it is a few days old. True Teacup piglets won’t be mature enough to safely be weaned and go to a new home until after they are at least 12 weeks old. You should not buy a teacup piglet online if there isn’t a current pic of it the breeder has of it over the age of 12 weeks old. There are some breeders who sell pot belly pigs that they call Teacup pigs. There is even a Facebook group of pig enthusiast where their average mini pig grows to over 100 pounds. The Breeders do love pigs and to them 150 LBS pig is still adorable. You can easy find one of these larger pigs for under $1,000. There are other breeders you can find online locally that sell their pigs for $1,000-1,500 range Most of these pigs |
representation of the people. The rulers laugh about their simple but effective strategy. It works because manipulation is so simple and easy to accomplish, with so many available means at hand. Ultimately, this is all just a delaying tactic to keep the people in the dark as long as possible about what is happening in this country. Because so long as there is no broad resistance, the Germanophobic and destructive decisions can be carried out undisturbed, right in the eyes of the public. Accordingly, the current pretend dictatorship is probably a still more dangerous system than an open, absolute dictatorship. Resistance cannot be concentrated on one opponent, because the opponent creates blurry lines of distinction and remains surreal, intangible. The remaining hope is that the German people will wake up and not allow itself to be kept forever in a matrix of pretend realities. It might not even notice its own destruction.
Notes:Key amendments to a major bill to partially repeal Obamacare cleared the House Rules Committee on late Wednesday, smoothing the path forward for a Thursday vote on the bill.
The House Rules Committee voted 8-3 along party lines late Wednesday to advance several key amendments for the American Health Care Act, a bill that partially repeals Obamacare.
Now that the rules committee has approved the changes, which include more money for federal high-risk pools integral to getting centrists on board, its passage is more likely.
The GOP conference is expected to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow and then an expected final vote is planned between 12:30 to 1 p.m., according to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
But the vote will take place without a new Congressional Budget Office estimate on the bill's impact on spending and insurance coverage. Alongside the amendment to add $8 billion for high-risk pools, there is an amendment that lets states opt out of Obamacare insurance mandates including the price control community rating and providing essential health benefits in plans.
The $8 billion is only for high-risk pools for states that opt out of the mandate for community rating, which prevents insurers from charging sick people higher rates.As readers of this blog or my Kindle Single (or, now, New York magazine) know, I’m intrigued by the possibility that MH370 might have been hijacked and flown north to the Yubileyniy Aerodrome within the Baikonur Cosmodrome. If so, it would have come to rest on the specially-milled concrete at approximately an hour and a half before sunrise on Sunday, March 8. And then what? If it stayed where it was, it would have been easy to spot by land-imaging satellites overhead. To avoid detection, it would have to have either refueled and taken off again, or found some kind of shelter.
As it happens, the Kazakh steppe is a terrible place to hide a 210-foot long, 60-foot-high airplane. The flat, desert plain is sparsely populated and almost featureless, so that anything large and unusual is apt to stand out. There is no natural canopy of trees to shelter under. Though there are large buildings at the cosmodrome where space vehicles are serviced, there are no large structures near Yubileyniy.
After I began developing my “Spoof” hypthesis I spent days scouring first Google Earth, then free commercial satellite imagery looking for any hint that a plane could have been stashed in the vicinity. The pickings were slim. The Yubileyniy complex was built in the ‘80s as the landing site for the Buran space plane, and after the program was cancelled in 1989 it has largely sat disused. Occasionally the runway is used by planes carrying inbound VIPs and cosmonauts, but otherwise nothing has really happened there in decades. An overview of the area is depicted above.
The dark, fishhook-shaped line is the rail line connecting the airstrip to the rest of the Baikonur complex. Alongside it is a road from which a series of driveways lead off to the north. One of them leads to an isolated six-story building that stands surrounded by debris, berms, and trenches. I came to think of the area as Yubileyniy North. Here’s what it looked like in 2006 (click on images to enlarge):
As you can see, the area is desert, where vehicle tracks persist for many years. The six-story building casts a dark, short shadow to the northwest — the sun is nearly overhead. The road from the airstrip comes up from the bottom of the frame and curves to the right. Here and there rectangular patches of debris suggest where buildings once stood. Essentially, it’s a ruin. Here’s the same area, six years later:
Not much has changed. The sun is lower in the sky, so the six-story building’s shadow is longer. But nothing seems to have changed at all. The entire area of Yubileyniy is like this—the place seems have been left to slowly crumble in the desert sun for decades. There’s nowhere to stash a 777. On the other hand, the most recent imagery viewable here in Google Earth comes from 2012. Perhaps something has happened since then? I didn’t know anything about what kind of imagery is available from commercial sources, but I set out to learn. Before long I came upon a company called Terraserver, which lets you view high-resolution satellite imagery for free. I used it to scope around the general area of the Yubileyniy complex, and here’s what I found in an image of Yubileyniy North from October 31, 2013:
Suddenly, things are happening. A number of trucks are lined up in the parking lot in the upper-right part of the image. The six-story building is being disassembled. And what looks like a large rectangle of dirt has been bulldozed to the left of the building. The image resolution is so good that you can make out what I take to be the stripes left by the bulldozer blade as it worked back and forth horizontally. At the northern end of the rectangle is a berm which casts a shadow to the north. At the far northeastern corner lies what appears to be a trench with a well-defined corner on the upper right, with treadmarks leading out of it toward the southeast. I’m not sure what this dirt rectangle represents — are they building a pile of dirt, or a hole? — but what really gets my attention is the size of the thing. To give you a sense of scale, I’ve superimposed an equivalently proportioned 777 silhouette onto the image:
This struck me as interesting, to say the least. Naturally, I wondered what happened next. Fortunately, Terraserver had one more image that I could browse for free. This next one was taken on April 26, 2014:
Holy cow. All traces of both the building and the dirt rectangle have been erased. Various debris piles have been swept away, too. At first I thought that maybe the image had been digitally scrubbed, but if you look closely you can easily make out individual pieces of junk in between the cleared areas. So my interpretation is that the site was actually cleared and swept up.
So here’s the situation: nothing happens at Yubileyniy for decades; then, four months before MH370 disappears, the Russians start building a 777-sized something-or-other a mile and a half from a giant disused airstrip. Then, a month after the plane disappears, the area looks like it’s been erased.
What had happened in the meantime? To find out, I had to shell out cash from my own pocket to buy imagery from the main commercial satellite imagery provider, Digital Globe, via one of its resellers—in this case, a company called Apollo Mapping. The cash drain was painful, but at this point I was very far down the rabbit hole. Here’s what Yubileyniy North looked like on December 17, 2013:
The sun is low on the snow-dusted steppe; it’s almost winter. In a month and a half, workers have removed all but the bottom-most floors of the six-story building. You can make out the shadow of a crane projecting to the north from the middle of the remaining structure. A handful of trucks can still be seen in the parking lot. The dirt pile has been extended a few yards to the north; the berm at that end now overlies the what we saw as the sharp corner of the trench in the October image. Beyond the berm lies either a dark strip that could either be a long trench or just a shadow; to my eye the line of brightness at its northern edge implies the lip of a trench, but who knows. Work is clearly continuing. The next image, in black and white, is from three weeks later, January 9, 2014:
Now winter is in full effect. Snow blankets the entire region, and cold has descended: in the four days before this picture was taken, the temperature fluctuated between -15F and +14F. The disruption of the snow cover shows that work is very much underway. The building seems to be down to its last story. Trucks can be seen in the parking lot. I’m not sure what to make of the northern end of the rectangle; two dark strips are visible, perhaps one of them is a trench and the other is the shadow of a berm. Unforunately the resolution is not very good because the image was taken at a fairly low angle. The fact that work is continuing under such harsh conditions suggests a sense of urgency, to my mind; or perhaps these are simply hardy mofos. By the time the next image is taken, nearly two months have passed.
In this black-and-white image, the building has been completely dismantled and the dirt rectangle bulldozed flat. No berm remains at the northern end. Horizontal bulldozer tracks are still visible. The dark dirt is framed with a lighter border, suggesting perhaps a snowy slope. No trucks are visible, suggesting that the work crew has moved on. A color image taken four days later looks almost identical:
This image was taken two days before MH370 disappeared, on March 6. The next one was taken eight days after, on March 16:
When I first saw this picture, my heart leapt. The two scenes, taken just before and after the disappearance, looked so different that I was certain that something significant had occurred in the interim. Perhaps what was a rectangular depression in the March 6 image has now been filled in with sand (along with maybe, oh, who knows, a plane?).
I began pricing out tickets to Kazakhstan and searching the internet for advice on detecting large buried things with metal detectors. I located a Russian from St. Petersburg who’d made a gonzo two-day bike trek across the steppe to reach the Yubileyniy strip and sought his advice on how to get to the area without permission; he told me that he’d camped out at the airstrip overnight without anybody noticing him but then had tried to visit a busier part of the cosmodrome and gotten arrested. After he told them he was just scouting around because he was a huge fan of the Buran project, they let him go. I figured that if I was more careful I had a good chance of making it in and back.
But then I looked more closely, and examined the weather records. It just so happened that during this time interval spring fell on Baikonur like a hammer. On March 6, the temperature had only just peeked above freezing, by the 16th the daily highs had been in the 40s for the better part of a week. The thaw has completely changed the color palette. Everything that was covered in snow, and hence lighter colored, is now sodden and hence darker colored. White plains of snow are now damp brown sand. The darker earth of the rectangle is now drier and lighter-colored. After staring at these images for many hours I concluded that the most likely interpretation is that nothing has changed except for a temperature change.
And so we wind up back at our April 26 image:
By now the desert has returned to its normal dried-out state. The cluttered jumble seen over the winter has been replaced by almost featureless swatches of tan. A vehicle track overlies the northernmost part of the dirt rectangle, its borders now smudged and indeterminate.
I showed some of these images to construction experts and satellite imagery professionals, and received very little encouragement. Most likely, they told me, the work being performed was site remediation: a building was torn down, and construction debris thrown in a trench and covered up. As successive trenches are dug and filled in, a rectangular shape is formed. Simple as that.
And yet: the entire cosmodrome is littered with decades of abandoned equipment and derelict buildings, evincing a constitutional lack of interest in the concept of remediation. There is no commercial or residential activity for miles of Yubileyniy. Why, after decades, did the Russians suddenly need to clear this one lonely spot, in the heart of a frigid winter, finishing just before MH370 disappeared? And why is it that the greater part of the dirt rectangle was already laid out in the Oct 31 image, before the building was substantially demolished?
I don’t know. I tried to reach out to people who might know, but had no luck, and eventually I had to turn my attention to projects that might earn me some money. But I’d love to find out. If any readers have any special insight, I’d love to hear it.
UPDATE 4/3/2106: Since I wrote the above, Google Earth has added a new high-quality image of the site, taken October, 12, 2014. It gives a different impression from the last image–it doesn’t look any longer like the dirt was swept flat, like someone trying to cover their tracks.Uri terror attack +
how terrorists could sneak in +
NEW DELHI: Pakistan's media has developed a fascinating new thesis - India staged theto create hatred between the Sikh and Muslim communities in Kashmir Here's how Pakistan's The News International has come to the above conclusion."Sources in the security establishment insist that the military brigade headquarter (in Uri ), which has been the target of what is believed to be India's false flag operation, is Sikh dominated, chosen deliberately to antagonise the Sikhs from supporting the Muslims' struggle in Kashmir," the newspaper said today.Pakistani security sources told the newspaper that "Sikhs have openly supported the just cause of Muslims" for independence in Kashmir. They then added that "it is always the Sikh community selected to suffer by the Hindu-led government in such self-designed attacks."The News International said that India's so-called "staged attack" in Uri had multiple goals."It is said that from this false flag operation, India wants to achieve more than one targets, including accusing Pakistan of backing terrorism, diverting the world attention from the killings by its forces in occupied Kashmir, undermining Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's address at the UN General Assembly session and creating hatred between the Sikh and Muslim communities in Indian-held Kashmir," Pakistani security officials told The News International.As evidence to show Uri was staged by India, the newspaper askedso easily."India has erected a type-A fence all along the Line of Control besides installing state-of-the-art laser sensors to detect any cross LoC movement,"the newspaper wrote. A source is quoted as telling the paper: "How then a handful of terrorists could sneak across, dodging the third largest army of the planet earth with its hi-tech gadgets and their ferocious K9 force?"More evidence?"Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is known for spewing venom against Pakistan, was to leave for his Russian tour on September 17 but cancelled his trip one day prior to the impending attack in Uri. 'Hope he wasn't waiting to see the unfolding of virtual play which he and (India's National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval had jointly scripted,' a source suggested."Another Pakistani newspaper Dawn called India bloodthirsty, in the light of BJP leader Ram Madhav saying that to avenge Uri a tooth for a tooth isn't enough, and it should be "a jaw for one tooth.""...it was not a surprising reaction to the terror attack that came from Ram Madhav, an RSS-loaned trouble-shooter for the Hindutva establishment in Delhi. He promptly called for a jaw for each tooth, whatever that means in a region crawling with nuclear weapons," Dawn wrote."For all the flaunting of Mahatma Gandhi's name to appear in public view as a nonviolent polity, independent India has revealed a gargantuan appetite for inflicting violence, most of all on its own people,"Dawn wrote today.The editorial then went into describing scripture."The Old Testament decreed an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Jesus subsequently softened God's command. He advised offering the other cheek. Gandhi favoured the dictum as much as he could, but the extremist Hindus for all their loathing of the Christian faith settled for the Old Testament," it said.Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., took his case for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration system straight to one of the most influential voices in Republican politics, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Their friendly exchange notwithstanding, Limbaugh remained opposed. And their exchange underscored a key facet of the coming debate over whether to allow a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now inside the U.S.: Republicans are split on the immigration issue and the schism is not going to be easily healed.
Party leaders are well aware they’ve got to erase what former Secretary of State Colin Powell termed the “dark veil of intolerance” that colors the party’s image in some circles and broaden their appeal to Hispanics, a crucial and growing voting bloc that went overwhelmingly for President Barack Obama in November.
Republicans are split into two camps. There are those such as Rubio who will consider a path to citizenship along with tighter border security. They’re willing to talk to Democrats over how to deal with illegal immigrants and have strong business community support as well as a willingness by key senators to listen.
Then there’s the hard line, championed by Limbaugh and others, who insist on tougher border enforcement and suggest “paths to citizenship” are a euphemism for amnesty.
“The word compromise is thrown around, we have to compromise, seek common ground. Where is the common ground (with President Barack Obama)? I don’t see it,” Limbaugh told his large radio audience Tuesday.
Rubio, a guest on the show, had a delicate political line to toe. He answered carefully and appeared to please Limbaugh. Obama, Rubio said, “can either decide that he wants to be part of a solution, or he can decide he wants to be part of a political issue and try to trigger a bidding war. I’m not going to be part of a bidding war to see who can come up with the most lenient path forward.”
But he is looking for a path forward, in a party that is deeply divided on the issue. Officeholders like Rubio in swing states are caught in the middle.
There’s evidence the hardliners’ approach is softening, if only because the 2012 electoral results dramatically illustrated the need to woo Latino voters. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won 27 percent of the Latino vote, and his poor showing helped him lose key states. In Nevada, for instance, where Obama delivered his immigration speech Tuesday, 19 percent of the presidential vote was Latino, and Obama won 71 percent.
Immediately after the election, many Republicans realized what they needed to do. Conservative talk show host Sean Hannity told his radio listeners two days after the voting that he had new thoughts about immigration.
“It’s simple to me to fix it. I think you control the border first. You create a pathway for those people that are here. You don’t say you’ve got to go home. And that is a position that I’ve evolved on,” he said. “Because, you know what, it’s got to be resolved.”
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said a week later that the party needed to “hear what he (Obama) has to say” about immigration. Arizona Sen. John McCain, whose 2007 bipartisan effort at immigration legislation fizzled because of conservative opposition, saw new hope.
“There’s a significant portion of the conservative movement at last open to a discussion. That’s a big change,” he said Tuesday.
But that conservative wing is still not entirely convinced, and it still sees political peril in getting too cozy with those who want a path to citizenship.
Daniel Horowitz blogged on the conservative site Redstate.com that Monday’s press conference announcing the bipartisan plan was “a full-court circus.” Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, charged the plan is “designed to satisfy the demands of illegal aliens and their advocates, and business interests that want more cheap labor.”
The proposal could be a trap, Limbaugh said. “So the question is, does he (Obama) really want any kind of a solution to the problem, or is this really attractive to him as an ongoing issue for him to fulfill his dream of just eliminating any viable political opposition in the media, the Republican Party, or whatever, because they’ve admitted that that’s what their objective is. Just wipe you guys out,” he argued.
Rubio gently argued otherwise. By taking the initiative, people will see what “we have put something that is very common sense and reasonable.”AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels have captured a strategic town in northern Hama province in a major offensive that threatens government loyalist towns populated by minority Christians and Alawites north of the provincial capital, rebels and a monitor said on Tuesday.
The town of Halfaya was stormed on Monday after the hardline jihadist Jund al-Aqsa alongside Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades launched a battle overnight that overran several army and pro-government checkpoints in northern Hama countryside.
The town, which is near a main road that links the coastal areas with the Aleppo-Damascus highway is only a few kilometers from the historic Christian town of Mahrada to the west.
“We are now cleansing the town after liberating it from the regime and will have more surprises in store,” said Abu Kinan, a commander in Jaish al Ezza, a rebel group that fought in the town.
A rapid collapse in government defenses allowed the rebels to also take a string of villages including Buwaydah, Zalin and Masassnah. They were threatening Taybat al Imam to the east of Halfaya.
The offensive brought them closer to the army stronghold of Soran, the army’s northern gateway to the city of Hama, the provincial capital.
A Syrian military source said airstrikes conducted by the army killed dozens of rebels and would neither deny nor confirm Halfaya had fallen to rebels. Pro-government websites said the army was sending reinforcements to retake these towns.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which confirmed the fall of the town, said jets believed to be Syrian struck rebel outposts in the area, killing at least 20 rebels.
The militant Jund al-Aqsa group deployed suicide bombers to storm army checkpoints.
Jaish al Ezza threatened in a statement to hit the Mahrada power plant near the town, one of Syria’s largest, if civilians areas in rebel-held areas were bombed in retaliation.
The rebel offensive comes after weeks of heavy Russian and Syrian army bombing of rebel controlled Hama and southern Idlib countryside that rebels say has claimed dozens of civilian lives.
Syrian army offensives backed by heavy Russian air strikes to retake territory from rebels in the Hama countryside have had limited success.
The latest gains will consolidate rebels who captured at the end of last year the strategic town of Morek, north of Hama city on a major north-south highway crucial to control of western Syria.House To States: Don't You Dare Demand GMO Labels
Enlarge this image toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
The argument over genetically modified food has been dominated, in recent years, by a debate over food labels — specifically, whether those labels should reveal the presence of GMOs.
The battle, until now, has gone state by state. California refused to pass a labeling initiative, but Maine, Connecticut and Vermont have now passed laws in favor of GMO labeling.
Opponents of GMO labeling, including some of the biggest food manufacturers, have turned to Congress, and this week they achieved their first notable success.
A solid majority of the House of Representatives on Thursday voted in favor of a law that would block states from mandating GMO labels.
The debate in Congress followed familiar lines. Opponents of the bill, such as Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine who is also an organic farmer, argued that it's important for consumers to know what they are eating.
Food labels, she pointed out, already tell consumers many things.
"We know how many calories are in it, thanks to the labels. We know how much vitamin C we get per serving. We know if a fish is farm-raised or wild-caught, and we want to know those things. Shouldn't we also be able to know if the food we are buying has GMO ingredients?" she asked.
Opponents of the bill called it an infringement of the public's right to know what's in their food.
Congressional supporters of the bill, meanwhile, argued that mandating labels on foods containing GMOs actually is misleading, because it suggests to consumers that GMOs are somehow risky to eat — which they are not, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
"Mandatory labeling of genetically engineered products has no basis in legitimate health or safety concerns, but is a naked attempt to impose the preferences of a small segment of the populace on the rest of us," said Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas, the bill's primary sponsor.
Supporters of the bill also argued that mandatory labels would raise the cost of food.
This bill now goes to the Senate, where no similar legislation has been introduced.Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved Gabriel Rene Lopez-Alcocer
Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved Gabriel Rene Lopez-Alcocer
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco police have arrested a soccer player accused of assaulting a referee during a game last month, police said.
It happened on Feb. 21 at around 10 a.m. at Lovie Ward Athletic Field. Police said at the time of the incident, adult league games were going on.
The player was given a red card and was ejected from the game, according to police. The player then ran up to the referee from behind and punched him on the side of his head, police said.
The referee suffered a broken jaw and lost several teeth. The player ran away from the scene, police said.
The referee was taken to the hospital and is recovering from his injuries.
After a follow-up investigation, the suspect was arrested last Friday morning at around 7 a.m. at his home in Richmond.
The suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Gabriel Rene Lopez-Alcocer.
He was booked into County Jail for one count of battery resulting in serious injury, which is a felony.Overview
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After a weekend of social obligations and then another weekend of blizzard conditions, Harvey Mossman and I were finally able to get back to this face-to-face contest. This is our 3rd session.
This session begins with Game Turn 6 (Summer-1 1862) and ends with Game Turn 8. This week the Union forces were once again ably commanded by Harvey, and I controlled the Confederates. As mentioned in the last article, the finally Victory Point tally at the end of our last session was 16 VP for the Union, and 0 VP for the Confederacy. The formula for Automatic Victory is to subtract the Confederate VPs from the Union VPs and then compare that result to the Benchmark Number listed on the game turn track for the turn just ending. If the net VP difference is at least 12 greater than the Benchmark Number, the Union wins an Automatic Victory. If it is at least 12 less than the Benchmark number, the Confederate wins an Auto Victory. Any other result, and the game continues. In our game, the net VP difference of 16 was compared against the Benchmark Number of 12 yielding only a +4 surplus for the Union which is insufficient for an Automatic Victory, and so the game continues.
I have been unable to mount even a serious raid into the north, let alone an invasion. Every time I have attempted it, my forces have been intercepted and stomped. In a "far from historical" show of force, Harvey has been able to perform a giant "Clear & Secure" operation that spans the width of Virginia from the Shenandoah Mountains in the west all the way to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay in the east. Very frustrating for the South. Without a few successful forays into the north and the associated Victory Points, the Confederacy really has little chance of surviving very long. Fredericksburg and Richmond, capital of the Confederacy, have fallen, and West Virginia is securely in Union hands. My Confederates still have one sizable force in the east, under Robert E. Lee, and I'm hoping that he may be able to re-take Richmond and hold a line something like Richmond-Lynchburg.
At the end of the last session, the Tennessee had also been pretty well penetrated by U.S. Grant and his army. I sent Hardee and Morgan to circle around behind Grant and re-take Nashville, threatening the Union supply line.
(Note: We have been playing incorrectly in that we thought that a force, other than cavalry, had to spend an additional movement point to *clear* an enemy control marker. This is incorrect; only cavalry need to spend an extra point to remove enemy control. Infantry forces clear it automatically as they pass through without spending any extra MPs. It's that type of game, though, and constant references to the rule book are necessary)
In any event, the Union forces are moving through Tennessee like a hot knife through butter and the doorway to Georgia and, beyond that, the path to the sea is wide open. (see the maps in the last article for force dispositions at the end of Game Turn 5)
Situation in the Eastern Theater at the end of this session (Game Turn 8)
Game Turns 6, 7 and 8 (Summer-1, Summer-2 and Fall of 1862)
The Eastern Theater
There was no (Confederate) joy in the Eastern theater during this session. Harvey continued the inexorable "Clear & Secure" operation, squeezing Virginia's defenders tighter and tighter. Union reinforcements continue to pour in directly from the north and also from amphibious operations along the James and Pamunkey rivers. Petersburg has fallen, following by Lynchburg. Burnside is *still* blitzkrieging, and is advancing on Greensboro, NC. Bobby Lee still maintains a large force, but he is now fighting on the outskirts of Weldon, NC, rather than in his home state of Virginia. The fort at Norfolk, with its solitary SP, is still holding on (but only because it has not been attacked!).
The only bright side, from the Confederate perspective, is that I have been able to re-capture most of West Virginia. This may draw a few of his units northward to prevent me from taking a serious slap at Pennsylvania. But, more than likely, his new reinforcements will be sufficient to shut down that move.
You'd never know it from looking at the map, but during the 3 turns of this session, Bobby Lee has inflicted several defeats on various Union forces. But it's just too little, too late. It may take another full turn for the Union to muster a sufficient force to drive Lee from Weldon, but by that time, Burnside will be setting up HQ in Columbia SC!
The Southeast
The Southeast at the end of Game Turn 8
The very first amphibious assault outside of the northeast corridor has taken place at Georgetown, SC, and the invading units have pressed inland, unopposed, to take Florence, SC. I expect a tidal wave of amphibious assaults coming in the following turns, and I am helpless stop them. If I sound depressed, it's because I am...
The Western Theater: Tennessee/Kentucky
The Western Theater/Tennessee and Kentucky at the end of Game Turn 8
If you're looking for good Confederate news here, you'll be disappointed. Tennessee is infested with Yankees from Memphis to Knoxville! My attempt to cut Union supply by re-taking Nashville was a total disaster. Hardee and Morgan barely escaped with their lives. Kentucky, with the exception of a stray Confederate control marker in Bowling Green is firmly in Union hands. Move along, folks. Nothing more to see here...
The Western Theater: Alabama/Georgia
The Western Theater/Alabama and Georgia at the end of Game Turn 8
After cleaning house in Tennessee and northern Alabama, Grant and Sherman have destroyed Atlanta, GA.
Grant is now heading west, back into Alabama with a full head of steam.
Sherman appears to be making his historical "March to the Sea" (the only "historical" thing that has happened thus far). Having taken Macon, GA, he seems to be set to bump off Milledgeville and then proceed to Savannah. Again, I have nothing but Breckenridge and a single SP to stop him with.
'Nuff said about Alabama and Georgia.
The Western Theater: Mississippi
The Western Theater/Mississippi at the end of Game Turn 8
Hardee (after his narrow escape from Nashville) commands one of two sizable Confederate forces in the Western Theater and I've tasked him to "stand or die" at Holly Springs, MS! The other decent sized force in Vicksburg, under Kirby Smith's command, must hold that fortress city as long as possible, to prevent the Union from reaping the 3 Victory Point bonus for controlling the Mississippi river from end to end (as well as the 2 VP for the city itself).
New Orleans and Fort St. Philip & Fort Jackson have minimal garrisons and are prepared to protect the southern end of the Mississippi river. These forces will probably hold up better than the forces in the East...
The Trans-Mississippi Theater
The Trans-Mississippi Theater at the end of Game Turn 8
Looks like Harvey may be planning to surround and lay seige to Little Rock. I'll hate to have to leave my comfy F3 Fort and attack, but it may come to that. I want to hold this position as long as possible to keep the Yanks off of Arkansas Post. The most important position in the Trans-Mississippi is just southeast of Arkansas Post, AR. That F1 fort is secondary insurance that the Union will not be able to control the Mississippi from top to bottom. I can't build it up any stronger because it is not located in a Resource hex, but the F1 is sufficient to block a Type 2 navigable river.
The Trans-Mississippi is the only theater where Rebs outnumber Yanks. But, when all is said and done, the Union receives 2 SPs reinforcement in the Trans-Mississippi to my 1SP, and those odds will tell. Let's hope this theater remains the backwater its been since Game Turn 3...
The Gulf Coast
Once again, I added this final image for completeness. New Orleans and some of the other important Resource hexes have minimal garrisons and are entrenched. If time permits, I'll see if I can enhance them to Forts. There's not much else I can do down there except brace for the coming storm...
The central Gulf coast area at the end of Game Turn 8
Final Thoughts
After 8 turns of play (through Fall 1862), the Union has accumulated 31 Victory Points. The Confederacy still has 0 VPs.
The Benchmark Number for Game Turn 8 is 21, so the Union has +10 VPs beyond the Benchmark number. Two more VPs and the game would have been over instantly.
We evaluated the situation and tried to make a few predictions about upcoming Game Turn 9. The Benchmark number for Turn 9 will be 24, so Harvey will need +12 beyond that for a total of 36 VPs. It's not likely that I'll be able to capture and hold any Objective hexes in the north, so Harvey's magic number is +5 more VPs needed next turn.
There's absolutely nothing I can do to stop:
Grant from taking Montgomery, Selma and Demopolis, AL (total 5 VPs).
Sherman from taking Milledgeville and Augusta, GA (total 5 VPs due to the Arsenals).
Rosecrans from taking Greensboro, Salisbury and Charlotte, NC (total 3 VPs)
That's a total of 13 VPs. And that's just the low-hanging fruit. It will likely be a lot worse. Armed with this somber knowledge, I reluctantly conceded the game. Playing the South in this game is no picnic. Nearly every decision you make must be the right one, or you'll pay dearly for it. A few large setbacks and it will surely be an early night.
However, I can say with certainty that the Confederacy can win, because it happened in another game I was involved in on Vassal over the last few weeks (the Confederate player was Dan Berger, designer of Caesar's Gallic War). In that game I was a model Union player. I was McClellan and Halleck rolled into one. Just couldn't get relaxed enough to make my armies move away from the Potomac River until it was too late; I didn't keep up at all with the Benchmark numbers...
The general concensus among all my gaming buddies who have played this game, however, is still that the Confederates are toast by 1863 the latest. Harvey is preparing some thoughts of his own on the game, and I'll get them published when he's ready. We both started off pretty negatively disposed toward this game, but agreed to give it a fair evaluation. I guess I'm kind of getting hooked on it, because I'm anxious to give it another try. We'll see how things go...
-MDIn the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests at an alarming rate. Today, roughly 1.5 acres of rainforest are destroyed every second. People are cutting down the rainforests in pursuit of three major resources:
Land for crops
Lumber for paper and other wood products
Land for livestock pastures
In the current economy, people obviously have a need for all of these resources. But almost all experts agree that, over time, we will suffer much more from the destruction of the rainforests than we will benefit. There are several factors involved in this scientific assessment:
To begin with, the land in rainforest regions is not particularly suited for crops and livestock. Once the forest is cleared, it is even less so -- without any decomposing plant life, the soil is so infertile that it is nearly useless for growing anything. Generally, when people clear-cut a forest, they can only use the land for a year or two before the nutrients from the original plants are depleted, leaving a huge, barren tract of land.
Cutting large sections of rainforest may be a good source of lumber right now, but in the long run it actually diminishes the world's lumber supply. Experts say that we should preserve most of the rainforests and harvest them |
December 5, 2005 file photo. REUTERS/STR New
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said he had been told General Sarath Fonseka, the chief of Defense Staff, had been asked by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to attend an interview aimed at gathering information against Sri Lanka’s defense secretary.
Fonseka, who led the army to victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May, is visiting the United States where his daughters attend university.
The foreign minister said an attorney at the Department of Homeland Security told Fonseka the aim of the interview was to pull together information against Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a naturalized U.S. citizen.
The department’s Immigrations and Customs Enforcement division would normally have authority only to probe a matter related to Fonseka’s prospective U.S. citizenship as a green card holder and not any possible human rights violations.
Bogollagama said Fonseka, army chief at the time of the final offensive against the Tigers, had received a letter followed by a phone call to attend an interview on Wednesday. Fonseka is now in Oklahoma.
“The Department of Homeland Security should forthwith desist from any endeavor to interview General Fonseka,” Bogollagama told reporters, adding he had called in the U.S. ambassador to Colombo, Patricia Butenis, to give her that message.
“Whatever information General Fonseka may have acquired in the exercise of his official duties is privileged by nature. Therefore, it cannot legally be shared with third parties without the prior approval and consent of the Sri Lanka authorities.”
Asked for details of the interview request and the reasons behind it, Jeff Anderson, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Colombo, said: “We are looking into it.”
Sri Lanka faces heavy Western pressure over its human rights record.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on October 22 suggested an external inquiry in Sri Lanka similar to Gaza on war crimes [ID:nLN294865], while the European Union is considering whether to withdraw a trade concession that helps Sri Lanka’s top export, garments. [ID:nLJ731429]
Sri Lanka said last week that it would appoint a panel to probe a report by the U.S. State Department detailing possible atrocities by both warring parties in the final battle of the 25-year war.
The government defeated the Tamil Tigers in May in a bitter final phase led by Fonseka with both Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa giving all the necessary support.
Fonseka’s name has now surfaced as a potential presidential contender to President Rajapaksa, speculation opposition parties have been happy to fan against the incumbent’s enormous post-war popularity.
But the government has said there was no rift between Fonseka and Rajapaksa, who promoted the army commander to the Chief of Defense Staff in July, which many analysts saw as neutralizing the wide powers Fonseka had in wartime.Apple is reportedly looking to acquire Israeli fabless semiconductor company Primesense. According to local newspaper Calcalist, Apple has offered $280 million to buy the 3D sensor specialist following discussions over the embedding of its technology inside Apple products. In the past, Primesense worked with Microsoft to include its technology, chips, and designs inside the first Kinect accessory for the Xbox 360.
It's not the first time Apple has looked to purchase an Israeli component maker. In January 2012, the company confirmed it had acquired flash storage company Anobit in a $400 million deal. Primesense's 3D-scanning technology is used in more than 20 million devices around the world, including sensors that can be used in both smartphones and tablets. Primesense technology can also be found in new portable scanners capable of generating detailed, color 3D models of interior spaces.
While Primesense has focused on gaming and the living room in the past, the company's recent projects include working with ASUS to provide the 3D sensing technology for its WAVI Xtion PC, development of 3D motion-activated games, and it has also collaborated with companies in retail, robotics, and healthcare industries. We have contacted Apple and Primesense for comment on the acquisition and will update the article accordingly.
Thanks, Hagai!
Update: In a comment to Mashable, Primesense's CEO stated that his company would not comment on the rumor, and that it was still focused on growth. The full statement is below.Jonathan Bernier has been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In exchange the Los Angeles Kings will receive, Matt Frattin, Ben Scrivens and a 2nd round pick.
Bernier will be in a battle with Maple Leafs incumbent Maple Leafs starter James Reimer. Last season Bernier played in 14 games for the Kings as Jonathan Quick’s backup. He was 9-3-1 with a 1.88 goals against average and.922 save percentage. He was extremely valuable to the Kings while Quick was finding his game. Bernier, 24, was the Kings first round pick, 11th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry draft. In his NHL career he is 29-20-6 in 62 career appearances, with a 2.36 GAA, and.912 save percentage. He has spent his entire career with Los Angeles, and was a member of the 2012 Stanley Cup Champion team.
Bernier has long been looking for an opportunity as a number 1 goaltender, and in Toronto he will have a much better opportunity. As well as Reimer played this season, he is not Jonathan Quick. In Los Angeles, Bernier was stuck behind a top flight number 1 goalie who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012.
Frattin is the key piece in the deal going back to Los Angeles. The 25-year-old winger started off the season on a tear for the Leafs, but a knee injury, and being unable to continue an unsustainable early season shooting percentage seemed to slow him down as the season wore on. Overall, the winger picked up 7 goals and 13 points in 25 games for the Leafs this season. He should provide some scoring punch, and a good skating, gritty and physical presence to the Kings bottom 6. He was drafted by the Leafs in the 4th round, 99th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Scrivens was the Leafs backup goaltender. He played 20 games for the Leafs this season putting up a record of 7-9-0, with a 2.69 GAA, a.915 save percentage and 2 shutouts. Scrivens should take over the role as the Kings backup goaltender. The 26 year old was a free agent signing by the Leafs, after he finished his college career at Cornell.
The second round pick is conditional and will be in either the 2014 or 2015 NHL draft.
Thanks for reading, as always feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr. Give the rest of the hockey department a follow while you’re at it – @BigMick99, @IswearGAA, and @LastWordOnNHL, and follow the site @lastwordonsport.
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photo credit: bridgetds via photopin ccDid you know that Japan had a paratroop corps during World War Two? They trained and equipped this group in the late 1930s—with technical assistance from Germany, in fact. During their first combat drop onto Sumatra, the troops followed the standard German technique of dropping armed with handguns and grenades only, with their rifles and machine guns dropped alongside in parachute-equipped weapons containers. Unfortunately for the Japanese troops, this resulted in the same problem the Germans had in their major paratroop assault on Crete—the weapons containers often landed far from the troops, who were then left heavily out-gunned.
In the aftermath of this attack, the Japanese military decided the weapons container idea maybe wasn't so great, and began looking into alternatives —compact guns that could be carried by paratroops right out the door of the airplane. This would ultimately result in a take-down version of the Type 99 Arisaka rifle and a folding-stock version of the the Type 99 Nambu light machine gun, both of which were well-thought-out guns. However, the first proposed solution was…not quite so good.
Are those cabinet door hinges on the rifles? Well…pretty much, yes.
The first proposed (and manufactured) paratroop rifle was called the Type 1, and it was a Type 38 Arisaka carbine with the stock basically sawed off just behind the trigger and made to fold by the addition of a great big hinge screwed into the side.
With the stock unlocked, it could be folded to the side, making the rifle short enough to easily carry strapped to a paratrooper.
Several hundred of these rifles were made from existing inventory of Type 38 carbines for troop trials. What could go wrong? Well…all the obvious things, really. The hinge used a latch and wing nut on the left side of the rifle to hold the stock in place, and the system was not very tight. The stocks would wobble around, and the threaded stud and wing nut were susceptible to catching on things and being damaged.
For more detail on identifying authentic examples from fakes and to see the full details on the stock mechanism, check out the video I did on two of these rifles:
Ian McCollum is the founder of ForgottenWeapons.com, a website and YouTube channel dedicated preserving the history of rare and obscure guns from around the world.OTTAWA—A Royal Canadian Navy intelligence officer stands accused of sending top secret information to a foreign entity as recently as last week in one of the rarest and most closely guarded investigations to have rocked the military. Court documents filed in Halifax allege that Sub-Lieut. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, 40, broke the federal Security of Information Act and committed criminal breach of trust when he passed restricted information to a foreign agency over the span of more than four years. The married father of a young daughter and two boys allegedly committed the offences between July 6, 2007, and Jan. 13, 2012, in Halifax, Ottawa and Kingston, according to information filed in court by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Monday. The maximum penalty if he is found guilty is life in prison. A defence source said Delisle joined the military in 2001 and was later promoted as a non-commissioned officer settling into the secretive world of military intelligence. His promotion from within the ranks was apparently a testament to his talents and ability.
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Delisle worked at CFB Stadacona’s Trinity section, a naval communications and intelligence centre in Halifax that was a multi-national base with access to secret data from NATO countries. Many of the facts of the case are shrouded in mystery. No one has named the recipient of the allegedly secret information, nor have they outlined how Delisle allegedly passed the information along. But the defence source said that the sensitive investigation into Delisle has been restricted to a tight group of senior defence department officials who guard the details of the probe.
Police have said only that, contrary to federal laws enacted to cover espionage and terror threats after Sept. 11, 2001, Delisle “did... communicate to a foreign entity information that the Government of Canada is taking measures to safeguard.” A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the minister had been briefed on the arrest. “Minister Toews has been briefed and congratulates the RCMP and security agencies for their collaboration. As this matter relates to national security and is before the courts, we have no further comment,” Julie Carmichael said Monday. It’s the first time that someone has been charged under section 16 (1) of the Security of Information Act, said RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson. He added that there is no threat to the public, but the case underlines that Canada is a target country for foreign governments, businesses and individuals.
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“We must be ever vigilant to the real threat of foreign espionage, and continue investing time and resources into the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of such acts,” he wrote in a statement. Paulson added that the investigation involved police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the military and the Canada Border Services Agency. The charges against Delisle weren’t announced publicly by the police or the military. The first word of it came when he appeared in court Monday morning, though investigators swept down on his home in the Halifax suburb of Bedford on Friday afternoon. “I just noticed a bunch of vans parked and a bunch of navy police get out. There was a Mountie and it looked like they were detectives to me,” said Ron Denis, a neighbour on Delisle’s street. “I just live next door and you could see the guns outside their jackets.” Officers sifted through Delisle’s home, which the Halifax Chronicle Herald reported was purchased in 2005 for $240,000. They also took pictures of the house as part of their investigation. Denis said that Delisle “kind of kept to himself” and wasn’t known well by many on the street. Another neighbour said people are shocked and that Delisle never raised any suspicions. “He’s your average nieghbour who mows his lawn and shovels his driveway. You see that in the movies but you don’t usually expect it on your street.” The arrest and serious charges the naval officer now faces have set tongues wagging, even though no one knows what sparked his arrest. “I really can’t imagine a person doing that to his family because of what his family’s going to go through, I feel bad for them,” Denis said. “It’s disgusting.” The charges suggest the security breach was “significant,” said security expert Wesley Wark. He said the case could have been such a flagrant violation of security rules that the government felt it had no choice but to lay charges or it may have been truly a nefarious plot to share sensitive information with one of Canada’s adversaries. More information may come to light Tuesday when Delisle is expected back in court. Crown prosecutors refused his release on bail and he is currently being held in custody. “The big concern in recent years has been anyone’s version of Bradley Manning,” Wark said, referring to the case of the U.S. military analyst accused of a leaking classified American diplomatic cables to Wikileaks, a whistle-blowing website. Delisle was based in Halifax, home to the Royal Canadian Navy’s east coast operations, raising questions whether information related to naval operations was involved. The Halifax-based HMCS Charlottetown was involved in NATO operations last year off the coast of Libya as pro-democracy forces fought to end dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s regime. “The Canadian Navy is involved in a lot of joint operations so it could be a lot of Canadian-owned or even Canadian-generated information — anything from anti-piracy operations, anti-terrorism operations to join military operations of various kinds,” Wark said. “It could be information that does come from our allies. Could be highly sensitive signals intelligence or information about various intelligence gathering techniques.” As for the recipients of the information, Wark said the Chinese would be the “obvious suspects.... They do a lot of foreign information collection.” But he also wouldn’t rule out the Russians or even a Middle East country as the recipients of the alleged information sharing. With files from Bruce Campion-Smith
Read more about:California’s low-income residents continue to head straight for the emergency room — instead of their doctor’s office — for expensive treatment, a practice that the Affordable Care Act was supposed to curb.
Three years into Obamacare, new figures show, ER visits by the state’s Medi-Cal patients rose 44 percent from early 2014 to late 2016.
That’s pretty much the opposite of what former President Barack Obama had predicted in 2009, the year before the law was passed. The Obamacare provision expanding Medicaid was designed to get low-income people to start going to doctors in cost-efficient “managed care” plans.
But with a chronic shortage of doctors to treat the Golden State’s 4 million new Medi-Cal participants, Mountain View resident Grace Bennett isn’t surprised the transition hasn’t gone as planned.
“I got my enrollment card and this lovely letter that said, ‘Congratulations! You have a doctor you can call for primary care,”’ recalled the 54-year-old temp office worker, who has epilepsy, “but she refused to see me.’’
Bennett had such a tough time getting any help from the Santa Clara Family Health Plan in 2014 and 2015 that she largely used El Camino Hospital’s emergency room staff for checkups, lab work and prescriptions — and where she said she met other Medi-Cal enrollees in similar situations.
Because the care provided in emergency rooms is so expensive, they aren’t meant to be used for basic health care services. And with about a third of Californians now on Medi-Cal as a result of the Obamacare expansion, that means a bigger bill for federal and state taxpayers.
The Affordable Care Act’s architects had predicted that enrolling more people in Medicaid (called Medi-Cal here) and then assigning each participant a primary care doctor would divert those patients with minor ailments — like the flu or urinary tract infections — away from the ER.
But struggles over accessing physicians or long delays for appointments, experts say, are among the reasons why Medi-Cal patients logged about 1.4 million visits to the ER in the last quarter of 2016. According to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, that’s up from around 1 million in 2014, when the Affordable Care Act took hold.
To many experts, the most obvious explanation for the increase is Medi-Cal’s explosive growth — from a program that served just over eight million people before Obamacare to one that now provides coverage to 14 million Californians.
Chris Perrone, a director at the California Health Care Foundation who focuses on improving access to coverage and care for low-income Californians, said that he’s not surprised by the numbers, but if the figures don’t start dropping noticeably by year’s end, he said, “I would be … alarmed.”
That’s because he thinks it’s taking some time for the previously uninsured adults now receiving Medi-Cal — who once avoided hospital ERs because of the exorbitant bills that awaited them after treatment — to get familiar with their managed care plans.
Now that they’re covered by Medi-Cal, their pent-up demand for health care is often being met 24/7 by ERs. The fact that those using emergency rooms don’t face any penalties for seeking such costly care — coupled with confusion about their new plans — it’s no wonder they head to the hospital for minor aches and pains.
“They know they have a payer source, and they are seeking care — and many are seeking care in the emergency departments,’’ he said.
But Perrone and other health policy experts predict that these high numbers will drop — as they already have from a peak of almost 1.5 million visits in the first quarter of 2016 — as problems are ironed out and enrollees establish a stronger relationship with their primary care doctors.
That said, Perrone acknowledged Medi-Cal’s chronic challenge of finding enough doctors to treat all 14 million participants.
Surveys show only 40 percent of doctors in the state treat 80 percent of Medi-Cal patients, largely because California has one of the lowest provider reimbursement rates in the country.
Hounded by physician groups, Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month agreed to address the issue by adding $546 million in extra funding for Medi-Cal doctors, dentists and others from the 2016 tobacco tax to the budget year that begins July 1. He and the Legislature also agreed to provide $711.2 million to cover the growth in the program.
Perrone and others hope the cash infusion will widen the pool of doctors to care for these patients — and reduce ER visits. The budget boost is among several financial incentives offered by some health plans around the state. Those include bonuses for doctors who succeed in getting their patients to show up for appointments instead of heading to the ER — and even a chance for new Medi-Cal patients to win $50 gift cards if they get their first exam done within a few months of joining a plan.
Other programs — including physician consultations by email or video, especially for rural residents who don’t live near major medical centers — appear to be effective, Perrone said.
Through a variety of programs, the Central California Alliance for Health, which runs the Medi-Cal programs in Santa Cruz, Monterey and Merced counties, has reduced its patients’ ER visits from 15,003 in early 2015 to 12,472 in the first quarter of this year, said the alliance’s chief medical officer, Dr. Dale Bishop.
The Partnership Health Plan of California, which runs the Medi-Cal programs in 14 North Bay and rural Northern California counties, has seen a 37 percent decrease in emergency room visits from January 2014 through September 2016 by instituting similar incentives, said CEO Elizabeth Gibboney.
Bennett, the Mountain View resident and Medi-Cal enrollee, credits the efforts of Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian in helping her finally nail down a doctor’s appointment.
Outraged over the nearly two-year delay, she filed a complaint with the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury in late 2015 to investigate whether Medi-Cal patients using the Santa Clara Family Health Plan were able to get medical care from physicians listed by the plan.
Last month, after the grand jury released its report and recommendations, plan officials said they were addressing these and other patient concerns.
“What happens to people who aren’t educated — who don’t know how to push for service — when it becomes dire for them?’’ asked Bennett, a former legal secretary. “I think they either go without care — or they go to the nearest emergency room.’’HemisFair '68 was the official 1968 World's Fair (or International Exposition) held in San Antonio, Texas, from April 6 through October 6, 1968. The theme of the fair was "The Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas", celebrating the many nations which settled the region. The fair was held in 1968 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio in 1718. More than thirty nations and fifteen corporations hosted pavilions at the fair.
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) which oversees World's Fairs and Expositions, awarded HemisFair '68 with official Fair status on November 17, 1965.
The theme character of the fair was a dragon named Luther created by Sid and Marty Krofft, who was later renamed and starred in the Kroffts' Saturday morning television show H.R. Pufnstuf. The main premise of the show was taken from their production for the Coca-Cola pavilion at the fair.
Funding [ edit ]
The venture, which had an announced cost of $156 million, was financed by a combination of public and private funds. Public funding included $12.2 million from the U.S. Housing and Home Finance Agency for acquiring and clearing the site, $11 million in publicly approved city bonds for construction of the convention center and arena, $5.5 million in general revenues from the City of San Antonio for construction of the Tower of the Americas, $10 million from the State of Texas primarily for the construction of the Texas State Pavilion, and $7.5 million from the United States Congress for the construction of the United States pavilion.[1]
Although HemisFair '68 attracted 6.3 million visitors and brought international attention to San Antonio and Texas, attendance never matched predictions, and the fair lost $7.5 million.
The site [ edit ]
The fair was built on a 96.2-acre (389,000 m²) site on the southeastern edge of Downtown San Antonio. The site was acquired mainly through eminent domain. Many structures in what was considered a blighted area were demolished and moved to make room for the fair. The project was partially developed with federal urban renewal funds. The San Antonio Conservation Society recommended that 129 structures on the site be preserved; however, on August 9, 1966, an agreement was made to save only 20 existing structures that would be incorporated into the fair site. Overall, only 24 structures were saved.
In addition, as a part of the overall HemisFair project, the city extended its River Walk (Paseo del Rio) one-quarter of a mile into the site in order to link the River Walk and the HemisFair grounds in 1968. In 2001, the River Walk was extended again under the new Convention Center Expansion and is now connected to a small lagoon inside HemisFair Park.
Opening ceremonies [ edit ]
HemisFair began on April 6, 1968, with the gates opening at 9:00am and official ceremonies beginning at 10:00am in the new Convention Center Arena. However, with the opening just two days after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, VIPs including U.S. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson and Texas Governor John Connally, both of whom received death threats,[2] were escorted around the site under heavy security.
Pavilions at HemisFair [ edit ]
National pavilions at the fair included: Canada, Mexico, Italy, Spain, France, Japan, Belgium, Bolivia, Republic of China, Colombia, West Germany, Korea, Panama, Portugal, Switzerland, Thailand and Venezuela. There were also shared pavilions such as a five-nation Central American pavilion, representing Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica and the special pavilions of the Organization of American States, which represented eleven more Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.[1]
Corporate pavilions at the fair included: Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil), IBM, RCA, Southwestern Bell (now AT&T, Inc.), Frito Lay, Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, American Express, Chrysler, and 3M.[3]
Other pavilions at the fair included: the LDS Church, the Southern Baptist pavilion, the Women's Pavilion and Project Y (Youth Pavilion).
A monorail, named Mini-Monorail, connected pavilions together. The monorail was manufactured by Universal Design Limited and constructed by H.C.P. Enterprises.[4]
Legacy [ edit ]
After HemisFair, much of the land ownership was transferred to the State of Texas and the U.S. Federal Government. Today, the City of San Antonio owns approximately 50 acres (200,000 m2) of the site, 30 of which the Convention Center occupies.[5]
In 1986, many unused remaining structures built for the fair were removed and in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of HemisFair '68, approximately 15 acres (61,000 m2) of the site were redeveloped with cascading waterfalls, fountains, playgrounds and lush landscaping. Many of the improvements were concentrated near the base of the Tower of the Americas. At the site's re-dedication in April 1988, the site was re-christened "HemisFair Park". This urban park is a lasting legacy of the fair and is a gift from the city to its citizens.
In 2008 Hyatt Hotels completed construction of the Grand Hyatt San Antonio[6] on the north and eastern sides of the convention center theater originally built for HemisFair '68. It features guest rooms on the first 24 floors and condos on the last 10,[7] all rooms on the south side have an unobstructed view of HemisFair Park and the Tower of the Americas.
Venues still on the site today [ edit ]
As of spring 2013, only a handful of structures built/renovated for the HemisFair remain on the former fairgrounds and are still open to the public.
Convention Center Theater - The theater (now Lila Cockrell Theater) was built as one of a three-building complex (along with the Convention Center and Arena) during the buildup for HemisFair '68 and leased to San Antonio Fair, Inc. for use during the fair. Sometime after the fair it was renamed in honor of the city's former three-term mayor Lila Cockrell. After decades of limited upgrades, the building received a 26 million dollar renovation in 2010.[8]
Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas, and in the background the In the foreground the Lila Cockrell Theater and its Juan O'Gorman mosaic, and in the background the Tower of the Americas. This building and mural were originally created for the 1968 HemisFair.
Above the windows on the exterior is a mural titled "Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas," created by Mexican artist Juan O'Gorman for HemisFair '68.[9]
View of the Eastman Kodak Pavilion today
Eastman Kodak Pavilion - Built next to the Women's Pavilion, this venue has seen little to no use since the fair. It is projected that this building will be demolished to provide room for the eventual expansion of the Women's Pavilion.
Gulf Insurance Pavilion - Built near the Tower of the Americas as a rest area, today it is closed to the public and serves as storage and support for the tower.
Humble Oil Pavilion - Originally built in the 19th century, this building was renovated for HemisFair '68, and housed the exhibit and theater for Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil). In recent years the building was renovated again and now serves as additional banquet and ballroom facilities for the Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel (also built for HemisFair) across the street.[10]
Mexico Pavilion - This, now the Mexican Cultural Institute, is the only national pavilion still in its original location, although the original structure was modified and expanded during the expansion of the adjacent convention center and was re-opened in 2002.
Southern Baptist Pavilion- Originally built in the late 19th century by Sam Edgar as a wedding gift to his daughter, for HemisFair '68 it was renovated and housed the Southern Baptist exhibit. In 2012 the house was renovated again and now serves as offices for the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation.[11]
State of Texas Pavilion- The fair's largest pavilion belonged to the state of Texas. This pavilion also remained after the fair closed and became the Institute of Texan Cultures, which is now a museum and the third campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Tower of the Americas - The fair's theme structure is this 750-foot-tall (228 m) tower, which remains today as San Antonio's tallest structure. The top of the tower houses a revolving restaurant, lounge, and outdoor observation deck. It was designed by architect O'Neil Ford.
View of the Women's Pavilion today
United States of America Pavilion - The United States Confluence Theater (now the John H. Wood, Jr. United States District Court for the Western District of Texas) remains today as well as the Confluence Exhibit Hall (now the Adrian Spears Judicial Training Center). Part of the pavilion was a fountain called "Migration." Although the bird sculptures have been replaced with bushes, the outline of the fountain is still in place.
Women's Pavilion - The theme of this venue was to showcase the contributions that women have made to society, past, present and future. It was built as a permanent structure to help meet the requirements of urban renewal, as well as to be part of the re-use plan after the fair. One idea was for it to be re-used as a student union building, as one proposal was to locate the new University of Texas at San Antonio campus on the site. After decades of use as a storage facility by the Institute of Texan Cultures, several ladies who were originally involved with the pavilion are working to restore and reopen it.[12]
HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation [ edit ]
In 2009 the San Antonio City Council under the leadership of Mayor Julián Castro created a non-profit organization, HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation, to generate ideas and oversee the redevelopment of the former fairgrounds, which had seen little development since 1988.[13]
In 2012 HPARC completed the renovation of three indigenous structures on the site which now serve as offices (Eagar House), conference center (Carriage House), and support services (Eagar Dependency) for HPARC.[11] Along with the renovations, the San Antonio City Council voted on and approved HPARC's master plan for the redevelopment of the former site.[14]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Coordinates:Atom Bomb’s Clay Rathburn is known for his beautifully crafted custom Triumphs. But the latest bike to roll out of his Richmond, Virginia workshop is this Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200. It’s not our usual fare, but the style and detailing on this build is hard to ignore.
Rathburn built the Sportster for his friend and neighbor John Campbell, who plays bass for the metal band Lamb of God. Campbell took a keen interest in the build, according to Rathburn. “John was over at the shop for a good bit of the project, until the band went on tour, and then we did it via phone pictures.”
The Sportster 1200 was mostly stock when it rolled into the Atom Bomb workshop. Rathburn added the rigid rear section—with a 4” stretch—and reconfigured the stock rear caliper to work with the new frame. He then powdercoated and re-laced the stock rims onto polished hubs.
The motor is mostly stock but upgraded with a Dyna ignition and a Mikuni carb. The top end has been freshened up, and the black powder coating was stripped off the motor. Rathburn custom-fabricated the exhaust in-house and fitted an air cleaner from Boyle Custom Moto.
The front fork is a 39mm Narrow Glide shortened by two inches and shaved and polished. “I also swapped out the front brake caliper with one from a newer Sportster, just because it had cool fins on it … and polished it, of course.” Less obvious is the tweaking to the front of the frame, with the stamped sheet metal gusset removed and new motor mounts installed.
The oil bag is hand formed aluminum, the fuel tank is a heavily reshaped early Sportster item, and the seat is from Red Tail leather. Lowbrow Customs supplied the hand controls; the foot pegs, risers and bars came from Biltwell. Rathburn does all his powder in-house, but Fred Pinckard at Fulton Paint Works did the immaculate paint.
“As a Triumph guy, I will reluctantly admit this thing is a hoot to ride,” says Rathburn. “It’s got torque for days and since it doesn’t weigh anything, it’s pretty much faster than hell. And before anyone asks, no, your leg does not hit the exhaust!”
Images by Anthony Hall.Crackdown 3 – we did that
GameCentral reports back from Gamescom on what may be the most technically impressive console game ever made.
There have been a lot of great-looking video games released in the last two years or so, but for the most part the new generation of consoles has done little to drop jaws from their normal position. But that all changed when we got a go on Xbox One exclusive Crackdown 3. The game doesn’t necessarily look particularly impressive in static screenshots, but when you see its destruction effects in motion it feels like the sort of revolution that has been a long time coming.
If you’re familiar with the original Crackdown on Xbox 360 you’ll already know broadly what to expect from this game: an open world third person adventure that casts you as a high tech policeman with almost superhero levels of agility and strength, and abilities that can be upgraded as you progress. Apart from its four-player co-op feature the disappointing first sequel is being largely ignored, and this is almost a remake of the first game – except with a game world that is 100 per cent destructible.
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Armed with a specially overpowered missile launcher, Dave Jones (director of the game and creator of the original Grand Theft Auto) and his three team-mates set about blowing up literally everything in sight. Games have been making that sort of claim, or something similar, for years but the level of detail and realism in Crackdown 3 is truly staggering. Not even a video does it real justice, but when you witness the outer shell of a building slowly being blown away, to reveal girders and gas pipes (the latter of which promptly explode) it’s a magical sight.
It gets even better when a battered skyscraper slowly gives up the fight and collapses in a hail of smoke and rubble – demolishing any smaller buildings beneath it. As Jones points out the series has used cel-shaded graphics since its inception; but the real benefit of the art style is that the world isn’t trying to look photorealistic, and so the question of not seeing every single brick as it falls is neatly side-stepped.
Crackdown 3 – the best new tech of the current gen
We should say at this point that what we saw and played of Crackdown 3 was more tech demo than actual game. Crackdown 2 is still a long way from release and although we tried to press Jones on what exactly the phrase ‘multiplayer begins summer 2016′ means, at the end of the trailer, we got no straight answer. But we think it means the obvious, that a beta is due next summer and a full release sometime after that.
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The odd phrasing probably has to do with the fact that Crackdown is two, technically three, games in one. There’s an offline single-player campaign, a four-player co-op campaign, and competitive multiplayer. The latter we saw nothing of but there’s a bigger distinction between the online and offline modes than you might think, as it’s only the online mode that features the 100 per cent destruction effects.
Microsoft hasn’t talked much about ‘the cloud’ lately, presumably because they realised everybody was getting sick of a buzzword that had provided little in the way of tangible benefits. Dedicated servers and Forza’s Drivatar system are all very good but Crackdown 3 uses the technology in a much more interesting way: by calculating the destruction effects for the buildings. Jones demonstrates how it works by turning on a debug tool that paints the buildings in different colours, with each colour representing a different server.
A single Xbox One would never be able to process the destruction effects on its own, but by tapping into the cloud it’s able to exceed its own limitations. This is why such a distinction is made between offline and online mode, and why the single-player features much more simplified destruction (and apparently a different city).
We ask Jones why he didn’t simply make an online connection an option for the single-player, but his answer was the slightly unconvincing insistence that he wanted one mode of the game that you could always play to its full potential offline. We suspect there’s more to it than that – likely a concern at how the speed of your Internet connection will affect your experience – but it |
have adhered to the agreement. Germany promised to maintain the status quo at its border until the next summit on March 7, but that failed as well."
Greece, Xydakis says, is all alone. "So why should we adhere to any new agreements?" He says that Greece could begin exercising its veto beyond just the refugee summit and use it on all EU issues where unanimity is required.
'Greece's Closest Ally'
SPIEGEL has learned that Athens is considering declaring a state of emergency and applying for EU aid to cope with the refugee situation. Thus far, the government in Athens has declined taking such a step out of political considerations. But doing so now, Athens believes, could push EU member states to show solidarity with Greece in the refugee crisis.
The man who is primarily responsible for preventing refugees from continuing on their northward journey out of Greece is Gjorge Ivanov, the president of Macedonia. At his residence in Villa Vodno, in southern Skopje, Ivanov makes the claim that "Macedonia is Greece's closest ally." But things look different in reality. Relations between the two countries have been tense ever since Macedonia became an independent state, primarily because Greece is unwilling to accept that its neighbor to the north has the same name as one of its own provinces. Europe is a complicated continent.
The closing of the border to Greece, Ivanov says, was merely a reaction. "Whenever a country to our north restricts its borders, we do the same," he says. Macedonia, Ivanov continues, made it clear that it would only be able to tolerate 2,000 migrants at a time making their way through the country. Macedonia may not be in the EU, but it is still behaving more responsibly than some EU member states, the country's president insists. He says he could no longer wait for a decision to be made in Brussels, otherwise Macedonia would have been overrun by refugees. "In times of crisis, each country must find its own solutions."
Ivanov's words are a requiem to the vision of a Europe that can find joint answers to problems that individual countries cannot confront on their own.
Solidarity is a word that has failed to gain traction in Eastern Europe. Members of the Visegrád Group, made up of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, share a common past as communist countries and often see themselves on Europe's periphery, both geographically and psychologically. Governments of those countries have the backing of a population that is broadly skeptical of welcoming refugees into their midst.
Among political leaders in the Videgrád Group, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the most influential opponent of Merkel's refugee policies. This week, he announced that he intended to hold a referendum on the distribution of refugees among EU states as was agreed to last September. Voters will be asked: "Do you want the EU to prescribe the mandatory relocation of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of the Hungarian parliament?"
Doing Germany's Dirty Work
People in Brussels and Berlin are furious with Orbán because of the move. European Parliament President Martin Schulz told SPIEGEL: "According to the distribution plan, Hungary is supposed to take a mere 1,294 refugees. I don't understand how you can hold a referendum against that, unless one sees it as an additional step away from a Europe of solidarity and common accountability."
The likelihood that the EU refugee summit on March 7 will find success is diminishing by the day. And Chancellor Merkel is increasingly isolated with her plan to solve the crisis with the help of Turkey. Many Eastern European politicians and EU diplomats don't believe that Merkel's Turkey solution will yield rapid results. Skepticism is widespread in Vienna as well, with hardly anyone believing that the problem can be solved by sending a few billion euros to Ankara. "And if it can," says a member of Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz's staff, "then we have to make it much clearer to Turkey what we expect -- that they prevent refugees from traveling onward but also that they stop bombing the Kurds."
Displeasure with the Germans is growing for another reason as well: Even as Berlin is criticizing the measures that countries on the Balkan Route have taken, Germany has profited from them as well in the form of plunging numbers of refugees entering the country. "We are doing the dirty work for the Germans," says one Eastern European EU diplomat.
Austrian Defense Minister Doskozil agrees. "Germany should be more grateful to us." Austria, he says, is merely ensuring that countries along the Balkan Route are coordinating with one another. The criticism from Germany "is completely incomprehensible," he says, adding that the refugees are being sent north in an orderly fashion. "There is an alternative," he says. "We could just allow them all to haphazardly continue to Germany."
By Giorgos Christidis, Katrin Kuntz, Walter Mayr, Peter Müller, Jan Puhl and Mathieu von RohrBrown law signing flurry includes shark fin ban
The governor OKs 57 bills, including the shark fin measure, boosts to natural gas pipeline safety and a ballot initiative change. He vetoes bids on motorists passing bicyclists and microchipping pets.
The pipeline legislation followed a gas explosion last year in San Bruno, in the Bay Area, that left eight people dead. The measures improve maintenance and oversight of the pipelines, require automatic shut-off valves in vulnerable areas, ensure that gas companies pressure-test transmission lines and enhance coordination between agencies that respond to such accidents.
Among the 57 bills he approved were several intended to increase the safety of natural gas pipelines and one that requires all ballot initiatives to be decided in November general elections, which typically draw greater numbers of liberal voters than June primaries.
Brown outlawed the sale of shark fins, despite protests from some Chinese American leaders who saw the move as an assault on Asian culture; vetoed a controversial bid to restrict how motorists pass bicyclists; and decided not to require microchip tracking of some dogs and cats.
Reporting from Sacramento — Gov. Jerry Brown raised the ire of bicyclists, Chinese-food chefs, Republicans and some pet lovers Friday as he announced action on dozens of proposed laws.
Those issues have all been raised by safety experts since the catastrophe occurred on Sept. 9, 2010.
"Pipeline operators and the Public Utilities Commission must take every possible step to keep it from happening again," Brown said.
Those bills are SB 44 by state Sen. Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro); SB 705 by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), SB 216 by Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), SB 879 by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and AB 56 by Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo).
The ban on shark fins, a key ingredient of a traditional soup, divided Chinese Americans. Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) introduced it to stop what he called a brutal practice that is wiping out large numbers of sharks. The governor agreed.
"The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans," Brown said in a statement after signing the bill, AB 376.
Supporters said the harvest threatens the existence of some species. The governor said he signed the bill "in the interest of future generations."
Many Chinese restaurant owners stood with lawmakers who voted against the legislation. State Sen. Yee labeled the bill "an unfair attack on Asian culture and cuisine."
Brown signed a companion measure by Fong, AB 853, that allows stores to sell existing stocks of shark fins until July 1, 2013.
The governor listened to safety concerns by the California Highway Patrol in deciding to reject legislation that would have required motorists to put at least three feet of space between them and bicyclists they pass, or slow their vehicles to 15 miles per hour.
Supporters of the measure, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and seven-time Tour de France cycling champion Lance Armstrong, said it was needed to reduce the number of bicyclists killed or injured by cars in California each year.
The governor said the CHP, as well as Caltrans, had raised "legitimate concerns" about the requirement to slow down.
"On streets with speed limits of 35 to 40 mph, slowing to 15 mph to pass a bicycle could cause rear-end collisions," Brown wrote in his veto message. "On other roads, a bicycle may travel at or near 15 mph, creating a long line of cars behind the cyclist."The next time you visit Coimbatore, don't be surprised if the sanitary worker you run into is an engineer or an MBA graduate.
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The textile city's corporation has offered cleaning jobs to children of deceased sanitary workers after rejecting applications (under compassionate grounds) to the posts their educational qualification entitle them.
The corporation in the last three years has asked 50 schedule caste candidates to inherit such jobs of their parents, government documents reviewed by TOI show.
The civic body has referred to an obsolete government order, subsequently revised, for not entertaining the applications. The order, which held typewriting as a qualification for posts of junior assistant and billtax collector, was revised in 2000 and set a Class X pass as the minimum academic qualification.
Don't Miss 522 SHARES 1.7 K SHARES 4.4 K SHARES 199 SHARES 5.4 K SHARES
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The rules were applicable for both direct recruitment and appointments under compassionate grounds. But, more than 50 dalit candidates, children of deceased sanitary workers in the corporation, were denied white collar jobs for not clearing government typewriting exams and offered sanitary work.
A junior assistant bill collector earns 60%-70% more than the Rs 10,000- Rs 11,000 a sanitary worker takes home every month.
"More than the money, my self-respect has taken a beating. I am not able to handle ill treatment at the hands of other staff," said J Bhuvaneshwari, a science graduate who completed her B.Ed degree and wanted to become a teacher.
K Suresh Kumar, of Singanallur in East Coimbatore who holds an MBA, knocked on the corporation's doors in September 2015 for a job after the death of his father, a worker in the underground drainage department. The first generation graduate, who secured a Rs 3 lakh bank loan to complete his postgraduation, said all his father's efforts to help him get an administrative government job had come to naught."I feel distressed every time I step out to clean the streets," said Suresh, who lives with his mother in a rented home.
K Kuppusamy, a 29-yearold Gandhipuram resident licensed to operate heavy duty vehicles besides holding necessary educational qualification, was denied the post of a driver and forced into sanitary work.
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The corporation has not amended its recruitment norms on a par with a GO passed in 2000, which would have allowed such applicants to join as junior assistants tax collectors and rise to rank of zonal assistant commissioner. Under the obsolete norms being followed, they can only become record clerks at retirement.
"The corporation doesn't want people belonging to scheduled castes to grow develop on a par with others," said R Tamil Nadu Selvam, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Ambedkar Sanitary Workers Association, which claims to have taken up the case with corporation officials repeatedly. "They want them to continue an occupation thrust upon them for centuries." Despite repeated attempts, corporation authorities were unavailable for comment.
Originally Published In The Times Of IndiaCore Spaces are set to appear in front of the Design Commission with revised designs for 4th & Harrison, a 15 story apartment building. The proposed building will include 425 rental units, with a mix of studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments. According to the developer the intent is that the project will “have wide appeal including recent graduates and young professionals, families [and] empty-nesters.” Plans show a 30,000 sq ft grocery store at the ground level, along with a 5,000 sq ft ‘fast casual’ restaurant. The building will include 158 below grade car parking spaces, accessed from SW Harrison. 66 spaces will be reserved for the use of shoppers at the grocery store, with the remaining 92 spaces dedicated to residents of the building. The design architects for the building are Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture of Chicago, with Portland based Myhre Group Architects acting as consulting architects.
The project will be located on a full block site in the South Auditorium plan district of Downtown. The site is currently used for surface car parking, and is owned by the Downtown Development Group, a company controlled by the Goodman family. The block is immediately adjacent to the Halprin Open Space Sequence, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Design Advice hearing will be the fourth hearing for the project, which has evolved significantly from earlier concepts presented to the commission. The U-shaped tower has changed into an L-shaped tower, with the building massing oriented to the two major streets of SW 4th and Harrison. Concerns raised at earlier hearings about the impact to Pettygrove Park and the adjacent Harrison West tower have been addressed by reducing the height along the pedestrian trails to a three story podium.
Proposed materials for the building include a structurally glazed window wall system with aluminum slab edge covers at the upper portion of south and west elevations. The rest of the building is proposed to be primarily clad with metal panels and inset windows.
An amenity deck at the 4th floor would include a bocce ball court, a fire pit and a bbq. Landscaping at the ground level, designed by Lango Hansen, draws inspiration from the adjacent landscape designed by Lawrence Halprin, with a series of terraced concrete planters.
The project will be required to go through a Type III Design Review with hearings before the Design Commission prior to the issuance of building permits.
This article has been updated to reflect the fact that developer is now Core Spaces (not Core Campus), and that the project is no longer being specifically targeted towards students.
Plans, Sections and Elevations
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RedditCLAWSON (WWJ) – Police are shaking their heads after a suspected domestic violence call turned out to be something else entirely.
Clawson Police Chief Harry Anderson says a woman dialed 911 when she heard what sounded like a violent altercation between her neighbors at a Maple Road apartment complex.
“One of the neighbors had heard somebody yelling — a female yelling … she was possibly being hit — yelling, ‘Stop! No!'” Anderson told WWJ Newsradio 950’s Marie Osborne.
The concerned party also said that, in between shouts, she heard a repeated loud noise.
Police arrived within minutes. When they knocked on the door to the unit, Anderson said, a woman told officers she was indeed shouting, ‘Stop!’ — but that her boyfriend was not beating her.
So, what was the stink all about?
“The female that was inside stated that her boyfriend had continued to pass gas, and she was yelling at him to stop,” Anderson said.
In a show of a little police humor, the officers’ report states that police then, “Cleared the scene expeditiously.”
“It’s quite often that we respond to things that have a funny twist to them — and this was definitely one for the books,” Anderson said.article and photos provided by our good friends over at The Retro Store, check out their shop andfollow them on Twitter if you like what you see.
Keeping your records in mint condition canseem like an easy job. You buy the record, you keep it inside its record sleeve, you give it a quick dust if it has not been played in a while. You think everything’s going well but then, over time, your record becomes scratched, warped, or just outright damaged. Nobody wants that, especially when a record can cost you upwards of $25 a pop. If you want your lifetime worth out of it, follow what we think is the ultimate guide for vinyl care, put together by ourselves and The Retro, to give your investment that lifetime guarantee.
Storage
This might seem like vinyl 101, but getting a good environment to store your records can be tough, especially if you don’t have a room dedicated to your listening experience. Obvious things to consider, you want your records in a cool, dry place. That means no leaks, no central heating and no radiators nearby – doing this risks all of your records, even if they’re all in pristine condition.
When you’ve found the perfect corner of your flat or home for your records, the next step is to avoid massive piles. As Linn, who manufacture fantastic sound systems in Scotland point out, vinyl should be kept in a vertical position with no leaning, as this can cause your records to warp over time. Otherwise, you can use horizontal stacks of 15 – 20 albums. Any more than that will risk damaging your records at the bottom of the pile.
Ikea are a global company, and their products are pretty solid. Thankfully for us tonearm tautologists, they stock the “Kallax” range, which is essentially tons of different bits of furniture that you can fit records inside, the full range is here, but the one we use here is this one. It comes in at £20, which for the amount of records you can store, it’s got some serious value!
Key Points – Common safety with water, heat and other elements where you’ll keep your records, Ikea have great physical storage solutions if you need them.
“So I just bought a record from a thrift store”
A great deal of my records come from car boot sales or thrift stores, and the majority of the time you’re paying a tiny price for a fantastic album. Always check a record before you buy it but if you’re like me, it’s 7AM in the middle of Glasgow and a guy is asking for £1.50 for a copy of Graceland, don’t knock it if there’s a few scratches and some dust. Instead, follow our handy guide on how to get your new, old purchase into peak condition before bestowing the needle onto the wax.
Cleaning Your New, Old Vinyl
Get the Stuff
A basin
Washing up liquid
A record cleaning brush
2 soft cloths for drying
Towels
A sink with warm water
A clean surface to put the records on (their cardboard sleeves)
Prepare the Water
You will need the following:
Put an extremely small amount of soap in the basin, and then fill it with about 3-4″ of warm water. Stir the soap around with your hand while filling up the basin. Now place the basin on a countertop or other comfortable surface where you can commence cleaning your records.
Drench the Record
Put one record in the basin, and turn it around by moving the edge with the palms of your hands (as to not touch the grooves). We recommend that you try to avoid getting the label too wet, as this could risk the label becoming damaged if it has aged badly.
Once the whole surface of the record is wet, grab the record brush and wet it. With one hand, hold the record (with your palm) and with the other, move the brush in a circular motion about 10 times. I like to do 5 counter-clockwise and 5 clockwise. If you’ve got heavy grime, you might want to do more. just make sure not to touch the label. After one side is clean, flip it over and repeat.
After you’ve gotten the record clean, put it in a sink and run some cold water over it, removing the warm soapy water, and turn the record with the palms of your hand. After one side is clean, flip it over and do the other. After it’s clean, turn off the tap and let the water run off.
Drying the Record
Now that most of the water has run off, get a soft cloth in your hand, and grab the record with it. Now put another wash cloth in the other hand, and grab the record. With one hand, hold the record, and with the other dry it off. Once it’s dry, flip it over and do the other side – which should be most dry by now.
Once the record surface is dry, put the washcloths on the labels and press against them with your hand. This should get the labels dry of any accidental splashes.
After the record is mostly dry, set it on top of its cardboard sleeve in a cool, dry place, then place it somewhere and let it dry for several hours, to ensure a clean dry record for peak playback.
Playing the Record
I would recommend that the record is stored in a sleeve (the paper jacket inside the cover). Paper is fine, but does shed over time, so your records might have a little bit of stuff on the surface. Later records – late 70’s and 80’s – have glossy paper and even plastic sleeves to prevent this.
When handling records, make sure to only touch the label and edge, because finger oil acts like glue and dirt will stick to it (I’ve seen many a used record with blotches of dirt in the shape of finger prints). Unless you seriously mistreat them, you’ll probably never have to wash your records again or even use cleaning fluid.
READY TO ROCK!? Not so fast…
Awesome, your records are in a nice place, and they’re ready to be played. But is your turntable? If your turntable isn’t configured correctly, or your turntable needle is damaged or dirty, this could ruin all of the work you’ve done up until now. Now all turntables are different, but we’re going to try to provide an overall guide on how to know your turntable is working the way it should be. Thanks to eBay for a previous write up for inspiration.
Fixing Your Turntable
Tip 1. Fixing a Non-spinning Turntable
Tip 2. Looking for Sound-related Problems
Tip 3. Identifying Problems with the Tonearm
Tip 4. Correcting a Fast Spinning Turntable
Tip 5. Handling Crackling Sounds
If nothing seems broken, NOW YOU’RE READY TO ROCK.
Long Term Maintenance
Always take your record off the deck and put it straight in its sleeve once you’re finished listening. This avoids the needle straining if it is not automatic.
If your record is dusty, use a specialised record cleaning brush, whilst manually spinning the record on the deck. Don’t clean the record whilst it is spinning powered by the turntable, as this could damage the motor.
Before you listen to your record, check the needle for dust, and give it a light clean with a cloth if it is before listening, avoiding any potential damage.
Crank up that amplifier, and enjoy the hell out of your new record you probably spent enough on.
When the turntable does not spin, it is likely due to a malfunctioning motor, or a belt issue. This problem can be fixed by changing the motor as it is usually easier than fixing the malfunctioning one. If you lift the platter off the turntable and see a piece of rubber looking astray, take it out, and use your turntables instructions to reattach the rubber belt to the motor, and to get your turntable spinning again.With this problem, the turntable will work, but no sound will come out of it. This is most likely due to a faulty needle. So, any loose screws or wrong pins will cause the needle to malfunction. It can also be due to a problem with the stylus, whether it may be damaged or not present, but we’d hope at this point you might have noticed that.Sometimes with automatic tonearms, they may not drop on the turntable, which can happen for no apparent reason. The tonearm suddenly malfunctions and does not return automatically. An automatic tonearm is one which when you press play, will automatically move to start playing, and once the record is finished, lift itself and move back to its resting position on the right of the turntable. If this happens, the solution is to reset the tone arm. This can be done by holding the stop button and manually rotating the turntable by 90 degrees. Once this is done, the stop button should be released. This should reset the tonearm. Apart from that, get googling on your particular turntable mode.One common problem is a fast-spinning turntable. It rotates faster than the record’s speed, which can cause problems for the user. A possible cause for this problem is that the motor works at a different speed. The solution is to remove the upper plate and check the motor. If the drive is slipping, then it can cause the motor to run faster. The drive has to be aligned to correct this problem. Additionally, the speed of the turntable should match that of the vinyl record. For example, if the record has a speed of 45 revolutions per minute, then the turntable should also be set to that speed.When the user hears crackling sounds, it is likely due to the build-up of dust on the turntable. The user can gently clean the turntable using an antistatic cloth to remove the debris. It also helps to check the tonearm to see if it is balanced properly. These solutions can be used to fix any other abnormal sounds too.Now that you’ve cleaned up, here’s a breakdown guide on how to keep your needle on the straight and narrow, and to guarantee long players which last decades. Don’t worry, it’s not a painful list.So everyone, did we miss anything out? Let us know in the comments below, and if there are any glaring holes, we will either update this article, or maybe even publish a part 2!Civic San Diego approved the final design Wednesday for Sempra’s new corporate headquarters, where site work has already begun, heading toward a mid-2015 completion.
The 16-story, 320,000-square-foot building will be located on the block bounded by Seventh and Eighth avenues and Island J streets. It’s north of Petco Park and next to a historic city fire station.
Separately, a CivicSD design committee approved a revised plan for Ballpark Village, a $250 million mixed-use project east of Petco Park. It is due for completion in mid-2017, under the present schedule.
Sempra project architect Gordon Carrier of Carrier Johnson + Culture said recent changes will lend what he called a “more elegant” look by removing metal frames around the windows and produce a “crystalline” effect on the upper floors. A second type of window has been improved by eliminating horizontal banding and enhance a feeling of more verticality than previously provided.
Concrete also has replaced metal in the lower level garage area, which Carrier said fits well with East Village’s warehouse heritage.
/ - Civic San Diego The street level of new Sempra headquarters would offer pedestrians a clear view into the lobby. The street level of new Sempra headquarters would offer pedestrians a clear view into the lobby. (/ - Civic San Diego)
CivicSD, which oversees planning for downtown San Diego, also endorsed the addition of photovoltaic cells to a shade structure on top of the three-story auditorium portion of the project.
“We’re glad Sempra is staying downtown and that we’ll have a Fortune 500 company still headquartered here,” said director Jeff Gattas. “We’re happy you made efforts with regard to sustainability.”
He said the building will serve as a “living laboratory” for other commercial developers and showcase Sempra’s commitment to renewable energy.
Cisterra Development, a local company building the project, has leased the entire building to Sempra for 25 years. It will replace Sempra’s present headquarters on A Street just north of Civic Theater-City Hall complex. The owner, local developer Sandor Shapery, is considering various options to release or redevelop the 1960s building. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed but previously, real estate consultant Nathan Moeder at London Group Real Estate Advisors has said the project could cost up to $120 million.
/ - Civic San Diego The new design for the 34-story condo tower at Ballpark Village goes to the full Civic San Diego board in January. Opening is projected in 2017. The new design for the 34-story condo tower at Ballpark Village goes to the full Civic San Diego board in January. Opening is projected in 2017. (/ - Civic San Diego)
Carrier’s partner, Michael Johnson, presented the new plans for Ballpark Village along with Jim Chatfield of JMI, former Padres owner John Moores’ real estate company, which is in partnership with Lennar.
This project, bounded by Park Boulevard and 12th and Imperial avenues, would cover 3.5 acres with 617 dwelling units in both mid-rise and high-rise units -- 318 condos, 272 apartments and 27 affordable rentals. Also planned is 55,357 square feet of retail space and a large public plaza facing Petco Park’s east entrance and an edge opposite the new Central Library.
Chatfield said the adjacent land fronting Harbor Drive could contain 1,500 hotel rooms or residences, depending on how the expansion proceeds on the San Diego Convention Center and possible construction of a new Chargers stadium to the east.
The key design changes welcomed by CivicSD directors unify the development with a more consistent look that mixes metal, glass, concrete and plaster.
/ - Civic San Diego A concave building overlooks the plaza at Ballpark Village, immediately east of Petco Park. A concave building overlooks the plaza at Ballpark Village, immediately east of Petco Park. (/ - Civic San Diego)
Director Rich Geisler called the design “awesome,” although Chairwoman Cynthia Morgan said she liked the earlier design for the 34-story tower.
Jennifer Ayala, an architect at M.W. Steele Group who was added Wednesday to the committee as a nonvoting design member, praised the design as “really exciting.”
She compared one corner as reminiscent of New York’s historic Flat Iron Building, one of the first examples of American skyscrapers, but architect Johnson said mimicking the curve of the Flat Iron would compete with the concave nature of the plaza building facing Petco.
The design is now headed to full CivicSD board approval in January and if the schedule holds, Chatfield said construction could begin next September with the apartments ready for occupancy in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the high-rise in the third quarter of 2017.
That puts the project on course for completion a full year earlier than previously thought.SUPAI, Ariz. - Hikers hoping to get a look at the turquoise waters in Havasupai now have an easier way to get a camping reservation.
The official Havasupai tribe website launched Wednesday and offers online campground reservations for the first time.
It’s a relief for many travelers who have found themselves thwarted by the tourist office’s often busy phone lines.
If you plan on getting a reservation, book as soon as you can because the limited spots are going fast.
Also keep in mind that fees have increased for this year, according to the National Park Service. The entrance fee is now $50 per person, up from $35. The camping fee, which used to cost $17, is now $25 per person per night. The environment fee is $10. These prices do not include taxes.
All payment will be due at the time of booking, another change in how the Havasupai tribe is managing permits this year.
Single-day trips are not allowed on the reservation, so the only way hikers can get to see the falls is to get a camping permit.
Copyright 2017 KPNXBY: Follow @BillGertz
A Chinese cyber security firm is covertly working with Beijing's Ministry of State Security intelligence service in conducting cyber espionage operations, according to Pentagon intelligence officials.
The company known as Boyusec, officially the Bo Yu Guangzhou Information Technology Co., is also working with China's global telecommunications company Huawei Technologies, which has been identified by U.S. intelligence agencies as linked to the Chinese military.
According to an internal report by the Pentagon's Joint Staff J-2 intelligence directorate, Boyusec and Huawei are working together to produce security products that will be loaded into Chinese-manufactured computer and telephone equipment. The doctored products will allow Chinese intelligence to capture data and control computer and telecommunications equipment, said Pentagon officials familiar with the report.
"It's closely connected to the [Ministry of State Security] and Huawei and they are developing a start-up program that will use malware allowing for capturing and controlling devices," said one official of Boyusec.
No other details of Boyusec's activities could be learned.
The employment of a cyber security firm as cover for intelligence gathering has been used in the past by Russian intelligence. China appears to be following the same pattern, analysts say.
The Defense Intelligence Agency reported last spring that Russia's Kaspersky Labs was marketing security software for industrial control networks that the agency warned could create cyber vulnerabilities.
Government cyber actors from both China and Russia have been detected mapping American critical infrastructure networks, including the U.S. electrical grid.
Boysec's website reveals that the company is based in Guangzhou, China, and is a "cooperative partner" with Huawei, along with the Guangdong Provincial Information Security Assessment Center, a government bureau that conducts security assessments of software.
Guangzhou is a Chinese city located inland from Hong Kong in Guangdong province.
Boyusec did not respond to emails seeking comment.
A Joint Staff spokesman had no immediate comment.
Disclosure of Chinese security firm's links to the Ministry of State Security followed a report in the New York Times earlier this month that China had pre-installed software on some Android phones that covertly provided a backdoor to supply data from the devices to China every three days.
Security researchers at Kryptowire discovered that the secret reporting software was produced by a company called the Shanghai Adups Technology Co. and was found on more than 700 million phones, cars, and other smart devices.
The software is used on phones made by Huawei and another major Chinese telecommunications firm, ZTE.
Huawei was identified in a 2009 Pentagon report on China's military as one of several Chinese information technology companies that maintains "close ties to the [People's Liberation Army] and collaborates on R&D."
A report by the CIA-based Open Source Center in 2011 revealed that Huawei's chairwoman, Sun Yafang, worked at the Ministry of State Security's communications department before joining the company.
The report stated that Sun used her ties to the intelligence service to help Huawei fight off unspecified financial difficulties after the company was founded in 1987.
National Security Agency documents made public by former contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the agency had penetrated Huawei's communications networks and was spying on foreign countries' communications through Huawei equipment in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya, and Cuba.
The NSA also expressed concerns in one document that Huawei equipment could be used by China for cyber attacks.
"There is also concern that Huawei’s widespread infrastructure will provide the PRC with SIGINT capabilities and enable them to perform denial of service type attacks," stated an NSA briefing slide labeled "Top Secret."
The NSA revealed that the Huawei cyber threat also was outlined in a National Intelligence Estimate, a major report approved by the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.
The document was titled "The Global Cyber Threat to the U.S. Information Infrastructure" and warned: "We assess with high confidence that the increasing role of international companies and foreign individuals in U.S. information technology supply chains and services will increase the potential for persistent, stealthy subversions."
Huawei spokesman William Plummer confirmed that Huawei has a relationship with Boyusec but said the ties are limited to Boyusec security evaluations of Huawei's internal corporate intranet.
"No solution or service from Bo Yu Guangzhou Information Technology Co. has ever been incorporated into any Huawei product or service offered to any Huawei customer," Plummer said.
John Tkacik, a former State Department official, said the company appears from its website to pose a security risk.
"If I were at the Pentagon or Cybercom, I would keep my eyes on Boyusec, and only blow the whistle on them if they were actively marketing services to U.S. companies," Tkacik said.
"If the United States had a functional offensive cyber capability, and if I caught them in flagrante, I'd quietly blow up their servers with a ransomware attack and let them figure out what happened."
Tkacik said a Chinese cyber security company working with a Chinese intelligence service is a "dog-bites-man story."
"I want to hear U.S. cyber warriors strike back, a man-bites-dog story, although if man ever bites dog maybe it's best not to let the cyber-PETA hand wringers get wind of it in the press," he said.
A congressional China commission annual report made public this month stated that the Ministry of State Security is the main civilian spy service under the State Council, the chief administrative authority of the Chinese government and the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, the seven-member collective dictatorship that runs China.
"The [Ministry] conducts a variety of intelligence collection operations, such as human intelligence (HUMINT) and cyber operations," the report says.
Regarding cyber espionage, "China has a large, professionalized cyber espionage community," stated the report of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
"Chinese intelligence services have demonstrated broad capabilities to infiltrate a range of U.S. national security (as well as commercial) actors with cyber operations," the report said.
The Ministry of State Security, according to the commission, was behind the hacking of the Office of Personnel Management, the government's personnel records repository, and the theft of some 22 million records on federal workers, which included sensitive background investigation data.
According to the report, China is using cyber attacks to support intelligence collection against the U.S. diplomatic, economic, and defense industrial base sectors that support U.S. national defense programs.
The cyber thefts may benefit China's defense industry and high-technology sector as well as provide the Communist Party of China with insights into U.S. leadership perspectives on key China issues.
"Additionally, targeted information could inform Chinese military planners’ work to build a picture of U.S. defense networks, logistics, and related military capabilities that could be exploited during a crisis," the report says.
In addition to both civilian and military cyber espionage units, other unofficial Chinese hackers have conducted cyber espionage operations targeting the United States.
These include Chinese nationalist hackers and criminal cyber spies.
"Some observers suggest China is shifting cyber espionage missions away from unofficial actors to centralize and professionalize these operations within its intelligence services," the report said.
Boyusec states on its website that it provides information security services, consulting, and security evaluations.
Its testing services include static application security testing and dynamic network security testing, including simulate cyber attacks.
Last year, Boyusec joined with the Guangdong information security office to create a joint laboratory for testing software and developing cyber defenses.
Update Nov. 30, 2:58 P.M.: This post has been updated to reflect comment from HuaweiProject Rebound Helps Former Inmates Adjust To College Life
Project Rebound helps people in California who've been incarcerated succeed in college. The program's director Jennifer Leahy and Arnold Trevino, a graduate, tell NPR's Scott Simon about the program.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The first four scholars from Fresno state's Project Rebound |
This means that the Leave campaign has gone from trailing Remain by 10 points in mid-May (45 / 55%) to enjoying a four-point lead at the end of the month (52 / 48%).
This is a very significant development for two major reasons.
Firstly, because such a huge swing in public opinion over such a short space of time is unprecedented.
Secondly, because up until this week, the results of pretty much every opinion poll conducted over the phone showed leads for Remain ranging from steady to very commanding.
In fact, it was only polls conducted online that were giving any sort of hope to those campaigning for a Brexit over the last few weeks.
However, ORB's most recent phone poll published yesterday gave Leave a cause for quiet optimism as it showed that Remain's margin of victory had been slashed from 13 points down to just 5.
That's why ICM's latest phone survey isn't just another poll — it's a sign that a seismic shift in public opinion may well be taking place with just over three weeks to go until the June 23 referendum.
Prime Minister speaks to the public alongside London mayor Sadiq Khan about why Britain should remain in the EU. Yui Mok / PA Wire /Press Association Images
Interestingly, the results of ICM's latest phone poll produced exactly the same final outcome as the online version.
Once the undecided respondents were excluded (9%), 52% of people surveyed online said they planned to vote for a Brexit, while 48% said they will vote to stay next month.
ICM's latest release will concern Remain campaigners. The tendency of phone polls to give a leads to Remain had seemingly become the only real predictable element of EU referendum polls.
Now that the trend is broken and public opinion appears to be moving in favour of a Brexit, it looks like the outcome could be a lot closer than everyone thought at the beginning of the month.The name Uber is seemingly everywhere. Whether the company is battling taxi drivers in Canada, receiving boat-loads of investment cash from tech giants, or trying to spend its own money to acquire other services to bolster app capabilities, the company makes the news a lot. The convenience of calling a car at nearly 50% of the cost of a traditional taxi is alluring, but drivers aren't so pleased.
Earlier this summer, three Uber drivers, known as "Partners", filed a lawsuit against the company within the state of California that would enable as many as 160,000 drivers to take part in a class-action lawsuit. The reason for the suit? Direct employment by the company.
As it stands, a driver must work as an independent contractor and pay out-of-pocket for everyday expenses. Gas, oil changes, important preventative maintenance, and other expenses are incurred by the driver without any reimbursement from Uber. On top of that, Uber takes 20% of each fare a rider pays and doesn't allow tipping within the app and has the ability to set fare rates and hire/fire as the company pleases. These control issues are what drivers in California are aiming to address and change for the better.
Should the class-action lawsuit rule in favor of drivers, new employment statuses could come as a result with significantly better benefits. This would force Uber to rearrange its investment priorities as the company is currently sinking millions into self-driving car technology that would certainly put many/all drivers out of a job in the future.
If California courts rule in favor of Uber partners, it would seem likely that partners in other states would push for class-action lawsuits as well. Perhaps the company should strike a settlement before things get out of hand?
Source: Wall Street JournalThe White House said today that release of a 14-year-old tape of Barack Obama discussing "redistribution" reflects "desperation" from supporters of Mitt Romney.
"All of us who follow politics and policy... have seen circumstances like this where a campaign is having a very bad day or a very bad week," said White House spokesman Jay Carney. "And in circumstances like that, there are efforts made -- sometimes desperate efforts made -- to change the subject."
The 1998 tape of Ohio surfaced a day after a 2012 tape of Romney became public in which he could be heard saying Obama enters this election with 47% of the vote, courtesy of Americans who are on government assistance or who pay no taxes.
On the Obama tape, promoted by The Drudge Report and other websites, the then-Illinois legislator is heard at a conference in 1998 saying, "I think the trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution, because I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level, to make sure that everybody's got a shot."
Asked about the tape today, Carney said, "The charge based on this 14-year-old video sounds very familiar to one that was tried and failed in 2008.
"You know," he said, "14 years old, then-Senator Obama was making an argument for a more efficient, more effective government, specifically citing city government agencies that he did not think were working effectively."
Romney supporters said the new tape reflects Obama's real philosophy.
"Now we have a glimpse of his long-held belief in redistribution through government," said Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.Washington (CNN) The collapse of the Republican bid to repeal and replace Obamacare Monday, alongside chaos brewed by the Russia scandal, has revealed a stunted presidency and a White House struggling to master the levers of power.
It also leaves President Donald Trump without a significant legislative triumph to show for his first six months in office.
"He was playing with a firetruck and trying on a cowboy hat as the bill was collapsing and he had no clue," a top Republican told CNN's Jeff Zeleny on Tuesday, mocking the "Made In America" week at the White House.
Trump was prepared to shoulder no blame for the failure of the bill on Tuesday, and warned he would now simply let Obamacare fail.
"We're not going to own it. I'm not going to own it. I can tell you the Republicans are not going to own it. We'll let Obamacare fail and then the Democrats are going to come to us," Trump told reporters at the White House.
So far however, there is no sign that the Democrats would take part in any effort that would effectively repeal Obamacare. And it seems just as likely that a crisis in the health care industry, involving Americans losing health insurance, would come back to hurt the party in power, in Congress and the White House -- Republicans.
Combined with Trump's historically low approval rating for a President at this stage of his first term, and the constant, corrosive presence of the Russia drama, it adds up to a presidency testing the limits of political viability.
"When a President has the lowest approval ratings of any President after six months it's not surprising he took one of the biggest body blows in politics after six months," said David Gergen, a senior CNN political analyst.
"We have never seen a President put forward a major legislative piece in his early days that was greeted with such derision and such fear," Gergen told CNN's Don Lemon on Monday night.
The question now is whether the White House and Republicans in Congress can find a way to marshall the GOP monopoly on power towards another significant agenda item -- tax reform for instance.
Trump's style
JUST WATCHED Fact check: Has Trump signed the most bills? Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Fact check: Has Trump signed the most bills? 01:28
If Trump is to be more successful in future legislative fights, it may require big changes in his style.
Perhaps the the ultimate takeaway from this legislative disaster is that Trump's own political methodology -- that was wildly successful in getting him elected, has turned out to be an insufficient base on which to build a functioning presidency.
The health care effort revealed a White House that was unskilled in dealing with Congress and in some cases unaware to the political pressures faced by Trump's GOP allies on Capitol Hill. When the bill was speeding towards extinction on Monday, Trump was apparently oblivious to the impending embarrassment.
On Monday afternoon, he blithely asserted that all was well, apparently unaware that the bill was already all but doomed.
"We're getting it together and it's going to happen," he said during his afternoon event on US manufacturing, where he spent time admiring products including jumping into a fire truck and donning a Stetson hat.
He also spent hours this weekend -- when the bill's chances of passing were expiring -- at the US Women's Golf Open, at his Bedminister, New Jersey, course, waving to fans and watching the action.
That behavior was in keeping with the hands off attitude that Trump adopted during the Senate's Obamacare repeal efforts. But it also raises questions about his political approach itself.
In recent days, Trump adopted big brush themes, maintained his superficial acquaintance with policy, used of social media as a messaging tool, and refused to accept any of the conventions about how politics has been conducted for eons -- i.e. how bills have been passed.
He promised vengeance if Republicans did not pass the bill -- but little incentive for doubtful senators to get behind him, perhaps not the most effective strategy for a President with low approval ratings.
"I don't even want to talk about it because I think it would be very bad," Trump said in an interview last week with Christian Broadcasting Network. "I will be very angry about it and a lot of people will be very upset.
And yet, a pair of conservative senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas, broke the news of their opposition -- sinking the bill -- while Trump was dining with other GOP senators to discuss the legislation.
"It was beyond rude," a Republican senator who asked to speak without attribution to talk candidly about the feeling inside the caucus told CNN's Dana Bash of Lee and Moran's move.
Yet this senator also noted how illustrative it is about the level of respect for this President among many Republicans on the hill.
"It just shows what our guys think of Trump. Can you imagine them doing this to another president?" the senator said.
Trump's reaction to defeat
The President's public comments before and after the humiliating defeat was typical of his engagement during the process, showing an incomplete understanding of the political dynamics, a tendency to apportion blame to others and a lack of specifics about how the legislation could be saved or improved beyond unspecific platitudes.
Then, after disaster struck, he tweeted, calling for a simple vote to repeal Obamacare -- and work on a replacement plan from a clean slate.
But it's unclear whether that is a workable legislative solution in the Senate, or a political one for the GOP since it would be easy to opponents to frame the bill as slashing health care for millions of people without offering them any immediate replacement.
By Tuesday, Trump was lashing out his political foes.
"We were let down by all of the Democrats and a few Republicans. Most Republicans were loyal, terrific & worked really hard. We will return!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning.
But a rebound will depend on getting a significant piece of legislation passed -- to show this White House and this Congress can get it done despite the obstacles that thwarted the health care push.
Accomplishments?
The immediate impact of the Obamacare repeal failure will be to further overshadow the victories Trump has secured.
He managed to install a new Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch, who was widely praised by conservatives and will carry forward his legacy for decades to come.
The liberation of the Iraqi city of Mosul, with US help, and the recent strides against ISIS in Syria, have not got the attention they might deserve, and the White House can post to some decent economic data -- though Democrats would say both those trends were set in place by the Obama White House.
Quietly, the administration has also been working to dismantle Obama era regulations in the environment, education and financial spheres.
White House strategy -- or lack thereof
But one problem of the Obamacare repeal process was that it was never completely clear what the White House strategy was, other than just waiting pen-in-hand in the Oval Office for a bill to sign.
One approach to a successful reform effort would have been to try to mobilize the nation behind the President through visits outside his political comfort zone in areas where he has strong support, and to build momentum for the bill with televised presidential addresses.
He chose not to take the path -- possibly because the bill was seen by so many people as an unworkable solution to the problems with Obamacare.
The White House put at least a show of presidential zeal over the weekend, revealing that Trump called senators, as he had done on the way home from his trip to Paris last week.
But Trump's Twitter account also shows that in the last few days, the President was far more interested in other issues -- including the spectacle of of his trip to France's Bastille Day parade and the fallout from his son Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer.
As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2017
Tuesday morning, Trump again turned to social media to convey his mindset.
"As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!" he said.SCHEDA
e l'Avvocatura dello Stato stanno valutando se fare ricorso al Consiglio di Stato contro la sentenza del Tar. Quella legale non è l'unica strada su cui si muove il ministero. I vertici della Sanità hanno infatti già avviato contatti, anche con scienziati e medici stranieri, per costituire nel più breve tempo possibile una nuova eventuale commissione che possa valutare il metodo Stamina. ministero della Salute e l'Avvocatura dello Stato stanno valutando se fare ricorso al Consiglio di Stato contro la sentenza del Tar. Quella legale non è l'unica strada su cui si muove il ministero. I vertici della Sanità hanno infatti già avviato contatti, anche con scienziati e medici stranieri, per costituire nel più breve tempo possibile una nuova eventuale commissione che possa valutare il metodo Stamina.
- Via libera da parte dei giudici dell'Aquila al metodo Stamina per Noemi, la bimba di 18 mesi di Guardiagrele, in provincia di Chieti, per la quale lo stesso tribunale aveva negato la cura. "E' bellissimo" - ha detto il padre di Noemi, Andrea Sciarretta, 26 anni -. L'ordinanza è definitiva. E' una notizia che aspettavamo da tempo e ci dà una gioia immensa e una grande speranza. Aspettiamo ora che la promessa diventi concreta con l'avvio delle cure". Poi si è rivolto al governatore della Regione Abruzzo e ha aggiunto : "Ora non ha più scuse".Ora la bimba, affetta da Atrofia muscolare spinale, potrà sottoporsi a cure con il metodo Stamina preso l'azienda ospedaliera Spedali civili di Brescia. La piccola ha un fratellino, Mattia di 5 anni, non affetto da questa terribile malattia genetica che colpisce soprattutto i bambini e progressivamente atrofizza i muscoli, riducendo via via la cassa toracica e impedendo ai polmoni di espandersi e quindi di respirare. Il Tribunale dell'Aquila ha riformato il provvedimento assunto dal giudice del lavoro Anna Maria Tracanna depositato lo scorso 25 novembre rigettando il ricorso d'urgenza presentato dai genitori della piccina. E' stata ordinata l'immediata somministrazione delle cellule staminali, già presenti nella struttura sanitaria di Brescia, a favore di Noemi. Una cura che segue la metodologia della Stamina Foundation Onlus. Il papà di Noemi, sta lottando da tempo per l'accesso al metodo per sua figlia. Lo scorso 25 novembre aveva ricevuto l'ennesimo stop di un giudice dell'Aquila, dopo i due tentativi al tribunale di Chieti.Davide Vannoni, presidente di Stamina Foundation, è soddisfatto per la sentenza, ma ha parlato anche di "amarezza perché la bambina, se la situazione non cambierà, potrà essere curata a Brescia solo tra 3 o 4 anni, vista la lunga lista d'attesa". "Per la sua malattia significa mai. Una storia già vissuta da tutti gli altri pazienti, di cui 8 sono già deceduti nell'ingiustificata attesa", ha detto Vannoni.Nel giorno della sentenza la senatrice Elena Cattaneo, che da anni fa ricerca sulle staminali. è tornata ancora una volta a bocciare il metodo Vannoni. "L'unica sperimentazione attendibile con l'utilizzo di cellule staminali effettuata in Italia, è stata quella per la cura delle cornee sostenuta dall'Università di Modena-Reggio Emilia con l'ospedale San Raffaele di Milano". Nel suo intervento sul tema "Big data e scienze sociali" ha parlato anche della polemica per il "caso Stamina". "Il progetto Stamina non ha valore scientifico", ha sottolineato Elena Cattaneo. Pochi giorni fa il Tar del Lazio ha sospeso il decreto di nomina della Commissione del Ministero della Salute che ha bocciato il'metodo Stamina'. Di conseguenza è stato sospeso anche il parere contrario alla sperimentazione ed accolto del padre del metodo, Davide Vannoni. IlFollowing a three-year hiatus, Queens-based songwriter & producer Matt Longo, aka Thin Lear, is back with the first release since his self-titled EP. Today we’re bringing you a first look and listen to that release, titled “The Guesthouse.” If you weren’t already familiar with this up-and-coming artist, this is the perfect introduction to his sound and what you can expect from his upcoming album.
A charming ride throughout, “The Guesthouse” is a tasteful blend of organic percussion, playful guitar work, and a splash of saxophone. All of those elements come together well, serving as the perfect accompaniment to Longo’s enveloping vocals. It’s a combination that left us both wanting to throw this into our regular rotation and anxiously looking forward to the full album.
We reached out to Longo to ask him about the inspiration behind this release. Here’s what he had to say:Guns
The gun community has forever changed. Once in a supposed slow decline, the popularity of shooting and gun ownership has come roaring back during the past couple of decades. Sales of firearms are setting all kinds of records, and gun ranges are frequently packed with people.
Michael Bane calls the latest generation of gun owners “Gun Culture 2.0,” which I find to be an exceptionally apt description. Much like the move from the “old” internet, to the current generation of interactive and social web sites was called “Web 2.0,” the Gun Culture 2.0 is a similarly remarkable change in our own community.
But the new generation of gun owners no longer fit the old-school sportsmen look of yesteryear. The new generation of gun owners are fiercely independent, yet socially active – especially in the online space. The new generation comes from urban centers as well as middle America. New gun owners are of all genders, colors, creeds and social strata. They are not Elmer Fudd.
Unlike the reserved approach to politics that the traditional firearms lobby has taken, the new generation is outspoken, unashamed and willing to fight for what they believe. They are educated on the origins of the Second Amendment and the fundamental right to be free. They do not advocate for the Second Amendment as a right to hunt, rather they perceive it as a guaranteed ability to resist an oppressive government.
But, why the shift? There are a variety of reasons, but I contend the internet is the primary reason for the revolution in the gun culture.
No single material thing is likely to have had a greater impact on humanity than the internet. The internet, and more specifically, the world wide web, has allowed people to communicate around the country and all over the world with virtually no interference from the government. Being able to come together and share ideas about politics, self defense and recreational shooting has helped cause a surge in new gun ownership – especially by people who have never been exposed to the “traditional” methods of introduction into our community.
Instead of the image of the white male father dressed in flannel taking his son off to the woods for the traditional deer hunt, the new image of gun ownership is much broader and more diverse. The members of the 2.0 gun culture are more likely to own an AR15 with a suppressor than a Winchester Model 70. And, you can rest assured that a new gen gun owner is likely to be carrying a Glock or KelTec when you run into them at the local coffee shop.
In today’s gun culture, there are many more women, a broader mix of races and a wider range of backgrounds. Instead of being a clean cut poster child of the 1950’s many gun owners are bikers or body art enthusiasts covered with tattoos. Others are fashion conscious while others still are computer nerds. Members of the new gun generation range in age from teens to retirees.
The point is, our culture has changed. And, it has changed for the better. We attract all kinds of people into the gun world because all of the lies about us are easily disproven now that the mass media no longer has control over what people know. The internet has allowed the truth about firearms to get out.
How the industry will respond to the culture shift remains to be seen. Some companies, like Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC), have fully embraced the new paradigm. As a result, they have gained the confidence of many members of the gun culture and have played a role in shaping the future.
AAC, for example, is a manufacturer of silencers. Some 20 years ago, silencers were considered the tools of assassins and criminals. Through the educational work of AAC and others like them, perspective on sound suppressors has radically changed, and they are far more common on the range today than they ever have been in the past. Without embracing Gun Culture 2.0, the upswing in acceptance of silencers would never have taken place.
Others, however, have not made any moves to change with the times. I fear that some of those companies will not survive. I overheard two executives from a major firearms company discussing the internet culture in the airport after the SHOT Show this year. It was obvious they had no idea how to approach the new crop of gun owners so they were trying to convince themselves that they didn’t matter. I wonder if those two used to sell typewriters or pagers?
The gun culture has changed. If you are from the old guard, reach out to the new shooters every chance you get. They are a powerful force that can help safeguard all of our freedoms going forward.George Clooney made the argument over the weekend that President Trump and his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, are the same “Hollywood elitists” that their supporters enthusiastically reject.
Appearing on the French program “Rencontres de Cinema,” the Oscar-winning actor mentioned Meryl Streep’s speech during the Golden Globes in January when she blasted the president as a bully. Mr. Clooney said it’s wrong for conservatives to dismiss Ms. Streep’s speech just because she’s a wealthy actress.
“This is the part that makes me a little crazy,” he said, Gossip Cop reported. “When Meryl spoke, everyone on that one side was like, ‘Well, Hollywood elitist Hollywood speaking.’ Donald Trump has 22 acting credits. He collects $120,000 a year from a Screen Actor’s Guild pension fund. He is a Hollywood elitist.
“Steve Bannon is a failed film writer and director. That’s the truth, that’s what he’s done,” Mr. Clooney continued. “He wrote a Shakespearean rap musical about the L.A. riots that he couldn’t get made, you know, which is a shock. He made a lot of money off ‘Seinfeld.’ He’s elitist — Hollywood. That’s the reality, if you want to look at it that way.
“So I look at when people say Meryl shouldn’t speak up — of course she should,” he added. “She has every right to speak up. She’s an American citizen, and she was an American citizen a long time before she was an icon.”
Mr. Clooney, who endorsed Hillary Clinton’s failed Democratic presidential campaign, said the American people are resilient and will find a way of fixing any damage done by Mr. Trump.
“One thing that I’m always very proud of is we tend to do a lot of dumb things over time, but we’re also pretty good at fixing them,” he said. “Now we have Donald Trump, which is hard to imagine. It sort of catches in your throat. But we’ll fix it. We have to. We have to make fun of these situations. Humor is an important part of it.”
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Officer Bron Cruz shot Taylor on August 11, 2014 outside a convenience store at the intersection of 2100 South and State Street. The shooting was captured on body cam.
Prosecutors never filed charges against the officer, citing the shooting as justified with Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill saying that “given the facts of the the case and the body-cam video, the officer made the right decision to use deadly force.”
A 911 call was made claiming Taylor, his brother and his cousin were suspicious and flashing a gun. Reportedly, officers on scene ordered Taylor to stop and put his hands up but Taylor ignored the commands, walking away.
Seconds later, Taylor turns around and attempts to show his hands, that was when Officer Cruz fired his service weapon, hitting Taylor twice. On the officer body-cam video, posted below, Cruz can be heard saying, “what the hell were you reaching for man.”
The investigation determined that Taylor was not carrying a gun. Instead he was wearing headphones and had a cell phone on him.
“I was 100 percent, 100 percent convinced when I saw him turn around it was gonna be a gunfight. I knew he had that gun, that he’d be trying to kill us,” said Officer Cruz during the investigation.
He further stated that “I was scared to death. The last thought I had go through my mind when I pulled the trigger, and I’ll never forget this … was that I was too late. I was too late. And because of that, I was gonna get killed. Worse, my (partner) was gonna get killed.”
The shooting has sparked outrage among the community and Taylor’s family.
Gill, citing the family’s outrage, stated the following:
“I also told them that they don’t have to agree with my conclusions. But my job as district attorney is to be fair, to be thorough, to be as objective as we can be, and to piece together the information and call it as we see it,” he said. “I think they were certainly upset with my decision in the sense that they think since he didn’t have a weapon that he shouldn’t have been shot.”
In the lawsuit, which you can read here, the Taylor family depicts the situation as “shocking, despicable evidence of an entrenched departmental detachment from human life and the consequences of excessive deadly force.”
The lawsuit also claims that officers on scene illegally detained Taylor’s brother and cousin upon the shooting. The officers had no reasonable suspicion that the two had committed a crime.
Taylor, 20, made posts on Facebook days before the shooting that showed he was aware he had warrants out for his arrest for a prior burglary, that he was homeless and that he felt his life had “hit rock bottom.”
“I feel God can’t even save me on this one. It’s about my time soon.”
The Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office also noted that Taylor had a blood-alcohol content of 0.18 at the time of the shooting, which is more than twice the legal limit for driving.
https://youtu.be/llDr9iYgzpkMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption About 500 people were forced to leave the airport in east London
A suspected chemical incident forced the evacuation of London City Airport, with people needing treatment for breathing difficulties.
About 500 people were taken from the east London airport at 16:00 BST after some passengers felt unwell, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
Ambulance staff treated 26 patients at the scene, taking two to hospital.
The airport was declared "safe" at about 19:00, with police finding what they think might be a CS gas spray.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said they are not treating the case as "terrorist related".
The force statement continued: "A search of the airport led to the discovery of what is believed to be a CS gas spray.
"Whilst the cause of the incident has not yet been confirmed, officers are investigating whether it was the result of an accidental discharge of the spray."
The airport said it had since reopened, although passengers have been warned to expect disruption as flights will be staggered.
'Started to cough'
In a statement, the fire service said: "Two complete sweeps of the airport building were carried out jointly by firefighters and police officers, both wearing protective equipment.
"No elevated readings were found and the building was ventilated, searched and declared safe."
Earlier in the afternoon, the LFB said it had sent appliances used to deal with chemical incidents to the airport.
An airport spokesman said the evacuation took place after a fire alarm was set off.
Image copyright @LondonFire
David Morris, 28, had been checking in for a BA flight to Edinburgh when he started coughing.
He said: "We were queuing up and we were just about to check our bags in, and I was talking and started to cough to the point I was not able to keep talking.
"It was getting quite bad and we saw other people starting to cough at the same time. The people behind the desk were coughing the most and quite aggressively.
"Within two minutes, they shouted for everyone to get out."
Mr Morris added that whatever was causing people to cough did not smell or have any colour to it.
"Everyone was shouting and rushing towards the door," he added.
Boxer David Haye who was at the airport en-route to Scotland tweeted: "Gutted cant get to Scotland for @JoshTaylorBoxer fight tonight. As #CityAirport got evacuated when everyone started coughing uncontrollably!"
Chris Daly, 35, from Southend, told the BBC he had just landed from BA flight from Glasgow when he heard the fire alarms.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Fire crews later said the airport had been declared safe
"When we got into the airport terminal building we could hear the fire alarms going on, then there were announcements in three different languages saying this is a fire alarm and the crew were directing us at the baggage carousel to evacuate the building," he said.
"We are now all standing on the tarmac under the wing of the airplane because it has started to rain.
"I can see some planes circling in the sky but nothing else has landed. No-one has really told us anything. We saw some fire crew going inside to do a sweep."
Image copyright Shauna Bull
SNP MP Calum Kerr was travelling with a group of Scottish MPs when they were left stranded on the airport's tarmac for more than 90 minutes.
He said: "News agencies were reporting a chemical incident, which obviously changed the atmosphere a bit, people are less fraught - it goes from being a pain in the derriere to a case of: 'Is everybody safe? I hope people are okay'."
Image copyright Alistair Goold
BBC reporter Andrew Cryne who was due to board a flight at 17:00 BST said people were asked to leave the building at about 16:30 BST.
"They said there was a fire, the building was evacuated and everybody was asked to stand outside," he said.
"Passengers are waiting, people are fairly cold and don't really know what's going on or whether they may be flying this evening. Many passengers have been advised to go home.
Image copyright AP
"There have been refreshments handed out, we have been given water, crisps, blankets if necessary, but the mood on the ground is really one of lack of surety and a lack of information."
Another passenger Shauna Bull said: "They are starting to take us inside now.
"They've separated us into domestic and international and I thought we were going to get to go home but they've taken us into a room for border force control to process us.
"There are buses now taking people on toilet trips to a toilet somewhere so I think we could be here for a while yet. No-one is saying anything."
Image copyright Shauna Bull
Image copyright PA
London Southend Airport has said it has taken six diverted flights due to the incident at London City Airport, while London Stansted in Essex also took six flights diverted from the east London airport.
Are you at London City Airport? Tell us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
You can also contact us in the following ways:Among the American South’s great spring sporting traditions: the Masters golf tournament, which takes place in early April, and college football spring games, which usually do, too. The calendar can create some serious weekend conflicts.
This year, Masters Saturday coincides with a whole bunch of spring games. That’s the case every year. A lot of these spring games are in golf-loving states with lots of people who might want to attend or otherwise be watching the Masters.
How does one choose what to do?
Auburn is trying to have it both ways:
A better look at The Masters on Auburn's giant scoreboard. pic.twitter.com/cd4jxP2YBb — Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) April 8, 2017
Georgia did the same thing in 2015.
Is this heaven? A beautiful Athens spring day for G-Day & the #Masters on the videoboard at Sanford. #GoDawgs Thx BR pic.twitter.com/V66D32bBDi — UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) April 11, 2015
That’s a pretty convenient way to live, in my opinion. Sitting in Sanford Stadium while watching leisurely spring football in person and the Masters on a humongous video board seems awfully relaxing on an April Saturday. It represents one approach to seasonal conflict between spring ball and golf’s tradition unlike any other.
The Masters will never not be on this specific weekend.
The tournament is always played in April’s first full week, and Augusta National Golf Club’s leadership is nothing if not set in its ways. So the other approach for college football teams is to simply avoid the Masters altogether.
Georgia’s taking that route this year. The Dawgs are holding their spring game on April 22, and they did that to purposefully avoid the Masters and Easter.
South Carolina did the same. The Gamecocks played their spring game up against the Masters last year and then decided to move it up a week this year.
“The Masters obviously did affect us a little bit as far as our crowd is concerned,” Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp said of the decision. “We need to have a huge crowd for the recruits that’ll be at the game.”
So, South Carolina played its spring game the Saturday before the Masters. The team still wound up having to alter the start time to avoid a conflict with the men’s basketball Final Four, in which the Cocks were surprisingly playing.
Whatever decisions football programs make about the Masters are ostensibly about their fans. But the issue is a critical one for media members, too. Here’s an explanation from my colleague Richard Johnson, a former Florida Gators beat writer:
From my days on the Florida beat, I can attest that Masters navigation during spring games is very much a point of contention. College football media folks, especially ones in the South, tend to also dabble on the links. Look around in a spring game press box during the third round of the tournament, and you can see phones and iPads tuned into the golf while we're tangentially watching football-like substance on the field. The "game" ends, and the press box TVs immediately turn to the golf. It's important.
College football fans and writers trying to watch the Masters during spring games: the real tradition unlike any other.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
March 13, 2013, 4:51 PM GMT By Paul A. Eisenstein
With his eponymous battery-car company facing increasing turmoil as it struggles to survive a trouble launch and increasing financial problems, Henrik Fisker has resigned as executive chairman of California-based Fisker Automotive.
In a terse statement, the executive cited “several major disagreements” with members of the small carmaker’s senior management team over its ongoing business strategy. It is unclear if that references reported plans to find a partner and possibly sell a controlling stake in the firm to one of several Chinese automakers linking to the Fisker company.
The Detroit Bureau: The Formula One of Electric Vehicles? Formula-E Racing Series Gets a Go
After tendering his resignation, Fisker sent out a note to a small group of media, including TheDetroitBureau.com, in which he stated that effective immediately he “has resigned from Fisker Automotive as Executive Chairman, and has left the company. The main reasons for (my) resignation are several major disagreements…with the Fisker Automotive executive management on the business strategy.”
The executive was not immediately available for follow-up questions.
As previously reported here, Fisker Automotive has been struggling to generate the necessary capital to both keep its current operations running and to complete the development of the company’s second and perhaps most critical model, the mid-range plug-in hybrid Fisker Atlantic, first shown to the media prior to last year’s New York Auto Show.
The Detroit Bureau: Cars Get Better Mileage - So Motorists Drive More, Use Nearly as Much Fuel
Fisker Automotive has been in a financial crunch ever since the Department of Energy decided to block distribution of most of a previously negotiated, $529 million federal loan. That left the maker hundreds of millions of dollars short of what it needed to finish development of the Atlantic.
Complicating matters has been the slow ramp-up of production and sales of its original product, the Fisker Karma. Due |
or should have known was mentally and physically disabled and had no means to resist," Teare said.
A few moments later, the judge sentenced Stubblefield, 46, of West Orange, to 12 years in state prison for abusing the 35-year-old victim, known as D.J., in her Newark office in 2011. D.J. has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak beyond making noises.
Stubblefield has claimed she and D.J. fell in love, and that she communicated with him via a controversial typing method, known as "facilitated communication."
But an Essex County jury determined D.J. is mentally incompetent and could not consent to the sexual activity, and found Stubblefield guilty on Oct. 2 of two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault. She was facing between 10 and 40 years in prison.
RELATED: Professor loses bid to throw out conviction for sex assault of disabled man
Standing beside his mother on Friday in the Newark courtroom, D.J.'s brother grew emotional as he discussed how Stubblefield "raped" D.J. and harassed their family.
"I don't think Anna understood the depth of pain she caused my family," the brother said.
"An able-bodied woman raped a disabled young man that could not consent to sex," he later added. "You were wrong, Anna. You committed a crime. There is no gray area."
Stubblefield must serve slightly more than 10 years before becoming eligible for parole. After her release from prison, she will be subject to parole supervision for life and she must comply with the reporting requirements of the state's Megan's Law.
Since Stubblefield was convicted of two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, her position as a Rutgers professor is forfeited and she will be disqualified from any future public employment, according to the judge.
The former chairwoman of the Rutgers' philosophy department, Stubblefield was dressed in a pink prison jumpsuit and appeared mostly calm throughout Friday's hearing.
In brief remarks before receiving her sentence, Stubblefield apologized and expressed "my dismay and my regret and my sorrow that my actions have led to so much distress."
But Stubblefield's teenage daughter, Zoe, then stepped to the front of the courtoom and struck a more aggressive tone.
Zoe Stubblefield, whose parents are divorced, claimed her estranged father drove her mother to D.J., and she refuted the claims by D.J.'s family about his mental incompetence. With her mother being in prison, Zoe Stubblefield said she is "forced to take care of myself."
Zoe Stubblefield said she has a mental disability and that her mother is "a very good person" who has taken care of her. Referring to her mother, Zoe Stubblefield said "her being in prison is simply not fair at all."
"She's never done anything wrong in her whole life," said Zoe Stubblefield, referring to her mother. "She's like the cleanest, most goody-two-shoes woman I've ever met."
After returning to her seat, Zoe Stubblefield was ultimately removed from the courtroom by Essex County sheriff's officers, because she had an outburst during the statement of D.J.'s brother.
When D.J.'s brother said he and his mother were praying for the Stubblefield family, including her ex-husband, Zoe Stubblefield shouted an expletive in regard to her father and D.J.'s brother.
The long-running case has centered on the extent of D.J.'s disabilities and whether he was able to communicate with Stubblefield.
During the trial, the state presented testimony from psychologists who determined D.J. is mentally incompetent and cannot consent to sexual activity. As a result of his cognitive impairments, D.J.'s mother and brother have been designated as his legal guardians.
D.J. also wears diapers and requires assistance with walking, bathing, dressing and eating, his mother testified during the trial.
But Stubblefield claimed during the trial that D.J. is not intellectually impaired and was able to communicate through facilitated communication. Under that technique, Stubblefield said she provided physical support to D.J. as he typed messages on a keyboard.
Critics argue the technique is ineffective, saying studies have shown the facilitators are controlling the users' movements. Several scientific organizations have declared the technique is invalid.
MORE: Professor found guilty of sexually assaulting disabled man
Stubblefield first met D.J. in 2009 through his brother, then a Rutgers student, who was taking a course of Stubblefield's. During one class, Stubblefield presented a video that dealt with facilitated communication, and the brother later asked her for more information about the method to see if it might help D.J.
Over the next two years, Stubblefield worked with D.J. through facilitated communication. During the trial, she claimed D.J. was able to communicate through the typing method, including by writing papers that were presented at conferences and essays for a literature class at Rutgers.
Stubblefield said she and D.J. fell in love and ultimately disclosed their sexual relationship to his mother and brother in May 2011. Looking to have Stubblefield keep her distance, the brother ultimately reported the matter to a Rutgers official and the university later contacted Essex County prosecutors.
During Friday's sentencing, Stubblefield's attorney, James Patton, called for a more lenient sentence, saying she "intended no harm and anticipated no harm."
Patton said Stubblefield did not believe D.J. was mentally defective or physically helpless, but instead considered him intelligent and able to consent. He said she did not try to exploit him, but she was "trying to open up the world so that he could communicate with other people."
"She was a woman who had fallen in love," Patton told the judge, later adding: "This is simply a woman who grossly miscalculated the intelligence of the individual that she believed that she was in a relationship with."
But Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant, who tried the case, "used her position of power to carry out this crime upon D.J. and his family." He argued Stubblefield presented herself to D.J.'s family that she could be "his only voice."
"That is how she was able to groom him for sexual behavior," Plant said during the hearing. Plant called for a 15-year prison sentence for Stubblefield.
In a news release, Plant later added that Stubblefield "used her position to prey on the victim.
"What she did was not only criminal, it was cruel. Knowing how desperately families of disabled individuals are for some hope, she mislead the victim's family into believing that she was making progress in helping their son to communicate while all the while she was simply satisfying her own tawdry desires," Plant said in the release. "In the process, she did great damage to this young man, his family and even her own family."
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Psych4Marketers: 3 Techniques to Better Understand Consumer Behavior
The realm of marketing is, at the most basic level, about figuring people out. Doing so certainly involves understanding and analyzing individual differences between consumers (a topic we have focused on before), but marketing and advertising has deep roots in capitalizing on some predictable facets of consumer behavior. Here, we will look at three of these “tried and true” techniques from the perspective of psychology to better understand the rationale behind them.
1. Anchor Pricings
Anchoring, at its most basic level, is when a number in our heads influences how much we are willing to pay for a good or service. When Apple first introduced the iPhone, they priced the 8GB model at $599. Many eager consumers bought the device at this price, but were dismayed when the price dropped to $399 less than three months later. Even though this created an uproar among the early adopters, the move was a smart one: compared to the original price, this new one seemed like a grand bargain. Apple had successfully ‘told’ their customers what an acceptable price for an iPhone was when they first released the product; they had anchored this price in their customers’ brains. Since this was the only price consumers had to compare later versions and releases to, anything less would seem reasonable. Anchoring is easiest when, like the iPhone, the product is one-of-a-kind in its market, as consumers have no other product prices to compare. When consumers don’t know what price they should be paying, they are forced to take the price being given to them, trusting it is The Price for that product. This eventually becomes the anchor price for products of that type, the price to which they compare other similar products. For this reason, as Dan Ariely points out in his blog post, the original price of a product can have enduring effects.
However, anchor numbers can be completely arbitrary (i.e. not related to prices of products), and still have effects. For example, when people are asked to write down the last two digits of their social security number (SSN) and then bid on items, those with higher SSNs ended up bidding higher than those with lower ones (Ariely 2003). So why are we so influenced by numbers? Aren’t we supposed to be rational thinkers, capable of analyzing the characteristics of new products to see if they’re worth the sticker price? Well yes, but our amazing computive brain operates by making comparisons. Think about how hard it is to not compare people, places or things that you know to others! Whether we want it to be or not, our brain is constantly being groomed and primed to be able to better predict what will happen in the world around us, in order that it may respond correctly. This is great when, in our ancestry, we were trying to make correlations between certain noises and predators, but this mechanism now makes us susceptible to the coercion of marketers who essentially make these correlations for us!
2. Gaga for Goo Goo: Babies and Anthropomorphizing in Advertising
Earlier this year, Evian’s Baby and Me television ad went viral within days. If you haven’t seen it, it’s essentially a minute of adorable dancing babies. As a quick Google search will show you, there is no dearth of other examples of infants in advertisements, and they do the trick: it’s hard not to be seduced by cute chubby cheeks and big baby eyes! But why?
You’ve probably heard it before, and it seems excruciatingly obvious, but humans are social beings. Being social and connecting to others makes [most of] us happy. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense, as we often must depend on each other and must also care for our offspring. In evolutionary biology, scientists use the term proximate cause to refer to the mechanism directly responsible for an outcome whereas the ultimate cause is the higher-level reason why something happens. For example, we can say humans are ultimately attracted to children and babies because we have to take care of them so our species continues. But on a proximate level, this phenomenon is governed by our biology: our brains and hormones are essentially hard-wired to respond positively to children. Even though the children in advertisements are not our own, our brains still react.
Babies may be one of the most powerful images in advertising, but humans are actually primed to respond to anything that looks remotely humanoid. To see what I mean, take a look at this post on BuzzFeed. Also a result of our social brain, we are inclined to anthropomorphize anything we can. Once we see it as more similar to us, we feel connected to it and thus want it (if it’s a product) or want whatever it is associated with. Of course, this reasoning is not happening consciously and thus the effect can work even when the cues are very subtle.
3. Temporal Discounting
Temporal discounting refers to the human tendency to discount the value of good received in the future versus good received now. For example, given the choice between receiving $20 today or $30 in three weeks, many people would choose $20 today, since the additional time spent waiting for the extra money counts against its face value. As the old adage goes, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” That is, you’re better off with a certain current advantage than an uncertain (albeit it potentially greater) future advantage. In a world where we live very much ‘in the now’ thanks to all sorts of technology, the desire to have things immediately is especially increased. This is helpful when sellers are trying to market a product that their customers will use right now, but what about when they’re trying to sell a product that consumers could benefit from down the road? Because of our tendency to temporally discount values, this causes a problem. An individuals’ hesitation to save for retirement or buy insurance is often cited as an example of this. Despite the plethora of reasons why saving is a good idea, some people tend to think, “Why lock money up for the future (where it essentially is worth less) when I can have it to spend it now?”
So, what drives this seemingly impulsive line of thinking and how can it be bypassed? Two research findings help answer this question: first, temporal discounting decreases as the future reward gets larger. Given a choice between $10 now or $15 in two weeks, most people choose now. BUT given the choice between $10 now or $1,500 in two weeks, people are more inclined to wait. This tells us that temporal discounting in terms of monetary values is not done in a strictly linear fashion, and by emphasizing enormous gains in the future, one might be able to get around the human inclination to discount values. The second finding is that the rate of temporal discounting is correlated with individuals’ perception of their future self. A 2009 study by Hershfield et al. found that the more one thinks their future self will be like their present self, the less they are inclined to temporally discount. This makes sense - if you thought you would be very different in the future, why would you want to purchase a good today for that future self? Sellers and marketers can put this psychological insight to use by invoking feelings of self-continuity. Showing consumers they will be the same person or have the same values and needs in the future as they do now will make them more inclined to invest in a future purpose today.
Now you should have a better idea of figuring people out when the roots of marketing and advertising are involved. From a psychology perspective, there are three “tried and true” techniques that help further understand the individual differences between consumers, which you just read about. Anchor pricing influences how much we are willing to pay for a good or service, humans are actually primed to respond to anything that looks remotely humanoid, and temporal discounting is correlated with individuals’ perception of their future self and decreases as the future reward gets larger.Elephant Action League’s sting operation shows how horns are trafficked from Africa and enter into China via Vietnam, alleging official complicity
Rhinoceros horn can be easily bought in China despite it being illegal since 1993. The rhino horn products in antiques shop are far from antique. They are new and most likely been illegally trafficked from Africa to Vietnam and then into China.
A new report from Elephant Action League (EAL), Grinding Rhino: An Undercover Investigation on Rhino Horn Trafficking in China and Vietnam, shows how rhino horn makes its way into shops in China, the largest illegal market for rhino horn in the world. EAL’s 11-month investigation, called Operation Red Cloud, targeted the supply chain, exposing the players, the networks, and the means by which rhino horn is trafficked into China.
The report states that the black market for rhino horn is active throughout China, and Vietnam is the primary point of entry.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A rhino horn offered to EAL investigators. Photograph: Courtesy of EAL
Rhino horn and other wildlife contraband is often smuggled from Vietnam to the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, or Yunnan province, via mountain trails or directly through official and unofficial ports. In Yunnan, dealers allegedly pay children aged 10-15 to smuggle products through Hekou port because children can avoid jail by paying small fines.
Some wildlife traffickers are openly banking on extinction. One trafficker told EAL that he expected business to dry up in five to 10 years because of a shortage of rhino horn.
The report also covers trafficking and sale of other wildlife products like ivory, tiger parts, and pangolins. Data gathered has been put in a confidential intelligence brief (CIB) which is being submitted to law enforcement authorities in China and Vietnam, and relevant US. and international agencies. It contains the names of key individuals, a mapping of network associates and enablers, the modus operandi of traffickers, and evidence of illegal activity uncovered during the investigation. The 200-page CIB includes hundreds of photos and hours of undercover footage, along with case files on 55 identified persons of interest.Gach Nyuon has equalled one of Nic Naitanui's Comdine records
RUCKMAN Gach Nyuon has equalled a benchmark set by West Coast star Nic Naitanui, matching his absolute running vertical jumping record on day three of this year's NAB AFL Draft Combine.
Nyuon, named ruck in this year's under-18 All Australian team, jumped 94cm in the relative running vertical jump, which was behind midfielder Lachlan Tiziani (97cm) as the best at the combine.
But his leap matched Naitanui's absolute jumping record of 362cm, which was set in 2008 before the Eagles took the ruckman with pick two in that year's national draft.
A player's absolute jump refers to the highest point he can reach when jumping off the ground (measuring the distance from the ground to the highest point the prospect can reach with his arm).
Swans nab Irish gun
A player's relative jump measures the height off the ground he has jumped (the distance between the player's feet and the ground).
The Sudan-born Nyuon also proved his athleticism in the 20m sprint test, running 2.95 seconds.
But it wasn't enough to displace Alex Morgan and Kurt Mutimer from the joint first position in the highly anticipated event, with the Victorian pair recording the best time for the combine at 2.88 seconds.
Click here for all the draft news
They beat Eastern Ranges utility Liam Jeffs and Northern Territory speedster Daniel Rioli, who both ran 2.89 seconds for the sprint.
Rioli, whose father is a cousin of Hawthorn premiership star Cyril Rioli, has enhanced his draft position in the past week after performing well for the Allies in the Grand Final morning curtain-raiser.
The 18-year-old won the repeat sprint test on Saturday, running 24.15 seconds for the six back-to-back 30m sprints.
Tasmanian midfielder Kieran Lovell claimed the honours in the agility test, running 7.90 seconds on the purpose-built floor at Etihad Stadium. An agility run under eight seconds puts him in elite company in combine history.
The final event of Saturday was the beep test, when hard-working West Australian midfielder Josh Schoenfeld reached level 16.2.
The 18-year-old's effort places him as the second best beep test in more than 20 years of combine testing behind Billy Hartung's record. Hartung ran level 16.6 in the beep test in 2013.
The national combine concludes on Sunday with the three-kilometre time trial.
LEADING PERFORMERS – COMBINE DAY THREE
Absolute standing vertical jump (cm)
Mabior Chol - 334cm
Gach Nyuon - 330
Jacob Weitering - 327
Andre Parrella - 325
Mitch King - 324
Jesse Glass-McCasker - 323
Jack Firns - 322
Matthew Flynn - 321
Callum Moore - 319
Eric Hipwood - 318
Absolute running vertical jump (cm)
Gach Nyuon - 362cm
Mabior Chol - 357
Jacob Weitering - 344
Andre Parrella - 342
Jesse Glass-McCasker - 340
Callum Moore - 340
Matthew Flynn - 339
Eric Hipwood - 338
Liam Jeffs - 338
Harry McKay - 337
Lachlan Tiziani - 337
Relative vertical jump (cm)
Jordan Snadden - 75cm
Alex Morgan - 71
Mitch King - 70
David Cuningham - 70
Lachlan Tiziani - 69
Oleg Markov - 69
Stephen Tahana - 69
Daniel Rioli - 69
Tom Doedee - 68
Jack Firns - 68
Matthew Kennedy - 68
Darcy Tucker - 68
Relative running vertical jump (cm)
Lachlan Tiziani - 97cm
Gach Nyuon - 94
Matthew Kennedy - 91
Mabior Chol - 90
Liam Jeffs - 90
Jordan Snadden - 90
Darcy MacPherson - 89
Blake Hardwick - 86
Hisham Kerbatieh - 86
Callum Moore - 86
Stephen Tahana - 86
Daniel Rioli was one of the quickest in the 20m sprint. Picture: AFL Media
20m sprint
Alex Morgan - 2.88 seconds
Kurt Mutimer - 2.88
Liam Jeffs - 2.89
Daniel Rioli - 2.89
Thomas Glen - 2.90
Declan Moutford - 2.90
Callum Moore - 2.91
David Cuningham - 2.91
Hisham Kerbatieh - 2.94
Jordan Snadden - 2.94
30m repeat sprints
Daniel Rioli - 24.15 seconds
Mabior Chol - 24.30
Oleg Markov - 24.32
Thomas Glen - 24.46
David Cuningham - 24.51
Jordan Snadden - 24.54
Wayne Milera - 24.61
Will Snelling - 24.64
Liam Jeffs - 24.74
Luke Partington - 24.76
Agility
Kieran Lovell - 7.90 seconds
Alex Morgan - 8.07
Clayton Oliver - 8.11
Aidyn Johnson - 8.15
Tom Doedee - 8.19
Jesse Glass-McCasker - 8.22
Oleg Markov - 8.23
Will Snelling - 8.24
Darcy MacPherson - 8.24
Ben Crocker - 8.25
Shuttle run (beep test level)
Joshua Schoenfeld -16.2 level
Mitchell Hibberd - 15.4
Darcy Tucker - 15.3
Declan Mountford -15.2
Jacob Weitering - 15.1
Matthew Kennedy - 14.12
Kieran Lovell - 14.10
Will Snelling - 14.10
Tom Cole - 14.10
Oleg Markov - 14.8
Darcy MacPherson - 14.8Adding to the recent discussions of Eric ( here ), Catarina ( here ), and Mohan ( here ) regarding the use and significance (or lack thereof) of intuition in analytic philosophy, one obvious place to turn to where intuition does appear to loom large is the work of Husserl. Husserl’s work, however, was also an important source of inspiration for Gödel’s understanding of the relationship between philosophy and mathematics, and thus it bleeds significantly into a number of problems within the analytic tradition.
Despite Farber’s credentials, Nagel finds little that is compelling in the collection and his criticisms often mirror what will often be heard in later decades regarding continental thought. For example, Nagel expresses doubt about whether any of the papers “will be either intelligible or persuasive to any one not previously instructed in Husserl’s ideas or convinced of their importance” (301); and, more damningly, he argues that with few exceptions Husserl’s views are not “expressed in recognizable English,” with “such barbarisms as ‘presuppositionless,’ ‘insightful,’ ‘pre-givenness’ or ‘the itself-giving’” (ibid.) being thrown around in a way that leaves novitiates at a loss to understand their meaning.
In a rather unflattering review of Marvin Farber’s 1941 edited collection Philosophical Essays in Memory of Edmund Husserl (Husserl died in 1938), Ernest Nagel takes a few swipes at Husserl, or perhaps more precisely at Husserl’s commentators. Farber himself, as discussed in an earlier post, had studied with Husserl in Germany while a graduate student at Harvard. In 1940 he was the founding editor of the journal Philosophy and Phenomenological Research (which he edited until 1980). With the exception of Dorion Cairns, Farber was probably the person best suited to compile a volume in honor of Husserl.
According to Hao Wang (in A Logical Journey: From Gödel to Philosophy), Gödel had spent much of the years from 1943 to 1958 attempting to develop a philosophy of mathematics that would serve, as Wang put it, “both as a prolegomenon to metaphysics and as a relatively precise part of general philosophy” (76). Much of this work was an effort to provide the philosophical justification for his conceptual realism and to challenge the Carnapian tendency to hold “the view,” citing Gödel, “that mathematics is syntax of language” (ibid.).
Wang claims that by 1958 Gödel was satisfied that he had shown, in an unpublished essay on Carnap, that “mathematics is not syntax of language, [but] he had not made clear what mathematics is” (80). This led Gödel to the conclusion “that philosophy was harder and more different from science than he had expected,” and it led him to a lengthy and detailed study of Husserl – especially Husserl’s theory of “categorial intuition” as developed in the Logical Investigations and in other works (especially Cartesian Meditations). It is in this work where Gödel felt he had found a possible path towards resolving his difficulties in justifying conceptual realism.
The Husserlian emphasis upon “categorial intuition,” however, seems to be precisely what bothers Nagel, for the “barbarisms” Nagel complains of, especially the “itself-giving,” are crucial to Husserl’s understanding of categorial intuition, or originary "self-giving" as Husserl discusses it (barbarically of course!).
Take Husserl’s “The Origin of Geometry” for instance. In his review Nagel takes issue with Jacob Klein’s contribution (“Phenomenology and the History of Science”). While Nagel agrees that “a historical-genetic account of science can be illuminating and clarifying [as] is shown by the writings of such men as Mach and Duhem,” he adds that “it is not clear how the psychological (or phenomenological) analysis which Dr. Klein suggests does bear upon the nature and history of geometry or how it contributes to the solution of the concrete problems connected with the use of geometry in the natural sciences” (303).
As Klein makes clear in his essay, however, Husserl’s approach is not a psychological approach but rather an attempt to better understand and legitimize an “ideal objectivity,” or a conceptual realism of they type Gödel himself sought to establish, and to do so without relying upon a psychological approach. Moreover, Klein stresses that “in attacking ‘psychologism’,” Husserl necessarily encountered “the problem of ‘history’” (143).
In other words, to avoid a “psychologistic” and “historicist” account of geometry, Husserl calls for a “regressive inquiry” (158) that begins with a ready-made geometry as an established tradition and moves back (i.e., regresses) -- by way of what Husserl calls a “depth-inquiry which goes beyond the usual factual history” (175) -- in order to restore the original meaning and “self-evidence” that is the “historical a priori which encompasses everything that exists as historical becoming and having-become or exists in its essential being as tradition and handing-down” ("Origin of Geometry" 174).
It is this move that Nagel is suspicious of. As Nagel argues in his review, no reason is given as to why “there is one fundamental ‘deep’ level upon which all knowledge must ultimately be founded, and that the phenomenological technique does penetrate to this depth—claims which are as debatable as they are obscure” (302).
Husserl’s regressive “depth-inquiry” is not without its critics within the continental tradition. Derrida, for example, argues that by relying upon written language in order to account for how the “ideal objectivity” of geometry emerges from its “primary intrapersonal" origin, Husserl ultimately undermines his very attempt to establish the “univocity” and “identity” of self-giving meaning (this is one of the main points of Derrida's 1962 Introduction to Husserl's 'Origin of Geometry').
Whatever one makes of Derrida’s reading of Husserl, there are some takeaways and a question regarding Nagel’s review and the continental/analytic divide that I’d like to end with. First the takeaways:
Although Nagel accepts that some form of historical inquiry may indeed be helpful (note his praise of Mach and Duhem), it is not essential to grasping the meaning or practice of science in its current state. For Husserl, by contrast, to grasp the given state of science it is essential to engage in a regressive analysis and “depth-inquiry” in order to recover the original self-evidence upon which the historical tradition and current practice is founded. Despite significant differences with Husserl, Heidegger’s emphasis upon etymology and the history of philosophy, Foucault’s archaeology/genealogy, and Deleuze’s transcendental empiricism are each in their own ways different attempts to engage in a similar form of “depth-inquiry.” Both Husserl (and Gödel) believe that there is an “ideal objectivity” within geometry and mathematics that maintains the same “identical intersubjective meaning” as it gets handed down through the historical tradition. Coupled with this is Husserl’s accompanying belief (although not Gödel’s in this instance as far as I know) that the method best suited for realizing such “identifiable” meanings involves a process of difference and variation. Through the process of “free variation” where we run through “the conceivable possibilities for the life-world,” Husserl argues that we discover, “with apodictic self-evidence, an essentially general set of elements going through all the variants” (177). While Husserl would argue (and here I think Nagel would agree) that the process of continuous variation is subservient to the identities that are the true “historical a priori,” for Deleuze (and Derrida and Foucault on my reading) it is difference and continuous variation that is the historical a priori for identity. Deleuze, for example (h/t to John) follows Simondon in accounting for the individuation of identities by extending and generalizing Simondon's discussion of crystallization as a process that does not presuppose identities but rather involves differentials and thresholds that trigger the individuation of identity (see this post for more). Alternatively (h/t to Joe Hughes) one can think of this process in terms of group theory as a set of unsolved problems rather than as a process that presupposes individuated objects (Quentin Meillassoux has been pushing this point as well [see here]). Or one can think of it in Humean terms as I have argued.
And now to the question:
If Gödel turned to Husserl in order to develop his conceptual realism, and if this entails taking the problem of history head on, then Nagel’s critical review can be seen as being in part motivated by a desire to move philosophical analyses away from the regressive, historical type pursued by Husserl towards the type of ahistorical analysis one finds in Carnap.
To what extent then might Gödel’s critique of Carnap, therefore, become in turn a defense of Husserl’s approach to philosophy (and by extension Deleuze et al.)? And as a follow up, what would be the differential processes and thresholds that would account for the individuation of "ideal objectivities"?Paul Nungesser, the Columbia University student accused of raping fellow student Emma Sulkowicz, is now suing the university for doing nothing to stop Sulkowicz's harassment campaign against him, which he claims "effectively destroyed" his college experience, reputation, and future career prospects.
His lawsuit contains a wealth of new information about the contested sexual assault, including dozens of messages establishing Sulkowicz's sexual "yearning" for Nungesser, which she sent to him both before and after the alleged incident. (Full text of the lawsuit here, courtesy of KC Johnson.)
Sulkowicz and Nungesser initially became friends at Columbia, developing an intimate relationship that involved several sexual encounters and frequent discussions of sex and relationships. Eventually, she accused him of choking, attacking, and anally raping her. Nungesser was cleared by Columbia's sexual assault adjudication process (the police later declined to pursue charges, citing a lack of reasonable suspicion), which prompted Sulkowicz to go public with her claims and start carrying her mattress everywhere she went as a form of protest against what she viewed as a miscarriage of justice. She became something of a spokesperson for rape victims, and was even invited to attend the State of the Union address with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York).
There were reasons to doubt Sulkowicz's claims. Reason contributor Cathy Young outlined some of them in a detailed piece for The Daily Beast. Perhaps most damning for Sulkowicz's credibility are friendly messages she sent him, and continued to send, even after he allegedly raped her.
Now there are more reasons. Many more. The lawsuit contains additional correspondence unreported thus far—much of it crude, although relevant to the incident. Sulkowicz broached several sexual topics with Nungesser: she talked to him about whether her boyfriend was using protection (with her, and with the other women he was sleeping with at the time), she asked Nungesser whether he was dating or sleeping with anyone, and she implied an interest in anal sex (she texted him “fuck me in the butt”). After Nungesser and Sulkowicz began sleeping together, the lawsuit asserts that Sulkowicz “asked Paul to engage in anal sex with her.”
None of that proves one way or another whether Sulkowicz consented to sex on the evening that he allegedly raped her, of course. It’s possible that Sulkowicz withdrew her consent and Nungesser continued—in brutal, violent fashion. But taken together, the messages she continued to send him even after he allegedly attacked her—as well as some of her demonstrably false assertions, including that she never brought up anal sex with him—certainly look bad for her.
But Nungesser’s lawsuit isn’t against Sulkowicz—it’s against the university, for first failing to protect him from her smear campaign, and then turning “into an active supporter” of it. (The Washington Examiner’s Ashe Schow explains why Nungesser isn’t suing Sulkowicz here.) Of particular importance is the fact that Sulkowicz transformed her rape allegation and subsequent activist efforts into an art project for Columbia course credit. Jon Kessler, the university professor who signed off on the “Mattress Project,” is one of the defendants, along with Columbia President Lee Bollinger, the trustees, and the university itself.
According to the lawsuit:
As a result of Defendants’ actions, Paul’s entire social and academic experience at Columbia has suffered tremendously. In adherence to Columbia’s Confidentiality Policy, he did not discuss any of the investigations with any of his classmates. Yet Emma did the exact opposite, gaining support from classmates, professors, the administration, and President Bollinger. Emma has not faced any consequences for breaching the confidentiality policy. Silenced, and also enduring suspensions and increasing ostracism from his two main social activities (ADP and the Columbia Outdoor Orientation Program ("COOP")), Paul’s social life crumbled to the point of isolation. Even after being cleared of the outrageous allegation, no serious attempt was ever made by the university to rehabilitate him within those groups. Day-to-day life is unbearably stressful, as Emma and her mattress parade around campus each and every day. Due to this ostracism, and threats to Paul’s physical safety, University resources such as dorms, libraries, dining halls, and the gym are not reasonably available for Paul’s access. Even attending classes has become problematic, as he has endured harassment and has had his photo taken against his will while in class.
The ordeal has certainly made life a living hell for Nungesser; whether that entitles him to any relief from Columbia, I can’t say.
I can say that those in the media who uncritically re-reported Sulkowicz’s claims and gave credence to her antics should be feeling rather ashamed of themselves. With each new development, this story begins to look more and more like a Rolling Stone job.Somerville instant hit Union Square Donuts is indeed expanding as previously rumored. According to Facebook, the independent doughnut shop is temporarily closed and will soon be serving doughnut varieties such as maple bacon and chocolate chipotle from a new home. The Somerville Beat says that will happen nearby, at 16 Bow Street, and notes that it's the same address as Cafe Tango, which will continue to be Cafe Tango for dinner service, with Union Square Donuts doing its thing during the day, aka the doughnut hours. Eater hears that there will be more of everything, including more space, more doughnuts, more flavors of doughnuts, and more hours, clocking in at six or seven days a week, which is significantly more than the shop's current weekend-only schedule. Union Square Donuts opened just two month ago: stay tuned for updates and drop any of your own to the tipline.
· Union Square Donuts Finds a New Home [Somerville Beat via GS]
· Union Square Donuts [Facebook]
· Union Square Donuts Moving (That Was Fast) [CH]
· All Coverage of Union Square Donuts [EBOS]U.S. Supreme Court (Wikimedia Commons)
(CNSNews.com) - The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the |
Rules of Specificity
Trial and error is a great way to learn, but ultimately there are just too many different possible scenarios to run through to glean all of the information that we should know. What we need is a hard and fast way to decide which selectors the browser places more importance on and why.
It turns out, there are in fact simple rules that govern specificity. In fact, there’s even a handy point system:
A given CSS selector can have any number of the pieces of this puzzle. The trick to figuring out specificity is to add them up. The one with the highest score wins. It’s that simple.
Nobody likes math though, so to test the specificity of a selector, we can use the awesome specificity calculator on Keegan Street.
With this great tool, we can type in two selectors and a score for each will automatically be calculated. The first selector in the example contains one class, one pseudo-class and two elements (score: 0,0,2,2). The second selector beats it hands down with one ID, one class, one pseudo class and one element (score: 0,1,2,1).
The rule here, as you can see, is that the selector with the highest degree of specificity wins. In other words, more specific selectors trump less specific selectors.
Given our previous example of a class vs. an ID, we can see why the ID wins. Its specificity is far higher than that of the class, so it overrides the class.
Special Rules
Given the specificity calculator, we can figure out most scenarios, but there are a few curve balls that we need to keep in mind.
The universal selector (*) is worth 0
When two selectors have the same specificity, the last one wins
Elements can never beat a class selector, even if you pile them on
!important is Superman, it can beat up almost anything
The last one here is the most interesting one, so let’s take a look at an example. Here’s some HTML and CSS to consider:
<!-- We'll use this to test the effects of important --> <h2 class="header">Some Headline</h2> 1 2 3 <!-- We'll use this to test the effects of important --> <h2 class = "header" > Some Headline </h2>
h2 { color: blue; }.header { color: red; } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 h2 { color : blue ; }.header { color : red ; }
Simple enough, right? Using our point system, the class scores higher than the element, so the headline will come out red. But what if we toss Superman into the scenario?
h2 { color: blue!important; }.header { color: red; } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 h2 { color : blue!important ; }.header { color : red ; }
Now we’ve rigged the fight. In this case, the headline actually comes out blue! The!important rule says, “screw you specificity” and does what it wants.
Less is More
Now that you understand specificity, you’ll be able to manipulate your CSS to do a lot of crazy things. Just remember that with great power comes great responsibility.
In CSS, the general rule is that less is more. The shorter your rules, the better. Never use.list ul > li > a when li a will work just fine. Shorter selectors are more efficient and easier to read. Sometimes you have to get fancy, but let that be the exception, not the rule.
A Puzzle to Solve
Wait a dang second. The rules were supposed to explain the results that we received in our initial tests, weren’t they? So what about this one?
As far as I understand the rules, a pseudo class beats a pseudo element, so why does the pseudo element win here? Maybe we’re wrong about which is the pseudo element, let’s check our chart.
Nope. We were right about first-child being the pseudo class versus first-line, the pseudo element. Maybe we’re calculating it wrong? Let’s consult the calculator:
As far as the calculator is concerned, the headline should be blue because first-child beats first-line. But that’s not how it works in the browser. What gives? Maybe our calculator is broken, let’s try another one.
According to this one too, first-child should have a higher specificity value and should therefore win… but it doesn’t. I’ve tried using the single colon syntax, switching the order; nothing works. The pseudo element always wins, no matter what I throw at it.
body {color: blue;} h2 {color: blue;} div h2:first-child {color: blue;} h2:first-child {color: blue;}.someClass {color: blue} /*Wins Every Time*/ h2::first-line {color: red;} 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 body { color : blue ; } h2 { color : blue ; } div h2:first-child { color : blue ; } h2:first-child { color : blue ; }.someClass { color : blue } /*Wins Every Time*/ h2::first-line { color : red ; }
This is where it really gets nuts, even if I toss in an inline style element, which should beat almost anything, the dang thing still comes up red!
<!-- Even this doesn't work! --> <h2 style="color: blue;">h20</h2> 1 2 <!-- Even this doesn't work! --> <h2 style = "color: blue;" > h20 </h2>
Conceptually, this almost makes sense. Our pseudo class is targeting the entire h2 element while our pseudo element is targeting only the first line of that element, which seems more specific.
Your Explanation Here
To be blatantly honest, I’m a little baffled here. For the most part, specificity is pretty straightforward, but I can’t seem to wrap my mind around this one. My instinct is that it’s perhaps some sort of inheritance issue, but I’m not sure. It might also be something similar to :not() which has special significance in regard to specificity (only the items in the parentheses count, by itself it’s a zero).
In response to our little puzzle, here are some helpful answers from readers!
Tim Pietrusky
“According to the spec only another element wrapping the content of the first line is more specific than the first-line pseudo-element.” – CodePen Demo
Thomas
“Think of first-line as an additional Element (like span) inside of the headline, wrapping only the first line, so its target is an element inside of the h2, like
first line second line
The background-color of the h2 would only be used (inheritted) if no value would be declared for ::first-line”
Further Reading
There have already been a lot of great articles published on specificity, here are a few:
Conclusion
As we just saw, CSS specificity is super simple, except when it’s super complex… You can and should learn the basics so that you can avoid any unexpected results, but when it comes down to it, some good old fashion trial and error might be necessary if you come across a sticky situation.
What do you think? Do you understand specificity as much as you should? Can you explain the puzzling scenario that we ran into above?5.596.381 to 42017Kickstarter Edition (including all stretch goals) of Side Quest Card Game. Includes core game plus all stretch goals. Note: this game was imported to the US and is in English. Please note: unless otherwise stated paid add ons from the Kickstarter Campaign are not included.Side Quest is a dungeon crawling card game that fits in your pocket. With a single deck of cards and a couple of dice you and up to 3 friends can battle your way through a decision-packed dungeon. Fight monsters, grab loot and rescue maidens as you gear up your characters to fight the boss at the end of the dungeon.Side Quest is a fully co-operative game - if any Heroes (or maidens!) die, the game is lost.There are a wide range of scenarios to play, including ultra-tough single-player missions, challenging 30 minute pick-up games and lengthy 2 hour dungeon treks. With loads of different Heroes, Monsters and Equipment cards you'll never play the same game twice.Plan together, fight together, win together!We're glad to back campaigns to bring you games like Side Quest Kickstarter Game to buy online at TheGameSteward. We will use a hefty percentage of every dollar you spend on Side Quest towards backing fantastic new games on Kickstarter! Just a reminder, if you have purchase questions on Side Quest (Kickstarter Special Edition) game, how to buy online at The Game Steward or just need a game advice, please contact us at The Game Steward.A day after CNN-News18 aired a sting video which showed Dawood Ibrahim's house in Clifton area of Karachi, former home minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram claimed that despite all proofs, Pakistan will never give the underworld don to India.
"The Pakistan government is never going to yield Dawood Ibrahim to you. They are never going to admit that Dawood has sought refuge there and even if they do, they are never going to make them available to you," Chidambaram claimed.
The veteran Congress leader also said that there has been information about Dawood in the past, too, but Pakistan has always been in denial. "The whole world knows that Dawood Ibrahim has an address in Pakistan. In fact, we have shared it with the Pakistan government. They have of course denied it. Many people have confirmed that this is the house in which he stays. He stays between Pakistan and Dubai," Chidambaram asserted.
However, he added that not being able to bring back Dawood is not the Indian government's fault. "You think they are going to put him on a platter and hand him over to you? This is not a failure of any Indian government. The problem is with Pakistan. No Pakistan government is going to admit that Dawood has sought refuge in their country," he lamented.
For the last 23 years, India has made several attempts to locate and bring back Dawood, the underworld don who is the mastermind of the 1993 Bombay blasts which killed 257 people.
India has tried to reason with Pakistan that Dawood is living in Karachi with his family in the posh Clifton neighbourhood with the full knowledge of locals as well as Pakistani administration officials. India has even provided multiple dossiers to Pakistan in this regard. But the response from the other side has always been denial.
The sting by CNN-News18 has revealed that the terror don's address is D 13, Block 4, Clifton, Karachi. The video of the sting operation shows top-angle shots of the house, which is flanked by a cricket stadium on one side and the Clifton Marquee, a popular wedding and banquet hall on the other.
During a five-minute bike ride covering roughly half a kilometer radius, the sting operators interviewed locals as well as Dawood's own security guards. Everyone they came across seemed to know where he lives.
Dawood’s bungalow is surrounded on two sides by empty, vacant plots of land, much like al-Qaeda terrorists Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad. The compound also has three-metre high walls, barricades leading up to the entrance and private security guards manning it 24x7. The don has even managed to build a mosque inside his compound.Mr. Hosoda thinks that in his small way, he can make an important contribution simply by being public and confident about his identity, particularly for young people who may be confused about their own.
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“I wanted to show children in elementary or junior high school that I exist here,” he said in an interview in the Iruma office of the Democratic Party, which Mr. Hosoda represents on the Council. “I strongly felt that way, and that’s why I entered politics.”
Mr. Hosoda himself benefited from the activism of Japan’s only other transgender politician, Aya Kamikawa, who has sat on the council in Setagaya, a ward of Tokyo, for 14 years.
Ms. Kamikawa, a transgender woman, lobbied for a change in Japan’s law to allow transgender people to officially change their gender on the all-important family registry certificate that every Japanese citizen must hold, and that is often needed to rent an apartment or receive medical care or other services.
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Under that law, only people who have received a diagnosis of “gender identity disorder” and have undergone sexual reassignment surgery may legally change their gender. Activists say the law makes it difficult for those who are transitioning or do not want surgery to live or work as the gender with which they identify and often leads to discrimination by those who recognize only biological gender.
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In Mr. Hosoda’s case, growing up as a girl named Mika in Iruma she never met anyone who was transgender and did not even know it was possible to transition from female to male.
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All she knew was that she did not feel like a girl. She hated being forced to wear a skirt as part of her uniform in high school. When it came time for her coming-of-age ceremony at age 20, she balked at having to wear a feminine kimono.
Through an internet connection, she met a man who had transitioned from a woman, opening her eyes to the possibility of another life path. This mentor encouraged her to come out to her parents.
Anxious about how they would respond, she wrote a letter and handed it to her mother in the parking lot of a supermarket. She feared that if she handed over the letter at home, she would just run to her room rather than face her mother’s reaction.
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Mr. Hosoda, who was then studying to be a medical technician, recalled that after his mother read the letter, the first words out of her mouth were “I’m so sorry.” She was devastated to learn that her daughter had been suffering in silence for so long, and wanted to offer her child her full support as daughter transitioned to son.
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In 2014, Mr. Hosoda underwent sexual reassignment surgery, which allowed him to convert his gender on his official family register.
Photo Aya Kamikawa, center, a transgender councilwoman in a Tokyo ward, in 2003. She lobbied for a change in Japanese law to allow transgender people to change their gender on their family register. Credit Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By the time he decided to run for office, he felt comfortable going public with his identity, although his appearance could have allowed him to disguise his past. With his carefully moussed, close-cropped hairstyle, black-and-silver wire glasses and hints of a beard, he resembles many other men in their 20s in Tokyo.
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His campaign brochures noted prominently that he is a transgender man, and he advocated a platform of embracing diversity, not just for sexual minorities but also for the elderly, children and people with disabilities.
Mr. Hosoda did not experience any discrimination during the campaign, he said. He squeaked onto the Council, receiving the second-fewest votes among the 22 members elected.
In Iruma, Shinji Sugimura, director of the local chapter of the Democratic Party, said Mr. Hosoda had succeeded because “he didn’t push his thoughts to others but tried to be understood first.”
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“He’s good as a politician rather than an activist,” Mr. Sugimura added.
Ms. Kamikawa, who recalls being harassed during her first run for office 14 years ago, said she was heartened that Mr. Hosoda had not faced the kind of attacks she had. Some people hurled epithets, she said, and others asked, “What kind of parents raised someone like you?”
Some transgender activists say that even as Japanese society has grown more superficially accepting of transgender people, many hurdles remain.
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People who prefer not to risk surgery for health reasons or who are still in the process of changing their biological sex live in a limbo where they are not allowed to live as they choose.
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“When someone points out that their appearance doesn’t match their official family register, they need to explain themselves each time,” said Yuka Tateishi, a lawyer who is representing a transgender woman fighting for the right to use the bathrooms that correspond to her gender identity at work.
Takamasa Nakayama, founder of a transgender support organization in Japan, said some people had been fired after coming out.
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“Sometimes they are discriminated against because their appearance is changing,” Mr. Nakayama said. “If you are not strong enough, it’s hard to keep a full-time job and survive the bullying.”
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Japanese national health insurance does not cover gender reassignment surgery or hormone therapy, and there are few doctors in Japan with such expertise. And the Education Ministry recently declined to add content about transgender issues to its curriculum for kindergarten and elementary and junior high schools, arguing that such discussions would be “difficult ” because of challenges in “achieving the understanding of parents and the public.”
In Iruma, Mr. Hosoda said he hoped to establish a counseling service at City Hall where teenagers grappling with their gender identity could seek guidance. He noted that the suicide rate among such teenagers was three to four times as high as it was for those who were not questioning their gender identity.
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Even if Mr. Hosoda mainly focuses on the bread and butter of public life, like making sure the streetlights work, experts on gender issues in Japan say he could be a potent symbol.
“If the only openly transgender people on television are entertainers, the public is being presented with a very skewed version of reality which may not contribute to broader acceptance,” said Gill Steel, associate professor at Doshisha University. “Hopefully, politicians who are transgender and are simply doing a good job in the public eye will increase mainstream tolerance.”
Above all, said Mr. Hosoda, in a society that values conformity, “I want to give a message that you are O.K. the way you are.”
He added, “You don’t have to make yourself or put yourself into a certain mold.”Razer, the San Diego-based high-end gaming tech company, is on a roll. In the wake of the latest models of its thin Blade gaming laptops, a partnership with Tencent in China, and preparing for the sale of a new wearable, it has recently closed a round of funding with Intel on at least a $1 billion valuation.
The details come by way of a leaked internal memo to staff that was passed to TechCrunch by an anonymous source.
“We’re already one of the billion dollar unicorns in the tech start-up world and now, we’ve got more resources than ever to allow us to focus on designing and developing the best experiences for gamers worldwide,” the memo notes.
The company and Intel are not commenting on the memo’s contents to TechCrunch; sources have indirectly confirmed it as correct.
Intel has backed a number of gaming companies by way of Intel Capital and directly. Related investments include Swrve, Hungama, Gaikai (acquired by Sony) and more. It’s also been an active investor in wearables and adjacent technology.
This may be the first round raised by Razer in years. The last round reported by the company was a $50 million raise in 2011 from IDG and Accel, from their joint China fund.
In the years since then, Razer has grown in popularity on the back of its range of products from high-end gaming peripherals like mice and keyboards; full systems (like the Blade); and wearables like its Nabu smartband, which has yet to launch officially but should be coming “in weeks.”
Razer also offers a range of software to run on different platforms. The memo notes that the company now has over 10 million users of its software, with over 2 million logged on daily.
While Razer — whose slogan is “For Gamers. By Gamers” — has raised its profile among the gaming community through sponsorships of professional gamers through Team Razer, the company is also making a push to bring its products and gaming in general to a more mainstream audience.
That’s where the Nabu smartband will come into play — literally speaking. Razer’s deals with companies like Tencent will integrate into the Nabu services like WeChat, as well as gamification elements — your activity while wearing the Nabu will translate into points on Tencent games. “We expect to see the Razer Nabu convert more non-gamers to gamers in the months to come,” the memo reads.
There are other interesting details in the memo, including the appointment of three new board members for the San Diego, CA-based company — a prominent investor and two others based in Silicon Valley — which will be officially announced in the near future.THE uncertainty surrounding Roddy Collins’ future with Athlone Town took a twist today (Wednesday) when the club invited applications for the position of first-team manager through its official website.
Collins guided Athlone to the Airtricity League First Division title in his debut season as manager and thus ended the club’s almost 20 year exile from the top-flight of Irish football.
However, it remains unclear whether or not the Dubliner will still be in charge of Athlone at the start of the 2014 season.
A brief statement on the club website today said: ‘Athlone Town FC invite applications from suitably qualified persons for the position of first-team manager for the forthcoming season, 2014. Contact David Dully, Club Secretary by e-mail at david.dully@athlonetownfc.ie
Applications should be received no later than Wednesday, November 13. Candidates will be invited to attend for consultation on Friday, November 15’.
In response to the club inviting applications, Roddy Collins said: “I am shocked and disappointed but not surprised, that’s football. The club has the right to advertise the position if they wish to, but I’m looking forward to sitting down next week with the board and putting forward my plans to progress the club over the next three years.”
The out-of-contract Collins has made no secret of the fact he has held formal talks with two other clubs in the past week but once again, Collins reiterated today that he does not want to leave Athlone.
“I spoke to two other clubs out of respect to them and always informed Athlone Town of any discussions. I haven’t spoken to Athlone Town or any other club about budgets, wages, backroom staff or anything like that. I always said my preference is to stay with Athlone and that will always be my preference. That hasn’t changed,” Collins said today.Getty Images
The Falcons have a new offensive coordinator in Kyle Shanahan and one of the players on the unit provided a hint about how they’ll be trying to move the ball this season.
According to wide receiver Roddy White, the offense won’t be as reliant as throwing the ball as they were last season. The Falcons were third in the league with 39.5 attempts per game last season and White expects that number to drop significantly in 2015.
“We’re not going to be passing 35-40 times a game,” White said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
That may well be the plan, but the Falcons are going to have to be a lot more effective running the ball than they were last year if they are going to cut down on the size of the roles that White, Julio Jones and Matt Ryan play in the offense. Their ability to do that will rely heavily on Devonta Freeman and rookie Tevin Coleman in the backfield as well as the play of an offensive line that didn’t make too many significant changes in personnel from last season.President Donald Trump climbed into the driver's seat of an 18-wheeler while meeting with truck drivers and CEOs on the South Portico.
President Trump met with truckers and executives Thursday afternoon, taking a few minutes for a photo op inside a truck cab on the White House South Portico.
The move came as House GOP leaders continued to fight to get enough votes to pass their health care bill. The vote, which was scheduled for today, has been postponed in a setback for Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
During the trucking event, Trump could be seen climbing into the driver’s seat of an 18-wheeler, pumping his fists, grabbing onto the steering wheel, and honking the vehicle’s horn.
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Trump also met with trucking industry workers and executives inside the White House to speak about the American Health Care Act. During the meeting, Trump seemed optimistic about the passage of the bill.
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“We have a great bill, and I think we have a very good chance,” he said, according to a pool report.
The president noted that he thinks it will be a close vote on the bill in the House, but dismissed it as just “politics.”
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “It’s going to be a very close vote.”
In a press briefing, spokesman Sean Spicer said that the trucking industry “has suffered greatly under Obamacare.”
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President Trump climbs into a truck and honks its horn at a White House event with trucking executives pic.twitter.com/d2MKdxYc2i — CNN (@CNN) March 23, 2017Tactical firearms and accessory manufacturer Hera Arms is working on a new set of FN P90-inspired stocks and grips for AR-15 rifles and SBRs. The set offers shooters the same handling as the ground-breaking personal defense weapon or PDW without any of the trappings of a proprietary bullpup.
Hera calls them the Close Quarters Rifle or CQR set which includes two versions of polymer stock and a matching polymer foregrip. The stocks appear to be adjustable for length with spacer inserts between the stock and buttpad. The foregrip mounts directly to handguards with a 12-o’clock rail.
The stocks include a pistol grip and trigger guard. Because of this, they may not work with non-standard AR-15 lowers with integral trigger guards. The upside is that the CQR stocks eliminate the need to buy pistol grips and trigger guard assemblies, lowering the overall cost to the builder.
One of the stocks is a California-compliant variant of the stock with a blocked-out thumbhole. The stocks feature multiple sling attachment points for quick-detach and conventional slings. The stock has sling points on both sides to accommodate both left- and right-handed shooters.
And while the set was designed to work with compact rifles with short barrels and handguards they will work with full-size rifles just fine.
The company expects to have these parts available for pre-order in the next month or two. Hera expects to price the standard stocks at $119, the California stocks at $124 and the pistol grips at $39. The company will launch with the set in three colors, black, tan and olive drab.
Hera Arms manufactures a solid lineup of AR components, accessories, and complete firearms. They also produce conventional pistol grips and foregrips along with windowed polymer magazines and free-floating handguard systems.
The P90 saw good success among specialized military, security and police forces around the world. Its stylized outline and then-futuristic looks also made it a star in movies, television and video games since its introduction in 1990.
But today short-barreled versions of the AR-15 rifle are taking its place among professional and private shooters alike. The huge aftermarket combined with newer projectile designs and better components have allowed the AR to take a bite out of the PDW market.
Hera Arms isn’t the only company with plans for P90-like AR furniture this year. FourGuysGuns got a sneak peek at the upcoming DEX stock from new firm KILN — names subject to change — that also has the swept lines of the FN P90.
One thing that makes the DEX stick out is that it looks like it’s adjustable, not modular. Details are still thin on the DEX stock but that could end soon. According to FourGuysGuns the DEX is on-track for release later this year.
With accessories like these, the gap between AR-15 and dedicated PDW just got a little narrower.Far-right commentator and informal Donald Trump immigration adviser Ann Coulter joined Florida radio host Joyce Kaufman yesterday to discuss the media coverage of recent violent white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, claiming that the media had been unfairly “leaping to conclusions” about participants.
Coulter insisted that the media has been dishonestly portraying the white nationalists who gathered in Charlottesville as violent, when they could have just been “little old ladies” hoping to listen to “Civil War buffs” speak about Robert E. Lee. She also complained that people were too quick to assume that a car attack that left a counter-protester dead was white supremacist terrorism when it could have been done “accidentally.”
Coulter complained that “the left, the media and elected Republicans are very quick to discern motives in some cases, but not in others.”
At Saturday’s Unite the Right rally, she claimed, “for all we know, there were little old ladies who don’t care anything about race” and “the speakers could have been civil war buffs” speaking about a Robert E. Lee statue but “we don’t know because they weren’t allowed to speak” because the rally was broken up early in the day.
In fact, we know exactly who the speakers were set to be: not “Civil War buffs,” but avowed white supremacists and neo-Nazis protesting the removal of a Lee statue while protected by a “whites only” motorcycle gang.
Coulter also claimed that the media and elected officials have been too quick to jump to conclusions about James Alex Fields, the man who drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing one, saying that “he could have done it accidentally.”
While Coulter was not happy with how much of the conservative media had covered the events in Charlottesville, she noted approvingly that “everyone seems to dislike Richard Spencer,” whom she called “apparently a gay showboater who just wants lots of media attention.” As Jared noted earlier today, far-right media figures have been increasingly distancing themselves from Spencer, an early leader of the white nationalist Alt-Right, in an attempt to insulate themselves against accusations of extremism.Conservatives on the hill are not happy with the rushed debt deal that passed Congress Thursday. By a tally of 64-35, the 2-year agreement will raise the debt ceiling and raise spending caps to the tune of $85 billion. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that is unacceptable and a betrayal to American families.
“What are the terms of this budget deal? Well, in short, what the House of Representatives has passed and what the senate is expected to pass shortly is a bill that adds $85 billion in spending increases…$85 billion in spending increases…$85 billion to our national debt…85 billion to your children and my children that they’re somehow expected to pay. I don’t know about your kids, but my girls don’t have $85 billion laying around in their rooms…”
An incensed Cruz praised Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as a "very effective Democratic leader."
Other small government conservatives like Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) intended to filibuster the deal before it quickly passed the Senate.
You can watch the Cruz's entire speech below.Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean KlobucharBernie Sanders Town Hall finishes third in cable news race, draws 1.4 million viewers Woman to undecided Biden: 'Just say yes' to 2020 bid Hillary Clinton says she 'can't imagine' running for president again MORE (D-Minn.) said Sunday that she is working on legislation that would mandate online political advertisements be subject to the same rules as broadcast ads.
“And the rules that apply for ads when they’re put on TV or radio, where you have to register them and say how much you paid, that doesn’t apply to these online ads. And so our laws need to catch up with what’s going on with our campaigns,” Klobuchar told CNN’s “Reliable Sources.”
The effort comes amid the growing controversy over Facebook’s political advertising during the 2016 election. The social media company admitted last month that Russians possibly tied to the Kremlin purchased ads on the platform during the presidential race.
Last week, Facebook said approximately 10 million people viewed political ads bought by Russian actors near the 2016 election.
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Klobuchar is working on a bill with Sen. Mark Warner Mark Robert WarnerVirginia man charged after threatening Sen. Mark Warner Cohen grilled by Senate Intelligence panel Hillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid | Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration | New malicious cyber tool found | Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators MORE (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who has been one of the co-leaders of the committee’s investigation into Russia’s attempts to meddle in the United States election last year.
The Minnesota lawmaker said the goal of the future legislation is to require political ads online to register date and time slots, similar to that of broadcast ads.
“It’s pretty much what you do on broadcast. Now the difference is broadcast is seen by everyone and these Facebook ads are really hidden,” Klobuchar explained.
“They’re targeted to certain people, whether it’s Twitter, whether it’s Google, any kind of online platform, that’s what was happening in the last election.”
Klobuchar said they have yet to gain Republican support for the push, but are pursuing GOP senators.'The Bible talks about the homosexuals - they're worthy of death!'
An 11-year-old boy stood in front of North Carolina’s Green Street United Methodist Church on Easter Sunday giving the congregation a piece of his mind as they exited the church.
‘The Bible talks about the homosexuals – they’re worthy of death!’ the boy can be seen shouting at one point on video posted on the Good As You website.
The church recently announced that it would stop performing all weddings until it becomes legal for same-sex couples to get married in the US.
This is what spurred the protest by the unidentified boy who stood at the steps of the church with a placard which read: ‘Jesus Must Be Your Lord Or He Will Not Be Your Savior.’
He also shouted of gay people: ‘They’re worthy of death, and you people approve of them! That’s why you’re going to Hell without Jesus Christ. You can turn from your sin!"
He added: "It’s time to stop sinning and follow the lord Jesus Christ!"
The church’s 18-member leadership council last month had asked the pastor to perform ‘relationship blessings’ instead of weddings.
The United Methodist Church prohibits its pastors from conducting same sex weddings. The church also bans gay and lesbian people from serving as clergy.
Last May, voters in North Carolina passed a constitutional ban in gay marriages in the state.
Below is video of the boy’s demonstration:Last week, the Conservative party posted an image and excerpt from Al-Shabaab’s threat against West Edmonton Mall, the party apparently hoping to solicit support for C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act. Press Progress, the media wing of the Broadbent Institute, subsequently wondered if this would have amounted to a transgression against C-51.
The answer to that question is... debatable. And that ambiguity might be the problem.
There is a separate conversation to be had about the wisdom, tastefulness and appropriateness of the party’s post. Setting that aside for the moment, the hypothetical legality of the post depends on a reading of a new offence that would be established by C-51. Here is the relevant clause from part 3 of the bill:
16. The Act is amended by adding the following after section 83.22: 83.221 (1) Every person who, by communicating statements, knowingly advocates or promotes the commission of terrorism offences in general—other than an offence under this section—while knowing that any of those offences will be committed or being reckless as to whether any of those offences may be committed, as a result of such communication, is guilty of an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years.
So would the act of relaying the text of a threat qualify as an offence by the letter of this law?
I asked law professors Craig Forcese and Kent Roach, who have written extensively about C-51, for their analysis of this particular point.
Here is Forcese:
Well, the offence requires intent to promote and advocate the commission of the offence, so I would doubt it reaches simple distribution of images, with accompanying commentary condemning the images. (Although I would think the images/videos themselves could be terrorist propaganda and so subject to deletion orders, and seizure by CBSA, whether embedded in someone else’s fundraising letter or not). But the overarching point is this: The offence is so unartfully ambigious... it invites slippery slopes. And that is precisely how it contributes to speech chill. In the final analysis, a court confronted with the sort of slippery-slope scenario this kind of example paints would likely construe the offence more narrowly than its possible outer reach. But of course, someone would need to be dragged into court on charges before that happened. It is for that very reason, in our proposed amendments, posted yesterday, we call the offence overbroad and unnecessary in relation to actual real or threatened terrorist violence. We see no reason for the offence, given that terrorist speech tied to violence is already prohibited. And at any rate, the absence of “purpose” language (tying the culpable speech to an actual terrorist purpose) and the absence of any of the public interest defences that exist, e.g., for hate crimes, makes the new crime an absolutely blunt and invasive instrument. Do I think the Tories will be prosecuted for their fundraising letter? No. Do I think their law will be counterproductive, measured on both a security and liberties basis? Yes.
On the other hand, here is Roach:
I would only add that all that is required is knowing (not wilful or intentional) promotion or advocacy. This is actually a significant difference in criminal law, and does open the door to possible prosecutions of those who knowingly distribute terrorist propaganda while aware of a risk that someone (even if predisposed and/or mentally ill) will commit an offence as a result of the communication. I agree with Craig that we are not likely to see such prosecutions, and courts would read down the offence, but the speech chill would still be there.
So while a conviction might not be likely, it might be possible to |
a 50-minute sermon on Sunday that "homosexual acts" are "contrary to God's design" and a "capital offense to God."
He also, at the end of his lengthy sermon, said he welcomed gay people into his church.
Taking his congregation on his historical view of homosexuality throughout time, Pastor Gallaty claimed that the Greeks "promoted homosexuality," and that athletes in the Olympic Games were naked for sexual reasons, not for speed. "Let's be honest, how much does a shirt weigh?"
Gallaty also quoted from the infamous Book of Leviticus, and delivered what many would describe as a false interpretation of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
"Friends, it doesn't take a seminary degree in English to realize what God is saying as the reason he deviates and levels the city. The fact of the matter is the men and boys came to the house, they wanted to have sex with attractive men inside," Gallaty said. He labeled homosexual sex "the chief sin in Sodom," claiming "that God leveled the city," because of it.
"Leviticus 18 is the list of unacceptable sins," the Tennessee pastor continued. "Before you say, 'This is Old Testament law, this doesn't apply to me,' friends," he said, "this is as applicable to you today as it was back then."
"God said that the sins of the people had infected the very land in which they live," Gallaty said. "So what happens to people who engage in this activity, this sexual immoral activity? Go to Leviticus 20, God gives us the punishment for engaging in these sins. 'If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman, they have both committed a detestable thing. They must be put to death. And their blood is on their own hands.'"
He calls the passage "sobering" and says "this is a capital offense to God." He called it a "life or death matter," not to be "trivialized."
Gallaty makes up a claim that Jesus "didn't have to talk about" homosexuality because the Jews already condemned it. There are many subjects that Jesus purportedly discussed that had been discussed previously.
David Edwards at The Raw Story, who first reported on the video, adds that Pastor Gallaty continues on to promote ex-gay therapy.
But the pastor noted that there was some good news in the New Testament of the Bible: God could turn gay people into heterosexuals. "[The Bible says] some of you used to act like this, but now you've changed by the grace of God. You were washed! You have been sanctified! You have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of God." Gallaty went on to opine that "homosexuality is an attack on the family and the marriage." "It's the most lethal attack we have today against the family," he insisted. "And if the enemy can ruin the family, he wins." According to Gallaty, LGBT people "wear that homosexual badge as a badge of honor, it's an identifiable marker." "Here's the problem with the argument that you closed-minded Christians, one day you're going to come full circle, and you're going to realize that you're being judgemental just like racism was 50 years ago," he remarked. "And we finally realized that racism was an issue for Christians." "And now you guys have repented and come full circle, and you're going to realize that you're as foolish as we were with the movement of racism," Gallaty added. "It's not the same... A black man can't change his race, a white man can't change his race, a homosexual can stop engaging in homosexual acts. See, sexuality is a choice. Gender and race are not."
Calling the Pastor's actions of sending a "repent or die" message to young LGBT people in Tennessee "a true social blight," Jeremy Hooper at Good As You notes that Pastor Gallaty is "unapologetic about making local gay teens hate themselves."
Gallaty is the author of three books, including Unashamed: Taking a Radical Stand for Christ, and his latest, Growing UP: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples.
About to preach on "God's Standard for Sexuality." What does Gods word say about Homosexuality? Prayers appreciated. — Robby Gallaty (@Rgallaty) August 30, 2014
At the very end, after spending 48 minutes telling his congregation that gay people are a threat to mankind, and God thinks they are guilty of "capital offenses," Gallaty implores Christians to "stop bashing gays" and to "stop telling jokes about gay people."
"The sin of homosexuality may be wrong, but your sin," Gallaty tells his members, "is just as bad."
Here's Gallaty's sermon:
http://vimeo.com/104864969
Hat tip: David Edwards at The Raw Story
Image via Vimeo
See a mistake? Email corrections to: [email protected]While making strides in employing residents of disadvantaged communities, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority finds itself way behind other large cities when it comes to hiring women for construction jobs.
Metro’s rate is 3.35 percent, not half the U.S. Labor Department standard of 6.9 percent for transit projects receiving federal dollars. Seattle, Portland and Boston all exceed the federal female construction job goal, according to a Metro report.
Jacquie Anzaldo, lower right, directs trucks into the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
Cynthia Pina, left, and Melinda Thomas, Laborers at the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
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Tammy Cameron is a truck driver for DTC Trucking. She is currently hauling materials for the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
Cynthia Pina, Laborer at the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
Engineer Erica Frederickson talks with Labor Foreman Reyes Cervantes at the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
Chiedza Garcia works at the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
Jacqueline Ruiz, Traffic Control worker at the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
Jacquie Anzaldo works as a Spotter at the Metro Purple Line project in Mid-Wilshire. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG)
The low numbers prompted the six women on the 13-member Metro board to introduce tougher standards for construction contractors to employ more women and hire sub-contractors who employ a higher percentage of women workers. Led by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, the women were appalled that Metro — which bills itself as a progressive agency — falls well under a low-bar set in 1980 in Washington.
“We still go by a standard set by Jimmy Carter 40 years ago of 6.9 percent and we’ve never even achieved it?” asked board member and Supervisor Janice Hahn, who pushed for the newer policies adopted by the full board Nov. 30, along with Supervisor Hilda Solis, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Caltrans board representative Carrie Bowen and Jackie Dupont-Walker, community member appointed by Los Angeles Mayor and Metro board chairman Eric Garcetti.
“We need more success stories for women in construction,” Hahn added.
Metro to create 450,000 jobs
The stakes are high for the Los Angeles County transportation agency, which takes billions in federal dollars. Although not a mandate, meeting the goals could help the agency attract more federal dollars. With Measure M, a half-cent sales tax approved by voters last year, Metro will create 450,000 construction jobs in the next four decades on 40 different projects. Even a rise of few percentage points would give thousands of women — many of them single mothers — well-paying jobs with benefits for several years.
“The fact women represent half the population yet such a small percentage in this industry is astonishing,” said Erika Thi Patterson, national policy director for Jobs To Move America, a nonprofit advocating for transit jobs to go to Americans, including minorities, women and re-entering workers.
For a few of the women at the Purple Line subway extension construction site at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, it was clear that construction jobs as well as those in supporting fields such as architecture, planning and engineering are overwhelmingly dominated by men.
“This is 2017. Women can do everything — just about — what a man can do these days. I would like to see more women get into it,” said Tammy Cameron, 40, of Sun Valley, who was getting ready to haul dirt loaded into her tractor-trailer truck to the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
A few women, including those who directed trucks onto busy La Brea Avenue, work at the future subway station site being built by contractors Skanksa Traylor Shea, or STS. The $6.3 billion project will extend the underground subway nine miles from Wilshire/Western to Westwood VA Hospital in West Los Angeles, serving the mid-Wilshire area, Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood. So far the project has received $2.85 billion in federal grants.
Female engineer directs tunneling
One of those was Erica Frederickson, 28, of Echo Park, a civil engineer who is working as field engineer for the mega project. Standing adjacent to a giant crane and a hole 75-feet deep, she bent her tall, slight frame toward a male supervisor while giving him instructions on how to do the next crane lift and other engineering specifications he must pass along to the crew.
Frederickson, who earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, is an expert on tunneling, a process that will begin under Wilshire Boulevard sometime next year.
She’s working on developing exact engineering logistics for transporting the massive tunnel boring machine coming from Germany, first to the Port of Los Angeles and then to the dig site in the Miracle Mile area. The vehicles used, the roadways chosen, literally every turn must be carefully planned, she said. Also, communicating the on-site engineering specifics to mostly men who carry out the job makes her a key player in a long-awaited subway extension fraught with potential pitfalls.
“I was fearful coming into it, thinking I would not be accepted,” she said. “I worried they would say ‘What does this girl know? She came in here with her engineering degree.’ But once I got here, everybody I work with was really accepting.”
Four-point plan
What stops women from getting construction jobs?
For one, women do not know about the job opportunities or don’t apply because they see it as a male-dominated industry, according to Metro. The industry also lacks supportive programs such as apprenticeships.
Child care programs and sexual harassment training are also often missing.
A study by the National Women’s Law Center in 2014 found more than 97 percent of construction workers in the country are men.
In an effort to get Metro contractors to employ more women, the board ordered CEO Phil Washington to do the following:
• Create a report card for each contractor working on Metro projects scoring female worker goals and numbers.
• Publish the report card four times a year on the Metro website and report quarterly to the board to consider in upcoming contracts.
• Develop an informal incentive program that includes photo opportunities with board members for companies boosting women hiring.
• Include in the agency’s employment hiring plans how contractors can create a diverse and inclusive work environment, such as providing sexual harassment training and access to child care.
“We hope the scorecard being made public sends a clear message: The board wants to invest in women in the construction trade,” Kuehl said at the board meeting.
Rejecting stereotypes
Because state law prohibits making racial or gender hiring goals enforceable, Metro has had to find creative work arounds, said Patterson. For example, Metro directed contractors to hire qualified people from low-incomes areas, such as South Los Angeles, to help build the Crenshaw light-rail line, the board reported. But females remain significantly underrepresented on construction projects, the report concluded.
Patterson’s group has called the new directive “a great first step toward opening up access to women (for construction jobs).” Also, in construction, women earn 93 percent of what men earn, much higher than the average of 80 percent in other jobs, Metro reported.
Solis argued that unless the message reaches schools and colleges, there won’t be enough women trained in engineering and construction jobs. “We have to have a plan and a system in place where they feel wanted,” she said.
Many girls skip the higher paying career paths dominated by men and end up in lower-paying service jobs, Patterson said. Any single mother who enters the construction field may get a salary boost and better benefits, she said.
“A lot of the time, women are told this is a man’s world and the work is too hard for them. So they think about going into something else,” she said.
Cameron, the truck driver, went from banking into construction five years ago. She had support from her husband, also in trucking, to move into this field that offers better pay and benefits.
She bristled at the suggestion that women are not strong enough to do this kind of work.
“It is a male-dominated career. But women can do it just as well,” she said.The World as Emergent from Pure Entropy
Authors: Alexandre Harvey-Tremblay
We propose a meta-logical framework to understand the world by an ensemble of theorems rather than by a set of axioms. We prove that the theorems of the ensemble must have *feasible* proofs and must recover *universality*. The ensemble is axiomatized when it is constructed as a partition function, in which case its axioms are, up to an error rate, the leading bits of Omega (the halting probability of a prefix-free universal Turing machine). The partition function augments the standard construction of Omega with knowledge of the size of the proof of each theorems. With this knowledge, it is able to decide *feasible mathematics*. As a consequence of the axiomatization, the ensemble additionally adopts the mathematical structure of an ensemble of statistical physics; it is from this context that the laws of physics are derived. The Lagrange multipliers of the partition function are the fundamental Planck units and the background, a thermal space-time, emerges as a consequence of the limits applicable to the conjugate pairs. The background obeys the relations of special and general relativity, dark energy, the arrow of time, the Schrödinger equation, the Dirac equation and it embeds the holographic principle. In this context, the limits of feasible mathematics are mathematically the same as the laws of physics. The framework is so fundamental that informational equivalents to length, time and mass (assumed as axioms in most physical theories) are here formally derivable. Furthermore, it can prove that no alternative framework can contain fewer bits of axioms than it contains (thus it is necessarily the simplest theory). Furthermore, it can prove that, for all worlds amenable to this framework, the laws of physics will be the same (hence there can be no alternatives). Thus, the framework is a possible candidate for a final theory.
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By Peter Diekmeyer 37197 Views
October 24, 2017
America’s 2017 fiscal gap will come in near $6 trillion, nine times higher than the $666 billion deficit announced by the US Department of the Treasury last week, says Laurence Kotlikoff, an economics professor at Boston University.
“Our country is broke,” says Kotlikoff, who estimates total US government debts at more than $200 trillion, when unfunded liabilities are included. “We are in worse shape than Russia, China or any developed nation.”
Worse, says Kotlikoff, who has testified before Congress, government officials are well-aware that many of America’s debts and accruing liabilities are being written off the books.
However, for the most part, they are keeping their mouths shut.
A two-tier reporting system
The upshot is a de facto “two-tier” financial reporting system, in which politicians and insiders have access to key data buried in footnotes about unfunded liabilities, which indicate that there are huge problems in the economy.
The public, on the other hand, in slews of Presidential and Congressional Speeches and publications, is led to believe that while things are tough, overall everything is OK.
According to Kotlikoff, a long-time activist for fiscal rectitude, the problem stems in large part from the fact that the US government has been spending almost all of Americans’ approximately $795 billion in social security payroll taxes to pay current bills, rather than investing them to fund retirees’ benefits.
The upshot is that on a net basis, the US government has no money to pay all the benefits that have been promised. Politicians know that defaults will occur, they just haven’t figured out how to finesse this.
Fiscal gap accounting: telling Americans how much government has borrowed
Kotlikoff, unlike most, has a solution. He believes that the US government should adopt what he calls “fiscal gap accounting”, which involves putting all future receipts and expenditures on its books.
The idea is that if Americans knew about all the money that their politicians were borrowing and spending, they would be able to make better decisions as to the usefulness of those policies.
They would also be able to better protect themselves.
If the US government produced a financial statement that listed the $200 trillion in unfunded liabilities that Kotlikoff says it owes, workers might make different decisions about how much they will save for retirement.
Sadly, current de facto US government practice - inspired by Keynesian thinkers such as Paul Krugman - is for governments to spend, tax, borrow and print as much money as possible, in an effort to keep the economy perpetually running at full steam.
The idea is to leave future generations to deal with the problems.
The Clinton coverup
Kotlikoff and many others have been trying to change this.
More than 1200 of the country’s top economists have endorsed a bipartisan bill that requires the Congressional Budget Office to do both fiscal gap and generational accounting on an ongoing basis.
David Howden, a professor of economics and academic vice-president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute of Canada, describes economic theory as crystal clear as to how to measure government liabilities, namely using the infinite-horizon fiscal gap. He says that Kotlikoff’s reasoning is “pretty sound.”
In fact, the methodology has been tried before, by George Bush the Elder, who included fiscal gap accounting in some of his budgeting.
However, the Clinton Administration killed the practice and scored huge political points in the process.
Even today, decades later, few people realized that the only reason that the Clintons were able to balance their budgets was by not recording all of the US government’s debts.
Republicans weren’t stupid, though.
When they saw that there was no political penalty to be paid for cooking the books, they jumped on the bandwagon, a policy that the Trump Administration continues to this day.
Information asymmetry: keeping Americans uninformed
There are few pleasant takeaways from all this. True, some alternate fiscal gap accounting calculations suggest that things may not be as bad as Kotlikoff says.
Others says that the problem does exist, but by eliminating the pensions of those who earn above a certain level, or by postponing retirement dates, the system could be set straight again.
However even in the best of cases, Kotlikoff is correct on one crucial point: America is unable to meet its obligations as they become due. That is the definition of bankruptcy.
In a sense, it should hardly come as a surprise that politicians are hiding this fact.
Because if America is indeed in worse economic shape than Russia or China, voters might think twice about who they want to lead them.
Peter Diekmeyer is a business writer/editor with Sprott Money News, the National Post and Canadian Defence Review. He has studied in MBA, CA and Law programs and filed reports from more than two dozen countries.
The views and opinions expressed in this material are those of the author as of the publication date, are subject to change and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprott Money Ltd. Sprott Money does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness and reliability of the information or any results from its use.Then, in the summer, as we're finishing the book, Glenn Beck announces he's going to have this rally and Jon says, "We should have a rally of our own. We should go out there and have a Rally to Restore Sanity." And I thought, "please let him forget this" - because he'll do that sometimes, he'll say something then [drop it]. I thought it sounded like the worst possible idea. A comedy rally? Do not let this happen.
Then I didn't hear anything about it for a couple months; I thought, "Thank God, he forgot." Then the Beck rally starts to come closer and Jon's like "We're going to do that rally," and I was like, shit.
I grew up going to a lot of rallies and protests and I thought you can't do comedy bits like we do on the show for such a large crowd. I was thinking, "This is going to be such a catastrophe." And then, again, as it came closer I was like, "Holy shit." It was incredible; it was an amazing experience. I know it had some dissenters, which is alright. It should.SANTA CLARA — Confidence shouldn’t have been a problem for Stanford in its Foster Farms Bowl game with Maryland at Levi’s Stadium near Great America on Tuesday evening. The Cardinal came in a two-touchdown favorite. College football guru Phil Steele had Stanford as his No. 1 bowl pick out of the 38 bowls, meaning Steele felt the Cardinal had the best chance to win of any team participating in a bowl game.
Stanford scored on its first drive and kept the pedal on the metal, rolling to a 45-21 win. The Terrapins scored on a late kickoff return, adding a touchdown with its first string going against the Stanford backups with 2:12 to play in the game. Stanford’s biggest lead was 42-7, the Cardinal threatening to break the bowl record for greatest margin of victory — 34 points.
The announced attendance was 34,780, but it was more like 14,780. Foul weather, or rather, fowl weather, combined with the game being telecast on ESPN, no doubt kept fans away. The cold wind swirled on the field, the strips of cloth attached to the top of each goal post blowing every which way non-stop. Outside the stadium, tailgaters probably thought they were at Candlestick Park, the old home of the San Francisco 49ers, not the new Niners’ home, the wind was so bone-tingling.
The Stanford band performed before the game, forming a large question mark, as if asking, “Where are we?”
A few brave band members wore shorts, as did the drum major. A trumpet player wore a cheese head hat like the one often worn by Green Bay Packers fans, getting in the frigid spirit.
The Terps deferred after winning the coin toss and Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan made them pay, completing 5-of-5 passes as the Cardinal marched down the field for a touchdown. On one play on the drive, running back Christian McCaffrey zigzagged 50 yards for a 1-yard gain, thrilling onlookers.
There was a bit of worry for Stanford when Maryland’s tricky option attack meandered the other direction on the ensuing drive for an equalizing touchdown. Not to worry. Stanford out-physicalled the Terps, wearing them down on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Stanford put in fresh players on defense. True freshman Harrison Phillips, who wears No. 66, sacked Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown late in the third quarter. The Terps were out of gas, so fitting it was Phillips, 66, who got the sack.
This was a feel-good game for the Cardinal in many respects. In his final game, running back Ricky Seale got his first collegiate touchdown. Safety Kyle Olugbode, who prepped at nearby Bellarmine-San Jose, came up with an interception after the Cardinal had turned the ball over on a fumble. Olugbode, playing his last game at Stanford, came close to picking off two other passes.
Linebacker James Vaughters, wrapping up his Cardinal career, was named the game’s top Defensive Player. Vaughters was deserving with five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. My vote went to tackle Henry Anderson, who was in Brown’s kitchen on more than one occasion, sacking Brown late. Anderson, a fifth-year senior, took on the initial block at the point-of-attack and was pushing his weight around all night.
Hogan was an obvious choice for Offensive Player of the Game and that was good to see. Hogan had taken some heat during the regular season, but he finished the year like gangbusters. Hogan’s return at the helm could only help the Stanford offense next year.
Stanford’s success in 2015 may rest on who returns and who doesn’t. Left offensive tackle Andrus Peat is a projected top 10 draft pick, but he could come back for more seasoning. Wide receiver Devon Cajuste, who caught two touchdown passes, will announce today, one way or the other, if he’ll return.
Stanford’s defense will take a hit with five fifth-year seniors in the starting lineup, along with four-year seniors Vaughters and safety Jordan Richards departing. Corner Alex Carter, who has another year of eligibility, may leap to the NFL.
Stanford may squeak into the AP Top 25 after all the bowl dust has settled. The Cardinal has outscored the last three opponents 114-48, finishing 8-5. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if Stanford players were heard chanting in the bowels of Levi’s Stadium, “Let’s start over!”
Stanford should be confident going into the fall, especially if the likes of Cajuste and Carter return. And if Peat returns, Stanford could receive a top 10 preseason ranking.
True, the season didn’t go the way Stanford football coach David Shaw had it scripted. However, the inaugural meeting with Maryland in the Foster Farms Bowl had to have been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Cardinal, which didn’t come out and lay and egg.
No yoke.
Email John Reid at jreid@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at twitter.com/dailynewsjohn.Imam Sami Salem delivers his speech during a Mass in Rome's Saint Mary in Trastevere church, Italy, Sunday, July 31, 2016. Imams and practicing Muslims attended Mass across Italy, from Palermo in the south to Milan in the north, in a sign of solidarity after the France church attack in which an elderly priest was slain. Massimo Percossi/Ansa via AP
In a gesture of solidarity following the gruesome killing of a French priest, Muslims on Sunday attended Catholic Mass in churches and cathedrals across France and Italy.
A few dozen Muslims gathered at the towering Gothic cathedral in Rouen, near Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where the 85-year-old Rev. Jacques Hamel had his throat slit by two teenage Muslim fanatics on Tuesday.
"We are very moved by the presence of our Muslim friends and I believe it is a courageous act that they did by coming to us," Dominique Lebrun, the archbishop of Rouen, said after the service.
Some of the Muslims sat in the front row, across from the altar. Among the parishioners was one of the nuns who was briefly taken hostage at Hamel's church when he was killed. She joined her fellow Catholics in turning to shake hands or embrace the Muslim churchgoers after the service.
Outside the church, a group of Muslims were applauded when they unfurled a banner: "Love for all. Hate for none."
Churchgoer Jacqueline Prevot said the attendance of Muslims was "a magnificent gesture."
"Look at this whole Muslim community that attended Mass," she said. "I find this very heartwarming. I am confident. I say to myself that this assassination won't be lost, that it will maybe relaunch us better than politics can do. Maybe we will react in a better way."
Many of the Muslims who attended the service in Rouen — including those with the banner — were Ahmadiyya Muslims, a minority sect that differs from mainstream Islam in that it doesn't regard Muhammad as the final prophet.
Similar interfaith gatherings were repeated elsewhere in France, as well as in neighboring Italy.
At Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral, Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Mosque of Paris, said repeatedly that Muslims want to live in peace.
"The situation is serious," Boubakeur told BFMTV. "Time has come to come together so as not to be divided."
In Italy, the secretary general of the country's Islamic Confederation, Abdullah Cozzolino, spoke from the altar in the Treasure of St. Gennaro chapel next to Naples' Duomo cathedral. Three imams also attended Mass at the St. Maria Church in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood, donning their traditional dress as they entered the sanctuary and sat down in the front row.
Mohammed ben Mohammed, a member of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, said he called on the faithful in his sermon Friday "to report anyone who may be intent on damaging society. I am sure that there are those among the faithful who are ready to speak up."
Ahmed El Balzai, the imam of the Vobarno mosque in the Lombard province of Brescia, said he did not fear repercussions for speaking out.
"I am not afraid.... These people are tainting our religion and it is terrible to know that many people consider all Muslim terrorists. That is not the case," El Balazi said. "Religion is one thing. Another is the behavior of Muslims who don't represent us."
Muslims attend a Mass in Milan's Santa Maria in Caravaggio church, Italy, Sunday, July 31, 2016. Imams and practicing Muslims attended Mass across Italy, from Palermo in the south to Milan in the north, in a sign of solidarity after the France church attack in which an elderly priest was slain. Flavio Lo Scalzo/Ansa via AP
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni thanked Italian Muslims for their participation, saying they "are showing their communities the way of courage against fundamentalism."
Like in France, Italy is increasing its supervision of mosques. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told the Senate this week that authorities were scrutinizing mosque financing and working with the Islamic community to ensure that imams study in Italy, preach in Italian and are aware of Italy's legal structuring.
The Paris prosecutor's office, meanwhile, said it has requested that a cousin of one of the two 19-year-olds who slit the priest's throat be charged with participating in "a terrorist association with the aim of harming others."
In a statement, it said it appeared a 30-year-old Frenchman it identified as Farid K. "knew very well, if not of the exact place or time, of his cousin's impending plans for violence."
The office added that a Syrian refugee detained in the wake of the attack was released Saturday.Berlin -- The moment of truth is drawing near. Next week the chancellor is travelling to Brussels for yet another crisis summit. Together with the other European heads of government, Angela Merkel wants to finally rescue the euro. She must rescue it.
Everything is at stake. The final game for the euro and for Europe is in full swing. Every day that the debt crisis continues to come to a head, fear is growing that all efforts will be for naught, and that the breakup of the euro is unpreventable. The fear is growing in the financial markets, in the halls of power in Paris, Rome and Madrid, and in Berlin's chancellery.
But among Germans, the fear appears not to be growing.
There is, of course, the German angst, of which the Anglo-Saxons and the Americans like to talk about. It is so legendary that it is almost proverbial. Haven't the Germans always reacted despondently or even hysterically as soon as there is a threat of potential disaster? In this part of the world, the worries over climate change are especially pronounced; we get stirred up by health concerns like E.coli outbreaks and the swine flu; and we abandon nuclear energy immediately after in far away Japan a tsunami leads to a nuclear catastrophe. Should all Germans be in a panic because the euro could soon be history?
They aren't, at least noticeably. Those walking through the Christmas markets and shopping malls this season will notice little worry or fear. Families and friends ask sKeptically what will happen to their money, but in the next sentence talk about what their Christmas wishes are. And according to a poll conducted by the network ARD, a majority (55 percent) say they are not personally affected by the crisis. A vague uneasiness seems to stand opposite an unshakable tranquillity.
Has the German angst slowly evolved into a German lässigkeit, or nonchalance, as Roger Cohen, the long-time correspondent of the New York Times, attests regarding the financial crisis?Advertisement Teens charged in death of ballplayer appear in court Share Shares Copy Link Copy
Two Oklahoma teenagers charged in the shooting death of an Australian baseball player in Oklahoma pleaded not guilty and waived their right to a speedy trial during a brief court appearance on Thursday.Michael Dewayne Jones, 18, and Chancey Allen Luna, 16, wore orange jail jumpsuits and their hands were cuffed as they appeared before Judge Joe Enos for their arraignment on first-degree murder charges in the killing last summer of 22-year-old Chris Lane.Enos set a trial docket date of Aug. 18 for both teens.Prosecutors say Lane, from Melbourne, Australia, was gunned down as he jogged near his girlfriend's parents' house in Duncan, about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City. He was preparing to enter his senior season as a catcher at East Central University in Ada.Another teenage defendant, James Francis Edwards Jr., 16, agreed to testify against Jones and Luna if prosecutors reduce charges against him.Edwards testified at the preliminary hearing for Luna and Jones last month that he was rolling joints in the front passenger seat when Luna fired the fatal shot from the back while Jones drove. Luna and Jones both said they had believed the gun used in the killing held blanks, not a live round, Edwards testified.Edwards was charged with accessory after the fact because prosecutors say he made a phone call from the Stephens County Jail between Aug. 16 and Dec. 31, 2013, and asked someone to dispose of the weapon. He is due back in court in May for a preliminary hearing for that charge.Prosecutors have said they will drop the first-degree murder charge in exchange for him continuing to testify against the other two teenagers through trial. A lawyer for Jones has filed a motion seeking all agreements between the state and witnesses, specifically Edwards.Family members for both teens were in attendance Thursday, as was the girlfriend of Lane. All |
undercutting the profits on which drug traffickers thrive.
United States: CIA Torture with Impunity The year concluded with the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence publishing a redacted summary of its report on the Central Intelligence Agency’s use of torture against terrorist suspects under the administration of former President George W. Bush. President Obama has taken a firm stand against torture during his tenure, using his second day in office to ban the Bush administration’s “enhanced interrogation techniques”—a euphemism for torture—and to close the secret CIA detention facilities where much of the torture was carried out. Nonetheless, Obama has steadfastly refused to investigate, let alone prosecute, the Bush CIA’s torture, even though that is required by the Convention against Torture, which the US ratified in 1994. There are various possible reasons for Obama’s refusal to allow prosecutions. He may have feared that they would be politically divisive, undermining the support of Bush backers in the US Congress for his legislative agenda, even though there has been little such cooperation. He may have felt it unfair to prosecute after the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel had ruled that the “enhanced interrogation techniques” were legal, even though the Senate report shows that the CIA knew these amounted to torture and went shopping for politicized government counsel who would justify the unjustifiable. He may have felt that the serious security threat faced after the September 11, 2001 attacks made resorting to extreme forms of interrogation understandable, even though the Senate report shows that they produced little if any actionable intelligence while undermining America’s standing in the world and impeding counterterrorism efforts. Obama’s refusal to allow prosecutions means the basic criminal prohibition of torture remains unenforced in the United States. That enables future US presidents, who inevitably will face serious security threats, to treat torture as a policy option. It also greatly weakens the US government’s ability to press other countries to prosecute their own torturers, weakening an important voice for human rights at a moment when principled support is urgently needed. The revelations in the Senate report also require action in Europe, particularly in countries that hosted CIA detention sites or were complicit in renditions and resulting torture. To date, Italy is the only European country that has prosecuted people for involvement in CIA abuses. Poland has finally admitted it hosted a black site but a criminal investigation is stalled. Romania and Lithuania are both in denial. Criminal investigations are ongoing in the UK, but its government has reneged on its promise to conduct a genuinely independent judicial inquiry into Britain’s involvement in rendition and torture. Meaningful accountability for Europe’s role in these abuses is vital to hold those responsible to account and to prevent them from being repeated in the future.Ginobili expected to miss one month after testicular surgery, Spurs announce
San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili lies on the court after he was kneed by New Orleans Pelicans' Ryan Anderson during the second half at the AT&T Center, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. Anderson was called for an offensive foul. less San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili lies on the court after he was kneed by New Orleans Pelicans' Ryan Anderson during the second half at the AT&T Center, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. Anderson was called for an... more Photo: JERRY LARA, San Antonio Express-News Photo: JERRY LARA, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Ginobili expected to miss one month after testicular surgery, Spurs announce 1 / 7 Back to Gallery
The injury that resulted in Manu Ginobili crumpling to the court in pain late in Wednesday’s win over New Orleans has turned out to be something far more serious than the garden-variety knee to the groin many believed it to be at first blush.
The Spurs announced Thursday that Ginobili is expected to be sidelined for at least one month after undergoing surgery to repair a testicular injury.
The 38-year-old sixth man, four-time NBA champions and Olympic gold medalist for his native country of Argentina was taken to the locker room after making contact with a charging Ryan Anderson with about 2½ minutes left in the game.
RELATED: Spurs broadcast team gets mixed reviews
Ginobili crumpled to the court after absorbing the blow delivered by the Anderson’s knee. Ginobili was aggressively defending Anderson with body contact in the paint when the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward pivoted into to make a strong move to the basket.
At the moment of impact, Ginobili’s head snapped back and his mouth came open.
After regaining his feet, Ginobili was helped to the locker room by Spurs captain Tim Duncan, athletic trainer Will Sevening and others. On the way to the locker room, Ginobili had to go back down on one knee in the hallway to collect himself before continuing the painful journey.
When asked about the injury, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he didn’t know “what the hell happened” and forward LaMarcus Aldridge laughed it off in a manner that suggested it wasn’t serious. Forward David West suggested the same, but guard Tony Parker struck a serious tone.
“I don’t want to joke with that,” Parker said. “It doesn’t look good.”
Turns out, Parker was right.
Asked after the game for an update regarding Ginobili’s status, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “I have no clue. I haven’t seen him. He wasn’t in the locker room, I don’t think. I don’t know what the hell happened.”
The Spurs are scheduled to travel today to Dallas, where they will face the Mavericks on Friday night.
Ginobili, 38, played 22 minutes against New Orleans, coming off the bench to score six points and four assists.
Ginobili’s injury leaves the Spurs without two members of their famed Big Three as they prepare to head into their lengthy, annual rodeo road trip.
RELATED: Spurs' bench making history by the numbers
Duncan has missed the last five games with a sore right knee, and there is no timetable for his return, although indications are that he will be sidelined at least through the Feb. 14 NBA All-Star Game.
With Ginobili out for an extended period, it would seem likely Popovich will give even more playing time to youngsters Kyle Anderson and Jonathon Simmons.
Ginobili heads what is statistically the NBA’s strongest bench. In 43 games this season, he’s averaging 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 19.7 minutes.
Despite his age and limited minutes, Ginobili has led the Spurs this season twice in scoring, seven times in assists and eight times in steals. He’s scored in double figures 21 times, trailing only Kawhi Leonard (44), Aldridge (37) and Parker (33).Carlton coach Brendon Bolton has unveiled his new coaching team, along with a restructure of the Club’s fitness department.
Over the past month, Bolton has been working closely with Head of Football Andrew McKay and Carlton triple premiership player Ken Sheldon, to get the best possible coaching personnel in place and after a rigorous interview process four new appointments have been made.
Former Adelaide coach Neil Craig has been appointed as the new Director of Coaching, Development and Performance. Craig, a veteran of 319 SANFL games, was the Crows’ fitness adviser through the premierships of 1997 and ’98. He was later appointed Adelaide’s senior coach taking the Crows to the minor premiership in 2005 and five consecutive finals series. Most recently Craig has been the General Manager of Performance at Essendon.
Carlton’s caretaker coach for 2015, John Barker, will remain at the Blues and will take on the new role of stoppages coach. He will be joined in the assistant coaching ranks by three coaches who are new to Carlton: Tim Clarke, Shane Watson and Dale Amos.
Tim Clarke, a veteran of 96 AFL games for the Hawks from 2001-08, was most recently Richmond’s VFL coach. He will work with the Blues’ midfield.
Shane Watson comes to Carlton from North Melbourne where he has been an assistant coach since 2010. Watson will work with Carlton’s forward line.
Dale Amos has worked with Geelong since 2009, spending three seasons as the Cats’ VFL coach before joining the AFL coaching ranks. He will take on the role of backline coach.
Meanwhile, Mathew Capuano will remain at Carlton as a development coach and continue his work with the Blues’ academy.
Bolton says he’s eager to get to work with his new team.
“I am absolutely delighted with the talent we have been able to secure – they’re all people with the right experience and right attitude to help educate and develop our players,” Bolton said.
“One of the key attributes shared by those coming on board is their holistic approach to people and player development, while all have coached their own team.
“It’s a young coaching team, being well complemented with the experience and counsel of Neil, and it’s a team who I am confident will grow with our playing list and eventually lead this football club to where we all want it to be.”
In addition to the changes to Carlton’s coaching panel, the Club’s fitness area has been restructured and will now report to Head of Football Andrew McKay. Joel Hocking has been appointed as Physical Performance Manager, while Mark Homewood the Medical Coordinator.
The senior coaching position for Carlton’s VFL affiliate, the Northern Blues, will be finalised in the coming weeks
Out-of-contract assistant coach Brad Green, along with development coaches Michael Osborne and Luke Webster, will depart Carlton. Head of Football Andrew McKay has thanked them for their service.
“Brad, Luke and Michael have all made a terrific contribution to our football club through their work to help develop our young players,” McKay said.
“All three men should be commended for the enthusiasm and professionalism with which they have lived our club values, and in doing so they have helped us develop the foundations for future success. I wish them all the very best for the future.”
CARLTON'S 2016 COACHING PANEL:
HEAD OF FOOTBALL - Andrew McKay
Andrew McKay is a veteran of 244 Carlton games, and now heads up the Club’s football department.
McKay played for the Blues between 1993 and 2003, including in the 1995 premiership side. He is a four time All-Australian, and won Carlton’s Best & Fairest in 2003.
McKay’s impressive record includes being inducted into Carlton’s Hall of Fame in 2001, and the South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
After retiring from football McKay practiced as a veterinarian, and has served on the AFL’s Match Review Panel and the Laws of the Game Committee.
SENIOR COACH - Brendon Bolton
Originally from Tasmania, Brendon Bolton is a former high school physical education teacher. He won a premiership as a captain-coach with North Hobart in 2003 and in the same year also won the league’s Horrie Gorringe Medal as the best and fairest footballer in Tasmania. Stints at the Tassie Devils and Clarence followed, before Bolton took over as the head coach of the Box Hill Hawks, guiding the team to consecutive finals series in his two seasons in charge.
Bolton comes to Carlton with an impressive resume, which includes seven years as an assistant coach at Hawthorn. After joining the Hawks from the club’s VFL affiliate in 2009, Bolton initially worked with the midfield before becoming the forward line coach. In 2014 he coached the Hawks for five senior matches between rounds 11 and 15, achieving a perfect record by winning each game.
DIRECTOR OF COACHING, DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE - Neil Craig
Neil Craig brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to Carlton.
A veteran of 319 SANFL games, Craig was the Crows’ fitness adviser through the premierships of 1997 and ’98. He was later appointed Adelaide’s senior coach taking the Crows to the minor premiership in 2005 and five consecutive finals series. Most recently Craig has been the General Manager of Performance at Essendon.
ASSISTANT COACH (STOPPAGES) - John Barker
After taking the reins as interim coach in 2015, John Barker's "team first, club first" approach earned high praise from all within the Blues ranks. The Club is pleased that 'JB' will remain at Carlton, taking on the new role of stoppages coach.
Since joining Carlton as an assistant coach in 2011, Barker has held a variety of positions including backline coach and forward coach. He previously held assistance coaching positions at Hawthorn and St Kilda.
Barker also has an impressive record as a player, running out in 167 games for Fitzroy/Brisbane and Hawthorn from 1994-2006. He was Hawthorn’s leading goal-kicker in 2001.
ASSISTANT COACH (MIDFIELD) - Tim Clarke
Tim Clarke spent two years as a development coach at Richmond between 2010 and 2011. After a year overseas he returned to the Tigers in another development role, then in 2014 when Richmond entered it’s first stand-alone VFL side, Clarke was appointed its inaugural coach.
As well as his proven coaching ability, Clarke played the game at the highest level, running out 96 times for Hawthorn between 2001 and 2008.
ASSISTANT COACH (FORWARD LINE) - Shane Watson
Shane Watson comes to Carlton from North Melbourne where he has been an assistant coach since 2010, working with both forwards and the backline.
Watson began his coaching career as the head coach for Lower Plenty in the Diamond Valley Football League in 2005. A season there led into an assistant coaching role at the Sandringham Dragons in 2006, before three years as the senior coach at the Eastern Ranges.
As a player, Watson ran out 141 times for Collingwood.
ASSISTANT COACH (BACKLINE) - Dale Amos
Dale Amos comes to Carlton from Geelong where he has worked since 2009, spending three seasons as the Cats’ VFL coach before joining the AFL coaching ranks. His impressive coaching record includes leading South Barwon to a hat-trick of Geelong Football League premierships (2005-2007) and he was named GFL coach of the year in 2006.
Meanwhile Amos was also a champion player for South Barwon, where he was a dual best and fairest winner and played more than 200 games including in three premierships (2001, 2005, 2007).
DEVELOPMENT COACH - Mathew Capuano
Mathew Capuano played in two premierships during his 107-game AFL career with North Melbourne and St Kilda.
2016 will be his eighth season at Carlton and he will once again combine his Development Coach duties with the specialist ruck coach role.Sources: Danica Patrick's Future At SHR Uncertain After '17 Season
Stewart-Haas Racing and Danica Patrick are reviewing their options about whether she will continue on as a driver for the team after this year, according to sources. Patrick is signed with SHR through ’18, but there are clauses in her contract that could see the relationship end after this year, and the sides are discussing their choices, sources said. Patrick’s nearly decade-long relationship with GoDaddy that spanned back to her time in IndyCar ended after ‘15, and SHR has run into challenges securing primary sponsorship. Nature’s Bakery earlier this year backed away from its three-year, $45M deal after one season.
Should Patrick leave SHR after ‘17, options would include trying to find another ride in NASCAR or retiring from full-time racing. Patrick, who has run more than 160 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races over the course of six seasons, also has launched new business interests in the past year including an athleisure line and wine brand. Patrick told the AP in April that she would race “as long as it’s fun -- and it hasn’t been super fun lately.” SHR and Patrick’s manager, Excel Sports Management’s Alan Zucker, declined comment.
Patrick currently is 32nd in the Cup Series points standings heading into this weekend’s action at Dover Int'l Speedway. She has no wins in NASCAR’s top series and has not qualified for the playoffs in her Cup career.If you thought the name “Sarah Huckabee Sanders” sounded familiar, you’re right. The woman who has taken over the White House press briefings for Sean Spicer is the daughter of Mike Huckabee, former presidential candidate and Arkansas governor.
She’s referred to her dad as her hero.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been subbing for Spicer since the firing of FBI Director James Comey. That has a lot of people asking “Where is Sean Spicer?” It turns out that Spicer is undergoing previously scheduled Naval duties at the Pentagon (He’s in the U.S. Naval Reserve). However, his absence has a lot of people wondering whether Huckabee Sanders could take his place.
She is currently the deputy press secretary for Donald Trump. Although her father ran against Trump in the primary, Huckabee Sanders did join Trump’s campaign after Mike Huckabee dropped out of the race. Oh, and by the way, she is not related to Bernie Sanders.
The Sanders name comes from her husband, a political operative named Bryan Sanders, with whom she has three children.
Proud of daughter Sarah subbing at WH press briefing today. Her Dad thinks she crushed it! Hey I'm as unbiased as the media! pic.twitter.com/txXD10ocMf — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) May 5, 2017
Huckabee Sanders has been involved in her father’s campaigns for years. She told The Hill that she was 9 when her dad first ran for elected office.
“He didn’t really have much of a staff, so our family has always been very engaged and very supportive of my dad,” Huckabee Sanders told The Hill.
“I was stuffing envelopes, I was knocking on doors, I was putting up yard signs. I’m absolutely my dad’s biggest fan, and anything he wanted to do, I wanted to be a part of.”
A 2007 profile in Time Magazine described her as Mike Huckabee’s “field general.” Father and daughter appear very close based on their published comments and social media posts.
Before joining her father’s 2007 campaign, Sarah Huckabee Sanders worked “as a regional liaison with the Education Department in Washington,” reports Time. She directed field operations for the Huckabee campaign and worked on her father’s 2016 campaign in a prominent role too. She’s also been involved in the campaigns of numerous other candidates for office.
Respect for Packers but Janet and I are COWBOY fans! Go Pokes! Excited to be at game and watch Dak and the BOYS-COWBOYS! pic.twitter.com/7n0ncTyxI3 — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) January 15, 2017
Sarah is the only daughter of Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet. She has two other brothers.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders has described her dad as her “hero.”
“I got to work for my hero and travel with him on a regular basis,” she told the Hill of her campaign work for him. “It doesn’t get much batter than that for a job.”
Janet Huckabee worked for the Little Rock Red Cross. The other Huckabee children are David and John Mark. David is a mortgage broker who worked on his father’s 2008 presidential campaign.
In 2010, Sarah Huckabee married Bryan Chatfield Sanders at the Nazareth Lutheran Church on St. John, U.S. Virgin Island, according to the Arkansas Press-Gazette.
Huckabee Sanders hired her eventual husband to work on her father’s campaign. According to The Hill, “Sanders had been with Sen. Sam Brownback’s (R-Kan.) presidential campaign until it folded, so she hired him and one of his colleagues.”
Happy birthday @GovMikeHuckabee the best dad and papa we could ever ask for! We love you! pic.twitter.com/7NEh758GjV — Sarah Huckabee (@SarahHuckabee) August 25, 2015
Huckabee Sanders, who is age 34, posts about her family fairly frequently on social media.
So much fun to have my family @WhiteHouse for the #EasterEggRoll today. pic.twitter.com/ywkj5Pc7mp — Sarah H. Sanders (@SHSanders45) April 17, 2017
According to The Washington Post, Huckabee Sanders and her husband also have two other children.
As to whether she might replace Spicer for good, that’s unclear.
Spicer could find his job on the line after what many felt was a bizarre press conference over the James Comey firing, a CNN report claims.
The highlight – or lowlight, depending on your perspective – came when Spicer allegedly hid behind bushes to dodge the television cameras as the media pressured him for answers on the FBI director’s controversial termination. That account came from the Washington Post, which later wrote that it had updated its story “to more precisely describe Spicer’s location near White House bushes on Tuesday night.”
The updated story claimed that, “White House press secretary Sean Spicer wrapped up his brief interview with Fox Business from the White House grounds late Tuesday night and then disappeared into the shadows, huddling with his staff near a clump of bushes and then behind a tall hedge.” The story also said that Spicer “was soon standing in near darkness between two tall hedges, with more than a dozen reporters closely gathered around him.”
Spicer was notably absent from the podium on May 10 as reporters demanded answers about the FBI director’s dramatic ouster. Taking his place was Huckabee Sanders, whose handling of the high-pressure briefing and one the next day sparked intense Twitter debate.
Jim Acosta, senior White House correspondent for CNN, put the speculation into overdrive when he tweeted, “WH sources: Highest levels incl. POTUS evaluating Sanders subbing for Spicer in briefing room. Last night an ’embarrassment.. disaster.'”
Sanders herself denounced the rumors that she might replace Spicer, saying they were not true, telling The New York Post, “That’s ridiculous. No changes here.”Tune in to CNN all this week for a special series, "Broken Government"
Washington (CNN) -- Two-thirds of Americans think that the Republicans in Congress are not doing enough to cooperate with President Obama, according to a new national poll.
But a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, released Wednesday, also indicates the public believes the Democrats should be the ones to take the first step toward bipartisan cooperation and they want the Democrats to give up more than the GOP to reach a consensus.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents say the GOP is not doing enough to cooperate with the White House, up 6 points from last April.
Americans appear split on whether the president is doing enough to reach out to Republicans, with 52 percent saying Obama is not doing enough to cooperate with the GOP, while 47 percent say he is doing enough to reach across the political aisle. The 52 percent who say the president's not doing enough to encourage bipartisanship is up 16 points from last April.
"That's a big change from last spring, when Obama was still in the honeymoon phase of his first term," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Congressional Republicans were familiar to Americans, but Obama was new to them, so his early attempts to reach out to the GOP continued to resonate even after it became clear that bipartisanship was not within easy reach."
Even though more people think Republicans are not doing enough to reach bipartisan consensus, 54 percent believe the Democratic party should take the first step toward developing bipartisan solutions to the country's problems, the survey says. Forty-two percent say the GOP should take that first step.
Just over half of those questioned say the Democrats should give up more ground to achieve bipartisanship, while 43 percent want to see the GOP make more compromises.
"Americans feel the ball is in the Democrats' court," Holland added. "They may not be held responsible for the problem, but since they are in charge of the government, Americans appear to think they are responsible for the solution."
According to CNN poll numbers released Sunday, Americans overwhelmingly think that the government in this country is broken, but the public overwhelmingly holds out hope that what's broken can be fixed.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted February 12-15, with 1,023 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the overall survey.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.(CNN) -- Steve Landesberg, best known for his role as a cerebral detective on the TV sitcom "Barney Miller," has died of cancer, his agent said. He was 65.
"Steve was a true 'Gentleman,' " Landesberg's agent Jeffrey Leavitt said late Monday, shortly after the actor's death. "Working with Steve was an honor both personally and professionally.... He will be missed."
Landesberg played with deadpan delivery Detective Arthur Dietrich on "Barney Miller," an often infuriatingly intellectual member of a New York City police station in Greenwich Village, who toyed with those who crossed his path in the precinct. The series ran from 1975 to 1982.
In addition to his stint on the sitcom, Landesberg made guest appearances on a number of shows, including "Saturday Night Live," "The Golden Girls" and "Law & Order." He also appeared in the 2008 movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."
He is credited with the quote "Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense," according to WorldofQuotes.com.
CNN's Matthew Carey contributed to this report.In this last post of the series, I describe how I used more powerful machine learning algorithms for the click prediction problem as well as the ensembling techniques that took me up to the 19th position on the leaderboard (top 2%)
By Gabriel Moreira, CI&T.
In the first and second parts of this series, I introduced the Outbrain Click Prediction machine learning competition and my initial tasks to tackle the challenge. I presented the main techniques used for exploratory data analysis, feature engineering, cross-validation strategy and modeling of baseline predictors using basic statistics and machine learning.
In this last post of the series, I describe how I used more powerful machine learning algorithms for the click prediction problem as well as the ensembling techniques that took me up to the 19th position on the leaderboard (top 2%).
Follow-the-Regularized-Leader
One of the popular approaches for CTR Prediction is Logistic Regression with a Follow-the-Regularized-Leader (FTRL) optimizer, which have been used in production by Google to predict billions of events per day, using a correspondingly large feature space.
It is a linear model with a lazy representation of the coefficients (weights) and, in conjunction with L1 regularization, it leads to very sparse coefficient vectors. This sparsity property shrinks memory usage, making it scalable for feature vectors with billions of dimensions, because each instance will typically have only a few hundreds of nonzero values. FTRL provides efficient training on large datasets by streaming examples from disk or over the network — each training example only needs to be processed once (online learning).
I tried two different FTRL implementations, available in Kaggler and Vowpal Wabbit (VW) frameworks.
For CTR prediction, it is important to understand the interactions between the features. For example, the average conversion of an ad from “Nike” advertiser might be very different, depending on the publisher that is displaying the ad (e.g. ESPN vs. Vogue).
I considered all categorical features for models trained on Kaggler FTRL. The feature interactions option was enabled, meaning that for all possible two-paired feature combinations, feature values were multiplied and hashed (read about Feature Hashing in the first post) to a position in a sparse feature vector with dimension of 2²⁸. This was my slowest model and the training time took more than 12 hours. But my LB score jumped to 0.67659 for this Approach #6.
I also tried FTRL on VW, which is a very fast and efficient framework in the usage of CPU and memory resources. The input data was again categorical features, with the addition of some selected numeric binned features (read about Feature Binning in the first post). My best model was trained in two hours and lead to a LB score of 0.67512 in this Approach #7. The accuracy was a little bit lower, but much faster than the previous model.
In a second FTRL model on VW, I used a VW hyperparameter to configure interactions (feature pairing) of only a subset of features (namespace). In this case, interactions paired only categorical features and some selected numeric features (without binning transformation). That change lead to a better mode in this Approach #8: 0.67697.
All those three FTRL models were ensembled for my final submissions, as we’ll describe in next sections.
Field-aware Factorization Machines
A recent variant of Factorization Machines, named Field-aware Factorization Machines (FFM) was used in winning solutions for two CTR prediction competitions in 2014. FFM tries to model feature interactions by learning latent factors for each features interaction pair. This algorithm was made available as the LibFFM framework and used by many competitors. LibFFM makes a very efficient usage of parallel processing and memory for large datasets.
In the Approach #9, I used categorical features with paired-interactions hashed to a dimensionality of 700,000. My best model took me only 37 minutes to train and it turned out to be my best single model, with a LB score of 0.67932.
In Approach #10, the input data contained some selected binned numeric features in addition to categorical features. Training data increased to 214 minutes, and LB score was 0.67841.
For Approach #11, I tried to train a FFM model considering only the last 30% of events of the training set, under the hypothesis that training on the last days could improve the prediction of the next two days (50%) of test set. The LB score was 0.6736, increasing accuracy for those two last days, but decreasing accuracy for previous events of test set.
In Machine Learning projects it is not rare that some promising approaches end up failing miserably. That happened with some FFM models. I tried to transfer learning from a GBDT model to a FFM model with leaf encoding, a winning approach in a Criteo competition. However, the FFM model accuracy dropped, probably because the GBDT model was not accurate enough in this context, adding more noise than signal.
Another unsuccessful approach was to train separate FFM models, specific for geographic regions with more events in test dataset, like some countries (US ~ 80%, CA ~ 5%, GB ~ 5%, AU ~ 2%, Others ~ 8%) and U.S. states (CA ~ 10%, TX ~ 7%, FL ~ 5%, NY ~ 5%). To generate predictions, each event of test set was sent to the model specialized on those region. Models specialized to the U.S. performed well predicting clicks for that region, but for other regions the accuracy was lower. Thus, using world-wide FFM models performed better.
The three selected FFM approaches were used in my final ensemble, as I show next.
Ensembling methods
Ensembling methods consist of combining predictions from different models to increase accuracy and generalization. The less correlated models' predictions are, the better the ensemble accuracy may be. The main idea behind ensembling is that individual models are influenced not only by signal, but also by random noise. Taking a diverse set of models and by combining their predictions, considerable noise may be cancelled, leading to better model generalization, like shown below.
From the competition Don’t overfit
A simple, yet powerful, ensembling approach is to merge models predictions by averaging. For this competition, I tested many types of weighted averages types like Arithmetic, Geometric, Harmonic and Ranking averages, among others.
The best approach I could find was to use a Weighted Arithmetic Average of the logit (inverse of sigmoidal logistic) of predicted CTR (probabilities), shown in Equation 1. It considered predictions of the three selected FFM models (Approaches #9, #10, and #11) as well as one the FTRL models (Approach #6). Such averaging gave me a LB score of 0.68418 for this Approach #12, a nice jump from my best single model (Approach #10, with a score of 0.67932).
Equation 1 — Ensembling by Weighted Average of logit of models predictions
At that time, competition submission deadline was only a few days away. My choice for the remaining time was to ensemble using a Learning-to-Rank model to merge up best models predictions.
That model was a GBDT with 100 trees and ranking objective using XGBoost. This ensemble considered as input features the best 3 FFM and 3 FTRL model predictions as well as 15 selected engineered numeric features (like user views count, user preference similarity and average CTR by categories).
That ensemble layer was trained only using validation set data (described in the second post), in a setting named Blending. The reason for that approach is that if predictions for train set were also considered by ensemble model, it would prioritize more overfitted models, reducing its ability to generalize for the test set. In the last competition day, Approach #13 gave me my best Public LB score (0.68688). The competition then finished, my Private LB Score was revealed (0.68716) and kept me at 19th position in the final leaderboard, as illustrated below.
Kaggle’s Outbrain Click Prediction final leaderboard
I have not tracked the exact submission days, but the graph below gives a sense of how my LB scores evolved during the competition. It can be seen that first submissions provided nice jumps on the score, but improving upon that became harder, which is quite common in machine learning projects.
LB scores for my approaches during competition
Conclusions
Some of the things I learned from this competition were:
A good Cross-Validation strategy is essential for competing. One should spend a good chunk of time in feature engineering. Adding new features on datasets afterwards requires much more effort and time. Hashing is a must for sparse data. In fact, it performed better than One-Hot Encoding (OHE) in terms of simplicity and efficient. OHE categorical features were not optimal for decision trees ensembles. Based on competitors shared experiences, tree ensembles could perform better with original categorical values (ids) with enough trees, because it would reduce feature vectors to a much lower dimensionality, increasing the chance that the random feature sets contained more predictive features. Testing many different frameworks is great for learning, but usually takes tons of time to transform data to the required format, read documentation and tune hyperparameters. Reading scientific papers about the main techniques (FTRL and FFM) were essential for guidance on hyperparameter tuning. Studying forums posts, public Kernels (shared code) and past solutions shared by competitors was great way to learn and is essential for competing. Everyone should share something back! Ensembling based on average improves accuracy a lot, blending with ML models leverages the bar, and stacking is a must. I had not time to explore stacking, but according to other competitors, using out-of-fold predictions on fixed folds increases the available data for ensemble training (full train set) and improves final ensemble accuracy. One shouldn't leave generating one's submission files until the final hours of the competition!
Kaggle is like a university for cutting-edge machine learning, for those who decide to embrace the challenges and learn from the process and peers. It was a highly engaging experience to compete against and learn from world-class data scientists.
Google Cloud Platform was a great hiking partner during that journey, providing all the necessary climbing tools to overcome cliffs of big data and distributed computing, while my focus and effort was directed to get to the top of the mountain.
Bio: Gabriel Moreira is a scientist passionate about solving problems with data. He is a Doctoral student at Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica - ITA, researching on Recommender Systems and Deep Learning. Currently, he is Lead Data Scientist at CI&T, leading the team in the solution of customer's challenging problems using machine learning on big and unstructured data.
Original. Reposted with permission.
Related:LONDON (Reuters) - A former journalist at the Daily Mirror tabloid and a veteran editorial director at Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspaper are to be charged with making illegal payments to public officials, British prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Copies of newspapers at a kiosk in London February 13, 2012. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
The Crown Prosecution Service said Greig Box Turnbull would face two charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office in the first such charge for a journalist from the Trinity Mirror group.
He is accused of making payments to prison officers for information to generate news stories over a seven-year period.
Graham Dudman, an editorial director of News Corp’s Sun newspaper for more than 20 years, is to be charged with three counts of conspiracy, while a former Sun journalist, John Troup, is to be charged with one count.
Dudman is accused of requesting the authorization of payments to public officials in exchange for information about ongoing police inquiries, health cases and an incident relating to army combat.
British police have arrested and charged a string of journalists from Murdoch’s Sun tabloid, the country’s biggest-selling paper, with making payments to public officials such as police officers and government officials in return for information for exclusive stories.
The investigation into illegal payments stemmed from a phone-hacking scandal that erupted at Murdoch’s News of the World and which led to the closure of the Sunday tabloid in 2011 and a year-long public inquiry.
The Sun’s deputy editor is among those to have been charged over illegal payments, while Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, both former News of the World editors and close associates of Prime Minister David Cameron, are due to go on trial in September accused of offences relating to phone-hacking.
“We note that former Daily Mirror journalist Greig Box Turnbull has been charged as part of Operation Elveden - the investigation into alleged payments to public officials,” Trinity Mirror said in a statement.
“We continue to co-operate with the police and further updates will be made if there are any significant developments.”
News UK, the British arm of Murdoch’s News Corp publishing division, declined to comment.State librarian Bernard Margolis in the Reading Room on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, at the New York State Education Building in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) State librarian Bernard Margolis in the Reading Room on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, at the New York State Education Building in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) Photo: Cindy Schultz Photo: Cindy Schultz Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close State Library's tough calls on what to save, what to shred 1 / 23 Back to Gallery
Albany |
not about to fight with Pyrrha over him. That's a death sentence."
"Well it's not Sun, so what other blonde guys are there?" Yang asked.
Blake simply smiled and kept walking, far too happy with herself and what she'd just gotten away with. Yang didn't let up on the walk back though, and once they'd dropped off their things it was clear she had no plans of stopping until she got an answer. "I'm waiting," the blonde said, crossing her arms and leaning against the door to keep Blake from leaving.
"You're a child," Blake chuckled. "If you can't figure it out from what I gave you, then you're only reinforcing the stereotypes about blondes."
"But I don't get it! There aren't any blonde guys around my height! What am I missing here? Is there something obvious I haven't picked up on? Is it some guy I don't even know?"
Blake smiled, "Nope. You keep assuming it's a guy."
"WAIT, WHAT?" Yang half yelled, her eyes looking like there were about to pop out of her skull. "Well now you tell me! Okay, okay, I can figure this out. Girl, unique-ish letter, about my height, blonde hair... What about-? Wait... Oh, you- OH! WAIT, ARE YOU SAYING-? ARE YOU-?"
"Just shut up and kiss me," Blake giggled, closing the space between her and Yang.
Yang went to say something, but Blake's lips were already against hers before she had the chance. She stood there frozen for a few seconds before she could do anything. Her mind was going into overload trying to process everything that was happening. She snapped back after a moment, and went with the only thing that felt right. She leaned in and kissed back, lightly draping her arms around Blake's waist.
'Well, this is unexpected,' she thought. 'Never would've guessed she'd be into me, but I'm not gonna complain. She's smart, funny, and hella cute. And those ears, man... Mreow!'
Yang smiled as they came apart, "So uh... Wanna go somewhere right after dinner? Not a club or party or anything like that, maybe a coffee shop? Talk about us?"
"I'd love to," Blake replied with a heavy blush. "On that note though, we should probably head to the dining hall. I'm guessing everyone's already waiting for us."
"We could. Oooooor we could not if you catch my drift."
Blake rolled her eyes, "Not a chance. Well, that's not true, but without at least one date you'll need a much better line than that."
"Is that so?" Yang smirked. "Blake, I can read people pretty well when it comes to relationships and sex. If I were to put any money on it, I'd say you're about as horny as a teenage boy right now. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you've already made up your mind, and you're wondering who's gonna be on top first. Spoiler, it's me."
"Oh fuck you," the Faunus girl grinned before grabbing Yang by the wrist and throwing her back onto her bed. The force shook the frame a little, making Yang's bed above wobble on its book supports, but it wasn't about to fall. "And no, I'm topping."
Yang laughed, "Not likely. If you wanted access to me you should've done this two days ago. Or five from today."
"Periods suck," Blake chuckled. "Alright then, Yang, show me what you've got." Before she had to react, Yang had already unbuttoned both of their vests. The blonde had Blake topless in seconds, then grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her down so that their positions on the bed had switched. Now Blake was pinned down and Yang on top, poised to strike at the girl before her.
"Damn, you're hot," Yang grinned before coming in for a kiss. She skipped anything that could be considered soft and went straight into a rough, sloppy embrace, letting her tongue dance around Blake's as it explored the girl's mouth.
"We- have to- keep this quick," Blake managed to get out between their kiss. "Don't want- to keep- everyone waiting."
Yang leant back and pouted, "Where's the fun in that?"
Blake rolled her eyes and pulled her partner back in close, eager to get started. She pulled the blonde's top down and exposed her breasts, taking a moment to admire them. Blake's chest wasn't small by any means, but compared to Yang she may as well be completely flat. Their nipples brushed against each other as Yang's breasts fell loose, making Blake closed her eyes and take a deep breath.
Yang could see how much Blake wanted to go, and since they were under a slight time constrain, she didn't want to keep her waiting. She brought Blake back into a kiss, their chests rubbing together, and slipped her hand down into Blake's shorts. Her middle finger found the girl's entrance and slowly wiggled its way inside, eliciting soft gasps and peeps from Blake the further in it went. She pulled it back out and traced a few circles around Blake's core and up to flick against her clit. Her goal was to make Blake cum as hard as possible in the shortest amount of time, and from the way Blake was moaning, she knew she was doing a good job of it.
Yang let her finger back inside up to the middle knuckle, then pushed her ring finger in with it before continuing to their full depth. Now she started worked her wrist back and forth, a little restricted since she'd left Blake's pants on, but she still has a good enough range of motion to go in and out as far as she needed. Blake's breathing grew more ragged the faster Yang went, eventually forcing her to break their kiss. Yang didn't mind though, and instead turned her mouth's attention to Blake's chest, sucking at the girl's nipples and leaving fairly large hickeys around them.
Every muscle in Blake's body seemed to tense up from Yang's treatment. Her toes curled in tightly, her back arched as far as her spine allowed, and her mouth was hanging open wide as she let out a loud cry from the pleasure she felt between her legs. Yang seemed to know her body between than she did, and Blake was soon on the edge of an orgasm.
"G-Gyaah!" the Faunus girl yelled out, letting her body sink back into the mattress while her climax took her over. She let her muscles relax as it radiated out to every part of her, and finally opened her eyes to see Yang smiling over her, licking her fingers.
"I think I could go for round two," the blonde grinned. "Eat something else a little different for dinner."
Blake's cheeks turned a deep red, "I mean, I'm not saying no, but we really should get to differ. We didn't make our friends wait any longer."
Yang begrudgingly agreed, and the two girls got dressed and rushed out of the room to meet up in the dining hall. It was about fifteen minutes after they were supposed to be there, and the group chat on their scrolls had blown up with messages asking where they were. Yang texted that they were on their way, and they arrived just in time to get the next round of hot, fresh food from the buffet.
"There you are!" Ruby said as her teammates sat down, letting out a sigh of relief. "What took you so long? We started eating half an hour ago."
Blake shrugged, "Sorry, I had to do something after I got back from the library."
"And I'm something," Yang added with a casual smile. Her partner's face instantly turned bright red, and all eyes at the table turned them in shock and surprise.
"Wait, what?" Jaune asked. "Are you saying you're late because you two-?"
Nora slammed her palms down on the table and looked at the pair uh question with hopefully eyes-"FORGET THE BEING LATE PART! YOU TWO SLEPT TOGETHER? OH MY GOD! THIS IS AMAZING!"
"Shhh!" Blake hissed. "Can you not yell loud enough for people in Atlas to hear you? But yes, we did."
Yang smiled and nodded, "You bet we did! We haven't really talked about what's gonna happen now though. We're going out after we eat to do that."
"Unbelievable," Weiss groaned. "How long have you two been hiding this from us, hm? Was your 'talk' with Blake to get her to the dance actually a talk?"
"Yup, you caught me, we did it right there on the professor's desk."
Blake put her head in her hands, "Please stop talking. No, this was just a talk. This only just happened today."
"How?" Ruby asked. Everyone at the table seemed to lean in a little further at the question, just as eager to hear the answer.
Yang smiled, "Well, we went back to the room, Blake kissed me, one thing led to another, and now she needs to wash her sheets."
"Ew, too much information," Pyrrha said, squirming in her seat. "There has to be more you it than her kissing you though. She just did it out of the blue?"
Blake shrugged, "Sort of? I've had a bit of a crush on Yang for a while and decided to go for it."
"Well I'm glad you did," Ren smiled. "I think you two look very cute together."
Nora vigorously nodded, "HELL YEAH! You two had better come back from your date tonight as a couple or I will be SO MAD AT YOU!"
"I'd say the odds are in our favour," Yang giggled, looking over and sharing a smile Blake.
The pair went off campus like they said after dinner, and Yang was surprised to see how excited Blake seemed to be. There was a spring in the Faunus girl's step that Yang hasn't seen before, not even with Sun, it made her smile. Despite how quickly this had come on, she was pretty excited too. They arrived at one of Blake's favourite coffee shops and got their drinks, and Yang couldn't help but chuckle at what Blake got.
"Why go to a coffee shop if you don't want coffee?" Yang asked.
Blake shrugged and offered her cup, "I like tea better. Here, try it. It's raspberry."
Yang looked at it for a moment before accepting it and taking a cautious sip. She tasted it for a second, then took another, larger swig before handing it back. "Huh, that's actually not bad. I still prefer black coffee, but I wouldn't say no to that."
"That's so gross," Blake replied, making a face. "How can you possibly stomach that? I can't drink coffee unless there's more milk and cream than coffee."
Yang grinned, "Well yeah, you're a cat. Kitties love cream!"
"I hate you... But anyway, we came here to talk, so let's talk. How were you thinking of going forward with this?"
"Uh, we start going out?" Yang asked like it was an obvious answer, which to her it was. "I mean, I like you and you like me. Is there anything really stopping us?"
Blake sighed, "A little. Like you just said, I'm a Faunus. I know you don't care, but you know that means you'll get the same treatment I do when we're out together, right?"
"Since when do you go out with your bow? And if anyone messes with you while we're on a date, I'd end them. I like you, all of you, not just the good parts. Which I will add that you being a Faunus is a good thing. Next time we do it, that bow is coming off."
"You're something else," Blake smiled, her cheeks starting to turn red. "So... I guess I should be the one to ask since I kissed you. Will you go out with me?"
Yang leaned across the table and gave Blake a quick kiss, "Yes. Ya know, I think you're the first girl I've officially dated."
"You're only the second person I've dated," Blake chuckled.
"You probably don't wanna hear any of my numbers then. You'd probably break up with me."
Blake's smile quickly turned into an evil grin, and she put her elbows down on the table to make a ready for her chin. "Is that so?" she asked. "Well now you have to tell me. Everything."
Yang shook her head, "Fuuuck... Okay, lemme think... I've dated six different guys, none for more than a month or two though. I think I've slept with about twenty guys, and four- no, five girls. Well, six including you. And before you ask, yes, I'm clean. I get tested every couple months, and my last appointment was last week. Only been with you since."
"That's not nearly as bad as I was expecting," Blake replied, pretending to be a little disappointed. "I was expecting it to be in the triple digits."
"Fuck you," Yang shot back after sticking her tongue out. "I'm not a slut, I just like getting around a bit."
"Relax, I was only joking. And even if it was that high, I wouldn't care. I'll happily take twenty-sixth if that means there isn't a twenty-seven."
"That makes it sound so much wooooorse," Yang groaned. "You're my first Faunus though. So from now on you're just my first."
Blake gave a shy smile and looked down at the floor, "Uh... You actually were my first... I didn't want you to know until after."
'Not counting Zwei,' Blake added in her head.
"WHAT? Oh my God! Why didn't you say something? I would've made it special! I-"
"It was special," Blake interrupted. "It was with you."
Yang smiled, "You're so corny. Don't ever stop being so corny. But seriously, why didn't you tell me? With the way you were acting I would've guessed you were as experienced as me."
"Well that was part of it. I didn't want you to think I was clueless, and that you'd have to guide me and stuff like that. I just wanted it to be normal. I guess you being on your period saved me from having to pretend like I knew what I was doing."
"Is that a good thing though?" Yang laughed. "I hope you know that next time we do it, I'm not giving you any help or pointers or anything. I wanna watch how you do on your own."
"Excellent," Blake grinned.
The next week went by in about the way everyone expected it to. Yang and Blake were practically inseparable, staying hand in hand walking to and during class, and keeping as close to each other as possible. Their friends thought it was adorable, expect for one slightly jealous monkey. Sun didn't take the news well at first, but when he saw how happy Blake was with Yang he wasn't going to argue. He even pulled Yang aside after dinner talk, and told her to take good care of Blake.
"Don't worry, I will," Yang smiled. "I know my reputation may say otherwise, but I'm not about to hurt her."
Sun nodded, "Cool. As long as she's happy, I'm happy. So where'd she run off too?"
"Beats me. Probably the library like always. I'm just gonna go chill in my room and wait for her. You're welcome to come if you need her for something."
"Nah, that's alright," Sun replied. "Scarlet said he wanted to meet up. I'll catch you guys later."
Yang said goodbye and walked off, heading straight for the dorms. 'This is my favourite kind of afternoon,' she thought with a smile. 'It's Friday, I'm done with class, and now I go sleep until Blake gets back from wherever she is. Livin' the dream, baby.'
She made her way inside and up to her floor, and stood outside the room while she fished her key out of her pocket. She found it after a moment and went to unlock the door, but a sudden sound from inside made her stop. She heard a distinct moan and a light slapping noise, and it was obviously Blake's voice. It came again, and Yang did her best to suppress her laughter and not be heard.
'So THAT'S what she does when she says she's getting books. It all makes sense now! Well, no, not really, but oh well. I'll pretend like I didn't hear anything and come back later. Or, I could always pretend to be oblivious and just walk in. That'd be fun.'
She stayed by the door for a few seconds while she thought it over, but then Blake's voice came from inside and said something they caught Yang off guard. "Ahh... Good boy," the Faunus girl said through heavy breaths.
Yang's eyes popped open, 'Uhh... What? Is she...? No no... No no no no no no NO! There is NO WAY that what I think is happening is ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THAT ROOM!'
The blonde pressed her ear against the door and listened intently, and shuddered as her suspicions were confirmed. She could hear Blake, and she could hear another, separate panting that matched Zwei's tone. Her initial reaction was to want to throw up, and she actually did a little in her mouth. She ran to the bathroom to rinse her mouth and splash some cold water on her face. She stood in front of the mirror for a minute or two after, trying not to freak out on the outside as much as she was in her head.
'Fuck fuck fuck FUCK! What the actual fuck is happening in my life right now?'
"Hey, Yang," Blake suddenly greeted her, making her jump. She was in her robe, and Yang could see that wasn't wearing a bra underneath. "Whoa, are you okay? You look a little on edge."
Yang gave a weak nod, "Y-Yeah... Were you in the room just now?"
"Mhm. I was actually getting warmed up. You got off your cycle the other day, right?"
'Warmed up?' Yang thought. 'That's so gross! I don't know if I can ever be intimate with her again after hearing her and Zwei...'
"Uh, yeah," the blonde finally replied.
"Great! I was just coming in to wash up. See you back in the room in a minute?"
Blake went into one of the stalls, and Yang dashed out and into their room. Not out of excitement, mostly to see what Zwei was doing and try to confirm her thoughts for sure. When she got inside, she found Zwei fast asleep in the corner, and let out a huge sigh of relief. 'Okay, good. If he's asleep then there's no way Blake... yeah. Why the fuck was that the first conclusion my mind jumped to? Something is seriously wrong with my head.'
Blake's voice came from the doorway then, "My turn."
"What did I say about me being on top?" Yang asked with a sly smile. "You have to-"
Blake cut her off with a kiss, and Yang's mind went completely blank as she closed her eyes and got lost in the embrace. She felt Blake shift her arms and felt something brush her wrists, but didn't pay much attention until she felt a sharp tug. She opened her eyes and saw that Blake wasn't wearing her bow anymore, and turned her head to see that the ribbon had been used to tie up her hands.
"I think I'm in charge now," Blake grinned.
Yang laughed, "I'm starting to doubt that I'm really your first. Where did you learn to do a knot this well?"
"Years of reading 'Ninjas of Love' are finally paying off. Now I get to have my way with you."
"Well don't keep me waiting," Yang smiled. "Hey, this might sound weird, but is your tongue all rough like a cat's?"
Blake chuckled and shook her head, "You wish. How have you not noticed that I have a normal tongue? We haven't stopped kissing since we hooked up."
"Fair enough. Put your boring, normal tongue to good use then."
Blake smirked and pushed Yang back so that the blonde was sitting on the edge of her bed. She undid Yang's belt and pulled her shorts and panties down, then helped her out of her boots and socks before sliding everything the rest of the way off. She knelt down and spread Yang's legs, taking in the sight of her glistening womanhood, and took a deep breath before going in.
"Ahh... Right to the good stuff, huh?" Yang teased, leaning back onto the bed. She could tell how new Blake was to this by the way her tongue didn't seem to know where to go, but she made up for her lack of experience with her raw tenacity.
Blake put her hands just above Yang's hips and held her face in close, exploring the tender folds before her. The taste didn't bother her, a bit bitter with a hint of sweet, and she was amazed at how turned on she was getting from doing this. She could feel her own underwear starting to soak through before long.
'Hmm... I wonder...' Blake thought, taking notice of Zwei in the corner while she kept eating Yang out. 'Yang seems like she'd be kinky enough to give it a try.'
"Change of plans," Blake said suddenly, standing up and taking her robe off. Yang had been right that she wasn't wearing a bra, and now she slipped her panties off and jumped onto the bed behind Yang, spreading her fully nude body out in display. "Now it's your turn to go down on me. If you do a good job, I'll finish what I started with you."
Yang raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Look at you taking charge. Alright, I'll go along with it."
Yang shuffled her way between Blake's legs and planted a quick kiss just above the girl's core. She let her tongue come down and slide in between her soft lips and gave a quick flick at Blake's clit, earning a sudden gasp that was followed with a low moan as she dove in. Unlike Blake, Yang knew exactly what she was doing, and got right to work sending Blake to an incredible level of bliss. She wanted to blow her mind in preparation for what she was going to do once she finished. She had plans of how to get Blake back for tying her up.
Unknown to Yang was that Blake had plans of her own. The Faunus girl was almost lost in her pleasure, but she still had something she wanted to try. She made a sharp whistle through a load moan, trying to pass it off as nothing. Yang didn't take notice, but Zwei instantly perked up and looked over to the bed. He saw Yang's rear sticking up in the air, wiggling side to side, and honed in on his target.
Yang didn't notice when Zwei ran over, or when he jumped on the bed, but she froze and started up at Blake with a look of horror when she felt the dog's nose brush against her slit. Blake simply grinned back at her and did nothing. "W-What-?" Yang started, but Blake cut her off.
"Shhh, just let him," Blake spoke in her most soothing tone.
Yang didn't know what to do, and was going to try to say something else, but Zwei's hard member pushed its way inside her before she could. She gasped and turned a bright red, feeling violently embarrassed at what was happening. That feeling faded rather quickly though add Zwei got into his rhythm, and soon Yang had closed her eyes and was thoroughly enjoying it. "Mmm... You really are a good boy," she breathed, remembering what she'd heard earlier.
Blake huffed, "Hey, I didn't say you could stop."
Yang smiled and went right back in, although her tongue work was a lot sloppier than before. Zwei's cock was hitting her in all the right spots, and she was finding it harder and harder to focus and keep up with a growing warmth spreading through her loins. Blake didn't seem to notice or care, and was moaning even louder than before. The low moans took the form of a sort of purr, sending a slight vibration through her that tickled Yang's tongue ever so slightly.
"AHHH! That's it, just like that, Yang," Blake half whispered, reaching up and massaging her breasts to help herself reach her climax even faster. "GahhHHHH! FUCK FUCK FUUUCK!"
Blake wasn't the only one at their climax, and Yang soon felt several hot jets of cum shot inside her from Zwei. She could feel it sloshing around and dripping out, and let out a content sigh from how oddly pleasurable it felt. Blake pushed Yang onto her back and moved to the other side of the bed in a flash, going in and eating Zwei's fresh creampie out before Yang even knew what was happening. The Faunus girl looked up when she had finished with cum coating her mouth and cheeks, and Yang couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"What the hell did I get myself into?" the blonde asked, happily kissing Blake as she moved up on top of her. They swapped the leftover cum back and forth while they kissed, both of them rather liking the taste.
Blake shrugged and finally wiped her mouth on her arm, "The hottest threesome ever? And I don't know about you, but I'm just getting started."
"Yeah, me too," Yang grinned back. This was certainly going to take some getting used to, and more than a little time to think about just what she was doing, but it hot, it was fun, and most importantly to her, it was with Blake.
This story was made at the request of one my Pátreon sponsors. If you'd like to help support me, there's a donation link and a link to my Pátreon page on my profile. Your support is helping me toward my goal of writing full time. :) Thank you to my amazing Patrons:
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You're the best! ❤️Since you can’t quote Monty Python enough, “And now for something completely different.”
Rob O’Reilly, an electronics engineer out of Ireland, set out to build a guitar that's more fashionable and functional than anything else out there.
Take a second look at the body of the Rob O’Reilly BE guitar below. It was modeled after a lens from a pair of sunglasses. The center of the guitar is completely transparent, allowing you to express yourself anyway you please.
I couldn’t top the retro Andy Warhol/Marilyn-inspired image slide that was included with the guitar. But to change it, simply remove the back of the guitar the same way you’d remove the back of a picture frame.
In the photo gallery below, I've included a few photos of a mirrored LED insert O’Reilly is working on now. To create your own slide, grab any photo and cut it to fit inside the guitar.
The next thing to discuss is the balance bar. Position 1 acts as a kickstand that lets the guitar rest on your lap when you're sitting down. Position 2 folds to accommodate playing while standing. I had no trouble accessing the higher frets, and the balance bar completely rules out the possibility of neck dive.
There are a few other features on the BE that might make your current guitar jealous, including an iPod interface, locking tuners and a pick holder.
The electronics are two Wilkinson single coils wired to a pickup selector and a 500k volume pot. The neck is maple with a satin black finish on the back and a glossier white finish to the fretboard. The frame of the body is laminated wood, and the center is made from acrylic. Other models available include a MIDI guitar and a bass.
Web: rorguitars.com
Price: $549.99
Below, you'll find two audio clips, a photo gallery and a demo video featuring O’Reilly.
Clip 1 is the bridge pickup into a clean amp. The inner-tone geek in me wanted a tone knob to roll back a little treble, but I was still able to dial in a nice, full sound without any over-the-top single-coil noise.
Clip 2 is the neck pickup with some overdrive on the amp. It reminds me of the neck pickup on a Telecaster with just a bit more presence.
You can't believe everything you read on the Internet, but Billy Voight is a gear reviewer, bassist and guitarist from Pennsylvania. He has Hartke bass amps and Walden acoustic guitars to thank for supplying some of the finest gear on his musical journey. Need Billy's help in creating noise for your next project? Drop him a line at thisguyonbass@gmail.com.There’s no deal to keep the Grand Prix in Montreal past its 2014 contract expiry date, said Quebec tourism minister Pascal Bérubé Saturday afternoon.
"There’s no agreement yet. We’re working on it, but it’s not fair to say we have an agreement because we’re still negotiating with all our partners, which is the City of Montreal, the federal government, Tourism Montreal, and the Government of Quebec with Formula One," Bérubé said from the Gilles Villeneuve racetrack.
QMI Agency reported earlier Saturday that a tentative deal had been reached in which all levels of government involved, as well as Tourism Montreal, would pitch in $15 million each a year to keep the Grand Prix in Montreal.
But Bérubé said although he is optimistic, reports of an agreement being reached, whether an actual deal or one in principle, were premature. He said he doesn’t expect anything to be written in ink before the end of this weekend’s Grand Prix.
"We have the will to sign this agreement this year," he said, adding that good relationships, open communication and the volition of those involved in the process point to a contract extension.
On Sunday, head of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, Michel Leblanc, said he is confident there will soon be a deal to keep Grand Prix in Montreal for the next ten years.
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois says she too hopes there will be an agreement that will keep Formula One racing in Montreal beyond 2014.
Marois had a brief face-to-face chat Sunday with F1 president and CEO, Bernie Ecclestone, at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve during the Canadian Grand Prix. She said negotiations between different levels of government and Ecclestone have gone smoothly.
"Until now, things are going well and I hope we will conclude an agreement," said Marois. "And when I met Mr. Ecclestone I said to him: 'We have to conclude a win-win agreement.' I think he agrees with me."
Still, Ecclestone made comments this weekend to a Radio-Canada reporter that suggest uncertainty.
"How badly do you need to come back to Montreal?" he said, repeating the reporter’s question.
"I do not have any desperate needs to come back. I like Montreal, but as far as the race is concerned, it’s not desperately … it’s not the only race in the world."
He added that Formula One would "love to" come back, but that he "doesn’t know if there’s a way to find a solution. It’s not me who needs a solution."A small but growing number of beleaguered researchers is challenging the mightiest financial powers on earth to proclaim an increasingly obvious fact: worldwide pollution is robbing all growing crops of their nutritional value. It has been well known for a while — and argued vehemently by climate change deniers — that elevated levels of carbon dioxide pollution in the air stimulate the growth of plants. (“See?” the deniers said gleefully, “pollution is good for you!”) But what is now becoming apparent is that at the same time the carbon dioxide stimulates plant growth, it reduces plant nutrition. More, it turns out, is not necessarily better. Who knew?
The man who is now the leading proponent of this idea, Irakli Loladze, is now at Bryan College of Health Sciences in Lincoln, Nebraska. He first stumbled on the concept in 1998 when he was a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University. He encountered some biology researchers who were finding that when they stimulated the growth of algae in a closed system, the zooplankton, the little critters that fed on the algae, did not flourish, but actually declined. Loladze desperately wanted to find out why, to see if the problem had wider implications, but there were two big problems.
First, nobody wants to hear about the limits of growth,or the problems associated with growth. Second, Loladze he was a mathematician, and as such was not entitled to know anything about biology. “It was year after year, rejection after rejection,” he said. The funders of mathematical research said there was too much biology in his proposals, and the funders of biological research said there was too much math. (If you didn’t know that the funding of scientific research is about as rational and helpful as the funding of political candidates, I’ll give you a moment here to breathe into a brown paper bag….)
Loladze was warned, but, as they say now, he persisted. He began to get funding, do research, and publish papers. Others, intrigued by what he was finding, joined in, even the U.S. Department of Agriculture (wait, does Donald know about this?). They have now pretty clearly established that during the past 30 years, 130 varieties of plants (the so-called C3 plants, most important to human diets) have lost eight per cent of their mineral nutrients and have started to produce more sugars (carbohydrates) and less protein. In other words, growing rice, corn, wheat and vegetables, organic or not, are slowly turning into junk food in the field, whether it’s an industrial field or a home garden plot. And these changes have tracked with the increase in carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere.
Let’s be clear. It is not the case that climate change is the cause, or a cause, of this problem. Rather, carbon dioxide pollution, which is a primary cause of climate change, is also the primary cause of this problem.
How could it be a surprise to anyone, even a highly educated scientist, that excessive growth is harmful? We have engineered chickens to grow faster for eight weeks so we can have big-breasted broilers, and what we got are chickens that cannot live longer than eight weeks because they can’t carry their hideously enlarged breasts and their cardiovascular system can’t keep their living bodies from starting to rot.
We have worshipped endless, faster growth in our population, our economic system and our egos, until we stand at the utter limits of our planet’s ability to sustain our lives. And now we’re surprised that endlessly growing pollution is not good for us?
Even a mathematician knows better than that.The bodies of the two men executed for the 1959 murders of a Kansas family — a crime that became infamous due to Truman Capote's book In Cold Blood — were exhumed Tuesday in an effort to solve the slayings of a Florida family killed weeks later.
The bodies of Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were exhumed from the Mount Muncie Cemetery in Lansing, Mich., at the request of the Sarasota County, Fla., sheriff's office, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced in a news release.
The two men were executed in 1965 for the murders of Herb and Bonnie Clutter and their children in Holcomb, Kan., on Nov. 15, 1959.
The graves of Perry Smith, right, and Richard Hickock, left, in the Mount Muncie Cemetery in Lansing, Mich. (Dave Kaup/Reuters)
A Sarasota County Sheriff's detective has been trying to determine whether Smith and Hickock were responsible for the deaths of Cliff and Christine Walker and their two young children on Dec. 19, 1959, in their home in Osprey, Fla., about four hours northwest of Miami near Sarasota. Smith and Hickock fled to Florida after the Clutter murders.
Sarasota County detective Kimberly McGath said she requested the exhumation to obtain DNA that could be compared to that from semen found on Christine Walker's underwear. All the Walkers were shot. Christine Walker was also beaten and raped. Their two-year-old daughter was also drowned in a bathtub.
Detectives who investigated the Walker murders have considered Smith and Hickock possible suspects since 1960, according to records released by the Sarasota Sheriff's Office. The two men checked out of a Miami Beach motel on Dec. 19, the day the Walker family was killed, and at some point that day bought items at a Sarasota department store.
Witnesses have said they spoke with Smith and Hickock in Tallahassee, Fla., on Dec. 21.
McGath said the Walkers were considering buying a 1956 Chevy Bel Air, the kind of car Smith and Hickock were driving through Florida. McGath thinks the Walkers met with the men because of the car, which had been stolen.
Smith and Hickock were later arrested in Las Vegas. A polygraph test cleared them of the Walker murders, but a polygraph expert said in 1987 that such tests were worthless in the early 1960s.Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign will maintain staff in all 50 states during the general election with an eye toward overwhelming Republicans in the fall and rebuilding the Democratic Party's infrastructure thereafter.
The strategy, described to The Huffington Post by Clinton campaign aides, is a continuation of the Ramp Up Grassroots Organizing program that the campaign applied to the Democratic primary. But unlike that approach -- which had the immediate objective of competing with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in each state contest -- the current one carries risk.
Many states in which Clinton will be employing staff and spending resources will almost assuredly vote against her anyway. She could end up wasting money that is needed to win swing states. But her staffers say the investment is well worth it.
"This is something that needs to happen every presidential cycle. It needs to be sustained. And I think if we continue to do that, we will help build the party long-term," said Marlon Marshall, the Clinton team's director of state campaigns and political engagement. "I truly believe we have a historic candidacy with Secretary Clinton, and we can use this opportunity to bring more people into the party."
Stephen Lam / Reuters
Democrats have long been divided over the efficacy of a 50-state strategy. When he took over the Democratic National Committee following the 2004 election, Howard Dean implemented an across-the-map approach to rebuilding the party, arguing that Democrats could only regain a foothold in lost territory if they put people there. Congressional leadership bristled, arguing that resources were better spent on toss-up races and not unwinn |
to the coronoid as viewed on CT scans. The element is best-preserved on the right side (Fig. 12B), showing that the ectopterygoid is a thin and broad element with a prominent ventral bend at its caudal third. The mediolateral width of the ectopterygoid and its relationship to structures such as the pterygoid cannot be visualized because of weathering.
Pterygoid The pterygoid is visible only on the left side (Fig. 10), with just its caudal quadrate wing preserved. The wing is thin (<1 mm) and gently concave medially, paralleling the corresponding medial surface of the quadrate ramus. As viewed in CT scan, the nearly complete pterygoid on the right side is typical of the condition expected for hadrosaurids (Ostrom, 1961; Heaton, 1972).
Palatine The palatine is not sufficiently preserved or exposed to comment upon its morphology.
Vomer The caudodorsal portion of the vomer is exposed on the left half of the skull (Fig. 10). The preserved dorsal edge is acutely angled, and the rostral edge of the element tapers rostrolaterally towards its (inferred) insertion between the premaxillae. The apex of the vomer is located just rostral to the rostral end of the orbit, at approximately the same height (dorso-ventral level). The vomer is not sufficiently preserved for detailed comparison with the element in other hadrosaurids.
Braincase Most of the braincase was partially disarticulated from the rest of the skull by weathering, and the right side was prepared out to show relevant details (Fig. 15). Additional features are seen as impressions on the right skull block (Figs. 13B and 13D). This section describes only visible features. Additional internal details were reconstructed from CT scans and are described in the section on the endocast. With the exception of the sutures between the exoccipital and basioccipital on the occipital condyle, sutures within the braincase are not visible due to crushing, weathering, and fusion. Figure 15: Partial braincase of Parasaurolophus sp., RAM 14000, in right lateral view. (A) interpretive drawing; (B) photograph. Abbreviations: atc, atlas centrum (odontoid); ati, atlas intercentrum; axc, axis centrum; bo, basioccipital; ex, exoccipital; fv, foramen vestibuli; nat, neural arch of atlas; XII?, foramen tentatively identified as that for CN XII; V, foramen for CN V; V 2,3, sulcus for CN V 2 and V 3. Bone is shown in white, broken bone surface is shown in light gray, and matrix is shown in dark gray. Unlabeled bones are not confidently identified, but may represent vertebral fragments. Scale bar equals 1 cm. The parasphenoid, represented by an impression, is 28 mm long, gently arched along its length, and tapered to a point at its rostral end (Figs. 13B and 13D). It terminates just caudal to the midpoint of the orbit. A shallow sulcus occupies the lateral surface of the bone. Faint impressions tentatively identified as presphenoid occur dorsal to the parasphenoid, but no notable details are visible. The form is generally similar to that seen in P. tubicen (NMMNH P-25100, PMU.R1250). A foramen interpreted as that for cranial nerve XII (hypoglossal nerve) is small (1.9 by 2.2 mm) and located roughly midway between the caudal extent of the occipital condyle and a ridge of bone that slants caudodorsally along the braincase (Fig. 15). Additional foramina may have occurred also, as in Hypacrosaurus altispinus (Evans, 2010), but cannot be confirmed in the specimen’s current state of preparation and preservation. A portion of the trigeminal foramen is exposed at the front of the right side of the isolated braincase (Fig. 15), and the remainder of the impression is seen on the right skull block (Figs. 13B and 13D). This impression is triangular, measuring 11 mm long and 9 mm tall. Two distinct grooves (ridges on the natural mold) extend from the foramen; one trends directly rostrally from the rostral edge of the foramen (probably representing the path for CN V 1 ), and the other trends rostroventrally from the ventral edge (representing the path for CN V 2,3 ). The left caudal semicircular canal is exposed through a fortuitous break (Fig. 10). The maximum diameter of its lumen is 1.8 mm. The occipital condyle is roughly cardoid in caudal view, composed of the basioccipital at the ventral and ventrolateral edges and the exoccipitals at the dorsolateral edges (Fig. 15). All three elements are bulbous on their caudal edges. The rounded basal tuberosity has its maximum lateral extent slightly lateral to the extreme edge of the occipital condyle. In lateral view, the exoccipitals rise to bound the exposed portion of the foramen magnum, sweeping dorsally. The exoccipital and opisthotic are fused both in gross examination and CT scans. The most prominent and best-preserved aspect of these elements is the paroccipital process, which curves rostrally and tapers dorsoventrally along the caudal margin of the paroccipital process and upper squamosal (Figs. 7, 8F and 8G). The caudal surface of the bones is remarkably flat, with only a slight concavity at its distal extent (Figs. 8F and 8G). The fenestra vestibuli (fenestra ovalis) measures approximately 5 mm tall by 2.6 mm long. The auditory recess is deepest and narrowest by the fenestra vestibuli, becoming broader and shallower dorsocaudally (Fig. 15).
Dentary The ramus of the left dentary has an average height of 27 mm. The edentulous process is roughly 25 percent of the dentary’s length, and the rostral border of the process is rostroventrally inclined (Fig. 7). The ventral border of the dentary is relatively straight, with comparatively little declination at its rostral portion. This is comparable to the morphology in Parasaurolophus walkeri (Fig. 14F, ROM 768; Evans, 2010), but different from the more inclined morphology in P. tubicen (NMMNH P-25100), a dentary from the Fruitland Formation tentatively identified as juvenile Parasaurolophus sp. (SMP VP-1090; Sullivan & Bennett, 2000), and other lambeosaurines. The condition in P. cyrtocristatus is unknown. The lateral surface of the body of the dentary is strongly convex (Fig. 7). The coronoid process is perpendicular to the ventral margin of the dentary, and, based on CT scans and the incomplete dentary on the right half of the skull (Figs. 13B and 13D), reaches the ventral margin of the orbit when in articulation, roughly 72 mm above the ventral margin of the dentary. The rostral margin of the coronoid process is more prominently extended than the caudal process. Rostrally, the dentary tapers to articulate with the caudal margin of the predentary. Caudally, the dentary articulates with the surangular along a sinuous suture (Fig. 7). The number of dentary teeth cannot be determined.
Predentary Only the left side of the predentary is preserved (Figs. 7, 8A, 8B and 14E), but the element can be mirrored to reconstruct the overall shape. In dorsal view, the element would have been roughly horseshoe-shaped, with a moderately convex rostral margin. As exposed at the midline, the cross-section of the rostral portion is approximately triangular (Fig. 10). The dorsal triturating surface is approximately 14 mm long and only slightly rostrally inclined. This inclination becomes more extreme towards the lateral and caudal wings of the predentary, so that the triturating surface is nearly vertical and laterally facing (14 mm tall) at its caudal end. Thus, the surface only changes its orientation and not its width. The ventral surface of the predentary is gently convex. The caudal edge of the lateral wing of the predentary is forked; the ventral process of this fork is slightly longer and more sharply pointed (Fig. 7). This is in contrast to the unforked lateral wing in the holotype of P. walkeri, ROM 768 (Fig. 14F), but similar to the condition in other lambeosaurines. The morphology is not known in other species of Parasaurolophus. The median process of the predentary is not definitively preserved in RAM 14000.
Surangular The surangular (Figs. 7, 13A, 13C and 14E) buttresses the caudal margin of the coronoid process, with a smoothly continuous lateral surface at this point. A ridge at the base of the contribution to the coronoid process continues onto the lateral edge of the articular surface for the quadrate. This coronoid process is also relatively broader than in ROM 768 or NMMNH P-25100. The surangular’s ventral margin is slightly convex, with a strong curvature caudally on the articular process. The surangular receives the ventral condyle of the quadrate and articulates with the angular caudomedially. The retroarticular process of the surangular is thinner and more horizontal than in P. walkeri (ROM 768, Fig. 14F).
Angular The angular is a flattened bone that curves caudodorsally and articulates medially with the surangular. On both sides, the element has been displaced downward so that its ventral margins are visible beyond that of the surangular (Figs. 7, 13A and 13C). It is inferred to receive the distal end of the quadrate. In ventral view, the element is long and narrow.
Hyoid A bone interpreted as the caudal end of the first ceratobranchial is positioned immediately ventral to the surangular (Figs. 7, 13A and 13C); the right first ceratobranchial is slightly better preserved than the left. The element is partially exposed, and described from gross examination as well as CT scan reconstructions (Figs. 12C–12E). Although the ceratobranchials of hadrosaurids (including Hypacrosaurus sternbergii, adults of Saurolophus osborni, Lambeosaurus lambei, and Corythosaurus casuarius, as well as juveniles of Hypacrosaurus altispinus and H. stebingeri) previously have been described as generally uniform (Ostrom, 1961; Gates et al., 2007; Brink et al., 2011), the morphology of these elements in RAM 14000 has some unique aspects. These differences may be taxonomic or perhaps ontogenetic. However, the hyoids of embryonic H. stebingeri (RTMP 89.79.52) are quite similar to those of Corythosaurus in major details, so we posit that taxonomic differences are most influential here. The articulated preserved portion of each ceratobranchial in RAM 14000 is gently arched ventrally, with a slight dorsoventral curvature. The caudal portion is dorsoventrally flattened (rather than cylindrical, as described for other hadrosaurids; Ostrom, 1961). Rostrally, the bone twists so that it is mediolaterally compressed at the rostral-most preserved portion. This caudal portion is approximately 43 mm long, as preserved. The rostral end of the right first ceratobranchial is within a disarticulated block of matrix; impressions of surrounding elements permit confident placement of the bone. The part that connects with the rest of the ceratobranchial is missing, but the preserved portion in this separate block (including a partial impression) is 37 mm long. The impression is 8 mm tall at narrowest, 14 mm tall at its rostral end, and only 3.5 mm thick mediolaterally. Such extremely expanded rostral ends are typical of known hadrosaurid ceratobranchials (Ostrom, 1961). Including both portions, the total ceratobranchial length was at least 80 mm. The rostral end of the left first ceratobranchial was displaced by erosion (Fig. 10), and is similar in overall morphology to the element on the right.Luminosity have made another grand final at ECS Season 1 Finals following a semi--final victory over the surprise of the tournament, TSM, who especially made their mark on Cobblestone as their home map.
zews believes the criticism towards North America has been too harsh
After the Brazilians joined G2 in the last stage, we caught up with Wilton "zews" Prado for a chat about the semi, the upcoming finale and the current state of North American Counter-Strike:
Considering you've played against TSM in North America quite often and they seem to be getting good results against you, how did you approach the match-up?
TSM, we know they are a team on the rise for the last two months, they're one of the best NA teams in playing as a team, they mix up their style a lot. We knew it wouldn't be easy in any way, they got through some hard opponents, but we took it just like any other match. We knew that NA teams are scared of us for the most part, they have that barrier of confidence. Overpass is our home map, we took it quite easily, and Cobblestone was their pick and they played very well, but we pulled it off in the end.
How much homework did you put in for Cobblestone specifically, since it's the map they have done very well on both here and in ELEAGUE, how cautious were you about their Cobble?
We knew that since we took out Cache, of course they'd pick Cobblestone, which they were dominating at this tournament. To be honest, we weren't able to study them that much, but we knew from our online matches and practices that they have two defaults and they have to work on top of that. And we were able to take advantage of some their mistakes.
North American teams have recently shown a lot of promise, with Cloud9 some agree they're getting there, Liquid came up with this huge change and now TSM are on the rise. What do you make of the region's state right now?
I think people criticise NA too much, they had a period where they deserved the criticism, but they're learning, teams are making the necessary changes to evolve. And they're starting to play a lot more with the base fundamentals of CS where they don't rely so much on tactics anymore, and that's the way they should be approaching the situation. This tournament proved that, no one thought any NA team would go through and they'd be the first to go out, but they came out on top of NiP and Astralis, who are amazing teams topping the rankings and playing very well. If they keep it up like this, hopefully they'll be getting out of groups a lot more often.
Let's talk about Liquid a little bit specifically, s1mple will only stay for Cologne and then Pimp will come in, what are your thoughts on this iteration and the one with Pimp?
With a similar lineup Liquid went to the last major and they rocked it. s1mple didn't have the best performances at this tournament, but we all know how much of a superstar power he can bring to the team. With this lineup they should do pretty well for the Major, but when they get the full lineup, I think that with the help of peacemaker and everyone going by what he says, they should evolve really well. They picked Pimp for being one of those players who grow in the tense moments and that's what they need. And jdm is an amazing AWPer, he played really well, so I think Liquid will be the best NA team at least for a while along with TSM right now.
In the grand final you're facing your opponents from the last time you were in London for Pro League and there it was extremely close, do you have anything up your sleeves against the French-Belgian team?
I wouldn't say we have something specific up our sleeves, but we studied that match a lot, because we played all the maps, so we got to study a lot in that specific match, and we know where we made the mistakes. Hopefully we can take this without having all that crazy stress and going to overtime on the last map, because we can't take that anymore, it's too much!Renounced Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert on Sunday accused the Israeli army of using internationally banned weapons in its ongoing offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Gilbert told a press conference in Shifa Hospital in Gaza City that examinations of the bodies of the Palestinian victims showed that they had been subjected to internationally banned weapons.
He added that these weapons cause major damage to the bodies, especially the limbs.
Gilbert did not, however, elaborate on the banned weapons allegedly used by Israel.
Israeli authorities were not immediately available to comment on the accusation.
"Israel's use of internationally banned weapons is a blatant violation of human rights and international agreements," said Youssef Abo al-Rish, Palestinian Health Ministry Undersecretary.
He called on international legal groups to document the "Israeli crimes" against Gaza civilians.
"Since the start of its offensive, Israel has deliberately targeted civilians and families," said the official.
"Israel is using its full military power against armless children and women," he added.
Israel has launched a military offensive-dubbed "Operation Protective Edge"-against the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of ending rocket fire from the enclave.
At least 166 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since late Monday.
Gaza-based resistance factions, for their part, have continued to fire hundreds of rockets into Israel, some of which have reached Tel Aviv, in response to the ongoing offensive.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported thus far.To sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please CLICK HERE.
SALT LAKE CITY—To celebrate the 174th anniversary of the founding of Relief Society, the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will sponsor a lecture on Thursday, March 17, 2016, at 7 p.m. in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square.
The lecture will be presented by Jill Mulvay Derr, retired senior research historian at the Church History Department and coeditor of the newest book from the Church Historian’s Press, The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women’s History. Derr will share highlights from the new volume and discuss insights from her decades-long study of Relief Society history.
The First Fifty Years is a collection of original documents that explores the fascinating and largely unknown history of the Relief Society in the nineteenth century. The story begins with the founding of the Nauvoo Female Relief Society, and the complete, unabridged minutes of that organization are reproduced for the first time in print. The large majority of the volume covers the lesser-known period after the Relief Society was reestablished in territorial Utah and began to spread to areas as remote as Hawaii and England.
The volume shows that not only did Relief Society women care for their families and the poor, but they manufactured and sold goods, went to medical school, stored grain, built assembly halls, fought for women’s suffrage, founded a hospital, defended the practice of plural marriage, and started the Primary and Young Women organizations. Prominent in the documents are the towering figures of Mormon women’s history from this period—Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, Mary Isabella Horne, Emmeline B. Wells, Zina D. H. Young, and many others.16 Incredible Drag Queen Interpretations Of Your Favorite ’80s & ’90s Heroines And Villains
Queen Magazine has exclusively provided Dragaholic and Queerty with 16 incredible photos, captured for their first and second issues by photographer Magnus Hastings. Issues one and two, the heroine and villain issues respectively, are guaranteed to make anybody who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s feel nostalgic.
Which heroin or villain did you love most as a child? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Related: PHOTOS: Your Favorite Super Heroes As Gay Fantasy Pin-Up Hunks
Heroines
In a fierce galaxy far, far away Pusse Couture always has the force with her as Princess Leia.
On Wednesdays she wears pink. Misty Violet is ready to ride as the Pink Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger.
Laganja Estranja as The Fifth Element’s Leeloo is truly a supreme being! Props to ya, intergalactic momma!
You better keep your distance from Sasha Colby who slays as Lara Croft.
Tito Soto is #GoneWithTheWindFabulous as Super Mario’s Princess Peach.
Jakarta will be ready for you if you come for her, serving kick ass Chun-Li Street Fighter fish!
Mariah Balenciaga makes it rain as X-Men’s Storm, mistress of the elements.
Sultry Texas drag kitten Farrah Moan makes for the purrrfect Catwoman.
Related: First Queer Superhero Lead? Ryan Reynolds Opens Up About “Deadpool’s” Fluid Sexuality
Villains
It’s off with your head if you’re not walking children in nature with Tammie Brown as the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland.
Don’t worry, you’re in good hands with Dakota D’vil as Kill Bill’s Elle Driver. OOOOH NURSE!
Diana Dzhaketov has a view to a kill as Grace Jones’ May Day character from the James Bond adventure.
Sissy Spastik believes you can be whomever you want to be as X-Men’s Mystique.
You’ll be green with envy when you see Misty Violet as the villainous Poison Ivy!
Valentine Anger looks absolutely maniacal as DC Comics’ Harley Quinn.
Allusia definitely knows where to find the boys AND the booze but don’t you dare hang her gowns on a wire hanger when she’s feeling her Joan Crawford Mommie Dearest fantasy.
With her commitment to comedy, character, art, makeup and love of black/blonde wigs there was no one better suited to portray Cruella De Vil than the outrageous Manila Luzon.
Love drag queens? Grab an issue of Queen Magazine for 50% off during their 48 hour flash sale (February 11 and 12, 2016)! And don’t forget to check out Queen Magazine for more amazing photos!Nearly 12,500 handsets will be misplaced, stolen or broken during the Christmas party season
Nearly 12,500 handsets will be misplaced, stolen or broken as the Christmas party season reaches its peak tonight.
The rate at which mobile phones go astray has soared as people use them as cameras at boozy bashes, while an average of 10,000 are left in cabs every month.
But researchers have dubbed today the festive Friday phone fiasco, as it is this year’s most popular choice for Christmas parties – and potentially reckless behaviour.
An estimated 12,328 phones will be lost during the revelries, and with each one typically costing £80 to replace, the bill for missing phones will come to £986,301 in just one day.
The poll, by mobile phone service ShoZu, found that people in London, Manchester and Liverpool are most likely to end the evening without their mobile.I really like the Honor system, but sometimes it feels like just a honor point it is not enough: It would be nice if under the green button is a text input, doesn't have to be long, 100 characters or so. In this input one writes a little message, if one wants naturally, it wont be mandatory. And then in a page in the summoners profile there will be an "Honor wall" with icons from the Summoners champions from that game that gave the comment, something like this : http://i.imgur.com/FsrvYXN.png I guess summoners that commented should be anonymous to visitors to the wall, But the owner can visit the commentator's profile by clicking the champion icon. The comments must be approved by the owner for public display, so there wont be comments like "Biggest KS-er NA! FU!". If a comment is not approved after a week it can be auto deleted, so if one does not wont to bother wont have to. This can be also a good opportunity for a gift summoner icon from Riot: "1k approved Honor comment" icon.
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SaveFederal Lands Freedom Act Empowers State Energy Development
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on H.R. 866 (Rep. Diane Black), the “Federal Lands Freedom Act of 2015.” This bill will delegate control over responsible energy exploration to states.
“Rather than continuing to allow faceless bureaucrats in DC to determine what is best for both western and eastern states under a one-size-fits-all regulatory approach, [the bill] will ensure states regulate natural resource production in state-specific strategies that promote both economic development and environmental protection,” Subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) said.
Witness Nick Loris, research fellow at the Institute for Economic Freedom and Opportunity and the Heritage Foundation, cited the trend of decreasing domestic energy production on federal lands despite significant advancements on state and private lands.
“The sheer size and diversity of the federal estate and its resources are too much for distant federal bureaucracies and an overextended federal budget to manage effectively,” Loris stated. “In practice, political agendas and bureaucratic priorities often cast interested parties to the side, limiting, and in some instances prohibiting certain economic activity such as energy development.”
According to Loris’ research, disemboweling federal bureaucracies of abusive regulatory authority could spur employment by roughly 700,000 jobs through 2035 and $2 trillion in economic growth, which would add about $40,000 to household income by 2035.
Bill sponsor Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) commented on the expertise at the state level to regulate and permit energy projects.
“Today, our own federal government is hampering domestic energy production by tying up the process in bureaucratic red tape. We know that states have the tools and regional expertise necessary to regulate this process in an efficient, safe, and responsible manner. It’s time to give them a chance. That is why the Federal Land Freedom Act grants states full permitting authority for energy exploration on federal lands. This is a commonsense measure to promote states’ rights and American energy security,” Rep. Black said.
In the Senate, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced companion legislation to combat the systemic endemic of the one-size-fits-all approach and overregulation by the federal government.
“Under the current administration’s policies, the federal government has had a stranglehold on our states’ energy sources and the development of our natural resources,” Sen. Inhofe stated. “[The bill] returns authorities back to the states to develop all forms of energy on federal land, including renewables. States are better equipped to strike the right balance of energy development with the protection of the environment. We need to restore the Constitution’s trust in the states so that overregulation by the federal government is stopped. I am pleased that the House Natural Resources Committee has taken up this important issue. I look forward to advancing this legislation in the new Congress.”
Click here to view full witness testimony.Police have been left mystified by a number of pools of blood which found around the centre of Oxford on Tuesday morning.
Police were called to investigate blood found on the pavement on Magdalen Bridge and next to the river by the punt station under the bridge just after 8am. The pools of blood were discovered with footsteps leading away from the bridge.
This has prompted a request from police to speak to anyone who may have injured themselves or who knows of anyone who sustained injuries overnight.
At the time of going to print, a police spokesperson said they believed the blood was human, and were sending it to a lab for DNA testing to try and identify its owner.
Investigating Officer Det Sgt Mark Stalder from Force CID said: “We would like anyone who has injured themselves, or who knows someone that has injured themselves, to get in touch.
“We are investigating where it has come from but are anxious that the person may need medical help, so urge anyone with information to get in touch.”
Frazier Bailey, a first year from Magdalen who was at the scene early on Tuesday morning commented: “The blood seemed to glisten early this morning as if it was fairly recent, though it could be slow to dry due to the sheer amount.”
A Teddy Hall third year who also saw the blood speculated: “I can tell you that the person wasn’t running (footprints too close together for that).”
He added: “They walked a short way up towards Magdalen before crossing the road and the police were concerned enough about it to have a man standing on the tape making sure no-one crossed it.”
Police cordoned off the bottom of Magdalen tower and the punt station to investigate the blood, but this was reported to not have affected traffic into the city centre.
A similar pool of blood was reported to have been found on the High Street outside Teddy Hall early on the same morning.
Reports indicate that the blood appeared sometime between late night revellers returned at around 3am and before rowers left the college at around 5.30am.
Anyone with information should contact Det Sgt Stalder at Oxford police station via the 24-hour non-emergency number, 101.With the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi upon us, fans are turning back to the original Star Wars trilogy in preparation.
What is it about Star Wars that makes it such a force to be reckoned with?
In a 1987 article celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Star Wars, George Lucas boldly stated, “A film is not about technique. It’s about ideas.”
But while ideas are what hold a film together at its core, the design techniques used to deliver those ideas have a profound effect on viewer experience. When Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) first hit theatres in 1977, it broke box office records, grossing $220 million during its initial theatrical run ($859 million with inflation). People flocked to theatres to see the visually stunning film. Critics compared it to 2001: A Space Odyssey in terms of its groundbreaking special effects.
That being said, the flashy special effects aren’t the only reason why the film was so successful. Undeniably, what has made A New Hope and its two sequels stand the test of time are its effortlessly fun and engaging story. What facilitates a timeless visual story? Some very basic principles of design.
A good film should not only dazzle viewers with its effects, but should also facilitate the storytelling through its seamless design and editing. The same goes for static visual storytelling, like in print design and infographics.
In honor of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we went back to the original Star Wars trilogy to take a closer look at how the films employed fundamental principles of design to tell some of film history’s most beloved stories.
Here are 7 design principles from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Depth
These days, almost every high profile movie is released in 3D. But even in traditional 2D film, scenes don’t appear flat. That’s because the placement of objects on the visual plane create the illusion of space between the background, midground and foreground of the scene.
The Star Wars films are filled with frames that encompass huge expanses of space and vast landscapes. Take this image of C-3PO and R2-D2 in the far-reaching desert of Tatooine in A New Hope:
The two robotic frenemies appear to be closer to the viewer, while the wrecked spaceship is off in the distance behind them.
If you divide the scene into three sections, you can see that the illusion of distance is created by placing C-3PO and R2-D2 in greater focus in the foreground, their appearance rendered three-dimensional by the use of light and shadow, giving their bodies a rounded look. Meanwhile the ship appears more flat and unfocused in the background.
The illusion is made more natural by overlapping elements across the foreground, midground and background, creating the effect of looking head-on at the two characters and then beyond them to the ship.
Hover over the image.
Contrast
Contrast is achieved by placing opposing visual elements side by side. The juxtaposition between the two elements, particularly two objects of opposing sizes, can create a daunting mood or a mood of wonderment and sublimity.
The Star Wars films are full of scenes that juxtapose massive ships to smaller ones. In this scene from Return of the Jedi, our band of heroes are placed in a small transport next to Jabba the Hutt’s much larger ship.
The placement of both ships beside each other emphasizes the dominance of Jabba the Hutt’s ship. This creates an uneasy mood, as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo appear to be outmatched. That being said, by contrasting both ships, the viewer’s attention is drawn to the smaller ship because of the tension created by its proximity to the larger. While Jabba the Hutt’s ship takes up most of the left side of the shot, Luke and Han’s smaller ship stands out against the background, drawing the viewer’s focus.
Negative Space
Negative space is the space around a defining object. Similar to how a larger object contrasted with a smaller object will bring the smaller object into focus, using negative space draws attention to the focal point in its center, lending to the drama and tension in a scene.
Negative space also allows for visual pause between objects, making them easier for viewers to process. If you want the viewer’s eye to focus on a particular object, it needs to have enough negative space around it to prevent them from being distracted. Grouping many objects closely together makes it difficult to distinguish them from one another (an effect that you would want to achieve if all of the objects are part of a unified whole).
In this scene of C-3PO standing alone on Tatooine in A New Hope, the negative space of the desert around him brings his solitary figure into greater focus.
This establishes C-3PO as the focal point in the shot and emphasizes his solitude on the unknown planet.
Perspective
Perspective creates dynamic and visually interesting compositions, allowing certain objects to become more dominant depending on where they are placed. Lines are used to direct perspective, whether it’s a one-point or two-point perspective.
Part of what made the scenes in the Star Wars films so epic were the exterior and interior shots of the ships, taken from dramatic perspectives. Take this shot of the second Death Star’s reactor core in Return of the Jedi:
The straight lines of the reactor core point downward in an arrow shape, creating the perspective of looking down. The effect is enhanced by the use of light that draws the viewer’s eye to the focal point of the shot, at the base of the core.
Depth plays into perspective as well, as the size and placement of objects in the background, midground and foreground contribute to the illusion of perspective.
Symmetry
Symmetry balances a design and highlights its focal object. You can create symmetry by mirroring design elements on each side of the composition and by placing focal objects in the middle of the composition.
Whereas shots with off-balanced objects will create the effect of things being confusing and out of control, a symmetrical shot lends to a mood of uniformity and orderliness, as in the scene at the end of A New Hope:
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca are flanked on both sides by identical rows of soldiers. They walk down a straight path directly in the middle of the shot, with straight lines pointing to the stage in the background. The symmetry and balance in the scene feels formal, satisfying and conclusive.
Directional Cues
This is similar to perspective, but refers more specifically to the elements that direct the viewer’s gaze. Directional cues direct the eye’s navigation through visual elements, towards the focal object. The most straightforward directional cues are objects placed in the direction you want the viewer’s eyes to go, or lines or arrows pointing the viewer’s attention towards a focal object.
In this scene from The Empire Strikes Back, the lines and lights in the ship’s hallway direct the viewer’s eyes towards Luke Skywalker.
This establishes Luke Skywalker as the focal object.
Repetition
Repetition emphasizes an idea through the use of repeated visual elements, forming strength and unity between objects. Design repetition is achieved by repeating elements using patterns, lines and colors, or by repeat elements in close proximity to one another so they appear to belong to the same group.
In this scene from Return of the Jedi, the stormtroopers are lined up in rows that create the effect of them being one unified entity, emphasizing their sheer numbers.
This contrasts the stormtroopers with the figures moving down the path.
Design Principles That Stand the Test of Time
Whether your design is 3D or flat, these basic design principles used in the original Star Wars trilogy are tried and true. When your design is seamless and effective, the ideas that make them timeless can come through. We can’t wait to see what exciting design elements are in store in The Last Jedi!
Like what you saw here? Check out more pop culture infographics on our blog:
Every Betrayal Ever in Game of Thrones
What Disney Villains Tell Us About Color Psychology
The Hogwarts Guide to Company Culture
The Hero’s Journey In 6 Popular Movies
The infographic in this article was created by Steve Shearer.Wells that pump natural gas from the ground in Colorado have leaked about twice as much gas into the atmosphere as previously thought, a new study finds.
That could tarnish gas’s image as clean source of energy. Natural gas, made mostly of methane, does give off less carbon dioxide than coal when burned. But methane itself strongly warms the atmosphere, which means even relatively small releases can have |
about a 4 percent increase in people — or about 12,000 more residents — to a total of 324,000.
But population gains aren't necessarily a sign of a burgeoning economy.
Rockland County had historically been under counted and it wasn't until they began challenging the population estimates and working with census officials to identify overlooked areas that Rockland became recognized as a growing county, said Michael D'Angelo, Rockland County's research director.
"We put a lot of work into having them understand this is a growing county," D'Angelo said.
The addition of poor residents can strain schools and services, said Al Samuels, president of the Rockland Business Association. Between 2013 and 2014, Rockland led the state in population growth, up 1 percent or nearly 3,000 people, according to the Census data.
"The people who leave are the people who can afford to leave," Samuels said. "I know that's happened in Rockland."
At the same time, more people from overseas are moving into Rockland than are leaving the county for another domestic destination. D'Angelo said some of the domestic migration out of Rockland are teenagers leaving to attend college.
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Whereas in Westchester and Putnam, the opposite is true: more people are moving out of those counties than into it.
Upstate continues to struggle with decades of losses in manufacturing jobs. While the number of jobs is increasing and the unemployment rate has dropped, population declines take a toll on local governments and region's political strength.
In 2010, for example, New York lost two congressional seats, from 29 to 27, because other states grew more quickly. Population gains or losses can also impact state and federal aid.
Also, New York's out-migration is outpacing new residents. About 1.2 million people left to other states between 2000 and 2009, the Empire Center for New York State Policy said in a report.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo this year is proposing a $1.5 billion competitive fund that would provide up to $500 million in aid to three regions of the state. But lawmakers are critical of the competitive nature of the money as the sides hammer out a budget deal for the fiscal year that starts April 1.
"The governor feels strongly that upstate New York has been shortchanged by Albany for too long and now is the time to build on our economic momentum upstate," said Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, in a statement in support of the fund.
Some areas outside New York City also had population gains. Tompkins County, home to Ithaca and Cornell, had a 3-percent increase over the past five years to a total of about 105,000 people — a percent increase on par with Manhattan and Westchester County.
Monroe County and its neighbor Ontario County additionally had increases; each were up about 1 percent over the five-year period. Monroe County's population grew faster than Erie County's; Monroe added about 5,500 people to 750,000 total, while Erie was up 3,800 people to 923,000.
Some counties had flat populations. In Putnam and Dutchess counties, their populations fell 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively. Dutchess had nearly 300,000 people last year, while Putnam had almost 100,000.
But rural counties in the Southern Tier and western New York fared the worst. The 40 counties with population declines lost nearly 45,000 people over the five years, or about 1.3 percent.
The Mohawk Valley lost the most people at 6,956 and the greatest percentage at 1.4 percent, Vink's review of the estimates found. Second was the Southern Tier, which lost 5,390 people or 0.8 percent of its population, he added.
Schoharie County, which was hit hard by major flooding during storms Irene and Lee in recent years, lost the most population over the five years: down 3.6 percent, or about 1,200 of its 31,000 people.
Tioga, Greene, Sullivan and Orleans counties were among 13 counties who lost more than 2 percent of their population over the five years, according to the data.
Broome County's population was down an estimated 1.6 percent over the five-year stretch, a loss of about 850 people to a total of 197,000. There was a similar decline in Chemung County, which had 88,000 people last year, a drop of 1.2 percent over the period.
Kent Gardner, chief economist at the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, said a population drop of 1 percent may not seem like a lot, but it can add up over time, hurting governments' budgets by leaving fewer residents to pay for services.
"Even small numbers of decline take a toll on local governments," Gardner said.
JSPECTOR@Gannett.com
Twitter: @gannettalbany
Database
For population figures in New York by county, visit:
http://lohud.nydatabases.com/database/2014-census-projections-new-york
Read or Share this story: http://lohud.us/1CcfFPCDowntown Flint in a photo taken on Dec. 16, 2015. Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Flint, Michigan, is sending out notices to residents who haven’t been paying for their city water services. The notices say that services could be cut off if payment isn’t received. This is a normal civic administrative practice except for one thing: Flint’s water is so badly poisoned that the National Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency have been called in to manage the situation, which has left residents drinking bottled water that’s being given out as an emergency measure.
In a matter that, remarkably, appears unrelated to the problems involving the toxic elements in the water, the city had been enjoined last year from sending overdue notices because of a lawsuit accusing it of raising service rates improperly. But with that restriction lifted, and after a break from issuing notices over the holidays, “officials say they will again start sending warnings to those behind on their bills,” the MLive site reported Thursday.*
As MLive notes in dry fashion:
Some residents have expressed outrage over the fact they are being billed for water they cannot drink without filtration due to elevated lead levels found in water in some Flint homes.
Sounds about right.
Police in Flint also confirmed this week that a break-in was reported over the Christmas holiday at an office in City Hall where documents related to the water crisis were kept. “At this point it’s hard to tell if any files were taken,” the city’s mayor says, but no other offices were apparently targeted by the burglary.
Federal authorities announced on Jan. 5 that they will investigate whether the water crisis, which you can read more about here, involved any criminal activity. As Daily Kos puts it, “It’s probably just a coincidence that this break-in occurred in the mayor’s suite, in the one office containing the documents relating to the lead poisoning of residents, with no other offices burglarized, just days before confirmation the federal government is officially investigating.”
*Correction, Jan. 14, 2016: This post originally misstated that the first new overdue notices were being sent this week. Some were sent in November before a break in collections over the holidays, and more are being sent now.On Oct. 12, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council held its third meeting of the Fall semester. The majority of the evening was consumed by an extensive debate on SSMU’s potential referendum to join the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ), a body that represents university student unions around the province to the government.
In the Winter 2016 Referendum, the McGill student body voted against a non-opt-outable fee of $3.50 to become an AVEQ member. At the council meeting, VP External Connor Spencer brought forward a motion to reopen the issue for the Fall 2017 Referendum, prompting intense debate.
A major concern raised in the discussion is AVEQ’s one-school-one-vote principle. McGill’s large population means that it would be contributing more in student fees than other AVEQ members. However, McGill could still be outvoted by the other members. Education Representative Josephine Wright O’Manique, U4 Education, demonstrated strong opposition to joining for this reason.
“AVEQ has had years to attract membership, and has only gathered support from three schools,” O’Manique said. “Asking McGill undergraduates who already pay enough student fees and tuition to pay more to fund an organization with no value for them is unfair to the students we represent.”
Spencer, in turn, highlighted that the one-school-one-vote policy is based on principles of equality for all members. She cited the collapse of the Fédération Étudiante Universitaire du Québec (FEUQ), which broke down in 2015 because its members with smaller student bodies had fewer representatives.
“AVEQ tried to address [representation] by enacting the one-school-one-vote policy,” Spencer said. “Even though McGill will be paying more money, it is eventually for the better to allow provincial representation.”
Medicine Representative Andre Lametti brought up the concern that a new referendum disregards the opinions of students, given that a majority of voters were against affiliating with AVEQ in the Winter 2016 Referendum. However, Spencer argued that only 18 per cent of SSMU’s membership voted in the earlier referendum, of which 25 per cent abstained. Further, she cited turnover of students in the past two years as justification for a new referendum.
Councillors also questioned the fact that AVEQ is the only association SSMU has considered joining when alternatives exist, such as the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSE), the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ), and Union étudiante du Québec (UÉQ). Spencer clarified that the decision to observe AVEQ is based on reports passed down from the 2015-2016 SSMU VP External Emily Boytinck.
“Following the collapse of the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) in 2015, two groups were created, AVEQ and the UÉQ,” Spencer said. “Emily observed both groups and reported back to the Council [….] The Council subsequently decided to put only AVEQ on the ballot for the Winter 2016 Referendum [….] Following the Referendum result, the Council mandated the VP External to keep observing AVEQ.’’
A member from the gallery, Joshua Chin, who served as Medicine Representative from 2014 to 2016 and Senate representative from 2016 to 2017, questioned the legitimacy of Boytinck’s reports and of AVEQ itself. First, he claimed that La Fédération Étudiante de L’Université de Sherbrooke (FÉUS) ceased affiliation with AVEQ due to ethics concerns and a lack of transparency. Second, he mentioned that on Sept. 26, 2015 the Assembly for National Student Association, now known as AVEQ, allegedly voted to appoint Boytinck to the future Board of Directors of the AVEQ, thus creating a potential conflict of interest.
Science Representative Mana Moshkforoush, who was mandated by the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) to support holding a new referenda, questioned whether Spencer is also biased toward AVEQ when holding information sessions.
“The decision of the (SUS) to vote ‘yes’ was based on a presentation by AVEQ, and the VP External,” Moshkforoush said. “However, students have never heard of the concern [on representation] raised right now by the councillors [before voting].”
Chief Electoral Officer Alex Nehrbass later confirmed that Spencer’s actions are in accordance with SSMU’s bylaws and that she has not engaged in an active AVEQ campaign. However, due to the remaining concerns regarding AVEQ, Council postponed the vote to its next meeting on Oct. 19 to consider alternative student associations’ presentations before making a final decision.Takasago Volunteers
Takasago Volunteers (高砂義勇隊, Takasago Giyūtai) were volunteer soldiers in the Imperial Japanese Army, recruited from the Taiwanese aboriginal tribes during World War II.
Background and history [ edit ]
After the annexation of Taiwan as a result of First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the Japanese government pursued a policy of cultural assimilation, directed especially towards the various groups of Taiwanese aborigines.
The Imperial Japanese Army was interested in the use of Taiwanese aborigines in special forces operations, as they were viewed as being more physically capable of operating in the tropical and sub-tropical regions in Southeast Asia than ethnic Japanese, and, coming from a hunter-gatherer culture, would be able to operate with minimal logistics support. The Japanese military recruited many young men from friendly tribes into service shortly before the start of World War II. The total number was confidential and estimates on the numbers recruited range from 1800 to 5000 men. Training was under the direction of officers from the Nakano School, which specialized in insurgency and guerilla warfare. Initially assigned to transport and supply units, as the war condition progressively deteriorated for Imperial Japanese forces, the Takasago Volunteers were sent to front line as combat troops. Units consisting entirely of "Takasago Volunteers" served with distinction in the Philippines, Netherlands East Indies, Solomon Islands and New Guinea, where they fought against American and Australian forces even before Taiwanese volunteers were recruited into service.
Towards the end of the war, 15 officers and 45 enlisted members of the Takasago Volunteers were organized into the Kaoru Special Attack Corps for a suicide mission similar to that of the Giretsu Kuteitai, and attacked a USAAF landing strip on Leyte.
The Takasago Volunteers were well known for their jungle survival ability. The most notable example is Attun Palalin, a holdout discovered in Indonesia in 1975. He lived in solitude in the jungle for almost 20 years after leaving other holdouts in 1956.
In popular culture [ edit ]
Takasago Army, the sixth album by the Taiwanese heavy metal band Chthonic, tells the story of Takasago Volunteers as a way to explore the Taiwanese identity.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]By BI: Legendary British Commentator, Pat Condell, weighs in on the Trump effect, free speech, and Britain’s efforts to silence the man who could become president.
CNN The quixotic but popular push to ban the Republican presidential candidate from the United Kingdom is set to be debated in Parliament, a spokeswoman for the House of Commons said. The debate has been scheduled for January 18 in Westminster Hall, where any member of Parliament is allowed to participate.
An online citizen’s petition to ban Trump from the United Kingdom garnered more than 568,000 signatures, well above the 100,000 threshold required for a measure to be considered for a debate, since being filed on December 8.
After Trump launched his proposal to temporarily halt the immigration of Muslims into the United States, Prime Minister David Cameron called the billionaire “stupid” and “three times a loser.”
https://youtu.be/iHLcrfhwPtc
printIf the Luftwaffe had the Messerschmitt 109, and the Kriegsmarine the U-boat, then the German army could surely claim the eighty-eight millimetre anti-tank (originally anti-aircraft) gun. It was the weapon that never lost its edge.
Diverting resources for an expeditionary force to Greece and for the ill-fated defence of Crete had cost Britain at least one chance for victory in the North Africa campaign. Churchill continued to press Wavell to begin a new offensive. Despite his misgivings, the latter launched Operation Battleaxe this week in the war, on 15 June 1941.
The attack, planned and commanded by General Beresford-Peirse, included a frontal assault on Halfaya Pass, which was quickly nicknamed Hellfire Pass. The idea was for General Frank Messervy ’s 4th Indian Division to take and hold the pass, thus supporting an armoured thrust by the tanks of the 7th Armoured Division, who would defeat the enemy in a decisive tank battle. The road to Tobruk would thus be opened, and Tobruk’s beleaguered garrison would join in the fight and rout the remnants of Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Such was the plan for Operation Battleaxe.
Wavell was not optimistic. He knew that the new British Cruiser tanks were unreliable and that the Matilda’s were vulnerable to anti-tank fire. Plus the superiority in numbers, in artillery and in air power, that would be essential for success was simply not there. (It would be there later, for Montgomery).
In the end, the attack on Halfaya Pass was bloodily repulsed and the British armour decimated by the German 88s. Rommel’s spies had discovered the British plan and his forces had been lying in wait, with the 88mm anti-tank guns dug in and carefully concealed.
The tables were suddenly turned. German panzer units advanced and were outflanking the British positions, intent in cutting off any possible retreat. Messervy ordered a general withdrawal.
By the time Wavell had flown in from his headquarters, Operation Battleaxe was at an end. That the British forces escaped at all was due to the fighting qualities of the men on the ground, the tankers and the gunners, and to the pilots of the RAF.
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TwitterAgent Enric Mata turned on his flashlight and crawled into the http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1986 as he had done every day for the past three years. He stood up, his head just narrowly not touching the ceiling, and began to walk down into endless array of books. Today he had to walk for an hour, and then would set to work. His work was simply to record the titles and a few short notes about every book in a small given radius. This had been Enric's work almost every day for the past three years, every since he was discovered by the Foundation after graduating from college. Of course, there was always the unsettling possibility that he had been discovered earlier: much earlier. The answer was likely, and he chose not to think about it. Sifting through the titles and writing them down was boring work, and Enric had thought he would be working with more interesting things when he signed up with the Foundation. Of course, he was told that not everything could be exciting, and so he resigned to his work. One title he found caught his eye. It was a comedy, a satire based [academia]. He didn't understand almost any of the humor, but he knew his wife would. I should show her. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he stopped. There was no way he could ever get away with that. The Foundation expressely forbid him from taking materials out of the hole, and even if he snuck the book out, what would he tell her? She didn't know about the Foundation - he couldn't merely say, "Oh, this is a book from an infinitely long tunnel containing every single book ever written." He could lie to her, but that just left a bad taste in his mouth. He hated lieing to her, despised it with a burning fervor. It was bad enough to lie to her every day about where he worked and what he did, but he couldn't tell her the truth.
An eleven year old boy in an orange uniform was led out of his cell by the guard, and brought down the hallway to join the group. There were many other children of his age, all in the same orange uniforms. They lived strict, regimented lives. They woke up, ate breakfast, had school, ate cake, ate lunch, went back to school, had some limited freetime and then went back to sleep. The cake was the most important part. Once, the guard had pointed his gun at the boy and ordered him to eat the cake before. The boy didn't speak English very well then, and didn't quite understand the guard. Something about the safety of the world as a whole. But there had been whispers from the oldest children, who had been there the longest, that years ago those guns had indeed been fired. So the boy ate his cake, as he had for every day for almost five years. He was sick of the cake, and to his fortune, he was able to eat different cakes every day. But there were only so many kinds, and the boy ended up eating many similar kinds of cake every day. Some days he ate along, others with many other children. But he always ate cake. He hadn't seen his father in so long, but the woman who spoke to him every other week told the boy that he was doing well. Not long, she said, before they would see each other. Only one more month she had said the last time. They would have a better life, a much, much better life. One time, she said she had spoken to his father, and said he was sorry for what he had to do. The boy didn't quite understand why he wasn't able to see his father, or why it was necessary. He didn't even understand why he was here, or who these people were. He did understand why he couldn't see his mother or siblings, however. They were all dead, killed by an exploding blast when the boy was only five years old. He had seen their bodies, despite his father's best attempts to shield his eyes. They left the city on that day, and moved about. The boy knew enough to know that their country had turned into war. They had arrived in a camp, and stayed there for months when the men in their white coats arrive. The boy remembered seeing their emblem for the first time: a circle with three circles pointing inward. They had talked to his father, and he begant to cry. The boy hadn't seen him cry before, and was worried. His father had hugged him, whispered goodbyes, and then led the boy to a van. That was the last time he had seen his father.
BEGIN LOG Dr. Wodiew: Alright, is this on? SCP-MM: You know it is. Dr. Wodiew: Okay, this is an interview, I suppose, between Doctor Helen Wodiew and SCP-MM. SCP-MM: That's me, if it wasn't obvious. Dr. Wodiew: This interview is going to act as the primary file on SCP-MM, so it's not an error you're seeing this alone. SCP-MM: Yes, she's talking to you, reader. Dr. Wodiew: Thank you, MM. You are being [unintelligible]. Well, that acts as an initial demonstration of the anomaly, at the very least. SCP-MM: There will be so many more. You're a fool, Wodiew. Dr. Wodiew: MM, here are the three object classes used by the Foundation: Safe, Euclid and Keter. Which one describes you? SCP-MM: Keter, of course. Dr. Wodiew: Why? SCP-MM: I know the Kabbalah. Keter is the crown, the higest emanation. Nothing better suited to me than that. Dr. Wodiew: In words the Foundation would use, MM. SCP-MM: Alright, fine. Due to my anomalous properties, you can't describe me, which makes the creation of a proper method to contain me difficult. In addition, I am extremelly dangerous, and [unintelligble]. Dr. Wodiew: Ha. Got yourself there. SCP-MM: Oh, shut up, Helen. Dr. Wodiew: Let's move on. What are your basic Containment Procedures? SCP-MM: I am kept in a standard cell for humanoids, and you don't give me any amenities. Dr. Wodiew: Do you deserve any? SCP-MM: [unintelligible] Dr. Wodiew: Guess that answers that. What about information regarding you? SCP-MM: You force me to describe myself so you have information to use. Dr. Wodiew: Do you cooperate? SCP-MM: I'm at gunpoint. I give the minimum. END LOG
There was something very weird about Zach Morris's summer job, he was sure of it. The local Wendy's in town had done some weird things in the past, like sell roadkill and call it demon flesh, but they had stopped that years ago. Nobody worked there today who had worked there back then, so you would have expected the place to have calmed down a little? It had started on the first day, when Darell was giving him a tour of the restaraunt and showing him the ropes. It had been pretty normal, until they got to the freezer. //"So, uh, this is the freezer you've probably heard so much about. They don't let us open it though, so it stays padlocked at all times. Says that in the doc." "What?" "The freezer. The one in the file." "What file?" "Oh shit. You know, I thought sixteen was pretty young to be in Phi-25…" "Phi-25?" "Nothing. Uh, moving on. Never open this freezer. There's a second freezer down the hall we use instead. Come on."// The Wendy's had two freezers, for some weird reason. There was something really weird about the main freezer. He had caught Athena sneaking out of the freezer one time. Athena grilled Zach about whether or not he had seen anything on the inside (no) and then was suspicious around Zach for the next week. Sometimes, when Zach was on break, he could faintly hear Frank Sinatra songs coming from inside the freezer, along with banging and scraping. Mostly, Zach just decided to avoid the freezer. But the other people at the Wendy's were also very strange. Take, for instance, the manager, Mikell Bright. Mr. Bright always seemed too rich to just be a manager. Zach was fairly certain that Mr. Bright drove a Rolls Royce. Athena had mentioned she studied theology and engingeering at Harvard, but was working at Wendy's in Ohio. Zach was pretty sure that Dana, Darell, and Damien had all talked about how they had been given life sentences with no hope of parole for mass murder. Vadislav barely seemed to speak English, and had apparently moved from Russia to Ohio for the sole purpose of working at a Wendy's. Hendrix refused be called anything other than his last name, and had a prosthetic arm and a leg. When Zach asked what happened, he was only told it was classified. Zach mostly accepted these weird aspects of his job, because he was only in it for the pay. So what if his coworkers were actually a gang using the Wendy's for money laundering - he didn't know anything. Although there was obviously something criminal happening, he didn't have any actual evidence on this "Phi-25" gang or their operation. Therefore, he came to the conclusion he would be innocent when they got busted. That's what he thought was happening when he was cleaning up one night after his shift. He had been called to work this last shift, and was sweeping the floor when two armored vehicles had rolled up in front of the Wendy's. A stream of heavily armed agents had filed out of the trucks and broke down the padlocked door of the store. "Hey! We got word that this was a closest Foundation location to where we were. We've got a swarm of highly dangerous Keter anomalies on our tail and we need to start securing this location immediately. There's an MTF we can get backup from, right?" "Is this some kind of LARP? Dude, we're closing. And those guns look really real. That might be illegal." "Can somebody check if we're in the right place?" Hendrix burst out of the backroom, limping forward on his prosthetic leg, with Mr. Bright following quickly behind. "MTF Phi-25 Commander Matheson Hendrix, at your service. I think we have a couple weapons in the back, but it's not much, really. We can try to help." "And I'm former O5-6, Mikell Bright, brother to Jack Bright, that one immortal guy and the son of Adam Bright, who was also once O5-12." "A Bright is working as a fry-cook in Ohio?" "I didn't want to get my memories wiped. Do you know where we get amnestics?" "What the fuck is this gang shit? Are those codewords?" "Oh, no, Zach. We're an international conspiracy devoted to keeping knowledge of the paranormal secret from humanity as a whole. We're kind of like the Illuminati." "Are you saying the Illuminati's plans involve a Wendy's in Ohio?" "The freezer is a it down into hell." "What?" "Oh come on, I've told you that like, six times this summer. I mean, I did wipe your memory every time. Say, would you rather have the [[SCP-3171|plant incest]] kind or the [[SCP-3000|eel god]] kind this time?" "Hey, I don't mean to interrupt Zach's latest world shattering revelation, but apparently the demon-plant-vampires that was chasing this MTF is going to show up soon." "Alright, Zach, this was fun. Go hide behind the countertop." Zach slowly backed behind the counter as the soldiers began to arm themselves around the Wendy's
Universe is a simulation used by aliens for extreme processing power, trying to solve whether or not P = NP. We have free will and AI because the aliens wanted us too, but they'll shut down the simulation when we solve if does actually equal P = NP. The Foundation needs to keep the universe around, so they sabotage P = NP to prevent us from being shut down.
World ends bunch of times, 2000 reboots it. Iteration 0: Joke proposal in size zero font, probably the fire) {{Iteration 0}} the button Iteration 1: Origin of the Vatican People is the angel Iteration 1: Her Majesty's Foundation for the Secure Containment of the Paranormal plays around with the Sheaf of Papers. Iteration 1: Estate noir is the ones who found and used the Spiral Path. Iteration 2 On a warm summer's night in 1900, thirteen men around the world went to sleep. When they awoke the next day, they found themselves in a better world, one not plagued by the ravages of the anomalous their home had been. Society had not collapsed, and they no longer led the last vestiges of hope fighting against the dark, but those that still hid in the dark. In time, they found each other and debated what to do. Some wanted to return to their old world, rejecting the new reality as nothing more than a lie that should never exist. But others took upon them the opportunity to fix the sins of the past, and embrace their reality. But their was a lie woven into all their deeds, and the thirteen men who gathered to discuss the issue were not the same thirteen who had recovered memories from the past reality. One who had belonged had been swept under the rug, and one who didn't belong had been included when he shouldn't have been. And what is a Consensus when the people who should vote aren't the ones who do? Iteration 2: There were thirteen of them on that first mission, one chosen from each of the groups that had banded together in order to create the Foundation. Their new mother organization had heard reports of a thing in the rural parts of Guatemala, causing radiation deaths and horrid shreaks. The new leaders didn't agree on much, but they had all agreed that something had to be done. Since Guatemala fell outside the purview of any of the former constituent member organizations - which had decreed themselves to be a new global agency - this would be the first operation conducted by the unified Foundation. General Machoi, of the Abnormality Institute, was seated alongside Doctor Herman Keter of the Imperial German Anomalous Matters Examination Agency. Eleven others, from various groups were in the other seats of the vehicle. One thing stood out to them - no matter their backgrounds, and no matter their histories, they were together now. They stood as one, a force to bring order to the world and protect it. And then, crossing the road, they saw their dr-gears-s-proposal: its legs were too long, and its head was nothing more than a mouth. An eye rolled into the mouth, and black dots appeared in the air around it, but the thirteen were not afraid. They had a mission to secure and contain, and they would not fail. Iteration 2: "Wait!" Dr. Mann screamed at O5-5 as he was walking out of the door of his office. "What you just told me, about the Factory. Is it … really where the Foundation came from? It conflicts with so much of what I know." "The Foundation? Oh no, my dear boy. That was the origin of the Secure Containment Initiative. In this reality, at least. Perhaps not the old one." Iteration 2: What does the Foundation strive to protect, exactly? How do they decide on what to protect, and what not to protect? What is their metric for the determing of the anomalous? Are there phenomenon in the world that defy science and are rightfully anomalous, and are there those in containment that follow the laws of science and should be free? It is nothing more than the agreement of thirteen. How else can the Foundation keep the world from falling apart, to keep itself on a common goal? There must be something that they can hold accountable, and strive to aim for. Iteration 3: World ends, Overseer decides he wants a weapon, gets the Children. Iteration 4: World ends, decide they want to contain Keter upon Keter in Keter Duty Iteration █ Broken God causes Masquerade Breach and XK, 2000 reboots, use that reboot to hide the Mexico bay thing situation
Also, Michael Kain, the Broke God is here. Iteration ██ They find 184 in the lock and the Administator realizes that it's the source of the universe and all its flaws. The Truth. Iteration ███ The Foundation escapes into a different reality, into a high school gym. Iteration ▒▒▒ "Sir, I have some troubling news about that project you asked us to look into." "What is it?" "You were asking us to try and find a definitive source for the origin of the universe, and we have. Our current models indicate that the universe exists within an uppermost narrative layer. We have confirmed this with the Pataphysics Department." "What does that mean?" "It means … we're fictional characters in a horror story." OO1-J opened its eyes, and looked to what was left behind in the wake of the Planet of the Hands. Nothing but the eternal discography of Toby Keith, playing on a loop until the end of time. It was everything the eldritch abomination had ever wanted, and it had not been worth it.Past and Future ends world. centuries later, Past and Future falls, refugee makes it back to Earth, turns on 2000, Gears wakes up, kills refugee and brings things back to normal. Iteration : day BREAKS Iteration???: In the deepest, darkest bowels of Site-19, the Administrator sat at a table. His site had crumbled around him, and there was but one other human still alive on the planet that was not one of those wretched blobs. He was keeping track of that person, watching the indicator on the device in front of him. [[mackenzie-s-proposal|99%]]] And then, with one final motion, the indicator ticked up and completed itself. The Administrator sighed. For all it this universes faults, they had resisted the Corruption for a very long time: bending reality around themselves, rebuilding the world countless times and correcting the wrongs that had been wrought by countless agents of change. He took his key, grabbed his documents, made a note, and place the key into the device. He turned the key. And so it began again. Final Iteration: Mary tries to figure out how to fix everything. Final Iteration: The Thirty-Six gather and right the world, bringing the Quiet Days.
D-0072 woke up, staring at the blank concrete walls of his cell. He had only been allowed to bring a single personal object with him, so the flag of [[revolution]] was the one adornment on his walls. It was a symbol of his punishment - the rest of his life trapped on the Moon. There were four D-Class stationed at Lunar Area-32, and D-0072 was the oldest. The four positions were some of the most coveted among Foundation D-Class, with barracks of D-Class on Earth rumoring that the most loyal, best D-Class could eventually work their way up and get transfered to the Moon. This wasn't true. The four D-Class on the Moon had all been selected from the prison population for the express purpose of being stationed on the Moon. Only those few D-Class who had commited nonviolent crimes were even considered - the civil disobedients, the protestors against dictatorship, the refugges - and only those with skill passed into the second round of consideration. There were no maintenance, janitorial or other service staff on the Moon, so those positions were filled by the few D-Class. In extremelly rare circumstances, they would be called upon to interact with an anomaly, but the few skips kept on the Moon were relatively harmless - Hati looked scary, but he didn't bite. All D-0072 needed to do was work as a mechanic on the vehicles. D-0072's morning meditation was broken by a blaring intercom, telling him that Noah would be coming to escort him. D-0072 rose, and waited for the security guard. The door opened minutes later, and D-0072 was waved out. Security was lax with the Lunar Area-32 D-Class, but there was stilll something. "Come on, Lazenby. They're sending you into the field." It was not his name, of course, but a joke. They had explained it once, but D-0072 did not understand. It was some element of American or British culture that he had not been immersed in, and would never be now that he was on the Moon. When D-0072 entered the briefing |
Research Libraries. But digital licenses for circulating books can also be cost-prohibitive and can only be shared by a couple of patrons at a time, Riley said.
“Students and faculty need to be able to reach out to access books as part of the Illinois network of libraries,” Riley said.
Morton College belongs to the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries of Illinois (CARLI). CARLI does not provide guidance on how member libraries are managed, said Tom Hardy, from the University of Illinois Libraries.
“Each CARLI member library member must demonstrate the ability to meet the core needs of its students, faculty and staff and must willing to participate actively in the resource sharing mission of the consortium,” Hardy said in an email.
The Higher Learning Commission, which accredits colleges and universities, has guidelines for “infrastructure support” of students in higher education, including libraries.
“The Higher Learning Commission does not comment on institutions currently undergoing a review process,” said Steve Kauffman, HLC spokesman. “Morton College’s review visit was a few weeks ago, and the team report still is being finalized,” he wrote in an email. “HLC evaluates a member’s institutional resources for students, and that would include library resources,” Kauffman added.
Though the books are gone, students are relieved that the seven library study rooms are still accessible, Arandas said. According to usage logs from 2014-15, the library study rooms are used about 400 hours per week.
Library study rooms are vital in community colleges, said Riley of ACRL.
“We know from our research that libraries are very important to student success,” Riley said in a phone interview. “We know that college library resources are linked to higher retention and graduation rates.
“Space for students to study is very important, especially for commuter colleges,” Riley added. “Many students don’t have home environments where they can study. Taking away those spaces would be very unfortunate.”
Aranda guessed the administrators just wanted to upgrade their office spaces by taking over the study rooms.
“The study rooms are way nicer than their offices, and bigger,” she said.
Aranda said since the project has been re-evaluated, the college has held several meetings asking for student input into the future uses of the library space. These have been coordinated by Morton College Human Resources Director Anthony Ray, Aranda said. Ray did not respond to a request for comment through the college communication office.
“I know lots of students are using the study rooms and checking out laptops,” Aranda said. “I think [the administration] just decided to back off.”
Students consider this a win, even though most of the books have disappeared, Aranda said.
“Our library [book collection] was reduced to a single floor. We do not know the percentage that was taken out of collection because the only thing that mattered was to empty out the second floor of the library,” Aranda said.
The college is seeking a librarian to replace Butler, who served for eight years.
“It was a difficult decision to leave,” Butler wrote. “I was proud to be part of Morton College and the community it serves,” she said.
Two assistant librarians retired in December. It is unclear who will staff the library when students return in January.
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— Morton College embarks on controversial plan to repurpose library —Minneapolis Metro Transit are investigating an incident shown on video in which a transit officer asks a light-rail passenger about his immigration status.
The agency announced it was investigating after Minneapolis artist Ricardo Levins Morales posted video of the incident to his Facebook page on Friday. Morales says the officer was checking passenger fares, which is routine. The video shows the officer asking one passenger for identification and saying, "Are you here illegally?"
Morales then asked the officer if he was authorized to act as an immigration agent and the officer responded, "No, not necessarily."
The unidentified passenger has his back to Morales during the recording.
Metro Transit Police Chief Harrington said in a statement that it's not his agency's practice to inquire about immigration status. He's asked for an internal investigation.
The incident happened May 14.I am writing this essay on a cheap netbook I bought over 5 years ago. I bought it used and it cost $100 then. I type in a quick command and see that 371 of 487 mb of ram are being used. I thought I had a gig, no wonder it’s been running slowly browsing with chrome. But I’m using a simple text editor now so no troubles.
I type in another command and see that I am using 18 of 50 gigabytes of disk space between my 2 largest partitions. I have another 100 gb of unpartitioned space. I was going to install a second OS, but gave up on that.
My ram usage is high enough to make me uncomfortable, though it’s still running smoothly. I don’t use the disk a whole lot on this machine, so there’s plenty of free space.
When I execute a command, my cpu, the thinking brain of the computer, jumps up past 40%, 60% or all the way to 99% usage but then quickly drops back down to 99% idle.
If I were to run a program that requires persistent cpu usage it would be about 30 seconds or less before my fan turned on. The bottom of my machine would quickly become hot to the touch.
I took computer science classes in college, so I know that every transistor and component in the machine is getting a constant small supply of voltage. There are billions of tiny transistors that form logic gates both to store memory and run the CPU.
When these transistors are idle, they use very little electricity. Ideally they would use nothing while idle but there is in fact a tiny flow of electrons through them flowing from negative to positive. Once they are required to perform logical operations or recall memory bits, a significant stream of electrons must flow through the circuits to allow them to perform that task.
I love machines. As much as I like people too, I’m more of a machine person than a people person. Humans are amazing and have value and needs that you can’t really compare to a machine, but there are parallels. Excuse my machine loving mind for drawing these analogies. Later we will discuss the needs of humans and the economy.
Personal computers work best when most of their resources are idle or unused most of the time. My personal rule is that I like to keep everything below about 50% utilization when I can help it. That way if there is a sudden increase in demand I have the resources to handle it. I like to use even less cpu time because that involves, power, and more importantly it creates heat.
Even powerful server computers in climate controlled environments need some unused memory, disk space and cpu cycles or they start to operate very inefficiently. When ram memory gets full things must be swapped to the disk, which takes about 100,000 times longer to recall as ram memory. When cpu cycles are all used, operations get backlogged and may not be performed when they are needed. You get lag and timeouts and all sorts of problems. Frustrated users keep refreshing their browser which only further taxes your system.
Modern disk filesystems are pretty efficient at organizing data, but as they get very close to full it becomes hard to find open chunks of memory to put new stuff.
So with machines, idle resources are what you want, but every part of the machine is serviced and taken care of equally to meet its needs.
The sentiment in the computer world is that hardware is cheap. You always want to have more than enough physical hardware to cover your needs and you don’t want to have to struggle through complex, mind bending puzzles trying to make things work with insufficient resources.
Humans are very different than computers, but I think the paradox that too few resources leads to inefficient resource usage applies to us as well. If you struggle to survive you’ll need expensive health care or dental care or cause other physical or mental problems that are taxing on both the individual and society.
With abundant resources there is no pressure to conserve, so it is possible to get wasteful and inefficient behavior. But with computers we have learned how to keep things efficient even when we have resources to spare. I think it’s simply a matter of choice.
Having everyone employed is a cultural assumption and expectation. But once I started to learn a little bit about computers years ago it seems ridiculous to me. If we need everyone working 40 hour weeks to meet our needs adequately then we are working very poorly and very inefficiently.
The tragedy is that most of the environmental problems and burdens we place on people come from a struggle to work that is a relatively recent cultural invention. We use the most fuel commuting. People can become physically and mentally exhausted from the effort to put food on the table. If our employment activities aren’t enriching, rewarding, and essential, what we are asking people to do is manipulative, inappropriate, and unfair. The default argument to support this arrangement seems to be “This is the way things are done” “You can’t change the system” “Everybody needs to work and take care of themselves and be self sufficient”
Let’s talk about self sufficiency. What does that even mean? Does the average american consumption driven lifestyle really qualify as self sufficiency? When oil prices are a significant factor in voting attitudes and the state indulges your dependence or you throw a fit? Does that sound like self-sufficiency? Oil concerns lead to terrible foreign policy, terrible domestic activities that hurt the environment, and global environmental destruction. Until I learned MMT I didn’t understand how important fiscal policy is in dictating the lifestyles we live. At that time I thought it was only regulatory concerns that significantly limited our lifestyle options, but fiscal decisions carve out the economic space that is available for us to live, in the same way cities and infrastructure carve out the physical space that can support living for larger populations. A few individuals, highly skilled and resourceful could perhaps live without dependence on public support and infrastructure, but “living in the wilderness” a la thoreau would require policy support to work for a large population.
Our indulgence in oil is not arbitrary, it comes from a compulsion to embrace soundbite moral values in conservative politics and neglecting or wholly denying real apocalyptic issues. Yes, terrible foreign policy can lead to global war. Yes, environmental neglect has a dollar price-tag and more importantly is a threat to the survival of communities, cultures, political entities, humanity, and ultimately most or all of life on earth.
Many contemporary liberals are guilty as well for permitting this while only verbally express regret about the nature of “contemporary political imperatives”. Libertarians show enthusiasm for facilitating individuals pursuing alternate lifestyles including eco-friendly frugal lifestyles, but are ideologically blinded from seeing the great value of public action on these issues.
When I was 14 years old I went and spent a couple weeks with my grandpa who was still an active farmer at that time. I helped him out with his farm work. There was some hard work involved, which I had been told plenty about, including its moral merits. But what surprised me was that we weren’t working at 100% the whole time. It seemed quite a nice lifestyle, sometimes demanding, but it also let you do things at your own pace.
Now it could be that my grandpa was getting closer to retirement and that he was taking it a little bit easy. Probably true. But at the same time I don’t think that’s the full picture.
We would wake up at 4am and drive to the farm and then spend an hour or two early moving pipe. Some of his irrigation lines were basically self moving with motors but others had to be moved manually. My older cousin would help us out and we could get going rather quickly.
There were lots of random tasks and chores, and after we finished in the morning nothing was quite as demanding the rest of the day. Lunch was eaten early and there was a 2 hour block just for napping in the afternoon. We would drive tractors and other equipment. We would service tools and machines. I didn’t have a full picture of everything we were doing and why, but it was enjoyable.
There’s a period during harvest season where farmers are really busy and can use all the help and labor they can get. I wasn’t there at that time, it was much more laid back and flexible.
That was over 10 years ago, but it still involved modern farming tools and techniques. We took care of a lot of land and grew much more crop than the people working could possibly consume. I’ve heard that the trend has since then has been moving toward larger and more profitable farms and there are fewer middle class family run farming operations like what my grandpa did.
Going back in history I think most people have been mostly idle most of the time. If you’ve ever watched a nature documentary on lions, most of the time you just see them chilling in the shade. The male lions don’t even hunt at all.
Early man(and women) probably led a similar lifestyle.
Hunter-gatherers and early agrarians would have had daily tasks and chores, but even with their primitive technology there was no need to work continuously.
In the modern world with our tech we have dramatically improved our productivity, but somehow that has led to an expectation that we must work and produce more.
I think basic income proposals are a simple and creative solution. In a way it would be organizing our economy and society the way we organize a computer system. You give resources to each part according to what it needs to perform optimally, and then you allocate tasks when stuff needs to get done.
At the same time, I really like the organic distributed nature of human society. We are part of small local groups first, as small as families, and then larger communities and then states and countries. We have a position and role in all these overlapping entities. Our highest priority obligations are first to serve and care for ourselves and then each successively larger group takes next priority because that is the scope of our influence.
Perhaps each level of hierarchy of society could help provide needs and share resources. If the basic income is allocated from different levels of government then each level shares discretion and responsibility.
There are lots of options to dramatically improve the way we organize and get things done.
Sometimes the best answers when you look at the big picture are the opposite of what you would expect when looking at the small picture.
Most of the time, I enjoy being idle. I like doing something engaging and useful on a daily basis, including social activities and things that help other people. But there is no reason why it has to look like a paid job or an employment relationship, which we take for granted but are actually relatively recent inventions.
AdvertisementsFind An Event Create Your Event Help Fallbrook Brewing Company GRAND OPENING Fallbrook Brewing Company Inc
Fallbrook, CA Share this event: Get Tickets There are no active dates for this event. Thank you for attending our Grand Opening celebration. We look forward to seeing you in the tasting room soon and hope you had a blast. Make sure to share your photos from the day by visiting us on facebook at www.facebook.com/fallbrookbrewing - Be Social, Drink Local! Not Available
Event Fallbrook Brewing Company GRAND OPENING Fallbrook Brewing Company Inc is opening it's doors! Come Help us celebrate the Grand Opening!
We will be offering three (3) sessions for you to choose from:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013
Session #EARLY: 12:00PM - 2:00PM
Session #LATE: 3:00PM - 5:00PM
Session #VIP: 6:30PM - 8:00PM
Your purchase of an #EARLY or #LATE ($15) ticket includes:
- Admission to one session, #EARLY 12:00-2:00pm OR #LATE 3:00-5:00pm
- Commemorative FBC Pint Glass
- Tickets for five tasters
- Ticket for a specialty tasting (each session will have it's own specialty beer)
- Complimentary Iced Tea and Water
Your Purchase of a #VIP ($25) ticket includes:
- Admission to one session, 6:30pm-8:00pm
- Commemorative FBC Pint Glass
- Unlimited tasters
- Unlimited tasters of specialty beers (will include both specialty beers from #EARLY and #LATE sessions - while supplies last)
- Cheesecake made with a Russian Imperial Stout ganache. The beer used in the ganache is from our Head Brewer's award winning Home Brew, brewed at a local brewery.
- Complimentary Iced Tea & Water
- Limited to 30 Attendees
***PLEASE NOTE: This event is strictly 21 and over, even for designated drivers! THERE IS NO ADMITTANCE WITHOUT VALID PHOTO ID! No infants or children. No Pets.*** Location Fallbrook Brewing Company Inc (View)
136 N. Main Avenue
Fallbrook, CA 92028
United States 136 N. Main AvenueFallbrook, CA 92028United States
Categories Food > Beer, Wine, Spirits
Minimum Age: 21 Kid Friendly: No Dog Friendly: No Non-Smoking: Yes! Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! Contact Email:
support@brownpapertickets.comPeople suffering from depression are finding help when electromagnetic waves enter their brains.
Mental health experts estimate that depression affects more than 120 million people worldwide. It severely affects the person’s quality of life and, in extreme cases, can lead to suicide.
Anti-depressant medicines have been shown as an effective treatment for many patients. But the drugs are unable to help some people with the disorder.
For such persons, doctors may suggest deep transcranial magnetic stimulation, or DTMS for short.
In this treatment, patients wear a helmet — a large hard hat on their head. The helmet is connected to a machine.
An electric coil in the helmet sends out regular pulses of electromagnetic energy. These beating sounds produce changes in the brain area responsible for the disorder.
In the treatment room, patient Wayne Sarles says he felt an improvement after four weeks of DTMS.
“Since I started this treatment I’ve only had one cycle of deep depression and that’s uncharacteristic for this time frame so I’m very relieved.”
The first results are felt in about five days. Wagdi Attia is a mental health expert. He uses this treatment on his patients.
“In three to four days later they said ‘yes, I’m out of it. Yes, I am more energized. Yes, I sleep better and could function. I can go out I have a good relationship with my husband or my wife.’”
Electromagnetic brain stimulation is not new. It was first used to treat depression over 30 years ago. Now, a new generation of wiring can direct the energy on one part of the brain. DTMS starts with daily 20-minute-long treatments for 20 to 30 days. The patient then returns for treatment two to three times a week for several weeks.
The only side effect is sometimes minor head pain.
Aaron Tendler is the chief medical officer of Brainsway, the company that makes the machine. He told VOA on Skype that it is hard to say how long the effects of DTMS last.
“We do know that if a person continues maintenance, meaning if a person gets better from TMS and then continues some form of maintenance, meaning twice a week for 3 months, they’ll more than likely stay better.”
DTMS is being used in Europe to treat both depression and other conditions. Patients there are getting treated for dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. And DTMS is even being used to help some Europeans stop smoking.
But in the United States, the federal Food and Drug Administration has approved it only for the treatment of drug-resistant depression. But clinical tests are continuing on other conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Both of the disorders, like depression, can get in the way of a person working and getting along with people.
I’m Anne Ball.
George Putic reported this story for VOANews.com. Anne Ball adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
transcranial – adj. passing through the skull
stimulation – n. the act of exciting to activity or growth
coil – n. a number of turns of wire wound around a core center to create a magnetic field for an electromagnet
regular – adj. happening at the same time in the same way
uncharacteristic – adj. not typical or usual
relieved – adj. feeling relaxed and happy because something difficult has stopped
obsessive-compulsive disorder – n. an anxiety disorder when a person has thoughts or actions over and over again that cause distress or interfere with normal daily living
post-traumatic stress disorder – n. a mental condition that can affect a person who has had a very shocking or difficult experienceIn the past, Detroit rapper Danny Brown has talked about his affinity for Nas and made his reverence for the Queens MC known time and again. In a new interview, Danny reveals that it was Nas who actually spurred him to start smoking weed.
"Nas, my favorite rapper, and Nas used to always talk about smoking blunts and drinking Hennessey, you know, and this and that," he says in a new interview with Vice. "Everybody around me smoked weed, of course. I tried weed a few times, but I couldn’t handle it. It was when I Am came out. The rollout was so big. I remember the day it came out, I bought me—I never really drank like that—I bought me a pint of Hennessy and I got me some weed and I’m a sit here and I’m gonna listen to it.
"And I swear, this shit tasted fucking disgusting when I first tasted Hennessy. I couldn’t believe what the fuck it was," remembers Danny. "It tasted like ass, you know what I‘m saying? But I drunk it and I smoked and I listened to the album. And then I got high. I mean, I got high. But it was like, I heard the music. I didn’t never hear music like that before. Something clicked like this shit sound like I don’t know, it just did something, it made me rap in my head at the same time while I was listening to the songs and ideas was coming."
When asked if he thinks about the influence he has on kids, Danny says no and shoots back with an excellent answer: "I still want to keep the essence in it because that’s what rap music is. This ain’t fucking folk, this ain’t country, this ain’t jazz, it’s rap. It’s supposed to be abrasive, it’s supposed to be some shit you supposed to not listen to around your fucking mom and your grandma. They don’t supposed to like it. So I want to keep that because now if you don’t look at it, rap is starting to become that way where you can listen to it with your mom or your grandma might fucking like it. But me, I want to keep that element of it to where it’s like no, you don’t supposed to play this in public. This is real bad. It’s a lot of dirty language. That’s what rap music is to me."The author and maintainers of the popular Requests library are working on a crucial version 2.0 release. As you can see this new release will include a large number of bug fixes and features which are backwards incompatible with the 1.x branch of Requests. Not to worry though, the transition from 1.x to 2.x will be far less painful than the transition from 0.x to 1.x. Most of the backwards incompatibility arises from how 2.x will handle headers (as will be explained below).
Improving HTTPS proxy support
Perhaps the most exciting part of this upcoming release is the improved proxy support. Version 2 will include support for the CONNECT verb which will make talking to HTTPS services possible from behind a proxy. For example: anyone who wishes to use Requests on PythonAnywhere’s free tier will be able to once version 2 is released. As noted in the pull request, this would not be possible without the amazing work of the contributors to urllib3 – the library on top of which Requests is implemented.
Fixing a subtle bug with headers
Beyond adding proxies, there was a particularly nasty bug on Python 3 where some headers could not be set using native strings. As this was a backwards incompatible change this is only being fixed for the first time in version 2.0. If you have run into this problem your headaches will be long gone.
Adding new convenience methods
Finally, if you are a Requests user who creates their requests carefully by hand, the new method on the Session object will prepare them for you! You no longer have to jump through extra hoops to include the cookies stored on the Session.
Future Requests updates
As soon as Requests 2.0 is out, we will have a full review here, so be sure to subscribe to our Python tag and The Changelog Weekly for further updates.DETROIT, MI- A General Motors Co. plant is collaborating with a Detroit nonprofit organization for a new, unique housing project.
The GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant and Michigan Urban Farming Initiative today unveiled the city's first "shipping container homestead," a shipping container that is going to be turned into an eco-friendly two bedroom living space.
“This is one of our real flagship projects,” said Darin McLeskey, co-founder of the nonprofit farming group.
The home, according to officials, will be constructed of 85 percent scrap materials donated by GM and built in part by employee volunteers. The 40 feet by 10 feet container, which will include a bathroom, kitchen and porch, will be built to code and "officially sanctioned" by the City of Detroit. McLeskey said the main purpose of the container, which is expected to be completed by August, is to house interns or graduate students for the organization. The container is expected to be moved to the organization's headquarters and urban garden.
The project is in collaboration with TAKD Design and Integrity Building Group of Detroit. TAKD Design led the aesthetics and Integrity Building Group developed the build plans and will oversee construction.
GM donated many of the building materials from scrap at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, Brownstown Battery Assembly in Brownstown, Mich., the GM Technical Center in Warren, Mich., and GM Component Holdings in Rochester, N.Y.
McLeskey said the container could be officially unveiled this fall during the annual Detroit Design Festival.
Partnering for the container is part of GM's larger sustainability plan that involves reusing as many resources as possible and operating landfill-free facilities, such as Detroit-Hamtramck.
Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) Vice President Darin McLeskey (left) and General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant Manager Doneen McDowell inside a storage container Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at an event announcing the plant's collaboration with MUFI to help build the city's first occupied shipping container homestead. (Courtesy GM)
“This innovative project allows our facility to give back even more and be an integrated community partner while reusing materials that would otherwise be discarded,” said Doneen McDowell, Detroit-Hamtramck plant manager. “MUFI’s plan to reinvent urban agriculture is a creative approach that helps Detroit’s renaissance in a sustainable, efficient manner.”
During the event, the GM Foundation also donated $50,000
donated $50,000 to nine Detroit and Hamtramck charities, bringing its total investment to more than $200,000 since 2011 within the community.
Charities receiving grants included
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, andNEW YORK–Kate (not her real name) wants a career in finance, and she’s pursuing her education for it. But there’s one problem: many of the jobs for which she will apply require background checks-and when they look into her history, they’ll find a prostitution record.
Raised in the suburbs, Kate ran away from home at the age of 14 after years of enduring physical and emotional abuse from her father and her mother’s drug-addiction. But she ended up trading in one form of abuse for another: the lack of any place to which to turn forced her into having sex with random men, simply so that she could find shelter. One of these men turned out to be a violent and abusive pimp who took control of her life, forcing her into the oldest, and the most often currently practiced, form of slavery: forced prostitution.
Cut off from the outside world by the pimp, she was raped repeatedly by customers-once at gunpoint. The record that now shows up in background checks was generated over the years when she was arrested six times for prostitution. Despite all those arrests, police never bothered to work out what was going on, that Kate was a victim of trafficking-a sex slave.
At 16, she escaped and fled to another state, where she joined a recovery program. Upon returning to New York, she testified against the pimp, bravely enduring threats of death. As a consequence, the pimp was sent to jail for 12 years.
Kate was clearly victimized. Nonetheless, the crimes perpetuated against were still listed on her record as crimes perpetuated by her, shutting out any number of possible job options.
Until now.
As of August 16th, when Governor David Paterson signed into law a bill sponsored by Assembly Member Richard Gottfried and State Senator Thomas Duane, a person who has been the victim of sex trafficking can go back to court to have any arrest for prostitution that occurred as a result of their slavery erased from their record.
Those who work with trafficked people hailed the measure. “Some of our clients, survivors of trafficking into commercial sex, were arrested more than 10 times before escaping,” said Sienna Baskin, co-director of the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center, which helped draft the bill.
“These survivors,” Baskin continued, “have suffered enough and simply want to move on with their lives, by finding a good job and a safe place to live.”
While the new law won’t clear up the traumatic psychological after effects of repeated rape, it will likely help the young women move forward economically. Kate, for example, will no longer have to tell prospective employers that she was, at one time, a prostitute.
Currently, New York is the first and only state in the country to have enacted such a law.
Baskin said that the “landmark legislation” could be considered “a model that will help end treatment of these survivors as criminals. We hope the rest of the country follows New York’s leadership.”
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45909111@N00/830045087/If you were thrown before the police camera right now, what face would you make? Would you smile? Would you cry? Or would you stand there emotionless and resigned? Whatever you end up doing, odds are it won’t be your favorite photo.
Profile pictures, on the other hand, give you the opportunity to set up perfect lighting, pose for hours, and shoot and re-shoot until you get the perfect portrait.
A Tumblr called In Duplo, meaning “in double, or “in duplicate” in Latin, is a collection of booking photos placed next to the arrestees’ profile pictures. There are no names or arrest details; the photos alone give insight to how your circumstances can change the way you present yourself.
Below are a few of our favorites.
Related: Bad Moms OnlineYour bed is covered in bacteria … Let’s change that.
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After just one night of use, your pillowcase and bed sheets can accumulate a horrifying array of bacteria, allergens and fungus. Dermatologists recommend washing your pillowcase every two or three days. But who has time for that?
The average adult washes their sheets every 2-3 weeks.
Studies suggest that some men change their sheets just four times a year and women, every two and a half weeks... Sound about right? Our fabric is engineered to stay fresh, clean and comfortable night after night — regardless of how often you toss them in the washer.
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Similar products wash out or degrade in strength over time. However, because the silver is woven directly into our fabric, it will never wash away. Incredibly Soft: We’ve paired our technology with Supima cotton grown right here in the USA. Supima cotton is among the softest, most durable cotton in the world.
We’ve paired our technology with Supima cotton grown right here in the USA. Supima cotton is among the softest, most durable cotton in the world. All Natural – No Chemicals: Similar products use harsh chemical treatments to adhere silver particles to fabrics. We use the real thing – 99% pure natural silver.
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A New Category of Bedding
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We are constantly seeking new ways to use the world’s smartest natural materials. After years of research, we harnessed the incredible benefits of natural silver to create an innovative fabric that will, hopefully, create a whole new category of bedding.
The Science
Basically, silver carries a positive charge, and bacteria is negative (go figure). The silver is attracted to the bacteria, breaks its cell wall and the bacteria is destroyed before it has a chance to reproduce.
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This technology has been verified by more than a decade of testing at research institutions including Pennsylvania State University and Cornell University. Silvon is tested in accordance with the highest antimicrobial standards (ASTM E2149). These lab tests have shown a 99.9% reduction in bacteria on the fabric. Furthermore, Our fabric is put through rigorous wash tests to ensure protection that will last the lifetime of the product.
Great. But comfy?
Advanced silver fibers and supple Supima cotton come together to create the perfect sleep surface.
A pillowcase isn’t much good if it’s not conducive to an amazing night’s sleep. That’s why we combined our technology with long-staple Supima cotton. One hundred percent of this cotton is grown in the US, and it’s among the most durable, softest cotton in the world.
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No harsh chemicals, no nanotechnology – those were our guidelines. We’ve partnered with a US-based antimicrobial tech company that uses natural silver to prevent bacterial growth on fabrics. Their proprietary process completely covers advanced fibers with silver while allowing them to remain extremely soft, flexible and comfortable.
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Silvon is committed to manufacturing products that surpass the most stringent safety and environmental protection standards. All of our products are Oeko-Tex certified, which means that it supports human ecology through bio-compatibility and the absence of harmful substances in the manufacturing
Oh, and if you have a furry friend?
Your pet may be bringing more than love and warmth to your bed. Your four-legged friend is another source that enables bacteria, mold and allergens to grow.
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We think less is more, which is why we don’t include unnecessary patterns or detailing. Instead, we designed the simplest, most comfortable fabric we could, using premium natural materials, without the premium price.
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Although our fabric helps keep bacteria from swarming your pillowcase, dust and other debris can sometimes accumulate. We recommend washing every 10-14 days with your normal laundry. Wash it on a cool or warm cycle, and tumble dry on low heat or hang to dry. Do not use chlorine bleach.
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We don’t wear the same tee shirt for weeks on end – why do we lay onto a pillowcase that hasn’t been washed in days? This simple question became the beginning of an incredible journey to make a revolutionary fabric that would, hopefully, create a whole new category of bedding.
Almost two years ago we launched our first product, SleepClean. It was an instant success. We had thousands of happy customers, and can be found in retail stores around the world.
But we constantly ask whether there is a better way. We wanted to create a solution that was completely permanent and avoid the use of any chemicals in our manufacturing process. We searched for new ways to use the world’s smartest natural materials. After years of researching, testing, and chasing this vision, we’ve harnessed the incredible benefits of natural silver to create a pillowcase and then bed sheets like no other.
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America has been roiled by political instability and protests in recent years, which analysts warn can create fertile ground for extremists.
The point is to both comment on deep divide between how events are reported when they take place here in the US verses when they take place elsewhere. Easier access for more reporters plus a better understanding of the context makes for a greater diversity of stories and nuance. Information about similar situations in Africa, take the 2007-8 post-election violence in Kenya, relies on a smaller set of foreign journalists, local reporters and international bodies like the UN and Human Rights Watch to gather and share what is happening. Such situations also involve statements from world leaders condemning what is happening.
As the events continue to unfold since last week’s tragic shooting, the satirical column written by Fisher is slowly becoming reality. “[The US] should take care of large-scale internal problems and take effective measures to resolve them,” said Russian foreign ministry’s commissioner for human rights, democracy and law, Konstantin Dolgov.
“This is a more constructive way corresponding the requirements and realities of the 21st century, interventions in the internal affairs of other countries and replacing disfavoured regimes on the false pretext of protecting democracy and human rights – a practice inherited from last century,” he continued.
Even Iran’s ruling cleric Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had something to say about Ferguson, via Twitter.
Today the world is a world of tyranny and lies. The flag of #HumanRights is borne by enemies of human rights w/US leading them! #Ferguson — Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) August 15, 2014
Yesterday, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement about Ferguson. Spokesman Badr Abdelatty said the country is “closely following” the protests and urged “restraint and the right to peaceful assembly.” Abdelatty’s remarks echoed those of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. His office said on Monday that the rights of the protesters in Ferguson should be protected.
“The Secretary-General calls on the authorities to ensure that the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are protected,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric to reporters. “He calls on all to exercise restraint, for law enforcement officials to abide by U.S. and international standards in dealing with demonstrators.”
The United States quickly responded to Egypt by making a glancing shot at Egypt’s problematic human rights record.
“We here in the United States will put our record for confronting our problems transparently and honestly and openly up against any other countries in the world,” said deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf to the press.
Reuters pointed out that the statement by Egypt mirrors one issued by the White House in July 2013 when supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi were protesting. The administration “urged security forces to exercise maximum restraint and caution.”
At least 1,150 demonstrators were killed during the protests between July and August of 2013, by Egyptian Security Forces. A report released by Human Right Watch last week said that the events were “likely crimes against humanity.” More than 800 people were killed in a single day, security forces attacked a sit-in protest at Rab’a al-Adawiya.
In Rab’a Square, Egyptian security forces carried out one of the world’s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, in a press release. “This wasn’t merely a case of excessive force or poor training. It was a violent crackdown planned at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. Many of the same officials are still in power in Egypt, and have a lot to answer for.”
Meanwhile, protests and general civilian unrest continues in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson. The US government is taking an increasing role, including performing its own autopsy on Brown’s body. The handling of the protests has sparked further outcry and media attention. As has police action against journalists, from intimidation to arrests, who are trying to cover the ongoing events.Would you work for 68% below minimum wage just to build your skills as a voiceover artist?
Me neither.
I occasionally trawl for jobs on some of the freelance sites out there. Sometimes you can find voiceover work that, while it may not pay the greatest, will still pay a fair rate for the work involved. It doesn't happen that often, however, and freelance sites like this are known among voiceover circles as "Dollar-a-holler sites."
The other day I noticed this job offer and couldn't believe my eyes:
This guy wanted someone to record 300,000 words, split across 100 different recordings and was willing to pay $100 for the effort.
Knowing I was not in the running (and completely unwilling to work for this rate,) I proceeded to bid $30,000 on the project - which is about the middle of the scale for what this much work should pay. And then (because I am not always the most diplomatic of individuals with stuff like this) told the voice seeker that their job posting was the single most ridiculous offer I had ever seen.
I was going to just leave it at that, and shared it with my followers on Twitter as an object lesson for new voiceover artists.
Much to my surprise, the voice-seeker replied back:
With my give-a-f*** circuit now having fully melted down, I replied back:
The voice seeker tried to impress upon me that what they were doing was providing an opportunity for new voiceover talent to gain valuable experience and add to their resume.
Really?
Let's do the math:
According to the script timer provided by Edge Studio, averaging about 3 words spoken per second, a 3,000 word script would take roughly 16 minutes to record. This is assuming you're able to read the entire script perfectly on the first shot without having to do any re-takes. How long would it take to edit the breaths between words, save the file and move on to the next recording? Realistically, (as if ANYTHING about this job could be seen as realistic) let's figure 10 minutes of editing per recording.
With 100 scripts to record and edit, that works out to about 43 HOURS of work.
And based off of the rate that the client wants to pay, this means you are working for about $2.32 per hour.
Look: It doesn't matter if you're brand new in the world of voiceover or not: YOUR TIME AND EFFORT HAVE WORTH.
Don't get suckered into believing that this will help you develop your skills and add to your resume. The client is making money off your work, which you would be giving to them at a third of what minimum wage is.
Don't work for slave wages: Freelance isn't free.
------------------------------------------------
About Rob Marley -
A Los Angeles native, Rob is an accomplished voice talent, producer and writer, now living in the Hill Country of Austin, Texas.
Find out more here.We begin this evening in the mines with the dwarves, who get a surprise visit from Emma. She’s decided to take Happy’s pickaxe, and when he protests, she shares this bit of advice:
“When your name is on something, hold onto it.”
And I call that a serious clue. I’m calling it for sure now, though I’ve had an inkling from the beginning. I don’t think Emma is controlling her dagger, despite having it in her hands last episode. Someone else is calling the shots here. Remember when Hook begged her to tell him what happened last week? Her answer was “I wish I could tell you.” Not “no” or “Eff you” or “I’m not going to tell you,” but “I wish I could tell you.” That’s another little clue, I think.
Flashback now to Camelot where Regina’s trying to whip up a potion to free Merlin from the tree. Snow suggests that they talk directly to Merlin via a magic toadstool she located in a book called “The Crimson Crown” which grows only in the Forest of Eternal Night. (I’m sure the forest is strictly forbidden to all students at Camelot castle, too). David pawns baby Neal off on Snow and goes with Arthur, who addresses him as ‘Your Majesty’.
Helloooo? Continuity? Last week, I remarked that they introduced Snow at the royal ball as “Lady Mary Margaret” instead of Princess (or Queen) Snow White and the only explanation anyone had for that bit of inconsistency was that maybe the royals were trying to stay undercover. Obviously, that isn’t the case. Anyway, enough bitching about continuity.
Let’s go forward now to Storybrooke, where Regina’s looking at the same book she was studying in Camelot, with the pic of the funky toadstool marked by a question mark. In stomp the dwarves, all pissed about Emma and her axe-thieving ways.
“Stop being a scared parent – be our sheriff!” Leroy demands, ready to lead a seven dwarf march down main street, singing about the chains of their oppressors. It’s a bit much, Leroy. Nobody’s a raging anti-dwarfite, here.
David’s starts getting all manly and punching shit ’cause he can’t stop Emma from stealing axes. He feels like he failed her because he should have stopped her from going dark. Snow reassures him with “In any world, you are my hero. Remember?” That line left a taste in my mouth. Talk about sappy.
In walks Arthur, with an urgent need. His relicary has been robbed, and a magic bean has been taken. So rare, those beans. How the hell did it take Rumplestiltskin a century of searching to never find one? It’s only Season five and we’ve come across a good half-dozen, not to mention Regina had a growing bean plant in a terrarium in her office in Season two that no one’s ever discussed. Sheesh.
Back at Emma’s palatial digs, she’s trying the dwarf axe on the rock holding Excalibur and it fails. Dark Rumple gives a giggle and tells her:
“We want you to snuff out the light, so we want you to find a hero to pull Excalibur from the stone.”
Is there a mouse in his pocket? We???
Back in Camelot, Regina and Zelena have a little chat – once Regina zaps her voice back. Zelena immediately starts the sarcasm rolling and Regina tells her she can’t take the child away from Robin. Zelena points out that they were going to do the same damn thing to her, really getting pissy until Regina takes her voice again. She promises Zelena that the baby will be safe and loved, but she won’t promise the same for its mother.
David and Arthur, meanwhile, have gone full-on Knight in gorgeous costumes, Arthur shows off the round table and mentions that (a) Percival’s chair is empty and he’s got no beef with David for killing a man who needed to be killed (even though David could have just disabled the guy and would have done so in previous seasons) and (b) many of his knights are kings and princes in their own realms and they all sit in the same chairs. Oh, except this one special one. That chair is the Siege Perilous, held for the knight who takes on the bravest quests.
Lancelot held that chair, and David brings up the whole “cheating on Arthur’s wife” thing, which is obviously a sore subject. Then David informs Arthur that Lancelot bit the big one. Arthur seems genuinely saddened, even though the circumstance of Lancelot’s departure was predicated by that big, strapping, gorgeous hunk of knighthood shagging Arthur’s wife senseless.
Arthur’s squire interrupts that steaming mental picture to bring in the chest – or relicary – that holds all their sacred magical items, Arthur suggests that they take “The unquenchable flame” a fire taken from the burning bush itself. Oooooh! They’re bringing in bible mythology now. What’s next? Plagues? Arks? Pillars of salt? This could be fun.
Forward to Storybrooke now, where David’s questioning the squire, a guy by the name of Gryff, who was guarding the now-empty relicary. Gryff suggests that maybe the Dark One took their stuff. Arthur smacks that right down, pointing out that the lock has been pried and Emma woudn’t need tools to open a lock. David gets an idea and off he goes.
Finally – Hook! He shows up at Granny’s to talk to Robin. Robin pulls out a cellphone pic of his rape baby and when Hook asks what that is he replies;
“Its a picture from up inside Zelena.”
Hook makes a face and responds with “Whoa – mate…”
Ha! TMI, Robin, TMI. It’s an ultrasound picture, of course, and despite the circumstances, he’s happy to have a baby.
Hook mentions that Emma’s not the same and tells Robin about the door in Emma’s house. Granny shows up with a sack of vittles that Hook didn’t order, but it comes with a note from Emma, telling him to meet her on his ship.
He heads for the Captain’s cabin, and is more than a little wary when she poofs in out of nowhere.
She poofs up a recreation of their first date, including dress, hairstyle and checkered table cloth (but with the comfort-food addition of grilled cheese and onion rings), really going for the gut as she tries to calm his red flag-raising instincts that tell him this woman isn’t to be trusted.
Flashback to Camelot, where David is doing some male-bonding with Arthur on their way to fetch the toadstool. Arthur mentions he started out poor and peasant, and David’s all “Shepherds represent!” and then they’re swapping “My wife can out archery your wife” barbs. Arthur says that he wasn’t always a great guy – especially back when Lancelot and Guinevere were banging, but he’s made a conscious decision “to fix things.”
They spy the magic toadstool sitting in a pool of sunlight over a half-submerged bridge and David says “I’ll go.” Arthur’s like “knock yourself out, dude,” and David runs for it, not noticing the floating knight-parts in the dark water.
Forward to Storybrooke where Belle has found a healing spell that she’s going to attempt on Rumple. She needs one last ingredient – something that touched him when he was still a man, before he became The Dark One.
David and Arthur arrive to ask if anyone’s come in to pawn an extremely rare and amazingly hard to find magic bean and Belle acts like that’s an everyday occurrence but she shrugs and tells them no. Not today. Nobody had this incredibly hard to find thing that can take us all back to our land and cross realms today.
David finds a chalice from the dwarves’ recently celebrated “Doctoberfest” (I want to go to Doctoberfest!) and decides to use it to his advantage in finding the thief. He heads out to the forest, where he announces to the gathered people of Camelot that it’s the “Chalice of Vengeance” and it will identify the thief. He orders them to line up and drink from it. Rather than tip his hand (or steal quietly away) Arthur’s squire takes off on horseback, with David in pursuit.
After a horse and car chase that would do Starsky and Hutch proud, David climb out the truck window leaving Arthur to drive, picks up a wooden two-by-four of convenience out of the bed of the truck and knocks the squire off the horse.
Flashback to the Forest of Eternal Night, and David’s got the toadstool. He heads back across the semi-submerged bridge only to find his way blocked by suits of armor that have come to life. He fights them all (Arthur is strangely nowhere to be found) but they knock him off the bridge and try to drag him under the water of the bog. Finally, Arthur shows up and pulls him out.
Forward to Storybrooke, where Hook is asking Emma about the locked door in her house. She doesn’t answer that question and instead asks him to trust her. Emma admits she’s different, but better. She claims to have more clarity and less fear.
“Are you suggesting we move forward in a real relationship?” Hook asks.
When Emma brings up the fact that Rumple fell for Belle after he was the Dark One, Hook admits – with a good deal of self-loathing – that he was the villain in he and Rumple’s scenario. He tells Emma how he held his cutlass to Rumple’s throat when all the poor guy was doing was trying to save his family. Emma asks him to trust her once again.
“I’m done humoring you,” he bites out. He knows Emma needs something. Emma assures him that all she needs is his trust.
“Do you love me?” she asks.
“I loved you.” he answers flatly. And my heart breaks in little bitty pieces as Emma poofs the hell out of there.
Some people are upset that Killian seems to be giving up, but you’re forgetting that Hook is nobody’s fool. The best – and surest – way to get Emma back is to methodically and unwaveringly go after the threat. In this case, the threat is Dark Emma, and Hook won’t play her games – they’d only derail him from his course. Buck up, Captain Swan shippers. This is a man who loves deeply enough to carry him through centuries. He’s not giving up.
Flashback to Camelot again, and David’s lost the toadstool in the bog. He also finally realizes he’s not been given much in the way of hero stuff beyond kissing a princess (although, I would argue that sword fighting with a baby in your arms and sending the baby to safety with your last breath is pretty good hero-fodder). Arthur points out that he pulled a sword out of a rock to get famous. He invites David to stay in Camelot..
In Storybrooke, David questions the squire, who admits he’s tired of being used and taken advantage of by Arthur. He also mentions there was no bean in the relicary. Arthur says the dude isn’t lying so it’s possible the bean was removed during the six weeks that have gone missing. Walking back to the truck, David stumbles across the magic toadstool. Arthur has no idea what it is, and if it fell from the squire’s bag, it must’ve been added to the relicary just recently.
David takes the toadstool to Regina, who recognizes it from the book (and it’s giving David some good strong deja vu as well). They may be able to use the toadstool as a walkie-talkie since it communicates between realms and they might be able to talk to Merlin.
“David,” Snow whispers simperingly, “You did it!”
He smiles proudly, clearly pleased that his toe nudged a mushroom under a blanket and reaffirmed his manhood and leadership capabilities.
All right, I have to address this. I appreciate the writers listening to the fans when we snarked on David turning to a bumbling buffoon milquetoast and remarked about how he and Snow were pretty much ignoring or misplacing their baby last season, but this season has really been overkill, don’t you think? Who brings a baby into a diner about to be hit by a cyclone? And the baby has consistently been in the arms of a parent – which is nice but really not necessary. You brought Granny to Camelot, and Belle. You’ve got babysitters. And who flooded David with testosterone? Last week he’s skewering people and this week he’s punching walls and smacking hapless squires with two-by-fours from a moving truck. I love when he gets to be badass, but it’s a bit much, guys.
Flashback now to Camelot, where David, resplendent in princely gear is knighted and added to the round table. He heads for Percival’s chair, and Arthur directs him to the Siege Perilous instead.This has to be by design. I’m still not trusting Arthur.
(Sidenote: Every time they show the round table, I start singing “We’re knights of the round table, we dance when ‘ere we’re able! We do routines and chorus scenes and footwork impecc-able!”)
David sits and everybody applauds and baby Neal – who is in his very attentive mother’s arms – starts crying so Snow heads out of the room to comfort him.
In the hallway, she sees a ghost – Lancelot is back from the dead. He warns her of a terrible villain in Camelot – Arthur. He tells Snow that Camelot is not what it seems. Ha! I knew it! Arthur’s seemed shady from the get-go.
Later that night, Arthur and Guinevere are hanging at the round table, and Arthur reveals that he’s got the magic toadstool.
Forward to Storybrooke, and Arthur shows up at the jail to talk to the squire, who asks to be released, especially since he did everything his king asked: stealing the relicary and giving David a prefabricated story. Arthur says no dice and vents his ire on the fact that David lied about Emma being the Dark One. He wants to take over Storybrooke and build a new Camelot. He gives Gryff poison from the Agrabah vipers and tells him he has to drink it, so they don’t compel him to speak out against his king. The poor sap does just that and poofs away.
Across town, Hook seeks out Robin at Granny’s. He wants to know what’s behind that door in Emma’s basement and suggests that they team up because he needs a thief.
Belle rushes into Granny’s to pick up lunch and her rose is suddenly becoming whole again. Rumple is waking up.She rushes back to the shop only to find Rumple gone. He’s now in the basement of Emma’s house.
Emma has found something that touched Rumple when he was a man – Hook’s cutlass, which she’s holding over Rumple’s prone body now. She crushes it, waking him up.
According to Dark Rumple, Good Rumple’s heart is a blank slate, which can be useful. Emma can make him into the purest hero who’s ever lived.
“I have a job for you,” she whispers. And we fade out on a dazed and confused Rumplestiltskin.
Despite the overkill of David testosterone and the serious deficit of Regina snark, I’m giving this one five dark daggers out of five.
There was some good exposition, those costumes were on point, Arthur is the creep I knew him to be, Hook was his tortured best and Rumple is finally awake. Things are going to get interesting, folks. Strap in and enjoy the ride!
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By Nikhil Pahwa
How would you define “unlimited”? In response to a consultation from the Indian telecom regulator TRAI in 2010, Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecom operator and private ISP, said that while “a strict definition of the word ‘Unlimited’ would mean ‘without any limits’, we beg to differ with the use of the word ‘Unlimited’ in tariff advertisements being termed as misleading”
”The word 'Unlimited'", Airtel added, "has to also be seen from the perspective of the conditions imposed.”
In 2009, ISPs in India, led by Airtel and Tata Indicom, introduced the “Fair Usage Policy”, wherein users with unlimited data plans found that their speed of Internet access was halved if they used up a certain amount of data. In order to get back to full speed, they were forced to fork out more money. At the same time, ISPs continued to advertise “unlimited” broadband plans. Airtel’s justification for this misleading advertising was one for the history books: “the limits set out by most service providers is implicitly unlimited since the capping on usage is done at a very high level.”
Since the institution of the FUP, the relationship between ISPs and their customers has been typified by the first two letters of this acronym: FU. One by one, virtually every ISP systematically rolled out policies that limited Internet usage, with users previously on unlimited plans switched to these “unlimited but with limits” plans without explicit consent or permission. The argument from Airtel then was that the policy was “aimed at encouraging responsible usage among the very few, who make inappropriate use of this service”, essentially saying that a few customers were using too much bandwidth. In effect, the FUP was essentially used to introduce data caps in India, and push customers to pay more for speeds that they are used up. The result: improved monetization for ISPs, and the milking of an Internet user base that wanted higher speeds and more data, not less. Is it any surprise that earlier this year, Airtel wanted the TRAI to allow FUP of as low as 64kbps?
What made things worse was that customers really didn’t have a choice: wireline Internet access in India has, for long, been controlled by neighborhood monopolies, most customers have one or two other ISPs to choose from. The cost of right-of-way access, and the fact that the thugs who run local cable operator businesses would regularly cut wires of competing ISPs meant that the top 4-5 ISPs own most of the market. Fair competition would have driven
The cartelization led by companies that own both telecom operators and ISPs has hurt the growth of broadband in India. India has added less than 10 million wireline broadband connections since 2009, when the Fair Usage Policy was introduced. We have an embarrassingly low wireline broadband base of 17.32 million. Our 2010 target was 20 million, eventually crossed only by including wireless users, for most of whom, until recently, Internet connectivity rarely crossed 100kbps, even though they were on 3G. That isn’t true broadband, and wireless will not be as consistent wireline for broadband access. In fact, this cartelization also helped the same telecom operator cartel: it allowed them push policy towards increasing wireless broadband usage, where they make more money per MB (at around Rs 0.2 per MB) than wireline (believed to be around Rs 0.02 per MB).
The TRAI failed to act in 2010, when it didn’t fine telecom operators for misleading consumers; in comparison, FCC in the US recently fined AT&T $100 million for misleading consumers with its Fair Usage Policy.
Here’s why the FUP and data caps should go:
Firstly, the idea behind data caps and FUP, when they were introduced, was that networks have limited capacity, and users who were using a lot of data were “choking” the bandwidth. However, FUP and data caps aren’t the best way of addressing choking the bandwidth: increasing capacity is. As a country, we ought to incentivise investment in increasing capacity, and not support mechanisms that prevent it.
Secondly, this isn’t 2009. Watching this three hour History Channel documentary or this two hour video of a debate on whether the Universe is a simulation isn’t “irresponsible” or inappropriate” usage, and who is it Airtel to decide whether the usage of an Internet connection is irresponsible or inappropriate? It’s supposed to be merely a facilitator of Internet access, and nothing more, unless, of course, it wants to take on liability for what its customers access online.
Lastly, because of improvement in speed of access over the years, there is much more rich media content online: the growth in video consumption in India is indicative of the demand for video, and now there are speeds that allow it. We’ve seen a substantial increase in speeds of access (some ISPs offer as much as 100mbps, whereas in 2009, most offered around 1mbps), but not a proportionate increase in FUP or data limits.
So while ISPs are encouraging consumption of rich media by offering higher speeds, they are artificially creating scarcity and monetizing it with FUP and data caps. Thus, FUP and data caps are only being used as a pricing tool. From a policy perspective, this government has said that it wants to encourage more Internet usage, not less: it would do well to scrap FUP and data caps, or at least end this FUP based cartelization by making it easier for more ISPs to flourish and compete.
The author is the founder of MediaNama and the co-founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation.
Tech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.(FLINT) Dramatic changes are being proposed for land along the banks of the Flint River were revealed earlier in the week.
But so far all of the funding hasn't been secured.
It's all part of the Flint Riverfront Restoration Project. The head of Genesee County Parks and Recreation updated Genesee County commissioners on a new plan for 80 acres along the river through Flint.
Renderings were shown on what it could look like in the future.
The plans include a new amphitheater for Riverbank Park and the elimination of the Grand Fountain on the north side of the river.
More access to the river for fishing and boating would be encouraged. A triple footbridge is being considered. The old Farmers Market could be used as a place to rent boats. Communities First is in negotiations to make that happen.
More than half of the $36 million budget has been secured, including help from the Mott and Hagerman Foundations.
The National Resources Trust Fund has approved 6 million dollars toward the project. So far $20 million has been approved. The Mott Foundation has committed $5 million to the project so far.
Parks Director Amy McMillan says "the entire project includes Chevy Commons, Riverbank Park and Hamilton Dam. If you've spent any time in Riverbank Park recently, you know it's less than great."
McMillan says one of the first things they want to do is eliminate the Hamilton dam, which she calls "the most dangerous dam in the state."Add another name to the growing list of sub-ohm tanks – the Eleaf Melo. Not to be confused with the rebuildable Eleaf Lemo, the Eleaf Melo Sub-Ohm Tank is affordable and super easy-to-use – just swap out the replaceable organic cotton BVC heads when you’re ready for a fresh coil. Created specifically for the iStick 30W and 50W, it can be used on any 510 device, holds 3.5ml of juice and is ideal from 20-30W. Made from glass and stainless steel with “knurled accents”, it also includes a transparent glass drip tip and adjustable airflow.
Similar to the Aspire Atlantis in many aspects, it costs less than half the price and will provide maximal flavor with it’s 0.5 ohm organic cotton coils. Vapor DNA has the Eleaf Melo Sub-Ohm Tank listed for just $19.99, but if you apply coupon code “DNA10” you’ll get an additional 10% OFF. Visit Vapor DNA for the Eleaf Melo Sub-Ohm Tank now →
* Expiration of coupon code is unknown. Offer good while supplies last.
Eleaf Melo Tank Features:
Optimized vertical coil structure and sizing for performance, wicking, and durability
Stainless Steel construction with knurled accents for style and additional grip
High quality glass tank is paired with a stylistic and functional glass drip tip
3.5 ml High Capacity Tank
Recommended to be run from 20-30W
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Incredibly diverse and easy to use Adjustable Airflow Control
Affordable without sacrificing build quality or performance
22.3mm width
Eleaf Melo Video Review by TVC:One of the most offensive-minded teams in MLS has added another weapon.
Sporting Kansas City announced on Sunday the loan acquisition of Jéferson, a 27-year-old Brazilian midfielder, as the club’s second Designated Player. He joins Mexican striker Omar Bravo as a DP.
“I’ve been preparing physically to be able to come here and make an immediate impact,” Jéferson said in a club statement. “I’m very excited to be here and I come with the goal to help the team fulfill its goal of making the playoffs and ultimately going to the final.”
A native of Brasilia, Jéferson has spent the past two seasons with Rio de Janeiro giants Vasco da Gama. The attacking playmaker has also spent time with Santo André, Guarani, Atlético Goianiense, and Brasiliense.
“We are excited to have gotten Jéferson based on the fact that he is a player with the attacking qualities that can really help our team with the final pass and also scoring goals,” Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes said in a statement. “This is an area where we continue to want to improve, and this is an excellent addition with his pedigree of playing in Brazil.”
After a poor start to the season, Sporting are undefeated in their last 11 MLS games. Pending the completion of his paperwork, Jéferson will be available for selection, possibly even for Sporting’s next league match, Saturday at home to Toronto. Sporting also face EPL side Newcastle on Wednesday in a friendly at Livestrong Sporting Park.
No matter when he gets going, Jéferson is expecting to contribute right away.
“I’m player that moves a lot and am very dynamic,” he said. “I’ve got a strong shot from outside of the area, which makes me a threat in this league because of shots from long distance."Artichokes Are Excellent for Digestive Health http://www.healthymuslim.com/?yifpu
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This wonderful vegetable has many detoxifying qualities; it has numerous benefits for the digestive system, provides a variety of beneficial nutrients and strengthens the immune system
Artichokes are the immature flowers of the thistle plant, and are sometimes referred to as 'globe artichokes'. The leaves and flower buds are edible but the center isn't. Artichokes range in color from dark purple to pale green. The 'Jerusalem artichoke' is a nutritious tuber with a similar taste to the artichoke, but is not actually an artichoke- it is a member of the magnolia family.
Artichokes are a rich source of Vitamin C, folate, dietary fiber, magnesium, and potassium. Artichokes contain the phytochemical cynarin, which aids in digestion by stimulating bile production and gives artichoke its detoxifying qualities.
Artichokes contain the flavanoid silymarin, thought to support the liver by preventing the build-up of toxins in it, and reducing the risk of gallstones. Their high levels of B-vitamins are beneficial for boosting energy and mental alertness, and play an important role in strengthening the immune system.
Both varieties of artichoke (globe and Jerusalem) contain little starch, and instead are rich in a substance known as inulin. The body deals with this in the same way it copes with fiber, as it isn't broken down during normal digestion but ends up in the large bowel where probiotic bacteria ferment the inulin. This chemical has all the benefits of fiber, but unfortunately, it can also be the cause of excessive wind. Its fiber-rich content can also reduce symptoms associated with in digestion and irritable bowel syndrome, such as abdominal pain, nausea, constipation and diarrhea.
Health Benefits
Circulation
In rat models, researchers have found that wild artichoke restored veins and arteries that did not have sufficient flow in them.
Digestive Health
Studies conducted on guinea pigs have found that chemicals in artichokes can stop disturbances in the GI tract. The chemicals halt the intestines from spastic movement. Human studies have also found that artichoke leaf extract can significantly reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and dyspepsia (pain in the mid-abdominal area).
Tips for Using Artichokes
When selecting artichokes, pick ones that feel heavy, have tightly packed leaves, and are dark green in color.
To prepare artichokes, trim the stems and remove any damaged outer leaves. Place them in a saucepan or steamer, and sprinkle over some salt and/or olive oil. Cover and simmer or steam for 20-40 minutes. They are cooked when the leaves pull away easily from the outside.
and/or. Cover and simmer or steam for 20-40 minutes. They are cooked when the leaves pull away easily from the outside. To eat: only the soft ends of the leaves should be eaten, so pull off a leaf, dip the base end into a sauce of choice (melted butter, vinaigrette or mayonnaise are great), and scrape the pulp from the leaf between your teeth. When the leaves are eaten, you will be left with the base, or artichoke heart. Remove the top of the heart and discard. Slice the rest of it up, and eat it in the same way.
References5717
Microsoft Excel - Video Lessons & Training
http://ExcelExposure.com This course will be a complete lesson / teaching tool related to Microsoft Excel. It will have sections and information applicable to all experience levels. It will be updated regularly with additional lessons, tips, and demonstrations of how you can get the most out of Excel. This course will be taught using Microsoft Excel 2010, but most of the functionality can be found in Excel 2007/2003 (although it may be in a different location). I will not be focusing on the Mac version of the product as I do not have it.
Lectures
Lesson Plan with Updated Video Lessons
Go to www.ExcelExposure.com for the most recently posted lessons. Excel Exposure - Lesson Plan
Prerequisites
General knowledge of Microsoft Excel is recommended, but there will be sections of the site for complete beginners. These will likely be updated last because the main purpose is to improve the knowledge-base of those already familiar with Excel. I will try to make sure it is clear what the experience level should be for each lesson.
Syllabus
The course will be hosted on a website I created exclusively for the University of Reddit Course: ExcelExposure.com The general outline of the syllabus will evolve as the lessons are created/posted. The basic construct of the course is posted in the Interest Check post regarding the course: http://www.reddit.com/r/UniversityofReddit/comments/jjxpx/interestcheckmicrosoftexcelcourse/ Please check ExcelExposure.com for updates to the course plan.
Additional information
Microsoft Excel is such a powerful application that it really is not possible to explain every part of it. I will try and teach what I feel are the most relevant tools, information, and usages of Excel to help improve the lives of those who use (or want to use) it on a daily basis.
Teacher qualificationsFrom the official Konami Blog!
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as far as calling on Assad to abdicate his presidency in the presence Syria's central ally, outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The event took place during a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), held in Tehran last August, and it prompted the Syrian delegation to defiantly leave the hall in protest while Morsi was speaking
Much like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Morsi's comments in favor of the Syrian rebels have also earned him harsh criticism and unflattering nicknames at the hands of Syrian loyalists.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah II of Jordan said Sunday that "If the world does not help (Jordan) as it should, and if the matter (of Syria) becomes a danger to our country, we are able at any moment to take the measures to protect the country and the interest of our people," the king told military cadets at a graduation ceremony in southern Jordan, adding that in such a case, Jordan would come out victorious much like it had been in the past.
Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and TwitterVeterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Monday compared the length of time veterans wait to receive health care at the VA to the length of time people wait for rides at Disneyland, and said his agency shouldn't use wait times as a measure of success because Disney doesn't either.
"When you got to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what's important? What's important is, what's your satisfaction with the experience?" McDonald said Monday during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters. "And what I would like to move to, eventually, is that kind of measure."
McDonald's comments angered House Speaker Paul Ryan, who tweeted out Monday afternoon, "This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines."
This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines. https://t.co/OxfT3AYzTi — Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016
McDonald faced questions at the breakfast about the VA's lack of transparency surrounding how long veterans must wait to receive care at VA facilities around the country. The agency has weathered controversy over the past several years due to its struggle to provide timely care for many patients.
The VA secretary said most veterans report being satisfied with their care and argued that the average wait time for a veteran seeking VA treatment is only a matter of days.
He said he did not believe a measure called the "create date," which gauges a veteran's wait time by counting from the day the veteran first requests care, was a "valid measure" of a veteran's VA experience.
The Government Accountability Office released a report in April exploring the metric used to count a veterans' wait time, called the "preferred date." The measure does not count from the time a veteran first calls to make an appointment.This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Protests erupted in Greece Wednesday as the Greek Parliament approved harsh new austerity measures in exchange for a third European bailout. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won the parliamentary vote by a vote of 229 to 64. But 32 members of his own Syriza party voted against the plan, including former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis. Greece’s deputy finance minister, Nadia Valavani, resigned ahead of the vote.
NADIA VALAVANI: I’m not going to vote for this agreement. And this meant that I cannot stay as a member—I cannot stay in the government. It’s only decent that, you know, I surrender my ministry.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Greek politicians approved the harsh austerity measures just days after voters rejected similar reforms in a referendum. The measures include retirement age increases, tax hikes, public spending cuts, pension adjustments and collective bargaining restructuring in exchange for up to $94 billion. Ahead of the vote on Wednesday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras expressed his reservations about the bailout but urged Parliament to support it anyway.
PRIME MINISTER ALEXIS TSIPRAS: [translated] I will admit that the measures we are tabling are harsh, and I don’t agree with them. I don’t believe they will help the Greek economy, and I say so openly. But I also say that I must implement them. That is our difference.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: The vote came amid worker strikes, peaceful marches and violent clashes between protesters and police across Athens. Demonstrators spoke to The Real News network about why they oppose the deal.
DIMITRI VOURAKIS: I’ve come here to protest against the austerity programming of the new—the austerity program of the new Greek government, because it’s an austerity program much worse than that of the right wing. And they are using the so-called, under parentheses, left-wing government in order to implement the program that they couldn’t do it with the right-wing and the center-wing government.
MARIA TSIOBANIDI: I don’t have a job. Do you see that? And now, the thing is that they don’t going to take more people, their jobs; going to fire people, because they don’t have enough money to pay them.
DIMITRI VOURAKIS: I think that the working masses, as the new memorandum goes on, they will realize on their own skin the austerity of the program, and they will abandon the governing party.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more, we go now to Thessaloniki, Greece. That is Greece’s second largest city, where protests also broke out on Wednesday. We’re joined by Theodoros Karyotis, a sociologist, translator and activist who’s been participating in grassroots movements and protesting austerity in Greece.
Welcome to Democracy Now! Can you talk about the vote that took place in the Greek Parliament yesterday, Theodoros, and the response in the streets?
THEODOROS KARYOTIS: Yeah. Of course, as they announced it could be a package of really harsh measures, and the main opposition to these measures right now is their own base, Syriza party, including the Syriza Youth and many, many associations linked to Syriza, and about 30, as we saw, of their own members of Parliament. The protest in the street, it was much—let’s say it was not as massive as when the previous austerity packages were voted in. That is probably the outcome of two weeks of a campaign of terror and blackmail on behalf of the Central European Bank and their European partners, mainly, who have Greece on a chokehold, on a financial chokehold, and have tried to instill fear on most people in order to accept this austerity package.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Theodoros, could you explain, are protesters there calling for Greece to leave the eurozone?
THEODOROS KARYOTIS: Of course, one of the main criticisms of the anti-austerity movement, in general, toward Syriza is that it never really opened the public dialogue on the future of Greece outside the eurozone. It’s never really talked about a plan B, thinking that the plan A of ending austerity within the eurozone purely by force of argument, because the argument is very valid, would have a fortunate conclusion. We saw that the [inaudible]—
AMY GOODMAN: Theodoros, I’m going to interrupt, because we have this breaking news from Wall Street Journal: Eurozone finance ministers agree in principle to grant three-year bailout to Greece. Your quick response? You have 10 seconds.
THEODOROS KARYOTIS: OK, as I was saying, there is a turning of the public feeling right now, that they realize that the eurozone is not compatible with social justice. So there are more and more voices that are trying to envision a future outside the eurozone.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you for being with us, Theodoros Karyotis, sociologist, activist, has been participating in grassroots movements protesting austerity in Greece, speaking to us from Thessaloniki.So the Braves didn't win the division despite an outstanding 94-68 overall record, but there is nobody out there that can say that the Braves were not a great team this season. I guess this is a little taste of what the Giants must have felt in 1993, because I still remember when the Braves won the division with 90 wins once. We can't say the Braves didn't make the last month(s) interesting though; the Braves' 20-10 record in Sept/Oct. topped even the Nationals' mark of 18-13.
And for the last time this season, we here at the Chop are going to share whom we decided were the most and least valuable players on the Braves that made a month like this happen. As always, it's decided by votes, and we're looking at a variety of factors, and not just the nerdy numbers. So without further ado, the awards.
Most Valuable Player
Martin Prado #14 / Left Field / Atlanta Braves Height: 6-1 Weight: 190 Bats: R Throws: R Born: Oct 27, 1983
Credentials: Played in 27 games in which the Braves went 18-9. In 114 plate appearances, Martin hit.325/.375/.461 with a team best.836 OPS, with 33 hits, nine extra-base hits including two home runs, 9 RBI, 11 runs scored, while taking nine walks versus 13 strikeouts. His wOBA of.350 and wRC+ of 120 were both second to Dan Uggla, and he came through in high-leverage situations to the tune of an outstanding +0.405 WPA in the month(s). His WAR of 1.0 was the highest among Braves hitters.
For the second time this season, Martin Prado takes our MVP honors. Mr. Team First was a consistent force all throughout the month, even when the Braves hit some rough droughts here and there. Not mentioned above is the fact that Prado switched between four different positions regularly throughout Sept/Oct, and only twice did he actually play one position for at least five consecutive games. At one stretch, he played seven consecutive games in which he switched positions, mid-game.
If we don't extend Martin Prado this off-season, I might go jump off a bridge.
Most Valuable Pitcher
Kris Medlen #54 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 5-10 Weight: 190 Bats: B Throws: R Born: Oct 07, 1985
Credentials: Made six starts, in which the Braves won all six games, pitched in team-most 43.0 innings, as well as another complete game. 159 batters hit a feeble.167/.195/.279 against Meds, and managed just 26 total hits out of all those innings. Medlen struck out 46 batters while walking just five, leading to some outstanding rate stats of a 9.63 K/9 (1st), 1.05 BB/9 (1st), and a ridiculous 9.20 K/BB (1st Braves, 2nd NL). His ERA of 1.26 was second amongst starters (to Mike Minor), and his 2.52 FIP, 2.29 SIERA were tops on the team. Medlen's 0.72 WHIP was 2nd by a tenth to Mike Minor. He contributed a godly +1.124 WPA score, and was 2nd in the National League in WAR for pitchers with 1.4.
The reigning August NL Pitcher of the Month was recently named the September/October NL Pitcher of the month, and for the second month in a row, he's Talking Chop's pitching MVP, and well-deserved at that. Despite dominating the National League all through August, it's still somewhat amazing to me that he's performing this good for so long, and it culminated on September 30th, when the Braves won their 23rd consecutive Kris Medlen start, which is now, an official all-time Major League Baseball record.
A very honorable mention goes out to Mike Minor, who had himself an outstanding Sept/Oct month in his own right, and could very well have been worthy to both the NL and TC's pitcher of the month honors, if not for the amazing Kris Medlen. Minor was stingy all month long with hitters scrapping a paltry.126 batting average off of him throughout the month, and had a team-best 0.87 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. His 0.9 WAR on the month was second to Kris Medlen.
David Ross Award for Excellence off the Bench
Jose Constanza #13 / Center Field / Atlanta Braves Height: 5-9 Weight: 150 Bats: B Throws: L Born: Sep 01, 1983
Credentials: Played in 21 games and collected 47 plate appearances in which Georgie hit.289/.413/.316 off the bench, collecting 11 hits and scoring four times. Additionally, he took eight walks and swiped three bags. Constanza's.317 wOBA and 97 wRC+ were third on the entire team, throughout the month(s).
What more can we say about Jose Constanza? The guy just kind of shows up randomly whenever there's a need for an outfielder or a pinch-runner, and funky-swings his way into the lineup repeatedly. The reigning International League batting champion played a significant chunk of innings in left field as well as some center, and was even worth 0.4 WAR on the month.
Craig Kimbrel Award for Most Valuable Reliever NOT Named Craig Kimbrel
Okay, we all get it, Craig. Yes, we ALL see that you're striking out the world, with your 17.76 K/9 rate. Yes, and we see that you're hardly walking anyone with that 12.50 K/BB ratio. Yes, we see your minuscule 0.10 FIP and 0.44 SIERA, and that your ERA is freaking zero, again. We're all aware of your 0.9 WAR, that you saved all ten of your save appearances, and that you're simply amazing. But it's time we here at the Chop give you a little bit of a break and share some of the love
Luis Avilan #43 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 6-2 Weight: 220 Bats: L Throws: L Born: Jul 19, 1989
Credentials: Appeared 13 times, and pitched in 13.1 innings, more than any Braves reliever in Sept/Oct. 45 batters hit just.133/.133/.222, and Avilan struck out 12 men, while walking zero point zero. His rate stats were excellent with a 8.10 K/9, 0.00 BB/9 (12.00 K/BB), 1.35 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 1.91 SIERA and a team-best 0.45 WHIP. His 0.3 WAR out of the bullpen was second among relievers.
Raise your hand if you knew who "Luis Avilan" was before the start of 2012? Put your hand down if you're CBtits. Often forgotten in the sexy glamorous world of high-adrenaline relief pitching are the purported garbage men, and we here at Talking Chop want to recognize one of the relievers, not because his name isn't "Jonny Venters" or "Eric O'Flaherty," but because throughout the month, Luis Avilan had done a damn good job, pitching in relief.
The Venezuelan 23-year old who skipped AAA en route to the Braves bullpen has sure, pitched in mostly "garbage" situations, while either down by over four or up by four or more, but has looked impressive in doing so. His rate stats speak for themselves, and the fact that he is left-handed and throws a mid-90s fastball, means the Braves have a very good luxury in Avilan for the playoffs and the future.
Least Valuable Pitcher
Paul Maholm #17 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves Height: 6-2 Weight: 220 Bats: L Throws: L Born: Jun 25, 1982
This is truly a definition of a tough-luck draw for Maholm this month. Maholm pitched in six games in the month(s), and chewed up 32.0 innings in the process. The Braves went 3-3 in those starts. Maholm wasn't truly LVP bad, but he wasn't great either. His.264/.326/.411 slash and his 4.78 ERA said he was a bit too hittable throughout the month, but even his 3.29 FIP indicates that he was a little unlucky too.
"Competing" with Maholm in Sept/Oct. was none other than the oft-discussed Tommy Hanson, who didn't particularly have the greatest month(s), either. Hanson's biggest problem throughout the month(s) was that he was giving up home runs as if they were tax-deductible, but aside from the taters, he actually was way more Hanson-esque than we've seen from him all year. His rate stats were back up to more recognizable numbers of a 9.55 K/9, and really shaved down his walks to a 2.73 BB/9. Overall, hitters weren't tagging Hanson has hard in the month(s), going.256/.314/.527 with that slugging being a result of all the solo shots forfeited.
As I said, it's a tough draw, because neither guy was really at all that bad; WAR liked Maholm (0.7) way more than Hanson (0.1), but as it stands, the majority of us here, reluctantly, voted for Maholm.
Least Valuable Player
Reed Johnson was brought in by the Braves to fill in the vacancy left by the injury to Matt Diaz. Reed Johnson hit.314 in August, which was seen as good. Unfortunately, Reed Johnson hit next to nothing in Sept/Oct, except eight singles, two doubles, and the Pirates' Michael McKendry. Overall, he hit.208/.240/.250, while striking out eleven times and walking just twice. He hurt the Braves to a -0.304 WPA, and was dead last on the team with a -0.4 WAR.
Monthly breakdown:The Islamic State has kidnapped at least 150 Assyrian Christians in northeast Syria, Reuters reported, citing a monitoring group.
The abductions happened after dawn, as villages inhabited by the ancient Christian minority were raided by the terrorist group near the town of Tel Tamr, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Tel Tamr is situated in the countryside of the city of Hasaka, controlled primarily by Kurds.
"We have verified at least 150 people who have been abducted from sources on the ground," Bassam Ishak, President of the Syriac National Council of Syria, told Reuters.
The monitor had no details on the abducted people, except that they were kidnapped from two villages, Tal Shamiram and Tal Hermuz, following the attack by Islamic State fighters, AFP reported. The numbers include elderly individuals and women.
READ MORE: ISIS plans to capture Lebanese territories, declare emirate – report
This comes as Syrian Kurds carried out an offensive in northeastern Syria, next to the Iraqi border, inflicting losses on the IS.
During the offensive, Kurds have taken 24 villages and hamlets, and their plan is to seize the town of Tal Hamis and surrounding areas from Islamic State.
Also, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the US-led coalition carried out a series of airstrikes around Tal Hamis on Tuesday that killed 14 IS fighters.
READ MORE: Egypt eyes revenge after ISIS executes 21 Copts, releases video
It is just over a week since the terrorist group released a graphic video showing the execution of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians after their abduction in Libya.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi called for a UN resolution enabling international forces to intervene in Libya following the incident, but didn’t get much support.
The killings triggered a harsh response from the Egyptian government, with air strikes carried out by the country’s military shortly after the footage emerged.
READ MORE:Egyptian, Libyan airstrikes on ISIS targets in Libya after terrorists behead 21 Copts
Also, a couple of weeks ago, shocking news emerged that the IS militants have killed kidnapped Iraqi children in ways as brutal as burying alive and crucifixion.
Those children not killed by the terrorists are sold as sex slaves, according to UN data.
About a month ago, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto was beheaded by Islamic State, the latest in a series of journalists to be killed by the terrorist group.Eibar To miss Las Palmas and Celta Vigo games
What's the reason for Basque football's boom?
Eibar will be without Takashi Inui for two LaLiga matches as the Japanese midfielder must return to his home country in order to take part in a reception for the Spanish royal family, which will visit the Asian nation between April 4 and April 7.
Although he'll be available for this Saturday's clash with Villarreal, Jose Luis Mendilibar will have to make do without the 28-year-old against Las Palmas and against Celta Vigo.
The Basque club are not particularly pleased about this surprise absence, especially because they are battling to claim a Europa League place.
Inui has become one of Mendilibar's key players this LaLiga season, playing 22 times and relegating Bebe to the bench.
Furthermore, he moved ahead of Yoshito Okubo as the Japanese player with the most outings in the Spanish league, making him such a star that the country's prime minister Shinzo Abe wanted him to be present for next week's royal visit.Admittedly, many of my colleagues at Ars—not to mention readers—have far more extensive knowledge of computer security than I do. But even I can recognize a ridiculous hacking scene when I see one.
And boy, Sunday night’s season opener of Homeland contained a doozy. If you’re not a Homeland fan, all you need to know for a basis is that this show is set within a fictional but modern-day CIA. (This particular season is set in Berlin.) Within the first four minutes of Season 5, Episode 1—before any recognizable characters show up on screen—two IT guys working for a Berlin-based porn site somehow manage to penetrate the CIA Berlin Station’s firewall and steal over 1,000 sensitive files. (Art imitating life, anyone?)
Here’s how Homeland depicts an epic CIA hack:
One of the men, unnamed in the scene, brings a USB stick to his co-worker. This guy (we’ll call him Beardy for lack of a better name) seems to be the more skilled of the two. Meanwhile, his partner (“Shaven?”) pops the USB stick into a computer, and we see a video that mocks the Islamic State by inviting potential recruits to a gay sex orgy.
The two men laugh at their work. “So where are we going to post it?” Shaven asks. “Where else?” he says, starting to type into a website called “Online Search.” Here, Shaven finds the website of Al Tayah—an apparent recruiting website for Islamic State.
“I found a way onto it last night,” Beardy says calmly. “Word of advice, retards. If you declare yourselves the cyber-caliphate, change your system password.”
With an angry keystroke, Beardy manages to upload the satirical video to the site. “Our work here is done.”
He and Shaven share a laugh, but suddenly an alert pops up on their computer screen. (Now, the real fun starts.)
The alert reads “server is vulnerable,” pointing out altayah.com only has TLS v1.0. Somehow this warning message tells them that someone else is viewing the Al Tayah website at the same time.
“Who is that?” Shaven asks Beardy.
“I don’t know,” he responds.
---
The scene cuts to CIA Station Berlin. A woman is looking over the shoulder of someone who appears to be a CIA specialist.
“Who is that?” she asks.
On the screen, the duo sees a “Firewall Log” where someone with the username “GabeH.Coud” turns up. The IT guy, named Mills, explains to his boss that this is “douchebag” spelled backwards. (How or why a username turns up in some sort of access log is beyond me, but hey.)
The woman, CIA Berlin Station Chief Allison Carr, gives the order. “Ping him.”
---
Back with Shaven and Beardly. The former gives the same suggestion to Beardy: “Ping him.”
“No way,” Beardy says.
“Ask him who he is!” Shaven pleads.
“We do that and we lose our cover.”
“Dude, they are poking around like we are," Shaven says. "They’re not supposed to be here either.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re our friend,” Beardy replies.
Another alert screen pops up. “He’s pinging us,” Beardy warns Shaven. (Somehow in this world, simply pinging a computer can be dangerous. Ominous music starts playing right now.)
“Wait, no, let me see who it is first,” Beardy continues, pushing Shaven away.
The top of the computer window reads: “Backtrace 318.108.149.373.” (Possibly traceroute to an impossible IP address?) With that, Beardy concludes: “It’s non-attributable.”
“So?”
“So it’s probably government," he tells Shaven. "We don’t want to be showing them anything.”
--
Cut back to CIA Berlin. Mills explains to Carr that “Douchebag” (aka Beardy) is just “hanging outside the firewall.”
Suddenly, a beeping alert goes off on Mills’ computer. “Hold on a second," he says. "He’s trying to get in.”
--
Another cut. “There’s a zero-day defect on this firewall," Beardly says. "We can get in through brute force. We just need computer power.”
With just a couple keystrokes, the hacker somehow manages to turn several video servers for this porn website into a powerful, massive password-cracking machine. It’s almost like a Star Trek-style “re-routing power from life support,” except this happens even faster. (Just ignore the fact that if there was some sort of zero-day in the firewall, a brute force password attack wouldn’t be necessary.)
Shaven weakly protests, but Beardy suddenly starts downloading files. As seen on Mills' computer back at CIA, conveniently nearly all of the organization's document have the word “CIA” in the file type. “Shut it down! Shut it down!” Mills yells hopelessly yells to the room.ESPN.com Illustration Brian Cardinal, Paul Pierce and Dan Gadzuric are three of the few NBA players with organic nicknames. Brian Cardinal, Paul Pierce and Dan Gadzuric are three of the few NBA players with organic nicknames.
Historians disagree as to exactly where, and when, early man invented nicknames. Some feel it was in the cave pits of Wales, in between fighting dragons and chasing sea monkeys. Others suspect it was in Ghana, several thousand years before, in a more innocent time of hunting and gathering, long before recorded history.
One thing is for sure: It was after names got longer than one grunt. Nicknames, like all forms of technology, began as convenience. When you're on the hunt, or threatened by a wild beast, sometimes you don't have time to shout out father and clan. Soon, though, this time-saving device became a way to show familiarity, even affection. Informality, and cut-off shorts, was born.
The next great evolutionary leap came when early man, his cranium swollen with new intelligence, learned to peer into his friends' eyes and see their souls. Nicknames, while still short, expressed higher truths about the people around him. When these men became great warriors and kings, nicknames were a springboard to myth. A few months later, George "The Blind Bomber" Glamack began playing professional basketball.
Alas, a terrible thing has happened in today's NBA. Nicknames have regressed. They have retreated beyond the Bronze Age and stopped just shy of their primordial beginnings. In this year's All-Star Game, the East will start Derrick "D-Rose" Rose and Dwyane "D-Wade" Wade. Two of the sport's most dynamic players have two nicknames that might as well belong to a pair of drunken louts.
LeBron James is "Bron Bron," modeled after Ron Artest's "Ron Ron." And "Bron Bron" still gets serious competition from the totally confusing "King James" (the 17th century monarch who forced his subjects to use his translation of the Bible and is thought by some historians to have been gay) and "LBJ" (Lyndon Baines Johnson would never have passed on the last shot).
The NBA is in the middle of a crisis. One can argue that we've asked our athletes to be nondescript nice guys, and subsequently we've been rewarded with the least imaginative (or most contrived) nicknames possible. Lucky for us, there is a way home, and it doesn't involve a sermon about David Stern letting players be themselves.
The problem isn't with the players, fans, media or the league. It's that we want nicknames too badly. We jump on the first-last combo because it's available the second we learn who these kids are.
If their given names don't fit the formula, such as Amare Stoudemire or Jonas Jerebko, we hold an online contest or task a marketing firm with selecting a nickname. Last month, a Nuggets telecast offered up 10 options for speedy point guard Ty Lawson, including "Ty-Ran-Around-Us" and "Breakin' the Lawson."
Richard the Lionheart didn't get his nickname from some PR flak. He led his village into battle against the Visigoths to earn it.
Today, we must exercise patience and restraint to find our way back to what a friend of mine calls "organic nicknames." Everybody knows you can't make a nickname stick in real life unless it belongs. Why would basketball be any different?
That's why secondary players often get the most colorful nicknames these days. Reggie Evans has two: "The Collector" and "The Joker." Brian Cardinal is "The Janitor." Dan Gadzuric is "The Flying Dutchman." Sasha Vujacic is better known as "The Machine" than his given name in some quarters.
The bottom line is, in those cases, we don't care enough to force the issue. Many of us probably don't know what team those guys are on this season, but their nicknames shall echo down throughout the ages.
[+] Enlarge Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images Allen "The Answer" Iverson and Paul "The Truth" Pierce, owners of two of the best nicknames in recent history, cross paths after a 2008 game.
What are the most indelible superstar nicknames of the post-Jordan era? Allen "The Answer" Iverson and Paul "The Truth" Pierce. They were simple, profound, memorable and kind of ridiculous. Did Iverson really have an answer for everything, as we were told? (Other than draining the shot clock and running an iso, of course.) Is Paul Pierce an intergalactic force that transcends time and space? It doesn't matter. The second secret of nicknames is being catchy, and catching on is more important than being correct. We didn't get to decide; we were told.
There is hope on the horizon with the next generation of stars. Blake Griffin, the hottest thing going this year, has thus far defied predictable nicknames. He's just too exciting and too intense for a flimsy moniker like "Quake Griffin." It helps that "BG" already belongs to a Cash Money rapper whose accomplishments are the timeless hit "Bling Bling" and admitting to shooting up a ton of heroin (although Nuggets center Chris Andersen is just fine with "Birdman," which he shares with Cash Money head honcho Baby). Kevin Durant is simply too eccentric a player for a simple "KD," a template set by Iverson's secondary, street-wise nickname, "AI." "Durantula," which always makes me think of Dracula's head on a giant hairy spider, hasn't made it beyond the Internet. John Wall? His nickname will come out of the blue, since the name itself sounds so damn iconic.
We've come a long way since nicknames helped us warn Glorzog of Burgelbaum, Son of Snortz, that a mammoth was about to gore his earthly hide. One thing hasn't changed, though. Like woolly mammoths, nicknames can't be controlled or commanded. When they happen, they happen. If they do, we're lucky. If not, we scavenge for roots and berries, and ask G-Zog to spot us a bone spoon's worth of mantis paste.
Bethlehem Shoals is a founding member of FreeDarko.com, and a co-author of "The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History." He has contributed to GQ, The Awl, The Nation and Slate.
Back to Page 2VANCOUVER – Transit Police say a sex offender who was released nine days ago is back in custody for allegedly sitting beside a teenage girl on a bus in Surrey.
Police spokeswoman Anne Drennan says James Conway was living at a halfway house in the Metro Vancouver city and was required to abide by 27 conditions.
She says two conditions meant Conway was not allowed to sit near anybody who appeared to be under 18 and was required to carry a copy of the court order and produce it when questioned by police.
Drennan says the 40-year-old boarded a bus Tuesday morning and alleges he sat down on a double seat beside a 14-year-old girl, even though other seats were available at the time.
She says Transit Police arrested him without incident for allegedly breaching the two conditions.
Drennan says Conway was jailed for breaching conditions last year after a SkyTrain passenger reported that he was talking to and staring down the shirts of young girls.Minister of disinvestment in the last NDA government, author and columnistis believed to have been asked to remain in Delhi while Narendra Modi is holding consultations to decide his Cabinet. In an exhaustive interview to ET, he refrains from commenting on the Cabinet formation or his role in it, but is forthcoming about his “personal views” on Modi’s style of governance, expectations from him, and whether the RSS would allow him enough space to function. Excerpts:The general expectation was around 245-270.I would not know. Mr Modi has a free hand. Chandra Shekhar (late prime minister) used to say two things – Jab log chapat lagate hain to who jhaanpad lagate hain (when people hit you, they slap you really hard), and secondly, those problems which politicians cannot solve, people solve them. That is what people have done for Mr Modi.Given him energy and a free hand. People exerted themselves to clear the path for him. So he has a free hand. He is believed to be consulting you… No! I would not like to say anything on this. He must be meeting thousands of people. Everything depends upon him.I have publicly expressed my views on this. Earlier, when the NDA was expected to get 245-270, it is no rocket science to infer that Parliament would not be allowed to function. Then how do you start the process of reforms.I said two things. The first was to make a list of things that can be done without a legislation. I asked a person for whom I have immense respect, Dr YV Reddy, whether reforms, like in the banking sector, could be brought about without legislation. He said 90% of things can be done without legislation.The second was to make a list of laws that can be devolved to states. Labour law reform, land, education – all these are concurrent subjects. In Article 254, first clause says that in the event of a repugnancy between a central provision and a state provision, the centre would prevail. The second clause of the Article says if the Union government permits it, the wording is ‘if the President permits, the state law will prevail.’Why not just announce it? Make a list of subjects and announce that in case of a conflict between Centre and the state, the state law will prevail in that subject. A law that enables us, equips India to compete with South East Asian countries like Singapore where labour laws are better than India’s.On any particular matter, 3-4 such states will take progressive measures. They will acquire courage to do it. The main point is that many things are stuck, it is not because of lack of laws. A person like Manmohan Singh will not do anything. He would set up a group of ministers. A person like Modi is not going to set-up GoMs but act.Occasions may arise where two-three ministries are involved. For example, coal allocation. Finance, law and mining ministries need to be involved.Everyone discusses and comes to a view and the decision is taken. The file goes back and everyone reports back within a fortnight. That’s how Modi functions. Those things will get done swiftly. Fast decision making. He is much for follow-ups. There is a timetable for tasks. The second thing he can do is making state CMs partners in governing India. For example, if you want rail corridor to proceed, it is not the people in Delhi who can help you but the five CMs along the way. So why not talk to them and make them partners.You want PDS to improve, health services to be delivered better, it cannot be done by the ministers sitting in Delhi but by the CMs. Make CMs partners – not just formally but optically. It should be visible. Take the CMs into confidence on most things. Have your officers brief them. Panditji (Nehru) used to do that. Why hold the meeting of National development Council in Delhi. Hold it in different states by rotation. Why do CMs have to troop to Delhi to meet the Planning Commission? Why can’t the Commission go to them?I wrote an essay on it once calling it a ‘parking lot’. A body like it is needed for interface with states but it should be a small body which can come up with creative idea and suggestions – something like a think-tank or an advocacy group. The members need not be permanent or having fixed tenures.Experts can be brought in by the Commission depending upon the issue at hand. Much like film production, where various people like producer, director, musician, lyricist etc come together, make a movie and go their separate ways.The 100-day thing is not a good idea. Issues need to be identified. Like ease of doing business in India |
wrote:
The realm of managerial expertise is one in which what purport to be objectively-grounded claims function in fact as expressions of arbitrary, but disguised, will and preference. (After Virtue, p107)
But on the other hand, we know that the people are often wrong about basic facts, are terrible at understanding connections between economic phenomena, are misinformed by a biased media, and prone to countless cognitive biases.
Rather than always side with the people or always with elites, we should abandon grandiose generalizations and ask in each specific context: who is most likely to be right here – the elite or the people? Here are some tests I’d apply.
First, are the conditions in place for the wisdom of crowds to operate? Namely, are individuals’ judgments diverse, uncorrelated and decentralized?
In economic forecasting, I think this is the case. Each individual’s decision on how much to spend is based upon specific private information about his personal future. Aggregate data (pdf) on consumption-wealth ratios thus do a good job of gathering together dispersed fragmentary information about our future prospects. I’d rather trust the crowd, therefore, than economic forecasters.
This isn’t to say the crowd is perfect: spending decisions can be influenced by peers. But nothing’s perfect. The question is one of the relative size of errors.
Secondly, are beliefs motivated by nasty or self-interested preferences?
This can be true of elites. Bosses’ hostility to worker democracy and fund managers’ claims to be able to beat the market owe more to self-interest than fact. George Monbiot says the same is true of oil companies who finance climate change deniers. Equally, though, it can also be true of the public: antipathy to immigration might in some cases be founded upon a dislike of foreigners rather than purer motives.
Thirdly, are there obvious errors and biases at work here?
Everybody – expert or layman – is prone to cognitive bias. I prefer to look for errors and then ask: what biases might lead people into error?
I suspect this is the case with the public’s belief that immigration has significantly pushed down wages and job prospects. It is due in part to the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy (“some immigrants came last year and now I can’t find a decent job”); to the failure to see that immigration can raise natives’ wages by allowing them to do more skilled jobs; and to an ignorance of the myriad other forces depressing pay.
This isn’t to say the public need always be wrong on immigration. If people in areas of high immigration offered factual evidence about (say) how migration is eroding social capital, I would take that as evidence that locals possessed a “ground truth” that elites had overlooked.
Relatedly, I’d ask how much effort people have taken to slough off cognitive biases. In David Davis’s case, the answer seems to be: none.
Fourthly, is this a statement of fact or opinion?
It’s possible in theory that the EU referendum might have gathered thousands of fragmentary facts. People might have figured “the EU stops me doing x, y, or z” (or facilitates them) and voted accordingly. But this isn’t, for the most part, what we got. Instead, we had a poisonous mixture of racism, lies and hyperbole.
One reason why I favour worker democracy more than plebiscites is that the former is a way of gathering dispersed information - of aggregating marginal gains about corporate performance – whereas the latter are not.
Now, I’m not saying these tests are perfect. Nothing is. And we might disagree from context to context on how to apply them. Sadly, however, these tests seem not to be applied in politics. Which is one reason why we see the worst of public opinion being expressed rather than the best.This study examined the relationship between the presence of mobile devices and the quality of real-life in-person social interactions. In a naturalistic field experiment, 100 dyads were randomly assigned to discuss either a casual or meaningful topic together. A trained research assistant observed the participants unobtrusively from a distance during the course of a 10-min conversation noting whether either participant placed a mobile device on the table or held it in his or her hand. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, it was found that conversations in the absence of mobile communication technologies were rated as significantly superior compared with those in the presence of a mobile device, above and beyond the effects of age, gender, ethnicity, and mood. People who had conversations in the absence of mobile devices reported higher levels of empathetic concern. Participants conversing in the presence of a mobile device who also had a close relationship with each other reported lower levels of empathy compared with dyads who were less friendly with each other. Implications for the nature of social life in ubiquitous computing environments are discussed.
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Google Scholar SAGE Journals | ISIAn undercover operation has revealed that Transportation Security Administration screenings at airports fail for the most part.
Homeland Security investigators found that, more than 70 percent of the time, undercover officers were able to get through TSA checkpoints with mock knives, guns and explosives, the House Homeland Security Committee was told Wednesday. Just two years ago, testing found a 95 percent failure rate, reports CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave.
"We found that briefing disturbing," said Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
The DHS Office of Inspector General made eight classified recommendations based on the undercover operation. In a statement, the TSA said it took the "OIG findings very seriously and are implementing measures that will improve screening effectiveness at checkpoints."
Both members of Congress and the TSA support replacing old check point scanners with new CT scanners like the ones we were first to show you back in March.
"In this system, we use high power algorithms to detect explosives," said Mark Laustra of Analogic, a company developing the technology.
TSA administrator David Pekoske told Congress the CT technology is the most effective way to keep passengers safe, but the cost is a major hurdle.
"To invest in the CT technology requires funding above what TSA currently has," Pekoske said.
Frank Cilluffo, a former director of the Homeland Security advisory council, said as long as terrorists target airports, the TSA cannot be complacent.
"They're looking for vulnerabilities that can be exploited, and we need to make sure that we can push that as far as we can to minimize the risk," Cilluffo said.
The TSA launched a pilot program this summer with those CT scanners, a year behind schedule, announcing last week an additional $4 million investment in the technology. American Airlines even bought some of the machines to speed up their limited deployment.Google
Google Glass eyewear has both an extreme cool factor and an extreme dork factor.
On one hand, an eye interface device is sweetly sci-fi. On the other hand, everyone will know you're sporting a set of Google Glass spectacles if you wear them out in public. It's even more obvious than a Bluetooth headset.
I fall on the happily nerdy side of the equation. If Google Glass just fell into my lap, I'd put it on and wear it around in a heartbeat. There is an obstacle preventing the device from falling into my lap.
Actually, there are 1,500 of them. The initial price for the first-generation Google Glass is 1,500 smackaroos. That's a lot of smackaroos needed to join Google on the bleeding edge of eye-worn, voice-activated smartphone interfaces.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin's recent comments about Glass indicate that the price of the device on its first wide release will be lower than the $1,500 set for the earliest test adopters, but we've gotten no firm details on the actual cost. I'm guessing it will be quite a bit more than $9.99.
Google Glass will work with both Android and iOS phones, so the potential user base is plenty big. Early adopters have already gotten the chance to convince Google to let them into the "Google Glass Explorer" club for testing pre-release versions. The rest of us will have to wait until later in the year.
Looking beyond price issues, there's always a little bit of risk in being the one of the first to invest in a new technology. You may end up wistfully watching the second generation Google Glass announcement someday down the line, wishing you had held out for all the cool new features.
When it comes to Google Glass, are you ready to jump in on the first generation? Maybe you've already pitched your case to join the Explorer group. Maybe you have absolutely no interest in Google Glass at all. Vote in our poll and talk it up in the comments.Abstract Background Subjects suffering from coeliac disease, gluten allergy/intolerance must adopt a lifelong avoidance of gluten. Beer contains trace levels of hordeins (gluten) which are too high to be safely consumed by most coeliacs. Accurate measurement of trace hordeins by ELISA is problematic. Methods We have compared hordein levels in sixty beers, by sandwich ELISA, with the level determined using multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS). Results Hordein levels measured by ELISA varied by four orders of magnitude, from zero (for known gluten-free beers) to 47,000 µg/mL (ppm; for a wheat-based beer). Half the commercial gluten-free beers were free of hordein by MS and ELISA. Two gluten-free and two low-gluten beers had zero ELISA readings, but contained significant hordein levels (p<0.05), or near average (60–140%) hordein levels, by MS, respectively. Six beers gave false negatives, with zero ELISA readings but near average hordein content by MS. Approximately 20% of commercial beers had ELISA readings less than 1 ppm, but a near average hordein content by MS. Several barley beers also contained undeclared wheat proteins. Conclusions ELISA results did not correlate with the relative content of hordein peptides determined by MS, with all barley based beers containing hordein. We suggest that mass spectrometry is more reliable than ELISA, as ELISA enumerates only the concentration of particular amino-acid epitopes; this may vary between different hordeins and may not be related to the absolute hordein concentration. MS quantification is undertaken using peptides that are specific and unique, enabling the quantification of individual hordein isoforms. This outlines the problem of relying solely on ELISA determination of gluten in beverages such as beer and highlights the need for the development of new sensitive and selective quantitative assay such as MS.
Citation: Tanner GJ, Colgrave ML, Blundell MJ, Goswami HP, Howitt CA (2013) Measuring Hordein (Gluten) in Beer – A Comparison of ELISA and Mass Spectrometry. PLoS ONE 8(2): e56452. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056452 Editor: Jin-Yuan Liu, Tsinghua University, China Received: October 3, 2012; Accepted: January 9, 2013; Published: February 28, 2013 Copyright: © 2013 Tanner et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: Research to develop hordein null lines was supported by grants from the Grains Research and Development Commission (Australia). All other research was funded by CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: We have the following interests: Tanner and Howitt are inventors on a provisional patent application “Barley with low levels of hordein” U.S. Provisional application No. 505676, filed Aug 13, 2007; International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2008/001172 (WO2009021285-A1). The authors derive no financial benefit from this patent and all rights have been assigned to CSIRO, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne Health and Grains Research and Development Commission (Australia). As far as we are aware as at the time of submission of this paper, there are no further patents, commercial products in development, or marketed products related to the subject matter of this paper to declare. This does not alter our adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
Introduction Subjects suffering from coeliac disease, gluten allergy and intolerance are advised to adopt a lifelong avoidance of gluten containing foods and beverages, such as flour, malt or beer made from barley. The typical gluten-free diet consists of food with higher GI, reduced fibre, increased fat, higher cost and poor palatability [1], [2]. Adoption of a gluten-free diet predisposes coeliacs to a higher body mass index and increased levels of obesity [3]. Gluten is a collective term for several hundred homologous, alcohol soluble, seed storage proteins in wheat (gliadins and glutenin), oats (avenins), barley (hordeins) and rye (secalins). In barley there are four protein families of hordeins: B-, C-, D- and γ-hordeins, however the B- and C-hordeins together account for over 90% of barley hordeins [4]. Isolation of hordein double-null barley lines from F2 hybrids of Risø 56 and Risø 1508 has produced an ultra-low gluten barley line (ULG 2.0) which does not accumulate B- or C-hordeins. ULG 2.0 has 3% of wild type hordein and 20-fold reduction in reactivity in T-cell assays [5]. This barley line, along with the parents, contain known but varied hordein compositions and provide a suite of grains suitable for investigating the effect of grain hordein composition on the hordein content of flour, malt, wort and beer. In an accompanying paper (Tanner this issue, this journal) we show that accurate determination of hordein requires a hordein standard, used to calibrate the ELISA reaction, identical in composition to the hordeins present in the test substance. In practice this requirement is extremely difficult to satisfy. There is a significant research effort worldwide to further understand coeliac disease and develop alternative options for those on a gluten-free diet. Characterisation of the epitopes within gluten that are immunoreactive to coeliacs has shown that only three immunodominant peptides, derived from Ω-gliadin, C-hordein, and Ω-secalin were responsible for the immunoreactivity of the many hundred gluten proteins from wheat, barley and rye [6]. This has led to the potential for a novel peptide based therapeutic approach. Various technical solutions are also available to reduce the concentration of hordeins in beer, below the level where they affect sensitive subjects. These include selective precipitation of hordeins with tannins, or PVP [7], [8]. In addition the proteins may be hydrolysed by prolylendopeptidases [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]. It is not yet clear if the hydrolysed peptides remain immunogenic to coeliacs. It is more likely that hydrolysis after proline residues may not reduce the reactivity of specific glutamine resides which are the principle component of immunogenic reaction in coeliacs [15], [16]. Other food processing procedures such as transamidation of flour with microbial transglutaminase and lysine methyl ester downregulated IFN-γ production in vitro [17] and reduced the number of clinical relapses in patients challenged with transamidated bread [18]. Selection of grains with fewer immunogenic epitopes is also a possibility. Antibody guided searches have found such wheat [19], [20], [21], barley [22] and oat accessions [23]. There have also been attempts to reconstruct hexaploid bread wheats that contain a reduced number of immunogenic epitopes by using molecular approaches to select and recombine varieties [19], [24] or via the reconstruction of new hexaploid bread wheats from tetraploid and diploid progenetors that contain fewer immunogenic epitopes [25], [26], [27]. These approaches may reduce the gluten content in food, but are unlikely to completely eliminate dietary gluten. Brewing with less immunogenic grains such as oats, and gluten-free grains such as buckwheat, sorghum and millet have also been reported [28], [29], [30], [31], [32]. There remains a need for a test that can rapidly and accurately quantify gluten levels in food and beverages. The two methods approved by the WHO are antibody based tests using ELISA technology, and rely on antibodies raised against either wheat Ω-gliadin or rye secalins respectively. An advance on the standard ELISA approach using antibodies directed against another immuno-dominant peptide, the protease-resistant gliadin 33mer, have also been reported [33], [34], [35]. We show here that the hordein level in 60 commercial beers determined by sandwich ELISA varied by several orders of magnitude. These same beers were previously analysed by MS [36]. Unfortunately, there was no relationship between the total hordein content determined by optimised ELISA and the relative content of individual hordein peptides determined by mass spectrometry (MS). In practice, beers may be produced from a blend of wheat and barley varieties |
a brush in a pale blue ink, and then thoughtfully and purposefully places the very last vein on the glans of a large, artfully inked penis. The next day, he gives the completed handscroll to his daughter’s best friend. She thought it was going to be illustrations of scenes from The Tale of Genji, and doesn’t even realize what she’s looking at until she’s scrolled past the balls and is halfway through the shaft.
Haarlem, Netherlands. 1682 A.D.
A young aristocratic woman is sitting for a portrait historié by an up-and-coming painter. She wishes to be portrayed as Venus, and her child as Cupid. The painter shows her his progress; and points out that he has added a portrait of the head of his penis into the painting, in the background, dressed as Paris. He then smiles at her in an unwelcome and exaggerated fashion. The aristocratic woman says that unless he removes his penis from the background of her painting, she will not pay for the commission. The painter is very angry and says that he will not compromise his artistic vision. She leaves without paying.
New York, USA. 1960 A.D.
An executive in an advertising agency is drunk. It is 2 p.m. He calls his secretary into his office and asks her to go make some copies with that new machine. She asks him what kind of copies, and of what? He says goddammit, Carol, what use are you? He stumbles over to the brand-new Xerox 914, unzips his pants, and proceeds to Xerox his dick. The machine makes one copy. He picks it up out of the tray, and passes it to Carol with his right hand while tucking himself back in with his left.
Vancouver, Canada. 1984 A.D.
A fifteen-year-old boy sits at his homework desk in his attic room. He has six developed squares of polaroid instant film sitting in front of him. They are all of his dick, and they are all blurry. He has an undeveloped square in his hand, and is shaking it energetically. The next day he slips all the polaroids into the textbooks of girls he’s heard are sexually active.
Washington, D.C. 2014 A.D.
A young man is texting with a girl who swiped right on Tinder. What’s up? He asks. I’m cooking dinner, she says. You? He then sends her a Snapchat of his dick with the words “Want desert? haha ;)” superimposed over the pic.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 2200 A.D.
A ten-year-old girl is attempting to download open source blueprints for a 3D-printed model of her favourite pop star. Every single plan she’s downloaded has turned out to be some guy’s dick. The worst part is that they’re not even all the same dick.
Starship Octavia, The Omega Quadrant. 5100 A.D.
A young Universal Spacefleet recruit from the planet Xornon has been sanctioned for insubordinate behaviour by his human female superior officer. In retaliation, he sneaks into the transport room and beams his dick onto the desk in her office. His superior officer has never seen a Xornon’s genitals before and simply assumes that her potted cactus has flowered. When the Xornish recruit beams his dick back on, it is sprinkled with plant food.
The Multiverse. 40,000 A.D.
A male-being comprising pure energy and light manifests his dick-consciousness into the space between every atom. “Ugh,” replies The Void. “Gross.”
$ Donation Amount: Updating Amount... Like this article? Tip The Toast! Select Payment Method PayPal Loading... Personal Info First Name * Last Name Email Address * Donation Total: $1.00CLOSE Rising water has devastated Stephen Price's home in Houston, Texas several times in the past. Price shares some 'need to know' advice if Hurricane Harvey has you in a similar situation. USA TODAY
Students in the Houston Independent School District will eat for free this school year. (Photo11: asiseeit, Getty Images)
HOUSTON — The Houston Independent School District announced Wednesday all students will eat all school meals for free during the 2017-2018 school year.
The approval came from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture to waive the required application process for the National School Lunch/Breakfast Program.
HISD says the free meals come in the wake of flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey.
“Despite the federal waiver, HISD is still asking parents and guardians to complete and return the application,” HISD stated in a press release.
Applications and surveys are available at https://mealapps.houstonisd.org and on the HISD Nutrition Services website by clicking the “One Form Means So Much” button on the right side of the page.
“The information received in the forms helps the district to secure funding and track student data,” the release said.
“The flooding that is affecting the city of Houston has been devastating to so many. Some of the areas that are the hardest hit are filled with working parents whose limited funds will need to go toward recovery efforts,” said Houston ISD Superintendent Richard Carranza. “This waiver will give our families one less concern as they begin the process of restoring their lives. It will also provide a sense of normalcy by allowing students to have access to up to three nutritious meals each and every school day.”
The waiver will take effect immediately, allowing students to take advantage of free meals when school resumes.
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2wV52qlPokemon GO Update: Why Niantic Isn't Worried About Losing Millions Of Players
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Since its first release, Pokemon GO instantly became a massive hit. People from across the globe started their journey towards becoming the very best. Indeed, the titular augmented reality mobile game proved to be a force to be reckoned. While there's no doubt that its popularity is still alive and kicking, the title has also witnessed a great decline in terms of player pool. However, Niantic is not really bothered, and here's why.
As previously reported here at iTech Post, Pokemon GO players have significantly decreased over time. Since the month of August entered, the mobile game saw a huge deduction in its player pool. Sure, this can be very alarming, in one way or another. But for Niantic, it's all part of the business.
According to a report from App Annie, an app analytics company, Pokemon GO is still a highly celebrated game. In terms of Android usage, its popularity can be likened to Twitter. As for the iOS, it's close to Pinterest. In fact, a whopping 20 percent of smartphone players in Japan are still enjoying the game regularly.
It holds true, though, that the Pokemon GO decline is present. After all, regardless of the premise, all apps tend to fade as time passes by. But in an industry where money speaks of success, the right question would be: How much relatively?
As reported by Wired, Pokemon GO is still holding a huge chunk in the market. And take note: it's pretty much better than the likes of King's Candy Crush Saga and Supercell's Clash of Clans. What most people don't understand is that every game -- or app in a sense -- has some sort of decay curve. But with the latter being a slow process in Niantic's game, it only goes to show that its market health is quite intact.
Pokemon GO is also considered among the games that retain about 30 percent of its sale in a month. And what's surprising? The title manages to do so despite the massive decline it experienced. It's even interesting to note that the game has just been recently release, so somehow, its performance in the market is plainly understandable.
What are your thoughts on Pokemon GO as well as its success? Do you think it'll continue to be the most popular games in the future? Let us know what you think at the comment section below!
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© 2019 ITECHPOST, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Not one to let the name Snapdragon down, Qualcomm's gone and announced a much faster generation of the processor family, with speeds up to 2.5GHz per core. The multi-core (one, two, and four) 28nm chipsets, codenamed Krait, will feature WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and FM, support NFC and stereoscopic 3D video / photo (capture and playback), and also boast multi-mode LTE modem integration. Qualcomm claims a performance increase of 150 percent and a power consumption drop of 65 percent over current ARM-based CPU cores. Included is a new Adreno 320 GPU with support of up to four 3D cores. Samples for the dual-core MSM8960 will be available in second quarter this year, while single-core MSM8930 and quad-core APQ8064 (for "computing and entertainment devices" -- i.e. tablets) versions are coming early 2012. The power-crazed products housing these chipsets? You'll have to wait even longer to see those.CAIRO — Egyptian police said on Saturday they foiled a church bombing by arresting a cell including the would-be attackers, two months after suicide bombers killed dozens of church goers in two attacks.
Six members of the cell including two “suicide bombers” planning the attack on an Alexandria church were arrested in the Mediterranean city, the interior ministry said in a statement.
It said one attacker had planned to detonate an explosive vest inside the church and the other to blow himself up when police arrived to the scene.
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The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the two church bombings in April and one in December that killed more than seventy people.
On Thursday, the interior ministry said police killed seven suspected extremists in southern Egypt alleged to have been linked to the church attacks.Kevin L. Hoover
Eye Editor
ARCATA – The irascible yak herders who have roamed Arcata’s streets with their hooved companions are no stranger to arguments, but fussing with passersby turned to jousting with tree branches during a clash with a bicyclist last week in the Community Forest.
Tom Vanciel and Samuel Sanchez have not had an easy time in Arcata. The two are well-known on the streets and in local media for trekking about town with their “holy” animal companion yaks.
Encounters with citizens are often tense to outright argumentative, and calls to police are common.
The two frequently find fault with the manner in which their animals are greeted, and freely dispense caustic assessments of the ethical and spiritual values of those they meet.
A succession of arguments with citizens in the Co-op parking lot led to the two being banished from there on pain of trespassing. The yaksmen have also been asked not to hang out in the Wildberries Marketplace after a complaint.
Recently, the usual verbal strife turned physical.
On Friday, Aug. 9, Vanciel reported an assault on the street by youths, but details are scanty. Apparently there was no lasting injury, and no suspects were identified or apprehended.
At that time, he blamed this newspaper’s coverage of past arguments for the alleged attack. “I feel your cavalier reporting on these real issues has made it sport to harass and denigrate,” he wrote.
On Monday, Aug. 12 at 4:03 p.m., Vanciel called Arcata Police from Trail One in the Arcata Community Forest. He reported an assault by two bicyclists who, he claimed, deliberately slammed into the two with their bikes, then followed up with fists.
A cell phone video Vanciel posted on YouTube, titled “Just assaulted by this man,” shows a young man brandishing a large branch at the two.
youtube.com/watch?v=mQdPjc-tN4E&feature=youtu.be
The antagonists exchange epithets, then the man briefly engages in fencing with Sanchez who is also wielding a tree limb. The man then grabs his bike and flees as Sanchez flings a large branch at him.
An APD dispatcher log entry documents the police response. Officers searched for the alleged assailants, but didn’t locate them.
Vanciel claimed to have sustained a concussion and broken jaw in the clash. with pain for days afterward. In a lengthy e-mail message, he describes the forest incident and aftermath, including unsatisfactory medical treatment.
Vanciel, who speaks of past experience as a military intelligence officer, is disturbed by the government’s past and present activities with regard to suppression of the citizenry.
He often refers to Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, sometimes likening his situation to theirs. He suspects that the government may be sending him a message with the negative encounters.
“It is twice with in the very week that I indicate my intent to reveal my ‘history with empire’ that these attacks occur,” Vanciel wrote. “Who will notice if I end up dead? Who will investigate the violent death of another homeless veteran.”
Saturday, in an e-mail message titled “Yaks for sale,” Vanciel suggested that he may be leaving Arcata.
“Very sore from my beat downs and after a good birthday inventory and assessment, I feel I should disappear,” he wrote. In follow-up discussions, though, he seemed ambivalent about leaving, and said he would discuss matters with Sanchez.
Meanwhile, Vanciel wishes to address the negative image he and Sanchez have recently gained.
“Please inform your readers and general public that though reported as argumentative, in fact, the ‘Yakmen’ are committed to peacefully non violent change from this totalitarian police surveillance state,” Vanciel wrote. “Just like Gandhi, we recognize that peaceful resistance is the only way.”
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PrintGraffiti alters a sign outside Andrew J. Bell Jr. High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, which has been sitting vacant since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. After the storm, schools across the city were closed or converted into charter schools — a process that civil rights advocates say disproportionately displaced Black students. (Photo: Mike Ludwig)
As students across the country head back to school this week, some will be traveling longer distances than usual to reach the classroom. These students do not live in remote areas. In fact, they live in some of the most urban districts in the country, and they used to have schools right in their own neighborhoods — until school boards and state officials closed their doors in the name of “reform.”
In May of 2014, civil rights organizers in Newark, Chicago and New Orleans filed complaints with the Department of Education demanding federal intervention to stop widespread discrimination against people of color in their cities’ public school systems. The complaints couldn’t have been more urgent — neighborhoods were literally losing their schools to closures and consolidations, and the students whose schools were being shuttered were overwhelmingly Black and Brown.
It’s been more than two years, and of those three cities, only Newark, New Jersey’s school system has reached an agreement with federal officials. Even that agreement, which requires the district to identify and fix transportation and academic problems faced by students displaced by school closures, is only between the district and federal officials. To the frustration of civil rights advocates, the deal does not include an agreement for accountability between the schools and the taxpaying families who say their children were systemically discriminated against as the closures swept through their neighborhoods.
In New Orleans and Chicago, the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights is still investigating the complaints, offering no regular updates to the civil rights attorneys and the communities behind them. Speaking on background, a department spokesman said officials do not discuss the details of ongoing investigations as a matter of policy, and some take longer than others to complete due to complex legal issues.
Meanwhile, schoolchildren in New Orleans are crossing busy, four-lane roads to reach charter schools located neighborhoods away from the shuttered school buildings sitting vacant on their own streets.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated southern Louisiana in 2005, a state-run board took over the New Orleans school district, fired thousands of local teachers and initiated the most aggressive consolidation and privatization campaign in the nation. Black students and families watched their public schools close at much higher rates than those with predominantly white students, and the district often failed to provide them with adequate educational alternatives after the closures, according to the 2014 complaint.
In Chicago, schools are being “sabotaged” by budget cuts and attacks on the local teachers union. Schools struggling from a lack of resources will be labeled as “failing schools” in just a few years, but only by standards set by bureaucrats and lawmakers miles away, according to Jitu Brown, a community organizer in Chicago and the national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance. The organization is made up of grassroots civil rights groups in 23 cities fighting to replace policies that shut down schools with community-based solutions.
Chicago is not alone. In cities across the country, hundreds of schools have shut down under so-called “reform” policies handed down by the Bush and Obama administrations, according to Journey for Justice. State and local officials use enrollment numbers, high-stakes testing scores and other metrics attached to state and federal funding incentives to identify and shut down schools considered to be “failing,” robbing neighborhoods of essential public resources and disrupting students’ academic life.
“We don’t believe that we have failing schools,” Brown told Truthout. “We think that’s a political statement. We’ve been failed.”
An Unequal Education System
Brown says that taxpaying parents in Black neighborhoods deserve better-funded schools with more resources for learning, but the inequities in Chicago are sitting in plain sight. For example, schools in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods enjoy teacher’s aides in every classroom and librarians on staff at all times, while schools in lower-income neighborhoods of color do not.
Brown said that a “sense of possibility” must be raised within a child’s mind to “open the door for information they receive.” But it’s much more difficult to spark that sense of possibility in schools that lack the classroom tools for inspiring learning that are available in other parts of the city. And it’s those same under-resourced schools that are shut down when students’ test scores do not meet the standards set by politicians outside their community.
Civil rights advocates argue that the disruption caused by school closures makes it more likely that students will skip class and even drop out of school, further lowering enrollment numbers and graduation rates in districts already being punished for underperforming. Plus, when schools close, neighborhoods lose places to gather, learn and access public services. Children and alumni lose a place where they learned, played and made memories.
“You have the feeling that you don’t have any community roots anymore and its very disruptive to a community’s mentality and community psyche,” said Jessica Shiller, a “scholar-activist” who teaches education at Towson University and works with communities impacted by school closings in Baltimore, where the city is four years into an aggressive renovation plan that will close and consolidate 26 schools by 2022.
Shiller told Truthout that shutting down neighborhood schools is one of the worse things policy makers can do, especially in low-income neighborhoods.
“That school is where kids get meals and have a relationship with somebody outside the family, a person watching them during the day; it’s where they play basketball, it’s a place to gather and see friends,” Shiller told Truthout. “And I don’t think that school district leaders … are thinking about it that way.”
Shiller said that some residents in Baltimore’s Black neighborhoods are already cynical, viewing the “renovation” plan as a force for gentrification, designed to push unwanted families and students out, making room for more affluent residents.
Back in Chicago, more than 100 schools have been closed in the past 15 years, with shutdowns peaking at 49 in 2013. New research shows that Black and Latino children in Chicago were most likely to be displaced by school closures, depriving them of the opportunity to attend schools located conveniently in their own neighborhoods and, in some cases, forcing them to travel through areas with high incidences of street-based violence in order to attend class. In New Orleans, nearly every public school in the majority-Black city has been shut down or converted into a charter.
Meanwhile, both Illinois and Louisiana are among at least 25 states that are providing less state funding per K-12 student today than was provided back in 2008, before the recession took hold, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. This data was drawn from state “formula” or “general” funds, where the bulk of state school funding comes from, leaving local school districts hard-pressed to come up with sufficient funding.
Illinois is one of 14 states with “regressive” school funding formulas that spend less money on districts with more low-income students, according to Education Law Center. Year after year, Chicago and Philadelphia, which have both suffered large numbers of controversial school closings, rank as some of the most disadvantaged school districts in the nation.
The Education Law Center reports that disadvantaged school districts don’t just deserve the same funding as their wealthier neighbors. In fact, they require more funding to attract skilled teachers with competitive salaries, and to pay for programs and resources that may not be necessary in areas where families have better job opportunities. For example, most suburban parents may be able to buy sports equipment, pay for basic health care and sign their kids up for music lessons, while parents in lower-income, urban areas may lean more heavily on public schools for such resources.
However, Brown says that cities like Chicago refuse to fund and support schools equitably across race and class lines. Then, they turn around and blame the victim when officials shut the schools down.
“They say something is wrong with those teachers or those kids … and then open the door for hustlers to basically run in,” Brown said, referring to privately-run charters that have popped up across Chicago, even setting up shop in old storefronts.
Who Benefits From School Closures?
In many cases, charters and “contract” schools run by nonprofits or private businesses replace the schools that are shut down. Nationally, experts say charters have had a mixture of problems and successes, including higher marks for some students, but also patterns of “exclusion” that force already-marginalized students out of school in order to improve the school’s performance and attractiveness. The exclusion of children with disabilities and behavioral challenges is not only discriminatory, it feeds the school-to-prison pipeline by pushing kids into the hands of police on duty at schools or out into the streets.
In New Orleans, a recent survey found that parents gave much higher “grades” to new charter schools than to the public schools that used to operate in most of the city and suffered for years from mismanagement and budget woes. Surveyors found similar trends among parents in more than a dozen other cities. However, there was a direct correlation between parents’ views of charter and public schools: The worse parents viewed their traditional, publicly run options to be, the higher the marks they gave to newer charters.
But for students of color displaced by school closures, the results have so far been disappointing. A recent Rice University study found that 27 school closures in Houston, Texas disproportionately displaced poor and Black students, and the closures were not associated with any academic gains among these students besides some small, short-term gains in math.
The Rice researchers agreed that closures would have had the potential to improve displaced students’ performance if they were moved to the city’s highest-performing schools, but this did not happen in most cases. Instead, low-performing students and students of color were moved to schools that were only slightly better performing than the schools they came from.
A 2009 study in Chicago yielded similar results, and a 2012 study on an anonymous, urban school district suggests that displacing students can actually harm their academic performance if they don’t land in significantly higher-performing schools.
Shiller points to two rival high schools in Baltimore, Forest Park and Northwestern, which are currently being consolidated into one building. Both schools are predominately Black and have similar levels academic performance, and it’s unclear how students will benefit from the merger. Parents are concerned about conflicts arising between students who, until now, have rooted and played for rival sports teams.
“It’s really going to be about whether kids feel like they can make a place there,” Shiller said. “It’s the school that’s like their enemy.”
Students, parents and alumni say the merger was pushed through with little public notice and community input as Baltimore pursues a sweeping renovation plan, leaving concerned parents pleading with school officials to slow the process down.
“They’re tearing this community up by the roots,” Michael Rose, a parent of a recent Northwestern graduate and a rising ninth grader, told the Baltimore Sun earlier this summer. “They’re going to rush it, have a little get-together and get away with it.”
In a way, Rose’s frustrations sum up the sentiment behind the Journey for Justice’s national mission and the civil rights complaints filed on behalf of parents and students in New Orleans and Chicago. Across the country, families and students of color feel pushed around when schools are closed, privatized and consolidated. Instead of receiving the support they need to succeed, Black and Brown students are punished with closures when they don’t, only to be shuffled around a public education system bearing all the marks of racial inequality.
It’s a problem that goes all the way to the top. Jadine Johnson, an attorney for the Advancement Project, a civil rights group that helped file the complaints with the Department of Education, said that the impacted communities in New Orleans and Chicago have been left out of the accountability process as the federal investigations continue with little transparency.
“The process, in terms of reaching a resolution, ends up being between the school and the Department of Education, and that’s something we need to change,” Johnson said.
The department said it may use a variety of techniques to gather and examine all the relevant facts of a case before deciding whether there is enough evidence to show that federal civil rights law has indeed been broken, but Brown argues the investigations should be more “victim centered.” Once the investigation is taking place, alleged harmful activities such as school closures should stop until a final decision is made, and there should be a very clear process for appeal.
Brown said he is grateful that the federal authorities agreed to investigate educational discrimination in New Orleans and Chicago, but now that two years have passed, he’s starting to doubt that federal civil rights officials are the “crusaders for justice” that he once hoped they would be.
“The wheels of justice, they are rusted,” Brown said. “And they don’t turn.”A new Star Trek trailer was debuted by J.J. Abrams at Wondercon 2009 and he also updated Cloverfield 2. He said they have an idea that they’re working on right now that would be “pretty sweet.” It’s something “connected to Cloverfield,” but it sounded like it’s not necessarily a straight-up sequel.
Abrams actually said a lot of important things, so here’s his full response to the question yesterday:
“We’re actually working on an idea right now,” Abrams told the packed crowd. “The key obviously at doing any kind of sequel, certainly this film included, is that it better not be a business decision. If you’re going to do something, it should be because you’re really inspired to do it. It doesn’t really have to mean anything, doesn’t mean it will work, but it means we did it because we cared, not because we thought we could get the bucks. We have an idea that we thought was pretty cool that we’re playing with, which means there will be something that’s connected to ‘Cloverfield,’ but I hope it happens sooner than later because the idea is pretty sweet.”
Produced on a budget of $25 million, “Cloverfield” had a $40 million opening weekend in mid-January of 2008. The film’s plot revolved an attack on New York City by a large creature capable of mass carnage and decapitating the Statue of Liberty.
Shot documentary-style with an assortment of familiar faces and TV veterans, the film rode a savvy viral ad campaign to $170 million worldwide.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeiUviJ3S7A[/youtube]
Click to see First Cloverfield 2 Photos?A film souvenir Batman knife landed an Atherton man behind bars for four months.
Todd Rushworth, who had never been in trouble before, was told by a judge that knife crime was so serious a deterrent sentence had to be imposed.
"The message needs to go out loud and clear to anyone who carries a knife that there is zero tolerance as far as this court is concerned," said Judge Nigel Gilmour QC.
"This knife is extraordinarily sharp and very pointed. Both blades can be taken out and locked in position so someone holding it in their fist could have this potentially lethal knife opened out in both directions," he said.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that 19-year-old Rushworth had the knife with him for protection following threats after he went out with another man's ex-partner.
Judge Gilmour said if there had been a confrontation he would have been tempted to reach for it "and who knows what might have happened. That knife could have caused serious injury with little force at all".
He added: "Young men who are tempted to go out with knives must know, even if they are of good character, if they are caught they will go to prison."
Rushworth, of Sumner Street, Atherton, pleaded guilty to possessing the knife in a public place on October 16.
David Owen, prosecuting, said that Rushworth was stopped by police in Bag Lane, Atherton, and when searched the weapon, which had three-inch blades, was found in his pocket. When questioned he said he was carrying it for his own protection.
Ben Jones, defending, said that Rushworth is an immature young man who had no intention of using the "fearsome" knife, which had a Batman logo. He had it with him in a moment of foolishness.
He had the knife for more than a year having bought it as a souvenir of the Batman film.
"It had been glamourised by the film," said Mr Jones.Senior figures at Guardian News & Media are seriously discussing the move to an entirely online operation, it has been claimed, leaving Mr Rusbridger increasingly isolated.
The longstanding Guardian chief wants to develop the Guardian’s digital-only US operation before pulling the plug on the print edition, in the hope that it will provide a useful blueprint for the online business in Britain.
However, trustees of the Scott Trust, GNM’s ultimate owner, fear it does not have enough cash on its books to sustain the newspapers for that long, according to More About Advertising, the website run by former Marketing Week editor Stephen Foster.
The Guardian publisher has spent the last few years battling to stem losses of £44m a year. However, it has been slow to make savings and any money that it has clawed back has been spent on expanding its US and online operations.
The investments helped to fuel a 16pc increase in digital revenues to £45.7m last year, but this was not enough to balance GNM’s operating losses which widened from £31.1m.
Guardian Media Group, GNM's parent company which also owns stakes in Autotrader's publisher, Trader Media Group, and Top Right Group, the magazine and events company formerly known as Emap, fared even worse. Its operating losses more than doubled to £129.1m after nearly £55m of write-offs.
Meanwhile, the company has been forced to steadily shrink the Guardian newspaper, getting rid of some of its flagship supplements. GNM has also pledged to axe up to 100 of its 650 editorial staff, but has struggled to find enough people willing to volunteer for its pay-off package.
Last year, GNM also looked at closing the £80m printing plant it opened seven years ago, and moving its Berliner printing presses to Trinity Mirror’s Watford plant.
However, it now seems more likely to stop running the presses altogether.
Earlier this year, Adam Freeman, the Guardian’s outgoing commercial chief, admitted that the Guardian is on a “mission” to be able to stand alone as a digital-only publication, and was mixing its stable of traditional journalists with enthusiastic citizens who would work for free.
Last week, Andrew Miller, chief executive of GMG, told a conference that GNM was trying to "optimise the economics of the paper," something that would involve cutting costs and "format changes".
A GNM spokesman denied that it intends to stop printing newspapers, saying they would “remain the foundations of our organisation for many years to come”. The newspapers generate three quarters of GNM’s revenues but do not turn a profit.The mother, who has since shed five stones of weight, told the court she was walking down the left side of the stairs, whereas the banister was on the right.
But Judge Baucher said, given her size at the time, that should not have prevented Mrs Hussein using the rail as she walked down the metre-wide stairway.
"Mrs Hussein, at 115kg, must have taken up much of the width of the stairway," said the judge, "but for some inexplicable reason, she did not use the handrail."
Earlier, Mrs Hussein said she had drunk no more than a glass and a half of champagne and a glass of red wine, and was not tipsy.
But the club's barrister Catherine Foster pointed out medical records from her arrival at hospital, in which she was described as "obviously drunk" and "intoxicated".
In her ruling, Judge Baucher found Mrs Hussein was under the influence, although she said she may have been affected by painkillers and the fact she had not had alcohol for six months before the accident.
"I find that the notes in the hospital records referred to her being intoxicated because she was so," said the judge.
There was nothing wrong with the lighting in the stairwell, continued Judge Baucher, who visited the scene of the accident during the trial.
Hundreds of people use the stairs every week and yet there had only been one other report of a person falling down, she said.
Mrs Hussein had fallen because she had missed her step, something for which Ronnie Scott's management could not be blamed.
"In ordinary circumstances, she, like countless others, would have descended the staircase and gone home," continued the judge.
"However, on that evening, whether due to one or more of the factors - painkillers, weight, shoes, drink - she simply missed her footing.
"I find she did so through no fault on the part of Ronnie Scott's."
Her damages claim was rejected.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is making good on its promise to invest $1.5 billion in culture. (Markus Schreiber/AP)
Were it not for the two-story-tall picture of a male dancer that hangs on the front of the building, you would never know that the tan-colored structure with a flat roof and sunken basement entrance was the Montreal home of the Grands Ballets Canadiens. It looks more like space zoned for light industry, or perhaps an office for a telemarketing firm. It is that grim.
“We live in a garage,” says Alain Dancyger, the company’s executive director. “And that’s not conducive to attracting and retaining top talent from around the world.”
Valentine Legat of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal in the Le Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood, where the company's headquarters are located. (Karolina Kuras)
But like most people involved in the arts in Canada today, Dancyger isn’t in a bad mood. His company is about to move to a new, purpose-built dance facility near the center of Montreal. And he is celebrating a change in government that might have a profound impact on the arts throughout the country. In October, when Canadians voted decisively for the Liberal Party of Canada, led by Justin Trudeau, they empowered a government that promised a major reinvestment in the arts and culture. After winning the national elections, Trudeau made good on the pledge: In U.S. dollars, the new government has promised almost $1.5 billion over the next five years to Canada’s complex and robust cultural infrastructure. It remains to be seen what slice of that money Dancyger’s company will get, but like most arts leaders, he is giddy that the rhetoric from Ottawa has changed and that the arts seem to be in high favor once again.
The new cultural budget includes some $520 million to the Canadian Broadcasting Company and Radio Canada, $216 million to three premiere cultural institutions (the National Arts Centre, the Canada Science and Technology Museum and the National Gallery of Canada), and more than $420 million to the Canada Council for the Arts, which disburses funding to arts and cultural groups independently of government control. The money will only strengthen an already dynamic arts community, which routinely punches above its weight, producing some of the best artists, architects, directors, musicians and writers in the world.
“It’s a game-changer,” Simon Brault, the head of the Canada Council, said after the government announcement.
Melanie Joly, the minister for Canadian Heritage, which oversees a diverse portfolio of cultural agencies, commissions and “crown corporations,” including the Canada Council for the Arts, says the money is part of a larger government effort to include the arts in all aspects of life.
“For a long time, everything that was happening at the Canada Council and in the arts and culture in general [was] seen as spending,” she says. By “spendings” she means red marks on the cost side of the budget. She prefers the term “investments,” a marked contrast with the word “subsidies,” used by the previous prime minister, Stephen Harper, who once claimed that “ordinary working people” don’t care about the arts.
The “investments” language is part of a larger rhetoric of innovation, multiculturalism and economic growth that makes the current Canadian leadership sound more like Silicone valley technocrats than ordinary politicians.
The National Gallery of Canada is one of the many arts institutions that benefit from the new cultural budget. (Copyright NGC, Ottawa, Canada)
A radical approach
For Americans, the announcement of a $1.5 billion investment in culture is unthinkable. When the Obama administration came to power in 2009, speaking some of the same language of diversity and social responsibility, the arts were not part of the focus. The budget for the National Endowment for the Arts, which has to be approved by Congress, remains basically where it was eight years ago. But the more striking thing is the absence of the arts as part of the larger conversation about American identity. The left side of the political spectrum, in the United States, rarely views the arts as part of the basic tool kit with which it might make its impress on society, and the Obama administration has been mostly true to that tradition of indifference.
In Canada, by contrast, the arts are elemental to what the prime minister has called the emergence of Canada as the “first post-national state.” After the October election, Trudeau said of his country: “There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada.” Instead, he stressed a core sense of equity and tolerance: “There are shared values — openness, respect, compassion |
figures to whom Washington has geared policy for years that likely will not survive the next administration:
Is the West prepared for an even more radical and ideological supreme leader? Of course, there’s another possibility: Nothing requires the leadership to be an individual.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei has served as Iran’s supreme leader (and, as far as the Iranian regime is concerned, the deputy of the Messiah on earth) since 1989, but the 77-year-old ayatollah has recently battled cancer and is reputed to be in ill-health. That he allowed himself to be photographed in the hospital signaled Iranians that they should be prepared for a transition and that his health crisis was not merely something that could be swept under the rug. What comes next? In theory, the 86-member Assembly of Experts picks the new supreme leader but, in reality, they are little more than a coffee klatch that rubber stamps a decision made by influential powerbrokers and faction heads. So who might come next? Council on Foreign Relations scholar Ray Takeyh has suggested it could be Ibrahim Raisi, a hardliner. Other scholars might argue that Khamenei’s successor would likely be a weaker, more run-of-the-mill ayatollah since no one else would get buy-in from all factions. Takeyh is probably right, however, in the notion that the new Supreme Leader will trend far more hardline than even Khamenei did after his selection. The difference between now and 1989 is that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is far better resourced and powerful (thanks, Secretary Kerry!). They will never subordinate themselves to someone who they see as weak and too flexible.
Is the West prepared for an even more radical and ideological supreme leader? Of course, there’s another possibility: Nothing requires the leadership to be an individual; it’s always possible that absent a consensus, a council of leadership will emerge with multiple ayatollahs representing the major factions. This might create an entirely new dynamic but again one not favorable to the West as, when the factional competition gets too fierce, bad things happen as hardliners seize hostages and sponsor terrorism in order to prove their dominance and purity.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. As corrosive as Khamenei has been to international peace and the reputation of Shi’ism globally, Sistani has been the opposite. In every crisis, Sistani has worked to repair crises and calm passions rather than inflame them. He has regularly reached across the sectarian divide and condemned terrorism. When Sunni terrorists blew up the al-‘Askari shrine in Samarra in 2006, Sistani forbade any reprisals but when the Islamic State seized the overwhelmingly Sunni city of Mosul, he called for volunteers to help the city; hundreds of Shi’ites willingly gave their lives in answer to him. But what happens when Sistani passes away? It’s a subject of conversation in Najaf and Karbala. Few locals believe the other three resident Grand Ayatollahs will rise to the stature of Sistani, though. In 1994, when Grand Ayatollah Araki passed away, Khamenei tried to suggest that he would now be the sole ‘source of emulation,’ but was basically laughed off the stage as his religious credentials barely qualify him to be an ayatollah. Khamenei has been maneuvering to impose the 68-year-old former Iranian Judiciary Chief Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi upon Najaf. Iraqis say local Shi’ites wouldn’t accept Shahroudi and would likely favor one of Sistani’s prominent students but what might a fight mean? Again, nothing requires a single source of emulation—historically, there have been many–but if there is a crisis, would any successor have the stature to restore calm and promote peace as Sistani has done?
One thing is clear: Any Palestinian aspirant would likely only consolidate his power upon the corpses of his rivals.A Pennsylvania father took his three children to Hershey Park one day before he fatally shot them, their mother and their family dog in a murder-suicide earlier this month, authorities said.
Mark Short Sr. and his family were found dead with gunshot wounds in the living room of their Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania home on Aug. 6, according to prosecutors. District Attorney John Adams said Monday that the 40-year-old father was the shooter and that he had penned a suicide note after killing his 33-year-old wife Megan Short, their children — 8-year-old Lianna, 5-year-old Mark Jr., and 2-year-old Willow — and their dog.
Each child suffered one gunshot wound and they were found on the floor in their pajamas near blankets and pillows, officials said during a news conference Monday.
Authorities did not reveal the contents of Mark Short’s suicide note, but Adams said the one-page letter showed he was “emotional” about his separation from his wife. The couple had “domestic issues,” according to prosecutors.
“Suffice it to say, based upon our investigation, we were able to tell you that he was going through the break up of a marriage and he was emotional about that,” Adams said.
The couple’s youngest child had made headlines in 2014 after she had a heart transplant.
Contact us at editors@time.com.Lighioana Profile Joined March 2010 Norway 466 Posts Last Edited: 2010-08-12 06:57:42 #1 I want TL opinion on what's best when you want to get units in the opponent base.
Here are the facts:
The overlord needs the Ventral Sacs upgrade which gives the ability to carry and drop ground units.
200 minerals
200 gas
130 seconds to research
OPTIONAL:
The overlord can also get the Pneumatized Carapace upgrade which gives it more speed.
100 minerals
100 gas
60 seconds to research
In order to achieve the same with the Nyndus you need to make Nyndus network.
150 minerals
200 gas
50 seconds to build
Then you need to build the Nyndus worm
100 minerals
100 gas
20 seconds to build
So, my question is, why would a person in the right mind would chose to go overlord drop instead of Nyndus?
The time needed to research drop is A LOT more (read that as about twice) then the time needed to build the Nyndus network and the worm. Resource wise, the Nyndus costs a bit more by a negligent amount. Also, if you go drop you also need the speed other wise most of your overlord would die, which is an extra cost.
I feel like Blizzard should lower the research time of the Pneumatized Carapace upgrade if they want people to use it. And forgive me nothing for I truly meant it all
bombcar Profile Joined April 2010 United States 68 Posts #2 You can pack more units into a large number of overlords? You can run some decoys and not get hit? You can drop faster? You can "leap" over static walls with units that are already in the area?
michaelthe Profile Joined February 2010 United States 359 Posts #3 Your analysis is stunning and correct sir. If your goal is get a unit into the enemies base Nydus seems the way to go!
Now, if carrying multiple loads is important, the drop not being scouted/destroyed instantly, needing the ability to also evac well, having the ability to take island expos, having the threat of drops remain are issues at all, we might have to reconsider.
ALPINA Profile Joined May 2010 3791 Posts Last Edited: 2010-08-12 07:07:31 #4 On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can pack more units into a large number of overlords? You can run some decoys and not get hit? You can drop faster? You can "leap" over static walls with units that are already in the area?
+ you can drop units pretty much instant while from nydus worm they came 2 in a second.
+ nydus can be shut down very easily if scouted. Keep in mind most good players put pylons/depots around their base.
+ you need 100/100 EACH time you want to make nydus while drops are free when you have drop upgrade.
Also most of time you don't rush to get drop or nydus so 1 or 2 minutes does not change anything imo.
+ you can drop units pretty much instant while from nydus worm they came 2 in a second.+ nydus can be shut down very easily if scouted. Keep in mind most good players put pylons/depots around their base.+ you need 100/100 EACH time you want to make nydus while drops are free when you have drop upgrade.Also most of time you don't rush to get drop or nydus so 1 or 2 minutes does not change anything imo. You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
Lighioana Profile Joined March 2010 Norway 466 Posts #5 On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can pack more units into a large number of overlords?
Nyndus can transport an infinite amount of units.
Nyndus can transport an infinite amount of units. On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can run some decoys and not get hit?
You still loose 1-2 overlords which again, is more expensive then the Nyndus alternative.
You still loose 1-2 overlords which again, is more expensive then the Nyndus alternative. On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can drop faster?
If the opponent sees the Nyndus worm or the Overlords and moves the units in time you don't have a chance in both of the scenarios.
If the opponent sees the Nyndus worm or the Overlords and moves the units in time you don't have a chance in both of the scenarios. On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can "leap" over static walls with units that are already in the area?
But that's another big advantage of the Nyndus worm. They can be in your base protecting and then instantly get in the opponent base. But that's another big advantage of the Nyndus worm. They can be in your base protecting and then instantly get in the opponent base. And forgive me nothing for I truly meant it all
Lighioana Profile Joined March 2010 Norway 466 Posts #6 On August 12 2010 16:05 Alpina wrote:
+ you can drop units pretty much instant while from nydus worm they came 2 in a second.
+ nydus can be shut down very easily if scouted. Keep in mind most good players put pylons/depots around their base.
+ you need 100/100 EACH time you want to make nydus while drops are free when you have drop upgrade.
I feel that is the same for the overlord drop. If he has the units in place half of them will die while dropping from the overlord. With the Nyndus you can retreat quickly if necessary.
I feel that is the same for the overlord drop. If he has the units in place half of them will die while dropping from the overlord. With the Nyndus you can retreat quickly if necessary. On August 12 2010 16:05 Alpina wrote:
Also most of time you don't rush to get drop or nydus so 1 or 2 minutes does not change anything imo.
But 60 seconds is the difference between him, for example, having a colossus or not. But 60 seconds is the difference between him, for example, having a colossus or not. And forgive me nothing for I truly meant it all
Darpinion Profile Joined January 2010 United States 210 Posts #7 On August 12 2010 16:07 Lighioana wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can pack more units into a large number of overlords?
Nyndus can transport an infinite amount of units.
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can run some decoys and not get hit?
You still loose 1-2 overlords which again, is more expensive then the Nyndus alternative.
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can drop faster?
If the opponent sees the Nyndus worm or the Overlords and moves the units in time you don't have a chance in both of the scenarios.
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can "leap" over static walls with units that are already in the area?
But that's another big advantage of the Nyndus worm. They can be in your base protecting and then instantly get in the opponent base. Nyndus can transport an infinite amount of units.You still loose 1-2 overlords which again, is more expensive then the Nyndus alternative.If the opponent sees the Nyndus worm or the Overlords and moves the units in time you don't have a chance in both of the scenarios.But that's another big advantage of the Nyndus worm. They can be in your base protecting and then instantly get in the opponent base.
It isn't "instantly", they have to be inside of the nydus network and trying to come out of a nydus network is slow slow going. Units can sit outside of they network and just snipe units one-by-one as they come out. It isn't "instantly", they have to be inside of the nydus network and trying to come out of a nydus network is slow slow going. Units can sit outside of they network and just snipe units one-by-one as they come out. "A well formulated question is more important than the answer." -Albert Einstein
Prophecy3 Profile Joined March 2010 Canada 223 Posts #8 I'm Terran, and honestly, drops are alot more worrisome mid to late game. you have enough time and usually enough vision to take out nydus'. When being aggressive I would have to say drops for straight overall utility.
But I feel Nydus' are 100% underused as is. especially on large maps zerg needs to connect bases over huge distances, which could be done instantly with nydus. That's much faster then any amount of creep. They both have uses.
Ovies are more tactical, Nydus is more strategic. Both have their place, but for straight up aggression it's wishful thinking to think a nydus bomb is going to work more often than drops. Ignorance is Bliss? Indifferance is Atrocity.
NeoLearner Profile Blog Joined January 2010 Belgium 1786 Posts #9
Opponent has not seen you before you drop.
Overlord drop: You drop 5 (or as many as you want really) overlords worth of food. Opponent has about 5 seconds to see it coming. 3 seconds later he has 40 food roaches units in his base.
If he sees you, you run and loose only the units that die.
Nydus: You drop as much food as you want. Opponent has 20 seconds (build time) to see it coming. 2 seconds later he has 1 units in his base. It takes another 10 seconds to get the 40 food roaches dropped.
If he sees you, you run and loose the units that die and the worm.
Opponent has seen you:
Overlord drop: You run and loose most likely nothing
Nydus: you loose the worm. Which is 100 gas.
Now try to find a good opponent who doesn't do anything for 30 seconds. That's a 2 APM opponent by the way Let's take 2 scenario's.Opponent has not seen you before you drop.Overlord drop: You drop 5 (or as many as you want really) overlords worth of food. Opponent has about 5 seconds to see it coming. 3 seconds later he has 40 food roaches units in his base.If he sees you, you run and loose only the units that die.Nydus: You drop as much food as you want. Opponent has 20 seconds (build time) to see it coming. 2 seconds later he has 1 units in his base. It takes another 10 seconds to get the 40 food roaches dropped.If he sees you, you run and loose the units that die and the worm.Opponent has seen you:Overlord drop: You run and loose most likely nothingNydus: you loose the worm. Which is 100 gas.Now try to find a good opponent who doesn't do anything for 30 seconds. That's a 2 APM opponent by the way Bankai - Correlation does not imply causation
SpiciestZerg Profile Joined August 2010 United States 154 Posts #10 On August 12 2010 16:07 Lighioana wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can pack more units into a large number of overlords?
Nyndus can transport an infinite amount of units. Nyndus can transport an infinite amount of units.
But it takes a couple seconds for the overlords to drop all the units, and you should have the enough overlords to carry a full army.
A Worm on the other hand can take nearly 30 seconds unloading an army.
But it takes a couple seconds for the overlords to drop all the units, and you should have the enough overlords to carry a full army.A Worm on the other hand can take nearly 30 seconds unloading an army. On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can run some decoys and not get hit?
You still loose 1-2 overlords which again, is more expensive then the Nyndus alternative. [/QUOTE]
Its only minerals. The 100 gas of each worm is much more valuable.
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 15:59 bombcar wrote:
You can drop faster?
If the opponent sees the Nyndus worm or the Overlords and moves the units in time you don't have a chance in both of the scenarios. If the opponent sees the Nyndus worm or the Overlords and moves the units in time you don't have a chance in both of the scenarios.
Not true at all. Unless he has heavy anti air it will barely scratch your doom drop.
IMO: Nydus worms are only useful late game defensively for instant transport across the map.
oh also the cost of overlord speed should not be added to the cost of drop in your calculation because time-wise it doesnt matter if you have at least 2 hatches, and cost-wise you're bound to get it anyways for scouting/anti-harass You still loose 1-2 overlords which again, is more expensive then the Nyndus alternative. [/QUOTE]Its only minerals. The 100 gas of each worm is much more valuable.Not true at all. Unless he has heavy anti air it will barely scratch your doom drop.IMO: Nydus worms are only useful late game defensively for instant transport across the map.oh also the cost of overlord speed should not be added to the cost of drop in your calculation because time-wise it doesnt matter if you have at least 2 hatches, and cost-wise you're bound to get it anyways for scouting/anti-harass The answer to all life's questions is more zerglings.
ALPINA Profile Joined May 2010 3791 Posts Last Edited: 2010-08-12 07:27:28 #11 On August 12 2010 16:10 Lighioana wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 16:05 Alpina wrote:
+ you can drop units pretty much instant while from nydus worm they came 2 in a second.
+ nydus can be shut down very easily if scouted. Keep in mind most good players put pylons/depots around their base.
+ you need 100/100 EACH time you want to make nydus while drops are free when you have drop upgrade.
I feel that is the same for the overlord drop. If he has the units in place half of them will die while dropping from the overlord. With the Nyndus you can retreat quickly if necessary.
Show nested quote +
On August 12 2010 16:05 Alpina wrote:
Also most of time you don't rush to get drop or nydus so 1 or 2 minutes does not change anything imo.
But 60 seconds is the difference between him, for example, having a colossus or not. I feel that is the same for the overlord drop. If he has the units in place half of them will die while dropping from the overlord. With the Nyndus you can retreat quickly if necessary.But 60 seconds is the difference between him, for example, having a colossus or not.
With drops you can drop units, snipe key buildings and load units in OLs pretty much instanly and retreat most of time, while you practically cannot do that with nydus because loading/unloading takes a lot of time, unless you nydus on desert oasis and enemy army if in the center of map, but on most maps retreating with nydus is pretty much impossible.
With drops you can drop units, snipe key buildings and load units in OLs pretty much instanly and retreat most of time, while you practicallydo that with nydus because loading/unloading takes a lot of time, unless you nydus on desert oasis and enemy army if in the center of map, but on most maps retreating with nydus is pretty much impossible. You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
Pwncore Profile Joined April 2010 Canada 15 Posts #12 Well, Within the context of ONLY getting units into the base, Nydus is better in that there is much less risk involved. However, dropping with overlords gives you the advantage of dropping where you please instead of bursting in from a hidden corner - Drop some by the tech labs, drop some behind the mineral line, drop some behind those clustered depos. The extra seconds you get by dropping all over, or behind a cluster of buildings can make a difference depending on the simcity. "^___________________________________^" - CoachRoosterBoss
RobRoy2501 Profile Blog Joined June 2008 United States 177 Posts #13 Zerg need gas. Losing a few overlords is worth saving the 100 gas that you need for each worm.
A worm takes 20 seconds to START to unload. Its true that you can stop a drop if you have good scouting/reaction but it is much easier to stop a worm, especially in lower leagues where the worm shouts to let people know its coming since they might not be watching the minimap too close.
Small drops/multi harass drops would start to cost huge amounts with a worm in 2-3 places 2-3 times in one game.
You may get the OV speed upgrade anyway(I know everyone plays different, but I always like to get it just for better scouting and ovie safety).
I think there are times when the worm is good but its not always the best choice. You seem to be thinking of it as mostly just a one time drop of your whole army but that isn't the only part of it.
Depends on matchup/build/map, etc. The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. -Plutarch
Phanekim Profile Joined April 2003 United States 763 Posts #14 overlords allow you to mini harass. they both have their uses. i think olord is more versatile and nydus is vastly underused. i like cheese
ZannX Profile Joined August 2010 United States 70 Posts #15 A nydus worm makes a map-wide global sound when it's being created regardless of if you see it or not. An overlord drop doesn't have to be 100% stealth... most of the time it's just to bypass an inconvenient choke. You also never only bring loaded overlords. I personally bring plenty of empty ones as decoys to be killed first.
For a single drop nydus may be ok (assuming it's undetected), but I think in the long run the static cost of the overlord research is the better option.
Jermstuddog Profile Blog Joined June 2010 United States 2215 Posts Last Edited: 2010-08-12 07:53:34 #16 Overlords give more midgame harassing options through banelings and infestors. Doesn't cost any gas past the initial research, and especially when doing a doom drop, plenty of overlords are usually available so as to avoid pop capping yourself.
Nydus is more of an endgame gut punch when used properly. You should set up 3-4 worms at all his bases in quick succession so you can catch your opponents army out of position, the major drawback being that 4 worms takes 600 gas, you can't really afford this and an army capable of doing real damage until you have a major economic advantage.
Also, 20 seconds is an ungodly amount of time to be building something in the middle of your opponents base. As it turns out, marines don't actually cost any money -Jinro
Pokedude1013 Profile Joined August 2010 116 Posts #17 It's not just about the money. The nydus network, when created, makes a loud shrieking noise which tells all players ingame that a nydus has spawned, and every half-decent player will check their base afterward.
Nydus should be used in situations where your opponent cannot stop you even if he knows about it, which pending situation is pretty rare. Even if you pop it in somewhere in their base when their army is away the workers can actually kill it before it comes up.
Overlord drops are more expensive but they are more stealth-able Get out
aznhockeyboy16 Profile Blog Joined July 2009 United States 528 Posts #18 if your goal is to win the game quickly, then yes, nydus is better, but overlord drop has much more flexibility in what you're doing. you can drop banelings directly onto mineral lines, directly onto balls of units, "sneak" a much larger force than you can with a nydus worm, and once you show that you have drop you can fake drop things to pull his army out of position.
me_viet Profile Blog Joined April 2010 Australia 1299 Posts Last Edited: 2010-08-12 08:09:04 #19 Don't forget, Zerg is usually on 2 bases, so dual research of overlord upgrades is fine. At the very least, your overlords become faster which is VERY good. Don't think i've ever won a game w/o oves speed (except ZvZ).
EDIT: oh, and Nydus network can be scouted. Drop research can't be.
Bibzball Profile Blog Joined May 2010 France 237 Posts #20 Yeah thats pretty much it even if you need many overlords to do a nice drop, nydus worms are just too easy to counter. I feel like there should be an upgrade which speeds things up, sthing like 10 sec instead of 20 and / or unloads units faster (just like the carrier upgrade btw) DANIEL! GET OUT OF THE WATER!!!
1 2 3 4 Next AllSTOCKHOLM, March 11 (Reuters) - Sweden has offered Ukraine a bilateral loan of $100 million to help shore up its finances, the Swedish government said on Wednesday.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is in Kiev to discuss and sign two cooperation agreements with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk.
“Ukraine is in a very vulnerable situation. The Russian aggression in the East and the infighting going on for the past year has added to an already difficult economic crisis,” Sweden’s government said in a press release.
“This loan, together with our political support... helps to strengthen Ukraine.”
Sweden is hopeful the loan can be paid at the beginning of 2016.
The Swedish government has also renewed a previous agreement with Ukraine to give 220 million Swedish crowns ($26 million) per year to 2020 in aid.
Sweden has previously offered similar loans to Ireland Iceland and Latvia. ($1 = 8.5952 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Ralph Boulton)Whisper it but Liverpool are showing the form and focus of title challengers
In the days when Liverpool were good, as in genuinely good, games at Anfield would invariably begin with them passing the ball across their own back four, into midfield and back again as if there was no rush to score a goal because they just knew that one would arrive. It wasn't a lack of urgency, it was an absolute belief in both their methods and their superiority.
When you are the best team in the country, as Liverpool so often were in the 1970s and 1980s, such arrogance is neither unnatural nor misplaced. The problems come when you vacate your perch and the dynamic changes. All of a sudden, opponents are more willing to get in amongst you and are prepared to press in the knowledge that you are no longer as likely to hurt them and are also more likely to yield under pressure.
Reversing that trend, in doing so making Anfield a fortress once again and ensuring that some visiting teams are beaten before the game even begins, is the latest challenge that Jurgen Klopp has taken on. In the days leading up to the visit of Hull City, the Liverpool manager urged his team to be angry. It was all a ruse. Liverpool were not furious, they were forensic. Control was established at kick-off when the ball was played around as if they had all the time in the world because the goals would inevitably come and come they did.
As Klopp has admitted, it is one thing for their supporters to dare to dream of a title challenge but it is still far too early for the players to buy into that vision. There is no question, though, that the quality of football they have played from the start of this season, with the obvious exception of an increasingly perverse loss to Burnley, is of a standard that should make such ambitions realistic. When Liverpool turn it on, as they did in the first half here, they are capable of blowing teams away.
The one doubt major about them, though, was that they have developed a reputation for being a team that can't be trusted. Beat Arsenal one weekend, lose to Burnley the next; eliminate Borussia Dortmund, capitulate against Watford, Newcastle United and Swansea City. From boom to bust from one week to the next, Liverpool might not like the fact that they are seen as a team which thrives in exalted company but drops its standards against the rest but they cannot complain that this is the case.
Which is why a home game Hull City was seen by many as an acid test of their chances of mounting a title challenge in a way that last weekend's trip to Stamford Bridge was not. In order to become trusted, to be seen as a side that can become consistent enough to re-establish itself amongst the elite, Liverpool had to show that they could thrive on mundane days when inferior opposition set up to stop them from playing and the pressure is on them to find a way to win, any way to win.
It turned out that, with confidence high and expectation rising, this was no test at all. Liverpool had the game won by half-time as the stranglehold they took on the game from the outset created a platform from which they scored three goals without reply with the strain of trying to hold them at bay seeing Hull go down to ten men when Ahmed Elmohamady was sent off for handling Philippe Coutinho's goal-bound effort on his own line.
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In hindsight, Elmohamady may wonder if he'd been better served allowing the shot to bypass him. Professional competitiveness prevented that but in his desperate attempts to help his team, he only made things worse. Not only did James Milner score the resultant penalty to add to Adam Lallana's opener, Hull were left facing the remaining 61 minutes with a numerical disadvantage to go with their technical and tactical inferiority. On top of that, Elmohamady will also serve a suspension. Sometimes it is better to allow nature to take its course than to try to prevent the inevitable.
From that point on, Hull's impotence continued to be highlighted. Mane scored a third before the interval and Liverpool's only regret, if they had any from such a commanding display, was that they did not end the opening 45 minutes five or six goals to the good. Coutinho had one effort cleared off the line, Georgino Wijnaldum struck the crossbar and several other chances came and went without being taken. Klopp, looking to make an example of Hull in the belief that it would intimidate future opponents, demanded more.
Even when Hull pulled a goal back through David Meyler, the substitute, Liverpool took it as an affront and responded by immediately restoring their three goal advantage as Coutinho beat David Marshall from 25 yards. Only then did Liverpool begin to relent. The game had long since been won and control was coming all too easily. Klopp is not a manager who exists in the comfort zone so he injected more urgency by introducing Daniel Sturridge for the tireless Adam Lallana. Within 60 seconds of coming on, the substitute had drawn Andrew Roberston into a rash challenge and won a penalty. Again, Milner scored.
For the beleaguered Marshall there must have been a sense of deja vu. On his previous game against Liverpool with Cardiff City, the goalkeeper conceded six as Brendan Rodgers attempted to freewheel to the Premier League title. Klopp clearly wanted Marshall to suffer more. "Come on boys, ten minutes more," he shouted from the touchline as he continued to seek the relentlessness that separates the very good from the good. Liverpool did not provide him with any more goals but they had already given their manager the result, performance and intensity that he had wanted.
The naysayers will point out that this was only Hull but that is exactly the point. This is exactly the kind of opposition against whom Liverpool need to win regularly and win well. By the end of the game thousands of seats had been left vacated as Liverpool's fans took the opportunity to leave early in the knowledge that their team had long since done everything that was required of it. That was another nod to when Liverpool were genuinely good and while the current side still has a long way to go before it can match the standards set by Manchester City, the Premier League leaders, never mind their own illustrious predecessors, this was another positive step in the right direction.
Catch up on the first episode of Football Friday Live...I recently struck grocery-store gold and found a coupon for 1/2 price Gold’n’Plump boneless skinless chicken breasts. I was excited. So excited, in fact, that I bought four packages- stock up while you can, right? Right. So here I am, loading four packages of meat into my freezer, when, literally, my husband walks in with his own bag of four 1/2 price Gold’n’Plump boneless skinless chicken breasts. And guess what? He is SO EXCITED. “Look at the deal I found, babe! Stock up while you can, right?”
Needless to say, my freezer is FULL of chicken. (Speaking of which, are you free to come over for supper sometime in the next couple of weeks? I have no room in my freezer for leftovers.) This is good news for you, readers- now I’ve got all the meat I can handle and enough recipes to make it worth giving up the freezer space. Chicken lovers of the world unite: I give you a new recipe!
Basil Chicken
Recipe adapted from The Food Network.
Ingredients:
1 boneless skinless chicken breast per diner
¼ cup freshly chopped basil leaves, plus 2 tbsp freshly minced basil leaves
1/3 cup butter, melted
Splash white cooking wine
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tbsp grated parmesan
¼ tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Directions:
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir chopped basil into melted butter. Dip chicken in basil butter, then in breadcrumbs. Pour remaining basil butter into pan over medium heat, add wine, minced garlic. Sear chicken on medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side, then put entire pan into the over for approximately 12 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through- check with a knife). Allow chicken to rest for 3-5 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Sprinkle with basil leaves if desired. Serve.
Do you guys have any fave chicken recipes? Lord knows I’ve got enough chicken to try most of them- leave the recipes/links in the comments!
Download.pdf version of this recipe HERE.Calling international politics a “battlefield”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told newspaper Magyar Idők that Hungary’s sovereignty is under constant attack from foreign interests and the powerful left wing activist George Soros. Adding that mass migration threatens the future of Europe, he urged for the preservation of Christian civilisation.
“Today we live in a time when international politics is a battlefield,” Prime Minister Orbán said on Easter Sunday. “The independence and freedom of European nations are at stake. And at the centre of the battlefield is migration.”
“This is what our future stands or falls on,” he said, “the fate of Europe. The question is whether the character of European nations will be determined by the same spirit, civilisation, culture and mentality as in our parents’ and grandparents’ time, or by something completely different.”
Discussing how his government has come under criticism following the implementation of stricter border controls and asylum policies in the ongoing migrant crisis, Mr. Orbán observed that “those calling themselves liberal and left-wing – who are supported with the money, power and networks of international forces, with George Soros at the forefront – claim that taking action against migration is wrong, impractical and immoral”.
Contrasting that with the wishes of the Hungarian people, Orbán said: “…we want to preserve the foundations of Europe. We do not want parallel societies, we do not want population exchanges, and we do not want to replace Christian civilisation with a different kind. Therefore we are building fences, defending ourselves, and not allowing migrants to flood us.”
– ‘National Governance Under Pressure’ –
The Hungarian government, led by Orbán’s Fidesz party, |
and natural choreography skills are definite requirements to get a successful tifo with no blips.
Some of the biggest displays - such as Aberdeen's 2014 League Cup Final tifo - have been sketched out using tape to signal where the colour schemes start and finish.
The organiser's view
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Aberdeen fan Stephen McCormick was behind some of the first displays to fill Scottish grounds back in the early 1990s and continued right up to the League Cup Final tifo last year which cost £12,000.
He said: "There is no real secret to it - so long as you know your terrace.
"Getting a stadium plan early is important and then you just work from there. Hampden actually lends itself very well to tifos as it is so expansive.
"Sometimes people try to be too clever and it backfires but we always played it safe.
(Image: Jeff Holmes/PA Wire)
"We would have regular contact with the guys doing it at Celtic and Rangers and it became a friendly competition to see if we could outdo each other. All we look to do is add some colour to our terraces.
"I've friends in Italy who have organised the incredible displays at Sampdoria and the San Siro and it can be far more difficult for them as they are in stadiums where the seats have no backs.
"So long as you have a good bunch of lads helping you and have planned ahead then you can create something spectacular quite easily."You might recall a while back that a movie was being made on the life of Brandon Burlsworth, Arkansas' famous walk-on turned All-America offensive lineman.
The movie is finally on the cusp of being released later this month, and this is the official trailer for it. Not gonna lie, I got a little emotional.
The film was largely shot on location here in Arkansas. Unfortunately, they couldn't bring back Arkansas' 1998-era facilities, so everything looks shiny and new like all the facilities are now. So those of us who know what it used to look like can use our imaginations a little bit.
Yes, you might recognize some of those actors. That's Neal McDonough playing Marty, Brandon's brother. He was the villain on season 3 of Justified and the villain on one season of Desperate Housewives. He also played Dum Dum Dugan in the first Captain America movie and starred in a Cadillac commercial where he talked about how great America is.
Also, for my fellow Justified fans, you can also see Nick Searcy, who played Chief Deputy Art Mullen in the series.
There are also actors portraying several notable characters in Razorback history, including Houston Nutt, Danny Ford, Clint Stoerner, Anthony Lucas, and more. And as you can see, David Bazzell has a spot in the film as well. Bazzell is responsible for putting together The Burlsworth Trophy, after all - the trophy awarded to the best player in America who began his career as a walk-on - which is just a part of Burlsworth's legacy.Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday revealed about 20 percent of active iPhone users have upgraded to the company's latest iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus hardware, leaving room for growth.
Cook's statement, which came in response to an analyst question during Apple's quarterly conference call for the second quarter of 2015, suggests iPhone has substantial room for growth in the months leading up to an expected next-generation handset launch this fall.For its second fiscal quarter, Apple sold a whopping 61 million iPhones leading to a record $13.6 billion in profits for the three month period. The number is huge considering negative seasonality headwinds, possibly bolstered by first-time buyers in developing regions. For emerging markets, iPhone sales were up 63% year-over-year.Earlier in the call, Cook noted iPhone was seeing a higher rate of switchers than previous quarters, hinting that iOS is stealing marketshare from Google's Android operating system. Combined with potential upgraders, iPhone appears primed for further growth across quarter three and beyond.In the article ESPN posted today announcing Marshawn Lynch’s involvement in Black Ops 3, they’ve added a photo of Lynch at Treyarch Studios playing the multiplayer mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. The image shows off our first look at the game’s multiplayer HUD, giving fans a glimpse of the new mini map and on the far right, the new scorestreaks UI.
In addition, the image also shows that Lynch was playing Black Ops 3 multiplayer on the PlayStation 4. The image does show Xbox Ones underneath both TVs, but the controller in Lynch’s hand is the PS4 controller (with the PS4 console in the center).
Activision has confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer will be playable at E3 next week…stay tuned for the latest details.
SOURCE: ESPN Gallery via @JordanxbrookesThe Department for Infrastructure today announced its Decision to Proceed with the A5 Western Transport Corridor scheme, with construction of the section between New Buildings and north of Strabane ready to start in early 2018.
Commenting on the progression of the scheme, the Department’s Permanent Secretary Peter May said:
“This decision concurs with the Planning Appeals Commission recommendation that the scheme should proceed in the wider public interest. Before giving approval for the scheme to proceed, careful consideration was given to the PAC Report and the Department’s assessment of the environmental impacts of the scheme. In proceeding with the scheme, the Department commits to carrying out the necessary actions to implement the PAC recommendations and mitigation measures as described in the Department’s Statement and the Environmental Statement. Construction will start as soon as possible.”
Mr May continued: “The decision to proceed takes account of the clear direction from the previous Executive that this Flagship project should commence as soon as possible. The outgoing Infrastructure Minister was also clear that the A5WTC scheme was a key priority. This is a strategically important project for the region and one which will benefit the economy as a whole, as well as improving journey times and road safety for the thousands of daily users of this route.
“In the current economic climate, this announcement of Phase 1a of the scheme - a 15 kilometre stretch of new dual carriageway from New Buildings to north of Strabane - starting in early 2018 will be welcome news for the construction industry. The scheme should lead to an increase in demand for local suppliers of construction materials, as well as a boost to commercial trade in the surrounding area. There will also be a considerable focus on social sustainability with the construction contract incorporating targeted recruitment and training opportunities for both young and long-term unemployed people. Phase 1a has an estimated cost of £150m to deliver. Under the Fresh Start Agreement the Irish Government has agreed to contribute £75m over three years.”
The A5 Western Transport Corridor dual carriageway scheme is an Executive flagship project which will provide 85 kilometres of dual carriageway commencing just south of Londonderry at New Buildings, bypassing Strabane, Newtownstewart, Omagh, Ballygawley and Aughnacloy before terminating at the existing A5 just south of Aughnacloy. Further phases of the scheme will be constructed on confirmation of funding, while Phase 3 (between Ballygawley and the border at Aughnacloy) remains on hold pending clarification from the Irish Government on its proposals for the adjoining N2.
It is one of five key transport corridors in the region and the proposed upgrade will improve links between urban centres in the west and provide a strategic link with international gateways.
In order to discharge its obligation under the Habitats Regulations the Department commissioned the preparation of a number of Reports of Information to Inform an Appropriate Assessment relating to the likely impacts of the A5WTC upon Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Ramsar sites. The reports have been the subject of consultation with statutory bodies, other interested parties and the general public and have been updated in light of all consultation responses received, any changes in circumstances, the public inquiry process and any additional information available to the Department. The final versions of these reports, together with a Habitats Regulations Assessment Summary Report, set out an assessment of those impacts.
Accordingly, in light of the assessment undertaken and the information presented within the Reports of Information to Inform an Appropriate Assessment, the Habitats Regulations Assessment Summary Report and the Environmental Statement, the Department (as the competent authority) is satisfied, taking account of the proposed mitigation measures, that the construction and operation of the A5 Western Transport Corridor scheme would not, by itself or in combination with other known plans or projects, adversely affect the integrity of the River Foyle & Tributaries SAC, the Owenkillew River SAC, the River Finn SAC, the Tully Bog SAC, the Lough Foyle SPA, the Lough Swilly SPA, the Lough Neagh & Lough Beg SPA, the Lough Foyle Ramsar Site or the Lough Neagh & Lough Beg Ramsar Site, in view of their conservation objectives.
The Department will now publish the formal Notice of Intention to Proceed, make available to the public the PAC Report and the Department’s Statement, make the Direction Order for the length of the scheme between New Buildings and Ballygawley, and make the Vesting Order for Phase 1a between New Buildings and north of Strabane.
Notes to editors:
1. The general effect of the A5WTC project will be to construct approximately 85 kilometres of new trunk road from just south of Londonderry at New Buildings, passing close to Strabane, Newtownstewart, Omagh, Ballygawley and Aughnacloy before terminating at the existing A5 just south of Aughnacloy.
2. In November 2015 the former Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government agreed through ‘A Fresh Start: The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan’ that construction of the first section of the A5WTC would commence as soon as possible. The first section to be constructed was identified as the route between New Buildings and north of Strabane. This section is now known as Phase 1a. Under the above Agreement the Irish Government also reaffirmed its support of the commitment under the St Andrews Agreement to co-fund the construction of the A5 within Northern Ireland.
3. Following a successful legal challenge to the scheme in 2013 in relation to compliance with the Habitats Directive, DfI Roads has worked to address the area of concern raised by the Court ruling. The scheme was updated leading to the Ministerial announcement in February 2016 of publication of and consultation on the Environmental Statement; the Notice of Intention to Make a Direction Order; Notices of Intention to Make Vesting Orders and Notice of Intention to Make a Stopping-Up of Private Accesses Order.
4. In April 2016 the Department appointed the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) to hold public inquiries into the Environmental Statement and the above draft Orders (hereinafter referred to as the Public Inquiry). The Public Inquiry commenced on 4 October 2016 and concluded on 14 December 2016. The PAC Report from the Public Inquiry was received by the Department on 25 May 2017.
5. Regulation 43(1) of The Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 (as amended) (“the Habitats Regulations”) (which implement in Northern Ireland Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (the Habitats Directive)) requires that a “competent authority”, before deciding to undertake, or give consent, permission or other authorisation for a plan or project which
a) is likely to have a significant effect on a Natura 2000 site in Northern Ireland (either alone or in combination with other plans or projects); and
b) is not directly connected with or necessary to the management of the site shall make an appropriate assessment of the implications for the site in view of the site’s conservation objectives in line with Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive.
6. The Appropriate Assessment must be undertaken by the “competent authority” as defined in Regulation 5 of the Habitats Regulations. The Department for Infrastructure is the “competent authority” for strategic road improvement schemes in Northern Ireland and it has therefore undertaken an Appropriate Assessment on the A5WTC project, which has been reviewed and revised as the project has progressed.
7. The Executive’s Budget 2016-17 identified the A5WTC as a flagship project and as such an indicative financial allocation of £229m was provided for the 2016 – 2021 period. In the Fresh Start Agreement the Irish Government reaffirms its commitment to providing funding of £50 million for the project. It also committed an additional £25m to ensure that Phase 1 of the project can commence as soon as possible.
8. An electronic version of the Departmental Statement and the PAC Report may be viewed at: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications. Electronic versions of all other documents relating to the project, may be viewed at: http://www.a5wtc.com/
9. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office on 028 90540007 or email press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07623 974 383 and your call will be returned.
Share this pageGoogle has had thousands of requests, but will not say how many search histories or web pages have been tweaked
Google has begun removing search links to content in Europe under the "right to be forgotten" ruling, which obliges it not to point to web pages with "outdated or irrelevant" information about individuals.
Searches made on Google's services in Europe using peoples' names includes a section at the bottom with the phrase "Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe", and a link to a page explaining the ruling by the European court of justice (ECJ) in May 2014.
However searches made on Google.com, the US-based service, do not include the same warning, because the ECJ ruling only applies within Europe.
Google would not say how many peoples' search histories have been tweaked, nor how many web pages have been affected. The company revealed in an interview with chief executive Larry Page at the end of May that it had received thousands of requests for changes to search results within days of the ECJ ruling.
Google has set up an online form where people can request removal of links, and says people can appeal to data protection authorities if they disagree with its decision.
The ECJ ruling followed a court case brought in Spain by Mario Costeja González, a lawyer who argued that under the European Data Protection directive any company carrying out "data processing" should have to remove information about him that was "outdated, wrong or irrelevant" which he argued applied to a Spanish newspaper's online report in March 1998 about financial problems he had had.
The ECJ ruled that the newspaper's report was protected under freedom of expression, but that Google's links to it were not, because Google was a "data processor".Looking for news you can trust?
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As the allegations of sexual assault piled up against Donald Trump this week, the Republican nominee promised that he would release a trove of exculpatory evidence “at the appropriate time.” On Friday morning, running mate Mike Pence said this other shoe would drop within “hours” and this information would disprove Trump’s accusers. By the end of the day, the only information that Trump produced was thin and bizarre.
The Trump campaign put forward a British man who claimed to have a “photographic memory” and who told the New York Post that he was on the flight with Trump and one of Trump’s accusers 30-plus years ago, that he remembered the entire incident, and that her story of being groped by Trump while sitting next to the mogul in the first class section was not true. The Brit claimed nothing had happened during the entire flight. (A Trump spokeswoman had previously claimed that Trump did not fly on commercial airlines during the 1980s, so this seemed to prove that Trump’s account was wrong.) The British fellow would have been about 18-years-old at the time and didn’t explain why he had been flying first-class. And two years ago, he generated British headlines by claiming that when he was 17 he procured young men for sex parties with British politicians. The Trump campaign also released a statement from the cousin of an accuser who had appeared on The Apprentice, and this man asserted that his cousin had for years not complained about Trump and had only raised these allegations after Trump recently declined an invitation to visit her restaurant.
None of this was the firm proof that Trump had promised. And this wasn’t the first time that Trump has vowed to release information and then failed to produce the goods. Here’s a quick guide:
Tax returns: At the height of his birther crusade in 2011, Trump offered a challenge to President Barack Obama: if the commander-in-chief released his long-form birth certificate, Trump would put out his tax returns. Obama did release a long-form birth certificate, after which point Trump told ABC that he would release his taxes “at the appropriate time.” That time never came.
Tax returns again: In January Trump said on Meet the Press that he would release his tax returns imminently. “We’re working on that now,” he said. “I have big returns, as you know, and I have everything all approved and very beautiful and we’ll be working that over in the next period of time.” But after a month passed and he still hadn’t produced his tax returns, Trump said at a Republican primary debate that he couldn’t release his tax returns because he was under audit. (The IRS has said that an audit would not prevent Trump from releasing the returns.) Running mate Mike Pence and top surrogate Ben Carson have both said Trump will release the returns at “the appropriate time.” Which brings us to…
Proof he’s being audited: Trump promised to release a letter proving that he was under audit. In March, in response to to repeated inquiries and promises to release documentation pertaining to the audit, Trump produced a letter from his lawyer (dated three weeks earlier) saying that his returns from 2009 until the present were under review by the IRS. But Trump’s lawyers are paid by Trump. He has not produced any correspondence from the IRS that would confirm an audit was under way.
List of creditors: When NBC News’ Lester Holt asked Trump at the first presidential debate why he had not released his tax returns, Trump made a counteroffer: he would release a list of his creditors instead. “I could give you a list of banks,” he said. “I would—if that would help you, I would give you a list of banks. These are very fine institutions, very fine banks. I could do that very quickly.” Three weeks later, though, Trump has still not released that list.
Secret information in Hawaii: In 2011 Trump claimed to have sent investigators to Hawaii to uncover the truth about Obama’s birth certificate, and he said he would release the results of their investigation “at a certain point in time.” No grand announcement ever came. “He’ll reveal it when the time is right,” Tana Goertz, the co-chair of Trump campaign’s in Iowa, told MSNBC last summer. “If they found something, it will come out. The time isn’t right, and guess what? Mr. Trump does what he wants and he’s not going to do it on our time. He’s going to do it when the timing is perfectly strategic and it’s not now and it wasn’t the place for him to say it.”
Melania’s immigration documents: Following reports that Melania Trump had (illegally) worked in the United States under a tourist visa in the 1990s, Trump vowed to hold a press conference featuring his wife to set the record straight. No press conference ever occurred. Weeks later, the Trump campaign released a statement from her lawyer, but it was accompanied by no corroborating documents.
Medical records: In September, as Trump was claiming that Hillary Clinton was in poor health, ABC’ News’ David Muir asked why he didn’t release his own medical records. “I might do that, I might do that,” Trump said. “In fact, now that you ask, I think I will do that. I’d love to give full reports.” Trump had previously released a one-page letter from his gastroenterologist that was widely dismissed by medical experts as odd and unprofessional, and he later revealed additional medical details (from the same doctor) on Dr. Oz’s television show. But Trump has yet to produce a full medical report.WATCH THE FULL CODY MILLER STORY HERE
"A bronze medal for the swimmer from Las Vegas"! That’s one of the headlines out of Rio, as the Americans continue to rack up wins at the Summer Olympics.
24-year-old Cody Miller will be bringing home hardware in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke.
Miller is a graduate of Palo Verde High School and a product of the Sandpipers of Nevada. A local swim club that can now claim an Olympic Medalist among its members.
“Shout out to the Sandpipers. Grew up on that team, would not be wearing this medal if it wasn't for that team in Las Vegas. Thank you guys,” said Cody Miller, Olympic Swimmer.
And at the Desert Breeze Aquatics Center, coaches and swimmers could not be more inspired.
“With every stroke, you're screaming at the television, it's euphoric,” said Dwight Gravley, Sandpipers of Nevada.
Dwight is one of the coaches at Desert Breeze Aquatics Center, who says Cody first joined the team at 9-years-old.
Now, it’s the next generation watching his success and realizing anything is possible.
“It wasn't much of a surprise because we knew he had a good chance at that medal,” said 15-year-old Brennan Gravley.
“We train every day, twice a day and the main goal is the Olympics and Olympic trials,” said 16-year-old Allie Emery.
Miller says, it’s been a dream come true to set an American record.
Miller left the following advice for the swimmers back home:
“Just ease the brakes a little bit, have fun first, enjoy yourself. When I was young I dreamed of being an Olympian, but I was having a good time with my friends,” said Miller.
Young swimmers spend up to 25 hours a week in the water, doing what they love and pushing themselves a bit harder thanks to the summer games.
“And that's generally what ends up happening. Somewhere in our pool, we might have the next Cody Miller,” said David Gravely.2 young boys seriously hurt after wind gust blew a bouncy house 50 ft into the air in S. Glens Falls (Pic: @poststar)
2 young boys seriously hurt after wind gust blew a bouncy house 50 ft into the air in S. Glens Falls (Pic: @poststar)
Three children from upstate New York were inside a bouncy castle when the play structure was swept away by a gust of wind Monday.
Two boys, 5 and 6, and a girl, 10, fell from the structure before it was completely blown away. One of the boys fell from the inflatable playhouse to the asphalt below from at least 15 feet above ground. And the other boy fell onto a parked car. The 10-year-old suffered only minor scrapes.
The boys, 5 and 6, were rushed to Albany Medical Center, where they were treated for serious injuries. Both boys are kindergarteners at Harrison Avenue Elementary School.
As the bouncy castle was taken away by the wind, a witness took the terrifying picture above. According to spokesperson for the South Glens Falls Police, the bouncy castle was found in a field behind a nearby middle school.
The parent who set up the bouncy castle told reporters she staked it to the ground, but the wind seemed to yank out the stakes.Elizabeth Warren's former national finance chair, Paul Egerman, has told several inquiring donors this month that, despite runaway speculation and a burning desire from the party's left wing, the freshman senator will not run for president in 2016.
Egerman, close to both Warren and to the heavy-hitting liberal base of funders who helped her raise $42 million last year, has been approached by donors in the last two weeks and told them that, no, Warren is not planning to run, according to two major players in Democratic financial circles who spoke with Egerman directly.
One Democratic fundraiser said he spoke with Egerman roughly two weeks ago, after articles by Peter Beinart in the Daily Beast and Noam Scheiber in the New Republic heightened fervor amongst the progressives over whether Warren would challenge Hillary Clinton, already the presumed frontrunner, from the left.
Egerman, the fundraiser said, quickly threw cold water on the theory.
"It's not gonna happen," the source said.
More recently, at meetings last week in Washington for Democracy Alliance, a tightly guarded coalition of some of the country's biggest liberal donors, the question of Warren's candidacy was still fresh. Warren herself spoke at the conference on Thursday, introducing a panel on the judiciary with Doug Kendall, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, and Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU.
At the meetings for the group, which funds a portfolio of progressive organizations, Warren and Egerman spoke about her intentions in 2016, according to a Democratic political strategist with close ties to the Democracy Alliance who had a private conversation about the interaction with Egerman later. Warren told Egerman, according to the strategist, that she has no plans to run against Clinton in a primary.
Another donor, based in New York City, asked Warren directly at the conference about her intentions and received the same answer, according to the strategist who spoke later that week with the donor.
The sources described Egerman, a retired software entrepreneur who calls himself an "enthusiastic supporter of Senator Elizabeth Warren" in his biography on Twitter, as the gatekeeper between the senator and the world of her financial backers.
"He's the guy to ask," said the fundraiser, citing Egerman's longtime ties to the Democratic fundraising world. "The geese talk to the geese. The bears talk to the bears. And the hippos talk to the hippos."
In an email, Egerman said he had no comment for this article.
Another donor with ties to the Clintons reached out about two weeks ago to another member of Warren's circle, former finance director Michael Pratt, and was given the same answer regarding 2016, the donor said.
As speculation over Warren's possible run continues, the message to the donor class is clear, and happens to be consistent with what staffers in Warren's own Senate office have told reporters in the last week.
Lacey Rose, Warren's press secretary, gave BuzzFeed the following statement: "As Senator Warren has said many times, she is not running for president."
Three attendees at last week's Democracy Alliance meetings cautioned that there is already an understanding inside fundraising circles that Warren would not consider running unless the former secretary of state bows out of the race — a possibility that looks increasingly unlikely as Clinton allies build an expansive infrastructure for her campaign a full three years in advance of Election Day.
But the excitement over a Warren candidacy — even if that candidacy never comes to fruition — may still make waves in the 2016 race.
The clamors have given oxygen to demand on the left for an anti-Wall Street, Warren-like candidate, and have caused angst inside a pro-Clinton camp already concerned that the hype alone could expose one of Clinton's biggest potential weaknesses: that she may not be progressive enough.
One attendee at the Democracy Alliance conference, though, said the focus there was less on 2016 and more on next year's races, particularly Wendy Davis' bid for governor of Texas and Michelle Nunn's for U.S. Senate in Georgia.USA Ultimate is proud to announce the 2017 College All-Region Teams and Players of the Year!
Instituted in 2002, the college awards are a way for individual college players to be honored by their peers for their skill, athleticism, integrity and leadership during this season.
D-I All-Region teams were determined by a peer voting process open to all college players on a roster for the 2017 college postseason. Players in bold won Player of the Year honors in their region/division.
Atlantic Coast
Men’s
All-Region First Team:
Matt Carter – George Mason
Tyler Monroe – George Washington
Matt Gouchoe-Hanas – North Carolina
Nathan Kwon – North Carolina
Jack Williams – North Carolina-Wilmington
Joe Freund – Virginia Tech
Patrick So – William & Mary
All-Region Second Team:
Greg Mohler – Delaware
Kyle Johnson – George Washington
JD Hastings – North Carolina-Wilmington
John Dowling – South Carolina
Moussa Dia – William & Mary
Gus Norrbom – William & Mary
Henry Trotter – William & Mary
Women’s
All-Region First Team:
Mackenzie Perkett – Delaware
Kathryn Ritzmann – Delaware
Georgia Tse – Duke
Lyra Olson – Duke
Lindsay Soo – North Carolina
Ashley Powell – North Carolina State
Keila Strick – Virginia
Second Team:
Natalie Bova – Delaware
Rachel Egan – Delaware
Elisabeth Parker – North Carolina
Clara Calderon-Guthe – North Carolina-Wilmington
Brogan Jones – Virginia
Emma Price – Virginia
Tess Warner – Virginia
Great Lakes
Men’s
First Team:
Percy Stogdon – Chicago
Jack Shanahan – Illinois State
Noah Backer – Michigan
Daniel Lee – Michigan
Jake Steslicki – Michigan
Benjamin Spielman – Northwestern
Jacob Fella – Purdue
Second Team:
Judah Newman – Chicago
Jeffrey Weis – Chicago
Jeff Zhao – Chicago
Luke Brennan – Notre Dame
Jacob Scobey – Notre Dame
Joseph Byerly – Purdue
Mike Kobyra – Purdue
Women’s
First Team:
Hani Pajela – Chicago
Jenny Wang – Chicago
Joline Chang – Illinois
Hannah Henkin – Michigan
Tracey Lo – Michigan
Sarah Kim – Northwestern
Julia Butterfield – Notre Dame
Second Team:
Michelle McCarthy – Illinois
Vivian Chu – Michigan
Brittany Wright – Michigan
Katherine George – Northwestern
Lena Goren – Northwestern
MK Andersen – Notre Dame
Sarah Lipscomb – Notre Dame
Metro East
Men’s
First Team:
Gavin Clemmey – Connecticut
Michael Rice – Connecticut
Robert Rickert – Cornell
Zane Friedkin – Princeton
Andrew Nelson – Princeton
Eric Russo – SUNY-Albany
Michael Woods – SUNY-Albany
Second Team:
Lucas Bulger – Cornell
Spencer Deroos – Cornell
Yi Fan Wang – Cornell
Oakley Richins – Princeton
Shashank Alladi – Rutgers
Isaiah Casiano – SUNY-Albany
Peter-John Ferrebee – SUNY-Albany
Women’s
First Team:
Stephanie Huang – Columbia
Sophie Hulbert – Columbia
Kimberly Brown – Cornell
Lilly Mendoza – Cornell
Marissa Aldieri – Connecticut
Montana Bertoli – Connecticut
Jane Urheim – Princeton
Second Team:
Veronica Chan – Cornell
Windy Feng – Cornell
Ariel Virgulto – Connecticut
Corrine Giorgetti – Ottawa
Annie Chen – Princeton
Margaret Wang – Princeton
Tianay Zeigler – Princeton
North Central
Men’s
First Team:
Henry Fisher – Carleton College
Eric Taylor – Carleton College
Solomon Yanuck – Carleton College
Ben Jagt – Minnesota
Marty Adams – Minnesota-Duluth
Ross Barker – Wisconsin
Avery Johnson – Wisconsin
Second Team:
Tyler Barrett – Iowa
Joel Morton – Iowa State
Wyatt Mekler – Minnesota
Tristan Van de Moortele – Minnesota
Nicholas Ladas – Wisconsin
Nicholas Vogt – Wisconsin
David Yu – Wisconsin
Women’s
First Team:
Katie Ciaglo – Carleton College
Madeleine Preiss – Carleton College
Claire Rostov – Carleton College
Claire Thallon – Carleton College
Brittnee Grimshaw – Iowa State
Kayla Blanek – Minnesota
Anneke Vermaak – Wisconsin
Second Team:
Chessy Cantrell – Carleton College
Naomi Price-Lazarus – Carleton College
Elizabeth Gronert – Iowa
Linda Behrer – Iowa State
Danica Cutshall – Minnesota
Makella Daley – Minnesota
Sabrina Hoffman – Wisconsin
New England
Men’s
First Team:
Ryan Cardinal – Boston College
Mac Hecht – Brown
John Stubbs – Harvard
Tannor Johnson – Massachusetts
Ben Sadok – Massachusetts
Jonah Kurman-Faber – Northeastern
Nicholas Roberts – Tufts
Second Team:
Joshua DeBlieux – Boston College
Eli Motycka – Brown
Solomon Rueschemeyer-Bailey – Brown
Brett Gramann – Massachusetts
Nico Mueller – Massachusetts
Brian Wyer – Northeastern
Michael Dillard – Tufts
Women’s
First Team:
Olivia Hampton – Boston College
Jaclyn Verzuh – Dartmouth
Angela Zhu – Dartmouth
Mia Bladin – Harvard
Joanna JoJo Emerson – Tufts
Rachel Kramer – Tufts
Kyle Weatherhogg – Vermont
Second Team:
Julianna Werffeli – Dartmouth
Jessica Brownschidle – Middlebury
Anna Iglitzin – Middlebury
Mary Thomas – Middlebury
Samantha Gray – Northeastern
Megan Wilson – Tufts
Brenda Hoang – Vermont
Northwest
Men’s
First Team:
Hugh Knapp – British Columbia
Colton Clark – Oregon
Connor Matthews – Oregon
Adam Rees – Oregon
Joshua Zdrodowski – Utah
Steven Benaloh – Washington
Kahlif El-salaam – Washington
Second Team:
Jason McKeen – Brigham Young
Xander Cuizon Tice – Oregon
Malcolm Bryson – Victoria
Trevor Knechtel – Victoria
Dongyang Chen – Washington
Dennis Casio – Western Washington
Zhi Chen – Western Washington
Women’s
First Team:
Ellen Au-Yeung – British Columbia
Ella Hansen – Oregon
Hayley Wahlroos – Oregon
Nina Finley – Whitman
Alex Hardesty – Whitman
Margo Heffron – Whitman
Alissa Soo – Whitman
Second Team:
Victoria McCann – British Columbia
Kaitlin Brunik – Oregon
Sophia Johansen – Washington
Livia Amorosi – Whitman
Claire Revere – Whitman
Linnea Soo – Whitman
Annie Want – Whitman
Ohio Valley
Men’s
First Team:
Justin Abel – Carnegie Mellon
Tarik Akyuz – Case Western Reserve
Max Sheppard – Edinboro
Codi Wood – Penn State
Michael Ing – Pittsburgh
Carl Morgenstern – Pittsburgh
Ethan Fortin – Villanova
Second Team:
Keegan North – Cincinnati
Marc Sands – Penn State
Connor Boyle – Pennsylvania
Sam Vandusen – Pittsburgh
Jonah Wisch – Pittsburgh
Robert Walker – Temple
Chris Dixon – Villanova
Women’s
First Team:
Iris Javersak – Akron
Sadie Jezierski – Ohio State
Amel Awadelkarim – Penn State
Jessica Sourbeer – Penn State
Linda Morse – Pittsburgh
Carolyn Normile – Pittsburgh
Liz Hart – West Chester
Second Team:
Hayley Groubert – Akron
Lauren Ficek – Case Western Reserve
Alaine Wetli – Ohio State
Anna Maria Thompson – Pennsylvania
Abigail Bomberger – Pittsburgh
Sarah Russek – Pittsburgh
Danielle Byers – West Chester
South Central
Men’s
First Team:
Kaplan Maurer – Arkansas
Mark Rauls – Colorado
Cody Spicer – Colorado State
Kai Marshall – Oklahoma
Joel Clutton – Texas
Dillon Larberg – Texas
Carson Wilder – Texas Tech
Second Team:
J Wesley Chow – Colorado
Jacob Servaty – Colorado State
Sam Ward – Oklahoma
Logan Kinney – Texas
Carter Hollo – Texas A&M
Zach Marbach – Texas A&M
Connor Ughetta – Texas A&M
Women’s
First Team:
Kelsey Bennett – Colorado
Megan Ives – Colorado
Kirstin Johnson – Colorado
Nhi Nguyen – Colorado
Robin Fassett-Carman – Colorado College
Clare Frantz – Kansas
Shiru Liu – Texas
Second Team:
Elise Franke – Arkansas
Frances Gellert – Colorado College
Kaci Cessna – Colorado State
Kiera Lindgren – Colorado State
Grace Roth – Kansas
Andrea Esparza – Texas
Julia Schmaltz – Texas
Southeast
Men’s
First Team:
Martin Newman – Auburn
Eric Sjostrom – Auburn
Michael Volz – Auburn
Michael Fairley – Central Florida
Anders Olsen – Emory
Billy O’Bryan – Florida
Parker Bray – Georgia
Second Team:
Daniel Sperling – Emory
Ryan Hiser – Florida
Tanner Repasky – Florida
Stephen Muir – Florida State
Avery Van Brussel – Florida State
Nathan Haskell – Georgia
Thomas Echols – LSU
Women’s
First Team:
Kristine Fedorenko – Auburn
Erin Chun – Georgia
Alexandra Fairley – Georgia
Taylor Hartman – Georgia Tech
Dana Rose – Georgia Tech
Samantha Daugherty – Kennesaw State
Rachel Mez – Kennesaw State
Second Team:
Sarah Burzynski – Emory
Leah Gilbert-Odem – Emory
Courtney Testa – Florida
Gracie White – Georgia
Bridget Nabb – Georgia Tech
Julia Ting – Georgia Tech
Charlotte Doran – Vanderbilt
Southwest
Men’s
First Team:
Jack Hamner – California-Santa Barbara
William Turner – California-Santa Barbara
Ian Sweeney – Cal Poly-SLO
Cameron Wariner – Cal Poly-SLO
Sam Cook – Southern California
Elliott Chartock – Stanford
Gabriel Hernandez – Stanford
Second Team:
Matt Theologidy – Cal Poly-Pomona
Austin Barden – Chico State
Michael Tran – San Diego State
Ethan Falat – San Jose State
Wyatt Paul – Southern California
James Toh – Southern California
Nolan Walsh – Stanford
Women’s
First Team:
Alison Griffith – California
Jackelyne Nguyen – California
|
and does things or this talk about Darion Griswold being actually good becomes a thing, the Falcons need a new tight end. Again, Hooper looks the part of a starter, and TE Levine Toilolo got paid like a second tight end in March and has experience doing such after filling in for an injured Jacob Tamme last season. So, if Saubert, Perkins and Griswold aren’t the answer, who could they call? Five ideas:
Gary Barnidge – The former Cleveland Brown starting TE still has gas left in the tank, and might benefit greatly from working with a QB like Matt Ryan. He could be another scary cog in an offense that has an abundance of them. The team tends to do well with Cleveland castaways. Price could be an issue, though, as Barnidge figures to be on a roster at some point soon. Jacob Tamme – Literally, just go get Tamme again if he’s healthy. He and Ryan have an obvious rapport, he’s got reliable hands, and he wouldn’t have to start with Hooper playing well. Brandon Myers – He’s another solid depth guy who played for the Buccaneers last year and could probably pick up Sarkisian’s scheme pretty quickly. Jim Dray – Dray is old, but he went to Stanford. That must mean he is smart. He’s primarily a blocking tight end, I think. Honestly, I don’t know anything about Jim Dray. He also catches the ball apparently. Honestly, he’s 30, and he was on a roster last year. That must mean he’s at least somewhat good at his job. So, he is an option, by default. He also was a Brown once, which always is going to ring a bell. Watch the camp cuts list/waiver wire soon – so, the team may just decide to fix this in like two weeks when players start getting released and waived.
Look, it’s probably going to be Perkins or Griswold. Or maybe they keep two of those guys along with Saubert. All I know is that it’s the only spot on the roster right now I look at and go “hurmph.”
There is nothing else to talk about
I think that is a problem in and of itself. Preseason games are dumb. They stretch out guys who won’t make the roster to take garbage snaps, and sometimes, embarrass themselves on live television doing something they won’t do for a job. The NFL needs to limit this to two games, starting next weekend, and then just call it quits. I know these things make money and give football nerds an earlier taste at something they’re going to get plenty of in like a month’s time, but they are really pointless and droll – like visiting that great aunt for her birthday that you know really has other things to do than talk with you, but you’re there, and she’s there, so you make it work, even though she’d be far-happier in the break room talking about that handsome young man who is now singing and playing the guitar twice a week, and you’d rather not drive forty-five minutes across town for a 15-minute conversation you could do by phone.
That’s what these first two preseason games are like. Cut ‘em short, Roger.
Oh, yes, something to talk about
Y’all think Dan Quinn could fight a bear? Like, literally. Quinn, bear, ring. Just let it happen and see the outcome. Like, you think, well, obviously, bear, but Quinn’s got spirit. He could scare the bear away. Bears are scary, but they’re also animals, who don’t have large brains. Quinn could scream about that bear missing a tackle, and the bear would firstly, not understand English, and secondly, be upset someone is yelling at him. Now, this could go one of two ways. The bear could attack and be angrier, or the bear could get scared and cower away in the corner, waiting for all the loud noises to end. Let’s assume the latter happens, and Quinn wins. And then befriends the bear, who becomes an assistant coach on the Falcons. Coach Bear, a fast-and-physical bear. I love Coach Bear. And Coach Quinn. Go Coach Bear.
Photo from AtlantaFalcons.comHello everyone. It’s hot here in Barcelona, nearly 98 degrees today! We’ve been spending a lot of time drinking ice water and staying close to the pool. I’m averaging two showers a day, slapping on sunblocks like it’s no body’s business, and trying to remember my big hat. You get the picture. It’s HOT.
On Tuesday, I was thrilled to attend Barcelona’s Fashion Week, the 080 (short for the city’s zip code) held at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc.
My day started with the designer TCN. With sleek swimwear and casual, fun fashion in earthy tones, the clothes were very appealing for a modern mom. I was enthralled.
Here’s a list of the designers featured at 080. Mango and Desigual are two of the more casual, fun brands I’ve been getting to know and love here in Spain. TCN and Miriam Ponsa are the ones I was lucky to see.
Lunch was held in the middle of the Olympic stadium. Little food trucks had pulled up with crepes, tapas, and other specialities. Everyone was indulging in champagne to try to cool down from the heat. Whatever it takes, right? And when in Rome? Yes, I had some.
Here you can see the lunch tent from afar, set right among the race tracks of the Olympic Stadium.
Before the second show, I got to peak backstage at the makeup and hair production. Fun to see all that goes into the final look. They make it look so easy, but each model was in that chair for at least an hour.
Here’s the second designer I was lucky to see, Miriam Ponsa. Also offering earthy tones, her looks are flowing, cool and casual. I loved the patterns, the creams and the greys.
Before heading back to pick up the kids from their day camp, I caught glimpse of this lovely view of a city I’ve fallen in love with. Even on a steamy hot day, it’s the kind of place you just want to be.
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to enter our giveaway below to win a $50 Amazon gift card!
Sending love from hot and steamy Barcelona!!
xo Melissa
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a Rafflecopter giveawayCanada, Taiwan, India, Editor's Note — This story is part of a series highlighting superlatives of countries and cities around the world. Click here for pieces on Italy France, the United States Hong Kong and Mexico, and watch for upcoming installments featuring other countries.
(CNN) — For such a small country -- it ranks 109th in the world for total area, right behind Iceland -- South Korea sure is in the news a lot.
Occasionally that news is grim -- something to do with a troublesome cousin across the border.
Sometimes it's pure mainstream pop -- a bunch of cute singers taking down Lady Gaga on the world stage.
Sometimes it's just plain astonishing -- no one throws out the first pitch at a baseball game with as much panache as South Koreans.
From the weird to the wonderful to sci-fi stuff from a Samsung galaxy far, far away, here are things South Korea pulls off more spectacularly than anywhere else.
1. Wired culture
Want to see what the future looks like?
Book a ticket to the country with a worldwide high 82.7% Internet penetration and where 78.5% of the entire population is on smartphones (as of 2013).
While they're chatting away on emoticon-ridden messenger apps such as Naver Line or Kakao Talk, South Koreans also use their smartphones to pay at shops, watch TV (not Youtube but real-time channels) on the subway and scan QR codes at the world's first virtual supermarket
Hyundai plans on rolling out a car that starts with your smartphone in 2015.
Samsung in the meantime has been designing a curved phone.
Crazy displays of technology already in place but not yet distributed can be seen (by appointment) at T.um, Korea's largest telecom company SK Telecom's future technology museum
T.um, Jung-gu, Euljiro 2-ga 11, Seoul; +82 2 6100 0601
2. Whipping out the plastic
South Koreans became the world's top users of credit cards two years ago, according to data from the Bank of Korea
While Americans made 77.9 credit card transactions per person in 2011 and Canadians made 89.6, South Koreans made 129.7.
It's technically illegal for any merchant in the country to refuse credit cards, no matter how low the price, and all cabs have credit card machines.
All that flying plastic makes Seoul one of our top shopping cities in the world.
3. Workaholics
South Koreans are so used to studying -- the country has the highest education level in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, with 98% of the population completing secondary education and 63% with a college education -- they can't get out of the habit once they reach the work force.
According to this quirky map from thedoghousediaries, Brazil sets the standard for FIFA World Cup titles and North Korea leads in "censorship," but South Korea takes the crown for workaholics.
You can see it in any Korean city, where lights in buildings blaze into the late hours as workers slave away.
According to 2012 data from South Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance, South Koreans work 44.6 hours per week, compared with the OECD average of 32.8.
And according to a study released in August 2014, along with Tokyo residents, Seoulites get the least amount of sleep of any residents of major cities in the world, just less than six hours a night.
4. Business boozing
When they're not working, Koreans are celebrating their latest deals or drowning their sorrows in soju.
While many leading companies are trying to curb the working/drinking culture, there are still plenty of bosses who drag their teams out for way too many rounds of soju/beer/whiskey "bombs."
Those who opt out are considered rude or hopelessly boring.
Yes, Japan and a few other countries can stake reasonable claims to this title, but South Korea has stats to back up the barroom brag.
Jinro soju was the world's best-selling liquor last year, for the eleventh year in a row, with its home country accounting for most of the sales.
The South Korean distilled rice liquor manufacturer outsold Smirnoff vodka, which came in second by 37.48 million cases.
5. Innovative cosmetics
When it comes to makeup and cosmetics, South Koreans can't stop experimenting with ingredients or methods of application.
Snail creams (moisturizers made from snail guts) are so 2011.
Now it's all about Korean ingredients such as Innisfree's Jeju Island volcanic clay mask and fermented soybean moisturizer.
At VDL, Korea's latest trendy cosmetics line, products change monthly.
Right now, they're pushing "hair shockers" -- neon tints for hair -- and nail polish with real flowers in it.
Just as Korean men are less wary of going under the plastic surgery knife (see point 10) than their foreign counterparts, they also snap up skincare products and, yes, even makeup, namely foundation in the form of BB cream.
South Korea is by far the largest market for men's cosmetics, with Korean men buying a quarter of the world's men's cosmetics -- around $900 million a year, according to Euromonitor.
6. Female golfers
The Economist posed a million-dollar question in 2013.
"Why are Korean women so good at golf?"
The rankings were staggering.
Of the top 100 female golfers in the world, 38 were Korean.
Of the current top 25, 9 are Korean (10 if you count Seoul-born Lydia Ko, who calls New Zealand home).
Inbee Park, 25, is the second-ranked player in women's golf and was the youngest player to win the U.S. Women's Open.
In January, Ko, 14, set the record for the youngest woman to ever win a professional golf tournament.
Chalk it up to crazy Korean competitiveness or to the Tiger Mom/Dad theory (golfer Se-Ri Pak's father is infamous for making her sleep alone in a cemetery every night to steel her nerves), but the phenomenon certainly begs study.
Widely thought to be a response to Korean domination of the sport, the U.S.-based LPGA passed a requirement in 2008 mandating that its members must learn to speak English, or face suspension.
7. Starcraft
One country's hopeless nerds are among another's highest earning celebrities
Starcraft is actually a legitimate career in South Korea, with pro gamers raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings in addition to endorsements.
Since the game launched in 1998, nearly half of all games have been sold in South Korea, where boys, girls, men and women drop by for a night of gaming in giant video game parlors.
There are cable channels devoted solely to the games, and the culture has led to approximately 14% of Koreans between ages 9 and 12 suffering from Internet addiction, according to the National Information Agency.
To try to crack down, the government passed a ban dubbed the "shutdown law" or "Cinderella law" two years ago, prohibiting anyone 16 and younger from game websites. The ban has been widely ignored.
8. Flight attendants
Flight attendants from airlines around the world come to Korean airlines' training centers to learn proper airborne charm.
Ask anyone who's ever flown a Korean airline and dare them to say the service isn't the best they've ever had.
It's not just the sweet smiles that greet every little request, but the almost comical looks of suicidal despair when they somehow run out of bibimbap in the row before yours.
9. Blind dates
"When's your next sogeting (blind date)?"
That's one of the most frequently asked questions of any Korean single.
The standard answer is the epic horror story that was the last blind date, often involving a crippling Oedipus complex or intolerable physical flaw.
Followed immediately by a chirpy, "Why, do you know someone you can set me up with?"
Due to the high volume of blind dates, when Korean make up their minds, they move quickly.
According to data compiled by South Korea's largest matchmaking company, Duo, the average length of time of a relationship from the (blind) first date to marriage is approximately 10.2 months for working people, with an average of 62 dates per couple.
In a survey conducted by Duo, working singles interested in marriage say they typically go on two blind dates a week.
They should know. Of the top four matchmaking companies in Korea (there are 2,500 companies in the country), Duo has a 63.2% marketshare.
10. Plastic surgery
Whether it's a lantern jaw, wide forehead or long teeth, there's no feature doctors can't beautify in the Asian capital for cosmetic surgery.
Russians, Chinese, Mongolians and Japanese flock to South Korea on plastic surgery "medical tours," not only for the skill of the surgeons, but for the good deals.Far Cry 5’s customization is gonna be better than other Far Cry games but the campaigns length will be the same
Gamingbolt talked with Far Cry 5’s writers Drew Holmes. Holmes said, “It has a robust school system,” when Gameingbolt asked him about customization. He also said, “there’s going to be lots of weapons to play around with. We’re going to go into it later. But expect improvement and stuff you have see in previous Far Cry games.” Gamingbolt asked him about the length of the campaign and he said the campaign will be as long as the other Far Cry games, so that means 20-30 hours of campaign. Because Far Cry 4 and Far Cry 3’s campaigns were 20-30 hours long.
Far Cry 5 trailer
Sources:
https://goo.gl/mHSZCD
More Far Cry 5 news:
https://goo.gl/daCH83
Our new and very funny video:
12 year old says he is 24 | GTA 5 online voice trollingWestern powers and institutions trying to halt Cambodia’s slide into outright dictatorship are grasping at desperate last ditch options as anti-foreign sentiment becomes an increasing focus of the country’s state media.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz stepped into the fracas on Tuesday threatening consequences if jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha is not released.
“If your prime minister does not release Kem Sokha by November 9th, I will work with my colleagues in Congress and in the Trump administration to see that specified government officials responsible for these actions are prevented from traveling to the United States,” Cruz said in a statement.
Voter registration for next year’s national election ends Nov. 9, with the government moving to dissolve its only credible opponent — the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
The United States already placed visa restrictions on a number of Cambodian Foreign Ministry officials and their families in September, though officially in response to a separate concern.
Cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan said the statement by Cruz was to his knowledge the most senior intervention from a U.S. figure so far, but not very concerning.
“The foreign policy made by President Donald Trump, he stopped all interference to another country, to another nation, so the statement from Ted contradicts to his own president,” he said.
Trump has declared that the days of U.S. nation-building in foreign countries are over, prompting some analysts to argue that authoritarian rulers around the world have been emboldened to dismantle democratic institutions.
Kem Sokha, along with exiled former leader Sam Rainsy and more the 50 civil society organizations, called earlier this week for Indonesia and France to reconvene a meeting of the parties to the Paris Peace Accords — a document that set out the democratic foundations for Cambodia’s 1993 elections.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of co-signatory Human Rights Watch, said the group is pursuing last-ditch ideas like this because the dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party ahead of next year’s elections is now being presented as a “fait accompli.”
“If it turns out that the CNRP is dissolved, then the first step has to be that the Europeans and the Japanese need to suspend any sort of aid and assistance to this election, to drop the whole idea of having international observers, and basically walk away,” he said.
Robertson said the next step after that would be to impose global Magnitsky-type sanctions that would target top members of the CPP and the military.
The Magnitsky Act is a punitive U.S. mechanism that allows the executive branch to freeze the assets of suspected human rights abusers held in United States banks, block their access to the financial system and ban them from entering the country.
It was originally passed in 2012 to punish Russian officials and businessmen related to the murder of a corruption investigator but was expanded globally in 2016.
“We’ll take Cambodia back to the pre [1992] arrangements where they were a pariah state,” Robertson threatened in reference to Cambodia’s post-Khmer Rouge standing before a U.N. intervention force was launched to implement democratic elections.
Souring climate
Cambodians working in human rights or independent media have long braved threats and intimidation, an atmosphere that is now looming over foreigners as well.
A conspiracy narrative that state media has been building for months — accusing various government critics of a treasonous plot to launch a color revolution — is expanding on a daily basis to incorporate increasingly unlikely targets, sowing seeds of paranoia far and wide.
National Police training materials revealed by The Phnom Penh Post on Tuesday present charts implicating three micro-finance institutions as well as some 300 organizations, both local and international, in the alleged plot.
State TV has been broadcasting similar accusations through a 46-minute video that often parrots globalist conspiracy narratives popular with far-right movements in the United States.
Media outlets including Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Voice of Democracy, the Cambodia Daily and The Phnom Penh Post have been accused of abetting the conspirators.
Though the United States has been presented as the principal instigator of such a conspiracy, the European Union is emerging as a target as well.
Leaders of the U.S. and EU business communities unanimously declined to comment for this article.BOSTON (Reuters) - A South Boston priest was charged on Wednesday with possessing and distributing child pornography using a computer in his parish’s rectory, authorities said.
Andrew Urbaniak is seen in a handout photo from the Suffolk County Distict Attorney's office. REUTERS/Suffolk County District's Office/Handout
Andrew J. Urbaniak was arraigned in South Boston District Court on one count of possession of child pornography and one charge of distributing images of a child in the nude, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
Police arrested Urbaniak, 39, at Our Lady of Czestochowa, a Polish church in the Archdiocese of Boston, on Tuesday.
After obtaining a search warrant, detectives seized Urbaniak’s computer, where pornographic images of girls between the ages of 8 and 10 were found, according to the Boston Police Department.
The district attorney’s office said that detectives had been investigating Urbaniak’s activities on the Internet, observing files with names such as “pre-teen,” “pedo” and “lolitas,” hosted by an IP address linked to Urbaniak’s computer at the parish’s rectory. When they recovered his computer, it appeared to be in the process of sharing and downloading files.
“Troopers downloaded one suspect file and found it to contain a sexually explicit photograph of a child who appeared to be under the age of 14,” the district attorney’s office said.
The Archdiocese of Boston said Urbaniak had been placed on administrative leave. It said his provincial superior at his religious order in Poland had been informed, and that Urbaniak would not allowed to function as a priest in the archdiocese.
The archdiocese said in a statement that it was “fully cooperating with law enforcement.
“The Church prays for all those impacted by these events and is committed to providing for the pastoral care of the parish during this difficult time,” it said.
Urbaniak, ordained in Poland in 1998, had been at Our Lady of Czestochowa since September 2008, said Kellyanne Dignan, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese.
The parish, which offers mass in English and Polish, is served by Franciscan friars. Urbaniak is listed on the church’s website as part of the pastoral staff.
“He’s a very decent man charged with very indecent circumstances,” said Urbaniak’s lawyer Jeffrey Denner.
Police said they were continuing their investigation.
Urbaniak was being held on $10,000 cash bail. Denner said he would be released on bail by Thursday.
Once released, Urbaniak will be required to wear a GPS monitoring device and surrender his passport. He is barred from Internet use and is to have no contact with children younger than 16.Share Pin Shares 0
In this episode, Joyce tells all three of her birth stories which included a hospital birth using hypnobirthing and a birthing tub. Joyce had three natural births that share some similarities, but which were also surprisingly different. As a doula, Joyce offers a helpful, informative perspective on birth and doesn’t hold anything back!
Joyce thought she wanted to be a veterinarian or an animal behavior research scientist, but is now a housewife with a MS in biology, a homeschooling mom of three, and a birth doula, and loving it! Joyce is certified by DONA International, a Hypnobabies(r) trained Hypno-Doula, and is a co-leader with her local chapter of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) in Lincoln, NE.
Resource Links
Hypnobabies
Hypno-Doula
International Cesarean Awareness Network
DONA International
ACOG – The American Congress of Obstetricians
Transcript
[Music Intro]
[Voice 1] Uh, I think my water just broke!
[Voice 2] I think that things really intensified..
[Voice 3] She was right there, and she was coming…
[Voice 4 It was…it was an amazing feeling.
[Voice 5] I could cry just thinking about it. I could FEEL her HEAD!
[Voice 6] (choking up) We heard her cry. We were holding hands and she was SCREAMING (chuckles)!
I’m Bryn Huntpalmer and you’re listening to The Birth Hour. This podcast is designed as a safe place for women to come together to share their childbirth stories. Stick around to hear informative and empowering birth journeys from women all over the world.
[Music]
[Bryn]: I’m Bryn Hunt-Palmer and you’re listening to The Birth Hour. This podcast is designed as a safe place for women to come together to share their childbirth stories. Stick around to join us to hear empowering birth journeys from women all over the world.
[Bryn]: Today’s guest is Joyce Dykema. Joyce is a mom of three and she is trained as a birth doula as well as hypno-baby. She is also the co-leader of her local I-Can chapter in Lincoln, Nebraska. Today Joyce is going to she the stories of her three children’s births.
[B]: Hi Joyce welcome to The Birth Hour. I’m excited to have you here today to share your three birth stories. Why don’t we go ahead and start with how old your children are now.
[Joyce]: Ok, well my oldest, he is is six and a half, my second just turned four this year, and then my youngest just turned one on Monday.
[B]: I love talking with women who’ve had more than one birth because we always hear ‘every birth is different’ but we don’t often think about that when it’s the same woman. So after your first birth you start thinking ‘oh I’ve got this’ but then the next one is completely different.
[J]: It’s really interesting because the first two had similarities and then the third one on the surface her birth had a lot of similarities as well but it was interesting how it all panned out. My first it was the day after my due date, I was born on my due date so we assumed that it was going to be around 40 weeks when we were going to have these babies. So the day after my due date, I woke up around three in the morning needing to use the bathroom because you know at 40 weeks pregnant you always need to pee. So I used the bathroom and went back to bed. I couldn’t seem to get comfortable, I just kept on tossing and turning and Could Not go back to sleep. That’s just not like me and finally I realized that I was having contractions. So I decided to get up and stay up for a little bit to see if this is going to be it versus just tossing and turning. We had just bought a lamp for the baby’s room, so I went to the living room and put together a lamp. Bounced on my birth ball and figured out how to put together the pack and play because we hadn’t done anything with that yet. Then at five or six am I started feeling the contractions stronger and there was as start and stop to them. So I woke up my husband and we timed them and I think they were about 5 or 6 minutes apart and about 45 seconds long. I was still very comfortable, being able to talk to them. It was helping to rock with them, moving side to side, so we decided to both take a shower and then time them after that. This was about an hour later and they were about 5 minutes apart and 50-70 seconds long. Then we got confused because I was still talking through them. Like I had to move with them, but I could still talk through them and was feeling pretty comfortable but the timing said that stuff was happening. It was just confusing, like ‘what’s going on? I’m not supposed to be able to talk though these.’
-Both Laugh-
[J]: So, we ate breakfast and I bounced on may birth ball grabbed some of our last minute things for the hospital. We just sort of putzed around for a bit and then timed them again an hour later. They were longer, stronger, and closer together- about 4 minutes apart, surely a minute long- but I was still talking through them. So I called my doula. I loved what she said to me after hearing my story. She said “ yeah I noticed that you’re still talking through them. What did your caregiver say?”
-Both Laugh-
[J]: Then I had to think. Well she said to come in when they were five minutes apart and a minute long. Oh I guess we should go in. So we packed up all the rest of the stuff, I ate another snack before we left. We got to the hospital, sitting in the chair doing all the paperwork, insurance card, blah blah blah was not at all fun. It wasn’t awful but I probably should have just stood up instead of sitting in that chair. Anyways, then the student midwife came in after they had listened to baby’s heartbeat, taking my temperature, and all that jazz. This is about nine o’clock, she came in, introduced herself again, and checked me. I was about five centimeters and- I don’t know- maybe 80 percent effaced. So I was like ‘ Oh yay I’m actually staying.’ At that point was when the first of my two doulas came and she just got me relaxed, kept my comfortable. Then my other doula came and I started having back labor. That was fun. That was not my favorite but luckily by that point I was in labor land. So I wasn’t consciously thinking ‘Oh I have back labor, so my baby might not be in a great position, blah blah blah’ I was in my primal place already. My doulas knew in the beginning- They didn’t make me worry about anything- that my baby was right occiput posterior, ROP, so he was facing my right hip. So they tried a bunch of positions on me to try and get him to turn. We did the lunge- which made me throw up. really brisk walking- which made me throw up. Throughout it all I just felt like I was in this labor zone, I don’t know, primal and otherworldly but I felt very safe and it was emotionally comfortable. At some point I said that I wanted to get into the tub, so they filled it up and I got in. I was in the tub for at least an hour, then the student midwife checked me and I was 9 1/2 centimeters. Then I had to get out to use the toilet and my water broke, which was convenient. That was when I felt like things really intensified. Before then I was just sort of cruising, riding the the labor waves then at that point I was like ‘Whoa! What in the world is happening with everything??’ It got really intense with lots of pressure, lots of back pressure, lots of back pain. That was when I was vocalizing and stuff like that. Looking back on it, I think that I was really picky going through transition. Like I only wanted to hang on my husband in the slow dancing position but his stomach rubbing on my pregnant belly was the most uncomfortable thing on the planet. So my husband had to lean over while I was hanging on him, his poor back. It was probably horrible. Then we had a resting phase, it was lovely. It stopped feeling so intense, I got a break and caught my breath. I said ‘I’m going to lay down for a bit’ so I laid down on the bed, my husband laid down behind me and I have no idea how long we were there. I should ask my birth team. The next thing I remember is getting out of bed and saying ‘I think I need to push.’
-Both Laugh-
[J]: So let’s see as far as a timeline goes we got to the hospital at 8:30pm and I started pushing at 1:30-45 or so. Then pushed, and pushed, and pushed. I was still having back labor so they kind of knew from the place I was feeling the back labor and pain that he kept on moving. They said ‘we think that he moved from a side ROP to a strait ROP’ and then he kept descending because the pain spot kept on moving down. So that was cool. Anyways, I pushed, and pushed, and pushed in all sorts of positions. Let’s see they had me do the birthing stool, supported squats, tug of war, side lying, squat bar, they probably had me doing all of the positions except for hands and knees.
[B]: Was this a birth center within a hospital or just a the most amazing hospital ever?
[J]: It was the most amazing hospital ever. They’re fabulous, absolutely fabulous and this was for my son’s birth almost seven years ago and they’ve only gotten better.
[B]: That sounds amazing.
[J]: They are wonderful. And in my state certified nurse midwives can’t attend home births… Yay Nebraska. So home births are very much underground and not as common as they would be if home births were more legally supported. So this hospital has been the focus of where natural birth mothers go in our state. I had two midwives, the midwife and the student midwife. I had two doulas, the doula and the student doula, and I had my husband. It was really awesome. I didn’t have an IV, I didn’t even have a hep block, It was really great. Anyways, I pushed, and pushed, and pushed, and after an hour you could see his head. He was still posterior, and he was crowning and made no more progress for an hour.
[B]: Oh my god…
[J]: Yeah, so they kept on saying ‘Ok Joyce. One more push, you’re almost there’ and yup! Nope not almost there because my son got his stubbornness from me.
-Both Laugh-
[J]: Then finally, I started tearing on both sides of my labia and maybe starting to tear at the top. Possible in the direction of my urethra. So my midwives were like ‘Joyce you’re starting to tear in all of these places… I think we need to do an episiotomy because we don’t want you to tear up to your urethra’ and I said ‘Yup.’ So they numbed me and cut then did perineal pressure or support so I didn’t tear any further. I actually didn’t tear any further than my episiotomy which is Awwwwwesome. Then he was born in the next push. So that’s all we needed, we needed a little episiotomy. Then, we found out he was a boy annnnd you know I felt very safe emotionally. Like I was in control, and I came out of his birth thinking ‘OMG that was awesome. Oh my gosh that was amazing.’
[B]: I feel like you don’t hear about episiotomies in that way very often.
[J]: Yeah. You know I knew what they were seeing and saying and what was in my birth plan, that I’d rather tear naturally versus an episiotomy, but there was a reason why they suggested it and it just made sense. You know what a tear into my urethra just doesn’t sound fun.
[B]: Yeah No.
[J]: Yeah then there was all those labial tears, I mean they just had to do like one stitch on one side and two on the other but they really stung. They stung more than the episiotomy did. So, yeah it is what it is.
[B]: I think that it makes such a difference if you really trust your care provider. When something like that happens, it wasn’t in your birth plan but because you trusted them you don’t feel emotionally upset about it afterwards. Whereas if you just had some doctor on call that you’d never met before and then said ‘Ok, well we need to do this’ afterwards you would’ve been discontent about it.
[J]: Yes, and they explained it to me. It wasn’t an emergency situation and knowing them now if I had said ‘No I’d rather tear up there’ they would have been like ‘ok, you’re weird but alright. Cool.’
[B]: Alright so then second birth?
[J]: The second was very similar. I awoke at 3:30 in the morning, went to the bathroom, and then couldn’t go back to sleep, two days after my due date. Then because my first was so fast with a posterior baby and first birth, I mean it was only 12 hours from start to finish. So with the second, I was worried that I wasn’t going to make it to the hospital but I’d had a false alarm about a week earlier. I had gone to the hospital and I was one centimeter and the contractions stopped so I was sort of in denial when I woke up at 3:30. So I just putzed around, ate breakfast, folded some diapers, I don’t know and probably cleaned something. I was texting my doula because she was up and like forty-five minutes away. So she went home and showered, got all of her stuff together because she could see that I was in denial and having a baby that day. So then then we had to call grandma for the two year old and she took, she took her time coming over. We probably called her at 6am and she probably got there around 7:30. By the time we got there we said that ‘ok we’re not talking a walk, we’re going to the hospital.’ When we got to the hospital and I was six centimeters. I was shocked because I didn’t have back labor and it was so much easier. I got in the tub, and i had Group B strep with that baby so I had my antibiotics in the tub. Then between all of the water I was drinking earlier and the IV I had to get up to pee like every ten minutes. While I was in the tub I kept on thinking ‘are you sure? Are you sure we’re having a baby today?’ then I’d have a contraction. They were getting longer and stronger but farther apart |
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